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Over the past decade, increasing numbers of autochthonous cases of heartworm infection have been reported in the countries of Eastern Europe where previously only imported cases were described. In this report we have described the first clinical case of Dirofilaria immitis infection in an imported dog in Lithuania.

Dynamic structural equation models (DSEM) are designed for time series analysis of latent structures. Inherent to the application of DSEM is model parameter estimation, which has to be addressed in many applications by a single time series. In this context, however, the methods currently available either lack estimation quality or are computationally inefficient. Given the era of big data, the necessity for a trade-off between these properties may be detrimental to the applicability of DSEM. The paper is aimed at tackling this trade-off by proposing a novel estimator recursioning technique (ER technique) that facilitates the development of computationally efficient raw-data maximum likelihood estimation algorithms through data transformation, covariance matrix block decomposition, likelihood function reduction, and estimator recursioning steps. The ER technique is introduced by applying it to a special case of the general dynamic structural equation model that encompasses a noisy Wiener-process-type structure with input from the factor-analytic model. The resulting algorithm has been verified through a number of numerical experiments as well as implemented in a brand new R package EMLI, which is available on CRAN.

A scrutiny analysis of the COVID-19 data is required to get insights into effective strategies for pandemic control. However, there is a gap between official data and methods used to assess the effectiveness of the potential measures, which was partly addressed in an editorial-letter-type discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 passport in Lithuania. The therein-applied descriptive statistics method provides only limited evidence, while detailed analysis requires more sensitive and reliable methods. In this regard, this paper advocates a maximum likelihood compartmental modeling approach, which provides the flexibility to raise various hypotheses about infection, recovery, and mortality dynamics and to find the most likely answers given the data. Our paper is based on COVID-19 deaths, which are more reliable and essential than infection cases. It should also be noted that officially collected data are unsuitable for in-depth analyses, including compartmental modeling, as they do not capture important information. Overall, this paper does not aim to solve the underlying problems completely but rather stimulate a discussion.

Protein amyloid aggregation is linked with widespread and fatal neurodegenerative disorders as well as several amyloidoses. Insulin, a small polypeptide hormone, is associated with injection-site amyloidosis and is a popular model protein for in vitro studies of amyloid aggregation processes as well as in the search for potential anti-amyloid compounds. Despite hundreds of studies conducted with this specific protein, the procedures used have employed a vast array of different means of achieving fibril formation. These conditions include the use of different solution components, pH values, ionic strengths, and other additives. In turn, this variety of conditions results in the generation of fibrils with different structures, morphologies and stabilities, which severely limits the possibility of cross-study comparisons as well as result interpretations. In this work, we examine the condition–structure relationship of insulin amyloid aggregation under a range of commonly used pH and ionic strength conditions as well as solution components. We demonstrate the correlation between the reaction solution properties and the resulting aggregation kinetic parameters, aggregate secondary structures, morphologies, stabilities and dye-binding modes.

Abstract Reinforcement corrosion in concrete structures with excessive crack width poses a high risk of reducing the structure's service life. The crack width behavior is one of the most complex aspects of the mechanics of reinforced concrete (RC). With most of the models used in practice being semi–empirical or empirical, very few analytical approaches have been proposed. However, the analytical models lack either accuracy or simplicity, or both. This paper presents a new analytical model, termed the Pure Shear Model, that predicts mean crack width by a simple formula. It is based on the partial interaction tension stiffening model considering a short RC tie subjected to short–term loading. The model assumes elastic material properties and neglects shrinkage, internal cracking, and slip at the interface. It presumes that the only deformations that occur in concrete are the shear strains due to shear lag that are taken constant across the cover thickness. Deplanation of concrete section due to shear lag results in crack width linearly increasing from zero at the bar to its maximum value on the surface of the RC member. Despite the simplicity of the proposed model, its accuracy in predicting mean crack width was shown to be comparable to that of the design code methods.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the pilot experiments demonstrating proof of concept of three-dimensional strain elastography, based on freehand ultrasound for the assessment of strain induced by endogenous motion. The technique was tested by inducing pulsatility in an agar-based tissue mimicking phantom with inclusions having different stiffness and scanning the 1D array with an electromagnetic position sensor. The proof of concept is explored with a defined physical phantom and the adopted algorithm for strain analysis. The agar-based phantom was manufactured with two cylindrical inclusions having different stiffness (7 kPa and 75 kPa in comparison to the background 25 kPa) and scattering properties. The internal strain in the phantom was introduced by mimicking a pulsating artery. The agar mixture displacements were estimated by using the GLUE algorithm. The 3D isosurfaces of inclusion from rendered volumes obtained from the B-mode image set and strain elastograms were reconstructed and superimposed for a quantitative comparison. The correspondence between the B-mode image-based inclusion volume and the strain elastography-based volume was good (the Jaccard similarity coefficient in the range 0.64–0.74). The obtained results confirm the 3D freehand endogenous motion-based elastography as a feasible technique. The visualization of the inclusions was successful. However, quantitative measurements showed that the accuracy of the method in volumetric measurements is limited.

