How to achieve various gait patterns from single nominal

In this paper is presented an approach to achieving on-line modification of nominal biped gait without recomputing entire dynamics when steady motion is performed. Straight, dynamically balanced walk was used as a nominal gait, and applied modifications were speed-up and slow-down walk and turning left and right. It is shown that the disturbances caused by these modifications jeopardize dynamic stability, but they can be simply compensated to enable walk continuation

iLukBa ver 1.1 : indoor user location system with speech recognition for mobile users

location for mobile user. It works with small mobile devices such as PDAs and it is combined with the speech recognition systems on how the environment response delivered to the location of the user. It has been developed using an advanced and robust algorithm in determining user location for indoor environment which offers location precision accuracy in small room scale. iLukBa capable to handle the unpredictability of IEEE 802.11 (Wifi) signals across perturbation in space, and in time (diurnally) by using Wifi's signal strenght.iLukBa also provides direct service delivery when a user on the move from on location to another, the environment response in delevering service is based on the speed of user.Dynamic buffer is created, the buffer size depends on the speed of the user. The faster a user moves, the smaller the buffer in delevering the speech.iLukBa is a proof of concept of a low cost smart environment capability , i.e. indoor user location can be determined and the environment response can be delivered using speech recognition based on indoor user location

Investing Responsibly - Benefits for the Ethical Investor

This thesis discusses whether Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can affect a company’s, and consequently a portfolio’s, stock market performance. The study presupposes the regular assumptions drawn from CAPM. By creating three different portfolios, consisting of companies with similar financial characteristics, but with different levels of CSR-involvement, we investigate how the CSR-factor may affect stock market performance. The data used in this study is based on a monthly basis over the last ten years. We perform statistical tests and calculate common risk measures for the portfolios, e.g. Sharpe ratio and Treynor’s index. The results show that it can, in fact, be profitable for an investor to consider CSR-factors when making investment decisions

SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES IN ADVERTISING: DO THEY REALLY WORK?

Subliminal messages appear in movies, commercials, music videos, and even cartoons. These are hidden signals inserted into advertising messages sent to a target audience to influence their subconscious behaviour. Such advertising is often considered unethical and, in certain types of advertising, even forbidden by law. Most research to date indicates that people do, in some way, perceive subliminal stimuli that can have an impact on their behaviour. Subliminal messages are viral and are used to manipulate consumers. However, most human psyche researchers are still inclined to think people cannot be persuaded on an unconscious level to behave in a way they would not consciously act. How crucial the influence of subliminal messages is for behaviour has not yet been sufficiently explored. The main goal of this paper is to determine whether people are aware of the existence of subliminal messages in the media and media manipulations and do they find them ethical. An online survey was conducted to assess the respondents\u27 awareness, attitudes, and beliefs regarding subliminal advertising. The results show that the understanding of subliminal perception related to instinct and emotion is evident. The contributions will help both; marketing managers when deciding should they use subliminal messages in their advertising and consumers when deciding if they want to purchase a specific product

THE NUTRITION OF A PIKEPERCH, Stizostedion lucioperca Linnaeus, 1758 in THE RIVER NERETVA

The analysis of content of a pikeperch gastro–intestine system was done on the basis of examination of contents of gastro–intestine systems of 27 specimens captured in the accumulations of the river Neretva system. The fish capture was done using the nets set by the members of Ichthyology and Fishing Center at the Faculty of Science Sarajevo, in the period between 17. 07 — 24. 09. 2002. The dissection and fixation of gastro–intestine systems using the 4 % formaldehyde were done on the terrain. The examination of their contents was done in the laboratory of the Faculty of Science Sarajevo. The appearance of a pikeperch in the river Neretva system is result of an accident introduction in the lake Rama (Š k r i j e l j, 1995; Š k r i j e l j and Ma š o v i ć, 2001). The analysis results of the contents of a pikeperch gastrointestine system have indicated very various way of its nutrition caused by capacity of a water ecosystem and a specimen size. Its tendency to the nutrition with the other fish species is expressive in the lakes with the bigger competition with the other fish species and its tendency to cannibalism is expressive in the hydro–accumulations (Salakovac and Mostar). The cannibalism has characterized a pikeperch specimens larger than 30 cm. The specimens in the lake Grabovica (4), shorter than 30 cm, ate the specimens of the zoobenthos settlement. The algae are registered in stomach of one specimen. The survival of important autochthonous species of salmonoids and cyprinids has been endangered because of the established expressive greed of a pikeperch (the larger size specimens). This fact has caused larger negative ecological changes in the central water current of the river Neretva system. These conditions require the measures of control of a pikeperch population density and introduction in general. Comparison of the nutrition of this fish species with the others in the river Neretva accumulations (K a č a n s k i et al., 1976; T r o ž i ć – B o r o v a c, 2002a), it could be concluded that a pikeperch has no competitor. The other fish species have fed on the invertebrates and plants of benthos, accept a rare lake trout Salmo trutta m. lacustris Linnaeus, 1758 specimens which have shown tendency to the greedy way of the nutrition. This paper is the contribution to the knowledge of a pikeperch nutrition in the river Neretva accumulations that is, beside the reproduction, the important character of population growth control of this greedy animal, and in the aim of the survival of the autochthonous ichthyopopulations in the river Neretva system

