Chromatic Dispersion Compensation Using Filter Bank Based Complex-Valued All-Pass Filter

A long-haul transmission of 100 Gb/s without optical chromatic-dispersion (CD) compensation provides a range of benefits regarding cost effectiveness, power budget, and nonlinearity tolerance. The channel memory is largely dominated by CD in this case with an intersymbol-interference spread of more than 100 symbol durations. In this paper, we propose CD equalization technique based on nonmaximally decimated discrete Fourier transform (NMDFT) filter bank (FB) with non-trivial prototype filter and complex-valued infinite impulse response (IIR) all-pass filter per sub-band. The design of the sub-band IIR all-pass filter is based on minimizing the mean square error (MSE) in group delay and phase cost functions in an optimization framework. Necessary conditions are derived and incorporated in a multi-step and multi-band optimization framework to ensure the stability of the resulting IIR filter. It is shown that the complexity of the proposed method grows logarithmically with the channel memory, therefore, larger CD values can be tolerated with our approach

Pengaruh Mutu Layanan Guru Dan Biaya Pribadi Terhadap Kepuasan Siswa Pada SMP Swasta Se-kota Tasikmalaya

Kepuasan siswa merupakan target akhir dari sebuah proses pelaksanaan kegiatan belajar mengajar, yang ditandai sikap siswa yang memperlihatkan rasa senang karena adanya kesesuaian antara apa yang diharapkan dan dibutuhkan dengan Kenyataan yang diterima. Pada hakikatnya, penelitian ini mengkaji tentang besaran pengaruh mutu layanan guru dan biaya pribadi pada SMP Swasta Se-Kota Tasikmalaya, maka dari itu siswa sebagai objek penelitiannya yang merasakan langsung kondisi dari kepuasan tersebut. Tujuan penelitian adalah mengatahui besaran pengaruh mutu layanan guru dan biaya pribadi terhadap kepuasan siswa. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah survey dengan pendekatan kuantitatif melalui analisis deskriptif dengan korelasional dan regresi.Data diambil dengan menggunakan kuesioner.Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah siswa SMP Swasta Se-Kota Tasikmalaya.Sampel penelitian menggunakan teknik Proportionate Stratified Random Sampling. Dari hasil penelitian ini ditemukan bahwa mutu layanan guru pada SMP Swasta Se-Kota Tasikmalaya dalam kategori sangat tinggi, biaya pribadi pada SMP Swasta Se-Kota Tasikmalaya dalam kategori tinggi, kepuasan siswa pada SMP Swasta Se-Kota Tasikmalaya dalam kategori tinggi, serta terdapat pengaruh dari mutu layanan guru terhadap kepuasan siswa dalam kategori sedang dan terdapat pengaruh dari biaya pribadi terhadap kepuasan siswa dalam kategori rendah. Kemudian pengaruh dari mutu layanan guru dan biaya pribadi terhadap kepuasan siswa dalam kategori sedang.Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini, beberapa hal yang perlu direkomendasikan dalam upaya mencapai kepuasan siswa.Mutu layanan guru yang selalu cepat tanggap dalam menangani siswa harus dipertahankan dan ditingkatkan, Biaya pribadi disesuaikan dengan kebutuhan siswa khususnya pada sekolah berasrama (boarding school) untuk mencukupi kebutuhan sehari-hari.Kepuasan siswa merupakan hal yang perlu diperhatikan bagi lembaga pendidikan, karena keberhasilan lembaga persekolahan dapat dilihat dari sudut dan tingkat kepuasan dari pelanggannya. Student satisfaction is the ultimate target of a process of teaching and learning activities, which characterized the attitude of students who show a sense of pleasure because of the suitability between what is expected and required by the accepted reality. In essence, this research examines the amount of influence between quality of service of teachers in junior high and personal cost of private school in Tasikmalaya, therefore the student as an object of research that directly sense the conditions of satisfaction. The purpose of research is knowing the amount of influence the quality of service of teachers and the personal cost to the satisfaction of the students. The method used in this study is a quantitative approach through a survey with a descriptive correlational analysis and regression.Data taken by using the questionnaire. The population in this study are students of private junior high school in Tasikmalaya. Samples taken from this study using the Proportionate Stratified Random Sampling technique. As a results of this study found that the quality of service of teachers in the Private Junior high School entire Tasikmalaya are very high category, personal cost is high catagory, students satisfaction are the high category, and there are significant of the quality of service of teachers to student satisfaction in the medium category, and there is the influence of the personal cost to the satisfaction of the students in the low category. Then the effect of teacher quality service and personal expenses for student satisfaction in the medium category. Based on these results, a few things need to be recommended in order to achieve student satisfaction. Teacher quality service that is always responsive in dealing with students should be maintained and enhanced, personalized fee appropriated to the needs of students, especially at boarding school (boarding school) to fulfill the daily needs. Student satisfaction must be concerned for educational institutions, because of the success of institutional schooling can be viewed from the one point of view and the level of satisfaction of its customers

