Regional development should not be a unified process even for a small country such as Latvia. There is a stereotype that people living in big cities and rural areas differ in their values and behaviour. This study compares the human values of Riga, the Riga district urban area and different rural regions in Latvia. During the last three years - 2007, 2008 and 2009 the survey of 1450 inhabitants showed no substantial difference in peoples' social values; comparing rural and urban locations. Rather, a noticeable difference in human values between people living in different regions of Latvia was observed. It was also observed that the set of values expands in different directions over time, forcing a future increase in fragmentation and segmentation of the population in the country.

The production of innovative composition (high omega group fatty acids and antioxidants-carotenoids) broiler chicken meat and egg opportunities in Latvia was assessed. After feeding the poultry with feed enriched with fatty acids and antioxidants, broiler meat and eggs of innovative composition containing a higher amount of omega-3 (in meat by 1.7%, in eggs by 2.7%), omega-6 (in meat by 3.9%, in eggs by 3.2%) and carotenoids (0.44 mg kg-1 in meat and in eggs by 6.9 mg kg-1) when compared with the content of commercial products are obtained. Nutrition costs of innovative composition-based broiler chicken meat production are LVL 20 higher and nutrition costs of egg production are LVL 1.49 higher per 1000 units of output than in the standard version of the poultry feeding-stuff. The poultry farming production of an innovative composition, however, is economically profitable due to the higher rates of poultry productivity. In the case of an innovative composition-based yield the potential profit at the currently equal cost realisation of poultry meat and eggs is higher when calculating 293.47 LVL per 1000 broiler chickens and 5.52 LVL per 1000 eggs in comparison with commercial production.

Health care has an important role in regional economic and politic development because human life and health is the only criterion and prerequisite for any other value. If for any reason human loses more than 20% of his blood, he is not able to join in economic actions and is under a risk of dying. That is why economic development loses human resources. In case of losing blood, human life can be saved only by donor blood, since synthetic blood replacements have not been discovered yet. In this paper, historical development of blood donor movement as an aspect of economic development has been researched. Experiments, failures and scientific discoveries in blood transmission history have also influenced world economic history. Based on historical literature in Latvia and eye witness stories, historical development of blood donor movement in Latvia as well as its role in health care as a part of economics is studied in this paper.

Due to the recently increasing frequency of extreme changes in river runoff regime, scientific literature deals with the characteristics of runoff formation. Works are carried out in analyzing climate changes and a lot of attention falls on land–use structures. Following thorough analysis of the lithological structure of river basins in separate costal zones, this article aims at evaluating river runoff formation characteristics. The basin lithological factor was calculated based on Quaternary map of Lithuania M 1:200000 and Lithuanian river map M 1:50000 using ArcGis software. In order to carry out more thorough analysis of the influence of lithology in given territories, sections of 0–20 m, 50–200 m, 200–500 m, 500–800 m, 800–1000 m and is greater than 1000 m were established, calculating the distance in meters from the riverbank. Eight river basins of typical lithological structure (sandy, loamy, argillaceous) were selected and examined. The period of the years 1960–2007 was analyzed as this period saw the greatest amount of precipitation (up to 33% probability), and relation between the runoff and precipitation was established as well as that with the lithological structure, established following the derivation of a hydromodule.

Civilization has historically flourished around rivers. There exists invisible and visible social activity system in the river landscape. With the world's economical, technological and social development, a focus on meeting human needs is vital. There is a need of a reinterpretation of landscapes' functions and revision of archetypes. The proposed approach is search for design of lifestyle versus design for territory. The research is based on the Lielupe river case study. The aim of the on-going research is search for approach to solve individuals' role of the river landscape. The task of this paper is to identify types of individuals' use of river landscape. Data collection was performed both from individuals' prospectus of use of landscape and from the functional use of river as a landscape object supplementing data both ways. I investigated it by analyzing intuitive images, making of an observation of people's habits, behaviours and occupations, and by cartographic analysis. At this stage of research there were observed seventeen groups of functions in the landscape of the Lielupe river valley, characterized by wide range of actions, described by landscape elements, and organised in social groups. These data are assessed by grading of their influence on landscape and its participants. Sixteen marginal grades were detected. This highlights a high potential for development of river landscape with an individual's participation in it. The further investigation is to develop ergonomic and functional planning principles for each type of interest group to compromise the individuals' needs.

