Stoplight Research Articles

TLCSBFL: A Traffic Lights Control System Based on Fuzzy Logic

Vehicular traveling is increasing throughout the world, particularly in large urban areas. By the increasing use of automobiles in cities, traffic congestion occurs. Thus, there is a requirement for optimizing traffic control methods for better accommodating the increasing demand. Therefore, the transportation system will continue to grow, and intelligent traffic controls have to be employed to face the road traffic congestion’s problems. Fuzzy controllers have been widely used in many consumer products and industrial applications successfully over the past two decades. For traffic control, however, fuzzy controllers have not been widely applied. This research presents an application of fuzzy logic for multi-agent based autonomous traffic lights control system using wireless sensors to overcome problems like congestion, accidents, speed, and traffic irregularity. The real time parameters such as traffic density and queue length are obtained by using image-processing techniques. Thus, On and Off timings for the green, red and or amber lights are adjusted to the actual road conditions. Fuzzy logic has been widely used to develop a traffic signal controller because it allows qualitative modeling of complex systems. This paper describes a fuzzy logic signal controller for a four–way intersection suitable for mixed traffic, including a high proportion of motorcycles. The proposed agent-based approach can provide a preferred solution by minimizing the vehicles’ waiting time especially the emergency vehicles using fuzzy logic control under the situations that normally occur during emergencies. The effectiveness of this approach is tested by taking two traffic junctions. Keyword: Traffic lights control system, application of fuzzy logic, autonomous systems, congestion control

Botanical origin, colour, granulation, and sensory properties of the Harenna forest honey, Bale, Ethiopia

In this study, the Harenna forest honey samples were investigated with respect to their botanical origin, granulation, colour and sensory properties. Sixteen honey samples were collected from two representative sites (Chiri, C, and Wabero, W) using random sampling techniques. Botanical origin was investigated using qualitative pollen analysis by counting 500 pollen grains using harmonised methods of melissopalynology. Granulation, colour, and sensory properties of honey were determined by visual observation, using Pfund grader, acceptability and preference tests, respectively. Honey samples were also tested for tetracycline. Honey obtained from Wabero is originated dominantly from Syzygium guineense while Chiri was multifloral. The colour of honey ranged from 34 to 85 with light amber and extra light amber colours. The honey samples were free from tetracycline residue and form coarse granules slowly. Significant variation (p>0.05) in sensory preference and acceptability tests not observed due to hive types and locations.

Seasonal variability of ultra-fine metals downwind of a heavily traveled secondary road

Since 2002, we have been studying the impact of a heavily traveled secondary road on an adjacent downwind school located at a stop light controlled intersection. The prior studies were all performed in winter conditions with typically strong inversions, but established significant PM2.5 impacts on the school roughly in accord with theoretical models and the relevant literature. In this project, we have enhanced this effort by extending the study from winter to summer, and adding compositionally-resolved ultra-fine aerosol measurements. Ultra-fine aerosols, including metals derived from both brake wear and zinc in lubricating oil, were present at high concentrations in winter downwind of the roadway but absent at a residential site 500 m upwind. Their concentrations faded to minor levels in spring and early summer, while coarse roadway resuspended dust increased in that period. A comparison of ultra-fine measurements in downtown Sacramento and other California Central Valley sites indicates that these traffic derived aerosols are widely present in urban areas impacted by heavy traffic, freeways and secondary streets, especially where heavy braking is occurring. The potential for health impacts of ultra-fine metals associated with cars braking and accelerating in inversion conditions is a serious health concern based on recent epidemiological studies.

A Method for Activation of Endogenous Acid-sensing Ion Channel 1a (ASIC1a) in the Nervous System with High Spatial and Temporal Precision

Protons activate acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) in the central nervous system (CNS) although the impact of such activation on brain outputs remains elusive. Progress elucidating the functional roles of ASIC1a in the CNS has been hindered by technical difficulties of achieving acidification with spatial and temporal precision. We have implemented a method to control optically the opening of ASIC1a in brain slices and also in awake animals. The light-driven H(+) pump ArchT was expressed in astrocytes of mouse cortex by injection of adenoviral vectors containing a strong and astrocyte-specific promoter. Illumination with amber light acidified the surrounding interstitium and led to activation of endogenous ASIC1a channels and firing of action potentials in neurons localized in close proximity to ArchT-expressing astrocytes. We conclude that this optogenetic method offers a minimally invasive approach that enables examining the biological consequences of ASIC1a currents in any structure of the CNS and in the modulation of animal behaviors.