Can a change in cropping patterns produce water savings and social gains: A case study from the Fergana Valley, Central Asia

Abstract The study examines possible water savings by replacing alfalfa with winter wheat in the Fergana Valley, located upstream of the Syrdarya River in Central Asia. Agricultural reforms since the 1990s have promoted this change in cropping patterns in the Central Asian states to enhance food security and social benefits. The water use of alfalfa, winter wheat/fallow, and winter wheat/green gram (double cropping) systems is compared for high-deficit, low-deficit, and full irrigation scenarios using hydrological modeling with the HYDRUS-1D software package. Modeling results indicate that replacing alfalfa with winter wheat in the Fergana Valley released significant water resources, mainly by reducing productive crop transpiration when abandoning alfalfa in favor of alternative cropping systems. However, the winter wheat/fallow cropping system caused high evaporation losses from fallow land after harvesting of winter wheat. Double cropping (i.e., the cultivation of green gram as a short duration summer crop after winter wheat harvesting) reduced evaporation losses, enhanced crop output and hence food security, while generating water savings that make more water available for other productive uses. Beyond water savings, this paper also discusses the economic and social gains that double cropping produces for the public within a broader developmental context

Hassan Hanafi: Kiri Islam dan Proyek Al Turats Wa Al Tajdid

Berbicara tentang pembaharuan dalam Islam, atau mungkin lebih tepat pembaharuan dalam pemahaman Islam, akan muncul pertanyaan, hal-hal apakah dalam dunia Islam yang sudah mengalami degenerasi sehingga memerlukan pembaharuan, penyegaraan atau “reform”?. Semangat tinggi cendekiawan Muslim dalam mempelajari Islam akhir-akhir ini sangat menggembirakan dan perlu disyukuri yang menandakan kebangkitan Islam merupakan suatu Kenyataan. Namun perlu diingat bahwa kita tidak perlu mengadakan “reform” terhadap Islam karena Islam telah sempurna dengan sendirinya (Q.S. 5:3) justru yang harus diperbaharui ialah sikap terhadap agama, yaitu kemalasan dan kekurangan pemahaman kita dan bukan kekurangan yang diduga ada pada Islam atau al-Qur'an.Bila masalah-masalah tajdid pada kurun waktu setelah abad yang lalu berkisar pada sosial pembersihan aqidah dari berbagai rawasih syirik dan pembersih ibadah dari berbagai bentuk bid'ah, khurafat dan tahayul, maka masalah-masalah keagamaan yang mendesak dewasa ini sangat erat kaitannya dengan kehidupan politik dan ekonomi. Tidak berlebihan bila dikatakan, masa depan Islam sangat bergantung pada kemampuan umat Islam untuk menjawab masalah-masalah sosial politik dan sosial ekonomi yang cukup mendasar dewasa ini. Dalam situasi yang dekaden tampil seorang muslim pada abad kedua puluh yaitu, Hasan Hanafi yang meluncurkan ide-ide pembaharuannya dalam sebuah jurnal terkenal al-Yasar al-Islami (kiri Islam) yang berisi beberapa essai tentang kebangkitan umat Islam

