Search Results (15)

Detection and mapping of Sosnowsky’s hogweed (HS) using remote sensing data have proven effective, yet challenges remain in identifying, localizing, and eliminating HS in urban districts and regions. Reliable data on HS growth areas are essential for monitoring, eradication, and control measures. Satellite data alone are insufficient for mapping the dynamics of HS distribution. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with high-resolution spatial data offer a promising solution for HS detection and mapping. This study aimed to develop a method for detecting and mapping HS growth areas using a proposed algorithm for thematic processing of multispectral aerial imagery data. Multispectral data were collected using a DJI Matrice 200 v2 UAV (Dajiang Innovation Technology Co., Shenzhen, China) and a MicaSense Altum multispectral camera (MicaSense Inc., Seattle, WA, USA). Between 2020 and 2022, 146 sites in the Moscow region of the Russian Federation, covering 304,631 hectares, were monitored. Digital maps of all sites were created, including 19 digital maps (orthophoto, 5 spectral maps, and 13 vegetation indices) for four experimental sites. The collected samples included 1080 points categorized into HS, grass cover, and trees. Student’s t-test showed significant differences in vegetation indices between HS, grass, and trees. A method was developed to determine and map HS-growing areas using the selected vegetation indices NDVI > 0.3, MCARI > 0.76, user index BS1 > 0.10, and spectral channel green > 0.14. This algorithm detected HS in an area of 146.664 hectares. This method can be used to monitor and map the dynamics of HS distribution in the central region of the Russian Federation and to plan the required volume of pesticides for its eradication. Full article

This review article considers the following aspects: naturally distributed chemical elements and their enrichments, and the increased occurrence of PTEs due to anthropogenic and urban activities, as well as due to the geochemical uniqueness of certain geochemical landscapes, depending on the lithological environment. The review article is the result of many years of successful cooperation between the Geological Survey of Slovenia and the Faculty of Natural Sciences in Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, as well as several other institutions from North Macedonia, Russia and Romania but, also, through the voluntary and enthusiastic work of Prof. Trajče Stafilov’s PhD and Master’s students. To create the Geochemical Atlas, the territory of North Macedonia was covered with 995 sampling locations, but 16 separate areas with soil contamination were additionally sampled. The total sum of all collected soil samples was 3983 from 2449 different sampling sites in the period from 2006 to 2017. The analyses were performed at the Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences in Skopje, at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia, at the Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation (ICIA), Cluj-Napoca, Romania, at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Moscow Region, Russia, and at Acme Labs in Vancouver, Canada. The sum of all analysed soil samples in all four mentioned laboratories was 7991 from 2006 to 2017. Using advanced mathematical methods such as multivariate statistical methods (HCA, FA, PCA) and artificial neural networks–multilayer perceptron (ANN-MP), predictions were made about the concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and their distribution in real space. In less than two decades (2007–2023) of fruitful collaboration, a large number of scientific works have been published: 188 scientific publications, 8 geochemical atlases and 23 chapters in monographs. Full article

Our paper analyzes lessons for medical education and health education stemming from the experience gained in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it tackles the issue of the social health and psychological wellbeing of medical students involved in online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper systematizes up-to-date data on how medical schools and universities have adapted to the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented novel effective solutions for the learning process, such as transitioning from traditional in-person classes to online learning, incorporating virtual simulations and telemedicine experiences for clinical training, and collaborating with health authorities to provide support in testing and contact tracing efforts. The paper contains an analysis of various aspects of medical education, such as the changes in practical classes, the impact of the pandemic on the formation of communication skills, methods for assessing students’ knowledge and skills, and many others. It also considers case studies related to the implementation of educational programs, methodologies, and novel digital technologies in a pandemic. Additionally, the paper features an empirical study that is based on the results of our own survey that was carried out with the help of a snowball convenient sampling that involved 710 medical students between 19 and 25 years of age (56% females and 44% males) from 4 Russian regions (Moscow, Krasnodar, Kazan, and Saint Petersburg). We applied the correlation between stress scores, anxiety scores, factors of stress, and strategies for coping with stress and various economic and demographic variables (age, environment, and gender) that were analyzed using the chi-square test. Our results demonstrate that over 85% of the students in our sample yielded an above-average vulnerability to stress due to the COVID-19 restrictions. At the same time, around 61% of the students experienced severe anxiety during online education in the COVID-19 pandemic. The important factors leading to stress and anxiety were the fear of getting infected and social distancing, and the best strategy to deal with stress and increase wellbeing was self-control. Through a comprehensive review of the literature and empirical estimations, our paper identifies key areas of improvement, including curriculum adaptation, technology integration, faculty development, student support, and interprofessional collaboration. The proposed recommendations aim at strengthening medical education systems and preparing healthcare professionals to effectively navigate future pandemics. Full article

