Digital Commons Network^™

Channel Estimation And Carrier Recovery In The Presence Of Phase Noise In Ofdm Relay Systems, Rui Wang, Hani Mehrpouyan, Meixia Tao, Yingbo Hua

Hani Mehrpouyan

In this paper, we analyze joint channel, carrier frequency offset (CFO), and phase noise estimation in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) relaying networks. To achieve this goal, a detailed transmission framework involving both training and data symbols is first presented. Next, a novel algorithm that applies the training symbols to jointly estimate the channel responses, CFO, and phase noise parameters based on the maximum a posteriori criterion is proposed. Additionally, to evaluate the performance of the proposed channel estimation and carrier recovery algorithms, we analyze the ambiguities among the estimated parameters. Based on this analysis, a new Hybrid Cramér-Rao Lower …

How To Pack A Room: 3d Printing At Albertsons Library, Deana Brown, Amy Vecchione

Amy E. Vecchione

Libraries have a history of helping their communities create, whether it’s writing a paper or acquiring new information on a topic. Libraries have always helped communities learn new skills, and sometimes those skills are best acquired through creating. As technology has advanced, libraries too have evolved to boost individual’s digital fluency skills by providing tools and resources to help understand and experience new technology. Albertsons Library strives to helps students, staff, and faculty innovate by encouraging collaborative opportunities that promote information access and digital fluency skills. Providing campus-wide access to a 3D printer fits perfectly with this aim by bringing …

Corporate Ventriloquism: Corporate Advocacy, The Coal Industry, And The Appropriation Of Voice, Peter K. Bsumek, Jen Schneider, Steve Schwarze, Jennifer Peeples

Jen Schneider

In the second decade of the 21st century, the U.S. coal industry is facing unprecedented challenges. While for many years coal provided nearly half of the U.S. electricity, in the spring of 2012 that share dropped to below 40% and is expected to continue falling (Energy Information Administration, 2012).¹ Coal production is increasing not in Appalachia, the primary U.S. source for coal historically, but in Wyoming's Powder River Basin (Goodell, 2006). Market competition from the natural gas industry combined with well organized climate and anti-nountaintop removal (MTR) campagins have significantly curtailed the production of new coal-fired power plants in …

Industrial Apocalyptic: Neoliberalism, Coal, And The Burlesque Frame, Jennifer Peeples, Pete Bsumek, Steve Schwarze, Jen Schneider

Jen Schneider

Rhetorical scholarship and cultural commentary have demonstrated that environmentalist voices are consistently associated with apocalyptic rhetoric. However, this association deflects attention from the apocalyptic rhetoric that comes from industry and countermovements to environmentalism. This essay seeks to remedy that oversight by proposing the concept of "industrial apocalyptic" as a significant rhetorical form in environmental controversy. Based on analysis of the rhetoric of the U.S. coal industry, we find that these industrial apocalyptic narratives rely on a burlesque frame to disrupt the categories of establishment and outsider and thus thwart environmental regulation. Ultimately, we argue that industrial apocalyptic co-opts environmentalist appeals …

A Survey For Very Short-Period Planets In The Kepler Data, Brian Jackson, Christopher C. Stark, Elisabeth R. Adams, John Chambers, Drake Deming

Brian Jackson

We conducted a search for very short-period transiting objects in the publicly available Kepler data set. Our preliminary survey has revealed four planetary candidates, all with orbital periods less than 12 hr. We have analyzed the data for these candidates using photometric models that include transit light curves, ellipsoidal variations, and secondary eclipses to constrain the candidates’ radii, masses, and effective temperatures. Even with masses of only a few Earth masses, the candidates’ short periods mean that they may induce stellar radial velocity signals (a few m s−1) detectable by currently operating facilities. The origins of such short-period planets are …

Bringing Teach For America Into The Forefront Of Teacher Education: Philanthropy Meets Spin, Kathleen P. Demarrais, Julianne Wenner, Jamie B. Lewis

Julianne Wenner

This study examines the practices utilized by TFA from its inception in 1990 to create its brand and how these practices have transformed TFA into a cultural icon within the national landscape of teacher education. Well-funded through both philanthropic foundations, corporate sponsorships, and federal monies, TFA’s use of its organizational and political networks, as well as the media, has enabled it to position itself discursively as a leader in the preparation of teachers in the U.S, resulting not only in transforming state and national discussions about teacher preparation, but in establishing a network of elites with a particular ideology of …

Measurement Of Spin-Orbit Misalignment And Nodal Precession For The Planet Around Pre-Main-Sequence Star Ptfo 8-8695 From Gravity Darkening, Jason W. Barnes, Julian C. Van Eyken, Brian K. Jackson, David R. Ciardi, Jonathan J. Fortney