The Baltic states are the region in Europe where tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is most endemic. The highest notification rate of TBE cases is reported in Lithuania, where the incidence of TBE has significantly increased since 1992. A recent study reported 0.4% prevalence of TBE virus (TBEV) in the two most common tick species distributed in Lithuania, Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus, with the existence of endemic foci confirmed in seven out of Lithuania's ten counties. However, until now, no comprehensive data on molecular characterisation and phylogenetic analysis have been available for the circulating TBEV strains. The aim of this study was to analyse TBEV strains derived from I. ricinus and D. reticulatus ticks collected from Lithuania and provide a genotypic characterisation of viruses based on sequence analysis of partial E protein and NS3 genes. The 54 nucleotide sequences obtained were compared with 81 TBEV strains selected from the NCBI database. Phylogenetic analysis of the partial E and NS3 gene sequences derived from 34 Lithuanian TBEV isolates revealed that these were specific to Lithuania, and all belonged to the European subtype, with a maximum identity to the Neudoerfl reference strain (GenBank accession no. U27495) of 98.7% and 97.4%, respectively. The TBEV strains showed significant regional genetic diversity. The detected TBEV genotypes were not specific to the tick species. However, genetic differences were observed between strains from different locations, while strains from the same location showed a high similarity.

The 14-3-3 proteins are a highly conserved adaptor protein family with multi-layer functions, abundantly expressed in the brain. The 14-3-3 proteins modulate phosphorylation, regulate enzymatic activity and can act as chaperones. Most importantly, they play an important role in various neurodegenerative disorders due to their vast interaction partners. Particularly, the 14-3-3ζ isoform is known to co-localize in aggregation tangles in both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases as a result of protein–protein interactions. These abnormal clumps consist of amyloid fibrils, insoluble aggregates, mainly formed by the amyloid-β, tau and α-synuclein proteins. However, the molecular basis of if and how 14-3-3ζ can aggregate into amyloid fibrils is unknown. In this study, we describe the formation of amyloid fibrils by 14-3-3ζ using a comprehensive approach that combines bioinformatic tools, amyloid-specific dye binding, secondary structure analysis and atomic force microscopy. The results presented herein characterize the amyloidogenic properties of 14-3-3ζ and imply that the well-folded protein undergoes aggregation to β-sheet-rich amyloid fibrils.

Babesia vesperuginis is an intraerythrocytic protozoan parasite that circulates among bats and ticks in many countries worldwide. However, the distribution of B. vesperuginis in the Baltic region has not been studied. A total of 86 dead bats from eight different species were collected and screened for Babesia spp. using real-time PCR. Overall, 52.3% (45/86) of the bats were found positive for Babesia spp. The prevalence of Babesia spp. in different organs varied, with the highest prevalence observed in heart tissues (37.0%) and the lowest in liver tissues (22.2%). However, the observed differences in prevalence among organs were not statistically significant. Blood samples from 125 bats of nine different species were also analyzed for Babesia spp. prevalence using real-time PCR and nested PCR. The results showed a prevalence of 35.2% and 22.4%, respectively. Moreover, 28.3% (17/60) of the examined blood samples were confirmed positive for Babesia spp. through blood smear analysis. The total of 32 partial sequences of the 18S rRNA gene derived in this study were 100% identical to B. vesperuginis sequences from GenBank. In eight species of bats, Pipistrellus nathusii, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Pipistrellus pygmaeus, Vespertilio murinus, Eptesicus nilssonii, Eptesicus serotinus, Myotis daubentonii and Nyctalus noctula, Babesia parasites were identified. In E. nilssonii, Babesia spp. was identified for the first time.

