Central Eastern Europe Research Articles

Automatic Analysis and Anomaly Detection System of Transverse Electron Beam Profile Based on Advanced and Interpretable Deep Learning Architectures

Abstract The National Synchrotron Radiation Center SOLARIS, ranked among the top infrastructures of that type worldwide, is the only one located in Central-Eastern Europe, in Poland. The SOLARIS Center, with six fully operational beamlines, serves as a hub for research across a diverse range of disciplines. This cutting-edge facility fosters innovation in fields like biology, chemistry, and physics as well as material engineering, nanotechnology, medicine, and pharmacology. With its advanced infrastructure and multidisciplinary approach, the SOLARIS Center enables discoveries and pushes the boundaries of knowledge. The most important aspect of such enormous research as well as industry infrastructure is to provide stable working conditions for the users and the conducted projects. Due to its unique properties, problem complexities, and challenges that require advanced approaches, the problem of anomaly detection and automatic analysis of signals for the beam stability assessment is still a huge challenge that has not been fully developed. To increase the effectiveness of centers with advanced research infrastructure we focus on the automatic analysis of transverse beam profiles generated by the Pinhole diagnostic beam-line. Pinhole beamlines are typically installed in the middle and high-energy synchrotrons to thoroughly analyze emitted X-rays and therefore assess electron beam quality. To address the problem we take advantage of AI solutions including up-to-date pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN) models among others EfficientNetB0-B4-B6, InceptionV3 and DenseNet121. In this research, we propose the benchmark for Pinhole image classification including data preprocessing, model implementation, training process, hyperparameter selection as well as testing phase. Created from scratch database contains over one million transverse beam profile images. The proposed solution, based on the InceptionV3 architecture, classifies pinhole beamline images with 94.1% accuracy and 96.6% precision which is a state-of-the-art result in this research area. Finally, we employed interpretability algorithms to perform an analysis of the models and achieved results.

Introduction to the Special Section ‘EU Citizenship in Peripheral Regions: Collective Identities and Political Participation in Eastern Central and Western Europe’

Introduction to the Special Section ‘EU Citizenship in Peripheral Regions: Collective Identities and Political Participation in Eastern Central and Western Europe’

Causes and global, regional, and national burdens of traumatic brain injury from 1990 to 2019

PurposeTraumatic brain injury (TBI), currently a major global public health problem, imposes a significant economic burden on society and families. We aimed to quantify and predict the incidence and severity of TBI by analyzing its incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs). The epidemiological changes in TBI from 1990 to 2019 were described and updated to provide a reference for developing prevention, treatment, and incidence-reducing measures for TBI. MethodsA secondary analysis was performed on the incidence, prevalence, and YLDs of TBI by sex, age group, and region (n = 21,204 countries and territories) between 1990 and 2019 using the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019. Proportions in the age-standardized incidence rate due to underlying causes of TBI and proportions of minor and moderate or severe TBI were also reported. ResultsIn 2019, there were 27.16 million (95% uncertainty intervals (UI): 23.36 − 31.42) new cases of TBI worldwide, with age-standardized incidence and prevalence rates of 346 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 298–401) and 599 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 573–627), respectively. From 1990 to 2019, there were no significant trends in global age-standardized incidence (estimated annual percentage changes: -0.11%, 95% UI: -0.18% − −0.04%) or prevalence (estimated annual percentage changes: 0.01%, 95% UI: -0.04% − 0.06%). TBI caused 7.08 million (95% UI: 5.00 − 9.59) YLDs in 2019, with age-standardized rates of 86.5 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 61.1 − 117.2). In 2019, the countries with higher incidence rates were mainly distributed in Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Australia. The 2019 global age-standardized incidence rate was higher in males than in females. The 2019 global incidence of moderate and severe TBI was 182.7 per 100,000 population, accounting for 52.8% of all TBI, with falls and road traffic injuries being the main causes in most regions. ConclusionsThe incidence of moderate and severe TBI was slightly higher in 2019, and TBI still accounts for a significant portion of the global injury burden. The likelihood of moderate to severe TBI and the trend of major injury under each injury cause from 1990 to 2019 and the characteristics of injury mechanisms in each age group are presented, providing a basis for further research on injury causes in each age group and the future establishment of corresponding policies and protective measures.

