People's Friendship University, Moscow, Russia

The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia ( also known as RUDN University) is an educational and research institution located in Moscow. It was established in 1960 to provide higher education to Third World students. It became an integral part of the Soviet cultural offensive in nonaligned countries.

90 donors donate blood at RUDN University for the “Follow me!” Campaign

On June 10, a campaign “Follow me! #ЯОтветственныйДонор (I’m a Responsible Donor)” was held at RUDN University on the eve of World Donor Day. 90 people were able to donate blood in mobile stations on university campus. Rector of RUDN University Oleg Yastrebov also became a donor.
On June 10, “Follow me! #ЯОтветственныйДонор (I’m a Responsible Donor)” campaign took place in the main building of the RUDN University. 90 donors donated blood, among them - RUDN University Rector Oleg Yastrebov, Vice-Rector Sergei Bazavluk, Dean of the Faculty of Philology Viktor Barabash.

“I donated blood for the second time in my life and did not feel any discomfort. It took only 15 minutes with examination and filling out a questionnaire. Today’s campaign at RUDN University is motivation to become a regular donor,” said Rector of RUDN University Oleg Yastrebov.

The campaign was held on the eve of the World Donor Day, which will be on June 14. It will last until June 20. So, on the basis of volunteer and coworking centers, additional mobile blood collection stations will open.

“In a pandemic, the need for donated blood does not decrease. At the same time, the number of donations has decreased. Moscow medical volunteers help make blood donation more affordable and comfortable. It is safe and fast. And it really saves lives, ” says Daria Belimova, graduate of RUDN Medical Institute, regional coordinator of the All-Russian public movement “Medical Volunteers” in Moscow.

Online meetings will be held with experts, honorary donors of Russia and volunteers. Due to the pandemic, most of the activities will be online, and face-to-face events will be organized in compliance with all precautions.

«Our main wealth - talented, creative, hard-working people who together make our country prosperous», - RUDN rector Oleg Yastrebov

Dear colleagues, dear friends!

Congratulations on Russia Day, a holiday symbolizing the national cohesion and greatness of our country.

This day unites all who sincerely love and respect their homeland, see it as a strong, modern and dynamically developing state, who are proud of centuries of history, achievements in science, culture, sports.

Our greatest wealth is the talented, creative, hard-working people who, together, make our country prosperous.

I wish you success in business and endeavours, good health, happiness and happiness to you and your loved ones!

Oleg Yastrebov

Rector of RUDN

RUDN is ranked 326 among universities in the QS World Ranking

The QS World University Rankings, produced by QS Quacquarelli Symonds Global Research and Consulting Center, includes 1,000 of the world’s top universities. QS uses six indicators for ranking - academic reputation, reputation among employers, citation index, student ratio
and teachers, the proportion of international staff and the proportion of foreign students.

The international research group and RUDN University chemists proposed new reagents for the removal of lead from wastewater

RUDN University chemists together with colleagues from other countries synthesized new compounds that effectively bind lead ions and can be used to remove it from wastewater and even from the living organism, that is, to play the role of an antidote for lead poisoning. The article is published in the journal Crystals.
Complex compounds of lead are widely used for the synthesis of polymers and compounds necessary for the production of semiconductors, materials for nonlinear optics and ferroelectrics. The large radius of the divalent lead ion Pb (II) allows you to change the number of bound atoms, ions or molecules (ligands) from 4 to 9. Thus, it is possible to obtain a wide range of substances based on lead, that combine organic and inorganic components in a single molecule. The widespread use of lead compounds in production leads to the accumulation of toxic waste, what stimulates the solution to the problem of removing lead from wastewater.

Fedor Zubkov, an employee of the Organic Chemistry Department of RUDN University, together with colleagues from Iran, Spain, Italy, and Croatia have obtained compounds that can effectively bind lead in wastewater, as well as in human and animal body. Chemists have created it on the basis of nicotinic and picolinic acids hydrazides. Nitrate, chloride, and perchlorate-anions serve as counterions to positively charged lead ions and stabilize the complex due to strong electrostatic interactions.

