Predictive Modeling of Soil Types and Their Characteristics

E-book

Marcel Uhrin - David Jandzik - Andrej Čerňanský - Michal Rindoš - Blanka Lehotská - Stanislav Danko - Ján Kautman - Peter Mikulíček - Peter Urban - Daniel Jablonski

Bibliographies provide basic scientific information, illustrate quality and intensity of research in a particular topic, area, or time, and thus help build a cultural-historical perspective of society’s appreciation of knowledge and education. Here we provide a bibliography of herpetological research in the region of Slovakia between the years 1791 and 2017. We collected 2,183 references authored by 1,453 different authors and covering all species of amphibians (18) and reptiles (13) occurring in Slovakia and, in addition, amphibian and reptile taxa occurring in 94 other countries.

Most of the contributions were published in popular magazines and non-indexed journals, while only about 12% of all references represent scientific articles from journals indexed in relevant scientific databases. The extensiveness of study on amphibians and reptiles has varied among different periods within the selected time frame. However, an obvious intensification in the field of herpetology can be observed, especially during the second half of the 20th century. While there have only been few professionals specialized in herpetology, an important role in promoting the research and conservation of amphibians and reptiles in Slovakia has been played by non-governmental organizations and hobbyists. The most frequent type of herpetological data in the referenced literature comes from faunistic research, followed by conservation and general information on herpetofauna, with the majority of published articles in indexed journals coming from the fields of palaeontology, phylogeography, and population genetics.

The presented bibliography is the first step towards building a solid base for future systematic herpetological research in the country and Central Europe.

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Katarína Kimáková

The textbook is intended for university students who are preparing for the profession of biology teacher. The structure of the book is similar to an encyclopedia, with one page devoted to each content item, but the topics of the chapters and subchapters follow each other.

The explanatory text on the page illustrates the diagram and there are notes and links to other sources of information. For better orientation, the content of the textbook is divided into 8 sections, which cover several chapters. It follows the general didactics, which it connects with the teaching of biological content. The book provides a basic orientation in the approaches to learning this subject, and also explains the relationship between biology as a science and the didactics of biology. It deals with teaching standards and curricula, advises on how to master biological concepts and understanding, how to communicate with students in biology classes, when and why are effective visual and practical methods. It acquaints the reader with the issue of setting goals for biological education in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective areas in relation to formative and summative assessment.

Hopeful as well as experienced teachers will find in this publication not only a look into the history of teaching biology, but also a look into the future. Current trends in biology teaching, the connection of teaching with digital technologies, the virtual learning environment and interactive simulations and models belong to science lessons today.

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Kveta Markušová - Daniela Kladeková

Electrochemistry is the science that studies ionic systems and the processes or phenomena that occur at the interface between ionic systems and metals or semiconductors. At the current stage of development, electrochemistry can be divided into two main areas based on its focus. The first one - ionics - deals with the properties of ionic systems (solutions, melts, solid electrolytes). The second area - electrodeics - focuses on phenomena at the electrode/ionic system interface.

Both ionics and electrodeics investigate equilibrium and non-equilibrium phenomena and processes. Research into the properties of ionic systems under equilibrium conditions provides information and insights into the structure and composition of electrolyte solutions, melts, and solid electrolytes, while measurements under non-equilibrium conditions provide data on the electrical conductivity of ionic systems. In the field of electrodeics, the study of equilibria at the electrode/solution (or melt) interface is the domain of electrochemical thermodynamics. Measuring the rates of processes occurring at this phase interface and explaining the principles governing these processes fall under the scope of electrode process kinetics or electrochemical kinetics.

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Katarína Štrofeková

Cell Biophysics II is the one semester comprehensive course textbook for PhD students. It encompasses basic principles and mechanisms underlying cell physiology and biophysics with aims:

• General knowledge of the principles of cellular function, including membrane, cytoplasmic and nuclear roles in normal and abnormal conditions.
• In-depth understanding of the mechanisms underlying the cell functions at the molecular and subcellular level.
• Awareness of cell pathologies that lead to specific disease symptoms and phenotypes.
• The ability to apply learned principles to solve new problems (analysis & synthesis).

