Effective Contract in Higher Education: Intentions and Outcomes

The issue of the academic contract in the Russian higher education is associated with the salary systems reform in social sector and scientific field according to the adoption of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation from May 7, 2012 No. 597 “On Measures for the Implementation of the State Social Policy”. Institutional project of the effective contract was aimed to solve two problems. Firstly, to raise the level of wages. Secondly, to its orientation to increase performance (i.e. outcomes-based payment). Over the past ten years in practice an effective contract evolved from innovation to university routine. On the other hand, researchers moved from substantiating approaches and elaborating methodologies to analyzing the experience of implementing an academic contract and then to evaluating its outcomes. The purpose of this study is to show the outcomes of the implementation of the effective contract project in the higher education system in two directions. Firstly, the achievement of target indicators for increasing the level of salaries of university teachers. Secondly, stimulating more efficient activities.Data from the Monitoring of higher education institutions effectiveness in 2021 is used in the study, and it includes data on 1222 universities. There is information on the average salary of university teachers (excluding part-time workers and civil contract staff) for 2020 for each educational institution, as well as on the ratio of teaching staff salary to the average salary in the region’s economy for 2016-2020. It was revealed that the task of introducing an effective contract for the increasing of salaries is generally being fulfilled but with significant difficulties due to the economic factors. The stimulating impact of an effective contract on the activities of university teachers is realized in conjunction with the solution of the tasks of increasing the effectiveness of the functioning of the universities themselves

Teaching Academic English to Russian-speaking Academic Staff: The Case of the Office of Academic Writing

The paper discusses the preliminary results of teaching academic writing to scientific and academic staff at South Ural State University (national research university) within the framework of advanced training courses. The 36 and 72-hour training programs were developed by the academic and methodological department of the Office of Academic Writing. The Office was opened at the university in 2016 in order to improve the academic literacy of the university’s academic staff, develop professional communication skills in English, and assist authors who aspire to get their papers published in top rated scientific journals indexed in the scientific citation databases Scopus and Web of Science. Upon completion of these programs, authors of scientific papers gain knowledge about the basics of academic writing, the structure of a scientific paper, the English scientific style and its lexical and grammatical features, as well as editing a paper, working with scientific citation databases, and elaborating a publishing strategy. We conducted a study from October 2016 to December 2018 and calculated data on the attendees’ affiliation (an institute or higher school), the contingent (position), and the importance of the offered training programs (the number of attendees in each course). The obtained data indicates that representatives of social-humanitarian and technical fields show a special interest in the courses. The courses of academic writing are most popular among associate professors who have experience in publishing papers in Russian. Authors are especially interested in intensive practice-oriented programs. Upon completion of the courses and with the support of the Office of Academic Writing, attendees prepared scientific texts in English and submitted them to top rated journals and conference proceedings. The educational activity of the Office of Academic Writing can be developed through elaboration and implementation of new advanced training programs, including the distance ones. Their effectiveness will be evaluated by an increase in the publication activity of the university’s employees

ГЕПАРИН-ИНДУЦИРОВАННАЯ ТРОМБОЦИТОПЕНИЯ У ПАЦИЕНТА ПОСЛЕ ТРАНСПЛАНТАЦИИ ПЕЧЕНИ

The widespread use of heparin as an anticoagulant has led to the formation of the problem of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). At the present time, the number of different areas of surgical practice, in which we have to face this threat complication, is increasing. We present the clinical case of HIT in a young patient after liver transplantation. Diagnostics of HIT allowed in time to establish the cause of massive thrombus formation, perform liver transplantation, exclude the use of heparin and save the life of the patient.Широкое применение гепарина в качестве антикоагулянта привело к формированию проблемы гепарининдуцированной тромбоцитопении (ГИТ). На современном этапе число различных направлений хирургической практики, в которых приходится сталкиваться с этим грозным осложнением, увеличивается. Представлен собственный опыт диагностики ГИТ у молодого пациента после трансплантации печени в НИИ скорой помощи им. Н.В. Склифосовского, который позволил вовремя установить причину массивного тромбообразования, выполнить ретрансплантацию печени, исключив использование гепарина, и сохранить жизнь пациенту

Grain and seed protein functionality

Editado por Jiménez-López, José Carlos (CSIC

Baseline characteristics of patients in the reduction of events with darbepoetin alfa in heart failure trial (RED-HF)

