Steganography in audio files – COTS software analysis

The paper presents the analysis of the Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software regarding the ability to be used in audio steganography techniques. Such methods are a relatively new tool for hiding and transmitting crucial information, also being used by hackers. In the following work, the publicly available software dedicated to audio steganography is examined. The aim was to provide the general operating model of the information processing in the steganographic effort. The embedding method was analyzed for each application, providing interesting insights and allowing classifying the methods.The results prove that it is possible to detect the hidden message within the specific audio file and identify the technique that was used to create it. This may be exploited further during the hacking attack detection and prevention

Analysis of the magnetoelectric sensor's usability for the energy harvesting

The paper presents the analysis of the magnetic sensor’s applicability to the energy harvesting operations. The general scheme and technical advancement of the energy extraction from the electric vehicle (such as a tram or a train) is presented. The proposed methodology of applying the magnetic sensor to the energy harvesting is provided. The experimental scheme for the sensor characteristics and measurement results is discussed. Conclusions and future prospects regarding the practical implementation of the energy harvesting system are provided

Energy saving chaotic sequence based encryption, authentication and hashing for M2M communication of IoT device

In this paper, the secure low-power Internet of Things (IoT) transmission methods for encryption and digital signature are presented. The main goal was to develop energy-efficient method to provide IoT devices with data confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. The cryptograph energy efficient and security algorithms modifications for IoT domain were made. The novelty in our solution is the usage of encryption method popular in the image processing in the domain of the Internet of Things. Proposed modification improves immunity for the brute-force and plain-text attacks. Furthermore, we propose the modifications for hash calculation method to transform it into digital signature calculation method that is very sensitive to input parameters. The results indicate low energy consumption of both methods, however it varies significantly depending on the architecture of the devices

Method for the player profiling in the turn-based computer games

The following paper presents the players profiling methodology applied to the turn-based computer game in the audience-driven system. The general scope are mobile games where the players compete against each other and are able to tackle challenges presented by the game engine. As the aim of the game producer is to make the gameplay as attractive as possible, the players should be paired in a way that makes their duel the most exciting. This requires the proper player profiling based on their previous games. The paper presents the general structure of the system, the method for extracting information about each duel and storing them in the data vector form and the method for classifying different players through the clustering or predefined category assignment. The obtained results show the applied method is suitable for the simulated data of the gameplay model and clustering of players may be used to effectively group them and pair for the duels

Energy Saving Chaotic Sequence Based Encryption, Authentication and Hashing for M2M Communication of IoT Devices

In this paper, the secure low-power Internet of Things (IoT) transmission methods for encryption and digital signature are presented. The main goal was to develop energyefficient method to provide IoT devices with data confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. The cryptograph energy efficient and security algorithms modifications for IoT domain were made. The novelty in our solution is the usage of encryption method popular in the image processing in the domain of the Internet of Things. Proposed modification improves immunity for the brute-force and plain-text attacks. Furthermore, we propose the modifications for hash calculation method to transform it into digital signature calculation method that is very sensitive to input parameters. The results indicate low energy consumption of both methods, however it varies significantly depending on the architecture of the devices

AH Method: a novel routine for vicinity examination of the optimum found with a genetic algorithm

The paper presents a novel heuristic procedure (further called the AH Method) to investigate function shape in the direct vicinity of the found optimum solution. The survey is conducted using only the space sampling collected during the optimization process with an evolutionary algorithm. For this purpose the finite model of point-set is considered. The statistical analysis of the sampling quality based upon the coverage of the points in question over the entire attraction region is exploited. The tolerance boundaries of the parameters are determined for the user-specified increase of the objective function value above the found minimum. The presented test-case data prove that the proposed approach is comparable to other optimum neighborhood examination algorithms. Also, the AH Method requires noticeably shorter computational time than its counterparts. This is achieved by a repeated, second use of points from optimization without additional objective function calls, as well as significant repository size reduction during preprocessing

Immunohistochemical localization of selected pro-inflammatory factors in uterine myomas and myometrium in women of various ages

Uterine myomas represent one of the most frequently manifested benign tumors in women. They originate from smooth muscle cells of myometrium or its blood vessels. Many studies suggest that inflammation and pro-inflammatory factors may play a role in the carcinogenesis with an involvement of the transcription factor NF-kappaB which activity can be controlled by various environmental factors, including many cytokines. The aim of the study was to investigate the expression of NF-B, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-α), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in myometrium and uterine myomas of women of various age. The expression of NF-kappaB, selected cytokines and enzymes was estimated in women of reproductive or perimenopausal age by semiquantitative immunohistochemistry. The expression of the examined proteins was higher in myomas than in control myometrium and was dependent on the size of myomas and the age of women. However, the expression of the cytoplasmic NF-kappaB observed in uterine myomas was independent on the size of myomas and no significant differences were observed in the number of stained nuclei between control and myoma groups. Thus, the expression of proinflammatory factors in myomas was not accompanied by the nuclear activation of NF-kappaB p65. The results of our study indicate that the examined factors may be involved in the pathogenesis of benign tumors and not only malignant diseases. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2013, Vol. 51, No. 1, 73–83

Optimization of autonomous agent routes in logistics warehouse

The paper introduces the distributed framework for determining the shortest path of robots in the logistic applications, i.e. the warehouse with a swarm of robots cooperating in the Real-Time mode. The proposed solution uses the optimization routine to avoid the downtime and collisions between robots. The presented approach uses the reference model based on Dijkstra, Floyd-Warshall and Bellman-Ford algorithms, which search the path in the weighted undirected graph. Their application in the onboard robot’s computer requires the analysis of the time efficiency. Results of comparative simulations for the implemented algorithms are presented. For their evaluation the data sets reflecting actual processes were used. Outcomes of experiments have shown that the tested algorithms are applicable for the logistic purposes, however their ability to operate in the Real-Time requires the detailed analysis