Procedural modeling is used to generate virtual content in organized layouts of exterior and interior elements. There is a large number of existing layout generation methods, and newer approaches propose the generation of multiple layout types within the same generation session. This introduces additional constraints when manually created layout elements need to be combined with the automatically generated content. Existing approaches are either designed to work with existing elements for a single layout type, or require a high amount of manual work for adding existing elements within multiple layouts. This paper presents a method that enables the application of existing subdivision methods on multiple layout types by inserting existing content into the generation result. This method can generate test cases by creating variations of partially generated layouts for procedural modeling methods that can work with existing content.

Recognizing the increasing importance of renewable energy sources, specifically wind farms, in today's power environments, this paper aims to clarify the complex interactions between these renewable energy facilities and distribution grids functioning under low-demand conditions. This particular case comes with inherent limitations that must be considered by taking into account all the factors that can influence the performance of the wind farm under these conditions. The modelling procedure and the simulation of the connection of the wind farm to the power system in rural area was performed using EMTP-RV software. The mean annual production of the wind power plant and the behaviour of the wind power plant in the event of failure in a real power system were calculated. Also, the power quality was examined in agreement with the Network Code of the transmission system of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This research delves into the crucial role of solar energy, particularly photovoltaic (PV) conversion, in the global shift towards renewable sources. Focusing on the stochastic nature of PV power plants, the study emphasizes fault ride-through operations and their repercussions on electrical power systems. A detailed modeling approach is employed using Electromagnetic Transient Program (EMTP) software to simulate a large-scale PV power plant connected to a high-voltage transmission network. The analysis encompasses various fault scenarios, shedding light on the resilience of PV systems and their broader impacts during faults. This investigation enhances the understanding of PV dynamics in fault conditions, providing valuable insights for sustainable energy systems.

Next-generation mobile networks, such as 5G/6G, have envisioned the possibility of direct communication between user devices, known as Device-to-Device (D2D) communication. Given that in D2D networks, traffic is transmitted ad-hoc from device to device, the range and quality of service are directly dependent on the number of nodes forming the D2D network. Therefore, we need to incentivize users to participate in the network operation through appropriate compensation for the provided resources and work done. A D2D network formed this way is inherently decentralized, making blockchain the primary choice as a technology. In this paper, we propose a new blockchain-based protocol for active tracing of IP traffic via in-band network telemetry. The experiment demonstrates that the proposed protocol can record all nodes participating in traffic forwarding in the D2D network through active traffic monitoring. Blockchain-based microtransactions can use participation records provided by our protocol to incentivize users to expand and strengthen the D2D network.

Embedded real-time clock systems have a large number of applications in practice. The main issue is the accuracy of time they show, which is why performing time synchronization is very important for their usability and reliability. This paper proposes an embedded real-time analogue clock that uses an AdaFruit NeoPixel LED ring for visualizing current time. Three different colors are used for showing hour, minute and second values, whereas different levels of brightness are used for describing accurate values of time to the level of milliseconds. An Ethernet LAN module is used for performing time synchronization via a remote NTP server. Dynamic synchronization interval change is used for removing the effect of the microcontroller clock error on the accuracy of the shown time. After being put to use, the system was able to perform multiple functions successfully, including the conveying of information to the user when the clock is out of sync.

Software development is implemented in several key phases, one of which is software testing. Software testing consists of selecting techniques for the purpose of finding software defects and bugs in the process of writing code. There are several ways and approaches that lead us to that purpose, with the goal of selecting the most adequate method in terms of cost, complexity, and efficiency. In this paper, we will take a deeper dive into mutation testing techniques. Mutation testing techniques are fault-based and focus more on test structures than the input data, which is considered the testing start point. The basic concept of mutation testing consists of a few steps, which will be covered in this paper, and metrics that measure how effective the tests really are. With a few code examples, we will show why code coverage, which is mostly taken as a measure while testing, is sometimes not the most reliable source and does not give a full picture when talking about the quality of written tests.

The applications presented in this conference paper focus on the development of a mobile and web application serving as a planner with a focus on tracking persons with Down syndrome. These innovative technological solutions contribute to the development of independence and functionality for persons with Down syndrome while emphasizing the importance of inclusivity in society. In addition to focusing on organizing activities, the mobile and web applications provide support and facilitate daily tasks. The web application allows parents/guardians/teachers to add new activities to the planner and track the progress of these activities. On the other hand, the mobile application enables persons with Down syndrome to record their activities within the application, considering their specific challenges, and customizing the user interface to their needs.