Bat fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera: Ischnopsyllidae) are highly host-specific ectoparasites distributed worldwide (except Antarctica). The identification of flea species and the detection of flea-borne pathogens plays a significant role not only in veterinary and public health, but also in providing insights into the ecology, behaviour, and geographical distribution of fleas and flea-associated pathogens. The present study aimed to conduct a morphological and molecular identification of fleas collected from Lithuanian bats, as well as to screen for the presence of vector-borne pathogens. A total of 58 flea specimens were collected from bats in Lithuania. Based on morphological analysis, seven flea species were identified (Ischnopsyllus variabilis, I. octactenus, I. simplex, I. elongatus, I. hexactenus, Nycteridopsylla pentactena, and N. eusarca) and screened for the presence of Anaplasma spp., Borrelia spp., Babesia spp., Bartonella spp., Rickettsia spp., and Mycoplasma spp. Molecular analysis of fleas’ COI and 18S rRNA genes showed that the flea species collected from bats are closely genetically related. Bartonella DNA was detected in bat fleas (41.4%). No DNA of Anaplasma, Borrelia, Babesia, Rickettsia, and Mycoplasma was amplified in the tested samples. The Wolbachia sp. was accidentally found in I. elongatus. The phylogenetic analysis of four Bartonella genes (16S-23S rRNA ITS, gltA, rpoB, and groEL) revealed specificity to bats or bats’ ectoparasites. This is the first report about bat flea species and the pathogens in bat fleas in Lithuania. New host records for bat fleas were also reported. This study extends the knowledge about bat fleas and their role as vectors of different pathogens.

The Baltic States equity market is a challenge for investors and financial analysts. Unfortunately strong assivity is observed in ``young'' markets, therefore any (Gaussian, α-stable etc) distribution fitting tests (Anderson–Darling, Kolmogorov–Smirnov, etc.) are poorly applicable. Improvement based on mixed distributions is proposed and its adequacy in the Baltic States market is tested. In this paper we use Koutrouvelis goodness-of-fit test and modified χ2 test.

In this paper the discrete logarithm problem in matrix in finite fields is formulated, possible ways of solution are given.

The paper considers a problem of financial resource allocation in a higher education institution. The basic financial management instruments and the multi-stage cost minimization model created are described involving financial instruments to constraints. Both societal and institutional factors that determine the costs of educating students are examined and involved into the model, too. A financial flow planning model of an education institution (e.g., university) has been created, using two-stage or four-stage stochastic programming algorithms, with easily selected education institution's accounting data. The created model has been adapted to solve the two-stage and multi-stage financial flow optimization problem of the branch of university, and the obtained results of two-stage and multi-stage tasks have been compared. A mixed integer programming algorithm, realized in the model using CPLEX Studio 126 for optimization, can be flexibly adapted for practical needs of financial planning of education institutions.

The growing popularity of e-commerce has prompted researchers to take a greater interest in deeper understanding online shopping behavior, consumer interest patterns, and the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. This paper presents a fresh approach for targeting high-value e-shop clients by utilizing clickstream data. We propose the new algorithm to measure customer engagement and recognizing high-value customers. Clickstream data is employed in the algorithm to compute a Customer Merit (CM) index that measures the customer’s level of engagement and anticipates their purchase intent. The CM index is evaluated dynamically by the algorithm, examining the customer’s activity level, efficiency in selecting items, and time spent in browsing. It combines tracking customers browsing and purchasing behaviors with other relevant factors: time spent on the website and frequency of visits to e-shops. This strategy proves highly beneficial for e-commerce enterprises, enabling them to pinpoint potential buyers and design targeted advertising campaigns exclusively for high-value customers of e-shops. It allows not only boosts e-shop sales but also minimizes advertising expenses effectively. The proposed method was tested on actual clickstream data from two e-commerce websites and showed that the personalized advertising campaign outperformed the non-personalized campaign in terms of click-through and conversion rate. In general, the findings suggest, that personalized advertising scenarios can be a useful tool for boosting e-commerce sales and reduce advertising cost. By utilizing clickstream data and adopting a targeted approach, e-commerce businesses can attract and retain high-value customers, leading to higher revenue and profitability.

The present paper considers a model of stalling in a queueing system (QS) with any number of different capacities of heterogeneous servers. The state graph and the corresponding linear system for steady-state probabilities are derived using the standard Markov chain technique. The obtained solution of the steady-state probabilities model is numerically stable; the complexity of the corresponding expressions does not depend on the number of QS states; thus, they enable us to analytically study the QS characteristics. Optimization of a stalling buffer is considered as well, and it is shown that stalling helps us to solve the slow server problem under an appropriate choice of stalling buffer size, making the slow servers usable under various values of system load. The asymptotic conditions of optimal query distribution in channels, when the ratio of the capacities of the fast and slow servers is increasing, are also established. Moreover, some applications of the developed model in heterogeneous server clusters and in work productivity modelling for forest harvesting applications are discussed.

