How do foreign students from different collectivist countries perceive interpersonal emotion regulation? A Thematic analysis in Lithuania

The main aim of our qualitative research is to find out how foreign students from different Collectivistic countries perceive interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). Using semi-structured interviews as a method of data collection and thematic analysis as a method of data analysis, we found that the majority of participants used IER to provide psychological support to their colleagues and friends in a variety of contexts—64% of participants highlighted cognitive strategies as key in emotional regulation, especially the use of temporal perspective shifting—and that, finally, the majority of the participants highlighted the evident results of the interventions, the most common of which was the increased adaptive behavior of the targets of IER. These findings highlight the persistence of cultural orientation in heterogeneous settings and suggest situational flexibility in IER strategies. They also highlight the importance of designing culturally sensitive interventions in international educational contexts. Keywords: interpersonal emotion regulation; collectivistic cultures; foreign students; semi-structured interview; thematic analysis

"The Workshop for the nation's soul" vs. "a rabbi factory" - contrasting the Lithuanian Yeshiva with the rabbinical seminary

The central institutional model that served Jewish Orthodoxy in its struggle with the threat to the tradition of the modern era and from which grew its intellectual leadership was ultimately the model of the Lithuanian Yeshiva. However, from the second half of the nineteenth-century, new models of Jewish higher education institutions emerged and were even adopted by Orthodox circles. How, then, did the trustees of the Lithuanian yeshiva model see the new institutional models? Our discussion will focus on the modern yeshivas and rabbinical seminaries that accepted the Orthodox halakhic view, including the Tahkemoni rabbinical seminary in Warsaw, the Hildesheimer Seminary in Berlin (1873–1938), and the Seminary for the Diaspora in Jerusalem (1956). The Lithuanian rabbis held to the supremacy of the Lithuanian Yeshiva model. However, until World War II, they saw the Orthodox rabbinical seminary as an institute suitable to its time and place—Germany, most of whose Jews were liberal—and did not consider it able to produce a Torah scholar worthy of his name. They opposed the establishment of rabbinical seminaries in Eastern Europe and the Land of Israel, and after the war, when the issue of establishing a rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem was raised, they rejected the Orthodox rabbinical seminary outright and no longer recognized its contribution to its time and place—Germany. Keywords: Lithuanian Yeshiva; rabbinical seminary; Esriel Hildesheimer; Jewish Orthodoxy

When do voters reveal candidate gender preferences? Evidence from individual-level ballot data.

Does candidate gender matter for vote choice? Whereas experimental research suggests an average preference for female candidates, observational studies tend to find null effects. In this note, we address the recent debate on how to measure voter preferences on the aggregate and the individual level. We argue that candidate gender preferences exist, but that whether and when they are revealed varies between and within voters. Drawing on an observational design and using data from over 500,000 individual ballots in Lithuanian elections, we employ multilevel regression and exponential random graph models to show how voters’ candidate gender preferences are distributed across the electorate and how they vary in size and direction. We find that about half of all voters prefer either male or female candidates. Whereas preference for male candidates tends to be revealed in the first and second preference votes, preference for female candidates is first revealed in lower preference votes. Our results help explain contradictory findings in the literature and illustrate how observational data and methods can be used to assess voter preferences within electorates. Keywords: candidate gender; Eastern Europe; open list proportional representation system; social network analysis; voting behaviour

Kuršių nerijos kuršininkų kalbos tekstai: transkribuotų tekstų rinktinė.

