An Adaptive Audio Steganography for Covert Wireless Communication

In recent years, the wide applications of the wireless sensor networks have achieved great success. However, the security is a critical issue in many scenarios ranging from covert military operations to the organization of the social unrest. Because the traditional encrypting methods are easy to arouse suspicion, an adaptive audio steganography method is proposed. The method is based on interval and variable low bit coding, which can be applied to covert wireless communication. The interval for embedding secret messages into the audio file and the threshold in variable low bit coding are used for selecting the embedding location and embedding bits adaptively; thus the embedding capacity and the embedding rate are variable. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method has better performance in embedding rate and invisibility than other audio steganography methods

RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOAD ANALYSIS METHOD AND FATIGUE OF LOWER CONTROL ARM

To explore the influence of virtual road surface method,virtual iteration method and fixed body method on the damage of lower control arm,the data from the test site was used. The accuracy of vehicle multi-body dynamics model was verified by suspension K＆C test and vehicle controllability and stability test. The six-component force signal of wheel center simulation value was compared with test value in the time domain and the frequency domain. The analysis results show the accuracy of 3 D virtual road and tire model; Comparison of simulation value of three methods and test value of the vertical acceleration of the wheel center shows virtual iteration method has the highest precision,and fixed body method has the worst precision. From the perspective of fatigue simulation,the results show that virtual iteration method and virtual road surface method have the same damage distribution to lower control arm. Fixed body method is quite different from the two,and is more conservative. The simulation results of lower control arm under the three load methods meet the durability of the test field.,which was consistent with the test results of indoor bench

Application of Symbiotic Organisms Search Algorithm for Parameter Extraction of Solar Cell Models

Extracting accurate values for relevant unknown parameters of solar cell models is vital and necessary for performance analysis of a photovoltaic (PV) system. This paper presents an effective application of a young, yet efficient metaheuristic, named the symbiotic organisms search (SOS) algorithm, for the parameter extraction of solar cell models. SOS, inspired by the symbiotic interaction ways employed by organisms to improve their overall competitiveness in the ecosystem, possesses some noticeable merits such as being free from tuning algorithm-specific parameters, good equilibrium between exploration and exploitation, and being easy to implement. Three test cases including the single diode model, double diode model, and PV module model are served to validate the effectiveness of SOS. On one hand, the performance of SOS is evaluated by five state-of-the-art algorithms. On the other hand, it is also compared with some well-designed parameter extraction methods. Experimental results in terms of the final solution quality, convergence rate, robustness, and statistics fully indicate that SOS is very effective and competitive

The Potential of 3-D Building Height Data to Characterize Socioeconomic Activities: A Case Study from 38 Cities in China

Urban forms are closely related to the urban environment, providing great potential to analyze human socioeconomic activities. However, limited studies have investigated the impacts of three-dimensional (3-D) urban forms on socioeconomic activities across cities. In this paper, we explored the relationship between urban form and socioeconomic activities using 3-D building height data from 38 cities in China. First, we aggregated the building footprint data and calculated three building indicators at the grid scale, based on which the spatial patterns of building height and road density were analyzed. Then, we examined the capacities of two-dimensional (2D)/3D urban forms in characterizing socioeconomic activities using satellite-derived nighttime light (NTL) data. Finally, we analyzed the relationship between road density distributions and building heights across 38 cities in China. Our results suggest that the building height information can improve the correlation between urban form and NTL. Different patterns of road distribution were revealed according to the distribution of road density change from the building hotspots, showing the capacity of 3-D building height data in helping characterize socioeconomic activities. Our study indicates that the 3-D building height information is of great potential to support a variety of studies in urban domains, such as population distribution and carbon emissions, with significantly improved capacities

A Novel Method for Economic Dispatch with Across Neighborhood Search: A Case Study in a Provincial Power Grid, China

Economic dispatch (ED) is of cardinal significance for the power system operation. It is mathematically a typical complex nonlinear multivariable strongly coupled optimization problem with equality and inequality constraints, especially considering the valve-point effects. In order to effectively solve the problem, a simple yet very young and efficient population-based algorithm named across neighborhood search (ANS) is implemented in this paper. In ANS, a group of individuals collaboratively navigate through the search space for obtaining the optimal solution by simultaneously searching the neighborhoods of multiple superior solutions. Four benchmark test cases with diverse complexities and characteristics are firstly employed to comprehensively verify the feasibility and effectiveness of ANS. The experimental and comparison results fully demonstrate the superiority of ANS in terms of the final solution quality, convergence speed, robustness, and statistics. In addition, the sensitivities of ANS to variations of population size and across-search degree are studied. Furthermore, ANS is applied to a practical provincial power grid of China. All the comparison results consistently indicate that ANS is highly competitive and can be used as a promising alternative for ED problems

Dissociative Adsorption of O₂ on Ag₃Au(111) Surface: A Density Functional Theory Study

