From Outsider to Outsiders

As two neighboring countries in central Europe with national cancer registries, the Slovak (SR) and Czech Republics (CR) are countries with a medium global rate in the occurrence of prostate cancer. This paper analyzes the incidence of prostate cancer and mortality before and after the introduction of PSA testing in the two Republics and the possible reasons for any differences discovered and compares the results with selected regions and countries of the world. In the Slovak Republic, prostate cancer incidence (age-adjusted to the world standard population) has risen from 14.6/100,000 in 1968 (95% CI, ±1.5772) to 36.2/100,000 in 2005 (95% CI, ±2.0678). The estimated annual increase in the incidence during the period 1968-1991 (before nationwide PSA testing) was 0.421; from 1991 (when nationwide PSA testing began) to up to 2003 it was 0.941. Mortality rates grew from 7.3/100,000 in 1968 to 14.9/100,000 in 2005. In spite of the geographic proximity of the two countries, the increase in incidence occurred faster in the Czech than in the Slovak Republic, from 15.8/100,000 in 1977 (95% CI, ±0.9748) to 59.5/100,000 in 2005 (95% CI, ±1.7187). The estimated annual increase in incidence in the Czech Republic for the period of 1977-1991 was 0.581. From 1991 (when national PSA testing began) until 2003, it was 1.981. In the period before 1991, mortality rose more sharply in the Czech than in the Slovak Republic, whereas after the introduction of PSA testing mortality stabilized more quickly in the Czech than in the Slovak Republic. In the Slovak Republic, a significant reduction in mortality was observed after 2002 and has continued to the present and probably is not affected only by the results connected with the increase in PSA testing. The difference in the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in the Slovak and the Czech Republics results from a difference in the intensity of PSA testing as well as from the introduction of complex, more effective treatment in advanced clinical stages.

As two neighboring countries in central Europe with national cancer registries, the Slovak (SR) and Czech Republics (CR) are countries with a medium global rate in the occurrence of prostate cancer. This paper analyzes the incidence of prostate cancer and mortality before and after the introduction of PSA testing in the two Republics and the possible reasons for any differences discovered and compares the results with selected regions and countries of the world. In the Slovak Republic, prostate cancer incidence (age-adjusted to the world standard population) has risen from 14.6/100,000 in 1968 (95% CI, ±1.5772) to 36.2/100,000 in 2005 (95% CI, ±2.0678). The estimated annual increase in the incidence during the period 1968-1991 (before nationwide PSA testing) was 0.421; from 1991 (when nationwide PSA testing began) to up to 2003 it was 0.941. Mortality rates grew from 7.3/100,000 in 1968 to 14.9/100,000 in 2005. In spite of the geographic proximity of the two countries, the increase in incidence occurred faster in the Czech than in the Slovak Republic, from 15.8/100,000 in 1977 (95% CI, ±0.9748) to 59.5/100,000 in 2005 (95% CI, ±1.7187). The estimated annual increase in incidence in the Czech Republic for the period of 1977-1991 was 0.581. From 1991 (when national PSA testing began) until 2003, it was 1.981. In the period before 1991, mortality rose more sharply in the Czech than in the Slovak Republic, whereas after the introduction of PSA testing mortality stabilized more quickly in the Czech than in the Slovak Republic. In the Slovak Republic, a significant reduction in mortality was observed after 2002 and has continued to the present and probably is not affected only by the results connected with the increase in PSA testing. The difference in the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in the Slovak and the Czech Republics results from a difference in the intensity of PSA testing as well as from the introduction of complex, more effective treatment in advanced clinical stages.

