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&Department of

Electrical

EngineeringComputer

2008 Annual Report

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staffHeads of Department

Udaya Annakkage HeadWitold Kinsner Associate Head (Computer Engineering)Cyrus Shafai Associate Head (Electrical Engineering)

Administrative StaffJudy Noble Administrative Assistant

Shelly GirardinTraci HoferKarin Kroker Graduate ProgramsJoanne Morissette Industry Internship CoordinatorFreya Sigfusson Undergraduate Programs

Technical StaffAlan McKay Chief Technician

Ken Biegun NT Laboratory NetworkDaniel Card, P.Eng. Engineer-in-ResidenceDwayne Chrusch Nanofabrication Laboratory ManagerJames Dietrich CMC National Microelectronics and Photonics

Testing CollaboratoryErwin Dirks Power Systems GroupDaryl Hamelin High Voltage Laboratory, Nanofabrication

LaboratorySinisa Janjic Electrical ShopGuy Jonatschick Network AdministratorMount-First Ng Electical ShopCory Smit Machine ShopAllen Symmons Machine ShopBrad Tabachnick Applied Elecromagnetics LaboratoryZoran Trajkoski Electromagnetics Imaging Laboratory

Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of ManitobaE2-390 EITC Building75A Chancellor’s CircleWinnipeg, MB R3T 5V6CANADA+1 204 474–9603inquiries@ece.umanitoba.ca

Academic StaffAttahiru Alfa NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Teletraffi c

Demand Forecasting and Performance Analysis of Wireless/Mobile Communication Systems

Greg BridgesDouglas Buchanan Canada Research Chair in Microelectronic

MaterialsJun Cai Associate NSERC Industrial Research Chair

in Teletraffi c Demand Forecasting and Performance Analysis of Wireless/Mobile Communication Systems

Ioan CiricKen FerensShaahin FilizadehWai-Keung FungAniruddha Gole NSERC/Manitoba Hydro/Manitoba HVDC

Research Center/RTDS Technologies/Teshmont Consultants Industrial Research Chair in Power Systems Simulation

Ekram HossainWitold Kinsner Associate Head (Computer Engineering)Behzad KordiJoe LoVetri Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of

EngineeringArkady MajorRobert McLeodDean McNeill Canada Research Chair in Information

Processing for Intelligent InfrastructureZahra MoussaviVladimir OkhmatovskiDerek OliverMirek PawlakJames PetersAthula RajapakseCyrus Shafai Associate Head (Electrical Engineering) Lotfollah Shafai Canada Research Chair in Applied

Electromagnetics Sherif SherifGabriel Th omasDouglas Th omsonPradeepa YahampathBlair Yoshida

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It is my pleasure to write this annual report, summarizing my fi rst year as the Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Th e Department has a dedicated team of academic and support staff , which makes the task of chairing this Department a great pleasure. In this report I will outline: i) our eff orts to keep our undergraduate and graduate programs up to date; ii) major improvements to our teaching and research facilities; and iii) achievements of our students and staff .

In response to the current challenges facing the engineering profession, major revisions to the two undergraduate programs continued throughout 2008. Th ese changes began by enhancing the content of engineering design and fundamental science in the two undergraduate programs. Th ese curriculum revisions will continue in the coming years, introducing options of Biomedical Engineering, Power and Energy Systems, Communications Networks, Computational Vision, Robotics/Mechatronics and Embedded Systems into the existing programs. I would like to thank the curriculum committees of the Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering programs, headed by the Associate Heads, Dr. W. Kinsner and Dr. C. Shafai, and the Undergraduate Advisor, Freya Sigfusson, for doing an excellent job.

As part of an on-going plan to upgrade undergraduate teaching laboratories, we upgraded fi ve laboratory benches in the Electrical Machines laboratory with Power Electronics units; added four test stations to the Capstone Design laboratory; and added an optical communication system tester to the Optoelectronics laboratory.

For the Industry Internship Program (IIP), 2008 was a good year. We saw an increase in enrollment from 2007, with a total of 13 students participating in the program. As we look forward to 2009, we hope to take our accomplishments from 2008 and build upon them to continue the success of the program. Our success is due to many initiatives taken by the IIP Coordinator, Joanne Morissette.

Th e graduate program in Electrical and Computer Engineering consists of M.Eng., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree programs. In 2008 there was a total of 143 students registered in all programs, with 1 M.Eng., 67 M.Sc. (48%), and 73 (52%) Ph.D. students. Students graduating in 2008 included 18 M.Sc. and 9 Ph.D. With more than $4.25M in research funds brought into the department in 2008, it is apparent that the ECE department has a successful and thriving graduate program. I would like to thank the Graduate Studies Committee chaired by Dr. Doug Buchanan, and the Graduate Student Advisor,

Karin Kroeker, for effi ciently administrating the graduate program.

