Abstract: A noise suppression estimation device calculates a noise index value which varies according to kurtosis of a frequence distribution of magnitude of a sound signal before or after suppression of the noise component, the noise index value indicating a degree of occurrence of musical noise after suppression of the noise component in a frequency domain. For example, the noise suppression estimation device calculates first kurtosis of a frequence distribution of magnitude of the sound signal before suppression of the noise component, calculates second kurtosis of a frequence distribution of magnitude of the sound signal after suppression of the noise component, and calculates the noise index value from the first kurtosis and the second kurtosis.

Abstract: We prepared a transgene comprising human HB-EGF precursor cDNA, as a diphtheria toxin receptor gene, at the downstream of an insulin promoter, and introduced this transgene into a mouse fertilized egg, to produce a transgenic mouse of the present invention. In this mouse, human HB-EGF precursors are expressed specifically in islet beta cells, and by injection of diphtheria toxin, islet beta cells are selectively destroyed, resulting in that the mouse shows diabetes two or three days after the injection. This mouse can be utilized in screening and development of new medicines and therapy protocols for diabetes.

Abstract: [Problems] To convert a signal of non-audible murmur obtained through an in-vivo conduction microphone into a signal of a speech that is recognizable for (hardly misrecognized by) a receiving person with maximum accuracy.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photochromic compound that is colored when irradiated with visible light and quickly faded when set in a dark place. The photochromic compound according to the present invention is expressed by the following general formula (I): where each of A1, A2 and A3 is a five-member rings forming a 6?-electron system, the three rings being identical, partially identical or totally different from each other, and each ring may have a substituent; B1 and B2 are functional groups, each having an atomic number of five or larger, including a ring compound, and bonded to the 2-carbon of each of A2 and A3, respectively; and R1, R2 and R3 are substituents identical to or different from each other. This compound is highly colorable and durable even when it is dispersed into plastic macromolecular materials. Therefore, it is suitable as a dye material for sunglasses or similar products.

Abstract: A processing unit is provided which executes speech recognition on speech signals captured by a microphone for capturing sounds uttered in an environment. The processing unit has: an initial reflection component extraction portion that extracts initial reflection components by removing diffuse reverberation components from a reverberation pattern of an impulse response generated in the environment; and an acoustic model learning portion that learns an acoustic model for the speech recognition by reflecting the initial reflection components to speech data for learning.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for evaluating the performance of a solar cell which comprises a silicon semiconductor as the main component. This method comprises a current introduction step for introducing a direct current into a solar cell element constituting the solar cell in the forward direction, and an emission sensing step for sensing emission characteristics of the light emitted from the solar cell element due to the current introduction step. By this method, the photoelectric conversion performance of a solar cell can be simply and accurately evaluated without requiring large-sized equipment.

Abstract: A tactile sensor of an embodiment of the present invention includes: a sensing section having an elastic member at a portion which contacts a measurement target; an image acquiring section for acquiring as image information the state of a contact surface of the measurement target and the elastic member, before and after application of an external force tangential to the contact surface; a deformation analyzing section for analyzing deformation information of the contact surface, based on the image information acquired by the image acquiring section; an external force detecting section for detecting the external force applied tangential to the contact surface; and an estimating section for estimating a slippage margin between the measurement target and the elastic member, based on (I) the deformation information of the contact surface, which information acquired by the deformation analyzing section, (II) the external force detected by the external force detecting section, and (III) an object constant of the el

Abstract: A mobile node simulator (100) includes: a behavior simulator section (140) for simulating behaviors of a plurality of mobile nodes in accordance with a behavior model, the behavior model being definable by a user; and a network simulator section (120) for simulating a communication on a network including the plurality of mobile nodes. A network application (180) targeted for an evaluation of a simulation is implemented on the network simulator section (120). The network simulator section (120) is configured to output an output from the network application (180) to the behavior simulator section (140) at each simulation time t. The behavior simulator section (140) is configured to be capable of changing a behavior of at least one of the plurality of mobile nodes in accordance with the behavior model in response to the output from the network application (180).

