Abstract: A flat immersion nozzle stabilizes the discharging flow of molten steel thereby stabilizing the molten steel surface in a mold, namely, decreasing the fluctuation thereof. In the immersion nozzle having a flat shape in which a width Wn of an inner hole is greater than a thickness Tn of the inner hole, a central protrusion portion (1) is disposed in a center section of a wall surface in a width direction of a flat section. Wp/Wn, a ratio of a length Wp of the central protrusion portion in the width direction to Wn, is 0.2 or more and 0.7 or less. The central protrusion portion (1) is disposed symmetrically as a pair; and a total length Tp in the thickness direction of the pair of the central protrusion portions is 0.15 or more and 0.75 or less of Tn.

Abstract: A speech translation device includes: a beamformer which forms, from a speech signal obtained by a microphone array, a first beam and a second beam having different directions; a direction designator which designates one of the first beam and the second beam according to a user operation; a signal-to-noise (SN) ratio calculator which calculates an SN ratio using the designated beam as a signal component in the SN ratio, and the other beam not designated as a noise component; a display determiner which determines whether recognition of the designated beam is difficult, using the calculated SN ratio, and determines a speaking instruction for overcoming difficulty of the recognition when determining that the recognition is difficult; and a display which displays the speaking instruction determined by the display determiner in a display area.

Abstract: A speech translation apparatus includes: an estimator which estimates a sound source direction, based on an acoustic signal obtained by a microphone array unit; a controller which identifies that an utterer is a user or a conversation partner, based on the sound source direction estimated after the start of translation is instructed by a button, using a positional relationship indicated by a layout information item stored in storage and selected in advance, and determines a translation direction indicating input and output languages in and into which content of the acoustic signal is recognized and translated, respectively; and a translator which obtains, according to the translation direction, original text indicating the content in the input language and translated text indicating the content in the output language. The controller displays the original and translated texts on first and second display areas corresponding to the positions of the user and conversation partner, respectively.

Abstract: A thermal fixing roll or belt-forming silicone rubber composition having a high thermal conductivity, a low compression set, and an improved heat resistance which is well adapted for use as a coating material in a fixing roll or fixing belt is provided. Also provided are a fixing roll and a fixing belt formed by using such composition. The thermal fixing roll or belt-forming silicone rubber composition comprises 100 parts by weight of a heat-curable silicone rubber composition and 50 to 800 parts by weight of silicon carbide having an iron content of up to 0.2% by weight at the surface and an average particle size of 1 to 50 ?m.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first microphone disposed near a first seat in a car cabin, the first seat configured to seat a first occupant, a second microphone disposed near a second seat in the car cabin, the second seat configured to seat a second occupant, a processor, and a memory storing a computer program. The computer program, when executed, causes the processor to execute operations including: estimating a first mixed speech using a second signal acquired by the second microphone, the first mixed speech including a first speech that has been uttered by the second occupant and has entered the first microphone, and removing the first mixed speech from a first signal acquired by the first microphone.

Abstract: A right expected value generator generates an expected value of a right channel spectrum from the right channel spectrum. Further, a left expected value generator generates an expected value of a left channel spectrum from the left channel spectrum. Further, a right channel spectrum corrector so corrects a right channel spectrum outputted from a second synthesizer that the right channel spectrum does not exceed the expected value of the right channel spectrum. Moreover, a left channel spectrum corrector so corrects a left channel spectrum outputted from the second synthesizer that the left channel spectrum does not exceed the expected value of the left channel spectrum.

Abstract: A right expected value generator generates an expected value of a right channel spectrum from the right channel spectrum. Further, a left expected value generator generates an expected value of a left channel spectrum from the left channel spectrum. Further, a right channel spectrum corrector so corrects a right channel spectrum outputted from a second synthesizer that the right channel spectrum does not exceed the expected value of the right channel spectrum. Moreover, a left channel spectrum corrector so corrects a left channel spectrum outputted from the second synthesizer that the left channel spectrum does not exceed the expected value of the left channel spectrum.

