Connecting business models with service platform designs: Exploiting potential of scenario modeling

Heterogeneity of technical and business designs, complexity of business collaborations, diversity and fragmentation of business roles are just some of the consequences of service platform evolution that complicate their business analysis. Service-oriented business models are usually on a higher abstraction level than the underlying service platform designs. Business models require detailing prior to their financial analysis, in order to include a proper cost and revenue structure and a realistic risk picture in techno-economic analyses. Understanding well service platform business processes and scenarios is equally important for realistic modeling of service usage, delivery and provision. This work discusses a techno-business modeling approach for quantitative analysis of services and platforms (21, 20 and 19), which “reinterprets” the business models by service platforms’ technical and business entities, processes and scenarios. In such a way it describes the roles, responsibilities and incentives of collaborating business actors in service delivery and provision and uses them in business analyses and valuations. We explain the approach theoretically, illustrate its analytical potential and demonstrate its practical use on the proof-of-the-concept service platform.     

A study of volatile flavour substances in Dalmatian traditional smoked ham: Impact of dry-curing and frying

Volatiles from Dalmatian prosciutto were isolated by solvent extraction (SE), simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE) and nitrogen purge and steam distillation (NPSD) and analyzed by GC and GC–MS. In all, 46 compounds were identified by SDE and SE (including fatty acids, aldehydes, phenols, esters, ketones and others), while 81 compounds were identified by NPSD (headspace volatiles including phenols, aldehydes, hydrocarbons, ketones, alcohols, esters and heterocyclic compounds). Regarding the impact of dry curing period on the volatiles, an increase in the percentages of aldehydes and esters during the ripening of the prosciutto was observed. Quantitative percentage differences among fried and raw samples were particularly evident in respect of aldehydes (SDE and SE). The NPSD method provided additional information of the volatiles from fried ham, since the pyrazines and most of the lower aldehydes that are important thermally derived flavour compounds were only isolated by NPSD (not by SE and SDE).     

High-efficiency on-line solid-phase extraction coupling to 15-150-microm-i.d. column liquid chromatography for proteomic analysis

The ability to manipulate and effectively utilize small proteomic samples is important for analyses using liquid chromatography (LC) in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) and becomes more challenging for very low flow rates due to extra column volume effects on separation quality. Here we report on the use of commercial switching valves (150-microm channels) for implementing the on-line coupling of capillary LC columns operated at 10,000 psi with relatively large solid-phase extraction (SPE) columns. With the use of optimized column connections, switching modes, and SPE column dimensions, high-efficiency on-line SPE-capillary and nanoscale LC separations were obtained demonstrating peak capacities of approximately 1000 for capillaries having inner diameters between 15 and 150 microm. The on-line coupled SPE columns increased the sample processing capacity by approximately 400-fold for sample solution volume and approximately 10-fold for sample mass. The proteomic applications of this on-line SPE-capillary LC system were evaluated for analysis of both soluble and membrane protein tryptic digests. Using an ion trap tandem MS it was typically feasible to identify 1100-1500 unique peptides in a 5-h analysis. Peptides extracted from the SPE column and then eluted from the LC column covered a hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity range that included an estimated approximately 98% of all tryptic peptides. The SPE-capillary LC implementation also facilitates automation and enables use of both disposable SPE columns and electrospray emitters, providing a robust basis for automated proteomic analyses.     

A new analytical method for determination of discharge duration in tunnels subjected to groundwater inrush

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - Unexpected water inrush to tunnels is one of the most hazardous events, especially in karst terrains that could take place during mechanized...     

A study of structure and tensile properties of polyamide 12/clay nanocomposites

The nanocomposites are multiphase materials where at least one phase is in nanoscale, less than 100 nm, whereby a higher specific interfacial area is achieved. Due to their characteristic properties, the nanocomposites are nowadays being increasingly used for the engineering applications, and certainly will have a significant role in the materials production in the future. An important class of nanocomposite materials are polymer layered silicates, in which the layered filler (mostly modified natural clay minerals) is dispersed in the polymer matrix. Many of parameters (i.e., type of polymer matrix, type and amount of nanofiller, and a number of process parameters as melting temperature, screw speed, number and shape of mixing screws, etc) affect properties of nanocomposites. As part of the paper, the samples of PA12/nanoclay nanocomposite mixture were made by adjusting various parameters (content of nanoclay, the screw rotation frequency and mixture temperature). Afterward, the tensile properties of obtained specimens were analysed. The mathematical models that show dependence of tensile properties on the mixture parameters were obtained as the result of analysis. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:684–691, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Intelligent modular design with holonic fuzzy agents

Presently,modular designs use various technologies accompanied by multiple models.Although no integral solution is known,a plethora of approaches is used to res...     

SOFT‐SLAM: Computationally efficient stereo visual simultaneous localization and mapping for autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles

Autonomous navigation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in GPS‐denied environments is a challenging problem, especially for small‐scale UAVs characterized by a small payload and limited battery autonomy. A possible solution to the aforementioned problem is vision‐based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), since cameras, due to their dimensions, low weight, availability, and large information bandwidth, circumvent all the constraints of UAVs. In this paper, we propose a stereo vision SLAM yielding very accurate localization and a dense map of the environment developed with the aim to compete in the European Robotics Challenges (EuRoC) targeting airborne inspection of industrial facilities with small‐scale UAVs. The proposed approach consists of a novel stereo odometry algorithm relying on feature tracking (SOFT), which currently ranks first among all stereo methods on the KITTI dataset. Relying on SOFT for pose estimation, we build a feature‐based pose graph SLAM solution, which we dub SOFT‐SLAM. SOFT‐SLAM has a completely separate odometry and mapping threads supporting large loop‐closing and global consistency. It also achieves a constant‐time execution rate of 20 Hz with deterministic results using only two threads of an onboard computer used in the challenge. The UAV running our SLAM algorithm obtained the highest localization score in the EuRoC Challenge 3, Stage IIa–Benchmarking, Task 2. Furthermore, we also present an exhaustive evaluation of SOFT‐SLAM on two popular public datasets, and we compare it to other state‐of‐the‐art approaches, namely ORB‐SLAM2 and LSD‐SLAM. The results show that SOFT‐SLAM obtains better localization accuracy on the majority of datasets sequences, while also having a lower runtime.     

Sacred records in the landscape: the mirila of the Dalmatian hinterland

This paper discusses former burial rites which resulted in memorials known as mirila. It deals with the custom of marking a temporary resting-place while transporting a deceased person, which was prevalent in the north-eastern Adriatic hinterland, manifested in the erection of mortarless stone structures, the remains of which can still be found in the landscape. The paper considers the material and symbolic components of the cultural landscape through the phenomenon of mirila in the central parts of the Croatian Adriatic hinterland: Ravni Kotari and Bukovica. At the same time, given the complexity of natural and socio-political factors, an attempt is made to establish how the custom arose in the spatial and historical context of the region.     

Changes in macroelements,trace elements,heavy metal concentrations and chemical composition in milk of Croatian spotted goats during different lactation stages

The research was conducted on days 60, 90, 120 and 150 during the lactation with the aim to determine the effect of lactation stage on the concentration of crucial elements and chemical composition in Croatian spotted goats' milk. Milk yield significantly decreased (from 1.15 to 0.76 kg/day), while the concentration of Ca, Mg, P, Zn and Mo in the milk of the goats significantly increased during lactation. The concentrations of Cr, Cd and Pb in milk were very low, with no significant deviations during lactation. The quality of milk from Croatian spotted goats is adequate compared with other breeds in the surrounding area of Croatia.