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Zusammenfassung : Die Weltgeschichte ist eine Geschichte der Kontestation. Machthaber wurden immer wieder von Personen oder Institutionen herausgefordert: Kapitalisten durch Proletarier, Gewerkschafter, Regierende durch Regierte und so weiter. Diese Personen und ihre Institutionen, die man als Gegenmächte bezeichnen kann, üben Einfluss auf die Entscheidungsträger aus, verändern deren Politik oder Entscheidungen und kontrollieren sie auf diese Weise. Die vorliegende Überlegung, die das Lustspiel Der zerbrochne Krug analysiert, beschäftigt sich mit einer literarischen Verarbeitung von Machtgebrauch und Machtmissbrauch und deren Folgen Schlüsselwörter: literarische Verarbeitung, Macht, Machtgebrauch und Machtmissbrauch

Traditional discrete orthogonal transforms often introduce reconstruction errors, hindering their use in digital signal processing applications requiring exact signal recovery. To overcome this limitation, this paper presents the discrete integer Hahn transform (IHT), a novel discrete integer-based transform designed for lossless signal processing on resource-constrained platforms. By combining the IHT with a multiparametric 1D chaotic system, we develop a new lossless watermarking scheme for real-time image authentication and tamper detection. This scheme excels in several key areas: perfect watermark retrieval, minimal computational overhead suitable for embedded systems, wireless compatibility, and strong security guarantees. We validate our approach on a low-cost, resource-constrained embedded system based on the RP2040 32-bit microcontroller and demonstrate superior efficiency compared to recent state-of-the-art methods, especially in constrained environments. These findings underscore the potential of our technique for securing wireless image communication on resource-limited Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

The need for high-speed and secure image encryption has become increasingly critical in the digital age, driven by the rapid growth of digital data, the rapid advancement of internet technologies, and the limitations of traditional encryption algorithms. This paper addresses this need by proposing a novel high-speed and secure image encryption that leverages the flexibility and parallelism of Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Firstly, we present the LTB map, an enhanced chaotic map that synergistically combines three distinct 1D chaotic maps (the Logistic, Tent, and Bernoulli shift maps) into a single framework. The resulting LTB map exhibits an expanded key space and a heightened level of complexity and unpredictability compared to its constituent maps operating independently. Furthermore, the LTB map adopts a 32-bit fixed-point representation and involves simple operations like addition, subtraction, and multiplication, resulting in a resource-efficient implementation on FPGA platform. Additionally, we propose a new image encryption algorithm based on the LTB map. The LTB map plays a pivotal role in scrambling pixel values and positions during the confusion and diffusion operations, thereby ensuring robust security. By leveraging the inherent parallelism of the LTB map and parallelizing encryption operations, coupled with efficient hardware implementation on FPGAs, our encryption method achieves high-speed performance while maintaining strong security properties.

The discrete Charlier moment transform, while extensively utilized in image processing, is inherently lossy and non-integer reversible, making it unsuitable for lossless image applications. To address this, we propose the Integer Reversible Charlier Transform (IRCT), which operates on integer values and produces integer coefficients, enabling perfect and unique recovery of the original input data. The IRCT maintains the orthogonality and invertibility ensuring exact similarity between original and reconstructed images. We leverage the capabilities of the IRCT to develop a novel reversible data hiding (RDH) scheme. This scheme embeds additional data into images by modifying the histogram in the IRCT domain. By capitalizing on the concentrated nature of the IRCT histogram, characterized by high peaks, our method achieves a significantly high embedding capacity while preserving image quality and robustness to statistical attacks. Comparative performance evaluations underscore the effectiveness of the IRCT-based RDH scheme over existing techniques across various domains, positioning it as a promising solution for secure data transmission.