Global trends in youth suicide from 1990 to 2020: an analysis of data from the WHO mortality database

Suicide is a serious but preventable public health concern at the global level, showing relevant geographical differences. This study aims to monitor global temporal and geographical patterns in suicide mortality in pre-adolescents, adolescents, and young adults (i.e., aged 10-24 years), from 1990 to 2020 or the most recent available year. Using the World Health Organisation mortality database, we conducted an analysis on a subset of 52 countries with valid and high-quality data. We computed age-standardised suicide rates (ASR) by sex, country, and calendar year, and performed a joinpoint regression analysis to identify significant changes in the temporal suicide trends over the studied period. High variability in suicide rates and trends was observed, with a male-to-female ratio of two to five. Between 1990 and 2020, most European countries reported declining suicide trends, with some exceptions. In particular, alarming trends emerged in the United Kingdom, with annual rises of 2.5% (95% CI: 1.6-3.5) since 2005 among males and 8.5% (95% CI: 4.7-12.6) since 2012 among females. The most favorable trends and lowest suicide rates were in Southern Europe, with 3.1/100,000 persons in Italy (2020) and 3.5/100,000 persons in Spain (2021) among males, and 0.9/100,000 persons in Italy (2020) and 1.1/100,000 persons in Romania (2019) among females. Conversely, the highest rates were in Central-Eastern Europe, with 10.2/100,000 males in the Russian Federation (2019) and 10.0/100,000 males in Poland (2002). Higher suicide rates and significant increases were reported in not European areas. The highest ASR was 15.5/100,000 males in the United States of America, with an annual increase of 3.8% (95% CI: 3.1-4.5) among males in 2009-2020 and 6.7% (95% CI: 5.6-7.8) among females in 2007-2017, followed by a levelling off. Temporal and geographical comparisons of suicide mortality should be interpreted with caution due to potential misclassification or under-reporting of suicide deaths in some countries. None.

GPS Tracking Reveals the White-Tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla as an Ambassador for the Natura 2000 Network

The Natura 2000 network of protected areas is the backbone of species conservation in the European Union. We investigated whether Austrian-hatched white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) make particular use of this multinational network during their natal dispersal, and what habitats were of importance to the eagles. We analyzed the utilization distribution of 907,466 GPS locations from 38 dispersing white-tailed eagles using a dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Model. Eagles ranged over a huge area of central-eastern Europe. Natura 2000 sites overlapped with 67% of the resulting 50% isopleth; i.e., a high probability of utilization of Natura 2000 areas by white-tailed eagles was found. White-tailed eagles used wetlands, waterbodies, and deciduous forests adjacent to wet habitats disproportionately often. Coniferous forests and settlements were avoided. Anthropogenically caused mortalities hardly occurred within Natura 2000 sites. Our study suggests that the Natura 2000 network is a crucial tool for conserving the white-tailed eagle. This top predator is an ambassador for the Natura 2000 idea during all life stages, and should continue to be a conservation priority of the network.

The political economy of economic upgrading in Central Eastern Europe

ABSTRACT The paper explores the political conditions favourable to economic upgrading in democratic non-corporatist emerging economies with a focus on CEE countries as characteristic examples. While the existing literature has assumed this polity type to be the least favourable for designing and implementing effective industrial policies because of a lack of bureaucratic ‘embedded autonomy’, the paper argues that this is not to suggest that such industrial policies and economic upgrading are rare in these economies, but rather that they involve different mechanisms of political mobilisation and support. To identify these mechanisms, the paper adopts a social bloc-based framework and applies it to an in-depth study of Estonia, a strong upgrader in the region in terms of its increased economic specialisation in ICT-based services. The paper finds that a lack of ‘embedded autonomy’ can effectively be supplanted by the embeddedness of private actors in the state administration and political decision-making through a network-based configuration of the social bloc and a shared upgrading ideology leading to a conflation of private interests with national development goals.

Differences in integrated assessment and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) for people with HIV across the WHO European region.

