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This paper introduces two courses making use of performing arts at university level. The first course, taught by Prof. Simon Henein and his colleagues, called Improgineering, aims to teach collective creation through improvisation to master’s degree students in engineering at the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland). The second course, taught by Prof. Laure Kloetzer and her colleagues, aims to introduce the Psychology of Migration via a sociocultural approach to bachelor’s degree students in psychology and education at the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland). After briefly introducing the topic of performing arts in higher education (section 1), the paper offers a description of the two courses (sections 2 and 3). These are complemented by teachers’ and students’ impressions of the course, as analyzed from individual interviews, focus groups and students’ learning diary entries (section 4). The conclusion presents some reflections on the convergences of the pedagogical designs of the courses, drafting a pedagogical model for using performing arts within higher education (section 5).

Safe Museums, Safe Collections. A Selection of Articles by Piotr Ogrodzki is a publication discussing the contemporary problems of crimes against heritage objects. The essays written over the period of 20 years were systematically published in the ‘Cenne, Bezcenne/Utracone’ journal, the only periodical dedicated to the recovery and restitutions of the lost national heritage. The publication is composed of 18 papers characterizing selected threats to museums and collections. All the presented texts oscillate within the semantic concepts related to crime and theft in museums and sacral facilities. The essays aptly juxtapose legal aspects with the practices of the protection of national heritage, while the described examples of security measures have been and will remain applicable also in the future. The additional value of the publication of Piotr Ogrodzki’s texts is their translation into English. Although many of the described thefts of art works have taken place in Poland, the Author also points to similar circumstances of such crimes in Europe. Enriched with Piotr Ogrodzki’s short biography and bibliography, the book begins with the papers by Piotr Majewski, Paulina Florjanowicz, Kamil Zeidler, and Jacek Rulewicz. It concludes with the message of Chief Inspector Adam Grajewski of the Polish Police Headquarters under a meaningful title In Lieu of an Afterword. Museum Collection Safety. The publisher of the book, the National Institute for Museums and Public Collections, NIMOZ, should be acknowledge for the noble idea of publishing this book, thus commemorating the outstanding individual that Piotr Ogrodzki was.

The paper is the first part of S. Barbantani’s contribution Lyric for the Rulers, Lyric for the People: The Transformation of Some Lyric Subgenres in Hellenistic Poetry, in E. Sistakou (ed.), Hellenistic Lyricism: Traditions and Transformations of a Literary Mode (Trends in Classics 9, 2), Berlin - Boston 2017, 339-399 (which discusses encomiastic lyric, epinikion in Callimachus, Posidippus and inscriptional epigram, literary epithalamia, threnoi and epikedeia, poems in stichic lyric meters, Carmina popularia, anthologies for symposiastic use and mimes). This contribution analyses how some of the main lyric genres, developed in archaic and classical Greek poetry, underwent transformation in the Hellenistic period, following social, political and cultural changes. The paper specifically explores lyric poetry produced ‘for the gods’ (hymns, esp. paeans, preserved on stone and on papyrus).

In 2015, during the reconstruction of Nadrzeczna Street and Bohaterów Getta Square, in the area of the intersection with Jaskrowska Street, it was made the discovery of human bone remains. As a result of the rescue investigations undertaken, an area of approximately 550 square meters was tested. They were discovered among others relics of foundations, made of broken limestone and remains of the cemetery. The historical research showed that these foundations were relics of the St. Barbara church, around which there was a churchyard cemetery called „the cemetery outside the city” in the sources. At the remains they were found rosary beads, medallions, crosses, single glass beads, iron buttons, bronze and bone coins, hooks, buckles, pieces of cloth and textile and haberdashery ornaments. Particularly noteworthy is the collection of religious items. The collection of devotional items includes 14 exhibits. It is a diverse collection in terms of morphological and stylistic, and above all iconographic. Metal medallions and crosses were made from non-ferrous metals in casting or minting techniques. The minted medallions were made from thin badges. Glass medallions were made from two glass panes, bound in a metal frame, between which there was an image reflected on the paper. The remains of rosaries are beads, differing in terms of size, colors and shapes. Only in 9 graves it was managed to set the position of devotional items on the remains of the deceased. Most often, devotions were found at the height of clasped hands folded in the lap. Other places where devotional items are found are: around the head, around the clavicle, around the thigh – above the knees and at the feet level. The subject of images on medallions and crosses is diverse. The sets of images on the obverses and other sides are also interesting. On one picture of a glass medallion it was identified the figure of Saint Josef. The figure of St. Benedict was on two medallions. The figure of St. John the Baptist was presented on one of the most carefully made cast medallions. On its other side it was recognized St. Nicholas. On the next medal, the figure of St. Francis of Paola was identified. St. Francis of Assisi appears on a very poorly legible paper picture. On the medal lion we can see St. Wojciech. On its other side there is a figure of the Guardian Angel holding the child by a hand. Burning Hearts are presented on a cast medal, on the other side of the medal with St. Wojciech. The most popular were the medallions with images of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The Polish images of the Mother of God should be taken in account, first of all, Madonna of Jasna Góra from Częstochowa. On the medallions and crosses except the characters, there are legends – inscriptions, only in Latin, made them by majuskuła with sheriffs. Most often, the medallions were „signed” by the name of the saint. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, they were gladly supplied with medallions with the patrons of good death. In determining the chronology of devotional items from the church cemetery at the church of Saint Barbara, a wide chronological framework was adopted, corresponding to the period of use of the cemetery and the church, from the 17th century to probably the beginning of the 19th century. Częstochowa was the center of worship of Our Lady of Jasna Góra. It can be assumed that most of the medallions with images of the Virgin of Częstochowa, and perhaps even all of them, were probably created in Częstochowa.

A group of university teachers have worked to organize and host an annual performance festival for 20 years. About a hundred students from several universities gather and perform a variety of oral activities every year. Students engage with everything from everyday events to long-standing global issues through drama, and thus this festival is a unique educational experience. Touching on the current status of EFL (English as Foreign Language) within Japanese Universities, this paper aims to discuss the significance of the festival through briefly describing some sample performances and their process of preparation. While the festival is not in any way competitive, both students and teachers attending are expected to provide some form of feedback to every performance viewed. Expressing themselves at the festival is especially meaningful in the context of EFL, where no immediate need to use the language in their daily life exists for the typical Japanese student. Additionally, participants are likely to gain a sense of achievement and confidence through the process and encouraging response at the festival. Finally, students learn to collaborate efficiently and build leadership skills. Challenges in terms of preparation and management of the festival are also discussed in this paper.