Motivated by the critical need for securing bio-signal transmissions in resource-constrained Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices, this paper proposes a novel lightweight cryptosystem based on a newly developed chaotic map called the Logistic-Coupled Memristor (LCM) map. This map is designed by coupling a discrete memristor with the well-known chaotic logistic map. The LCM exhibits a high degree of sensitivity to even slight changes in its ten control parameters, a crucial property for secure communication. We validate the chaotic behavior of the LCM using various established methods (Lyapunov exponents, bifurcation diagrams, parameter sensitivity analysis, and NIST randomness tests). Furthermore, we demonstrate its implementation on a low-cost microcontroller with limited resources. Building upon the LCM’s properties, we propose a novel lightweight cryptosystem for securing the wireless transmission of bio-signals. This cryptosystem is also implemented on a low-cost embedded system, showcasing its potential for real-world applications. Extensive simulations and comparisons confirm that the LCM map retains its chaotic behavior even when implemented on resource-constrained microcontrollers. Additionally, the implemented cryptosystem achieves a high level of security with lower cost in comparison to existing solutions.

Abstract Transform-domain audio watermarking systems are more robust than time-domain systems. However, the main weakness of these systems is their high computational cost, especially for long-duration audio signals. Therefore, they are not desirable for real-time security applications where speed is a critical factor. In this paper, we propose a fast watermarking system for audio signals operating in the hybrid transform domain formed by the fractional Charlier transform (FrCT) and the dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DTCWT). The central idea of the proposed algorithm is to parallelize the intensive and repetitive steps in the audio watermarking system and then implement them simultaneously on the available physical cores on an embedded systems cluster. In order to have a low power consumption and a low-cost cluster with a large number of physical cores, four Raspberry Pis 4B are used where the communication between them is ensured using the Message Passing Interface (MPI). The adopted Raspberry Pi cluster is also characterized by its portability and mobility, which are required in watermarking-based smart city applications. In addition to its resistance to any possible manipulation (intentional or unintentional), high payload capacity, and high imperceptibility, the proposed parallel system presents a temporal improvement of about 70%, 80%, and 90% using 4, 8, and 16 physical cores of the adopted cluster, respectively.

Discrete orthogonal moments (DOMs) are widely applied in the field of image processing. However, most existing DOMs are used for flat image analysis and are less suitable for color stereo image processing. In light of this limitation, this paper firstly presents a moments type called octonion Hahn moments (OHMs) for the compact analysis of color stereo images, and also for preserving the internal relations between all the color channels of the stereo image. OHMs are introduced in both Cartesian and polar coordinates. Secondly, we present a modified version of 2D Henon map that exhibits improved chaotic behavior over its original version. This version is introduced for potential deployment in the field of information security. Thirdly, we present an efficient color stereo image encryption scheme in the transform domain using the modified Henon’s map and OHMs that are defined in Cartesian space. This scheme guarantees a perfect reconstruction of the stereo image. Finally, we present a local zero-watermarking scheme for color stereo image copyrighting based on the proposed version of Henon’s map and OHMs that are defined in the polar coordinate space. This scheme is originally designed to be robust against image rotation attack. Compared to excellent existing encryption schemes, our scheme shows superior performance in terms of high security level and good robustness to various attacks (classical, statistical, noise addition, cropping, etc.). Moreover, the proposed zero-watermarking method shows stronger resistance to different types of attacks (geometric, common image processing, noise, desynchronization, etc.) in comparison to recent zero-watermarking methods.

Color face images are often transmitted over public channels, where they are vulnerable to tampering attacks. To address this problem, the present paper introduces a novel scheme called Authentication and Color Face Self-Recovery (AuCFSR) for ensuring the authenticity of color face images and recovering the tampered areas in these images. AuCFSR uses a new two-dimensional hyperchaotic system called two-dimensional modular sine-cosine map (2D MSCM) to embed authentication and recovery data into the least significant bits of color image pixels. This produces high-quality output images with high security level. When tampered color face image is detected, AuCFSR executes two deep learning models: the CodeFormer model to enhance the visual quality of the recovered color face image and the DeOldify model to improve the colorization of this image. Experimental results demonstrate that AuCFSR outperforms recent similar schemes in tamper detection accuracy, security level, and visual quality of the recovered images.

