From Cultural Appropriation to Prison Jargon: Second Semi-Final of Science Battles Takes Place at HSE University
On March 19, the second semi-final of the fourth season of HSE University Science Battles brought together the topics of cultural appropriation, pharmacological neural networks, prison jargon, and ‘diseases’ of higher education on the same stage. Students from various degree programmes presented their projects in the Community space. Read on to find out more about the performances featured in the semi-finals.
Carbon Farming and Bioeconomy Development in Russia: Presentation of HSE University Carbon Test Site at G20
The G20 Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) on circular bioeconomy was recently held in Dibrugarh, India. Over a hundred scientists, representatives of government agencies, and members of international organisations from almost thirty countries (including Russia) took part. Alexey Ivanov, Academic Supervisor of the Centre for Technology Transfer at HSE University, spoke about the role of carbon farming in climate change mitigation and bioeconomy development and presented a project of the Pokrovsky carbon test site operated by HSE University.
HSE University Launches Fourth Mirror Laboratories Competition
The competition is open to HSE University research units planning to conduct joint projects with academic institutions, research organisations and state academic centres of the Russian Federation.
HSE University’s First Satellite Travels 478.7 Million km
The satellite entered orbit two years ago. The launch of the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with a Fregat upper stage and 38 satellites on board, including CubeSX-HSE, took place on March 22, 2021 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Researchers in St Petersburg Can Predict Weekly Stock Performance from Media News
Researchers from VTB and HSE University-St Petersburg have come up with an algorithm for predicting stock price fluctuations in the Russian market by analysing financial news. By making financial projections for next week (or month), the novel STTM (Stock Tonal Topic Modelling) algorithm can help investors build more effective financial strategies. The paper has been published in PeerJ Computer Science.
Participants of XXIV Yasin International Conference to Discuss Economic and Social Development
On April 4–14, HSE University will host the XXIV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development. Every year, the conference provides a forum for leading Russian and international experts and government officials to discuss timely issues related to the economy and social policy.
Readers Found to Rely on Word Spelling Rather Than Sound in Reading
Skilled readers are known to extract information not only from the word they are looking at but from the one directly following it. This phenomenon is called pre-processing. Researchers from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain analysed the eye movements of primary school children and adults during silent reading and found both groups to rely on orthographic, rather than phonological, information in pre-processing an upcoming word. The study has been published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.
Scientists Create Uniquely Stable Trimeric Model of Coronavirus Spike Transmembrane Domain
A team of Russian scientists, including HSE MIEM researchers, have presented a 3D model of SARS-CoV-2 S-protein transmembrane (TM) domain. Previously, the TM domain had only been believed to anchor the S-protein in its viral membrane without being involved in rearrangement and fusion with the host cell. Yet according to recent studies, the TM domain appears to have a function in the transmission of genetic information, but its role is not yet fully understood. The researchers believe that the model they have created can contribute to a better understanding of viral mechanisms and potentially lead to the development of novel antiviral drugs. The study has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Psychological Intervention Reduced Stress during COVID Lockdown
Resilience and well-being in difficult times can be developed via online interventions in the workplace. An international team of researchers from France, the UK, and Russia (with the participation of researchers from the HSE International Laboratory of Positive Psychology of Personality and Motivation) studied the effectiveness of SPARK Resilience, a programme for developing resilience, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the study were published in the PLOS One journal.
‘It’s a Very Small Area of Political Science, and Working to Redress That Is Very Satisfying’
On March 15, Judas Everett defended his doctoral dissertation ‘The Effect of the Patterns in the Dissolution of Communism on the Transition to New Systems in Eastern Europe’, which investigates the relationship between the demise of communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe and the quality of democracy in the post-communist regime. The defence took place remotely. His academic supervisor was Professor Andrey Akhremenko of the HSE University School of Politics and Governance at the Faculty of Social Sciences. In his interview, Judas talks about the topic of his research and explains why political science is more important than ever.