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Karel Saksl

Solving crystal structures is the royal discipline of X-ray crystallography. Its primary task, with the exception of defects, is to describe the atomic structure of the motif that, by its repetition, fills the volume of the entire crystal or crystalline phase. This task is nowadays more or less routine for single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which can locate hundreds to thousands of non-hydrogen atoms in large unit cells. However, in real practice, we often have material available only in powder form instead of single crystals. Solving the atomic structure from its X-ray diffraction data is non-trivial, mainly because the three-dimensional diffraction space of a single crystal is reduced to one dimension by measuring a large number of randomly oriented microcrystals (crystallites). Therefore, the solution itself requires, in addition to proper measurement methodology, the selection of suitable tools, procedures, and strategies that, through optimization, will lead to the solution and refinement of the given crystalline phase. The current limit of this method is approximately 100 non-hydrogen atoms in the asymmetric part of the unit cell, which, however, is sufficient for most inorganic materials.

The goal of these educational texts is to provide students in the second and third levels of university studies with specific guidance on solving crystal structures from powder X-ray diffraction data. These scripts build upon my first monograph and require practical knowledge of its content. Similar to my previous monograph, I offer solved examples without a deep theoretical introduction, demonstrating procedures and strategies leading to the correct solution of crystalline phases using the freely available GSAS-II program. The examples are arranged from simpler to more complex, and the reader will find many useful pieces of information in the literature references as well as in the comments below the line. Part of these scripts are data intended for your individual practice of the described procedures. 

Karel Sakls

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Martin Bačkor - Silvia Mihaličová (eds.)

Proceedings of the 11th Conference of Doctoral Students in Experimental Plant Biology and the 13th Conference on Experimental Plant Biology, Košice, September 9–13, 2013

13th Conference of Experimental Plant Biology (Sections)

1. Cell Biology and Cytology: Michal Martinka
2. Developmental Biology and Morphogenesis: Alexander Lux
3. “Omics” – Genomics, Transcriptomics, and Proteomics: Boris Vyskot
4. Hormonal Regulation of Plant Growth and Development: Jana Albrechtová
5. Photosynthesis, Assimilate Production, and Transport: Jiří Šantrůček
6. GMOs and Plant Biotechnology: Eva Čellárová
7. Biophysical Signals and Optical Properties of Plants: Jan Nauš Stress
8. Physiology: Ľudmila Slováková
9. Plant Interactions with Organisms: Martin Bačkor
10. Water and Mineral Nutrition of Plants: Miroslav Repčák
11. Productive Biology of Plants and Agriculture: Václav Hejnák
12. Ecological Plant Biology and Global Climate Change: Michal Marek

11th Days of Doctoral Students in Experimental Plant Biology (Sections)

1. Molecular & Cell Genetics: Viktor Žárský
2. Developmental Biology: Alexander Lux
3. Biochemistry & Physiology: Jiří Šantrůček
4. Systematics & Evolution: Jana Albrechtová
5. Ecophysiology: Jana Albrechtová

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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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Vladimír Zeleňák (ed.)

The publication contains abstracts of contributions presented at the Student Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at UPJŠ in Košice, held on April 25, 2013. The event was marked by the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at UPJŠ and was part of a series of events called ScienceFest.

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Jozef Bednarčík - Hana Vargová (eds.)

The Czech and Slovak Conference on Magnetism (CSMAG) is a scientific meeting that honors a longstanding tradition initiated in Košice in 1960. Evolving from a regional gathering of the Czechoslovak magnetic community into a prominent international forum, CSMAG brings together researchers from diverse fields of magnetism. The conference covers a wide range of topics including theoretical and experimental magnetism, magnetic materials for energy and spintronics applications, low-dimensional and molecular magnets, rare-earth and actinide systems, and multifunctional materials. With contributions from over 20 countries, CSMAG’25 fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration and showcases the latest advances in both fundamental studies and practical applications of magnetic phenomena.

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Danica Sabolová

This university textbook is intended for students of the Faculty of Science of the University of Applied Sciences in Košice who have enrolled in practical exercises in Biotechnology, but also for all other students who are interested in learning about the practical applications of biotechnology.

