Semi-fragile spatial watermarking based on local binary pattern operators

Local binary pattern (LBP) operators, which measure the local contrast within a pixel's neighborhood, have been successfully applied to texture analysis, visual inspection, and image retrieval. In the paper, we present a novel semi-fragile spatial watermarking method based on LBP operators by using the local pixel contrast for the embedding and extraction of watermarks. We also propose a general framework for multi-level image watermarking. Experimental results show that the proposed watermarking methods are robust against commonly-used image processing operations, such as additive noise, luminance change, contrast adjustment, color balance, and JPEG compression. At the same time, they achieve good invisibility, fragility, and image tamper detection and localization with less computational cost.     

Measuring non-Gaussian fluctuations through incoherent cooper-pair current

We study a Josephson junction (JJ) in the regime of incoherent Cooper-pair tunneling, capacitively coupled to a nonequilibrium noise source. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the JJ are sensitive to the excess voltage fluctuations in the source, and can thus be used for wideband noise detection. Under weak driving, the odd part of the I-V can be related to the second cumulant of noise, whereas the even part is due to the third cumulant. After calibration, one can measure the Fano factors for the noise source, and get information about the frequency dependence of the noise.     

Scattering differentiates Alzheimer disease in vitro

The molecular bases of Alzheimer disease and related neurodegenerative disorders are becoming better understood, but the means for definitive diagnosis and monitoring in vivo remain lacking. Near-infrared optical spectroscopy offers a potential solution. We acquired transmission and reflectance spectra of thin brain tissue slabs, from which we calculated wavelength-dependent absorption and reduced scattering coefficients from 470-1000 nm. The reduced scattering coefficients in the near infrared clearly differentiated Alzheimer from control specimens. Diffuse reflectance spectra of gross brain tissue in vitro confirmed this observation. These results suggest a means for diagnosing and monitoring Alzheimer disease in vivo, using near-infrared optical spectroscopy.     

Enhancement of high harmonics generated by field steering of electrons in a two-color orthogonally polarized laser field

We demonstrate enhancement by 1 order of magnitude of the high-order harmonics generated in argon by combining a fundamental field at 1300 nm (10(14) W cm(-2)) and its orthogonally polarized second harmonic at 650 nm (2 × 10(13) W cm(-2)) and by controlling the relative phase between them. This extends earlier work by ensuring that the main effect is the combined field steering the electron trajectory with negligible contribution from multiphoton effects compared to the previous schemes with 800/400 nm fields. We access a broad energy range of harmonics (from 20 eV to 80 eV) at a low laser intensity (far below the ionization saturation limit) and observe deep modulation of the harmonic yield with a period of π in the relative phase. Strong field theoretical analysis reveals that this is principally due to the steering of the recolliding electron wave packet by the two-color field. Our modeling also shows that the atto chirp can be controlled, leading to production of shorter pulses.     

Investigation of the ε phase in the Fe–Al system by high-temperature neutron diffraction

In the central part of the Fe–Al system between about 58 and 65 at.% Al, a high-temperature phase denoted as ε occurs with a hitherto unknown crystallographic structure. The phase is stable between 1231°C and 1095°C. In order to study the crystallographic structure of the ε phase, in situ high-temperature neutron time-of-flight diffraction experiments have been performed at the HIPPO instrument at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). The ε phase was found to have the formula Fe₅Al₈ with a body-centred cubic structure of the Hume–Rothery Cu₅Zn₈ type (I $\bar{4}3In the central part of the Fe–Al system between about 58 and 65 at.% Al, a high-temperature phase denoted as ε occurs with a hitherto unknown crystallographic structure. The phase is stable between 1231°C and 1095°C. In order to study the crystallographic structure of the ε phase, in situ high-temperature neutron time-of-flight diffraction experiments have been performed at the HIPPO instrument at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). The ε phase was found to have the formula Fe₅Al₈ with a body-centred cubic structure of the Hume–Rothery Cu₅Zn₈ type (I[`4]3\bar{4}3m (No. 217), Z=4, cI52) and 52 atoms in the unit cell. Its lattice parameter is a=8.9756(2) ? at 1120°C, which is 3.02 times that of cubic FeAl (B2) at the same temperature. We report here the evolution of the crystallographic parameters over the temperature range between 1080°C and 1120°C.     

Study on the bubble transport mechanism in an acoustic standing wave field

The use of bubbles in applications such as surface chemistry, drug delivery, and ultrasonic cleaning etc. has been enormously popular in the past two decades. It has been recognized that acoustically-driven bubbles can be used to disturb the flow field near a boundary in order to accelerate physical or chemical reactions on the surface. The interactions between bubbles and a surface have been studied experimentally and analytically. However, most of the investigations focused on violently oscillating bubbles (also known as cavitation bubble), less attention has been given to understand the interactions between moderately oscillating bubbles and a boundary. Moreover, cavitation bubbles were normally generated in situ by a high intensity laser beam, little experimental work has been carried out to study the translational trajectory of a moderately oscillating bubble in an acoustic field and subsequent interactions with the surface. This paper describes the design of an ultrasonic test cell and explores the mechanism of bubble manipulation within the test cell. The test cell consists of a transducer, a liquid medium and a glass backing plate. The acoustic field within the multi-layered stack was designed in such a way that it was effectively one dimensional. This was then successfully simulated by a one dimensional network model. The model can accurately predict the impedance of the test cell as well as the mode shape (distribution of particle velocity and stress/pressure field) within the whole assembly. The mode shape of the stack was designed so that bubbles can be pushed from their injection point onto a backing glass plate. Bubble radial oscillation was simulated by a modified Keller–Miksis equation and bubble translational motion was derived from an equation obtained by applying Newton’s second law to a bubble in a liquid medium. Results indicated that the bubble trajectory depends on the acoustic pressure amplitude and initial bubble size: an increase of pressure amplitude or a decrease of bubble size forces bubbles larger than their resonant size to arrive at the target plate at lower heights, while the trajectories of smaller bubbles are less influenced by these factors. The test cell is also suitable for testing the effects of drag force on the bubble motion and for studying the bubble behavior near a surface.     

Application of a one-dimensional classical model of atom-oscillator scattering to atom-surface accommodation coefficient theory

A simplified model is presented for classical-mechanical calculation of the energy accommodation coefficient in gas-surface scattering: conservation of the tangential component of momentum of a gas atom is assumed, allowing restriction to a consideration of the changes in only the normal component of momentum, and the solid is represented by a single atom joined by a harmonic spring to a rigid wall; the gas atom-solid atom interaction is modelled by a (different) harmonic spring, the force-constant of which depends on the gas temperature. The model was devised to help point a way to solving some of the outstanding problems in more realistic (lattice) models: one major problem is the existence or non-existence of thermal equilibrium of a gas and a surface if their temperatures are equal, and another is the handling of the phenomenon of trapping, or sticking, of a gas atom at a surface. Some light is shed on both of these (and on some other) problems. Wherever possible, comparison is made with the best available experimental data.     

Theory of scattering of He by A W(112) surface

Experimental data (D.V. Tendulkar and R.E. Stickney, Surface Sci. 27 (1971) 516) on the diffraction of He by W(112) are interpreted using some of the most recent theoretical ideas. The model used is a combination of the stationary sinusoidal hard wall (for example, F.O. Goodman, J. Chem. Phys. 66 (1977) 976) and the Debye-Waller-type attenuation assumption (for example, F.O. Goodman, Surface Sci. 65 (1977) 37). Encouraging qualitative agreement of theory with experiment is obtained.