The term "competence" has not been clearly defined in the literature. Two meanings of the term have been identified. One refers to the outputs or results of education (training), but other - to the inputs or underlying attributes needed for a person to demonstrate competent performance. Each meaning has been used to describe both individual and organizational competences. A classification of the meanings of competence is given to show that the term has several meanings depending on the purpose for which it is used. Although competence is an important concept in education, it is unclear what competence is. Constructivism is a way out of the competence confusion - we don't search for one absolute true definition, but do use the competence concept for our own purposes. At the end of article a description (definition) of competence is given. This definition is appropriate to define inputs for undergraduate programmes and to improve student's lifelong and life wide learning competences while studying undergraduate study programmes.

Rural tourism is becoming more and more important in Latvia and Europe, where rural environment changes, began already more than a couple of decennaries ago. Current trends in development of tourism are favourable for lasting development of rural tourism in the whole European Union. Rural tourim in Latvia extremely popular, because it includes both recreational and cognitive elements of tourism, and takes place in countryside. It gives people a chance to become acquainted witg a country lifestyle, the process of production and be in touch with nature, be able to obtain strength and take emotional pleasure in the energy of nature. The study course "Rural tourism" is lectures both in Latvia's, and foreign higher educational establishments. This course usually is the free choice study object. The aim of the work is to observe study course "Rural tourism" aims and describe the content of this study course in higher educational establishments in Baltic States and North Europe.

The purpose of arts education at university is to create students' attitude to five forms of art - literature, drama, dance, music, and visual arts. As a study object, the art an integral part of education and perception of art is the result of cognition of the surrounding environment. A.Dauge (1868-1937) and J.A.Students (1898-1964) observed that arts education is finding out the question of integrity the logically rational and the emotionally experienced in the system of counterbalancing mind and feelings. At the beginning of the 21 century, as the paradigm of education is changing, the opinion also changed about what makes a knowledgeable and socially valuable person. In order to promote the development of one's personality self-fulfilment pedagogues are called for introducing certain changes which are contributing to the opening up of their students. University students are going through the process of evaluation of an interpretation of opera as recorded performance on a video-type and in live performance on the opera house stage. It makes their opinion based on well - grounded argumentation and personally valuable self - evaluation. The last is functioning as the regulating mechanism for learning the properties of arts in the context of developing the human personality. The opera performance on the stage is the live communication with a different culture heritage and people are going to performances to be immersed in art values. Usually the repertoire is hosen for visiting the opera house as an interesting and enjoyable entertainment for students. Such masterpieces as "The Magic Flute" of W.A.Mozart, "Flying Dutchman" by R.Wagner, "Aida" and "La Travolta" by G.Verdi are actually stimulated the students discover of the artwork. Understanding of opera art increases the students' knowledge, emotional experience, interest and positive attitude to high art values. Arts education as intelligent cultural assessment is the dominating purpose of the teaching-learning process.

The aim of this research was to compare effects of fertilization with various ratios of N, P and K (N:P:K) on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) infection in roots of Dactylis glomerata in Ca-carbonate (limed) and non-limed meadow plots at the Research Centre of Skriveri, Latvia University of Agriculture. Dactylis glomerata roots were excavated from variously fertilizer plots, a minimum 3 root samples per plot and analysed for two consecutive years. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi infection rates were estimated according to accepted scoring tables used for determination of AMF colonization.

A study was conducted to determine efficiency of an organic acids additive on pigs metabolic processes and diggestive tract microflora. The pigs of control group were fed without an organic acids additive. The feed of the trial group piglets contained 6 kg of organic acids additive per tonne feed, for starter pigs - 4 kg per tonne feed, for finished pigs - 3 kg per tonne feed. The study indicated that at the age of 130 days, pig mass in the trial group was 54.08 kg an average, but in the control group - 51.06 kg, which showed that pigs from the trial group had by 6% higher average mass than in the control group (p is less than 0.005). At the age of 160 days, pig mass in the trial group was an average 94.3 kg, in the control group - 90.63 kg; pigs from the trial group had by 4% higher mass than in the control group (p is less than 0.005). Feed consumption for the trial group was by 1% less than in the control group. Average daily gain for the trial group was 0.663 kg, which was by 6% more than for the control group pigs (p is less than 0.005). Feed conversion in the trial group was 3.06 kg, but in the control group - 3.275 kg, i.e. 6.4% higher than in the trial group. Analyses of Jejunum microflora showed that use of acidifier additive reduced Mould colony formed units - CFU amount in 1 g of the trial group sample by 6%. Staphylococcus species amount in the trial group was 500 CFU in 1 g of sample, but in the control group - 40000 CFU, i.e. 80 times more. In the trial group, Lactic acid bacteria CFU amount in 1 g of sample was by 6% higher than in the control group. The results of Rectum microflora analyses showed that Staphylococcus species amount in the trial group was 12000 CFU in 1 g of sample, but in the control group it was by 34% higher.

