A study was conducted to determine efficiency of a phytoadditive on pig growth processes and digestive tract microflora. The pigs of control group were fed without the phytoadditive. The feed of the trial group piglets contained 0.5% of the phytoadditive per tonne feed, for starter pigs and finished pigs - 0.2% per tonne feed. The study indicated that at the age of 170 days, pig mass in the trial group was 111.67+-1.22 kg on average, but in the control group - 101.79+-0.81 kg, which showed that pigs from the trial group had by 9.7% higher average mass than in the control group (p is less than 0.05). Average daily gain for the trial group was 0.777+-0.009 kg, which was by 12 % more than for the control group pigs (p is less than 0.05). Feed conversion in the trial group was 2.928 kg, but in the control group - 3.129 kg, which was by 6.4% higher than in the trial group. Gastric microflora analyses showed that use of phytoadditive reduced mould colony forming units (CFU) amount in the trial group decreased by 24 times. Duodenum microflora analyses showed that use of phytoadditive reduced mould CFU amount by 25%, yeast CFU amount by 34%, Escherichia coli mesophilic and termophilic forms CFU by 16.3% compared to the control. A lactic acid bacterium CFU in the trial group was 2.5 times higher compared to the control. Rectum microflora analyses showed that use of phytoadditive reduced mould CFU amount by 31.6%, yeast CFU amount - by 62%, Escherichia coli mesophilic and termophilic forms by 57 % and 15.6 % respectively. Lactic acid bacteria CFU amount in 1 g of sample in the trial group increased by 5.1 times.

Relevant resources for renewable biomass fuel production are wood, cereal straw residues, and emergent vegetation from wetlands. Peat is an important slowly renewable biomass fuel too. Using blended peat and woody or herbaceous biomass, sulphur content of the fuels is increased and, if the mixture is burned, sulphates are formed instead of chlorides, and the risk of high temperature corrosion is avoided. The loading, storage container discharging, mixing and automatic feeding process depends on internal stresses acting in the biomass volume. To estimate vertical stress in silos, a mathematical model was built. Vertical stress in the opening of the silo hopper reaches 1.4 kPa if the diameter of a silo is 0.4 m, but for the diameter of 2 m it is possible to obtain even 7.2 kPa. Increase of the coefficients lambda and mu to the maximal values (lambda = 0.6; mu = 0.5) decreases vertical stress for more than 70%.

The paper presents the analysis of the pollution of water and sludge of the pond situated in the park of Kedainiai town. The analysis of pollutants such as heavy metals and oil-products has been carried out with the aim to evaluate the possibilities of arranging a sanitary safe bathing, place in the park and use the accumulated sludge. It was determined that the content of heavy metals in sludge exceeds the maximum permissible limit for sludge pollution in Lithuania. According to cadmium amount, the pollution also exceeds maximum allowable soil pollution level. However, the sludge in the pond contains a rather large amount of oil-products. After carrying out stirring-up tests of bottom sludge, it was determined that turbid water is polluted with oil-products that exceed the maximum permissible limit.

The paper discusses the peculiarities of hydrological and hydro-chemical regime of ground water in shallow wells and boreholes in moraine soils of active karts zone. It was determined that the fluctuations in water levels in boreholes and wells have the same tendencies: water was closest to the ground surface when the air temperature was increasing in the cold period (November-March) and decreasing in the warm period (April-October) pf the year. Chemical composition of water in boreholes (sum of ions) was up to 1.2 times lower than that in well water. This was determined by higher sodium, sulphates, and chlorine and nitrates amounts. When water level is decreasing, water chemical composition is increasing in water of wells and boreholes. It was determined that water in wells was contaminated with nitrate nitrogen; water in boreholes was polluted with ammonia nitrogen.

The paper presents the analysis of legal acts and normative documents regulating the management of surface (rain) wastewater in Lithuania. On the basis of the results, the investigations on treatment efficiency of pollution of surface wastewater accumulated in the territory of the cattle and pigs slaughterhouse of Krekenavos mesa Ltd were carried out. Having applied differentiated runoff coefficients calculations of the dependence of wastewater amount territory of the company were suggested. According to the monitoring program, wastewater pollution indices and investigation frequency were determined in respect of the requirements of surface water monitoring. Wastewater pollution dynamics in treatment facilities of the company was estimated. As it was determined, the main index specifying treatment necessity of subsurface wastewater accumulated in company's territory is suspended solids. Considering this index it was determined that maximum wastewater pollution exceeded the determined rate of environmental requirements 2.13 times within the study period. After treatment in the facilities, the average wastewater pollution with suspended solids decreased from 31.44 mg lE-1 to 8.67 mg lE-1. Other pollutants concentrations contained in wastewater were insignificant and did not exceed the rate determined in the environmental requirements, thus they may be released into open water bodies. It was also determined that the average amount of suspended solids contained in the Upyte stream reached 17.55 mg lE-1. Considering this index, pollution of wastewater outlet is 50.6% lower than the background pollution of the stream.

