The article deals with the works of sacred art of China (sculpture and paintings) belonging to the dynastic periods: Northern Wei (386–534), Western Wei (535–557), Sui (581–618), Tang (618–907), and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties, which include the image of a lotus flower. In the context of Buddhist symbolism, the article analyses the image of the lotus in the sculptural reliefs of the Lotus Flower Cave in the Longmen Grottoes and the frescoes in the Mogao cave temples. Particular attention is paid to the iconography and Buddhist connotations of the lotus as a component of the image of the Pure Land, a metaphysical space with which the concept of a lotus paradise in the western sky is associated according to the Mahayana tradition and the teachings of Amitabha Buddha. The purpose of the article is to study the peculiarities of the symbolism and iconography of the lotus flower in the sacred art of China on the examples of religious sculpture and paintings depicting the Buddha and ritual scenes of offering gifts to the deity. The aim and objectives of the study determined the use of comparative studies, hermeneutics, iconographic and iconological analysis, and comparative analysis as the main research methods. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the comprehensive study of the symbolism and iconography of the lotus in Chinese sacred art in the context of the peculiarities of its ritual aspect and religious and philosophical content. The following conclusions were drawn because of the study. It has been established that the lotus in Chinese sacred art has a complex multi-layered symbolism associated with its unique natural abilities: the flower grows in muddy swamp waters, but emerges to the surface, remaining clean, untainted by mud. It has been found that these natural qualities of the lotus are used in sacred Chinese art as a metaphor for the highest transcendence of the spirit; the lotus flower is a symbol of eternal continuous time, in which the temporal boundaries of the past, present and future are not defined.

In Chapter 5, Sigita Kraniauskienė further examines the transition to adulthood of cohorts born in 1980-2000 in Lithuania. The chapter addresses different questions: how is the ‘semi-standardised’ pattern of the transition to adulthood experienced on an individual level, and what features of social change/changing society do these experiences reveal? How do the individual demographic calendar of transition to adulthood and the sense of adulthood differ, and how synchronous are these two experiences? The chapter highlights the concept of adulthood presented by the respondents - from demographic characteristics to psychological traits and the difference between maturity and adulthood. How much conflict exists between the standard adulthood and real adulthood experiences in Lithuania? The analysis of life history narratives is used to answer these questions.

In Chapter 4, Sigita Kraniauskien? and Goda Damaševičiūtė examine the demographic features of the transition to adulthood of cohorts born in 1980-2000 and aim to evaluate the change of life-course patterns typical for Lithuania from a longer-time perspective - before and after the 1990s. Survey data reveals that the de-standardisation of family formation that began after the geopolitical transformations continues, but education or education-work transitions are of a more standardised nature. The chapter discusses the consequences of the transition from the Soviet standardised model to the post-Soviet individualised and (de/re)standardised one and to a current post-transformation ‘semi-standardised’ timetable for the transition to adulthood. The questions are: what normative life-course calendar do these processes reveal, and what do they allow us to understand about the direction of change in Lithuanian society? To what extent can we talk about convergence of life-course patterns with the West, or ‘path dependence’?

This chapter addresses the interconnections between structural change, current challenges and generational identity formation. The subjective, self-reflexive generational identity of the age cohorts born between 1980 and 2000 in Lithuania is analysed. These birth cohorts are selected for analysis because their early socialisation coincided with the deep transformation processes, ‘normalisation’ of life, and new challenges. Generational self-identity is explored by analysing and comparing the conceptualisations of belonging to a generation with the ones expressed by the 1970s generation (the ‘Last Soviet Generation’). The analysis is based on life history narratives of people born between 1980 and 2000. The main questions asked are: do cohorts born in the 1980s and 1990s have a strong generational self-identity and perceive themselves as a distinct generation or generations? If so, what features serve as the basis of their self-identity? Can we describe those born between 1980 and 2000 as a distinct ‘political73x2019; generation with a distinctive identity, or would it be more accurate to say that generational constructs of recent cohorts are based not on political criteria but on technological changes, demography and lifestyle? How do recent geopolitical events have an impact on the identity of young generations?

Straipsnyje apžvelgiama Klaipėdos universiteto svetainės kalba. Pradiniu tyrimų etapu išanalizuota maždaug 30 svetainės puslapių teksto, sugrupuotos klaidos bei trūkumai. Aptarus kalbos atmainas nustatytos sąsajos tarp kalbos atmainų ir klaidų kiekio. Pastebėtas akivaizdus kalbos taisyklingumo ryšys su stilistinėmis kalbos atmainomis ir nuolatinio bei laikino teksto pobūdžiu: oficialiojo stiliaus tekstuose, perteikiančiuose ilgalaikę informaciją, klaidų pasitaiko mažiausiai. Priešinga padėtis yra su laikinos informacijos ir ekspresyvesniais, publicistiniais tekstais.