This study sought to investigate the effect of intrapreneurial behavior on project success dimensions. Although extant literature examines diverse aspects of influence on project success, it is silent on assessing intrapreneurial effects, even though companies target and foster such behavior. We found that the more the intrapreneurial behavior and profile increase, the greater the possibility of project success in a broad sense, regarding clients, project teams, strategies for the company’s future, commercial success, and efficiency. Latent class analysis reached three heterogeneous profiles in terms of intrapreneurship. These findings bring evidence of the importance of fostering intrapreneurial behavior on project teams, considering that members will develop it differently, leading to distinct project success outcomes in the middle and long term. Data from 411 project management participants were analyzed through exploratory factorial analysis, PLS-SEM, and latent class analysis. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed, along with the study’s limitations, and further proposed studies.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the rates of anxiety have been constantly increasing worldwide in recent years. To understand this phenomenon, based on the complemented cognitive model TVAPA of anxiety, the hybrid method of modeling and simulating the dynamics of anxiety in the population is proposed. The suggested method combines agent-based modeling, dynamic systems modeling with differential equations, and machine learning methods. The four-level STAI methodology is applied to assess anxiety in the proposed models. Sentiment analysis of social media content is used to identify the parameters of triggering stimuli flow. The proposed models were implemented and verified using open access data sets. Created models are characterized by simplicity, and the parameters used in them have a clear socio-informational meaning. The developed models can be calibrated by applying statistical methods according to indicators of anxiety measured at discrete sets of time intervals by associating them with parameters of the threat stimuli flow taken from statistical data and/or Internet content tracking data.

Protein aggregation in the form of amyloid fibrils is linked with the onset and progression of more than 30 amyloidoses, including multiple neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Despite countless studies and years of research, the process of such aggregate formation is still not fully understood. One peculiar aspect of amyloids is that they appear to be capable of undergoing structural rearrangements even after the fibrils have already formed. Such a phenomenon was reported to occur in the case of alpha-synuclein and amyloid beta aggregates after a long period of incubation. In this work, we examine whether incubation at an elevated temperature can induce the restructurization of four different conformation alpha-synuclein amyloid fibrils. We show that this structural alteration occurs in a relatively brief time period, when the aggregates are incubated at 60 °C. Additionally, it appears that during this process multiple conformationally-distinct alpha-synuclein fibrils all shift towards an identical secondary structure.

The organizational reflex in relation to the company is considered to be an instinctive reaction of its employees to an external stimulus that has arisen or, in other words, the ability of the employee to spontaneously generate a competitive response of the company based on the information received from the global environment. It is an intentional algorithm that enables employees to know how and when to react as quickly as possible, according to the signal from the global environment received, within the limits of their area of expertise. This response phenomenon comes forth in the context of the functioning of a sustainable organization and highlights the coherence of the performance of a human resource. In order to maintain its competitiveness, each organization learns to react to the ongoing changes in the dynamic environment as quickly as possible and, in this process, develops action algorithms similar to human reflexes in structure. Modern science makes a great contribution to the longevity of the company by creating activity models for the organization and performing simulations in the digital space. In this paper, the simulation model of a company’s competitive human resource response to global changes, which is used for the description of organizational reflex, is present. The model reflects the human reflex arc in a company’s decision-making process, whose effectiveness depends on the coherence of its human resources and its ability to sustain an effective organizational reflex. The purpose of the developed model is to simulate the employee’s response to the signals incoming from the global environment and to describe the development process of the organizational reflex that is leading to the longevity of the company and the sustainability of its market leadership.

Juvenile delinquency is a universal phenomenon inherent in the process of biological and social maturation characterized by high latency. Although juvenile delinquent behaviour, due to its spontaneity and recklessness, is easily noticeable and not difficult to investigate, it is often not officially recorded because it is primarily addressed through means of informal social control. Various studies show that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are much more likely to fall into a network of formal social control. Thus, the registered juvenile delinquency not only makes up a very small part of the total juvenile delinquency but its structure and socio-demographic indicators of the accused are also distorted by the selectivity and stigmatization of social control. However, when analysing juvenile delinquency in Lithuania, it is still common to present only the number of registered cases, to analyse them, draw certain conclusions based on them alone, and even develop preventative juvenile delinquency programs. This situation is partly due to the Soviet tradition, which still significantly impacts the general approach to criminal behaviour, in which the latency of criminal behaviour was considered not as a natural and inevitable but a negative and to be destroyed phenomenon. On the other hand, there are few studies of latent juvenile delinquency in Lithuania. They are carried out irregularly according to different methodologies and do not always cover the full complexity of juvenile delinquency. In the article manifestations of latent juvenile delinquency, its’ structure and tendencies in Lithuania are analyzed, Lithuanian indicators are also compared with the indicators of other European countries. Despite some differences in the structure of juvenile delinquency between countries, it can be argued that delinquent behavior is common among juveniles living in all countries, and is usually mild and episodic. According to the analyzed indicators, Lithuania stands out with one essential difference – frequent bullying among secondary school students in all age groups.