We aimed to assess the extent of integration of non-communicable disease (NCD) assessment and management in HIV clinics across Europe. A structured electronic questionnaire with 41 multiple-choice and rating-scale questions assessing NCD assessment and management was sent to 88 HIV clinics across the WHO European Region during March-May 2023. One response per clinic was collected. In all, 51 clinics from 34 countries with >100 000 people with HIV under regular follow-up responded. Thirty-seven clinics (72.6%) reported shared NCD care responsibility with the general practitioner. Systematic assessment for NCDs and integration of NCD management were common overall [median agreement 80%, interquartile range (IQR): 55-95%; and 70%, IQR: 50-88%, respectively] but were lowest in central eastern and eastern Europe. Chronic kidney disease (median agreement 96%, IQR: 85-100%) and metabolic disorders (90%, IQR: 75-100%) were regularly assessed, while mental health (72%, IQR: 63-85%) and pulmonary diseases (52%, IQR: 40-75%) were less systematically assessed. Some essential diagnostic tests such as glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) for diabetes (n = 38/51, 74.5%), proteinuria for kidney disease (n = 30/51, 58.8%) and spirometry for lung disease (n = 11/51, 21.6%) were only employed by a proportion of clinics. The most frequent barriers for integrating NCD care were the lack of healthcare workers (n = 17/51, 33.3%) and lack of time during outpatient visits (n = 12/51, 23.5%). Most HIV clinics in Europe systematically assess and manage NCDs. People with HIV appear to be screened more frequently than the general population at the same age. There are, however, larger gaps among eastern European clinics in general and for clinics in all regions related to mental health, pulmonary diseases and the employment of some essential diagnostic tests.

A multi-scenario multi-model analysis of regional climate projections in a Central–Eastern European agricultural region: assessing shallow groundwater table responses using an aggregated vertical hydrological model

The 2022 drought highlighted Hungary's vulnerability to climate change, especially the Great Hungarian Plain. Soil moisture, which is crucial for agriculture, depends on the position of the shallow groundwater table. This study investigated the effects of climate change on groundwater table fluctuations in more than 500 wells on the plain. An integrated vertical hydrological model, assuming negligible horizontal subsurface flows, employed the Dunay–Varga-Haszonits methodology for evaporation and Kovács approach for the water retention curve. Verified with two meteorological databases, the model was accepted for 463 wells based on NSE > 0.4 and RMSE < 0.5 m criteria. The FORESEE HUN v1.0 dataset proved suitable after spatial consistency tests. Examining 28 bias- and discontinuity-corrected climate model projections on these wells revealed a general decline in the groundwater table. Differences between trends to 2050 and 2100 suggested lower groundwater levels by mid-century. This research highlights climate change impacts in a crucial Central-European agricultural region in the Carpathian Basin and emphasizes the importance of modeling climate change-induced changes in shallow groundwater levels in water resources management.

The Heart of the World.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality globally. Of the 20.5 million CVD-related deaths in 2021, approximately 80% occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study, NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, NCD Countdown initiative, WHO Global Health Observatory, and WHO Global Health Expenditure database, we present the burden of CVDs, associated risk factors, their association with national health expenditures, and an index of critical policy implementation. The Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia region face the highest levels of CVD mortality globally. Although CVD mortality levels are generally lower in women than men, this is not true in almost 30% of countries in the North Africa and Middle East and Sub-Saharan regions. Raised blood pressure remains the leading global CVD risk factor, contributing to 10.8 million deaths in 2019. The regions with the highest proportion of countries achieving the maximum score for the WHF Policy Index were South Asia, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, and the High-Income regions. The Sub-Saharan Africa region had the highest proportion of countries scoring two or less. Policymakers must assess their country's risk factor profile to craft effective strategies for CVD prevention and management. Fundamental strategies such as the implementation of National Tobacco Control Programmes, ensuring the availability of CVD medications, and establishing specialised units within health ministries to tackle non-communicable diseases should be embraced in all countries. Adequate healthcare system funding is equally vital, ensuring reasonable access to care for all communities.

Mid-Miocene silicic explosive volcanism of the Tokaj Mts., eastern-central Europe: Eruption chronology, geochemical fingerprints and petrogenesis

