Ecology of Soil Animals

E-book

Janetta Nestorová Dická

The university handbook Elementals of Population Geography and Demography - Part I, as an introduction to population studies, is primary study material for students of the geography study program, as well as for students of the Information Systems in Public Administration study program at the Pavel Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, but also for the wider public interested in about population phenomena and their spatiality. Among other things, the handbook offers the latest population reports in the world and its regions.

The aim of the handbook is to introduce young geographers to the basics of population research, which includes the most frequently used tools and methods in geographic analysis. The first part of the handbook contains an introduction to the scientific disciplines of population geography and demography with an overview of basic sources of demographic data.

The next part discusses the issue of anthropogenesis, i.e. the development of humans from our ancestors and the spatial spread of humans across our Earth. Part of this part is the recent development of the world population and changes in the size and distribution of the global population over time. The last part analyses how the population is distributed in the world and in relation to the geographical components of the space.

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E-book

Ondrej Hutník

The concept of the integral is one of the most significant concepts in mathematics as a whole. In its most primitive form, it was already used by the ancient Greeks in the creation of Euclidean geometry. However, it was only after Descartes' work on analytical geometry in 1637 that mathematicians could begin to consider the integral as a subject of analysis. Descartes' work laid the groundwork for the discovery of infinitesimal calculus by Leibniz and Newton around 1665. At that time, a great dispute arose over the priority of this discovery, dividing scholars of Germany and England into two opposing camps, each favoring their own champion. Today, we know that Newton's work on fluxions and fluents was somewhat earlier, but Leibniz's notation and approach have gained more acceptance in the mathematical world, and the symbols ∫ ∫ and d d are still used today. A brief overview of the history of the integral will be presented in Chapter 1.

Today, there is a plethora of scripts, textbooks, and books dedicated to explaining the concept of the integral. Therefore, every potential author faces the initial question of whether to write another text on this topic. Our affirmative answer to this question was driven by the students' request to find the subject matter of a part of the winter semester of the second year presented in a coherent form. The second motivation is a slightly different approach to the topic. If we consider the methods typically used in solving problems and gaining routine with a certain integral, it mainly involves the Newton-Leibniz formula, and often there is little time left to compute the definite (Riemann) integral using its definition. Therefore, we included a discussion of the Newton integral in Chapter 2, which reflects this fact and is directly related to the indefinite integral, whose various calculation methods receive relatively much attention in the previous semester. Only after that, in Chapter 3, do we build the theory of the Riemann integral, present criteria for its existence, classes of integrable functions, basic properties, and finally its relationship with the Newton integral. Questions primarily concerning geometric applications are addressed in Chapter 4, and in the final chapter, we focus on extending the Riemann integral to unbounded functions and unbounded intervals.

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E-book

Katarína Cechlárová (ed.)

This year, the Student Scientific Conference was held on April 24, 2019, across 17 sections in disciplines such as biology and ecology, chemistry, physics, geography, mathematics, informatics, and their didactics. Bachelor’s and master’s students presented a total of 124 contributions. The most successful participants advanced to national or traditional Czech-Slovak student scientific showcases in fields like physics, chemistry, mathematics, informatics, and mathematics didactics.

In addition to faculty students, 10 high school students participated outside the competition. They were invited based on their achievements in subject-specific Olympiads or because they were already engaged with the faculty under the guidance of dedicated teachers in laboratory work as part of their preparation for future studies. The day also featured a programming competition with 23 participants, an IHRA contest involving 16 teams of high school students and 15 teams from elementary schools, and a new Puzzle section where 72 high school students from the region competed.

The abstracts from the Student Scientific Conference demonstrate that our faculty's students not only absorb theoretical knowledge delivered in lectures but also actively engage in solving partial scientific problems that align with research objectives at the institutes of PF UPJŠ. This collection serves as both a record of scientific activity at the faculty and a dignified presentation for the broader public.

Prof. RNDr. Katarína Cechlárová, DrSc.

Vice-Dean for Education

Doc. RNDr. Gabriel Semanišin, PhD.

Dean of the Faculty

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Marcel Uhrin - Petr Benda -  Peter Kaňuch

Bats represent a unique group of mammals, characterised by different life strategies. They are the only mammals capable of active flight, which, combined with their almost exclusively nocturnal activity, has led to the evolution of specific adaptations. One of the most striking is echolocation, which enables them to orientate themselves perfectly in their surroundings in the dark. Bats are mainly native to the tropics, but have also colonised areas outside the tropics, which, has led to a complex phenological cycle with active phases and interruptions during hibernation, especially in temperate zones. In this diverse and species-rich group (almost 1,500 known species), there is a wide range of social organisation as well as feeding and roosting strategies. The textbook "Fundamentals of Chiropterology" brings the current state of knowledge about these extraordinary animals in eleven chapters and two appendices for the first time in the Slovak language.

