POLYGAMY IN FOCUS: A DISCOURSE ON SOCIETAL NORMS, RIGHTS, AND PRACTICAL CHALLENGES

This article delves into the multifaceted perspectives on polygamy, specifically focusing on why a woman might opt to become a co-wife. The study, conducted in a private Facebook group for women who are part of or interested in polygamous relationships, unveils that societal norms, religious convictions, and individual situations greatly shape the views on polygamy. Despite certain muslim feminist groups advocating for the restriction of polygamy to specific scenarios, both men and women have their unique interpretations and applications of the principle, often extending beyond the confines of the Qur'anic context. However, these theories don't fully encompass the practical responsibilities and potential hurdles tied to polygamy. The study also exposed that polygamy, commonly perceived from a male-centric viewpoint, could also be interpreted as a woman's right, particularly when she is the instigator of the marriage. In summary, the research provides both theoretical insights and pragmatic implications, allowing us to perceive polygamy not just as a male prerogative but also as a potential social support structure for women

New β-Carotene-Chitooligosaccharides Complexes for Food Fortification: Stability Study

The application of β-carotene in food industry is limited due to its chemical instability. The drawback may be overcome by designing new delivery systems. The stability of β-carotene complexed with chitooligosaccharides by kneading, freeze-drying and sonication methods was investigated under various conditions. The first-order kinetics parameters of the reaction of β-carotene degradation were calculated. The complexation improved the stability of β-carotene at high temperatures and ensured its long-term stability in the dark at 4 °C and 24 °C, and in the light at 24 °C. In water solutions, the best characteristics were exhibited by the complexes prepared by freeze-drying and sonication methods. In the powder form, the complexes retained their colour for the period of the investigation of four months. The calculated total colour differences of the complexes were qualified as appreciable, detectable by ordinary people, but not large. Therefore, β-carotene-chitooligosaccharides complexes could be used as a new delivery system suitable for food fortification.This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Carotenoids as Functional Food IngredientsThis research was funded by the European Social Fund under the No 09.3.3-LMT-K-712 “Development of Competences of Scientists, other Researchers and Students through Practical Research Activities” measure. Grant No 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-02-0039

Correlation between Fructan Exohydrolase Activity and the Quality of Helianthus tuberosus L. Tubers

Jerusalem artichoke tubers have diverse applications in the food industry as well as in biotechnology. Their suitability depends mostly on the inulin content. Seasonal fluctuations of fructan exohydrolase activity responsible for inulin degradation was investigated in the tubers of three Jerusalem artichoke cultivars. The changes of fructan exohydrolase activity positively correlated with the changes of the content of total and short fructooligosaccharides. Therefore, to extract inulin with higher degree of polymerization for biotechnological purposes, the tubers of Jerusalem artichoke should be uprooted in autumn before the level of fructan exohydrolase reaches its maximum. If short fructooligosaccharides are desirable, the tubers in late autumn or spring tubers overwintered in soil are suitable

Inactivation of Escherichia coli Using Nanosecond Electric Fields and Nisin Nanoparticles: A Kinetics Study

Nisin is a recognized bacteriocin widely used in food processing, however, being ineffective against gram-negative bacteria and in complex food systems. As a result, the research of methods that have cell wall–permeabilizing activity is required. In this study, electroporation to trigger sensitization of gram-negative bacteria to nisin-loaded pectin nanoparticles was used. As a model microorganism, bioluminescent strain of E. coli was introduced. Inactivation kinetics using nanosecond pulsed electric fields (PEFs) and nisin nanoparticles have been studied in a broad range (100–900 ns, 10–30 kV/cm) of pulse parameters. As a reference, the microsecond range protocols (100 μs × 8) have been applied. It was determined that the 20–30 kV/cm electric field with pulse duration ranging from 500 to 900 ns was sufficient to cause significant permeabilization of E. coli to trigger a synergistic response with the nisin treatment. The kinetics of the inactivation was studied with a time resolution of 2.5 min, which provided experimental evidence that the efficacy of nisin-based treatment can be effectively controlled in time using PEF. The results and the proposed methodology for rapid detection of bacteria inactivation rate based on bioluminescence may be useful in the development and optimization of protocols for PEF-based treatments

Whether the legislation of the compulsory children’s vaccination does not infringe the right to private life?