In Latvia, use of unheated cow sheds with lowered environmental temperature is growing. In such circumstances, cooling of the milking equipment washing liquid is more rapid and quality of the washing equipment decreases. However, it may be eliminated by coating the milk and washing liquid piping with heat insulation. A mathematical model of the milking equipment washing liquid by which the end temperature of the washing liquid cooling can be determined is developed. Two types of heat insulation materials are under the trial. Laboratory experiments on cooling of the washing liquid are carried out and the experimental coefficients of the mathematical model are determined.

The article discusses investigations in a flat rectangular contact area of two elastic solids (brake friction lining and disc) using a theoretical method. The solids are in free as well as in forced movement. The investigations have resulted in correlations describing deformation and stiffness parameters of solid flat joint in different loads: transference of the centre of cross section delta0 the angle of turning phi of one solid in relation to the other (as a result of friction lining deformation), and tension sigmax in any cross section of the contact area. The results of the investigations make it possible to analyze the stiffness of the contact of solids, test the strength of the contact areas, optimize the contact are of solids, and prognosticate even wear out of friction lining.

Biodiesel is renewable and environmentally friendly fuel, which can be used as a substitute for diesel in compression ignition (CI) engines. Nowadays it is also successfully used not only in transport sector, but also in commercial construction equipment and space heating. As the production of biodiesel (rapeseed methyl ester RME) is started now and is planned to grow rapidly, it is necessary to investigate biodiesel impact on engine performance and exhaust gas composition. This paper describes results of the investigation the aim of which was to find out the impact of biodiesel and its blends on an engine's dynamical, economical and ecological parameters in laboratory conditions on an engine test bench. The experimental work was done with an XD2P diesel engine in the Motor testing and biofuels laboratory of the Motor Vehicle Institute of Latvia University of Agriculture. The engine was fuelled on fossil diesel, rapeseed methyl ester (RME) and on blends of 5 (5RME) and 35 (35RME) percent RME/diesel fuel. The results indicated that power for biodiesel and blends was lower than with ordinary petrol diesel on average. 7.9% on 100RME and 3.6% on 35RME. The reduction in torque and increase in fuel consumption was observed. Experimental results showed that the addition of RME to diesel can significantly reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and absorption coefficient.

The paper gives the data about the mineralization process (sum of ions) and the amount of nutrient ions (nitrogen, phosphorus) contained in water of two streams (basin areas 1.63 square km and 2.02 square km) located in soils of different texture in the karst zone. As the study results have shown, higher amounts of DIN (dissolved inorganic nitrogen) were determined under the conditions of higher humus content in the soil (more humus (0.8-3.0%) was observed in glacial lacustrine soils), uneven runoff distribution (when its formation process is interrupted), and increasing DIN concentrations in silt. N-NO3 purification coefficient in stream water was higher when the stream was flowing via non-drained wood-covered area, also under the conditions of higher air temperatures. TP (total phosphorus) concentrations contained in stream water mostly depended on large amount of precipitation (especially in summer) as well as on phosphorus contained in silt: higher P2O5 concentrations contained in silt determined lower TP concentrations in water (determination coefficient of the relation r**2=0.24-0.30).

The paper presents the results of investigations on wastewater formation and its treatment in constructed wetlands (CW) with horizontal flow. The investigations were carried out on a dairy farm in the period of 1995-2004. On farmsteads containing cattle sheds, the pollution of wastewater is 2-3 times higher compared with domestic wastewater. The largest amount of slowly decomposing organic pollutants is retained during wastewater filtration via a septic tank (62.7% according to CODCr). During wastewater filtration through a horizontal CW, the amount of retained organic pollutants biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (CODCr) is 93.6%. During wastewater filtration through CW, nutrients (Ntotal and Ptotal) treatment efficiency on the dairy farms, where Ntotal concentration is 101.0 mg lE-1, is one the average 61.4% of nutrient load, and 41.4% of P where Ptotal concentration is 21.5 mg lE-1. The analyzed wastewater treatment facilities (septic tank + CW) are distinct for their buffering capabilities. They are affective enough, however due to limited P removal processes in sustainable natural environment, additional P-removal means are to be used in wastewater treatment facilities arranged on dairy farms.