The paper presents the test results of studies on the treatment of wastewater in experimental treatment facilities in a milk collecting station. The treatment process of wastewater was a follows: aeration-flocculation device -sedimentation pond - two-stage constructed wetlands. The laboratory investigations have shown that the primary treatment with quicklime (1 kg mE-3) reduces wastewater pollution by 54%, while the treatment with coagulant 'ZETAG 8660' (4 g mE-3) reduces it by even 68%. Such results were not obtained in the primary wastewater treatment stage under industrial conditions: biological oxygen demand (BOD5) in wastewater was reduced 27.2%, the amount of suspended sediment was reduced by 48.1%, the amounts of Ntotal and Ptotal decreased by 15.8% and 27% respectively. Such results much depended on the air temperature, inaccurate dosage of chemicals as well as on insufficient capacity of reaction and sedimentation reservoirs for 2.5 times higher amount of wastewater. However, despite such unfavourable conditions, this stage of treatment process was rather efficient: the pollution of wastewater with organic matter flowing into the stream did not exceed the maximum allowable rates. The average value according to BOD5 was 4 mg O2 lE-1, the highest BOD5 value was 9.6 mg O2 lE-1. From the environment protection point of view, it is particularly important that the removal of biogenic pollutants is quite sufficient in the wastewater treatment facilities. After the treatment process in wastewater treatment facilities, the amount of Ntotal decreased by 82.4% and the amount of Ptotal was reduced by even 97.3%.

The study looks at a non - traditional way of perception and assessment of urban landscape, using the photographic method. Advantages and disadvantages of this method have been explained. As an example, a complicated urban area with different landscapes types, including historical, aesthetical, functional and emotional aspects, has been studied. The territory in the existing functional zones was mapped. Typical or representative views of each functional zone were photographed. Out of 590 slides, 25 were chosen and presented on a wall in an auditorium. For each slide, six questions were asked, which represented a public perception of landscapes from the standpoint of Environmental Psychology. These were: the aesthetical value, harmony, order and sense of locality, variety of forms and diversity, secrecy, safety. The results show differences of perception between men and women, younger and older people, and locals and visitors. Most of the respondents were Latvian, and for that reason cultural and mentality aspect was one of the most important the results of this study. Almost everybody chose slides with harmonized, safe and greener space, which are the main features of the historical Latvian country yard.

The main aim of the paper is to analyse influence of the real exchange rate on competitiveness of Latvia. Using fundamental equilibrium exchange rate methodology the equilibrium real exchange rate for Latvia is estimated. According the model's results the real exchange rate was overvalued almost during all the reporting period and therefore it could be used as one of the factors influencing competitiveness of Latvia.

Family relations have always played and still play an important role in the system of social relations. The family is a primary social cell; if executes the fundamental functions of prolongation of relation, upbringing of young generation, and mutual moral and material support of family members. One of the main stages of family creation from both legal and social points of view is contracting a marriage. The form of entering into a marriage and the definition of family legal relations have been changing in the run of history depending on the culture, church and state relationship, and general philosophy of the particular period of time. The Old Testament of Holy Writ gives information about the marriage. In the ancient times marriage and family were more of a religious institution managed by the church, but as marriage is the roof of every legal establishment - family, relations, church, and state - it attracted a wider mass attention. The social and legal relations and aspects of Lithuanian rural family setting and its existence of different periods were really original and interesting. Researching the conception and development of the legal and social family relations and comparing them to the modern law, essential differences can be observed, but at the same similarities, which have not changed till our times, can be found. At all times the prevailing family model in Lithuania was the traditional family model and the main differences in comparison to the modern family model are the forms of marriage registration and its stability. This family model was predominant in the rural areas of late XIX century Lithuania.

Fermentation of milk with probiotics and prebiotics has been shown to increase the concentration of B group vitamins in fermented milk products. The task of the study was to investigate the influence of prebiotics on the increasing of thiamin and riboflavin concentrations in milk during fermentation by Bifidobacterium lactis. Lactulose (Duphilac, Netherlands) and inulin (Raftiline, Belgium) were added (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5%) into 100 g of milk. The milk samples were inoculated with Bifidobacterium lactis (BB-12, Chr. Hansen, Denmark) and incubated at 38 deg C for 16 hours. The amount of thiamine and riboflavin was determined by fluorometric method. Laboratory studies have shown that the increasing of thiamin and riboflavin concentrations in milk depends on the concentration of lactulose and inulin. Data on the final thiamin and riboflavin concentrations in fermented milk indicates that increasing the lactulose concentration from 1% to 3% enhanced the production of thiamin and riboflavin. The similar data was obtained with inulin. Increasing of inulin concentration from 1% to 4% enhanced the production of vitamins thiamin and riboflavin. The present results furthermore indicate that finding optimal combination of prebiotics and probiotic pairs where the prebiotic would benefit the specific probiotic strain, e.g. during production and formulation into foods, is one of the research priority for functional foods.