The Third Age Universities in Russian Higher Education: Problem Area

Продление деловой и социальной активности пожилых людей становится задачей государственного масштаба, и университеты третьего возраста являются заметным мировым феноменом непрерывного образования, работающим на ее решение. В предлагаемой исследовательской статье очерчивается проблемное поле российского опыта формирования и развития университетов третьего возраста на базе высших учебных заведений. Автором систематизированы и подвергнуты компаративному анализу собранные во вторичных источниках и из открытых данных на сайтах вузов разрозненные свидетельства об опыте работы высшей школы в указанном направлении. Ключевым результатом проведенного исследования является вывод о том, что действующие при вузах России университеты третьего возраста отстают от мировой практики и по масштабу деятельности, и по масштабу распространения инноваций. Даже при условии достаточного финансирования российские вузы почти не создают университетов третьего возраста, не определив для себя их перспектив; создавая же такие подразделения, вузы предлагают пожилым учащимся неформальное образование для приобретения ими общекультурных компетенций, содержательно повторяя программы центров социального обслуживания населения. В статье обосновывается важность теоретической и практической проработки российской модели университетов третьего возраста на базе отечественных вузов и предлагается ряд управленческих решений. Главные из них – переосмысление роли и задач университетов третьего возраста и их открытие на базе ведущих высших учебных заведений. Стратегия создания в образовательных организациях высшего образования таких подразделений направлена как на завоевание нового целевого рынка, так и на выполнение вузами «третьей миссии» – миссии обеспечения равного доступа к получению качественного образования вне любых барьеров, в том числе барьеров возрастных.Prolongation of business and social activity of older people is becoming a national-scale task, and Universities of the Third Age (U3A) are a noticeable global phenomenon of lifelong education, aimed at solving this problem. This paper outlines the problematic field of the Russian experience in the development of U3A on the basis of higher educational institutions. The author systematizes and subjects to comparative analysis the scattered evidence of the Russian experience of U3A as a form of the HE activity in the market of educational services, collected in secondary sources and from open data on the websites of universities. As key results this paper draws to conclusions that U3A in Russian universities are a new concept lagging world practices in terms of the scale and diffusion. Russian universities, even with sufficient funding, hardly create U3As struggling define U3As prospective for themselves. While creating U3As, they offer older students non-formal education aiming to create general cultural competencies, and repeat in this approach to the education content the Social Service Centre. This study allows to prove the importance of theoretical and practical development of the Russian model of U3A in universities, as well as to propose several management solutions. The main solutions are to rethink the role and functions of the U3A and to create them as divisions of leading universities to fulfil the strategic tasks of their development. U3A in the universities aim both at a new target market and at the implementation of the ‘third mission’ by the universities to ensure equal access to quality education beyond any, including age-related barriers.В статье освещены результаты исследования, проведенного в рамках проекта «Анализ целевых рынков образовательных услуг университета» по заказу РГСУ. Автор выражает глубокую признательность директору Центра исследований современного детства НИУ ВШЭ Е. В. Сивак за ценные замечания, полученные в процессе работы над публикацией.This study was conducted within the framework of the project «Analysis of the target markets of educational services of the University» commissioned by the RSSU. I thank Elizaveta V. Sivak, Director of the Centre for Contemporary Childhood Research at the Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics, for the suggestions made during the work on this paper

Roles of heterotypic CCN2/CTGF-CCN3/NOV and homotypic CCN2-CCN2 interactions in expression of the differentiated phenotype of chondrocytes

To identify proteins that regulate CCN2 activity, we carried out GAL4-based yeast two-hybrid screening with a cDNA library derived from a chondrocytic cell line, HCS-2/8. CCN2/CTGF and CCN3/NOV polypeptides were picked up as CCN2-binding proteins, and CCN2CCN2 and CCN2CCN3 binding domains were identified. Direct binding between CCN2 and CCN3 was confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation in vitro and in vivo and surface plasmon resonance, and the calculated dissociation constants (Kd) were 1.17 x 10-9 m for CCN2 and CCN2, and 1.95 x 10-9 m for CCN2 and CCN3. Ectopically overexpressed green fluorescent proteinCCN2 and HaloCCN3 in COS7 cells colocalized, as determined by direct fluorescence analysis. We present evidence that CCN2CCN3 interactions modulated CCN2 activity such as enhancement of ACAN and col2a1 expression. Curiously, CCN2 enhanced, whereas CCN3 inhibited, the expression of aggrecan and col2a1 mRNA in HCS-2/8 cells, and combined treatment with CCN2 and CCN3 abolished the inhibitory effect of CCN3. These effects were neutralized with an antibody against the von Willebrand factor type C domain of CCN2 (11H3). This antibody diminished the binding between CCN2 and CCN2, but enhanced that between CCN3 and CCN2. Our results suggest that CCN2 could form homotypic and heterotypic dimers with CCN2 and CCN3, respectively. Strengthening the binding between CCN2 and CCN3 with the 11H3 antibody had an enhancing effect on aggrecan expression in chondrocytes, suggesting that CCN2 had an antagonizing effect by binding to CCN3

