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The CMS barrel timing layer: test beam confirmation of module timing performance /
No full textFirst of its kind, the barrel section of the MIP Timing Detector is a large area timing detector based on LYSO:Ce crystals and SiPMs which are required to operate in an unprecedentedly harsh radiation environment (up to an integrated fluence of 2×1014 1 MeV neq/cm2). It is designed as a key element of the upgrade of the existing CMS detector to provide a time resolution for minimum ionizing particles in the range between 30–60 ps throughout the entire operation at the High Luminosity LHC. A thorough optimization of its components has led to the final detector module layout which exploits 25 μm cell size SiPMs and 3.75 mm thick crystals. This design achieved the target performance in a series of test beam campaigns. In this paper we present test beam results which demonstrate the desired performance of detector modules in terms of radiation tolerance, time resolution and response uniformity
Alternative happy endings? A qualitative study of non-mothers in Lithuania /
No full textWomen’s experiences of non-motherhood have not been adequately analysed in Lithuania until recently. Women in Lithuania, as in other Eastern European countries, experience the pressure of pro-natalist society to have children. Their decisions whether and when to have children are often not free, as they are influenced by circumstances and internalized cultural beliefs. In this chapter, I analyse the narratives of 12 reproductive-age women (29-47 years old), interviewed in 2017. The findings show that for most of the interviewees, normative preconceptions continue to prevail and influence them. The qualitative interviews examined in this chapter demonstrate the fact that reproduction remains central to women’s lives in Lithuania. Only a few women felt comfortable with not having children. This reveals that the pressure for motherhood remains strong in Lithuania, and experiences of non-motherhood do not yet hold sufficient weight to represent a valid and alternative pathway towards a happy life
Negotiating non-motherhood. Representations, perceptions, and experiences :
No full textThis open access edited volume focuses on the representations, perceptions, and experiences of women who do not have children against the backdrop of traditional gender norms, pronatalist policies, and patriarchal structures. While involuntary and voluntary childlessness have typically been treated separately and studied within different disciplines in most previous scholarship, contributing authors explore non-motherhood beyond the involuntary/voluntary divide and consider a wide range of conceptualizations of women who do not become mothers. The editors bring together a variety of perspectives from different national contexts and disciplines, including family studies, gender studies, literary and cultural studies, sociology, and film studies to explore non-motherhood. The book focuses on how women who choose or experience non-motherhood are negotiated, felt, represented, and received
High-impact polystyrene structured light components for terahertz imaging applications /
No full textTerahertz frequency range imaging has become more and more attractive for a wide range of practical applications; however, further component optimization is still required. The presented research introduces 3D-printed high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) beam-shaping components for the terahertz range. Gaussian, Bessel, and Airy beam-shaping structures are fabricated, and different combinations are employed to evaluate imaging system performance. The combination of the Gaussian element as focusing and the Bessel element as collecting is revealed to be similarly efficient and less sensitive to misalignment than the classical Gaussian–Gaussian element setup. The presented research paves the way for introducing cost-effective structured light beam-shaping elements into THz imaging systems
Have people treated with antihypertensives been diagnosed with hypertension? A cross‐sectional study in Stockholm, Sweden /
No full textStudies on antihypertensive treatment are important, as hypertension remains the major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity Purpose: Studies on antihypertensive treatment are important, as hypertension remains the major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and premature death. However, antihypertensive medicines are also used for other conditions, and the use of these medicines as a proxy for a diagnosis of hypertension might lead to misclassification in pharmacoepidemiological studies. This study aimed to investigate to what extent people dispensed antihypertensive medicines have been diagnosed with hypertension. Methods: Cross-sectional study with data covering all healthcare and all dispensed prescriptions of antihypertensive medicines 2019 and diagnoses recorded 2015–2019 from the Stockholm Region, Sweden. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to assess the probability of having hypertension concerning age, sex, and antihypertensive drug class. Results: A total of 386860 individuals were included, 49% men, 12% incident users, and 80% of all had a recorded diagnosis of hypertension. In 73% of incident users, only one antihypertensive drug class was dispensed, as compared to 36% of prevalent users. A total of 38% of incident users and 9% of prevalent users had none of the diagnoses selected for the study recorded in any health record during 5 years. Prevalent and older users over the age of 65 from high (50%–79%) to very high (80% and more) probability of a recorded diagnosis of hypertension. Patients on antiadrenergic agents, high-ceiling diuretics, aldosterone antagonists, or beta receptor blockers had a lower probability of having a recorded diagnosis of hypertension than patients dispensed angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, or calcium channel blockers. Conclusion: Most patients dispensed antihypertensive medicines have a diagnosis of hypertension. However, caution is needed using data on dispensed medicines to classify incident antihypertensive users and younger patients as having a diagnosis of hypertension
Ecclesiastical Acts of the Holy See: Their Classification and Juridical Weight.
