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The article analyzes the separation of fats from paper waste packaging. The method is based on interaction with boiling water and greaseproof paper. The cooking process is considered the formation of emulsions according to different slots. The research data are presented and discussed obtained from the analysis of ready-made samples. 20 different fat-coated paper samples have been prapared for research. Ten of them have been selected for printing paper, and another dozen cartons. The half of the samples analyzed are covered with vegetable fat, the remaining samples are vegetable fat. It was found that the carton samples were less opposed to the separation of fat. During the experiment, it was determined that by cooking the cardboard samples coated with olive oil for 5 minutes, 30% of the total fat content was removed. The most effective samples of this type were heated for a long time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has been prepared on the basis of my paper for the conference Arts in the State - The State in Arts and does not aim to present the full picture, which cannot be comprehensive anyway. It is based on the approach that a text is a photograph of language, and thus an entire collection of words can be composed according to the principle of photo collage, as words create meanings that everyone understands differently. Taking into account the fact that in the above-mentioned conference the unique conception of the Cemetery for Artworks was presented publicly for the first time, this text, for scholarly purposes, was written as a case study. Depending on the raised problems, a case study allows choosing the forms of writing that are most suitable for a concrete solution and most precisely define the starting point of its "challenge" or problem. Separate parts of the article written in an improvised legalese become experimental extensions of the artistic/research field in different linguistic registers. Using the narrative approach, the author polemicizes not only with the popular role of a speaking/writing artist, but also with the rhetoric of the regulations supporting or commissioning creative work. Legal linguistics with its inner logic and power strategy used as a means to speak about a certain creative tendency proceeds from the main problematics of the article. It should be noted that from the classical viewpoint of art, rules are made so that they could be remade. Since it is the first larger official text about the Cemetery of Artworks that has actually been in operation for three years already, information of rather descriptive than explanatory or assessing nature is basically given here. As can be judged from the consistency of the presented information, its content is rather artistic, but in the paradigm of artistic research it can be read both as a practice and theory, which in its present shape does not represent either of them. Basically it is a study for art, about art, through art and together with art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper and prints on it are analyzed as composite materials. Printing, varnishing and lamination are described in terms of the formation of the composite material. The article discusses why and how the properties of a print should differ from the properties of paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first half of 1924, the Commissioner of the City of Vilnius, Kazimierz Wimbor, sent a secret report to the Polish government’s delegate in the city of Vilnius. The report discussed the activities of various community associations in the city, their leadership, and did not hesitate to provide political assessments of the organizations and recommendations for future activities. In terms of organizational activity, the Jews of Vilnius stood out from other communities, having established and maintained dozens of associations of various kinds. The published document is relevant and valuable for conducting research on the history of Vilnius in the 20th century. It the paper is almost unknown in Lithuanian historiography and has not been published yet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friction between different papers, inkjet and flexographic prints has been experimentally investigated. Flexographic prints have been made using an anilox roller, and inkjet prints have been produced covering paper with one and four toner layers. Static (SCOF) and kinetic (KCOF) friction coefficients between paper and paper, paper and prints, prints and prints have been determined. Friction properties have been discovered to be different in flexographic and laser prints. The dependence of SCOF and KCOF on pressure (both decrease) together with roughness measurements enables to conclude that the friction of prints is mainly governed by adhesion forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses some inaccurate uses of pronominal forms, certain terms, syntactical and lexical mistakes in papers on welding. The article also provides the examples of mistakes found in welding papers. The use of nonpronominal forms in the denoted terms is one of the typical morphological mistakes in treating the process of welding. Another problem is the inaccurate use and wrong formation of terminology. The main lexical mistakes are semantic mistakes and calque. The article also focuses on the syntactical mistakes – the mistaken expression of purpose, the wrong use of preposition prie, redundant use of abstract nouns in treatises, also inaccurate use of infinitive with conjuction kad in dependent clauses. Causes for language mistakes and correction of errors are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper the folding quality in the printing house "BALTO" is investigated. The concept of quality, paper folding process, combined folding machine parameters and printing papers are described. In the paper the percent of folding defects is determined, the spoilage dependence on paper characteristics, folding machine settings and other factors are investigated. Results were presented as histograms and were analyzed using statistical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses some inaccurate uses of pronominal forms, certain terms and one of the syntactical mistakes -- the expression of purpose. The article also provides the examples of mistakes found in welding papers. The use of nonpronominal forms in the denoted terms is one of typical morphological mistakes in treating the process of welding. Another problem is the inaccurate use and wrong formation of terminology. The article also focuses on the mistaken expression of purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the impact of regulatory policy on the development of sustainable flexible packaging in the food manufacturing industry. Although sustainable packaging is not new on the market, its development still poses various challenges for raw material producers, flexible packaging printers, food manufacturers, and other stakeholders. The study highlights the issues related to the development of sustainable flexible food packaging, the concept of sustainable packaging, and the regulatory policies of the European Union and Lithuania on sustainable flexible packaging. An empirical study was carried out to determine the impact of regulatory policy on the intention of food producers to develop and invest in sustainable flexible packaging. A qualitative research method - semi-structured interviews - was used. The results of the empirical study show that regulatory policy has an impact on the food industry's ambition to develop sustainable flexible packaging, although the effect can be twofold – it can either encourage compliance with the regulatory framework defined by the legislation or burden companies with excessive requirements. In this