Regions Of Slovakia Research Articles

Montane record of the late Pleistocene Panthera spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) from the Západné Tatry Mountains (northern Slovakia)

ABSTRACT A minimum of four adult cave lions (Panthera spelaea) from the late Pleistocene (MIS 3) are reported from Medvedia Cave in the Západné Tatry Mountains, the mountainous region of northern Slovakia in central Europe. A well-preserved fully adult male skeleton is the altitudinally highest recorded skeleton of this species and belongs to one of the largest reported cave lions. This specimen and a previous reported cave lion female from the same site exemplify the evident sexual dimorphism in this species. The fossils document a cave lion range extension into mountain areas during the Last Glacial, most likely in search of hibernating cave bear prey. Although it is generally assumed that the social behavior pattern of cave lions was similar to that of extant lions, we hypothesize that, at least in mountain environments, a solitary or paired existence was more likely for these large extinct felids. SUPPLEMENTAL DATA—Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at www.tandfonline.com/UJVP Citation for this article: Sabol, M., J. Gullár, and J. Horvát. 2018. Montane record of the late Pleistocene Panthera spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) from the Západné Tatry Mountains (northern Slovakia). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2018.1467921.

The relationship between internet addiction and personality traits in Slovak secondary schools students

Abstract A new phenomenon, which increasingly rises among the young generation all over the world, is Internet addiction. Information and communication technology (ICT) has a major influence not only on individual sectors of the national economy (services, industry, agriculture, etc.), but also on free time activities and interests of the young generation. ICT-related free time activities of the young generation have notably changed over the last decade (Slovakia was connected to the Internet in November 1992). The aim of the research was to determine the symptoms of Internet addiction in Slovak secondary school students, i.e. to detect significant differences between the following: a personality trait – addiction, addiction – age, addiction – a place of residence, etc. The standardized questionnaire was used in all regions of Slovakia. We collected data by means of an online questionnaire over the period of more than six months. The research results show that female have more potential to become addicted than male, which could be caused by feelings and sadness (Ha & Hwang., 2014). Some other significant results show that more extroverted students are less Internet-addicted than their less extroverted counterparts. According to Zamani, extroverts prefer social and face-to-face interaction with others (Zamani et al., 2011). Other questions focused on neuroticism - emotional stability, where more neurotic students were more addicted than less neurotic students. Finally, significant results were related to residence. Findings showed that students who come from cities (towns) had higher symptoms of Internet addiction than villagers. Other details of this research are shown in the results and discussion section.

METHODS FOR THE DESIGN OF CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIO IN SLOVAKIA FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

In this paper methods of climate-change scenario projection in Slovakia for the 21st century are outlined. Temperature and precipitation time series of the Hurbanovo Observatory in 1871–2007 (Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute) and data from four global GCMs (GISS 1998, CGCM1, CGCM2, HadCM3) are utilized for the design of climate change scenarios. Selected results of different climate change scenarios (based on different methods) for the region of Slovakia (up to 2100) are presented. The increase in annual mean temperature is about 3°C, though the results are ambiguous in the case of precipitation. These scenarios are required by users in impact studies, mainly from the hydrology, agriculture and forestry sectors.

Fungal diversity in the grapes-to-wines chain with emphasis on Penicillium species

