Qin An¹, Jun Gao², Zhiqin Sang³, Mingyi Qian^4,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.23, No.1, pp. 87-98, 2021, DOI:10.32604/IJMHP.2021.014422 - 19 February 2021

Abstract When COVID-19 pandemic hit China, Chinese clinical psychologists, counselors and other practitioners reacted quickly to provide psychological interventions for different target groups. Different professional ethical concerns and potential transgressions arose during different stages of pandemic. This paper aimed to summarize different ethical concerns and transgressions during different stages of pandemic in China, as well as how the professional ethical workgroup in the registration system of clinical psychologists and professional organizations of Chinese Psychological Society (CPS) to publish a series of documents as recommendations on ethical practice. It is hoped by providing a picture of “problems vs. More >

Hira Javaid Siddiqui¹, Shamim Gul^1,2,*, Attiq-ur-Rehman Kakar³, Umbreen Shaheen⁴, Gul Bano Rehman¹, Naqeebullah Khan³, Samiullah³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.90, No.2, pp. 651-676, 2021, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2021.011413 - 07 February 2021

Abstract This pot-based study investigated the influence of poultry manure and 1:1 mixture of poultry manure + biochar (produced from farmyard manure [FYM] or wood), on the biomass production and concentration of heavy metals in leaves of lettuce and spinach. The concentration of mineral nitrogen (N) and soluble inorganic phosphorus (P) of soils cultivated with these vegetables was also investigated. The application of poultry manure or FYM biochar in soil as 10% (equivalent to 60 t ha^–1 , an estimated 1726.8 kg ha^–1 N in poultry manure and 1353.9 kg ha^–1 N in FYM) and 15% amendment (equivalent… More >

Jiaji Zhang¹, Xiaofei Long¹, Yuhao Weng¹, Tielong Cheng², Jisen Shi¹, Jinhui Chen^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.90, No.2, pp. 571-582, 2021, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2021.014191 - 07 February 2021

Abstract Cinnamomum japonicum Sieb. is an excellent roadside tree and medicinal tree species with considerable ornamental and economic value. In this study, we successfully developed a large-scale micropropagation protocol for C. japonicum for the first time. Sterilized shoots were excised and used as explants for shoot induction on several basal media, supplemented with different concentrations of plant growth regulators (PGRs), such as Thidiazuron (TDZ), N⁶ -Benzyladenine (6-benzylaminopurine) (BA), α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and Gibberellic acid (GA₃). After comparison, the most efficient medium for shoot regeneration was 1/2 Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 0.5 mg L^–1 BA, 0.05 mg L^–1 NAA and… More >

Al Hussien Seddik Saad^1,*, M. S. Mohamed^2,3, E. H. Hafez⁴

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.67, No.2, pp. 2077-2091, 2021, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2021.015329 - 05 February 2021

Abstract Current image steganography methods are working by assigning an image as a cover file then embed the payload within it by modifying its pixels, creating the stego image. However, the left traces that are caused by these modifications will make steganalysis algorithms easily detect the hidden payload. A coverless data hiding concept is proposed to solve this issue. Coverless does not mean that cover is not required, or the payload can be transmitted without a cover. Instead, the payload is embedded by cover generation or a secret message mapping between the cover file and the… More >

Rizwan Ali Naqvi¹, Muhammad Faheem Mushtaq², Natash Ali Mian³, Muhammad Adnan Khan^4,*, Atta-ur-Rahman⁵, Muhammad Ali Yousaf⁶, Muhammad Umair⁶, Rizwan Majeed⁷

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.67, No.2, pp. 2631-2646, 2021, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2021.012167 - 05 February 2021

Abstract Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can be transmitted from one person to another. Earlier strains have only been mild viruses, but the current form, known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has become a deadly infection. The outbreak originated in Wuhan, China, and has since spread worldwide. The symptoms of COVID-19 include a dry cough, sore throat, fever, and nasal congestion. Antimicrobial drugs, pathogen–host interaction, and 2 weeks of isolation have been recommended for the treatment of the infection. Safe operating procedures, such as the use of face masks, hand sanitizer, handwashing with soap,… More >

Xuying Guo^1,2,*, Saiou Fu¹, Junzhen Di³, Yanrong Dong³, Guoliang Jiang³

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.9, No.3, pp. 541-555, 2021, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.012335 - 14 January 2021

Abstract The high concentrations of Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ in acid mine drainage make it difficult and expensive to treat. It is urgent that we find a cheap and efficient adsorption material to treat Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺. As a solid waste in mining areas, coal gangue occupies a large area and pollutes the surrounding environment during the stacking process. Developing a method of resource utilization is thus a research hotspot. In this study, we modified spontaneous combustion gangue using NaOH, NaCl, and HCl by chemically modifying the minerals. We determined the optimal conditions for treating Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ in acid… More >

Debajit Datta¹, Lalit Garg^2,*, Kathiravan Srinivasan³, Atsushi Inoue⁴, G. Thippa Reddy³, M. Praveen Kumar Reddy³, K. Ramesh⁵, Nidal Nasser⁶

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.67, No.1, pp. 723-751, 2021, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2021.014802 - 12 January 2021

Abstract The prodigious advancements in contemporary technologies have also brought in the situation of unprecedented cyber-attacks. Further, the pin-based security system is an inadequate mechanism for handling such a scenario. The reason is that hackers use multiple strategies for evading security systems and thereby gaining access to private data. This research proposes to deploy diverse approaches for authenticating and securing a connection amongst two devices/gadgets via sound, thereby disregarding the pins’ manual verification. Further, the results demonstrate that the proposed approaches outperform conventional pin-based authentication or QR authentication approaches. Firstly, a random signal is encrypted, and… More >

Al Hussien Seddik Saad^1,*, E. H. Hafez², Zubair Ahmad³

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.67, No.1, pp. 659-674, 2021, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2021.014758 - 12 January 2021

Abstract Steganography has been used to prevent unauthorized access to private information during transmission. It is the scheme of securing sensitive information by concealing it within carriers such as digital images, videos, audio, or text. Current steganography methods are working by assigning a cover file then embed the payload within it by making some modifications, creating the stego-file. However, the left traces that are caused by these modifications will make steganalysis algorithms easily detect the hidden payload. Aiming to solve this issue, a novel, highly robust steganography method based on hacking anti-shoplifting systems has proposed to… More >

Pranati Rakshit¹, Sreeparna Ganguly¹, Souvik Pal², Ayman A. Aly³, Dac-Nhuong Le^4,5,*

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.67, No.1, pp. 1207-1224, 2021, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2021.014293 - 12 January 2021

Abstract With the increasing need of sensitive or secret data transmission through public network, security demands using cryptography and steganography are becoming a thirsty research area of last few years. These two techniques can be merged and provide better security which is nowadays extremely required. The proposed system provides a novel method of information security using the techniques of audio steganography combined with visual cryptography. In this system, we take a secret image and divide it into several subparts to make more than one incomprehensible sub-images using the method of visual cryptography. Each of the sub-images… More >

Adeeb M. Alhomoud^*

Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 69-88, 2021, DOI:10.32604/iasc.2021.014773 - 07 January 2021

Abstract This research article provides an up-to-date review of spatial-domain steganography. Maintaining the communication as secure as possible when transmitting secret data through any available communication channels is the target of steganography. Currently, image steganography is the most developed field, with several techniques are provided for different image formats. Therefore, the general image steganography including the fundamental concepts, the terminology, and the applications are highlighted in this paper. Further, the paper depicts the essential characteristics between information hiding and cryptography systems. In addition, recent well-known techniques in the spatial-domain steganography, such as LSB and pixel value More >