HSE University and Sber Researchers Increase Speed of Gradient Boosting Algorithm
A group of researchers from the HSE Faculty of Computer Science and the Sber AI Lab has increased the speed of gradient boosting, one of the most efficient machine learning algorithms. The proposed approach will make it possible to solve classification and regression problems faster. The results of the work were presented at the NeurIPS conference.
Patrons' Brain Activity while Viewing Menu Items Can Predict Restaurant Sales
A positive correlation has been discovered between the neural activity in the nucleus accumbens of study participants as they were presented with photographs of dishes from the menu of the Chaihona No. 1 restaurant chain and the sales performance of said dishes in the chain's establishments. This finding was made by a team of researchers of the HSE Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Lomonosov Moscow State University, and ETH Zurich (Switzerland). The study findings have been published in PLoS One.
Scientists Develop Algorithm for Accurate Calculation of Quantum Systems
Researchers from the MIEM HSE Centre for Quantum Metamaterials, jointly with colleagues from Germany and the UK, have proposed an algorithm for the automated compression of arbitrary environments (ACE). It opens up exciting new possibilities for the precise calculation of the dynamics of quantum systems. According to the scientists, the new method can assist in the design of quantum computers and novel communication systems. The study findings are published in Nature Physics.
Astrophysicists Look into a Powerful Gamma-ray Burst
An international team of scientists including a HSE researcher have detected a rare optical emission from one of the most powerful gamma-ray bursts in the history of observation. The team measured the parameters of the environment, from which the emission originated, and proceeded to construct a model that simulates the behaviour of gamma-ray bursts. This contributes to our understanding of why such bursts are accompanied by electromagnetic radiation in the visible range. The findings have been published in Nature Astronomy.
Monsters of the Deep: HSE Scientists Have Compiled a Catalogue of Rogue Waves
Rogue waves, or killer waves, are abnormally high and deadly waves that can emerge unpredictably in open seas and along shorelines. They pose an imminent deadly threat to everyone from colossal liners and pleasure yachts to seafarers and vacationers. Scientists from the HSE campus in Nizhny Novgorod Efim Pelinovsky and Ekaterina Didenkulova have assembled a catalogue of such phenomena that occurred in the World Ocean from 2011 to 2018, identifying the areas where they are frequently documented and inflict the most substantial damage.
Attainment of Happiness in Psychologically Mature Individuals Linked to Pursuit of Meaning
Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl believed that the quest for meaning constitutes a fundamental and intrinsic motivation for all human beings. Some other authors suggest that the need for meaning or purpose only emerges at higher levels of personality development. According to a team of psychologists from HSE and the University of Paris Nanterre, individuals who have achieved higher levels of ego development are inclined to relinquish hedonistic motives in favour of cultivating mindfulness and embarking on a quest for meaning. These findings have been published in Frontiers in Psychology.
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.
Study Discovers Slower Response to Words Associated with Hand Movement in Children with Upper Limb Arthrogryposis
A team made up of HSE researchers and paediatricians of the Turner Research Institute for Children’s Orthopedics have compared the cognitive functions of children with and without arthrogryposis. The experiment revealed that children with arthrogryposis exhibit a slight delay of a few milliseconds in their brain responses to words associated with hand movements. The researchers suggest that this discovery be taken into consideration when teaching children with motor impairments and developing diagnostic tools. The paper has been published in Clinical Neurophysiology.
Researchers at HSE Mirror Lab Create Robot Gardener
Researchers from HSE University and Tambov State Technical University (TSTU) have developed intelligent robotic systems for the monitoring and quality control of fruits and vegetables. The system allows gardeners to carry out agrotechnical and protective activity, ensuring the highest possible quality of the crop.
Reading Comprehension Not Worsened by Noise, Study Finds
Researchers of the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have investigated the impact of both auditory and visual noise on semantic processing during reading to determine if it results in a more superficial reading style that emphasises the meanings of individual words over connections between them in a sentence. It appears that noise does not affect reading comprehension but can cause a decrease in reading speed when even unintelligible conversations are occurring nearby. However, when exposed to visual noise, individuals tend to read slightly faster, possibly due to the irritating nature of the noise. The study findings have been published in PLOS ONE.