PREHRANA SMUĐA Stizostedion lucioperca Linnaeus, 1758 U RIJECI NERETVI

The analysis of content of a pikeperch gastro–intestine system was done on the basis of examination of contents of gastro–intestine systems of 27 specimens captured in the accumulations of the river Neretva system. The fish capture was done using the nets set by the members of Ichthyology and Fishing Center at the Faculty of Science Sarajevo, in the period between 17. 07 — 24. 09. 2002. The dissection and fixation of gastro–intestine systems using the 4 % formaldehyde were done on the terrain. The examination of their contents was done in the laboratory of the Faculty of Science Sarajevo. The appearance of a pikeperch in the river Neretva system is result of an accident introduction in the lake Rama (Š k r i j e l j, 1995; Š k r i j e l j and Ma š o v i ć, 2001). The analysis results of the contents of a pikeperch gastrointestine system have indicated very various way of its nutrition caused by capacity of a water ecosystem and a specimen size. Its tendency to the nutrition with the other fish species is expressive in the lakes with the bigger competition with the other fish species and its tendency to cannibalism is expressive in the hydro–accumulations (Salakovac and Mostar). The cannibalism has characterized a pikeperch specimens larger than 30 cm. The specimens in the lake Grabovica (4), shorter than 30 cm, ate the specimens of the zoobenthos settlement. The algae are registered in stomach of one specimen. The survival of important autochthonous species of salmonoids and cyprinids has been endangered because of the established expressive greed of a pikeperch (the larger size specimens). This fact has caused larger negative ecological changes in the central water current of the river Neretva system. These conditions require the measures of control of a pikeperch population density and introduction in general. Comparison of the nutrition of this fish species with the others in the river Neretva accumulations (K a č a n s k i et al., 1976; T r o ž i ć – B o r o v a c, 2002a), it could be concluded that a pikeperch has no competitor. The other fish species have fed on the invertebrates and plants of benthos, accept a rare lake trout Salmo trutta m. lacustris Linnaeus, 1758 specimens which have shown tendency to the greedy way of the nutrition. This paper is the contribution to the knowledge of a pikeperch nutrition in the river Neretva accumulations that is, beside the reproduction, the important character of population growth control of this greedy animal, and in the aim of the survival of the autochthonous ichthyopopulations in the river Neretva system.Analize sadržaja probavnoga trakta smuđa provedene su na osnovi pregleda 27 jedinki iz akumulacija slijeva Neretve. Izlov ribe obavili su postavljanjem mreža članovi Centra za ihtiologiju Prirodoslovno–matematskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Sarajevu od 17. srpnja do 24. rujna 2002. Disekcija i fiksacija probavnoga trakta u 4 %–tnom formaldehidu izvršena je na terenu, a pregled sadržaja probavnoga trakta u Laboratoriju Prirodoslovno–matematskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Sarajevu. Pojava smuđa u slijevu Neretve rezultat je slučajnog unosa u Ramsko jezero u (Š k r i j e l j, 1995; Š k r i j e l j i Ma š o v i ć, 2001). Rezultati analize sadržaja probavnoga trakta smuđa upućuju na veoma raznovrstan način prehrane uvjetovan kapacitetom vodnog ekosustava i veličinom jedinki. Sklonost prehrani drugim ribama izražena je u jezerima gdje je veća kompeticija s drugim vrstama riba, a u akumulacijskim jezerima (Salakovac, Mostar) izražena je sklonost kanibalizmu. Kanibalizam je karakterističan za jedinke smuđa koje su dulje od 30 cm. Sve jedinke iz jezera Grabovica (4) čija je dužina manja od 30 cm hranile su se zoobentosom, a u želucu jedne jedinke registrirane su i alge. Zbog utvrđene velike grabljivosti (kod većih jedinki) ove ribe dovodi se u pitanje opstanak važnih autohtonih vrsta riba (Salmonidae i Cyprinidae), što nedvojbeno uzrokuje veće ekološke promjene u srednjem toku slijeva Neretve u negativnome smislu. Ovakvo stanje nameće obvezu poduzimanja mjera u kontroli gustoće populacije smuđa i introdukcije uopće. Uspoređujući prehranu spomenute vrste ribe s drugim vrstama riba u neretvanskim akumulacijama (K a ć a n s k i i sur., 1976; T r o ž i ć – B o r o v a c, 2002a), možemo zaključiti da nema nikakva konkurenta, jer se sve se ribe hrane avertebratima i bentosnim biljkama, a samo su rijetki primjerci jezerske pastrve Salmo trutta m. lacustris Linnaeus, 1758 skloni grabljivom načinu prehrane. Rad pridonosi upoznavanju prehrane smuđa u neretvanskim akumulacijama, koja, uz reprodukciju, označuje bitan karakter u pronalaženju načina kontrole rasta populacije ove grabljivice i na taj način omogućivanje opstanka autohtonih ihtipopulacija u slijevu Neretve