This paper takes up the increasingly popular topic of drones — including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), small unmanned aerial Systems (sUAS), Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) and a vast panoply of commercial drones and copters — to argue that our analysis should lie not so much on drones as objects, but as assemblages of the vertical. Drones, I argue, constitute a socio-technical assemblage of the sky and vertical space, which means that our focus should be not (only) on their technological development and capacities (although this is certainly important) but on their wider effects and affects. The latter of these include increasing algorithmic data collection and circulation. In the second part of the paper, I examine what I call "algorithmic governance" inspired by the recent governing algorithms conference at NYU but also drawing from Foucault's work on governmentality. Algorithmic governance constitutes "conduct of conduct" to modulate how "data shadows" or Deleuzian "dividuals" can be created, sold, and passed forward. My particular concern is how this takes place in a geographic register.

In the last decade, crowdsourcing has emerged as a new form of work organization. Crowdworking platforms as intermediaries between crowdsourcing companies and crowd workers have gained importance in this process. Currently, many of these platforms manage rather simple work systems. Using the case of the German Hamburger Hochbahn AG and the innovation platform Phantominds, this paper investigates measures necessary for crowdworking platforms to be able to manage also more complex work systems. To derive such measures, we analyze the work system of Hamburger Hochbahn and Phantominds, explore the interplay between the crowd and the platform provider and subsequently provide recommendations for companies that would like to use crowdworking platforms for the processing of work and for platform operators. With this paper, we extend current knowledge in the realms of IS, organizational theory, and platform ecosystems.

This paper is about the introduction of the lion as symbol in the manorial system in myecenean greece. Theories were built on the archeological facts that shows a connection between Mycenae and Creta and Egypt. Early mycenean symbols of lions have an oriental look, so historians see an adoption from Egypt. Showing the integration of the symbol in the manorial system in Mycenae ist the main goal of this paper., historia.scribere, iss. 7, p. 9

The paper deals with the role of the Kaitseliit (Defence League) voluntary defence organisationin Estonia’s defence in the years of the Estonian War of Independence (also known as theLiberation War) and in peacetime until 1940, with attention focused mainly on the 1930s. Anoverview is provided of the historiography, the formation of Kaitseliit in 1918, its role in theLiberation War, the period of decreasing activity of the organisation after the war, and the restorationand development of Kaitseliit in the 1920s and 1930s. The author reviews the objectivesof the organisation, issues of its membership, structure, management and armament,as well as the use of Kaitseliit and its units in Estonian military defence and internal training.The paper also attempts to answer the question how the role of Kaitseliit in Estonian nationaldefence developed. Key words: paramilitarism, Kaitseliit, paramilitary organisational structure, military defenceof Estonia, military training. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.15181/ahuk.v28i0.928

This paper deals with a low to middle order finite volume/lumped capacitance thermal model of an electric machine and the correction of critical parameters. The different parts of the electric machine are divided into sub-volumes called finite volumes or lumped capacitances. From the given characteristic geometry of the electric machine, the thermal resistances to create the system matrix are calculated. The resulting non-linear equation system is solved for steady state condition for a given current density. The result is compared to experimental measurements allowing the calculation of material correction parameters included in the thermal resistances using the least square method. In a second step an experiment with time dependent current in the stator windings is done. The experiment then is simulated with the time dependent current measured in the experiment using the correction parameters found in the first step. The paper aims to present the possibility to calculate the maximum temperatures very accurately with this method.

This paper aims to present a particular role-play technique called radio role-play developed specifically for the use in ELT classrooms. The technique is defined within the context of drama education and language teaching, and characterized in terms of its unique features. Practical examples from teaching practice are provided. Any kind of teaching material (text/recording) can serve as an input for radio role-play. The content is contextualized within the fictional broadcast studio as the students take on roles of a host and their guest(s) ‐ usually characters from the textbook articles, recordings, or any other teaching material. The setting of a radio studio is unique in terms of its close relation to a real studio setting ‐ sitting down at a table, facing the partner, possible use of microphones, jingles, soundscapes, etc. At the same time the setting provides protection, a sense of anonymity and safety, which results in high engagement levels. In practice, the radio role-play is organized as pair or group work, and the tasks are performed simultaneously. The outcomes of preliminary qualitative research (probe) carried out with high-school students aged 17-18 at B2 level are presented. 1 Origins and development This paper aims to present a technique that emerged and evolved from the author’s teaching practice. At the beginning there was an inspiration and personal experience with improvised performances taking place in a fictional radio studio, the idea of which later naturally infiltrated in the author’s English teaching practice. What first was an intuitive experimenting using the general concept was later transformed through reflective practice into a role-play technique presented in this writing. For the purpose of this paper, role-play will be understood as a technique commonlyusedinlanguageteachingtodevelopfluencyandpossiblyspontaneity and expression of emotions (Holden 1981: 1; Maley and Duff 2009: 1-2). Larsen-Freeman (2000: 80; 134) illustrates an effective use of role-play by different EFL methods such as suggestopedia or communicative language teaching throughout the history of English language teaching. In the teaching

