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Introduction: Mate-seekers employ several strategies to become more attractive as mates. In the present study, we examined the use of 10 strategies for becoming more desirable as a mate in the Lithuanian cultural context. Methods: Using a sample of 295 Lithuanian-speaking participants, we explored the frequency and types of strategies employed to enhance mate appeal. Results: The most frequently used strategy was "Enhance looks," followed by "Show off abilities and talents" and "Demonstrate similarity." The least used strategies were "Show off and exaggerate wealth" and "Drastic appearance changes." The 10 strategies could be classified into two domains or main strategies, with participants indicating a more frequent use of "Develop and demonstrate desirable traits" followed by "Deceive about undesirable traits." Additionally, sex differences and age differences were identified for several strategies. Discussion: The findings highlight the prominence of certain strategies over others in the Lithuanian context, with a notable emphasis on developing and demonstrating desirable traits. The study also reveals variations in strategy use based on sex and age, suggesting that these factors influence mate-seeking behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple studies highlight the crucial role of management of a positive organisational climate, which in turn contributes to employee well-being and healthy workplace relationships and mitigates the occurrence of negative behaviour, including harassment at the workplace. Furthermore, contemporary scholars emphasise the importance of open and transparent communication channels in reducing workplace tensions and improving employee mental health. However, the interrelationship between organisational climate, open communication, employee well-being, and negative behaviours in the workplace is a complex phenomenon. Despite the relevance and interest in organisational climate on employee well-being, limited efforts have been devoted to the area of relationships and causality, and straightforward answers about the objective links between these phenomena and their general nature remain complex. Therefore, this study aims to strengthen the understanding of the impact of the organisational climate on employee well-being and negative behaviours in the workplace. This is the first study that applied causality to the investigated problem to identify statistical relationships between the variables. This study was conducted in Lithuanian social service centres and schools, focussing on professionals with a high psychological risk at work due to their nature. This study offers valuable contributions and provides a comprehensive and profound insight into the management field, focussing on the impact of the organisational climate. The values of harassment in the workplace are explained by the values of organisational climate and employee well-being. This study demonstrates that improving the organisational climate contributes to employee well-being and healthy relationships and reduces the prevalence of negative behaviours in the workplace. This study introduces the academic and practical implications and suggests the pathways for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated the predictors of poor SRH in a representative sample of Lithuanian mainstream school students in grades 7–8. We also checked for gender differences in the associations between SRH and depressive symptoms and other predictors. Methods: A total of 2104 7th–8th-grade students participated (response rate 73.95%) and were asked about depressive symptoms, psychosomatic health complaints, negative acts at school, feeling at school, family stress and violence, sense of coherence, self-esteem, and lifestyle. We used a hierarchical regression analysis including a variety of self-rated health predictors. Results: Boys scored significantly higher on physical activity and smoking, whereas girls scored significantly higher on SRH, depressive symptoms, psychosomatic health complaints, and family stress and violence, though the significance was lost in the hierarchical regression. Depressive symptoms were the strongest predictor of poor SRH (standardized β = 0.309, p < 0.001), though other investigated predictors were also significant but had lower effect sizes. Strong evidence was found supporting the buffering role of sense of coherence in the relationship between depressive symptoms and SRH (standardized β = −0.266, p < 0.001). Conclusions: We can conclude that the magnitude of the relationship between depressive symptoms and self-rated health is dependent on the levels of sense of coherence. We did not find gender differences in those associations. As poor SRH is easy to determine, especially with a one-item question, the cases of poorly rated health should be detected early and corrected by interventions in order to prevent poor health outcomes in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we will examine how ethnicity (Russians and Russian speakers of mixed ethnic identities) and religion (Orthodoxy) interact and construct ethnoreligious identity in the case of Orthodox Christians in Lithuania. To investigate these aspects, the article will draw on data from qualitative fieldwork (2019–2021) and the analysis of articles from the official journal of the archdiocese of Vilnius and Lithuania. We argue that for the Orthodox community in Lithuania, the historically established close links of Orthodoxy with Russian Orthodox tradition and Russian identity are important today. However, a significant part of the Lithuanian Orthodox community identifies with the global (Byzantium) and/or local (Grand Duchy of Lithuania) Orthodox tradition and faces the challenge of including the Lithuanian language in religious education and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The perceived effectiveness of penalties for traffic offences was related to the evaluation perspective (personal vs general). • The perceived effectiveness of penalties was not related to prior punishment experience. • The perceived strictness of penalties was not related to the evaluation perspective. • Males perceived penalties for traffic offences as stricter compared to women. • Drivers with experience of having their driving licence suspended reported the highest perceived strictness of penalties. Introduction: Previous research has identified the perception of penalties as one of the most important deterrents to road traffic