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

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

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

An Assessment of Vegetal Cover Transition in the Zugurma Sector of Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria

In Nigeria, National Parks and other categories of protected areas have played a major role in modern systems of biodiversity conservation and it is likely to be an important component of national biodiversity conservation strategies in the future.  This research work aimed at assessing the vegetal cover transition in Zugurma Sector of Kainji Lake National Park using satellite-derived data. Satellite imageries of 1986, 2000 and 2010 were downloaded from GLCF and classified using ArcGIS, while evaluation of the agricultural resource in the study area was done using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI); to comprehend the socioeconomic and human impact on the flora dynamics, questionnaires and interviews were used; and mathematical modeling was used to project the study area to the year 2020.  Various softwares (ArcGIS 10.1, SPSS 10.0, Microsoft Office Excel, 2007 and Microsoft Office Word, 2007) were used.  The results show that there is significant decrease in the forest cover between 1986 – 2010, while farmlands around the forest experienced an increase in year 2000 but reduced again in 2010.  As for settlements, we have more cases of immigration, while the bare lands in and around the forests reduce or increase based on climatic aberrations, soil erosion and human activities. NDVI maps were used to show the changes in the vegetation indices for Zugurma in 1986, 2000 and 2010 derived from the classified satellite imageries.  These changes ranged from 0.473684 to 0.503106 then to 0.491525 respectively (for high NDVI values); this suggests that the forest had degraded probably caused by deforestation or climatic factors.  The low NDVI values as shown by the maps are -0.0616327, -0.386773 and -0.118644 for 1986, 2000 and 2010 respectively. It is projected that by the year 2020, Forests will have a percentage of 32.878% (from70.52%), while farmlands are expected to increase to 25.815% (from11.34%), Settlements to 29.259% (from 12.85%), and Bare lands will be the least with about 12.048% (from 5.29%).In order to reduce the human pressure on the KLNP, there is a need for constant dialogue and collaboration between the Park authority and the communities around the study area. This constant interaction will facilitate mutual understanding and guarantee sustainable park management.  The Nigerian government should enhance biodiversity protection by incorporating biodiversity concerns into development planning, expand and consolidate protected area networks. Keywords: Biodiversity, National Park, Geographic Information System, Vegetation Inde

An Approach to Reaeration Coefficient Modeling in Local Surface Water Quality Monitoring

Reaeration coefficient (k2) for River Atuwara, Ogun State, Nigeria was calculated from dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen demand data collected over period of 3 months covering the two prevailing climatic seasons in the country. Both the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria were used in the selection and analysis of ten models to identify the most suitable reaeration coefficient (k2) model for Atuwara River. Models that passed the confidence limit were subjected to model evaluation using measures of agreement between observed and predicted data such as percent bias, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, and root mean square observation standard deviation ratio. The used approach yield better results than empirical models developed for local conditions while it is also useful in conserving scarce resources