Spoofing attacks are a serious problem for civil GNSS applications with safety content, such as airplane landing or maritime navigation in harbors. Also many strategically important infrastructures, such as electric power grids or mobile communications networks, are becoming increasingly dependent on GNSS services. Military GNSS users solve that problem by signal encryption at chip level. This reduces the threat to only allow for meaconing, i.e. retransmitting the GNSS signals from a certain location, since the exact waveform is unpredictable. Civil users cannot rely on encryption at the moment and most likely in the near future. They must be protected by additional techniques, which are able to detect and mitigate spoofing attacks. A number of receiver-autonomous solutions for the spoofing problem have been proposed in the last decade. For single antenna receivers the detection of spoofing attacks can rely on the observation of the time evolution of different signal parameters such as power and Doppler frequency shift, the PRN code delay and its rates, the correlation function shape as well as the cross-correlation of the signal components at different carrier frequencies. However, the most advanced protection against the sophisticated spoofing attacks can be provided by utilizing the spatial domain for signal processing available by using antenna arrays ([1], [2], [3], [4], [5]). A GNSS receiver with an antenna array is able to estimate the directions of arrival of the impinging waveforms and so to discriminate between the authentic and counterfeit signals. Moreover the malicious signals can be mitigated by generating a spatial zero into the array antenna reception pattern in the direction of the spoofing source(s). The use of the array-aided joint estimation of the array attitude and spoofing detection was investigated by the authors in [1], [3], [5]. A post-correlation estimation of the signal direction of arrival (DOA) was utilized as the first step of the corresponding signal processing chain. This approach however still suffers from the effects of short-term distortions in the receiver tracking loops and the resulting unavailability of the DOA estimations during the spoofing attack. Two approaches have been identified to overcome this effect. On the one hand, a more accurate direction of arrival detection and antenna calibration can be used. On the other hand, the attitude estimation can be made more robust by skipping the DOA estimation step and using instead directly the post-correlation array outputs in the underlining measurement model, similar to method 2 in [6]. The latter possibility will be exploited throughout the current paper. One of the main challenges here is to design robust and computationally effective attitude estimation when the post-correlation array outputs consist of the superposition of the authentic and counterfeit signals. This problem, for example, is not adequately handled in [6] and [7]. In the aforementioned approaches, the estimation of the actual direction of arrival in terms of (antenna local) azimuth and elevation was done explicitly before the attitude was estimated. The approach presented in the paper will avoid this (computationally expensive) step, by introducing an adequate measurement model. This model connects the measured relative phases between the antennas elements (spatial signature) to the ones expected from the almanac. This interconnection involves the receiver attitude, which is the state to be estimated. In a second step, the model fit (i.e. residuals of least square fit) is used to detect anomalies. Further processing is done by comparing the spatial signature for different satellites. Contrary to using the cyclic nature of PRN codes to detect the direction in the pre-correlation domain as described in [2], the spatial signature in the post-correlation domain is used. If one dominant direction is present, the likelihood of spoofing or meaconing is considered high. If detected, a second processing stage is triggered, capable of spatially filtering out the spoofers signature (post-correlation nulling). Finally a second run of the aforementioned procedure is done to estimate the antennas attitude using a spatially filtered signal. Theoretical results as well as hardware simulations ([8]) show, that if a GPS/CA or Galileo receiver already tracks a certain PRN, the likelihood of success is very low for an unsynchronized spoofer. In this context (un)synchronized is related to the PRNs current frequency shift (caused by the Doppler Effect), as well as code delay. The code delay error should not be larger than one chip in general. The tolerable frequency mismatch however, highly depends on the receivers implementation (i.e. FLL and PLL parameters and stages), but should not be bigger than a few multiples of 50 Hz. A synchronized spoofer or meaconing signal which is turned on when the receiver already tracks the corresponding PRN will be considered in the context of the paper. The described methods will be evaluated using software simulations. Scenarios without spoofing or meaconing are used to demonstrate the attitude estimation. Scenarios with repeaters will be used to demonstrate the two-stage approach with spatial filtering. [1] M. Meurer, A. Konovaltsev, M. Cuntz, and C. Hattich, “Robust Joint Multi-Antenna Spoofing Detection and Attitude Estimation using Direction Assisted Multiple Hypotheses RAIM,” in Proceedings of the 25th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2012), September 2012, Nashville, TN, USA., 2012. [2] S. Daneshmand, A. Jafarnia-Jahromi, A. Broumandon, and G. Lachapelle, “A low-complexity GPS anti-spoofing method using a multi-antenna array,” in Proc. ION GNSS 2012, 2012, pp. 1233–1243. [3] A. Konovaltsev, M. Cuntz, C. Haettich, and M. Meurer, “Autonomous Spoofing Detection and Mitigation in a GNSS Receiver with an Adaptive Antenna Array,” in Proc. ION GNSS+ 2013, 2013, p. 12. [4] M. Appel, A. Konovaltsev, and M. Meurer, “Robust Spoofing Detection and Mitigation based on Direction of Arrival Estimation,” in Proc. ION GNSS+ 2015, 2015, pp. 3335–3344. [5] M. Meurer, A. Konovaltsev, M. Appel, M. Cuntz, E. M. Meurer, A. Konovaltsev, M. Appel, and M. C. De, “Direction-of-Arrival Assisted Sequential Spoofing Detection and Mitigation,” in ION ITM 2016, 2016. [6] M. Markel, E. Sutton, and H. Zmuda, “An antenna array-based approach to attitude determination in a jammed environment,” in Proceedings of the 14th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2001), 2001, pp. 2914–2926. [7] S. Daneshmand, N. Sokhandan, and G. Lachapelle, “Precise GNSS Attitude Determination Based on Antenna Array Processing,” in Proceedings of the 27th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation, ION GNSS+ 2014, Tampa, Florida, September 8-12, 2014, 2014. [8] M. Appel, A. Hornbostel, and C. Haettich, “Impact of meaconing and spoofing on galileo receiver performance,” 7th ESA Workshop on Satellite Navigation Technologies NAVITEC, 2014.

The objective of this paper is to identify sources of the challenges faced by the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union. Based on an actorness approach, the paper offers a systematic and theory-driven framework for the analysis of these challenges. Their investigation is based on publications of thirteen think tanks that were published in the context of the December summit of the European Council in 2013. The paper identifies two main sources at a national level. First, it shows that the significance of national sovereignty in the sensitive domain of security and defence policy is an obstacle to the development of the CSDP. Second, the analysis reveals that foreign policy role conceptions are a fundamental factor: different role conceptions of member states result in a lack of mutual understanding, in missing trust, and finally, in the unwillingness to transfer actorness to the EU level despite a common set of basic interests and values. Yet, the political will of member states will be decisive for the future development of the CSDP.

This paper is concerned with the origin of the so-called Old High German primary umlaut. Even if this question has long been discussed, debate on this subject is still open. It seems however that scholars, though not agreeing with each other, mostly accept the standard theory's assumption of the existence of two kinds of short e in Old High German, of which the one derived from an umlauted germ. */a/ is taken to be higher than the one derived directly from germ. */e/, usually denoted by 〈ë〉 in handbooks and grammars. While thinking that there is indeed no reason to doubt that German had at a certain time set up a phonological opposition between, respectively, [e] and [ε], the apparent phonetic paradox of the rise of the former and more closed vowel starting from an ancient very open [a] still remains: how could [a] develop into [e] without running across the [ε]? This paper gives a new phonetic solution to this problem, which is able to account for such enfants terribles as OHG thanchandi/thenkendi (< germ. *þankijanđ-), both found in the same manuscript.