To avoid rounding errors associated with the limited representation of significant digits when applying the floating-point Krawtchouk transform in image processing, we present an integer and reversible version of the Krawtchouk transform (IRKT). This proposed IRKT generates integer-valued coefficients within the Krawtchouk domain, seamlessly aligning with the integer representation commonly utilized in lossless image applications. Building upon the IRKT, we introduce a novel 3D reversible data hiding (RDH) algorithm designed for the secure storage and transmission of extensive medical data within the IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) sector. Through the utilization of the IRKT-based 3D RDH method, a substantial amount of additional data can be embedded into 3D carrier medical images without augmenting their original size or compromising information integrity upon data extraction. Extensive experimental evaluations substantiate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, particularly regarding its high embedding capacity, imperceptibility, and resilience against statistical attacks. The integration of this proposed algorithm into the IoMT sector furnishes enhanced security measures for the safeguarded storage and transmission of massive medical data, thereby addressing the limitations of conventional 2D RDH algorithms for medical images.

Chaotic systems are widely used in signal and image encryption schemes. Therefore, the design of new chaotic systems is always useful for improving the performance of encryption schemes in terms of security. In this work, we first demonstrate the chaotic behavior of fractional order Meixner polynomials (FrMPs) for introducing a new two-dimensional (2D) chaotic system called FrMPs map. This system is very sensitive to any variation by 10−15 of its control parameters ( $\mu \textrm {and}\beta$ ).Next, we use FrMPs to introduce a new type of orthogonal transforms called quaternion fractional order Meixner moments (QFrMMs). The latter generalize the existing fractional order Meixner moments. To demonstrate the relevance of the proposed FrMPs map and QFrMMs in the field of signal and image processing, they are applied in the development of a new encryption scheme. The main advantage of this scheme is its applicability to the encryption of different types of biomedical data such as multi-biomedical signals, multiple grayscale medical images, color medical image, and grayscale medical image. Several simulation analysis (visual, histogram, runtime, correlation, robustness, etc.) are conducted to verify the efficiency of the proposed scheme. Simulation and comparison results confirm that our encryption method is effective in terms of high security level, high quality of the decrypted information, strong resistance to different types of attacks, etc. These findings support the suitability of the proposed scheme for the secure exchange of biomedical multimedia via a public communication channel.

The discrete Shmaliy moment transform (DST) is a type of discrete orthogonal moment transform that is widely used in signal and image processing. However, DST is not suitable for lossless image applications due to its non-integer reversible nature. To overcome this limitation, we introduce the integer discrete Shmaliy transform (IDST) that performs integer-to-integer encoding, leading to a perfect and unique reconstruction of the input image. Next, a new 1D chaotic system model, the 1D multiparametric piecewise linear chaotic map (M-PWLCM), is presented as an extension of the existing 1D PWLCM. The M-PWLCM includes eight control parameters defined over an unlimited interval. To demonstrate the relevance of IDST and M-PWLCM in reversible image processing applications, they are used in a new scheme for lossless compression and encryption of medical images in the internet of medical things (IoMTs). On the one hand, the simulation results show that our scheme offers a good compression ratio and a higher level of security to resist differential attacks, brute force attacks and statistical attacks. On the other hand, the comparative analysis carried out shows the overall superiority of our scheme over similar state-of-the-art ones, both in achieving a higher compression ratio and better security when communicating medical images over unsecured IoMTs.

In order to ensure reliable and secure image exchange, chaotic systems are often considered for their good performance in information security. In this work, we first propose an extended version of a chaotic tent map (TM)—the multiparametric 1D tent map (MTM). The latter contains six control parameters defined over an unlimited range. These parameters strongly influence the MTM output when they are slightly modified by ∓10−13, which makes MTM stronger than the existing TM and other 1D chaotic maps in terms of security key space. Then, this paper proposes a simple, yet powerful method to make uniform the distribution of chaotic sequence values, making the latter suitable for use in cryptosystems. Next, a new image cryptosystem is introduced based on MTM and parallel computing. This computing mode is incorporated to boost the security level of our scheme and to speed up its runtime. Indeed, in only one running round, our encryption scheme generates a security key of space equal to 1078×n with n indicating the number of the available CPU cores. Therefore, the suggested scheme achieves a good trade-off between safety and efficiency. The results of the performed comparisons and numerical experiments indicate on the one hand that MTM exhibits good chaotic characteristics in comparison to its original version. On the other hand, the suggested cryptosystem demonstrates good strength against various kinds of attacks (brute force, statistical, classical, noise, differential, etc.). Furthermore, comparison with similar schemes indicate that the proposed scheme is competitive in terms of execution time and superior in terms of security level.