The main pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the aggregation of amyloid-β into amyloid fibrils, leading to a neurodegeneration cascade. The current medications are far from sufficient to prevent the onset of the disease, hence requiring more research to find new alternative drugs for curing AD. In vitro inhibition experiments are one of the primary tools in testing whether a molecule may be potent to impede the aggregation of amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ42). However, kinetic experiments in vitro do not match the mechanism found when aggregating Aβ42 in cerebrospinal fluid. The different aggregation mechanisms and the composition of the reaction mixtures may also impact the characteristics of the inhibitor molecules. For this reason, altering the reaction mixture to resemble components found in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is critical to partially compensate for the mismatch between the inhibition experiments in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we used an artificial cerebrospinal fluid that contained the major components found in CSF and performed Aβ42 aggregation inhibition studies using oxidized epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and fluorinated benzenesulfonamide VR16-09. This led to a discovery of a complete turnaround of their inhibitory characteristics, rendering EGCG ineffective while significantly improving the efficacy of VR16-09. HSA was the main contributor in the mixture that significantly increased the anti-amyloid characteristics of VR16-09.

In this paper the key agreement protocol is given and the applicationof it in Braid groups is suggested. The one way of protocol is being justified.

Abstract Background In Lithuania, the first case of canine subcutaneous dirofilariosis was recorded in 2010. Since then, an increasing number of cases of canine dirofilariosis have been documented in different veterinary clinics throughout the country. Human dirofilariosis was diagnosed in Lithuania for the first time in September 2011. However, to the authors’ knowledge, there are no published data on the presence and prevalence of autochthonous dirofilariosis in dogs and humans in the country. The present study provides information about the predominant species and prevalence of Dirofilaria in dogs and describes the cases of human dirofilariosis in Lithuania. It also outlines PCR detection of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia that contributes to the inflammatory features of filarioid infection. Results A total of 2280 blood samples and six adult worms from pet and shelter dogs were collected in the central and eastern regions of Lithuania in 2013–2015. Based on their morphological appearance, morphometric measurements and molecular analysis, all the adult nematodes were identified as Dirofilaria repens. The diagnosis of microfilariae in blood samples was based on blood smear analysis and Knott’s test. The PCR and sequence analysis of the ribosomal DNA ITS2 region and cox1 gene confirmed the presence of D. repens. Overall, 61 (2.7%) of the 2280 blood samples were found to be positive for the presence of D. repens. The infection rate of D. repens was significantly higher in shelter dogs (19.0%; 19/100) than in pet dogs (1.9%; 42/2180) (χ 2 = 100.039, df = 1, P

In this paper, we present the construction of a sigma identification protocol based on matrix power function (MPF) defined over a certain non-commuting platform group. We use the previously defined templates for generating public parameters of our protocol to overcome the problem that a two-sided MPF in general is not associative. We prove that the proposed sigma identification protocol is resistant to eavesdropping adversary attacks. Furthermore, relying on the asymptotic knowledge soundness property proven in this paper, we show that our protocol is also resistant against active adversary attacks with an overwhelming probability.

In our previous study, we proposed a perfectly secure Shannon cipher based on the so-called matrix power function. There we also introduced a concept of single round symmetric encryption, i.e., we used the matrix power function together with some rather simple operations to define a three-step encryption algorithm that needs no additional rounds. Interestingly enough, the newly proposed Shannon cipher possesses the option of parallelization—an important property of efficiently performing calculations using several processors. Relying on our previous proposal, in this study we introduce a concept of a one round block cipher, which can be used to encrypt an arbitrary large message by dividing it into several blocks. In other words, we construct a block cipher operating in cipher block chaining mode on the basis of the previously defined Shannon cipher. Moreover, due to the perfect secrecy property of the original algorithm, we show that our proposal is able to withstand the chosen plaintext attack.