Pratarmė -- Įvadas: Kuršininkų kalbos raida ir statusas; Dvikalbystė ir daugiakalbystė Kuršių nerijoje; Kuršininkų kalbos išnykimas ir paskutinių jos vartotojų kalbos dokumentavimas; Kalbos užrašymo problema. Rašybos ir transkripcijos pritaikymas; Medžiagos rinkimas, tekstų pobūdis ir atrankos principai; Pateikėjai; Kuršininkų kalbos ypatybės; Transkripcijos ženklai -- Tekstai: Dievticība; Tikėjimas; Meža zagļi; Miško vagys; Maizes cepšana; Duonos kepimas; Kāpu spoks; Kopų vaiduoklis; Zvejošana kolhozā; Žvejyba kolūkyje; Zirgu ganīšana; Arklių ganymas; Ielūza ledū; Įlūžo į ledą; Labi laiki; Puikūs laikai; Noburta cūka; Užkerėta kiaulė; Sievas un tīkli; Moterys ir tinklai; Zivju uzvedība; Žuvų elgesys; Siena pļauja; Šienavimas; Slīkonis Skenduolis; Deportācija; Deportacija -- Summary -- Literatūra.Šioje knygoje pateikiamas mūsų dienomis išnykusios baltų kalbos ‒ Kuršių nerijos kuršininkų kalbos ‒ tekstų rinkinys. Juo siekiama užpildyti baltistikos moksle esančią spragą – kuršininkų kalbos šaltinių trūkumą ir prieinamumą. Rengiant šį rinkinį ypač trūko tekstų, atspindinčių paskutinę kalbos raidos fazę. Leidinys sudarytas remiantis 1961‒2011 m. ekspedicijose surinkta garso įrašų medžiaga. Medžiagos pateikėjai yra XIX a. pabaigoje ‒ XX a. ketvirtajame dešimtmetyje gimę asmenys, užaugę Kuršių nerijos šiaurinėje dalyje (dabartinės Lietuvos Respublikos Neringos mieste). Didžioji dalis pateikėjų baigiantis Antrajam pasauliniam karui emigravo į Vokietiją, kai kurie – į Švediją, kur jų kalbos pavyzdžiai ir buvo įrašyti. Tačiau ankstyviausi įrašai yra iš pateikėjų, gyvenusių Kuršių nerijoje iki amžiaus pabaigos. Tekstai atrinkti geografiniu principu ‒ atstovauja kiekvienai nerijos gyvenvietei ir sudėti chronologine tvarka pagal pateikėjo gimimo datą. Naudojama latvių dialektologijos darbuose įprasta transkripcija, kuri papildyta specialiais tik kuršininkų kalbos fonetikai pritaikytais diakritikais. Atskirą darbo dalį sudaro įvadas, kuriame supažindinama su Kuršių nerijos kuršininkų kalbos raida ir jos ypatybėmis, daugiausia dėmesio skiriant fonetikai, paaiškinami transkripcijos principai. Priede pateikiami tekstų garso įrašai mp3 formatu.This book presents a collection of texts from the extinct Baltic language ‒ the Kursenieku (also called New Curonian) language spoken on the Curonian Spit. It aims to fill a gap in Baltic studies, which is the lack of and accessibility to sources of the Kursenieku language. There was a severe lack of texts reflecting the state of the last phase of the language’s development. The collection is based on audio recordings made during expeditions from 1961 to 2011. The informants were individuals born in the late 19th century to the 1930s who grew up in the northern part of the Curonian Spit (in the present-day city of Neringa of the Republic of Lithuania). At the end of World War II, most speakers emigrated to Germany, some to Sweden, where the recordings were made. However, the earliest recordings are from informants who lived on the Curonian Spit all their lives. The selected texts represent each settlement on the spit and are arranged according to the informant’s date of birth. The transcription used in Latvian dialectology works is supplemented with diacritics adapted to the phonetics of the Kursenieku language. A separate part of the book consists of an introduction, which introduces the development of the Kursenieku language and its features, paying particular attention to phonetics and explaining the principles of transcription. The appendix contains audio recordings of the texts in mp3 format

Linking crises: connections between climate change and COVID-19 during American, Canadian, Dutch, and Lithuanian national elections (2020-2021)