The present paper aims at providing a theoretical overview of English for Specific Purposes as one of the major areas of EFL teaching since its beginnings in the 1960s. It presents the developments related with the theoretical aspects concerning ESP and needs analysis as the cornerstone in designing ESP courses in English language teaching and learning. The most influential ESP teaching theories are summarised briefly, beginning with register analysis which paved the way for course designers to design specific courses based on teaching the linguistic features of a language to the urgent need for developing communication and translation. At the end, based on the nature of the hotel industry, the purpose of this paper is twofold: 1) to mention some previous case studies related to hotels because most of the linguistic researches conducted by ESP specialists focused in particular on the formal aspects of a language especially in the academic field and neglected the needs of the occupational settings; 2) to discuss the major needs of the employees in hotels and the significance of translation in this industry and therefore proposing possible solutions to overcome any deficiencies.

This research work is an attempt to investigate the effects of vocabulary instruction on translated word learning. The experimental group was assigned to vocabulary instruction through group work enhanced by short text context, definitions and examples. However, the control group was assigned to the same treatment without examples. The main objective of the present study, therefore, was to approach the students’ translation competence with regard to two task conditions: a) isolated-word translation vocabulary. b) Phrase translation within a sentence context. The subjects of the study were First year EFL Master Students of science in didactics at Saida University. The students were divided into four homogenous groups (that consist of 5students for each) according to their performance in the pretest, two of which form the experimental group and the others form the control group. The study indicated the existence of a strong and statistically significant correlation between the two tasks. The findings demonstrated also the existence of statistically significant differences in favor of the experimental group in the post test between the means of the two test scores in the first task. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two test scores in the second task.

Dentinogenic ghost cell tumors are rare tumors, and few cases of them were reported in the literature. The presence of pigment in odontogenic lesions is a rare unexplained histological finding. In this report, we describe a unique case of a 7-year-old girl that was referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery complaining of a left mandibular swelling. Clinical examination revealed a huge, ulcerated mass. Both incisional and excisional biopsies revealed a benign infiltrative odontogenic tumor with admixed ameloblast-like cells and pigmented ghost cells, consistent with a pigmented dentinogenic ghost cell tumor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the youngest case of intraosseous dentinogenic ghost cell tumor reported in the English literature and the second report of a pigmented variant. This rare variant should be included in the differential of pigmented odontogenic lesions to avoid misinterpretation, especially in small biopsies., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: With students becoming more involved in the internet and social networking sites, they become more prone to their consequences. This study focuses on measuring the social networking intensity and the fear of missing out among the medical students of University of Khartoum, then examining the association between them., Methods: Facility-based, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at Faculty of Medicine, Khartoum University between January and March 2021. A total of 333 students were selected by simple random sampling. Data was collected from the participants using a structured self-administered questionnaire that involved the social networking intensity (SNI) scale and fear of missing out (FOMO) scale. The data was analyzed by the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 26., Results: Moderate positive correlation between social networking intensity and fear of missing out was found (p-value < 0.01). Of the total participants; 51 participants (15.4%) experienced low SNI and low FOMO. Another 78 participants (23.6%) had moderate SNI and moderate FOMO and only 16 Participants (4.8%) showed high SNI and high FOMO. There were no significant differences in SNI or FOMO scores among the different socio-demographic variables, except for the SNI score which was positively correlated to the monthly income., Conclusion: An association between SNI and FOMO was found. SNI was not affected by socio-demographic factors except for the monthly income., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on educational institutions, schools had to close and switch to online education. Training in-service teachers to incorporate and utilize technology as part of Internet-based instructions was a challenge and pressing necessity. TPACK is an essential framework for comprehending how teachers employ technology in teaching. Despite the significance of adaptive learning environments in recent years, research has not addressed how to use these environments to improve the TPACK of in-service teachers, particularly during crises. Consequently, our objective was to design an adaptive learning environment that provides in-service math, science, and English teachers with substantial and continuing support for each TPACK component. A total of 173 in-service teachers were divided into two groups: an experimental group of 83 who used adaptive learning and a control group of 90 who used Zoom techniques. TPACK questionnaires were administered before and after the experiment. The experimental group improved TPACK more than the control group. All teachers believed that adaptive learning training helped them to build technology-integrated lesson plans. This study provides ideas and practices for developing an adaptive learning environment for the in-service teachers' TPACK development. The challenges to adaptive learning environments have been highlighted, identifying the potential for future investigations., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