ABOUT THE POSSIBLE ANCIENT CZECH-BALTIC LEXICAL CONNECTIONSSummaryThe paper deals with the ancient (up to the 13th century A. D.) Czech–Baltic lexical correspondences. The West Balts are supposed to penetrate into Moravia and the territory of the middle Danube. Probably they were the Galinds, that at the turn of the two eras moved from South Prussia, their homeland, to the South and split into two branches in the territory of Volyn. Accord­ing to the data of onomastics and toponymies, one of the branches settled near the Czech–Polish boundary, another moved to Podmoskovye. Here follows the enumeratien of the Czech lexemes touched upon in the paper and having the Baltic (and some of them also Russian) correspondences:Klábositi ‘to chat, to talk nonsense’, lebediti se ‘to be in bliss, luxuriate’, třměti ‘to reel’, baracht(a) ‘chatter, babble’, klopýtati‘to stumble, to stagger along’, hárati se‘to heat (about cow)’, harhule ‘growth on a tree, excrescence’, batoliti se ‘waddle’, šklebit ‘to light dimly’, kobrtati ‘to stumble’, drobiti ‘to feel feverish, to shiver’, rozblptati ‘to be boiled to pulp’, duznit ‘to bang one’s back’, obočí ‘eyebow’, duněti ‘to rattle’, žíně ‘a special rope for climbing to a beehive on a tree’, těpiti ‘to carry’, řije ‘period if heat of deers’.

With the development of medical technique and computational electromagnetics, high resolution anatomic human models have already been widely developed and used in computation of electromagnetic fields induced in human body. Although these so called voxel-based human models are powerful tools for research on electromagnetic safety, their unchangeable standing posture makes it impossible to simulate a realistic scenario in which people have a lot of different postures. This paper describes a poser program package which was developed as an improved version of the free-from deformation technique to overcome this problem. It can set rotation angles of different human joints and then deform the original human model to make it have different postures. The original whole-body human model can be deformed smoothly, continuity of internal tissues and organs is maintained and the mass of different tissues and organs can be conserved in a reasonable level. As a typical application of the postured human models, this paper also studies the effect of the step voltage due to a lightning strike on the human body. Two voxel-based human body models with standing and walking posture were developed and integrated into simulation models to compute the current density distribution in the human body shocked by the step voltage. In order to speed up the transient simulation, the reduced c technique was used, leading to a speedup factor of around 20. The error introduced by the reduced c technique is discussed and simulation results are presented in detail.

This paper analyzes the effect of a change in cell size and of transmit power control on the human exposure to electromagnetic fields. In a simplified network configuration the well accepted COST-Hata model is considered to assess the path loss. It is shown that increasing the base station den- sity will not generally raise the exposure but can rather help to lower it significantly. The exposure due to base stations is hardly affected by allowing a transmit power reduction at the base station for individual links. In contrast to this, it is demonstrated that transmit power control at the mobile sta- tion is a helpful means to lower the exposure efficiently. power control allows the transmission of information dedi- cated to individual users with a power level that is lower than a scheduled maximum transmit power. This results in a re- duction of interference and, furthermore, in a reduction of the human exposure to electromagnetic fields. In this paper the amount of the decrease in the exposure to electromagnetic fields when utilizing transmit power control is quantified. 2 The mobile radio network model To assess the human exposure to electromagnetic fields in a radio network, knowledge of the most important factors in- fluencing the exposure is necessary. Aside from the network layout and wave propagation model, the base station's and mobile station's technical data and configuration are relevant.

Around the world, more and more cities already have introduced electric-powered bus fleets or are planning to do so in the near future. Thus far, electrical-powered bus fleets have not yet been applied to regional bus services. This paper analyzes the boundary conditions of the operational integration of electrically powered bus fleets in regional bus services. The paper introduces a methodical approach which can be used to identify the optimum deployment strategy for electrical-powered buses which is a combination of technological factors (e.g. dimensions of energy storage and charging technology) the operational regime to be applied (e.g. routing and scheduling). The methodical approach is exemplarily instantiated with the analysis of sample data of a bus line in a topographically challenging region. The model-driven prognosis of the vehicle’s state of charge is the basis for the definition of an optimum deployment strategy for electrical-powered buses on that line.

In this paper we present our multicopter flight assistance software uavRC, which bears on a distributed system with interchangeable MAV-drivers and a browser-based user interface that can be used on any computer, tablet or smartphone. The software components can be distributed on different computers and are even executable on a Raspberry Pi. The components communicate over a well-defined interface. One module is the browser based user interface, another module is the MAV driver. There are additional modules like a task-scheduler, a path-planer and many more. Currently the software is in beta stage, so there is still a lot of work in progress. With this paper we focus on the software architecture.

The potential for highly efficient and cost competitive solar energy collection at high temperatures drives the actual research and development activities for particle tower systems. One promising concept for particle receivers is the falling particle receiver. This paper is related to a particle receiver, in which falling ceramic particles form a particle curtain, which absorbs the concentrated solar radiation. Complex operation strategies will result in higher receiver costs, for both investment and operation. The objective of this paper is to assess the influence of the simultaneous variation of receiver costs and efficiency characteristics on levelized cost of heat (LCOH) and on levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Applying cost assumptions for the particle receiver and the particle transport system, the LCOE are estimated and compared for each considered concept. The power level of the compared concepts is 125 MWel output at design point. The sensitivity of the results on the specific cost assumptions is analyzed. No detailed evaluation is done for the thermal storage, but comparable storage utilization and costs are assumed for all cases.

The increasing number of Smartphone-Apps and web-based tools, e.g. route planners, improve the transparency of taxi rides with regard to prices and routing. Trips can be planned easily and the payment is safe and uncomplicated. These innovations are very important in the recent discussion about the necessity of regulatory intervention in the taxi market. This is mainly because technical innovations reduce asymmetric distributed information between market participants. However, asymmetric information is not the only source of market failure that requires the state to interfere in market activity. The provision of taxis yields an externality that might legitimate market interference. In order to understand the mechanisms and theoretical arguments, the paper refers to a model by Cairns und Liston-Heyes (1994) as well as Frankena (1984) to generate empirically testable hypotheses. Importantly, the empirical part of the paper tests whether the regulator takes the costs structures into account and, therefore, acts for the purpose of either public or private interests. We analyze price differences in 393 tariff regulations with respect to several variables such as urban or rural area, western or eastern Germany, the existence of an airport or a fair, the validity of the tariff regulation as well as the density of population. The results suggest that the regulator for the most of the considered variables takes the cost structures in the taxi market into account. Nonetheless, the population variable seems questionable. The reasons for the puzzling results might refer to different perceptions with regard to waiting time in sparsely populated areas. In sum, the results implicate that technical inventions related to the taxi market do no longer justify an obligatory knowledge test of streets and important places (Ortskundeprufung). These reforms are likely to revolutionize the mobility market in large cities because the taxies are going to be superseded by livery vehicles (Mietwagen). In order to save the taxi sector from ruin, a regulation of both the taxi and the livery vehicle market seems to be an alternative.

