Abstract: A voice quality conversion system includes: an analysis unit which analyzes sounds of plural vowels of different types to generate first vocal tract shape information for each type of the vowels; a combination unit which combines, for each type of the vowels, the first vocal tract shape information on that type of vowel and the first vocal tract shape information on a different type of vowel to generate second vocal tract shape information on that type of vowel; and a synthesis unit which (i) combines vocal tract shape information on a vowel included in input speech and the second vocal tract shape information on the same type of vowel to convert vocal tract shape information on the input speech, and (ii) generates a synthetic sound using the converted vocal tract shape information and voicing source information on the input speech to convert the voice quality of the input speech.

Abstract: An exemplary UCL estimation system including: an output section configured to present to a user a first sound, and a second sound after lapse of a first predetermined time from a point of presenting the first sound, the first sound having a sound pressure within a predetermined sound pressure range, and the second sound having a same sound pressure as that of the first sound; a measurement section configured to measure an electroencephalogram signal of the user; an extraction section configured to extract, from an electroencephalogram signal measured within a second predetermined time from a point of presenting the second sound, a characteristic amount of an event-related potential of the signal; and an estimation section configured to estimate, by referring to a predetermined relationship between characteristic amount values of event-related potential and uncomfortableness threshold values, an uncomfortableness threshold value corresponding to the extracted characteristic amount of the potential.

Abstract: Provided is a solar cell with improved photoelectric conversion efficiency. The solar cell includes a photoelectric conversion body and first and second electrodes. The photoelectric conversion body includes a substrate made of semiconductor material. The first and second electrodes are disposed at intervals on one main surface of the photoelectric conversion body. Terraces each formed of a crystal plane are provided on a main surface of the substrate on the one main surface side of the photoelectric conversion body. At least one of the terraces exists between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Abstract: A hydrogen generation apparatus 200 includes: an evaporating part 7; a reforming reaction part 9A connected to the downstream side of the evaporating part; a carbon monoxide reducing part 20 provided downstream from the reforming reaction part; and a gas guiding part 21 disposed between the reforming reaction part and the carbon monoxide reducing part and configured to guide a gas that has passed through the reforming reaction part to the carbon monoxide reducing part. The evaporating part and the carbon monoxide reducing part are arranged to be adjacent to each other such that, at least, a part of the evaporating part and a part of the carbon monoxide reducing part are heat exchangeable with each other.

Abstract: A metallized film capacitor includes first and second metal electrodes, a dielectric film disposed between the first and second metal electrodes, and first and second external electrodes which are connected to the first and second metal electrodes, respectively. At least one of the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode comprises magnesium. The magnesium is distributed unevenly in the at least one of the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode.

Abstract: A wireless reception device includes a resource information acquisition section that is configured to acquire silent resource setting information showing that a silent resource which indicates that no signals are allocated in a predetermined resource among distributed resources in which a resource unit defined in a frequency-time domain is divided along a time direction and distributed at a predetermined frequency interval, a receiver that is configured to receive a signal including the distributed resources in which the silent resource is allocated; and an inter-cell interference measurement section that is configured to measure an inter-cell interference pertaining to an amount of interference affected by another cell based on the silent resource setting information and by use of the silent resource allocated in the distributed resources.

Abstract: A moving picture coding apparatus for performing inter-picture predictive coding for pictures constituting a moving picture is provided with a coding unit for performing predictive error coding for image data; a decoding unit for performing predictive error decoding for an output from the coding unit; a reference picture memory for holding output data from the decoding unit; and a motion vector detection unit for detecting motion vectors on the basis of the decoded image data stored in the memory. When coding a B picture as a target picture, information indicating whether or not the target picture should be used as a reference picture when coding another picture is added as header information. Therefore, in a decoding apparatus for decoding a bit stream Bs outputted from the moving picture coding apparatus, management of a memory for holding the reference picture can be facilitated on the basis of the header information.

Abstract: A first image processing device of an image processing system performs a blurring process on captured first image data, obtains second image data, performs a distribution process on the first image data or third image data based on the first image data, obtains a plurality of shares, and transmits the second image data and the plurality of shares to at least one designated storage device. A second image processing device of the image processing system receives the second image data and the plurality of shares from the at least one designated storage device, and restores the first image data based on at least the plurality of shares.

Abstract: A communication system includes a first communication device, a second communication device, and a key management apparatus. The second communication device generates a random number, generates encrypted data using an encryption key, encrypts the random number, generates key information data, and transmits the key information data, identification information of the second communication device, and the encrypted data to the first communication device. The first communication device receives the key information data, the identification information, and the encrypted data, transmits the key information data and the identification information to the key management apparatus, receives the encryption key from the key management device, decodes the encrypted data and obtains the predetermined data using the received encryption key.

Abstract: The number of entering customers and number of paying customers in a store are obtained, statistical information indicating temporal change in status of the number of entering customers and the number of paying customers in a store is generated, the statistical information is displayed along a time axis, the number of a timeslot which is a selection point is displayed on the time axis, and the video of the inside of the store corresponding to the selected timeslot is displayed in response to the user's operation to select the timeslot.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for a communication device connectable to an information management system that makes a visit appointment with a service person. The communication device stores schedule information of a user of the communication device. The method causes a computer of the communication device to: display data which is generated using the schedule information and which includes a calendar; access the information management system to acquire candidate data indicating possible visit dates/times of the service person; determine candidate visit dates/times of the service person by excluding dates on which plans of the user are included in the schedule information, from the possible visit dates/times of the service person; display each display representing each of candidate visit times/times within each region corresponding to each day in the calendar; and display an appointment screen which sets one candidate visit date/time as a visit date/time of the service person.