The aim of this work was the description of surface and endogenous mycobiota colonisation of grapes, fresh grape juice, grape must, and wine primarily focused to the current spectrum of the penicillium species. One sample of white grape variety Palava and one sample of blue grape variety Dornfelder were collected in Small Carpathian wine growing region of Slovakia in the year 2017. Direct plating of grapes on agar plates was used for analysis of surface mycobiota of grapes while surface sterilsed grapes were used for endogenous mycobiota analysis. Mycobiota of juice, must, and wine was analysed by plate dilution method. Overall, we isolated 148 strains belonging to 13 genera of filamentous microscopic fungi and Mycelia sterilia from grape variety Palava, while the most frequent was Alternaria. Alternaria was the most common genus in the surface and endogenous colonisation with an average relative density 50% and 73.6%, respectively. A total of 2 species of Penicillium were detected from the grapes to wine, potentially toxigenic Penicillium expansum and P. chrysogenum. A total of 39 strains belonging to 6 genera and Mycelia sterilia were identified from grape variety Dornfelder. The most abundant genus was also Alternaria (51.3%), followed by Penicillium (12.8%). Alternaria was the most common genus in the surface and endogenous colonisation and fresh grape juice with an average relative density from 20% (grape juice) to 71% (endogenous colonisation of grapes). A total of 3 species of Penicillium were detected from the grapes to wine, where Penicillium expansum were detected most commonly. In the second part of our work some selected isolates were tested to the ability to produce mycotoxins such as patulin, citrinin, and roquefortin C in in vitro condition by thin layer chromatography method. All tested strains of Penicillium species were able to produce at least one mycotoxin.

Histories of Romani Education in Slovakia: A Kazamian Perspective

Using the critical work of Andreas Kazamias on the history and methods of comparative education as conceptual framework, we investigate the education (over a 200-year period) of the Slovak Roma. We position our story as paradigmatic of the dual processes of enlightenment and obscurantism with which we are familiar in thinking about the history of racial violence. The article describes the encounter of a young British doctor, Richard Bright, with Roma and Slovaks in 1814, and explores the Enlightenment thinking about Roma in specific, and race in general, in Bright’s travelogue. We juxtapose these historical investigations with qualitative findings from research conducted recently in the same region of Slovakia. Our goal is to show that Kazamias’s calls for a return to the historical in educational research, and greater attention to the “paideia of the soul,” have relevance in considering the discouraging past and present of Roma in Slovak schools and society.

Cross-border shopping: Just like domestic shopping? A comparative study

This paper analyses to what extent people from one country visit shopping destinations in a neighbouring country. The analyses are based on data collected by fieldwork in 2014/2015 in the Danish–German, the Belgium–Dutch–German and the Austrian–Hungarian–Slovak border regions. These regions represent different historical conditions and have experienced different time spans with ‘open borders’. The comparisons are based on the registration of cars (N = 17,721) at car parks at the selected venues. To assess the nationality distribution of the cars, the population distribution on each side of the borders and the destination’s location within the urban pattern were included. The analyses were conducted with three levels of distance decay. When comparing the observed shares of cars from the neighbouring country with the theoretical shares, the phenomenon ‘as if no border’ was found for some shopping venues in all the border regions included. However, in most regions there were also examples of venues having a significantly higher or lower share of foreign visitors than expected.

Food and non-food retail change in a post-communist country:A case study of the Gemer region in Slovakia

AbstractThe retailing sector seems to be rather sensitive to social and economic developments in a society. In contrast to global retail network trends, specific processes may be observed in some lagging regions in post-communist countries. In the article attention is paid to spatial changes in food and non-food retailing locations in the region of Gemer, one of the least developed regions of post-communist Slovakia. The retailing network transformation between 1996 and 2012 was measured by applying retail capacity calculations for surplus or deficit, related to the population size of municipalities within the region. In the article, we examine food and non-food retail locations in the Gemer region with a special focus on spatial changes (urban vs rural) as well as temporal and trends based on retail capacity growth indices. In conclusion, the findings suggest that rural food and non-food retailing businesses have gone through considerable change and that it is not in harmony with the globalisation processes visible in the urban environment. Specifically, retail capacities (both food and nonfood) in the Gemer region are witnessing a period of growth.

