Presents the front cover for this issue of the publication.

Presents a listing of the editorial board, board of governors, current staff, committee members, and/or society editors for this issue of the publication.

Most Canadian remote communities are supplied electricity partly or wholly generated by diesel generators, which results in high electricity costs mostly due to the cost of transporting fuel to the remote locations. A large portion of the financial budget from the government or local community is allocated to cover the cost of diesel electricity generation. Renewable energy integration can substantially

The demagnetization of switched reluctance motor (SRM) is usually a nonnegligible problem as the speed increases due to large back electromotive force (EMF). A slow demagnetization causes long tail current and negative torque, which reduces the efficiency and the output capability of SRM. In the conventional SRM design method, the inductance slope is normally designed to be high. However, it causes

This article presents a dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) topology based on the adaptive noise canceling (ANC) technique, which can be used for both voltage compensation and harmonic mitigation. Furthermore, this article aims to investigate the DVR performance when installed in a microgrid (MG) during both normal operation of the utility and during utility disturbances. One of the main objectives of this

This account details the design and construction of a sophisticated tracking wheel for the accelerated aging of polymer insulators by subjecting them to surface contamination and high voltage. Automated control of wet-dry cycles is achieved by means of a computer-controlled lift mechanism that operates in tandem with the rotation. The applied voltage is continuously variable and can accommodate insulators

Based on the optimized coprime array (OpCA), we propose a real-valued Toeplitz matrix method. This article analyzes the feasibility of converting the manifold matrix of a virtual domain constructed from a physical array into a real-valued matrix, and the unitary estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance technique is introduced to transform the equivalent received signal rearranged Toeplitz

The use of cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for enterprise applications is at an all-time high and is charted to continue growing to approximately 73% by 2022. IaaS suffers from several security concerns, such as hypervisor hijacking, virtual machine (VM) hopping, and account hijacking. With such a large percentage of enterprise traffic on the cloud, a strong security framework is demanded

The rapid evolution of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) devices has strongly influenced both the design methodology and development tools. This article describes an original implementation based on a hardware structure used for static and dynamic task scheduling. The proposed custom processor has hardware-implemented RTOS (HW-RTOS) features and is verified using an FPGA circuit. The solution replaces

Traditionally, the data rate of a digital signal processing system is bound by the processing speed. In this article, a formal approach for overcoming this limitation and allowing high-data-rate applications to run on relatively slow processors is presented. This approach allows the time sampling period to be much shorter than the time required to process an input sample; in effect, an ultrahigh-speed

In order to improve transient response and robust tracking performance, an adaptive nonsingular terminal sliding mode control (ANTSMC) strategy is developed for bidirectional dc–dc converter (BDC) of hybrid energy storage systems (HESSs). By using the adaptive rules, the estimated values of load variations, external input voltage, input current, and output voltage can be obtained. Then, the voltage

This article introduces a concept to extend the base speed of a switched reluctance motor (SRM) from the perspective of the motor’s design. Conventionally, designs prioritize a high saliency of SRM in order to produce more torque with the same current. However, the speed range is limited in the conventional design. The back EMF is the key factor that restricts the speed of the SRM from further increasing

This article presents two new approaches of fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) signal (FECG) separation using the input-mode adaptive filter (IMAF) and the output-mode adaptive filter (OMAF). Both approaches use the recursive least-squares (RLS) and the least-mean-squares (LMS) algorithms and a single-reference-generation block. In the IMAF, the filter’s primary input is connected directly to the abdominal

Many noncoherent distributed strategies for cooperative sensor networks that do not require channel knowledge at any antenna to overcome the overhead involved in channel estimation are lately suggested; however, these strategies suffer from low system performance in terms of bit error rate (BER) and a comparably high decoding complexity. Differential beamforming strategies have recently been proposed

Ternary content addressable memories (TCAMs) have a lookup complexity of O(1). They require just one memory access to find an entry. For this reason, they are widely used in core routers of the Internet to achieve high packet forwarding capacities in terms of several 100 Gb/s. However, in a TCAM, the routing table needs to be stored in a sorted order according to the prefix length of the entries. Therefore

A microstrip circular patch antenna with frequency and polarization reconfigurability using liquid metal is presented. The antenna has a C-shaped slot cut at the center of the patch and reconfigurability is achieved using two putty containers and liquid metal to switch between four different states. Linear polarization (LP) is observed at 5.83 GHz when there is no liquid metal inside the containers