For the first time, the potentiality of the sp 2 -hybridized group IV-VII radical (R • )-containing molecules to participate in R • -hole interactions was comparatively assessed using • SiF 3, • POF 2 , • SO 2 F, and • ClO 3 models in the trigonal pyramidal geometry. In that spirit, a plethora of quantum mechanical calculations was performed at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory. According to the results, all the investigated R • -containing molecules exhibited potent versatility to engage in R • -hole … Lewis base interactions with significant negative binding energies for the NCH-based complexes. The strength of R • -hole interactions was perceived to obey the • ClO 3 … >  • SO 2 F … >  • POF 2 … >  • SiF 3 … Lewis base order, outlining an inverse correlation between the binding energy and the atomic size of the R • -hole donor. Benchmarking of the binding energy at the CCSD/CBS(T) computational level was executed for all the explored interactions and addressed an obvious similarity between the MP2 and CCSD energetic findings. QTAIM analysis critically unveiled the closed-shell nature of the explored R • -hole interactions. SAPT-EDA proclaimed the reciprocal contributions of electrostatic and dispersion forces to the total binding energy. These observations demonstrate in better detail the nature of R • -hole interactions, leading to a convincing amelioration for versatile fields relevant to materials science and drug design., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To end the COVID-19 pandemic, a large part of the world must be immune to the virus by vaccination. Therefore, this study aimed to gauge intent to be vaccinated against COVID-19 among ordinary people and to identify attitudes towards vaccines and barriers for vaccine acceptance. Methods: The study population comprises 1880 people residing in different countries that answer a prepared questionnaire. The questionnaire topics are demographics, historical issues, participants' attitudes and beliefs regarding vaccines, concerns, and vaccine hesitancy. Results: Attitudes and beliefs relating to vaccines in general, and the COVID-19 vaccine, were ascertained. Overall, 66.81% of the contributors would like to be vaccinated against COVID-19, while %33.19 did not intend to be vaccinated. Reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy included concern regarding vaccine side effects, fear of getting sick from the uptake of the vaccine, and the absence of accurate vaccine promotion news. Individuals with higher education believe that India (68.6%) produces the best vaccine ( P <0.001), while healthcare workers think the Chinese vaccine (44.2%) is the best ( P =0.020). Individuals with higher education have not been vaccinated, not be healthcare workers, and females were the most contributors to effective of the vaccine in reducing mortality from COVID-19 disease. Conclusion: Given the degree of hesitancy against COVID-19 vaccination, a multifaceted approach to facilitate vaccine uptake that includes vaccine education, behavioral change strategies, and health promotion, is paramount., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Deregulated activity of protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin complex-1 (Akt/mTORC1) incites crucial pathological characteristics of diabetic nephropathy. The acyclic monoterpene geraniol has been recently reported to possess antidiabetic effects; however, its potential renoprotective effect in diabetes has not yet been elucidated. This study aimed to assess the possible modulatory effect of geraniol on the Akt/mTORC1 pathway in diabetes-induced nephropathy in rats compared to the standard antidiabetic drug gliclazide. Geraniol and gliclazide was administered daily to diabetic rats for 6 weeks starting on the 3rd-day post diabetes induction by streptozotocin (STZ). Geraniol amended the deteriorated renal function (serum creatinine; blood urea nitrogen). It exerted a remarkable antihyperglycemic effect that is comparable to that of gliclazide and suppressed the fibrotic marker, transforming growth factor-β. Geraniol restored redox balance and inhibited lipid peroxidation by reducing nicotine amide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase and enhancing the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. These beneficial effects were associated with a robust downregulation of miRNA-21 and consequently, reversion of tumor suppressor protein phosphatase and tension homolog (PTEN)/Akt/mTORC1 cue and its downstream proteins required for mesangial cell proliferation and matrix protein synthesis. The current study indicates that geraniol interfered with miRNA-21/ PTEN/AKT/mTORC1 pathway signaling that contributes largely to the progression of mesangial expansion and extracellular matrix deposition in diabetic nephropathy.

