Publications published by UPJŠ

E-book

Peter Huba - Jozef Sábo - Martin Štrkolec

The presented monograph aims to provide an in-depth overview of the issue of international tax evasion, both in terms of its conceptual foundations and with regard to specific methods and schemes used to carry out tax evasion.

The members of the authorial team have also addressed questions of tax evasion in their previous works: "International Tax Evasion and Tax Havens" (JUDr. Jozef Sábo) and "Legal Aspects of the Elimination of Double Taxation and Prevention of Tax Evasion" (JUDr. Peter Huba).

This monograph represents a synthesis of the relevant research activities of the authorial team, enriched by the interdisciplinary dimension of the tax evasion problem. At the same time, it highlights those shortcomings that appear to be the most serious from the perspective of the risk of international tax evasion and base erosion in Slovakia. In this respect, a comparative perspective on the issue is presented, drawing extensively from American sources, mainly due to the high quality and long-standing research on international tax evasion in the United States.

The authorial team believes that this monograph will help to bring the issue of corporate income tax evasion closer to the professional public, and that it will receive attention equal to that given to VAT fraud and other pressing issues of current tax legislation.

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E-book

Dominika Zavadová(ed.)

Proceedings from the 3rd Student Symposium on Commercial Law

In November 2015, the third annual Student Symposium on Commercial Law took place at the university facility in Danišovce.

After two years of symposia focused on company law, the main topic of the third edition was the general part of commercial obligations law. This year as well, the goal of the student symposium remained to provide more space for students to formulate their own perspectives on current legal issues and to present the results of their own work.

The overarching topic made it possible to assign several current issues, allowing students to tackle problems they are likely to encounter in their future practice. The selected topics are not among those unanimously accepted by legal doctrine or established case law. On the contrary, the topics were deliberately chosen for the lack of sufficient domestic literary sources. As a result, processing the individual topics required more than just standard textbook or commentary knowledge.

The participating members of the department, both teachers and doctoral candidates, acted this year primarily as contact persons, rather than as consultants or supervisors of the students’ work. The primary purpose of the symposium at the faculty is to enable students interested in commercial law to develop their analytical and argumentative skills, as well as to express their personalities. We aim for students to develop not only professional knowledge but also personal skills-so-called soft skills-the art of presenting their own opinions and arguing persuasively.

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Norbert Kopčo - Frederick Gallun - Beáta Tomoriová - Ľuboš Hládek(eds.)

Cognitive neuroscience is a fast developing scientific field which aims at uncovering the neural basis of human perception and cognition. To achieve this goal, cognitive neuroscience uses a variety of tools and approaches ranging from non-invasive brain imaging to psychophysics and neural modeling. Mastering such tools requires skills and knowledge from multiple scientific domains, including neurophysiology, cognitive psychology, and several computational fields.

Access on request via email: kogneuro (@) gmail.com

http://pcl.upjs.sk/workshopcd 

https://sites.google.com/site/kogneuro/

Lucia Dimunová - Jana Raková - Gabriela Štefková

E-book

Lívia Körtvélyessy

This university textbook explains to students enrolled in the course Linguistic Typology and Universals the basic terminology, theoretical approaches, and research methods. The textbook is divided into eleven chapters. Each chapter presents theoretical knowledge in an accessible manner, along with practical exercises aimed at developing students’ skills in the respective area.

The textbook covers the following topics: the subject and nature of linguistic typology, a brief history of this linguistic discipline, genealogical classification of languages, various approaches and main objectives of typology across different linguistic levels (phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon), as well as areal typology, complex issues of language universals, and the nature and essence of typologists’ work. Given the extensive research activities of linguists from the Department of British and American Studies at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, the textbook also introduces students to the results achieved by these scholars in this rapidly developing field of linguistics.

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E-book

Jozef Suchoža - Ján Husár - Regina Hučková (eds.)

Collection of Scientific Works

The scientific papers presented in this Collection are primarily the result of academic research conducted by experts working within the academic environment—particularly at Faculties of Law in the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic, as well as by foreign experts, including those from Poland, the Russian Federation, Serbia, and others. In addition to academic contributions, this Collection also includes scientific and professional articles authored by legal practitioners, especially lawyers, notaries, and judges—not only from our own jurisdiction, but also judges from the General Court of the European Union. Contributions from professionals in the field of banking have also enriched this Collection. Moreover, the Collection provides space for aspiring scholars in the field of legal science, thereby combining timelessness with dynamism.

