9 research outputs found

    An Example for Integrated Knowledge

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    Augmented reality (AR) technologies offer new ways for presenting cultural heritage. As a technology platform and interaction style, AR is still in its infancy. Many applications are mere proof-of-concept rather than robust solutions integrat-ed into museums’ existence. But this does not diminish its potential for creating engaging and meaningful experiences for visitors. AR may have been overhyped to begin with but we are now entering a more serious phase during which its useful-ness will become evident. A new concept of mobile application based on AR is developed using the visitors’ smartphones and tablets. Instead investing in expen-sive hardware, museums strategies for modernization include software application and online database which are part of an automated self-aware guide

    How Technology Can Influence Museum Visitor Experience: A Parameter-Mapping Approach to Individual and Group Response Optimisation

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    Museums, wishing to optimise the experience of various groups of visitors, use feedback surveys to assess opinions of their visitors, including their expectations before hand and considered view post-visit. Amongst key themes reported in these surveys are: the general success of a museum model which is quite comprehensive (including multiple themes and locations); the desirability of engaging visitors emotionally; and, in the case of groups, the importance of shared experience both during the visit and in post-visit digestion of the learning and the impression left by the experience. Technology emerges as an important vehicle to drive all these de-sired positive outcomes, the one currently indicating the most promise being personal mobile technology. In this paper, the authors discuss the issues which need to be considered in developing optimised museum experience for various target visitor groups, based around the application of this technology platform. As the basis for discussing how best to use such technology, the Contextual Learning Model of Falk and Storksdik (2005) is explored, which produces a set of parameters categorized as 'personal, sociocultural and material (physical) contexts'. After explaining the implications of each of these contexts, a detailed example of the implemen-tation of technology for the interpretation of one aspect of heritage is given – that of the interpretation of Chinese history for non-specialist foreign audiences using a comprehensive charting of the ebb and flow of the dynasties, styled by the present authors as DYNAMOST ™. This set of resources includes a range of personal mo-bile technology applications supported by live and recorded lectures and printed material. The authors finally consider the potential to apply this method more generally in order to assess 'How technology can influence museum visitor experience

    Lipase-catalysed acylation of starch and determination of the degree of substitution by methanolysis and GC

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    Background: Natural polysaccharides such as starch are becoming increasingly interesting as renewable starting materials for the synthesis of biodegradable polymers using chemical or enzymatic methods. Given the complexity of polysaccharides, the analysis of reaction products is challenging. Results: Esterification of starch with fatty acids has traditionally been monitored by saponification and back-titration, but in our experience this method is unreliable. Here we report a novel GC-based method for the fast and reliable quantitative determination of esterification. The method was used to monitor the enzymatic esterification of different starches with decanoic acid, using lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus. The reaction showed a pronounced optimal water content of 1.25 mL per g starch, where a degree of substitution (DS) of 0.018 was obtained. Incomplete gelatinization probably accounts for lower conversion with less water. Conclusions: Lipase-catalysed esterification of starch is feasible in aqueous gel systems, but attention to analytical methods is important to obtain correct DS values

    Educational functions of heritage institution (Libraries, Museums, Archives) : Proceedings of the round table, Sofia, December 1, 2020