Abstract: A node terminal including an internal memory for saving a program transmitted from a server, a CPU for executing the program, a hash value calculating section for performing an operation of the program using a specified hash function when the execution of the program is completed, and a digital signature executing section for digitally signing the program operated using the hash function and the execution result of the program, using a secret key peculiar to the node and saved in a secret key storage, and a microprocessor capable of guaranteeing that the content of a memory is not unjustly falsified during the execution of the program.

Abstract: The uppermost metallic wiring layer in light-blocking layers constituted by multilevel metallic wiring that prevents light from impinging on areas other than the light-receiving area of a photodiode in each picture cell is used as a measurement electrode to be directly contacted with a specimen to measure electrical signals. Furthermore, in each picture cell including a circuit for reading out electrical signals collected through the measurement electrode, another circuit for reading out electrical signals generated by the photodiode is provided in an independent or shared form. This configuration enables the photodiode for optical measurements and the measurement electrode for electrical measurements to be provided in every picture cell.

Abstract: A driving force calculating device (1) includes: a setting information acquiring section (23) which acquires (a) muscle specifying information that specifies a target muscle, which is a muscle whose function is assisted or resisted by a driving section and (b) a target value of muscle force to be produced by the target muscle at the time of rotational motion under assistance or resistance of the driving section; and a target muscle force evaluating section (24) which acquires an estimated muscle force table (58) and musculoskeletal model data (53) and evaluates the feasibility of the target value of the target muscle. With this arrangement, it is possible to reduce time required to calculate a driving force of the driving section of the power assisting device.

Abstract: A gateway device includes a base processor which converts a signal input from an IP network to a signal which can be handled by the gateway device, and a home appliance control processor having a controller which converts the signal which can be handled by the gateway device to a control signal in compliance with the communications protocol of a home appliance to be controlled. The controller stores, on a table, information about the communications protocol, driver, controllable setting condition and status of respective appliances to be controlled in association with each other. The controller also includes a conversion functional block which converts information supplied to the control information of the communications protocol of the respective appliances to be controlled on the basis of the stored information.

Abstract: For an information terminal to be operated by users for collecting predetermined pieces of information from remote information devices by free-space optical communication, the present invention provides a technique for suppressing the power consumption of the information terminal by minimizing the amount of calculation performed to collect the aforementioned information. According to the present invention, each information device emits ID light on which a low-frequency pilot signal is superimposed. The information terminal captures a series of frames of images including the ID light and locates the ID light within the images by the following steps: (1) creating multiple levels of binned images having different resolutions for each frame of the image; (2) calculating an evaluation index for each pixel within a target range of the binned images at each level, from the lowest to the highest resolution, where the target range is narrowed every time the process switches over to a lower level.

Abstract: The core metal of a protein such as ferritin is used as a nucleus for crystallizing a silicone thin film and then the thus crystallized film is employed in the channel part of a thin-film transistor. By aligning the protein on the surface of amorphous silicone and heating, the crystallinity is controlled. In the case of ferritin, the core diameter of the protein is 7 mm. That is, this protein is highly even in size (i.e., the metal content). Thus, the amount of the protein to be deposited on the amorphous silicone surface can be accurately controlled by controlling the protein core density. Furthermore, the type of the core metal can be altered by chemical reactions and the above method is applicable not only to amorphous silicone but also to amorphous films of various types such as germanium. Thus, the amount of nickel required in crystallization is controlled by using a protein. Moreover, the distribution density of the nickel core is controlled to thereby conduct crystallization at a desired crystal size.

