DSpace-CRIS 8

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?

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.