Abstract: A system for supporting construction of a server having a plurality of constraints determined depending on an application area of the server is disclosed. A service method definition section defines a value of each of the plurality of constraints by defining a value of each of a group of constraints to thereby determine a value of each of the other group of constraints which are related to at least one constraint of the group of constraints. A program generator generates a server construction program using the defined constraints. The server operates according to the server construction program received from the system. A simultaneous multiple-access processing server used by the interactive program, WEB shopping, and the like can be easily constructed.

Abstract: An optical amplifying glass comprising 100 parts by mass of a matrix glass and from 0.1 to 10 parts by mass of Er doped to the matrix glass, wherein the matrix glass comprises Bi2O3, at least one of B2O3 and SiO2, at least one member selected from the group consisting of Ga2O3, WO3 and TeO2, and La2O3 in such a ratio that Bi2O3 is from 20 to 80 mol %, B2O3+SiO2 is from 5 to 75 mol %, Ga2O3+WO3+TeO2 is from 0.1 to 35 mol %, and La2O3 is from 0.01 to 15 mol %.

Abstract: A method for connecting two glass fibers, which comprises abutting the end surfaces to be connected of the two glass fibers so that their axes are in a line, and raising the temperature at the abutted end surfaces so that the end surfaces are fusion-spliced to connect the two glass fibers, wherein one of the two glass fibers is a high-melting glass fiber having a higher glass transition point and the other is a low-melting glass fiber having a lower glass transition point, and the heating is carried out in such a manner that the temperature is highest at a portion on the high-melting glass fiber distant by at least 1 &mgr;m from the end surface to raise the temperature at the end surfaces.

Abstract: A broadcast program storing system, in which a combination of programs to be stored is optimized, and a program set that makes the degree of satisfaction of a user optimal can be stored, is provided. The broadcast program storing system provides a preference learning means that learns the preferences of a user for programs by viewing behavior of the user, a degree of preference predicting means for predicting the degree of preference of the user for each program from information of the program, and a storing planning means, which chooses a combination of programs by solving a temporally expanded knapsack problem that obtains a solution that the sum of the predicted degree of satisfaction in a planned schedule becomes maximal in a storing capacity having a bound when programs to be stored and programs to be deleted are decided.

Abstract: A broadcast-program viewing method is provided, which is capable of optionally viewing broadcast programs transmitted by a broadcasting station according to a viewer's taste or desire. In the step (a), original broadcast programs transmitted by a broadcasting station are received and stored onto an information storage medium capable of random access. Each of the received original broadcast programs contains items having attribute information. In the step (b), the attribute information for the items of the received original broadcast programs is acquired and stored onto the information storage medium. In the step (c), viewer's information is specified according to a viewer's taste or desire.