Introduction. Liposuction is one of the most popular aesthetic surgical procedures. Liposuction is associated with weight loss, but the primary significance of this operation is body lines contouring. According to US plastic surgery statistics for 2018, liposuction surgery was ranked in the top five of cosmetic surgical procedures, and the most common area of suction in the body was the abdomen. One of the most difficult complications after this procedure is perforation of the small or large intestine, with a frequency of 0.014%. In order to avoid this complication, a comprehensive pre-operative, post-operative examination of the patient and ensuring the safety of the operation are important. We presenting a complicated clinical case of liposuction and literature review. Presentation of case report. In July 2019, a 49-year-old patient underwent surgery by plastic surgeons. Abdominal liposuction surgery was performed. On the first postoperative day, the patient complained of diffuse abdominal pain (VAS 7–8 points), but there were no clinical signs of peritonitis. The patient underwent urgent surgery following the development of a clinical picture of sepsis and peritonitis due to tomography. The operation started with diagnostic laparoscopy. On the left side of the abdominal wall, 4–5 mm abdominal wall defects were observed, and the intestinal cavity was rich in intestinal contents. No obvious injuries to the small intestine, colon or other abdominal organs were observed during laparoscopy. Therefore, a laparotomy was performed, during which two perforations of the small intestine were found and sutured. The postoperative period was smooth, with the patient discharged home after 11 bed days. Conclusions. Intestinal perforation after liposuction is a rare but dangerous complication. Although bowel injury is one of the most severe complications. Prevention is possible starting with a detailed clinical examination of the patient in the preoperative period. The postoperative period should be particularly important in light of the patient’s complaints and clinical symptoms. The presented clinical case shows what a complication of abdominal liposuction can be threatening and how important its early diagnosis and vigilance are.

Taking together all the evidence on the aetiology, development and differential processes of delinquent behaviour from childhood to adulthood, we dispose of important new evidence from the neurosciences, which, compared to traditional criminological, developmental, psychological and sociological evidence, increases our capacity to explain the age-crime curve. In particular, the right-hand side of the curve, indicating desistance from crime in young adulthood between the ages of 18 and 25, can be based on new insights from neuroscientific research on brain maturation and the development of self-control mechanisms. As a result, new questions about judicial reactions and interventions must be raised. If an individual’s brain is fully matured only in the mid-twenties, general criminal law is possibly inappropriate, and a specific youth or young-adult criminal law reflecting the transitional processes and the diminished culpability of young-adult offenders should rather be applied. In many European jurisdictions, the scope of youth justice has been extended upwards to 18–20 year-old adults, in the Netherlands even up to 22 years of age, a political decision affecting criminality and based on new neuroscientific evidence.

This study concerns the transportation of goods and raw materials through the Nemunas River to the Baltic Sea ports in the second half of the 18th century. The main goal of this paper is to analyse how two different methods of goods transportation (shipment of goods by river vessels and by timber rafts) were organized and to determine how their economic models functioned in practice. This research relies on the data of Income-Expenditure registers of timber rafting from Radziwiłł (Świerżeń Nowy) and goods transportation from Sapieha family (Ruzhany and Derechin) estates in current-day Belarus. The analysis showed that the Sapieha family’s highest share of revenue derived mostly from the exportation of grown raw materials, mostly rye. Salt, wine, beer, various types of metal alloys, etc. were bought in exchange. Part of the revenue was used to cover debts, thus the generated income of the voyage did not reach the treasury of the Sapieha family. The analysis of timber-rafting income-expenditure showed that the timber was drifted to the town of Rusnė, near the Nemunas river delta, or to the city of Königsberg. The sources failed to show the full extent of timber trade generated revenue due to the specifics of its trade, however, the analysis showed that the biggest part of expenditures (about 90–95 percent) went on the hiring of employees and on timber preparation and it’s transportation to the river ports. This article also uncovers the different aspects of how these different kinds of trade voyages were organized and how the river trade-related infrastructure operated that supplements our understanding of the Nemunas river role in the economy of Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the second half of 18th century.

Gamybos projektavimo ir vadybos uždaviniuose dažnai susiduriama su įvairiomis užduočių planavimo problemomis: išteklių, žaliavų, personalo. Šios problemos yra priskiriamos NP pilnumo sudėtingumo klasei. Norint gauti optimalų sprendinį neužtenka pasinaudoti godžiaisiais algoritmais, tačiau reikia naudoti euristinės klasės algoritmus. Vienas iš euristinių algoritmų yra šakų ir ribų algoritmas. Naudojant šį algoritmą su kompiuteriu yra modeliuojamas nuoseklios gamybos planavimo uždavinio sprendimas. Taip pat straipsnyje yra pateikiami keli nuoseklios gamybos planavimo uždavinio variantai, kuriems yra adaptuojamas šakų ir ribų algoritmas.

