Localization of Copy-Move Forgery in speech signals through watermarking using DCT-QIM

Digital speech copyright protection and forgery identification are the prevalent issues in our advancing digital world. In speech forgery, voiced part of the speech signal is copied and pasted to a specific location which alters the meaning of the speech signal. Watermarking can be used to safe guard the copyrights of the owner. To detect copy-move forgeries a transform domain watermarking method is proposed. In the proposed method, watermarking is achieved through Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Quantization Index Modulation (QIM) rule. Hash bits are also inserted in watermarked voice segments to detect Copy-Move Forgery (CMF) in speech signals. Proposed method is evaluated on two databases and achieved good imperceptibility. It exhibits robustness in detecting the watermark and forgeries against signal processing attacks such as resample, low-pass filtering, jittering, compression and cropping. The proposed work contributes for forensics analysis in speech signals. This proposed work also compared with the some of the state-of-art methods

Study of the Topology Mismatch Problem in Peer-to-Peer Networks

The advantages of peer-to-peer (P2P) technology are innumerable when compared to other systems like Distributed Messaging System, Client-Server model, Cloud based systems. The vital advantages are not limited to high scalability and low cost. On the other hand the p2p system suffers from a bottle-neck problem caused by topology mismatch. Topology mismatch occurs in an unstructured peer-to-peer (P2P) network when the peers participating in the communication choose their neighbors in random fashion, such that the resultant P2P network mismatches its underlying physical network, resulting in a lengthy communication between the peers and redundant network traffics generated in the underlying network[1] However, most P2P system performance suffers from the mismatch between the overlays topology and the underlying physical network topology, causing a large volume of redundant traffic in the Internet slowing the performance. This paper surveys the P2P topology mismatch problems and the solutions adapted for different applications

Factors Influencing the Usage of ICT in Secondary Schools: A Case Study in Telangana State of India

Results are reported from a study in which teachers’ views on usage and impact of information and communication technology in secondary schools, were compared between private and government schools and between the state board (SSC) syllabus and CBSE board syllabus. The main purpose of the study was to answer the following questions: Firstly, How socio economic parameters can impact the ICT usage, Secondly, What differential role does ownership (Public/Private) of the management has an impact on the usage of ICT and Thirdly, How the board of education can have an impact on the usage of ICT in secondary schools? The key finding the study are as follows First, Gender, age group has no impact on ICT usage, Secondly, the ownership of management i.e Government schools Vs private schools has no impact on the usage of ICT in secondary schools, Thirdly,  it’s been observed that there is a significant impact of board of education , i.e State board Vs CBSE board on the usage of ICT in secondary schools Keywords: Gender, age, income, StateSecondary Certificate (SSC), Central Boardfor Secondary Education(CBSE), ICT, government, privat

An Empirical Study towards Refining the AKS Primality Testing Algorithm

The AKS (Agrawal-Kayal-Saxena) algorithm is the first ever deterministic polynomial-time primality-proving algorithm whose asymptotic run time complexity is $O(\log^{12+\epsilon} n)$, where $\epsilon > 0$. Despite this theoretical breakthrough, the algorithm serves no practical use in conventional cryptologic applications, as the existing probabilistic primality tests like ECPP in conjunction with conditional usage of sub-exponential time deterministic tests are found to have better practical running time. Later, the authors of AKS test improved the algorithm so that it runs in $O(\log^{10.5+\epsilon} n)$ time. A variant of AKS test was demonstrated by Carl Pomerance and H. W. Lenstra, which runs in almost half the number of operations required in AKS. This algorithm also suffers impracticality. Attempts were made to efficiently implement AKS algorithm, but in contrast with the slightest improvements in performance which target specific machine architectures, the limitations of the algorithm are found highlighted. In this paper we present our analysis and observations on AKS algorithm based on the empirical results and statistics of certain parameters which control the asymptotic running time of the algorithm. From this analysis we refine AKS so that it runs in $O(\log^{4+\epsilon} n)$ time

Vaccination with Plasmodium knowlesi AMA1 Formulated in the Novel Adjuvant Co-Vaccine HT™ Protects against Blood-Stage Challenge in Rhesus Macaques

Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (PfAMA1) is a leading blood stage vaccine candidate. Plasmodium knowlesi AMA1 (PkAMA1) was produced and purified using similar methodology as for clinical grade PfAMA1 yielding a pure, conformational intact protein. Combined with the adjuvant CoVaccine HT™, PkAMA1 was found to be highly immunogenic in rabbits and the efficacy of the PkAMA1 was subsequently tested in a rhesus macaque blood-stage challenge model. Six rhesus monkeys were vaccinated with PkAMA1 and a control group of 6 were vaccinated with PfAMA1. A total of 50 µg AMA1 was administered intramuscularly three times at 4 week intervals. One of six rhesus monkeys vaccinated with PkAMA1 was able to control parasitaemia, upon blood stage challenge with P. knowlesi H-strain. Four out of the remaining five showed a delay in parasite onset that correlated with functional antibody titres. In the PfAMA1 vaccinated control group, five out of six animals had to be treated with antimalarials 8 days after challenge; one animal did not become patent during the challenge period. Following a rest period, animals were boosted and challenged again. Four of the six rhesus monkeys vaccinated with PkAMA1 were able to control the parasitaemia, one had a delayed onset of parasitaemia and one animal was not protected, while all control animals required treatment. To confirm that the control of parasitaemia was AMA1-related, animals were allowed to recover, boosted and re-challenged with P. knowlesi Nuri strain. All control animals had to be treated with antimalarials by day 8, while five out of six PkAMA1 vaccinated animals were able to control parasitaemia. This study shows that: i) Yeast-expressed PkAMA1 can protect against blood stage challenge; ii) Functional antibody levels as measured by GIA correlated inversely with the day of onset and iii) GIA IC50 values correlated with estimated in vivo growth rates

Elevational Gradients in Bird Diversity in the Eastern Himalaya: An Evaluation of Distribution Patterns and Their Underlying Mechanisms

BACKGROUND: Understanding diversity patterns and the mechanisms underlying those patterns along elevational gradients is critically important for conservation efforts in montane ecosystems, especially those that are biodiversity hotspots. Despite recent advances, consensus on the underlying causes, or even the relative influence of a suite of factors on elevational diversity patterns has remained elusive. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined patterns of species richness, density and range size distribution of birds, and the suite of biotic and abiotic factors (primary productivity, habitat variables, climatic factors and geometric constraints) that governs diversity along a 4500-m elevational gradient in the Eastern Himalayan region, a biodiversity hotspot within the world's tallest mountains. We used point count methods for sampling birds and quadrats for estimating vegetation at 22 sites along the elevational gradient. We found that species richness increased to approximately 2000 m, then declined. We found no evidence that geometric constraints influenced this pattern, whereas actual evapotranspiration (a surrogate for primary productivity) and various habitat variables (plant species richness, shrub density and basal area of trees) accounted for most of the variation in bird species richness. We also observed that ranges of most bird species were narrow along the elevation gradient. We find little evidence to support Rapoport's rule for the birds of Sikkim region of the Himalaya. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: This study in the Eastern Himalaya indicates that species richness of birds is highest at intermediate elevations along one of the most extensive elevational gradients ever examined. Additionally, primary productivity and factors associated with habitat accounted for most of the variation in avian species richness. The diversity peak at intermediate elevations and the narrow elevational ranges of most species suggest important conservation implications: not only should mid-elevation areas be conserved, but the entire gradient requires equal conservation attention

The EBLM Project XI. Mass, radius and effective temperature measurements for 23 M-dwarf companions to solar-type stars observed with CHEOPS

Observations of low-mass stars have frequently shown a disagreement between observed stellar radii and radii predicted by theoretical stellar structure models. This ``radius inflation'' problem could have an impact on both stellar and exoplanetary science. We present the final results of our observation programme with the CHEOPS satellite to obtain high-precision light curves of eclipsing binaries with low mass stellar companions (EBLMs). Combined with the spectroscopic orbits of the solar-type companion, we can derive the masses, radii and effective temperatures of 23 M-dwarf stars. We use the PYCHEOPS data analysis software to analyse their primary and secondary occultations. For all but one target, we also perform analyses with TESS light curves for comparison. We have assessed the impact of starspot-induced variation on our derived parameters and account for this in our radius and effective temperature uncertainties using simulated light curves. We observe trends for inflation with both metallicity and orbital separation. We also observe a strong trend in the difference between theoretical and observational effective temperatures with metallicity. There is no such trend with orbital separation. These results are not consistent with the idea that observed inflation in stellar radius combines with lower effective temperature to preserve the luminosity predicted by low-mass stellar models. Our EBLM systems are high-quality and homogeneous measurements that can be used in further studies into radius inflation