Early and middle Holocene ecosystem changes at the Western Carpathian/Pannonian border driven by climate and Neolithic impact

Travertine deposits are unique archives for multidisciplinary studies of past climate changes, associated vegetation development and the evolution of human societies. Despite their high potential in palaeoecological and palaeoclimate reconstructions, investigations of travertines are rather scarce in central Europe and particularly in Slovakia. Therefore, this study focused on a travertine deposit situated on the border between the Pannonian Basin and the Western Carpathians in a small valley in Santovka village (SW Slovakia), which is unique due to the presence of archaeological artefacts with known radiocarbon ages in the palaeoecological profile. Using a multidisciplinary approach combining macrofossil, pollen, mollusc, lithological and geochemical analyses, this study investigated climate–human–vegetation interactions. The Holocene onset was marked by the early arrival of oak trees; however, forest‐steppe with a high representation of pine predominated until 9880 cal. a BP, followed by an expansion of temperate trees. The local ecosystem changed around 8600 cal. a BP when the valley was probably dammed by a travertine accumulation, probably resulting in the existence of a small travertine lake. This was associated with wetter climatic conditions, which were also documented in other sites in the Western Carpathians at that time. Surrounding temperate forest possibly retained a certain degree of openness, or local steppe habitat may have persisted on adjacent loess terraces until the neolithization of the area. Archaeological evidence represented by a ceramic shard dated to 7339 cal. a BP suggests the first appearance of humans at the site, yet pollen analysis records a significant change in vegetation first at 6650 cal. a BP. The local ecosystem records an abrupt change linked with human settlement earlier, at c. 7000 cal. a BP. Deforestation activities of the Neolithics resulted in the formation of an open calcareous fen occupied by numerous light‐demanding mollusc species. The present study provides new important data about the spread of temperate trees at the onset of the Holocene, about further vegetation changes caused by activities of the first Neolithic farmers and about climate changes in the region of southwestern Slovakia.

Measuring the self-efficacy of in-service teachers in Slovakia

The paper describes the construct of teacher self-efficacy, which draws on Albert Bandura’s social-cognitive theory. Self-efficacy is defined as teacher judgement about teacher’s capacities to bring about the desired outcomes of instruction. It has been proved in many studies that high self-efficacy positively affects pupil’s motivation and learning. The process of adaptation of the Slovak version of Gibson’s and Dembo´s Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES) is described in detail. The wording of scale items as used in our earlier research (Gavora 2009, 2010) has been altered to reflect the more internal/external orientation of TES dimensions rather than personal teaching efficacy/general teaching efficacy dimensions. The new version of the TES was factor-analysed to assess its construct validity, and reliability coefficients were calculated. A sample of 217 teachers in 5 regions of Slovakia filled in the TES. The data were categorized according to teachers’ years of practice, gender, and the level of school (primary/ lower secondary). The findings are not dissimilar from those in North American and Western European studies showing that (1) an above-average level (as assessed theoretically) of perceived self-efficacy of teachers is a characteristic of the majority of in-service teachers, (2) general teaching efficacy scores are lower than those of personal teaching efficacy, (3) in-service teachers are superior to the pre-service teachers in our previous sample (Gavora, 2009, 2010) in terms of personal teaching efficacy but not in general teaching efficacy, and (4) likewise, female teachers are superior to male teachers in personal teaching efficacy while no statistical difference was detected in general teaching efficacy.

Vývojové tendencie v rastlinnej výrobe na Slovensku po roku 2004 – regionálne diferenciácie

One of the key milestones of joining European Union was to decrease disparities within economical and social environment in Slovakia. On the contrary, disparities are still growing, also in agriculture. Structural changes in agriculture between 2004 and 2014 are explained based on several stages of development, leading to regional differentiations. Based on indicators of crop production such as – gross crop production, crop production (cereals, oil plants, potatoes, sugar beet and perennial fodder crops), production per one hectare of selected crops, per capita production of selected crops and per 1 hectare of agricultural land this paper shows trends in crop production in Slovakia between 2004 and 2014. Individual regions and their ranking in Slovakia are analysed based on the level NUTS (Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) III (regions). The classification of development of indicators of crop production in regions of Slovakia in relation to the calculated average value of Slovak Republic from 2004 to 2014 is based on calculated average values for the monitored period. Selected stasticial methods (standard deviation, coefficient of variation, the ratio of the data set and the relative size of the data file) are applied to analyse, study and interpret development of regional disparities in crop production in Slovakia.

