We thank dr Yuanjun Dong for his interest in our publication.1 Dr Dong points out that previous and current stressful life events mod‐ ulate gastrointestinal (GI) symptom severity and quality of life (QoL) in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS),2 which is indeed based on recent findings.3 In addition, we would like to note that abdominal pain is the predominant symptom in IBS, as per Rome IV definition. The primary treatment outcome for IBS in clinical tri‐ als, in accordance with FDA and EMA requirements, is reduction in daily abdominal pain.4 Whether a successful treatment, based on these criteria, improves patients’ life satisfaction and QoL remains an item of debate. In the current study, we performed an extensive prospective evaluation of the natural course of IBS which included demographics, gastrointestinal symptoms, symptoms of anxiety and depression, GI‐specific anxiety, satisfaction with life, and QoL. With regard to QoL, we showed among others that general anxiety and depression levels at follow‐up were independently associated with mental quality of life scores at the same time point. Furthermore, no associations were found between GI symptom severity, including abdominal pain, and the change in QoL scores over time.1 With regard to a possible interaction between GI symptoms and stress, in Table 1 we provide data on specific questions and answers from the database of Maastricht IBS cohort regarding the patients’ perspective on this matter. No statistically significant differences were found between Rome‐positive and Rome‐negative IBS patients at follow‐up. However, the current understanding on the relationship between abdominal pain and stress, whether current or related to life events, may be limited by the methods used to assess these factors. Traditionally, data from retrospective reports have been used to de‐ scribe this relationship, but it is known that these questionnaires are limited by recall and ecological bias.4 We therefore believe that the best available method to study the relationship between GI symp‐ toms, comorbid psychological complaints, and daily life stress is re‐ peated momentary symptom assessment.5 Such methodology has been used recently to assess the temporal relationship between ab‐ dominal pain and (preceding) daily life stress.6 We have developed and are currently validating specific questionnaires based on experience sampling method (ESM) which may provide additional leads in this matter.7 In a recently completed study, we demonstrate that real‐time stress scores are positively associated with concurrent abdominal pain scores in IBS, but not in healthy subjects, whereas abdominal pain could not be predicted by preceding stress levels, and vice versa, suggesting an in‐the‐moment rather than a longitudinal association.8 Taken together, we postulate that reduction in abdominal pain is not necessarily accompanied by long‐term improvement in quality of life in patients with IBS. This may indicate that the primary treat‐ ment focus in IBS should shift from solely abdominal pain reduction and improvement of bowel habits, toward a holistic approach, which includes quality of life, comorbid psychological symptoms, and im‐ provement of coping strategies with regard to GI symptoms as well as daily life stress. However, the evidence to support a change in the approach of IBS management is still inconclusive, and further research is needed.

This letter concerns the problem of learning robust LQ-controllers, when the dynamics of the linear system are unknown. First, we propose a robust control synthesis method to minimize the worst-case LQ cost, with probability $1-\delta $ , given empirical observations of the system. Next, we propose an approximate dual controller that simultaneously regulates the system and reduces model uncertainty. The objective of the dual controller is to minimize the worst-case cost attained by a new robust controller, synthesized with the reduced model uncertainty. The dual controller is subject to an exploration budget in the sense that it has constraints on its worst-case cost with respect to the current model uncertainty. In our numerical experiments, we observe better performance of the proposed robust LQ regulator over the existing methods. Moreover, the dual control strategy gives promising results in comparison with the common greedy random exploration strategies.

Speaking of the biggest innovations for the manufacturing industry of the day, we are talking about intelligent production systems with “self-aware”, “self-contemplative and” self-sustaining “capabilities. Building such an intelligent system that is adapted and predictable provides the aforementioned capabilities in production, processes and machines. The intelligent system is able to combine various technologies and techniques for mixing statistical data, data, and artificial intelligence methods. Cigarette production is selected because it is highly serial. In such production, the use of expert systems in quality management in this area is not sufficiently developed, and with direct management, it generates great savings. Mistakes and errors are inversely proportional to productivity. This paper deals with the application of an intelligent system that uses the key principle of lean production. We need to build an adaptive system for predictive error and reduce the machine’s failure time in the cigarette industry.