The Tokaj Mts. volcanism occurred in a thinning continental lithosphere regime at the final stage of the subduction process. Using high-precision zircon U-Pb dating, four major explosive eruption events were distinguished. Among them the 13.1 Ma Sátoraljaújhely and the 12.0 Ma Szerencs eruptions could have yielded large amount of volcanic material (possibly > 100 km3) and they were associated with caldera collapse as shown by the several hundred-metre-thick pyroclastic deposits and the long (>100 km) runout pyroclastic flow in case of the 13.1 Ma eruption. The 12.3 Ma Hegyköz and the 11.6 Ma Vizsoly eruptions were relatively smaller. The volcanic products can be readily distinguished by zircon and glass trace elements and trace element ratios, which can be used for fingerprinting and to correlate with distal deposits. The Rb, Ba, Sr content and strong negative Eu-anomaly of the glasses reflect extreme crystal fractionation, particularly for the Szerencs rhyolitic magma. The silicic volcanic products of the Tokaj Mts. show compositional similarities with the so-called ‘dry–reduced–hot’ rhyolite type consistent with an origin in an extensional environment, where the primary magmas were formed by near-adiabatic decompression melting in the mantle with subordinate fluid flux. In contrast, some of the older Bükkalja rhyolitic magmas evolved via more hydrous evolutionary paths, where amphibole played a role in the control of the trace element budget. The significant increase of zircon ε Hf values from −8.8 to + 0.2 in the rhyolitic pyroclastic rocks of Tokaj Mts. with time implies that mantle-derived magmas became more dominant. This can be explained by the specific tectonic setting, i.e. the final stage of subduction when the descending subducted slab became almost vertical, which exerted a pull in the upper lithosphere leading to thinning and accelerated subsidence as well as asthenospheric mantle flow just before the slab detachment.

The Dissident Power of Queer Art and Curating in Central Eastern Europe

The text aims to explore the political, cultural and artistic implications of LGBTQ+ art and curatorial practices in Central Eastern Europe in the 21st century. Currently, queer exhibitions, are on the rise in post-communist Europe, especially those held in contemporary art centres and museums. They cast light on new queer art and activism and the volatile sexual politics in the region because of the significant increase in the number of artists working with LGBTQ themes and the topical political background of this movement and its impact on cultural debates. Curators are developing innovative perspectives on sexual, social and artistic dimensions of queer exhibitions in this geographic context still seriously affected by homophobic state policy. The objective is to feature three art shows of major queer artists which have been organised in Hungary, Poland and Estonia in the last decade. The exhibitions are: The Survivor’s Shade: The Life and Work of El Kazovsky at the Museum of Fine Art- Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest in 2015/16; Daniel Rycharski: Fears at the Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw in 2019 and Jaanus Samma. Not Suitable for Work. A Chairman’s Tale, Museum of Occupations and Freedom, Tallinn in 2016. The three artists and their exhibitions have been selected because they were organised by major cultural institutions in the capitals, they have achieved a significant social impact and huge audience and the artists have played an important role in the contemporary art scene in each country. Their work is a current manifestation of the queer artistic and intellectual culture that has been developing slowly in the region since the 1980s and has come to play an increasingly important role in recent years. The exhibitions and art of the three artists are a starting point for a broader outline of the themes and important figures in recent queer art in Central Eastern Europe (CEE). Moreover, in each case, they appear in a complex and difficult political context related to the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights. Hence, I would like to propose a thesis about the dissident power and status of queer art and curating in CEE.

Restricted affiliation: the costs of otherness among Afroczechs

ABSTRACT The increasing presence of African diasporic people in Europe and their identity politics have given rise to a proliferation of studies on their experiences, albeit with the exception of central eastern Europe (CEE). This research expands on this scholarship by addressing lived experiences, racialisation processes and struggles to belong among Afropeans in Czechia. Grounded in ethnography the study draws from narrative interviews with self-identified Afroczechs who are closely connected to both their African heritage and their Czechness. We conceptualise their identity politics as Restricted Affiliation in a sense that the state of belonging to Czechia has distinct limits due to the high costs of racial Otherness they experience. The findings demonstrate the limits of a shared language vis-à-vis racial ideologies in Czech national identity constructions and contribute to more visibility and further theorising of Czech blackness.

Restoration of boreal wetlands increases bat activity

Wetlands are important habitats for insectivorous bats, as the presence of water promotes insect abundance and provides drinking water for wildlife, and therefore could promote bat conservation. Research on bats and wetlands has mainly focused on constructed wetlands, and with a geographical emphasis on eastern United States and central Europe, whereas relatively little is known about the effects of wetland restoration on bats, especially in the boreal zone. We conducted a Before‐After‐Control‐Impact (BACI) study in 21 wetlands. Using acoustic survey techniques, we collected information on bats both before and after restoration, with 7 of the 21 wetlands acting as control sites and 14 as impact (i.e., restored) sites. Acoustic surveys were conducted in May–September in the years 2018, 2019 (before restoration) and in 2021 and 2022 (after restoration). Species detection for each night was assessed by automated analysis of audio recordings. We assessed the presence and number of active minutes of the Northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii) and the Myotis species group, using a generalized linear mixed model. Wetland restoration increased the acoustic activity of both taxa, but not their presence. Thus, restoration increased the usage of wetlands as a feeding site for bats. Our BACI study provides strong evidence that wetland restoration caused an increase in bat activity, and can be used as an effective tool for bat conservation.