Developing economic indices to assess the human dimensions of the South Florida coastal marine ecosystem services

Resource managers in South Florida are aware that coastal and marine ecosystems provide food, recreation, and a quality of life that are highly-valued by humans. Estimates of economic values in Florida, such as willingness-to-pay for a day of coral reef snorkeling or the change in this value from a change in coral cover, are not updated in a timely manner or are not available at all. Usually these studies are “baseline studies” that provide a snapshot of economic values under existing economic and environmental conditions. Therefore, to be useful to ecosystems management, human dimension (HD) economic indicators that are relatively easy to measure each year must be identified. In addition, they must be combined with a conceptual model that links these indicators to the ecosystem services; their relevant economic values; the HD non-economic metrics of well-being; and the quality and/or quantity of the environmental and ecologic attributes associated with the ecosystem service. Carefully selected HD economic indicators together with ecological, environmental, and non-economic human dimensions indicators can provide a rich source of information for managing the long term conservation and use of coastal and marine ecosystems.In this paper, we specify criteria for selecting HD economic indicators that measure the change in demand for ecosystem services resulting from changes in the quality or quantity of the environmental attributes that comprise the service. We assessed a suite of candidate metrics and arrived at a final set of HD economic indicators for further evaluation. These HD economic indicators are the percentage change from year to year in: (1) coastal park visitation; (2) number of registered recreational boats; (3) pounds of commercial seafood landed; (4) number of live marine organisms landed; and (5) dollar value of insured flood damage claims paid.We illustrated the use of these HD economic indicators with an empirical example for the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas where the indicators are measured over a one year period. The changes were then scored and the scores were assigned a stop light rating of: green for good (or increasing), yellow for fair (or stable), and red for poor (or decreasing). Our empirical illustration of HD economic indicators offers a first step in developing metrics to rate the status of Florida's coastal and marine ecosystem services. The next steps are to propose a full suite of candidate HD economic indicators and metrics; final selection of HD economic indicators and their integration into the conceptual model; annual calculation of these indicators and their evaluation; and environmental/ecosystem assessment.

A bilevel model for multivariate risk analysis of pedestrians’ crossing behavior at signalized intersections

Pedestrians who cross streets during the red-man phase of traffic light signals expose themselves to safety and health hazards and hence are considered to be at risk. Pedestrians’ street-crossing behavior is in general the outcome of interaction between pedestrians and vehicles: the gaps between vehicles provide an opportunity for pedestrians to cross the street, and pedestrians may or may not accept the street-crossing risk during the red-man phase. In this paper, we propose a multivariate method to investigate pedestrians’ risk exposure associated with unsafe crossings. The proposed method consists of two hierarchically interconnected generalized linear models that characterize two different facets of the unsafe crossing behavior. It gauges pedestrians’ attitudes toward risk-taking and also measures the impact of potential risk factors on pedestrians’ intended waiting times during the red-man phase of the traffic lights. A Bayesian approach with the data augmentation method is used to draw statistical inference for the parameters associated with risk exposure. The proposed method is illustrated using field traffic data.

Using Traffic Light Signal to Enhance Intersection Foreground Detection Based on Video Sensor Networks

Foreground detection plays an important role in the traffic surveillance applications, especially in urban intersections. Background subtraction is an efficient approach to segment the background and foreground with static cameras from video sensor networks. But when modelling the background, most statistical techniques adjust the learning rate only based on the changes from video sequences, which is a crucial parameter controlling the updating speed. This causes a slow adaptation to sudden environmental changes. For example, a stopped car fuses into background before moving again, and it lowers the segmentation performance. This paper proposes an efficient way to address the problem by accounting for the physical world signal in traffic junctions. It assigns an adaptive learning rate to each pixel by integrating traffic light signal obtained from sensor networks. Combined with abundant physical world signals, background subtraction method is able to adapt itself to the outside world changes instantly. We test our approach in real urban traffic intersection; experimental results show that the new method increases the accuracy of detection and has a promising future.