Given the diversity of the published contributions, it can be said that this Collection represents a connection between theory and practice, private and public law, as well as various branches of law. Nevertheless, the content of this Collection aligns with and reflects the central theme of the international symposium, namely: "CORPORATIONS – CONTRACTS – CODIFICATIONS – CONTEXTS." The individual sections of the Collection are interconnected and create a coherent whole, subsumed under a publication characterized by unity.

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E-book

Jana Žuľová(ed.)

Proceedings from the 1st Annual Student Symposium on Labor Law held on April 8–9, 2016 in Danišovce

Discussions on the topic of privacy are currently very topical and interesting. The advancement and progress of technology have added a new dimension to individual privacy. With the use of modern electronic devices, terms such as precious commodity, chimera, or illusion are increasingly associated with privacy. Workplaces have not remained immune to modernization either. Machines are replacing human labor, programming and planning the production process, but also controlling, monitoring, and recording the fulfillment of assigned work tasks.

The availability of technology and its implementation in employers’ operations intrude upon the personal and private sphere of employees, which is an inherent part of every person’s life and does not remain left behind the doors of the workplace. Proper and correct use of monitoring mechanisms by employers means not only mastering their technical installation at the workplace and covering the associated financial costs, but also respecting the privacy of employees.

It cannot be overlooked that the right to privacy is among the fundamental human rights and freedoms, enjoying the corresponding characteristics (inalienability, non-transferability, irrevocability, etc.) and appropriate legal protection. And even though it is not absolute and may be suspended in favor of another right (especially the employer’s right to protect their property), every intervention—such as comprehensive camera surveillance, monitoring of phone calls, email correspondence, blocking certain websites, etc.—always has adverse consequences for the privacy of the employee.

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E-book

Alena Krunková (ed.)

Proceedings of the Scientific Conference Held on June 28, 2016 at the Faculty of Law of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice in connection with the implementation of the project “The European Union and Its Impact on the Organization and Functioning of Public Administration in the Slovak Republic” – approved under number MVZP – SK PRES/2016/134

The Slovak Republic, as a member state of the European Union, is undertaking a historic role associated with the Presidency of the Council of the European Union within the presidency trio. At the beginning of 2016, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic announced a call for applications for grants for 2016 in the field of international relations and foreign policy, specifically focused on the Slovak Republic’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Faculty of Law of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice responded to this call and obtained a project aimed at carrying out research activities through a series of events focused on regional self-government in the Slovak Republic in the context of its role within the European Union. The Faculty has long been engaged with issues of European Union law both in its teaching and in the scientific research activities of its individual faculty members. The project aims to enrich this portfolio with special activities targeting not only professionals, but also students and the general public.

The first activity of the project was a conference entitled “The European Union and Its Impact on the Organization and Functioning of Public Administration in the Slovak Republic – Development So Far, Current State, and Perspectives.” The conference was attended by invited public officials, representatives of academia, and representatives of local government, as one of the main goals of the project is to connect the academic community with the practical sphere and thus involve practitioners in the planned activities within the project.

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E-book

Adam Giertl (ed.)

Collection of Papers from the 9th Annual Student Symposium on International and European Law held on April 22, 2016 at the Faculty of Law, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice

As indicated by the very title of the 9th Annual Student Symposium on International and European Law, “Current Issues of Migration from the Perspective of International Law with Special Regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,” the participants focused on the highly topical subject of European migration, which they examined from various aspects of both international and Union law (a total of 9 contributions).

In assessing the role of individual actors primarily involved in addressing the problems arising from migration to Europe, particular emphasis was placed on the role of international specialized organizations, which often provide direct assistance to migrants “in the field” through humanitarian or medical aid. However, this is not the only response of the international community, as it is complemented by the activities of the concerned states as well as various non-governmental organizations and volunteers. Regarding the evaluation of the European Union’s activities, the symposium participants agreed that the mass migration wave caught the EU relatively unprepared—institutionally, legislatively, and technically—accompanied by a lack of clarity in adopting a fundamental approach to this reality.

It was also emphasized that these shortcomings occurred despite the fact that developments in the preceding period clearly signaled the possibility of gradual migration to the European Union escalating into a mass phenomenon. According to the participants, additional ex post and sometimes delayed measures adopted in response to the ongoing migration process contributed to an overall increase in political tension within the EU and divided its member states into opposing camps.