To study the obtained complexes, chemists had to design a special device for the synthesis and simultaneous selective crystallization of reaction products. To do this, alcohol solution of a mixture of lead nitrate (II), the corresponding ligand, and sodium perchlorate was placed in the main part of the tube as a donor of counterions. The mixture was heated at 60 °C so that the side branch of the tube, also filled with alcohol, remained at room temperature. The crystals of the complex formed in the side vessel after several days of synthesis were filtered, washed with ether and dried in air. The yield of metal complex ranged from 67 to 87 % of the theoretically possible.

According to x-ray diffraction analysis, one of the complexes turned out to be binuclear, that is, it contains two lead ions bound by a common ligand. Using computer simulations, it was shown that all complexes form supramolecular ensembles with different types of intermolecular interactions. In the formation of such structures, anions of inorganic acids play an important role, which experiences a strong electrostatic attraction to the internal coordination sphere of the lead complex. As a result, metal organic coordination polymers (metal organic frameworks, MOFs) are formed, which are promising metal organic catalysts and selective acceptors of heavy-metal ions.

The resulted substances – supramolecular ensembles – allow to bound and precipitate even trace amounts of lead in wastewater. They can be used for drinking water treatment and even as an antidote for lead poisoning.

«I dream to create a modern telecommunication network in my native country» - student Júnior Isidú da Silva Teixeira

The African State of Guinea-Bissau does not have the usual telecommunications services of developed countries - ubiquitous cellular communications, fast mobile Internet and convenient online services. Júnior Isidro da Silva Teixeira wants to change this: he dreams of creating a modern telecommunications network in his home country. In order to gain the necessary knowledge and experience, Júnior came to RUDN to study physics and mathematics and natural sciences.

RUDN University took part in EUCEN General Assembly

The Annual General Assembly of the European University Continuing Education Network (EUCEN) was held on May 29, 2020 in a video conference format. On behalf of the RUDN University representatives of the Vice-Rector for International Activities’ office participated in the meeting.
EUCEN President Dr. Balazs Nemeth presented results of the network's activities for 2019. He drew attention to the fact that EUCEN events mainly related to the topics such as Sustainable Development Goals, interaction with NGOs and national networks engaged with quality of continuing education, cooperation with global organizations - UNESCO, European University Association (EAU), International Association of Universities (IAU) over internationalization of continuing education.

During the GA, participants voted to admit new HEIs to EUCEN - University of Siegen (Germany), Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain), University of Huelva (Spain), University of Minho (Portugal), Cyprus West University (Cyprus), University of Huddersfield (United Kingdom).

The next GA of EUCEN is scheduled to be held in June 2021 in Utrecht (Netherlands).

Reference:

EUCEN was established in 1991. The main goal of EUCEN is to promote the social, economic and cultural life of Europe through the development and promotion of continuing education in universities of Europe and other regions of the world. The network currently has 159 institutional members (universities, professional associations, NGOs) from 36 countries.

The RUDN University has been keeping an institutional membership at EUCEN since 2012.

"My dream is to strengthen the relationship between Russia and Indonesia"- Teken Vega Dessi Juvita

Despite stereotypes, a girl from a Muslim country has set an ambitious goal — to become a diplomat. Getting educated at RUDN University will help Teken Vega Dessi Juvita represent Indonesia, her homeland, in the international arena.

Equal rights for men and women are enshrined in our constitution. We are officially able to get higher education, work and drive a car. Nevertheless, a lot my female compatriots prefer to devote themselves to homemaking and raising children. I do not see myself as a housewife. My dream is to build a diplomatic career and show the world that Indonesia is more than just beach resorts for tourists: it is a modern state with actively growing economy.

To achieve my goal, I need to study a lot. I have chosen RUDN university, because it provides good knowledge. Also, students from various corners of the world study here, so I have a great chance to learn about cultural peculiarities of different countries. A diplomat is supposed to know how to approach a person of any nationality.