research, respondents also identified other components that affect the development of sustainable flexible packaging in the food manufacturing industry: consumers and other stakeholders, marketing. The level of environmental awareness was also highlighted as an important factor in the analysis of the empirical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive digitisation of written historical sources, optical character recognition (OCR) of texts, and their online availability in recent decades have created new opportunities and challenges for historical research. The digital humanities research model presented in this paper is based on the information organisation paradigm and the application of digital technology- based methods in studying ancient travels. The model has been developed and tested using the materials of the project "Homo Viator: Travel Space and Travellers' Experiences in Early Modern Lithuania". The main problem of the research is related to the fact that one of the essential sources of information about ancient travel are egodocuments (letters, diaries, memoirs, etc.) that contain journeys described alongside other important life events of a particular person. However, travel descriptions form only a small part of a text of a given egodocument and are unevenly distributed among different egodocuments. Therefore, given the size of the text of the egodocuments and their collections and the number of egodocuments published in different languages, researching them as sources in only one aspect (travel) requires a significant amount of human and time resources. A similar problematic situation exists with other sources of knowledge on ancient travel: a massive number of documents published in digital form (including OCR), their texts are voluminous, and the text fragments related to travel, country descriptions, ancient travel routes, travel and mobility infrastructure, and travellers' experiences are relatively small and scattered throughout the source text. The research model described in the paper is divided into two steps: (i) collection of the corpus of OCR source texts; (ii) collection of empirical data using a dictionary-based computer-aided [or assisted] qualitative text analysis method implemented with the MaxQDA software. The collection of the source text corpus is carried out by applying the general principles and methods of online search of scientific publications. The corpus comprises authentic, published sources relevant to the study (letters, diaries, memoirs, etc.) and scholarly publications about them, thus forming two blocks of text - sources and literature. The literature block is used as additional material for a more precise selection and interpretation of the source texts. A key element for applying a dictionary-based computer-aided [or assisted] qualitative text analysis method is a high-quality dictionary that accurately describes the concepts (categories) relevant to the research. Considering the specificity of the sources (the languages used in the sources and their translations), a multilingual dictionary (Lithuanian-Polish-English-Russian-German) was compiled. The structure of the dictionary consists of six concepts (categories) related to ancient travel: (i) journey (general description), (ii) road and its infrastructure (bridges, fords, etc.), (iii) means of transportation, (iv) resting and accommodation places (towns, villages, taverns, post of- fices, etc.), (v) people encountered on the way (inn-keepers, highwaymen, guides, etc.), and (vi) food of the journey. A set of keywords and phrases describes each concept. In the last stage of the study, the research model was tested. The testing showed that the model could solve the above problems that arose during the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For intensive academic activities, there is a need to ensure introduction of scientific research results, discussion of scientific works and spread of scientific investigation results in an interaction among scientists, scientists and scientific community, scientists and society. This kind of communication creates and fosters the persistent value of scientific work through the presentation and dissemination of results of scientific theoretical and empirical investigations. In the article, scientific communication is understood as a dissemination of scientific information of all areas of scientific research through formal and informal channels of communication. Scientific communication as a concept unites various possibilities such as science mass communication, public understanding of science, public awareness of science, scientific culture, scholarly communication aspects such as academic communication, purely scientific communication, etc. The aim of the article is to analyze formal science communication presented by scientists from the Faculty of Communication of Vilnius University. The research aims to present completeness of science communication presented by the scholars of the Faculty of Communication in dissemination of results of scientific researches and to create a knowledge dissemination map in which a flow of science communication and activities of scholars could be shown. The research is based on the quantitative variables that describe the form of science communication, from analysis of documental communication in scientific publications to formal communication such as participation in national and international conferences, expert activities, etc. Analysis of formal science communication is carried out from four main points: analysis of the science communication structure at the Faculty of Communication, Vilnius University; measurement of the geographical scope of science communication performed by the scholars of the Faculty; a set of participants and a flow of science communication; identification of institutions and individual scholars that actively participate in science communication in the field of communication and information. Results of the research stress several important aspects which present science communication at the Faculty of Communication of Vilnius University: the communication model "scientists to scientists" is dominating; dissemination of scientific information is oriented towards the Lithuanian scientific community; by active participation in international scientific networks and conferences; the map that presents the spread of scientific research results is wider than Lithuania's geographical frame. As the main means for formal science communication, scientific publications could be mentioned. "Knygotyra" and "Informacijos mokslai" are the main scientific journals where formal science communication in the area of communication and information is concentrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on soldiers enrolled in permanent compulsory initial military service in Lithuania and analyses their service motivation and attitudes to threats to national security. The article identifies the motives for joining permanent compulsory initial military service and highlights the fact that young people’s choice of permanent compulsory initial military service is most often driven by individual motives. In order to compare the results, representative surveys were conducted in 2018 and 2023. The empirical data suggest that the perception of the main threat to national security identified by troops as an economic threat remained unchanged between 2018 and 2023. However, in 2023, soldiers grew somewhat more aware of the threat of military aggression. In 2018, volunteers differed significantly from conscript forces in their determination to engage in national defense. The expected determination to engage in national defense at a time of an increased military threat did not significantly increase in 2023 compared to 2018; moreover, the attitudes of