In this issue are included scientific articles which debate problems from social science fields, engineering sciences fields, legal sciences and medical sciences fields: the failure of liberalism, cost of life in Romania, Romania-Rusia, the myth of democracy, economic and political crises, eastern europe, democratization, case o ukraine, kanban method, dental materials, judicial practice, human rights, art of expressing, education, greek verbs, byzantine diplomatic strategies, fertility, electrical status epilepticus, post surgery tromboflebits, Research and Science Today Journal is a publication founded in 2011 and it is dedicated to the students of all levels (license, master and doctoral) of faculties in the country and abroad. We want to offer the participants the opportunity to present their scientific works in the following areas: Social Sciences, Economic Sciences, Legal Sciences, Humanities, Education Sciences, Engineering, Medicine and Sport.This journal provides students the opportunity to create and/or to improve their abilities to write scientific papers. So each appearance (two appearances per year at which we can add supplements) contains a number of papers written by students, masters and doctoral from the faculties from the country or/and abroad. The journal promotes original studies contributing to the progress of knowledge and it is motivated by the need to address issues of theory and practice in the areas mentioned above.The Journal is a training means of the factors involved in the conceptualization, development, implementation and evaluation, aiming the formation of creative personalities who could be able to adapt through the changing conditions of life.Journal wants to be a forum for debates disciplinaries and interdisciplinaries theoretical topics, to become a research support, to leverage this work at regional, national and international levels. We believe that this gathering will enjoy the support from both parts of the researchers and of the practitioners, and will provide appropriate training sources held professional through the current problems.

Whereas in Standard High German (SHG) there is only one comparative particle, in Swiss German Dialects (SGD) different lexemes may fulfill the function of a comparative particle: (1) SHG: Sie ist grösser als ich SGD: Si isch grösser als / as / weder / wan / wie ig 'She is bigger than me' The present paper describes the geographical distribution of the comparative particles in the Swiss German area in contexts such as (1). Whereas in some small areas only one comparative particle is found, in the rest of the Swiss German speaking area several competing variants coexist. The data are taken from the third questionnaire of the Syntactic Atlas of Swiss German Dialects, where three different comparative constructions have been investigated. A sociolinguistic analysis of the data reveals differences in the use of the particles: On the one hand, older people tend to use only one comparative particle, whereas younger people show a higher degree of variation. Moreover, older people tend to use the particle weder, in contrast to younger people who tend to use the particle wie. On the other hand, higher educated people use more than one comparative particle, whereas less educated people tend to use one variant only. The analysis of two other constructions also shortly mentioned in the paper shows that syntactic factors have an impact on variant selection, too.

Students in two graduate English seminars at Texas A&M were offered an introduction to TEI encoding and were surveyed as to their experiences. Four students presented short papers to the TEI meeting that incorporated both the survey responses and their own perspectives as relative newcomers to TEI. These papers demonstrate why it is important to incorporate TEI in the graduate curriculum, how that incorporation might best be approached, and what happens when TEI is viewed through a disciplinary lens.

In this paper, we report on the first steps in an empirical investigation into the nature of the laser survivability curve. The laser survivability curve is the onset threshold as a function of shot number. This empirical investigation is motivated by the desire to design a universal procedure for the measurement of the so-called S on 1 damage threshold. Analysis is carried on the test results for first results from a large set of planned measurements from identical samples produced for this investigation. The sample set and test conditions are discussed. A pair of measurements, one taken at atmospheric pressure and one at vacuum are introduced and analyzed as an example. Interim observations on the nature of the laser survivability curve, and its determination to be used in the remainder of this investigation based on this initial look, are presented at the conclusion of this paper.

In recent years, linear Fresnel (LF) collector systems have been developed as a technical alternative to parabolic trough (PT) collector systems. While in the past, LF systems focused on low- and medium-temperature applications, today, LF systems are equipped with vacuum receivers and, therefore, can be operated with similar operating parameters as PT systems. Papers about the technical and economical comparison of specific PT and LF systems have already been published (Dersch et al., 2009, "Comparison of Linear Fresnel and Parabolic Trough Collecor Systems—System Analysis to Determine Break-Even Costs of Linear Fresnel Collectors," Proceedings of the 15th International SolarPACES Symposium, Berlin; Giostri et al. 2011, "Comparison of Two Linear Collectors in Solar Thermal Plants: Parabolic Trough vs. Fresnel," ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Washington, DC; and Morin et al., 2012, "Comparison of Linear Fresnel and Parabolic Trough Collector Power Plants," Sol. Energy, 86(1), pp. 1–12). However, the present paper focuses on the systematic differences in optical and thermodynamic performance and the impact on the economic figures. In a first step the optical performance of typical PT and LF solar fields (SFs) has been examined, showing the differences during the course of the day and annually. Furthermore, the thermodynamic performance, depending on the operating temperature, has been compared. In a second step, the annual electricity yield of typical PT and LF plants has been examined. Solar Salt has been chosen as the heat transfer fluid. Both systems utilize the same power block (PB) and storage type. Solar field size, storage capacity, and PB electrical power are variable, while all examined configurations achieve the same annual electricity yield. As expected for molten salt systems, both systems are the most cost-effective with large storage capacities. The lower thermodynamic performance of the LF system requires a larger SF and lower specific SF costs in order to be competitive. Assuming specific PT field costs of 300 e/m2 aperture, the break-even costs of the LF system with Solar Salt range between 202 and 235 e/m2, depending on the site and storage capacity. In order to confirm the major statements, within a sensitivity analysis, it is shown that a variation of SF and storage costs does not have a significant impact on the relative break-even costs of the LF system. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4027766]