This paper addresses writer Itsuki Hiroyuki’s 1966 debut novel Farewell to Moscow Misfits through the lens of middlebrow novels, jazz novels, and repatriates. This novel draws from Itsuki’s personal experience being repatriated from colonial Korea after the war and visiting the Soviet Union in the mid-1960s. Farewell was unique for its time in representing jazz, music, and youth “stilyagi” counterculture in the Soviet Union. This counterculture movement was roughly contemporaneous with the student movement of the 1960s in Japan. This period also saw the popularization of the “middlebrow novel”—an ambiguous term that was used to describe literature outside of the established pure/popular dichotomy. These amorphous “middlebrow” works allow us to read some of the cultural dynamics of the 1960s. Itsuki published many of his early works in so-called middlebrow magazines, not “pure” literary journals. Itsuki himself claimed that his works were neither pure literature nor popular literature; they were simply “entertainment”. He placed his works in relation to jazz, the circus, and enka. His unique views on cultural production and media emerged from his repatriation experiences and his encounter with Russian culture. This paper examines not only genre conventions in literature but also Itsuki’s objections to the pure/popular literary structure, as well as his place in cultural representations of the 1960s. Full article

This cross-sectional survey assessed the knowledge of and the attitude towards probiotics of dental students and academics at Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia. Our questionnaire consisted of 15 questions divided into 3 sections: respondents’ sociodemographic data, knowledge on probiotics, and attitude towards probiotics. The data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test, Fisher’s exact test, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Out of the 658 questionnaires distributed, a total of 239 questionnaires were completed by the undergraduates, yielding a response rate of 39.6%, and 54 by the teaching staff (response rate = 100%). Most students (53.6%) and teachers (55.5%) had a fair knowledge of probiotics (p = 0.3135). A vast majority of dental students (97.9%) and all teachers had a positive attitude towards probiotics, with higher mean scores among academics (p < 0.001). A positive weak correlation was found between knowledge and attitude (Spearman r = 0.17, p = 0.0027). The results obtained reveal the need for more evidence-based educational trainings for university teachers and a course on probiotics to be included in the curriculum for dental students. Full article

Our paper discusses how sustainable education has evolved at higher education institutions (HEIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic by embracing digitalization and novel technologies. In addition, it describes the innovative methods for integrating technology into professional education during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluate the global practices and fundamental changes in the sphere of higher education, particularly regarding sustainable education and digitalization. The paper aims at describing the challenges faced by higher education institutions in adopting sustainable education and digitalization, as well as the opportunities for growth and innovation that have arisen due to the pandemic. Our methods include the empirical model, which assesses the acceptance and usage of novel digital technologies for promoting sustainable education by university professors and academic researchers in four major Russian cities (Moscow, Krasnodar, Kazan, and Saint Petersburg) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the model reveal the significance of implementing sustainability in the classroom, which could bring positive outcomes to both students and teachers. Our study provides a valuable resource for educators seeking techniques, models, and practical advice to overcome the obstacles of teaching in a digitally connected learning environment in Russia and beyond. Specifically, we propose that the primary focus of digitalizing professional education should be on teachers and instructors who are enthusiastic about leveraging technology for learning and who are familiar with novel digital technologies. It appears that digital technologies are capable of transforming teaching practices for sustainable education and economic development. Full article