volunteers and conscripts failed to converge. However, 2023 saw a significant increase in conscripts’ service motivation and an improvement in their assessment of the National Defence Volunteer Forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper discusses the role of gender equality policy in the military. The aim is to find out, paying due attention to unconscious bias, whether or not soldiers enrolled in mandatory initial military service in Lithuania support any stereotypes regarding women, and if so, then what are the stereotypes they adhere to, and what are the stereotypes that women in mandatory initial military service are confronted with. The paper analyses gender equality issues in the following two important contexts: the democratic value of gender equality in military service, and the need and readiness of the military to accommodate different genders. The latter context forms a stark contrast with the former two, especially given the traditional point of view that military service is meant to ensure effective security and defence, rather than the effective implementation of gender equality. The paper analyses how stereotypical attitudes towards women as a gender support the above-mentioned tradition. Based on the results of empirical research, stereotypes have proven to be still maintained by soldiers in the target group. The dominant stereotypical attitude is that active military service may be putting women at greater risk of harassment and sexual abuse. Female soldiers in the target group are confronted with stereotypical attitudes. They link the reasons underlying the overall support of stereotypical thinking to the age of the individuals concerned, their inherited stereotypical attitudes, and their education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is a considerable body of literature on various psychotherapeutic paradigms and their respective models of supervision, there are not many articles reviewing and comparing different supervisory traditions and supervisor–supervisee relationships. However, this comparison is important on both theoretical and practical levels: it is essential to identify features of supervision that are unique to each paradigm and to determine whether there are any universal or common supervision processes prevalent across a variety of paradigms. This literature review aims to provide a clearer understanding of both commonalities and distinctions among various theoretical paradigms (such as psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, cognitive, and existential/humanistic therapies) and their corresponding models of supervision. To accomplish this goal, the paper examines essential aspects of supervisory relationships within each paradigm, focusing on: a) the key features of the supervision process, b) the supervisor’s role and engagement in the supervision, and c) the primary interventions and factors contributing to the effectiveness of supervision. We identify features that are unique and specific to supervisory relationships in each of the paradigms, as well as features that are common to all three traditions. Considering the theoretical underpinnings of each tradition, the paper discusses epistemological assumptions that could determine the effectiveness of supervision in the context of each therapeutic paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hopes to restore the independent state remained very much present throughout the whole 19th century and motivated the ideas of the civil resistance in both Poland and Lithuania. The struggles for independence erupted through the uprisings of 1794, 1830-31, and 1863. While these attempts at armed resistance did not lead to the liberation of neither Lithuania nor Poland, they demonstrated the undying willingness to regain freedom. With the increasing repressive crackdown by the tzarist government, the role of artists only grew. Paintings and poems became weapons in the fight against the tzarist policy of Russification. The paper focuses on the works that the painter Vincentas Smakauskas (1797-1876) created after the suppressed uprising of 1831. The paper proposes a hypothesis that the paintings created during this dramatic period of Lithuanian history encoded secret symbolical meanings that represented the ideas of civil resistance. The research was inspired by the repeating scenes of grief and was carried out as an analysis of the traumatic experiences in society after the suppression of the uprising of 1831, when the tzarist government started repressing cultural and religious life. The methodological combination of iconological research and psychoanalysis resulted in the premise about the compensatory functions of creativity for both artists and their social environment. While searching for the reasons of similarity between the two paintings by Smakauskas--"Steponas Batoras Establishes the Vilnius Academy" and "A Group of People Surrounding a Woman in Her Death Bed"--the research poses a question: what is the real object of loss? The paper proposes a hypothesis that the object of loss can be deduced from the interrelation between these two paintings. While the former depicts the act of establishment of Vilnius University, which is a socially uplifting event, the latter shows the loss of this symbol. It is likely that, due to the complicated political situation and censorship, Smakauskas was forced to hide this idea by depicting the anonymous woman in her death bead. Perhaps, his contemporaries, who still recalled his first painting proudly displayed in the hall of Vilnius University, were expected to recognise the anonymous dying woman as an allegory for the closed Vilnius University, which was also known as Alma Mater Vilnensis. This hypothesis still lacks in sufficient proof, yet we expect to find it during the further research. While researching Smakauskas' work, the paper has discovered the exceptional role the artists played in the social life of the 19th century Lithuania. Being the citizens without a state, they acted as public intellectuals and politicians of resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific literature points to the impact of conference tourism on reducing seasonality and addressing seasonalityrelated problems. Purpose of paper is to analyse the possibilities of conference tourism development in order to reduce seasonality in Klaipėda City. This paper discusses the concept of conference tourism; examines the impact of conference tourism on the reduction of seasonality in the tourism sector; and reveals the opinion of conference tourism experts on the development of conference tourism in Klaipėda. It was found that Klaipėda city has prospects to become a centre of attraction for conference tourism. As an advantage of presenting Klaipėda as a conference tourism centre, the experts highlight the fact that Klaipėda has a wide range of accommodation and catering services focused in the city centre. The initial stage of Klaipėda's development as a conference tourism attraction is currently underway, a process that has been intensified and is gaining momentum with the inclusion of conference tourism development in the Klaipėda City Council's 2021-2030 Strategic Plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the interactions within an exhibition between its architecture and its curatorial program. Instead of being regarded as a dual system with a single goal, the interactions are seen as two separate systems that do not always ensure a coherent articulation of the content in the exhibition. An architectural program implies an existing exhibition space with new design solutions for a specific exhibition. An architectural program is an existing exhibition space with new design solutions for a specific exhibition. The curatorial program is called the logic of the arrangement of