Abstract: A sound collecting control apparatus includes: a vehicle stop detector; a noise source direction specifier to specify a direction from the sound collector to a noise source of the vehicle stopped at the predetermined position; a search beam former that forms a plurality of search beams in the direction of the noise source specified by the noise source direction specifier and around the direction of the noise source so as to search for a sound source of a voice of a speaker in the vehicle; a search beam selector that selects a search beam corresponding to the sound source of the voice of the speaker in the vehicle from the plurality of search beams formed by the search beam former; and a directivity former that forms directivity of the sound collected by the sound collector in the direction corresponding to the search beam selected by the search beam selector.

Abstract: Provided is a heat-insulating molding compound from which a heat-insulating molded article having high strength and excellent thermal insulating properties can be produced. The compound is formed by crushing an aerogel particle coated with an adhesive.

Abstract: A wireless communication base station device, whereby precision of propagation path estimation is improved by making possible determination of the contiguity of precoding strings contiguous in frequency regions. In this device, a pre-coding string contiguity determining portion (120) determines whether or not a plurality of pre-coding strings (?) which are input from a pre-coding string calculating portion (119) are contiguous in a frequency region. The pre-coding string contiguity determining portion (120) outputs smoothing possibility data, which indicate determination results, to a control data generating portion (104). The control data generating portion (104) generates control data indicating smoothing possibility data which is input from the pre-coding string contiguity determining portion (120).

Abstract: An image decoding method of decoding, on a per-block basis, a coded image included in a bitstream, includes: performing arithmetic decoding on a current block to be decoded; determining whether or not the current block is at the end of a slice; determining, when it is determined that the current block is not at the end of the slice, whether or not the current block is at the end of a sub-stream which is a structural unit of the image that is different from the slice; and performing arithmetic decoding on a sub-last bit and performing arithmetic decoding termination, when it is determined that the current block is at the end of the sub-stream.

Abstract: A wiring board on which an electronic component is to be mounted includes a resist having an opening exposing a joint face which is part of the surface of a wiring layer and to which a terminal of the electronic component is to be joined. In the placing step, the electronic component is placed on the wiring board such that the terminal covers the opening entirely and contacts the solder paste applied onto the joint face. Next, the solder paste applied onto the joint face is heated to melt solder and soften thermosetting resin. This allows the solder to gather in a first space within the opening closed with the wiring layer and the electronic component, while allowing the thermosetting resin to gather in a second space formed between a top side of the resist and a lateral side of the electronic component.

Abstract: Disclosed are a radio transmission device and a radio transmission method which can reduce a processing amount or a memory amount while maintaining the randomizing effect of other cell interference. When using as a reference signal, a ZC sequence of the sequence length uniquely correlated to a transmission bandwidth of a reference signal, as the transmission bandwidth becomes smaller and the sequence length of the ZC sequence becomes shorter, the sequence is switched at a shorter time interval and as the transmission bandwidth becomes greater and the sequence length of the ZC sequence becomes longer, the switching is performed at a longer time interval. Thus, a reference signal is generated by using the ZC sequence in accordance with the timing into which the reference signal transmission bandwidth and the sequence are switched.

Abstract: A relay device according to the present invention includes: a receiving unit which receives a frame; a transmitting unit which transmits a frame; a frame determination unit which stores therein the first frame when the frame determination unit determines that the received frame is the first frame; a proxy ACK generation unit which generates a third frame which is a proxy frame of a second frame which is a frame to be transmitted from the receiving device, as a receipt acknowledgement to the first frame; and a communication control unit which: causes the transmitting unit to transmit the third frame; sets an extended active period in the inactive period subsequent to the active period; and transmits the first frame in the extended active period when the receiving unit does not receive the second frame within a predetermined period after reception of the first frame.

Abstract: An image processing device (10) includes: a representative pixel value storage unit (12) which selects one of plural sub-pixels as a representative sub-pixel, and store, into a representative pixel value storage area, a representative pixel value which is a pixel value of the representative sub-pixel; and a sub-pixel value storage unit (13) which stores, into a sub-pixel value storage area, pixel values of sub-pixels other than the representative sub-pixel, wherein the sub-pixel value storage area stores one or more sets corresponding to N number of pixels, the one or more sets each including a pixel position and a pixel value of each sub-pixel other than the representative sub-pixel of a pixel at the pixel position, N being a natural number smaller than a total number of the plural pixels in the unit of processing for an edge determination unit (11).

Abstract: A voltage detection circuit includes a reference voltage and current supply configured to generate a reference voltage and a reference current; a switching element configured to shift from an off-state to an on-state when the reference voltage is higher than a predetermined threshold voltage; a current mirror circuit allowing a current corresponding to the reference current to flow through the switching element in the on-state; a capacitive element coupled in series to the current mirror circuit and charged with the current flowing through the switching element; and an inverter configured to output an enable signal activated based on a terminal voltage of the capacitive element.