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E-book

Anna Tkáčová

The main topic of this publication is the Roma, their status, and life in Hungary, specifically in the Abov, Šariš, and Turnia counties in the second half of the 18th century, particularly according to the censuses conducted during the reign of Maria Theresa and Joseph II.

The work is divided into six chapters and fourteen subchapters. It contains three images, twenty-eight tables, and twenty-nine graphs. The introductory chapter deals with the state of research on the subject (i.e., the Roma in the second half of the 18th century) from 18th-century authors to contemporary authors who have dealt with or are still dealing with it.

In the first chapter, the author briefly mentions the Indian origin of the Roma, the social affiliation of the Roma ancestors, their departure from India, their migration until their arrival in Hungary, as well as the names given to the Roma by the surrounding world. It also mentions the first reports on the Roma in Hungary and in the territory of today's eastern Slovakia, as well as their status in Hungary until the first half of the 18th century. 

In the second chapter, the author touches on the life of the Roma in the Abov, Šariš, and Turnia counties in the light of archival materials from the second half of the 18th century and presents the administrative division of these counties during this period.

The third chapter discusses the royal decrees of the Enlightenment rulers Maria Theresa and Joseph II concerning the Roma and briefly describes the political situation and the resolution of socio-economic issues in Hungary in the second half of the 18th century.

The fourth chapter is devoted in detail to the censuses of the Roma in the Abov, Šariš, and Turnia counties during the reign of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, their objectives, characteristics, contributions, as well as their shortcomings, and presents the methodology of numerical and graphical processing of these censuses.

The fifth chapter contains a comprehensive graphical comparison and evaluation of the Roma censuses from all three counties. The overall findings about the life of the Roma in the Abov, Šariš, and Turnia counties are presented in the sixth, concluding chapter.

The main finding of this research is that the regulation of the Roma was carried out with only minimally successful (from the rulers' perspective) results, as the affected Roma families continued to roam both during and after the regulation. They practiced so-called "hidden roaming."

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E-book

Zuzana Boberová

The aim of this university textbook is primarily to provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of the basic legislative documents related to pedagogical activities and the educational work of teachers in school practice. The textbook is primarily intended for students of academic teacher training programs, as well as recent graduates of teacher education who are beginning their teaching careers.

This publication is unique in that it does not focus on specific legislative documents and their descriptions, but rather presents the meaning and wording of various legislative documents in the context of key concepts of educational activities and typical school situations. The publication does not include the full text of cited paragraphs from laws, decrees, and ministerial guidelines, but only excerpts that are relevant to the focus and needs of the textbook.

In this way, we aim to help teacher training students and beginning teachers orient themselves regarding their rights and responsibilities as defined and delineated by school legislation, and especially to help them understand the basic legislative requirements placed on every teacher in school practice. This includes participation in the preparation of the school educational program, understanding the professional development of teachers, student assessment, approaches to students with special needs, as well as handling common school situations such as disciplinary measures, school accidents, ski training, or school events.

Given the scope of these areas, we have divided the topics into two publications according to their thematic focus.

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E-book

Soňa Gabzdilová

The educational system (schooling) is one of the most effective tools for shaping the young generation in any advanced society. Schools not only create the knowledge base necessary for fulfilling the demands of the economy and the social sphere, but they also shape the national and ideological identity of each member of society. The school plays a decisive role in forming positive values, but it can also become a breeding ground for xenophobia and racist attitudes. The school has an irreplaceable role in creating national consciousness, identification with one's own nation, its history, the heroic deeds of ancestors, and the meaning of its existence.

After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, there were fundamental geopolitical changes in Central Europe. One of these was the creation of Czechoslovakia, a state founded on radically different principles than pre-war Hungary. The founders of the Czechoslovak Republic (CSR), the personalities who decisively determined the character of the political system in the newly established republic, did not belong to the privileged classes of the previous regime. Unlike Hungary, where political power was controlled almost without exception by the nobility, the elite in Czechoslovakia consisted of men who were radical critics of Austria-Hungary.

A fitting example was the most influential figure of interwar Czechoslovakia, President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. Despite his origins, Masaryk was perceived by both Czechs and Slovaks as the founder of the state, a legendary figure whose political and social influence far exceeded the powers of the presidential office.

