Testing of image intensifier tubes is still done using mostly manual methods due to a series of both technical and legal problems with test automation. Computerized stations for semi-automated testing of IITs are considered as novelty and are under continuous improvements. This paper presents a novel test station that enables semi-automated measurement of image intensifier tubes. Wide test capabilities and advanced design solutions rise the developed test station significantly above the current level of night vision metrology.

This article is a description and comparison of Polish and Arabic taboo-based intensifiers in terms of both the semantic domains from which they are derived and their level of desemanticization. For this objective, four domains were selected: (1) death, (2) religion, God, and demons, (3) sexuality, and (4) family. Within those domains an array of linguistic forms were analysed with the aim of examining to what extent they retained traces of the original meaning. Another question to elucidate is whether the transition from one category to another in the process of semantically-driven grammaticalization is accompanied by the loss of the taboo element of these lexemes.

Image intensifier tubes (IITs) are the most important modules of night vision devices used in huge numbers by military forces worldwide. Resolution is the most important parameter of IITs that presents information about ability of these devices to produce output images preserving information about details of the observed scenery. Despite its importance, it is still a common practice to measure resolution subjectively, by an observer looking at image of a resolution target created by a tested IIT. A series of attempts have been carried out to develop objective methods for accurate resolution measurement of IITs but with limited success. Accuracy of these methods varies depending on the tested IIT. This paper presents detailed analysis of proposed methods for objective resolution measurement. This analysis has shown that significant variability of accuracy of these methods is caused by one main drawback: the methods do not take into account influence of the spatial noise effect on human perception of image of the resolution target. Thus, an improved method taking into account spatial noise and its impact on target detection has been proposed. The method has been validated through experimental verification that shows accuracy improvements compared to other objective methods. This new approach improves accuracy of measurement of resolution of IITs to a level that can be accepted at professional test stations. In this way, this new method has potential to replace the standard subjective method to measure resolution of IITs and fix the biggest flaw of the standard test stations: measurement subjectivity.