Fabrication of Polymeric Multimode Waveguides for Application in the Local Area Network and Optical Interconnects.

We report the fabrication of multimode polymeric waveguides using spin coating, photolithography, and reactive ion etching. Different layer structures have been used, e.g., a UV curable resin is used as a core layer and PMMA as a lower and upper cladding. The layer systems can be spun with good uniformity with thicknesses matching multimode fiber dimensions, and smooth waveguide side-walls have been obtained after etching. The measured performance of these waveguides demonstrates that low-loss waveguides can be fabricated cheaply. The waveguides are used in the realization of novel compact multimode power splitters and star couplers

Design and fabrication of 1xN and NxN planar waveguide couplers for multimode fiber-based local area networks.

We report on the design and fabrication of compact and potentially low-cost multimode fiber matched 1 x N and N x N couplers for LAN’s. The design utilizes the self-imaging effect and tapering of the Multi-Mode Interference (MMI) section. An extended mode propagation analysis and 3-D beam propagation method (BPM) were used to analyze and design these structures. The simulations show that the couplers exhibit low excess losses, low power imbalance, and relaxed fabrication tolerances at very short device length. The devices were fabricated in polymer waveguide technology using spin coating, photolithography, and reactive ion etching. Preliminary experimental results show promising characteristics

Building a Multimodal, Trust-Based E-Voting System

This paper addresses the issue of voter identification and authentication, voter participation and trust in the electoral system. A multimodal/hybrid identification and authentication scheme is proposed which captures what a voter knows – PIN, what he has – smartcard and what he is – biometrics. Massive participation of voters in and out of the country of origin was enhanced through an integrated channel (kiosk and internet voting). A multi-trust voting system is built based on service oriented architecture. Microsoft Visual C#.Net, ASP.Net and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition components of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 was used to realize the Windows and Web-based solutions for the electronic voting system

Knowledge Discovery in Online Repositories: A Text Mining Approach

Before the advent of the Internet, the newspapers were the prominent instrument of mobilization for independence and political struggles. Since independence in Nigeria, the political class has adopted newspapers as a medium of Political Competition and Communication. Consequently, most political information exists in unstructured form and hence the need to tap into it using text mining algorithm. This paper implements a text mining algorithm on some unstructured data format in some newspapers. The algorithm involves the following natural language processing techniques: tokenization, text filtering and refinement. As a follow-up to the natural language techniques, association rule mining technique of data mining is used to extract knowledge using the Modified Generating Association Rules based on Weighting scheme (GARW). The main contributions of the technique are that it integrates information retrieval scheme (Term Frequency Inverse Document Frequency) (for keyword/feature selection that automatically selects the most discriminative keywords for use in association rules generation) with Data Mining technique for association rules discovery. The program is applied to Pre-Election information gotten from the website of the Nigerian Guardian newspaper. The extracted association rules contained important features and described the informative news included in the documents collection when related to the concluded 2007 presidential election. The system presented useful information that could help sanitize the polity as well as protect the nascent democracy

An Assessment of Training Needs of Arabic School Teachers in Lagos State: Implication for Planning Training and Retraining Programmes

The study identified the training needs of teachers in the Arabic schools in Lagos State. The study involved Head Teachers in 42 selected Arabic schools operating in Akoka, Bariga and Somolu areas in the Lagos metropolis. The subjects were given a list of six possible teaching competencies and asked to appraise their level of competence in each, and also indicate their willingness to attend a short refresher course on pedagogy. The study revealed that the respondents are deficient in varying degrees in communicative English – both oral and written, preparation of scheme of work and lesson plan, including formulation of behavioural objectives and evaluation of teaching – learning outcomes. Additionally, majority of the respondents showed positive attitude towards remedying their areas of deficiency. It was concluded that education faculties, education and training consultants and operators of Arabic schools in the State have an important role to play in utilizing the findings of the study to plan and implement appropriate training and retraining programmes for teachers. Keywords: Arabic Schools; Teaching Competencies; Retraining Programmes International Journal of Educational Research Vol. 3 (2) 2007 pp. 249-25

A comparison between Asian and Australasia backpackers using cultural consensus analysis

This study tests the differences in the shared understanding of the backpacker cultural domain between two groups: backpackers from Australasia and backpackers from Asian countries. A total of 256 backpackers responded to a questionnaire administered in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Krabi Province (Thailand). Cultural consensus analysis (CCA) guided the data analysis, to identify the shared values and the differences in the backpacker culture of the two groups. The findings revealed that while the two groups share some of the backpacker cultural values, some other values are distinctively different from one another. The study provides the first empirical evidence of the differences in backpacking culture between the two groups using CCA. Based on the study findings, we propose some marketing and managerial implications

Soybeans yoghurt production using starter culture from 'nono'