This chapter addresses the ways in which certain social and demographic processes describe the last Lithuanian Soviet generation (born in the late 1960s and 1970s). The primary focus is directed to the analysis of the demographic changes that took place in the life course of this generation during the period of transition to adulthood. It is essential to identify how this period of life was structured after the collapse of the Soviet system and under changing social, economic and ideological conditions, as well as with the development of a new political, social and economic order in the 1990s. The following events of the transitional phase are analysed here: leaving the parental home; completing education, starting work for the first time; first partnerships; and giving birth to the first child. The aim is to reveal the ways in which these specifically changing experiences during the transition to adulthood reflect distinctive formation features of the last Soviet generation and how these experiences delimit this generation from both previous and subsequent generations. The chapter also surveys the ways these experiences reflect transformational processes of the life course in terms of standardisation/de-standardisation and institutionalisation/de-institutionalisation, which took place in the 1990s. The chapter draws on the secondary analysis of demographic data. This chapter draws on the demographic data from the Generations and Gender Survey (Kart ir lyči tyrimas) conducted in 2006–2009 in Lithuania, the data on the period between 1990 and 2011 gained from the Department of Statistics of Lithuania (Statistics Lithuania) and the materials of the survey conducted under the project The Last Soviet Generation in the Changing Contexts of Modernity (Paskutinioji sovietmečio karta kintančios modernybės kontekstuose).

In the context of sustainability, ports often emerge as points of contention involving stakeholders from the maritime industry, local government, and communities. The interaction between ports and cities reveals that effective communication and the cultivation of maritime culture can serve as a potent combination for the transmission of information between the port and the city. This implies that the successful development of a port can be achieved by establishing a well-functioning communication channel for the exchange of knowledge, actions, experiences, and cultural values. The research idea postulates that the cultural component can serve as an additional dimension within the frameworks of sustainable development and resilience enhancement research, specifically within the domain of port organizational resilience and sustainable development. Notably, substantial attention is directed towards small and medium-sized ports, as these entities are particularly susceptible to the influence of the port on the surrounding social communities, owing to the intricate interconnections among culture, heritage, and environmental conditions. The subject of this study centres on the cultural interaction between ports and cities. The research goal is to explore the impact of port-city cultural interactions on the sustainable development of medium-sized port cities and their associated coastal regions. To this end, the research is guided by specific objectives, which include elucidating the concept of port-city interaction and situating this interaction within the broader context of sustainable development in coastal regions. Furthermore, the study aims to delineate the cultural component within the framework of port-city interaction and, subsequently, to propose potential trajectories for the development of port-city cultural interactions that could enhance the sustainability of coastal regions. The research methodology employed in this study adheres to the methodological principles of a theoretical approach. This approach encompasses the systematic exploration of concepts, theories, and existing knowledge within the chosen domain, thereby providing a robust foundation for the investigation. The main results found out that, the integration of culture into port-city interaction is vital for fostering sustainable development and resilience in coastal regions. As a dynamic and multifaceted component, culture influences communication, shapes organizational ecosystems, and contributes to the achievement of SDGs. Also, as it was suggested the port-city interaction's evolution trajectories not only enhance the socio-environmental fabric of port-city dynamics but also offer a roadmap for fostering enduring sustainability and excellence in coastal regions.

The appearance of the human body and its image in Lithuanian society are currently one of the most relevant health topics. In the media and on the Internet, a lot of attention is paid to the appearance of the human body and the image of the person, certain body appearance standards prevail, the non-compliance of which can have a negative impact on a person's physical and mental health and his social life. Individuals and society perceive and evaluate body image based on shape, weight, girth measurements, other characteristics of physical body appearance and their shortcomings. Lithuanian nutritionists note that there is still a stigma in society that obesity is not a disease but a person's neglect, which is why people with obesity rarely talk openly about the difficulties they fear. The slender body is desirable in Lithuania. However, in contrast to the negative influence of the media on the formation of body image, positive initiatives by formal institutions, influencers, and media are also taking place.

The perception of gender roles is a topic that has been growing over the past decade. The issue arises as society and culture, in general, and media, in particular, still impact the concepts of masculinity and femininity. The reason is that the function of a media article is not only to inform the reader but also to influence, conveying the ideology through a subjective prism. Distinct ideologies are expressed through language, consequently, the way language is used in media constructs distinct views on how women and men should behave in society. The aim of the article is to investigate linguistic features in online media texts in order to reveal how women and men are portrayed across British and American online media texts. The research is intended to explore distinct representations of gender roles found in media texts, regarding the language used, lexical and grammatical features, in particular, to reflect the images of men and women roles. Hence, the linguistic approach at the micro- and macro level resulted in the identification of 129 linguistic devices, of which modal meanings, emphatic adverbs, idioms were the most found in media texts. The use of distinct linguistic constructions enables writers to convey a wide range viewpoint, shaping or modifying the attitudes of their readers. Nevertheless, the study includes several linguistic levels (grammatical and lexical) and since there is a limited approach in the field, a deeper analysis could be conducted to gain a better understanding in this research area.

