High Capacity Analog Channels for Smart Documents

Widely-used valuable hardcopy documents such as passports, visas, driving licenses, educational certificates, entrance-passes for entertainment events etc. are conventionally protected against counterfeiting and data tampering attacks by applying analog security technologies (e.g. KINEGRAMS®, holograms, micro-printing, UV/IR inks etc.). How-ever, easy access to high quality, low price modern desktop publishing technology has left most of these technologies ineffective, giving rise to high quality false documents. The higher price and restricted usage are other drawbacks of the analog document pro-tection techniques. Digital watermarking and high capacity storage media such as IC-chips, optical data stripes etc. are the modern technologies being used in new machine-readable identity verification documents to ensure contents integrity; however, these technologies are either expensive or do not satisfy the application needs and demand to look for more efficient document protection technologies. In this research three different high capacity analog channels: high density data stripe (HD-DataStripe), data hiding in printed halftone images (watermarking), and super-posed constant background grayscale image (CBGI) are investigated for hidden com-munication along with their applications in smart documents. On way to develop high capacity analog channels, noise encountered from printing and scanning (PS) process is investigated with the objective to recover the digital information encoded at nearly maximum channel utilization. By utilizing noise behaviour, countermeasures against the noise are taken accordingly in data recovery process. HD-DataStripe is a printed binary image similar to the conventional 2-D barcodes (e.g. PDF417), but it offers much higher data storage capacity and is intended for machine-readable identity verification documents. The capacity offered by the HD-DataStripe is sufficient to store high quality biometric characteristics rather than extracted templates, in addition to the conventional bearer related data contained in a smart ID-card. It also eliminates the need for central database system (except for backup record) and other ex-pensive storage media, currently being used. While developing novel data-reading tech-nique for HD-DataStripe, to count for the unavoidable geometrical distortions, registra-tion marks pattern is chosen in such a way so that it results in accurate sampling points (a necessary condition for reliable data recovery at higher data encoding-rate). For more sophisticated distortions caused by the physical dot gain effects (intersymbol interfer-ence), the countermeasures such as application of sampling theorem, adaptive binariza-tion and post-data processing, each one of these providing only a necessary condition for reliable data recovery, are given. Finally, combining the various filters correspond-ing to these countermeasures, a novel Data-Reading technique for HD-DataStripe is given. The novel data-reading technique results in superior performance than the exist-ing techniques, intended for data recovery from printed media. In another scenario a small-size HD-DataStripe with maximum entropy is used as a copy detection pattern by utilizing information loss encountered at nearly maximum channel capacity. While considering the application of HD-DataStripe in hardcopy documents (contracts, official letters etc.), unlike existing work [Zha04], it allows one-to-one contents matching and does not depend on hash functions and OCR technology, constraints mainly imposed by the low data storage capacity offered by the existing analog media. For printed halftone images carrying hidden information higher capacity is mainly attributed to data-reading technique for HD-DataStripe that allows data recovery at higher printing resolution, a key requirement for a high quality watermarking technique in spatial domain. Digital halftoning and data encoding techniques are the other factors that contribute to data hiding technique given in this research. While considering security aspects, the new technique allows contents integrity and authenticity verification in the present scenario in which certain amount of errors are unavoidable, restricting the usage of existing techniques given for digital contents. Finally, a superposed constant background grayscale image, obtained by the repeated application of a specially designed small binary pattern, is used as channel for hidden communication and it allows up to 33 pages of A-4 size foreground text to be encoded in one CBGI. The higher capacity is contributed from data encoding symbols and data reading technique

Double Truncated Transmuted Fréchet Distribution: Properties and Applications

In this paper, we modify the Mahmoud and Mandouh (2013) model by adopting double truncation technique. It is referred to as Double Truncated Transmuted Fréchet (DTTF) distribution. Diverse probabilistic and reliability measures are developed and discussed. The MLEs of parameters are derived and a simulation study is also made. The DTTF distribution is modeled by two real-time datasets and supportive rationalized results provide the evidence that DTTF distribution is a reasonably better fit model than its competing models. Keywords: Fréchet Distribution, Double Truncation, Hazard Function, Moments, MLE, Quadratic Rank Transmutation Map (QRTM), Rényi entropy, Order Statistics. DOI: 10.7176/MTM/9-3-02 Publication date: March 31st 201

On the Mixture Of Weighted Exponential and Weighted Gamma Distribution

In practice, finite mixture models were often used to fit various type of observed phenomena, specifically those which are random in nature. In this paper, a finite mixture model based on weighted versions of exponential and gamma distribution is considered and studied. Some mathematical properties of the resulting model are discussed including moment generating function, skewness, kurtosis, survival function, hazard rate function, stochastic ordering, order statistics, Bonferroni and Lorenz curves, Renyi entropy measure and estimation of the model parameters. Two real-life data applications from different fields exhibit the fact that in certain situations, the proposed mixture model might be a better alternative than the existing popular models