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E-book

Ivica Hajdučeková

The development of this bilingual coursebook evolved as part of project KEGA Nr. 020UPJŠ-4/2013 headed by prof. PhDr. Ján Gbúr, CSc., and emerged from earlier research which had successfully analysed realist and modernist Slovak literature from a gender perspective. Based on initial interpretations which drew from philosophical, sociological and historiographical approaches, we were able to anticipate the issues which could be raised in other texts and thus establish a hypothesis for the subsequent literaryscientific research. Our research has also been influenced by the continually evolving nature of gender studies, and we have therefore decided to adopt a somewhat unusual approach in this coursebook and briefly examine some contemporary texts thereby creating an intentional shift in our timeline. The modern works of Z.Kepplová and U. Kovalyk have raised a number of interesting issues, and a study of the interwar work of M. Urban reveals further interpretations on the basis of gender. After this brief overview, we return to the main focus of the study: gender approaches to Slovak literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The study focuses on the complexity of male-female relationships in the work of both male and female authors of realist and modernist literature at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Works by the founding generation of realism and late realism were analysed, with particular attention being paid to the fiction of M. Kukučín, J. Čajak, J. G. Tajovský, J. Jesenský, E. M. Šoltésová, T. Vansová, Ľ. Podjavorinská and B. S. Timrava. The works of H. Gregorová and Ľ. Groeblová were also studied as prime examples of Slovak literary modernism. 

We hope that this bilingual coursebook will allow realist and modernist Slovak fiction, and the Slovak national literary tradition in general, to receive wider critical renown beyond the borders of Slovakia and also to demonstrate its place in contemporary literary theory.

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E-book

Ján Juščák - Milan Darák

 The aim of the monograph was to analyze and address the issue of educational systems within children's and youth organizations, with an emphasis on those focused on the age category of children up to 15 years.

The starting point was an analysis of the current state of the educational environment in terms of the systemic nature of education and the basic categories of the educational system. The collected available materials on the educational systems of selected (most representative) children's and youth organizations in the Slovak Republic were subsequently processed according to a unified methodology and using generally accepted pedagogical terminology.

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E-book

Ján Juščák - Milan Darák

The aim of the monograph was to analyze the pedagogical possibilities of educational systems within children's and youth organizations, with an emphasis on those targeting the age group of children up to 15 years.

The starting point was an analysis of the current state of theory and practice in children's and youth organizations, with the intention of describing prevailing trends in their development and activities. This publication closely follows the previous monograph (Juščák, J. – Darák, M.: 2015), in which we processed, according to a unified methodology and using generally accepted pedagogical terminology, the collected available materials on the educational systems of selected (most representative) children's and youth organizations in Slovakia. Through a subsequent comparison of the obtained empirical data on educational systems, we aimed to identify their similar (identical) as well as specific (distinct) elements as a basis for establishing categorization criteria for their classification.

The culmination of our efforts was an attempt to characterize a children's organization as an educational institution, describing its characteristic features, functions, aims, content, principles, and educational methodology.

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E-book

Soňa Šnircová

This textbook has been designed as supporting material for the postgraduate course on modern trends in European literature. It focuses on the presentation of five modern literary modes of writing: the realistic mode which was brought to its prominence by the nineteenth-century Realist movement; the stream-of-consciousness and ‘absurdist’ modes which were developed in the context of modernism; and the magical realist and metafictional modes which are associated mainly with postmodernist literary trends. Each mode is represented by a well-known text which demonstrates the formal aspects of each mode and deals with the thematic concerns typical of the literary movement that influenced its production.

The textbook adopts an interdisciplinary approach, placing the chosen literary texts into the historical, philosophical and cultural contexts that shaped their characters, and thereby providing the background knowledge necessary for a deeper understanding of their formal and thematic aspects.

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E-book

Helena Harausová

The main objective of the publication was to investigate the impact of motivation and job satisfaction on the performance and performance of employees in public administration organizations. The sub-objectives of the publication were to develop a theoretical background on motivation, job satisfaction, performance and performance and their inter-relationship; to suggest interventions arising from the research findings.

The content of the work can contribute partial findings to the understanding of work motivation and performance. The publication is intended for a circle of professionals who are dealing with the subject - human resource managers and theorists of human resource management. The work consists of two main parts. The first, theoretical part deals with the current state of the problem at home and abroad, with an emphasis on the solution of this problem in public administration. In this part there is also the author's theoretical contribution in the form of a general motivational-performance model and an applied contribution in the form of a proposal of intervention measures: a three-level incentive and motivational model.

