Valeologic knowledge in adolescent girls studied at secondary and professional schools

The purpose: The study was performed to estimate the valeologic knowledge in adolescent girls. Material and methods: The study included 169 girls (aged 12-18). The anonymous questioning, the lessons on a healthy life style and sexual education were conducted. Results: The investigation showed that girls have had low level of the healthy life style and sexual education. More than half of girls in this study had no accurate understanding about the menstruation, normal sexual development. After the healthy life style lessons among the girls the level of valeologic knowledge was increased in 1.5-5 times. Conclusion: The awareness among girls on issues related to sexual and reproductive health through valeologic and sex education may be developed by means of school programs

Face Cognition: A Set of Distinct Mental Abilities

Perceiving, learning, and recognizing faces swiftly and accurately is of paramount importance to humans as a social species. Though established functional models of face cognition<sup>1,2</sup> suggest the existence of multiple abilities in face cognition, the number of such abilities and the relationships among them and to other cognitive abilities can only be determined by studying individual differences. Here we investigated individual differences in a broad variety of indicators of face cognition and identified for the first time three component abilities: face perception, face memory, and the speed of face cognition. These component abilities were replicated in an independent study and were found to be robustly separable from established cognitive abilities, specifically immediate and delayed memory, mental speed, general cognitive ability, and object cognition. The analysis of individual differences goes beyond functional and neurological models of face cognition by demonstrating the difference between face perception and face learning, and by making evident the distinction between speed and accuracy of face cognition. Our indicators also provide a means to develop tests and training programs for face cognition that are broader and more precise than those currently available).<sup>3,4</sup&#x3e

Multiple facets of self-rated digital competencies of pre-service teachers: A pilot study on the nomological network, empirical structure, and gender differences

Introduction: Self-efficacy is an important predictor of teaching behavior. Within several research traditions (TPACK framework, school achievement tests), different ICT self-efficacy scales have been developed. The empirical structure of existing questionnaires has frequently been researched and discussed within the TPACK framework. However, for teacher ICT self-efficacy, non-instructional aspects as well as alternative instruments have rarely been investigated and compared to standard TPACK self-report scales. Methods: In this study, we administer two sets of non-subject-specific ICT scales to a group of pre-service teachers (N = 165). We investigate the empirical structure using structural equation modeling. Results: For both scales, the results show that instructional ICT self-efficacy forms a separate factor. For the remaining items, item difficulty and content drive further divisions. Further, more specific item formulations resulted in a higher range of scale means. Additionally, we find gender differences only on some non-instructional scales. Discussion: Results confirm that the distinction between instructional vs. non-instructional ICT self-efficacy is important when developing or using questionnaires for pre-service teachers. Results also indicate that the usage of more specific task-related items is a promising alternative to general TPACK items

Network Aspect of Multilateral Diplomacy

The relevance of the study is due to the process of structural reorganization of the entire global system of international relations. It is noted that, along with military power, the economic, scientific, technical, and information spheres of state’s activities are coming to the fore, stimulating their work in the international arena. It is emphasized that this circumstance determines the complex interdependence of the main actors of international relations at the present stage. It is argued that the changes taking place in the world require a revision of the bloc approach to solving international problems and the search for new formats of cooperation that would help build constructive international cooperation. It is pointed out that multilateral diplomacy is called upon to play a significant role in modern international relations; moreover, it is becoming the main means of collective management of global world processes. It is clarified that “network diplomacy” is becoming the format of multi-vector diplomacy, based on flexible types of participation in multilateral structures. The author makes a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of network diplomacy. Particular attention is paid to the study of the mechanisms for the implementation of this type of diplomacy, and their application in practice. The issue of the diversity of participants in this process is considered, taking into account the formats of interaction between them within the framework of network diplomacy

Extended criteria and predictors in college admission: Exploring the structure of study success and investigating the validity of domain knowledge