works - the principle according to which art objects are combined into a conceptual, visual or thematic picture. The study highlights that each of these programs has three types of expression that make up nine possible interactions between the exhibition architecture and its content. Of these, three interactions mark situations where the spatial layout and its content correspond to each other. However, the study focuses on the cases with particular discrepancies, as the practice shows that such exhibitions are most prevalent. This is thought to be due to the fact that the architectural structure of the exhibition halls is often unfriendly towards certain curatorial scenarios. Instead of regarding this as a problem, the paper considers this as an opportunity for the cases of conscious and productive solutions. The paper investigates one specific case: "Head With Many Thoughts", an exhibition at CAC. The exhibition is analysed both theoretically and practically with the help of the Space Syntax method, analytically assessing the behavioral patterns predicted in the exhibition, as well as practically checking how the audience groups respond to the exhibition. Rather than using a mere theoretical analysis, the paper proposes to consider the potential of these methods for further development and practical adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is dedicated to the theoretical approaches and methodologies of artwork interpretation. By drawing from the contemporary materialist philosophy, primarily the theories of Bruno Latour and Donna J. Haraway, the paper aims to develop a version of contextual interpretation that is both terrestrial and spectulative. The paper discusses the conditions of discoursive emancipation, networked inclusivity and agency of artworks, namely: author's death, the importance of cognition, and Rancière's notion of aesthetic regime. Rancière talks about the emancipation of viewer as a result of the unpredictability of sensory cognition and the incongruity of the rules of poetics and aesthetics, which implies the activisation of artworks (images, texts, etc.). The paper argues that artworks (mediated images) have more agency than texts, which is confirmed by visual phenomenology, psychoanalysis of the gaze, the paradigm of effigies, etc. The artworks are thus the active and not-quite-dead participants of social interrelations because they keep generating unforeseen performative consequences and random meanings, as well as shaping the behaviour of the audiences that perceive them. Meanwhile authors and interpreters are not subjects but 'mere' actants - they are not-quite-alive as they rely on mediatised repositories of knowledge and forms. In terms of Latour's Actor-Network Theory (ANT), the perceiving audience (including art theorists themselves) are networked actants, and their interrelations involve many other actants, including originary imagery, (meta)stories, ideas, artists, thinkers, atmospheric phenomena, animals, and artefacts. Within Haraway's paradigm of situated knowledge, an artwork would be a sympoietic companion that joins us in thinking, makes us worry, assemble into the networks of partial, embodied, and site-specific knowledge, as well as mourn and facilitate our response-ability. If we are able to think together with various human and non-human entities, both alive and dead, this surely extends to artworks too. Haraway calls the paradigm of cohabitation of species and entities Chthulucene, and sometimes it is possible to apply it to the artworks that are not necessarily new. In the second part, I ignore the distinction between the art theoretical text and meta-text, and take up the case of Antanas Gudaitis (1904-1989). A master figure of Lithuanian modernism, Gudaitis studied in Paris (1929-1931), and his later period is marked by the plentitude of references to inter-species cohabitation. In his drawings from the 1970s, we see birds sitting at the table together with people, and his later work features 'double-portraits' that combined the heads of humans and various animals. Depicted in the distinctly expressionist style, objects and animate creatures are turned into equal actants. Gudaitis stresses the optical similarities between humans and non-humans, which gives his work the quality of the Freudian uncanny. In the conditions of an almost total cultural isolation during the soviet era, the art of Gudaitis, as well as that of the CoBrA collective, with their vision of an empathetic and slightly uncanny inter-species cohabitation (which today we would call post-anthropocentric), could have only emerged in the artistic soil already prepared by surrealism. The research of creative contexts, cultural environment and imagery is common in art history, and it is also one of the traits of the situative - terrestrial - interpretation, although the reformation of the art theoretical language through a meaningful developing of the speculative dimension is certainly not an easy task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the aspects of anationhood in art theory and culture have already been thoroughly investigated, the relatively young discipline of cinema theory is only beginning to grapple with the notion of nationality in cinema. The earliest attempts to define 'national cinema' go back as far as the soviet and the early Independence periods, as seen in the works of Marijona Malcienė, Laimonas Tapinas, and Živilė Pipinytė. The paper aims to build on these early debates and develop a new interpretation of the notion of national cinema, offer its contemporary historiography with the pluralist understanding of the notion, and therefore ask the following series of questions: is it only the cultural texts about the host country that can be considered 'national'? does 'nationality' depend on the nationality of the artist? what criteria determine the value and significance of cinema? is it just the films with high artistic quality that are worthy of our attention? how about other factors that determine the culture of cinema (audience, distribution, screening)? how does the integration of these factors change our understanding of 'national cinema'? The paper addresses these questions in three parts. In the first one, I use key authors (Andrew Higson, John Hill, and Stephen Croft) to discuss the development of the notion of 'national cinema' while paying more attention to its modern interpretation due to its relevance to the contemporary cinema theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text analyses the specific forms and channels of artwork development, namely, it looks into the storytelling potential of the physical space (the closedness of interiors and openness of exteriors), the digital space, and the space of paper publication. While respecing the artistic freedom, the paper stresses the importance of the permanently changing context, although even the most recognised art professionals can forget that, which often produces a comical effect. The research involves some seemingly unrelated topics and a few concrete objects: 1. artwork distribution, 2. the entrenchment of architects in the fabric of exhibition, 3. unseen contexts, and 4. the analysis/slam of exhibition titles from a particular historical period. The paper uses the comparative method that is rich both with references and personal remarks, and its style is close to that of a writer-artist rather than an academic. It aims to show the artworld as being slightly rough-around-the-edges, governed by distinct sources of power, and rich with absurdity. The research also uses dedicated illustrations to comment on the topical issues and various tragicomical situations related to them. Along with its visual component, irony temporarily relieves us of tensions and enriches the text companion. The research method is based on