An improved digital watermarking algorithm using combination of least significant bit (LSB) and inverse bit

Software watermarking is one of the most important methods for protecting copyrights and authenticating ownership; which can be used to prevent software piracy. In order to provide high quality watermarked image, the watermarked image should be imperceptible. Least significant bit (LSB) is a technique that has been used for digital watermarking. Many researchers have improved LSB to embed watermark in the image. In this thesis, we introduce an improved digital watermarking algorithm using least significant bit (LSB). This method is chosen due to its minimal effect on the image. LSB is used by inversing the binary values of the watermark text and shifting the watermark according to the odd or even number of pixel coordinates of image before embedding the watermark. The proposed algorithm can be personalized according to the length of the watermark text. If the length of the watermark text is more than ((M*N)/8)-2 (where M*N is the amount of pixels in the image), the proposed algorithm will also embed the extra of the watermark text in the second LSB. We compare our proposed algorithm with the 1-LSB algorithm and Lee’s algorithm and Yang's algorithm using Peak signal�to-noise ratio (PSNR). The value of the watermarked dock image is 54.5691 dB which is higher than the traditional LSB 53.6950 dB and Lee's algorithm 53.7041 db and Yang's algorithm 52.4518 dB. Also in the other image, the proposed algorithm got the highest value of PSNR. This improved algorithm improved its quality of the watermarked image. We also attack the watermarked image by using cropping and adding noise and we got good results as wel

LEAN MANUFACTURING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES IN THE PROCESS INDUSTRY WITH A FOCUS ON STEEL

This research addresses the application of lean manufacturing concepts to the continuous production/ process sector with a focus on the steel industry. The goal of this research is to investigate how lean manufacturing tools can be adapted from the discrete to the continuous manufacturing environment, and to evaluate their benefits on a specific application instance. Although the process and discrete industry share several common characteristics, there are areas where they are very different. Both manufacturing settings have overlap, but at the extreme, each has its unique characteristics. This research attempts to identify commonalities between discrete and continuous manufacturing where lean techniques from the discrete side are directly applicable. The ideas are tested on a large steel manufacturing company (referred to as ABS). Value stream mapping is used to first map the current state and then used to identify sources of waste and to identify lean tools to try to eliminate this waste. The future state map is then developed for a system with lean tools applied to it. To quantify the benefits gained from using lean tools and techniques in the value stream mapping, a detailed simulation model is developed for ABS and a designed experiment is used to analyze the outputs of the simulation model for different lean configurations. Generalizations of the results are also provided

A continuous model for dynamic pricing under costly price modifications

This paper presents a heuristic method to solve a dynamic pricing problem under costly price modifications. This is a remarkably difficult problem that is solvable only under very few special cases. The method is applied to a more general form of the problem and is numerically tested for a variety of demand functions in the literature. The results show that the method is quite accurate, approximating the optimal profit within usually much less than 1\%. A more important result is that the accuracy tend to be much greater as the number of price changes increases, precisely when the underlying optimization problem becomes much harder, which makes this approach particularly desirable

Linear integrated location-inventory models for service parts logistics network design

We present two integrated network design and inventory control problems in service-parts logistics systems. Such models are complicated due to demand uncertainty and highly nonlinear time-based service level constraints. Exploiting unique properties of the nonlinear constraints, we provide an equivalent linear formulation under part-warehouse service requirements, and an approximate linear formulation under part service requirements. Computational results indicate the superiority of our approach over existing approaches in the literature

What the Black Lives Matter Movement Demands of Ethnic Studies Scholars

“Come in. Sit down. Close your eyes. Be silent and listen.” Melody engulfed the room. Our bodies unwittingly swayed softly to rhythms that conjured Ancestral memories. The bald, brown-skinned, goateed, dashiki-wearing man in front of the room exuded both warmth and strength. As a fourteen year-old ninth grader, the constancy of my giggle was interrupted by the sanctity of the space. Squeaks of the crotchety wooden desks that formed a large circle joined the music that hummed from the old record player at the front of the room. Minutes felt like days. Sound transported us through time and space and as the song came to an end, Mr. Navies instructed us, in a voice that prolonged the Spirit of what we had just experienced, “Now, write down your thoughts.” Silently, we scribbled down the ideas, poems, and stories that danced out of our Souls. We were greeted this way every single morning in African American History, Black Gold English, Black Male-Female Relationships, and the dozens of classes that comprised the Black Studies Department curriculum at Berkeley High School. At the close of each week, we would share our writings with the class, inspired by “classical Black musicians” from Charlie Parker, to Thelonius Monk, to Billie Holliday. Dassine, LaRae, Trinice, and Tomorrow would share poems. Ameer, always sat directly to my left and would break up the passionate tear-eliciting prose shared by others, with stories and jokes so hilarious that Mr. Navies would sometimes have to turn his back and hurriedly race across the room to shield his laughter from the class

Women, war and hypocrites: studying the Qur'an [Book Review]

This article reviews the book 'Women, war and hypocrites: studying the Qur'an', by Robert A. Campbell

Non-Muslims in Muslim majority societies: with focus on the Middle East and Pakistan [Book Review]

This article reviews the book 'Non-Muslims in Muslim majority societies: with focus on the Middle East and Pakistan', edited by Kajsa Ahlstrand and Göran Gunner

Uneven key pre-distribution scheme for multi-phase wireless sensor networks

In multi-phase Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), sensor nodes are redeployed periodically to replace nodes whose batteries are depleted. In order to keep the network resilient against node capture attacks across different deployment epochs, called generations, it is necessary to refresh the key pools from which cryptographic keys are distributed. In this paper, we propose Uneven Key Pre-distribution (UKP) scheme that uses multiple different key pools at each generation. Our UKP scheme provides self healing that improves the resiliency of the network at a higher level as compared to an existing scheme in the literature. Moreover, our scheme provides perfect local and global connectivity. We conduct our simulations in mobile environment to see how our scheme performs under more realistic scenarios

The Muslim conquest of Iberia: medieval Arabic narratives [Book Review]

This article reviews the book 'The Muslim conquest of Iberia: medieval Arabic narratives', by Nicola Clarke