The impact of cultural processes on personal and social changes is one of the important research issues not only in contemporary social sciences but also for simulation of future development scenarios and evidence-based policy decision making. In the context of the theoretical concept of cultural values, based on the system theory and theory of social capital, the impact of cultural events could be analyzed and simulated by focussing on the construction/deconstruction of social capital, which takes place throughout the actor’s cultural participation. The main goal of this research is the development of measuring metrics, and agent-based simulation model aimed at investigation of the social impact of cultural processes. This paper provides new insights of modeling the social capital changes in a society and its groups, depending on cultural participation. The proposed measurement metrics provide the measurement facility of three key components: actors, cultural events and events flow and social capital. It provides the initial proof of concept simulation results, - simplified agent-based simulation model showcase. The NetLogo MAS platform is used as a simulation environment.

Este artigo objetiva analisar, através da percepção de 21 estudantes de um Programa de Pós-graduação stricto sensu em Educação Profissional e Tecnológica em rede, as contribuições do portfólio digital como estratégia de avaliação, vinculando-o ao trabalho pedagógico e proporcionando uma participação mais efetiva dos alunos. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionário e analisados através da Análise de Conteúdo (BARDIN, 2011). Conclui-se que este método promoveu uma prática inovadora de avaliação da aprendizagem, pautado na construção, reflexão, autoavaliação, criatividade, parceria e autonomia do ensinar e aprender aos envolvidos.

This study investigated the effect of block periodization (BP) and traditional periodization (TP) approaches on jumping and sprinting performance in collegiate basketball players during an 8-week pre-season period. Ten collegiate male basketball players (mean±SD; age: 21.5±1.7 years; body mass: 83.5±8.9 kg; stature: 192.5±5.4 cm) from the same team were equally assigned to a training group (BP or TP). BP and TP were designed with different numbers of power sessions (BP=8; TP=16) and recovery days (BP=14; TP=8). Counter-movement jump (CMJ) and 20-m sprint performance was measured prior to training commencement (baseline) and every 2 weeks thereafter (week 2, week 4, week 6 and week 8). Within-group, between-group and individual changes were assessed using magnitude-based statistics. Substantially higher (likely positive) CMJ scores were evident in week 8 compared to baseline, week 2 and week 4 with BP training. Substantially higher CMJ values were only observed in week 2 (likely positive) compared to baseline, with TP training. Sprint data showed likely negative differences in week 6 compared to baseline in both TP and BP, with no substantial differences in week 8. The only performance difference between TP and BP training was in CMJ in week 8 (very likely negative). Individual analysis showed that only three athletes demonstrated a negative predicted score (i.e. lower sprinting time) in BP, while all players following the TP model demonstrated positive predicted scores. BP training showed substantially higher jumping performance compared to TP, while no improvement in sprinting performance was observed in either training approach. Basketball coaches should consider using BP training rather than TP to train players’ jumping abilities.

Abstract Background Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the most common cause of cancer related death worldwide. Tumor-infiltrating macrophages are believed to play an important role in growth, progression, and metastasis of tumors. In NSCLC, the role of macrophages remains controversial; therefore, we aimed to evaluate the distribution of macrophages (M1 and M2) in tumor islets and stroma and to analyze their relations to patients’ survival. Methods Lung tissue specimens from 80 NSCLC patients who underwent surgical resection for NSCLC (pathological stage I-III) and 16 control group subjects who underwent surgery because of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax were analyzed. Immunohistochemical double staining of CD68/iNOS (markers for M1 macrophages) and CD68/CD163 (markers for M2 macrophages) was performed and evaluated in a blinded manner. The numbers of M1 and M2 macrophages in tumor islets and stroma were counted manually. Results Predominant infiltration of M1 and M2 macrophages was observed in the tumor stroma compared with the tumor islets. M2 macrophages predominated over M1 macrophages in the tumor tissue. Tumor islets-infiltrating M1 macrophages and the number of total tumor-infiltrating M2 macrophages were independent predictors of patients survival: high infiltration of M1 macrophages in tumor islets was associated with increased overall survival in NSCLC (P

A new sigma identification protocol (SIP) based on matrix power function (MPF) defined over the modified medial platform semigroup and power near-semiring is proposed. It is proved that MPF SIP is resistant against direct and eavesdropping attacks. Our security proof relies on the assumption that MPF defined in the paper is a candidate for one-way function (OWF). Therefore, the corresponding MPF problem is reckoned to be a difficult one. This conjecture is based on the results demonstrated in our previous studies, where a certain kind of MPF problem was proven to be NP-complete.

