The Role of Fictions in Law

Article examines theories of three important legal and political theorists working in the time of transformation of legal theory from natural law to utilitarianism, namely Hume, Adam Smith and Bentham. All of them stressed the role of »fictions« in law and understand their theories as an answer to »fictitious« ideas of their opponents, so that their theories could be understood as an attempt to come to terms with »Activity« of natural law theories. While Hume and Adam Smith developed the idea of »unintended consequences« of human actions as an explanation for the functioning of modern society, Bentham's frontal critique of Common Law as existing legal practice laid foundations for utilitarian theory of law and modern legal positivism.Article examines theories of three important legal and political theorists working in the time of transformation of legal theory from natural law to utilitarianism, namely Hume, Adam Smith and Bentham. All of them stressed the role of »fictions« in law and understand their theories as an answer to »fictitious« ideas of their opponents, so that their theories could be understood as an attempt to come to terms with »Activity« of natural law theories. While Hume and Adam Smith developed the idea of »unintended consequences« of human actions as an explanation for the functioning of modern society, Bentham's frontal critique of Common Law as existing legal practice laid foundations for utilitarian theory of law and modern legal positivism

Djetetovo izražavanje i istraživanje svijeta kroz dramu/kazališnu umjetnost

This paper presents the roll of Creative Drama activities in preschool education. Generally, the objective of Creative Drama is to prepare a formal presentation for the audience. However, what is important for a teacher is the process in which these activities take place. Drama becomes a medium for expressing the child’s understanding of the world, literature, nature, social relations etc. During a child’s creative drama play, a teacher sees the puppet, masks or play as a medium for communication and personal interaction. For a child, the greatest motivation is the preparation of the puppet show, during which s/he quickly achieves the goals that were set. At the same time, the teacher focuses on the process, in which s/he constantly monitors the child and motivates her/him. We find similarities between artistic activities in Curriculum for Preschool (1999) and the Reggio Emilia educational approach, according to which a child is born with a hundred languages of expression and here is where a teacher’s central role to intentionally enable and encourage all forms of expression lies. This paper describes different creative material and non-material stimuli which should be offered to a child to create and express her/himself in hundred languages. The role of a preschool teacher in the creative process is also described. In conclusion we present an example of good practice, focusing on creative process within creative puppetry.Ovaj rad bavi se ulogom kreativnih dramskih aktivnosti u predškolskom odgoju. Općenito, cilj je kreativnih dramskih aktivnosti pripremiti formalnu prezentaciju za publiku. Međutim, za odgajatelja je bitan proces tijekom kojeg se te aktivnosti odvijaju. Drama postaje medij za izražavanje djetetova shvaćanja svijeta, književnosti, prirode, društvenih odnosa itd. Tijekom djetetove kreativne dramske igre, odgajatelj upotrebljava lutku, maske ili igru kao medij za komunikaciju i osobnu interakciju. Za dijete je najveća motivacija priprema lutkarske igre kada on/a brzo postiže postavljene ciljeve. U isto vrijeme odgajatelj se usredotočuje na proces, tijekom kojega on/a stalno nadzire dijete i motivira ga/ju. Otkrili smo sličnosti između umjetničkih aktivnosti u Predškolskom kurikulu (1999) i u pedagoškom pristupu Reggio Emilia, prema kojima je vidljivo da se dijete rađa sa stotinom jezika izražavanja i u tome leži središnja uloga odgajatelja da namjerno omogući i podrži sve oblike izražavanja. U ovom su radu opisani različiti kreativni materijalni i nematerijalni poticaji koje djetetu treba ponuditi kako bi se moglo izraziti na stotinama jezika. Opisana je i uloga predškolskog odgajatelja u ovom kreativnom procesu. U zaključku donosimo primjer dobre prakse, usredotočujući se na kreativni proces u okviru kreativnih lutkarskih igara

Using Stigmergy to Solve Numerical Optimization Problems

The current methodology for designing highly efficient technological systems needs to choose the best combination of the parameters that affect the performance. In this paper we propose a promising optimization algorithm, referred to as the Multilevel Ant Stigmergy Algorithm (MASA), which exploits stigmergy in order to optimize multi-parameter functions. We evaluate the performance of the MASA and Differential Evolution -- one of the leading stochastic method for numerical optimization -- in terms of their applicability as numerical optimization techniques. The comparison is performed using several widely used benchmark functions with added noise