Background. Treatment with angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduces the rate of cardiovascular events among patients with left-ventricular dysfunction and those at high risk of such events. We assessed whether the ACE inhibitor perindopril reduced cardiovascular risk in a low-risk population with stable coronary heart disease and no apparent heart failure. Methods We recruited patients from October, 1997, to June, 2000. 13 655 patients were registered with previous myocardial infarction (64%), angiographic evidence of coronary artery disease (61%), coronary revascularisation (55%), or a positive stress test only (5%). After a run-in period of 4 weeks, in which all patients received perindopril, 12 218 patients were randomly assigned perindopril 8 mg once daily (n=6110), or matching placebo (n=6108). The mean follow-up was 4.2 years, and the primary endpoint was cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or cardiac arrest. Analysis was by intention to treat...

Recent comprehensive data provided through the DAISIE project (www.europe-aliens.org) have facilitated the development of the first pan-European assessment of the impacts of alien plants, vertebrates, and invertebrates – in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments – on ecosystem services. There are 1094 species with documented ecological impacts and 1347 with economic impacts. The two taxonomic groups with the most species causing impacts are terrestrial invertebrates and terrestrial plants. The North Sea is the maritime region that suffers the most impacts. Across taxa and regions, ecological and economic impacts are highly correlated. Terrestrial invertebrates create greater economic impacts than ecological impacts, while the reverse is true for terrestrial plants. Alien species from all taxonomic groups affect “supporting”, “provisioning”, “regulating”, and “cultural” services and interfere with human well-being. Terrestrial vertebrates are responsible for the greatest range of impacts, and these are widely distributed across Europe. Here, we present a review of the financial costs, as the first step toward calculating an estimate of the economic consequences of alien species in Europe.

1 Pathways describe the processes that result in the introduction of alien species from one location to another. A framework is proposed to facilitate the comparative analysis of invasion pathways by a wide range of taxa in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Comparisons with a range of data helped identify existing gaps in current knowledge of pathways and highlight the limitations of existing legislation to manage introductions of alien species. The scheme aims for universality but uses the European Union as a case study for the regulatory perspectives. 2 Alien species may arrive and enter a new region through three broad mechanisms: importation of a commodity, arrival of a transport vector, and/or natural spread from a neighbouring region where the species is itself alien. These three mechanisms result in six principal pathways: release, escape, contaminant, stowaway, corridor and unaided. 3 Alien species transported as commodities may be introduced as a deliberate release or as an escape from captivity. Many species are not intentionally transported but arrive as a contaminant of a commodity, for example pathogens and pests. Stowaways are directly associated with human transport but arrive independently of a specific commodity, for example organisms transported in ballast water, cargo and airfreight. The corridor pathway highlights the role transport infrastructures play in the introduction of alien species. The unaided pathway describes situations where natural spread results in alien species arriving into a new region from a donor region where it is also alien. 4 Vertebrate pathways tend to be characterized as deliberate releases, invertebrates as contaminants and plants as escapes. Pathogenic micro-organisms and fungi are generally introduced as contaminants of their hosts. The corridor and unaided pathways are often ignored in pathway assessments but warrant further detailed consideration. 5 Synthesis and applications. Intentional releases and escapes should be straightforward to monitor and regulate but, in practice, developing legislation has proved difficult. New introductions continue to occur through contaminant, stowaway, corridor and unaided pathways. These pathways represent special challenges for management and legislation. The present framework should enable these trends to be monitored more clearly and hopefully lead to the development of appropriate regulations or codes of practice to stem the number of future introductions.

The accelerating rates of international trade, travel, and transport in the latter half of the twentieth century have led to the progressive mixing of biota from across the world and the number of species introduced to new regions continues to increase. The importance of biogeographic, climatic, economic, and demographic factors as drivers of this trend is increasingly being realized but as yet there is no consensus regarding their relative importance. Whereas little may be done to mitigate the effects of geography and climate on invasions, a wider range of options may exist to moderate the impacts of economic and demographic drivers. Here we use the most recent data available from Europe to partition between macroecological, economic, and demographic variables the variation in alien species richness of bryophytes, fungi, vascular plants, terrestrial insects, aquatic invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Only national wealth and human population density were statistically significant predictors in the majority of models when analyzed jointly with climate, geography, and land cover. The economic and demographic variables reflect the intensity of human activities and integrate the effect of factors that directly determine the outcome of invasion such as propagule pressure, pathways of introduction, eutrophication, and the intensity of anthropogenic disturbance. The strong influence of economic and demographic variables on the levels of invasion by alien species demonstrates that future solutions to the problem of biological invasions at a national scale lie in mitigating the negative environmental consequences of human activities that generate wealth and by promoting more sustainable population growth.