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Although we move and live in three-dimensional space, many prefer "two-dimensional" thinking in mathematics lessons. As a result, the transition between physical objects and their graphical representations can be considered one of the most common difficulties in learning and teaching solid geometry. This paper describes results of our quantitative-qualitative research focused on solving a non-standard spatial visualisation problem. Demanding mathematical operations are not required in its solution, but creating the right mental images of 3D objects and the ability of their mental manipulation are key to the correct solution. Students' paper-and-pencil solutions were the main source of research data and the principal aim of the study was to examine the relation between the number of correct external representations (iconic or non-iconic) and the numerical scores in student solutions. In this article, we focus on the qualitative findings and supplement them with quantitative results.

Green Public Procurement is currently a voluntary instrument to promote Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy. Surveys in this field help to understand how individual States, Public Authorities and Organizations, are approaching this voluntary instrument and thus how far they support Eco-Innovations and Sustainable Economy. Our survey focuses on mapping of units of local self-governments in the Slovak Republic that carried out Green Public Procurement in the category of paper products through the Electronic Contracting System (ECS) in 2017. We consider local self-government units to be major consumers of paper products, especially because of their extensive administration, what makes them a target group to promote the use of Green Public Procurement in a given category in practice. The total number of contracts awarded through the ECS in 2017 was 471. As the results show, the share of Green Public Procurements in the total number of Public Procurements in the Slovak Republic in 2017 was not satisfactory. In order to improve the situation, it is necessary to further deepen the targeted dissemination of examples of good practice in Green Public Procurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Waste paper recycling utilization has been increasing in Iran and world paper industries which offers many benefits to the environment and humans. Municipal waste is also reused after recycling processes. Cardboard recycling industry has great environmental and economic importance and helps overcone the lack of wood resources and high demand for paper products. It plays an important role in the development of paper-related industries. However, recycling can be associated with the reduction in the optical properties of the paper. The use of nanoparticles in the paper industry is also expanding gradually. Nanosilica is one of the most important nanoparticles which is used as a retention aid in the paper industry. In order to reduce the consumption of long fibers and obtain the desired optical properties, the use of nanosilica alone or in combination with other materials such as cationic starch and cationic polyacrylamide is investigated. The purpose of this research is to compare the effect of individual and combined use of nanosilica additives, cationic polyacrylamide, cationic starch and long fibers on the optical properties of white liner paper pulp. Methodology: In this study, white paper pulp with the brightness of at least 78% and the gloss of at least 45% was used to prepare handmade paper sheets. Long fiber kraft chemical pulp from coniferous wood imported from Russia with the brightness of 89% was used in the laboratory paper sheet making. Nanosilica powder (NanoSiO2) (Degussa), Germany, cationic polyacrylamide (Farinret K325 brand, Degussa, Germany), and cationic starch (LyckebyAmylex, Slovakia) were used. Independent treatments included the addition of 10% refined long fibers pulp, 6% nanosilica, 1.5% cationic starch and 0.15% cationic polyacrylamide and combined treatments included 6% nanosilica and 1.5% cationic starch and 6% nanosilica and 0.15% cationic polyacrylamide. Then 127 g.m-2 handmade papers were prepared and the optical and microscopic properties were evaluated. Results: The results showed that by adding 10% long fibers, the brightness decreased and by using 6% nanosilica, the maximum brightness was reached. Meanwhile, the whiteness of papers with 6% nanosilica was minimum and with the dosage of only 0.15% cationic polyacrylamide, the whiteness reached at the maximum value. Opacity showed its highest value with the combination of 6% nanosilica and 0.15% cationic polyacrylamide. Also, by increasing the amount of polyacrylamide and cationic starch, individually or in combination with nanosilica, the opacity increased. The light absorption coefficient was the lowest in papers with 6% nanosilica and the light scattering coefficient was the highest in papers containing 6% nanosilica and 0.15% cationic polyacrylamide. A colorimeter was used to measure the color components and the results showed that the additives had an effect on the brightness and whiteness of the papers. Also, changes in the color spectrum and the value of color change were also observed. Additives increased the darkness and changes in different colors. Conclusion: The use of nanosilica individually and in combination with starch and cationic polyacrylamide increases the brightness of papers. Also, the use of cationic polyacrylamide individually and in combination with nanosilica leads to an increase in the