Povećanje kvalitete rezultata površinske hrapavosti kod obrade slobodnih površina temeljem neuronskih mreža

This paper concerns with free form surface reorganization and assessment of free form model complexity, grouping particular surface geometrical properties within patch boundaries, using self organized Kohonen neural network (SOKN). Neural network proved itself as an adequate tool for considering all topological non-linearities appearing in free form surfaces. Coordinate values of point cloud distributed at a particular surface were used as a surface property’s descriptor, which was led into SOKN where representative neurons for curvature, slope and spatial surface properties were established. On a basis of this approach, surface patch boundaries were reorganized in such a manner that finish machining strategies gave best possible surface roughness results. The patch boundaries were constructed regarding to the Gaussian and mean curvature, in order to achieve smooth transition between patches, and in this way preserve or even improve desired curve and surface continuities, (C2 and G2). It is shown that by reorganization of boundaries considering curvature, slope and spatial point distribution, the surface quality of machined free form surface is improved. Approach was experimentally verified on 22 free form surface models which were reorganized by SOKN and machined with finish milling tool-path strategies. Results showed rather good improvement of mean surface roughness profile Ra for reorganized surfaces, when comparing to unorganized free form surfaces.Ovaj se članak bavi reorganizacijom slobodnih površina i ocjenom kompleksnosti modela slobodnih površina, grupirajući određena površinska geometrijska svojstva unutar zatvorenih površina, koristeći samoorganizirajuću Kohonenovu neuronsku mrežu (SOKN). Neuronske mreže pokazale su se kao prikladan alat za razmatranje svih topoloških nelinearnosti koje se pojavljuju kod slobodnih površina. Vrijednosti koordinata oblaka točaka raspodijeljenih nad određenom površinom korišteni su kao svojstveni opis, što je nadalje vodilo prema SOKN-u, gdje su ustanovljeni reprezentativni neuroni za zakrivljenost, nagib i prostorno-površinska svojstva. Na temelju ovoga pristupa reorganizirane su granice zatvorenih površina na takav način da metode površinske obrade daju najbolje moguće rezultate spram površinske hrapavosti. Granice tih površina određene su prema Gaussovoj i prosječnoj zakrivljenosti kako bi se postigao glatki prijelaz između zatvorenih površina te kako bi se na taj način očuvala ili čak unaprijedila željena zakrivljenost i glatkoća površine, (C2 i G2). Pokazano je da se reorganizacijom granica s obzirom na zakrivljenost, nagib i prostornu raspodjelu točaka, poboljšava kvaliteta obrađene slobodne površine. Pristup je eksperimentalno potvrđen na 22 modela slobodne površine koji su reorganizirani SOKN-om i površinski obrađeni određenim metodama. Rezultati pokazuju poprilično dobro poboljšanje prosječne vrijednosti površinske hrapavosti Ra za reorganizirane strukture u usporedbi sa neorganiziranim slobodnim površinama