During the year we had some changes to our staff . Dr. Sherif Sherif joined us to support Biomedical Engineering research. Drs. Sima Noghanian, and Reza Fazel left us to join the University of North Dakota. Gordon Toole retired aft er many years of service as a Technician. Th e Undergraduate Advisor, Cindy DeCruyenaere, left and Freya Sigfussion joined us to fi ll this position. Grace McCaskill, who served as the support person to NSERC Chair in Power System Simulation, left and Traci Hofer fi lled her position.

On the research side, the eff orts of establishing a sustainable Biomedical Engineering program continued in 2008. Laboratory facilities were expanded and Dr. Zahra Moussavi was nominated for the position of Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Engineering (BME). Newly hired Dr. Sherif Sherif will focus his research on biomedical applications of optics. Dr. Arkady Major received an NSERC RTI grant to develop nonlinear laser microscopy and spectroscopy facilities to the Biomedical Optics Laboratory.

In 2008 Professors in ECE published several books and chapters of books, received three patents, and published numerous articles in journals and conference proceedings. Th e list of all publications is available on the ECE webpage.

Th e NSERC Industry Research Chair in Power System Simulation, Dr. Ani Gole, received increased funding from the existing Industry partners: Manitoba Hydro, RTDS, Manitoba HVDC Research Centre, and Teshmont Consultants, for the second fi ve-year term of the Chair. Two new Industry partners, Electranix Corporation and Transgrid Solutions (TGS), also joined this second phase of the Chair program.

New additions to research facilities include: an Ultra Sonic Disc cutter for the Nano Systems Fabrication Laboratory acquired by Dr. Derek Oliver; an ultrasound and a portable Network Analyzer for non-destructive testing acquired by

overview

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Dr. Gabriel Th omas; and a new Network Analyzer based source-receiver unit acquired by Dr. Lot Shafai for the Antenna Laboratory Compact Range.

Behind our success in research and teaching is a dedicated team of technicians headed by the chief technician Allan McKay. Th e technical staff maintains the laboratories and participates in the curriculum committees. Th ey also provide support in specialized areas. Dr. John Kaye, Engineer In Residence (EIR), brought many years of engineering experience to the Capstone Design projects.

Achievements of our students include the following: Evan Th ompson won both the Program Medal in Electrical Engineering and the University Gold Medal. Leigh Woltman won the Program Medal in Computer Engineering. Jay Ferchoff , Rui-Qiang Liu, and Dennis Lu

Dr. Udaya AnnakkageProfessor and Head

won the Manitoba Hydro Capstone Design Project Prize for their project on Wireless Power Line Metering. Kelly Unrau won the J.H. Schumacher Memorial Prize. Jane Polak Scowcroft , Christopher Nichols, and Dario Schor won the IEEE Ted Glass Award for their project on A Command and Data Handling System for the Win-Cube, their project was also nominated to the IEEE Telus Innovation Award, a Canada-wide student competition, in which it was evaluated as the top technical quality project. IEEE Design Awards went to Bruce Link and Owen Brady for their project Delta Sigma Analog to Digital Modulator; Paul Klassen, and Mark Roy for A Road Quality Measurement System Using GPS Tchnology; and Everet Anema, and Kevin Surminski for A Working Th eramin.

Th e ECE webpage has a new look, thanks to the eff orts of Dr. Dean McNeill. In 2008, we started an ECE research seminar series coordinated by Dr. Jun Cai. Two Professors Emeriti, E. Bridges, and G. Martens voluntarily taught two courses. I appreciate their continued service to the department.

I would like to thank Judy Noble (Administrative Assistant), Karin Kroeker (Graduate Student Advisor), Freya Sigfusson (Undergraduate Student Advisor), Joanne Morissette (IIP Coordinator), Shelly Girardin (Staff Hiring and NSERC Chair support), and Traci Hofer (NSERC Chair support) for playing an important role in the functioning of this Department.

Finally, I am thankful to the Dean, Dr. Doug Ruth, for his support to the Department.

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appliedelectromagneticsWith a country as large as Canada, and a population so widely separated by vast distances, it is not surprising that we have placed a heavy emphasis on improving our communication systems. We have succeeded to such a degree that Canada now leads the world in many areas of this fi eld.

Utilizing equipment unique in Canada and a highly capable staff , this facility conducts research and development at the frontier of communications technology. Th e Applied Electromagnetics Laboratory assists industry by designing antennas and associated sub-systems, as well as evaluating their designs and suggesting refi nements. Some of the antennas being evaluated will be utilized in satellites still years from being put into space.

Best Paper AwardD.K. Firsov, J. LoVetri, I. Jeff rey, V. Okhmatovski, C. Gilmore, and W. Chamma, “High-Order FVTD on Unstructured Grids using an Object-Oriented Computational Engine,” ACES Journal, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 71-82, March 2007.

Selected PublicationsD.K. Firsov and J. LoVetri, “New stability criterion for unstructured mesh upwinding FVTD schemes for Maxwell’s equations,” ACES Journal, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 193–199, September 2008.

P. Mojabi and J. LoVetri, “Preliminary investigation of the NCP param-eter-choice method for inverse scattering problems using BIM: 2-D TM case,” ACES Journal, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 207–214, September 2008.

