Vilnius University Open Series
Not a member yet
694 research outputs found
Sort by
What is Happening to ‘Traditional’ Forms of Marriage? A Preliminary Account Using the Free-list Method to Evaluate Changes across Age Groups in Lithuania
Full text linkIn this paper, I will present the results of data collected between April 2021 and January 2022 on how Lithuanians across four age grades (18–29; 30–39; 40–59 and 60+) perceive marriage. The data was collected by using the systematic emic method of free-listing, which is intended to determine the main concepts comprising a particular cultural domain. A cultural domain is any coherent cultural construct about which many members of a culture share a common understanding. Free-listing is a simple data-eliciting method in which you ask a sample (usually around 30 participants is sufficient) to list all the kinds of things (or concepts) you associate with some cultural domain. The domain may be a coherent set of things, such as kinds of healthy foods, contagious diseases, and prestigious jobs, or it can be more abstract, such as whatever you associate with social justice, Russia, or, in this particular case, marriage. Our research group decided to ask a sample of Lithuanians to “list all the things that come to their mind when they think of marriage.” The instructions and questions were presented in the Lithuanian language. Given that researchers have shown that ideas of marriage have changed significantly in the recent times, we thought it would be interesting to conduct free-lists with four different age groups to compare both differences and similarities. While free-listing is only the first phase of a research project, it allows us to elicit terms reflecting the salient features of the concept of marriage and provides an extensive array of terms showing the distribution of ideas related to marriage. This report shows some of these results
The Russian Hybrid Threat in Italy: Political Influence, Propaganda and Disinformation
Full text linkIn recent years, Italy has emerged as one of the European Union’s most exposed fronts to Russian influence operations. Following the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Italian intelligence reports have identified the Russian Federation as the main actor behind the so-called hybrid threat, carried out through political, economic, informational, diplomatic, and cyber instruments. This study examines the Russian hybrid threat in Italy, structured around three main lines of action: political influence, propaganda, and digital operations. The analysis reconstructs the strategic framework and objectives of these operations, and examines the main channels and tactics employed. The aim is to provide an integrated overview to better understand how the Russian hybrid threat operates in a specific national context, and which tools can strengthen democratic resilience and collective security
Pasaulinės dirbtinio intelekto valdysenos perspektyvos: nacionalinių dirbtinio intelekto strategijų palyginimas inovacijų amžiuje.
Full text linkThe development of artificial intelligence technologies raises important regulatory questions, as countries have different approaches to AI governance. The article discusses the diverse strategic directions that countries take in AI management. This study aims to analyze the AI governance systems of specific countries, examine the differences between these systems, and assess their impact on innovation development. The research findings reveal how regulatory differences between countries can shape the future directions and challenges of AI development.Dirbtinio intelekto technologijų plėtra kelia svarbius reguliavimo klausimus, kadangi valstybių požiūris į dirbtinio intelekto valdymą skiriasi. Straipsnyje aptariamas skirtingos valstybių strateginės kryptys dirbtinio intelekto valdyme. Darbu siekiama išanalizuoti pasirinktų valstybių dirbtinio intelekto valdymo sistemas, apžvelgti šių sistemų tarpusavio skirtumus bei jų poveikį inovacijų plėtrai. Palyginimo rezultatai atskleidžia, kaip valstybių reguliavimo skirtumai gali lemti dirbtinio intelekto plėtros kryptis ir iššūkius ateityje
Teritorinio teismingumo poreikis
Full text linkThis article examines the concept of territorial jurisdiction in Lithuanian civil procedural law, its development, regulation in the Civil Procedure Code of the Republic of Lithuania, and practical application in modern world. The paper reveals that while the rules of territorial jurisdiction remain imperative, their application is becoming more flexible due to technological advancements, such as the digitalization of courts, and systemic reforms aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the justice system. The article explores key challenges related to this concept, including the need for judicial specialization and the relationship between territorial jurisdiction and digital technologies. A comparative analysis with Estonia‘s experience demonstrates that the principle of territorial jurisdiction remains relevant but requires adaptation to contemporary realities.Šiame straipsnyje analizuojamas teritorinio teismingumo institutas Lietuvos civilinio proceso teisėje, jo raida, reglamentavimas pagal Lietuvos Respublikos civilinio proceso kodeksą ir praktinis taikymas šiuolaikiniame pasaulyje. Tyrimas atskleidžia, kad nors teritorinio teismingumo taisyklės išlieka imperatyvios, jų taikymas tampa lankstesnis dėl technologinių pokyčių, tokių kaip teismų skaitmenizacija, ir sisteminių reformų, siekiančių didinti teisingumo sistemos efektyvumą. Straipsnyje nagrinėjami svarbiausi iššūkiai, susiję su šiuo institutu, įskaitant teisėjų specializacijos poreikį ir teritorinio teismingumo santykį su skaitmeninėmis technologijomis. Lyginamoji analizė su Estijos patirtimi parodo, kad teritorinio teismingumo principas išlieka svarbus, tačiau jį reikia adaptuoti prie šiuolaikinių realijų
Who Can Publish Decolonized Ethnography and Cultural Theory with the Anger it Deserves? Unclassified Lloronas and the Academic Text
Full text linkGloria Anzaldúa’s autohistoria-teoria presents subaltern theorization and autoethnography as testimony. Nevertheless, subaltern women anthropologists from the Global South are not part of the North American ‘woman of color’ classification of Latinas, African-Americans, and Asians. They are therefore expected to use the U.S.-U.K. formula of dispassionate (post)colonial scholarship. The underlying assumption for the unclassified woman ethnographer from the Global South is that she comes from her country’s cosmopolitan elite. She is therefore required to deploy the detached Northern social science language. This paper calls academic publishers to remove the elite label from the unclassified Women-of-Color authorship, and publish them in the decolonized, emotive Anzaldúa auto-ethnography of bearing witness