Pilgrimage sites in Slovakia as the base for the formation of ecomuseums: Case study of L'utina pilgrimage site

Religious tourism is one of the oldest types of tourism and is connected with visiting various sacred places of religious significance. In Slovakia, the tradition of pilgrimage has rich history, as evidenced by a large number of pilgrimage sites that attract many pilgrims from Slovakia and abroad and still have their irreplaceable significance. However, these religious centres are not separated from other natural and cultural-historical attractions, as they together form the genius loci of a particular territory. The aim of this paper is to link the pilgrimage site with individual natural and cultural-historical interests in its surrounding in the context of the ecomuseum phenomena, which are now becoming more and more aware of the inhabitants and local communities in individual regions. Linking these locations should improve people's awareness of the territory they live in while making these places more attractive for visitors/ pilgrims. Part of the paper is a case study on the example of the largest pilgrimage site of Greek Catholics in Slovakia - L'utina, which has the largest potential to become a leader within a religious tourism and within a formation of ecomuseum in the region of eastern Slovakia in the context of implementation of projects and realization of activities directly in this pilgrimage site and surrounding attractive places.

Sustainable development in rural regions of Slovakia: the role of the National Rural Development Programm

Sustainable development in rural regions of Slovakia: the role of the National Rural Development Programm

The effect of age on the fatty acids composition in wild boar (Sus scrofa) hunted in the southwest region of Slovakia

The aim of the study was to analyse the fatty acid profile of wild boar (Sus scrofa) meat. The samples were obtained from the mountain Tríbeč (southwest part of the Slovak Republic). A total of 36 samples in 3 age categories of meat were analysed. The effect of age on the intramuscular (IMF) fat content was analysed. The highest (P < 0.05) IMF content was found in the samples from the youngest animals (18.07%), the lowest (P < 0.05) in the sub-adult animals. Significant (P < 0.05) differences were found in palmitic acid (C16:0). Significant decrease of heptadecanoic acid (C17:0) as an effect of age was analysed in the samples. Of the important fatty acids, the most abundant in all age categories of wild boar were oleic (C18:1 cis 9), palmitic (C16:0), and linolelaidic acid (C18:2 cis n6). Differences in the content of mentioned acids were significant (P < 0.05). In α-linolenic and γ-linoleic acids, non-significant (P > 0.05) differences were detected. Significant differences (P < 0.05) between age categories were found in cis-11-eicosenoic (C20:1 n9) and cis-11,14-eicosadienoic acids (C20:2 n6). Significant differences (P < 0.05) were found in PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids), MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids), and SFA (saturated fatty acids) concentrations. The highest PUFA content was typical for the samples from the oldest animals, MUFA from the sub-adults, and SFA from the youngest wild boar. More significant results were observed in the normalized data with the factor component scores. The wild boar fatty acid profile is significantly affected by age.

Investment aid as a catholicon for regional development in Slovakia?

The Slovak Republic may provide the state aid strictly following European Union regulations. Public financial resources of the EU member states are approved for entrepreneurial entities after fulfilling terms explicitly constituted in the EU related to the state aid. Implementing international rules of investment protection and investment support have led to increased foreign direct investments and other foreign investment forms flowing to Slovakia having a positive impact on its economic growth. The objective of this paper emphasising an interdisciplinary focus, (geographic economy, law, finance) highlights essential commensalism of the law via necessity of high quality legislation to secure a safe environment to attract foreign investors to do business in Slovakia. This scientific paper analyses, compares and assesses consequences of the state aid in chosen businesses of selected Slovak regions.

Age-adjusted Mortality Rates of Neoplasms and Circulatory System Diseases and Their Demographic Factors in Slovak Regions during 1996-2013.

