A DWT-Based Rational Dither Modulation Scheme for Effective Blind Audio Watermarking

A scheme jointly exploring the rational dither modulation (RDM) and auditory masking properties in the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) domain is proposed to achieve effective blind audio watermarking. The embedding of binary information is carried out by modulating coefficient vectors in the 5th-level approximation subband using the quantization steps estimated from past watermarked vectors. The robustness and payload capacity of the proposed scheme are maneuverable by varying vector dimensions, while the imperceptibility is ensured by constraining quantization noise below the auditory masking threshold. Furthermore, the periodic characteristic inherited in the RDM formulation can be used to re-establish synchronization for accurate watermark extraction. Experimental results show that the proposed DWT–RDM approach renders a near-zero objective difference grade in the perceptual evaluation of audio quality even when the signal-to-noise ratio maintains at a level near 20 dB. In most digital signal processing attacks, the bit error rates of retrieved watermarks are sufficiently low as compared to other recently developed methods with fewer payload capacities.     

Optimal biostimulation strategy for phenol degradation with indigenous rhizobium Ralstonia taiwanensis

This study provides a first attempt from a perspective of Gaden's classification of fermentation and phase-plane to put forward phenol degradation using various augmented nutrient media for biostimulation. It aimed to identify the most promising nutrient source(s) to attenuate synergistic interactions with phenol for optimal phenol degradation. Therefore, the growth association of phenol degradation using various nutrient media in place of combined toxic interactions was established via Gaden's classification scheme of fermentation and phase-plane analysis. In cultures grown on medium bearing dual carbon sources (glycerol and phenol) or phenol alone, phenol was found to be firstly biodegraded for microbial growth (i.e., growth-associated degradation). In contrast, when yeast extract or acetate was supplemented, a diauxic growth behavior was observed as the augmented nutrient was primarily utilized while phenol degradation was repressed. Moreover, using glycerol as the nutrient source, phenol degradation seemed to be enhanced simultaneously during the consumption of glycerol for cellular growth after ca. 2h response lag in growth. Although gluconic acid could enhance cell growth as well as phenol degradation, the phenol degradation performance was still not as good as that of glycerol. Thus, biostimulation with glycerol appeared to show the most favorable metabolic characteristics against phenol toxicity on Ralstonia taiwanensis, leading to better degradation efficiency of the toxic pollutant. Phase-plane trajectories also clearly confirmed that glycerol was the optimal biostimulating nutrient source for phenol degradation.     

Comparative study on reaction selectivity of azo dye decolorization by Pseudomonas luteola

This study is to inspect how the variation of molecular structures and functional groups present in our model azo dyes (i.e., Congo red, Eriochrome black T (EBT), methyl orange, and methyl red) affects biodecolorization capability of Pseudomonas luteola. The most viable decolorization was found at pH 7-9 and the optimal cellular age for the most effective decolorization was 7 days after static incubation in dye-free cultures. In decolorization, the maximal absorption wavelength in UV-vis spectra for the different dye-containing cultures shifted from visible light range towards the ultraviolet visible range. Methyl red was not decolorized in contrast to methyl orange, Congo red, and Eriochrome black T. The sulfonic group para to azo bond (-N=N-) in methyl orange was a strong electron-withdrawing group through resonance to cause an enhancement of color removal to be easily biodecolorized. As a charged carboxyl group on methyl red is at ortho position (i.e., in the proximity) to azo bond, this led to a complete inhibition to decolorization. However, decolorization of Congo red and EBT in the absence of charged group (e.g., hydroxy or amino group) near azo bond was not completely repressed like methyl red. Thus, the presence of electron-withdrawing groups as the substituents on azo dyes enhanced decolorization capability for biodegradability. In addition, Monod kinetic model provided better predictions to all dye decolorization at initial short periods of time due to negligible intermediate formed at initial short time duration, but significant intermediate accumulation took place at longer period of time. In contrast, the decolorization performances of methyl orange at 400ppm and EBT at 230ppm were significantly less than those predicted from the Monod kinetic model likely due to accumulated intermediates exceeding the threshold levels for feedback inhibition.     

Supercapacitors for the energy management of electric vehicles

The integration of the on-board energy source of an electrically propelled vehicle with a supercapacitor bank (SB) as a peak power unit, can lead to substantial benefits in terms of electric vehicle performances, battery life and energy economy. Different architectures may be envisaged, to be chosen according to technical–economical trade-off. A research activity, supported by the European Community in the frame of the Joule III program and titled `Development of Supercapacitors for Electric Vehicles' (contract JOE3-CT95-0001), has been in progress since the beginning of 1996. The partners involved are SAFT (project leader), Alcatel Alsthom Research (France), Centro Ricerche Fiat (Italy), University of Kaiserslautern (Germany), Danionics (DK) and ECN (Netherlands). Its objective is to develop a SB and its electronic control and to integrate them in two different full-scale traction systems, supplied, respectively, by sealed lead traction batteries and by a fuel cell system. Through the bench tests, it will be possible to evaluate the impact of the SB on both traction systems. In this paper, a project overview will be given; the power management strategy principles, the supercapacitor's control electronic devices, the system's architecture and the supercapacitor's requirements on the base of the simulation results, will be examined.     