In many health systems in European countries, SPA services are currently part of or a supplement to health care. Owingto their natural healing resources and long-standing traditions, the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic are important European SPA countries. In both countries, SPA tourism is also one of the most important types of tourism, and with regard to its evaluation according to the number of overnight stays and income, it constitutes a significant share of the structure of the tourism industry. One of the greatest challenges for SPA businesses was the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused travel restrictions, business closures, and a decrease in demand and revenue. The impact of the pandemic on SPA businesses in the studied countries has not yet been examined in detail. Accordingly, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the innovative activities of SPA companies in Slovakia and the Czech Republic in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research sample consists of 122 SPA enterprises from both republics. Based on the results of previous research, innovation is generally perceived as an important element in the development of society, crisis management, increasing competitiveness and commercial success. The main research method for identifying and classifying the types of innovations and innovation capabilities implemented in SPA enterprises was a questionnaire survey. The results of the conducted research revealed that the origin of SPA businesses does not affect the country or how people perceive trends. The connections between the types of introduced innovations and some benefits from the introduction of innovations as well as the barriers affecting the introduction of innovations were confirmed. It follows, for example, that companies that invest in innovation processes can improve their performance and the competitiveness of their team and reduce their costs for production or service provision. From the analysis of factors related to the introduction of innovations, it emerged that the most important factors are those that have a direct impact on economic results and the competitive advantage of businesses. On the other hand, those factors related to cultural, environmental or technical aspects of innovation are less important. Despite repeated calls, not all SPA companies operating in the SPA industry in the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic participated.

Márta Font. Jason Vincz (trans). <i>The Kings of the House of Árpád and the Rurikid Princes: Cooperation and Conflict in Medieval Hungary and Kievan Rus’</i>

The paper is dedicated to John Milton’s poem “Samson Agonistes” (published in 1671) and its two translations: the Ukrainian translation was done by Ivan Franko (1912; published in 1913), and the Slovak translation was rendered by Marián Andričík (2022). The translation strategies applied in both target texts illustrate the ways and limits of the reception and perception of common European – sometimes predominantly Christian – poetics among modern readers. Local divergences can contribute to the integral theory of textual recreations in reader-oriented translation strategies. The focus of the paper is on three hypotheses: 1) older translations have poorer quality than newer ones. The time span of a century is usually a period which can cause some linguistic changes turning an actual text into an outdated one; 2) Milton is a product of a monarchical society. Franko, as a citizen of an empire (Austro-Hungarian Empire), could better understand the monarchical expression than Andričík, as a citizen of a republic (Slovak Republic); 3) both Ukrainian and Slovak have similar problems and solutions for dealing with the high-fl own style of Milton’s text. The political dimension of high-fl own style can be traced throughout Milton’s poem: it gives some specifi c but not decisive fl avour to the text. The storyline focus is still on the biblical plot, and its violation can threaten the correct understanding of the poem. Despite the time span between Franko’s publication and today’s reader, this translation does not sound outdated, and it can satisfactorily perform all informative and aesthetic functions. Andričík’s translation is very precise: the brevity of his style impresses, while he manages to keep equilinearity in his translation. Moreover, the use of abstract nouns instead of specifi c high-fl own lexemes can serve as effi cient advice for other translators who have to cope with the lingual asymmetry. Key words: translation theory, equivalence, political vocabulary, cultural norms, biblical phrasing.

Tuberculosis trends in Eastern Europe and the former USSR

This article was written to serve as source material for international research of Health Profiles of Countries, legislative frameworks, organizational structures and systems of financing in health care in the Slovak Republic and other European countries, including new members of the EU, to create an information database for students, teachers and researchers for further education and research on a given issue at national and international level. The article gives an overview of the latest research papers in registered databases, creates the legislative framework of healthcare provision, presents the current state of the healthcare system in the Slovak Republic, and illustrates the starting point of the approved healthcare reform strategy with an emphasis on the powers assigned to public administration bodies. It analyzes the state and development of healthcare financing in the Slovak Republic as well as the improvement of selected indicators of the country’s health profile for the years 2017 to 2021. This paper aims to establish a database of baseline data for quantitative analysis and qualitative review of the efficiency, trends and challenges of the organisation and financing schemes in selected European health systems. It aims to identify and provide a cross-country difference assessment based on result comparison and suggest feasible optimising solutions. The joint monograph as a research output will reflect on the Country Health Profile of Slovakia and other European countries, organisational and financing changes in healthcare.

