A Noisy Optimization mechanism for variational quantum classifiers

FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT AND THE FORMATION OF THE FISH PRODUCTS MARKET IN UKRAINE AND IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

This chapter characterizes the contemporary role of the Eastern and Central European countries in the international tourism and as the source of the tourist movement and the income and expenditure balance in the foreign tourism. Among the Central and Eastern European countries, there are 20 former socialist countries. Some of them came into existence as a result of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia disintegration. Their total surface adds up to 64% of the Europe area. Tourist potential of the Central and Eastern European countries is significant, expressed by, among the others, a high number of national parks, natural and cultural UNESCO heritage objects and by the capacity of the accommodation units (2014, 2.7 million of beds). The size of the international incoming tourism is illustrated with data for 2005 and 2013 concerning the number of foreign visitors (280 million and 308 million), foreign tourists (280 million and 99 million of people) with overnight stays (95 million and 103 million) and financial income arising from attending them (34 billion euro and 85 billion dollars). Outbound tourism of Central and Eastern Europe inhabitants in 2005 and 2013 amounted to 129 billion and 124 billion of departures and expenditures of 31 billion euro and 99 billion euro. The financial balance taking into account the income from attending international tourism as well as the inhabitants’ own expenditures spent for outbound departures amounted to +3 billion euro in 2003 and –14 billion dollars in 2013.

Objective: Significant political changes—accompanied by economic changes and social restratification—occurred in Eastern and Central European countries in the 1990s. The main purposes of this study were to assess how prevalence of overweight and obese children changed in Hungary during this transitional period; and to compare the prevalence data of childhood overweight in Central and Eastern European countries, where a similar political and socioeconomic environment existed before the transition and similar changes occurred during the transitional period.Subjects and methods: Representative samples from the first (1983–1986) and second (2003–2006) Hungarian growth studies were used to assess the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in Hungary. The most frequently used indicators of social welfare were used to estimate economic and health status as well as nutritional supply in the transition countries, while data on prevalence of childhood overweight in the studied countries were collected by a search of epidemiological surveys from the region.Results and conclusion: Frequency of overweight and obese children in Hungary increased between the 1980s and the beginning of the 2000s. Prevalence of childhood overweight was very similar in those Central and Eastern European countries where economic, nutritional or health indicators of general welfare were at a similar level.

Resources and management strategies for the use of radiotherapy in the treatment of lung cancer in Central and Eastern European countries: Results of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) survey

1. Introduction After the restoration of independence Estonia chose, compared to the other Central and Eastern European countries the most liberal way of development (Knell and Srholec 2007, Holmes et al. 2008). The latter was chosen for rebuilding the state as a whole, as well as designing the new media landscape. If to benchmark Estonian outcome with other Baltic states, new democracies in Central and Eastern European countries and 'old' Western European states, the question arises--are Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with low daily viewing numbers of PSB on media landscapes far ahead of the rest of Europe, or are these countries so badly falling behind that (Western) European standards can never be achieved? This research shows that a country's economic development (valued as Gross Domestic Product) is one characteristic which has a strong correlation with PSB performance in the past and most probably also in the future. When analyzing the development of the public service broadcasting, according to the concepts of Blumler and Gurevitch (1995), the main characteristic of Baltic broadcasting landscape can be presented: media policy bias towards economic welfare of commercial broadcasters, whereas the public service interests are secondary. The implementation of the European Union media regulation and the economic situation of television stations, conditioned by the size of the Estonian television market, led to the enforcement of the legislation which was economically advantageous and protectionist towards commercial TV-stations owned by international corporations. As a result, profit for private television companies was guaranteed but, at the same time, the value of the offered contents diminished. From the end of the 1980s, Eastern and Central European countries had the noble aim of changing from the communist regime towards free democratic welfare states. Among important aspects of development were changes in media systems. In transition states, commercial broadcasters were founded, state-owned print media was mainly privatized, state radio and television companies were turned into public service broadcasters. It has been challenging to reform vast communist party propaganda machines into efficient public service media. The European Union legislation had major impact on this process (Harcourt 2003, 2005, Jakubowicz 2003, 2004a, 2007a, 2008a, Joesaar 2005). 'Europeanization', as defined by Jakubowicz (2009), took place. Even when the Pan-European media policy aims--preserving cultural diversity and safeguarding media pluralism--were common, the ways chosen by countries and the achieved results vary a lot (Jakubowicz 2007a, 2007b, 2009, Ognyanova 2009, Richter 2009, Svendsen 2002, Wyka 2009). EU media policy is grounded on common market ideology. The former Television Without Frontiers Directive (TVWF), now the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), does not take into account country-specific circumstances such as size of the national (and media) market, economic conditions, cultural and historical specific context. However, these are important factors which have a strong influence on media development and performance. Implementation of the same EU legal framework in different circumstances gives in different member states different results. The size of the market determines available resources. In smaller member states there are fewer resources available for national channels compared to niche channels of large states (Doyle 2002). In the first place, commercial broadcasters focus on broadcasting main stream programming. If a market is big enough for profitable business, and resources are available, the launch of niche channels will follow. Due to the market limitations, it is unprofitable to launch niche channels on smaller markets. The diversity of programming offered will be lower in smaller states than on large markets. Therefore PSB on a smaller market is even more responsible for delivering diversity programming and for high-quality information. …

