Ecology I (General Ecology)

E-publication
Mária Vilková-Zuzana Kudličková-Ján Elečko
This study material is intended for students of chemistry and related disciplines interested in applied nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and physical chemistry. It offers practice-oriented tasks designed to develop skills in NMR spectroscopy, quantitative analysis, and data interpretation. Students learn modern approaches to determining physicochemical parameters (e.g., partition coefficients, pKa values, keto–enol equilibria, or enantiomeric excess) and gain experience with software tools for spectrum processing.
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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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Marián Kireš  (ed.)

Proceedings of Abstracts from the Student Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice

The Student Scientific Conference (SSC) represents the culmination of long-term and intensive work on a selected topic, collaboration with a supervisor, or a broader team at the workplace. In practice, however, it often marks the beginning of scientific research, focusing on a chosen subject, field, or close cooperation with a future supervisor of a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral thesis.

This year, the Student Scientific Conference took place on April 19, 2023, featuring 14 sections, a programming competition, and the IHRA contest. Bachelor’s and master’s students presented 101 contributions. Additionally, 8 high school students participated non-competitively, presenting their SOČ projects; 14 students took part in the programming competition, and 3 students competed in the IHRA contest.

We believe that the proceedings of abstracts and related documents serve not only as an archive but also as a dignified presentation of scientific activities at our faculty for the wider public.

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Jana Špaková Raschmanová - Zuzana Kudličková - Kvetoslava Stanková

Organic chemistry plays a key role in our lives, from the pharmaceutical industry to the production of plastics and food additives. Additionally, it is essential in biochemistry, as it deals with the basic building blocks of living organisms, such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. One of the best ways to teach organic chemistry and increase students' interest in the subject is through conducting school experiments. This study material presents a collection of visually striking practical experiments in organic chemistry that will help students better understand the chemical processes and techniques used in the field. This electronic study material is supplemented with visual material, allowing students to verify the results of experiments and better understand the individual procedures. At the end of each section, there are questions to help assess the acquired knowledge and encourage deeper understanding of the experiments conducted.

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Peter Fedoročko (ed.)

Proceedings of the 7th Annual Doctoral Spring School 2020

From November 10 to November 11, 2020, the 7th annual Spring School for Doctoral Students at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice will take place in Košice in a modified mode in the on-line space. The scientific program of the spring school will comprise 2 plenary lectures by leading scientific experts of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. Doctoral students will present their research papers in two sections: 24 doctoral students of Faculty of Public Administration, Faculty of Law and Faculty of Arts, and 22 doctoral students of Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science.

The scientific programme of the spring school will also include a panel discussion with the management of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.

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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-publication

Soňa Király

The Book of Abstracts of The 9th International Conference on Novel Materials Fundamentals and Applications, NFA 2025, contains 46 contributions from the participants of this conference. This congress is primarily focused on novel materials, ranging from theory to practical applications, with the aim of demonstrating how fundamental discoveries can lead to innovative implementations. All contributions are inspiring and professionally prepared.

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E-publication

Michal Goga-Marko S. Sabovljević-Martin Bačkor-Dajana Kecsey-Deepti Routray

A comprehensive guide that introduces you to the fascinating diversity and systematics of lower plants. These practical lessons are designed to provide hands-on training, allowing students to engage directly with the interesting study of Cryptogams by observation, analysis, and identification and experimentation. Beginning with the overall idea of cryptogam in a field trip near by the vicinity of Botanical garden then followed by the basics of microscopy in, will help to gain essential skills in understanding the components and proper usage of a microscope, a fundamental tool in botanical studies.

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Vladimír Zeleňák (ed.)

The proceedings contain contributions from participants of the Student Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Science at UPJŠ in Košice, which took place on April 24, 2014.

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E-publication

Beáta Valkayed.
Ivana Slepáková-Lenka Maliničová a kol.

The EFFUSE Teacher's Guide is a practical educational material for primary and secondary school teachers who want to develop environmental awareness with their pupils through field-based learning. It is based on the concept of the EFFUSE project (‘Environment for the future by science education’), which aims to link science, research and education with environmental protection. The manual provides teachers with methodological support for planning and implementing outdoor activities aimed at observing and documenting organisms around the Laborec River and the Uh River. It contains instructions for working with real samples, basic biomonitoring procedures and offers the opportunity to participate in the creation of a virtual laboratory that mirrors the state of the local aquatic ecosystem. Through these activities, pupils will learn to understand the links between human activity and the state of the environment, while learning the basics of how scientists work in the fields of biology and ecology. The guide also motivates teachers to become agents of positive change, inspire the younger generation to be active and engage the community in conservation. It is a challenge and an opportunity to create a space for meaningful learning in line with current trends in environmental and digital education.