Magistro baigiamąjame darbe „Ar privalomo vaikų skiepijimo teisinis reglamentavimas nepažeidžia asmens teisės į privataus gyvenimo neliečiamumą?“ siekta išsiaiškinti ar Sveikatos apsaugos ministro priimtas naujasis įsakymas, kuris numato, kad vaikai nepaskiepyti nuo poliomielito, tymų ir raudonukės negalės lankyti ikimokyklinės ar priešmokyklinės ugdymo institucijas, nepažeis asmens privataus gyvenimo neliečiamumo. Darbe atskleista, kada asmens teisės gali būti ribojamos, siekiant apsaugoti visuomenę.The question raised in this master thesis was: “Whether the legislation of the compulsory children’s vaccination does not infringe the right to private life?”. After the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania initiated a new regulation which states that children who are not vaccinated against polio, measles and rubella will not be able to attend the pre-school or other primary education institutions. This master thesis conducts a study whether the new legal regulation will not infringe a person’s right to private life.Teisės fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Continuation of the East Asian painting tradition in Dalia Dokšaitė's art

Straipsnis skirtas unikalaus mūsų ir plačiau žvelgiant Baltijos kraštų mene orientalistinio reiškinio Dalios Dokšaitės peizažinės tapybos analizei. Dailininkė savo kūrybinėmis bei pedagoginėmis nuostatomis įprasmina Rytų ir Vakarų estetikos bei dailės tradicijų sąveika. Autorė pagrindinį dėmesį sutelkia į Dokšaitės monochrominės ir polichrominės tapybos stiliaus ištakų ir savitumo atskleidimą, išryškina sąsajas su didingomis kinų ir japonų peizažinės tapybos tradicijomis, analizuoja tas Rytų Azijos estetines idėjas, kurios turėjo didžiausią poveikį savitai dailininkės peizažinės tapybos koncepcijai. Juk būtent Rytų Azijos peizažinė tapyba, kurios tradicijų tęsėja ir puoselėtoja tapo Dokšaitė, yra vienas rafinuočiausių pasaulinės dailės paveldo reiškinių, subtilių meninių vaizdinių kalba įkūnijančių gamtos ir būties pirmapradę harmoniją. Kaip parodoma straipsnyje, Dokšaitė ne tik tęsia Rytų Azijos peizažinės tapybos tradicijas, tačiau ir kūrybingai jungia jas su Lietuvos tautinės tapybos mokyklos tradicijomis.Article analyzes Dalia Dokšaitė's landscape painting that is a unique phenomenon of oriental art in both Lithuania and the Baltic countries. The artist's creative and pedagogical outlook gives the spectator a sense of interaction between Eastern and Western aesthetics and art traditions. The author of the article focuses on the disclosure of Dokšaitės monochrome and polychrome painting style and identity by highlighting linkages with the magnificent Chinese and Japanese landscape painting tradition, by analyzing East Asian aesthetic ideas that made great impact on the artist's original concept of landscape painting. Dokšaitė has become a successor to and a promoter of the traditions of East Asian landscape painting that belong the most sophisticated art heritages of the world expressed in a subtle visual language of art, embodied in the existence of natural and primordial harmony. However, as shown in the article, Dokšaitė not only continues in the vein of the magnificent traditions of East Asian landscape painting, but also combines them creatively with the Lithuanian national painting school

Improvement of legislation quality system

The quality system of legislation is a topical issue, which until now has been poorly investigated in Lithuania. Parliament is put under more pressure and more requirements so in order to keep the balance, legal acts must also face quality requirements to keep up with the high standards of legislation. The aim of the Master's thesis is to improve the quality system of legislation. Tasks of the work are: to analyze legal acts, different types of legal acts, development of drafts from initiation to admission; to analyze the issues of the quality system of legislation; carry out an author's survey; to prepare proposals for improvement of the quality system. Master's thesis consists of analysis of scientific and normative literature, description of research methodology, description of research results, proposals and conclusions presented by the author. In an exploratory study, an unstructured interview method was used, while the main study used half-structured interviews, giving respondents the opportunity to provide additional information they consider important at the time of the interview. During the literature and document analysis, it was established that the quality system of legislation in Lithuania exists in the Law on the Basis of Legislation of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos teisėkūros pagrindų įstatymas), the Order of the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania on the Approval of Recommendations for the Drafting of Legislative Acts (Lietuvos Respublikos teisingumo ministro įsakymas dėl teisės aktų projektų rengimo rekomendacijų patvirtinimo), and the Order of the Chief Archivist of Lithuania on the Approval of the Documents Preparation Rules (Lietuvos vyriausiojo archyvaro įsakymas dėl dokumentų rengimo taisyklių patvirtinimo). These legal acts provide for the principles of law, rules of the legal technique and the procedure for preparing documents, which must be followed during the drafting of legal acts. During the analysis, the reasons for possible incorrect use of the quality system of legislation were formed, which are to be checked during the author's research. The author's research analyzed the problematic aspects of the use of the legal framework for the quality system. It has been established that the misuse of this system does not arise from the inadequate system, but due to the qualification of Parliament members, their assistants qualification, distribution of funding among Parliament members and their assistants. Problematic aspects are systemic and must be aimed at eliminating them, thus consolidating the effective use of the system of quality evaluation of legislation among the representatives of the legislative branch. Two major proposals are presented for the improvement of the quality system of legislation: the creation of a methodological "book", i.e. combining the three pieces of legislation that separate the quality system of legislation into one easily accessible form and reorganizing the activities of the Legal Department in the Parliament, creating an initial and secondary evaluation of draft legal acts, thus avoiding common mistakes made by Parliament members and their assistants