Brian Jackson

PTFO 8-8695b represents the first transiting exoplanet candidate orbiting a pre-main-sequence star (van Eyken et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 42). We find that the unusual lightcurve shapes of PTFO 8-8695 can be explained by transits of a planet across an oblate, gravity-darkened stellar disk. We develop a theoretical framework for understanding precession of a planetary orbit’s ascending node for the case when the stellar rotational angular momentum and the planetary orbital angular momentum are comparable in magnitude. We then implement those ideas to simultaneously and self-consistently fit two separate lightcurves observed in 2009 December and 2010 December. Our two self-consistent …

Cross Cultural Competence For Libraries, Elizabeth Ramsey

Elizabeth Ramsey

As libraries struggle to recruit and retain staff members from underrepresented ethnic and cultural groups, alternative strategies must be advanced to more competently assess and meet the needs of the increasingly diverse American population in all aspects of librarianship. Training in cross cultural competency for all library staff may help libraries become more adept at serving their multiethnic patrons. This presentation will examine concepts in cross cultural awareness and how they can apply to libraries. Through cross cultural training we may gain the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and skills to overcome a variety of biases and assumptions. Overcoming these obstacles could …

Keynote Speaker - Simulation, Stimulation And Silence: Learning Online And Off, Norman Friesen

Norman Friesen

Almost 20 years after the popular adoption of the Internet, we are still finding out about the nature of online places and spaces. Whether these locations are used for interpersonal communication or naturalistic simulation, they offer characteristics which may be ideally suited to some types of pedagogical activities and less appropriate for others. This often depends on a deeper understanding of the nature of these activities and experiences. In this presentation Norm Friesen of Boise State University will undertake a careful examination of a couple of practical examples. He will use these examples explore the nature of both pedagogy and …

Floods Of The Mekong At Chiang Saen, Northern Thailand: Archaeological And Osl Dating Of Large Floods, Spencer H. Wood, Alan D. Ziegler, Tammy M. Rittenour

Spencer H. Wood

One meter and a half of floodplain sediment buries AD 14‐15th C brick temple ruins and cultural layers on the Laos floodplain of the Mekong, across from Chiang Saen Noi. Dark soil layers separating three flood‐sediment layers suggest the soils developed on sediment layers deposited by large floods. Little or no deposition occurs between such events. The upper flood layer was probably deposited by the September, 1966 flood that inundated Chiang Saen city to a depth of three meters, with maximum gage height reaching 13.82 m, and peak flow of 23,500 m3/s. In comparison, the depth of the August 2008 …

Associations Of Organic Produce Consumption With Socioeconomic Status And The Local Food Environment: Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis (Mesa), Cynthia L. Curl, Shirley A.A. Beresford, Anjum Hajat, Joel D. Kaufman, Kari Moore, Jennifer A. Nettleton, Ana V. Diez-Roux

Cynthia Curl

Neighborhood characteristics, such as healthy food availability, have been associated with consumption of healthy food. Little is known about the influence of the local food environment on other dietary choices, such as the decision to consume organic food. We analyzed the associations between organic produce consumption and demographic, socioeconomic and neighborhood characteristics in 4,064 participants aged 53–94 in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis using log-binomial regression models. Participants were classified as consuming organic produce if they reported eating organic fruits and vegetables either “sometimes” or “often or always”. Women were 21% more likely to consume organic produce than men (confidence …

Energy Performance Labeling For Commercial Buildings, Kelli Soll, John Gardner

John Gardner

This white paper provides an overview of commercial building energy performance indices for energy performance in commercial buildings and the extent to which these initiatives have proven effective at reducing energy use. This work focuses on energy performance, as opposed to features of building design associated with improved performance. As such, it will not address design-oriented rating systems such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) nor will it address building codes.

Policy Pathways, Policy Networks, And Citizen Deliberation: Disseminating The Results Of World Wide Views On Global Warming In The Usa, Jason Delborne, Jen Schneider, Ravtosh Bal, Susan Cozzens, Richard Worthington

Jen Schneider

Leading a coalition spanning 38 countries, the Danish Board of Technology organized World Wide Views on Global Warming (WWViews) on September 26, 2009. WWViews represented a pioneering effort to hold simultaneous citizen deliberations focusing on questions of climate change policy addressed at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) in December 2009. Sponsors and organizers envisioned WWViews as a means to affect the COP15 negotations, and the project included numerous strategies to influence policy-making. This paper examines the success of such strategies in the USA through the lens of 'policy pathways,' routes of influence to affect the behavior of policy-makers and …

Boise City-Nampa Msa Employment And Industry Analysis, Susan Mason, John Van Dyke, Pengyu Zhu, Debbie Kaylor, Phil Gardner

