Chemical Composition of White Wines Produced from Different Grape Varieties and Wine Regions in Slovakia

In this work, chemical parameters such as sugar (glucose and fructose) content, organic acid (total acids, malic and tartaric acids), total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity of 12 white wines (chardonnay, pinot blanc and pinot gris) from various wine regions in Slovakia were studied in order to identify differences among the varieties and wine-growing regions. The wine samples were examined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-VIS spectrophotometry (for determination of total polyphenolic content (TPC) and total antioxidant activity (TAA)) methods. Content of alcohol ranged between 11.50% and 13.80% with the mean value 12.52%. Mean content of total acids varied between 4.63 ± 0.09 and 6.63 ± 0.05 g.L−1, tartaric acid varied between 1.62 ± 0.09 and 2.93 ± 0.03 g L−1, malic acid was found in the concentrations ranged from 0.07 ± 0.05 and 2.50 ± 0.08 g L−1 and lactic acid was present between 1.53 and 0.01 g L−1. The content of fructose was, in general, higher in the samples from the Južnoslovenská and Nitrianska wine regions and glucose was higher in the Malokarpatská wine region. Chardonnay wines showed the highest content of total polyphenols and the antioxidant activity in the samples ranged from 51.06 ± 027 to 72.53 ± 0.35% inhibition of DPPH. The PCA analysis based on chemical descriptors distinguished the Nitrianska and Stredoslovenská wine regions. According to similarities among the wine samples, four main classes were formed by cluster analysis

Spreading of Food Deserts in Time and Space: The Case of the City of Nitra (Slovakia)

The aim of the article is to evaluate the time availability of food stores for the population permanently residing in the city of Nitra (Slovakia). Parts of the city where poor accessibility has been identified can be described as “food deserts”. In the last two decades, there have been dramatic changes in the retail network in Nitra, as well as extensive housing construction and an aging change in the demographic structure. Therefore, we evaluated the years 2008 and 2019 separately. This made it possible to evaluate the changes in time availability and the number of inhabitants located in individual zones. During the years 2008–2019, the residential zones of the city of Nitra increased by 43.86%, the area of food desert increased by up to 68.78%, and the number of inhabitants endangered by the food desert increased by 1100 residents, i.e., 23.9%. In 2008, 5.51% of Nitra’s residents lived in the food deserts, in approximately twelve years this percentage increased to 7.45% of the population (2019). The proximity to the nearest grocery was in Nitra in 2008 median 504 m, while in 2019 median 623 m. Evaluating the time availability of grocery stores and identifying so-called “food deserts” can be interesting for both the city’s residents and the business community, especially for potential developers. It can also be used effectively in the spatial planning process and in the rational management of complex territorial development, as well as in local politics. Given the character of the city of Nitra, it can be assumed that the acquired knowledge can be extrapolated to other post-socialist cities of a similar size and hierarchical level

Shopping Behavior and Access to Food in the Areas of Slovakia with Dispersed Settlements: A Case Study

The aim of the research was a spatial and functional analysis of the accessibility of retail food environments in relation to the inhabitants of dispersed settlements who are socially and geographically disadvantaged in purchasing g food. The consumer behavior and food shopping habits of the inhabitants of these areas largely depend on the spatial and functional characteristics of the dispersed settlement and the surrounding area. In terms of food consumption, an important determinant is the availability of convenience stores, defined by the economic and physical ability to access food sources. The ability to access stores is strongly influenced by transport options and transport infrastructure. The investigated area belongs to a group of specific areas with dispersed settlements. This type of settlement, typical in the mountains of Slovakia and on the border with the Czech Republic, can also be found around the town of Nová Baňa, located in the west of central Slovakia. This area consists of two towns and 12 municipalities and is referred to as the “Novobanská štálová oblasť ”. These specific territories are characterized by a lack of access to fresh and affordable food, which can contribute to social disparities in diet and endanger people's health with various serious diseases. Spatial identification of areas with difficult access to food stores in the Novobanská štálová area has been a pioneering attempt to visualize areas with the highest demand for improvement in food access, and this process may be helpful in identifying other areas with similar characteristics. The methods utilized represent an accessible, transparent and reproducible process for assessing the accessibility of grocery stores. These methods can be used for cost-effective, periodic surveillance and meaningful engagement with communities, retailers and policy makers. The conclusions and results of our research should positively contribute to the growing debate on the inequality of living conditions and marginalization of rural municipalities

Streamlining the Municipal Waste Management System in the City of Nitra (Slovak Republic) Based on a Public Survey

