Search

Contribution: This article explores issues of respect and inclusion among full-time non-tenure-track (NTT) electrical engineering faculty. Background: NTT faculty members are an important and growing part of electrical engineering programs in the USA. This article complements prior research on NTT faculty member career satisfaction and effectiveness, providing perspectives from the NTT faculty members themselves on their experiences with respect and inclusion. Research Question: The research question for this article is: How do NTT faculty members experience respect and inclusion in electrical engineering departmental cultures? Methodology: Using a qualitative design and semi-structured interview protocol, data were collected via 45-min interviews with 13 full-time NTT engineering faculty. The analysis used thematic coding. Findings: Most participants in this article work in departmental cultures that diminish their effectiveness. They are keenly aware of whether they feel respected and included in their department and these factors significantly affect their career satisfaction. Many of the participants have been specifically excluded from departmental discussion affecting their work, have suffered the effects of policies that are biased against them, and have been told directly or indirectly that their appointments are not valued by their administration or other faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This article has shown that self-efficacy in performing complex computer programming tasks and the self-regulation of electrical and electronics engineering undergraduate students varies with respect to the class standing and prior experience in computer programming. Background: Computer programming is an essential skill that all engineers must possess, as most industries require engineers to own this skill. Prior studies discuss programming self-efficacy (PSE) measures; however, these studies do not specifically measure the PSE of electrical and electronics engineering major in the Indian context. Research Questions: The overarching research question of this article is: What factors related to participants’ demographics, vicarious experiences, and performance accomplishments influence the PSE of electrical and electronics engineering students in India? Methodology: To answer the above research question, a study is conducted using quantitative methods in engineering education research. This article focuses on the development of a survey instrument to measure the PSE of electrical and electronics engineering students of India. The survey includes a total of 31 items, content validity and face validity were established. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and the final two factors are “basic programming tasks and dependence” and “complex programming tasks and self-regulation.” A multiple regression analysis was performed to find the best fitting model for the two factors. Findings: The regression model with “basic programming tasks and dependence” was not statistically significant and the regression model with “complex programming tasks and self-regulation” was found to be statistically significant with predictors class standing and prior programming experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors discuss the legal liabilities of the professional engineer as both the engineer of record of a project and the construction site manager. In particular, this article analyzes the case of a fire at the end-user medium voltage–low-voltage (MV–LV) substation of a shopping center in Italy, which occurred a few years after the maintenance works on the electrical installation. The professional engineer who had designed and overseen the construction of the substation was accused of professional negligence. The authors through the examination of applicable technical standards, as well as of safety regulations, demonstrate that the professional engineer had acted diligently and that there was no ground for the negligence charges. The analysis of the substation fire is provided, and the importance of the chain of custody, the chronological documentation, and the secure storing of all the artifacts and fire-damaged evidence is discussed. The authors believe that this article can be a useful reference for electrical forensics engineers, investigating similar accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: Prior studies on goal congruity show that students are more motivated to pursue careers that allow them to work with and help others and give back to their community (i.e., careers that afford prosocial value). This paper discovers this same pattern in electrical engineering (EE) and discovers that prosocial affordance beliefs are significantly associated with intensions to persist, while agency beliefs are not. Background: Goal congruity theory finds that people are more motivated to pursue a career if it aligns with values they endorse. This theory can shed light on why some students do not persist in EE because of the stereotype that the profession does not allow working with and helping others. Research Questions: This paper seeks to answer whether EE students perceive the profession as affording prosocial value, and to test associations between prosocial perceptions and motivation to persist in the field. Methodology: The first study in this paper was conducted on students in an introductory EE course ($n\,\,= 79$) that measured affordance beliefs about the EE profession and tested associations with intensions to persist. The second study compared affordance beliefs and trait endorsements held by students in the introductory level course with those in an advanced EE courses ($n\,\,=51$). Findings: Mediation analysis revealed that the more novice students believe that EE allows them to fulfill prosocial goals, the greater their persistence intentions (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.34). This analysis also showed that agency beliefs were not strongly associated with persistence intensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper demonstrated on a large scale that explicit articulation of creativity-related learning goals on engineering syllabi is quite limited, and primarily limited to the first year of study. Engineering educators may need to do more to ensure creativity is explicitly addressed as an expected learning outcome within engineering syllabi. Background: Prior studies have shown inclusion of creativity within engineering syllabi and course activities are generally limited. Students may perceive educators do not value creativity, and their studies have limited influence on their creative skills. Studies conflict on whether creativity skills increase over completing an engineering degree. Creativity has been demonstrated to be an important skill for engineering professionals, but one not necessarily appropriately addressed in engineering programs. Few studies have attempted to quantify coverage of creativity material on a nation-wide scale, as opposed to in a single or select few institutions. Research Questions: 1) To what extent do engineering educators explicitly articulate creativity and innovation-related learning goals and material on their course syllabi? and 2) To what extent do engineering educators explicitly articulate exposure to, or instruction in the use of, creativity heuristics within their course syllabi? Methodology: The online publicly accessible course outlines of 1109 compulsory courses from 42 degree programs accredited by two national engineering accreditation bodies were qualitatively analyzed in a two-stage approach using document analysis. Findings: Approximately 2% of compulsory electrical engineering course outlines explicitly articulate creativity-related material; only one course articulated engaging students in using creativity heuristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New capacity upper bounds are presented for the discrete-time Poisson channel with no dark current and an average-power constraint. These bounds are a consequence of techniques developed for the seemingly unrelated problem of upper bounding the capacity of binary deletion and repetition channels. Previously, the best known capacity upper bound in the regime where the average-power constraint does not approach zero was due to Martinez (JOSA B, 2007), which is re-derived as a special case of the framework developed in this paper. Furthermore, this framework is carefully instantiated in order to obtain a closed-form bound that improves the result of Martinez everywhere. Finally, capacity-achieving distributions for the discrete-time Poisson channel are studied under an average-power constraint and/or a peak-power constraint and arbitrary dark current. In particular, it is shown that the support of the capacity-achieving distribution under an average-power constraint must only be countably infinite. This settles a conjecture of Shamai (IEE Proceedings I, 1990) in the affirmative. Previously, it was only known that the support must be an unbounded set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a kind of fixed connection, bolt joints are widely used in engineering. In this paper, the analytic equations of the contact resistance under different situations are deduced by approximating the Gaussian distribution and the asperity deformation process based on the Greenwood–Williamson model. The equations explicitly describe the theoretical dependences of contact resistance on mechanical and electrical parameters of materials, surface topographic features, and the property of the surface oxidation film. The characteristic curves of contact resistance versus contact pressure for brass, copper, and their silver-coated counterparts are measured by using a specially designed bolted-joints structure. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical model, indicating that, in the log–log plot, the contact resistance depends linearly on contact pressure with a slope ranging from −0.5 to −1. The analytic equations and experimental observations of contact resistance revealed in this paper can be used as a guidance for electrical contact engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TGax aims at developing the IEEE 802.11ax protocol to provide enhanced throughput and power efficiency in dense WiFi deployment environments. The new specification shifts the focus from EDCA access to point coordination access, which aims at improving network utilization and power efficiency. Furthermore, it introduces, for the first time, the concept of RU allocation and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) techniques. The new specification addresses the spectral inefficiency in existing transmission by including schedule-based multi-user multiple-input, multiple- output (MU-MIMO) and multi-user OFDMA (MU-OFDMA) techniques to facilitate multi-user uplink transmission for high efficiency (HE) devices. However, complete adoption of the HE protocol is likely to take place over a period of time to offset the deployment cost. To ensure the coexistence of non-HE devices during the transition period, EDCA based single user transmission will remain the basic access technique and a focal point of spectral inefficiency for non-HE devices in the uplink direction. Motivated by our work on the performance of IEE 802.11ac, we propose an EDCA based uplink transmission technique for