Around the world, vocational education and training (VET) is characterised by a number of common trends, including the increasing use of technology, the growing importance of information and communications systems, and changes to national demographics. Situated at the interface between the education and training system and employment, VET has a role in meeting these changes and contributing to the transition from education to employment, and providing the next generation with skills relevant to employment and the economic situation. This volume contains 30 chapters that represent a comprehensive overview of the current situation in VET, its strengths and weaknesses, and its prospects. Contributors from Canada, the USA, India, China, Japan and Korea, as well as from a number of European countries, focus on their national context and how it fits in to the bigger picture. The contributions combine theoretical discussions from various strands of VET research with evidence from country case studies and examples from current practice. The chapters are as follows: Part one 'Anglo-Saxon countries': Challenges and opportunities for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the United States / Christopher Zirkle and Lindsey Martin; Youth apprenticeships in Canada: context, structures and apprentices' experiences / Wolfgang Lehmann; Re-conceptualising vocational education: the transition from powerful to useful knowledge / Roy Canning; The transition from vocational to higher education from the perspective of higher education admission staff / Hubert Ertl, Geoff Hayward and John McLaughlin; Part two 'Asia including India': Development of TVET in China: issues and challenges / Weiping Shi; Challenges of vocational education and career education in high schools in Japan: from the viewpoint of career-competency formation for transition / Moriki Terada; Japan's public youth training programs, enterprise-sponsored training and the society of control / Toshiko Ito; (Vocational) education and social inequality as Japanese society makes the transition to a 'global society' / Mikiko Eswein; Trends and challenges of vocational education and training in Korea / Seung Il Na; Vocational education and training system (VET) in India / Rengan Venkatram; India's national skills development policy and implications for TVET and lifelong learning / Madhu Singh; Part three 'Continental Europe': Challenges for evidence-based policy in European education and training / Torsten Dunkel; Comparative analysis of VET curricula in Europe / Dietmar Frommberger and Lena Krichewsky; VET qualifications versus bachelor degrees?: recruitment at the intermediate qualification level: case studies from Germany, England and Switzerland / Ute Hippach-Schneider and Tanja Weigel; Perceptions of science and technology in developed and developing countries: challenges for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) / Frank Bunning and Claudia Kalisch; Georg Kerschensteiner and the plea for work-oriented and vocational education: Germanys' educational debates in an industrial age / Philipp Gonon; Reforming the VET system via national qualification frameworks?: a comparison of Germany and Austria / Thomas Deissinger; Vocational education and training in Poland during economic transition / Slawomir Kurek and Tomasz Rachwal; Best for the bright?: the pros and cons of the new Danish apprenticeship model / Vibe Aarkrog; Pre-vocational education in the curriculum and its teaching practice: a study of seven European countries / Susanne Berger and Matthias Pilz; Part four 'Global/theory': Are vocational qualifications vocational? / Jim Gallacher, Robert Ingram and Fiona Reeve; Apprenticeship: between theory and practice, school and workplace / Paul Ryan; Demarcations between vocational and academic education and how to overcome them / Felix Rauner; Varieties of competence: European perspectives / Jonathan Winterton; Potentials for change in education and training through interactions between credit systems and qualifications frameworks / Isabelle Le Mouillour; Patterns of recruitment and induction in selected European countries: first results of a feasibility study / Phillipp Grollmann and Marthe Geiben; Vocational education, poverty and power / Ute Clement; Bridging the gulf between the world of work and the world of learning: vocational education and training in comparative perspective / Kathrin Hockel; International comparative research into vocational training: methods and approaches / Matthias Pilz.

The Efficiency and Effectiveness of Social Spending in the EU-27 and the OECD – A 2011 Reanalysis