Susan G. Mason

This report is the first component of a [three]-part study on skills alignment of Boise State University graduates and Boise City-Nampa Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) employers. This report frames the local economic and social environment through a demographic and socio-economic comparative analysis of the Boise City-Nampa MSA and 20 peer MSAs across the western United States. An employment analysis of the Boise City-Nampa MSA at the industry sector and industry sub-sector is also provided, identifying how the industry composition has changed following the Great Recession, which industries show area competitiveness through resilience to employment loss, if not growth, as well …

Impact Of A State-Mandated K-12 Mathematics Professional Development Course On Teachers’ Beliefs And Knowledge, Michele B. Carney, Jonathan L. Brendefur

Michele Carney

No abstract provided.

A Search For Exozodiacal Clouds With Kepler, Christopher C. Stark, Alan P. Boss, Alycia J. Weinberger, Brian K. Jackson, Michael Endl, William D. Cochran, Marshall Johnson, Caroline Caldwell, Eric Agol, Eric B. Ford, Jennifer R. Hall, Khadeejah A. Ibrahim, Jie Li

Brian Jackson

Planets embedded within dust disks may drive the formation of large scale clumpy dust structures by trapping dust into resonant orbits. Detection and subsequent modeling of the dust structures would help constrain the mass and orbit of the planet and the disk architecture, give clues to the history of the planetary system, and provide a statistical estimate of disk asymmetry for future exoEarth-imaging missions. Here, we present the first search for these resonant structures in the inner regions of planetary systems by analyzing the light curves of hot Jupiter planetary candidates identified by the Kepler mission. We detect only one …

Library Instruction Using Mobile Devices, Barbara Glackin, Amy E. Vecchione

Amy E. Vecchione

Albertsons Library has successfully leveraged the use mobile devices for helping students learn research skills. Librarians are now going to classrooms and teaching two instruction sessions — 1) finding information and 2) evaluating information. The library sessions provide hands-on, active learning opportunities for student teams, built around the use of iPads to explore library resources. In fall 2012, this included instruction to seventy-four classes in Boise State's "University Foundations 100" course, the first course in our general education program. Ten classes of junior level transfer students received an additional session — 3) advanced searching techniques. The instruction curriculum is purposefully …

Effects Of Gaas(Sb) Cladding Layers On Inas/Alassb Quantum Dots, Paul J. Simmonds

Paul J. Simmonds

The structural and optical properties of InAs self-assembled quantum dots buried in AlAs_0.56Sb_0.44 barriers can be controlled using GaAs_1−xSb_x cladding layers. These cladding layers allow us to manage the amount of Sb immediately underneath and above the InAs quantum dots. The optimal cladding scheme has a GaAs layer beneath the InAs, and a GaAs_0.95Sb_0.05 layer above. This scheme results in improved dot morphology and significantly increased photoluminescence (PL) intensity. Both power-dependent and time-resolved photoluminescence confirm that the quantum dots have type-II band alignment. Enhanced carrier lifetimes in this quantum dot system …

Variation And Preferences In Modern Hebrew Nonce Verbs, Michal Martinez

Michal Temkin Martinez

This paper reports a production experiment examining variation in Modern Hebrew spirantization. Modern Hebrew spirantization is characterized by the alternation of the stops [p], [b], and [k] with their fricative counterparts [f], [v], and [χ], respectively. Typically, fricatives occur post-vocalically, and stops elsewhere, as in (1). (1) Root Infinitive Uninflected Gloss /p/~[f] /pgʃ/ [lifgoʃ] [pagaʃ] ‘to meet’ /b/~[v] /bgd/ [livgod] [bagad] ‘to betray’ /k/~[χ] /ktb/ [liχtov] [katav] ‘to write’ Due to historical mergers and recent borrowings, there are segments that are acoustically identical to those in (1) but that do not alternate, thus potentially forming exceptions (i.e. post-vocalic stops or …

Technology In The Linguistics Classroom: Instructor And Student Perspective, Michal Martinez, Kelli Jones, Jessica Milanez, Danielle Yarbrough

Michal Temkin Martinez

This poster will highlight best practices for incorporating technology into the linguistics classroom. From facilitating real-time feedback in large lecture-style introductory classes to the use of mobile technology and document sharing in field methods courses, this presentation will highlight the benefits and downfalls of the incorporation of technology into undergraduate courses. It will also demonstrate the importance of using technology as a tool to better meet and assess learning objectives. Both instructor and student perspectives will be outlined and discussed.

