One of the effective means of protecting digital images is invisible watermarking. Different scenarios have different requirements for watermark resistance to post-processing. Robust watermarking schemes are resistant to a wide range of modifications. Fragile watermarking schemes are designed for integrity control and are destroyed by even minor modifications of images. Semi-fragile watermarking schemes combine features of robust and fragile ones to solve image authentication problems. The design of such schemes ensures that the authenticity of images is confirmed under "harmless" modifications such as compression, brightness changes, blurring, or rotation. However, if the image content is tampered, for example, by inserting or deleting an object, image authenticity verification reveals the forgery. To date, researchers have proposed many different approaches to ensuring semi-fragility of watermark embedding for digital images, including the use of traditional embedding methods and the use of neural networks. In this study, we propose a classification of semi-fragile image watermarking schemes and a review of current studies in this field. We analyze known schemes in terms of watermark type, tamper detection approach, and the ability to localize and recover the tampered regions. We also discuss the effectiveness of the considered schemes in terms of embedding imperceptibility, robustness, and fragility. Based on the review results, we highlight the challenges in semi-fragile image watermarking and formulate promising research directions that may be useful to researchers in the field of developing digital image authentication tools.
The increasing introduction of advanced technologies is bringing profound changes and poses multiple security risks to education. While the international literature offers many important insights into this topic, less is known about the Russian national context. To address this gap, our study examines security issues associated with the introduction of technology in education as reported in Russia-focused studies. The primary objective is to uncover educational technology concerns in a new national context and thereby complement the international debate. Our analysis identifies three broad areas of security concerns prevalent in the Russia-focused literature: socio-economic, including job (in)security and the digital divide; technological; and ethical, including information hygiene. These concerns are discussed in relation to the international literature, contributing to research on the intersection of educational technology and security from a new national perspective. Our findings suggest that issues such as the impact of EdTech on students’ mental health, potential threats to their existential security, and the long-term consequences of job insecurity resulting from technological advancement remain underexplored and require further attention. Additionally, there is a need for more in-depth investigation of the risks associated with the digital divide which contributes to unequal opportunities and social tensions, and for addressing the lack of ethical and legislative regulation in the digitisation process.
Objectives: Climbing therapy offers a promising therapeutic strategy for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).Methods: A single-arm feasibility study of a 10-week manualised climbing therapy group programme for people diagnosed with DSM-5 MDD of at least moderate severity was conducted. Feasibility (measured by retention, adherence, acceptability, and tolerability) was the primary outcome. The Montgomery-& Aring;sberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (NGSE), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were completed one week before the intervention began (baseline/week 0) and post-intervention (week 11). Semi-structured interviews with participants and facilitators and were conducted and analysed using Thematic Analysis.Results: Out of a total of 12 participants, 9 completed the intervention. The mean age (SD) was 37.56 (7.86) years. The overall attendance rate was 88%, and there were no serious adverse events. The mean (SD) MADRS scores at baseline and week 11 were 25.67 (5.26) and 17.11 (8.25), p = 0.01; PHQ-9, 17.56 (3.87) and 13.78 (5.91), p = 0.07; PANAS-Positive, 18.78 (5.35) and 24.33 (8.50), p = 0.04; PANAS-Negative, 28.22 (10.26) and 27.33 (10.96), p = 0.76; GAD-7, 12.00 (4.09) and 10.11 (6.60), p = 0.22; NGSE, 21.78 (5.86) and 25.44 (6.22), p = 0.02; PSS, 25.78 (5.06) and 25.44 (7.00), p = 0.81. Achievement, confidence, and social connectedness were identified as key themes from the semi-structured interviews.Conclusion: A climbing therapy programme for adults with MDD was feasible, acceptable and well-tolerated. Preliminary clinical findings encourage further investigation in a larger trial.
This article explores the impact of employment structure on emancipative values across countries with varying levels of development and cultural sensitivity, particularly focusing on Asian societies. Building upon modernization theory, which traditionally emphasizes economic growth as the primary driver of value change, we introduce and test an alternative hypothesis - that the sectoral composition of employment (agricultural, industrial, and post-industrial) significantly mediates shifts from materialistic to emancipative values. Using data from the World Values Survey spanning 1981-2022, we apply panel regression models and regression discontinuity designs to investigate these dynamics. Our results show a nuanced relationship: the transition from agricultural to service-oriented employment does indeed promote emancipative values, but only once a certain threshold of economic development is reached. In poorer economies, the mere expansion of the service sector, often involving low-skilled jobs, does not trigger significant value liberalization. In wealthier contexts, growth in service employment enhances autonomy, tolerance, and inclusiveness. Post-industrial employment has a significant impact at both the individual and country levels, but there is no joint effect.
We give a self-contained and simplified proof of Mukai's classification of prime Fano threefolds of index 1 and genus g >= 6 g\geq 6 with at most factorial terminal singularities, and of its extension to higher dimension.
