Unintentional Modifications Research Articles

Reliable and Sustainable Product Evaluation Management System Based on Blockchain

To facilitate the consumers’ online shopping, it is very necessary to build a reliable and sustainable product evaluation management (PEM) system to store, secure, and retrieve the evaluation data of products. To this end, we propose a novel PEM system based on blockchain technologies. In this PEM system, the evaluation data of products including evaluation scores and comments are stored in the interplanetary file system (IPFS), and then the data hash addresses are returned and stored on the blockchain. Then, the retrieval of evaluation data is implemented by designing and deploying smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. Since it is almost impossible to change any data stored in blockchain and IPFS, the proposed PEM system can protect the comment data from intentional or unintentional modifications. Moreover, the proposed PEM system allows users to efficiently and reliably retrieve the relevant evaluation data of a certain product by a given query keyword with the increase of data stored on the blockchain. In addition, to achieve high sustainability, the proposed system also contains an economic incentive mechanism, which is beneficial to form a virtuous circle in online shopping. The proposed system is simulated on the popular blockchain platform, i.e., Ethereum with Solidity programming language. The experimental results and analysis demonstrate that the proposed PEM system achieves desirable usability, reliability, and sustainability.

Mechanochemical Degradation of Biopolymers.

Mechanochemical treatment of various organic molecules is an emerging technology of green processes in biofuel, fine chemicals, or food production. Many biopolymers are involved in isolating, derivating, or modifying molecules of natural origin. Mechanochemistry provides a powerful tool to achieve these goals, but the unintentional modification of biopolymers by mechanochemical manipulation is not always obvious or even detectable. Although modeling molecular changes caused by mechanical stresses in cavitation and grinding processes is feasible in small model compounds, simulation of extrusion processes primarily relies on phenomenological approaches that allow only tool- and material-specific conclusions. The development of analytical and computational techniques allows for the inline and real-time control of parameters in various mechanochemical processes. Using artificial intelligence to analyze process parameters and product characteristics can significantly improve production optimization. We aim to review the processes and consequences of possible chemical, physicochemical, and structural changes.

Local-Moment-Driven Robust Reversible Data Hiding

In this paper, a local-moment-driven robust reversible data hiding (LM-RRDH) scheme is proposed, which can provide security to hidden messages against unintentional modifications. The proposed LM-RRDH decomposes an image into LSB and MSB planes and then embeds the secret information into the MSB image so that intrusion by unintentional modifications can be avoided. In addition, the proposed scheme utilizes the prevalent correlation among the pixels on the MSB plane for optimal embedding. In the proposed scheme, a cover image is partitioned into sub-blocks at first, and pixel groups in the sub-block are formed according to local moment and moment-of-moment so that similar-intensity pixels can be grouped into the same group. Next, the secret data is embedded into the pixels of each group by selecting a pairwise embedding strategy adaptively which is based on the number of pixels in each group. As a result, the proposed LM-RRDH can limit the distortion while providing a decent embedding capacity. Further, a protection against non-malicious attacks such as Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) compression is also provided. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme provides a superior quality to the previous works while providing a comparable embedding capacity.

Robust RDH Technique using Sorting and IPVO-based Pairwise PEE for Secure Communication

Nowadays, Reversible Data Hiding (RDH) is used extensively in information sensitive communication domains to protect the integrity of hidden data and the cover medium. However, most of the recently proposed RDH methods lack robustness. Robust RDH methods are required to protect the hidden data from security attacks at the time of communication between the sender and receiver. In this paper, we propose a Robust RDH scheme using IPVO based pairwise embedding. The proposed scheme is designed to prevent unintentional modifications caused to the secret data by JPEG compression. The cover image is decomposed into two planes namely HSB plane and LSB plane. As JPEG compression most likely modifies the LSBs of the cover image during compression, it is best not to hide the secret data into LSB planes. So, the proposed method utilizes a pairwise embedding to embed secret data into HSB plane of the cover image. High fidelity improved pixel value ordering (IPVO) based pairwise embedding ensures that the embedding performance of the proposed method is improved.

Resist-Free Lithography for Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides.

Photolithography and electron-beam lithography are the most common methods for making nanoscale devices from semiconductors. While these methods are robust for bulk materials, they disturb the electrical properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials, which are highly sensitive to chemicals used during lithography processes. Here, we report a resist-free lithography method, based on direct laser patterning and resist-free electrode transfer, which avoids unintentional modification to the 2D materials throughout the process. We successfully fabricate large arrays of field-effect transistors using MoS2 and WSe2 monolayers, the performance of which reflects the properties of the pristine materials. Furthermore, using these pristine devices as a reference, we reveal that among the various stages of a conventional lithography process, exposure to a solvent like acetone changes the electrical conductivity of MoS2 the most. This new approach will enable a rational design of reproducible processes for making large-scale integrated circuits based on 2D materials and other surface-sensitive materials.