The catalytic efficiency of oxygen reduction catalysts is notably influenced by the dissociative adsorption of O2. We conducted a systematic investigation into the dissociative adsorption of O2 on the Ag3Au(111) surface using ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our computational findings indicate that adsorption the configuration designated t-b-t exhibits favorable energetics on the Ag3Au(111) surface. Regarding the dissociation of O2, we identified a reasonable dissociation pathway, which proceeds from the initial t-b-t state to the creation of two oxygen atoms that occupy a set of neighboring fcc sites. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that the adsorption of O2 on the Ag3Au(111) surface is less favored thermodynamically and more difficult to dissociate than that on the Ag(111) surface. This study furnishes a theoretical framework elucidating the prospective utilization of Ag-Au alloy in the capacity of oxygen reduction catalysts

Impact of In-Air Gestures on In-Car Task’s Diver Distraction

As in-vehicle information systems (IVIS) grow increasingly complex, the demand for innovative artificial intelligence-based interaction methods that enhance cybersecurity becomes more crucial. In-air gestures offer a promising solution due to their intuitiveness and individual uniqueness, potentially improving security in human–computer interactions. However, the impact of in-air gestures on driver distraction during in-vehicle tasks and the scarcity of skeleton-based in-air gesture recognition methods in IVIS remain largely unexplored. To address these challenges, we developed a skeleton-based framework specifically tailored for IVIS that recognizes in-air gestures, classifying them as static or dynamic. Our gesture model, tested on the large-scale AUTSL dataset, demonstrates accuracy comparable to state-of-the-art methods and increased efficiency on mobile devices. In comparative experiments between in-air gestures and touch interactions within a driving simulation environment, we established an evaluation system to assess the driver’s attention level during driving. Our findings indicate that in-air gestures provide a more efficient and less distracting interaction solution for IVIS in multi-goal driving environments, significantly improving driving performance by 65%. The proposed framework can serve as a valuable tool for designing future in-air gesture-based interfaces for IVIS, contributing to enhanced cybersecurity

Activation of a Neospora caninum EGFR-Like Kinase Facilitates Intracellular Parasite Proliferation

The Apicomplexan parasite Neospora caninum, an obligate intracellular protozoan, causes serious diseases in a number of mammalian species, especially in cattle. Infection with N. caninum is associated with abortions in both dairy and beef cattle worldwide which have a major economic impact on the cattle industry. However, the mechanism by which N. caninum proliferates within host cells is poorly understood. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a protein kinase ubiquitously expressed, present on cell surfaces in numerous species, which has been confirmed to be essential in signal transduction involved in cell growth, proliferation, survival, and many other intracellular processes. However, the presence of EGFR in N. caninum and its role in N. caninum proliferation remain unclear. In the present study, we identified a putative EGFR-like kinase in N. caninum, which could be activated in tachyzoites by infection or treatment with rNcMIC3 [containing four epidermal growth factor (EGF) domains] or human EGF. Blockade of EGFR-like in tachyzoites by AG1478 significantly reduced parasite proliferation in host cells. Our data suggested that the activation of tachyzoite EGFR-like might facilitate the intracellular proliferation of N. caninum

First Principles Study of O₂ Dissociative Adsorption on Pt-Skin Pt₃Cu(111) Surface

The O2 dissociative adsorption serves as a pivotal criterion for assessing the efficacy of oxygen reduction catalysts. We conducted a systematic investigation into O2 dissociative adsorption on the Pt-skin Pt3Cu(111) surface by means of the density functional theory (DFT). The computational findings reveal that the O2 adsorption on Pt-skin Pt3Cu(111) surface exhibits comparatively lower stability when contrasted with that on the Pt(111) surface. For O2 dissociation, two paths have been identified. One progresses from the t-f-b state towards the generation of two oxygen atoms situated within nearest-neighbour hcp sites. The other commences from the t-b-t state, leading to the generation of two oxygen atoms occupying nearest-neighbour fcc sites. Moreover, the analysis of the energy barrier associated with O2 dissociation indicates that O2 on the Pt-skin Pt3Cu(111) surface is more difficult to dissociate than on the Pt(111) surface. This study can offer a valuable guide for the practical application of high-performance oxygen reduction catalysts

Assembly and Comparative Analyses of the Chloroplast Genomes of the Threatened Plant <i>Rosa anemoniflora</i>

Due to insufficient molecular biology and genetic research on Rosa anemoniflora, this endangered plant has not yet received effective protection. Therefore, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of R. anemoniflora, along with comparative analysis of the chloroplast genomes of related species, is necessary and crucial for reconstructing phylogenetic relationships and developing genetic markers to conserve these species. A series of analyses, including genome structure, GC content, gene number, selection pressure, and nucleotide diversity, were performed by comparing the chloroplast genomes of R. anemoniflora and its relatives. The results indicate that the chloroplast genomes of R. anemoniflora and its close relatives are highly conserved in all genome characteristics, and all protein-coding genes in R. anemoniflora have not experienced significant positive or negative selection pressures. Comparative analysis revealed several variation hotspots, such as the atpH-atpI region, which can serve as a DNA barcode for distinguishing R. anemoniflora from its close relatives. Finally, the results confirmed that R. anemoniflora belongs to Rosa section Synstylae and that R. anemoniflora and its close relatives likely originated from the Fujian and Taiwan regions of China and diverged approximately 3.24 million years ago. This study provides crucial information for future biodiversity conservation and genetic resource management