APIController.php

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use App\DelegationOneVote;
use App\Election;
use App\ExtensionDelegationElection;
use App\MajorityVote;
use App\Population;
use App\Voter;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Http\Response;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Config;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
use Illuminate\Validation\ValidationException;

class APIController extends Controller
{
    public function generatePopulationTemplate(Request $request)
    {
        try {
            $attributes = $request->validate([
                'name' => 'nullable|string',
                'size_a' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:1000',
                'size_b' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:1000',
                'init_expertise_a' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'init_expertise_b' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'spread_expertise_a' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'spread_expertise_b' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'init_confidence_a' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'init_confidence_b' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'spread_confidence_a' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'spread_confidence_b' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'init_following_a' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'init_following_b' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'spread_following_a' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'spread_following_b' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'init_leadership_a' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'init_leadership_b' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'spread_leadership_a' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'spread_leadership_b' => 'required|integer|min:0|max:100',
                'forgetting_factor' => 'nullable|int|min:0|max:100',
                'follower_factor' => 'nullable|min:1'
            ]);
        } catch (ValidationException $e) {
            return response()->json([
                'message' => 'Incorrect payload',
                'val_errors' => $e->errors()
            ], Response::HTTP_UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITY);
        }
        $start = microtime(true);

        $population = new Population();

        $forgettingFactor = Config::get('app.forgetting_factor', 0.99);
        if (isset($attributes['forgetting_factor'])) {
            $forgettingFactor = 1 - 0.01 * $attributes['forgetting_factor'];
        }
        $population->forgetting_factor = $forgettingFactor;

        $population->follower_factor = isset($attributes['follower_factor']) ? $attributes['follower_factor'] : Config::get('app.follower_factor', 100);

        $population->save();
        $population->name = isset($attributes['name']) ? $attributes['name'] : 'Population Template ' . $population->id;
        $population->update();

        $minValue = 1;
        $maxValue = 100;

        $minExpertiseValueA = $attributes['init_expertise_a'] - $attributes['spread_expertise_a'];