Abstract: An information processing method includes acquiring first text information from a storage apparatus in which the first text information representing one or more utterance sentences is stored as a learning data set, identifying one or more named entities included in the acquired first text information, replacing each of the one or more identified named entities with an abstract expression abstracted based on a predetermined rule thereby generating second text information from the first text information, and learning a model of a dialogue system using, as training data, the second text information generated in the replacing.

Abstract: A speech continuation determination method includes acquiring dialogue data including a system sentence spoken to a user at a first time, a user sentence spoken by the user at a second time following the system sentence, and system intention indicating intention of the system sentence; estimating a predicted response delay amount indicating a wait time for a response to the user sentence by applying the dialogue data to a model obtained by machine learning; acquiring user status information indicating the status of the user; and determining whether a speech sentence by the user continues following the user sentence in accordance with the user status information in the wait time indicated by the predicted response delay amount.

Abstract: A rotary advancing container includes: a cylindrical front barrel; a cylindrical rear barrel arranged in a rear of the front barrel so as to be rotatable relative to the front barrel; a holding member inserted inside the front barrel or the rear barrel to support a stick-like member; and a threaded rod that is screwed into an interior part of the rear barrel. The stick-like member having a non-circular shape is moved in an axial direction relative to the front barrel by rotating the front barrel relative to the rear barrel, a front end of the threaded rod is formed in approximately the same shape with the rod-like member, and, a rear side portion of the threaded rod has a non-circular shape and is formed with a thread.

Abstract: An information processing method for information stored in a storage includes: holding a dialog history of a dialog including a question to a user and a reply from the user to the question, determining whether a manner in which a third reply indicating neither a first reply nor a second reply appears in a reply history of the reply included in the held dialog history satisfies a predetermined condition, the first reply indicating an affirmative in response to the question, the second reply indicating a negative in response to the question; and performing presentation regarding the information stored in the storage if the manner is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition.

Abstract: In an information processing method, display of a question and acquisition of an answer from a user to the question are repeated to narrow down information the user desires to make a search. A question regarding a target of the search is displayed in a first mode on a display included in a terminal. An answer inputted from the user to the question is acquired through the terminal. When the question is displayed, first information regarding a situation of a narrowing-down progress is displayed above the question in a second mode, and second information regarding a guide for answering the question is displayed below the question in a third mode.

Abstract: There is provided an information processing method for performing, through interaction with a user, narrowing down regarding information that the user desires to search for. The method includes: outputting a first question, which is an open question, about a target of search; obtaining a first answer to the first question, the first answer being input by the user; if a determination is made indicating that the first answer does not satisfy a first condition and that a word or phrase corresponding to a word or phrase included in the first answer is not included in a database, outputting a second question, which is an open question, for requesting an explanation about the word or phrase included in the first answer and not included in the database; and if a determination is made indicating that the first answer satisfies the first condition, outputting a closed question about the target of search.

Abstract: A semantic network storage unit stores multiple nodes necessary for performing a task of generating a response sentence to user's speech while associating the nodes with each other. A natural language processor acquires speech information indicating content of the user's speech and identifies a primary node corresponding to the speech information from multiple nodes. A conversation generation unit selects one secondary node from multiple secondary nodes associated with the identified primary node, based on weight values each related to one of the multiple secondary nodes and generates a response sentence corresponding to the selected one secondary node.

Abstract: A dialogue act estimation method includes acquiring learning data including a first sentence to be estimated in the form of text data of a first uttered sentence uttered at a first time point, a second sentence which is text data of a second uttered sentence uttered, at a time point before the first time point, successively after the first uttered sentence, act information indicating an act associated to the first sentence, property information indicating a property information associated to the first sentence, and dialogue act information indicating a dialogue act in the form of a combination of an act and a property associated to the first sentence, making a particular model learn three or more tasks at the same time using the learning data, and storing a result of the learning as learning result information in a memory.

Abstract: A method for controlling identification includes obtaining first text, which is text in a first language, obtaining second text, which is text in a second language obtained by translating the first text into the second language, obtaining correct labels, which indicate content of the first text, inputting the first text and the second text to an identification model common to the first and second languages, and updating the common identification model such that labels identified by the common identification model from the first text and the second text match the correct labels.

Abstract: A subject estimation system includes a convolutional neural network to estimate a subject label of a dialog. The convolution neural network includes: one or more topic-dependent convolutional layers and one topic-independent convolutional layer, each of the one or more topic-dependent convolutional layers performing, on an input of a word-string vector sequence corresponding to dialog text transcribed from a dialog, a convolution operation dependent on a topic, and the topic-independent convolutional layer performing, on the input of the word-string vector sequence, a convolution operation not dependent on the topic; a pooling layer performing pooling process on outputs of the convolutional layer; and a fully connected layer performing full connection process on outputs of the pooling layer.