Human Perception Based Counterfeit Detection for Automated Teller Machines, KI 2009, Artificial Intelligence and Automation

A robust vision system for the counterfeit detection of bank ATM keyboards is presented. The approach is based on the continuous inspection of a keyboard surface by the authenticity verification of coded covert surface features. For the surface coding suitable visual patterns on the keyboard are selected while considering constraints from the visual imperceptibility, robustness and geometrical disturbances to be encountered from the aging effects. The system’s robustness against varying camera-keyboard distances, lighting conditions and dirt-and-scratches effects is investigated. Finally, a demonstrator working in real-time is developed in order to publicly demonstrate the surface authentication process

Human Perception Based Counterfeit Detection for Automated Teller Machines, KI 2009, Artificial Intelligence and Automation

A robust vision system for the counterfeit detection of bank ATM keyboards is presented. The approach is based on the continuous inspection of a keyboard surface by the authenticity verification of coded covert surface features. For the surface coding suitable visual patterns on the keyboard are selected while considering constraints from the visual imperceptibility, robustness and geometrical disturbances to be encountered from the aging effects. The system’s robustness against varying camera-keyboard distances, lighting conditions and dirt-and-scratches effects is investigated. Finally, a demonstrator working in real-time is developed in order to publicly demonstrate the surface authentication process

Toxicological potential of cobalt in forage for ruminants grown in polluted soil: a health risk assessment from trace metal pollution for livestock

The trace metal pollution in the environment is a highly concerned issue in these days. One of the important causes of trace metal pollution is the exhaust gases released from the vehicles on the roads. These dangerous gases pose life-threatening effects on the forage plants grown along the roadside as these plants are at direct risk to these trace metals. The aims of the present study were to determine the cobalt (Co) concentrations in soil, forages, and blood plasma of the buffaloes and to evaluate the Co deficiencies and toxicities in these samples. All samples were collected from six sites (Faisalabad roadside, Bhalwal roadside, Shaheenabad roadside, Mateela roadside, 50 Chak roadside, and Dera Saudi-control) of Sargodha city. The Co concentrations in these samples were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA-6300 Shimadzu Japan). In soil samples, Co level ranged from 1.958 to 3.457mg/kg in the six sampling sites. The highest Co level was observed at site 6 and the lowest at site 2. In forage samples, Co level ranged from 0.770 to 2.309mg/kg in the six sampling sites. The highest Co level was observed at site 3 and the lowest at site 2. In blood plasma samples, Co level ranged from 2.644 to 4.927mg/kg in the six sampling sites. The highest Co level was observed at site 1 and the lowest at site 3. The results showed higher Co values in the samples collected from the site IV while the bioconcentration factor for forage-soil was found highest in the samples collected from Site III. On the other hand, a correlation was found positively significant when soil and forage were correlated, and it was found negatively significant when blood and forage were correlated

Design of γ-Alumina-Supported Phosphotungstic Acid-Palladium Bifunctional Catalyst for Catalytic Liquid-Phase Citral Hydrogenation

This study primarily addresses the development of dynamic, selective and economical metal–acid (bifunctional) catalysts for one-pot menthol production by citral hydrogenation. Specifically, various metals such as Pd, Pt, Ni, Cs and Sn were doped over alumina support. Additionally, bifunctional composite catalysts were also prepared with the impregnation of heteropoly acids and Pd precursors over alumina support. Analytical techniques (e.g., BET, PXRD, FT-IR, pyridine adsorption and amine titration methods) were applied for characterization of the most efficient and selective catalysts (e.g., Al2O3 and PTA-Cat-I). Similarly, most of the essential operational variables (e.g., loading rate of metal precursor, type of heteropoly acid, temperature, gas pressure and reaction time) were examined during this study. The experimental data shows that the bifunctional catalyst (PTA-Cat-I) produced 45% menthol at full citral substrate conversion (r = 0.038 mmoles.min−1) in liquid-phase citral hydrogenation (at optimized operating conditions: 70 °C, 0.5 MPa and 8 h). However, the heteropoly acid-supported bifunctional catalysts (e.g., PTA-Cat-I, PMA-Cat-I, SMA-Cat-I and STA-Cat-I) resulted in cracking and the dehydration of isopulegol/menthol by the generation of side products (e.g., 4-isopropyl-1-methyl, cyclohex-1-ane/ene); therefore, menthol yield was extensively diminished. On the other hand, non-acidic catalysts (e.g., Cat-I, Cat-II, Cat-III, Cat-IV and Cat-V) readily promoted hydrogenation reactions. The optimum menthol yield occurred due to the presence of strong Lewis and weak Bronsted acid sites. Mass transfer and reaction rate were substantially diminished due to acidity strength, heteropoly acid type and blockage of pores by the applied bifunctional catalysts