Robust RDH Technique Using Sorting and IPVO-Based Pairwise PEE for Secure Communication

Nowadays, Reversible Data Hiding (RDH) is used extensively in information sensitive communication domains to protect the integrity of hidden data and the cover medium. However, most of the recently proposed RDH methods lack robustness. Robust RDH methods are required to protect the hidden data from security attacks at the time of communication between the sender and receiver. In this paper, we propose a Robust RDH scheme using IPVO based pairwise embedding. The proposed scheme is designed to prevent unintentional modifications caused to the secret data by JPEG compression. The cover image is decomposed into two planes namely HSB plane and LSB plane. As JPEG compression most likely modifies the LSBs of the cover image during compression, it is best not to hide the secret data into LSB planes. So, the proposed method utilizes a pairwise embedding to embed secret data into HSB plane of the cover image. High fidelity improved pixel value ordering (IPVO) based pairwise embedding ensures that the embedding performance of the proposed method is improved.

Blockchain-based decentralized reputation system in E-commerce environment

With the rapid development of E-commerce, more and more people are used to shopping online, in which the reputation scores of sellers play an important role in helping consumers purchase satisfactory products. However, in the existing E-commerce environments, the reputation scores of users (including sellers and buyers) are centrally computed and stored on a centralized cloud server, which might make errors or even engage in fraud and forgery. To address this issue, we propose a blockchain-based decentralized reputation system (BC-DRS) in the E-commerce environment, i.e., online shopping. In this system, the product information including product descriptions and comments is stored in the interplanetary file system (IPFS) and the corresponding address is returned, and the returned address and the reputation scores of users are stored on the blockchain. The reputation evaluation is implemented by designing and deploying a smart contract on the blockchain. Different from the traditional centralized reputation systems (CRSs), the proposed BC-DRS can protect the product information and users reputation scores from intentional and unintentional modifications, since it is very hard to change any data stored in the blockchain and IPFS. Also, as the reputation scores of users are computed and updated by all the ratings of their transactions weighted by the practical transaction factors, it is effective to resist the common attacks, i.e., unfair rating and collusion. In addition, this system also contains a monetary incentive mechanism for the evaluation, which is helpful to form a virtuous circle in online shopping. The proposed BC-DRS is simulated on the popular blockchain platform, i.e., Ethereum with Solidity language. The experimental results and analysis demonstrate that the proposed BC-DRS has desirable usability and reliability.

A Cryptography-Powered Infrastructure to Ensure the Integrity of Robot Workflows

With the growing popularity of robots, the development of robot applications is subject to an ever increasing number of additional requirements from e.g., safety, legal and ethical sides. The certification of an application for compliance to such requirements is an essential step in the development of a robot program. However, at this point in time it must be ensured that the integrity of this program is preserved meaning that no intentional or unintentional modifications happen to the program until the robot executes it. Based on the abstraction of robot programs as workflows we present in this work a cryptography-powered distributed infrastructure for the preservation of robot workflows. A client composes a robot program and once it is accepted a separate entity provides a digital signature for the workflow and its parameters which can be verified by the robot before executing it. We demonstrate a real-world implementation of this infrastructure using a mobile manipulator and its software stack. We also provide an outlook on the integration of this work into our larger undertaking to provide a distributed ledger-based compliant robot application development environment.

Robust reversible data hiding scheme based on two-layer embedding strategy

Robust reversible data hiding (RRDH) prevents the hidden secret information from unintentional modifications. This paper presents a novel RRDH scheme based on two-layer embedding with reduced capacity-distortion trade-off. The proposed scheme first decomposes the image into two planes namely higher significant bit (HSB) and least significant bit (LSB) planes and then employs prediction error expansion (PEE) to embed the secret data into the HSB plane. The high correlation of HSB plane helps in achieving high embedding capacity. Further, non-malicious attacks such as Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) compression which usually changes the LSBs, will not cause any disturbance to the main contents of original image and the hidden secret data. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme has superior performance than the previous works.

Performance Evaluation of a Document Image Watermarking Approach With Enhanced Tamper Localization and Recovery

Digital transmission of sensitive images and documents over unsecure networks, such as the Internet, has become a general practice. As a result, the digital content has become vulnerable to intentional and unintentional modifications during transmission. Prior to considering the reliability of such digital content, it is important that the authentication and the integrity of the content can be confirmed. Such issues were largely considered in the literature for natural and texture-based images, with only minimal work found to address the challenge of sensitive document images with known constraints. In this paper, we present an evaluation of a non-blind robust-watermarking approach with linear interpolation for tamper-detection, localization and recovery. Performance of the proposed approach and its resistance to random paint-based and Stirmark-based attacks for sensitive documents are investigated. Throughout this paper, a sensitive Arabic scripture was used as a case study of a sensitive document image, in which such operations were performed. The proposed model presents a superior tamper detection and recovery capability in comparison to other models in the related literature. Simulation results had demonstrated that the proposed method was robust to malicious attacks and was capable of localizing and correcting tampered regions with a high degree of accuracy. Significantly, it was noted that an average of 43 dB was obtained for the peak signal-to-noise ratio results, while generally low-BER results were achieved, with a rate of 0% in some cases. Finally, the proposed approach possessed a further advantage in its broad applicability to other sensitive digital image content.