offenses. This study investigated whether the perceived effectiveness and the perceived strictness of penalties for different traffic offenses are associated with prior punishment experience and evaluation perspective (personal – if participants were being punished themselves, vs. general – for punishing all drivers). Method: A convenience sample of 1,374 Lithuanian drivers participated in the survey (56.3% males; aged 18–77 years). Among them, 801 participants had no penalties for traffic offenses, 333 reported monetary fines in the last year, and 240 reported having their drivers license suspended at least once in their driving career. A scale with 10 specific penalties for traffic offenses was developed to measure the perceived effectiveness and strictness of penalties. Half of the participants evaluated the penalties as if they were personally sanctioned for each traffic offense (personal perspective), while the other half assessed the effectiveness and strictness of the penalties for drivers in general. Results: The results indicated that the perceived effectiveness of penalties was related to the evaluation perspective, being higher for changing one's own behavior than for changing behavior in general. However, the perceived effectiveness of penalties was not related to prior punishment experience. Males and drivers who had experienced their license being suspended reported the highest perceived strictness of the penalties, whereas females and drivers with no prior punishment experience perceived penalties as the least strict. Practical applications: These findings suggest the need for developing new ways of communicating penalties to different groups of drivers. Nevertheless, this research was exploratory in nature and further research is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Logos: A Journal, of Religion, Philosophy Comparative Cultural Studies & Art (08687692) is the property of Logos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many Lithuanian intellectuals fled from the occupied Lithuania during the Second World War and after it, including the most famous architects who created the architectural language of interwar Kaunas Modernism. After escaping from the war-torn country to the United States of America, they resumed their professional pursuits while living in exile. Stasys Kudokas – one of the most prominent and productive architects in the interwar Lithuania – also pursued his carreer while living in exile. Yet his architectural heritage in the United States of America is still an under-researched topic. The Lithuanian diaspora press remains one of the most comprehensive sources exploring Kudokas’ professional path in the United States of America. By using descriptive and comparative methods, this study aims to examine the most important projects by Kudokas for the Lithuanian diaspora and the related expectations of Lithuanian communities, reflected in the diaspora press. This study will reveal that the reflection of Lithuanianness in the architecture designed for the Lithuanian community was the most important criterion for evaluating Kudokas’ legacy in the exile press.

This article presents the reconstruction of housing for Jewish Lithuanian refugees returning home after World War I. The refugees found their original homes 'completely destroyed' or 'partially destroyed,' which were the formal categories used by the government. Between 1921 and 1924, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) worked with the refugees and the Lithuanian government to rebuild communities, and also collaborated with the local Jewish National Council (JNC) in providing financial and organizational support for reconstruction. This was a tenuous relationship based on JDC and JNC differences and oft-changing government housing policies. This article analyzes the rebuilding of two cities: Šiauliai (completely destroyed) and Panevėžys (partially destroyed). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the reintegration of tacit skills among Polish and Lithuanian migrants returning from the UK amid Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a CAWI survey of 740 returnees, it explores the application of tacit skills acquired abroad in their origin countries’ labor markets. The research reveals the challenges return migrants face in utilizing their overseas-acquired skills, influenced by local labor market structures, employers’ attitudes, and individual experiences. The findings contribute to understanding the role of international migration in skill distribution and labor market dynamics, focusing on the personal and economic reintegration of return migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the shift to the dimensional model of personality pathology, the need for measures assessing personality functioning in adolescence has emerged. The Levels of Personality Functioning Questionnaire 12-18 (LoPF-Q 12-18) was developed specifically for adolescents, tailoring the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders in the DSM-5. Using the Lithuanian LoPF-Q 1218, we further investigate its validity by reexamining its factorial structure and extending convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity analyses. A total of 1,048 community-based and clinically referred 12-18-year-old adolescents completed the LoPF-Q 12-18 along with other self-report measures of personality pathology, psychopathological symptoms, and psychosocial functioning. In line with previous findings, the results supported the bifactor model consisting of a strong general factor and little multidimensionality caused by the group factors, overall suggesting an essentially unidimensional structure. Further analyses provided additional information on the construct validity of the LoPF-Q 12-18. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, we analyze the image of the Soviet Union and Russia presented by the Lithuanian and Polish states to the youngest generation. Our empirical data comes from textbooks for social sciences and recent history, beginning from the gaining independence of both countries after the First World War until the aggression on Ukraine in 2014. We focused on the ways of presenting to the pupils the politics, society, and culture of the Soviet and Russian states. We show how textbooks present the Russian state as irrational and dangerous and how the longue durée of the imperial thinking is seen as the leitmotiv of the narratives on Russian history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the frequency of different types of arithmetic word problems (AWP) in Lithuanian textbooks. The results show the lack of variety among types of AWP. We propose the framework for analysis of the frequency of types of AWP in a textbook and apply it to a particular set of primary school textbooks. We use a statistical method to compare the sample from the textbook rather than from the entire textbook. Also, we compare the proportions of types of AWP in Lithuanian textbooks with those in Singaporean and Spanish textbooks. The approach adopted in the paper can be used to analyze other textbooks from different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I explore the relationship between religion and nationhood among contemporary Lithuanian migrants in Norway. The central puzzle is the lack of an open national feeling in the religious setting. However, academic literature has well documented the tight connection between the Catholic Church and Lithuanian nationhood. Interpreting the empirical data from qualitative interviews and participant observations through the lens of everyday nationalism, I argue that seeming lacklustre national sensibilities among Lithuanian Catholics do not signal Catholicism's demise as the vehicle for reproducing Lithuanian nationhood. Instead, it is an expression of the resilience of banal forms of nationalism reproduced via the institutional framework of the Catholic Church and the practices of the clergy and laity. I suggest that the case of Lithuanian Catholics in Norway intimates the need for a more nuanced approach to the concept of individual agency as opposed to a strict agency vs. banality dichotomy in everyday nationhood scholarship. Scrutinising habitual, banal forms of nationhood, together with the conscious ones, is pivotal in comprehending the complex relationship between religion and nationalism in empirical cases where visible displays of national sensibilities may be subtle but nonetheless meaningful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to analyse how the most read Romanian media outlets (Libertatea, Digi24, Ştirile Pro TV, Adevărul, Click!) were reporting news about Lithuania in the period between 24 February 2022 and 15 April 2024, with two aims being elaborated in the research. The first goal is to focus on the reflection of Lithuanian and Romanian bilateral relations; the second goal is to assess the Romanian media coverage on the news related to Lithuanian national security. The research suggests that the Romanian media is extensively reporting news from Lithuania. These news items can be grouped into three categories: the first category is the security news; the second category is the other news containing anything directly related to Lithuania excluding security questions; the third category is the contextual news, with only contextual references to Lithuania among other things. Meanwhile, the security category can be grouped into three subcategories, those being: the news from Lithuania; the news covering Lithuanian and Romanian bilateral relations; the contextual news. The analysis confirms the intensively developing bilateral relations as well as wide coverage of Lithuanian security questions in Romanian media. The study aims to expand the perceptions of the geographical dimension of the Lithuanian network of bilateral relations, and representation of Vilnius' security perceptions in NATO allies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to construct energy intensity forecasting models for key manufacturing industries, with a particular focus on "catching up" European economies. Future energy intensity values serve as the foundation for energy demand forecasts, which are essential inputs for the analysis of countries' decarbonisation scenarios. The Lithuanian case is analysed in the context of its efforts to reach the economic development level of the most advanced European Union (EU) countries. The scientific literature and energy policy analysis, interdependence (correlation and regression), tendency and case analysis, logical economic reasoning, and graphical representation methods have been applied. The energy intensity forecasts until 2050 were based on historical statistical data of value added and final energy consumption of EU countries from 2000 to 2021. The analysis of historical trends revealed a remarkable decrease in industrial energy intensity in most EU countries, including Lithuania. Given the rapid pace of decline in historical energy intensity, the values observed in individual Lithuanian industries have already reached levels comparable to the most economically advanced EU countries. Four econometric trendlines were employed to construct forecasting models for energy intensity. The results for Lithuania demonstrated that the selected trendlines exhibited a high degree of fit with historical energy intensity data from the EU, as evidenced by their R2 values. Furthermore, the forecasts were shown to be highly accurate, with their MAPEs remaining below 10% in most cases. Nevertheless, the logarithmic trendline was found to be the most accurate for forecasting energy intensity in total manufacturing (MAPE = 4.0%), non-metallic minerals (MAPE = 3.5%), and food, beverages, and tobacco (MAPE = 4.1%) industries, with the exponential trendline in the chemical industry (MAPE = 8.7%) and the moving average in the total manufacturing industry (MAPE = 4.0%), food industries (MAPE = 4.0%), and remaining aggregate industries (MAPE = 14.5%). It is forecasted that energy intensity could decline by 8 to 16% to 1.10–1.20 kWh/EUR in Lithuania's manufacturing industries by 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although remote criminal proceedings have existed in Lithuania for some time, they have never been used as extensively as during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic demonstrated that remote criminal proceedings could help prevent the spread of infectious diseases and at the same time facilitate the criminal justice process by eliminating, for example, the need to spend time travelling to the location of the proceedings or wasting other resources. For this reason, even after the COVID-19 pandemic, remote criminal proceedings remained popular. However, the remote criminal process is not a neutral substitute for the in-person criminal proceedings. It has an impact on the traditional paradigm of criminal proceedings that is not always positive. This article discusses the regulation of remote criminal proceedings in Lithuania by presenting the findings of an