C. Gilmore and J. LoVetri, “Enhancement of microwave tomography through the use of electrically conducting enclosures,” Inverse Problems, vol. 24, no. 3, 035008, 21pp., June 2008.

P. Mojabi and J. LoVetri, “Adapting the normalized cumulative periodo-gram parameter-choice method to the Tikhonov regularization of 2-D/Tm electromagnetic inverse scattering using Born iterative method,” Progress in Electromagnetics Research M, vol. 1, pp. 111–138, 2008.

B. Kordi, G.E. Bridges, J. LoVetri, and J.E. Nordstrom, “Full-wave based transmission-line model for lossy-substrate multiconductor intercon-nects,” International Journal of Numerical Modelling: Electronic Networks, Devices and Fields (Special Issue on Frontiers of Applied Computational Electromagnetics), vol. 21, no. 1-2, pp. 103–115, January–April 2008.

D.K. Firsov and J. LoVetri, “FVTD—Integral equation hybrid for Max-well’s equations,” International Journal of Numerical Modelling: Electronic Networks, Devices and Fields (Special Issue on Frontiers of Applied Com-putational Electromagnetics), vol. 21, no. 1–2, pp. 29–42, January–April 2008.

I. Hossain, S. Noghanian, L. Shafai and S. Pistorius, “Design and perfor-mance investigation of a diamond-shaped compact ultra-wideband an-tenna for microwave imaging,” Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, vol. 50, no. 12, pp. 3255–3259, December 2008.

S-S. Oh and L. Shafai, “Investigation into polarization of unloaded and loaded microstrip square-ring antennas”, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 56, no. 10, pp. 3129–3135, October 2008.

L. Shafai and Z. Allahgholi Pour, “Displacement of phase centre location in circular microstrip antennas”, Microwave and Optical Technology Let-ters, vol. 50, no. 10, pp. 2531–2535, October 2008.

A. Foroozesh, M. Ng Mou Kehn and L. Shafai, “Application of artifi cial ground planes in dual-band orthogonally-polarized low-profi le high-gain planar antenna design”, Progress in Electromagnetic Research, PIER 84, pp. 407–436, 2008.

For additional publications see page 14

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biomedicalengineering&biophotonicsTh e merger of biology with engineering sciences and the

creation of biomedical engineering has brought innovation to the practice of medicine that could only be dreamed about a decade ago. By many accounts, we are now at the outset of the Biomedical Century and the need for engineers trained in biomedicine is greater than ever.

Biomedical Engineering research is interdisciplinary by nature and therefore involves close collaboration with other departments and faculties in the University of Manitoba and associated hospitals. Th e centre of our activity, however, is the Biomedical Acoustic and Motor Control Laboratory and Biophotonics Laboratory within the Electrical and Computer Engineering department.

Th e Acoustic and Motor Control Laboratory is equipped with biological instrumentation amplifi ers/fi lter, diff erent sensors, acoustic chamber as well as a two degree-of-freedom robotic arm, an EEG recording system, and a large network of computers.

Th e Biomedical Photonics Laboratory houses optical test and measurement equipment, various laser sources as well as advanced setups for high-resolution nonlinear microscopy, spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography of biological samples.

Selected Publications:B.C. Albensi, J. Toupin, K. Oikawa, and D.R. Oliver, “Controlled pulse-delivery of electrical stimulation diff erentially reduces epileptiform activity in low Mg2+-free treated hippocampal slices,” Brain Research, vol. 1226, pp. 163-172, 21 August 2008.

A. Betker, Z. Moussavi, and T. Szturm, “Ambulatory center of mass prediction using body accelerations and center of foot pressure,” IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, vol. 55, no. 11, pp. 2491-2498, November 2008.

A. Betker, T. Szturm, and Z. Moussavi, “Staying in tune” IEEE Engineer-ing in Medicine and Biology Magazine, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 91-98, Septem-ber–October 2008.

A. Yadollahi and Z. Moussavi, “Respiratory sounds compression,” IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, vol. 55, no. 4, pp. 1336-43, April 2008.

A. Betker, Z. Moussavi, and T. Szturm, “Eff ect of a visual-based sensory motor task on muscle tuning during a dynamic balance task,” Proceedings of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference, pp. 5077-5080, August 2008.

A. Yadollahi and Z. Moussavi, “Comparison of fl ow-sound relationship for diff erent features of tracheal sound,” Proceedings of the IEEE Engineer-ing in Medicine and Biology Conference, pp. 805–808, August 2008.

A. Yadollahi and Z. Moussavi, “A model for normal swallowing sounds generation based on wavelet analysis,” Proceedings of the IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering, pp. 827–830, May 2008.

A. Betker, P. Maharjan, C. Yaduvanshi, T. Szturm, and Z. Moussavi, “Automated quantifi cation and comparison of spatio-temporal gait parameters during treadmill and over ground walking,” Proceedings of the IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering, pp. 165–168, May 2008.