The paper extends the study of applying the mixed-stable models to the analysis of large sets of high-frequency financial data. The empirical data under review are the German DAX stock index yearly log-returns series. Mixed-stable models for 29 DAX companies are constructed employing efficient parallel algorithms for the processing of long-term data series. The adequacy of the modeling is verified with the empirical characteristic function goodness-of-fit test. We propose the smart-Δ method for the calculation of the α-stable probability density function. We study the impact of the accuracy of the computation of the probability density function and the accuracy of ML-optimization on the results of the modeling and processing time. The obtained mixed-stable parameter estimates can be used for the construction of the optimal asset portfolio.

Abstract Here, we present a proof‐of‐principle for a new high‐throughput functional screening of metagenomic libraries for the selection of enzymes with different activities, predetermined by the substrate being used. By this approach, a total of 21 enzyme‐coding genes were selected, including members of xanthine dehydrogenase, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), and amidohydrolase families. The screening system is based on a pro‐chromogenic substrate, which is transformed by the target enzyme to indole‐3‐carboxylic acid. The later compound is converted to indoxyl by a newly identified indole‐3‐carboxylate monooxygenase (Icm). Due to the spontaneous oxidation of indoxyl to indigo, the target enzyme‐producing colonies turn blue. Two types of pro‐chromogenic substrates have been tested. Indole‐3‐carboxaldehydes and the amides of indole‐3‐carboxylic acid have been applied as substrates for screening of the ALDHs and amidohydrolases, respectively. Both plate assays described here are rapid, convenient, easy to perform, and adaptable for the screening of a large number of samples both in Escherichia coli and Rhodococcus sp. In addition, the fine‐tuning of the pro‐chromogenic substrate allows screening enzymes with the desired substrate specificity.

[straipsnis ir santrauka lietuvių kalba; santrauka vokiečių kalba] Straipsnyje analizuojama pedofilijos ir seksualinės prievartos prieš vaikus problematika kriminologiniu, baudžiamuoju teisiniu ir medicininiu požiūriu. Pedofiliją pirmiausia svarbu suvokti kaip ligą, kuri gali būti paskata nusikalstamam elgesiui, tačiau įvairių tyrimų duomenimis, didžiąją dalį seksualinio smurto prieš vaikus atlieka ne pedofilai. Straipsnyje aptariama pedofilijos samprata, paplitimas, etiologija ir seksualinės prievartos prieš vaikus prevencijos priemonės.

In this paper we present a cryptographic primitive based on non-commutative cryptography. This primitive is used for key exchange protocol (KEP) construction. We prove that the security of this primitive relies on a nondeterministic polynomial complete (NP-Complete) decisional problem. Recently there are no known quantum cryptanalysis algorithms effectively solving NP-Complete problems. So far, KEPs are widely used in secure communication channel creation, e.g., in hypertext transfer protocol secure (https://) and are based on traditional cryptographic primitives representing commutative cryptography. However, the security of these protocols does not rely on NP-Complete problems and hence, according to P. W. Shorr, they are vulnerable to quantum cryptanalysis. We use one of seven non-commuting groups of order 16 which is not isomorphic to any other group to define a platform group for a key exchange protocol based on previously considered matrix power function (MPF). By investigating basic properties on the group M16 and their implementation for our goals we fix the order of actions in MPF from left to right. Furthermore, we define a special form of the base matrix and separate templates for left and right power matrices. Using properties of the specified templates and Schaeffer criteria we prove that the security of the proposed key exchange relies on an NP-Complete decisional problem.

A Shannon cipher can be used as a building block for the block cipher construction if it is considered as one data block cipher. It has been proved that a Shannon cipher based on a matrix power function (MPF) is perfectly secure. This property was obtained by the special selection of algebraic structures to define the MPF. In an earlier paper we demonstrated, that certain MPF can be treated as a conjectured one-way function. This property is important since finding the inverse of a one-way function is related to an N P -complete problem. The obtained results of perfect security on a theoretical level coincide with the N P -completeness notion due to the well known Yao theorem. The proposed cipher does not need multiple rounds for the encryption of one data block and hence can be effectively parallelized since operations with matrices allow this effective parallelization.