Traffic Light Signal System Using Radar-Based Target Detection and Tracking

A novel system and method of integrating an RF emissions device, such as aradar system (103A), within a traffic control indicator (101) system. The system and method determines, using LFM-CW radar signals (201) and a multistage spectral processing algorithm (600), if one or more object/vehicle targets will enter an intersection and comprises receiving a radar echo response (203) indicating the object/vehicle target (104) is approaching the intersection, receiving range and velocity of the object/vehicle targets (104), and based on the receiving, determining if the object/vehicle target (104) will enter the intersection. The system and method can programmatically be configured to activate red-light-hold, green-light-extension, or left-turnwarning.

VEHICLE DENSITY SENSOR SYSTEM TO MANAGE TRAFFIC

The aim of this study is to solve traffic congestion which is a severe problem in many modern cities all over the world. To solve this problem, we have a framework for a dynamic and automatic traffic light control system. Generally, each traffic light on an intersection is assigned a constant green signal time. It is possible to propose a dynamic time-based coordination schemes where the green signal time of the traffic lights is assigned based on the present conditions of the traffic. In this study, we adapt the approach to take data/input/image from object/ subject/vehicle and to process the input data by Computer and Microcontroller and finally display it on the traffic light signal to control the Closed Loop System.

Photochromic Bacteriorhodopsin Mutant with High Holographic Efficiency and Enhanced Stability via a Putative Self-Repair Mechanism

The Q photoproduct of bacteriorhodopsin (BR) is the basis of several biophotonic technologies that employ BR as the photoactive element. Several blue BR (bBR) mutants, generated by using directed evolution, were investigated with respect to the photochemical formation of the Q state. We report here a new bBR mutant, D85E/D96Q, which is capable of efficiently converting the entire sample to and from the Q photoproduct. At pH 8.5, where Q formation is optimal, the Q photoproduct requires 65 kJ mol-1 of amber light irradiation (590 nm) for formation and 5 kJ mol-1 of blue light (450 nm) for reversion, respectively. The melting temperature of the resting state and Q photoproduct, measured via differential scanning calorimetry, is observed at 100 °C and 89 °C at pH 8.5 or 91 °C and 82 °C at pH 9.5, respectively. We hypothesize that the protein stability of D85E/D96Q compared to other blue mutants is associated with a rapid equilibrium between the blue form E85(H) and the purple form E85(−) of the protein, the latter providing enhanced structural stability. Additionally, the protein is shown to be stable and functional when suspended in an acrylamide matrix at alkaline pH. Real-time photoconversion to and from the Q state is also demonstrated with the immobilized protein. Finally, the holographic efficiency of an ideal thin film using the Q state of D85E/D96Q is calculated to be 16.7%, which is significantly better than that provided by native BR (6–8%) and presents the highest efficiency of any BR mutant to date.

Remote Management Software Design for Urban Road Traffic Equipment Based on Android Mobile Terminal

Beginning with the signal remote monitoring system's function structure, development process function design and so on , this paper described the remote management software design and implementation scheme of the road traffic equipment based on the Android mobile terminal. This software can realize the remote control of the traffic signal lights, condition monitoring and signal equipment management and fault alarm to remind function, reduce the maintenance management difficulty of traffic signal control equipment, and have a good application prospect.

Game theory model of traffic participants within amber time at signalized intersection.

The traffic light scheme is composed of red, green, and amber lights, and it has been defined clearly for the traffic access of red and green lights; however, the definition of that for the amber light is indistinct, which leads to the appearance of uncertainty factors and serious traffic conflicts during the amber light. At present, the traffic administrations are faced with the decision of whether to forbid passing or not during the amber light in the cities of China. On one hand, it will go against the purpose of setting amber lights if forbidding passing; on the other hand, it may lead to a mess of traffic flow running if not. And meanwhile the drivers are faced with the decision of passing the intersection or stopping during the amber light as well. So the decision-making behavior of traffic administrations and drivers can be converted into a double game model. And through quantification of their earnings in different choice conditions, the optimum decision-making plan under specific conditions could be solved via the Nash equilibrium solution concept. Thus the results will provide a basis for the formulation of the traffic management strategy.