In dieser Forschungsarbeit geht es um die königliche Modellkammer der Universität Göttingen. Diese historische Lehrsammlung hat bis heute zahlreiche Spuren hinterlassen. Trotz Professionalisierung der Sammlungsarbeit und der ständigen Einbindung der Modelle ins universitäre Curriculum der philosophischen Fakultät, insbesondere der angewandten Mathematik, existierten fast zu keiner Zeit angemessene Nutzungsbedingungen. In den 1880er Jahren wurde die Sammlung aufgelöst, wobei der Prozess der Auflösung in den Akten detailliert dokumentiert ist. Darüber hinaus sind bis heute 24 Modelle der ehemaligen Sammlung erhalten. Aufbau und Umfang der Göttinger Modellkammer korrespondieren mit den universalen Modellsammlungen der Zeit, deren Ursprung in höfischen, städtischen und bürgerlichen Kunstkammern zu finden ist. Genutzt wurden Modelle und Modellsammlungen zum Beispiel zu Zwecken der Machtdemonstration, zum Planen und Entwerfen, als Muster, zum Spielen und Experimentieren, aber vor allem in Lehre und Bildung. Neben der Erforschung der alltäglichen Praxis der historischen Sammlungsarbeit steht die Untersuchung der curricularen Nutzung mit der königlichen Modellkammer im Fokus der Arbeit. Dazu wurden einige der heute noch vorhandenen historischen Modelle der Sammlung eingehend untersucht, analysiert, in Bezug auf ihre historische curriculare Praxis befragt und individuell kontextualisiert. Besonders durch die Begegnung mit den Objekten ergaben sich vielfältige Fragestellungen. Letztendlich erzwingen die zahlreichen Informationslücken, die sich bei der Erforschung des alltäglichen Umgangs mit der historischen Lehrsammlung durch Schrifttum und Objekte zwangsläufig auftun, ein überwiegend heuristisches Vorgehen., This research paper is about the königliche Modellkammer (Royal Model Chamber) of the University of Göttingen. This historical teaching collection has left numerous traces to this day. Despite the professionalisation of the collection's work and the constant integration of the models into the university curriculum of the Faculty of Philosophy, especially applied mathematics, appropriate conditions of use existed almost at no time. In the 1880s, the collection was dissolved, and the process of dissolution is documented in detail in the files. In addition, 24 models from the former collection have been preserved until now. The structure and scope of the Göttingen Model Chamber correspond to the universal model collections of the time, whose origins can be found in courtly, municipal and bourgeois art chambers. Models and model collections for example were used for purposes of demonstrating power, for planning and designing, as patterns, for playing and experimenting, but above all in teaching and education. In addition to researching the everyday practice of historical collection work, the focus is on investigating curricular use with the royal model chamber. To this end, some of the historical models of the collection that still exist today were examined in detail, analysed, questioned in relation to their historical curricular practice and individually contextualised. Especially through the encounter with the objects, a variety of questions emerged. Ultimately, the numerous gaps in information that inevitably open up when researching the everyday use of the historical teaching collection through written material and objects force a predominantly heuristic approach.

Straipsnio tyrimo objektas – statybos teisės pokyčiai, susiję su statinio definicija ir statinių klasifikacija. Straipsnyje istoriniu lyginamuoju aspektu nagrinėjami statybos teisės pokyčiai po naujos Statybos įstatymo redakcijos. Nustatyta, kad pasikeitus statinius apibūdinantiems požymiams, pasikeitė ir teisinių statybos santykių objektas. Kai kurie daiktai nustojo būti laikomi statiniais, kiti, atvirkščiai – jais tapo. Straipsnyje nagrinėjama statinių objekto problema. Nustatyta, kad Statybos įstatymo nuostatas šiuo klausimu aiškinant pažodžiui galima prieiti prie absurdiškų rezultatų. Po atvejo analizės daroma išvada, kad teismų praktika šiuo klausimu yra teisinga. Tyrimas atskleidė naujos statinių definicijos silpnąsias vietas. Statinių probleminis požymis – turėti bent vieną laikančiąją konstrukciją, sumontuotą statybos vietoje. Pagal galiojantį statinio apibrėžimą, norint nustatyti, ar daiktas yra statinys, be kitų požymių, reikia žinoti, kokiu būdu šis daiktas yra pastatytas (jo įrengimo technologiją). Taip pat nagrinėjamas statinių skirstymas į pastatus ir inžinerinius statinius. Nustatyta, kad naujoje Statybos įstatymo redakcijoje buvo pašalinta mišrios rūšies statinių rūšis. Tai reikėtų laikyti klaidos ištaisymu. Naujoje Statybos įstatymo redakcijoje taip pat patikslinta statinio definicija. Akivaizdžiai pasikeitė statinių priskyrimo nesudėtingiems statiniams požymiai. Statybos techniniame reglamente aiškiai nustatyta, kokie daiktai dėl jų mažagabaritiškumo negali būti laikomi statiniais. Šie pokyčiai taip pat laikomi Statybos įstatymo patobulinimais. The article deals with the latest developments in construction law in relation to an object as construction works and their classification. Features of construction works of a previous version of the Construction Law and the Law on Construction today’s version compared to historical comparative method. It was found that the features of construction works of change have changed the object of legal relations of construction. This means that some of the items that were previously considered to construction works, it is now no longer considered them, and vice versa. The article examined the problem of an object as construction works. It was found that the interpretation of the provisions of the Law on Construction on this matter literally, to obtain an absurd result. After the case study on the subject, concluded that the courts correctly interpret the features of the construction works. This paper established weaknesses of a new definition of construction works. Problematic feature of the construction works is that at least one supporting structure must be installed on site. Because of this legal regulation, without knowing its construction technology cannot be determined whether an object can be considered as construction works. The paper also examines the division of construction works into buildings and civil engineering works. It was found that the new version of the Law on Construction abandoned construction works of mixed type category. This should be regarded as an mistake correction. The new version of the Law improved definition of the building as well. Along with the latest developments in construction law were changed features of simple construction works. It was determined factor through which the items could not be attributed to construction works because of small size. These changes are also considered to construction law improvements and mistake fixes.

This paper examines the state-of-the-art and trends in vehicle concept as well as key technology development in the context of electric mobility in a time frame from 2002 until 2012. Thus, an extensive vehicle concept database was designed, covering detailed technical specifications of more than 200 electrified vehicles in 3 different world regions, also considering different stages in vehicle development. By analyzing and comparing over 75 different market- and technology-oriented parameters per vehicle, sophisticated statements for the state-of-the-art and development trends of Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles are identified. Results in this paper illustrate trends for Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicle concept development with a focus on vehicle development stages, vehicle segments and powertrain architectures. On the other hand, state-of-the-art and trends for the development of two electric mobility key technologies are pointed out: Batteries and electric machines. Statements here are made for developments in terms of battery and electric machine technology, installation place, as well as technical parameters like energy capacity and power density. Key results illustrate e.g. a trend towards the use of front and rear axle motors, a more than doubled average electric machine power density with over 1,0kW/kg and an average BEV battery capacity of 19Wh per kg vehicle mass in 2012.

An overview of literature on and state of knowledge of the application of user-centred design methodologies are discussed. Based on the experience with creating digital products and multi-media exhibitions, the Author claims that the role of users/visitor experience testing in the process of designing and implementing technological projects is of key importance. Using the example of the work on the new version of the multimedia display titled ‘Experiencing Chopin’ (2020) at Warsaw’s Fryderyk Chopin Museum, the paper discusses means of adaptation of the most popular research and evaluation techniques in usercentred testing in the museum context.