El color de la yema de los huevos de diferentes tipos de producción

Eggs are nutrient-dense food with high biological value. They are a good source of protein, essential fatty acids and amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The colour of egg yolks is one of the important factors used to evaluate eggs’ quality and is affected by the composition of poultry feed, mostly the pigment content, laying hens housing system and also genetic effects. In this study the colour of egg yolks from eggs produced in different housing systems was evaluated. DSM colour fan, Minolta chromameter and the AOAC method for determination of total carotenoid content were used. The results showed that there are differences in egg yolks colour according to the type of housing system. The most noticeable differences were detected between organic and caged eggs. Organic egg yolks were the brightest and contained the least carotenoids, while cage egg yolks were the darkest, with the highest content of carotenoids. The colour of egg yolks was also evaluated with sensory analysis. The sensory panel consisted of young consumers – students, who ranked the samples according to the intensity and likeness of the yolk colour. The students gave preference to orange-yellow colour of egg yolk. Results of the short questionnaire about consumption and purchase of eggs showed that participating students do not consume eggs often. The most important criterion for the purchase is egg production system, where free-range or barn eggs with more intense colour are preferred.Jaja su nutritivna hrana visoke biološke vrijednosti. Dobar su izvor proteina, esencijalnih masnih kiselina i aminokiselina, vitamina i minerala. Boja žumanjka je jedan od najvažnijih čimbenika koji se koristi za ocjenu kvalitete jaja, a na njega utječe sastav hrane za perad, uglavnom sadržaj pigmenta, sustav uzgoja kokoši nesilica i genetski učinci. U ovom istraživanju ocijenjena je boja žumanjka iz jaja proizvedenih različitim metodama uzgoja kokoši nesilica. Korišteni su DSM lepeza s paletom boja, Minolta kromametar i AOAC metoda za određivanje sadržaja ukupnih karotenoida. Rezultati su pokazali da postoje razlike u boji žumanjka jaja prema metodi uzgoja kokoši. Najočitije razlike utvrđene su između jaja iz ekološkog uzgoja i jaja iz kaveznog uzgoja. Žumanjci jaja ekološkog uzgoja bili su najsvjetliji i sadržavali su najmanje karotenoida, dok su žumanjci jaja iz kaveznog uzgoja bili najtamniji, s najvećim sadržajem karotenoida. Boja žumanjka jaja također je ocijenjena senzorskom analizom. Senzorni panel činili su mladi potrošači - studenti koji su uzorke svrstali prema intenzitetu i sviđanju boje žumanjka. Studenti su dali prednost narančasto-žutoj boji žumanjaka. Rezultati kratkog upitnika o potrošnji i kupnji jaja pokazali su da uključeni studenti jaja ne konzumiraju često. Najvažniji kriterij za kupnju su sustav proizvodnje jaja, preferiraju se jaja iz slobodnog ili podnog uzgoja s intenzivnijom bojom.Eier sind nahrhafte Lebensmittel von hohem biologischem Wert. Sie sind eine gute Quelle von Eiweiß, essentiellen Fettsäuren und Aminosäuren, Vitaminen und Mineralstoffen. Die Eigelbfarbe ist einer der wichtigsten Faktoren für die Beurteilung der Qualität von Eiern und wird von der Zusammensetzung der Geflügelfuttermittel, hauptsächlich dem Gehalt an Pigmenten, dem Zuchtsystem von Legehennen und den genetischen Auswirkungen beeinflusst. In dieser Studie wurde die Farbe des Eigelbs untersucht, das mit verschiedenen Hühnerzuchtmethoden hergestellt wurde. Zur Bestimmung des Gesamtcarotingehalts wurden der Farbfächer der Firma DSM, das Minolta-Farbmessgerät und die AOAC-Methode verwendet. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass es Unterschiede in der Farbe des Eigelbs in Abhängigkeit von der Methode der Hühnerzucht gibt. Die offensichtlichsten Unterschiede wurden zwischen Eiern aus dem ökologischem Anbau und Eiern aus der Käfigaufzucht festgestellt. Das Eigelb aus dem ökologischen Anbau war am hellsten und enthielt den geringsten Anteil an Carotinen, während das Eigelb aus der Käfigzucht am dunkelsten war und den höchsten Gehalt an Carotinen aufwies. Die Eigelbfarbe wurde darüber hinaus durch eine sensorische Analyse bewertet. Das Team für die sensorische Bewertung bestand aus jungen Verbrauchern - Studenten, die die Proben nach Intensität und Ähnlichkeit der Dotterfarbe klassifizierten. Die Studenten bevorzugten die orange-gelben Eidotter. Die Ergebnisse eines kurzen Fragebogens zum Verzehr und zum Kauf von Eiern haben gezeigt, dass die betroffenen Studenten Eier nicht häufig konsumieren. Das wichtigste Kriterium für den Kauf ist das Eiproduktionssystem, bevorzugt werden Eier aus der Freiland- oder Bodenzucht mit einer intensiveren Farbe.Le uova sono un alimento nutriente dall’alto valore biologico. Sono una buona fonte di proteine, acidi grassi essenziali e amminoacidi, vitamine e minerali. Il colore del tuorlo dell’uovo è uno dei fattori più importanti nella valutazione della qualità dell’uovo stesso. Esso è influenzato sia dalla composizione del mangime per pollame (in particolare dal contenuto di pigmenti), dalla tecnica d’allevamento delle galline ovaiole e da affetti genetici. In questo studio è stato valutato il colore del tuorlo di uova provenienti da galline ovaiole allevate secondo differenti metodi. Per condurre questo studio ci si è serviti della mazzetta di colori DSM, del colorimetro Minolta e del metodo AOAC atto a stabilire il contenuto dei carotenoidi totali. I risultati hanno dimostrato che esistono differenze nel colore del tuorlo in base al metodo d’allevamento delle galline. Le maggiori differenze sono state accertate tra le uova di galline allevate secondo il metodo biologico e le uova di galline allevate in gabbia. I tuorli delle uova provenienti da allevamento biologico sono risultati più chiari e meno ricchi di carotenoidi, mentre i tuorli delle uova di galline allevate in gabbia sono risultati più scuri e col maggiore contenuto di carotenoidi. Il colore del tuorlo è stato sottoposto anche ad analisi sensoriale. Per l’occasione è stato creato un panel test formato da giovani consumatori – studenti che hanno classificato i campioni in base all’intensità e al gradimento del colore del tuorlo. Gli studenti hanno preferito i tuorli dal colore giallo-aranciato. I risultati del breve questionario sulla consumazione e l’acquisto di uova hanno dimostrato che gli studenti coinvolti non sono frequenti consumatori di uova e che il principale criterio per l’acquisto è il metodo d’allevamento delle galline ovaiole. Sono preferite, infatti, le uova dal colore più intenso provenienti da allevamenti all’aperto o a terra.Los huevos son un alimento con el valor biológico muy alto. Son un fuente de proteínas, de los ácidos grasos esenciales y de los aminoácidos, de las vitaminas y de los minerales. El color de la yema es uno de los factores más importantes para la evaluación de la calidad de los huevos y le afecta el alimento de los aves, en su mayoría el contenido del pigmento, el tipo de la cría de las gallinas ponedoras y los efectos genéticos. En este trabajo fueron evaluados los colores de las yemas de los huevos de diferentes tipos de cría de la gallinas ponedoras. Fue usada la guía de DSM con el abanico de color de yema, el medidor de croma Minolta y el método AOAC para determinar la deposición total de los carotenoides. Los resultados mostraron que existen las diferencias en el color de la yema de los huevos en relación con el método de la cría de las gallinas. Las diferencias más evidentes fueron determinadas entre los huevos de la cría ecológica y de la cría en jaula. Las yemas de los huevos de la cría ecológica fueron las menos saturadas y depositaron la menor cantidad de carotenoides, mientras las yemas de los huevos de la cría en jaula fueron las más saturadas, con el depósito de carotenoides más alto. El color de la yema de los huevos también fue analizado por la evaluación sensorial. El panel sensorial fueron los consumidores jóvenes - los estudiantes que clasificaron las muestras según la intensidad y según su gusto del color de la yema del huevo. Los estudiantes dieron la prioridad al color naranja-amarillo de la yema. Los resultados del cuestionario corto sobre el consumo y la compra de los huevos mostraron que los estudiantes participantes no consumen los huevos a menudo. El criterio más importante para la compra son el sistema de producción de los huevos y son preferidos los huevos de la cría libre o de la cría en suelo con el color más saturado