S. Chang, Y. Mao, C. Flueraru, and S. Sherif, “Optical coherence tomog-raphy: Technology and applications,” SPIE: International Conference of Optical Instrument and Technology, Nov 16–19, 2008.

Y. Mao, S. Chang, C. Flueraru, and S. Sherif, “Novel technologies for optical coherence tomography”, SPIE: International Conference of Optical Instrument and Technology, Nov 16–19, 2008.

S. Chang, S. Sherif, L. Mao, and C. Flueraru, “Full-fi eld optical coherence tomography/microscopy,” Workshop on Microscopic and Low-Coherence Methods in Biomedical and Non-Biomedical Applications, Saratov Fall Meeting SFM’08, September 22–25, 2008.

R.G. Pillai, J.H. Zhao, M.S. Freund, and D.J. Th omson “Field-induced carrier generation in conjugated polymer semiconductors for dynamic, asymmetric junctions,” vol. 20, no. 1, Advanced Materials, pp. 49–53, 2008.

A. Sharapov, A. Major, and V. Barzda, “Development of a high power femtosecond optical parametric oscillator for biomedical imaging ap-plications”, SPIE Proceedings: Photonics North, vol. 7099, pp. 70992H1-70992H7, June 2008.

For additional publications see page 14

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communicationsystemsTh is CSNR Laboratory is dedicated to research and teaching in the broad area of theory and systems for reliable and effi cient communication of information. Current research in the laboratory focuses on mobile wireless systems, communication networks, multimedia communications, and wireless sensor networks.

Th e Communication Systems and Networking Research Laboratory is home to three closely collaborating research groups. Th ese are

• Communication and Network Engineering;• Wireless Communications, Networks and Services;• Coding, Information Th eory, and Communications

Signal Processing Group.

&networkresearch

Selected Publications:A.S. Alfa and Q.-M. He, “Algorithmic analysis of the discrete GIX/GY/1 queueing system”, Performance Evaluation, vol. 65, no. 9, pp. 623-640, August 2008.

A. Abadpour, A.S. Alfa, and A.C.K. Soong, “Closed form solution for maximizing the sum capacity of reverse link CDMA system with rate constraints”, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communication, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 1179–1183, April 2008.

A. Abadpour, A.S. Alfa, and J.E. Diamond, “Video-on-demand network design and maintenance using fuzzy optimization”, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics - Part B, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 404-420, April 2008.

J. Cai, A.S. Alfa, P. Ren, X. Shen, and J.W. Mark, “Packet level perfor-mance analysis in wireless relaying networks,” IEEE Transactions on Wire-less Communications, vol. 7, no. 12, pp. 5336–5345, December 2008.

S. Saha and A.S. Alfa, “Selecting batch size in discrete-time two-phase queueing system”, Mathematical and Computer Modelling, vol. 47, no. 11–12, pp. 1246–1253, June 2008.

S. Dharmaraja, V. Jindal, and A.S. Alfa, “Phase-type models for cellular networks supporting voice, video and data traffi c”, Mathematical and Computer Modelling, vol. 47, no. 11–12, pp.1167–1180, June 2008.

A.S. Alfa and B.H. Margolius, “Two classes of time-inhomogeneous Mar-kov chains: Analysis of the periodic case”, Annals of Operations Research, vol. 160, no. 1, pp. 121-137, April 2008.

J. Cai, X. Shen, J.W. Mark, and A.S. Alfa, “Semi-distributed user relay-ing algorithm for amplify-and-forward wireless relay networks”, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 1348–1357, April 2008.

D. Niyato and E. Hossain, “Competitive pricing in heterogeneous wireless access networks: Issues and approaches,” IEEE Network, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 4–11, November–December 2008.

D. Niyato and E. Hossain, “A game theoretic analysis of service com-petition and pricing in heterogeneous wireless access networks,” IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, vol. 7, no. 12, pp. 5150–5155, December 2008.

L.B. Le and E. Hossain, “Resource allocation for spectrum underlay in cognitive wireless networks,” IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communica-tions, vol. 7, no. 12, pp. 5306–5315, December 2008.

A.A. Alexander, R. Taylor, V. Vairavanathan, Y. Fuo, E. Hossain, and S. Noghanian, “Solar powered ZigBee-based wireless motion surveillance: A prototype development and experimental results,” Wireless Communi-cations and Mobile Computing, vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 1255–1276, December 2008.

L.B. Le and E. Hossain, “Tandem queue models with applications to QoS routing in multi-hop wireless networks,” IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 1025–1040 August 2008.

For additional publications see page 14

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computationalintelligenceTh e Computational Intelligence (CI) laboratory engages in fundamental as well as applied research in computational intelligence that includes evolutionary methods with self organization, fuzzy sets, granular computing, near sets, neural networks rough sets, feature extraction, pattern recognition, cognitive informatics, compression of data and signals, including speech, audio, biomedical signals, and video. computational vision, mobile robotics. In parallel with ongoing research projects, this Laboratory provides the community with fully updated information on CI. Th is web page provides a partial view of our recent as well as ongoing research in the form of research reports, dissertations, recent publications and fi lm clips.