The utility of aptitude tests and intelligence measures in the prediction of the success in college is one of the empirically best supported results in ability research. However, the structure of the criterion “study success” has not been appropriately investigated so far. Moreover, it remains unclear which aspect of intelligence – fluid intelligence or crystallized intelligence – has the major impact on the prediction. In three studies we have investigated the dimensionality of the criterion achievements as well as the relative contributions of competing ability predictors. In the first study, the dimensionality of college grades was explored in a sample of 629 alumni. A measurement model with two correlated latent factors distinguishing undergraduate college grades on the one hand from graduate college grades on the other hand had the best fit to the data. In the second study, a group of 179 graduate students completed a Psychology knowledge test and provided available college grades in undergraduate studies. A model separating a general latent factor for Psychology knowledge from a nested method factor for college grades, and a second nested factor for “experimental orientation” had the best fit to the data. In the third study the predictive power of domain specific knowledge tests in Mathematics, English, and Biology was investigated. A sample of 387 undergraduate students in this prospective study additionally completed a compilation of fluid intelligence tests. The results of this study indicate as expected that: a) ability measures are incrementally predictive over school grades in predicting exam grades; and b) that knowledge tests from relevant domains were incrementally predictive over fluid intelligence. The results of these studies suggest that criteria for college admission tests deserve and warrant more attention, and that domain specific ability indicators can contribute to the predictive validity of established admission tests

Screen recapture detection based on color-texture analysis of document boundary regions

This paper examines a presentation attack detection when a document recaptured from a screen is presented instead of the original document. We propose an algorithm based on analyzing a moiré pattern within document boundary regions as a distinctive feature of the recaptured image. It is assumed that the pattern overlapping the document boundaries is a recapture artifact, not a match between document and background textures. To detect such a pattern, we propose an algorithm that employs the result of the fast Hough transform of the document boundary regions with enhanced pattern contrast. The algorithm performance was measured for the open dataset DLC-2021, which contains images of mock documents as originals and their screen recaptures. The precision of the proposed solution was evaluated as 95.4 %, and the recall as 90.5 %.This work was partially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project No. 18-29-26035)

Predictive value of physical fitness on self-rated health: A longitudinal study

Background The self‐rated health of adolescents and young adults is important for estimating future morbidities and mortality. Little is known about how physical fitness in younger populations predicts self‐rated health. This longitudinal study (2003‐2017) aims to explore the effects of physical fitness on self‐rated health on the basis of the German population–based study KiGGS and its in‐depth study, MoMo. Methods Self‐rated health was assessed using a one‐item scale, and physical fitness was measured with seven test items covering the dimensions of coordination, muscular fitness, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Longitudinal analyses were conducted using the structural equation modeling approach in Mplus 8.0 using the maximum likelihood estimator. Results The longitudinal samples of the KiGGS/MoMo study (T1, n = 2376; T2, n = 2821; and T3, n = 2047) had a mean age of 8.5, 14.8, and 20.0 years at T1, T2, and T3, respectively. All measurement and structural models had excellent model fits. While the results of the latent regression analysis indicated moderate‐to‐high stability for the coordination and muscular fitness dimensions, only low‐to‐moderate stability coefficients were found for cardiorespiratory fitness and self‐rated health. Furthermore, small significant cross‐lagged regression coefficients revealed that coordination and muscular fitness predicted self‐rated health at later measurement points. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study to demonstrate the positive predictive value of two dimensions of physical fitness, coordination and muscular fitness, on self‐rated health at a later stage. The public health implications are highlighted

Algorithm for choosing the best frame in a video stream in the task of identity document recognition

During the process of document recognition in a video stream using a mobile device camera, the image quality of the document varies greatly from frame to frame. Sometimes recognition system is required not only to recognize all the specified attributes of the document, but also to select final document image of the best quality. This is necessary, for example, for archiving or providing various services; in some countries it can be required by law. In this case, recognition system needs to assess the quality of frames in the video stream and choose the "best" frame. In this paper we considered the solution to such a problem where the "best" frame means the presence of all specified attributes in a readable form in the document image. The method was set up on a private dataset, and then tested on documents from the open MIDV-2019 dataset. A practically applicable result was obtained for use in recognition systems.This work was partially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (projects ## 17-29-03161, 18-07-01387)