
Smoking Habit Affects Response to False Feedback
A team of scientists at HSE University, in collaboration with the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, studied how people respond to deception when under stress and cognitive load. The study revealed that smoking habits interfere with performance on cognitive tasks involving memory and attention and impairs a person’s ability to detect deception. The study findings have been published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Children with Autism Process Auditory Information Differently
A team of scientists, including researchers from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain, examined specific aspects of auditory perception in children with autism. The scientists observed atypical alpha rhythm activity both during sound perception and at rest. This suggests that these children experience abnormalities in the early stages of sound processing in the brain's auditory cortex. Over time, these abnormalities can result in language difficulties. The study findings have been published in Brain Structure and Function.

‘In Cherdyn, It Feels Like You Have Reached the Edge of the Earth’
Dmitry Koshcheev began his journey in science back in school, but eventually chose economics and tourism over history. In an interview with the Young Scientists of HSE University project, he shared his experiences of researching the Visim neighbourhood in Perm, tourist clusters, and how he mastered analysing 300 sources a day.

HSE Scientists Propose AI-Driven Solutions for Medical Applications
Artificial intelligence will not replace medical professionals but can serve as an excellent assistant to them. Healthcare requires advanced technologies capable of rapidly analysing and monitoring patients' conditions. HSE scientists have integrated AI in preoperative planning and postoperative outcome evaluation for spinal surgery and developed an automated intelligent system to assess the biomechanics of the arms and legs.

Smartphones Not Used for Digital Learning among Russian School Students
Despite the widespread use of smartphones, teachers have not fully integrated them into the teaching and learning process, including for developing students' digital skills. Irina Dvoretskaya, Research Fellow at the HSE Institute of Education, has examined the patterns of mobile device use for learning among students in grades 9 to 11.

Beauty in Details: HSE University and AIRI Scientists Develop a Method for High-Quality Image Editing
Researchers from theHSE AI Research Centre, AIRI, and the University of Bremen have developed a new image editing method based on deep learning—StyleFeatureEditor. This tool allows for precise reproduction of even the smallest details in an image while preserving them during the editing process. With its help, users can easily change hair colour or facial expressions without sacrificing image quality. The results of this three-party collaboration were published at the highly-cited computer vision conference CVPR 2024.

HSE Scientists Have Examined Potential Impact of Nuclear Power on Sustainable Development
Researchers at HSE University have developed a set of mathematical models to predict the impact of nuclear power on the Sustainable Development Index. If the share of nuclear power in the global energy mix increases to between 20% and 25%, the global Sustainable Development Index (SDI) is projected to grow by one-third by 2050. In scenarios where the share of nuclear power grows more slowly, the increase in the SDI is found to be lower. The study has been published in Nuclear Energy and Technology.

Biologists at HSE University Warn of Potential Errors in MicroRNA Overexpression Method
Researchers at HSE University and the RAS Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry have discovered that a common method of studying genes, which relies on the overexpression of microRNAs, can produce inaccurate results. This method is widely used in the study of various pathologies, in particular cancers. Errors in experiments can lead to incorrect conclusions, affecting the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The study findings have been published in BBA.

HSE Scientist Optimises Solution of Hydrodynamics Problems
Roman Gaydukov, Associate Professor at the MIEM HSE School of Applied Mathematics, has modelled the fluid flow around a rotating disk with small surface irregularities. His solution allows for predicting fluid flow behaviour without the need for powerful supercomputers. The results have been published in Russian Journal of Mathematical Physics.

Neuroscientists from HSE University Learn to Predict Human Behaviour by Their Facial Expressions
Researchers at the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience at HSE University are using automatic emotion recognition technologies to study charitable behaviour. In an experiment, scientists presented 45 participants with photographs of dogs in need and invited them to make donations to support these animals. Emotional reactions to the images were determined through facial activity using the FaceReader program. It turned out that the stronger the participants felt sadness and anger, the more money they were willing to donate to charity funds, regardless of their personal financial well-being. The study was published in the journal Heliyon.