The main problems of the city of Nitra (Slovak Republic) in the field of municipal waste management include: 1. High production of municipal waste per capita; 2. Low rate of its separation; 3. High landfill rate; 4. No opportunity for composting; 5. Establishment of illegal landfills in the city; 6. Low waste prevention rate. To identify the attitudes and opinions of the respondents, and to evaluate certain behavioural practices of the inhabitants of Nitra in the management of municipal solid waste, we used a structured questionnaire (realized in 2020). The results of the questionnaire correspond to the behaviour of 4911 inhabitants of the city (6.46%). This paper evaluates the respondents’ answers, which could be utilised by the local government—not only for a more appropriate setting of municipal waste management and separation, but also in waste prevention and monitoring changes in the consumer behaviour of city residents. The degree of separation in individual housing construction (IHC) and complex housing construction (CHC) was statistically evaluated and compared separately. For paper and glass, a higher degree of separation was reflected in CHC; while conversely, households living in CHC avoided bio-waste and kitchen waste more than IHC households. The most common reason for not participating in the separate collection was the lack of collection containers, the distance of containers from their households, or the low frequency of their collection. The results of the questionnaire show the need for more rigorous education about waste generation, its proper separation, and its prevention

Land units composition of home ranges and changing of winter roosts of long-eared owl <italic>Asio otus</italic>

During the years 2010-2012, we observed the spatial activity of long-eared owls by the radio telemetry in an agricultural land. The average home range size of tracked long-eared owls for 100 and 95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) was 415.93 and 350 ha, respectively. Between the breeding and the non-breeding season, we did not record significant differences in the size of home ranges. Open land units (meadows and arable lands) belonged to the most abundant land units in the home ranges of tracked owls (mean for 100 and 95% MCP was 24.6 and 24.3%, respectively). Forest edges with their ecotone character also represented the abundant land unit (mean for 100 and 95% MCP was 11.4 and 10.6%, respectively). An amount of built-inhabited areas in home ranges (mean for 100 and 95% MCP was 8.2 and 10.1%, respectively) correlated positively with their size (Spearman rank correlation: for 100% MCP: rs = 0.83, p <0.05; for 95% MCP: rs = 0.91, p <0.05) that indicates long-eared owls to be avoiding built-inhabited areas as an area of the food getting. Two individuals of long-eared owl changed the winter roosts during one non-breeding season, which were at a distance of 650 m from each other

Land-Use Dynamics in Transport-Impacted Urban Fabric: A Case Study of Martin–Vrútky, Slovakia

The paper evaluates landscape development, land-use changes, and transport infrastructure variations in the city of Martin and the town of Vr&uacute;tky, Slovakia, over the past 70 years. It focuses on analyses of the landscape structures characterizing the study area in several time periods (1949, 1970, 1993, 2003); the past conditions are then compared with the relevant current structure (2018). Special attention is paid to the evolution of the landscape elements forming the transport infrastructure. The development and progressive changes in traffic intensities are presented in view of the resulting impact on the formation of the landscape structure. The research data confirm the importance of transport as a force determining landscape changes, and they indicate that while railroad accessibility embodied a crucial factor up to the 1970s, the more recent decades were characterized by a gradual shift to road transport

MaT\ub2SMC: materials for teaching together: science andmMathematics teachers collaborating for better results

Let us start with an important statement: Mathematics and Science teachers do a good, and often an outstanding, job in teaching young people the basic knowledge of their respective fields! It is not the intent of this book to criticize what they do or how they do it. Keeping that in mind, and noting the fact that the teaching content of these fields intersects and overlaps, we observed \u2013 and this took us by surprise \u2013 that there is hardly any collaboration or consultancy between mathematics and science teachers (or textbook authors). Mathematics teachers often use science contexts in tasks, and science teachers often use mathematics, however they are usually working independently. Science context is often arbitrarily chosen, mathematics used with little regard towards learning. Looking through existing teaching and learning materials, we quickly discovered that these materials, too, were mostly designed by either science, or mathematics educators, and that they do not offer active support or lots of opportunities for collaboration. Being an international team of mathematics and science teacher educators, we set out to improve the situation. We developed materials that are useful for both mathematics and science teachers, materials that are designed to increase the competences in both subjects at the same time, allowing for interdisciplinary learning and for collaboration between science and mathematics teachers, ranging from common lesson planning to team teaching. These materials have been piloted and tested by students, teachers and teacher educators in several countries, as well as reviewed by two education specialists. Based on this feedback, the materials were then revised and brought into their final form. The materials in this book, containing lesson descriptions, work sheets etc., can be used as they are by mathematics and science teachers. They however also can be taken apart and set together in a new and different way, or bits and pieces of them can be used in teaching, as the teachers see fit. They also can be used in teacher training, making science and mathematics teacher trainees aware that working together \u2013 now and in their later careers \u2013 can improve their experience and the learning of their future students. We hope that with this book we encourage teachers to actively seek collaboration, so regardless whether you are a science or a mathematics teacher, go ahead and join forces with a colleague from the other field