"Scientific research" Almanac

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  THE PROTEIN TRANSITION IN BULGARIA: CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS AND EMPIRICAL DIMENSIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS

  Thå study examines the transformation of food systems in the context of sustainability, with a specific focus on the protein transition as a key mechanism linking the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainable diets. Its main objective is to analyse the conceptual and empirical aspects of the protein transition in Bulgaria and ... Thå study examines the transformation of food systems in the context of sustainability, with a specific focus on the protein transition as a key mechanism linking the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainable diets. Its main objective is to analyse the conceptual and empirical aspects of the protein transition in Bulgaria and to assess the extent to which the country aligns with the European Union’s sustainable food policies. To achieve this objective, the study sets out to outline the theoretical frameworks of sustainable diets and the protein transition, to analyse the role of meat within sustainable food systems, to compare the dynamics and structure of protein supply in Bulgaria with average EU levels, and to identify the factors that hinder the acceleration of the protein transition in the national context. The authors support the thesis that Bulgaria’s progress in the protein transition remains limited and incomplete, due to persistent structural differences in the protein balance and a combination of socio-cultural and economic factors that impede convergence with mainstream European models of sustainable dietary practices. The theoretical section presents the systemic framework of sustainable food systems, while the empirical analysis draws on FAOSTAT data for the period 1961–2023, comparing protein availability in Bulgaria and the EU. The results indicate that Bulgaria is in an early stage of the protein transition, characterised by lower overall protein availability and a persistent imbalance between animal and plant protein sources. The study concludes that effective progress towards sustainability requires context-sensitive policies that combine awareness campaigns, improved accessibility of plant-based products, and the integration of sustainability principles into local food culture.

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  IMPACT OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF TRADE ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR PATTERNS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF ONLINE PURCHASES OF BULGARIAN CONSUMERS

  Digital transformation redefines imperatives of commerce. Models the next evo-lutionary level of commercial business and new interaction with consumers. The aim of the study is, through theoretical interpretation of conceptual statements, to empirically test a developed methodological framework for studying the impact of the digital transformation ... Digital transformation redefines imperatives of commerce. Models the next evo-lutionary level of commercial business and new interaction with consumers. The aim of the study is, through theoretical interpretation of conceptual statements, to empirically test a developed methodological framework for studying the impact of the digital transformation of commerce on consumer behavior patterns in online purchasing and, based on the results obtained, to formulate more significant conclusions and generalizations. The realization of the goal is reduced to related tasks. The necessary empirical data were collected during the months of June - July 2025. The respondents of the study are 154 Bulgarian consumers who use the Internet to make online purchases of goods or services. The multifaceted nature of the research issue requires a specific analytical focus on consumer behavior patterns when purchasing items from the clothing product group online. The conducted study used the methods of descriptive analysis, chi-square analysis (Chi-square Test), the t-test method, Shapiro-Wilk Test (Shapiro-Wilk Test), the method of linear regression and correlation. The theoretical and practical usefulness of the obtained results is in better assessing the emerging variations in the behavior patterns of Bulgarian consumers when purchasing online, including clothing, in a digital environment.

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  FRAMEWORK FOR PREDICTIVE AND CAUSAL MODELING OF MULTI-TOUCH ATTRIBUTION IN A DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT

  In the increasingly complex ecosystem of digital marketing, determining the incremental contribution of different marketing channels to consumer conversion remains a fundamentally unresolved challenge. The subject of this study is the process of multi-touch attribution in a digital environment, and its object is the predictive and causal approach ... In the increasingly complex ecosystem of digital marketing, determining the incremental contribution of different marketing channels to consumer conversion remains a fundamentally unresolved challenge. The subject of this study is the process of multi-touch attribution in a digital environment, and its object is the predictive and causal approach to assessing the contribution of channels. The main goal is to develop a comprehensive framework for multi-touch attribution that integrates probabilistic modeling (Markov chains), machine learning (XGBoost), and causal methods (Shapley values, counterfactual analysis) to provide a more accurate and interpretable assessment of channel influence. As part of the study, a hybrid model system was built and tested on real user journey data, and its effectiveness was compared to that of traditional heuristic models. The results show significant differences from heuristic approaches and highlight the superior predictive accuracy of machine learning-based methods (overall accuracy = 0.984; AUC = 0.846), while the application of explainable AI techniques increases the transparency of attribution. Theoretically, the study combines causal models, reinforcement learning, and interpretability in attribution modeling, linking econometric theory with data analysis, and in management terms, it offers a reproducible framework for resource optimization and data-driven decision-making.