Water scarcity and frequent drought spells are becoming critical challenges to sustainable agricultural development, especially in arid and semiarid regions. Thus, this work aims to investigate the effect of deficit irrigation and varying mulching materials on soil moisture content, salt distribution, and potato yield. The experiment consisted of three irrigation regimes (I 100% , I 80% , and I 60% ) of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), designated as I 100% , I 80% , and I 60% of ETc, and five mulching treatments viz. (i) without mulch (WM), (ii) poultry manure mulch (PMM), (iii) rice straw mulch (RSM), (iv) white plastic mulch (WPM), and (v) black plastic mulch (BPM), which were continued for two consecutive growing seasons. The results showed that soil salinity was affected by mulching and irrigation levels as the salt content increased from the initial soil salinity. Moreover, I 60% recorded the highest salt accumulation in the soil profile for WM treatment compared to the rest of the irrigation and mulching treatments. It was also revealed that PMM remained unmatched by significantly producing the highest potato yield compared to other mulching materials. However, the average potato yield decreased by 13.83% and 29.16% in the 2016 season for I 80% and I 60% and by 12.95% and 30.91% in the 2017 season, respectively, in comparison to full irrigation (I100%). So, when sufficient irrigation water is available, full irrigation (I 100% ) and PMM treatment are recommended to achieve the maximum potato tuber yield, which has a minimum impact on increasing salinity. However, when the discharge is insufficient, deficit irrigation (I 80% ) and PMM treatment are recommended to conserve 20% of the irrigation water applied with a minimum reduction in tuber yield and a slight increase in soil salinity.

Background: In the present investigation, two genera of family Labiatae (genus Origanum and genus Thymus including their available species in Egypt) were analyzed genetically on DNA level using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Four selective primer combinations (E-AGC/M-CAA, E-AGC/M-CAC, E-AGG/M-CTC, and E-ACC/M-CAT) were used to detect genetic variations (polymorphisms) within and between the studied plant species of each genus and with their cultivated relatives., Results: A total of 193 amplified fragments were obtained overall primer combinations with a disparity in the number of bands for each primer combination. The primer combination E-AGG/M-CTC exhibited a large number of amplicons (67) compared to the other primers with polymorphism percentage 69%. The polymorphism information content (PIC) was calculated for the four primer combinations showing a very high values ranging between 0.98 and 0.99. On the other hand, Thymus species (Thymus vulgaris, Thymus capitatus L., and Thymus decassatus Benth.) exhibited a total number of 171 amplicons for all primer combinations with an average of 42 bands. The primer combination E-AGG/M-CTC produced the largest number of bands (62 bands) with polymorphism percentage 35%, even though the primer combination AGC/M-CAA was more efficient to give high polymorphisms within Thymus species where it resulted in a total of 35 bands with polymorphism percentage 63%. The PIC values were calculated ranging from 0.96 to 0.99., Conclusion: One can conclude that AFLP technique was informative and efficient technique to give a good coverage of Origanum and Thymus genomes. Furthermore, it was helpful to elucidate the genetic variations and phylogenetic relationships within the studied species as a basis for further studies on these genera and related species.