Historical Legacies of the Pre-industrial Family Systems: Cohabitation
Full text linkThis paper discusses a cultural explanation for the rise of cohabitation in the last decades in Europe. For doing so, I approach this phenomenon from the field of historical legacies of pre-industrial family systems. The literature regarding the history of marriage and cohabitation points that, before the institutionalization of marriage, different characteristics of family systems and family norms (such as co-residence of parents with their adult children, dowry, or inheritance) were relevant to explain why some regions in Europe had a higher use of cohabitation (called back then informal marriage). Regarding the current rise of this practice, the Second Demographic Transition theory (SDT) points to the ideational change toward individualism and anti-conformism as the main cause of the rise of cohabitation. And, not surprisingly, the literature about legacies of historical family systems recently connected preindustrial family features (such as the number of generations living in the same household) with the persistence of the values and attitudes that seem to be linked to the recent changes in family formation. These 3 bodies of literature highlight the potential of the field of historical legacies of the family to explain the current family behavior, such as cohabitation
The Three-Dimensional Perception of Reality in Evangelical Christianity
Full text linkIn this chapter, I set out to explore the transcendental perceptions among Baptists in Ukraine. I am concerned with how Baptist believers perceive the world. Particularly I am interested in how they perceived the world as consisting of a transcendent quality aside from the dimensions of space and time. To discuss the interaction of these three modes of perceiving I coined the term ‘three-dimensional perception of reality’. This concept is defined as the believers’ ability to incorporate narratives and symbols from the Bible into their everyday life, and interpret both personal stories and global events accordingly. This will be exemplified through my ethnographic cases
Komunikacijos vaidmuo plėtojant nuotolinius mokymus ir įtraukųjį švietimą Lietuvoje
Full text linkRemote Learning as a Form of Education, characterized by the physical separation of teachers and students and the use of technology, has traditionally targeted non-traditional students, such as working professionals, military personnel, and those living in remote areas. Today, however, remote learning has become particularly relevant for individuals with disabilities, who often demonstrate the highest motivation to pursue skill development and qualification improvement. Environmental changes and technological advancements have spurred a need for a more flexible education system in Lithuania as well. One of the primary goals of remote learning is to develop a socially equitable, accessible education system that enables lifelong learning, helps individuals manage disabilities, and fosters more effective learning. A wide range of experiences highlights the necessity to promote educational flexibility and create opportunities for everyone to learn.This article presents a study conducted to examine the role of communication in developing remote learning and inclusive education in Lithuania. The study employed scientific literature analysis and a qualitative research approach, using semi-structured interviews. The article explores the concept and characteristics of remote learning, identifies the relevance and challenges of remote learning for individuals with disabilities, and examines the functionality of remote learning and the role of communication in these processes.Nuotolinis mokymasis – ugdymo forma, kuriai būdingas fizinis mokytojų ir mokinių atskyrimas ir technologijų naudojimas, – ilgą laiką buvo orientuotas į netradicinius studentus: dirbančiuosius, kariškius, gyvenančiuosius atokiose vietovėse. Šiandien nuotoliniai mokymai itin aktualūs neįgaliems žmonėms, rodantiems didžiausią motyvaciją kelti kvalifikaciją. Aplinkos pokyčiai, technologijų raida paskatino lankstesnį švietimo sistemos prisitaikymo poreikį ir Lietuvoje. Vienas nuotolinio mokymo tikslų – išplėtoti socialiai teisingą, visiems prieinamą švietimo sistemą, sudarančią sąlygas visuomenei mokytis visą gyvenimą, padėti valdyti negalias, mokytis veiksmingiau. Įvairialypė patirtis rodo būtinybę skatinti švietimo lankstumą ir sudaryti galimybę mokytis visiems. Straipsnyje pristatomas tyrimas, kuriuo siekta ištirti komunikacijos vaidmenį plėtojant nuotolinius mokymus ir įtraukųjį švietimą Lietuvoje. Tyrimui atlikti taikyta mokslinės literatūros analizė ir kokybinis tyrimas – pusiau struktūruoti interviu. Analizuojama nuotolinio mokymo(si) samprata ir ypatumai, aptariamas nuotolinių mokymų aktualumas ir nustatyti iššūkiai, su kuriais susiduria negalią turintys asmenys, identifikuotas nuotolinių mokymų funkcionalumas ir komunikacijos įtaka minėtiems procesams
Pointwise Hypothesis Testing of Biomedical Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Signals
Full text linkThis study uses a pointwise statistical approach to analyze Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) signals in preterm infants with and without Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). Three oxygenation signals—SpO2, rSO2-1 (cerebral), and rSO2-2 (renal)—were analyzed across no-PDA, PDA, and hsPDA groups. Smoothed signals were tested using pointwise ANOVA and Tukey HSD to detect significant group differences. Results showed distinct patterns in rSO2-1 and rSO2-2, with the hsPDA group standing out in rSO2-1 and the no-PDA group in rSO2-2, demonstrating the value of this method in biomedical signal analysis
Recognising the contents in digitised financial documents
Full text linkThe necessity of content recognition in digital documents is everincreasing in the financial sector. Extracted data is used for fundamental analysis, modelling and portfolio selection. In the most prominent markets, there is a wide array of available sources to obtain the data, such as SEC filings easily. However, it is not so in markets with less investor interest, such as the CEE region or Latin America. Often, the only sources containing the data are primary reports by the company itself. Scarce secondary sources may provide data of dubious reliability. This leads to an excessive workload for analysts, implying the necessity to adapt existing intelligent methods for processing financial data