The electric arc furnace operation at the Štore Steel company, one of the largest flat spring steel producers in Europe, consists of charging, melting, refining the chemical composition, adjusting the temperature, and tapping. Knowledge of the consumed energy within the individual electric arc operation steps is essential. The electric energy consumption during melting and refining was analyzed including the maintenance and technological delays. In modeling the electric energy consumption, 25 parameters were considered during melting (e.g., coke, dolomite, quantity), refining and tapping (e.g., injected oxygen, carbon, and limestone quantity) that were selected from 3248 consecutively produced batches in 2018. Two approaches were employed for the data analysis: linear regression and genetic programming model. The linear regression model was used in the first randomly generated generations of each of the 100 independent developed civilizations. More accurate models were subsequently obtained during the simulated evolution. The average relative deviation of the linear regression and the genetic programming model predictions from the experimental data were 3.60% and 3.31%, respectively. Both models were subsequently validated by using data from 278 batches produced in 2019, where the maintenance and the technological delays were below 20 minutes per batch. It was possible, based on the linear regression and the genetically developed model, to calculate that the average electric energy consumption could be reduced by up to 1.04% and 1.16%, respectively, in the case of maintenance and other technological delays.

The optimal thermomechanical processing in steel industry is difficult because of the multiconstituent and multiphase character of the commercial steels, variety of the possible processing paths, and plant specific equipment characteristics. This article shows successful implementation of the genetic programming approach for increasing the furnace conveyor speed and consequently productivity of the heat treatment furnace in the soft annealing process. The data (222 samples covering 24 different steel grades) on a furnace conveyor speed, chemical composition of steel (weight percent of C, Cr, Mo, Ni, and V) and Brinell hardness, before and after the soft annealing, were collected during daily production. On the basis of the monitored data a mathematical model for the hardness after the soft annealing was developed by genetic programming. According to the modeled influences on the hardness, the higher furnace conveyor speed was attempted in practice. The experimental results of the hardness after the soft annealing with the increased conveyor speed and the predictions of the mathematical model were compared within the agreement of 3.24%. The genetic model was also compared and verified with linear regression model. The productivity of the soft annealing process increased (from the furnace conveyor speed 3.2 m/h to 7 m/h) as a consequence of the used computational intelligence approach.

Objectives: The purpose of this pilot study was to gather information on the immediate and short-term effects of relaxation training according to the Yoga In Daily Life^® system on the self-esteem of patients with breast cancer. Design: This is a parallel-groups design. Settings/location: Baseline interventions took place at the Institute for Oncology of Ljubljana (Slovenia). At discharge, the experimental group was issued with audiocassette recordings containing the instructions for relaxation training to be practiced individually at home for an additional 3 weeks. Subjects: The convenience sample of 32 patients with breast cancer was recruited from an accessible population of hospitalized women. Patients were randomized to the experimental (n=16) and to the control group (n=16). Interventions: Both groups received the same standard physiotherapy for 1 week, while the experimental group additionally received a group relaxation training sessions according to the Yoga in Daily Life^® system. At discharge, the experimental group was issued with audiocassette recordings containing similar instructions for relaxation training to be practiced individually at home for an additional 3 weeks. Outcome measures: Outcome measures were obtained by blinded investigators (physiotherapists) using standardized questionnaires (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) at baseline (after the surgery); at 1 week (1 week postattendance; at discharge); and at 4 weeks (4 weeks postattendance); prior the commencement of radiation. Results: Analysis of variance showed that there were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control group in all measuring self-esteem scores over the study period (p0.05). Conclusions: The results indicate that relaxation training according to the Yoga in Daily Life system could be a useful clinical physiotherapy intervention for patients who have breast cancer and who are experiencing low self-esteem. Although this kind of relaxation training can be applied to clinical oncology in Slovenia, more studies need to be done.

The paper proposes genetic programming (GP) to predict the bending capability of rolled titanzinc metal sheet. In this study ZnTiCu alloy with ∼ 0.1% Cu and ∼ 0.1% Ti was used for production of metal sheet. Three groups of independent input variables were measured: (1) chemical composition of the ZnTiCu alloy during casting (percentage of Cu, Ti, and Fe), (2) parameters of hot rolling (temperature of ingot before rolling, time of rolling, temperature of plate after rolling, time of cooling), and (3) parameters of cold rolling (temperature of plate before rolling, temperature of sheet after rolling). Therefore, nine input variables (parameters) influence the bending capability of the sheet metal. On the basis of the experimental data, several models for prediction of the bending capability of titanzinc metal sheet were developed by the simulated evolution. The influence of individual input variables on bending capability was also studied. The most accurate model was verified with an independent testing data set. The results showed that GP is a powerful tool for predicting the bending capability of metal sheet.

The purpose of this pilot study was to gather information on the immediate and short-term effects of relaxation training according to the Yoga In Daily Life ^® (YIDL ^® ) system on anxiety of breast cancer patients. The YIDL ^® system is a holistic system being practised and taught worldwide and has been proven to be highly effective in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. The system aims to establish physical, mental, spiritual, and social health. Thirty-two patients at the Institute for Oncology Ljubljana were randomized to the experimental (n=16) and to the control groups (n=16). Both groups received the same standard physiotherapy for 1 week, while the experimental group additionally received 1-hour group relaxation training session according to the YIDL ^® system per day. At discharge, the experimental group was issued with audiocassette recordings containing similar instructions for relaxation training to be practiced for 3 weeks individually at home. Anxiety measures were obtained by blinded assessors using standardized questionnaires. The results indicate that relaxation training according to the YIDL ^® system could be a useful clinical physiotherapy intervention for breast cancer patients experiencing anxiety.