A secure image steganography based on JND model

Minimizing distortion produced by embedding process is very important to improve the security of hidden message and maintain the high visual quality of stego images. To achieve these objectives, an effective strategy is to perform pixel selection which is well-known as a channel selection rule. In this approach, a pixel associated with the smallest image degradation is chosen to carry secret bits. From these facts, in this paper, a new secure channel selection rule for digital images in spatial domain is designed and proposed. In this new approach, the modified matrix embedding method is utilized as data hiding method because it introduces more than one embedding change to be performed. This enables us to select a suitable pixel to embed message bits with less degradation yielded in a stego-image. In pixel selection of the proposed method, a just noticeable difference value and gradient value of a considering pixel are employed together. The experimental results (which were conducted on 10,000 uncompressed images) indicate that stego images of the proposed approach achieve a higher perceptual quality and security than those of the stego-images created by the previous approaches

Tourism impacts of poverty alleviation on ethnic households: Comparing difference between Cham, Khmer, and Chinese ethnic households in An Giang province, Viet nam

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects of tourism on poverty alleviation in minority households and to propose tourism development solutions to effectively reduce poverty for ethnic groups. This study surveyed ethnic households in An Giang Province, Vietnam, where the majority of Khmer, Cham, and Chinese households live in crowded conditions, and tourism was identified as an alternative means of poverty alleviation for the households.   Theoretical framework:  Different ethnic groups, according to Kyle et al. (2019), have different perspectives on tourism in general and ethnic neighborhood tourism. Academic research on poverty alleviation in tourism has advanced from concept to development model (Jin et al., 2019), influencing factors, and implementation path (Jin et al, 2019; Guo, 2020). Even if no jobs are created, investment in tourism infrastructure can connect villagers to the larger economy, which will benefit local agriculture. (Lor et all 2019, Hall, 2007; Li et al., 2016; Oraboune, 2008). Aside from focusing solely on household income and consumption, Sen (1999) emphasized the importance of addressing the problem of capability deprivations in any effort to reduce poverty. For this reason, household capacity must be taken into consideration when assessing poverty reduction among different households. According to Duong & Dung (2018) and Ngoc (2018), the factors influencing livelihoods include objective and subjective household factors, while Nui (2019) indicated that the choice of household livelihood strategy differs depending on the household's economic level. Farmers will face a wide range of influencing factors when implementing livelihood strategies, and as a result, the livelihood outcomes experienced by each farmer will differ, Tuan and Dung (2015). Based on the literature review and the situation in the study area, it is evident that comparative studies on the level of poverty reduction among ethnic minority households have few research documents; therefore, the implementation of this study is insufficient.   Design/methodology/approach:  The research was done in Tinh Bien, Tri Ton, An Phu, Tan Chau, and Chau Doc, An Giang. This was chosen as the study site because ethnic households exist there, affecting tourism development. Fieldwork was done in 2021 and 2022. The second phase allowed for data verification and gap filling. In the first phase, the sampling technique evolved as the author became more familiar with case studies and could assess the number of persons to approach given time restrictions. Questionnaires were utilized to acquire data. The 390 samples of questionnaires were from Tinh Bien, Tri Ton, An Phu, Tan Chau, and Chau Doc by employing Taro Yamane's algorithm to determine the number of households to survey.  Post hoc one-way ANOVA was conducted to compare the poverty reduction impact of tourism on three groups of households by assessment of the different demographic characteristics of the respondent.   Findings:  The findings reveal that the poverty reduction impact of tourism on ethnic households differs before and after tourism implementation; ethnic households feel the poverty reduction impacts more strongly after tourism development. When comparing the impact of poverty reduction on economics, access to essential social services, livelihoods, and socio-cultural factors, Khmer, Chinese, and Cham households have significantly lower levels of poverty. Meanwhile, tourism has a greater impact on poverty alleviation in Khmer households than it does in Cham households, and Chinese groups wield more power than Khmer groups. When comparing the Human, Social, Natural, Financial, and Institutional assets of three ethnic minority households to understand the causes of different poverty alleviation, the Chinese have the most of all five assets, followed by the Khmer, and finally the Cham.   Research, Practical & Social implications:  Tourism has provided an additional source of income for ethnic minority households in Vietnam, thereby reducing poverty, according to the study's findings. Despite this, the level of poverty reduction among ethnic minority households is contingent on the household's livelihood assets, which include human capital, social capital, natural capital, financial capital, and institutional capital. Due to a lack of education, professional tourism skills, and access to information technology, the human capital of ethnic minority households is limited. To enhance the efficacy of tourism development and alleviate poverty among ethnic minority households, it is necessary to improve means of subsistence.   Originality/value: The results indicate that the number of publications is growing, and the management and business area is the one that contributes the most, with the countries that produce in co-authorship also providing the most publications

Merkevarebygging i et kulturelt perspektiv - “Hva kan nyetablerte norske bedrifter gjøre for å skape en merkevare i et kulturelt perspektiv?”