whiteness and opacity of papers. The brightness factor of the papers, which is representative of the L* component, decreased with the exception of the addition of 10% long fibers and 6% nanosilica. The amount of overall color change with ΔE* was the lowest in samples containing 1.5% cationic starch and the highest in samples containing 0.15% cationic polyacrylamide. The use of some treatments can lead to a decrease in the optical properties and a decrease in the printability quality of the white liner. To solve this problem, mechanical pulp that has been decolorized or coated on the surface of the paper can be used. The presence of nano-silica particles in the structure of the paper improves the surface structure and reduces the prosity, which results in the reduction of surface roughness and less light refraction, and increases the light reflection and brightness of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart governance as a new stage in the development of public sector management brings many challenges to the cities of the 21st century. It opens new possibilities for how to maximize the socio-economic and ecological performance of cities and cope with negative externalities. But to achieve these benefits, it is necessary to create conditions for smart governance implementation. The paper aims to define the principles and prerequisites of smart governance development in cities theoretically and verify them in the real conditions of cities. Based on the theoretical review on smart governance paper identifies principles and prerequisites of smart governance development in cities. They are verified by research results of two sub-researches - one among the experts from academia and practices and one among the representatives of the cities in the Slovak Republic. The paper identifies also the challenges in the implementation of smart governance and the potential future research in the international context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the smart technologies as an inseparable part of modern tourism. Its main aim is to approach the issue of smart cities in connection with the development of tourism. Through the questionnaire research; it examines the connections between satisfaction with information about smart city possibilities and the perception of the level of smart tourism development. On the other hand, it determines the connections in the perception of the development of smart tourism in selected cities in the Slovak Republic. Using Pearson chisquare data test and Cramer's-V coefficient, in 2 out of 4 cities it was confirmed that perception of the development of smart tourism" could be perceived in a diversified manner due to gender of tourism participants. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of the data dominantly confirmed that there is a connection between satisfaction with information about smart city elements and the perception of the level of smart tourism development. Based on these findings, individual cities can adapt tourism products in the future, while also respecting other specificities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the possibility of valorizing wood waste from grapevine cultivation of the varieties Pesecká leánka (white graft) and Frankovka modrá (red graft), grown in Slovakia. From the point of view of chemical composition, two methods (water and ethyl alcohol) were performed for the determination of extractives, acid-insoluble (Klason) lignin, and structural carbohydrates, and FTIR spectra of the grape samples were recorded. Mechanical strength, compression test parallel to the grain, and morphological properties (fiber length, width, and shape factor using a fiber tester) were carried out. The energy potential of grapevines was evaluated by determining the calorific value. According to the results, the relatively high content of carbohydrates (54.19%–55.27%) provides a prerequisite for acid or enzymatic hydrolysis to produce monosaccharides or second-generation bioethanol. FTIR spectra confirmed the higher content of lignin and cellulose in red grapes. The compression strength of grape cuttings (37.34 MPa—red; 32.34 MPa—white) was comparable to the strength of softwood species; hence, these wastes can be used for particleboard or fiberboard production. Average fiber length is comparable to non-wood species; thus, grape cutting can be used for pulp and paper production. The calorific value of grape cuttings ranged from 18.68 MJ·kg−1 (white) to 18.91 MJ·kg−1 (red), with pellets having 16.96 MJ·kg−1. The energetic potential of grape cuttings was comparable to that of other wooden materials; on the other hand, the ash content of pellets from grape cuttings (10.54%) greatly exceeded the limit given by the EN ISO 17225-1 standard, which is a significant disadvantage to pellets used for heating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are highly important for producing highvalue-added innovative and intermediary goods and play a crucial role in being suppliers of large enterprises, their financial restraints cause them to encounter problems regarding their internationalization process and financial performance. As a dynamic capability of Resourcebased View theory (RBV), the usage of marketing communication tools (MCTs) by SMEs, such as social media (SM), websites, telemarketing, direct mail, SMS campaigns, and Google Adwords, increases the competitiveness of SMEs and might enable them to reduce their financial performance and export concerns. However, the usage of these tools can differ depending on the firm's country of origin since countries have