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The article introduces the fi gure of Vladas Šimkus (1936–2004), who had a great impact on the work of many poets of his time, although he himself remained in the shadows. He belongs to a prominent poetic generation, which also includes Vytautas Bložė, Marcelijus Martinaitis, Tomas Venclova, Judita Vaičiūnaitė, Jonas Juškaitis and Sigitas Geda, but he is mostly known as an outstanding translator and editor. Many great Lithuanian poets admit that Šimkus has infl uenced them, but he is a rather forgotten poet. One of the most important elements of Šimkus’s poetics is silence, the meanings and functions of which can be analyzed on several levels and in different contexts.

The aim of the article is to present the basic strategies for counteracting threats that are used in an industrial work environment, with particular emphasis on strategies based on the concept of safety barriers. The article presents the main categories of safety barriers and the basic safety functions implemented within the key barrier systems. In addition, the most commonly used criteria for assessing safety barrier systems as well as safety functions are presented. The most characteristic examples in this regard are given. The analysis was carried out in terms of the implementation of barrier management towards reducing the risk of adverse events in the industrial work environment.

The aim of the work is to review the basic methods of accident analysis in terms of the possibility of using them to improve occupational safety management. Analyzing accident events is a very good way to obtain information on the practical functioning of OSH management. Although the analysis of accidents and near misses is included in the reactive activities, the changes that will be introduced as a result of this analysis are the most proactive. These irregularities can be related to all elements and aspects of the functioning of the organization from the technical, organizational, human, environmental and management side, and the accident analysis helps to identify them. The paper reviews and characterizes the basic methods of accident analysis, with particular emphasis on accidents at work. Moreover, the basic classification criteria and the main guidelines for the selection of these methods are presented in such a way that they can be effectively used to improve the OSH management system.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to present the challenges faced by HR departments in the hybrid work system. In particular new tasks set for HR departments in the conditions of hybrid work organization and competencies necessary for HR professionals to effectively deal with new tasks and challenges caused by the hybrid work settings were analyzed. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review of world literature was carried out using the following databases: Proquest, EBSCO, Emerald, JSTOR, Science Direct and BAZEKON. The results were supplemented with conclusions from two research conducted by the author on samples of over 100 companies operating in Poland. Findings: A list of tasks anticipated for HR departments as a result of the introduction of a hybrid work system was created. A set of competences necessary for the effective performance of tasks was also proposed. Research limitations/implications: The limitation of research is a very short research time span and large differences in the specificity of companies making it difficult to propose a universal model for each company. Originality/value: The paper presents list of tasks and set of competences necessary in new conditions created by the introduction of hybrid working systems. It can be valuable for researchers and practicians. Keywords: hybrid work, HR department, HR professionals. Category of the paper: research paper.

SummaryIndividuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS) are frequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including increased risk for restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRBs). Consistent with observations in humans, FXS model mice display distinct RRBs and hyperactivity that are consistent with dysfunctional cortico-striatal circuits, an area relatively unexplored in FXS. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we dissected the contribution of two populations of striatal medium spiny neurons (SPNs) in the expression of RRBs in FXS model mice. We found that dysregulated protein synthesis at cortico-striatal synapses is a molecular culprit of the synaptic and ASD-associated motor phenotypes displayed by FXS model mice. Cell-type-specific translational profiling of the FXS mouse striatum revealed differentially translated mRNAs, providing critical information concerning potential therapeutic targets. Our findings represent the first evidence of a cell-type specific impact of the loss of FMRP on translation and the sequence of neuronal events in the striatum that drive RRBs in FXS.HighlightsDysregulated striatal protein synthesis underlies altered synaptic plasticity and RRBs displayed by FXS model miceFXS model mice exhibit cell type-specific molecular, morphological, and synaptic changes in the dorsolateral striatumSelective deletion ofFmr1from dSNPs in mice alters translation and causes repetitive behaviorTRAP-Seq indicates that there is altered binding of >120 mRNAs to ribosomes in dSNPs ofFmr1KO miceG-protein signaling (RGS) 4 translation is significantly reduced in dSPNs in FXS model miceTreatment of FXS model mice with VU0152100, a positive allosteric modulator of the M4 muscarinic receptor that is upstream of RGS4, can reverse RRBs

The maintenance system is a key system that provides continuity and safety of the operation of production systems and that affects the safety of people working in these systems. At the same time, the maintenance system is a set of work processes carried out by people under specific environmental conditions, using specific equipment and within a specific organizational and management structure. The purpose of this article is to identify the main management factors that affect occupational safety and to rank these factors in terms of their effectiveness in ensuring safe maintenance, using the grey systems theory. Based on the literature analysis, 12 key management factors were identified and then subjected to expert assessment. In order to rank the factors, a decision model based on the grey systems theory (GST), i.e. systems with incomplete and uncertain information about structure and behavior, was developed and verified. The use of GST in the area of ensuring safety in maintenance is original. The findings of the article will be very useful for managers in implementing safe maintenance systems in various sectors of the economy.