I wanted to study International Relations, but when I was applying, there was no opportunity to receive free tuition in that faculty. Therefore, I chose Regional Studies and began exploring Russia. It is a wonderful country with rich culture and ancient history. I am excited to delve into its geopolitical and socioeconomic processes. My dream is more defined now: I want to find a job at the embassy of Indonesia in Russia, or at the Russian embassy back home. The relationship between the two countries has lately become warmer and more open, but there is always room for improvement. I believe I will be able to strengthen this connection.

First of all, I would begin with scientific and cultural interaction, as well as educational programs. Receiving knowledge abroad is an unforgettable experience for students, which allows them to learn more about the traditions of another state. If young people from Russia come to Indonesia to study and vice versa, it will help our countries strengthen our ties even more.

While studying at RUDN University, I learnt more than a profession, I also learnt the Russian language. It is a great opportunity to work here in Russia for a while. It is not easy to find work in my home country right now, especially for a student specializing in international relations; the competition is too strong. I am sure, however, that my obtained knowledge will open many doors for me.

RUDN University mathematicians developed a model of the movement of immune cells

Mathematicians from RUDN University have developed a computational model that allows predicting the mobility of T-lymphocytes, immune cells that recognise and destroy viruses. The model will help, in particular, in the treatment of the immune system disorders, including those that can lead to cancer, and in the development of HIV vaccines.
Antibodies to HIV infection appear in the body about a month after it has been infected. Prior to that, the immunodeficiency virus can freely circulate and multiply in the body. The vaccine should trigger immune responses at an early stage, when the virus can still be destroyed, or its reproduction effectively restrained. To effectively fight viruses, T-lymphocytes need to find infected cells within 18 hours after the latter entered the body, that is, before the moment when the viral particles begin to be released from the infected cells and spread. To create a vaccine, it is necessary to learn how T-lymphocytes move and how they find virus-infected cells. Vitalii Volpert, head of the RUDN University Interdisciplinary center for Mathematical modelling in Biomedicine, and his colleagues created a computer model of the movement of immune cells to find that out. Researchers from the G.I. Marchuk Institute of Numerical Mathematics RAS, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institute for Problems in Mechanical Engineering RAS, Uppsala University (Sweden), and Pompeu Fabra University (Spain).

Immunologists know that T-lymphocytes move in the intercellular space not randomly, but in search of target cells, that is, cancer cells or cells infected with a virus. To understand how they do it, RUDN University mathematicians created a computer model of the movement of T-lymphocytes.

Usually, conditions under which cells exist in the body and laws of physics which govern them are taken into account for modelling cellular processes. The mathematicians from RUDN University also used real experimental data on the mobility of T cells in their model, among other things. In addition, the model takes into account the interaction of T cells with other cells of the immune system: DC dendritic cells that activate the immune response, CD4 helper cells, and CD8 effector cells that destroy infected cells. To study how to increase the efficiency of the immune response, the RUDN University mathematicians kept changing the parameters of the model by adjusting the “frequency” of different types of immune cells, that is, the proportion of each type in the population, for example, the proportion of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes that “specialise” in searching for cells infected with HIV.

The mathematical modelling showed that 5% frequency of HIV antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells is sufficient to detect infected cells within 18 hours, that is, before the immunodeficiency virus particles are released from the infected cells. If the share of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes is increased from 0.04% to 5%, the model shows that the likelihood of detecting HIV-infected cells within 24 hours also increases by roughly 5 times, from 7-34% to 84-100%.

The results will facilitate, in particular, creation of vaccines against HIV, drugs for autoimmune diseases as well as other disorders associated with immune system dysfunctions. The model created by the RUDN University mathematicians helps to predict the effectiveness of the immune response, determines what characteristics of the behaviour of immune cells help them to stop the development of the disease, and determines the conditions under which the body can fight the infection before the virus begins to multiply intensively.