the practice of observation of the art field, and the analysis of its exhibition spaces along with individual artists, publishing platforms, and their intersections in the art critical publications, conferences and the internet. The paper tries to study the role of the new participants, specifically exhibition architects, in the exhibition context, while subjectively highlighting both successful and unsuccessful examples. The third part presents the analysis as a clash between randomly picked material (e.g., exhibition titles) on the one hand, and the material of a distinctly different genre (e.g., slam comments) on the other, thus deliberately rejecting the entire sociology of art. Because, when preparing to their exhibitions, artists fall prey to various word games when coming up with their project titles, and end up being torn between family, friends, art theorists and art centre directors on the one hand, and their intimate desire to express themselves on the other. This is also why the third part comes without any conclusions. The author is happy to live in such a structurally obscure environment (what's the difference whether you're self-taught or you've got a degree in art management; after all, life is but collection of exceptions), as long as one has the power of an individual voice. The author is but a text, while the polyphony of other people, historical events and texts is but a context, and the latter is always bigger than the former. The voice, in which we tell our stories of art, will be most successful not only when it is unique, but also when it comes out as a scream. One is thus bound to scream loudly and end one's life with a book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper overviews the history of the privately owned Kaunas Women's Arts and Crafts School (1927-1940), established by the craftswoman Stasė Gudonytė-Biziokienė (1896-1943). Her work is analysed in the context of the interwar arts and crafts education. The school was continuing the tradition of women's crafts education that formed in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Being part of the interwar elite, Gudonytė-Bizokienė, was considered one of the founders of Lithuanian high fashion. During the period of 1935-1936, the school introduced three additional courses: hat making, women's fashion, and children's clothing design and tailoring. The paper uses archival material and memories of family members to present the biography of Gudonytė-Bizokienė. The paper also describes the school with its educational aims, structure, institutional reforms of 1935, and its curriculum. The paper overviews the remaining samples of the students' work that reflect the interwar ideals of a cosy home space, and feature a mix of art deco and modernised folk style. The significance of the school is demonstrated by tracing the careers of its graduates in the general context of arts and crafts education of the time. Apart from Kaunas Art School and Dotnuva Academy of Agriculture (1924-1945), Kaunas Women's Arts and Crafts School was the only higher education establishment with speciality in arts. The school's aims matched the Lithuanian demands. Gudonytė-Bizokienė's tailoring courses were on par with the educational programs of the notable tailors of the interwar Kaunas. The paper concludes that it was the artistic crafts that Gudonytė-Bizokienė saw as her main goal, while the fashion salons were only an appendage to her educational work. Crafts education was credited with a higher status in the Lithuanian schools of vocational education. However small, the group of the school's graduates that the research was able to identify demonstrates excellent professional skills and readiness to work in the sphere of crafts education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper offers a general overview of the Lithuanian art historical research published during the three decades of Independence (1990-2020). The paper discusses the changes in institutional and academic life, the spectrum of methodological approaches, as well as the key art theoretical publications and their authors. The overview aims to assess the current situation in the art historical discipline and fascilitate the debates around the question whether Lithuania has managed to develop its own school of art theory. The analysis of the publications (mostly monographs) by the Lithuanian art theorists has conclusively shown that such school does already exist. In terms of its organisation, Lithuanian art theoretical school matches all the academic criteria: education is provided at all levels, and the dissemination and continuity of research, both empirical and theoretical, are ensured. The school has already gone through two or even three phases of development. The first stage, spanning between 1990 and 1998/99, was rich with significant achievements in the sector of education: it saw the launch of the first art theory doctorate programme in Lithuania, as well as the establishment of the Institute of Art Research, and the Vilnius Academy of Arts Publishing House. During the period, Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University launched their art theory programme, while the Culture and Art Institute in Vilnius had acquired two art theory departments. The second stage (2000-2010/12) saw a rapid growth of the number of publications, widening of the art theoretical specialisation, and further development of research methodologies. Along with the formal analysis and methodologies of iconography and iconology, came the outlines of social art history. All the spheres of art history became equipped with various methods of source research and interpretation. Among the main fields of research were the history of ecclesiastic and devotional art (patronage and heritage of mansions and urbanite art). One of the leading research problems of the time - the relation of text and image. The third stage covers the period of 2010-2020, and instead of the focus on the oldest examples of art historical heritage to the art of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. In Lithuania, the methodological innovations started gradually taking root only after the year 2000, therefore there are still many possibile routes to explore. Most texts emoploy a combination of different methodologies, varying between iconology, phenomenology, and semiotics. This helps the research to better grasp the multiplicitous nature of the analysed phenomena, although this sometimes comes at the expense of the narrational coherence and constructiveness of conclusions. The Lithuanian school is predominantly national-based. This has many advantages, although sometimes this makes it difficult to distribute the research internationally. Despite all the developments within the Lithuanian art history as a discipline, international collaboration via conferences, projects, publishing, and media still leaves much to be desired. Due to the reliability of documented information, Lithuanian art historians are able to produce a particularly high level of in their work with sources. Rather than emerging as a circle of followers around a particular prominent individual, the Lithuanian art theoretical school is a result of a number of colleagues - art historians and critics - practicing mutual support and exchange of ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to find out the rhetoric of Lithuanian presidential candidates during the 2009, 2014 and 2019 election campaigns with respect to Russia and its threat to Lithuania’s national security, as well as how candidates’ rhetoric changed when comparing these three election campaigns. The 2009, 2014 and 2019 elections as the research object were chosen because the 2009 and 2014 elections were held just a few months after the beginning of the Russo-Georgian War in 2008 and the