E-book

Jana Shepa (ed.)

The book of abstracts from 6th International Conference on Nanomaterials: Fundamentals and Applications, NFA 2022 is composed of contributions from the participants of this international conference. The conference consisted of 4 invited lecture and 52 abstracts of participants. The conference is focused on nanotechnology and its application in various research areas. All contributions are professionally processed and inspiring.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Ľubomír Antoni a kol.

In university textbooks, we present the history of data science, basic concepts in artificial intelligence, machine learning, or deep learning. We describe the relationships between data science and other disciplines and summarize the tasks of the data scientist. We present an overview of university subjects in the field of data science, which were created and innovated at Slovak universities within the national project IT Academy - Education for the 21st Century. We present extended subject annotations, application examples and case studies using various methods in the field of data science. University textbooks are intended for students of bachelor's, master's, engineering and doctoral study programs in computer science, but also in non-informatics fields.

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E-book

Peter Paľove-Balang

The text ‘Uptake and transport of mineral substances in plants’ in Slovak language provides a general overview of the uptake and distribution of substances in an easy-to-understand form.

The individual chapters introduce students to the properties of the soil environment, which have a significant influence on the availability of substances, as well as the transport of substances across membranes and over medium and long distances. The text contains the latest findings from the English literature, supplemented by diagrams and graphs created by the author on the basis of his own research or by compiling several sources.

The text is intended primarily for students of a master's degree in biology or ecology and assumes at least a basic knowledge of plant physiology.

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E-book

Gabriela Andrejková - Ľubomír Antoni

Machine learning addresses the issues of how computer programs recognize complex patterns and make decisions based on data. In these university textbooks, we focus on theoretical knowledge in the field of machine learning in which we present the creation of concepts for objects, the preparation of concepts, hypotheses and the process of learning from examples. We describe Boolean formulas and their representations, probabilistic learning, linear and logistic regression, linear modeling and classification. Clustering and the Bayesian approach to machine learning conclude this publication.

University textbooks are intended for students of master's degree programs in computer science.

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E-book

Alena Gessert

Caves have always been very specific places throughout history. In some cultures, they served as sites for sacrifices or remembrance, while in others, they were seen as places where one could cross to the "other side of life." People used caves for shelter, as places to leave messages, to wait out bad weather, and in some cases, even lived in them. During wars in our region, entire families or villages would hide from enemies in caves, or they would use them to conceal weapons.

Today, in most countries, caves are destinations for tourists who want to experience something new and unknown: darkness, high humidity, and the fascinating beauty of underground formations. They are also sought after by cavers who long to explore caves, enter worlds where no human has set foot before, find evidence of previous habitation, or conduct research that continually advances our knowledge.

In the publication you are holding, we present both traditional and less conventional topics about the formation of karst and caves, selected ecological aspects, maps and their creation, significant caves of the world, and the life of people in such areas. We also offer an overview of important karst locations that are definitely worth learning more about or visiting in person. This publication is intended for readers among pupils, students, teachers, and the general public, and we believe it will draw you into this mysterious world.

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E-book

Erik Čižmár

The textbook "Special Practicum II" is dedicated to describing experimental methods used for studying the magnetic properties of solid materials, especially low-dimensional and molecular magnets. It subsequently contains instructions for the practical exercise "Special Practicum II," during which master's and doctoral students use state-of-the-art commercial equipment-an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer and a SQUID magnetometer.

The introductory chapter briefly describes the origin of magnetism in solids, the role of the crystal field, and magnetic interactions in explaining their magnetic properties. This is followed by an explanation of the principles of EPR, the operation of the EPR spectrometer, and the optimization of its parameters for the specific practical exercise.

The next part of the textbook is devoted to an overview of the behavior of magnetic quantities with changes in magnetic field or temperature in various types of magnets. The textbook concludes with a description of the operating principle of the SQUID magnetometer and an example of its use in a practical exercise measuring the magnetic moment.

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E-book

Jozef Bednarčík (ed.)

The SFEL school is continuation of the Winter Schools of Synchrotron radiation held in 2011, 2013, 2014 and SFEL 2017, 2018 and 2019. All schools of the series were held here, in Liptovský Ján, where our conference venue offers conditions for friendly and creative atmosphere.

