Video game players demand a volume of content far in excess of the ability of game designers to create it. For example, a single quest might take a week to develop and test, which means that companies such as Blizzard are spending millions of dollars each month on new content for their games. As a result, both players and developers are frustrated with the inability to meet the demand for new content. By generating content on-demand, it is possible to create custom content for each player based on player preferences. It is also possible to make use of the current world state during generation, something which cannot be done with current techniques. Using developers to create rules and assets for a content generator instead of creating content directly will lower development costs as well as reduce the development time for new game content to seconds rather than days. This work is part of the field of computational creativity, and involves the use of computers to create aesthetically pleasing game content, such as terrain, characters, and quests. I demonstrate agent-based terrain generation, and economic modeling of game spaces. I also demonstrate the autonomous generation of quests for online role playing games, and the ability to play these quests using an emulated Everquest server.

This thesis reports a research project that aims to improve the teaching and learning of introductory programming from a pedagogical and psychological viewpoint. Towards this aim, seven principles for designing educational programming tools for novices were identified by reviewing literature regarding novices’ difficulties and using a theoretical framework defined by the psychological theories of Constructivism and Cognitive Load Theory. This set of design principles was not only theoretically identified, but its pedagogical impact was also empirically tested. For this reason, Koios, a new programming tool, was designed and developed as a manifestation of the combined set of principles. Empirical studies were conducted by a way of a quasi-experimental design in two different Greek secondary-education institutions. The independent variable was compliance with the set of the seven principles. Students’ level of programming skills (procedural knowledge) was the dependent variable, while the quality of their mental models in the domain of introductory programming (declarative knowledge) was the potential mediator. The effect of compliance with the set of principles on students’ programming skills and mental-model quality was explored via Koios’ evaluation. Declarative- and procedural-knowledge measurements, as well as a practical test, were used to collect data, which were analysed using ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression. The major conclusions drawn from this study are:(a) compliance with the set of design principles does not affect the development of novices’ procedural and declarative programming knowledge, (b) a programming tool that highly complies with this set facilitates novices in the application of their procedural programming knowledge during program creation and (c) programming tools, declarative and procedural knowledge are independent components in learning to program. However, it was also concluded that the two knowledge types and a programming tool that highly complies with the set contribute significantly to novices’ programming performance. This study contributes to knowledge by theoretically identifying and empirically testing a set of design principles for educational programming software, and by producing and scientifically evaluating a programming tool as an embodiment of this set. Through this evaluation, the suggestion of Koios as a practically useful programming tool for novices seems to be well supported.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the extent of how have recent decisions of ECJ in cases Gasser, Turner and Owusu compromised the efficiency of jurisdiction agreements under Brussels I. Regulation. The main and most important aim of European Union, as a political and economic union, is facilitation of trade among Member States. Commercial transactions, especially in international framework are heavily regulated by contracts, wherein parties tend to regulate all potential issues in order to prevent applications of national laws. Therefore in international trade, the importance of party autonomy is even more significant than, in any other branch of contractual relations. One specific expression of party autonomy is incorporation of jurisdiction agreements into contracts, whereby parties determine which national court will have jurisdiction in the case of potential dispute. These so-called prorogation agreements are at the European level, regulated by Brussels I Regulation. However the ECJ has in several recent cases prioritized other principles, such as mutual trust and avoidance of irreconcilable judgements to the prejudice of party autonomy, which has together with very literal approach in construction lead to uncertainty in efficiency of application of jurisdiction agreements. This thesis...

The thesis is concerned with internal normative acts in the field of tax procedural law. Theoretical part of this work is based on current literature and relevant case law of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic and the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic. All findings of the theoretical part are used and analysed in the practical part - in the field of tax procedural law. The thesis consists of five chapters. These chapters are subdivided into several parts to obtain comprehensibility of this thesis. The first chapter deals with the term tax procedural law and its classification in the system of law. Tax procedural law is a part of the legal area of tax law. Tax law is included in the legal branch of financial law and that is why both tax and financial law are defined in this chapter. Finally, this chapter focuses on subjects of tax administration (including description of basis of organization structure of Financial and Customs Administration of Czech Republic). The second chapter clarifies the definition of the sources of law. It is particularly focused on formal sources of law because the ability to recognise formal sources of law is crucial for further analysi in the third and the fifth chapter. Formal sources of tax law in the Czech Republic are described at the end...

Conclusion - Problems of custody instrument The topic of this diploma thesis is area of problems of custody instrument. This security instrument of procedural criminal law brings many problems especially in the area of its application and its performance. Nowadays this issue is considered to be greatly controversial which is obvious with regards to its grave breach of human rights. Custody also provides great space for existence of judicial errors due to requirement of immediacy decision and contradictory interests of accused person and investigation authority. The topic of diploma thesis is divided into 4 chapters. The first chapter comprises development of criminal procedural law and related development of custody. This chapter provides general summary of the development of custody and it should introduce custody from the perspective of excursion into history of custody. The chapter also appoints to the most important phases of development of custody instrument. Following chapter contains facts about material custody law de lege lata. For first there is interpreted the term of custody instruments and assumptions for its application. This chapter also deal with the most important principles of custody and reasons of custody and its application. The end of this chapter focus on strengthened custody and...

