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Abstract To ensure the security of digital information, information needs to be stored and processed in the encryption domain during the cloud storage process, during which the user does not allow the cloud provider (CP) to access the image contents, and the CP must embed additional information in the image. Therefore, reversible data hiding in an encryption domain (RDHEI) has emerged. This paper presents an adaptive and separable multiary RDHEI method. First, the image is divided into two parts that consist of reference pixels and non-reference pixels. Next, we compute the prediction errors of the non-reference pixels, followed by a replacement of the original non-reference values with the computed prediction errors. Then, the entire image is encrypted with a specially designed stream cipher strategy so that the CP can embed additional information by modifying the prediction errors without knowing the original image. In addition, although our method vacates space before encryption, the CP can adaptively control the reserved space, unlike traditional RDHEI schemes which also vacate space before encryption. Because our method is separable, the embedded message can be extracted from both encryption and plaintext domains accurately. The experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method.

With the development of urbanization, kitchen waste and garden waste have become an important part of municipal solid waste (MSW), which is in urgent need of resource treatment. This study investigated the impacts of garden waste as auxiliary materials on maturity and odor emissions (NH3 and H2S) during kitchen waste composting. The result showed that the combined composting product of kitchen waste and garden waste achieved the maturity effect, and the co-composting effect was better than that of separate composting of kitchen waste. Meanwhile, compared with the separate composting treatment of kitchen waste, the co-composting treatment of kitchen waste and garden waste can effectively reduce the cumulative emissions of H2S by more than 85%, and effectively reduce the cumulative emissions of NH3 by more than 75%. This study provides a technical reference for the green fertilizer utilization of kitchen waste and garden waste.

To quantitatively assess the value of dual-energy CT (DECT) in differentiating malignancy and benignity of solitary pulmonary nodules.Sixty-three patients with solitary pulmonary nodules detected by CT plain scan underwent contrast enhanced CT scans in arterial phase (AP) and venous phase (VP) with spectral imaging mode for tumor type differentiation. The Gemstone Spectral Imaging (GSI) viewer was used for image display and data analysis. Region of interest was placed on the relatively homogeneous area of the nodule to measure iodine concentration (IC) on iodine-based material decomposition images and CT numbers on monochromatic image sets to generate spectral HU curve. Normalized IC (NIC), slope of the spectral HU curve (λHU) and net CT number enhancement on 70keV images were calculated. The two-sample t-test was used to compare quantitative parameters. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to calculate sensitivity and specificity.There were 63 nodules, with 37 malignant nodules (59%) and 26 benign nodules (41%). NIC, λHU and net CT number enhancement on 70keV images for malignant nodules were all greater than those of benign nodules. NIC and λHU had intermediate to high performances to differentiate malignant nodules from benign ones with the areas under curve of 0.89 and 0.86 respectively in AP, 0.96 and 0.89 respectively in VP. Using 0.30 as a threshold value for NIC in VP, one could obtain sensitivity of 93.8% and specificity of 85.7% for differentiating malignant from benign solitary pulmonary nodules. These values were statistically higher than the corresponding values of 74.2% and 53.8% obtained with the conventional CT number enhancement.DECT imaging with GSI mode provides more promising value in quantitative way for distinguishing malignant nodules from benign ones than CT enhancement numbers.