various socio-economic and cultural conditions that affect the competitiveness of firms and their marketing communication approaches to their export and financial performance. In this regard, this paper aims to find international differences in the impact of the usage of MCTs on export and financial performance. This paper examines 1221 SMEs from Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary for this aim. The researchers created an online questionnaire to collect data from randomly selected respondents in the research sample. The researchers also ran Binary Logistic Regression analyses for analysis purposes. Although this paper confirms international differences in the impact of MCTs on the export of SMEs, the effect of SM usage on the financial performance of SMEs does not differ depending on the SMEs' country of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There was published a pamphlet called Aké bude Slovensko o sto rokov? (1920), [What will Slovakia be like in 100 years?] just a century ago. It offered a vision of Slovak national state’s future – the state flourishing with social welfare, scientific and technological progress and moral maturity of citizens. Adaptation of „happy national home“ idea for future, written by engineer Jozef Dohnány (1873 – 1947), carries marks characteristics for utopias. The conference paper approaches to Dohnány’s vision as to a branch of modern dynamic utopic phenomenon, creating a communication space, especially in the 19.th and 20.th century, for expressing desires and ideals, testing possibilities of mental borders and calling for social or political mobilization in favour of achievement realistic, or even unrealistic aims. The paper uses interdisciplinary interpretative approach for analysis of Dohnány vision’s ideological structure, compares it in relation to More’s prototype of utopia and refers to representations of „period’s presence“ in utopic genre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Illésházy family, which entered the annals of the town of Trenčín and the Trenčín County and who influenced the course of their history, can rightly be considered important patrons of culture, art and education. Almost all members of the family achieved excellent education and were active in literature, as is evidenced by their surviving manuscripts. They supported many scholars, students, writers, cultural and educational associations, they founded schools and foundations for students, in their homeland as well as abroad. It is also worth mentioning that they enabled the creation and development of two paper mills in Bobota and Selec in the 18th century. Significant personalities of the cultural, social and religious background were circulating close to the family. They promoted the development of book prin - ting and assisted in printing works of Slovak evangelical scholars. In Slovakia, there have been preserved works printed with the aid and support of individual members of the Illésházy family, confirming their patronage activities in the field of literary culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Yearbook of Antitrust & Regulatory Studies is the property of University of Warsaw and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Conference paper Election Program of the Political Party Kotleba - People's Party Our Slovakia is focused on the analysis of election programs for parliamentary elections 2006 to 2016. Kotleba - People's Party Our Slovakia joined these elections under different names and in different organizational form and partly changed content of its electoral program. The results of the parliamentary elections also brought significantly different support for this political party. Therefore, the paper tries to find a link between election programs and its election profit in the elections to the National Council of the Slovak Republic 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like all branches of our economy, also railway transport is based on long-term strategic plans whose aim is to create a transportation policy in order to achieve the most appropriate and equal conditions for all carriers. Coping with safety and hazard prevention must be based mainly on the capabilities of each business entity. The paper points out the issue of employees' work safety in the Slovak Railways company in connection with the European legislation in the field of safety and health protection at work and its implementation into the laws of the Slovak Republic. It also discusses the issues of employees' safety at workplaces and summarizes the duties of employees and employers in the field of health and safety protection in railway transport and deals with the implementation of European legislation into the laws of the Slovak Republic. The paper also analyses the safety of employees in railway transport in the form of a survey, whose aim is to determine the state of employees' safety at workplaces and aims to confirm or refute hypotheses regarding the impact of the quality and effectiveness of internal safety regulations of the Slovak Railways on the safety of employees and also whether the employer implements sufficient measures in order to minimize possible accidents at workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: The lack of financial resources of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make them face high financial risk. Their entrepreneurial abilities that belong to Resource-based View (RBV), such as innovativeness and competitiveness, might reduce SMEs’ financial risk because those entrepreneurial abilities increase the financial