Artificial morality: Making of the artificial moral agents

Abstract: Artificial Morality is a new, emerging interdisciplinary field that centres around the idea of creating artificial moral agents, or AMAs, by implementing moral competence in artificial systems. AMAs are ought to be autonomous agents capable of socially correct judgements and ethically functional behaviour. This request for moral machines comes from the changes in everyday practice, where artificial systems are being frequently used in a variety of situations from home help and elderly care purposes to banking and court algorithms. It is therefore important to create reliable and responsible machines based on the same ethical principles that society demands from people. New challenges in creating such agents appear. There are philosophical questions about a machine’s potential to be an agent, or mora l agent, in the first place. Then comes the problem of social acceptance of such machines, regardless of their theoretic agency status. As a result of efforts to resolve this problem, there are insinuations of needed additional psychological (emotional and cogn itive) competence in cold moral machines. What makes this endeavour of developing AMAs even harder is the complexity of the technical, engineering aspect of their creation. Implementation approaches such as top- down, bottom-up and hybrid approach aim to find the best way of developing fully moral agents, but they encounter their own problems throughout this effort

Artificial morality: Making of the artificial moral agents

Artificial Morality is a new, emerging interdisciplinary field that centres around the idea of creating artificial moral agents, or AMAs, by implementing moral competence in artificial systems. AMAs are ought to be autonomous agents capable of socially correct judgements and ethically functional behaviour. This request for moral machines comes from the changes in everyday practice, where artificial systems are being frequently used in a variety of situations from home help and elderly care purposes to banking and court algorithms. It is therefore important to create reliable and responsible machines based on the same ethical principles that society demands from people. New challenges in creating such agents appear. There are philosophical questions about a machine's potential to be an agent, or moral agent, in the first place. Then comes the problem of social acceptance of such machines, regardless of their theoretic agency status. As a result of efforts to resolve this problem, there are insinuations of needed additional psychological (emotional and cognitive) competence in cold moral machines. What makes this endeavour of developing AMAs even harder is the complexity of the technical, engineering aspect of their creation. Implementation approaches such as top-down, bottom-up and hybrid approach aim to find the best way of developing fully moral agents, but they encounter their own problems throughout this effort

Hsorc4-dependent DNA remodeling of the ori-beta dhfr replicator

Replication of DNA in multicellular organisms initiates from origin of replication (ori) sequences, which significantly differ in length and complexity. One of the best characterized is hamster dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which contains the ori-beta sequence with several functionally relevant domains, such as an AT-rich region, dinucleotide repeat element (DNR), sequence-induced bend DNA (BEND) and a RIP60 protein-binding site (RIP60). Prior to initiation, ori sequences are recognized by origin recognition complex (ORC), which is a hetero hexamer complex that serves as the landing pad for proteins of the pre-replication complex. The function of each ORC subunit is still unclear. In this study, we analyze the function of subunit 4 of the human ORC complex (HsOrc4) in interaction with a plasmid bearing the ori-beta DHFR sequence. We show that the topologically closed DHFR ori-beta replicator contains a bubble-like structure within its AT-rich region and that it is reversibly modified in the interaction with HsOrc4. The non-canonical structure of the AT-rich region in the topologically closed ori sequence is recognized and changed by HsOrc4 using the energy of supercoiled DNA. These findings could help to further elucidate DNA replication and its possible association with human genetic diseases

Kompetence učiteljev za implementacijo trajnostnega razvoja v okviru izobraževanja odraslih

