544 research outputs found
The Reflective Entrepreneur
No full textIn a world where entrepreneurial success often seems deceptively accessible, it is not always clear what makes a person entrepreneurial. In this book, Dimo Dimov offers a reflective insight into the entrepreneurial journey, striking up a conversation about entrepreneurship in order to challenge and untangle existing preconceptions. A discussion of challenges and tensions such as idea versus opportunity, genius versus lunatic, and skill versus luck forms the foundation of the book, while the second part offers actions and considerations which can help the reader to seek opportunities in a fractious environment. The final part of the text focuses on the collective spirit in entrepreneurship, arising from the interplay between participation and outcomes. The author brings a succinct diversity to the field, making this book essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students on entrepreneurship courses, as well as scholars, researchers, and practitioners looking for a new perspective on entrepreneurship
The Reflective Entrepreneur
No full textIn a world where entrepreneurial success often seems deceptively accessible, it is not always clear what makes a person entrepreneurial. In this book, Dimo Dimov offers a reflective insight into the entrepreneurial journey, striking up a conversation about entrepreneurship in order to challenge and untangle existing preconceptions. A discussion of challenges and tensions such as idea versus opportunity, genius versus lunatic, and skill versus luck forms the foundation of the book, while the second part offers actions and considerations which can help the reader to seek opportunities in a fractious environment. The final part of the text focuses on the collective spirit in entrepreneurship, arising from the interplay between participation and outcomes. The author brings a succinct diversity to the field, making this book essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students on entrepreneurship courses, as well as scholars, researchers, and practitioners looking for a new perspective on entrepreneurship
Cognitive support for older people from multimedia options
No full textIf older users of multimedia displays could select among presentation options, would they choose display combinations that supported their performance? After three short touch-screen tasks which measured the perceptual and cognitive abilities of 50 older adults, they answered questions about a route on an online map that could be accompanied by written and/or spoken text. Half the participants saw animated routes; and they were less accurate answering questions than those who saw static routes but this did not affect people’s multimedia choices which, although diverse, were systematic. Spoken text was more often selected by people who had lower scores on the spatial working memory task, than by the older adults with higher scores. This suggests that older people with cognitive limitations recognise ways in which multimedia information can be supportive
How to implement HyGene into ACT-R
No full textWe investigate if and how the model of hypothesis generation and probability judgment HyGene can be implemented in ACT-R. We ground our endeavour on the formal comparison of the memory theories behind ACT-R and HyGene, whereby we contrast the predictions of the two as a function of prior history and current context. After demonstrating the convergence of the two memory theories, we provide a 3-step guide of how to translate a memory representation from HyGene into ACT-R. We also outline how HyGene’s processing steps can be translated into ACT-R. We finish with a discussion of points of divergence between the two theories
Web-service architecture for tools supporting life-long e-Learning platforms
No full textDimov, A., & Stefanov, K. (2008). Web-service architecture for tools supporting life-long e-Learning platforms. In R. Koper, K. Stefanov & D. Dicheva (Eds.), Proceedings of the 5th International TENCompetence Open Workshop "Stimulating Personal Development and Knowledge Sharing" (pp. 67-71). October, 30-31, 2008, Sofia, Bulgaria: TENCompetence Workshop. [For the whole proceedings please see also http://hdl.handle.net/1820/1961 ]It is widely recognized that modern European society needs adequate means for lifelong adapted access to facilities that support the creation, storage, use and exchange of formal and informal knowledge and learning resources. A key factor to achieve this is the adoption of Information and communication technologies and the work presented here reports on an approach involving the latest concepts of software engineering into lifelong learning solutions. The paper presents a reusable and extensible service-oriented architecture that supports implementation of different tools that support life-long eLearning platforms.The work on this publication has been sponsored by the TENCompetence Integrated Project that is funded by the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme, priority IST/Technology Enhanced Learning. Contract 027087 [http://www.tencompetence.org
Configurable and Up-Scalable Microfluidic Life Science Platform for Cell Based Assays by Gravity Driven Sequential Perfusion and Diffusion
No full textMicrofluidics has the potential to significantly change the way modern biology is performed, but for this potential to be realized several on-chip integration and operation
challenges have to be addressed. Critical issues are addressed in this work by first demonstrating an integrated microfluidic tmRNA purification and real time nucleic acid