performance of businesses. Purpose of the article: This paper aims to investigate the effects of the innovativeness and competitiveness of SMEs on their financial concerns based on financial risk, including bankruptcy, financial performance, and financial risk management. Methods: The authors use a method of data analysis and synthesis, including advanced knowledge and digital processing of background studies. This paper examines 1221 SMEs from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. Those firms are chosen by random sampling method from Cribis and the Budapest Chamber of Commerce databases. Then the researchers directed an online questionnaire to collect the research data from the randomly selected firms. The researchers use Ordinal Logistic Regression Test for analysis purposes. Findings & value added: This paper's results indicate that SMEs' competitiveness does not impact SMEs’ bankruptcy prediction, financial performance, or financial risk management. On the other hand, while more innovative SMEs are less likely to face bankruptcy issues than less innovative SMEs, less innovative SMEs indicate better financial performance than their more innovative counterparts. Since this paper focuses on the influences of intangible assets of SMEs (such as characteristics based on RBV and Entrepreneurial Orientation) on their tangible assets (financial performance etc.) and puts emphasis on this fact from an International perspective, this paper makes a significant contribution to the literature. Furthermore, analyzing multiple relationships between SMEs’ different entrepreneurial characteristics and various financial risk concerns is another important fact that might draw prospective readers’ attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we compare the development and possibilities for improvement of waste management in three countries: Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Waste management is part of the circular economy. The circular economy is the basis for waste management today. This applies to municipal waste management, too. In this paper, we work with data available in the Eurostat database. We mainly deal with municipal waste in the three chosen countries. The output of this paper is an assessment of indicators such as recycling rates and waste production. The outputs are documented graphically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The migration process is becoming more and more intensive in the European region. Various opinions have been expressed about the effects of immigration on the country's economy. Most of these opinions reveal a positive impact via fulfilling deficits in the labour market and tax payments. On the other hand, a negative long-term effect on the social security system because of the poor integration of immigrants into the domestic population can be seen as a thread in this discussion. This paper analyses the impact of immigration, based on the United Nations National Transfer Accounts methodology developed by Lee and Mason. This methodology is employed to break down the System of National Accounts with respect to age groups and generations and, in addition, show the economic flows between them. The findings of this paper show that the earnings and consumption behaviour of immigrants and natives in Slovakia differ; immigrants tend to work after retirement age, earn more, and consume less, which results in positive effects on the aggregate life cycle deficit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses operations research (OR) history and achievements in Czechia and Slovakia in 2010–2021 including the most significant OR professional events in the region. The history of Central European Journal of Operations Research from its beginnings to the present is shortly mentioned. The paper presents and analyzes main bibliometric and publishing trends in academic OR research relevant for the region. The final part of this paper contains an introduction to the current issue that contains results of the latest OR research in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transformations in Business & Economics is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper presents the first outcomes and results of using an integrated territorial tool applied by the Interreg V-A Slovakia-Hungary Cooperation Programme (2014–2020), the 'Territorial Action Plan for Employment', or, briefly: the TAPE. The tool is aimed at facilitating quality employment and cross-border labour mobility through the implementation of 2–7 interdependent projects within a geographically defined subregion of the programme area, with the involvement of SMEs, training institutions, NGOs and municipalities. The author introduces the tool and the nine TAPEs financed by the CBC programme and gives a comprehensive assessment of their outcomes and results from the points of view of cross-border labour market development, integrated soft planning and trust building with a special focus on the aspect of cross-border relevance. The study concludes that the tool does not meet the preliminary expectations: its cross-border relevance is not much stronger than the traditional standalone CBC projects. At the same time, the bottom-up cross-border planning exercise has significant added value which might make the tool attractive for other CBC programmes, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper deals with the method of digitalisation of the authorisation process for verification of legally controlled measuring instruments, which is under the responsibility of the