Abstract: Provided is a vehicle-mounted sound processing device for improving the accuracy of processing of sounds collected in a vehicle interior room. The vehicle-mounted sound processing device comprises: a microphone module disposed in the vehicle interior room; and a head-unit disposed separately from the microphone module in the vehicle interior room. The microphone module comprises: a plurality of sound conversion elements that convert input voice signals to electric signals; and a sensitivity correction unit that corrects variations of sensitivity between the plurality of sound conversion elements for the signals input from the plurality of sound conversion elements. The signals as processed by the sensitivity correction unit are output to the head-unit.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first microphone disposed near a first seat in a car cabin, the first seat configured to seat a first occupant, a second microphone disposed near a second seat in the car cabin, the second seat configured to seat a second occupant, a processor, and a memory storing a computer program. The computer program, when executed, causes the processor to execute operations including: estimating a first mixed speech using a second signal acquired by the second microphone, the first mixed speech including a first speech that has been uttered by the second occupant and has entered the first microphone, and removing the first mixed speech from a first signal acquired by the first microphone.

Abstract: An echo cancellation apparatus cancels an echo signal included in a second speech signal including the echo signal of a first speech signal, and includes: a first echo replica generating unit generating a first echo replica by processing the first speech signal through a filter whose characteristic is equalized with a acoustic transfer function of amplified sound; a first echo cancelling unit generating and providing a first echo-cancelled signal by subtracting from the second speech signal the first echo replica generated by the first echo replica generating unit; and a filter updating unit generating a nonlinear-converted echo-cancelled signal by performing nonlinear conversion on the first echo-cancelled signal generated by the first echo cancelling unit, and updating the filter characteristic thereby equalizing the filter characteristic with the acoustic transfer function, using the nonlinear-converted echo-cancelled signal, the first speech signal, and a norm of the first speech signal.

Abstract: The immersion nozzle for continuous casting, including a tubular body with a bottom, a pair of first outlets, and a pair of second outlets, wherein at least a lower section of the tubular body has a rectangular flat cross section; the two opposing first outlets are disposed in narrow sidewalls at the lower section; the pair of second outlets is disposed at the bottom; each of the first outlets is partitioned by a partitioning section formed at the first outlet into an upper outlet and a lower outlet; ridges formed between the partitioning sections respectively project into a passage from a wide inner wall of the passage; the pair of second outlets is disposed symmetrically to a central axis of the tubular body such that virtual faces extended from tilted faces of the second outlets intersect with each other in the passage.

Abstract: An echo cancellation apparatus cancels an echo signal included in a second speech signal including the echo signal of a first speech signal, and includes: a first echo replica generating unit generating a first echo replica by processing the first speech signal through a filter whose characteristic is equalized with a acoustic transfer function of amplified sound; a first echo cancelling unit generating and providing a first echo-cancelled signal by subtracting from the second speech signal the first echo replica generated by the first echo replica generating unit; and a filter updating unit generating a nonlinear-converted echo-cancelled signal by performing nonlinear conversion on the first echo-cancelled signal generated by the first echo cancelling unit, and updating the filter characteristic thereby equalizing the filter characteristic with the acoustic transfer function, using the nonlinear-converted echo-cancelled signal, the first speech signal, and a norm of the first speech signal.

Abstract: A transmission method of a digital broadcast, which is compatible with a DVB-T terrestrial digital broadcast system in Europe, saves a battery in a mobile terminal. Superframes in DVB-T are divided into units each including plural symbols so that an integer number of TS packets can be carried in each slot. At least one slot is used to transmit one service. Energy dispersion, Reed-Solomon coding, byte interleaving, convolutional coding, and time interleaving are applied to each service. When services for mobile terminal reception and services for fixed terminals are transmitted as the provided services, null packets may be transmitted before and after the slot carrying the mobile receiver service so that the fixed reception service and the mobile reception services are not mixed.