Using dynamic partial reconfiguration (DPR) feature in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) systems seems inevitable by considering the tremendous benefits, such as reduced cost and power. Nowadays, manual floorplanning is one of the difficulties in implementing DPR systems, which relies on the designer’s views and his command over designing the concepts for arranging the modules on the physical layout

We present a parametric framework (UFleSe) with a user-friendly interface having a search engine that enables regular users (without the need of neither technical nor theoretical knowledge) to define their fuzzy concepts, rules, similarity relations, synonyms, antonyms, and personalizing their definitions for different users, and to link them with the crisp database fields for performing flexible,

This article is concerned with the asymmetrical control strategies of a four-channel dc/dc buck converter in the continuous current conduction mode (CCM). The converter has two input and four output channels. Energy equations of the converter are studied, and asymmetry of input voltages, output voltages, and loads are examined in the CCM. The proposed control strategy allows us to directly control

We present a novel scheme to formulate the throughput and the average number of successfully transmitted packets in a multinode Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) platform during each connection event. In this scheme, the wireless link is considered to be error prone which leads to the existence of uncorrelated bit error. Our proposed scheme considers factors that cause a connection event to close. The effect

This article develops a novel average torque control (ATC) scheme for switched reluctance (SR) motor on the basis of a brand-new microstep flux–current locus controller. The proposed ATC is based on the calculation of the average torque from the converted mechanical energy that can be illustrated as an enclosed area in a flux–current plane. It has the superior advantage that it is able to control the

Welcome to a Special Issue of the IEEE Canadian Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, which presents some of the top articles (in extended form) from the Canadian Conference of Electrical and Computer Engineering (CCECE 2019) held in Edmonton, AB, Canada, May 5–8, 2019. This conference was hosted by the Northern Canada Section, with four technical sponsors (IEEE Canada, IEEE Northern Canada

Digital images are found in several sizes and are easily displayed on a computer screen using techniques that can reduce their dimensions. Moreover, algorithms are used to process images to perform several tasks, for instance, detection of people. Recently, gigapixel images emerged, providing a huge amount of data; however, algorithms for people detection have been usually tested only on regular size

A custom hardware coprocessor is described to improve the efficiency of applications using arithmetic in the Galois field GF(2) and the extension fields GF( $2^{m}$ ). The evaluation of such processor enhancements requires a variety of test exercises based on GF(2) arithmetic. Various test procedures are presented, which leverage the properties of finite fields to exercise the GF(2) arithmetic coprocessor

In this article, a threshold-based induction motor fault diagnosis method is proposed using the measured stator current signal. A 0.25-HP three-phase squirrel-cage induction motor fed directly online is tested in the laboratory with various single- and multielectrical faults under six different loading conditions. The discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is chosen as the signal processing technique for

The introduction of wireless charging systems for electric vehicles (EVs) is a revolutionary step in the field of electrified transportation. Misalignments between transmitting and receiving power pads significantly affect the overall power transfer efficiency of an EV wireless charging system. In this article, a new power pad named “double D circular” (DDC) is designed. To evaluate the proposed DDC

This article contributes to the evaluation of the performance and the precision of the IEC 61850 protocol implementation for real-time simulation. The importance of this study stems from two facts. First, the simulation is a required stage of any design process including that of an IEC 61850 model of utilities, which may include an automation system from two or more vendors. Second, verification of

The framework for designing and fabricating a slow-light waveguide structure with conical Swiss roll metamaterial core at Terahertz frequencies has been carried out in this article. In the earliest work, theoretical backgrounds based on Maxwell’s equations have been developed for anisotropic single-negative permeability slab waveguides and anisotropic metamaterial slab waveguides. Subsequently, simulation

Music genre classification utilizing neural networks (NNs) has achieved some limited success in recent years. Differences in song libraries, machine learning techniques, input formats, and types of NNs implemented have all had varying levels of success. This article reviews some of the machine learning techniques utilized in this area. It also presents research work on music genre classification. The

The smartphone industry is lucrative for device counterfeiting with over 1.5 billion devices sold annually in the last three years. In 2017, it is estimated that there were around 184 million counterfeit devices, valued at 45.3 billion EUR, 12.9% of total sales. Beyond its economic impact, smartphone counterfeiting affects various aspects of user security and privacy, harms manufacturer reputation

Sequential reporting has the potential of reducing the duration of the reporting phase of the cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) schemes, thereby increasing the overall system throughput. In this article, we study decision-based CSS using random medium-access sequential reporting and a K-out-of-M decision rule at the fusion center. Closed-form expressions are derived for the detection and false alarm