Knowledge of the causes of deaths in Slovakia is lacking. This is significant because diet and lifestyle factors are different in central Europe compared to Western, Northern and Southern Europe. This study aims to discern trends of age-adjusted mortality rates caused by various diseases in relation to demographic factors. The aim of our study was to find certain statistical aspects including trends of age-adjusted mortality rates caused by neoplastic (Chapter II) and circulatory diseases (Chapter IX) in the Slovak population in relation to available demographic factors (sex, region and calendar year of death). Dataset of individual deaths in Slovakia with certain demographic factors (sex, region and calendar year of death) during 1996-2013 were provided by the Slovak National Center of Health Informatics. Regression and correlation analyses and analyses of variance and of covariance were used to yield the level of significance. We found significant differences of age-adjusted mortality rates between men and women, between Chapter II and Chapter IX and among Slovak regions. Age-adjusted mortality rates decline significantly in most regions for both sexes with the exception of stagnation in four regions in a group of Chapter II women (Košice, Nitra, Trenčín and Žilina) and one region in Chapter IX, also in group of women (Žilina). Mortalities caused either by Chapter II or Chapter IX diseases are significantly dependent on chapter, sex and region with mortalities either declining or stagnating.

Similarity of Slovak Regions in Neoplastic Mortality in the Context of Risk Factors and Access to Health Care.

Access to primary health care is highly connected to the prevention of cancer mortality, since the risk factors threatening health can be early identified. The aim of this paper is, firstly, to explore similarity within and between the regions of the Slovak Republic and cancer mortality patterns, and secondly, to reveal if similar regions are characterised by the similar access to health care or risk factors occurrence. Data on deaths by sex, type of cancer death and region from 1996 to 2014 is provided by the National Health Information Centre of Slovakia. The relationships between 8 regions and 16 cancer types are described by correspondence analysis for both sexes. The most similar cancer mortality patterns among Slovak regions are between the Nitra and Trnava regions for both sexes, and the Košice region for males. The Prešov region is showed as an outlier from other regions for females, likely due to the highest concentration of Roma marginalised communities. As for access to health care, the Trnava region as well as Nitra region report the lowest densities of physicians, 2.4 and 2.6 per 1,000 inhabitants, respectively. The most serious cancer types mortality is attributed to the digestive organs (C15-C26) in each Slovak region for both sexes with the average proportion of 35.56%. Observed high association between the Nitra region and respiratory cancer (C30-C39) in males may be confirmed by the increased incidence of radon in this region. Similarly, a tight relationship between the Bratislava region and cancer of male genital organs (C60-C63) can relate to the highest proportion of drug users in the Bratislava region. Based on the findings of similar regions in cancer mortality patterns, we recommend to set the same prevention programs in the Trnava and Nitra regions, on the other hand, different preventive interventions should be introduced in the Prešov region.

Time Trend, Age and Sex Distribution of Deceased from Diabetes Mellitus at the Regional Level in the Slovak Republic.

To describe the time trends, age and sex distribution of death from diabetes mellitus (E10-E14) as a significant part of endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E90), during 1996-2014 in the Slovak regions, and to estimate the influence of social characteristics on mortality. Secondary data on deaths during 1996-2014 were gathered from the National Health Information Center in the Slovak Republic. The total crude death rate per 100,000 of the standard Slovak population and age-standardized death rate per 100,000 of the standard European population were calculated by direct standardization. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed. Deaths from diabetes mellitus account for 91.6% of deaths registered in the endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases Chapter. The age-standardized death rate per 100,000 of inhabitants decreased from 19.2 in 1996 to 15.3 in 2014 in the Slovak Republic, although a massive increase of up to 32.5 was reported in 1999. The highest age-standardized death rates per 100,000 inhabitants were typical for the Košice, Nitra and Trenčín regions. On the other hand, the lowest counts were recorded in the Bratislava region. Mortality from diabetes mellitus starts to be evident in the 45-49 year age-group in both sexes. The median age of death for women is lower in the 75-79 year age-group in comparison to men although the total crude death rate for men in lower age groups is higher. After age 80 the situation is reversed. The odds of dying due to endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases decreases by 0.4% each year. The odds of dying are lower by 17% and 12.3%, respectively, in the Žilina and Prešov regions compared to Bratislava region. Women have a higher probability of dying by 38% in contrast to men, and married couples by 16.7% than singles. Age is proved to be an insignificant factor. In spite of the declining trend of mortality from diabetes mellitus, it is necessary to reduce the risk of its incidence by healthier food consumption and physical activity.