The presented paper introduces a new design of vehicle suspension which was developed in the joint research project of BMW Group Forschung und Technik, DLR and Schaeffler Group. In this suspension the wheel guidance and gearbox are highly integrated thus enabling to place the drive motor close to the wheel and consequently to minimise required space in the vehicle. Therefore, the saved space can be utilized otherwise, e.g. for a battery or an electronics assembly. The paper focuses especially on different aspects of the modelling in the early design stage where the first estimations of suspension characteristics and vehicle handling were performed. This covers the coupling of multibody model of suspension with one-dimensional model of gearbox, spiral spring model or elastokinematic bushings.

This paper is a contrastive description of the causal grammatical structures mentioned in five grammar books of German and four grammar books of Italian. The study is inspired by the results of a previous empirical research upon the causal connectors denn, weil, da in German and perché, poiché, siccome in Italian, which has demonstrated that there are many similarities, but without any complete correspondence between the analyzed German and Italian grammatical structures. The purpose of this work is to verify if this thesis holds true not only for a limited number of connectors, but also for the whole system of German and Italian causal structures. The study is based upon a broad concept of causality, seen as the question about "why and with which purpose do events und states happen and verify". It focuses not only on the grammatical structures which are traditionally defined causal, but also on final and conditional structures. The results of the research are summarized at the end of the paper with the expectation that they will be helpful to the didactic transmission of the German causal structures with Italian learners.

In this paper the influence of a non-symmetrical sidewall-contour on the flow field of an axial compressor is investigated. In earlier studies, carried out at the DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology in Cologne, it has been shown that it is possible to influence secondary flow regimes by a non-symmetrical sidewall contour. With the help of the contour a vortex is generated that serves as an aerodynamic barrier and thus reduces the flow transport orthogonal to the main flow direction. In this paper the described method of flow manipulation is investigated for the compressor rotor at the hub wall. It turns out that despite the unsteady inflow conditions the vortex is stably generated and works as an aerodynamic separator. The rotor hub region increases its flow capacity. A higher pressure ratio is achieved at a highly loaded operating point. The efficiency at this point remains unchanged.

The present paper deals with the problem of the pragmatic equivalence between the German and the Polish modal particles. The author focuses on two pairs of particles, which have got an identical invariant meaning, such as the German particle aber and the Polish particle ale(ż) or the German particle ja and the Polish particle no. The correspondence and the no-correspondence of the use of this particles in the same sentence and situations context is considered with reference to their invariant meaning and to the position of the Polish particles in the sentence. The paper shows, that the pragmatic no-equivalence can result from the difference in the positions of the particles in German and Polish. The position of the Polish modal particles can be identical to the position of their homonyms in opposite to the German. The fact means that the position of the modal particles in Polish doesn't have a function of the categorization for speech parts, but it can influence on a semantic-pragmatic extension of the modal function of the particle.

The TrainMiC® (Training in Metrology in Chemistry) programme is a European programme for Life-Long Learning in metrology in chemistry, which is a truly unique system operational across many parts of Europe (19 countries) via national teams. It uses shareware pedagogic tools and the learning content has been harmonised at the European level by a joint effort of many experts across Europe working via an Editorial Board. This paper gives an overview of the activities within the TrainMiC® programme where there is an interaction with national accreditation bodies and the European Cooperation for Accreditation. It is the responsibility of the accreditation bodies to ensure that outcome of the assessments is reliable and transparent and is meeting the relevant requirements. The paper explains the potential of TrainMiC® in providing a tool for accreditation bodies to ensure a harmonised level of knowledge in a specific sector of those who are involved in technical assessments for accreditation in the field of chemical measurements. Some use the word inter-calibration to describe this process.

"Das Automobil ist nicht nur mit Abstand der Verkehrsträger Nummer 1, sondern es ist ein integraler Bestandteil moderner Gesellschaften und ein Symbol für Status, Wohlstand, Freiheit, Dynamik und Fortschritt. Der harte technische Kern des Autos besteht in einer über hundert Jahre alten Verbrennungsmotorik, bei der fossile Brennstoffe aus der Natur importiert und Treibhausgase in die Natur exportiert werden. Dieser harte technische Kern erweist sich zunehmend als problematisch, und zwar sowohl im Hinblick auf die Verfügbarkeit von fossilen Brennstoffen als auch in Bezug auf die Emissionen und deren Folgen. Im letzten Jahrzehnt wurde deshalb weltweit eine Vielzahl von Innovationen in Angriff genommen, um die fossile Verbrennungsmotorik zu optimieren und zu substituieren. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird der Versuch unternommen, dieses breit gefächerte Feld antriebs- und kraftstofftechnologischer Innovationen aus einer interdisziplinären Perspektive zu systematisieren und zu analysieren. Im Zentrum stehen dabei die Entwicklung einer Innovations-Matrix sowie die Diskussion der daraus abgeleiteten Innovations-Cluster." (Autorenreferat) "Not only is the automobile the world's number one transportation vehicle, it is also a vital part of modern societies. It is as a status symbol representing prosperity, freedom, and progress. The main technical component of the automobile is the more than a century old internal combustion engine which, in order to function, requires fossil fuels. Despite this dependency on nature, however, the toxic gases it produces are responsible for an important part of the pollution to our environment. Thus the internal combustion engine is increasingly becoming a problem due to the limitation of the fossil fuels it requires, on the one hand, and to the toxic emissions and subsequent environmental pollution it produces on the other. For the past decade, a multitude of technical innovations have been presented and implemented worldwide in order to optimize or even provide a substitute for the internal combustion engine. It is the purpose of this paper to attempt to analyse this wide variety of innovations in the fields of alternative fuels and new engine types from an interdisciplinary perspective. This analysis is centred around the development of an innovation matrix and the discussion of the innovation-cluster derived from it." (author's abstract)

Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Bildungswissenschaften 26 (2004) 1, S. 121-140, Der Artikel analysiert aus einer bildungs- und sozialhistorischen Perspektive die Ursachen und Konsequenzen des auffälligen Begriffswandels und Strategiewechsels in den bildungspolitischen Debatten Deutschlands. die aktuelle Konjunktur ökonomischer Begriffe und betriebswirtschaftlicher Strategien wird im Zusammenhang des langfristigen Strukturwandels des deutschen Bildungssystems, des Funktionsverlusts des Berechtigungswesens und der Expansion kommerzieller Bildungsangebote im Umfeld des staatlichen Bildungssystems während der letzten Jahrzehnte interpretiert. Es wird die Entwicklungsperspektive zur Diskussion gestellt, dass das staatliche und kostenfreie Bildungssystem auf einen Kern von Pflichtschulen schrumpft und die für Berufskarrieren relevanten Bildungszertifikate zunehmend in privaten und kommerziellen Institutionen erworben werden. Der Rückzug des Staates aus einem Kernbereich seiner traditionellen Aufgaben und die Abwendung der sozialen Eliten vom öffentlichen Bildungswesen würden die demokratische Struktur von Deutschland verändern. (DIPF/Orig.), This paper analyses the causes and effects of the striking change in terminology and strategy in Germany’s education policy debates from a sociohistorical perspective. It interprets the current popularity of economic strategies and language in the context of the long-term structural change in the German education system, the demise of the system of entitlement and the expansion of commercial education provision in traditional areas of state responsibility over the last decades. The paper makes the point that, in the long run, this may result in shrinking of free state education provision to a core of schools offering the obligatory minimum, with the education certificates relevant for professional careers being increasingly attained in private an commercial institutions. Such a retreat of the public sector from this core area of its traditional responsibilities and the ensuing departure of the social elites from state education would have a lasting impact on the democratic culture in Germany. (DIPF/Orig.)