Slovak Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing, presents the legislative definition of the process and a description of the individual authorisation threads. Furthermore, the work deals with the method of process digitalisation, which can be applied analogously to other processes within the office. Methodology/Approach: We have analysed the law on metrology and identified 26 processes suitable for digitalisation. These processes were analysed in more detail by flowcharts and process maps. Findings: We have found that the most complex process in the national metrology system is the authorisation process, and therefore, we concluded that it will be the most appropriate process for the scope of digitalisation. Research Limitation/implication: Our research is limited by the currently valid legal metrology regulations in the Slovak Republic. Originality/Value of paper: Creating a universal methodology to define a strategy and implementing the digitalisation of the selected industry in specific national facts. The article can serve as a detailed and qualified background in the processes of specific implementation of national metrology system digital services in Slovakia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special issue of selected papers from the 5th European Section Meeting of the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences held in Smolenice, Slovakia, on 23-26 May 2018. [Extracted from the article]

Tourism is considered a key sector in many economies. However, tourism development is financially demanding and requires multiple resources. European Structural and Investment Funds are considered one of these resources. The aim of the paper is to explore the dependence of tourism development on the implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds in Slovakia and its regions in the programming period 2014-2020. Regression and correlation analysis were used in the paper. In the article, the zero hypothesis was denied, but according to the correlation coefficient, the influence of tourism development on implementation is weak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consequences of sustainable and greener mobility have been demonstrated previous year by the pandemic situation. One significant benefit was to reduce the level of noise, dust and air pollution from the traffic in many European countries due to reduced mobility most of the population. Positive phenomena was also recorded in the Slovak Republic. Today's urban mobility offers new, more sustainable ways of transport for residents, especially app-based and shared-ride services, which have become increasingly widespread and very popular. Undoubtedly offer a level of convenience unseen before in the urban mobility systems throughout the world. Although new forms of transport are developed in most Slovak cities, their operation is not very rational and therefore individual car transport still dominates at the expense of sustainable ways of transport. In our paper, we analyze the traffic situation in the city of Nitra, as the large number of trips in the course of the peak-hours often results in severe traffic congestion. Multimodality is one of the solutions to improve the current traffic situation, as it allows urban residents to choose from a range of alternative travel options. The main aim of this paper is to determinate the possibilities of multimodal urban mobility in the city of Nitra in addition to analyze how the potential change in the variability of choice of means of transport affects the urban mobility behaviour. In order to meet stated objectives, a marketing research was conducted. The research findings point to the fact that the current urban infrastructure and overall possibilities are limited, the consequence of which is that travel behaviour of citizens does not demonstrate the features of sustainable urban mobility. Our results point to major differences in attitudes of Nitra´s residents from different urban and sub-urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students living in poverty tend to perform worse in school than their peers from better-off families. This paper examines whether computer availability helps narrow down educational inequalities in Slovakia, using TIMSS and PIRLS data. The results show that computer availability in reading lessons improves reading scores and that the effect is higher for disadvantaged children. However, the computer availability does not render positive effects on scores in mathematics and science. Therefore, policies aiming to increase computer use in schools should also aim to identify ICT-based teaching methods that help students learn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the current state of the railways in Slovakia and the economic losses which result from trains passing through locations with an increased incidence of sections of line with slow orders imposed. A calculation of time and financial losses due to a high number of slow order sections will be performed. We shall also focus in more detail on the development and related financing of Railways of the Slovak Republic (ŽSR) and make a number of comparisons with some neighbouring countries. Attention will also be paid to the actual status of completed and unrealised projects in the most recent period, exploring the reasons behind project delays and cancellations. The paper will also calculate how individual train journeys along slow order sections translate into actual operation. The actual impacts on railway operators will also be examined in terms of economics, time, and energy, with an emphasis on the sustainability