The aim of the SFEL 2022 school is to facilitate the growth of a new Slovak research community with high expertise in the area of high-efficiency RTG laser, synchrotron and neutron sources. The SFEL school is designed for efficient transfer of the rapidly developing know-howin these areas to young generation – researchers and university students. The next aim of the SFEL2022 is strengthening of personal connections between the local Slovak research community and actually forming scientific teams of XFEL users, scientific teams of synchrotron or neutron sources users, respectively.

Slovak research community thus can take advantage of the fact that Slovakia is a shareholder of the European XFEL GmbH company in Hamburg, but also makes more efficient use of other closely related scientific facilities, including ILL and ESRF in Grenoble and DESY in Hamburg.

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E-book

Vlasta Demečková - Petra Hradická - Petra Adamková

The learning material for the course Practice in Immunology is based on several years of experience with teaching this subject, but mainly to provide students from the Biology Department at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, UPJŠ in Košice with sufficient theoretical background for practical exercises. It also serves as a scientific diary for detailed recording of all experimental data necessary for preparing laboratory protocols from individual exercises.

In studying biology, it is essential that students thoroughly understand not only the basics of each discipline but also acquire practical skills, including designing scientific experiments, selecting appropriate analytical/investigative techniques up to interpreting and presenting experimental data. The goal of this new publication is therefore to provide master's students with a practical study guide that supports and expands their knowledge about basic immunology principles.

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E-book

Mária Kožurková (ed.)

Book of Abstracts

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E-book

Andrej Mock

Burda - Kováčov, Slovensko, 4.-7.10.2017

Abstracts of lectures by Czech and Slovak zoologists, ecologists, and physiologists, who study soil arthropods in the taxa Myriapoda and Oniscidea as model groups, presented at the 10th seminar in Kováčová near Chľaba, Slovakia.

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E-book

Vladimír Sedlák

The university textbooks entitled Global Navigation Satellite Systems: GPS, GLONAS, Galileo, Compass present four navigation systems of the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems): American NAVSTAR GPS, Russian GLONASS, European Galileo and Chinese Compass. The Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) are also briefly explained. They provide regional service in augmenting the reach and support of signals from satellites of the GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Compass). Each satellite navigation system in the frame of GNSS is elucidated in terms of its principles of operation, structure, specificities, applications, and future perspectives.

The university textbook aims to improve the reader’s understanding of the principles and activities of the presented GNSS. The book emphasizes the possibilities of GNSS applications in geodesy and geography. The university textbook constitutes the basic study literature for the class Global Navigation Satellite Systems within the study program Geography and Geoinformatics at the Faculty of Science of the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. For a deeper study of the GNSS issue, it is necessary to extend the study materials to include other educational scientific literature dealing with navigation satellite systems and their applications.

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E-book

Michal Jaščur

This is a supporting text for the undergraduate students interested in quan- tum theory of magnetism. The text represents an introduction to various theoretical approaches used in this eld. It is an open material, in the sense that it will be supported by appropriate problems to be solved by student at seminars and also as a homework.

The text consists of four chapters that form closed themes of the in- troductory quantum theory of magnetism. In the rst part we explain the quantum origin of the magnetism illustrating the appearance of the ex- change interaction for the case of hydrogen molecule. The second chapter is devoted to the application of the Bogolyubov inequality to the Heisenberg model and it represents the part which is usually missing in the textbooks of magnetism. The third chapter deals with the standard spin wave-theory including the Bloch and Holstein-Primakoff a approach. Finally, we discuss the application of the Jordan-Wigner transformation to one-dimensional spin-1/2 XY model.

The primary ambition of this supportive text is to explain diverse math- ematical methods and their applications in the quantum theory of mag- netism. The text is written in the form which should be sufficient to de- velop the skills of the students up to the very high level. In fact, it is expected that students following this course will able to make their own original applications of the methods presented in this book.

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E-book

Janetta Nestorová Dická

The university handbook Elementals of Population Geography and Demography - Part I, as an introduction to population studies, is primary study material for students of the geography study program, as well as for students of the Information Systems in Public Administration study program at the Pavel Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, but also for the wider public interested in about population phenomena and their spatiality. Among other things, the handbook offers the latest population reports in the world and its regions.

The aim of the handbook is to introduce young geographers to the basics of population research, which includes the most frequently used tools and methods in geographic analysis. The first part of the handbook contains an introduction to the scientific disciplines of population geography and demography with an overview of basic sources of demographic data.