annexation of Crimea and the beginning of the war in Donbas in 2014, while the 2019 Lithuanian presidential election took place amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In order to answer the research question, an analysis of candidates’ election programs and speeches during televised debates broadcasted by the Lithuanian National Broadcaster before all three elections, was performed. Comparative analysis of the election campaigns has shown that there was a significant shift in candidates’ rhetoric regarding Russia, Lithuania’s bilateral relations with Russia, and the assessment of the threat posed by Russia to Lithuania’s national security when comparing the 2009, 2014 and 2019 presidential elections. In 2014 and 2019, unlike in 2009, the majority of candidates began to refer to Russia as an aggressor country that posed a security threat to Lithuania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the history of the Dailė Cooperative, the need and circumstances of its founding, its structure and activities. The cooperative operated (1941–45) during a highly turbulent period in Lithuania, when one occupational regime followed another, and World War II took place. The activity of this cooperative was important in that it built a concentrated production base (workshops with equipment, materials, etc.), handled orders, and coordinated the purchase and sale of works of professional and folk art. The Dailė Cooperative was modelled after the Soviet Art Fund, which, by means of centralizing material support (materials, tools, distribution of orders, and remuneration for work) provided to artists, controlled the creation of artworks. It should be noted that the founding and activities of the Dailė Cooperative were closely related to the Marginiai company, which was established in the interwar period to support folk art and home industry. The Dailė Cooperative took over its infrastructure as regimes changed; the company’s facilities were used, and nationalised workshops were merged into it. The cooperative brought together artists and folk artists, handled the sales of their works, held workshops, provided financial support, and contributed to the organisation of exhibitions. The activities of the Dailė Cooperative partly reflect the structure of the art scene in the period of occupation, the mechanism of its functioning, and the nature of the need for art and its consumption. The Dailė Cooperative was established during the first Soviet occupation, and its activities were not suspended, restricted, or terminated during the Nazi occupation. This shows that the institution of this type and the principle of its operation (centralised management) were acceptable to both regimes. After the war, the Dailė Cooperative became the basis for the Dailė manufactories, which were founded in 1945 and operated throughout the period of the second Soviet occupation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is the first to publish, translate to Lithuanian, and analyse the description of border between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Confederation of Livonia dated on January 12th, 1529. This paper establishes previously unknown locations of some of the toponyms mentioned. It also investigates the circumstances of creating and archiving this document. A hypothesis is raised that the document had been drafted by Alexander (Olechno) Krivec and was later transferred to chancellor Albertas Goštautas (pol. Olbracht Gasztołd; bel. Альбрэхт Гаштольд; rus. Ольбрахт (Альберт) Гаштольд)) for storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-designed image of the transport repair and maintenance services company is a powerful marketing tool that enables a service company to gain a favourable market position, to gain a sustainable competitive advantage, and to increase its market share and improve its performance. This paper identifies the components and factors shaping the image of the transport repair and maintenance services company and and examines customer attitudes towards the image of transport repair and maintenance services company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-designed image of the transport repair and maintenance services company is a powerful marketing tool that enables a service company to gain a favourable market position, to gain a sustainable competitive advantage, and to increase its market share and improve its performance. This paper identifies the components and factors shaping the image of the transport repair and maintenance services company and and examines customer attitudes towards the image of transport repair and maintenance services company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the topic of ecological fillers for the mechanical properties of biopolymers. In today's world, most disposable plastic products are made from petroleum-based polymers. Used disposable products often end up in the oceans and forests. This waste contaminates water, soil and decomposes for a long time. The basis of biopolymer filler research is to create the most friendly biopolymer that would decompose rapidly in nature, while having the right mechanical properties to ensure the stability of the manufacturing process and product quality. This paper tests Thermoplastic starch with buckwheat husk fillers. These fillers are non-toxic to nature and are renewable. It is one of the materials whose use is extremely rational, because otherwise it remains unused and returns to the soil. According to the relevance of this problem, the influence of biopolymer filler on mechanical properties was investigated. Thermoplastic starch with buckwheat husk filler was used in the study at three different concentrations of 15, 20 and 25%. The resulting blends were granulated with a twin screw extruder and injected, and the casting tensile specimens were cast. The manufactured specimens were subjected to tensile tests to determine their mechanical properties. Mechanical tests of the tested biopolymers showed that the maximum yield and strength limits were for a biopolymer with a filler concentration of 20%. The data showed that increasing the concentration to 20% increased the strength of the samples and decreased from 20%. Based on the results obtained, it can be stated that a biopolymer with 20% buckwheat husk filler can be used in the production of plastic components that want to break down quickly, such as disposable containers or other disposable packaging. Comparing the mechanical properties with the material properties of existing products, they are not close, but the production of thicker products can reduce the environmental damage of existing products and achieve the required durability. The price of this filler, unlike other petroleum-based polymers, has little to do with oil production volumes and oil prices, as oil is only used to harvest the product, and therefore in the future. All agricultural fillers that cannot be used for food or animal feed or that are in excess are suitable for the development of biopolymer fillers. There are more such fillers: wheat straw, sugar cane stalks, hemp stalks, unsorted wood waste. These fillers are important in preventing the multiplication of microorganisms used in food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the book of poetry immersion (2017) by Lithuanian poet Gytis Norvilas, maps the strategies of its reading within the framework of the semiotic-pragmatic approach, and considers the theoretical issues of the mapping. Despite the book cannot be unambiguously defined as an example of patterned poetry, it is configured in a specific way which exposes the functionality of the structural visual layer in written / printed poetry. This feature of the text in question inspires to revise the interpretation of the issue of iconicity and the configuration