In verschiedenen sozialwissenschaftlichen Teildisziplinen finden sich institutionalistische Ansätze, die die Entstehung, Entwicklung und Ausbreitung von Technik analysieren, ohne dass diese unbedingt den zentralen Fokus der Studien bildet. Die wichtigsten stammen aus dem Bereich der Forschung über nationale Innovationssysteme, der Forschung über die Spielarten des Kapitalismus und der Techniksoziologie. Sie werden in diesem Papier aus techniksoziologischer Perspektive diskutiert. Die Arbeiten bedienen sich oft einfacher Unterscheidungen zwischen bestimmten Typen von Technik oder technischen Innovationen (zum Beispiel radikal/inkrementell). Viele verwenden implizit oder explizit Phasenmodelle technischer Entwicklung. Zudem verzichten sie außer in historischen soziologischen Studien regelmäßig auf detaillierte Beschreibungen einzelner Techniken. Dieses „black-boxing“ kann es erleichtern, generalisierbare Zusammenhänge zwischen institutionellen Konstellationen und technischen Entwicklungen aufzuzeigen. Das ist bisher aber nur selten gelungen, weil – vor allem in der Innovationstheorie, teilweise auch in der Techniksoziologie und am wenigsten noch in den Studien über die Spielarten des Kapitalismus – ein Defizit hinsichtlich der theoretischen Konzeptualisierung von institutionellen Arrangements und deren Veränderung besteht, aber auch weil nur selten Rückwirkungen technischer Veränderungen auf Institutionen in die Untersuchungen einbezogen werden. Different sub-disciplines of the Social Sciences provide institutional approaches to analyze the emergence, development and diffusion of technology which is not necessarily the central focus of these studies. Most important are those in the area of research on national systems of innovation, in the studies on the varieties of capitalism and in the sociology of technology. In this paper they are discussed from the perspective of the sociology of technology. Often the studies use rather simple distinctions between types of technology or technical innovations (e.g. radical/incremental). Many suggest implicitly or explicitly phase models of technical development. Except for historical sociological accounts the studies usually avoid providing a detailed description of single technologies. This "blackboxing" strategy by and large facilitates detecting generalizable relations between institutional constellations and technical development. But it has hardly ever succeeded because " foremost in innovation theory, but partly also in the sociology of technology and least so in the studies on the varieties of capitalism " a deficit is encountered concerning the theoretical concept of institutional arrangements and their changes but also because repercussions of technical changes on institutions have rarely been analyzed. 1 Zielsetzung 2 Innovationstheoretischer Institutionalismus 3 Politökonomischer Institutionalismus 4 Techniksoziologischer Institutionalismus 5 Forschungsperspektiven Literatur

Among the many finds recovered from Tell el-Dabʿa are five decorated metal sheets, or belts, that were most probably originally sewn onto a piece of leather or textile. Such metal belts are a very special feature attested for the first time in Early Bronze Age Mesopotamia. Their occurrence in the archaeological record is limited to tombs that featured several significant finds, including weapons, in their inventory. The grave goods highlight the importance, status and wealth of the interred deceased. The design of metal belts within the distribution area in the Middle Bronze Age is very similar; the decoration, if any, is composed of differing arrangements of concentric circles of varying sizes. According to some Northern Levantine and Anatolian metal figurines, the belts were worn around the waist and buckled at the front. Metal belts were still worn in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages, as attested by statues and actual finds.1 The following article adds to a number of publications on metal belts,2 collecting all known attestations dating up to the end of the Middle Bronze Age. The aim of this paper is to determine their distribution range and elucidate their contexts to mirror networks of people sharing a similar cultural background and ancient trade connections. In addition to the elongated metal belts known from Tell el-Dabʿa, possible parts of belts, such as discs and belt fasteners, are also presented in the scope of this article.

The focus of the paper is on bronze astragal belts in the south-eastern part of the Carpathian Basin, interpreted as part of the female costume. In particular, their production seems to have two peaks, one at the end of the Early Iron Age (6th-4th cent. BC) and another during the Late La T?ne period. However, there is a continuity of the form throughout the Late Iron Age. Requiring a significant amount of material and craftsmanship, these belts imply the presence of skilled artisans, as well as a supply network that enabled the production. A new typological and chronological assessment of the known examples allows not only a better understanding of the possible production areas of astragal belts, but also the social implications behind the organisation of production, offering also the possibility to better evaluate the role of this particular item as a part of the autochthonous female costume and identity.

In 1970, a Bronze Age necropolis in the village of Velebit to the north of Vojvodina was fully explored, but has remained unpublished until today. Apart from possessing all of the features of a Hügelgräber culture complex, some finds indicate connections to the Belegiš - Cruceni culture, developed at the very south of the Carpathian basin. In this paper, we shall present only some of the most attractive finds from the necropolis, including jewellery made of bronze sheets. They include spiral greaves, a belt and finger-rings. The remaining finds shall be presented in a monograph that is being planned. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. OI 177020: Cultural identity, integration factors, technological processes and the role of central Balkans in development of European prehistory and Grant no. OI 177023: Cultural changes and population migrations in early prehistory of the central Balkans]

Ceramic materials may have multifarious applications, the visual arts being one of them. Furthermore, they have been often used in architecture for decorative purposes. In Poland, the application of ceramics in architecture reached its peak of popularity in the post-WWII period. It was used in mosaics, reliefs, architectural and sculptural details, as well as combined with other materials, like glass or stone. Ceramics was applied for creating various small decorative forms but also large compositions that covered even several dozen or several hundred square metres, in buildings that served various functions, and were situated either indoors or on their external facades. Amongst these, there are buildings which were both important for local communities and became landmarks for particular sites, like modern hotels, railway stations, theatres, museums or academies. The paper is focused on compositions executed for such prestigious edifices.