Past and current research on robust real-time algorithms and soft ware/hardware computing engines for multimedia, using wavelets, fractals, chaos, emergent computation, genetic algorithms, rough sets, fuzzy logic, higher-order statistics, and neural networks. Applications included signal and data compression, robust blind signal separation with the independent component analysis (e.g., separation of a fetal from its maternal ECG mixture), signal enhancement, classifi cation, segmentation, and feature extraction in various areas such as real-time speech compression for multimedia, wideband audio compression, aerial and space ortho image compression, biomedical signal

processing (e.g., ECG abnormalities, EEG epileptic conditions, EMG fatigue detection, ocular pulse for stroke, and dishabituation), severe weather classifi cation from volumetric radar data, radio and power-line transient classifi cation, image/video enhancement, and modelling of complex processes such as dielectric discharges. Current research focuses on complexity metrics for cognitive machines and systems.

Past space-related work includes studies of: (i) picosatellite subsystems (including the WinCube/CubeSat project); (ii) an uplink and downlink subsystem for microsatellite communication; (iii) a concatenated interleaved Reed-Solomon and convolutional self-orthogonal coding scheme for a forward error correction system; (iv) autonomous power management system for a small satellite; (v) CCSDS packet handling system for small satellites; (vi) lossy and lossless image compression for small satellite transmission , and (v) a study and on-board hardware implementation of wavelet and wavelet-packet compression algorithms for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for the Canadian RADARSAT II satellite, as well as detection of fast-moving objects from raw-SAR data on RADARSAT III. A new facility for near-space testing and exploration is being developed.

Selected PublicationsA. Ashtari, G. Th omas, W. Kinsner, and B.C. Flores, “Suffi cient condition for chaotic maps to yield chaotic behavior aft er FM,” IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 1240–1248, July 2008.

N. Gadhok and W. Kinsner, “Robust independent component analysis for cognitive informatics,” International Journal of Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 44–54, October 2008.

W. Kinsner and R. Dansereau, “A relative fractal dimension spectrum for a perceptual complexity measure,” International Journal of Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 73–86, January 2008.

M. Potter and W. Kinsner, “Instantaneous heart rate: Should RR-intervals be resampled?” Proceedings of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biol-ogy Conference, pp. 277–282, August 2008.

W. Kinsner, “Complexity and its measures in cognitive and other complex systems,” Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Informatics, pp. 13–29, August 2008.

W. Kinsner and W. Grieder, “Speech segmentation using multifractal measures and amplifi cation of signal features,” Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Informatics, pp. 351–357, August 2008.

L. Woo, W. Kinsner, and K. Ferens, “An analysis of captured industrial vehicular noise signals for ZigBee communications,” Proceedings of the IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering, pp. 1423-1428, May 2008.

A. Meghdadi and W. Kinsner, “Characterization of healthy and epileptic brain EEG signals using monofractal and multifractal analysis,” Pro-ceedings of the IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering, pp. 1407–14xx, May 2008.

C. Henry and J.F. Peters, “Near set image segmentation quality index,” Proceedings of the Pixels, Objects, Intelligence Conference. August 2008.

A. Skowron and J.F. Peters, “Rough-granular computing,” Handbook on Granular Computing, pp. 285–328, Wiley, 2008.

D. Lockery and J.F. Peters, “Adaptive learning by a target tracking system,” International Journal of Intelligent Computing & Cybernetics, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 46-68, 2008. Best journal article award.

A. Jankowski, J.F. Peters, A. Skowron, and J. Stepaniuk, “Optimization in discovery of compound granules,” Fundamenta Informaticae, vol. 85, no. 1–4, pp. 249–265, 2008.

K.S. Patnaik, J.F. Peters, and S. Anwar, “Infl uence of temperature on swarmbots that learn,” Cybernetics and Systems: An International Journal, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 502–519, 2008.

L. Han and J.F. Peters, “Rough neural classifi cation of power system sig-nals,” Transactions on Rough Sets VIII, pp. 396–519, 2008.

A.B. Hassanien, A. Abraham, J.F. Peters, and J. Kacprzyk, “Rough sets in medical imaging: Foundations and Trends,” Computational Intelligence in Medical Imaging, G. Schaefer, A.E. Hassanien, and J. Jiang, eds., pp.47–88, CRC Press, 2008.

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embedded&real-timecomputingAccess to powerful and inexpensive microprocessors, microcontrollers and fi eld programmable devices has resulted in widespread use of these components in even the most basic of electronic devices. Cellular phones, for example, have been transformed in recent years from the simple communications devices of a decade ago into full featured computing platforms. Our cars not only use computing technologies to control emissions and monitor engine performance, but now sport an army of cooperating microcontrollers and on-board communication networks to deliver a range of features; from the simple control of windows and wipers, to sophisticated safety systems, entertainment components, and navigational aids.

Research being conducted in the area of embedded systems at the University of Manitoba seeks to similarly capitalize on the fl exibility and sophistication possible when employing modern processors, communcation protocols, and information processing to develop new systems to improve how we look at and interact with the world.

