We introduce a sequential learning algorithm to address a robust controller tuning problem, which in effect, finds (with high probability) a candidate solution satisfying the internal performance constraint to a chance-constrained program which has black-box functions. The algorithm leverages ideas from the areas of randomised algorithms and ordinal optimisation, and also draws comparisons with the scenario approach; these have all been previously applied to finding approximate solutions for difficult design problems. By exploiting statistical correlations through black-box sampling, we formally prove that our algorithm yields a controller meeting the prescribed probabilistic performance specification. Additionally, we characterise the computational requirement of the algorithm with a probabilistic lower bound on the algorithm's stopping time. To validate our work, the algorithm is then demonstrated for tuning model predictive controllers on a diesel engine air-path across a fleet of vehicles. The algorithm successfully tuned a single controller to meet a desired tracking error performance, even in the presence of the plant uncertainty inherent across the fleet. Moreover, the algorithm was shown to exhibit a sample complexity comparable to the scenario approach.

Low indoor humidity has been shown to influence the transmission of respiratory diseases via air. A certain proportion of sick leave in offices is therefore attributable to dryness of air. An improvement in these conditions thus means a reduction in sick leave, which is accompanied by cost savings for companies. Vertical indoor greening has a verifiable positive effect on air humidity, especially in winter months. In this article, the correlation between improved air humidity in greened rooms and reduction of sick leave due to improved air humidity was described. The resulting indirect economic effect was determined by comparing the costs for construction, green care, and technical maintenance of indoor greenery with savings due to lower sick leave. Based on long-term measurement data on air humidity and temperature, and actual cost values for three buildings, located in Vienna, Austria, with 6 greened and 3 reference rooms without greenery, the correlation of the method was derived and finally formulated in a generalized way using dimensioning factors. Only considering the influence on air humidity, profitability of 6.6 m2 vertical greening installed in an example office with six workplaces equipped with technical ventilation and saving of two sick days already results after about 4.5 years.

This paper presents accounts in the Ottoman language on the movement of Hamzevis and their activities written by the famous mufti and muderis of Belgrade Munīrī Belġrādī by the beginning of the 17th century. In two of his seventeen works that are known to us, Belġrādī speaks directly about the Hamzevis, their founder and activities, and in two works, writing about other topics, he indirectly touches on the Hamzevis, their teachings and behaviour. Belġrādī’s accounts are important because they give a picture of the Ottoman State’s attitude towards religious movements as well as the positioning of a scholar, such as Belġrādī, regarding these movements. The paper also points out that the Hamzevi movement was not only of a religious character, but also had a potential to be a carrier of socio-political changes. This paper provides basic academic literature on Hamzevis, a brief overview of the author’s biography, a Latin transcription of Belġrādī’s reports with a paraphrased translation into Bosnian, and an analysis of these data in the light of socio-political events in the Ottoman Empire during the second half of the 16th century.

Stability has always been the main safety issue for all marine vessels, and static stability evaluation is adequate for ship service [...]

Names and terminology from Oriental-Islamic spirituality and culture are an important layer of the lexicon of the Bosnian language to which users mostly build a special relationship. That is why orthographic standardization of such words is a very challenging and responsible task. The expectations are always different. In the case of the names and terminology discussed in this article, Muslim theologians, intellectuals, imams, etc. have the greatest influence and the most significant role. They must first of all understand that the vocabulary in question has ceased to be Arabic by the act of borrowing and has become Bosnian, falling that way under the normative ‘jurisdiction’ of the Bosnian language. Only by incorporating all such words into the appropriate Bosnian spelling categories we show that they are fully accepted and domesticated in the Bosnian language. Likewise, as we wander around choosing different ways of writing them (especially those that are foreign to the Bosnian language and spelling), we are actually showing that these words are still a ‘problem’ for us, even after centuries of their presence in the Bosnian language. In doing so, one should know that every battle against natural laws, including linguistic ones, is lost in advance.