The information is drawn from publications and scientific studies by renowned national and international authors. The second part describes the implementation of the research, the statistical evaluation of the obtained data using the methods of descriptive and inductive statistics, the discussion, in which the found results are compared with the results of other domestic and foreign scientific studies.

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Gabriela Štefková - Mária Zamboriová - Mária Sováriová Soósová - Renáta Shafout

We would like to introduce the study material/textbook Nursing Care Clinical Procedures I, which was developed to cover the curriculum of Nursing Care 1 for medical students. Clinical procedures are an essential component of nursing practice. The textbook contains four main chapters. Each chapter begins with a general explanation of the topic, followed by detailed method description of procedures to help students deliver high - quality care to patients. Some chapters also include appendi xes in order to pick up some special examples from clinical practice. The textbook strongly describes bandages because a carelessly or improperly applied bandage can cause discomfort to the patient, in many cases it may expose the wound to the danger of infection. To the best of wound knowledge, these procedures reflect currently accepted clinical practice and up-to-date information. The textbook can be easily integrated into an educational programme and can be used in the laboratory as well as in clinical practice. During the preparation of this textbook the information, facts, notes, publications, books and literature presented in the references section were also used. The publication include DVD, which is concentrated on applying bandages from head to lower extremity. DVD was developed in cooperation during IRES project. The student can also find additional information to study by following references. The reading level of Nursing Care Clinical Procedures I is designed to be comprehensible to as many students as possible, including those for whom Engl ish is a second language. We hope that this textbook will be useful to all readers. The authors take no personal responsibility for applying this information to a particular clinical practice
situation.

H.Mičková - V.Habalová - J.Židzik - E.Slabá

E-book

Michal Jesenko - Martina Kantorová(eds.)

Peer-reviewed proceedings of the scientific conference, which took place on 27.11.2015 at the Faculty of Public Administration, UPJŠ v Košice, Popradská 66, 041 32 Košice

Territorial self-government forms an integral part of a modern democratic and legal state. It is an expression of efforts to implement tasks to ensure the needs of the territorial community of citizens at the level that is closest to them.

One of the most important tools at the disposal of local self-government units in the performance of the tasks entrusted to them is the power to issue general binding regulations in matters of local self-government and to ensure the tasks arising for local self-government from the law. Law-making at the level of towns and municipalities or higher territorial units is thus an integral part of the exercise of territorial self-government and ultimately expresses its specific character as an essential part of public administration.

The aim of the scientific conference organized by the Department of Public Law Disciplines, Faculty of Public Administration, UPJŠ in Košice on 27 November 2015 was an effort to present the achieved results of scientific research activities in the field of law-making at the level of cities and municipalities, or higher territorial units. The conference provided a wide space for discussion on current issues of municipal standard-setting with the participation of representatives of the professional public, as well as representatives of local government and local self-government.

The scientific conference and the peer-reviewed proceedings of the conference were realized as a part of the solution of the VEGA grant project No. 1/0683/13 under the title "Normative Formation of Municipalities in the Matters of Local Self-Government. The present collection of papers from the scientific conference is an expression of the long-term efforts of the Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Public Administration, UPJŠ in Košice to address current issues of public administration with a special focus on the issue of local government.

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E-book

Gabriela Kravčáková a kol.

The second revised and extended edition of University textbook Organizational Behavior is the work of an international team of authors. University teachers of two Slovak universities and two Czech universities are the authors of this book. Problem areas of organizational behavior and its processing comprehensively was the intention of the authors. University textbook is complemented by 10 chapters, other chapters are significantly revised. University textbook is thematically divided into five parts. The first part treats the issue of organizational behavior as a discipline. Organizational behavior is theoretically defined, there is indicated the subject matter of the discipline, relationship with other sciences, historical and scientific foundations of organizational behavior. There are also presented knowledge about formal organizations and bureaucracy. Final of the first part is dedicated to social science research and social audit in organizations. The second part is called Individual aspects of organizational behavior and there are included themes as personality, work and its role in human life, job satisfaction, work motivation and loyalty of employees. This part is complemented by the issue of personality, competency and power of manager and career issues. Interpersonal interaction and group processes in an organization is the name of the third part of the book. It includes the chapters as working group, team and team roles, leadership and its impact on human personality, communication, performance management, friendships and loneliness in the organization. This section was complemented by the issue of interculturar communication in the international organizational context, conflicts in the workplace and workplace misbehavior. Fourth, complemented part is called Resources and means of ensuring employees and there are included themes such as external and internal mobility of workers, personal marketing, and unemployed as a potential source of workforce and talent management. The fifth part is called The organization as a culture and organizational dynamics. Authors included topics such as organizational culture, social responsibility of organizations and added the themes ethics on workplace, change management and radical change – reengineering. University textbook presents current theoretical knowledge and also the results of relevant research. Contents of chapters are complemented by practical examples of organizations. There are included questions for reflection and tasks at the end of each chapter. Tasks that help students and professional public apply the theoretical knowledge to solve practical problems. This University textbook comes with support KEGA no. 013-UPJŠ 4/2013 titled Organizational Behavior - University textbook for the compulsory subject of the new study program.