Young breast and bowel cancers (e.g., those diagnosed before age 40 or 50 years) have far greater morbidity and mortality in terms of years of life lost, and are increasing in incidence, but have been less studied. For breast and bowel cancers, the familial relative risks, and therefore the familial variances in age‐specific log(incidence), are much greater at younger ages, but little of these familial variances has been explained. Studies of families and twins can address questions not easily answered by studies of unrelated individuals alone. We describe existing and emerging family and twin data that can provide special opportunities for discovery. We present designs and statistical analyses, including novel ideas such as the VALID (Variance in Age‐specific Log Incidence Decomposition) model for causes of variation in risk, the DEPTH (DEPendency of association on the number of Top Hits) and other approaches to analyse genome‐wide association study data, and the within‐pair, ICE FALCON (Inference about Causation from Examining FAmiliaL CONfounding) and ICE CRISTAL (Inference about Causation from Examining Changes in Regression coefficients and Innovative STatistical AnaLysis) approaches to causation and familial confounding. Example applications to breast and colorectal cancer are presented. Motivated by the availability of the resources of the Breast and Colon Cancer Family Registries, we also present some ideas for future studies that could be applied to, and compared with, cancers diagnosed at older ages and address the challenges posed by young breast and bowel cancers.

Statisticians rank oral and lip cancer sixth in global mortality at 10.2%. Mouth opening and swallowing are challenging. Hence, most oral cancer patients only report later stages. They worry about surviving cancer and receiving therapy. Oral cancer severely affects QOL. QOL is affected by risk factors, disease site, and treatment. Using oral cancer patient questionnaires, we use light gradient Boost Tree classifiers to predict life quality. DIAS records were used for 111 oral cancer patients. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer’s QLQ-C30 and QLQ-HN43 were used to document the findings. Anyone could enroll, regardless of gender or age. The IHEC/SDC/PhD/OPATH-1954/19/TH-001 Institutional Ethical Clearance Committee approved this work. After informed consent, patients received the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-HN43 questionnaires. Surveys were in Tamil and English. Overall, QOL ratings covered several domains. We obtained patient demographics, case history, and therapy information from our DIAS (Dental Information Archival Software). Enrolled patients were monitored for at least a year. After one year, the EORTC questionnaire was retaken, and scores were recorded. This prospective analytical exploratory study at Saveetha Dental College, Chennai, India, examined QOL at diagnosis and at least 12 months after primary therapy in patients with histopathologically diagnosed oral malignancies. We measured oral cancer patients’ quality of life using data preprocessing, feature selection, and model construction. A confusion matrix was created using light gradient boosting to measure accuracy. Light gradient boosting predicted cancer patients’ quality of life with 96% accuracy and 0.20 log loss. Oral surgeons and oncologists can improve planning and therapy with this prediction model.

In this paper we derive some new identities involving the Fibonacci and Lucas polynomials and the Chebyshev polynomials of the first and the second kind. Our starting point is a finite trigonometric sum which equals the resolvent kernel on the discrete circle with $m$ vertices and which can be evaluated in two different ways. An expression for this sum in terms of the Chebyshev polynomials was deduced in \cite{JKS} and the expression in terms of the Fibonacci and Lucas polynomials is deduced in this paper. As a consequence, we establish some further identities involving trigonometric sums and Fibonacci, Lucas, Pell and Pell-Lucas polynomials and numbers, thus providing a"physical"interpretation for those identities. Moreover, the finite trigonometric sum of the type considered in this paper can be related to the effective resistance between any two vertices of the $N$-cycle graph with four nearest neighbors $C_{N}(1,2)$. This yields further identities involving Fibonacci numbers.

Given the uncertainty surrounding how existing explainability methods for autonomous vehicles (AVs) meet the diverse needs of stakeholders, a thorough investigation is imperative to determine the contexts requiring explanations and suitable interaction strategies. A comprehensive review becomes crucial to assess the alignment of current approaches with varied interests and expectations within the AV ecosystem. This study presents a review to discuss the complexities associated with explanation generation and presentation to facilitate the development of more effective and inclusive explainable AV systems. Our investigation led to categorising existing literature into three primary topics: explanatory tasks, explanatory information and explanatory information communication. Drawing upon our insights, we have proposed a comprehensive roadmap for future research centred on (i) knowing the interlocutor, (ii) generating timely explanations, (ii) communicating human-friendly explanations and (iv) continuous learning. Our roadmap is underpinned by principles of responsible research and innovation, emphasising the significance of diverse explanation requirements. To effectively tackle the challenges associated with implementing explainable AV systems, we have delineated various research directions, including the development of privacy-preserving data integration, ethical frameworks, real-time analytics, human-centric interaction design and enhanced cross-disciplinary collaborations. By exploring these research directions, the study aims to guide the development and deployment of explainable AVs, informed by a holistic understanding of user needs, technological advancements, regulatory compliance and ethical considerations, thereby ensuring safer and more trustworthy autonomous driving experiences.