Crisis responses are created in reference to the meanings of other crises. We develop the notion of ‘linking crises’ to capture this phenomenon and apply it to two contemporary global crises: climate change and COVID-19. Concretely, we study four crisis linkage dimensions in American, Canadian, Dutch, and Lithuanian party manifestos for national elections from the pandemic heydays (2020–2021): (1) how often links were drawn; (2) the issues they were related to; (3) the argumentative strategies for making connections; and (4) and the political level on which this occurred. We find many cross-national similarities. For instance, in every country links with economic and environmental issues were very present, an argumentative trope of ‘building back better’ was employed by various political parties, and the majority of the connections were made at supra-national levels. These findings bring up the question of when cross-national parity in crisis responses does (not) occur. Keywords: crisis, climate change, Covid, meaning-making, discourse, comparative politics, national elections

Assessment of sustainable waste management: a case study in Lithuania

Sustainable waste management is a very important issue that has received increasing attention in recent years due to its significant impact on the environment and human health. As the population and urbanization increase, more and more waste is generated, leading to problems such as pollution, resource depletion, climate change, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to develop effective waste management strategies that are sustainable and do not harm the environment. The EU is making progress in sustainable waste management within the wider context of a circular economy, but challenges remain, particularly in reducing material consumption and effectively managing specific waste streams. The EU’s approach involves setting clear targets, monitoring progress in a comprehensive framework, and supporting Member States in achieving these targets. In 2019, Lithuanian companies invested about 40% more in environmental protection than in 2018. Notably, 15% of them are invested in waste management. An inhabitant throws out an average of 278 kilograms of mixed municipal waste per year. According to the global waste index in 2022, Lithuania ranked 16th (up from 23rd place), Latvia 37th (down from 35th place), and Estonia 32nd (down from 30th place). The purpose of this article is to identify the factors that determine sustainable waste management in cities and to predict the changes that will occur. Research methods: synthesis and comparison of concepts and methods in scientific literature, secondary data analysis, statistical data processing, and expert interview methods. Research results: It has been determined which factors and how they determine sustainable waste management in the country. The experts evaluated the alternatives—waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and optimization of landfills—according to the following criteria: economic, social, environmental protection, and technology. The most important criterion was determined to be the environmental protection criterion. Keywords: sustainable waste management; expert interview methods; urbanization

Futuristic scenarios of the general education school: Lithuanian trajectories and implications.

The paper features the most probable visions of development of the general education school obtained from the research project Futuristic Scenarios of the Lithuanian General Education School. The study used the Delphi method to develop futuristic scenarios and extrapolate the most probable trajectories of school development. Sixty-one experts in education including academics, school administrators, teachers and students completed an online Delphi survey designed by the project partners. Based on the findings, four futuristic scenarios are proposed: (1) The School of Eco Care; (2) The School of Exclusion; (3) The School for the Market; and (4) The School of Individual Meanings. These findings capture the (un)realistic and (un)preferable tendencies in our rapidly changing world, the implications and possible benefits of the scenarios. Keywords futuristic scenarios, school, Delphi research method, Lithuani

Investigation of perceived stress during COVID-19 pandemic self-isolation periods

Background and Objectives: The study purpose was to analyze possible health consequences of self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to evaluate diagnostics methods. Specifically, we analyzed perceived stress of self-isolation with the aim of evaluating the suitability of psychological and laboratory diagnostics methods for routine clinical practice. In order to achieve the aim of the study, the following objectives were formulated: to compare the results of psychological and laboratory diagnostic methods between case and control groups; and to evaluate associations between psychological and laboratory stress indicators separately in case and control groups. Materials and Methods: The research study consisted of control and case groups of 28 volunteers each. The main selection criterion for the case group was self-isolation due to COVID-19 and a maximum period of 3 months after post-isolation, while the control group had to be of a similar age but did not have to be isolated or self-isolated. Both groups consisted of young (18–24 years) individuals. All participants had to fill out a Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaire and were subjected to a laboratory test for stress indicators (alpha-amylase, secretory cortisol, and immunoglobulin A) from a saliva sample. Results: A comparison of the laboratory stress indicator scores for both study groups revealed statistically significant differences between the clinical subgroups, i.e., the distributions of the control and case groups were significantly different within the affected case group and control. The values obtained for study groups and PSS scores showed no discrepancies between the two investigation methods, i.e., PSS assessment and laboratory stress indicators results. The PSS values between the clinical groups were significantly different from each other, suggesting that the laboratory stress indicator scores differed but were consistent or complementary to the PSS results. A separate comparison of age and stress indicator levels in the control group revealed a correlation between age and PSS scores, indicating that younger individuals were more prone to subjective perception of moderate stress. Conclusions: The results showed that COVID-19 self-isolation during quarantine affected people’s psychological health. Using psychological examination and laboratory stress indicators, the results of the case group reliably differed from the results of the control group, allowing us to conclude that self-isolation more often caused moderate chronic stress, with or without decompensation. Besides the main study objective, we observed that laboratory stress biomarkers may be acceptable for broader clinical application during routine psychological treatment. The clinical application of laboratory stress biomarkers had been validated previously by another method, i.e., psychological investigation using PSS. Keywords: self-isolation; psychological examination; laboratory stress indicators