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E-book

Drahomíra Ondrová - Veronika Džatková(eds.)

Perspektívy komunálnej politiky na Slovensku po voľbách v roku 2014

Peer-reviewed collection of works from the scientific conference with international participation held on May 28, 2015, in Košice

On May 28, 2015, the Department of Public Policy and Public Administration, in cooperation with the organizing and scientific committee, organized a scientific conference with international participation titled "Current Challenges and Problems of Public Administration II. – Perspectives of Municipal Policy in Slovakia after the 2014 Elections."

The conference content followed up on the conference "Current Problems and Challenges of Public Administration I.," which was held on November 21, 2012, and laid the foundation for a series of conferences dedicated to the important issue of public administration. The conference focused on a broad range of problems related to public administration from the perspective of its understanding as an academic discipline in connection with political science, law, ethical aspects, economics, digitalization, and public administration management, with a focus on the perspectives of municipal policy.

The authors in their contributions did not remain only at the theoretical and generally descriptive level but sought to address existing problems by formulating proposals and possible ways to solve them in the application to public administration practice. The authors and editors believe that this collection of papers will have a positive contribution not only for theorists and students of the Faculty of Public Administration but also for representatives and professionals from practice who are daily confronted with issues of public administration.

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M.Stupák - P.Urban - J.Mašlanková - M.Mareková

E-book

Mária Ganajová

The current teaching of chemistry has its specific problems. On one hand, due to the shift of the focus of chemistry curriculum towards theoretical content, the difficulty of chemistry material has increased, and in connection with this, students' interest in chemistry has decreased.

The lack of student interest in chemistry is mostly supported by the opinion that it is precisely chemistry that significantly contributes to the deterioration of environmental quality. On the other hand, we live in an era where we encounter chemical products practically everywhere. It is necessary to learn the basics of chemistry as well as possible, which makes the question of increasing interest in chemistry education and improving its effectiveness very relevant. State educational programs have been introduced into Slovak schools as a foundation for the creation of school educational programs. These emphasize not only acquiring a certain amount of knowledge but also the development and enhancement of key and specific competencies of students, preparing them for lifelong learning and their application in life.

Therefore, increasing attention is being paid to one of the fundamental didactic tools for raising student activity in teaching, and thus improving the effectiveness of chemistry education – learning tasks. From both theory and practice of chemistry teaching, we know that learning tasks, questions, examples, exercises, etc., are among the important components of every teaching lesson. Learning tasks are applied in all phases of teaching – in the motivational phase, the phase of acquiring knowledge, the phase of consolidating knowledge, and the phase of checking the acquired knowledge. It is therefore clear that every teacher will sooner or later find themselves in a situation where they will have to select learning tasks from textbooks, workbooks, collections of problems and examples, or create them themselves.

This scientific monograph is intended for educational specialists and chemistry teachers, aiming to familiarize them with examples of various types and forms of learning tasks and the basics of their creation in chemistry. It can also be helpful for them in preparing certification works focused on test creation and their statistical evaluation.

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E-book

Miroslav Repčák - Martin Bačkor - Peter Paľove-Balang - Silvia Gajdošová

The establishment of the Plant Physiology Laboratory at the Department of Botany, Faculty of Arts, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice in 1969 was associated with the name of Ing. Štefan Kocúrik, CSc. (1923–2006), who also prepared the first "Instructions for Exercises in Plant Physiology" (Košice 1972, 1976).