Tantangan Hukum Islam di Abad Modern

Istilah modern, bisa digunakan pada orang, waktu, seni, benda, pemikiran, kebudayaan dan tingkah laku. Gagasan modern sering dipahami sebagai gagasan pembaharuan dan dipertentangkan dengan gagasan tradisional. Dalam khazanah ilmu-ilmu Islam, fiqh (hukum Islam) merupakan salah satu disiplin ilmu klasik yang senantiasa sarat dengan wacana yang menarik, watak alamiah hukum Islam sebagai bagian dari syari\u27at Islam yang bersifat Ilahiyah dan permanen (qath\u27i) serta harus diterima secara “taken for grented” di satu sisi dan posisinya sebagai produk ijtihadi yang acapkali dihasilkan dari sumber-sumber Islam yang relatif (zhanny) di sisi lain, menjadikan hukum Islam memiliki wajah yang berbeda. Dengan kata lain, hukum Islam sering identik dengan jumlah aturan dan doktrin Islam tentang sejumlah persoalan keseharian ummat Islam yang bersifat statis dan baku. Namun, ia acapkali melahirkan berbagai nuansa pemikiran baru, sebagai respon atas munculnya sejumlah tantangan dan persoalan kontemporer yang membuat hukum Islam terkesan dinamis. Sejauhmana hukum Islam mesti dipertahankan stabilitasnya tanpa harus terjebak pada sikap jumud (stagnan), serta sebatas apa ia mesti mengakomodasi berbagai dinamika pemikiran baru tanpa harus mereduksi nilai-nilai dan prinsip-prinsip Islam yang abadi dan universal, menjadi amat penting untuk dikemukakan

Pengaruh Pelatihan, Disiplin dan Motivasi terhadap Kinerja Pegawai pada Badan Pengelolaan Keuangan dan Asset Daerah Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah

The study is aimed to: 1) determine and analyze simultaneous influence of training, discipline, and motivation on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial and Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi; 2) determine and analyze the influence of training on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial and Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi; 3) determine and analyze the influence of discipline on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial and Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi; 4) determine and analyze the influence of motivation on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial And Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi. Sample consists of 79 officials who were selected through disproportionate stratified random sampling by which sample is randomly selected proportionally. Technique of analysis uses multiple linear regressions has shown that training, discipline, and motivation simultaneously have significant influence on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial and Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi with Sig F of 0.000 < α 0.05. Training has positive and significant influence on official\u27s performance with sig-t (X1) of 0.000 < α 0.05; discipline has positive and significant influence on the performance of officials in The Agency of Financial and Local Asset Administrator in Central Sulawesi with Sig-t (X2) of 0.035 < α 0.05; and motivation has positive and significant influence on the performance of officials with sig-t (X3) of 0.017 < α 0.05

The uptake and incorporation of exogenous fatty acids confer phenotypic advantages to acinetobacter baumannii