Secure and Robust Two-Phase Image Authentication

A novel two-phase robust content-based image authentication scheme is introduced. The proposed scheme is constructed based on a combination of hard and soft authentication using two existing generic approximate message authentication codes (AMACs). The AMACs combine error- correcting codes with cryptographic primitives such as message authentication codes and symmetric encryption algorithms. The message authentication codes are used for hard authentication, whereas the error-correcting codes introduce a certain degree of robustness in authentication. This is achieved by correcting minor unintentional modifications as a result of common image processing operations such as quantization , compression , and noise addition. The two-phase image authentication scheme verifies the authenticity of an image in two phases. The low frequency elements of the image in a transform domain are subjected to the first phase while some higher frequency elements are left to the second phase if the first phase succeeds. The proposed scheme tolerates common content- preserving modifications in an image but can discriminate intentional modifications affecting the image content. Mathematical bounds for the accuracy and the security level of the proposed approach are estimated and the performance is compared with some other well-known schemes in the literature. The results demonstrate that the proposed scheme shows high discriminating capability and can detect different types of meaningful forgery attacks on images while preserving the robustness. It also outperforms the benchmark image authentication schemes in terms of tradeoff between robustness and fragility.

Toxicity Associated with the Photo Catalytic and Photo Stable Forms of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Used in Sunscreen lotion

The increasing number of applications using titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) highlights the need to continuously and systematically investigate its toxicity. Particle size, surface area and dose are the classical parameters considered when performing toxicity studies. However, consideration of the size-related properties and altered reactivity can unveil complex and unexpected phenomena arising from the interplay of the different factors. In addition to particle size, altered reactivity can be induced by intentional or unintentional modifications of the nanoparticles by their surrounding matrix. This effect could potentially influence the nanoparticles’ band gap, surface reactivity, agglomeration, mobility and photo catalytic behavior. The remarkable ability to absorb impurities from the surrounding medium could transform nano-TiO 2 into a surrogate carrier of trace elements (e.g., heavy metal ions), which heightens their transportation and intracellular accumulation. This review outlines the different characteristics and interactions that may contribute to the underlying mechanisms of health and environmental toxicity of nano-TiO2, and identifies gaps in current understanding.

AFM diagnostics of graphene-based quantum Hall devices

In this paper we present the results of morphological, mechanical and electrical investigation of the properties of prepared graphene flakes and graphene-based quantum Hall devices. AFM imaging allowed us to identify the local imperfections and unintentional modifications of the graphene sheets which had caused severe deterioration of the device electrical performance. Utilizing the NanoSwing imaging method, based on the time-resolved tapping mode, we could observe non-homogeneities of the structural and mechanical properties. We also diagnosed the device under working conditions by Kelvin probe microscopy and detected its local electric field distribution.

Architecture and Climate: The Environmental Continuum

AbstractArchitecture and climate have always been linked in a pattern of mutual influence. In its role as a provider of shelter, architecture intentionally modifies the climate of an immediate area – and traditionally, its design has been shaped by the stresses and opportunities inherent in the regional climate. In modern times, this cycle of influence has been obscured, because technology and cheap fuel have allowed architects the option of ignoring climatic cues. In the process, buildings and cities have produced unintentional modifications to climate at different scales, from the local to the global. In tandem with these trends, efforts have been made to better understand the dynamic interactions between the built and natural environments, and to pursue paths for bringing them into balance. This essay traces some of the milestones in these cross‐disciplinary efforts, and examines the directions in which leading‐edge research is headed. Finally, some thoughts are offered on sustainable architecture in an age of dwindling resources and questionable climatic stability.

Applying software process to virtual instrument based test program set development

Virtual Instrument (VI) based test program development systems, as exemplified by National Instruments' LabVIEW, provide very powerful design capture fools that allow the test program set (TPS) developer to rapidly prototype test strategies. As usual, in great power lies danger. In this case the danger is the ease of which VIs are reused. While code reuse is a desired feature, unintentional modifications to common VIs, name clashes, and library corruption are all potential headaches resulting from uncontrolled changes to VIs stored in shared libraries. Undetected Spontaneous Upgrades to library components can ruin a maintainer's day when the program loads with broken wires. Developing quality software requires software quality. This paper provides recommended practices to address the Key Practice Areas (KPAs) defined in the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) Capability Maturity Model (CMM) in the context of TPS development in LabVIEW. Repository management procedures such as check-in check-out and change tracking and documentation are described.