The parameters selection process is a global combinatorial optimization problem which positively affects classification accuracy in many areas of science, especially in artificial intelligence and machine learning. In this paper, we propose a two-stage BA-SVM method, where the recent Bat Algorithm (BA) has been exploited to seek optimal parameters of Support Vector Machines (SVMs) in the first phase of BA-SVM, while the One-Versus-One method has been utilized in the second phase to generate acceptable classification outcomes. The presented method is spread on standard benchmarks and compared with three techniques from the literature. Experiments show that the BA-SVM approach was superior in all cases compared to the classification methods from the literature.

This paper presents assessment of selected concept of medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV) power supply system of motorway energy consumers/systems on the Pan-European motorway corridor, branch Vc, in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) through methods of reliability analyses. Assessment of selected concept is performed through comparison with different, enhanced and reduced, possible MV network and MV/LV transformer substation configurations. Comparison and analysis of different configurations have been made using of serial, parallel, serial-parallel and delta-star reliability model and Fault tree model. Objective was to confirm that selected concept offers optimized technical solution which provides reliable power supply, failure rate of the supply system as low as possible, together with relative simplicity of design. The results from the selected approach of reliability analyses indicate that this power supply concept entirely based on direct power supply from the primary transformer stations 110/x kV, which ensures two-sided MV power supply of MV/LV transformer substations and their redundant configuration provides reliable power supply of motorway consumers.

Which population factors have predisposed people to disregard government safety guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic and what justifications do they give for this non-compliance? To address these questions, we analyse fixed-choice and free-text responses to survey questions about compliance and government handling of the pandemic, collected from tens of thousands of members of the UK public at three 6-monthly timepoints. We report that sceptical opinions about the government and mainstream-media narrative, especially as pertaining to justification for guidelines, significantly predict non-compliance. However, free text topic modelling shows that such opinions are diverse, spanning from scepticism about government competence and self-interest to full-blown conspiracy theories, and covary in prevalence with sociodemographic variables. These results indicate that attempts to counter non-compliance through argument should account for this diversity in peoples’ underlying opinions, and inform conversations aimed at bridging the gap between the general public and bodies of authority accordingly.

The specific geographic location of Sarajevo, which is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, provides the opportunity to analyze the relation between the concentration of PM10 and meteorological parameters with and without temperature inversion. The main aim of this paper was to develop forecasting models of the hourly average of PM10 values in the Sarajevo urban area based on meteorological parameters measured in Sarajevo and on the Bjelasnica mountain with and without temperature inversion by using principal component regression (PCR). Also, this research explored and analyzed the differences in the values of the meteorological parameters and PM10 in Sarajevo with and without temperature inversion, and the difference in temperatures between Sarajevo and Bjelasnica with temperature inversion using statistical hypothesis testing with a total of 240 hypothesis tests performed. The measurements of meteorological parameters were taken from 2020 to 2022 for both Sarajevo (630 m) and the Bjelasnica mountain (2067 m), which allowed for the identification of time periods with and without temperature inversion, while measurements of PM10 were taken only in Sarajevo. Data were collected during the heating season (November, December, January, February and March). Since analyses have shown that only January and November had time periods with and without temperature inversion during each hour of the day, a total of seven cases were identified: two cases with and five cases without temperature inversion. For each case, three PCR models were developed using all principal components, backward elimination and eigenvalue principal component elimination criteria (λ<1). A total of 21 models were developed. The performance of the models were evaluated based on the coefficient of determination R2 and the standard error SE. The backward elimination models were shown to have high performances with the highest value of R2= 97.19 and the lowest value of SE=1.32. The study showed that some principal components with eigenvalues λ<1 were significantly related to the independent variable PM10 and thus were retained in the PCR models. In the study, it was shown that backward elimination PCR was an adequate tool to develop PM10 forecasting models with high performances and that it could be useful for authorities for early warnings or other action to protect citizens from very harmful pollution. Hypothesis tests showed different relations of meteorological parameters and PM10 with and without temperature inversion.

Vehicular communication is a critical technology in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that aims to improve transportation safety and efficiency. However, traditional radio-based systems, such as Cellular V2X (C-V2X) and Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), may suffer from performance degradation in dense traffic scenarios. To address this issue, Line of Sight (LoS) technologies such as Visible Light Communication (VLC) are being explored as complementary technologies to RF.VLC utilizes LEDs on vehicles to exchange information with preceding and subsequent vehicles, allowing ITS to create a safer and less congested transportation system. Recent studies have shown that combining DSRC and VLC can minimize the performance degradation experienced by RF communication technologies.This paper highlights the need to combine RF and LoS technologies to improve the stability and reliability of V2V communication. It discusses various LoS and RF technologies and presents combinations that can be used for communication. Finally, a hybrid strategy that combines the best properties of individual technologies is proposed, demonstrating the feasibility of such a solution.