<p>Aims: This report describes the baseline characteristics of patients in the Reduction of Events with Darbepoetin alfa in Heart Failure trial (RED-HF) which is testing the hypothesis that anaemia correction with darbepoetin alfa will reduce the composite endpoint of death from any cause or hospital admission for worsening heart failure, and improve other outcomes.</p> <p>Methods and results: Key demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings, along with baseline treatment, are reported and compared with those of patients in other recent clinical trials in heart failure. Compared with other recent trials, RED-HF enrolled more elderly [mean age 70 (SD 11.4) years], female (41%), and black (9%) patients. RED-HF patients more often had diabetes (46%) and renal impairment (72% had an estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2). Patients in RED-HF had heart failure of longer duration [5.3 (5.4) years], worse NYHA class (35% II, 63% III, and 2% IV), and more signs of congestion. Mean EF was 30% (6.8%). RED-HF patients were well treated at randomization, and pharmacological therapy at baseline was broadly similar to that of other recent trials, taking account of study-specific inclusion/exclusion criteria. Median (interquartile range) haemoglobin at baseline was 112 (106–117) g/L.</p> <p>Conclusion: The anaemic patients enrolled in RED-HF were older, moderately to markedly symptomatic, and had extensive co-morbidity.</p&gt

ACADEMIC WRITING OFFICE OF SOUTH URAL STATE UNIVERSITY: GOALS, STRUCTURE, FUNCTIONING

The article focuses on describing the structure and functional characteristics ofthe Academic Writing Office of South Ural State University (National Research University), member of the project 5-100, which provides for increasing competitive ability of Russian universities in the global research and education market. The Office aims to improve the academicians and postgraduate students' writing skills in English and to support those authors wishing to publish their papers in high-ranking scientific journals indexed in scientometric databases Scopus and Web of Science. The implementation of the goals of Academic Writing Office of South Ural State University (SUSU) is assured by the interaction of its administrative, consulting, translating and educational blocks supported by Office official site

HEPARIN-INDUCED THROMBOCYTOPENIA IN PATIENT POST LIVER TRANSPLANTATION

The widespread use of heparin as an anticoagulant has led to the formation of the problem of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). At the present time, the number of different areas of surgical practice, in which we have to face this threat complication, is increasing. We present the clinical case of HIT in a young patient after liver transplantation. Diagnostics of HIT allowed in time to establish the cause of massive thrombus formation, perform liver transplantation, exclude the use of heparin and save the life of the patient

Liver Transplantation in the Treatment of Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Absence of Liver Cirrhosis

Aim.  The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness of liver transplantation (LT) in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurred in normal liver.Material and methods.  6 patients with unresectable HCC underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The long-term OLT results were compared with survival results of liver resection in patients with late stage HCC.Results.  Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common types of cancer, which occurs mainly in patients with liver cirrhosis and chronic viral hepatitis. Only about 10 % of HCC develops in non-cirrhotic liver among young and somatically healthy patients. 1-, 3-, 5-year recurrence-free and overall survival in LT group was significantly better than in the control group.Conclusion.  LT is indicated for patients with unresectable HCC in non-cirrhotic liver and its extrahepatic localization. A large tumor size and macrovascular invasion should not be a contraindication for LT in such patients

Renal replacement therapy after liver transplantation

Objective: to analyze the causes of acute renal failure (ARF) and to study the efficiency of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the treatment of this condition after liver transplantation.Materials and methods. Eighty liver transplantations made at the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Care from 2000 to 2008 were analyzed. The patients were divided into 2 groups: 1) 29 patients with evolving ARF who received RRT in the postoperative period; 2) 51 patients who had no indications for RRT.Results. Postoperative RRT was performed in 29 (36.3%) patients. Of them, 23 patients had been identified to have the hepatorenal syndrome in the preoperative period. Renal function recovered in 20 (72.4%) of the 29 patients who needed RRT during the performed treatment and they were discharged from the clinic. Due to the conducted treatment, these patients showed stabilization and their ARF resolution occurred within 12.7±6.2 days. The mean number of performed sessions required to restore renal function was 8.8 (range 1 to 56).Conclusion. Preoperative hepatorenal syndrome is a predictor of ARF in the postoperative period. At the same time ARD has a good prognosis after liver transplantation. With a primary non-functioning graft, extracorporeal techniques are ineffective and maintenance therapy used prior to liver retransplantation

Liver Transplantation in the Treatment of Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Absence of Liver Cirrhosis

Aim.  The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness of liver transplantation (LT) in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurred in normal liver.Material and methods.  6 patients with unresectable HCC underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The long-term OLT results were compared with survival results of liver resection in patients with late stage HCC.Results.  Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common types of cancer, which occurs mainly in patients with liver cirrhosis and chronic viral hepatitis. Only about 10 % of HCC develops in non-cirrhotic liver among young and somatically healthy patients. 1-, 3-, 5-year recurrence-free and overall survival in LT group was significantly better than in the control group.Conclusion.  LT is indicated for patients with unresectable HCC in non-cirrhotic liver and its extrahepatic localization. A large tumor size and macrovascular invasion should not be a contraindication for LT in such patients