A method has been obtained for the use of visualization in computer mathematical packages, which is an effective means of overcoming difficult situations that arise for students when mastering such packages and solving computational problems. Depending on the complexity of the problem being solved, either the teacher or the students themselves can create special visual graphic (animation) objects. Such objects allow, initially without going into the intricacies of the functioning of the package and the mathematical apparatus used, to competently describe a complete picture of a difficult situation for students and indicate ways to resolve it. The method is considered through the example of the process of solving systems of equations using the mathematical package Mathcad and the WolframAlpha online resource. Graphical and animated objects are presented that clearly demonstrate the areas of the location of initial approximations, allowing you to numerically obtain all the real roots of systems of trigonometric and nonlinear equations. Similar objects are built to find the critical points of the Himmelblau’s special test function. Visualization materials are confirmed by the presented computational calculations. The proposed method is implemented in the form of plans for lectures and practical classes on mathematical modeling using computer technologies. The method was tested with university students at the National Research University Moscow Power Engineering Institute. Full article

The research purpose is to identify trends, opportunities, and limitations in the use of social media in higher education based on the study of how students and teachers use social networks in distance learning. The study involves 500 students and teachers of Sechenov First Moscow State University and Kuban State Technological University. The research methodology is based on an empirical approach. The study contained the authors’ questionnaire with 25 questions addressed to students and teachers. Respondents answered them using a Likert scale (1 to 5). It has been found that Instagram is the most popular network used by students (90%) which is followed by VKontakte and Facebook used by 81% and 49% of the respondents, respectively. The results show that students are much more active users compared to teachers and are more satisfied with distance learning. The results obtained can be used in international practice to improve the quality of the remote learning process, develop more advanced types of content consumption, and improve the channels of personal communication between the teaching staff and students. Full article

Objective: Identifying dietary and physical activity (PA) patterns in Russian youths and examining their dependence on gender, age, family characteristics and area of residence features. The research involved 783 school students 10–17 years of age and their parents living in the cities of Moscow and Murmansk. Using the principal component analysis, four integral indices were identified that characterized the habits and dietary patterns, PA and lifestyle. Boys, compared with girls, were more likely to consume unhealthy foods but less likely to practice malnutrition. Within the age ranges of 13–15 years old and 16–17 years old, the proportions of school students with a poor sleep pattern and low PA were higher than in children 10–12 years of age. In smoking families, children were less likely to consume healthy foods and more likely to eat unhealthy foods. In Murmansk school students, compared with their Moscow peers, a reduction in both sleep time and PA was observed less often. Our study demonstrated that the most significant factors of a balanced and healthy diet, rational daily routine and lifestyle in school students were their gender and age characteristics, as well as some contextual factors. Full article

The development of intercultural competence (ICC) is important for the modern personality in an unstable and diverse world, but there is a lack of research on this phenomenon in the context of age, gender and intellectual differences. The purpose of the present exploratory study is to identify relations between ICC, cognitive abilities and academic achievements among Russian school students. The sample included 106 (55% female) students in the 9th grade of Moscow secondary school. ICC was measured with the author’s modification of The Intercultural Sensitivity Scale by Khuhlaev and Chibisova, developed on the basis of the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity by Bennett. Cognitive abilities were determined with the School Test of Intellectual Development by Akimova et al. Academic achievements were evaluated using GPA. The findings of our research show that: (1) higher academic achievements and cognitive abilities usually characterize schoolchildren, who are not inclined to absolutize cultural differences and do not consider them to be barriers to intercultural interaction; (2) the most significant predictors of ICC features from the studied cognitive abilities are analogy and generalization, but generalization has opposite impacts in male and female students. This fact should be taken into account in the context of ICC developments, especially in male school students prone to ethnocentrism. Full article

The purpose of the article is to study the socio-political attitudes of Moscow students, which determine their life strategies in the public sphere. An empirical basis for the study was the sociological survey of students of three universities in Moscow (n = 768). The questionnaire was partially based on Milton Rokeach’s terminal personal values indicators and the methodology of studying political culture of Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba, adapted to a Russian context. The survey data operationalization let us represent a structural model of socio-political attitudes of Moscow students, which consists of indicators of four levels: value, emotional, cognitive, and strategic. The results showed that students in Moscow share the values and patriotic feelings of the elder generations. The influence of gender and age factors was most pronounced on the level of personal values. Despite of the field of their study, students in Moscow can be described as quite energetic and optimistic young citizens, equally family and career oriented with not a high interest in politics and weak political activity. Authors discussed their main findings with the results of previously obtained all-Russian and regional youth studies. Full article