A signifi cant aspect of this work is directed to measurement and information processing for the monitoring of civil infrastructure; a practice known as structural health monitoring (SHM). SHM systems collect and examine large quantities of measurements from civil infrastructure, such as bridges and buildings, in order to assess their performance and improve their safety and usability. Th e department is home to a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Information Processing for Intelligent Infrastructure. Th e activities of this Chair are directed towards automating

information collection and processing from civil structures to imporve the assessement of these systems. Th is activity not only assists the owners of the structures to manage them more eff ectively, but it also improves their useability by the public by helping to extend the service life of existing structures and provide a means to evaluate new construction methods and materials.

Other embedded and real-time computing research includes the development of intelligent robotic systems, the design of computing systems employing stochastic signal representations for compact embedded imformation processing (particluarly in fi eld programmable hardware), and the development and assessment of neural computing algorithms for use in embedded data processing (including structural health monitoring).

Selected PublicationsG. Rutherford and D. K. McNeill, “Model-free brtidge basedvehcile classifi cation,” Second International Workshop on Civil Structural Health Monitoring, Taormina, Italy, 2008.

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nanosystemsfabricationlaboratoryTh e NSFL is an open access cleanroom micromachining lab established to provide nano-system R&D and prototyping to university and industry researchers. As a central facility, the NSFL links multidisciplinary researchers from many university departments. Th is 4000 ft . sq. laboratory possess over $4 million of nanofabrication infrastructure, providing a comprehensive suite of state of the art equipment and soft ware for MEMS fabrication, analysis, and testing. Th e NSFL infrastructure is continuously being upgraded. Over the past two years, more than $200,000 in additional infrastructure has been invested into the NSFL.

Th e NSFL has assisted many research groups from across the U of M campus, and several outside industry and organizations. Over 120 professors and students (ranging from high school to Ph.D. level) have used the NSFL. Th is year the NSFL has supported the research of 59 researchers. Th e combined value of grants supporting these projects is

Selected Publications:S. Neethirajan, D.J. Th omson and D. Jayas, “Characterization of the surface morphology of Durum wheat starch granules using atomic force microscopy,” Microscopy Research and Techniques, vol. 71, no. 2, pp. 125–132, 2008.

C. Shafai, S. K. Sharma, J. Yip, L. Shafai, and L. Shafai, “Microstrip delay line phase shift er by actuating integrated ground plane membranes,” IET Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation, vol. 2, pp. 163–170, March 2008.

B. Bahreyni, G. Wijeweera, C. Shafai, and A. Rajapakse, “Analysis and design of a micromachined electric fi eld sensor”, IEEE/ASME Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, vol. 17, pp. 31–36, February 2008.

D. Felnhofer, E.P. Gousev, and D.A. Buchanan, “Photocurrent measure-ments for oxide charge characterization of high‐dielectric metal oxide semiconductor capacitors,” Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 103, no. 5, 054101, March 2008.

D.E. Schaub and D.R. Oliver, “Rapid simulation of linear PBG microstrip structures using the Rayleigh multipole method,” IEEE Transactions on Microwave Th eory and Techniques, vol. 56, no. 1, pp. 49–55, January 2008.

G.A. Ferrier, A.N. Hladio, D.J. Th omson, G.E. Bridges, M. Hedayatipoor, S. Olson and M.R. Freeman,” Microfl uidic electromanipulation with ca-pacitive detection for the mechanical analysis of cells”, Biomicrofl uidics, vol. 2, no. 4, 044102, November 2008.

over $4.5 million. Th e NSFL’s signifi cant impact to U of M research has been made possible by it being a fully open access facility. Th is means any U of M researcher can access any infrastructure in NSFL aft er receiving specifi ed training.

Th e demographics of NSFL users is diversifying. Currently, the number of NSFL users on an annual basis who are not from Electrical and Computer Engineering is slightly higher than those from within the Department. Th e majority of out of Department users who use the NSFL heavily are from Physics & Astronomy, and Chemistry.

(NSFL)

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power&energysystemsTh e University of Manitoba has a strong, internationally renowned Power and Energy Systems Research Group. Th e Group embodies expertise in the areas of power system transients simulation; power electronics applications in power systems; power system dynamics and control; alternate energy; power systems protection; and electric vehicles.

Th e Group strongly interacts with industry and includes several industry partners, such as Manitoba Hydro, Th e Manitoba HVDC Research Centre, RTDS Technologies, Electranix Corporation, Transgrid Solutions and Teshmont Consultants. Th is industrial collaboration has contributed to the development of several advanced tools used worldwide, such as the PSCAD/EMTDC simulation program from the Manitoba HVDC Research Centre, and the world’s fi rst real time digital simulator from RTDS Technologies Inc.

Since 2004, the Group has also housed the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Industrial Research Chair in Power Systems Simulation, which is collaboratively funded by the federal government and four industrial partners - Manitoba Hydro, Th e Manitoba HVDC Research Centre, RTDS Technologies and Teshmont Consultants.  Professor Ani Gole, who has made major contributions to the development of PSCAD/EMTDC, is the current Chairholder.