of current practices and potential areas for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The object of this study is to assess administrative reforms and change from the point of view of theoretical administrative models of hierarchical (traditional) administration, New Public Management (NPM), and New Public Governance (NPG) in Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia. Normative models offer a critique of legacy administrative practices; their wholesale implementation is seldom practical or successful. Reforms framed as “modernization” in these countries over the past three decades have generally followed the principles of NPM. Although policy arguments for introducing elements of NPG can be observed in the studied cases, the paper argues that NPG’s rhetorical attractiveness for resolving perceived shortcomings of other models lacks specific implementation mechanisms that would be viable within the existing institutional framework of the studied countries. Factors, such as the relatively small size of Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia, and obvious benefits of EU integration, appear to have moderated reforms to a point that core institutional features have become stable, and are also similar among the three countries: the dominance of hierarchical administrative model with rigid separation of powers structure and strong courts that can adjudicate administrative decisions, with numerous NPM inspired “modernization” measures, including the introduction of various interactive public services. The paper’s findings support the idea that Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia are administrative systems that have stable core governance institutions, and national public administrations modernize various aspects of their operation by introducing elements of NPM and NPG within the executive, but not reviewing the basic setup of these institutions. From this point of view, the findings are in line with the assumptions of the normative model of Neo-Weberian State (NWS) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scientific paper delves into the notable shift in Slovak labor law, which has departed from its historically strong emphasis on safeguarding the rights of employees, traditionally seen as the weaker party in labor relations. Until recently, this emphasis served as a substantial barrier against the globalizing and standardizing influences of employers. The paper identifies two key factors driving recent legislative "reforms" in Slovakia's labor regulation. These changes are rooted in the transposition of European labor law directives while also embracing a more liberal political perspective regarding the nature of labor relations. This shift involves moving away from rigid employee protection and adopting the concept of "increased flexibility" in employee work as a remedy for addressing the post-Covid-19 economic challenges. The previous emphasis on employee or employee representative involvement in defining working conditions, wages, and important employer decisions regarding work organization has shifted. This shift allows employers to act unilaterally, contingent on fulfilling new information obligations towards employees. However, the recent labor law reforms run counter to this historical legal tradition. Taking into account the wage levels in the Slovak Republic compared to the majority of other European Union member states, these reforms establish an unsettling level of labor law protection pro futuro of Slovak employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Extremism poses a cross-border social problem, lacking a universally accepted definition. In principle, so-called hate crimes are specific types of criminal offences that cut across all types of extremism. We can even talk about their conceptual overlap. A special category of hate crimes is represented by so-called verbal attacks, known as hate speech, which are considered an abuse of freedom of expression from an international perspective as well as in jurisprudence of the European Court on Human Rights. As a result of such a perception, their criminal sanction comes into consideration. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity of criminal law repression, another method of sanctioning hate crimes and hate speech is also possible, namely by administrative law. The existence of “multiple legal regulations” on extremism as delict caused a dual sanctioning system of extremism. It leads to application problems in legal practice, for example, an unclear understanding of offences from criminal and administrative perspectives or even the weak possibility of investigating such acts by State power. The main objective of the contribution is to point out the dual legal regulation (criminal and administrative) of the sanctioning of extremism, in particular its special category – hate crimes and hate speech. Moreover, the objective of the contribution is to assess its unclear issues in legal understanding and to identify specific application problems caused by its dual system (criminal and administrative). Special attention is focused on applicable sanctions in both the criminal law area and administrative law areas. At the end, suggestions on how to solve indicated problems are introduced. Methods: The primary sources used for the elaboration of the contribution are scholarly sources (books, studies, scientific papers, etc.), legislative instruments (national and international legislation) and case law (of Slovak national courts and the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union). The