Since 1980, the manual by Associate Professor RNDr. Karol Erdelský, CSc., and Ing. Fridrich Frič, DrSc., titled "Practicum and Analytical Methods in Plant Physiology" (Bratislava 1980) has been used. With the increase in the number of students, it became relevant in 1991 to publish the "Instructions for Exercises in Plant Physiology" again to improve preparation and the efficient organization of practical work. Associate Professor RNDr. A. Košturiak, CSc., contributed significantly to the expansion of the introductory part of the instructions with his valuable advice, for which the authors are grateful. For the fourth edition, some tasks were updated and modernized, taking into account the possibilities of the renovated laboratory. The selection of tasks was adapted to the current scope of exercises for individual plant physiology subjects within the bachelor's and master's study programs in biology and ecology. These subjects include: Plant Physiology, Plant Metabolism, Mineral Nutrition of Plants, Plant Growth and Development, and Plant Ecology. Some tasks are also suitable for high school experiments.

The choice of topics was influenced by the research focus of our workplace on secondary metabolism, ecophysiology, and medicinal plants. The instructions generally adhere to the SI unit system, occasionally including other commonly used units.

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E-book

Vladimír Zeleňák(ed.)

The proceedings contain abstracts of contributions from participants of the Student Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, which took place on April 22, 2015.

The Student Scientific Conference (SSC) enjoys long-term popularity among the faculty's students and teachers, and we are pleased that this was no different this year, with 128 contributions submitted to the SSC.

The contributions were organized into 19 sections, additionally complemented by an open programming competition and the final of the IHRA contest. For many students, presenting at the SSC is one of the first opportunities to gain experience in presenting their results before a professional audience. Considering the number of submitted contributions, along with the members of the expert juries from the faculty's teaching staff and the audience who came to support their classmates' presentations, the SSC is an event where a large part of the student and academic community of the faculty meets at one place and time. Many abstracts presented in this proceedings were developed as part of students' work on partial tasks that are components of research projects at the departments of the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University.

The abstracts represent, in a way, an overview of research topics at the individual workplaces of the faculty. The SSC proceedings thus serve as a useful tool that students and faculty teachers can use to present the faculty externally to partners, employers, and potential collaborators. Partners from practice have shown interest in cooperating in organizing the SSC for a long time. Since 2005, the association of IT companies has awarded a Prize for the Most Original Work and a Prize for the Work with the Best Prospects for Practical Application.

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E-book

Milan Žukovič

The textbook Computational Physics I covers the topics taught in the course of the same name at the bachelor's level of the Physics study program, as well as in the course Application of Numerical Methods at the bachelor's level of the Applied Informatics study program.

The text builds upon the basic course in numerical methods, focusing on explaining the fundamental principles of computer-based solutions to some typical physics problems. It includes both the area of deterministic methods for solving problems modeled by ordinary and partial differential equations, as well as the area of stochastic Monte Carlo simulations. The course Computational Physics I lays the foundation for further study of more advanced computational methods taught at the master's level in the subject Computational Physics II. Nowadays, the use of computers as a tool for solving real physics problems, and for students as a tool for preparing their final bachelor's or master's theses, is almost indispensable.

This has led to the creation of numerous user-oriented software packages in various environments for solving a wide range of problems. However, without a thorough understanding of how individual computational techniques work, these programs become black boxes with many pitfalls and risks in their use. Therefore, this text emphasizes understanding both the strengths and weaknesses of individual methods and the assumptions for their successful application.

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Jozef Čorba(ed.)

Collection of Contributions from the Conference

On June 11–12, 2015, the Department of Commercial Law and Economic Law at the Faculty of Law, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, organized the 13th meeting of the departments of commercial law from the law faculties of Czech and Slovak universities. This event further demonstrates that the idea of an annual gathering of representatives from these departments, initiated by Professor Bejček of the Faculty of Law at Masaryk University in Brno, has taken root and is likely to continue. Not only to preserve the tradition but primarily for the benefit of such meetings and the interest of participants to meet regularly.

A traditional part of these meetings, besides the exchange of knowledge and information about the teaching process and experience sharing, is a scientific conference focused on current issues in commercial law. This year’s conference was held under the title Slovak and Czech Commercial Law in 2015 – Selected Problems. A total of 17 contributions from various departments were included in the conference proceedings, divided into three thematic areas. The first group of contributions addresses selected issues related to the legal regulation of commercial companies and its practical implementation. The second group focuses on arbitration and insolvency law.

The third group includes contributions on the interpretation of the amended regulation of interest on late payments in commercial obligations, problems related to the application of this regulation, and issues concerning the interpretation of legal acts contained in the new Czech Civil Code. An additional part features an informational contribution on the development of Slovenian commercial law and its current form.