At the beginning of 1999, the new Framework 5 research program of the European Union was launched. Ten formerly socialist European countries have been admitted as associated participants. On this occasion, Robert Koenig published an article (News Focus, 1 Jan. p. [22][1]) discussing the level and current problems of science in those countries. We would like to point out some problems with the treatment of the data on citation statistics and offer a few additional comments on the subject. Having analyzed in detail the data provided by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), we conclude that the table on citation impacts in Koenig's article is based on an option that allows the user to extract the citation impact for a 5-year period, 1993 to 1997. This particular choice seems unfair, specifically for the Czech and Slovak republics. Czechoslovakia split into two states, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, at the beginning of 1993. ISI provides independent statistics for the Czech and Slovak republics only from 1994 on. The split of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia occurred earlier. Therefore, the new states formed on these territories have had separate representations in the ISI database since 1993. Consequently, only the 4-year citation impact for the Czech and Slovak Republic was compared with the 5-year impact for the other countries in the table. We recalculated the citation impacts for all the countries listed in the table for the 4-year period 1994 to 1997 to make them directly comparable with the data available for the Czech and Slovak republics. After this recalculation, the Czech Republic becomes 22nd and the Slovak Republic 27th out of 33 European countries, instead of 29th and 33rd, as stated in Koenig's article. It may be useful to recall that the typical citation half-time of the journals followed by ISI is 4 to 10 years or even more. Therefore, the citation impact from a recent period may not be the most suitable measure of scientific output. Perhaps more interesting is the secular evolution of the citation impact for Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. The acceleration, starting around 1991, that is, after the fall of the communist system, is notable. This acceleration started at the same time that the political barriers preventing free contacts of Czechoslovak scientists and their Western colleagues were removed, a promising indication for the future. No doubt the community of Czech scientists cannot be satisfied with their current citation impact. Even among ex-socialist countries, the Czech Republic falls behind Hungary, Estonia, and Poland. A more detailed study will be needed to find out how much this can directly be ascribed to a lower quality of Czech publications in comparison with those from other countries. Many of us still remember too well that especially in the period after the Soviet invasion in 1968, Czechoslovakia became one of the most isolated socialist countries. Many Czech and Slovak scientists who had been working abroad, often with remarkable success, were forced to sever contacts with science in their home country. The situation was better in Poland and Hungary. Polish and Hungarian scientists who decided to live abroad, even without the permission of their Soviet-controlled governments, did not lose the links to their home institutions. There were also other barriers that should be considered in a comprehensive study of the subject. Yet, we prefer to see positive signs of future development. For example, in 1991, Czechoslovak astronomers decided to be the first community from all the ex-socialist countries to join their national journal, Bulletin of the Astronomical Institutes of Czechoslovakia, with the largest European astronomical journal, Astronomy and Astrophysics. This change was followed by an increase in the number of their accepted and published papers. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.283.5398.22

Background The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) using explicit criteria has been well documented in European countries, however, there is a lack of evidence in the Slovak Republic. There are no specific guidelines and there is a lack of geriatricians in Slovakia. Higher use of PIM leads to greater healthcare services use as well as increases healthcare costs. Objective The aim of this study was to perform an evaluation of the availability and the actual use of PIM by geriatric patients in the nursing homes in Slovakia. Setting Together 459 residents ≥ 65years living in nursing homes in the Slovak Republic were included for analysis of their drug therapy. Methods Retrospective analysis of medical records of patients' therapy for evaluation of PIM use. Identification of PIM was based on the Renom-Guiteras EU7 PIM list published in 2015. Main outcome measure Potentially inappropriate medications use. The presence of polypharmacy in patients. Results Inappropriate drug use according to EU7 PIM list was identified in 90.60% (416) patients. The mean number of PIM was 2.34 ± 0.07 PIM/patient/day. Polypharmacy (use of ≥ 5 drugs by patient daily) was found in 83% of all patients. The mean number of prescribed drugs was 8.32 ± 0.17 drugs/patient/day. Out of all 282 PIM listed in EU7 PIM list, there are 150 (53.19%) available on the Slovak market and 86 (30.50%) were used in patients. Patients using at least one PIM took two times more drugs compared to patients without PIM (8.77 ± 0.17 vs. 3.98 ± 0.39 drugs/patient/day, p < 0.001). The most common PIM were PPI (36% of patients), piracetam (17.2%) and alprazolam (16.80%). Conclusions The risk of PIM was almost 9.5 times higher if polypharmacy was present in geriatric patients (OR 9.51, 95% CI, 4.86 - 18.61, p < 0.001). There was a strong, positive correlation (ρ = 0.65) between the number of drugs and the number of PIM (p < 0.01). There was neither association between age/gender of patient and polypharmacy; nor age/gender of patient and presence of PIM. The lack of geriatricians and national guidelines for inappropriate prescribing results in alarmingly high use of PIM in the Slovak Republic.

