Low-cost and low-topography fabrication of multilayer interconnections for microfluidic devices

Multilayer interconnections are needed for microdevices with a large number of independent electrodes. A multi-level photolithographic process is commonly employed to provide multilayer interconnections in integrated circuit (IC) devices, but it is often too expensive for large-area or disposable devices frequently needed for microfluidics. The printed circuit board (PCB) can provide multilayer interconnection at low cost, but its rough topography poses a challenge for small droplets to slide over. Here we report a low-cost fabrication of low-topography multilayer interconnects by selective and controlled anodization of thin-film metal layers. The process utilizes anodization of metal (tantalum in this paper) or, more specifically, repetitions of a partial anodization to form insulation layers between conductive layers and a full anodization to form isolating regions between electrodes, replacing the usual process of depositing, planarizing, and etching insulation layers. After verifying the electric connections and insulations as intended, the developed method is applied to electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD), whose complex microfluidic products are currently built on PCB or thin-film transistor (TFT) substrates. To demonstrate the utility, we fabricated a 3 metal-layer EWOD device with steps (surface topography) less than 1 micrometer (vs. > 10 micrometers of PCB EWOD devices) and confirmed basic digital microfluidic operations

PENGARUH PEMBELAJARAN MATEMATIKA DENGAN METODE IMPROVE TERHADAP KEMAMPUAN REPRESENTASI MATEMATIS SISWA SMP

Kemampuan representasi matematis merupakan salah satu komponen penting dalam upaya mengembangkan kemampuan berpikir siswa. Namun dalam laporan TIMSS disebutkan bahwa kemampuan siswa dalam merepresentasikan ide atau konsep matematis termasuk rendah. Oleh karena itu diperlukan suatu cara yang dapat meningkatkan dan mengembangkan kemampuan representasi matematis. Salah satu alternatif yang dapat digunakan adalah melalui pembelajaran matematika dengan metode IMPROVE. Berdasarkan hal tersebut akan dibandingkan kemampuan representasi siswa yang mendapat pembelajaran matematika dengan metode IMPROVE dan siswa yang mendapat pembelajaran matematika dengan pembelajaran konvensional. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode eksperimen dengan desain Pretest-Postest Control Group Design. Penelitian dilakukan terhadap dua kelas dari lima kelas di MTsN 7 MAJALENGKA. Di dalam penelitian ini terdapat dua kelas, yaitu kelas VIII A sebagai kelas eksperimen dan kelas VIII B kelas kontrol. Kelas eksperimen memperoleh pembelajaran matematika dengan metode IMPROVE, sedangkan kelas kontrol memperoleh pembelajaran konvensional. Instrumen penelitian yang digunakan berupa tes tipe uraian soal-soal kemampuan representasi matematis dan angket skala sikap. Analisis data dilakukan dengan menggunakan uji t. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dan pembahasan dapat disimpulkan bahwa: (1) Kemampuan representasi matematis siswa yang memperoleh pembelajaran dengan metode IMPROVE lebih baik dari pada siswa yang memperoleh pembelajaran konvensioanal. (2) Sikap siswa positif terhadap metode IMPROVE dalam pembelajaran matematika. Kata Kunci: Kemampuan Representasi Matematis, Metode IMPROVE, Pembelajaran Konvensional

The Development of an Instruction Model for Hearing Impaired Undergraduate Students in Higher Education Institutions

The purpose of this study is twofold. The first is to ascertain the current state-of-the art of university instruction for hearing-impaired students. The second is to develop a model to be used as a guide for institution of higher learning in implementing instructional procedures for the hearing-impaired students. A documentary research methodology, employing content analysis was used. Documents scrutinized included self-audit reports, course syllabi, and documents relating to curriculum and instruction and other related administrative materials. The results of the first phase of this analysis were subsequently integrated with conclusions of the second phase of the same endeavors on theories, principles and practices on higher educational instruction for hearing-impaired students, both in Thailand and aboard. Altogether 2,954 titles of were studied. The purposed model derived from the result of the documentary analysis consisted of two parts. First part delineated the scope of perception and understanding of students according to instructional objectives proposed by Marzano and Kendall,(2008), as follows: (1) retrieval with subsets of recognizing, recalling and executing; (2) comprehension with subsets of integrating, symbolizing; (3)analysis with subsets of matching, classifying, analyzing errors, generalizing, specifying; (4) knowledge utilization with subsets of decision making, problem solving, experimenting, investigating; (5) met cognition with subsets of specifying goals, process monitoring, monitoring clarity, monitoring accuracy; (6) self-system thinking with subsets of examining importance, examining efficacy, examining emotional response and motivation. The second part is the proposed instructional model comprising of (1) principlefocusing on meeting special needs of hearing-impaired students and their idiosyncrasies; (2) objectives regarding modalities, competency development, cooperation inducement, adaptability towards harmony in one‘s community and academic achievements; (3) instructional deliveries, stressing expected roles of faculty members teaming with Thai Sign Language interpreters and lesionplans designed to make concrete experience become comprehensible in abstract terms; (4) instructional activities emphasizing kinesthetic and visual group dynamics in collaborative styles; (5) Two tiers of evaluation was recommended. Authentic assessment is suggested for student academic achievements whereas student instructional behaviors are to be assessed by theinstructional domains (Marzano and Kendall, 2008). Highlights of findings are indispensable instructional systems of learner‘s preparation prior to the actualinstructional deliveries, including the creation of optimal environment. Important actions for highest possible student achievements are engaging, framing, acquiring, elaborating and connecting. Positive reinforcements are to be important tools in sustaining cognitive abilities, especially, in thinking, feeling and willing. Significant findings indicate the discovery of effective substitution ofdeprived audio modality by visual and kinesthetic counterparts

