Abstract: On a top face (24a) of a base member (3), V-shaped grooves (15a) and (23a) are provided. On a reverse face (24b) of a base member (3), V-shaped grooves (15b) and (23b) are provided. The V-shaped grooves (15a) and (15b), which are first V-shaped grooves and are for holding optical fibers, and the V-shaped grooves (23a) and (23b), which are second V-shaped grooves and are for holding electrode rods (7), are formed facing each other, respectively. The positions of optical fibers and the electrode rods (7) are determined by the V-shaped grooves (15a) and (15b) and the V-shaped grooves (23a) and (23b), respectively.

Abstract: On a top face (24a) of a base member (3), V-shaped grooves (15a) and (23a) are provided. On a reverse face (24b) of a base member (3), V-shaped grooves (15b) and (23b) are provided. The V-shaped grooves (15a) and (15b), which are first V-shaped grooves and are for holding optical fibers, and the V-shaped grooves (23a) and (23b), which are second V-shaped grooves and are for holding electrode rods (7), are formed facing each other, respectively. The positions of optical fibers and the electrode rods (7) are determined by the V-shaped grooves (15a) and (15b) and the V-shaped grooves (23a) and (23b), respectively.

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: A relationship information expansion apparatus capable of acquiring a new relationship based on a relationship information piece including two or more language expressions having a semantic relationship is provided. The relationship information expansion apparatus generates a candidate expanded relationship information piece in which at least one language expression included in the relationship information piece was replaced with a similar language expression, and acquires a score that indicates a probability that the candidate expanded relationship information piece has a semantic relationship. The relationship information expansion apparatus selects an expanded relationship information piece, which is a candidate expanded relationship information piece having a high score among candidate expanded relationship information pieces.

Abstract: Conventionally, it has been impossible to appropriately acquire word pairs having a prescribed relationship. Such word pairs can be appropriately acquired with a word pair acquisition apparatus including: a word class information storage unit in which word class information can be stored; a class pair favorableness degree storage unit in which a class pair favorableness can be stored; a seed pattern storage unit in which can be stored one or more seed patterns; a word pair acquisition unit that acquires one or more word pairs co-occurring with the seed pattern from sentence groups; a class pair favorableness degree acquisition unit that acquires a class pair favorableness degree; a score determination unit that uses the class pair favorableness degree to determine a score of each of the word pairs; and a word pair selection unit that acquires one or more word pairs having a high score.

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 information retrieval service system 40 includes: a storage device 64 for storing a question corpus; a clustering unit 100 clustering the questions and determining a prototype of each cluster; an auctioning unit 104 executing auctions for the prototypes; an updating unit 112 associating each of the questions with a winning bidder of the prototype sentence of the cluster to which the question belongs; a question-URL correspondence DB 68 storing, for each of the questions, a URL designated by the winning bidder; a question-searching unit 132 receiving a search request and searching for a question having the shortest distance to the search request; and URL searching units 134, 136 and a query issuing unit 138, transmitting the query generated from the search request to the URL corresponding to the searched out question and transmitting resulting information to an information service using terminal 48.

Abstract: A relationship information expansion apparatus capable of acquiring a new relationship based on a relationship information piece including two or more language expressions having a semantic relationship is provided. The relationship information expansion apparatus generates a candidate expanded relationship information piece in which at least one language expression included in the relationship information piece was replaced with a similar language expression, and acquires a score that indicates a probability that the candidate expanded relationship information piece has a semantic relationship. The relationship information expansion apparatus selects an expanded relationship information piece, which is a candidate expanded relationship information piece having a high score among candidate expanded relationship information pieces.

Abstract: Conventionally, it has been impossible to appropriately acquire word pairs having a prescribed relationship. Such word pairs can be appropriately acquired with a word pair acquisition apparatus including: a word class information storage unit in which word class information can be stored; a class pair favorableness degree storage unit in which a class pair favorableness can be stored; a seed pattern storage unit in which can be stored one or more seed patterns; a word pair acquisition unit that acquires one or more word pairs co-occurring with the seed pattern from sentence groups; a class pair favorableness degree acquisition unit that acquires a class pair favorableness degree; a score determination unit that uses the class pair favorableness degree to determine a score of each of the word pairs; and a word pair selection unit that acquires one or more word pairs having a high score.

Abstract: An optical fiber cleaver, comprising a blade capable of applying a scratch to the outer peripheral surface of an optical fiber and a pusher pushing the optical fiber to cleave it at the scratched part, wherein it further comprises a reverse-running prevention mechanism which prevents the blade which was moved directly and gave scratch to the optical fiber from being directly moved reversely and giving scratch again to the optical fiber, the reverse-running prevention mechanism comprises a cam moved directly in connection with the blade and a cam follower being in contact with the cam and capable of directly moving the pusher, and the cam presses the pusher automatically against the optical fiber for cleavage after the optical fiber has been scratched by the blade and, after the scratch has been given completely, locked with the cam follower so as to suppress the cam from being moved directly in the reverse direction.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical fiber cutting device in which a scratch is formed in an outer peripheral surface of a clamped optical fiber, and the optical fiber is broken along the scratch by applying a tension force or bending stress to the optical fiber so that a cut surface becomes a mirror surface, the optical fiber cutting device comprising a collecting container capable of containing a waste fiber obtained by the cuffing, pinch rollers for conveying and collecting the waste fiber into the collecting container, and a drive mechanism for rotatingly driving the pinch rollers in response to a movement of a portion movable when cutting the optical fiber. The collecting container can be mounted and dismounted with respect to the outer container integrally formed with a device body. A slit through for setting the optical fiber is formed in the collecting container. Guide surfaces for guiding the optical fiber are formed on both outer sides of the slit.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical fiber cutting device in which a scratch is formed in an outer peripheral surface of a clamped optical fiber, and the optical fiber is broken along the scratch by applying a tension force or bending stress to the optical fiber so that a cut surface becomes a mirror surface, the optical fiber cutting device comprising a collecting container capable of containing a waste fiber obtained by the cutting, pinch rollers for conveying and collecting the waste fiber into the collecting container, and a drive mechanism for rotatingly driving the pinch rollers in response to a movement of a portion movable when cutting the optical fiber. The collecting container can be mounted and dismounted with respect to the outer container integrally formed with a device body. A slit through for setting the optical fiber is formed in the collecting container. Guide surfaces for guiding the optical fiber are formed on both outer sides of the slit.

Abstract: In a printing system including a plurality of terminal equipment, a plurality of printers which can be shared by the terminal equipment, one or more printer/spooler control servers each for receiving a print from the terminal equipment and for controlling the print by the printer, and a distributed printing management server, for various errors which occur in the printers, the contents of the errors are informed to the user and an error recovery process according to the error is realized. Thus, a use efficiency, performance, reliability, and serviceability as a printing system are improved.

Abstract: An automated operation machine including a first device driver for transmitting a console display message given by being addressed from a program for automatic operation, and a first adaptor connected to the first device driver, for outputting said console display message in a preselected format, can additionally own automatic operation performance without changing the first device driver by including the below-mentioned arrangements.

Abstract: A method of assinging software resources such as files and programs to memory devices is disclosed which uses first storage for storing therein the access frequency to a memory device for causing each type of service request to utilize each of software resources and second storage for storing therein the processing speed, allowable utilization and storage capacity of each of memory devices and in which the allocation of each of said software resources to the memory devices is determined on the basis of information stored in the first and second storages so that a total time taken to access the memory devices is minimized while being restricted by the allowable utilization and storage capacity of each memory device.