The paper assesses similarities and differences between Finland, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic in terms of their forest bioeconomies. In Finland, which is perceived as a leader in forest bioeconomy, the national bioeconomy strategy was adopted in 2014 and updated in 2022. The Czech and Slovak Republics are following a path towards adopting national forest bioeconomy strategies and have partially adopted bioeconomy principles in other forestry-related strategic documents. The relevant core strategies are, the adoption of the bioeconomy concept in the Czech Republic by the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Low-Carbon Development Strategy of the Slovak Republic. The Czech and Slovak Republics have the potential to utilize the forest sector in order to enable development of their forest bioeconomies in the future.

In 2004 the Czech and Slovak Republics became part of the European Union, which brought many changes influencing the financial markets, including the insurance industry. Czech, Slovak, and European markets are constantly evolving, and they respond to the changes in the environment in which they operate. Given these facts, the paper focuses on analysing the interdependence of the insurance market in the Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, and the EU insurance market (the EU average) and on identifying the conditions of this dependence. The successfully functioning financial sector has a significant positive impact on economic growth; for this reason, the paper will pay attention to the issue of how insurance influences economic growth. To capture the insurance market, many insurance indicators can be used, among which are, in particular, gross premiums written, insurance penetration and density. In comparing the development of the insurance market in the Czech Republic, Slovak Republic and other European countries or the EU average, it is necessary to select the appropriate indicator given. The development of the global insurance market and the individual insurance markets is influenced not only by events in the world economy (economic development, development of the financial markets, the impact of economic or financial crisis), but it is also influenced by many factors that can be divided into two groups according to how on the insurance market act. In our article, we will focus mainly on extrinsic factors. Data for the analyses were drawn from SwissRe (Sigma journal), Eurostat and OECD databases.

Life satisfaction, dimensions of internalized cultural values and self-efficacy related to emigration intentions for a long-term stay abroad of university students in five European countries. Aim: To explore the associations between emigration intentions of university students form five European countries in relation to several intrapersonal and emigration self-efficacy. The second aim is to explore the mediating role of self-efficacy in relation to internalized cultural values and emigration intentions. Sample and procedure: The sample consisted of 1223 students (females N=812, 66.4%, males N=411, 33.6%. M=21.95, SD=3.62) from five European countries. The data collection was completed via an online questionnaire (University of Antwerp, Belgium, Sofia University, Bulgaria, University of Miskolc, Hungary, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Slovak Republic). The local ethics committee in every country approved the study Statistical analysis: Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS 21. Differences in intrapersonal were analysed by ANOVA with a Scheffe Post hoc test. Binary logistic regression with the method enter controlling for country and age was used as a method of analysis. Mediational analyses were explored by using Hayes PROCESS tool. Findings: The regression model explained between 29-38 percent of the variance. Those students with higher self–efficacy also with higher horizontal individualism were more likely to have emigration intentions compared to those with lower self-efficacy and HI, and those with lower satisfaction and vertical collectivism were more likely to have long-term emigration intentions compared to those with higher satisfaction and VC. Self-efficacy was found to mediate the relationship between horizontal dimensions of internalized cultural values and emigration intentions.

Teaching quality has been observed in large representative samples from Flanders (Belgium), Lower Saxony (Germany), the Slovak Republic, and The Netherlands. This study reveals that measures of “creating a safe and stimulating climate”, “clear and activating instruction”, and “teaching learning strategies” were reliable and fully or at least partially scalar equivalent across these countries. Flemish teachers score higher, on average, on measures related to creating a safe and stimulating learning climate than do teachers in Lower Saxony, the Slovak Republic, or The Netherlands. With regard to the provision of clear and activating instruction, no significant differences arose in average scores across the 4 countries. Dutch teachers scored significantly higher on teaching learning strategies than teachers in Flanders and Lower Saxony but did not differ significantly from teachers in the Slovak Republic. Flemish and Slovak teachers earned higher average scores on teaching learning strategies than teachers in Lower Saxony.