These days, the majority of devices are connected to the Internet of Things. One of the areas that need further research is the smart thermostats’ operation. In this article, we perform an analysis of efficient household heating and air conditioning with smart thermostats. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first article that correlates real data from the smart thermostats and weather to predict

A Type-C biphase mark code (BMC) transceiver in 0.14- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS technology is presented. The analog PHY in combination with digital PHY supports BMC data for USB power delivery (PD) negotiations through a Type-C cable. It compensates for signal-level loss and duty cycle distortion due to ground shifting at both ends of a Type-C cable. Analog receiver includes a BMC squelch detector decision-making

Today, the relational database is not suitable for data management due to the large variety and volume of data which are mostly untrusted. Therefore, NoSQL has attracted the attention of companies. Despite it being a proper choice for managing a variety of large volume data, there is a big challenge and difficulty in performing online analytical processing (OLAP) on NoSQL since it is schema-less. This

The secure exchange of secret information is one of the most important challenges in the era of modern communication. To address the issue and establish secure communication, various techniques have been developed. Transmitting secret information in a hidden manner is one of the numerous possible solutions. It can be used to transmit secret information, hidden in other media called cover medium. However

One of the most important issues in deep nanoscale regime CMOS circuits is related to the time-dependent performance degradation caused by negative bias temperature instability (NBTI). The integration of online aging sensor is becoming attractive methodologies in monitoring performance degradation of circuit. The sensor can generate a warning signal, early warning of the occurrence of aging faults

This article presents an effective on-chip power analysis attack countermeasure based on a new CMOS self-decoupling battery cell system that uses a self-decoupling circuit. The self-decoupling circuit dynamically controls an on-chip virtual power supply point, V ddv , that can be used to power security-sensitive modules. The circuit automatically decouples an on-chip CMOS battery cell from powering

A four-element frequency reconfigurable and pattern diverse multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array for fifth-generation relay node applications is presented to operate in LTE bands 42 (3400-3600 MHz), 43 (3600-3800 MHz), and 46 (5150-5925 MHz). A planar microstrip line-fed monopole antenna is utilized as the MIMO element. The antenna relies on fluidic reconfiguration mechanism to either

Due to the growing complexity of today's digital circuits, the speed of fault simulation has become increasingly important. Although critical path tracing (CPT) is faster than conventional methods, it is not fast enough for fault simulation of complex circuits with a large number of faults and tests. Exact stem analysis is the most important obstacle in accelerating the CPT method. The simplification

This paper deals with the computation of all proportional-integral (PI)-based pitch controllers which achieve the desired frequency-domain specifications, namely, gain and phase margins (GPMs) of a large wind turbine (LWT) with communication delays. An efficient graphical method based on extracting the boundaries of stability regions in PI controller parameter space having user-defined GPMs has been

As the ultrahigh-voltage (UHV) projects are rapidly developing, it is necessary to investigate the problems involved in overvoltage and insulation, thereby providing a technical basis for future UHV projects. The switching overvoltage of closing no-load lines was simulated and analyzed here using two kinds of typical UHV network structures: the power plant to the grid system and the grid-to-grid system

This paper introduces a generalized platform for the design selection of multilevel inverters (MLIs) topologies for any industry, especially in low- and medium-power applications. This platform is novel as it combines the component count and stress in any MLI in a normalized unique score. Each MLI topology is designed to match specific criteria to meet a specific application, which introduces diversified

This paper develops a dynamic phasor model of a line-commutated converter high-voltage direct current (LCC-HVDC) system that includes unbalanced operation and commutation failure. This model is beneficial in studying the behavior of the HVDC systems under asymmetrical faults, and it complements the conventional transient simulation-based methods. Equally, importantly, the model includes the representation

Fault due to the single-event transient (SET) on digital signal processing (DSP) cores has not been thoroughly studied in the research community. Moreover, as the technology scaling becomes more intense, the impact of transient fault now becomes visible both in temporal and spatial domains. Few techniques have been presented in the literature that simultaneously address temporal and the spatial effects

It appears that the relentless pursuit of Moore’s law scaling from one generation of process technology to the next increases circuit vulnerability to single-event transient (SET)-induced double-node upset (SEDU). In this paper, we present a novel SEDU-hardened latch. The latch consists of a new 16-transistor (16T) SEDU-hardened storage cell and a C-type output buffer. The latch exhibits 25% lower

