Student Project Helps Fall in Love with French Music and Expand Cultural Outlook
On June 8th, 2023, students from different faculties of HSE University who had participated in the project ‘Cross-cultural dialogue between the Arab Maghreb and France through the example of song and music traditions’ presented the results of their work. Irina Bilyk, head of the project, and Arina Tulebaeva, a second-year student of the Asian and African Studies programme at HSE University in Moscow, who was instrumental in organising it, spoke to us about the project.
Bilingualism and Dementia: How a Second Language Protects Against Cognitive Aging
People who are fluent in two or more languages are less susceptible to age-related mental disorders. They more quickly process information and make decisions, have better memories, and can even better identify emotions. Scientists from various countries discussed the influence of a second language on the processes of cognitive aging at the international symposium ‘Bilingualism: Proper Learning, Effective Communication, and Pleasant Old Age’ hosted by HSE University.
HSE Researchers Undertake Unique Scientific Expedition to West Africa
Researchers from the HSE Faculty of Social Sciences will study social processes in African countries, the issues and features of the continent’s demographic development, and problems related to the causes of separatism and decentralisation in particular African states during a multi-day scientific expedition that will be launched in June 2023.
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The Light of Knowledge
On May 20, the ‘Day of Light’ was held for the first time at the HSE University building on Basmannaya Ulitsa. The event was organised and conducted by students of the Faculty of Physics, who told junior students and schoolchildren about the latest scientific achievements.
Russian Physicists Developed the Fastest Algorithm for the Simulation Motion of Microparticles in a Plasma Flow
Physicists from the Joint Institute for High Temperatures of RAS, HSE University, and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technologies have developed the first open-source GPU-based code for the simulation of microparticles motion in a plasma flow. OpenDust is optimised for graphics accelerators, that allows it to calculate the forces acting on microparticles significantly faster than existing alternatives. A paper with the findings has been published in Computer Physics Communications.
Russian Researchers Discover New Approach to Combatting Osteoarthritis
A team of researchers from HSE University, the Russian Academy of Sciences Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, and Molecular Technologies, LLC have jointly proposed a new treatment for osteoarthritis. This is currently the first disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug to act simultaneously on bone and cartilage tissue metabolism and on inflammation. The study findings are published in Scientific Reports.
Married Men Less Prone to Workplace Burnout
Greater marital satisfaction lowers the risk of professional burnout, with this correlation being more pronounced among men than women. This is a conclusion made by HSE psychologists after conducting a study on the effect of social interactions on workplace burnout on a sample of 203 employees from several Russian companies. According to the researchers, gaining a better understanding of the specific aspects of burnout experienced by individuals makes it possible to address this syndrome more effectively. The paper has been published in Organizational Psychology.
Russian Scientists Discover Method for Enhancing the Capacitance of Supercapacitors
A supercapacitor is a device capable of rapidly storing and releasing a significant amount of energy within a matter of seconds. It consists of metal electrodes immersed in an electrolyte solution. In their model, MIEM HSE scientists substituted the conventional low-molecular-weight electrolyte with a polyelectrolyte, resulting in an unexpected and adverse physical phenomenon: supercapacitors experience a reduction in capacitance when the pore size of the electrode is below 1 nm. By carefully selecting optimal conditions for polyelectrolytes, it becomes possible to develop supercapacitors that are not only more robust but also more efficient in their performance. The study has been published in Physical Review E.
Factors Affecting Alcohol Consumption Are Shaped in Childhood
Economists and sociologists who study alcohol consumption patterns often link them to people's living conditions and human capital such as education, work experience, and knowledge. Researchers of the HSE Laboratory for Labour Market Studies and the HSE Laboratory for Studies in Economic Sociology have found that non-cognitive skills developed in childhood and adolescence can have a major effect on the likelihood of alcohol abuse later in life and can diminish the role of education in this respect. The paper has been published in the Journal of Comparative Economics.
Microgravity Rewires Connectivity in Cosmonauts' Brains
After studying the brain scans of 13 Russian cosmonauts who participated in space missions to the ISS from 2014 to 2020, scientists discovered that prolonged exposure to microgravity had an impact on the connectivity of the brain structures responsible for adapting to unfamiliar conditions. The study revealed that these connections may not always return to their original state after the flight. The paper has been published in Communications Biology.