Human alveolar echinococcosis in Slovakia: Epidemiology and genetic diversity of Echinococcus multilocularis, 2000-2023.

Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a serious parasitic disease caused by larval stages of Echinococcus multilocularis. Between January 2000 and October 2023, 137 AE cases were confirmed in Slovakia. The average annual incidence increased from 0.031 per 100,000 inhabitants between 2000 and 2011, to an average of 0.187 since 2012, i.e. about six times. Among patients, 45.3% were men and 54.7% were women; the mean age at the time of diagnosis was 52.8 years. Most cases were diagnosed in the age groups 51-60 years and 61-70 years (33 cases each), and eight patients fell into the age category ≤ 20 years. To better recognize the gene diversity in clinical samples, metacestodes from 21 patients collected between 2013 and 2021 were subjected to DNA sequencing of four mitochondrial genes. Using concatenated sequences of cob (603 bp), nad2 (882 bp) and cox1 (789 bp) gene fragments, 14 isolates (66.7%) were assigned to the European E5 profile of E. multilocularis, two isolates (9.5%) to the E5a subtype, four isolates (19%) to the E4 profile, and one isolate (4.8%) to haplogroup E1/E2. The E5-type profiles and E4 profiles were distributed throughout the country, whereas the E1/E2 profile was found in the patient from western Slovakia. According to the data obtained and GenBank sequences, the E5-type dispersal is so far limited to central-eastern Europe and the variant seems to be indigenous to that region. The admixture with the haplotypes E4 and E1/E2 could have taken place from a historical endemic focus during the fox expansion in the last decades. By employing the nad1 fragment, a typical European haplotype was observed in all 21 resolved Slovak samples. The acceleration in the AE incidence in the last decade suggests the emergence of the disease and the need for further research on human and animal isolates.

‘Re-enchantment’ and religious change in former socialist Europe

ABSTRACT This essay presents the concept of ‘re-enchantment’ as a useful heuristic tool to identify, analyse, and explain new forms of religious change in contemporary Central-Eastern and Eastern Europe. It seeks to understand new religious and ‘spiritual’ configurations in an area and in a period known as ‘post-socialist’. It also attempts to map out the historical conditions structuring both patterns of religious change and scholarly output on the subject, which continue to be particular and at times unique in this region. In so doing, this essay also raises questions about the persistence of the East/West divide, problematising it and seeking to go beyond this binary. Some of the new religious phenomena studied in this essay as well as in the entire thematic issue seem to emerge independently from the once typical state-church dynamics and seem to be more related to the both specific local and general global trends. We argue that the concept of ‘re-enchantment’ and a typology of the re-enchanted practices it encompasses allows to account for, analyse, and understand these dynamics and transformations.

Lower Palaeolithic in Korolevo I (Transcarpathia, Ukraine, East-Central Europe): the earliest in Europe?

A recently published article in “Nature” (Garba et al., 2024) claims that lithic finds in the lowermost artefact-bearing sediments of lithological unit 26 at the Korolevo I site (Transcarpathia, Ukraine) are the oldest in Europe, dated to ca. 1.42 Ma with cosmogenic nuclides of gravel pebbles. These surprisingly old dates were then used to build hypotheses on the geochronology and routes of the initial Homo erectus colonization of Europe from the east. The present author reviews all published and unpublished Lower Palaeolithic (LP) data of the Korolevo I site, the field investigations of which he also participated in the 1980s, and came to the following negative results. The dated pebbles in Korolevo I unit 26 are of “intrusive” character, they do not date unit 26 and its lithic finds. Also, the proposed Early Pleistocene interglacial MIS 47, 45 and 43 periods for the LP colonization of Europe either via Asia Minor and the Danube River valley or the Caucasus and the southern part of Eastern Europe do not correspond to the known palaeogeographic and archaeological data from Western Eurasia. Besides, our review of LP contexts in Korolevo I suggests that the so-called lowermost LP lithic artefacts found in situ in archaeological horizon VII within lithological unit 26 in Korolevo I in 1984-1986 are distributed randomly horizontally and vertically. Moreover, they are mostly unworked hyalodacite and siliceous sandstone pieces together with several artefacts redeposited from the sediments above. Accordingly, the only certainly LP material in Korolevo I we know so far is situated in archaeological horizon VI, which is geochronologically associated with the Middle Pleistocene inter-Mindel period or MIS 14, dated to ca. 550 ka BP. However, the Korolevo I site still appears to represent the oldest LP human occupation in both Eastern Central Europe and Ukraine.