Charge and Orbital Ordering in Pr_{0.5} Ca_{0.5} MnO_3 Studied by ^{17}O NMR

The charge and orbital ordering in Pr_{0.5} Ca_{0.5} MnO_3 is studied for the first time by ^{17}O NMR. This local probe is sensitive to spin, charge and orbital correlations. Two transitions exist in this system: the charge and orbital ordering at T_{CO} = 225 K and the antiferromagnetic (AF) transition at T_N = 170 K. Both are clearly seen in the NMR spectra measured in a magnetic field of 7T. Above T_{CO} there exists only one NMR line with a large isotropic shift, whose temperature dependence is in accordance with the presence of ferromagnetic (FM) correlations. This line splits into two parts below T_{CO}, which are attributed to different types of oxygen in the charge/orbital ordered state. The interplay of FM and AF spin correlations of Mn ions in the charge ordered state of Pr_{0.5} Ca_{0.5} MnO_3 is considered in terms of the hole hopping motion that is slowed down with decreasing temperature. The developing fine structure of the spectra evidences, that there still exist charge-disordered regions at T_{CO} > T > T_N and that the static (t > 10^{-6}s) orbital order is established only on approaching T_N. The CE-type magnetic correlations develop gradually below T_{CO}, so that at first the AF correlations between checkerboard ab-layers appear, and only at lower temperature - CE correlations within the ab-planes

The Haldane gap for the S=2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain revisited

Using the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) technique, we carry out a large scale numerical calculation for the S=2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain. Performing systematic scaling analysis for both the chain length $L$ and the number of optimal states kept in the iterations $m$, the Haldane gap $\Delta (2)$ is estimated accurately as $(0.0876\pm0.0013)J$. Our systematic analysis for the S=2 chains not only ends the controversies arising from various DMRG calculations and Monte Carlo simulations, but also sheds light on how to obtain reliable results from the DMRG calculations for other complicated systems.Comment: 4 pages and 1 figur

The structure of superheavy elements newly discovered in the reaction of 86^{86}Kr with 208^{208}Pb

The structure of superheavy elements newly discovered in the $^{208}$Pb($^{86}$Kr,n) reaction at Berkeley is systematically studied in the Relativistic Mean Field (RMF) approach. It is shown that various usually employed RMF forces, which give fair description of normal stable nuclei, give quite different predictions for superheavy elements. Among the effective forces we tested, TM1 is found to be the good candidate to describe superheavy elements. The binding energies of the $^{293}$118 nucleus and its $\alpha-$decay daughter nuclei obtained using TM1 agree with those of FRDM within 2 MeV. Similar conclusion that TM1 is the good interaction is also drawn from the calculated binding energies for Pb isotopes with the Relativistic Continuum Hartree Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory. Using the pairing gaps obtained from RCHB, RMF calculations with pairing and deformation are carried out for the structure of superheavy elements. The binding energy, shape, single particle levels, and the Q values of the $\alpha-$decay $Q_{\alpha}$ are discussed, and it is shown that both pairing correlation and deformation are essential to properly understand the structure of superheavy elements. A good agreement is obtained with experimental data on $Q_{\alpha}$. %Especially, the atomic number %dependence of $Q_{\alpha}$ %seems to match with the experimental observationComment: 19 pages, 5 figure

Orbitally Degenerate Spin-1 Model for Insulating V2O3

Motivated by recent neutron, X-ray absorption and resonant scattering experiments, we revisit the electronic structure of V2O3. We propose a model in which S=1 V3+ ions are coupled in the vertical V-V pairs forming two-fold orbitally degenerate configurations with S=2. Ferro-orbital ordering of the V-V pairs gives a description which is consistent with all experiments in the antiferromagnetic insulating phase.Comment: 4 pages, including three figure

Thermal Conductivity of superconducting (TMTSF)_2ClO_4: evidence for a nodeless gap

We report on the first measurements of thermal conductivity in the superconducting state of (TMTSF)_2ClO_4. The electronic contribution to heat transport is found to decrease rapidly below T_c, indicating the absence of low-energy electronic excitations. We argue that this result provides strong evidence for a nodeless superconducting gap function but does not exclude a possible unconventional order parameter.Comment: 4 pages including 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

High-Tc Cuprate Superconductivity in a Nutshell

Since the discovery of high-Tc cuprate superconductivity in 1986 many new experimental techniques and theoretical concepts have been developed. In particular it was shown that the BCS theory of d-wave superconductivity describes semi-quantitatively the high-Tc superconductivity. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that Volovik's approach is extremely useful for finding the quasiparticle properties in the vortex state. Here we survey these developments and forecast future directions.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Quasi-Classical Calculation of the Mixed-State Thermal Conductivity in s-Wave and d-Wave Superconductors

To see how superconducting gap structures affect the longitudinal component of mixed-state thermal conductivity kappa_{xx}(B), the magnetic-field dependences of kappa_{xx}(B) in s-wave and d-wave superconductors are investigated. Calculations are performed on the basis of the quasi-classical theory of superconductivity by fully taking account of the spatial variation of the normal Green's function, neglected in previous works, by the Brandt-Pesch-Tewordt approximation. On the basis of our result, we discuss the possibility of kappa_{xx}(B) measurement as a method of probing the gap structure.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jp