Outward Signs (Original writing)

Outward Signs is a full-length play produced as required for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Playwriting. It consists of seven (7) characters and was performed by UNLV undergraduate acting students in the Black Box Theatre in November, 1991

The Support of the Cultural Heritage Utilization in Historical Town Reserves

AbstractThe paper is focused on a cultural heritage. It reports a new perspective on the cultural heritage as a cultural capital, its perception as a bearer of cultural and economic values. The objective was to identify and evaluate, on basis of theoretical foundation of the cultural heritage as a development potential of the territory, which instruments the local governments use to regulate and support the utilization of the immovable cultural heritage in order to develop the territory. We analyzed the use of selected tools by local governments with declared historical town reserves in Slovakia. The overview of actual issues related to the state of the cultural heritage and the proposal of ways of the cultural heritage utilization support is also presented. Provided recommendations can serve as a basis for adopting measures to improve the operation of local governments in the cultural heritage support

Gravitational wave production after inflation for a hybrid inflationary model

We discuss a cosmological scenario with a stochastic background of gravitational waves sourced by the tensor perturbation due to a hybrid inflationary model with cubic potential. The tensor-to-scalar ratio for the present hybrid inflationary model is obtained as $r \approx 0.0006$. Gravitational wave spectrum of this stochastic background, for large-scale CMB modes, $10^{-4}Mpc^{-1}$ to $1Mpc^{-1}$ is studied. The present-day energy spectrum of gravitational waves $\Omega_0^{gw}(f)$ is sensitively related to the tensor power spectrum and r which is, in turn, dependent on the unknown physics of the early cosmos. This uncertainty is characterized by two parameters: $\hat{n_t}(f)$ logarithmic average over the primordial tensor spectral index and $\hat{w}(f)$ logarithmic average over the effective equation of state parameter. Thus, exact constraints in the $\hat{w}(f)$, $\hat{n_t}(f)$ plane can be obtained by comparing theoretical constraints of our model on r and $\Omega_0^{gw}(f)$. We obtain a limit on $\hat{w}(10^{-15}Hz)$<$0.33$ around the modes probed by CMB scales

Occurrence of the Foramen of Vesalius and Its Morphometry Relevant to Clinical Consideration

All 377 dry skulls were examined for the occurrence and morphometry of the foramen of Vesalius (FV) both in the middle cranial fossa and at the extracranial view of the skull base. There were 25.9% and 10.9% of FV found at the extracranial view of the skull base and in the middle cranial fossa, respectively. Total patent FV were 16.1% (11.9% unilaterally and 4.2% bilaterally). Most FV were found in male and on the left side. Comparatively, FV at the extracranial view of the skull base had a larger maximum diameter. The distance between FV and the foramen ovale (FO) was as short as 2.05 ± 1.09 mm measured at the extracranial view of the skull base. In conclusion, although the existence of FV is inconstant, its occurrence could not be negligible. The proximity of FV to FO should remind neurosurgeons to be cautious when performing the surgical approach through FO

Hearing in cetaceans : from natural history to experimental biology

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2012. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Advances in Marine Biology 63, edited by Michael Lesser, :197-246. Academic Press (Elsevier), 2013. ISBN: 9780123942821. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-394282-1.00004-1Sound is the primary sensory cue for most marine mammals, and this is especially true for cetaceans. To passively and actively acquire information about their environment, cetaceans have perhaps the most derived ears of all mammals, capable of sophisticated, sensitive hearing and auditory processing. These capabilities have developed for survival in an underwater world where sound travels five times faster than in air, and where light is quickly attenuated and often limited at depth, at night, and in murky waters. Cetacean auditory evolution has capitalized on the ubiquity of sound cues and the efficiency of underwater acoustic communication. The sense of hearing is central to cetacean sensory ecology, enabling vital behaviors such as locating prey, detecting predators, identifying conspecifics, and navigating. Increasing levels of anthropogenic ocean noise appears to influence many of these activities. Here we describe the historical progress of investigations on cetacean hearing, with a particular focus on odontocetes and recent advancements. While this broad topic has been studied for several centuries, new technologies in the last two decades have been leveraged to improve our understanding of a wide range of taxa, including some of the most elusive species. This paper addresses topics including how sounds are received, what sounds are detected, hearing mechanisms for complex acoustic scenes, recent anatomy and physiology studies, the potential impacts of noise, and mysticete hearing. We conclude by identifying emerging research topics and areas which require greater focus.In compiling this review, TAM was supported by the John E. and Anne W. Sawyer Endowed Fund and the Penzance Endowed Fund