Technical College of Applied Sciences

This paper presents a detailed comparative analysis of two key documents regulating the design of bicycle infrastructure: Local Transport Note 1/20 – Cycle Infrastructure Design from the United Kingdom and the Manual for the Design of Bicycle Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia. The research focuses on a comparative examination of geometric elements, including widths, radii, gradients, sight distances, and cyclist guidance through intersections. Particular emphasis is placed on differences in design approaches, safety standards, inclusivity, and their implications for contemporary urban planning. The results indicate significant differences in approach: British standards are more modern, inclusive, and aligned with international best practices, while the Serbian manual provides basic technical guidelines but requires further improvement in order to adequately address the contemporary needs of all users of bicycle infrastructure.

The renowned Russian mathematician, mathematics education methodologist, scientist, science popularizer, author of geometry textbooks, and lecturer at Moscow State University, Igor F. Sharygin, believed that geometry should primarily be geometric, rather than analytical or algebraic. The central character in this story should be the figure, with the triangle and circle dominating its surface, and the main means of learning should be the drawing and the image. Textbooks that focus on geometric content should not be limited to the development of geometric theories. The learning process of such content involves a wide variety of work formats, primarily through problem solving. A problem is not merely a skill exercise, but a component of knowledge. Students should become familiar with a sequence of sufficiently challenging geometric problems, following well-known models. Incidentally, this essentially constitutes the process of learning algebra as well.

This study examines the stretch properties of nine variants of single-tuck weft-knitted fabrics made from 31 tex ×2 wool/PAN yarn and compares them with a plain fabric. The research emphasizes how variations in the arrangement and percentage of tuck loops within the stitch repeat affect the fabrics' stretch characteristics. Results show that the presence and percentage of tuck loops at the width repeat significantly influence stretch properties. The plain fabric displayed apparent anisotropy, with widthwise deformation roughly four times greater than lengthwise deformation. This behaviour was largely dominated by the elastic component, indicating strong immediate recovery and dimensional stability. In contrast, tuck stitch variants showed more balanced deformation between directions, reflecting the moderating influence of tuck loops on fabric anisotropy. Increasing the percentage of tuck loops improved lengthwise extensibility while decreasing widthwise recovery, thereby altering elastic and residual deformation behaviour. The analysis of deformation components revealed that tuck loops decrease the elastic deformation ratio and increase delayed and residual deformation, suggesting greater stress relaxation and a higher permanent set. These results highlight the sensitive interplay between the presence and combination of knit and tuck loops and their effects on loop configuration and fabric mechanics. The results thus confirm that the controlled use of tuck stitches provides a practical approach to optimizing fabric performance in terms of stretch, recovery and stability, thereby offering valuable insights for designing functional and high-performance knitted textiles.

A new family of iterative methods for solving systems of nonlinear equations is introduced, extending and unifying several existing approaches within a general framework. In the single-variable case, Newton’s method was accelerated using Padé approximations. This strategy is then extended to systems of nonlinear equations, leading to the construction of higher-order iteration functions with convergence orders ranging from two to four. By varying the order (p, q) of the Padé approximation, several known methods and their modifications emerge as special cases of this generalized approach. Theoretical convergence rates are established, and numerical experiments, conducted using high-precision arithmetic, confirm both the predicted behavior and improved computational efficiency across a variety of test problems.

Electrical impedance measurements are traditionally macroscopic screening techniques designed to obtain information about the macroscopic internal structure of biological systems. In order to overcome the limitations that the technology detects, mainly with the bulk properties, a miniaturization is employed by developing a complex microfluidic system to achieve cell-scale information. In this work, a microelectrode array was incorporated into a microfluidic chip, allowing localized Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements, providing impedance data obtained in the spatial and frequency domains simultaneously. The height of the capillary in the microfluidic system was also systematically modified; hence, three types of channels with heights of 10 m, 30 m, and 50 m were developed and studied. The EIS data collection was implemented using two different strategies (two- and four-electrode techniques). Sensitivity analysis was conducted using a microbead solution, where the linear mapping of the number of microbeads along the channel was achieved by EIS. Based on the findings, a complete overview of each measurement implementation was obtained, which is well explained by the physical background presented in the paper. In the case where the capillary height (10 m) is comparable to the diameter of the microbeads (6 m), the four-electrode technique detected the beads in a wider frequency range (approximately between 500 Hz and 50 kHz), while the two-electrode technique detected the beads in a narrower frequency range (approximately between 30 kHz and 300 kHz) with correlation greater than 0.9. In all other cases, a medium (or weak) correlation was found between the impedance data and the longitudinal bead distribution. Based on the results, the technology is ready for further development and adaptation for cell culture purposes.

ABSTRACT Nikah gantung is a marriage practice that is religiously valid, yet the couple does not live together or fulfill domestic obligations such as financial support. This phenomenon is commonly found in several traditional communities in Indonesia, primarily as an effort to preserve family honor, avoid premarital sex, or due to economic reasons. However, behind this practice lies a serious discrepancy between religious norms, customary law, and state legal regulations—particularly in terms of marriage registration, legal protection, and minimum marriage age. This study aims to critically analyze the tension among religious, customary, and state institutions in defining the legality of nikah gantung. It also explores how the power relations among these three institutions shape the meaning of what constitutes a "valid" marriage, and how this affects the protection of women's and children's rights. The method used is a qualitative literature study with a critical discourse analysis approach. Data were obtained from previous studies on nikah gantung, Islamic family law, civil law, and anthropological research on customary practices. The analysis applies Michel Foucault’s theory of power, particularly the concepts of governmentality, regime of truth, and symbolic discipline. The findings reveal that marriage legality in the context of nikah gantung is not neutral, but rather the result of competing discourses: the state demands administrative certainty, religion emphasizes sacred legitimacy, and customary norms operate through shame and honor. This research concludes with a call for a more integrative, just, and rights-oriented approach to family law that respects cultural diversity.

Apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) is a widely cultivated fruit tree species valued for its nutritional and sensory properties. The global market is dominated by a limited number of cultivars selected for appearance, shelf life, and consumer preference. As a result, many traditional or autochthonous cultivars, which often possess richer phytochemical profiles and greater environmental adaptability, remain underutilized. Herein, a comprehensive study of the sugar and organic acid content of the apple pulp and leaves of 19 autochthonous apple cultivars, along with 5 standard and 6 resistant cultivars for comparison, was undertaken. Fructose (47.9–74.0 mg/g FW), glucose (16.4–33.7 mg/g FW), and sucrose (25.0–34.0 mg/g FW) were detected at the highest concentrations in the apple pulp, while sorbitol (49.9–71.5 mg/g DW) predominated in the apple leaves. Principal component analysis identified xylose, quinic acid, shikimic acid, arabinose, raffinose, malic acid, citric acid, and isocitric acid as the main factors responsible for the classification patterns among cultivars. A number of autochthonous cultivars, such as ‘Gružanjska letnja kolačara’, ‘Šećeruša’, ‘Demirka’, and ‘Hajdučica’, showed characteristics comparable to commercial cultivars such as ‘Red Delicious’, ‘Golden Delicious’, and ‘Gala Galaxy’. The obtained results empasize the value of some of the analyzed cultivars and contribute to the broader re-evaluation of the local apple germplasm.

Evaluating the memory capabilities of stateful language models (LLMs), especially smaller models deployed locally for privacy, cost, or security reasons, remains challenging. This is critical for applications that require long-term context retention, such as those in critical infrastructure (CI). Existing LLMs, typically locally deployed, often rely on external storage systems, external api services, the reliability and security of which can be questionable and require system evaluation. This paper proposes a general evaluation methodology for testing the memory retention and recall capabilities of stateful LLM agents. The framework simulates conversational interactions, injects structured test facts of varying complexity, and queries the agent to evaluate in-memory performance over time. The approach employs a configurable pipeline involving input stream generation, controlled fact injection, conversation simulation, and automated evaluation using specific metrics such as recall accuracy by fact type and age, and identification of the level of failure. The method presented in the paper provides standardized, repeatable relative Benchmarks of different memory architectures or configurations, independent of specific LLM implementation. It identifies common memory failure patterns, including memory corruption, memory conflicts, and retrieval gaps, which are related to operational reliability. This work helps select and tune memory-enhanced LLMs for deployment in security-sensitive CI domains where memory failures can compromise security and operational integrity. It enables building more reliable and predictable artificial intelligence agents for critical applications. A pilot run on Mistral-8B with different strategies have proven that the framework is sensitive enough and able to rank memory architectures. This study is not intended to exhaustively benchmark all memory systems available for LLMs, it aims to validate whether the proposed methodology can detect meaningful differences in memory performance. The use of synthetic simple dialogues and basic memory strategies was intentional, enabling a controlled test environment for method sensitivity. Future work will involve evaluating and comparing more complex memory solutions.

With the advancement of autonomous and electric vehicles, an increasing demand has been observed for the automatic robot-controlled charging of electric vehicles. The idea of developing such charging stations was raised at several research institutions and universities as early as the 2010s, however the appearance of automatic charging stations with higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) can only be dated from 2019 onwards. In most of the developed concepts and solutions, a dedicated parking system is required by vehicle drivers, since the operating range of the robots used for charging is limited. In most cases, solutions do not incorporate robots with unique geometries; instead, proven industrial solutions are applied. The robots in these prototypes are typically installed in a fixed position, similar to industrial applications, and are not mobile. The charging of one vehicle is usually performed by one robot. A high-level summary of the developed mechanical system is presented in this project overview. In this research, an automated, robot-controlled electric vehicle charging system was designed, in which vehicles are parked perpendicularly adjacent to each other, and multiple vehicles are charged using a single collaborative robot. The mechanical system was implemented with a robot mounted on an extendable arm attached to a carriage, which is guided in two directions along rails. In this manner, the automatic charging system is positioned precisely at the parking location of the vehicle to be charged.

Abstract The current report examined the potential of polyaniline modified Fe3O4-Delonix regia seed biochar nanocomposite to adsorb congo red from synthetic wastewater. In this study, biochar was synthesized through carbonization process at a peak temperature of 500°C. Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized using aqueous extract of Delonix regia seed pod. The consequence of pH, concentration and stirring speed on removal of congo red is examined. A maximum removal efficiency of 91.63% was obtained at optimal conditions of pH − 8, initial CR concentration – 50 mg/L and agitation speed − 500 rpm. The adsorption result demonstrated that experimental consequences fit well with Langmuir adsorption isotherm and pseudo second order kinetics was followed. A maximum sorption ability of 384.615 mg/g was obtained. Thermodynamic results shown that the sorption is spontaneous, reversible and endothermic one. The adsorption mechanism was explored and electrostatic attraction is the major rate controlling one. The current study established the efficiency of polyaniline modified Fe3O4-Delonix regia seed biochar nanocomposite as an sorbent in removal of congo red. The solid agro waste is effectively transformed and applied in industrial wastewater treatment.