Selected PublicationsL.Y.C. Amarasinghe and U.D. Annakkage, “Determination of network rental components in a competitive electricity market,” IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 1152–1161, August 2008.

B. Archer, U.D. Annakkage, B. Jayasekara, and P. Wijetunge, “Accurate prediction of damping in large interconnected power systems with the aid of regression analysis,” IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 1170-1178, August 2008.

S. Filizadeh, M. Heidari, A. Mehrizi-Sani, J. Jatskevich, and J. A. Marti-nez, “Techniques for interfacing electromagnetic transient simulation programs with general mathematical tools,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 2610–2622, October 2008.

M. Heidari, S. Filizadeh, and A.M. Gole, “Support tools for simulation-based optimal design of power networks with embedded power electron-ics”, IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 1561–1570, July 2008.

H.K. Al-Hadidi, A.M. Gole, and D.A. Jacobson, “Minimum power opera-tion of cascade inverter-based dynamic voltage restorer,” IEEE Transac-tions on Power Delivery, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 889–898, April 2008.

H.K. Al-Hadidi, A.M. Gole, and D.A. Jacobson, “A novel confi guration for a cascade inverter-based dynamic voltage restorer with reduced en-ergy storage requirements,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 881–888, April 2008.

N. Perera, A.D. Rajapakse, and T. Buchholzer, “A novel protection scheme for distribution networks with DG using fault directions determined from the transient currents,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 2347–2355, October 2008.

N. Perera, and A. Rajapakse, “Fast isolation of faults in transmission systems using current transients,” Electric Power Systems Research, vol. 78, no. 9, pp. 1568–1578, September 2008.

B. Bahreyni, G. Wijeweera, C. Shafai, and A. Rajapakse, “Analysis and Design of a Micromachined Electric Field Sensor,” IEEE/ASME Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 31–36, February 2008.

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advancedRFsystemsCMC Microsystems (CMC), the University of Manitoba and leaders from industry, government and academia offi cially opened the Advanced RF Systems Laboratory–the second of four specialized test labs in Canada’s unique $23-million National Microelectronics and Photonics Testing Collaboratory. Th e estimated value of the RF Lab located at the University of Manitoba is more than CAN$1.9 million. It represents a key building block in Canada’s ‘cyber-infrastructure’, bringing world-class test capability and expertise from Winnipeg to hundreds of microsystems researchers across the country.

Researchers at 21 Canadian universities will use this world-fi rst virtual laboratory and its interactive, multimedia connections to access some of the best available test tools and technologies in the world. Together, the labs that comprise the Collaboratory will address one of the main roadblocks facing university researchers: access to sophisticated and costly equipment required to test and validate high-performance microsystems; a prerequisite for moving new, multi-disciplinary discoveries to market more quickly. Managed by CMC, this pan-Canadian initiative will ultimately provide companies a competitive edge in the multi-billion dollar microsystems and photonics sectors. Th e future applications of these technologies will benefi t all Canadians.

“Th e Collaboratory brings scientifi c research into the 21st century,” says Dr. Brian Barge, President and CEO of CMC Microsystems. “Regardless of physical location, researchers will have access to the same advanced capabilities to validate concepts faster, thereby increasing their R&D output and narrowing the gap between technology development and market deployment. Microsystems technologies enable products and services in all sectors from health care to aerospace, energy, automotive, environment, and information and communications.”

“Th rough the Internet–specifi cally CA*net 4, a high speed network managed by CANARIE–remote researchers will have the same virtual control as if they were actually in the lab performing the test by hand,” says Dr. Greg Bridges, Principal Investigator of the Advanced RF Systems Lab, and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Manitoba. “Remote researchers will not only be able to control the test equipment signals and collect measurement data, they will also be able to remotely visualize the chip as seen through a microscope and position the probes used for testing.”

The Collaboratory brings scientifi c research into the 21st century…

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signal&imageprocessingFundamental and applied research projects have been conducted in several emerging areas of image analysis, pattern recognition, and signal processing. Ongoing research activities concern studies of (i) large scale pattern recognition problems with constrains on data sparsity using support vector machines and boosting algorithms, (ii) statistical aspects of image invariants with applications to confocal microscopy and robust watermarking systems, (iii) nonparametric statistical methods for nonlinear image fi ltering and edge-preserved reconstruction, (iv) nonparametric and semiparametric inference for block-oriented nonlinear systems including additive and Wiener models, (v) signal sampling theorems in the presence of noise, data sparsity and the lack of band-limitness. Joint projects with groups in France, Germany, and Poland are carried out.

Selected PublicationsY. Xin and M.Pawlak, “M-ary phase modulation for digital watermark-ing,” International Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 93–104, 2008.

E. Rafajlowicz, M. Pawlak, and A. Steland, “Nonlinear image processing and fi ltering: a unifi ed approach based on vertically weighted regression,” International Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 49–61, 2008.

