This paper presents the design and a new low-cost process for fabrication of a second-order micromechanical filter using UV-LIGA technology. The micromechanical filter consists of two identical bulk-mode ring resonators, mechanically coupled by a flexural-mode beam. A new lumped modeling approach is presented for the bulk-mode ring resonators and filter. The validity of the analytical derivatio...

A technical overview of near-field electromagnetic tagging is presented and described in the context of adding functionality, efficiency, and convenience to the spaces in which we live and work. A survey of all common forms of electromagnetic tagging is given, including shoplifting tags and RF-ID (Radio-Frequency Identification) tags. Focus is given to low-cost electromagnetic tags based solely...

Diamonds not only are beautiful and valuable as jewelry, they also have a number of unique characteristics that make them valuable in a range of commercial applications, including optics, acoustics, medicine, electronics, tooling and hard coatings, abrasives, and ceramics. Economic and technical constraints, however, limit their use. A low-cost method of depositing diamond film would open the w...

This paper deals with a method for low cost power electronic substratescreation, which are used for power electronic devices. Direct bond copper (DBC) technology is suitable for creating substrates with excellent thermal and electrical conductivity and good mechanical properties. Furthermore, DBC allows to create copper layers with the thickness of hundreds micrometers in one processing step. I...

We report on an illuminated, low-cost (Rs 1500 (US$ 36)) magnifying device (Magnivisualizer) for detecting precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix. A total of 403 women attending a maternal and child health care clinic who had abnormal vaginal discharge and related symptoms were referred for detailed pelvic examination and visual inspection by means of the device after the application of 5% ...

The Durham University Centre for Advanced Instrumentation (formerly the Astronomical Instrumentation Group) has been involved in the development of both research and facility class astronomical adaptive optics systems and their associated control systems for over 20 years. The centre also has interests in commercial and non-astronomical research AO systems, including the areas of novel wavefron...

Speech technology applications, such as speech recognition, speech synthesis, and speech dialog systems, often require corpora based on highly customized specifications. Existing corpora available to the community, such as TIMIT and other corpora distributed by LDC and ELDA, do not always meet the requirements of such applications. In such cases, the developers need to create their own corpora....

every year. Cataracts, the single largest cause of preventable blindness, can be treated by a simple and quick surgical procedure that restores sight; sadly, extreme poverty and its consequences limit access to the medical technologies and infrastructure needed for the surgery. As a result, the crush of blindness continues unabated worldwide. In theory, the solution to this public challenge see...

Biodiesel has attracted increasing interest and has proved to be a good substitute for fossil-based fuels due to its environmental advantages and availability from renewable resources such as refined and waste vegetable oils. Several studies have shown that biodiesel is a better fuel than the fossil-derived diesel in terms of engine performance, emissions reduction, lubricity and environmental ...