RUDN University ecologists discovered an indicator of the quality of the urban environment
A correct assessment of the environmental condition in the city helps to make timely and correct decisions to protect people and nature. To do this, we need accurate and sensitive indicators - indicators that will allow us to judge the state of environmental components. RUDN University ecologists have shown that the state of microorganisms on the surface of leaves is such a sensitive indicator. Plants, or rather their vital activity, affect the air space around them. Its most significant part is the surface of the leaves. It is on the surface of the leaves those numerous microorganisms live, which determine the interaction of plants with the environment and at the same time depend on it themselves.
“In the city, fine dust accumulates on plants, in which many microorganisms live. In our study, we tested how distance from the source of pollution, a highway, affects the microbiome of dust from the surface of leaves. As microbial indicators, we chose the most informative: the taxonomic diversity of microscopic fungi and bacteria, their activity and the number of opportunistic forms,” - Kristina Ivashchenko, Candidate of Biological Sciences, researcher at the Institute of Physics and Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the center “Smart Technologies for Sustainable Development of the Urban Environment in Global Conditions” changes" RUDN University.
RUDN University ecologists examined the leaves of the birch Betula pendula in Moscow at a distance from the road from 2 to 50 meters. The most sensitive to the proximity of the road were the bacteria Pseudomonas and the fungi Dothiora sorbi and Exobasidium miyabei. The presence or absence of a particular group of microorganisms in itself does not characterize the quality of the environment, but in combination with information about the activity and pathogenicity of the microbial community it can be a useful tool in environmental assessment.
The work shows that closer to the road the activity and pathogenicity of microorganisms increases, and their taxonomic diversity decreases.
“We found that changes in microbial parameters are associated with an increased content of zinc in dust near roadside areas; its high concentrations can be toxic to living organisms. In addition, an additional factor is unfavorable microclimatic conditions, which, as a rule, form in open areas near roads: low humidity, elevated air temperatures and high levels of ultraviolet radiation,” Maria Korneykova, Candidate of Biological Sciences, senior researcher at the Smart Technologies Center sustainable development of the urban environment in the context of global changes" RUDN.
The results were published in the journal Plants.
Imagine a world where everyone has enough food, clean water, access to education, and decent work. A world where nature is protected and the future of our planet is cared for. These are the Sustainable Development Goals—to achieve a sustainable future for all! To this end, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a global plan that helps countries and people work together towards a better future. All 193 UN member states have joined the plan.
Researchers from the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence at RUDN University conducted a large-scale study that revealed systemic errors in large language models (LLMs) when diagnosing depression based on text. This work, carried out in collaboration with colleagues from AIRI, Federal Research Center “Computer Science and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and MBZUAI, not only identifies the problem but also lays the foundation for the creation of more reliable and secure tools for detecting depression and anxiety.
Alexandra Sentyabreva, a junior researcher at the Laboratory of Cell Technologies and Tissue Engineering at RUDN Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Russian University of People's Friendship, won the competition for young scientists at the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Topical Issues of Morphogenesis in Norm and Pathology.” She was awarded the Academician A.P. Avtsyn Prize.
Imagine a world where everyone has enough food, clean water, access to education, and decent work. A world where nature is protected and the future of our planet is cared for. These are the Sustainable Development Goals—to achieve a sustainable future for all! To this end, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a global plan that helps countries and people work together towards a better future. All 193 UN member states have joined the plan.
Researchers from the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence at RUDN University conducted a large-scale study that revealed systemic errors in large language models (LLMs) when diagnosing depression based on text. This work, carried out in collaboration with colleagues from AIRI, Federal Research Center “Computer Science and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and MBZUAI, not only identifies the problem but also lays the foundation for the creation of more reliable and secure tools for detecting depression and anxiety.
Alexandra Sentyabreva, a junior researcher at the Laboratory of Cell Technologies and Tissue Engineering at RUDN Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Russian University of People's Friendship, won the competition for young scientists at the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Topical Issues of Morphogenesis in Norm and Pathology.” She was awarded the Academician A.P. Avtsyn Prize.