An apparatus, a system and a method secures andor monitors a device. In the method, a histogram formed from a raw image frame is analysed, from which one or more special values are specified and which compared with a target level set for them, and, if a special value differs from the target level, the exposure parameters are adjusted to achieve the target level. A polymer pad is disposed on each metallic pad wherein a ratio of an exposed portion of an upper surface of the metallic pad to a top surface of the polymer pad is at least about 3. This invention may be used in conjunction with surface hardened swage mounts that contain surface protrusions. The code set, which includes one or more parameter variables that determine the length and width of the implemented pipeline core, is synthesized by setting the parameter variables to selected constant values to generate a reduced netlist embodying a static circuit configuration for the implemented pipeline core.