Gamma radiation produces DNA instability and impaired phenotype. Previously, we observed negative effects on phenotype, DNA methylation, and gene expression profiles, in offspring of zebrafish exposed to gamma radiation during gametogenesis. We hypothesize that previously observed effects are accompanied with changes in the expression profile of non-coding RNAs, inherited by next generations. Non-coding RNA expression profile was analysed in F1 offspring (5.5 h post-fertilization) by high-throughput sequencing 1 year after parental irradiation (8.7 mGy/h, 5.2 Gy total dose). Using our previous F1-γ genome-wide gene expression data (GSE98539), hundreds of mRNAs were predicted as targets of differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs, involved in pathways such as insulin receptor, NFkB and PTEN signalling, linking to apoptosis and cancer. snRNAs belonging to the five major spliceosomal snRNAs were down-regulated in the F1-γ group, Indicating transcriptional and post-transcriptional alterations. In addition, DEpiRNA clusters were associated to 9 transposable elements (TEs) (LTR, LINE, and TIR) (p = 0.0024), probable as a response to the activation of these TEs. Moreover, the expression of the lincRNAs malat-1, and several others was altered in the offspring F1, in concordance with previously observed phenotypical alterations. In conclusion, our results demonstrate diverse gamma radiation-induced alterations in the ncRNA profiles of F1 offspring observable 1 year after parental irradiation.

Gamma radiation produces DNA instability and impaired phenotype. Previously, we observed negative effects on phenotype, DNA methylation, and gene expression profiles, in offspring of zebrafish exposed to gamma radiation during gametogenesis. We hypothesize that previously observed effects are accompanied with changes in the expression profile of non-coding RNAs, inherited by next generations. Non-coding RNA expression profile was analysed in F 1 offspring (5.5 h post-fertilization) by high-throughput sequencing 1 year after parental irradiation (8.7 mGy/h, 5.2 Gy total dose). Using our previous F 1 -γ genome-wide gene expression data (GSE98539), hundreds of mRNAs were predicted as targets of differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs, involved in pathways such as insulin receptor, NFkB and PTEN signalling, linking to apoptosis and cancer. snRNAs belonging to the five major spliceosomal snRNAs were down-regulated in the F 1 -γ group, Indicating transcriptional and post-transcriptional alterations. In addition, DEpiRNA clusters were associated to 9 transposable elements (TEs) (LTR, LINE, and TIR) (p = 0.0024), probable as a response to the activation of these TEs. Moreover, the expression of the lincRNAs malat-1 , and several others was altered in the offspring F 1 , in concordance with previously observed phenotypical alterations. In conclusion, our results demonstrate diverse gamma radiation-induced alterations in the ncRNA profiles of F 1 offspring observable 1 year after parental irradiation.

This paper reviews our program of research on human-robot interaction, which is grounded in theory and research on human intergroup relations from the field of social psychology. Under the “computers as social actors” paradigm, people treat robots in similar ways as they treat other humans. We argue that robots’ differences from humans lead them to be regarded as members of a potentially competing outgroup. Based on this conceptual parallel, our studies examine four related areas: people’s reactions to multiple (as opposed to single) robots; characteristics of robot groups (such as synchrony) that may influence people’s responses; tests of interventions that have been demonstrated to reduce prejudice in humans; and tests of other theoretical predictions drawn from work on human intergroup behavior. Several of these studies examined cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan. We offer brief descriptions and citations of 10 previously published studies (total N = 1635), as well as 12 unpublished studies (total N = 1692) that produced null or inconsistent results – to make them part of the scientific record and potentially inspire related investigations by others. Finally, we offer some broad conclusions based on this program of research.