The 1691G>A FV variant has been described as a common genetic risk factor in venous thromboembolism. The purpose of this study was to provide a further frequency value for 1691G>A FV in Poland and to collate summary data from Central (Poland, Czech, Slovakia), Eastern (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine) and South-Eastern (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria) European countries. For this purpose in 2007 the 1691G>A FV variant was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism from DNA collected in 2005-2006. We studied 650 subjects: 400 newborns and 250 older individuals (mean age 46.1 y) from Poland and compared results with reports from other countries, as well as with the frequency trend of 845G>A HFE across South-Eastern European countries using centroid cities. From our 1691G>A FV study we identified 626 GG homozygotes, 23 GA heterozygotes, and 1 AA homozygote (n = 650), giving an A allele frequency of 1.9%, and a summed frequency value for Poland of 2.0% (n = 1588); the frequency in Central European countries was 3.9% (n = 4559), mostly due to the high value in the Czech Republic: 5.1% (n = 2819); the South-Eastern European countries had 2.5% (n = 2410). Among the Eastern European countries the 1691G>A FV allele frequency was 1.9% (n=791), between the South-Eastern and Eastern European countries there was no significant difference (p=0.17). We confirm that the 1691G>A FV allele frequency in Poland, as well as other countries compared, is significantly lower than that in Czech.

Overcoming resistance.

Significant changes in the wealth, variety and level of graphic form of city maps are noticeable in recent years, particularly those from Central and Eastern European countries. This is a consequence of the political and economic transformation, resulting in the abolition of censorship and introduction of the free market. City maps published in Western Europe have evolved as well during the aforementioned period due to higher political and economic stability. The paper compares city maps content of 18 European countries and shows the influence of Soviet cartographic style on city maps image in post-communist countries.

Inter- and intra-industry linkages as a determinant of FDI in Central and Eastern Europe

Objectives: This paper summarises the findings of a report by Acedański et al. (2023) that focuses on the relationship between science and economic growth. The report was commissioned by the Conference of Rectors of Economic Universities (KRUE) and prepared by researchers from five public economic universities in Poland. The authors of the report and the KRUE aim to share their message with a wide audience that includes policymakers, academic experts, and students. Additionally, the article analyses the impact of research and higher education spending on convergence processes in Central and Eastern European countries. Research Design & Methods: The study examined different indicators, including government expenditure on basic research, higher education, and research and development. We utilised SURE models and observed that there was notable diversity in the convergence processes among the analysed countries. Additionally, we found a correlation between research spending and the rate of catching up. However, it is important to note that this relationship is not universal and varies across countries, even those within the same region. Findings: Acedański et al. (2023) report quantifies the relationship between science, higher education, GDP, and economic development in Poland. The report states that science and higher education sectors positively impact local economies, and individuals with higher education contribute the most to human capital resources in the economy, leading to GDP growth. However, Poland has a funding gap in research and science compared to highly developed countries as well as many Central and Eastern European countries. The report suggests that investment in a country’s education and higher education system is essential for generating developmental impulses and supporting its economy. Implications / Recommendations: The impact of scientific activity depends heavily on funding, especially through higher education institutions. In Poland, the salaries of academic teachers have decreased compared to other professions, and their position in the wage distribution is the worst it has been in the past two decades. Investing in a country’s education and higher education system is essential to support the economy. Acedański et al. (2023) suggest that a 0.1 percentage point increase in research and development expenditure, as a percentage of GDP, can lead to a 0.8 to 1.3 percentage point increase in GDP growth. However, the conclusion was based on panel data from EU countries, and the impact of scientific research on GDP may differ when analysing Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. In this paper, we also present an extended analysis of the impact of science and education on economic growth through the lens of convergence processes. We show that the relationship above is not straightforward and represents substantial variability across countries, even those of the same region. Contribution / Value Added: Firstly, the report by Acedański et al. (2023) emphasises the importance of the science and higher education sector for economic growth. Their empirical research helps quantify the relationship between science, higher education, GDP, and economic development, offering a deeper understanding of this connection. The report complements previously published analyses and research on the topic. Secondly, our regional research shows that the convergence processes vary greatly among the analysed countries. The inclusion of spending on science, research, or higher education in the convergence equations has a varied impact on the assessment of the pace of the catching-up processes in the CEE region.