empirical study of Lithuanian lawyers' perspectives on the remote criminal process which surveyed more than 100 Lithuanian lawyers (judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and pre-trial investigation officers). The article discusses the main advantages and disadvantages of remote criminal proceedings noted by the professionals and identifies legal problems caused by such mode of proceedings. The paper seeks to demonstrate that the development of remote criminal proceedings should be carried out with caution, taking into account its impact on the quality of criminal proceedings and the rights of the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth and diversity in contemporary return migration have given rise to questions related to migrants' (re)integration into their society of origin. In particular, a growing set of studies examine the returnees' labour market situation to understand how time spent living and working abroad affects individuals' social mobility upon return. The key aim of this paper is to explore the socio-occupational paths of returning migrants. Based on the online survey with Polish and Lithuanian returnees (n = 544) who had spent at least a year in the UK, we aim to identify patterns in the socio-occupational sequences of people experiencing returning migration. Based on sequence analysis carried out in TraMineR (Life Trajectory Miner for R) covering the situation of returning migrants before migration, during migration and upon return, we have distinguished four clusters of sequences: (1) sequences with education, (2) sequences with employment, (3) sequences with unemployment and (4) sequences with self-employment. We compare those clusters in terms of demographic characteristics, as well as migration plans. We also take into consideration skills acquired and transferred throughout migration trajectories. With this typology based on the unique dataset of returning migrants, we supplement existing, primarily qualitative, research on returning migrants' careers with the sequence analysis based on quantitative data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lithuanian language, together with Latvian, belongs to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family and to the group of Eastern Baltic languages. The two surviving Baltic languages have many common features of phonemic inventories: opposition of long and short vowels, an abundance of diphthongs, a system of pitch accent. They have also developed substantial differences, e.g. Latvian has fixed stress and a set of palatal consonants, while Lithuanian has free (distinctive) stress and a phonological opposition between palatalized and non-palatalized consonants (Poliakovas 2008: 9, 42; Dini 2019: 577; Jaroslavienė et al. 2019: 263; Gelumbeckaitė & Pakerys 2020). In contrast to other Indo-European languages, the Baltic languages have lost j between a consonant and a front vowel, and have preserved m , rather than assimilated it, before the dental consonants d , t , which has not become n 1 (Endzelynas 1957: 8). Lithuanian has preserved the manner of articulation of Indo-European plosive consonants (Bonfante 2008: 40). As a result of the continuous and long-lasting contact of Baltic with Slavic languages, these language groups also share common linguistic features (discussed later). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first half of the 20th century, all the states that emerged on the east coast of the Baltic gained access to the sea. Each tried to utilise this to strengthen their economies, but contemporaries had different views on their potential to do so. One example is that the Latvians were labelled as a maritime nation, while the Lithuanians were portrayed as a “continental” nation. This is sometimes still the case today. The research presented in this article shows that despite this judgement, the need to create images of the maritime past of the Latvian and Lithuanian nations manifested in both cases through the historiography that influenced modern national identities. The article focuses on the different representations of the maritime past used by the Latvian and Lithuanian national movements in the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century and examines the origins of these representations as well as the contexts in which they were instrumentalised. The research shows that although the images were different, Lithuanian and Latvian historians used similar strategies to create and disseminate them. These included retrospective identification with mediaeval and early modern societies and attempts to use images of the maritime past to find alternatives to German domination in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Everyday lives at the borders have lately been of interest in academic research. Drawing on visual elicitation interviews, this study analyses how ethnic Lithuanians living on the Polish borderland interpret images of the landscape which they inhabit. The aim of this analysis is to understand how these borderlanders position themselves vis-à-vis socio-spatial borderland realities, and how visual materials can instigate extensive plotted narratives. The results demonstrate that the Lithuanian minority in Poland not only challenges or accepts the public narratives, but that they also use them as props to create a unified narrative about their identification and belonging, which transgresses time, place and situated events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is the most common cause of mortality due to cancer for women both in Lithuania and worldwide. The chances of survival after diagnosis differ significantly depending on the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis and other factors. One way to estimate survival is to construct a Kaplan–Meier estimate for each factor value separately. However, in cases when it is impossible to observe a large number of patients (for example, in the case of countries with lower numbers of inhabitants), dividing the data into subsets, say, by stage at diagnosis, may lead to results where some subsets contain too few data, thus causing the results of a Kaplan–Meier (or any other) method to become statistically incredible. The problem may become even more acute if researchers want to use more risk factors, such as stage at diagnosis, sex, place of living, treatment method, etc. Alternatively, Cox models can be used to analyse survival data with covariates, and they do not require the data to be divided into subsets according to