Abstract: A transmission method of a digital broadcast, which is compatible with a DVB-T terrestrial digital broadcast system in Europe, saves a battery in a mobile terminal. Superframes in DVB-T are divided into units each including plural symbols so that an integer number of TS packets can be carried in each slot. At least one slot is used to transmit one service. Energy dispersion, Reed-Solomon coding, byte interleaving, convolutional coding, and time interleaving are applied to each service. When services for mobile terminal reception and services for fixed terminals are transmitted as the provided services, null packets may be transmitted before and after the slot carrying the mobile receiver service so that the fixed reception service and the mobile reception services are not mixed.

Abstract: A transmission method of a digital broadcast, which is compatible with a DVB-T terrestrial digital broadcast system in Europe, saves a battery in a mobile terminal. Superframes in DVB-T are divided into units each including plural symbols so that an integer number of TS packets can be carried in each slot. At least one slot is used to transmit one service. Energy dispersion, Reed-Solomon coding, byte interleaving, convolutional coding, and time interleaving are applied to each service. When services for mobile terminal reception and services for fixed terminals are transmitted as the provided services, null packets may be transmitted before and after the slot carrying the mobile receiver service so that the fixed reception service and the mobile reception services are not mixed.

Abstract: A transmission method of a digital broadcast, which is compatible with a DVB-T terrestrial digital broadcast system in Europe, saves a battery in a mobile terminal. Superframes in DVB-T are divided into units each including plural symbols so that an integer number of TS packets can be carried in each slot. At least one slot is used to transmit one service. Energy dispersion, Reed-Solomon coding, byte interleaving, convolutional coding, and time interleaving are applied to each service. When services for mobile terminal reception and services for fixed terminals are transmitted as the provided services, null packets may be transmitted before and after the slot carrying the mobile receiver service so that the fixed reception service and the mobile reception services are not mixed.

Abstract: The immersion nozzle for continuous casting, including a tubular body with a bottom, a pair of first outlets, and a pair of second outlets, wherein at least a lower section of the tubular body has a rectangular flat cross section; the two opposing first outlets are disposed in narrow sidewalls at the lower section; the pair of second outlets is disposed at the bottom; each of the first outlets is partitioned by a partitioning section formed at the first outlet into an upper outlet and a lower outlet; ridges formed between the partitioning sections respectively project into a passage from a wide inner wall of the passage; the pair of second outlets is disposed symmetrically to a central axis of the tubular body such that virtual faces extended from tilted faces of the second outlets intersect with each other in the passage.

Abstract: A thermal fixing roll or belt-forming silicone rubber composition having a high thermal conductivity, a low compression set, and an improved heat resistance which is well adapted for use as a coating material in a fixing roll or fixing belt is provided. Also provided are a fixing roll and a fixing belt formed by using such composition. The thermal fixing roll or belt-forming silicone rubber composition comprises 100 parts by weight of a heat-curable silicone rubber composition and 50 to 800 parts by weight of silicon carbide having an iron content of up to 0.2% by weight at the surface and an average particle size of 1 to 50 ?m.

Abstract: An FM demodulation apparatus (200) includes: an analog-to-digital conversion unit (201) which converts a modulated analog signal into a digital signal; a quadrature conversion unit (202) which converts, into two mutually quadratic baseband signals, the digital signal converted by the analog-to-digital conversion unit (202); a band limiting unit (205) which limits a frequency component exceeding a possible maximum frequency of the modulated wave, in the two baseband signals converted by the quadrature conversion unit (202); a detecting unit (206) which obtains a demodulated signal from the two baseband signals that have been band-limited by the band limiting unit (205); and a pulse noise suppressing unit (204) which suppresses pulse noise included in the signals inputted to the band limiting unit (205).

Abstract: In a null symbol detection device, at the time of receiving a terrestrial digital broadcast, a null symbol can be stably detected even under a fading environment. A synchronous addition buffer group is provided subsequent to an amplitude detector so as to synchronously add an OFDM signal at a null symbol repetition period. A moving average processing unit performs a moving average operation upon synchronous addition data with the number of samples corresponding to a null symbol to output a moving average value. A transmission mode determining unit detects the minimum value among the moving average values normalized in a correction processing unit and compares levels of the minimum values to determine a reception mode. A null position detector generates a synchronous pulse at a null position.