Hvordan kan kultur brukes som et virkemiddel for en sterkere merkevare? Merkevarebygging er i et kulturelt perspektiv et aspekt som er lite forsket på, særlig i norsk sammenheng. Etter et dypdykk i det teoretiske rammeverket rundt fenomenet, kom vi frem til at vi ønsket å utføre et kvalitativt casestudium, og har formulert følgende problemstilling: «Hva kan nyetablerte norske bedrifter gjøre for å skape en merkevare i et kulturelt perspektiv?» Formålet med casestudiet er å presentere et alternativt merkevareperspektiv som spesielt fokuserer på hvordan kultur kan skape identitet gjennom verdiskaping. Vi ønsket videre å vise hvordan dette påvirker den strategiske implementeringen, samt ekspansjonsmulighetene norske bedrifter har til å gå internasjonalt. Studien har også som mål å ta for seg norske bedrifter sitt perspektiv på hvordan kultur blir brukt i markedet. Funnene i studien er diskutert i lys av det teoretiske grunnlaget, strukturert særlig etter nøkkelteoretikerne Douglas Holt og Marcel Danesi. Vi har gjennomført dybdeintervjuer med norske informanter fra mat- og klesbransjen. Basert på dette har vi gjort interessante funn som belyser hvordan kultur har et ubrukt potensiale til hvordan bedrifter kan skape verdi for forbrukeren, men også i kulturelle strategier. Ved hjelp av det teoretiske grunnlaget kunne vi vise til hvordan norske bedrifter bruker internasjonal ekspansjon, og hvordan dette henger sammen med kulturell teori som beskriver implementeringen. Resultatene våre kan være nyttig til videre forskning, der vår hverdag er fylt med langt flere merkevarer enn tidligere. For norske bedrifter i etableringsfasen er det stadig viktigere å skille seg ut.

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of bacterial endophytes isolated from leaves of the mangrove plant Rhizophora stylosa

Mangroves are the most productive ecosystems and contain highly diverse plants and microbial communities. Mangrove endophytes are proved to be a rich source of bioactive secondary metabolites. The biological molecules produced by endophytes play an important role in protection of mangrove plants against herbivores, insects as well as pathogens. The present study aimed to isolate the endophytic bacteria from the mangrove plant Rhizophora stylosa and screen antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate extracts from the isolated endophytic bacteria. A total of 64 endophytic bacterial strains from R. stylosa leaves were isolated, of which ethyl acetate extracts of 14 isolated endophytic strains showed antimicrobial activity against at least one of reference microorganisms Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 25923, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 27212, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 12222 and Candida albicans ATCC 7754 with MIC values from 32 to 512 µg/ml. Among them, four strains showed activity against one reference microorganism, five strains showed activity against two reference microorganisms, four strains showed activity against three reference microorganisms, and one strain showed activity against four reference microorganisms. Additionally, the ethyl acetate extracts of 12 isolated endophytic bacteria showed ATBS and DPPH radical scavenging activity with scavenging values from 36.27 ± 2.6% to 71.46 ± 6.6% and from 26.22 ± 3.3% to 57.38 ± 5.8%, respectively. The identification of the five most active endophytic bacteria by 16S rRNA sequences revealed that the endophytes belonged to four genera, including Bacillus, Streptomyces, Pseudovibrio and Pseudomonas. The obtained results suggest that the endophytic bacteria from mangrove plants are a promising reservoir of antimicrobial and antioxidant agents.      

Influence Of Fabrication Condition on the Microstructural and Optical Properties of Lead-Free Ferroelectric Bi0.5_{0.5}Na0.5_{0.5}TiO3_{3} Materials

Lead-free ferroelectric materials have attracted considerable attention due to the increasing potential application in environmental benign materials. Among lead-free ferroelectric materials, the Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT) materials were more studied because it exhibited the good ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties which could be promising candidate materials replacing Pb(Zr,Ti)O3. In this work, the lead-free ferroelectric BNT materials were synthesized by sol-gel method. The effects of fabrication process to microstructural and optical properties were studied which includes Na precursor concentration and calcining temperature. The result indicated that the Na precursor concentration were higher 40 mol.% and the calcining temperature

Synergic Effect of CaI and LiI on Ionic Conductivity of Solution-Based Synthesized Li7P3S11 Solid Electrolyte

Li7P3S11 doped with CaX2 (X = Cl, Br, I) and LiI solid electrolytes were successfully prepared by liquid-phase synthesis using acetonitrile as the reaction medium. Their structure was investigated using XRD, Raman spectroscopy and SEM-EDS. The data obtained from complex impedance spectroscopy was analyzed to study the ionic conductivity and relaxation dynamics in the prepared samples. The XRD results suggested that a part of CaX2 and LiI incorporated into the structure of Li7P3S11, while the remaining part existed at the grain boundary of the Li7P3S11 particle. The Raman peak positions of PS43- and P2S74- ions in samples 90Li7P3S11-5CaI2 and 90Li7P3S11-5CaI2-5LiI had shifted as compared to the Li7P3S11 sample, showing that CaI2 addition affected the vibration of PS43- and P2S74- ions. EDS results indicated that CaI2 and LiI were well dispersed in the prepared powder sample. The ionic conductivity at 25 °C of sample 90Li7P3S11-5CaI2-5LiI reached a very high value of 3.1 mS cm-1 due to the improvement of Li-ion movement at the grain boundary and structural improvement upon CaI2 and LiI doping. This study encouraged the application of Li7P3S11 in all-solid-state Li-ion batteries