Ričardas Gavelis’s (1950–2002) prose contains many cultural references, including the names of famous European writers, thinkers and philosophers, such as Camus, Kafka, Beckett, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, or Orwell. Characters of Gavelis’s novels think about these authors, discuss their texts and ideas with others, but also write letters to them, contact them telepathically or even… physically. A few Lithuanian authors’ names can be found there as well. Hence, the aim of this article is to have a closer look at those names and the context in which they appear. I am going to analyze first three novels written by Gavelis: “Vilnius Poker” (Vilniaus Pokeris, 1989), “Memoirs of a Life Cut Short” (Jauno žmogaus memuarai, 1991) and “Vilnius Jazz” (Vilniaus džiazas, 1993), as they depict the same literary vision. Lithuanian authors that are mentioned in these novels include, among others, such significant figures of Lithuanian culture as Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas (in “Memoirs of a Life Cut Short”), a writer, a poet, and a university professor, or Justinas Marcinkevičius, considered to be „the only one real Lithuanian poet” (in “Vilnius Poker”). The characters of Gavelis’s novels criticize Lithuanian literature for propagating the stereotype of the „Lithuanian spirit” – lyrical, sentimental, experiencing deep emotions but not thinking, soft, introvert and passive, hermetic and closed in its own circle. The authors such as Camus, Kafka, Orwell, Beckett, Russell, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Ortega y Gasset – thinkers, innovators, precursors – add the European context to this picture. Their presence shows us what Gavelis’s characters (and probably Gavelis himself) require from literature. The model claimed as typical for Lithuania does not cover their intellectual needs. It is also considered dangerous because it creates a picture of Lithuanian mentality as soft, submissive and easy to control.

The objective of this paper is to present and verify the decision-making model which makes it possible to streamline the occupational hazards that tend to occur in the work environment, according to the adopted decision-making criteria. In this way, it will be possible to reduce inconsistencies of decision-makers deciding to focus their preventive measures upon the most important hazards, in the situation when the same assessments for hazards are obtained using classical matrix techniques. Within this model, a grey approach was proposed, which makes it possible for experts to use linguistic variables in such assessments. The following three risk assessment parameters were used as the criteria: probability of occurrence of hazards, level of their consequences, and a possibility to avoid them. The model was verified in a furniture manufacturing company on the basis of 17 key hazards assessment, which had been carried out by: an executive officer, a direct supervision employee, a work health and safety officer, and an expert coming from outside the company. This paper remedies some shortcomings in using the grey theory in occupational risk management, and constitutes an original application of this concept in the work safety area.

Occupational health and safety (OHS) management is a cycle of decision-making processes, many of which are in fact multi-criterion processes in nature. Therefore, it is important to look for and develop tools to support decision-makers in their actions aimed at improving work safety levels. The objective of this paper is to propose and verify the fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method applied to compare and assess the ways OHS management systems function in different companies. The fuzzy TOPSIS method has already been used for a number of years in assessments of alternative solutions in many different areas, but the application that uses ordered fuzzy numbers is quite original in nature. It is especially beneficial to use the fuzzy approach in OHS management systems, as it makes it possible for experts to assess different criteria using most frequently used linguistic variables. The adopted approach was verified in the study of OHS management systems in four furniture manufacturing companies. Assessment criteria were requirements of the PN-N 18001: 2004 Standard. Thanks to the ordered fuzzy TOPSIS method, the analysed OHS management systems were streamlined from the point of view of 24 assessment criteria, and the best and the worst functioning system was identified. The approach presented here may constitute a significant tool for improving OHS management systems.

This paper contains analysis and assessment of use of information technologies in manufacturing processes performed over the years 2010-2013 by manufacturing companies that employ at least 10 employees. Although companies use many different information technology automation devices and tools, this paper is only focused upon manufacturing process automation devices, since these automation devices exert a significant impact upon improvement of work safety levels. As a result of this study, industrial processing sector’s divisions were identified with the highest level of use of determined automation devices in relation to the adopted average value for the industrial processing sector as a whole, and directions of changes were identified in the area of use of the particular automation devices in the analysed groups of manufacturing companies being active in Poland.

The sustainable development concept has become an extraordinarily important formative element of all activities taken by both law makers and the society, including entrepreneurs, for favour of broadly comprehended natural environment protection. This article presents the analysis of practical implementation of the sustainable development concept in manufacturing companies in Poland in the years 2010-2012. It also verifies directions of expenditures made towards environmental protection fixed assets, depending upon investment types, i.e. whether they were end-of-pipe investments or integrated technology investments. It was found that in the industrial processing sector in Poland, the highest average share of expenditures was associated with air and water protection fixed assets, whereas, in case of amounts spent on air protection means, a fall was observed in their share, and an increase in case of water protection. Furthermore, end-of-pipe investments dominated within the structure, whereas an increase was observed in the share end-of-pipe investments, and a fall in the share of integrated technology investments. It was also found that total amounts spent on environmental protection fixed assets per one company and per one employee increased, and the share of this type of expenditures in the total value of fixed assets obtained from manufacturing companies’ investment activities increased as well.