Performance analysis of proxy mobile IPv6 based on IEEE802.16e

Proxy mobile Internet protocol version 6 (PMIPv6) is a network-based mobility management protocol proposed by Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), which allows nodes to remain service connectivity while moving around in the IPv6 Internet. PMIPv6 is different from the host-based mobility management protocols (mobile Internet protocol version (MIPv6), hierarchical mobile IPv6 (HMIPv6), fast handover for mobile IPv6 (FMIPv6), and fast handover in hierarchical mobile IPv6 (F-HMIPv6)), whose signaling are transferred among some network entities except mobile node (MN). This paper focuses on the analytical modeling of performance analysis for PMIPv6 and other protocols using IEEE802.16-based wireless metropolitan area networks as the wireless access network. The performances of these protocols are evaluated by some metrics like handover latency, service disruption time, and binding update cost. Numerical results show that PMIPv6 has better performance.     

Enhancing the lipolysis-stimulating activity of soy protein using limited hydrolysis with Flavourzyme and ultrafiltration

The aim of this study was to explore the lipolysis-stimulating activity of soy protein isolate (SPI) hydrolysate using 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Intracellular triglyceride residue (TR) was employed as a marker for lipolysis in cells. The lower TR represents the better lipolysis-stimulating activity. SPI was hydrolysed with Flavourzyme for 2 h to obtain the hydrolysate FH2h, which showed lipolysis-stimulating activity in adipocytes at 400–1600 ppm levels. The sequential fractionation of FH2h with 30–0.3 kDa molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) membranes in order to obtain a 1 kDa retentate resulted in further enhancement of its lipolysis-stimulating activity in the cells. The TR decreased significantly from 2.73 to 2.30 μmole/mg protein at the 400 ppm level (p < 0.05). Based on the western immunoblot and immunostaining analysis, the 1 kDa retentate promotes lipolysis by increasing phosphorylation and translocation of the hormone-sensitive lipase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.     

The complex bidimensional empirical mode decomposition

A new method for computing complex bidimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) is presented in this paper. The proposed complex-BEMD uses four quadrant spectra to apply standard BEMD to four real-valued 2D signals. The so-generated intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are 2D complex-valued, which facilitates the extension of the standard BEMD to the complex domain. The proposed complex-BEMD can be successful for the analysis of real-world 2D complex-valued signals, such as 2D NMR signals. Moreover, the proposed complex-BEMD can be applied for color image processing. A simple color image fusion algorithm based upon the proposed complex-BEMD has also been developed to have the exhibition of the potential. By our proposed complex-BEMD and image fusion algorithm, the well-fused results can be obtained, if the mode mixing in BEMD is alleviated.     

Deciphering simultaneous bioelectricity generation and dye decolorization using Proteus hauseri

This first-attempt study disclosed how and why electron-shuttling mediators were capable to stimulate bioelectricity-generating capabilities of dye-bearing microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using Proteus hauseri. Due to significant biotoxicity of 4-aminophenol (4AP) and the absence of electron-mediating potential of 3AP, only 2AP among all isomers could work as an exogenous mediator to stimulate bioelectricity generation of P. hauseri. Dye toxicity to cells on anodic biofilm in MFCs apparently affected the performance of simultaneous bioelectricity production and color removal (SBP&CR) in MFCs. Plus, dose-response analysis upon toxicity potency of reactive blue 160 revealed that cells on anodic biofilm in MFCs had a higher tolerance to reactive blue 160 than suspended cells. Apparently, augmentation of electron mediator(s) with low toxicity was a feasible means to facilitate bioelectricity-generating capability of SBP&CR.     

A polynomial regression model for the response of various accelerating techniques on maize wine maturation

Statistical analysis was conducted to interpret the recently observed effects of various accelerating techniques on maize wine maturation (Chang, A. C. (2004). The effects of different accelerating techniques on maize wine maturation. Food Chemistry, 86, 61). Instead of the previously reported simple linear relationship between the concentrations of the key components of maize wine in the final product and the number of treatments or the dosage, various types of non-linear behaviours were observed. A general polynomial regression model is used to describe these behaviours, and the adjustable parameters were estimated from the experimental data. The performance of the proposed regression model, which plays a key role in the design of an efficient accelerating process, was satisfactory. Some specific variations of the key components of maize wine, as a function of the number of treatments or the dosage, were observed.     

Characterization of nylon 6/ABS blends with and without a maleated polybutadiene as compatibilizer

The physical properties of nylon 6/poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) terpolymer (ABS) blends using a maleated polybutadiene (denoted PB-g-MA) as compatibilizer were investigated. The morphology results reveal that ABS domain sizes decrease with an increasing compatibilizer content, suggesting the good interaction between the nylon 6 matrix and the ABS dispersed phase. Cooling conditions and compatibilizer contents strongly affect the crystalline structure of nylon 6, as determined from X-ray diffraction and non-isothermal crystallization thermal analyses. The coexistence of α- and predominantly γ-form crystals for the 10 phr compatibilized blends was observed. Isothermal crystallization kinetics suggests that the introduced compatibilizer impeded the growth rate of the crystals, especially for the higher compatibilizer content. The compatibilizer was beneficial in enhancing the thermal stability of the blends.