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Vasyl Cherlinka - Michal Gallay - Yuryi Dmytruk

The textbook is a practical guide to predictive mapping of soil types and properties in R. It bridges digital soil mapping theory with hands-on practice, covering the full workflow from data acquisition and preprocessing to validation and uncertainty quantification. Early chapters introduce the tidyverse ecosystem and the sf and terra packages for spatial data handling. Subsequent parts address modelling of categorical variables (soil types/WRB) and continuous variables (soil organic carbon) using Random Forest, Cubist, and Quantile Regression Forests. Step-by-step code examples show training/testing, feature selection, accuracy metrics, and model interpretation. Reproducibility and cartographic best practice are emphasised. A Slovakia case study demonstrates real-world application while outlining limits and generalisability. The book targets bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD students in geography, geoinformatics, environmental and agricultural sciences, as well as practitioners. Written in English, it fits international courses and mobility programmes.

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Mariana Budovská

The aim of writing the university textbook "Selected Heterocyclic Compounds" was to create a study aid for students of the Organic Chemistry program, which provides essential information in a clear format for the subject of Heterocyclic Compounds. In selecting the content of the textbook, the goal was to present basic information about the chemistry of the most significant heterocycles. Given that the summary of chemical knowledge about heterocycles is vast, it was not possible to include all heterocyclic compounds in the content.

The intention was for readers to orient themselves in the field of heterocyclic compounds. Separate chapters included in the content address the nomenclature of heterocycles, basic chemical properties of individual heterocycles, their synthesis and reactions, the occurrence of heterocycles in nature, and their practical applications (medications, dyes, pesticides, detergents, etc.).

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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-publication

Jozef Strečka-Katarína Karľová

The proceedings include the programme and abstracts of the workshop Magnetic Cooling and Frustrated Magnetism, held in Košice on October 27–29, 2025. The event is organized with the support of the French National Research Agency (ANR), the Faculty of Science of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, and the Slovak Research and Development Agency. The workshop focuses on current challenges in quantum physics, particularly frustrated magnetism and magnetic cooling. Participants will present original research results that may significantly contribute to the development of future quantum technologies.

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Dušan Barabas - Alena Labunová

These study materials aim to provide basic information about biogeographical issues from a geographical perspective, i.e., a perspective focused primarily on the aspect of spatial differentiation of the biosphere. The basis for the division of the biosphere is its historical development, during which individual taxa and communities were formed.

The historical development of the biosphere did not occur under stable, constant conditions, but rather in ever-changing conditions caused by the position of our planet within the solar system, the position of the Earth's axis relative to the ecliptic, and also the position of the solar system within the galaxy. All changes in the Earth's position, together with the movement of continents (drift) and climate changes, created the prerequisites for the spatial expansion of the biosphere. The historical development of the biosphere, various perspectives, the hierarchical level of differentiation, and the causes of differentiation are incorporated in this study material, whose aim is to outline the basic principles of this division.

The goal is also to highlight certain differences in the understanding of terminology, as well as to point out some fundamental relationships operating within the landscape system in the broadest sense of the word. The section devoted to the ecological principles of the functioning and formation of the landscape system, according to MIČIAN and ZATKALÍK (1984), outlines the issues of understanding the terms ecosystem and geosystem. For this reason, the presented text includes chapters that attempt to explain the understanding and approach to some basic concepts.

These study materials are intended for students of single-subject, interdisciplinary, and supplementary studies as basic teaching material. By expanding the knowledge from this study material with further information, which is elaborated in more detail in the literature listed in the bibliography of this text, graduates will gain a comprehensive view of biogeographical issues.

Authors

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Daniel Jancura - Erik Sedlák

The textbook "Bioenergetics" should serve as an introduction to the study of bioenergetics. This field of science is currently highly actual, as the results of the bioenergetics research in recent years clearly show that bioenergetics processes in living systems can "serve" not only to transformation of energy, but also affect the course of processes such as apoptosis, aging, origin and development of many diseases (especially neurodegenerative).

These facts clearly indicate the need for the existence of quality teaching texts that would allow students to acquire the necessary information and knowledge in this scientific discipline in an acceptable way. For the above mentioned reasons, we decided to create these textbooks, which are in the form of ten chapters, which naturally and logically follow each other. 

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