BackgroundAccording to the conventional point of view, compulsory health insurance (CHI) models in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries are classified as Social Health Insurance (SHI) schemes. However, the absolute dominance of the state in their regulation in many CEE countries calls into question such a qualification. The existing approaches to the definition of SHI are insufficient to clearly distinguish existing CHI models from government health financing schemes as well as to identify their exact similarities and differences with SHI models in Western Europe (WE).MethodsThe new conceptual framework is used to compare the similarities and differences between the SHI models in CEE and WE countries. The characteristics of financial flows regulation are considered to distinguish SHI from government healthcare financing schemes. Different CHI models are compared by using three different types of regulation (state, societal, market) of the three main functions of health financing system (collection, pooling, purchasing), and by types of financing agents. A qualitative, cross-country analysis is implemented with use the data from the WHO Health system reviews Health Systems in Transition.ResultsIn almost all countries considered, state regulation is dominant in the implementation of collection and pooling functions. A variety of combinations of state, societal, and market regulation is observed in the purchasing of medical services. State regulation dominates in most CEE countries, societal regulation dominates in some of them and in almost all WE countries. In most CEE countries and in some WE countries state regulation of purchasing is complemented by market regulation. Based on these characteristics, four types of SHI models are identified (State, Etatist, Bismarckian, and Quasi-Market).ConclusionThe dominance of state regulation in the CHI models in almost all CEE countries is not a sufficient reason to qualify these models as hybrid financing systems. They retain fundamental differences from government financing schemes: the systems of financial flows are separated from state budgets and operate according to the rules set specifically for these systems.

A szerző tanulmányában a régiók kialakulását, a regionalizáció folyamatát elemzi az Európai Unióban és Magyarországon. Bemutatja a decentralizációs törekvések összefüggését a demokratikus döntési mechanizmussal.

The Central and Eastern European countries' developments regarding the use and spread of Latin differ so widely that they seem to be on different planets. In the north, Poland was an important country for Latin literature. Neo-Latin literature enjoyed considerable longevity, from the second half of the fifteenth century until deep into the seventeenth. Most of the Polish dramas in Latin were written by Jesuits. All plays were meant for performance, with the possible exception of the humanist plays by Simon Simonides and Joannes Joncre. Stender-Petersen and Winniczuk both discerned several dramatic subgenres, viz. historical, moral, hagiographical and demonic drama. One thing all the countries have in common is that Latin drama was an international and pan-European genre that, along with students and other humanists, crossed borders, from Western to Central and Eastern Europe (and vice versa) as well. Keywords: Central European country; demonic drama; Eastern European country; hagiographical drama; Latin drama; Neo-Latin literature; Polish dramas

Stroke is a major medical problem and one of the leading causes of mortality and disability all over in Europe. However, there are significant East-West differences in stroke care as well as in stroke mortality and morbidity rates. Central and Eastern European countries that formerly had centralized and socialist health care systems have serious and similar problems in organizing health and stroke care 20 years after the political transition. In Central and Eastern Europe, stroke is more frequent, the mortality rate is higher, and the victims are younger than in Western Europe. High-risk patients live in worse environmental conditions, and the socioeconomic consequences of stroke further weaken the economic development of these countries. To address these issues, a round table conference was organized. The main aim of this conference was to discuss problems to be solved related to acute and chronic stroke care in Central and Eastern European countries, and also, to exchange ideas on possible solutions. In this article, the discussed problems and possible solutions will be summarized, and introduce 'The Budapest Statement of Stroke Experts of Central and Eastern European countries'.

E tanulmány a volt szocialista blokk országainak regionális kutatási kapacitásait értékeli. Képet ad a területi kutatások történeti előzményeiről, a megoldandó regionális feladatok jellemzőiről, a regionális tudomány intézményesítésének sajátosságairól, a publikációs fórumokról. Végezetül összegzi a regionális tudomány különböző ismérveinek jelenlétét az egyes országokban. A rendszerváltozást követően a piacgazdaság kiépülése mély regionális átalakulást indított el. A változások irányíthatósága miatt természetes igényként fogalmazódott meg a területi kutatások tematikai és szervezeti fejlesztése. Az európai uniós csatlakozás előkészítése újabb impulzusokat adott a kutatásoknak. A 21. század elején valamennyi országban bővültek a regionális kutatás nemzeti műhelyei. A kutatások volumenét, intézményi berendezkedését és területi elhelyezkedését tekintve különbségek figyelhetők meg. Azt állapíthatjuk meg, hogy két uniós tagországban – Lengyelországban és Magyarországon –, valamint Oroszországban kellő mennyiségben fellelhetők mindazok az elemek, amelyek a regionális tudományt önálló tudományágazatként jelenítik meg. A többi országban a diszciplináris ismérvek egy része hiányzik vagy gyenge fejlettséget mutat.