sequence based amplification (NASBA) device. The device is manufactured using soft lithography and a unique silica bead immobilization method for the nucleic acid micro
purification column. The integrated device produced a pathogen-specific response in < 3 min from the chip-purified RNA. Further enhancements in the device design and operation that allow the on-chip integration of mammalian cell handling and culturing produced a novel integrated NASBA array. This system demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to combine on a single micro-device cell culture and real time NASBA. In order to expand the cell based assay capabilities of the integrated NASBA array and simplify the device operation novel hydrodynamics and cell sedimentation within trench structures and gravity driven sequential perfusion and diffusion mechanisms were developed. These mechanisms were characterized and implemented within an iCell array device. iCell array can completely integrate cell based assays with bio-analytical read-out. The device is highly scalable and can enable the configurable on-chip integration of procedures such as adherent and non-adherent cell-culture, cellstimulation, cell-lysis, cell-fixing, protein-immunoassays, bright field and fluorescent microscopic monitoring, and real time detection of nucleic acid amplification. The device uses on-board gravity driven flow control which makes it simple and economical to operate with dilute samples (down to 5 cells per reaction), low reagent volumes (50 nL per reaction), highly efficient cell capture (100% capture rates) and single cell protein and gene expression sensitivity. The key results from this work demonstrate a novel technology for versatile, fully integrated microfluidic array platforms. By multiplexing this integrated functionality, the device can be used from routine applications in a biology laboratory to high content screenings
Agricultural Academy
No full textabstract DIMOV, K., R. KALEV, M. TZANKOVA and P. PENCHEV, 2012. Fatty-acid composition of the lipids in m. longisimus dorsi of bovine and buffalo calves and buffalo cows. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., To study the fatty-acid profile of the lipids in meat, eight buffalo and eight bovine calves were assigned in two groups subjected to the same diet for a period of one year. At the end of the period, five animals of each group and five buffalo cows were slaughtered and test samples from m. longisimus dorsi taken. The results showed higher percentage of dry matter, crude fats, and crude protein in the buffalo meat (claves and cows) in comparison with the bovine calves. Compared to the bovine calves and the buffalo cows, the meat of the bubaline calves was found to have lower portion of the saturated fatty acids, with higher percentage of stearic acid and lower of palmitic and myristic. The buffalo calves have shown to produce meat with most favorable (n-6)/(n-3) ratio (7.00) compared to the bovine calves and the buffalo cows, the differences concerning the total fraction of polyunsaturated fatty acids among groups being negligible
New methods for tool failure detection in micromilling
No full textA major issue in micromilling is unpredictable tool life and premature tool failure. The specific acoustic footprint and very small removal rates during machining as well as the use of small diameter cutters makes the detection of tool breakage a very difficult task. Thus, it is essential to develop new tool monitoring systems to increase the process productivity, reduce machining costs, and at the same time improve the precision and quality of machined components.
This paper analyses three cost-effective and reliable methods for tool breakage detection: an on-line laser system, an on-line tool-workpiece voltage monitoring system, and a programming solution employing an off-line laser system. In order to verify the capability of these three methods, a series of experiments were conducted on an ultra-precision micromilling machine. This involved the machining of test parts in brass, aluminium, steel, and polymethylmethacryate (PMMA) with cutters from 0.5 mm down to 0.1 mm in diameter. The results of these tests are analysed and the technological capabilities of the three studied monitoring approaches are then compared. In addition, the possibility of developing an integrated solution that combines the capabilities of these three monitoring methods is discussed and conclusions made about the feasibility of such an approach
Utilizing a grid method for accuracy study of micro SLA parts
No full textThe paper introduces a methodology for strain estimation in studying the accuracy of the micro SLA process. The calculation of strains is carried out following the approach utilized in sheet metal forming analysis. The method consists of building a set of test plates with square grids. The simple geometry of the reference points on the grids allows easy measurement with optical metrology equipment controlled by purpose made software. The obtained set of grid point coordinates is used to calculate the offset between measured and nominal grid coordinates. A specially developed program calculates strains in each grid cell. Plots of strain distributions alongside x, y, z axis are generated and interpolated. The specific strains of meso-micro parts due to different factors during and after building is illustrated and explained. Directions for further research are also presented
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