Income Inequality in Non-communicable Diseases Mortality among the Regions of the Slovak Republic.

A great amount of non-communicable disease deaths poses a threat for all people and therefore represents the challenge for health policy makers, health providers and other health or social policy actors. The aim of this study is to analyse regional differences in non-communicable disease mortality in the Slovak Republic, and to quantify the relationship between mortality and economic indicators of the Slovak regions. Standardised mortality rates adjusted for age, sex, region, and period were calculated applying direct standardisation methods with the European standard population covering the time span from 2005 to 2013. The impact of income indicators on standardised mortality rates was calculated using the panel regression models. The Bratislava region reaches the lowest values of standardised mortality rate for non-communicable diseases for both sexes. On the other side, the Nitra region has the highest standardised mortality rate for non-communicable diseases. Income quintile ratio has the highest effect on mortality, however, the expected positive impact is not confirmed. Gini coefficient at the 0.001 significance level and social benefits at the 0.01 significance level look like the most influencing variables on the standardised mortality rate. By addition of one percentage point of Gini coefficient, mortality rate increases by 148.19 units. When a share of population receiving social benefits increases by one percentage point, the standardised mortality rate will increase by 22.36 units. Non-communicable disease mortality together with income inequalities among the regions of the Slovak Republic highlight the importance of economic impact on population health.

Economic and environmental linear optimization model of crop production in selected regions of Slovakia

Abstract For the agricultural industry in Slovakia, the dominating sector is crop production. The major part of arable land is devoted to the cultivation of cereals (57%), feed crops (20%) and industry crops (19%).The aim of this paper is to model the distribution of crop management practices in selected regions of Slovakia and identify the net return for four selected crops in these regions. We use integrated modelling framework which incorporates bio-physical and economic data to identify opportunity costs of agricultural production choices. We delineate homogenous response units (HRU) and aggregate them on regional level as the model is constrained by land endowment in particular region. The results suggest that highest yields and thus high returns are achieved in case of management practice with high nitrogen input and irrigation. The high input management causes environmental pressures on soils, therefore its enforcement in regions is not desirable. The solution might appear in policy premiums for low input management practices.

Ecological Farming in Slovakia and Its Regional Disparities

Abstract The paper points at the origin and development of ecological farming in Slovakia from 1991 to 2015. As the positive aspect of this period can be considered the increasing area of ecologically farmed agricultural land, as well as increasing number of farmers and a slight increase in the number of processors of ecological production. The increased interest of farmers in ecological farming on land occurred mainly after Slovakia's accession to the EU. The next part of the paper is dedicated to the regional disparities in ecological production at NUTS III (Slovak regions). To analyze spatial disparities at the regional level, we used the most widely applied statistical methods - standard deviation and coefficient of variation. The largest localization of ecological production is in northern Slovakia - in Žilina and Prešov region, in central Slovakia in Banská Bystrica region. In these regions, there are higher acreage of ecological farmland. Despite the slight increase of processors of ecological produce, they still lack in Slovakia. Processors of ecological products operate mainly in the regions of western and eastern Slovakia and north of the country. With the lack of ecological production, there is relatively underdeveloped distribution of products of ecological production and its lower consumption in the domestic market. Offers of bio-products is relatively low and weak competitive environment does not create the pressure to still reduce still high prices of ecological production.