chosen risks factors (hazards). We estimate the chances of survival for up to 5 years after a breast cancer diagnosis for Lithuanian females during the period of 1995–2016. Firstly, we construct Kaplan-Meier estimates for each stage separately; then, we apply a (stratified) Cox model using stage, circumstance of diagnosis, and year of diagnosis as (potential) hazards. Some directions of further research are provided in the last section of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lituanistica is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Low back pain is one of the most frequent medical problems caused by different factors. It is important to evaluate low back pain by choosing the best suited tool for the specific spine condition and pain severity. The Spine Functional Index (SFI) is a relatively new physical functioning-related questionnaire that can be used to assess different aspects of daily activities and movements. The purpose of this study was to cross-culturally adapt the SFI for the Lithuanian language and to determine its psychometric properties of validity, reliability, construct stability, internal consistency and factor structure. Methods: The study was designed as a two-stage observational study. Double forward and backward translations of SFI were performed for cultural adaptation for the Lithuanian language. For evaluation of psychometric properties, 125 participants with non-specific low back pain (duration of symptoms ≥ 6 weeks) rated their pain using Numeric Rating Scale, completed the Lithuanian version of SFI and Oswestry Disability Index. In 3 to 7 days all participants completed Lithuanian version SFI for the second time. The full sample was employed to determine internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct stability, measurement error, construct validity and factor structure. Results: There was good internal consistency and reliability with Lithuanian version of SFI as Cronbach's α = 0.92 and r = 0.82. Spearman-Brown coefficient was 0.97 representing good construct stability. Measurement error from standard error of the mean (SEM) was 6.96, from Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) was 16.24. Construct validity between the Lithuanian version of SFI and Oswestry Disability Index was excellent (ρ = 0.83), and good between the SFI and Numeric Rating Scale (ρ = 0.55). The factor analysis demonstrated a one-factor solution explaining 35.04% of total variance. Conclusion: Lithuanian version of SFI is a new reliable and valid instrument for functional evaluation of back pain in Lithuanian speaking patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Euthanasia and assisted suicide, involving the intentional termination of a patient's life, are subjects of global debate influenced by cultural, ethical, and religious beliefs. This study explored the attitudes of the general public toward euthanasia, finding varying levels of support. A cross-sectional study was conducted. This research specifically evaluated the perspectives of 5804 Lithuanian residents using a survey distributed through social media, which presented medical scenarios on life-preserving interventions. Analysis indicated that gender, religion, experience in caring for patients in a terminal condition, education, and age significantly influenced the attitudes of the respondents toward end-of-life decisions. Specifically, factors like being non-religious or having less experience in caring for the terminally ill correlated with a more positive opinion regarding euthanasia and other forms of medical assistance in dying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithuanian traditional polyphonic songs, known as sutartinės, are characterized by a distinctive musical language and have almost no analogues in world music. The aim of this article is to explore the peculiarities of their musical language and the socio-cultural context of their performance tradition in order to reveal their archaic origins. The archaic nature of sutartinės songs is shown not by individual features of their musical language, but by the totality of these features, the peculiarities of their poetics, and performance traditions. An examination of the musical elements and poetry of these songs, and their juxtaposition against examples of archaic vocal polyphony from other cultures, leads to the convergence of arguments in favour of the very ancient origins of these songs, possibly dating back to Old Europe (c. 3 millennium BC). A deeper insight into sutartinės songs significantly enriches our understanding of the origin and development of traditional vocal polyphony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines perceptions of relationship quality as antecedents of best friendship dissolution. Participants included 230 students in Florida (United States; 54.3% girls; ages = 8–13; 39.6% European American, 27.0% Hispanic American, 21.7% African American, and 2.6% Asian American) and 496 students in Lithuania (49.0% girls; ages = 8–14; 358 boys; nearly all ethnic Lithuanian) attending public schools in Florida (United States) and Lithuania. Reciprocated best friends were identified from friend nominations midway through the school year, at which time each partner described perceptions of social support and negativity in the relationship. Of the 363 reciprocated friend dyads, 26.2% (n = 95) were no longer friends 1–3 months later. Dyadic analyses were conducted with initial perceived friend negativity and initial perceived friend social support as predictors of subsequent friendship stability. When considered separately, perceived social support predicted self- and partner reports of friendship stability and perceived negativity predicted self- (but not partner) reports of friendship stability. In each case, lower initial social support and higher initial negativity predicted a greater incidence of friendship dissolution. When considered together, initial perceptions of social support predicted self- and partner reports of friendship dissolution, but perceptions of negativity predicted neither. The findings are consistent with those from married couples, which indicate that the absence of positive interactions is a stronger predictor of relationship instability than the presence of negative interactions. Public Significance Statement: The detrimental consequences of friend loss are well documented, but the characteristics that forecast it are not clear. Results from this study indicate that the absence of social support is more of a threat to friendship continuity than the presence of negativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