Remedial measures in criminal law are set mainly to eliminate and correct mistakes, which have occurred in the course of the trial. It acts as a review and a remedy of law and legal defects. It can be divided into regular and special ones. Amid the regular remedial measures belong appeal, complaint and protest, to a group of special remedial measures belong apart from a renewal of proceedings, a review of an appeal and a complaint for the breach of law. Renewal of proceedings is a special remedial measure, which brings with itself interference into legal power. Renewal of proceedings with which one can contest only some legitimate decisions, in which criminal prosecution has already finished, is used for a removal of shortcomings in factual findings, because at that time all the decisive facts had not been known and the evidence, which came up only after the former decision has come into legal force. New evidence or facts underlying this extraordinary breach into inalterability and binding of judgments made in criminal proceedings are only the facts that were not part of evidence or survey or were not applied by any of the parties engaged in the proceedings and the only evidence that was not designed nor made by either party during the proceedings. As new evidence can be even used evidence already...

Techniques for procedural generation of the graphics content have seen widespread use in multimedia over the past thirty years. It is still an active area of research with many applications in 3D modeling software, video games, and films. This thesis focuses on algorithmic generation of virtual terrains in real-time and their real-time visualization. We provide an overview of available approaches and present an extendable library for procedural terrain synthesis. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

The injured party and his/her protection in criminal proceedings The presented thesis deals with the protection of an injured party in criminal proceedings as a whole, in particular with regard to his/her position as a party in the criminal proceedings, and to his/her procedural rights in accordance with the Rules of Criminal Procedure. The aim of this thesis is complex analysis of the position of an injured party in the Czech legal order with focus on differentiation of the concept an injured party (as the party of criminal process) and the concept a victim of an offence, as a person whose rights were violated in certain manner. The thesis is composed of five main chapters, each of them dealing with different aspect of the injured party involvement in criminal procedure. The first chapter contains thorough analysis of the concept an injured party, as is defined in the provision of Section 43 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure. At the same time, there is incorporated the analysis of limitation or exclusion of participation of an injured in criminal proceedings. Thereafter, the conclusion of this chapter is dedicated to the mentioned differentiation of the concepts an injured and a victim, in particular in the light of the new law on victims of crime. In the second chapter the author addresses...

The present diploma thesis is focused on the analysis and the assessment of the state of the art of legal regulations of rights and duties of the persons who participate in the administration of taxes in relation to basic principles of tax administration. The core legal regulation which is relevant for the theme under study is the tax rules that comprise a basic survey of principles applicable by the entities of the administration of taxes in practice. The tax rules is thus a main source of the findings for the enforcement of individual as well as partial rights and duties by tax payers and third persons that participate in the administration of taxes, and at the same time it determines the scope of the powers of the administrator of the tax which he administers against these. Basic principles of tax administration, together with the other legal principles which could also be applied at the administration of taxes, are main principles of the tax procedural law, for which they have significant importance in the form of constitutionally and legally regulated correctives. In contrast to the previous legal regulation contained in the Act to Administer Taxes and Charges, better systematization of principles, and consequently more effective use in contact especially of tax payers with the tax...

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Brent Chamberlain / 3D interactive visualizations can communicate complex urban design ideas to communities to improve planning (Bertol & Foell, 1997; Bishop et al., 2008; Griffon et al., 2011; Lange & Bishop, 2005). Unfortunately, many landscape architects, urban designers, and city planners currently re-frame from using such gaming technology capable of creating 3D interactive visualizations (Deane, 2015a). Many firms use verbal descriptions with images. This method is insufficient for facilitating feedback (Bratteteig & Wagner, 2010; Gordon, et al, 2010; Stakeholder Engagement, 2009; Zhang, 2004). According to Lange and Bishop (2005) there is no reason why real-time visualizations should not be used in urban design. Design fields will be moving toward procedural modeling software that is code-based to quickly model urban development (Flachbart & Weibel, 2005). However, this type of software, i.e., ESRI CityEngine, is only being used by approximately 10% of firms (Deane, 2015a). This paper is one of the first to analyze how ESRI CityEngine can be used and improved to support the workflow of landscape architects, urban designers, and planners for urban development projects. The project explored ESRI CityEngine’s procedural modeling and metric capabilities, and how it could be used to visualize a proposed Urban Core Residential District in Manhattan, Kansas. This process involved applying CGA (computer generated architecture) rules to GIS data, to model trees, streetscapes, landscapes, and buildings. Visuals that were produced include a CityEngine Web Scene and a Unity game.