of the model of reading literature, proposed by the semiotic-pragmatic approach. The semiotic-pragmatic modelling combines Peircean and Jakobsonian ideas with minor insertions of Lotmanian thought (i.e. Johansen 2002), thus it links the ideas from the conceptual systems, based on different epistemological grounds (Peircean vs Saussurean notion of sign). It creates theoretical tensions that force to raise the question of how the transference of notions from one system to another changes their meaning, and where one could find the basis for overcoming or bypassing the controversies. The first part of the paper explores the theoretical tensions between Peircean, Jakobsonian and Lotmanian approaches to the issues of iconicity and attempts at revealing the fields of theoretical reasoning that help to define the ground of contradictions and see the way of their bypassing. Besides, it relates the discussion of iconicity with a discussion of the semiotic-pragmatic model of reading as iconization, based on the Jakobsonian idea of intersemiotic translation, and revises the model concerning the printed poetic text. The second part of the paper exemplifies the theoretical issues in the analysis of the book of poetry immersion. It examines the process of diagrammatization - the reading strategy, which makes the syntax of the text and that of the book the meaning-making devices, shows how diagrammatization semantizes the structure of the book, transforms the process of imaginization, and helps to identify the role of the book's dialogue with hypotext to which both intertextual references and the structure of the text refer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of business cycles on unemployment rates in EU countries. The relationship between changes in gross domestic product and changes in the unemployment rate is referred to in the academic literature as Okun’s law. This law is of particular importance and the relationship has been extensively investigated in the scientific literature, but there are not many studies that analyse the European Union countries. This paper examines the relationship between the unemployment rate and real GDP in the EU-27. The data used for the study cover the period 2007–2019. The results of a correlation regression analysis provide evidence of the inverse relationship between the unemployment rate and real GDP as established by theory. The results also show that the relationship between business cycles and unemployment varies from country to country: in Lithuania and the UK, there is a very strong inverse relationship between the unemployment rate and real GDP. In Lithuania, the coefficient was –0.9377, and a similar coefficient was found in the United Kingdom (-0.9337). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The release of dyes used in the textile industry into the natural environment causes unwanted negative effects due to the carcinogenic, mutagenic or even teratogenic properties of the dyes. Based on their chemical composition, dyes are divided into anionic, cationic and non-ionic dyes. In this work, the physical method of wastewater treatment - adsorption - was studied. This is a method in which various natural substances called sorbents are used. Materials used in the adsorption process should be nontoxic, environmentally friendly, cheap, and their use should not cause secondary pollution. The idea of using sorbents made from waste in experimental studies, which can even be used several times in the adsorption process, promotes the sustainable use of resources. The study compared different sorbents: aerogel, devulcanized rubber granules and sewage sludge. It was found that the highest values of adsorption efficiency were characterized by sewage sludge granules that were pyrolyzed at 500 °C. Using 500 °C pyrolysis sewage sludge, the adsorption efficiency reached 28.14-53.73%. Granules made from devulcanized car tire rubber had the lowest adsorption efficiency values: the adsorption efficiency value reached 12.92%. The adsorption efficiency values of the aerogel synthesized from paper waste ranged from 28.21 to 38.07%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network intrusion detection is a relevant cybersecurity research field. The growing number of intrusions requires more sophisticated methods to protect computer networks. Various machine learning algorithms are used to detect network intrusions and anomalies, but their accuracy is limited. In this research, we address the problem of improving network-level intrusion detection by applying hybrid machine-learning algorithms. The paper proposes three new hybrid machine learning methods and investigates their accuracy using two publicly available datasets CSE-CIC-IDS2018 and NSW-NB-15. In order to increase the accuracy of the classification models, hyperparameter optimization was performed. The iteration method and the Chi-square χ² test were used to identify significant features of the data set. Analyzing the research results, it was found that the highest network anomaly recognition accuracy of 99.34% was achieved by applying a hybrid algorithm consisting of a decision tree, naive Bayesian, and multilayer perceptron algorithms. Achieved result is 3.13% higher than the best accuracy achieved by individual machine learning algorithms. In order to comprehensively evaluate the studied machine learning algorithms and their suitability for detecting intrusions in a computer network, the algorithms were ranked using the SCR, DR, FR ranking methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method for automated Lithuanian hands gestures data collection and for Lithuanian hands gestures classification. The dataset of 1100 samples was collected for 10 different classes of Lithuanian hands gesture. The features of hands gestures were extracted with CNN network. The classification was made with LSTM network. The trained LSTM network classified the Lithuanian hands gestures with 85% accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is situated in the field of anthropological studies of technologies and infrastructures. It focuses on methodological challenges which anthropologists encounter while studying large-scale technological projects. In investigating the social effects of the data centre industry in northern Sweden, the paper describes the global Cloud’s local embededdness, and the local/ global relations which emerge in the course of this new industry’s implementation. It denaturalises imaginaries of scale, and analyses how scales are made and unmade in everyday practices, performed by different actors. The study contributes to our understanding of cross-border technological processes, by regarding scaling as political and governmental practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the direct and indirect impact on Lithuanian society of the Soviet military garrisons established by the Mutual Assistance Treaty of 1939 with the USSR. It is written that the official (public) and unofficial (private) attitudes towards the presence of the Red Army bases in Lithuania were different. The deep perception of the garrisons’ potential threat to the sovereignty of the state was denied by official reports of the Lithuanian government. As a result of this and other circumstances mentioned in the article, the majority of the Lithuanian population accepted the fact of Soviet garrison deployment in Lithuania as an undesirable, but non-threatening circumstance resulting from the bilateral relations between Lithuania and the USSR. The article describes the practices of formal and informal communication and relations of the civilian population with the Soviet military garrisons, which had significant consequences for the public perception of the political processes of the summer of 1940 in Lithuania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the