Mouth to Mouth

Mouth to Mouth Ch’oe Su-ch’ŏl (bio) Translated by Bruce Fulton (bio) and Ju-Chan Fulton (bio) Traffic came to a stop. There on the pavement lay a man, a paramedic performing CPR on him. The paramedic switched to artificial respiration, placing his mouth over the man’s and blowing vigorously enough to make his chest rise. I imagined a guy trying desperately to tongue open his dead lover’s locked lips. A cruel, heart-wrenching fate. But what if the dead lover lurched back to life and bit down on his tongue? Mouth to mouth. Living lips on dead. Breath extinguished. Eros and Thanatos. The paramedic straightened and looked blankly at the body. I wondered if he regretted having kissed a dead man. Traffic was moving again—until the next stop light. Red light suspended from the heavens, red lips, a death kiss, a death wish, the sensuality of death. The light turned green. Hello. I floored the gas pedal. There’s an element of thievery to kissing, a pilfering of lips. Kiss thieves thirst for kisses but lack patience. They chuck the hassle of scoring kisses and resort to sneaking them instead. Or they submit to the lure of deviance. Once you’re on the deviant path, kosher kissing will never taste the same. For thrills you can’t beat a stolen kiss. [End Page 255] Masters of stolen kissing will tell you that circumstances legitimize thievery—slack mouths invite kisses. Brazen types, their ambush successful and the victim bug-eyed in shock, will say, “It’s the least my lips can do when a stranger makes eyes at me.” There are those who enjoy kissing sleeping beauties. What could be sweeter than getting a smooch when you’re half asleep, they’ll ask rhetorically. And because they half hope the princess will remain asleep and half hope she’ll wake up, they insist they’re innocent of thievery. How do they manage the elusive she who is all too quick to slip through their fingers, who is impossible to net? They sting her with a kiss. But these types aren’t satisfied with the lips; they want more. They lust for the tongue inside the mouth, the air from the lungs. One good tongue deserves another, but always at the risk of a bite. A poet once sang, “Stealing a sweet kiss, I brought my soul to your lips by mistake.” A tongue-bitten kiss thief might sing it thus: “Stealing a sweet kiss, I left my tongue inside your mouth by mistake.” Allow me finally to cite the calculating kiss thief, he who wears camouflage and deceives the other. I confess, the examples I have paraded before you come from my own experience. Once, in fact, under cover of darkness I gave my friend’s lover a frenzied kiss. The three of us were on a trip, and sharing a room, and we were all asleep. The lover mistook me for my friend, the rustling sound awoke my friend, and my friend found out. It was obvious to him that she and I were up to more than just kissing, and he turned a deaf ear to her protestations. Sad to say, I had the stuffing beaten out of me, and the two of them split up. A few days later she called me, and we went for a drive along the river. I was racing along when suddenly she unbuckled her seat belt and came at me with a kiss. I was so startled I tried to push her away—she was blocking my view. But she planted her right knee [End Page 256] on my left thigh, locked my head in her hands, and nuzzled my lips until she got her tongue inside my mouth. So there I was, hanging on to the wheel, unable to see left or right, unable to brake or accelerate, the image of that artificially respiring man dancing before my eyes. I was hell-bent for death, and death at that moment felt like her slick tongue. She was the naiad Salmakis embracing me, Hermaphroditus. It was a near-death kiss! The good news is, she released...

Color Sense Test for Job and Learning Ability

Color defectives have been considered to be handicapped persons in modern-day Japan. We studied color recognition of color detectives using various clolor materials and color-blindness test. At first, a traffic signal recognition were reviewed. There were no significant differences between the color defectives and the controls. It is a distinct advantage for color detectives that the actual color of the green traffic signal light is mostly bluegreen in Japan. The second and third reviews were related to the Color Mate Test (CMT) and its comparison with other color vision tests. The CMT was developed specifically to know which children will require special color consideration in classroom activities, but the Ishihara Color Charts and the Farnsworth D-15 Test (Panel D-15) continue to be used with greater frequency. CMT is the most accurate measure of color discrimination ability in daily life, followed by the Panel D-15. The Ishihara test should be considered unsuitable for evaluating color discrimination ability in daily life. When there is a need to evaluate real-life color discrimination ability, evaluations using common colored objects are the most appropriate.