March 25, 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Lithuanian Relief Fund of America (Lith. Bendrasis Amerikos Lietviu salpos fondas, BALF) as a united relief organization of patriotic Lithuanians in thi? United States. The Fund goes clown in the history of Lithuania as the largest and longtime philanthropic organization of the Lithuanian diaspora that provided relief for Lithuanians in trouble all over the world. The author of the article analyzes the history of this organization and its significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses a thematic inductive analysis to identify the channels through which Soviet propaganda from Radio Vilnius (Lithuanian SSR radio) reached the press of Lithuanian Americans during the Cold War. The study covered 31, 681 issues of the newspapers Dratigas, Diron, Naujienos and Vilnis. The study results show that the circulation of radio propaganda in the press was uneven. Two peaks of citation can be distinguished: 1953-1965 and 1988-1990. Radio Vilnius produced special external radio broadcasts for Lithuanians living in the diaspora, mainly in the USA. However, the Lithuanian American press received radio content, including radio propaganda for the interior of occupied Lithuania, which was not heard abroad from eleven different sources. The content of Radio Vilnius for the interior of Lithuania was mainly received through the Radio Vilnius tracking station, established in Germany on the initiative of the VLIK. Although the newspapers constantly criticized the content of Radio Vilnius, they also printed advertisements about the possibility of purchasing short-wave receivers to hear Radio Vilnius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intellectual biography is not merely a journalistic account of the events in the life of a historical personality or a person of importance to today's society On the contrary, an intellectual biography has to do with what the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel called the spirit of the times. This type of biography enables its author and readers to understand not only the actions and positions of an individual but also the general spirit of the society's life at different times. An intellectual biography is not a history of ideas, since ideas and public thoughts are only a pretext for the author of an intellectual biography to consider both the facts of the lives of the authors of those ideas and their interpretations. The author of an intellectual biography does not deal with problems in the same way as the historian of philosophy, who tends to analyze ideas, theories and systems of thought as a reality distant in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes non-economic reasons for emigration, demonstrating how the situation before emigration might become important for the emigration decision. It aims to examine how migrants' subjective accounts of civic participation, labor experience, and emotional state are associated with migrant clusters formed based on socioeconomic characteristics. The article discusses structural conditions of the transition period that might have impacted public attitudes and expectations toward the chosen areas of analysis. The research is based on a public poll carried out among Lithuanians who have emigrated to various European countries. The research showed that both civic space and labor environment can become a source of negative emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Branchiobdellidans dwelling on Astacus astacus (Linnaeus, 1758) from 13 localities in Lithuania were collected in 2018 and 2020. Four Branchiobdella species were identified: B. astaci Odier, 1823, B. pentadonta Whitman, 1882, B. kozarovi Sucbhev, 1978 and B. bulgariensis Subchev & Rimcheska, 2021. Specimens of B. astaci were found only in two localities, lakes Ramis and Krakavas. The most widely distributed species is B. pentadonta being found on crayfish at all localities investigated, with the exception of Lake Kaukinė. The latter locality is the only one where crayfish were infested by B. kozarovi. B. bulgariensis was only found at one locality, and possibly at a second, and A. astacus is a new host for B. bulgariensis. B. kozarovi and B. bulgariensis are new to the Lithuanian fauna list. An overview of the genus Branchiobdella in the Baltic countries and a key to its species are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of a query concerning Polish-language manuscripts from the 17th and 18th centuries in four centres outside of Poland, i.e. the Polish Library in Paris, Riksarkivet in Stockholm, the Vilnius University Library, and the Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. The documents collected during the search differ with respect to their genre, as well as time and place of origin, making them a valuable addition to the planned electronic corpus of manuscripts from that period. The article discusses the types of texts in each of the collections and provides search guidelines aimed at helping the reader design their own research and collect data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To gain a better understanding of the sources and ecological effects of plastic contamination in Lithuanian rivers, as well as to provide guidance for mitigation, monitoring is necessary. This is a logistically and financially demanding endeavor, particularly in the case of microplastics. Citizen science provides a viable option for sampling sites that are accessible, thus enabling the monitoring of wide areas. In Lithuania, a citizen science approach was employed, with schoolchildren examining litter at riversides and identifying potential sources at 24 sampling sites in Autumn 2022 and 32 in Spring 2023, covering both large and small rivers. The maximum amount of 220 items per location was registered in Autumn 2022, whereas 111 items per location were registered in Spring 2023. The two main types of microlitter discovered were plastic (34–42%) and cigarette butts (17–22%), with glass, paper, and metal also present, which suggests that recreational visitors are the main source of litter. By K-means clustering analysis, all locations were divided into four clusters according to litter composition. To sum up, the findings of this study illustrate the importance of citizen science in providing insight into the contamination of Lithuanian rivers, which can be used to inform the development of conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the evolution of the social dimension in energy security transition in Lithuania. It contributes to an emerging attempt in the literature to broaden the horizons of our understanding of societal transformation and energy transitions. The analysis reveals the interdependence of changing Lithuanian society and its developing energy security concerns throughout the Independence period, from the importance of material threats (ecological, economic, and political) to post-material values (such as climate change concerns) in the context of energy security. Accordingly, the energy sector undergoes a vivid transition from a totally dependent "Energy Island" to a diversified, interconnected, and self-sustainable system. Such a journey inevitably resulted in the highlight of the social dimension in energy security and provoked certain socio-economic implications, like changing public awareness and participation, social equity and justice, and socio-economic resilience and vulnerability. The research is based on case study principles (applying sociological discourse analysis through scientific articles' qualitative content analysis method as well as energy security policy analysis reviewing all national strategies throughout the Independence period) and is focused on a unique Lithuanian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze genitive of negation (GN) in Lithuanian. When the verb is negated, GN is realized on an object that would otherwise be realized as accusative. We demonstrate that Lithuanian GN is a syntactic (in line with Arkadiev 2016) and morphological phenomenon in contrast to Russian GN, whose realization is influenced by semantic factors (e.g. Kagan 2013). It differs from Russian (Pesetsky 1982) in that (i) it is always assigned to a DP which would otherwise bear structural accusative regardless of its semantic properties, and (ii) it cannot affect a structural nominative DP regardless of whether it is an external or internal argument. Lithuanian GN, in this respect, is similar to Polish GN (e.g. Przepiórkowski 2000, Witkoś 2008). We offer a three-layered approach to case, arguing that GN is a reflection of structural object case, assigned in syntax, then translated to morphological genitive case at PF and, finally, realized at Vocabulary Insertion (Halle & Marantz 1993). Thus, structural object case has two morphological realizations: as genitive under negation or as accusative in the absence of negation. Lithuanian also exhibits long-distance GN (Arkadiev 2016), showing that case boundaries can cross non-finite clauses without an overt CP element, suggesting these are not phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maintaining genetic variability in livestock is the important step towards developing appropriate management strategies. When considering crossing native Lithuanian Black and White cattle (BW) with Holsteins (HL), comprehensive knowledge of breed characteristics, including genetic diversity, is required. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic variability between Lithuanian Black and White and Holstein cattle breeds in relation to groups with different proportions of the Holstein bloodline. Methods: A total of 126 cattle samples were studied at 13 microsatellite loci to estimate genetic variability. Result: The largest number of alleles was detected in the BW cattle group with at least 50% Holstein blood. Private alleles were found in all cattle groups except the BW cattle group with a 83-90% Holstein bloodline. Principal coordinate analyses (PCoA) showed the separation of the HL group and other BW groups, as well as the individual that was pure-blooded Lithuanian Black and White. The results revealed further actions breeders should take to retain the required genotype of the native Lithuanian Black and White cattle breed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This cross-sectional study investigates new comorbidities and new medications after a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data were collected after an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection by online survey in a Lithuanian cohort. Sociodemographic data, SARS-CoV-2-related symptoms, previous and new comorbidities, and medications were analysed. The results of 895 participants (mean age: 44 years) show that 91% were women, 58% had higher education, and 84% were working. Among those, 473 (52.8%) answered being "healthy" before infection; 823 (92%) indicated being positive on diagnostic tests; and 841 (94%) were non-hospitalized. Asymptomatic infection was reported by 17 participants (1.9%). Participants reporting any comorbidity before a SARS-CoV-2 infection reported more frequently having remaining symptoms compared to those who were "healthy", particularly in relation to neurological symptoms. Thirteen percent of participants reported new comorbidities, and thirty-five percent started new medication. Among new medications, an intake of vitamins/supplements (21%) and anti-inflammatory drugs (4%) was more often reported by "unhealthy" participants. Regression analysis revealed that new cardiovascular and pulmonary diagnoses predicted each other. Participants reporting prior neurological disorders tended to have an increased risk of intaking new vitamins/supplements and anti-inflammatory drugs after infection. The results indicate a significantly increased consumption of medication, particularly unprescribed substances, after SARS-CoV-2, indicating a need of more research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: House dust mite (HDM) allergy is a prevalent global health concern, with varying sensitization profiles observed across populations. We aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of molecular allergen sensitization patterns in the Lithuanian population, with a focus on Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p), and investigate patterns of concomitant reactivity among different allergens to enhance the accuracy of HDM allergy diagnostics. Methods: A comprehensive analysis of 1520 patient test results in Lithuania from 2020 to 2022 was performed. Sensitization patterns to major (Der p 1, Der p 2, and Der p 23) and minor (Der p 5, Der p 7, and Der p 21) Der p allergen components were described using molecular‐based diagnostics. Additionally, we investigated sensitization to allergen components from other allergen sources, including tropomyosins (Der p 10, Per a 7, Pen m 1, Ani s 3, Blo t 10) and arginine kinases (Pen m 2, Bla g 9, Der p 20). Results: This study reveals a high prevalence of HDM sensitization in Lithuania ‐ 481 individuals (45.38% of the sensitized group) exhibited sensitization to at least one Der p allergen component. Importantly, within the sensitized group, 37.21% of patients were sensitized to Der p 5, Der p 7, or Der p 21 in addition to major allergenic components. Distinct sensitization patterns were observed across different age groups, indicating the influence of age‐related factors. Furthermore, we confirmed cross‐reactivity between Der p 5 and Blo t 5 as well as between Der p 21 and Blo t 21, emphasizing the clinical relevance of these associations. We also highlighted the complexity of sensitization patterns among tropomyosins and arginine kinases. Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into HDM allergy sensitization profiles in Lithuania, emphasizing the importance of considering major and minor HDM allergen components for accurate diagnosis and management of HDM‐related allergic diseases. Differences between populations and age‐related factors impact sensitization patterns. Understanding concomitant reactivity among allergens, such as Der p 5 and Blo t 5, Der p 21 and Blo t 21, tropomyosins, and arginine kinases, is crucial for improving diagnostic strategies and developing targeted interventions for allergic individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS) and the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) are widely used psychological instruments for assessing people‘s suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Lithuanian versions of the SIDAS and SBQ-R. We analysed data collected from four samples: a Lithuanian general population quota sample based on age, gender and place of residence (N = 697, 52.9% women, aged 18–79 years); a sample of students (N = 2013, 72 % women, aged 18–29 years); a clinical sample of suicidal patients (N = 35, 77.1% women, aged 18–59 years); and a test-retest sample of students who completed the instruments twice within a two-week period (N = 54, 70.4% women, aged 18–47 years). The participants answered questions on gender, and age and completed the SIDAS and SBQ-R. The data analysis revealed that the Lithuanian versions of the SIDAS and SBQ-R have good internal consistency, temporal stability, construct, convergent, and criterion validity. The Lithuanian versions of the SIDAS and SBQ-R can be used to measure suicidality in research settings, as well as in clinical work as auxiliary tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valid and reliable methods are needed to assess the difficulties young people often face in making careerrelated decisions. A cross-sectional study was conducted to test the psychometric characteristics (internal consistency, discriminant, convergent and structural validities) of the Lithuanian version of the Career decision-making difficulties questionnaire (Gati et al., 1996) in a sample of Lithuanian students (N = 255). The results revealed that the Lithuanian version of Career decision-making difficulties has good internal consistency. Adequate convergent validity was confirmed by finding statistically significant positive relationships with indecisiveness, and discriminant validity was confirmed by finding statistically significant negative relationships with career self-efficacy. Finally, structural validity was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis, which revealed that a 10-factor structure was the most appropriate. The results of the research showed that the Lithuanian version of the Career decision-making difficulties questionnaire is a suitable measurement tool, but further studies on the evaluation of the scale are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red with anger or green with envy – such metaphors link colours and emotions. While such colour metaphors vary across languages, conceptual associations between colours and emotions have many cross-cultural similarities. Here, we took published data from 8615 participants (2172 men) coming from 37 nations (i.e., Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States) and analysed Lithuanian (n = 217) associations between colour terms and emotion concepts. Lithuanians had many associations, the most frequent being red–love, yellow–amusement, yellow–joy, and black–sadness (all endorsed by > 60% of participants). While Lithuanians associated more emotions with colours than the other participants, the Lithuanian pattern of these associations was highly similar to the global pattern (r = .92). When compared to each other nation individually, colour–emotion association pattern similarities ranged between .65 and .89. Lithuanian patterns were the most similar to the Russian and the least similar to the Egyptian ones. Crucially, such similarities could be predicted by linguistic but not geographic distances. Nations speaking languages linguistically closer to Lithuanian also displayed more similar colour–emotion association patterns. These results support universality of colour–emotion associations and point to small but meaningful cultural differences (e.g., red represented love more strongly than anger for Lithuanians but not globally). Future studies should look whether colours can modulate emotions, or whether such associations are purely abstract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbarium collections are particularly significant in countries where systematic studies of specific taxonomic groups have not been carried out, such as in the case of lichens in Lithuania. Collections prior to the 1990s are scarce, so all historical material is of great value. This paper presents the results of a study of lichen collections in the herbaria of the University of Tartu (TU) and the University of Latvia (RIG). A total of 425 herbarium envelopes (84 RIG and 341 TU) were examined. A total of 170 species were identified, including 157 lichen species, 12 lichenicolous and one non-lichenized saprobic fungi species. Nine lichen species were identified from envelopes that did not indicate the exact location except for the country (Lithuania). Two lichenicolous fungi, Endococcus nanellus and Stigmidium lecidellae, are new records for the country. [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]

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]

. 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]

Copyright of Studies of Lithuania's History is the property of Lietuvos Istorijos Studijos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)