MULTI-MODE AND SINGLE MODE POLYMER WAVEGUIDES AND STRUCTURES FOR SHORT-HAUL OPTICAL INTERCONNECTS

Single mode and multi-mode polymer optical waveguides are a viable solution for replacing copper interconnects as high speed and large bandwidth short-haul optical interconnects in next-generation supercomputers and data servers. A precision laser direct writing method is implemented for producing various single mode and multi-mode polymer waveguide structures and their performance is evaluated experimentally showing agreement with theoretically developed models. The laser direct writing method is the optimal solution for low-rate cost-effective prototyping and large area panel production. A single mode polymer waveguide bridge module for silicon to glass optical fibers is designed, modeled, fabricated, and measured. The bridge module is designed for waveguide pitch control and low coupling loss from high-density silicon photonic interconnects within CMOS devices and optical silica fibers for long-haul low-loss transmission. A fan-out structure using waveguide S-bend structures is utilized to perform pitch control. Optical coupling within the bridge module is achieved through a novel polymer taper structure to reduce the numerical aperture mismatch between silicon waveguides and silica fibers. Research and development has been implemented into the theoretical understanding and experimental assessments of solving practical interconnect challenges for commercial realization of polymer waveguides

Risks for Hospitalization and the Role of Occupational Therapy in Home Health

This cross-sectional descriptive study examined risk factors for hospitalization and the role of occupational therapy in the home health population of a large Midwest health system. The aim of the study was to determine if there was a difference in characteristics related to ADL/IADL performance with home health patients who were hospitalized and those who were not and in hospitalization for those who received occupational therapy and those who did not. Participants included a convenience sample (n=9045) of community-dwelling adults, age 18-104, who received home health services from January 2016 through December 2016. Descriptive statistics were obtained for demographics and thirteen OASIS ADL/IADL measures. Participants were mostly female (62.3%) with a mean age of 72.9 years (SD=14.7). The percentage of participants who were hospitalized (n=1440, 15.9%) was similar to the national average. For both the total group and the hospitalized group most individuals had ADL/IADL deficits. Over 75% of the total group had a diagnosis listed as other. There was lower occupational therapy involvement with participants having no or few deficits and greater involvement when patients had more deficits. Patients with 6-10 identified deficits had the highest rate of hospitalization (n=1041, 26.2%). Unexpected findings in the characteristics of groups who did and did not receive occupational therapy suggest further study is needed to understand the role of home health occupational therapy in reducing hospitalization

The intersection of social capital and finances on intentions to transfer in STEM fields: A study of community college students in a rural midwestern state

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine Iowa community college students\u27 intent to transfer to a 4-year institution in a STEM field. Specifically, it examined the demographics of the study participants as well as financial variables, including number of hours worked, number of dependents supported, and amount of financial aid received, to determine if there was any statistical significant differences between the students who did not intend to transfer, those students who did intend to transfer into a non-STEM field and those students who did intend to transfer into a STEM field. Secondly, this study used exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to identify the factors related to social and cultural capital (i.e., debt aversion, parental involvement, parent education levels, family encouragement, and access to institutional agents), finances (i.e., financial aid and financial concerns), and environmental pull factors(i.e., ability to balance work, home, and school) to determine the relationships among these predictors and their direct and indirect effects on transfer intentions. Cabrera, Nora and Castaneda\u27s (1992, 1993) integrated model of student retention provided the conceptual framework for this research. Statistically significant differences were found between students who did not intend to transfer and those students who intended to transfer in non-STEM fields and those who intended to transfer in STEM fields. This included differences in ethnicity, age, gender, parent education levels, and number of college math and science courses taken as well as in the amount of financial aid received (scholarships and loans) and their related financial concerns. Contrary to previous research, this study\u27s findings indicated that financial aid (loans, scholarships, and grants) is a negative predictor of intent to transfer into a STEM field. The final model identified social capital factors related to parental education levels, family encouragement, parent involvement in high school, and access to institutional agents. Debt aversion did play a role in the model, although not a part of social capital as originally hypothesized. Environmental pull factors related to number of hours worked and number of dependents supported was not significant in this study