This paper presents the results of a study conducted on a sample of teachers working in adult education in Croatia with the aim of determining whether they possess the competencies needed for the implementation of sustainable development in the teaching process. The results show that the teachers who participated in the study mostly expressed positive attitudes but lower levels of both knowledge about sustainable development concepts and education for it. Even though teachers on average self-evaluated that they possessed almost every generic and specific competency needed for sustainable development, their self-evaluation also shows that they only partially possess the competencies directly connected with the implementation of sustainable development in the adult education teaching process.Predstavljamo rezultate raziskave, v kateri so sodelovali učitelji s področja izobraževanja odraslih na Hrvaškem. Cilj raziskave je bil ugotoviti, ali imajo ustrezne kompetence za implementacijo trajnostnega razvoja v učnem procesu. Učitelji, ki so sodelovali v raziskavi, so večinoma izrazili pozitiven odnos do trajnostnega razvoja, vendar pa so rezultati pokazali tudi nižjo raven poznavanja konceptov, povezanih s trajnostnim razvojem, ali z njim povezane izobrazbe. Čeprav v povprečju učitelji menijo, da razpolagajo s skoraj vsemi splošnimi ali specifičnimi kompetencami, potrebnimi za trajnostni razvoj, je njihova samoevalvacija pokazala, da le delno razpolagajo s kompetencami, ki so neposredno povezane z implementacijo trajnostnega razvoja v učnem procesu izobraževanja odraslih

Cerak Vinogradi: spatial framing, user interventions and the socialist big other

This article investigates Cerak Vinogradi housing estate (Darko Marušić, Milenija Marušić and Nedeljko Borovnica, 1977-1988), moving through a string of relevant factors: from the chief principles of the housing policy, the urban and architectural design of the estate and the dynamics of its construction, to the contacts between the architects and residents, and the latter’s informal interventions. We approach these factors by referring to the highly popular 1980 TV series Vruć vetar, with the series acting as a valuable insight into the social and spatial patterns of ex-Yugoslavia. We use the series to demonstrate how Cerak Vinogradi were the result of tension existing between two frames: the first defined through urban and architectural design and unsuccessfully defended by the architects, and the second which involved deficiencies in construction and apartment space, inciting in turn the user interventions. Demonstrating all the alienation the housing policy of the day resulted in, we treat the informal interventions not as a response to the invisibility of users but as a supplement to this very same policy. Referring to the Lacanian theory of socio-symbolic order (the ‘big Other’), we interpret the user interventions as a crucial part of the existing order, placing them in the context of the cynical logic of self-management socialism

Application Possibilities of Second Order Models for Road Transport Network Modelling

Za provjeru novih rješenja upravljanja cestovnom mrežom koriste se simulacije. Takva provjera se uvijek radi prije implementacije novih rješenja u realni upravljački sustav. Odabir odgovarajućeg kvalitetnog simulacijskog modela je bitan radi dobre simulacijske provjere rješenja. Iz tog razloga sve češće se za modeliranje cestovnih mreža koriste modeli drugog reda. U radu je napravljen pregled postojećih modela cestovnih mreža uz naglasak na modele drugog reda. Detaljnije je opisan AW-Rascle model drugog reda i razrađen je postupak implementacije istog u programski paket Matlab.Simulations are used for checking new solutions of roads network management. Such verification is always worked before the implementation of new solutions in the real control system. Choosing adequate high-quality simulation model is very important because of checking simulation solutions. For this reason, models of the second order are used more and more for modeling of road networks. The final work contains a review of models of road networks with an emphasis on models of the second order. The AW-Rascle second order model is described in detail and the implementation of the same is worked out in Matlab

INSTITUTIONAL AND EVOLUTIONAL ASPECTS OF PRIVATIZATION IN MIDDLE AND EASTERN EUROPE

Što utječe na koncepciju privatizacijske strategije i zašto se izabire određena metoda? Uz pomoć teorije institucionalnih promjena može se pokazati da privatizacijske strategije ne moraju slijediti ekonomske kalkulacije efikasnosti, nego izbor određene privatizacijske strategije pokazuje značajke ovisnosti o prijeđenom putu. To znači da određene strukture i institucije staroga sustava mogu suodređivati dalji slijed privatizacije i postići suboptimalna rješenja.What infl uences the concept of the privatization strategy and why is a peculiar method being chosen? Is the status quo the best ever possible arrangement? With the help of the theory of institutional change one can explain that privatization strategies do not necessarily consider economic effi ciency, but the choice of a privatization method may show signs of path-dependency and thus create economically suboptimal solution