The next part discusses the issue of anthropogenesis, i.e. the development of humans from our ancestors and the spatial spread of humans across our Earth. Part of this part is the recent development of the world population and changes in the size and distribution of the global population over time. The last part analyses how the population is distributed in the world and in relation to the geographical components of the space.

Download the e-book for free  (pdf)

E-book

Ondrej Hutník

The concept of the integral is one of the most significant concepts in mathematics as a whole. In its most primitive form, it was already used by the ancient Greeks in the creation of Euclidean geometry. However, it was only after Descartes' work on analytical geometry in 1637 that mathematicians could begin to consider the integral as a subject of analysis. Descartes' work laid the groundwork for the discovery of infinitesimal calculus by Leibniz and Newton around 1665. At that time, a great dispute arose over the priority of this discovery, dividing scholars of Germany and England into two opposing camps, each favoring their own champion. Today, we know that Newton's work on fluxions and fluents was somewhat earlier, but Leibniz's notation and approach have gained more acceptance in the mathematical world, and the symbols ∫ ∫ and d d are still used today. A brief overview of the history of the integral will be presented in Chapter 1.

Today, there is a plethora of scripts, textbooks, and books dedicated to explaining the concept of the integral. Therefore, every potential author faces the initial question of whether to write another text on this topic. Our affirmative answer to this question was driven by the students' request to find the subject matter of a part of the winter semester of the second year presented in a coherent form. The second motivation is a slightly different approach to the topic. If we consider the methods typically used in solving problems and gaining routine with a certain integral, it mainly involves the Newton-Leibniz formula, and often there is little time left to compute the definite (Riemann) integral using its definition. Therefore, we included a discussion of the Newton integral in Chapter 2, which reflects this fact and is directly related to the indefinite integral, whose various calculation methods receive relatively much attention in the previous semester. Only after that, in Chapter 3, do we build the theory of the Riemann integral, present criteria for its existence, classes of integrable functions, basic properties, and finally its relationship with the Newton integral. Questions primarily concerning geometric applications are addressed in Chapter 4, and in the final chapter, we focus on extending the Riemann integral to unbounded functions and unbounded intervals.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Katarína Cechlárová (ed.)

This year, the Student Scientific Conference was held on April 24, 2019, across 17 sections in disciplines such as biology and ecology, chemistry, physics, geography, mathematics, informatics, and their didactics. Bachelor’s and master’s students presented a total of 124 contributions. The most successful participants advanced to national or traditional Czech-Slovak student scientific showcases in fields like physics, chemistry, mathematics, informatics, and mathematics didactics.

In addition to faculty students, 10 high school students participated outside the competition. They were invited based on their achievements in subject-specific Olympiads or because they were already engaged with the faculty under the guidance of dedicated teachers in laboratory work as part of their preparation for future studies. The day also featured a programming competition with 23 participants, an IHRA contest involving 16 teams of high school students and 15 teams from elementary schools, and a new Puzzle section where 72 high school students from the region competed.

The abstracts from the Student Scientific Conference demonstrate that our faculty's students not only absorb theoretical knowledge delivered in lectures but also actively engage in solving partial scientific problems that align with research objectives at the institutes of PF UPJŠ. This collection serves as both a record of scientific activity at the faculty and a dignified presentation for the broader public.

Prof. RNDr. Katarína Cechlárová, DrSc.

Vice-Dean for Education

Doc. RNDr. Gabriel Semanišin, PhD.

Dean of the Faculty

Download the e-book for free  (pdf)

Marcel Uhrin - Petr Benda -  Peter Kaňuch

Bats represent a unique group of mammals, characterised by different life strategies. They are the only mammals capable of active flight, which, combined with their almost exclusively nocturnal activity, has led to the evolution of specific adaptations. One of the most striking is echolocation, which enables them to orientate themselves perfectly in their surroundings in the dark. Bats are mainly native to the tropics, but have also colonised areas outside the tropics, which, has led to a complex phenological cycle with active phases and interruptions during hibernation, especially in temperate zones. In this diverse and species-rich group (almost 1,500 known species), there is a wide range of social organisation as well as feeding and roosting strategies. The textbook "Fundamentals of Chiropterology" brings the current state of knowledge about these extraordinary animals in eleven chapters and two appendices for the first time in the Slovak language.

E-book

Jana Shepa (ed.)

The book of abstracts from 6th International Conference on Nanomaterials: Fundamentals and Applications, NFA 2022 is composed of contributions from the participants of this international conference. The conference consisted of 4 invited lecture and 52 abstracts of participants. The conference is focused on nanotechnology and its application in various research areas. All contributions are professionally processed and inspiring.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)