Human rights in islam - the ascendancy of community rights over individual rights in the context of the criminal law

Human rights in Islam - the ascendancy of community rights over individual rights in the context of the criminal law. One of the most controversial issues between the West and the Islamic world in today's world are the human rights. In Europe, after the Second World War, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. In the 20th century II half, the first ideas in the field of human rights had been burst in Islamic countries, legitimated by the Quran and Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad. The aim of this thesis, by comparing three Islamic human rights concepts, found in S. Mawdūdī‘s “Human Rights in Islam”, the Universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights and the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, to analyse how Islamic criminal law conveys the conception of human rights in Islam through the welfare of Muslim community. The hermeneutic method will be used. First of all, the transcendental background of the Sharia and its criminal law should be revealed to understand the authority of the sources in Islamic society. The issue of the Islamic secularism will be discussed to show the importance of religious sources in Islamic states. After that, the concept of the welfare of Muslim community will be introduced to understand that Islamic criminal law gives priority to the rights of the Muslim community over individual rights. The analyses of the three primary sources will reveal the ideas of the human rights as the part of Islamic tradition. Four articles found in the declarations will be compared with the Islamic criminal law which results that human rights in Islam are based on the non-personal but social welfare. The study has revealed that Islamic criminal law is the best mean, legitimated by the Quran and Sunnah, to protect the wellbeing of Muslim society which is seen as the concept of human rights in Islam. This thesis may be useful to the international organizations responsible for the protection of human rights due to possibility to understand the concept of the Islamic human rights better

Kinetic Study of Encapsulated β-Carotene Degradation in Dried Systems: A Review

β-Carotene serves as a precursor of vitamin A and provides relevant health benefits. To overcome the low bioavailability of β-carotene from natural sources, technologies have been designed for its encapsulation in micro- and nano-structures followed by freeze-drying, spray-drying, supercritical fluid-enhanced dispersion and electrospraying. A technological challenge is also to increase β-carotene stability, since due to its multiple conjugated double bonds, it is particularly prone to oxidation. This review analyzes the stability of β-carotene encapsulated in different dried micro- and nano-structures by comparing rate constants and activation energies of degradation. The complex effect of water activity and glass transition temperature on degradation kinetics is also addressed, since the oxidation process is remarkably dependent on the glassy or collapsed state of the matrix. The approaches to improve β-carotene stability, such as the development of inclusion complexes, the improvement of the performance of the interface between air and oil phase in which β-carotene was dissolved by application of biopolymer combinations or functionalization of natural biopolymers, the addition of hydrophilic small molecular weight molecules that reduce air entrapped in the powder and the co-encapsulation of antioxidants of various polarities are discussed and compared, in order to provide a rational basis for further development of the encapsulation technologies

Kinetic Study of Encapsulated β-Carotene Degradation in Aqueous Environments: A Review

The provitamin A activity of β-carotene is of primary interest to address one of the world’s major malnutrition concerns. β carotene is a fat-soluble compound and its bioavailability from natural sources is very poor. Hence, studies have been focused on the development of specific core/shell micro- or nano-structures that encapsulate β-carotene in order to allow its dispersion in liquid systems and improve its bioavailability. One key objective when developing these structures is also to accomplish β-carotene stability. The aim of this review is to collect kinetic data (rate constants, activation energy) on the degradation of encapsulated β-carotene in order to derive knowledge on the possibility for these systems to be scaled-up to the industrial production of functional foods. Results showed that most of the nano- and micro-structures designed for β-carotene encapsulation and dispersion in the water phase provide better protection with respect to a natural matrix, such as carrot juice, increasing the β-carotene half-life from about 30 d to more than 100 d at room temperature. One promising approach to increase β-carotene stability was found to be the use of wall material, surfactants, or co-encapsulated compounds with antioxidant activity. Moreover, a successful approach was the design of structures, where the core is partially or fully solidified; alternatively, either the core or the interface or the outer phase are gelled. The data collected could serve as a basis for the rational design of structures for β-carotene encapsulation, where new ingredients, especially the extraordinary natural array of hydrocolloids, are applied