Assessment of socio-economic and environmental impacts of energy efficiency improvements in multi-apartment buildings: case study of Lithuania

This research aims to assess the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the Lithuanian long-term renovation strategy, focusing on improvements in the energy performance of renovated multi-apartment buildings in the country. The methodology used in the study is centred on the CleanProd general equilibrium model, which is based on publicly available data from the FIGARO database and Eurostat’s non-financial transaction statistics. The four renovation financing scenarios analysed are represented in the model by changes in the demand for energy resources and construction and other transactions related to the renovation programme. To reflect the dynamic nature of the renovation programme, counterfactual equilibria are sought for each year of the renovation programme. The results revealed that renovation of multi-apartment buildings brings net benefits, including long-term increases in gross domestic products (GDPs) and employment, as well as a decrease in economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and is aligned with the binding European Union’s energy efficiency target to reduce energy consumption at least by 11.7% in 2030 (in comparison to 2020). The Increase in Taxes on Products scenario is modelled as the most favourable scenario. It assures annual GDP growth by 0.37%, employment growth by 2170 jobs a year, including 606 jobs for young people, and an annual decrease in GHG emissions by 929–1043 ktCO2eq. It is found that the most considerable benefits are received during the renovation of medium-size buildings when construction demand increases by EUR 600,000–800,000 per year and natural gas and district heating demand are reduced by EUR 59,000–187,000 per year. Other scenarios demonstrating different building renovation and energy efficiency support practices, including Costless, Reallocation of Governmental Expenditure, and Governmental Loan, show relevant but slightly lower benefits. Keywords: general equilibrium model; sustainability assessment; energy efficiency; multi-apartment buildings; case study

Changes in the structure of agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe in the light of the European Green Deal

The economic transformation following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the accession of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to the European Union (EU) are milestones that have set the current course for their agricultural sectors. With their accession to the EU, the CEE countries obliged, among other things, to adapt their agricultural activities to the requirements of the common organization of agricultural market and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In 2004, the agricultural sectors of Central and Eastern European countries (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia), and in 2007, the agricultural sectors of Bulgaria and Romania, were significantly different from those of the EU countries. After almost two decades in EU structures and in the face of climate challenges, it is interesting to discuss the assessment of changes that have taken place in the agricultural sectors of CEE countries and their future. Based on FADN data, the structure of agricultural sectors in Central and Eastern Europe and selected EU countries for 2004–2021 was estimated in terms of types of farming and economic size classes. The agricultural sectors of CEE countries have become similar to those of EU countries in terms of agricultural production structure, and in 2021 will be characterized by a higher level of production specialization than when they accessed the EU. There was also an increase in the economic size of their production, but it was still significantly lower compared to the economic size of farms in EU countries. In light of the goals of the European Green Deal (EGD), this observation may be useful for moving into the next stage of development of the agricultural sector in Central and Eastern Europe. Indeed, achieving the EGD’s goals will require setting adopted development directions, i.e., formulating agricultural practices that facilitate the transition to more sustainable agriculture, such as practices based on the concept of sustainable intensification or ecological intensification. Keywords: agricultural structure; European Green Deal; Central and Eastern Europe