In the public debate, it is argued that Poland avoided a massive drop in output during the 2008/2009 economic crisis in part thanks to substantial nominal zloty’s depreciation against the euro. The Polish case is often contrasted with Slovakia that adopted the euro in January 2009 and, since the Ecofin Council decision in summer 2008, exhibited virtually no nominal exchange rate volatility while facing deep losses in output. In this paper we attempt to validate this contrast by reversing the roles, i.e. checking if Poland really would have faced the same drop – and Slovakia would have remained relatively resilient – if it had been Poland, not Slovakia, that adopted the euro at that point. Our counterfactual simulations based on a New Keynesian DSGE model indicate that, indeed, the Polish tradable output could have been 10‒15 percent lower than actually observed in 2009, while the Slovak one – approximately 20 percent higher. This asymmetry results mainly from structural differences between the two economies, such as size, openness, share of nontradable sector and foreign trade elasticities. The difference of this size would have been short-lived (3‒4 quarters), and the difference of the nontradable output would have been of much lower magnitude.

The aim of our research was to connect the detailed study of fruit anatomy of black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) with identification and detection of the main non-anthocyanin polyphenolic compounds. Our experimental results showed that the highest accumulation of anthocyanin bodies occurred in mature fruits in outer layers during fruit development. The shape of the anthocyanin bodies was most often globular, spherical, hemispherical and intermediate types were present only occasionally. Mature cells of the gynoecium and pericarp generally contain anthocyanin bodies incorporated inside vacuoles. The observed compounds accumulated in cells were rutin, quercetin and catechins, resveratrol; coumaric, p-coumaric, caffeic, ferulic acids, gallic, vanilic, syringic, cinnamic and caffeic acids. These compounds were selected because of their proposed positive effects on health. The analyses of the polyphenolic spectrum showed predominance of ferrulic acid together with gallic acid and catechins with quercetin.The aim of our research was to connect the detailed study of fruit anatomy of black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) with identification and detection of the main non-anthocyanin polyphenolic compounds. Our experimental results showed that the highest accumulation of anthocyanin bodies occurred in mature fruits in outer layers during fruit development. The shape of the anthocyanin bodies was most often globular, spherical, hemispherical and intermediate types were present only occasionally. Mature cells of the gynoecium and pericarp generally contain anthocyanin bodies incorporated inside vacuoles. The observed compounds accumulated in cells were rutin, quercetin and catechins, resveratrol; coumaric, p-coumaric, caffeic, ferulic acids, gallic, vanilic, syringic, cinnamic and caffeic acids. These compounds were selected because of their proposed positive effects on health. The analyses of the polyphenolic spectrum showed predominance of ferrulic acid together with gallic acid and catechins with quercetin.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of infectious enteritis called paratuberculosis that has a high economic impact on the worldwide livestock production. A central important question arises: Can wildlife animals serve as a reservoir for transmission of MAP to domestic ruminants? With this in mind, we devised a study to detect MAP in various Slovakian wildlife species found in the areas where paratuberculosis had been documented in domestic ruminants. The samples of parenchymatous organs (intestines, ileocecal valve and mesenteric lymphatic nodes) from 83 wildlife animals representing 13 species, inclu- ding 7 herbivorous, 5 carnivorous and 1 omnivorous species were collected during a four-year period. The clinical and pathological examinations failed to demonstrate any manifestations of paratuberculosis in any of the wildlife samples. The detection of MAP was done by widely used tests, i.e. cultivation and the PCR analysis. The bacterial cultures revealed the growth of Mycobacterium spp. colonies in 58 (70%) of all of the wild animals, but the PCR testing demonstrated paratuberculosis only in one (7.69%) of the roe deer population.

The text, inspired by the book in question, is devoted to contemporary investigations of Slovak terrain names, presenting them to the Polish reader. The main questions discussed are perspectives of a study of the archaic lexical stock, chiefly of Slavic origin, conserved in Slovak toponymy, as well as the current organization of the dictionary entry, which is judged to be far from optimal. Some corrections to the entries in A- regarding concrete etymological solutions are suggested as well.

In 2017, a new neolithic site was discovered south of the village of Liptovské Matiašovce, on the elevated ridge of the Bochníčky site. Numerous finds of sherds, daub and chipped lithic industry from dominant Jurassic sub-Kraków flint were obtained by a primary survey and a succeeding small evaluation excavation in form of three trenches. Decoration of the thin-walled neolithic pottery of mostly semiglobular shapes points to presence of the younger Linear (musical note) Pottery culture, Želiezovce and rarely the Bükk culture. Unique chipped artifacts made of obsidian are also associated with the last mentioned culture. Part of the chipped lithic industry from the survey belongs to the late Paleolithic and Mesolithic. Among the previously documented rare neolithic settlements from the region of Liptov, the newly discovered site represents the richest neolithic settlement which should be complexly studied. It is being destroyed by ploughing every year.

Lithic fragments including quartz grains occur infrequently in the shallow-marine limestone sequence of the Fatra Formation deposited in the tensional intra-shelf depression of the Central Western Carpathians during the Rhaetian. Nevertheless, their study can bring data answering questions of sources, palaeogeodynamic arrangement, and processes at the end of the Triassic. In this study, we examined optically the cathodoluminescence (CL) colours of single quartz grains from the Kardolína section (Tatra Mts, Slovakia). These colours reveal a dominance of grains derived from regionally metamorphosed and plutonic rocks. Grains of hydrothermal and pegmatite origin are less frequent. Some of the quartz grains show recycled cement rims suggesting at least a second cycle origin. This sedimentary basin was situated near to the passive margin formed by the Variscan consolidated terrains of the Vindelician Highlands. Our study of the CL colours of quartz grains contributes to the elucidation of the nature of the rocks of the vanished Vindelician mountain belt.