No full textBy identifying the functions that the Roman Catholic Church assigns to itself, categorizing ecclesiastical acts according to these functions, and examining the concept of the ecclesiastical power of governance, the authors of this article aims to provide some guidelines and rules that would enable both lay lawyers and Church hierarchs living and working in Lithuania to more correctly assess the juridical weight of the Holy See’s ecclesiastical acts which fall under the domain of Ecclesiastical Law (regulating the relationships of the faithful within the Church itself, and not with other international legal entities). The study shows that a significant number of acts of the Holy See cannot be equated with the concepts of ‘legal acts’ and ‘papal acts’, and their legal weight cannot be determined solely by the title of the act. A detailed content analysis is required
The Milesian school: the relationship between religion and philosophy.
No full textThis article proposes an interpretation of the fragments of the Milesian thinkers which aims to demonstrate the compatibility of their thought with the Greek religious tradition. The concept of the first principle denotes a shared discourse between philosophers and poets, both of which focused on elucidating the origin or essence of the cosmos. From this common discourse, the Milesians develop a unique perspective on religion, exemplified by the suggested reading of Thales’ dictum ‘everything is full of gods’: it is argued that the dictum criticises the common popular view of the gods. By acknowledging this critical Milesian perspective on the gods, we can also analyse other Milesian fragments in a new light thus disclosing their inclination to perceive the gods via an ontological lens
Focus of performance audit recommendations on the approach of public value creation: The case of the National Audit Office of Lithuania /
No full textPerformance audits help to evaluate the performance of the audited public sector entities and, if the recommendations are implemented, contribute to their improvement. In light of the fact that the public sector is primarily concerned with the creation of value for society and for consumers of public services, it is essential that the impact of performance audits is determined with a specific focus on the creation of public value. Although the theory that Supreme Audit Institutions contribute to the creation of public value through their performance audit reports is beginning to emerge in the academic community, no criteria have yet been proposed to determine the impact of performance audits on the creation of public value. The objective of the study is to propose a framework for evaluating the creation of public value that is grounded in empirical evidence and incorporates a range of criteria for measuring the impact of performance audits on public value. In order to ascertain whether the objectives set out in the recommendations contained in the performance audit reports could be linked to the elements of a public value creation evaluation framework identified in the academic literature, a content analysis of the recommendations in the performance audit reports was conducted. A comprehensive analysis was conducted of all 114 reports published by the Lithuanian Supreme Audit Institution over the period from 2015 to 2022. The content analysis identified the segments of the content of the recommendations of the performance audit reports that are linked to the creation of public value. The aforementioned segments have been assigned detailed codes, which have been aggregated into a coding system. They provide a framework for the evaluation of public value creation, encompassing the four key directions of public value creation: consumers and society; strategy; governance; and supply chain. The criteria identified in each direction serve to reveal the impact of the objectives set out in the recommendations included in the performance audit reports on the creation of public value. Evaluating the impact of performance audit in terms of public value creation is important for managers, policy makers and other decision makers in audited public entities. The proposed framework for evaluating public value creation would help to measure this impact
Association of hypertension with early-onset cryptogenic ischemic stroke by the presence of patent foramen ovale: a case–control study /
No full textSenatvės pensijų, socialinių išmokų ir mokesčių pokyčių poveikis gyventojų pajamų pasiskirstymui Lietuvoje (2021–2024).
No full textAssessing the distributional impact of policy reforms is a crucial component of the policy planning and implementation cycle. This paper provides a comprehensive follow-up to the 2021 study on nowcasting poverty and inequality in the context of economic growth and Covid-19 pandemic in Lithuania, prepared by the authors of the present work. Here we extend the analysis for the period of 2021–2024. We examine the impact of recent policy changes to old-age pensions, social benefits and direct taxes following the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on key distributional indicators, such as the at-risk-of-poverty rate (AROP), income inequality (measured by the inter-quintile ratio (S80/S20) and the Gini coefficient), and a nationally applied measure of absolute poverty. The analysis utilizes the tax-benefit microsimulation model EUROMOD. The results obtained indicate a consistent decline in AROP and income inequality in Lithuania between 2021 and 2024, primarily due to adjustments in old-age pensions, rather than changes in direct taxes, social insurance contributions or other social benefits. However, these adjustments only partially mitigate the effects of high inflation. As a result, the absolute poverty rate is estimated to exceed its 2021 levels by 2–4 percentage points between 2022 and 2024