On the territory of the municipality of Bosanski Petrovac in the village of Bukovača., there is the fort on the Stražbenica hill. It is a known but unexplored locality that has been recorded in professional literature based on traces of architectural buildings, as well as movable archaeological material. To this day, it is known for its Roman coins, jewelry, fibulae, and late antique tomb and necropolis. In this context, there are accidental findings that are presented for the first time in this paper. These are coins, ceramics, horse shoes, three-edged arrows, fibulae that can be dated in a wide time interval from prehistory to late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages.

The bearers of the surname Kapičić in the Trebinje area can be followed for a whole century in three generations (1417-1525). Preserved sources represent them for a long time as road robbers operating in the northeastern area of Trebinje, controlling the Bosnian (Drina) and Nikšić roads. At the beginning of the 16th century, they participated in credit trade as debtors and were engaged in the transportation of goods from Dubrovnik to Novi Pazar, Kruševac, Niš and Sofia. The Kapičići are the people of Trebinje lord Ostoja Poznanović. The first generation is represented by Dobro (1417-1426), Dobrilo (1417-1434), Ljubiša (1421-1444), Obrad (1434) and probably Radat Kapičić (+1421). Through three generations, the family line of Dobril Kapičić is best known.

When exposed to strong laser fields, atoms or molecules can absorb more photons from the laser field than is necessary for ionization. This process is called above-threshold ionization (ATI). In analyzing this process, the strong-field approximation (SFA) turns out to be a very useful theoretical tool. In the SFA the differential ionization rate, which is an observable quantity, can be expressed as an integral over the ionization time and can be calculated by numerical integration (NI) or using the saddle-point method (SPM). When we use the Slater orbitals to describe the ground-state wave function of the valence electron, the results obtained using the SPM and NI do not agree. We find the reasons for this disagreement and introduce a modified SPM that leads to excellent agreement between the SPM and NI results for various strong laser fields.

Abstract Objective The primary objectives of this study were to 1) investigate the internal consistency 2) and construct validity of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment Questionnaire (SMFA) in older adults commencing physical rehabilitation in an outpatient setting. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited older adults who had commenced physical rehabilitation in an outpatient setting. The SMFA consists of two indices: 1) dysfunction capturing the impact of musculoskeletal disorders on physical limitations, and 2) bothering capturing how the individual is emotionally affected by their disorder. SMFA holds four categories: ‘mobility’, ‘daily activities’, ‘emotional status’, and ‘function of the arm and hand’. Participants answered the SMFA alongside other patient-reported questionnaires (such as the 36-Item Short Form Survey, SF-36) and similar) and objectively measured muscle strength for the upper and lower body and functional capacity. Results We included 115 older adults with a median age of 74 years (IQR 9). Adequate internal consistency was seen with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.90–0.94 for the SMFA indices and 0.77–0.91 for the SMFA categories. The strongest correlations between the SMFA indices were observed with the SF-36 physical component summary (SMFA-Dysfunction r = 0.74, p < 0.05, SMFA-Bother r = 0.72, p < 0.05). Only fair correlations were found between SMFA index scores and clinical outcome measures. Discussion This study demonstrated that the SMFA has adequate internal consistency and construct validity for self-reported health status in older adults, especially when considering components covering physical health status. However, we only observed fair correlations between SMFA and clinical outcome measures, indicating that SMFA does not adequately capture muscle strength and functional capacity.

Abstract The aim of this case report is to show the advantages of the extraperitoneal cesarean section (ECS) approach in a pregnant patient with multiple previous abdominal transperitoneal colon surgeries and Crohn’s disease. A pregnant nulliparous woman with Crohn’s disease was admitted for delivery. After delivery, a large rupture and lesion of the rectum was observed. Suturing of the vagina, rectum and sphincter was performed by an abdominal surgeon. Because of a very large and irregularly shaped rectum rupture, the patient underwent infraumbilical medial laparotomy and sigmoidostomy. After 18 months, the patient started to experience vaginal discharge and Y-shaped rectovaginal fistula was confirmed. Surgical reconstruction was performed. The patient’s second pregnancy began one year later. At 38 weeks of pregnancy, elective extraperitoneal cesarean section was performed. A healthy newborn was delivered. Follow-up showed full and fast recovery after the ECS. In cases of pregnant women who have had multiple colon surgeries, gynecology surgeons can choose to perform an ECS to avoid transperitoneal entrance into the abdomen. ECS avoids lysis of postoperative adhesions after repetitive gastrointestinal surgeries, the formation of new adhesions by lysis of the old adhesions, and most importantly, the possibility of colon or small intestine lesions during lysis of dense or firm adhesions.