Messaging apps, such as Telegram and WhatsApp, are routinely used to communicate, chat and make decisions. Group Recommender Systems (GRSs) have been introduced as self standing tools to support group interactions and decision-making. We present here a TelegramBot, named CHARM, that supports groups to make a decision on an arbitrary topic by leveraging GRSs techniques. CHARM helps elicit the group members’ preferences, ranks the items that the members have suggested to be considered, provides a summary of the current status of the discussion, and finally recommends a fair choice. A focus group study has revealed that the designed functionality includes features that users expect to find in a bot aimed at supporting group decision-making.

Intracerebral aneurysms (IAs) are pathological dilatations of cerebral arteries whose rupture leads to subarachnoid hemorrhage, a significant cause of disability and death. Inflammation is recognized as a critical contributor to the formation, growth, and rupture of IAs; however, its precise actors have not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we report CNS-associated macrophages (CAMs), also known as border-associated macrophages, as one of the key players in IA pathogenesis, acting as critical mediators of inflammatory processes related to IA ruptures. Using a new mouse model of middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms we show that CAMs accumulate in the IA walls. This finding was confirmed in a human MCA aneurysm obtained after surgical clipping, together with other pathological characteristics found in the experimental model including morphological changes and inflammatory cell infiltration. In addition, in vivo longitudinal molecular MRI studies revealed vascular inflammation strongly associated with the aneurysm area, i.e., high expression of VCAM-1 and P-selectin adhesion molecules, which precedes and predicts the bleeding extent in the case of IA rupture. Specific CAM depletion by intracerebroventricular injection of clodronate liposomes prior to IA induction reduced IA formation and rupture rate. Moreover, the absence of CAMs ameliorated the outcome severity of IA ruptures resulting in smaller hemorrhages, accompanied by reduced neutrophil infiltration. Our data shed light on the unexplored role of CAMs as main actors orchestrating the progression of IAs towards a rupture-prone state. Graphical abstract

Background: Understanding the relationship between teachers’ physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QoL), which is impacted by work-related stress, could help develop guidelines for improvement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of physical activity on high school teachers’ quality of life and the differences in QoL and PA between male and female teachers. Methods: The sample consisted of 499 respondents (193 men and 306 women), all working in the educational system. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (short form) was used for PA assessment, and the WHOQoL questionnaire to measure QoL. Results: Physical health and Psychological health domains were areas where male teachers scored better (p < 0.01, both), while female teachers had higher scores in Social relationships domain (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that PA affects Physical health: Sig. = 0.056; Psychological health: Sig. = 0.000; Social relationships: Sig. = 0.001; Environment: Sig. = 0.021 in men, and Physical health (Sig. = 0.009) and Psychological health (Sig. = 0.039) in women. Conclusions: The findings of this study allow us to conclude that, whereas female teachers’ PA primarily impacts their physical and psychological domain, male teachers’ PA has an impact on their overall QoL.

Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to determine and analyze the determinants of the capital structure of joint-stock companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina that are listed on the Banja Luka Stock Exchange. This study will answer the question as to which factors determine the capital structure of BiH companies and whether existing financial theories of the capital structure hold true in that context. The main research objective is to estimate the effects of a firm’s level determinants on its capital structure measures in different ownership structures. Those findings will certainly advance our understanding of listed companies financing behavior. Methodology. For the research, we took into account firm-specific characteristics and divided joint-stock companies into private and state-owned. The results of the research show that the capital structure of these two groups of enterprises is differently affected by individual determinants. Findings and implications. While state-owned enterprises rely more on borrowed resources to finance both short-term and long-term assets, private enterprises even finance part of their short-term assets with their own capital. However, the most important determinant in both groups of enterprises is the share of inventories in short-term assets, which confirms that short-term liabilities, i.e. free sources of financing in the form of liabilities to suppliers are the determinant that most positively affect the indebtedness of all enterprises. Unlike previous research that observed enterprises according to their size or affiliation to individual industries, the focus of our research is enterprises of different ownership structures. The empirical statistical results provide basis for logical conclusion and appropriate policy implications. The study points to the specifics of the capital structure in private and publicly listed joint-stock companies. The stated opposite influence of certain ratios on the indebtedness of the enterprises is explained by a number of factors. Limitations. This study focuses only on the presentation of the recent indicators of capital structure of listed companies - listed on the Banja Luka Stock Exchange, which is one of its major limitations. The limitation of this search is the sample size which can be considered low. Further research may be conducted by using other capital markets to explore more information regarding the effect of the variables affecting the capital structure. In addition, further research may also be conducted by using other proxies or by adding more variables, sample size, and research period to get a better result. Originality. The study is an original research paper. It has not been published in any other peer-reviewed journal not under consideration for publication by any other journal. The paper adds to the existing literature on Bosnia and Hezegovina by giving an overview of recent developments in the flexi purity concept, pointing out the areas that require policy response.