authors use traditional methods of legal scientific (jurisprudential) research – general scientific methods and special methods of legal science (jurisprudence). The general scientific methods used in the paper are predominantly logical methods, namely, the method of analysis, the method of synthesis, the method of analogy, and the descriptive method. The descriptive method has been used to familiarise the reader with the current legal regulation of extremism. The method of analysis has been used regarding relevant legal provisions and case-laws of courts. The method of synthesis has also been used. The special methods of legal science used here predominantly include methods belonging to a group of interpretative methods, namely, the teleological method, the systematic method and the comparative method. The teleological method has been used to explain the purpose of legislative instruments. The systematic method has been used to classify the relevant applicable law. The comparative method has been used to examine the relationship between legislative perspectives – criminal and administrative. Results and Conclusions: Regarding extremism offences committed in the Slovak Republic, in specific cases, the decision making whether the committed offence is criminal or of an administrative nature depends on the attitude of the person who committed it. In the Slovak Republic, legislative amendments are intended to address the area of extremism offences, but they have not been introduced as final. A new legal regulation of the administrative offences of extremism is envisaged in terms of their definition. A new sanctioning policy of extremism administrative offences by juvenile offenders is also expected. Moreover, the application of probation in case of offences committed by juvenile delinquents in the area of extremism is recommended and preferred. It would highlight the importance of restorative justice, including its strengthening. Probation would allow the court, when sanctioning extremism in the criminal law area, to create a so-called tailor-made sanction, which would strengthen the individualisation of the sanction, the educational purpose of the sanction and the achievement of both the purpose of the sanction and the purpose of the Criminal Code, which is to protect society from criminal offences and their perpetrators. Even the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic partially examined the modification of the elements of criminal offences of extremism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Central European Public Administration Review is the property of University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Public Administration and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study focuses on the selected aspects of investment measurement and management for the support of financial and economic decision-making of investors in wood-processing sectors. The aim of the study was to analyze the indicators for the structure and cost of capital of furniture and paper/forest branches in Slovakia, quantify the actual expected return on investment based on the selected methodology, and consequently find out the fundamental differences resulting from the specific conditions of given sectors. Methodologically, the study uses procedures for the weighted average cost of capital (WACC), capital asset pricing model (CAPM) for determining the cost of equity, and calculation of the beta coefficient considering the risk premium. The results of the study demonstrated a similar levered beta in both analyzed sectors (1.17 in furniture, 1.20 in paper/forest), but in each sector for a different reason. The expected rate of return is higher in furniture (7.84%) compared to paper/forest products at the level of 6.04%. The findings provide the possibility of comparing the required and expected rate of return on invested capital and making the appropriate long-term investment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper was to assess the impact of climate changes on agricultural development and food security in Ukraine and Slovakia using statistical data from Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, State Statistics Service of Ukraine, Eurostat, Food and Agriculture Organization and other sources. The comparison method was used to evaluate changes in agricultural development indicators, as well as climate changes in 1998-2021 in Ukraine and Slovakia. The main indicators of agricultural development used in the research were agricultural raw materials exports(%), agricultural raw materials imports (%), agriculture value added (% of GDP), agriculture value added (annual % growth), agriculture value added (current US$), cereal production (metric tons), cereal yield (kg per hectare), crop production index, food production index. Correlation and regression equations were used to establish the relationship between climatic factors and agricultural development indicators. The multiple correlations between air temperature and indicators of agricultural development was r=0.75 for Ukraine, r=0.69 for Slovakia. Using neuromodeling tools, the indicators of cereal production volumes and cereals yields in Ukraine and Slovakia in 2024-2033 were predicted. Tables were used to summarize the results. In conclusion, it should be noted that climatic conditions should be analyzed in each sector of crop production, and measures should be taken to adapt technologies for the gradual expansion of obligations for the production and export of agricultural products to world markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]