For reversible data hiding in encrypted image (RDHEI), it is an important problem to resolve the contradiction between embedding capacity and image visual quality. However, existing schemes do not maintain a good balance between them. Accordingly, we propose a multi-level block selection embedding mechanism to solve this problem. Our scheme firstly divides original image into muliple non-overlapping blocks with identical size. The most significant bit (MSB) planes of all pixels in the block are predicted from their neighboring pixels to generate a corresponding prediction error map for each block. Subsequently, the pixels are divided into eight bit planes, and the adjacent bit planes are implemented XOR operation to vacate room. Furthermore, by simulating data embedding in each block, PSNR values of each image block are sequentially generated. After encrypting the image using stream ciphers, the optimal blocks with maximum PSNR value can be selected to embed data according to the secret data capacity. Since our proposed scheme usually selects the image block with maximum PSNR value to embed secret data, it can naturally improve the image visual quality. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our scheme is effective and efficient, and outperforms existing state-of-the art methods with better visual quality and higher security performance under the given embedding capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reversible data hiding in encrypted images (RDHEI), an essential branch of reversible data hiding (RDH), has been in development for more than a decade. For most existing stream-cipher-based RDHEI algorithms, encryption schemes are often not the same; thus, these schemes have different effects on the encrypted images. As a result, it is not reasonable to compare the embedding rates (ERs) of RDHEI algorithms directly as we do for plaintext RDH algorithms. However, to our knowledge, many studies focus on the performance of embedding but neglect the influence of the encryption. To compare the performance of stream-cipher-based RDHEI algorithms more reasonably, this paper proposes a novel comprehensive measure to evaluate state-of-the-art RDHEI algorithms. First, the characteristics of the stream-cipher-based RDHEI algorithms are divided into two categories according to the encryption and embedding processes. Next, we use correlation and redundancy to evaluate the influence of encryption schemes and also use ER, computation complexity, visual quality, and algorithm stability to evaluate the embedding schemes. In the end, in order to combine all six indexes into the final evaluation measure, we standardize each index before applying the radar chart. The experimental results show the evaluation results of the recent RDHEI algorithms via a comprehensive analysis and demonstrate the guiding significance of the proposed method for the current RDHEI algorithm selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of urbanization, kitchen waste and garden waste have become an important part of municipal solid waste (MSW), which is in urgent need of resource treatment. This study investigated the impacts of garden waste as auxiliary materials on maturity and odor emissions (NH3 and H2S) during kitchen waste composting. The result showed that the combined composting product of kitchen waste and garden waste achieved the maturity effect, and the co-composting effect was better than that of separate composting of kitchen waste. Meanwhile, compared with the separate composting treatment of kitchen waste, the co-composting treatment of kitchen waste and garden waste can effectively reduce the cumulative emissions of H2S by more than 85%, and effectively reduce the cumulative emissions of NH3 by more than 75%. This study provides a technical reference for the green fertilizer utilization of kitchen waste and garden waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To protect the information from being intercepted by third parties during the network communication process, this paper proposes a new type of data steganography technology based on network data flow. Using the network protocol itself and the relationship between data packets in the entire network data stream to perform network data steganography, transfer hidden data, and perform secondary identity authentication. Different from the traditional steganography method, this method can encode the hidden data and send the interval value by embedding the data packet, thereby hiding and transmitting the hidden data. In this technology, the operation of hidden data does not affect the user's access request for real network data, and it can perform processes such as hidden data transfer and secondary authentication without the user being able to detect it. Through experimental verification and evaluation, our method improves the concealment of the steganographic channel, is not easy to attract attention and has no obvious statistical characteristics of the traffic, and can improve the concealment and robustness of the steganography technology based on network data streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the post-war period, relations between Japan and China have veered between cold and warm. For most of this period, due to historical and ideological issues, there has been an underlying tension which has prevented genuinely friendly relations and open cultural exchange between the two states. However, there have been periods of time when more open cultural exchanges and free information flows have occurred, and when genuinely friendly and cooperative relations have seemed possible. This article first proposes a model of cultural exchange based on types of information flow between countries. It then reviews zero-sum and non-zero sum theoretical perspectives on cultural exchange. Using these ideas, the article then uses several paradigms to characterise cultural exchange in Japan–China relations, namely people to people, partnership, reciprocity, soft power and sharp power paradigms, from the post-war era up to current times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure the security of digital information, information needs to be stored and processed in the encryption domain during the cloud storage process, during which the user does not allow the cloud provider (CP) to access the image contents, and the CP must embed additional information in the image. Therefore, reversible data hiding in an encryption domain (RDHEI) has emerged. This paper presents an adaptive and separable multiary RDHEI method. First, the image is divided into two parts that consist of reference pixels and non-reference pixels. Next, we compute the prediction errors of the non-reference pixels, followed by a replacement of the original non-reference values with the computed prediction errors. Then, the entire image is encrypted with a specially designed stream cipher strategy so that the CP can embed additional information by modifying the prediction errors without knowing the original image. In addition, although our method vacates space before encryption, the CP can adaptively control the reserved space, unlike traditional RDHEI schemes which also vacate space before encryption. Because our method is separable, the embedded message can be extracted from both encryption and plaintext domains accurately. The experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To quantitatively assess the value of dual-energy CT (DECT) in differentiating malignancy and benignity of solitary pulmonary nodules. Materials and Methods: Sixty-three patients with solitary pulmonary nodules detected by CT plain scan underwent contrast enhanced CT scans in arterial phase (AP) and venous phase (VP) with spectral imaging mode for tumor type differentiation. The Gemstone Spectral Imaging (GSI) viewer was used for image display and data analysis. Region of interest was placed on the relatively homogeneous area of the nodule to measure iodine concentration (IC) on iodine-based material decomposition images and CT numbers on monochromatic image sets to generate spectral HU curve. Normalized IC (NIC), slope of the spectral HU curve (λHU) and net CT number enhancement on 70keV images were calculated. The two-sample t-test was used to compare quantitative parameters. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to calculate sensitivity and specificity. Results: There were 63 nodules, with 37 malignant nodules (59%) and 26 benign nodules (41%). NIC, λHU and net CT number enhancement on 70keV images for malignant nodules were all greater than those of benign nodules. NIC and λHU had intermediate to high performances to differentiate malignant nodules from benign ones with the areas under curve of 0.89 and 0.86 respectively in AP, 0.96 and 0.89 respectively in VP. Using 0.30 as a threshold value for NIC in VP, one could obtain sensitivity of 93.8% and specificity of 85.7% for differentiating malignant from benign solitary pulmonary nodules. These values were statistically higher than the corresponding values of 74.2% and 53.8% obtained with the conventional CT number enhancement. Conclusions: DECT imaging with GSI mode provides more promising value in quantitative way for distinguishing malignant nodules from benign ones than CT enhancement numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the many poems of loss and commemorative essays in the collected works of Song Maocheng (1569-1620), we can discern three matrixes of association among the author and his deceased loved ones: (1) a patrilineal matrix in which the salient theme is the rupture or felt-failure of paternal and avuncular care and guidance of male children in the patriline; (2) a female-domestic matrix in which losses engendered feelings of guilt, either for partial responsibility in the deaths or for inability to properly recompense female care and self-sacrifice within the household; and (3) a female-sensual matrix in which the loss of feminine sympathy, comfort, and beauty—whether to death or to parting—dominate the aesthetic. These three matrixes overlap in the wife's roles as maternal perpetuator of the patriline, preserver of household harmony and resources, and loving, devoted spouse. The centrality of the wife's role is reflected most strikingly in the long, moving "Elegy, with Preface" that Song wrote for his first wife, née Yang, who died in Song's absence shortly after giving birth to his first son in the third year of their marriage. Despite remarriage and the acquisition of multiple concubines, Song also wrote several sets of poems in memory of his first wife, who entered his dreams for many years after her death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]