A new approach for baud time (or baud rate) estimation of a random binary signal is presented. This approach utilizes the spectrum of the signal after nonlinear processing in a way that the estimation error can be reduced by simply increasing the number of the processed samples instead of increasing the sampling rate. The spectrum of the new signal is shown to give an accurate estimate about the baud time when there is no apriory information or any restricting preassumptions. The performance of the estimator for random binary square waves perturbed by white Gaussian noise and ISI is evaluated and compared with that of the conventional estimator of the zero crossing detector.

A new technique for embedding image data into another BMP image data is presented. The image data to be embedded is referred to as signature image, while the image into which the signature image is embedded is referred as host image. The host and the signature images are first partitioned into 8x8 blocks, discrete cosine transformed “DCT”, only significant coefficients are retained, the retained coefficients then inserted in the transformed block in a forward and backward zigzag scan direction. The result then inversely transformed and presented as a BMP image file. The peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) is exploited to evaluate the objective visual quality of the host image compared with the original image.

Abstract Twenty Bacillus isolated were obtained from different sample food and water. Bacillus B1 isolated was the highest asparaginase producer, it was identified as a strain of B. subtilis. The highest production of asparaginase was observed when mineral salt medium containing 0.3% asparagen, pH 8 and incubated at 40°c for 24 hrs. B. subtilis B1 cells were immobilized by entrapment methods (calcium alginate and agar), and by adsorption on solid surface such as sawdust and cotton. The result showed that the immobilized cells by adsorption on sawdust was the best, the immobilized cell retained 88% of asparginase activity after 48h while free cell retained 65%. Cells immobilized by adsorption on sawdust was incubated at different temperatu