Low-cost multimode waveguide couplers for multimode fiber-based local area networks

Novel, ultra-compact multimode fiber-matched integrated optical 1×2, 1×3 and 2×2 couplers with low excess losses and large tolerances have been designed and simulated using a fully three-dimensional beam propagation metho

Starfruit classification based on linear hue computation

In this paper, a classification process to group starfruit into six maturity indices is proposed based on 1- dimensional color feature called hue, which is extracted from the starfruit image. As the original hue is quantified from the nonlinear transformation of the 3-dimensional Red, Green and Blue color, this paper proposes a linear hue transformation computation based on the 2 colors of Red and Green. The proposed hue computation leads to a reduced computational burden, less computational complexity and better class discriminant capability. The hue is then applied as the input for the maturity classification process. The classification process is based on the hypothesis that for each of the maturity index, certain area of the starfruit surface is supposed to have distinctive value of the hue. In this work, the said starfruit surface area is set as 70% of the total area and based on 600 samples, the proposed technique results in 93% classification accuracy

Fabrication of Polymeric Multimode Waveguides and Devices in SU-8 Photoresist Using Selective Polymerization.

Large cross section multimode waveguides have been realized in SU-8 using selective polymerization. SU-8 is a negative photoresist, which has shown good optical properties and it is mechanically and chemically stable. The fabricated waveguides have very smooth sidewalls and exhibit low optical losses. The fabrication method is simple and potentially very cost effective. N x N and 1 x N multimode power splitters have been realized using this fabrication technology

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

Premature discharge of children from hospital admission at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria: A 3-year review

Introduction: Leaving hospital care prematurely could threaten the healthy survival of and expose children to a risk of harmful alternatives. It is also a concern and a challenge to healthcare providers and the health system. A better understanding of its characteristic could help mitigate the impact on children.Objective: To determine the prevalence, types of, and reasons for premature hospital discharge amongst children.Methods: We carried out a threeyear retrospective review of case notes of children who were taken away from hospital admission by their parents/caregivers before they were due for discharge.  Socio-demographic, clinical anddischarge information were collected and data was entered into Microsoft® Excel® for Mac 2011 (Version 14.1.0), cleaned and analysed. Results were presented as percentages, statistical means and standard deviations, tables and charts.Results: There were 56 cases of premature discharge out of 2858 admissions, giving a prevalence of 2.0%. Under-five children constituted 65.4%, with a male: female ratio of 2.3:1. Thirty-one (55.3%) children were absconded with while 25 (44.7%) were taken away by caregivers against medical advice. The commonest diagnoses were protein-energy malnutrition and pneumonia and majority were from poor socio-economic family background. The commonest reasons for discharge AMA were unaffordable costs and perception of improvement of child’s medical condition.Conclusion: Socio-economic factors were significant determinants of utilization of in-patient hospital services for the children studied. There is a need for provision of affordable health care as well as efficient discharge policy to protect children from potential risks associated with premature hospital discharge.Keywords: Children; admission; premature discharge; discharge against medical advice; absconding; elopemen

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

Effects of differently processed soybean substituted diets on nutrient utilization and the growth perormance of Clarias gariepinus juveniles

Growth and nutrient studies was carried out on Clarias gariepinus Juveniles of mean weight 7.00-8.00g stocked into rectangular plastic aquarium tanks 30cm x 15cm for 120 days fed with differently processed soya bean meal. There were eight  treatments labeled as diet T1-T8, diet T1 (control diet; contains no soybean meal but has fishmeal as the protein source); diet T2 (Conventional diet; purchased  commercially); diet T3 (contains a partial replacement of fishmeal with raw soybean meal at 66.7 replacement) diet T4 (has 100% of raw soybean meal inclusion), diet T5 (66.7% toasted soybean inclusion); diet T6 (100% toasted soybean inclusion); diet T7 (100% raw soybean with methionine and lysine); diet T8 (100% toasted  soybean with methionine and lysine). The diets were formulated at 40% crude  protein containing soya bean meal at different inclusion rates; the toasted soya bean was toasted at 100oC for 10 minutes using an oven and then milled into a fine powder before being mixed with other ingredients. Results showed that the highest average weight gain of 432.55g, specific growth rate (SGR) of 3.38% and food conversion ratio (FCR) of 5.78 of the formulated diets respectively were recorded in fish fed with diet T5 (toasted soyabean meal) P<0.05. The Juveniles fed raw soybean gave the least growth performance (Diet T3) and (Diet T4) P>0.05. this relative lower growth performance of the fish might be attributed to the presence of higher levels of anti-nutritional factors present in soybeans for example trypsin inhibitors and phytic acid which may interfere with the availability of nutrients to the fish; from the result It could be concluded in practice that toasted soybean based diet is optimal for growth of Clarias gariepinus Juvenile. Mortality rates recorded during the dietary trial ranged between 30% in fish fed diet T8 to 100% in the remaining diets. The results were discussed in relation to fish feed production and its implication for fish culture intensification in Nigeria and it is recommended that toasted soya bean should be embraced as the most preferred treatment for the soyabean used in fish feedKeywords: Processed soya bean, fishmeal, growth Juveniles, Clarias gariepinu

Enhancing the Performance of Heart Disease Prediction from Collecting Cleveland Heart Dataset using Bayesian Network

Cardiovascular diseases are diseases affecting the general well-being of the heart. It is responsible for many deaths annually. Consequently, this paper focuses on improving the performance of heart disease prediction by collecting Cleveland heart datasets from the University of California Irvine machine learning repository. Different feature subset selection is performed on the dataset and modeled using machine learning models such as logistic regression, K-Nearest neighbor, Naïve Bayes and Bayesian Network. The proposed method achieved an accuracy of 88.53%. Based on the results obtained, we observed feature reduction on the Cleveland dataset could enhance the performance of the Bayesian network

Evaluation of serum lipid profile among hyperthyroid patients in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano

Background: Hyperthyroidism is the condition that reflects excessive concentrations of thyroid hormones in the body that is the thyroid gland is overactive. Hyperthyroidism is thus a cause of thyrotoxicosis, the clinical condition of increased thyroid hormone in the blood (Cleve 2009).Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate serum lipid profile among hyperthyroid patients in Aminu Kano Teaching HospitalMethodology: A total of 62 subjects were used for this study 31 hyperthyroid patients and 31 Control subjects. The blood samples were centrifuged, serum collected and analyzed  spectrophotometrically using enzymatic reaction for {total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL] while LDL was determined by freidwalds formula.Results: The results show that serum TC, HDL-C, LDLC-C and TG levels were significantly lower in patients than in controls. There were negative and significant correlation between T3 and TC, T3 and TG, TSH and TG in patients (r=~0.292 p<0.05, r=-0.529 p<0.001 and r-0.487 p<0.001 respectively), while there was positive and significant correlation between serum T4 and LDL-C in controls (r=0.426, p<0.05).Conclusion: It can be concluded that serum lipids were significantly reduced in hyperthyroid patients