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The aim of this paper is to analyze national narratives of the French francs of 1954-1956 from the perspective of Roland Barthes's Mythologies, which demystifies bourgeois myths produced during the mentioned period. Although Mythologies doesn't examine visual design of money, the book proposes analytical instruments that help to understand why coins and paper money qua material products of ideology depict certain images in certain historical periods. The main character on French coins in 1954-1956 is Marianne, the personification of French Republic. Together with the image of Gallic rooster they represent revolutionary ideals of the First Republic. These connotations are of special significance following the WWII when the Vichy regime used the symbols signifying relations with the Nazi Germany. The banknotes in circulation during 1954-1956 in France have two trends in visual design. The early post-war series portray famous persons, ordinary people, allegories and ancient gods, including female images which, in contrast to feminine Marianne, are designed mostly as androgynes. The new series of banknotes promotes the national narrative of masculine «Frenchness» and depicts such persons as Victor Hugo, Cardinal Richelieu, Henry IV, Napoleon Bonaparte and Moliere. The only woman to be included in visual design of French banknotes in 1994, although not French by birth, is Marie Curie. Visual design of banknote series issued for the former French colonies (Africa and Indochina) draws on highly exotic images of local people and rarely includes characters from metropolitan discourse, which correlates with the photograph of African soldier in French uniform analyzed by Barthes in his «Myth Today». Another interesting point is that during the WWII the Vichy regime issued banknotes with the images of colonial people as well as of French people, which makes them equal in the visual representations loyal to the Nazi Germany. To conclude, although most French coins and banknotes of 1954-1956 portray famous people or figures that appeal to national idea, these images do not constitute the unified myth system and instead demonstrate different aspects of «Frenchness». After the Euro was introduced in France in 2003, French national narratives could only be promoted with Euro coins depicting the portrait of Marianne (which became a tradition in French visual design of money). The portrait of Europa, included in the Euro banknote series in 2014, also follows this tradition and frames European discourse in chronological, geographical and political senses. However, in the context of dematerialization of money the tendency to use visual design as an ideological tool is problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through experiments conducted, we study the characteristics of gloss and smoothness of paper tape to develop the method of their technological control. By utilizing the method of statistical analysis, we prove that there is nonlinear correlation dependence between them. We calculate the parameters of regression equation, which has a parabolic form. Moreover, we find that for certain angles of incidence of light ray 70-80°, the parameter of correlation communication is the correlation relation signifying 0,80-0,85. It allows proposing the optical method of technological control of the parameter smoothness of paper directly in the process of production instead of the existent laboratory pneumatic method of measuring (the Bekks method). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work two Value-at-Risk (VaR) estimation models are compared: covariance method that is commonly used in Ukrainian banks and optimization one suggested by Uryasev and Rockafellar. Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) that is an alternative risk measure to VaR, that permits to estimate the expected loss beyond VaR, is considered. Our work extends the Uryasev-Rockafellar approach to the quadratic portfolio containing derivative financial instruments. VaR estimation model's behaviour is examined as based on the hypothesis that the risk factors have elliptical distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the changing status of design in the context of its relation with art. Currently, design has overcome its peripheral position and transformed into a special creative project activity aimed at harmonization of modern human life, solving the problems of artistic and imaginative structuring, transformation and communication of objective-spatial, procedural and sign-informative human environment. The factors determining the actual position of design in culture are the totality and globalism of design, institutionalization of collective design, collecting and market structure of design products, high cost of collective design objects, growth and consolidation of the influence of museums of design in the world. The paper is concluded that at the present stage there has been a transformation in the status of design and it is trying to reclaim more space in the culture. Design aims to give the consumer new impressions and emotions and this proves that it is not only an activity to transform the object-spatial world of man, but also a new form of human interaction with the design product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author addresses the prospects of the new cosmopolitanism project, which appears as a choice focused on individuality and its survival as an integrity in diversity. This reveals the relevance of Castoriadis's autonomy project. The author believes that Castoriadis's language of describing social reality can be used quite organically to characterise the latest trends in the development of cosmopolitan practices. The substantiation of the formulated assumptions is the purpose of this article. The article shows that new cosmopolitanism is an attempt to find an inclusive solution to the problem of universalism, which classical modernity and old cosmopolitanism failed to solve. The development of the discourse and practices of autonomy can become one of the effective means of such a solution. The main idea of the paper is that the projects of autonomy and new cosmopolitanism have similar goals and a direction, and they are a means of implementing cosmopolitan attitudes, or the process of cosmopolitanization. New cosmopolitan theories speak primarily of others, of otherness and autonomy. Autonomous societies can develop and implement cosmopolitan programs. If there is no adequate reflexivity in a heteronomous society, then autonomous societies are reflexive by their very nature. The new cosmopolitanism revives the project of autonomy, takes it from a purely theoretical dimension to a practical one, and allows to discuss its practical implementation. To clarify this parallel, it is important to consider Castoriadis's interpretation of the political dimension of social life. In this case, we are talking about developing cosmopolitan citizenship, which represents the highest level of individual autonomy. The article shows the most important role of creative imagination in its interpretation by Castoriadis in solving the identified problems and establishing various institutions of society. The article concludes that paideia is the central dimension of any policy of autonomy, which gives form to social chaos. Thus, we stop to divide the human world between 'us' and 'them' -- us: the only real human beings; the others: savages, barbarians, heathens, we stop considering our representation of the world as the only meaningful one. This is the essence of cosmopolitanism as it is interpreted by the new cosmopolitanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Slavica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae is the property of Akademiai Kiado and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studia Slavica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae is the property of Akademiai Kiado and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studia Slavica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae is the property of Akademiai Kiado and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studia Slavica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae is the property of Akademiai Kiado and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)