The research deals with public art, and its related discourses. The particular focus of the paper is on investigating how public art can be a resistant or controversial part of the urban space. The first part of the paper describes the historic development of public art through time. Subsequently, the discussion goes on to the main aspects which dominate art in the public, urban space. We focus on the site-specificity realm, sculpture and installation, the role of public art in urban regeneration as well as influences in society. Today, it is argued that public art shifts its focus from object to process, from artist to audience, and that the artwork becomes part of city development policies, approaches to people’s everyday life. Currently the quest of contemporary public art becomes one of the main subjects to explore and find definitions for. The methodology used in this paper is descriptive, based in a historical point of view. The aim of this research is to find out the main development lines of public art, trying to answer questions such as: how is public art expressed in the urban space realm? What is its potential?

The interaction between short fibres and concrete in the post-cracking phase influences crack spacing and width in the composite. In order to perform analysis of deformation of a composite and the fibre displacement at the crack, single fibre was examined. A two-fibre model considering the distribution of fibre length and incomplete bonding was developed. Numerical analysis reveals that two-fibre model analysis is believed to be more accurate than that obtained from the single-fibre analysis. Comparing the solution of the single-fibre and two-fibre system shows that the latter gives a greater fibre displacement at the crack. The study was performed in the Department of Structural Engineering, year 2009/2010.

Informatics is profoundly reshaping social relations and changing pupils’ education. A goal was set to offer the pupils an integrated informatics learning content, orientated to develop an emotionally and intellectually equilibrated and harmonic personality. The aim of the paper is to characterize the integration in the content of the subject of informatics and research the realisation of integrated learning material in educational practice. Subjects in the school curricula provide concrete guidelines on knowledge, skills and attitudes that should be taught and what goals and purposes their education program follows. To establish the understanding of pupils on development of taste in integrated informatics subject, an educational experimentation was conducted. The data are obtained by using a pretest-post-test design and analysis of teaching-learning informatics in classroom. Pupils at Lielvarde secondary school were asked to involve for learning a new integrated informatics material for developing their understanding of taste. The method of analysis of aesthetic and pedagogical literature and data processing and analysis by Wilcoxon signed-rank Test and Chi-square test are used. Pupils undertook independent practical tasks at the computer with the aim of developing their knowledge and cognitive skills (understanding, selection, reflection). Learning integrated informatics material is a pedagogical condition for fostering the development of pupils’ understanding of taste. Learning integrated informatics material executed diverse practical tasks with choice of color match, ethnographic characters and making a portfolio which enriched pupils' experience of taste and effectuated as acquisition of their cognitive skills.

The aim of the study: to analyse the principle of exemplarity, comprehend its features and their usage in university exact courses learning practice. The principle of exemplarity is a means of arranging the geodesy study course programme according to the most essential notions of the course and students abilities and knowledge level at Latvia University of Agriculture. It is one of the cognitive learning didactical principles proponed by the German scientist Martin Wagenschein and recognised in a teaching/learning process particularly in natural sciences. The origination of the principle of exemplarity, its relevant features and experience of other countries are analysed in the article. The following notions of the principle are analysed in the article: coping with information quantity, comprehension of a course entity and epistemology, interdisciplinarity; usage of exemplar as a feature of entity criterion in obtaining particular knowledge and skills; traits of Socratic dialogue. The principle of exemplarity is combined with problem-based learning, project method and student-centred approach and is used and discussed particularly in Germany and Denmark. The principle features and the ideas of its usage are being assessed, worked in and implemented in the geodesy study course programme for the land survey speciality first year students. The programme is revised thematically determining the focal themes (exemplars) in laboratory works via which the principle of exemplarity can be the means of obtaining the course of geodesy successfully.

Placing emphasis on high level of responsibility, professionalism and tendency for improvement is expected from medical students. A continuous flow of information puts medical students in front of a choice between the already known and the new. It is therefore necessary to think flexibly and to be ready to verify information and admit mistakes – it is necessary to be able to think critically. While studying chemistry in Riga Stadiņš University, students have an opportunity to use critical thinking methods for certain purposes – investigation of laws of nature. Development of critical thinking therefore is an integral component rather than the goal of medical education. A complex education method with linked didactic methods was developed – the goals are development of critical thinking during practical work, development of study process organization skills, and critical analysis of information, situation modelling, self-assessment and self-dependence. In order for used didactic methods to work, levels of student qualification were taken in consideration and students were offered an opportunity to evaluate their work themselves. By adapting different forms of studying to each topic of theoretic course and practical work, it was possible to find the most effective as proven by student questionnaires. As research shows, the most effective didactic methods are: 1) special assignments where students have to verify given facts; 2) situations where students are directed towards intensified analysis of conditions of assignment; 3) mastering of science-based research principles which include promotion of theories, practical testing, result analysis, and conclusion drawing.