Social and Political Actors in the Czech Media Discourse on Ph.D. – A Content Analysis

Aim/Purpose: This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the media portrayal of Ph.D. programs in the Czech Republic. Specifically, it explores how doctoral study programs, their students, and the Ph.D. degree are represented across various topics and social actors over an 18-month period. Background: The societal perception of Ph.D. studies, especially at the postgraduate level, is significantly shaped by media representations, including their connections to science, academia, and broader social life. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the portrayal of the Ph.D. phenomenon in the media. The Czech Republic provides a relevant use case because of Central Eastern European (CEE) settings and amplified media coverage. The main factors are several political and social influences and governmental discussions regarding the legality of and against precarious conditions. Methodology: This study utilizes a qualitative method of conventional and directed content analysis to thematically categorize a corpus of 456 articles on Czech news platforms. A subset of these articles (thematic cluster about study conditions) undergoes further analysis to identify represented social actors. The results are clustered and interpreted using examples from the dataset. The instances of studied phenomena are quantified to provide an enumerated representation of individual themes and social actors. Contribution: The author contributes to research on doctoral studies by expanding the existing knowledge through media content analysis within the social constructivist paradigm. Moreover, the CEE region, often overlooked in doctoral studies and science communication research, is highlighted here. Finally, this article enriches the understanding of public relations strategies for higher-education institutions by focusing on earned media channels as opposed to solely owned ones. Findings: The analysis leads to the determination of 10 thematic clusters that can be succinctly categorized into four main areas: “Ph.D. Title,” “University Life,” “Study Conditions,” and “Controversial Issues.” The latter two categories are notably politicized, a fact underscored by the actor analysis, which shows a predominance of political figures in the media coverage. An unexpected result of the research is the significant underrepresentation of student voices in the analyzed sample of media outputs, except for those doctoral students who also hold positions such as student initiative chairs. Additionally, comparing the results to previous research on doctoral studies, it can be argued that many of the critical topics discussed by the research community, such as mental health issues or diversity of the student cohort, are not equally represented in media portrayals. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners, especially communication professionals from higher education institutions and research centers, can leverage these insights to refine their communication strategy. This can help counterbalance prevailing media narratives and provide a more representative portrayal of study programs, focusing on areas currently underrepresented in media discourse. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers from other regions are encouraged to conduct similar studies using the presented framework to map the representation of Ph.D. in respective media outlets. It is advisable to consider the local context in the interpretative phase of the content analysis, as demonstrated in this study. Impact on Society: The findings elucidate the role of the Ph.D. within the national media landscape of higher education, potentially influencing policymakers, journalists, and science communication professionals to reconsider their approaches to media discourse. Lastly, as hinted above, science communication professionals can benefit from the results in terms of future development of media outreach strategy with a focus on targeted topics. Future Research: The presented work would benefit from a broader, multinational comparison and also a complementary audience analysis to understand how Ph.D. students and possible applicants interpret these messages and whether they correlate with their attitudes.

Constructivism and destructiveness of social changes in Eastern and Central-Eastern Europe in the perception of Ukrainian society

Constructivism and destructiveness of social changes in Eastern and Central-Eastern Europe in the perception of Ukrainian society

The impact of the economic and social shocks (crises) of the 2000s on gross value added in Central-Eastern Europe

The impact of the economic and social shocks (crises) of the 2000s on gross value added in Central-Eastern Europe

The relevance of network effects on the Central-Eastern European (CEE) stock market indices, 2008 Q1-2022 Q1

The relevance of network effects on the Central-Eastern European (CEE) stock market indices, 2008 Q1-2022 Q1