Regional Influences On Political Identity: Canadian And U.S. Urban Comparisons, Susan Mason

Susan G. Mason

Scholars have expanded the academic literature to understand the way culture may influence politics but much less work has considered the influence of region on cities and individuals. The article uses existing data to examine whether liberalism is influenced by the region where individuals and cities are located. The study uses the boolean method and Hierarchical Linear Modeling to control for both individual and city level effects in 8 Canadian cities and 46 U.S. cities. The findings support the supposition that place still matters even in an era when globalization threatens to standardize much of what makes up our communities.

Standing On The Shoulders Of Management Giants, Gwyn Hervochon

Gwyn Hervochon

The position of executive director is readily compared to the captain of the massive ship that is OSF. Working in cooperation with the artistic director, the executive director is responsible for maintaining a stable environment in which the creative work of the company may flourish.

Many Brave Noises, Gwyn Hervochon

Gwyn Hervochon

Thanks to grants and much hard work, OSF’s collection of film and sound spanning its entire history is now being preserved and made accessible.

Net Energy Metering For Residences: Impacts Of Tariff Design, John Gardner

John Gardner

No abstract provided.

I Would Rather Not Lie In Hayden's Ferry Review, Eider Rodriguez, Nere Lete

Nere Lete

The man shakes her hand. The woman takes a seat in front of him while placing her purse between her legs and leaving her heels exposed in her flat hoes. The man looks at her from over his glasses.

New Expression For The Functional Transformation Of The Vector Cramér-Rao Lower Bound, Ali A. Nasir, Hani Mehrpouyan, Rodney A. Kennedy

Hani Mehrpouyan

Assume that it is desired to estimate α = f(θ), where f(·) is an r-dimensional function. This paper derives the general expression for the functional transformation of the vector Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB). The derived bound is a tight lower bound on the estimation of uncoupled parameters, i.e., parameters that can be estimated separately. Unlike previous results in the literature, this new expression is not dependent on the inverse of the Fisher’s information matrix (FIM) of the untransformed parameters, θ. Thus, it can be applied to scenarios where the FIM for θ is ill-conditioned or singular. …

Phase Noise And Carrier Frequency Offset In Ofdm Systems: Joint Estimation And Hybrid Cramér-Rao Lower Bound, Omar Hazim Salim, Ali A. Nasir, Hani Mehrpouyan, Wei Xiang

Hani Mehrpouyan

In this paper, a new iterative pilot-aided algorithm based on expectation conditional maximization (ECM) for joint estimation of Wiener phase noise (PHN) and carrier frequency offset (CFO) in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems is proposed. Next, a new expression for the hybrid Cramér-Rao lower bound (HCRB) for joint estimation of PHN and CFO in OFDM systems is derived. Numerical results show that the proposed estimator outperforms existing algorithms in terms of mean square error while performing close to the derived HCRB at moderate PHN variances. Moreover, the proposed estimator is found to be computationally more efficient than existing algorithms …

From Oer To Plar: Credentialing For Open Education, Norman Friesen, Christine Wihak

Norman Friesen

Recent developments in OER and MOOCs (Open Educational Resources and Massive Open Online Courses) have raised questions as to how learners engaging with these courses and components might be assessed or credentialed. This descriptive and exploratory paper examines PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) as a possible answer to these questions. It highlights three possible connections between PLAR and open education which hold the greatest promise for credentialing open learning experiences: 1) PLAR may be used to assess and credential open educational activities through the use of exam banks such as CLEP (College Level Examination Program); 2) Learning occurring in …

Online Education: A Science And Technology Studies Perspective / Éducation En Ligne: Perspective Des Études En Science Et Technologie, Edward C. Hamilton, Norm Friesen

Norman Friesen

This paper argues that research into the pedagogical value and potential of new technologies is limited by the implicit philosophical perspectives on technology that such research adopts. These perspectives either imbue technologies with inalienable qualities (essentialism) or posit technology as a neutral means for realizing goals defined by their users (instrumentalism). Such approaches reflect the reigning common sense around the relation of technology and social practice, but they have also been resoundingly critiqued from within the philosophy, history and sociology of technology. It is our argument that the development of more nuanced philosophical perspectives on technology derived from contemporary technology …

Connecting The “Forgotten”: Transportation Engineering, Poverty, And Social Justice In Sun Valley, Colorado, Jen Schneider, Junko Munakata Marr

Jen Schneider

Yet [Sun Valley] has persisted. Out of neglect. Or the lack of resources and political will. It persists because Sun Valley represents in pure form the daunting legacy of social and economic segregation and the challenge of providing economic and educational opportunity to the neediest among us.

-Tina Griego, The Denver Post, 2010

The light rail stop at this location would be creating a means for companies to move into the community and the Sun Valley residents should not be forgotten when serving the area is concerned...the permanent residents of this area must not be forgotten.

-Student, Sustainable Engineering …