Automated Traffic Assistance System

In this paper we have described the design and implementation concept of an automated traffic assistance system. In our project we are trying to recover the common problems that everyone faces most of the days in this congested society with heavy traffic movements. We have tried to make the support system fully automated rather than the manual control. We thought to use of the Traffic Signal Lights as the server and the vehicles moving towards the signals as clients and clients can communicate with the server via wireless communication. Clients can make queries like the route for a specific destination, or can ask for the alternative routes and also the shortest route, as the result client can get the (route, direction as well as the distance), also they can see the map (2D and 3D). They can ask for nearest places like Hospital, ATM, Market, Shopping Mall, Food Store, Cafe etc. Emergency Support, is the another feature we have included, using this feature client can ask for help in any emergency situation like accident or when he or she is in trouble. Clients can get the emergency notifications or alerts from the server, by this they can be aware of the upcoming hazards in their ways. As the wireless communication medium we have used Bluetooth.

Upgrading Urban Traffic Flow by a Demand-Responsive Fuzzy-Based Traffic Lights Model

A fuzzy model is proposed here to speed up traffic flows and reduce delay at road-signalized intersections by using real-time measures and traffic lights adaptation. The proposed demand-responsive control approach combines fixed-duration cycle and fuzzy calculus to reduce the overall delay without giving too much penalty to traffic streams. The traffic lights signal modification is based on the concept of “intersection saturation degree” that identifies the intersection performances. The numerical results of the proposed fuzzy approach confirm its better performances with respect to the other traditional control approaches.

실내에서 LED광질이 관엽식물의 생장에 미치는 영향

In the results of investigating the role of LED light quality in enhancing the ornamental value of indoor foliage plants, amber and red light increased plant height, leaf width, and leaf stalk, and the consequent tree shape decreased the ornamental value. The chlorophyll content increased significantly under white light and compound light. With regard to the effect of plant leaf color on ornamental value, the value of lightness was markedly enhanced by red light. As to the functionality of plants according to photosynthetic activity, plants such as Dieffenbachia, Clusia, and Dracaena were found favorable to those staying indoors for a longtime from morning to evening. Spathiphyllum, and Ficus were found to be recommendable for indoor spaces used actively during afternoon because their photosynthesis was activated in the afternoon. With regard to power consumption according to light quality, white light consumed 119 W/hour, around 45% lower than that of fluorescent lamps, so it is considered the optimal artificial light quality that can enhance energy efficiency. Red light consumed 72 W/hour, only 33% of that of fluorescent lamps, but it was not considered the optimal light quality because plant growth was poor under the light quality. White light and compound light were found to be the ideal light sources for improving the functionality and ornamental value of indoor plants and reducing the cost of maintenance, but because compound light hinders people from recognizing the original color of plants and makes their eyes easily tired, white light was considered the optimal light satisfying all of the ornamental value, economic efficiency and functionality resulting from plant growth.

Stop Light: Mortality Risk In Adult Sickle Cell Disease and Criteria For Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant

▪ IntroductionThe integration of prognostic information into the clinical care of adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) assumes greater importance as more intensive therapeutic strategies are being developed, including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In addition, more high-risk alternate donor options predominate in SCD, since allogeneic HSCT candidates seldom have matched sibling donors (MSD). We wanted to integrate individual clinical risk factors for death, such as white blood cell count (Platt, NEJM, 1994) or Tricuspid Regurgitant Jet Velocity (TRV), (Gladwin, NEJM, 2004) into eligibility criteria for HSCT. MethodsBaseline demographics, laboratory values, high-risk TRV (greater than 3.0 m/s), and 2-year mortality data on adults with SCD, available from the multi-centered Walk-PHaSST study (n=468 HbSS, 19 deaths), were used to estimate one- and two-variable positive predictive values (PPVs) for short-term mortality (Figure 1A). Using these data, we suggest the basis for a graded (‘stop light') HSCT eligibility schema in which patients with morbid disease and <10% 2-year mortality (green light, ‘low risk' disease) could be considered for standard-risk HSCT (e.g. reduced-intensity MSD) (Figure 1B). 10-15% mortality (yellow light, ‘moderate risk') or highly morbid disease could be considered for alternate donor transplants in which there is published experience in adults (e.g. reduced intensity haploidentical, Bolanos-Meade, Blood 2012). >15% mortality (red light, ‘high risk' disease) could be considered for high-risk alternate donor transplants (without published experience in adults, e.g. cord blood). We then applied this method for estimating HSCT eligibility to HbSS adults followed at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio (n=122), and contrasted this with criteria based on published recommendations (Hseih, NEJM, 2009), (STRIDE trial: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01565616). ResultsWe developed a simple mortality-based prognostic scale with which to estimate SCD severity prior to referring for HSCT. In Walk-PHASST, multiple clinical variables contributed to high risk SCD (red boxes, Figure 1A). The Cleveland population is young (median age 28 years). Nonetheless, 23% (28 of 122) were high risk (red) patients, and 52% (64 of 122) were moderate risk (yellow) or had highly morbid disease. 12% (15 of 122) had low risk (green) SCD and morbid disease, based on our proposed ‘stop light' eligibility schema. Published eligibility criteria, which do not stratify based on SCD prognosis, identify 75-86% of adults in our center as having ≥1 indications for HSCT. [Display omitted] ConclusionsAlthough estimation of risk from transplant is evolving, we believe the proposed ‘stop light' graded eligibility may aid in the selection of appropriate patients and in risk-benefit counseling. We recognize the limitations of a scale based on a modest number of deaths. Nonetheless our simple mortality based prognostic scale is a tool with which to approach the integration of disease severity and HSCT risk in SCD.Yellow: Patients at moderate risk for 2-year (10-15%) mortality (yellow boxes, Figure 1A) or with highly morbid disease (>5 hospitalizations per year, h/o CVA, h/o silent infarct, estimated GFR <90 mL/min, macroalbuminuria, ≥2 ACS within 5 years, or sickle hepatopathy) are eligible for alternate donors with which there is published experience in adults (e.g. haploidentical as well as MSD).Green: Patients with 2-year mortality (<10%) but with morbid disease (>2 hospitalizations per year for two or more years, or acute chest within the past five years) are eligible for standard-risk HSCT (MSD only). Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Розробка методу забезпечення пріоритету автобусам на регульованих перехрестях

The paper considers new method that ensures bus priority at signal-controlled intersections. The main objective of the study is to substantiate the proposed method a special lane at the and define the principles for its implementation. The method is based on creation of spatial corridor at the area of intersection, using specially allocated lanes, which allow free access of buses to the stop-lines. Intersection passage is realized by means of adaptive control algorithms for traffic light signaling control, particularly through special phase and the principle of split phase control. Six major types of special lanes that are implemented in the area of intersection and depend mainly on the availability and location of stops at the intersection, as well as the change of traffic direction, are proposed. The process of bus passing through special lane in the area of intersection is viewed through the prism of system which allows detailed determining the factors that define its geometrical parameters. The main stage of implementing this method is determining the length of special lane on approach to the intersection and ways of traffic light signaling adaptation for ensuring time priority. The proposed method provides spatial-time bus priority at the intersections (including isolated), approaches of which have no more than two traffic lanes in one direction. Application of this method with more lanes (three or more) is appropriate when introducing the special lanes on the street sections with no breaks at the intersections is inefficient.

Gap acceptance of violators at signalised pedestrian crossings

Gap acceptance of violating pedestrians was studied at seven stretches of signalised pedestrian crossings in Singapore. The provision of the traffic light signals provide a ‘safer’ crossing option to these pedestrians, as compared to uncontrolled crossings and mid-block arterial roads. However, there are still people choosing to cross at the riskier period (Red Man phase). The paper discusses about the size of traffic gaps rejected and accepted by pedestrians and the behaviour of riskier pedestrians (those adapting partial gap). The likelihood of pedestrians accepting gaps between vehicular traffic as a combination of different influencing independent variables such as traffic, environmental and personal factors was studied and modelled using logistic regression.