Abstract: A decision tree generating apparatus includes an information gain calculator and a decision tree generator. When a classification target data set including a plurality of pieces of classification target data respectively having different attributes with attribute values assigned thereto is segmented into subsets in a form of a decision tree, the information gain calculator calculates an amount of entropy reduction on each attribute, and calculates an information gain, based on the amount of reduction in the entropy and reliability of a user's answer responsive to an inquiry asking about the attribute. The decision tree generator successively determines an attribute having a maximum information gain to be a node of the decision tree by recursively iterating the segmentation of the pre-segmentation data set, and generates the decision tree that is to be used to determine an order of the inquiries.

Abstract: An information processing method in an interactive apparatus that questions a user's symptom through interaction with a user includes: outputting first question information of a first type concerning the user's symptom to a display or a speaker connected to the interactive apparatus, receiving first answer information indicating an answer to the question in the first question information from a keyboard, a touch panel, or a microphone connected to the interactive apparatus, outputting second question information of the first type concerning the user's symptom to the display or the speaker when it is determined that the answer in the first answer information does not include a word in a negative expression, and outputting third question information of a second type concerning the user's symptom to the display or the speaker when it is determined that the answer in the first answer information includes the word in the negative expression.

Abstract: A processing method executed by a processor that receives an order from a user at a restaurant through interaction includes analyzing information indicating the order, extracting a phrase other than a standard element from the information, with reference to a first database when the extracted phrase is a first phrase in the first database, outputting a first confirmation item corresponding to the first phrase to the user, receiving a first user response corresponding to the first confirmation item, when the extracted phrase is not a first phrase in the first database, referring to a second database, when the extracted phrase is a second phrase in the second database, selecting a third phrase in the first database from second phrase-related phrases, outputting a second confirmation item corresponding to the third phrase to the user referring to the first database, and receiving a second user response corresponding to the second confirmation item.

Abstract: A control method includes displaying a network diagram including nodes of first and second types corresponding to symptoms and illnesses, respectively, the nodes of the second type each being linked to one or more related nodes of the first type via a connection line, emphasizing display of a first node of the first type corresponding to a symptom, the first node corresponding to a question asking about presence or absence of the symptom, acquiring an inputted answer to the question by a user, determining the user's answer to the question, and if the symptom is determined to be present, deleting all nodes from the network diagram except for the first node, one or more second nodes of the second type directly linked to the first node, and one or more third nodes of the first type directly linked to the one or more second nodes.

Abstract: A control method includes displaying a decision tree including nodes and leaves, the nodes corresponding to questions asking about presence or absence of symptoms, the leaves corresponding to illnesses, and performing a first display of the nodes, acquiring an inputted, by a user, answer to a presented question, determining the inputted answer to the presented question, if it is determined that the user has answered that a symptom corresponding to a first node is present, performing a second display of a second node directly linked to the first node and located in a lower level, and if it is determined that the user has answered that the symptom corresponding to the first node is absent, performing the second display of a third node directly linked to the first node and located in a lower level, the third node being different from the second node.

Abstract: A subject estimation system includes a convolutional neural network to estimate a subject label of a dialog. The convolution neural network includes: one or more topic-dependent convolutional layers and one topic-independent convolutional layer, each of the one or more topic-dependent convolutional layers performing, on an input of a word-string vector sequence corresponding to dialog text transcribed from a dialog, a convolution operation dependent on a topic, and the topic-independent convolutional layer performing, on the input of the word-string vector sequence, a convolution operation not dependent on the topic; a pooling layer performing pooling process on outputs of the convolutional layer; and a fully connected layer performing full connection process on outputs of the pooling layer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a respiratory phase determination apparatus enabling a respiratory phase determination robust to personal differences in respiration among subjects and fluctuations in respiration of subjects in person without any need for calibration.

Abstract: A translation system includes translation subsystems by a plurality of translation policies with different translation output tendencies, performs forward translation and reverse translation by a consistent translation policy, and ranks the plurality of translation policies based on a similarity between the reverse translation sentences and the original sentence. As a result, a translation policy that best matches each input object to be translated is selected from the plurality of translation policies for each input sentence and, as a consequence, it is possible to cover a wide range of natures of sentences to be translated.

Abstract: A sound presentation device including: a casing; an electroacoustic transducer that is installed in such a way that a space inside the casing is divided into a first empty chamber and second empty chamber that are acoustically isolated, and that receives an electrical signal and vibrates; and a vibration plate that makes contact with a body surface of a human body when the sound presentation device is mounted on the body surface, and causes vibration of the electroacoustic transducer to be propagated to the human body via the first empty chamber, the second empty chamber suppressing sound waves produced by the vibration of the electroacoustic transducer from being emitted to outside of the sound presentation device via the second empty chamber.

Abstract: In order to reduce the environmental load on an area where a herbicide is applied or a surrounding area thereof more than ever, it has been required to improve activity of a herbicidal active ingredient and to reduce its dose as far as possible. A herbicidal composition comprising (1) a benzoylpyrazole compound represented by the formula (I) or its salt: wherein each of Q, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 and A is as defined in the specification, and (2) at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a polyoxyalkylene sorbitan fatty acid ester, a polyoxyalkylene fatty acid ester, a polyoxyalkylene styryl aryl ether, a polyoxyalkylene styryl aryl ether condensate and a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether sulfate.