Abstract: In order to provide a non-factoid question answering system with improved precision, the question answering system (160) includes: a candidate retrieving unit (222), responsive to a question, extracting answer candidates from a corpus storage (178); a feature vector generating unit (232) for generating features from combinations of a question with each of the answer candidates; SVMs (176) trained to calculate a score of how correct a combination of the question with an answer candidate is, upon receiving the feature vector therefor; and an answer ranker unit (234) outputting the answer candidate with the highest calculated score as the answer. The features are generated on the basis of the results of morphological analysis and parsing of the question, a phrase in the question evaluated as being positive or negative as well as its polarity, and the semantic classes of nouns in the features.

Abstract: A predicate template collector allowing efficient and automatic recognition of predicate templates is adapted to include: a noun pair collector 94 and a noun pair polarity determiner 98 for collecting noun pairs co-occurring with predicate template pairs and determining polarity of relation between nouns, using conjunctions and seed templates; a template pair collector 100, collecting template pairs co-occurring with noun pairs and determining, based on the relation of noun pairs co-occurring with the predicate template pairs and the conjunctions between predicate templates pairs, whether the polarity of excitatory class of predicate template pair is the same or not; a template network builder 106 building a template network connecting predicate templates based on the predicate template pairs and match/mismatch of excitatory class thereof; and a template excitation value calculator 112 calculating excitation value to be assigned to each node, using the excitation value of seed templates and the relation betwe

Abstract: [Object] An object of the present invention is to provide a system for collecting elements as a basis for generating a social scenario useful for people to make well-balanced good decision. [Solution] A scenario generating apparatus includes: a causality phrase pair DB 70 storing causality phrase pairs; synonimity generators 600, 602 and 604, searching, for each of the causality phrase pairs, causality phrase pairs having a cause phrase with causal consistency with the result phrase of the causality phrase pair, and generating join information for joining causality phrase pairs; join relation DB 610 storing the join information; and a causality joining unit 612 joining, to a result phrase of a causality phrase pair, a causality phrase pair having a cause phrase with causal consistency with the phrase by using the join information, and thereby linking causality. A join relation generator 606 that finds a hidden relation between phrases and linking causality phrase pairs may be provided.

Abstract: [Object] An object of the present invention is to provide a system for collecting elements as a basis for generating a social scenario useful to make a well-balanced good decision.

Abstract: [Object] An object of the present invention is to provide a system for collecting elements as a basis for generating a social scenario useful to make well-balanced good decision. [Solution] A phrase pair collecting apparatus includes: a causality seed pair DB 410 storing seed pairs each consisting of a pair of phrases including a combination of a noun and a predicate template; a semantic relation pattern DB 400 storing semantic relation patterns between words; a word pair DB 402 storing word pairs related to any of the semantic relation patterns; a semantic relation pattern matching unit 470 for determining which of the semantic relation pattern matches a noun pair in each seed pair stored in causality seed pair DB 410; and a word pair replacing unit 472 for replacing the noun pair of a seed pair using, of the word pairs stored in the word pair DB 402, each of those word pairs which are related to the semantic relation pattern determined to be matching the noun pair, and thereby generating new hypotheses.

Abstract: [Object] An object is to provide a device capable of efficiently collecting contradictory expressions in units smaller than a sentence.

Abstract: [Object] To provide a question-answering system capable of appropriately answering to a non-factoid question.

Abstract: [Object] To provide a system for automatically and reliably collecting information belonging to a given category, and matching the information appropriately in a timely manner. [Solution] A text classifying device 30 analyzes dependency of collected texts by a morpheme analyzing unit 52 and a dependency analyzing unit 54. A problem report collecting unit 64 specifies a core consisting of noun+predicate in a text based on dependency relation of the text, and using a combination of noun classification (trouble/non-trouble) and predicate classification (excitatory/inhibitory), classifies the text to a problem report or the rest, by a method referred to as core-based matrix. Support information collecting device 66 and request message collecting device 68 collect support information and request messages in the similar manner.