Occupational hazard prevention constitutes a key action in the area of shaping safe and healthy work conditions in manufacturing systems. This article presents the results of verification of existence and nature of relationships between the types of preventive means used and the structure of individual companies from the industrial processing sector. As part of our research work, we identified the level of use of technical means, organisational means and personal protection means in the particular divisions of the industrial processing sector, we determined the structure of individual companies from the particular divisions, and then, using the Tau Kendall correlation coefficient, we also confirmed the existence of relationships between the level of use of technical means and the structure of the analysed individual manufacturing system companies.

Non-formal education taken up over the entire professional life is one of the basic ways to build an individual career, as well as significant factor of improvement quality of human resources in general, which exerts ever increasing impact upon development of countries, especially in global economy conditions. The basic objective of the work we conducted was to perform comparative analysis and to identify changes, if any, in education in the non-formal system in Poland in years 2006 and 2011, in the area of: percentage of persons making use of education in this system, age of persons being trained, educational institutions, number of hours dedicated to education, and reasons to take up education and fields of education.

Maintaining, repairing and installing machines and devices are some of the basic processes being run within the frameworks of broadly comprehended technological process management in manufacturing companies. The purpose of this paper is to identify the level of accident occurrence risk, to determine trends in frequency indicators of total, fatal, major and minor accidents as well as to analyse basic actions being performed at the time of accident and basic reasons for accidents while maintaining, repairing and installing machines and devices.

The objective of this paper is to analyse the possibility to use the Grey-TOPSIS method to assess the occupational risk management (ORM), in the situation whereby linguistic variables were used in the assessment process. The TOPSIS method has already been in use for a number of years to assess alternative solutions in many areas other than the work safety area. This paper remedies some shortcomings in using the Grey Systems Theory (GST) in ORM, and constitutes an original application of Grey-TOPSIS in the work safety area. Considering that assessment of the ORM process involves estimation of performance particular components of this process, the eight sub-processes were adopted for assessment purposes. The degree of fulfilment of a given sub-processes was assigned a respective verbal grade from Completely Wrong to Perfect. In performing this assessment, systems being in place in four furniture-manufacturing companies were selected to minimise impacts of external factors upon the ORM in these companies. By using the Grey-TOPSIS method, it was possible to rank these companies from the point of view of functioning of the ORM process, and to identify the best and the weakest company in this respect. Further research work should be conducted with the aim to develop some new hybrid, multi-criterion assessment methods, which will develop within the frameworks of the GST.

Management processes play the key role in providing for health and safe conditions of work and managers play the most important role in counteracting accidents at work. This article discusses some basic problems related to inappropriate organisation of work as a cause of accidents in the overall national economy, in the Industrial Processing section, and in the particular processing departments in years 2006-2011. It was found out that inappropriate organisation of work was an especially significant cause in case of serious and fatal accidents. In many departments of Industrial Processing section, it was even pointed out twice more often, as a reason for serious and fatal accidents, than total accidents.

Straipsnyje stengiuosi atsakyti į klausimą, kokie esė bruožai lemia jos populiarumą ir kuo šis žanras ypatingas, kad svarbiausi šiuolaikinės literatūros kūrėjai tiek Lietuvoje, tiek Lenkijoje pasirinko esė kaip tinkamiausią formą savo kūrybinėms idėjoms išreikšti. Esė išpopuliarėjimas Lietuvoje ir Lenkijoje XX ir XXI amžių sankirtoje susijęs daugiausiai su politinės ir socialinės padėties pokyčiais. Nors nuo šios literatūrinės formos proveržio praėjo jau keliolika ar keliasdešimt metų – susidomėjimas ja nemažėja: esė (ypač literatūrinės esė, kuri artimesnė grožinei literatūrai) pozicija vis dar stipri. Kokia gali būti tokios situacijos priežastis? Kokie šiuolaikinės kultūros elementai sudaro esė tokias palankias plėtojimosi sąlygas? Atsakymo į šį klausimą galima ieškoti apmąstant komunikacijos metodų kaitą, kuriai milžiniškos įtakos turi naujosios medijos. Naujosios medijos ir jų priemonės keičia komunikavimo būdus ir kartu skaitymo įpročius. Esė pasižymi atvirumu, laisvumu, lankstumu ir kompaktiškumu ir yra ta grožinės literatūros forma, kuri geriausiai atitinka šiuolaikinės komunikacijos struktūrą. The article reviews the popularity of essay genre in modern Lithuanian and Polish literature. It tries to answer the question of what essay’s features determine its success, and what is so special about this genre that the most important authors have chosen essay as the most appropriate form to express their creative ideas. Essay’s popularity in Lithuania and Poland at the end of XX, and in the beginning of XXI century is mainly connected with the political and social situation changes, but – even though the breakthrough of this literary form had its place more than twenty years ago – the interest in it is not decreasing. What could be the reason for this situation? Which elements of modern culture create such favorable conditions for essay’s development? We could look for the answer to this question while reflecting on the change of communication methods, on which the new media has a huge impact. The new media and its tools change the ways of communication, and reading habits. The essay genre – with its openness, freedom, flexibility and compactness – is the literary form that can meet the modern communication structure the most adequately.