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    СЪДЪРЖАНИЕ Увод / 7 Отворена наука. Отворено образование / 9 ПЕТЪРМИЛАДИНОВ Отвореното образование – назад към бъдещето / 11 МИЛЕНА МИЛАНОВА Отворен достъп, отворена наука, отворено образование: Защо „отворено…“? / 17 САВИНА КИРИЛОВА Как отвореният достъп промени научната комуникация? / 42 ДОБРЯН БОЕВ Отвореният достъп и казусът Sci-Hub: под „черни“ знамена в океана на науката / 58 ЕЛИЦА ЛОЗАНОВА-БЕЛЧЕВА Изграждане на ключови компетентности чрез отворени образователни модели / 67 Формално образование / 89 ЕЛИ ПОПОВА Образователните функции на институциите на паметта, отразени в политики, в перспективи и в добри практики / 91 БИЛЯНА ЯВРУКОВА Университетските библиотеки и ролята им в процеса на преминаване към отворен достъп до научни публикации / 117 ТИНА ПЕТРОВА Електронни ресурси на архивите в помощ на университетския образователен процес / 139 Неформално образование / 149 ИВАН КАБАКОВ, МИЛЕНА КОЛЕВА-ЗВЪНЧАРОВА Валидирането като възможност за професионално развитие в областта на културното наследство / 151 СИЛВИЯ СТАНЧЕВА Музеите и отвореното образование / 168 ВЕСЕЛА ГЕОРГИЕВА Привличане на публика в музеите чрез дигитализация в ситуация на COVID-19 / 175 САВИНА ЦОНЕВА Опитът на Регионална библиотека „Априлов–Палаузов“ като център за не- формално образование / 188 Приложения / 195 Базисен наръчник за отворени образователни ресурси (OER) / 197 Наръчник за отворено образование / 247 Речник на термините / 339 Списък на авторите / 347Изданието се реализира като част от Научноизследователски проект № 80-10-134/23.04.2020 г., финансиран от ФНИ на СУ „Св. Климент Охридски“ на тема „Образователни функции на институциите на паметта. Идентифициране и анализ на модели за отворено образование, приложими в библиотеки, музеи, архиви

    Diversity of the Summer Phytoplankton of 43 Waterbodies in Bulgaria and Its Potential for Water Quality Assessment

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    The general awareness of the threats on biodiversity and water quality raised the number of studies that use phytoplankton in assessment procedures. Since most metrics require obtaining mean values, this paper presents data that may help speed up field work and find indicators for a rapid water quality assessment based on single samplings, allowing simultaneous work on many sites. The phytoplankton from 43 Bulgarian waterbodies collected during three summer campaigns (2018, 2019, 2021) at sites selected after drone observations was studied by conventional light microscopy (LM) and an HPLC analysis of marker pigments. Our results allowed us to recommend drones and the HPLC application as reliable methods in rapid water quality assessments. In total, 787 algae from seven phyla (53 alien, new for Bulgaria) were identified. Chlorophyta was the taxonomically richest group, but Cyanoprokaryota dominated the biomass in most sites. New PCR data obtained on anatoxin and microcystin producers confirmed the genetic diversity of Cuspidothrix and Microcystis and provided three new species for the country’s toxic species, first identified by LM. A statistical analysis revealed significant correlations of certain algal phyla and classes with different environmental variables, and their species are considered promising for future search of bioindicators. This is especially valid for the class Eustigmatophyceae, which, as of yet, has been almost neglected in water assessment procedures and indices

    Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic

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    Aim This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Method This was an international cohort study of patients undergoing elective resection of colon or rectal cancer without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Centres entered data from their first recorded case of COVID-19 until 19 April 2020. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included anastomotic leak, postoperative SARS-CoV-2 and a comparison with prepandemic European Society of Coloproctology cohort data. Results From 2073 patients in 40 countries, 1.3% (27/2073) had a defunctioning stoma and 3.0% (63/2073) had an end stoma instead of an anastomosis only. Thirty-day mortality was 1.8% (38/2073), the incidence of postoperative SARS-CoV-2 was 3.8% (78/2073) and the anastomotic leak rate was 4.9% (86/1738). Mortality was lowest in patients without a leak or SARS-CoV-2 (14/1601, 0.9%) and highest in patients with both a leak and SARS-CoV-2 (5/13, 38.5%). Mortality was independently associated with anastomotic leak (adjusted odds ratio 6.01, 95% confidence interval 2.58–14.06), postoperative SARS-CoV-2 (16.90, 7.86–36.38), male sex (2.46, 1.01–5.93), age >70 years (2.87, 1.32–6.20) and advanced cancer stage (3.43, 1.16–10.21). Compared with prepandemic data, there were fewer anastomotic leaks (4.9% versus 7.7%) and an overall shorter length of stay (6 versus 7 days) but higher mortality (1.7% versus 1.1%). Conclusion Surgeons need to further mitigate against both SARS-CoV-2 and anastomotic leak when offering surgery during current and future COVID-19 waves based on patient, operative and organizational risks

    The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

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    AimThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery.MethodsThis was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin.ResultsOverall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P ConclusionOne in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

    Delaying surgery for patients with a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection

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    Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19–Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study

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