The impairment test of goodwill: an empirical analysis of incentives for earnings management in Italian publicly traded companies

Since the current International Accounting Standard 36 introduced substantial subjectivity while testing goodwill for impairment, this study aims to establish if management exploits the discretion and performs the impairment test of goodwill opportunistically. The presence of discretion, while applying impairment test, is tested on the sample of Italian publicly traded companies in the period of the current financial crisis. Despite the fact that the sample of companies consists of those with market to book ratio less than one, only 26% of the companies recorded a goodwill write-off. The logistic regression was used to test contracting and reporting incentives. The results of the analysis indicate that even in the case of IFRS users some incentives exist, while recognising the impairment losses of goodwill

A GPU-Based Parallel-Agent Optimization Approach for the Service Coverage Problem in UMTS Networks

In the context of coverage planning and control, the power of the common pilot channel signal determines the coverage area of a network cell. It also impacts the network capacity and thus the quality of service. We consider the problem of minimizing the total amount of pilot power subject to a full coverage constraint. Our optimization approach, based on parallel autonomous agents, gives very good solutions within an acceptable amount of time. The parallel implementation takes full advantage of GPU hardware in order to achieve impressive speed-up. We report the results of our experiments for three UMTS networks of different sizes based on a real network currently deployed in Slovenia

Sound Properties of Planinsko polje (Slovenia)

Geographically, the Planinsko Polje field is one of the most preserved cultural regions of the Karstic landscape of inner Slovenia and as such a protected area of national importance. It can be recognized by its exceptional features and landmarks of material and non-material heritage and by its high-quality symbiosis of all ingredients in its space. The research of sound in the area of Planinsko Polje shows that it is an important, preserved constituent of natural and cultural heritage. Its manifestations are also interesting as indicators of its actual endangerment