Dynamic camera calibration of roadside traffic management cameras for vehicle speed estimation

In this paper, we present a new three-stage algorithm to calibrate roadside traffic management cameras and track vehicles to create a traffic speed sensor. The algorithm first estimates the camera position relative to the roadway using the motion and edges of the vehicles. Given the camera position, the algorithm then calibrates the camera by estimating the lane boundaries and the vanishing point of the lines along the roadway. The algorithm transforms the image coordinates from the vehicle tracker into real-world coordinates using our simplified camera model. We present results that demonstrate the ability of our algorithm to produce good estimates of the mean vehicle speed in a lane of traffic.     

Two decades of "Scientometrics". An interdisciplinary field represented by its leading journal

Scientometrics - The development of the field of bibliometric and scientometric research is analysed byquantitative methods to answer the following questions: (1) Is bibliometrics evolving from a...     

Discounting of hypothetical and potentially real outcomes in nicotine-dependent and nondependent samples.

Discounting is a behavioral phenomenon in which the value of an outcome diminishes as a function of its increased delay or decreased probability and is related to substance abuse research because of its theoretical ties with behavioral models of impulsive choice. Research to date suggests that hypothetical outcomes used in discounting research yield data that are indistinguishable from those using potentially real outcomes. However, the extant literature focuses primarily on delay discounting in non-drug-using humans and has not examined whether hypothetical outcomes yield disproportionate numbers of nonsystematic response patterns. In two experiments, we compared hypothetical and potentially real monetary outcomes in delay and probability discounting tasks in terms of rates of discounting and the frequency of nonsystematic response patterns. In Experiment 1, 61 adults reported no smoking, binge drinking, or illicit drug use in the past year. Experiment 2 included a community sample of nicotine-dependent adults (N = 36). In both experiments, discounting for hypothetical and potentially real outcomes yielded similar data, replicating and extending a growing literature pointing to the empirical equivalence of these outcomes. These findings are relevant to research on discounting that is frequently used in the study of substance use and other impulse-control behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

pH-Sensing G Protein-Coupled Receptor OGR1 (GPR68) Expression and Activation Increases in Intestinal Inflammation and Fibrosis

Local extracellular acidification occurs at sites of inflammation. Proton-sensing ovarian cancer G-protein-coupled receptor 1 (OGR1, also known as GPR68) responds to decreases in extracellular pH. Our previous studies show a role for OGR1 in the pathogenesis of mucosal inflammation, suggesting a link between tissue pH and immune responses. Additionally, pH-dependent signalling is associated with the progression of intestinal fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate OGR1 expression and OGR1-mediated signalling in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our results show that OGR1 expression significantly increased in patients with IBD compared to non-IBD patients, as demonstrated by qPCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Paired samples from non-inflamed and inflamed intestinal areas of IBD patients showed stronger OGR1 IHC staining in inflamed mucosal segments compared to non-inflamed mucosa. IHC of human surgical samples revealed OGR1 expression in macrophages, granulocytes, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts. OGR1-dependent inositol phosphate (IP) production was significantly increased in CD14+ monocytes from IBD patients compared to healthy subjects. Primary human and murine fibroblasts exhibited OGR1-dependent IP formation, RhoA activation, F-actin, and stress fibre formation upon an acidic pH shift. OGR1 expression and signalling increases with IBD disease activity, suggesting an active role of OGR1 in the pathogenesis of IBD.     

An item-by-item subject classification of papers published in journals covered by the SSCI database using reference analysis

A serious shortcoming of bibliometric studies based on theSocial Sciences Citation Index is the lack of a universally applicable subject classification scheme as individual papers are concerned. Moreover, the selective coverage of more than thousand scientific journals per annum proved to be an insuperable obstacle in the delimitation of social science subject areas. Subject classification of papers on the basis of assigning journals to subject categories (like those found in the various supplements of ISI databases) works well in case of fully covered and highly specialised journals in the social sciences, too, but fails for multidisciplinary and selectively covered journals. This study presents the results of an item-by-item subject classification approach, where assignment is based on the analysis of the subject categories of reference literature. This analysis extends the results of an earlier study by the authors on the possibility of delimiting subfields in the hard and life sciences based on reference analysis. The assignment proved also reliable for a considerable share of literature in the social sciences. Due to the peculiarities of the database this share is lower in the SSCI than that in the SCI. Although an iterated application of the procedure is expected to increase the number of classifiable publications, it is suggested that in the sociated sciences the method should be used in combination with other means of subject assignment.     

565 Mbit/s optical DPSK and PSK heterodyne transmission experiment using Nd:YAG lasers at 1.3 mu m

A 565 Mbit/s optical DPSK and PSK transmission experiment is described. Stable monolithic Nd:YAG ring lasers were used as light sources. A PSK demodulation scheme achieved a receiver sensitivity of -53.4 dBm and was found to be 1.3 dB better than DPSK.<>     

A stochastic model for the ageing of scientific literature

A non-homogeneous birth process is used to describe the statistical properties of bibliometric citation processes. The model is analysed under special assumptions. Thelife-time distribution, special probabilities and mean value functions are used to characterize differences in the ageing structure of scientific literature, the change of citation impact in time and to analyse predictive aspects of reception processes. The results are applied to selected journals representing one field in science and social science each. The empirical part of the study is based on a 14-year citation history (papers published in 1978 and cited 1978–1991). An intimate, connection between impact and ageing cannot be observed. However, the ageing behaviour seems to be clearly influenced by field characteristics and by special document/journal types, such as letters and short communications.Paper presented at the Fourth International Conference on Bibliometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics in Berlin (germany), September 11–15, 1993.