Precision packet-based frequency transfer based on oversampling

Frequency synchronization of a distributed measurement system requires the transfer of an accurate frequency reference to all nodes. The use of a general-purpose packet-based network for this aim is analyzed in this paper, where oversampling is considered as a means to counter the effects of packet delay variation on time accuracy. A comprehensive analysis that includes the stability of the local clock is presented and shows that frequency transfer through a packet network of this kind is feasible, with an accuracy level that can be of interest to a number of distributed measurement applications

Efficient detection for multifrequency dynamic phasor analysis

Analysis of harmonic and interharmonic phasors is a promising smart grid measurement and diagnostic tool. This creates the need to deal with multiple phasor components having different amplitudes, including interharmonics with unknown frequency locations. The Compressive Sensing Taylor-Fourier Multifrequency (CSTFM) algorithm provides very accurate results under demanding test conditions, but is computationally demanding. In this paper we present a novel frequency search criterion with significantly improved effectiveness, resulting in a very efficient revised CSTFM algorithm

Mental Health Among Elderly Native Americans

Providing mental health services to the elderly generally and particularly to elderly Native Americans has been an issue of some concern for the last several decades. Despite this rise in concern for the mental health of elderly Americans, however, the fact remains that public decisions are made based on inadequate data. As Birren and Renner state: A major problem has been that our knowledge of the mental health problems and the frequency of psychiatric disturbances in the elderly has a weak information base. When on turns to minority elderly in general and elderly Native Americans in particular, the data base virtually disappears. In fact, the survey upon which much of this study rests represents the first research effort ever undertaken to document the conditions of life of older Native American and Alaskan native people nationwide. Because of this lack of data, there has been little research devoted to determining the factors associated with mental health among elderly Native Americans. Instead, the growing body of mental health research has been based on limited samples, primarily of middle-majority Anglos. Thus, the purpose of this research is to utilize existing data to close this gap in our understanding of mental health among elderly Native Americans. Specifically, multiple regression will be employed to describe the relationship between mental health and several theoretically-derived independent variables. Initially, this will involve a determination of whether the same relationships that hold for the dominant population are consistent with data drawn from elderly Native Americans and, if not, what alternative models should be examined. Secondly, the research will attempt to assess the relative importance of the various independent variables on mental health as well as analyze the interrelationships among these independent variables.https://scholarship.richmond.edu/bookshelf/1042/thumbnail.jp

Measuring Cerebral Activation From fNIRS Signals: An Approach Based on Compressive Sensing and Taylor-Fourier Model

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a noninvasive and portable neuroimaging technique that uses NIR light to monitor cerebral activity by the so-called haemodynamic responses (HRs). The measurement is challenging because of the presence of severe physiological noise, such as respiratory and vasomotor waves. In this paper, a novel technique for fNIRS signal denoising and HR estimation is described. The method relies on a joint application of compressed sensing theory principles and Taylor-Fourier modeling of nonstationary spectral components. It operates in the frequency domain and models physiological noise as a linear combination of sinusoidal tones, characterized in terms of frequency, amplitude, and initial phase. Algorithm performance is assessed over both synthetic and experimental data sets, and compared with that of two reference techniques from fNIRS literature

Fear and Loathing on the (Capital) Campaign Trail

It has been nearly five years since I wrote Engaging Continuing Education Alumni for this publication and several additional years prior to that since I began talking at various UCEA meetings about the fundraising potential of continuing higher education. During the ensuing period I have been through an institutional capital campaign, helped raise nearly $2.5 million dollars earmarked for school projects, succeeded in making friends and supporters beyond my wildest dreams, and failed miserably in accomplishing the fundraising goals established for the school. This article reflects on the lessons learned by a fundraising novice whose school was engaged in an institutional capital campaign for the first time. With apologies to Hunter Thompson, fear (unfounded) and loathing (unproductive) were but two of the many emotions stirred during this process

Engaging Continuing Education Alumni

An effective alumni relations program is the heart of all fundraising efforts. Every college campus in America has an office of alumni affairs. Today, active and engaged alumni create chapters across the country, contribute financially to both annual fund drives and capital campaigns, and generally serve their alma mater in numerous volunteer capacities. However, continuing education programs, both credit and noncredit, have historically existed on the periphery of traditional alumni groups or have been excluded from alumni activities altogether

A Business Curriculum for the Commonwealth of Independent States

Eastern Europe and the former states of the Soviet Union have undergone and continue to undergo a period of dramatic transformation from centralized economies to free market systems. This has involved a shift from public to private ownership for many large state enterprises, and it has also involved the development and launch of many new business ventures. Privatization as it is called, has created a demand for American style business education, capabilities, and experiences

The Bravest of the Brave : A Conversation with Mary Bitterman and James Narduzzi

Mary Bitterman, former President and CEO of The James Irvine Foundation, is President of The Bernard Osher Foundation and Immediate Past Chairman of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). James Narduzzi is Dean of the University of Richmond\u27s School of Continuing Studies. The following discussion is based on Dr. Bitterman\u27s 2008 commencement address to graduates of the University of Richmond\u27s School of Continuing Studies

The More Things Change: Reflections on the State of Marketing in Continuing Higher Education

All of us can readily identify the major changes that have occurred in society over the past several decades and, more important, the manner in which these changes have affected the way we conduct the business of continuing higher education. For example, the telephone has been replaced by e-mail, which is now the most prevalent way we communicate with each other in the workplace. Social media and the web now dominate how we market our programs and communicate with our various constituencies. Instruction, once delivered primarily face-to-face in a classroom setting, is now routinely delivered utilizing various digitally mediated formats, with online and blended learning models now accounting for a significant share of delivery. This list could go on indefinitely, and these few examples only scratch the surface of the changes that have occurred

Intergenerational Learning: Beyond the Jargon

Opportunities for intergenerational learning abound on college campuses. The advantages of these experiences for both young and mature learners are well documented, particularly in the context of service learning, civic engagement, and other experiences outside the classroom. Less well documented but no less compelling are the advantages of intergenerational learning within the traditional classroom setting. At the University of Richmond, our vision of intergenerational learning is one where adult students share the college classroom with traditional-aged students, and cross-school collaboration is a central tenet of the learning experience for all students. What follows is a presentation of why we are making it part of our institutional strategy, and some of the challenges we foresee in our efforts to create a meaningful and unique learning environment