AIM: Acinetobacter baumannii is a ubiquitous gram-negative bacterium found on a variety of surfaces that include skin, hair, and soil. Some gram-negative bacteria like A. baumannii have the ability to acquire and incorporate fatty acids into their phospholipid membranes. Known as ‘Iraqibacter,’ A. baumannii has emerged as a significant cause of nosocomial infections in the United States and abroad. This study was designed to determine whether structural alterations occur in A. baumannii upon exposure to a wide range of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as well as the significance of this phenomenon in terms of survival and resistance to stress. Thin layer chromatography of isolated phospholipids indicated phospholipid profile variation depending on the exogenous PUFA supplied. To assess the incorporation of exogenous fatty acids with A. baumannii phospholipids, isolated lipids were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS). Membrane permeability was assessed with a crystal violet hydrophobic compound uptake assay. An assay for biofilm formation was performed to indicate the production of biofilms among bacterial growth in the presence of each fatty acid. To observe additional phenotypic responses, environmental stresses such as hydrogen peroxide, antimicrobial peptide, and antibiotic pressures were assayed. The fatty acids affected membrane permeability, as determined by a hydrophobic compound uptake test. At least a 20% range of uptake was observed between the PUFAs examined. Bacterial growth in the presence of each PUFA caused an increase in biofilm production. As expected, numerous unique phospholipid species were identified and were bioinformatically predicted to contain the exogenously supplied PUFA as one of their acyl chains. While no differences in minimum inhibitory concentrations were observed with peroxide and beta-lactam antibiotic stresses, sensitivity of A. baumannii to two different antimicrobial peptides, colistin and polymyxin B, increased following growth in several of the PUFAs, with arachidonic acid displaying the highest inhibition. Since cationic antimicrobial peptides are believed to interact with bacterial lipid membranes for eventual pore formation, these results implicate exogenous fatty acids as modification moieties that may impact resistance to environmental stresses

Report of the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario: Taking Stock Two Years Later

In early 2011, the Government of Ontario struck the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance to review the social assistance programs and make recommendations for improving them. The programs were characterized by unsustainable growth in caseloads and program expenditures and poor outcomes for program participants. Imagine the challenges: program costs running far ahead of revenue growth; an incredibly complex system with over 800 rules, 240 benefit rates, 50 children’s benefit rates, and 30 plus specialized benefits for those who qualify; persistent high growth in caseloads of persons with disabilities; and the difficulty for many who leave the program to keep their jobs for long periods of time. The base benefit rate was inadequate, at $600 a month (now$656). However, many receiving specialized benefits face serious disincentives to work, particularly those with disabilities, as such benefits are unavailable outside social assistance, implying an effective clawback rate of 100%. For some it is not worth getting a job, as their welfare benefits are larger than the incomes they can earn. In its final report, the Commission recommended steps to improve system sustainability, reduce complexity and improve work-related outcomes, while providing appropriate income supports during periods of need. The Commission presented its report to the government more than two years ago. It recommended that the program be “transformed” though: eliminating specialized benefits, which would finance a higher basic benefit rate to improve adequacy; providing needed specialized benefits, such as benefits for those with disability and extended health care, outside the program to all who need them to improve work incentives; providing improved and effective employment benefits and services to all who could work, even those with a disability, to improve labour market outcomes; simplifying the program so caseload workers could spend their time helping clients rather than wasting it on figuring out complex rules; and, with these changes, there was no rationale to have two separate programs, one for general welfare clients and the other for people with disabilities, and thus replacing them with one unified program to be delivered by municipalities and funded by the province. The government response can be summarized with four key points. First, it acknowledged the importance of the analysis in the report and the need to transform the program. Second, it has taken steps to raise the level of assistance for single adults relying on Ontario Works, make some income exempt and to make employment supports more effective. Third, it has suggested more consultations and discussions with relevant stakeholders to chart a future course. Finally, the key recommendations in the report that focused on changing the basic program structure, or “transforming” it, have not been acted upon to date. The factors that led to the establishment of the Commission described above continue unabated and indeed have become more serious: program costs are projected to grow 16.1% over three years to 2014-15, outpacing both revenue growth of 8.3% and cumulative inflation of 4 %; caseloads of those with disabilities over the last three years have risen another 7.3%; and the program is as complex today as it was two years ago. In light of this, it has become even more urgent for the Ontario government to transform the program, including changes in its basic structure, consistent with the Commission’s recommendations. The need for reform and the Commission’s recommendations are both clear for improving economic and social outcomes in Ontario