The method of transformation of a nonlinear mathematical model of an electromechanical object to the form of a modified artificial recurrent neural network has been further developed. The method makes it possible to use knowledge about the object for the synthesis of a recurrent neural network (RNN) structure and the computation of their coefficients. Nonlinearities in the proposed RNN were realized

Crowdsourcing is a paradigm that utilizes human intelligence to solve problems that computers cannot yet solve. However, the introduction of human intelligence into computations has also resulted in new challenges in quality control. These challenges originate from the malicious behaviors of crowd workers. Malicious workers are workers with hidden motives, who either simply sabotage a task or provide

Partial shading is a common and difficult problem to be solved in a photovoltaic (PV) system. Numerous efforts have been introduced to mitigate this problem. Some commonly used approaches are deploying some metaheuristic (MH) algorithm to track the multiple-peak $P - V$ curve of partially shaded PV system. Cuckoo search (CS) is a new optimization algorithm based on the MH approach. It has been used

In this paper, we present efficient parallel and serial systolic structures for combined multiplication and squaring over GF( ${2^{m}}$ ). The proposed structures have the advantage of computing both modular multiplication and squaring simultaneously for fast execution of modular exponentiation. They share the same hardware components for both operations and this gives them the advantage of saving

To resolve power crisis and reduce environmental effect of conventional power generation, a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant is a viable solution. This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of four different CSP plant configurations, offers a comparison between CSP technologies and solar photovoltaic power plants, and proposes a general guideline for feasibility analysis and design of CSP plants

We present a strategy for geographically distributed spatial query optimization that involves multiple sites. Previous work in the area of geographically distributed spatial query processing and optimization focused only on strategies for performing spatial joins and spatial semijoins, and geographically distributed spatial queries that only involve two sites. We propose a strategy for optimizing a

This paper is concerned with the analysis of an instability phenomenon, known as limit cycle, in hybrid microgrids (HMGs). The rapid growth of distributed energy resources and their integration into existing distribution networks has opened a new era for electricity generation and distribution markets. The appearance of microgrids, both in the form of ac and dc, is the result of this integration. When

This paper investigates the problem of cooperative energy-efficient content dissemination among a number of cellular user equipments (UEs), with the assumption that these UEs are seeking to receive the same content from a common wireless access point, such as an eNodeB. We formulate the problem as a nontransferable utility coalition formation game, in which a utility function is characterized by taking

Specific emitter identification (SEI) designates the unique transmitter of a given signal, using only external feature measurements called the RF fingerprints of the signal. SEI is often used in military and civilian spectrum-management operations. The SEI technique has also been applied to enhance the security of wireless network, such as VHF radio networks, Wi-Fi networks, cognitive radios, and cellular

This paper investigates the performances of multiple-input multiple-output channel and noise covariance estimation in the presence of correlated noise. The Cramer-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) for the estimated parameters are evaluated. The optimal training sequence is designed in order to minimize the CRLB of the channel matrix estimation. When the noise covariance matrix is available, the minimum variance

Spectrum sensing is one of the most important parts of the cognitive radio system. In order to detect the primary user signal, the robust sensing method is required. In this paper, we propose a combination of the energy detection method and the autocorrelation-based detection method with a cascaded architecture to improve the probability of detection. Energy detection involves lower complexity and

In this paper, a new low-voltage continuous-time current comparator is presented. The main idea is to use the flipped voltage follower as a key element for the comparator input stage. This configuration delivers a very low input resistance, which is mandatory for current-mode applications. Previous reported current comparators present a high-speed response; nevertheless, only few are suitable for low-voltage

In this paper, a method is presented to control offshore wind farm output power. This method is able to fix the wind farm output power even during wind speed variations. In the proposed method, the offshore wind farm is connected to the onshore grid through the high-voltage dc (HVdc) cable. Moreover, the power control of the wind turbines is achieved by controlling the HVdc convertors. In the proposed

In this paper, we propose a novel context-aware routing (CAR) approach that uses the cloud as an extra level of data-request processing to improve the network performance in terms of data delivery. Data delivery in the Internet of Things depends heavily on numerous factors, such as the amount of data, end-to-end in-network delay, and setup time. The CAR approach is significantly improving the current

In this paper, we present an analytical method for calculating the axial and radial components of the magnetic field created by a permanent magnet in the form of a ring used in a magnetron radio frequency (RF) reactor. The calculation is based on the symmetric integral of the first kind; it was performed under a Linux 64-bit operating system. This analytical method allows us to accurately assess the