Abstract: A predicate template collector allowing efficient and automatic recognition of predicate templates is adapted to include: a noun pair collector 94 and a noun pair polarity determiner 98 for collecting noun pairs co-occurring with predicate template pairs and determining polarity of relation between nouns, using conjunctions and seed templates; a template pair collector 100, collecting template pairs co-occurring with noun pairs and determining, based on the relation of noun pairs co-occurring with the predicate template pairs and the conjunctions between predicate templates pairs, whether the polarity of excitatory class of predicate template pair is the same or not; a template network builder 106 building a template network connecting predicate templates based on the predicate template pairs and match/mismatch of excitatory class thereof; and a template excitation value calculator 112 calculating excitation value to be assigned to each node, using the excitation value of seed templates and the relation betwe

Abstract: In order to provide a non-factoid question answering system with improved precision, the question answering system (160) includes: a candidate retrieving unit (222), responsive to a question, extracting answer candidates from a corpus storage (178); a feature vector generating unit (232) for generating features from combinations of a question with each of the answer candidates; SVMs (176) trained to calculate a score of how correct a combination of the question with an answer candidate is, upon receiving the feature vector therefor; and an answer ranker unit (234) outputting the answer candidate with the highest calculated score as the answer. The features are generated on the basis of the results of morphological analysis and parsing of the question, a phrase in the question evaluated as being positive or negative as well as its polarity, and the semantic classes of nouns in the features.

Abstract: An authentication apparatus avoiding illegitimate authentication procedures performed based on illegitimately acquired personal ID information of other parties is provided. An authentication apparatus 50 receives personal ID information ID1 of an orderer 31, personal ID information ID2 of a vendor 33, and transaction information by an authentication request from an orderer terminal 11, communicates with a vendor terminal 15, then transmits authentication information indicating a legitimacy of the vendor 33 to the orderer terminal 11.

Abstract: A water sensor, such as a rain or dew sensor, includes a light emitting device for producing sensing light to be reflected in a transparent plate such as a windshield glass panel of a vehicle, a light receiving device for receiving the sensing light, and a hologram sheet having at least one hologram for defining a light path of the sensing light between the light emitting device and the light receiving device. The hologram sheet may be attached to the inside surface of a windshield glass panel or interposed between inside and outside glass layers of a laminated glass panel.

Abstract: A fire-resistant glass comprising:(a) at least two plate-shaped vitreous materials arranged parallel and apart, the sides of the plate-shaped vitreous materials facing each other being treated with a silane coupling agent,(b) a spacer provided between the plate-shaped vitreous materials at their peripheries via an adhesive,(c) a sealing agent adhered to the outer surface of the spacer, and(d) an aqueous gel filled into the space formed by the plate-shaped vitreous materials and the spacer, the aqueous gel comprising a polymer of a particular (meth)acrylamide derivative, a particulate metal oxide, an aqueous medium and an antifreezing agent.This fire-resistant glass has an excellent fire-resistant property; is stable over a long period of time and is unsusceptible to deterioration.

Abstract: A head-up display system for a vehicle includes a front windshield, a display, a polarizing member and an optical rotatory film. The display for displaying an image on the front windshield to be viewed by a driver of the vehicle is disposed such that light therefrom is incident on the front windshield at an angle which is substantially equal to Brewster's angle. The polarizing member is disposed between the front windshield and the display for polarizing light from the display. The optical rotatory film serves to rotate the plane of polarization of light polarized by the polarizing member. The optical rotatory film installed on the front windshield includes a liquid crystal high polymer which is in twisted nematic orientation under liquid crystal condition and is in glassy condition at a temperature which is lower than liquid crystal transition point. Thus, double image problem can be eliminated with respect to light having a wide range of wavelengths.

Abstract: A fire-resistant glass comprising:(a) at least two plate-shaped vitreous materials arranged parallel and apart, the sides of the plate-shaped vitreous materials facing each other being treated with a silane coupling agent,(b) a spacer provided between the plate-shaped vitreous materials at their peripheries via an adhesive,(c) a sealing agent adhered to the outer surface of the spacer, and(d) an aqueous gel filled into the space formed by the plate-shaped vitreous materials and the spacer, the aqueous gel comprising a poller of a particular (meth)acrylamide derivative, a particulate metal oxide, an aqueous medium and an antifreezing agent.This fire-resistant glass has an excellent fire-resistant property, is stable over a long period of time and is unsusceptible to deterioration.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electrochromic (EC) device for controlling transmittance of light, such as a window pane or a filter for a display. The EC device has a double-decker structure produced by superposition of two identical EC cells each having two oppositely arranged EC electrodes one of which is formed of a first EC material that takes on color in oxidized state, such as Prussian blue, and the other of a second EC material that takes on color in reduced state such as WO.sub.3. The EC device has a transparent inner substrate with an EC electrode layer using one of the first and second EC materials on each side thereof and two transparent outer substrates each with an EC electrode layer using the other of the first and second EC materials. There is a peripheral seal between the inner substrate and each outer substrate, and the space defined between the inner substrate and each outer substrate is filled up with an electrolyte liquid.