Nowadays, information technology and the Internet are becoming a driver for a shared consumption economy (sharing economy). The paper aims to analyse the current level of use and prospects for the development of models of the sharing economy in Russia. We identify the effects of sharing consumption for the circular economy and study factors that stimulate the use of peer-to-peer models. One of the study’s tasks was to investigate the involvement of the young generation in the sharing economy, as the most promising part of the population. The study is based on the analysis of open Internet sources on the operation of sharing platforms in Russia and a survey among students at two Russian universities (RUDN University in Moscow and Kuban State University in Krasnodar) to identify the awareness of young people regarding sharing platforms. Analysis of the current state of sharing in Russia showed that the use of most types of sharing is at an initial stage. At the same time, the prospects for economic growth and population development are quite high. The article identifies several effects of digital platforms for sustainable development, the main of which are informed consumption and production. For the further growth of users of the sharing economy, the authors highlight the level of penetration of the Internet and the need for high-quality services on digital platforms. Educational organisations can also become a platform for the development of models of the sharing economy by involving students in sharing processes, as demonstrated by the survey. Full article

This paper addresses the question of whether self-regulation capacities are a significant psychological resource of schoolchildren’s psychological well-being. The study contributes to the search of significant predictors of the students’ psychological well-being. Moscow secondary schools pupils (N = 239) participated in a two-wave longitudinal study, the procedure being made in the 4th grade and repeated in the 5th grade, six months after the first measurement. The results are presented describing the dynamics of manifestations of the psychological well-being and the conscious self-regulation of the schoolchildren during their transition from the primary to the middle school. Using the cross-lagged panel analysis allowed concluding that the level of conscious self-regulation of the learning activity of the 4th graders significantly predicts their psychological well-being not only in the 4th grade, but also in the 5th grade. The study revealed the specific regulatory predictors characteristic of different manifestations of the schoolchildren’ psychological well-being. The obtained results highlight the significance of research on the conscious self-regulation of learning activities as a resource for pupils’ psychological well-being, which is predictive for its maturation in the subsequent ages. Full article

In this article, we consider the features of the perception of student information in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, in order to draw the attention of researchers to the topic of learning in practice through field training. The article shows the results of these studies in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as an example) to reflect the global trends. For this purpose, we examined the expectations of students in Russia and the CIS countries from training related to lectures and field training. We created a questionnaire and distributed it in three Moscow-based universities (Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography—MIIGAiK, Moscow Aviation Institute—MAI, and Moscow City University—MCU). Our key assumption is that field practices in Russian universities are qualitatively different from the phenomenon described in European literature, where digital or remote field practices have already emerged. The results obtained through the survey show the tendency of students’ perceptions to fulfill practical duties (in a laboratory with instruments of field training) in STEM education. Full article

People’s attachment to the plant world makes a great contribution to the maintenance of psychological well-being. At the same time, little is known regarding the contribution of attitudes to plants to people’s morality; the current study is aimed at filling this gap. We assumed that the more positive the attitude to plants is, the higher the level of moral motives is. The survey was conducted on the Russian sample; 257 participants (students from Moscow universities, 199 female, M_age = 21.1, SD_age = 2.5) were recruited. The following tools were used: a questionnaire People and Plants (PaP) consisting of five sub-scales (joy, esthetics, practice, closeness to nature, and ecology) and Moral Motives Model scale (MMM scale) including six sub-scales (self-restraint, not harming, social order, self-reliance (industriousness), helping/fairness, and social justice). It was found that all parameters of the positive attitudes to plants, except practice, were strongly positively connected with moral motives. Multi-regression analysis allowed developing certain models demonstrating the contribution of attachment to the plant world to people’s morality. The proscriptive motives (especially self-restraint) are more sensitive to attitudes to flora as compared to prescriptive motives; prescriptive motive self-reliance was not predicted by the attitude to flora at all. Moreover, the findings seem to be gender-sensitive (predictions are higher in females). The obtained results are discussed referring to the reverence for life ethics by Schweitzer, deep ecology by Næss, biophilia hypothesis by Wilson, and psychology of moral expansiveness by Crimston et al. Full article