BackgroundHealth-related quality of life is known to be impaired in individuals with coronary artery disease, especially in those after a recent acute coronary syndrome. Heart failure is a common burden in this population that significantly contributes to worsening HRQoL. To accurately measure the level of HRQoL in individuals with CAD after ACS, disease-specific scales, such as the Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire, are recommended. Nevertheless, to date, there has not been a study that would comprehensively evaluate the psychometric properties (...) of the MLHFQ in a large sample of individuals with CAD after ACS. The debate regarding the internal structure of MLHFQ is also still present. Hence, this study aimed to translate the MLHFQ and evaluate its internal structure, reliability/precision, and validity in individuals with CAD following ACS in Lithuania.MethodsIn the cross-sectional study, 1,083 participants were evaluated for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. HRQoL was measured using the MLHFQ and the Short Form-36 health survey. In addition, exercise capacity was also evaluated in the study patients, using a standardized computer-driven bicycle ergometer.ResultsThe internal consistency of the MLHFQ subscales was found to be good. Confirmatory factor analysis provided the support for the three-factor model of the MLHFQ and showed acceptable fit [comparative fit indices = 0.894; goodness-of-fit = 0.898; non-normal fit index = 0.879, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.073]. Regarding convergent evidence, significant associations were found between the MLHFQ domains and the SF-36 domains and EC.ConclusionThe current study completed cultural validation and provided further information on the psychometric characteristics of the MLHFQ in Lithuania, suggesting MLHFQ as a valid and reliable instrument to measure HRQoL. The Lithuanian version of MLHFQ is best described by a three-factor solution, measuring physical, social, and emotional dimensions of HRQoL among individuals with CAD following ACS. (shrink)

Arūnas Sverdiolas’s way of reading Deleuze raises questions about the compatibility of two traditions: how and to what extent can a philosopher of Culture understand a philosopher of Nature and Life? Deleuze, formed in the rationalist tradition, resists the philosophy of Consciousness and Meaning, in which universality is held higher than empirical particularity. thinking – a cause of allergy for a Frenchman – is on the contrary an aspiration for a Lithuanian. Sverdiolas’s formation has its roots in resistance against Marxist-materialist (...) thinking, with the help of philosophy of culture. He considers the whole philosophy of the 20th century as an anthropological philosophy of Culture. This does not facilitate understanding Deleuze’s thought. His vitalist philosophy is deemed paramaterialist and considered to be reductionist. Hence a contradiction: Deleuze is recognized as a gifted historian of philosophy, but his own thinking is viewed with scepticism, without seeing its roots in the history of philosophy. The reason why Deleuze’s philosophy rejects the anthropocentric perspective – that of the ego and of consciousness – is not considered. (shrink)

Journal Name: Semiotica Issue: Ahead of print.

The company's profit and profitability are one of the most important criteria for assessing the enterprise performance. According to the achieved results of profit and profitability, it is being judged what benefits may receive different interest groups of the company - owners, employees, investors and creditors. All business enterprises are concerned to increase the profitability. The article analyses the theoretical aspects of profit and profitability assessment. The analysis of scientific literature of foreign and Lithuanian authors suggests that the company's profitability (...) analysis helps to determine the financial aspects of the company's financial performance, to assess the current situation in order to make appropriate management decisions. The company's profit and profitability are one of the most important criteria for assessing the enterprise performance. According to the achieved results of profit and profitability, it is being judged what benefits may receive different interest groups of the company - owners, employees, investors and creditors. All business enterprises are concerned to increase the profitability. The article analyses the theoretical aspects of profit and profitability assessmentWhile assessing company’s activity efficiency in various aspects, its competitiveness and growth possibilities, it is not enough to analyse absolute profit indices and based on them to take particular decisions, because an absolute profit index does not reflect company’s real financial situation. More comprehensive information is obtained by calculating relative profitability indices and comparing them with profitability. Besides, profitability indices in a structured form provide to company’s managers the most important and most precise information in form of indicators based on which there is a possibility to assess company’s financial situation and to forecast company’s future financial situation, foresee activity’s success and failures. Therefore, even a profitable company needs a constant analysis of these indices, their dynamics, affecting factors, because due to affecting factors the company’s managers can assess and forecast profitability indices. In search for the ways how to increase a profit and profitability indices, it is very relevant for the company’s managers to assess introduction of new services to a market, because new implemented services reach a success, the company’s managers can take decisions, determining dynamics of development of profitability indices, and direct company’s management towards profitable direction.The article analyses the theoretical aspects of profit and profitability assessment. The analysis of scientific literature of foreign and Lithuanian authors suggests that the company's profitability analysis helps to determine the financial aspects of the company's financial performance, to assess the current situation in order to make appropriate management decisions. (shrink)

This article aims to analyze the legal regulation of performers’ rights in Lithuania. Analysis is divided in two parts: the first part analyses performers’ economic rights by comparing them to the authors’ economic rights and the legal regulation of performers’ rights in foreign countries; the second part of article focuses on the different content of performers’ economic rights due to the mean of fixation of performance (unfixed performance, performance fixed to the phonogram, audiovisual fixation of performance). Analysis of the Lithuanian (...) legal regulation on performers’ economic right has shown that although Copyright Law of Lithuania in general complies with international and EU acts governing performers’ rights, four main fields of legal regulation need to be revised. Firstly, Copyright Law should provide that when concluding an agreement concerning an audiovisual fixation of his performance with a producer of audiovisual work the performer transfers his exclusive rights to the producer, the performer shall retain an unwaivable right to receive an equitable remuneration for every transferred exclusive right. Secondly, the legal definition of phonogram published for the commercial purposes should be provided in the Law on Copyright of Lithuania. (shrink)

Life in good health and health security prove the most significant values highlighted by moral philosophy in the time of the environmental crisis. The imperfect operation of healthcare poses a threat for humans. Administrative measures regulate insufficiently medicine and healthcare. They need to be backed up by ethics, which cannot be seen solely as ethics of an individual’s conscience. What is needed is professional, practice-oriented and institutionalized-within-healthcare-organizations ethics. Recently, there have appeared a great number of new international documents setting standards (...) of medical procedures in compliance with the requirements of the new bioethical values. At the same time elements of the ethical infrastructure such as bioethics commissions or committees have been created. In the face of the specificity and the complexity of ethical issues and problems encountered within contemporary medical practice the requirement of high ethical competence of all healthcare workers often fails to be sufficient. (shrink)

Invited Lecture at Buffalo University Interview with Professor Rita Šerpytytė.

Deleuze, G., Guattari, F., 2019. Kas yra filosofija? Vertė Daina Habdankaitė, Nijolė Keršytė. Vilnius: Jonas ir Jokūbas, 242 p. ISBN 978-609-8236-06-4.