Ján Husár, Kristián Csach

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Ľudmila Elbert

The presented scientific monograph addresses the issue of the Rule of Law and its place, roles, and particularities at the level of international law. The Rule of Law is understood as a value that should govern communities, both domestic and international. It is thus compared to Kelsen’s basic norm, which should stand at the top of the legal order as the norm justifying the validity and existence of the norms of the legal order, both domestic and international.

Although the Rule of Law is studied at the international law level, it cannot be considered without understanding the Rule of Law in domestic law. Just as its development differs depending on whether it evolved within Anglo-American or continental law, its application and development also differ between domestic law and international law.

These differences are mainly caused by the roles and objectives that international Rule of Law is meant to secure, as well as by the distinct characteristics of domestic and international law.

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Adam Giertl - Ľudmila Elbert

Collection of Papers from the 8th Student Symposium held on April 20–21, 2015 in Danišovce

The capture of the historic Syrian city of Palmyra by fighters of the radical Islamic State caused shock among the global public. The main reason is the barbarism with which this organization proceeds, not only in relation to the treasures of the world’s cultural heritage. The situation in the Middle East, where cultural treasures of inestimable value are under direct threat, demonstrates how fragile the world’s cultural heritage is. The reaction of the international public and world leaders shows how sensitively the destruction of cultural heritage is perceived.

The quoted statement chosen by the editors relates to the threat posed by the Islamic State—however, the spirit of this statement can be applied to any cultural wealth that forms part of the world’s cultural heritage. The destruction or damage of these values primarily represents a loss for humanity as such. Each destroyed artifact of world cultural heritage signifies the disappearance of a unique legacy left by previous generations for the future. At the same time, cultural heritage must be understood as a broad spectrum of assets—both tangible and intangible. Their legal protection was the topic of this year’s symposium. As with any social interest, the protection of cultural heritage can be ensured through various mechanisms and under different forms of social organization.

These diverse approaches are unified by law as a normative system. The question for the 8th year of the symposium on international law was what role international law plays in the protection of cultural heritage. In the context of the European region, the role of the European Union as a regional organization was examined.

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Ján Klučka(ed.)

Collection of Papers from the International Scientific Conference Held on May 29–30, 2014 at the Faculty of Law, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.

In the first half of this year, a scientific conference entitled “10 Years in the EU: Relations, Questions, Issues” was held in Košice, and the contributions from this event constitute the content of the present collection bearing the same name.

The aim of the organizers—namely, the Slovak Association of European Law, the Representation of the European Commission in the Slovak Republic, and the Institute of European Law together with the Department of International Law of the Faculty of Law at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University—was not only (even if loosely) to follow up on the previous 2009 conference “Community Law in Slovakia – Five Years ‘After’”, but, after another five years, to continue its main objective: to provide participants from both the academic and non-academic community with a space for further analysis and exchange of views on legal issues related to the membership of the Slovak Republic in the European Union and various current issues of the Union’s legal order.

From this perspective, a shift in the overall focus of the conference contributions in 2009 and 2014 can be observed. While the contributions from the first conference focused primarily on various aspects of the application of Union law in the Slovak legal system and related application problems, especially before courts and other authorities, the basic orientation of the contributions from the second conference is already different. The present collection also confirms that the contributions focus primarily on current issues of the European legal order and on certain aspects of the Union’s external policy, while the relationship of Union law to the Slovak legal system is no longer given primary attention.

Several contributions focus on areas characterized by a certain overlap or “cohabitation” of Union law with public international law, private international law, or, more broadly, international relations.

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Ján Klučka - Ľudmila Elbert

The present monograph "Regionalism and its Contribution to General International Law" was written at the Institute of European Law and Department of International Law, Faculty of Law, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, as a part of the project (APVV-O823-11) carried out in 2011-2015, representing one of its final publication utputs. 

The main reason for choosing the topic was to evaluate regionalism in its various relationships and forms with respect to international law, and also to evaluate the place,importance and duties of international law in respect to the establishment and functioning of various forms of regionalgroups.

It is a fact that even though a lot of attention has been paid to regionalism, a more complex evaluation of the impact it has had on international law, and vice versa, is still lacking. The efforts of the present monograph are to partially eliminate this gap.

After giving a brief insight into how regionalism has developed, its content and terminology, the monograph studies in more details individual types of regionalism in the form of old and new regionalism, as well as treaty and institutional regionalism; its specifications and contributions to the international law.

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