Abstract: A metal-coated material comprising a metal-coated lipid bilayer vesicle and a preparation method thereof are provided. A metal-coated material comprising a metal-coated lipid bilayer vesicle having a network of siloxane bonding (Si—O—Si) on its surface. a method for preparing the metal-coated lipid bilayer vesicle comprising the following steps: (1) rendering the functional group(s) having the ability of carrying the metal catalyst to the surface of lipid bilayer vesicle having a network of siloxane bonding (Si—O—Si bonding) on its surface, at or after the formation, by self-organization, of the lipid bilayer vesicle; (2) immobilizing the metal catalyst on the surface of the lipid bilayer vesicle; (3) optionally, reducing the metal catalyst; and (4) performing electroless plating.

Abstract: The present invention has been developed for providing a method to easily manufacture a nanosized EuSe crystal which has been conventionally difficult to be manufactured. Heating the Eu(III) complex whose general formula is represented by the following formula generates an EuSe crystal having a particle size corresponding to the heating condition. Alternatively, the mixture composed of Eu(III) complex, a counter cation, and a solvent may be heated. Since the particle size of the nanosized EuSe crystals can be manipulated by the heating condition, the absorption wavelength of the EuSe crystals can be easily controlled. In addition, since it is easy to create a magnetooptic-responsive plastic using the high dispersibility of the EuSe crystals, it can be immediately applied to an optical isolator or other devices.

Abstract: A sender (1) adds decoy photons to a secret photon having confidential information, then, subjects each photon to a different rotational manipulation, and passes the photons along a quantum channel (3) (S11 and S12). A receiver (2) receives those photons and then obtains information about the position of the decoy photons from the sender (1) through a classical channel (4). Using the information, the receiver (2) subjects each of the decoy and secret photons to a different rotational manipulation and transmits the photons in a rearranged order (S13 and S14). The receiver (1) obtains information about the position and manipulation quantities of the decoy photons from the receiver (2) and decodes the decoy photons. If the quantum state of the decoys is identical to their initial quantum state, the sender (1) determines that no eavesdropper (5) should be present (S15 and S16), cancels only the encryption of the secret photon performed by himself or herself in S12, and transmits the secret photon (S17).

Abstract: Each pixel cell (12) of an image sensor (10) is made of a 4-Tr structure, in which only one Tr for resetting a column (X) is so added to an ordinary 3-Tr APS as to reset only an arbitrary pixel selectively, thereby to confine the pixel size. When a pixel signal is to be read, the period, for which the pixel signals composing an ordinary image of one frame are read, is finely divided so that the pixel signals of the pixels receiving an ID light for the period are read out bit by bit and repeatedly. At this time, for only the column being read, an electric current is fed to a read amplifier in the pixel cell (12) or a variable gain amplifier in an output unit (14), thereby to suppress the power consumption. As a result, a lower power consumption and a higher pixel formation can be attained in an image pickup device for picking up an image and for acquiring the ID information of a light beacon existing in the image pickup range.

Abstract: Although having been used for conventional dye laser solvents, organic solvents have a disadvantage of volatility and inflammability, which makes a dye laser device large and cumbersome. In the present invention, which has been developed to solve this problem, an ionic liquid is used as the dye laser solvent. An organic dye stably dissolves in an ionic liquid and the light-emitting property is almost comparable to the case where an organic solvent is used. Since ionic liquids do not have volatility and inflammability, the dye laser medium according to the present invention is extremely easy to handle. In addition, it also has a property that the photobleach is extremely low compared to conventional dye laser mediums using an organic solvent as the solvent thereof. It is easy to obtain a laser sensor for detecting a predetermined specimen with high sensitivity using the dye laser medium according to the present invention.

Abstract: A face model providing portion provides an stored average face model to an estimation portion estimating an affine parameter for obtaining a head pose. An individual face model learning portion obtains a result of tracking feature points by the estimation portion and learns an individual face model. The individual face model learning portion terminates the learning when a free energy of the individual face model is over a free energy of the average face model, and switches a face model provided to the estimation portion from the average face model to the individual face model. While learning the individual face mode, an observation matrix is factorized using a reliability matrix showing reliability of each observation value forming the observation matrix with emphasis on the feature point having higher reliability.