Purpose: The goal is to research how tourism companies encourage organizational creativity and thus gain a competitive advantage. The aim of this paper is to answer the question of whether the competitive advantage of tourism companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be improved by encouraging organizational creativity. Approach/ Methodology/ Design: For collecting data, a survey questionnaire was developed. The survey questionnaire was distributed electronically to tourism enterprises in Bosnia and Herzegovina. An econometric analysis is employed in order to prove the positive correlation between creativity and competitive advantage of tourism companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Findings: The results of the research showed that in order to achieve a competitive advantage, companies can manage creativity by encouraging: individual creativity whose existence is conditioned by the ability to think creatively, intellectual capacity, motivation and freedom of decision of employees. Based on the obtained research results, team creativity can be realized when employees develop a tendency to share knowledge, have confidence in the team, and that the organization ensures a free flow of information. Practical Implication: A model of creativity and innovation is proposed in this study. Based on the results of the study, the model could be applied to other transition countries in the region. Originality/Value: A special contribution of the paper is the model of integrative creativity to tourist companies.

ABSTRACT An eighteenth-century transcription of the Qur’anic text, originating from Istanbul but now housed at the Mesudija Library in Bosnia and Herzegovina, underwent a series of analyses prior to conservation. The artefact characterization included preliminary analyses accompanied by microscopy such as determination of the fiber composition, paper typology, and microchemical tests. The acidity status of the paper was established by measuring the pH, and proteins of the sizing material were confirmed by employing thin layer chromatography. Foxing stains were examined by UV fluorescence and optical microscopy. Selected pigments of the illumination, the black ink, and the gilded book cover were examined using X-ray fluorescence. The identity of pigments was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The obtained results indicate that this lavishly illuminated manuscript was created by choosing the finest and least deteriorating materials of its time including carbon-based ink, gold for illumination, lignin-free paper, and protective layers consisting of egg white, alum, and starch. Collectively, these findings provided valuable guidelines for the conservation processes of this manuscript.

Objective. Adequate upper esophageal sphincter (UES) opening is essential during swallowing to enable clearance of material into the digestive system, and videofluoroscopy (VF) is the most commonly deployed instrumental examination for assessment of UES opening. High-resolution cervical auscultation (HRCA) has been shown to be an effective, portable and cost-efficient screening tool for dysphagia with strong capabilities in non-invasively and accurately approximating manual measurements of VF images. In this study, we aimed to examine whether the HRCA signals are correlated to the manually measured anterior–posterior (AP) distension of maximal UES opening from VF recordings, under the hypothesis that they would be strongly associated. Approach. We developed a standardized method to spatially measure the AP distension of maximal UES opening in 203 swallows VF recording from 27 patients referred for VF due to suspected dysphagia. Statistical analysis was conducted to compare the manually measured AP distension of maximal UES opening from lateral plane VF images and features extracted from two sets of HRCA signal segments: whole swallow segments and segments excluding all events other than the duration of UES is opening. Main results. HRCA signal features were significantly associated with the normalized AP distension of the maximal UES opening in the longer whole swallowing segments and the association became much stronger when analysis was performed solely during the duration of UES opening. Significance. This preliminary feasibility study demonstrated the potential value of HRCA signals features in approximating the objective measurements of maximal UES AP distension and paves the way of developing HRCA to non-invasively and accurately predict human spatial measurement of VF kinematic events.

The small intestine is a challenging organ for clinical and radiological evaluation. The introduction of radiological imaging techniques, which do not significantly disturb patients’ comfort and safety, attempts to obtain an adequate diagnosis and valuable information. The aim is to determine the capabilities and potential of ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) enterography to establish the diagnosis and to evaluate the severity and activity of intestinal inflammation. Conventional ultrasound is a suitable orientation method in the initial evaluation of patients with Crohn’s disease. At the same time, contrast-enhanced MR enterography provides an excellent assessment of disease activity, as well as the complications that accompany it. Contrast-enhanced MR enterography, combined with DWI, allows for excellent evaluation of disease activity and problems or difficulties following it. The examination can be repeated, controlled and can monitor patients with this disease.