Summary This study assessed the potential of probiotic characteristics of bacterial strains isolated from dry-cured sheep ham. It is one of the most common autochthonous processed meat products made in a traditional way on the Pešter plateau (Western Serbia). Isolates were identified as Lactobacillus curvatus (9 strains), Lactobacillus sakei (3 strains), and Enterococcus faecium (4 strains) using MALDI-TOF mass spectrophotometry. The study of probiotic characteristics of 16 dry-cured sheep ham isolates included survival rate through the gastrointestinal tract (GI), the possibility of biogenic amine synthesis, growth on medium with different concentrations of phenol,and antimicrobial activity. The results showed that in simulated gastric juice conditions, the cell number decreased after the first hour of incubation in the tested strains of Lb. curvatus, Lb. sakei and En. faecium except in the case of Lb. curvatus IIos19 where the number of cells remained approximately the same. After the second hour of incubation, the number of cells generally remained at the level of the first hour except in the case of the following isolates: Lb. sakei Ios12, Lb. curvatus IIos18 and En. faecium IIos24, where an increase in the number of cells was noticed after the second hour of incubation. In simulated small intestine conditions, an increase in the number of vital cells after 4 and 6 hours of incubation was observed in the isolates Lb. curvatus IIos4, Lb. sakei (Ios12, IIIos13), and En. faecium Ios1a. Synthesis of biogenic amines was not observed in investigated lactobacilli and enterococci. Analyzed isolates exhibited growth on media with 0.1% and 0.2% phenol, while 5 isolates exhibited decarboxylase activity. Six Lactobacillus strains, Lb. curvatus (IIos6, IIos17, and IIIos1), Lb. sakei (IIIos16, Ios12, and IIIos13) and En. faecium Ios4 inhibited the growth of tested pathogens, including Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19115, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579.

The security of each system is essential for its use. In order to make this process as successful as possible, it is advisable to develop a threat model for the system under consideration at the design stage. The purpose of the threat model is to enable the identification of security threats, by whose further analysis we can conclude which are the greatest vulnerabilities of the system and which pose the greatest risk. There exist many different approaches to threat modeling in terms of methods, methodologies, and tools. In this paper, we give an overview of those approaches and apply one of them, i.e., the most represented and mature to a specific system. A STRIDE-based methodology, software-centric method, and Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool (MTMT) mixture has been used to threat model the Web of Things (WoT)-based temperature management system which is in the design phase.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the safety of forklift brakes. The research methodology used to analyze forklift brake safety is presented using the checklist descriptive method. The study was conducted on 127 forklifts with an average age of 15 years, where it was found that about 10% of the forklifts did not have a proper parking brake and that about 2% of the forklifts had defective service brakes. Finally, the results obtained from the research on brake safety have been discussed and further research has been proposed.

Engaging in non-driving related tasks (NDRTs) while driving can be considered distracting and safety detrimental. However, with the introduction of highly automated driving systems that relieve drivers from driving, more NDRTs will be feasible. In fact, many car manufacturers emphasize that one of the main advantages with automated cars is that it “frees up time” for other activities while on the move. This paper investigates how well drivers are able to engage in an NDRT while in automated driving mode (i.e., SAE Level 4) in real traffic, via a Wizard of Oz platform. The NDRT was designed to be visually and cognitively demanding and require manual interaction. The results show that the drivers’ attention to a great extent shifted from the road ahead towards the NDRT. Participants could perform the NDRT equally well as when in an office (e.g. correct answers, time to completion), showing that the performance did not deteriorate when in the automated vehicle. Yet, many participants indicated that they noted and reacted to environmental changes and sudden changes in vehicle motion. Participants were also surprised by their own ability to, with ease, disconnect from driving. The presented study extends previous research by identifying that drivers to a high extent are able to engage in a NDRT while in automated mode in real traffic. This is promising for future of automated cars ability to “free up time” and enable drivers to engage in non-driving related activities.