This is one of the most comprehensive accounts of machine learning algorithms…

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Th is is one of the most comprehensive accounts of machine learning algorithms and general methodologies of nonparametric and semiparametric modeling for nonlinear systems that play important role in numerous problems of engineering, biology, and economics. Th e book is the fi rst such a contribution in the fast-growing fi eld of machine learning that is becoming a key area for technical advance of computer science and engineering.

Research MonographW. Greblicki and M. Pawlak. Nonparametric System Identifi cation, Cambridge University Press, 2008.

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additionalselectedpublicationsappliedelectromagnetics biomedicalengineering&biophotonics

A. Major, R. Cisek, A. Tuer, N. Prent and V. Barzda, “Ultrafast Yb:KGd(WO4)2 laser for multimodal biomedical imaging with reduced photodamage”, SPIE Proceedings: Commercial and Biomedical Applica-tions of Ultrafast Lasers VIII, vol. 6881, pp. 688108–1–7, January 2008.

N. Prent, C. Green, C. Greenhalgh, R. Cisek, A. Major, B. Stewart and V. Barzda, “Inter-myofi lament dynamics of myocytes revealed by second harmonic generation microscopy”, Journal of Biomedical Optics, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 041318, July–August 2008.

L. Shafai and Z. Allahgholi Pour, “Displacement of phase centre location in circular microstrip antennas”, Microwave and Optical Technology Let-ters, vol. 50, no. 10, pp. 2531-2535, October 2008.

A. Foroozesh and L. Shafai, “Application of combined electric and mag-netic conductor ground planes for antenna performance enhancement”, Canadian Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 87–98, Spring 2008.

C. Shafai, S.K. Sharma, J. Yip, L. Shafai and L. Shafai, “Microstrip delay line phase shift er by actuating integrated ground plane membranes”, IET Microwaves, Antennas & Propagation, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 163–170, March 2008.

B. Kordi, G.E. Bridges, J. LoVetri, and J.E. Nordstrom, “Full-wave based transmission-Line model for lossy-substrate multiconductor intercon-nects,” Wiley International Journal on Numerical Modelling, vol. 21, pp. 103-115, January–April 2008.

I.R. Ciric, “Formulation of reduced surface integral equations for  the electromagnetic wave scattering from three-dimensional layered dielectric bodies”, Radio Science, vol. 43, no. 4, RS4S05, 2008. (Invited)

I.R. Ciric, F.I. Hantila, and M. Maricaru, “Novel solution to eddy-current heating of ferromagnetic bodies with nonlinear B-H characteristic de-pendent on temperature”, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, vol. 44, no. 6, pp. 1190–1193, June 2008.

networkresearch&communicationsystems

P. Yahampath and A. Hjørungnes, “Symbol error rate analysis of OSTB Codes and linear precoder design for MIMO correlated keyhole chan-nels,’’ EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking, vol. 2008, Article ID 571827, 10 pp., 2008.

P. Rondeau and P. Yahampath, “Robust transmission of speech line spec-tral frequencies over lossy channels using hidden Markov model-based multiple description index assignments,’’ EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech and Music Processing, vol. 2008, Article ID 896021, 13 pp., 2008.

R. Yasaratna and P. Yahampath, “Construction of a scalable decoder for a wireless sensor network using Bayesian networks,’’ IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, pp. 2721-2724, March 2008.

J. Cai, A.S. Alfa, P. Ren, X. Shen, and J.W. Mark, “Packet level perfor-mance analysis in wireless user-relaying networks”, IEEE Trans. Wireless Communications, vol. 7, no. 12, pp. 5336–5345, December 2008.

L. Lei, C. Lin, J. Cai, and X. Shen, “Flow level performance of opportunis-tic OFDM-TDMA and OFDMA networks”, IEEE Transations on Wireless Communications, vol. 7, no. 12, pp. 5461–5472, December 2008.

W. Wang, Z. Guo, X. Shen, C. Cheng, and J. Cai, “Dynamic bandwidth allocation for QoS provisioning in IEEE 802.16 networks with ARQ-SA”, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, vol. 7, no. 9, pp. 3477–3487, September 2008.

J. Cai, X. Shen, J. W. Mark, and A. S. Alfa, “Semi-distributed user relay-ing algorithm for amplify-and-forward wireless relay networks,” IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 1348–1357, April 2008.

J. Xu, X. Shen, J.W. Mark, and J. Cai, “Quasi-optimal channel assignment for real-time video in OFDM wireless systems”, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 1417–1427, April 2008.

J. Cai, K. Liu, X. Shen, J. W. Mark, and T. Todd, “Power allocation and scheduling for MAC layer design in UWB networks,” IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 1103–1112, March 2008.

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Photo CreditsAllan McKay (5, 11 b., 14, back cover), Dean McNeill (3, 10, 12 t., 15), Julian Beger (front cover), Áron Balogh (6), Mario Alberto Magallanes Trejo (7), Piotr Dymacz (8 t.), Héja Gábor (8 b.), Ivan Prole (11 t.), James Dietrich (12 b.)

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