Yoghurt was prepared from soy-milk equivalent. Soybeans used for milk production were selected, dehulled,  blended then mixed with water in ratio l :6   respectively and filtered with a muslim cloth to obtain milk. On kilogram (lkg) of soybeans used produced soy-milk equivalent of six litres (6L) in moderate  dilution.  Two genera of bacteria Lactobacillus and Streptococcus were isolated from 'nono' (naturally fermented cow-milk) using the pour plate technique. The  soy-milk equivalent obtained was fermented to yoghurt at 40°C for 14.5 hours using Lactobacillus and S1replococrus bacteria as a sta rter culture in a combination ratio of 1 :2. The isolate gave a fine yoghurt like product with a characteristic acid flavour, cream odour and  muustard- like consistency with a pH 4.36.Keywords: Soy-beans, Yoghurt and Starter culture

5kVa power inverter design and simulation based on boost converter and H-bridge inverter topology

Five (5) kVA power inverter was designed and simulated base on two topologies; Boost converter and Half-bridge inverter topology. A 555 timer IC was used as the control at fixed frequencies of 25 kHz and 50 Hz for the two stages. The results of the simulation were obtained. The graphs for both stages were plotted and the results show a significant increase in the voltage and duty cycle. The wave form of the output gives a square wave form. Keywords: Power inverter, Simulation, Topology, Converte

Kajian Keuntungan antara Penyertaan Modal pada Usaha Pembenihan Ikan Gurami (Oshpronemus Gouramy, Lac) dengan Perolehan Bunga Deposito Bank

Ikan gurami (Oshpronemus gouramy, Lac) merupakan ikan asli Indonesia dan berasal dari perairan daerah Jawa Barat, Kegiatan pembenihan ikan gurami untuk ber produksi menggunakan sumber daya modal finansial. Sumber daya modal finansial merupakan faktor produksi yang harus dikelola secara efisien dan efektif. Usaha pembenihan ikan gurami umumnya dilaksanakan dalam skala USAha rumah tangga. Mendepositokan uang di bank termasuk USAha memperoleh pendapatan dari bunga yang diberikan sebagai imbal jasa atas penyertaan sejumlah uang pada sebuah lembaga keuangan atau bank. Penelitian dengan menggunakan metode Deskriftif kuantitatif melalui berbagai analisa yang di lakukan, hasil uji/penelitian didasarkan pada variable-variable input dan output sehingga dapat diperoleh suatu perbandingan antara penyertaan modal terhadap USAha pembenihan ikan gurami dengan menempatkan dana dalam bentuk deposito pada bank. Penelitian di lakukan di wilayah kecamatan Kemang dengan Responden pembudidaya ikan gurame, Tujuan penelitian yaitu 1. membandingkan mana yang lebih menguntungkan antara penyertaan modal pada USAha pembenihan ikan gurami (Oshpronemus gouramy, Lac) atau perolehan bunga deposito bank 2. Memberikan gambaran bagi calon investor dalam pengambilan keputusan peggunaan dana antara investasi pada USAha pembenihan ikan gurami atau deposito. Dari hasil kajian yang di lakukan maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa Usaha pembenihan ikan gurami dengan sekuen kegiatan selama 3 bulan secara finansial layak untuk dilaksanakan. Hal ini didukung oleh beberpa parameter kelayakan yang dipakai pada penelitian ini dengan hasil analisis : 1) Keuntungan per tahun (4 kali produksi) = Rp 33.153.725,- 2) R/C = 2,1 3) Payback Period 0,6 (Kurang dari 1 tahun) 4) BEP produksi = Rp 450,- = 66.3 ekor. BEP harga = Rp 213,2,-Jika total modal USAha pembenihan ini sebesar Rp 29.846.275,- didepositokan maka setiap bulan akan menghasilkan jasa atau keuntungan sebesar Rp 176.093,- Sedangkan keuntungan yang diperoleh pada USAha pembenihan ikan gurami setiap 3 bulan mencapai Rp 33.153.725,- atau Rp 11.051.241,- per bulan. Dari data yang di tunjukan memiliki Arti bahwa keuntungan USAha pembenihan ikan gurami bisa mencapai 111,08 % lebih besar dibanding deposito

Assessing Variability in End-of-Life Intensity of Care After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) affects over 300,000 Americans per year.1 Many factors affect the outcomes and overall OHCA survival in a community; some of these include an individual’s characteristics such as age, co-morbid conditions, availability of an AED on scene, time to CPR, and the characteristics of the hospital they are treated at.1,2 Directly following resuscitation from cardiac arrest, the individual is at risk of developing numerous problems caused by sequelae of ischemic injury sustained during the arrest. The national average rate of survival to discharge is only 10%.2,3 Many of these factors are modifiable and provide an opportunity to improve outcomes. In our project, we focus on lifesustaining procedures administered by hospitals upon receiving and admitting individuals experiencing OHCA. We used previously validated measures as defined by Barnato et al as “life sustaining end of life (EOL) measures”:4 • Intubation and mechanical ventilation • Tracheostomy • Gastrostomy tube insertion • Hemodialysis • Enteral/parenteral nutrition • CPRhttps://jdc.jefferson.edu/cwicposters/1035/thumbnail.jp