Vehicle Detection Using Android Smartphones

Rear-end collisions are the most common traffic accidents. Technologies, such as collision warning systems, are developed to reduce the risks of rear-end collisions. This study presents a mobile technology using smartphones to detect the leading vehicle, allowing the possibility to make collision warning systems more affordable and portable. This technology uses the rear camera of an Android smartphone to capture images of driving scenes, and then uses advanced computer vision algorithms to detect and track the leading vehicle. This study may have important applications to improve driving safety

Driving While Reading Using Google Glass Versus Using a Smartphone: Which is More Distracting to Driving Performance?

Using a phone while driving leads to distraction and impaired driving performance. When reading text on a phone, the act of looking away from the road could cause driving impairment. Wearable displays like Google Glass might reduce the visual impairment caused by looking away, even if they do not overcome other factors contributing to impaired driving. However, such devices could also increase impairment by giving drivers the mistaken impression that they can pay attention to both the display and the road simultaneously or impair visual processing by superimposing visual information in the driving scenes. We compared driving performance in a simulated naturalistic driving task while drivers read text on Google Glass or on a smartphone. As expected, reading on Google Glass and the smartphone both impaired driving performance by increasing lane variations, but drivers using Google Glass showed less lane variation compared to smartphone users. To the extent that these metrics reflect better driving performance, Google Glass might somewhat reduce the costs of reading text while driving. Keywords: Driver distraction; Tactical vehicle control; Google Glass; Cellphon

Smartphones: A Game Changer for Psychological Research

As technology continues to advance and smartphones continue to grow in popularity, we argue that smartphones have rapidly evolved as a suitable tool for psychological research. In this editorial, we will first briefly introduce the technological and social features possessed by smartphones that are ideal for psychology research. Then we distinguish two approaches to use smartphones for research, highlighting the external and internal validity of each approach. We further discuss computer skills and analysis methods needed for research with smartphones

Lope de Vega y la ambigüedad de los signos: la incertidumbre del significado en unas variaciones sobre el tema de la «Arcadia»

This article examines how Lope explored the ambiguity of signs in the first work that he printed, his Arcadia (1598). Focusing on the key episode of Belisarda’s love token, we analyze the role of ambiguity as one of the central themes in the book, underscoring such episodes as the fable of Alasto and Crisalda or Celio’s madness, that work as parallels to the central plot that clarify Lope’s reflections on ambiguity. In addition, to shed further light on the episode and theme we will explore similar passages in other works in which Lope treated the theme of the Arcadia: the comedias La pastoral de Jacinto, Los amores de Albanio e Ismenia and La Arcadia. Thus, we will show the love token episode in new light, while calling attention to those central aspects of Lope’s modus scribendi: reflection and adaptation of previous materials.Este trabajo estudia cómo Lope exploró la ambigüedad de los signos en la primera obra que dio a la imprenta, la Arcadia (1598). Fijándonos en el episodio clave de la prenda de Belisarda, examinamos el papel de la ambigüedad como uno de los temas principales del volumen. Para refrendar esta hipótesis analizamos la estructura de la obra centrándonos en episodios como la fábula de Alasto y Crisalda o la locura de Celio que funcionan como paralelos de la acción central y que aclaran el sentido de la reflexión lopesca sobre la ambigüedad. Además, para arrojar todavía más luz sobre el episodio recurriremos a pasajes similares en otras obras en las que Lope trató el tema de la Arcadia: las comedias La pastoral de Jacinto, Los amores de Albanio e Ismenia y La Arcadia. Así mostraremos el episodio de la prenda a nueva luz, pero también llamaremos la atención sobre dos aspectos centrales del modus scribendi de Lope: la reflexión y la reutilización de materiales previo

Bismuth-Doped Glass Microsphere Lasers

In this work, a hybrid structure consisting of a multicomponent germanate glass microsphere containing bismuth as a gain medium is proposed and presented. The bismuth-doped germanate glass microspheres were fabricated from a glass fiber tip with no precipitation of the bismuth metal. Coupling with a fiber taper, the bismuth-doped microsphere single-mode laser was observed to lase at around 1305.8 nm using 808 nm excitation. The low threshold of absorbed pump power at 215 μWmakes this microlaser appealing for various applications, including tunable lasers for a range of purposes in telecommunication, biomedical, and optical information processing

In-fiber temperature sensor based on green up-conversion luminescence in an Er3+-Yb3+ co-doped tellurite glass microsphere

A novel, to the best of our knowledge, in-fiber temperature sensor based on green up-conversion (UC) luminescence in an Er3+-Yb3+ role= presentation style= box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-size: 12.88px; line-height: normal; word-spacing: normal; overflow-wrap: normal; white-space: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; \u3eEr3+-Yb3+Er3+-Yb3+ co-doped tellurite glass microsphere is described. The tellurite glass microsphere is located firmly inside a suspended tri-core hollow-fiber (STCHF) structure. The pump light launched via a single-mode fiber (SMF) is passed through a section of multimode fiber, which is fusion spliced between the SMF and the STCHF into the cores suspended inside the hollow fiber and coupled into the microsphere. Green and red UC emissions of the Er3+ role= presentation style= box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-size: 12.88px; line-height: normal; word-spacing: normal; overflow-wrap: normal; white-space: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; \u3eEr3+Er3+ ions are observed using 980 nm pump excitation. The temperature-sensing capability of the tellurite glass microsphere is based on the thermally coupled effect between the upper energy levels responsible for green emissions at 528 nm and 549 nm. The resulting fluorescence intensity ratio, depending on the surrounding temperature range from 303 K to 383 K, is experimentally determined, and a maximum sensitivity of 5.47×10−3  K−1 role= presentation style= box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-size: 12.88px; line-height: normal; word-spacing: normal; overflow-wrap: normal; white-space: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; \u3e5.47×10−3  K−15.47×10−3  K−1 is demonstrated. This novel in-fiber microsphere-resonator-based device is highly integrated and has the additional advantages of ease of fabrication, compact structure, and low fabrication cost and therefore has great application potential in integrated optical sources including lasers