organization and dispatch of the legation appointed by the General Confederation of Vilnius in 1716 to the Russian Tsar Peter I, which has hitherto received little attention from scholarship. The starosta of Merecz Antoni Kazimierz Sapieha was appointed as the envoy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The mission demonstrated that the Lithuanian noble society despite the paralysis of the central government, could take the initiative, if necessary, not only in domestic politics, but also in international relations. However, the case analysis of the mission indicates that one-time diplomatic missions did not effectively represent the state’s interests compared to permanent diplomatic missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. In 1941, Lithuanian nationalists in the USA, having withdrawn from the common political organization of Lithuanian Americans, the American Lithuanian Council (ALC), began independent political activities in the struggle for Lithuania’s independence. They established their own organizations: in 1941, the Union for the Liberation of Lithuania, to which the American Friends of Lithuania was affiliated, in 1943, the American Lithuanian Nationalist Center, and in 1944, the American Lithuanian Mission. The nationalist movement weakened in 1946–1947, and the constant desire for unity in political activities among the Lithuanian diaspora in the USA and Europe compelled the nationalists to change their positions. In 1947, negotiations began between the leaders of the Lithuanian nationalists in the USA and the ALC leadership regarding the nationalists’ return to ALC, with conditions: a) the merging of nationalist organizations and b) the cessation of separate political activities. In 1948–1949, the reorganization of nationalist organizations took place over the course of almost a year, culminating in a joint Congress held on May 21–22, 1949, when a unified nationalist organization, the American Lithuanian National Union (ALNU), was established. Key contributions were made by nationalist leaders: Antanas Olis, Pijus J. Žiūris, Juozas Bačiūnas, Kazys Karpis, Vincas Rastenis, Albinas S. Trečiokas, Juozas Ginkus, and others. Nationalist representatives joined ALC as the fourth faction alongside Catholics, socialists, and moderates. The ALNU committed to broadly strengthening Lithuanian identity in the diaspora and, within ALC, participating in activities for the liberation of Lithuania. These issues have not yet been deeply studied in the history of Lithuanian Americans, despite there being ample sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on terminological data identification, management, standardization and linguistic modeling techniques used in preparing a new model of the Lithuanian-English Dictionary of Librarianship, Information and Book Science at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. This model is analysed from the point of view of current trends in terminology and standardization, and can expand knowledge exchange and help in its exchange accross these areas as well as improve the quality of professional content management in the future. Another aim of this paper was to update the importance of glossaries of technical terms for linguistic representation and global digital dissemination of scientific data in Lithuanian. This can help improve the quality of librarianship, information and communication knowledge, publicity, and wider use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the printing houses in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that operated during the 17th-18th centuries belonged to institutions the biggest part of which consisted of Catholic monk monasteries. Despite belonging to one group, the development path of each printing house and its contribution to book culture has unique features. Of the four institutional printing houses operating in the 18th century in Vilnius, the printing house of the Franciscan Conventuals Monastery was the first to be closed and its operations terminated. The purpose of the article is to identify the following causes behind the issues and eventual closure of this printing house. Based on the expenses and income book of this printing house for the period 1752-1769 (it is preserved at the Department of Manuscripts of Vilnius University Library,) this paper examines various aspects of the Vilnius Franciscan Conventuals monastery printing house: funds, sources of equipment and paper, building location, relations with employees and hired craftsmen, orders, sources of income, profitability. In order to better understand the specificity of the institutional press, an effort was made to establish a link between the research outcome and the wider context by addressing the question of the impact of both the society of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Franciscan Order itself on the destiny of the printing house. In addition, the book of expenses and income reveals new biographical data about Vilnius engraver Franciszek Balcewicz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research paper is to examine the career prospects of female soldiers in the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The article tackles the concept of career and legal regulation of careers in the military. The empirical part of the paper is based on an original survey of female noncommissioned officers’ opinion, which was conducted at the end of 2019 at the command of the Mechanized Infantry Brigade "Iron Wolf". The opinion of female non-commissioned officers showed that the legal basis of career making for all soldiers in the Lithuanian Armed Forces is the same for both women and men, but some of the participants in the study pointed out that this is not sufficiently relevant to pregnant women and women on maternity leave, as, for example, women on maternity leave are often transferred to the personnel reserve, and their positions are filled by other soldiers, etc. The respondents’ opinion on women’s opportunities to pursue a career in the Lithuanian Armed Forces compared to men was divided, as some of the respondents believed that women and men have equal opportunities in all areas of their professional activities, while others stated that opportunities are equal only in administration, service and similar areas. It was found that some female NCOs find it difficult to pursue a vertical military career on equal terms with men, that few female soldiers are in senior positions in the army, in other words, women often face the phenomenon of the ‘glass ceiling’ when pursuing vertical careers. In contrast, there are better opportunities for women soldiers to pursue horizontal careers in the army. Factors that encourage women’s careers in the military include their personal motivation and financial, material and non-material incentives, while those that hinder them include the stereotypes that still exist in the military, the personalities of commanders, the exclusion of women from decision-making processes, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more hotels are looking for opportunities to apply the latest technologies and innovations to their operations. Research purpose is to examine the attitudes of hotel staff and guests towards the implementation of self-service technologies into the hotel's customer service process. This paper provides a definition of selfservice technology and examines the impact of self-service technology on hotel operations; analyses the process of implementing self-service technology in the hotel; examines the attitudes of management towards the implementation of self-service technology in the hotel; and examines the attitudes of hotel guests towards the use of self-service technology in the hotel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]