The aim of the practical course is to familiarize students with basic biotechnological methods and their applications. The students will verify in practice the theoretical knowledge acquired in the Biotechnology lectures such as the course of fermentation processes, wine production, preparation of fermented milk products and cheese, preparation of culture media, inoculation and cultivation of microorganisms, etc. The practical exercises also include the use of analytical and spectral methods, which are an integral part of biochemistry.

The scripts are published only in electronic form and are available on the University's website: http://kosice.upjs.sk/~kbch/sk, for the reason that it will always be possible to update and modernize the content of the laboratory exercises.

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Gabriel Semanišin - Emil Hutňan - Jana Oleničová

The proceedings contain contributions from participants of the UNIFOS 2014 conference, University Information Systems in Košice, which took place from October 27 to 29, 2014.

ICT centers are important element that provide functioning and development hardware and software infrastructure at Slovak Universities. There are more differences between them in real position, management, personal sources and financing. ICT centers provide a wide range of services to large number of university users and they implement the policy of information security recently.

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Mária Reháková 

Vysokoškolský učebný text určený pre poslucháčov vyšších ročníkov z bioanorganickej chémie. Štúdium bioanorganickej chémie si vyžaduje vedomosti z predchádzajúcich chemický disciplín nižších ročníkov - všeobecnej, anorganickej, organickej, fyzikálnej chémie a biochémie.

Autorka

E-publication
Beáta Valkay ed.
Ivana Slepáková-Andrej Mock a kol.

The textbook EFFUSE – River Landscape, Volume 1: Scientific Education for Everybody, developed within the EFFUSE project, explores the importance of water for living organisms and the specific features of water in the Transcarpathian region. It addresses the issue of water pollution and presents bioindication as an effective method of environmental research. The publication explains how the ecological status of rivers and water quality can be assessed using aquatic plants, insects, fish, and amphibians. It also raises awareness about the microbial composition of water and offers guidance on protecting oneself from waterborne infections. Finally, it highlights the significance of environmental education and awareness in strengthening the relationship between humans and the natural environment.

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Jozef Bednarčík

Crystallography deals with discerning the arrangement and bonding of atoms in crystalline solids. Almost immediately after their discovery, X-rays began to be used to study the internal structure of substances.

The first chapter of this textbook deals with the basic concepts of crystallography. At the beginning, crystalline solids are characterized. In the next section, the basic types of bonds and their characteristics are briefly presented. The main subject of this chapter is the interpretation of basic concepts such as symmetry operations, translational periodicity, grid, elementary cell. Spatial lattices and crystal systems are presented. At the end of this chapter, attention is paid to the description of individual types of defects in crystal structures. In the second chapter, the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom is presented. Individual quantum numbers and their meaning are given.

Next, energy levels and allowed transitions within an atom with multiple electrons are described. The second chapter concludes with the characterization of the basic absorption and emission processes. The third chapter is devoted to the production of X-ray radiation and its properties. Sources of X-ray radiation and a description of their operation are presented.

Interaction of X-ray radiation with matter, absorption and detection of X-ray radiation are the subject of the last part of this chapter.

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Miroslav Almáši  Nikolas Király   eds.

The conference proceedings of Porous Materials for Environmental Applications 2026 represent a collection of scientific and professional contributions presented at the international scientific conference held on 15–19 March 2026 in Białka Tatrzańska (Poland). The conference focused on current trends in the research of porous materials and their applications in environmental, catalytic, energy-related, and biomedical fields. The event provided an interdisciplinary platform for the exchange of the latest scientific knowledge in the design, synthesis, characterization, and practical utilization of porous materials.

Particular attention was devoted to their application in adsorption and separation processes, heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis, energy storage and conversion, as well as in biological and medical applications. The published abstracts reflect current challenges related to sustainable development, green technologies, and advanced materials solutions. The proceedings offer a comprehensive overview of the current state of porous materials research at the international level and document the dynamic development of this field with significant overlap into environmental chemistry, materials science, and chemical engineering.

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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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