non-HE devices that allows multi-user transmission to improve spectral efficiency in coexistent WLAN networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pin-socket connector susceptibility under vibration stress constitutes one of the electrical engineer breakthroughs. Only single electrical engineering is not enough to treat this challenging issue. The Multiphysics analysis is expected to be a solution to analyze this electromechanical dynamic pin-socket structure. This paper develops a dynamic contact Multiphysics analysis with the tensorial analysis of networks (TAN) formalism. The Multiphysics model integrates the pin relative velocity and position coupled with the instantaneous contact resistance implemented in an RC-network. An innovative method enabling to determine the vibration stress signature via the signal-to-noise (SNR) amplitude is established. The relevance of the Multiphysics TAN model is illustrated with an example of a 10-mm-length pin-socket under arbitrary waveform uniaxial vibration stress with 20-kHz bandwidth. It was shown that the contact resistance may fluctuate with more than thousand-time relative variation. More importantly, the vibration stressed pin-socket SNR in function of the RC-network parameters is discussed. The proposed Multiphysics analysis can be potentially applied to the electromagnetic compatibility and signal integrity investigation of assembled electronic equipment and printed circuit boards under vibration stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A25.7-T, 32-mm cold bore HTS/LTS superconducting magnet has been fabricated and tested at Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IEE, CAS). The REBCO HTS insert experienced large stress state while it was energized up to the target field, which is harmful for the protection of the HTS insert. In this paper, to understand the stress distributions in the HTS insert clearly, a simulation model was proposed, in which the analysis was divided into three stages, i.e., winding process, cooling down, and excitation. The effects of winding tension, band wound over the HTS insert were considered while the HTS insert is fabricated. The residual thermal stress caused by the thermal contraction differences of the coil, mandrel, and band was analyzed during the cooling down process. The final stress state was compared with the stress induced only by the electromagnetic force, which shows a large difference. The experiments conducted after the HTS insert quenched at 25. 7 T proves that is not mechanical damage in the HTS magnet and the analysis results are believable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an understanding of what constitutes a qualified person, an unqualified person, and a competent person. Also included are the training requirements for each classification. The principles for performing a needs assessment, a job/task analysis, and job hazard analysis are addressed as they relate to the information gathering needed for the development of an effective training program. This gathered information applies to all personnel who are, or may be, exposed to electrical hazards, and who may work on, near, or interact with the electrical systems and equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In eigenanalysis of large delayed cyber-physical power system (DCPPS), power engineers are interested in critical electromechanical oscillation modes with damping ratios less than a specified threshold. To efficiently compute these modes, a method based on pseudo-spectral discretization of the solution operator of DCPPS (SOD-PS) is presented in this paper. First, the unique spectral mapping properties of solution operator are analyzed. The largest eigenvalues in moduli of the operator correspond to the ones of DCPPS with the largest real parts. Second, a rotation-and-multiplication preconditioning technique is presented to enhance the dispersion among eigenvalues of the solution operator's discretized matrix. Third, critical electromechanical oscillation modes of DCPPS with the least damping ratios are captured with priority and an accelerated convergence rate by the implicitly restarted Arnoldi algorithm. Subsequently, the small signal stability of DCPPS can be readily and reliably determined. In SOD-PS, the unique property of Kronecker product and the inherent sparsity in augmented system matrices are fully exploited to guarantee efficiency and scalability. The accuracy and efficiency of the presented method are intensively studied and thoroughly validated on the 16-generator 68-bus test system and a real-life large transmission grid. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article offers news briefs related to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), as of November 2017. The IEEE ComSoc Austin, Texas Chapter has won the 2017 IEEE ComSoc Chapter-of-the-Year Award and North-America Chapter Achievement Award. Asia-Pacific IEEE Comsoc Summer School 2017 was held in Lahore, Pakistan. The INTERPOL World conference, which was held in Singapore hosted workshops on cyber security.

Presents the table of contents for this issue of the publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the table of contents for this issue of the publication. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With the increasingly high demand for well-trained power systems engineers, the University of Pittsburgh has partnered with Eaton in the creation of the new Electric Power Systems Laboratory at the Swanson School of Engineering. This laboratory demands the capability to perform a wide variety of experimental procedures while providing students and researchers with a seamless working environment. To accomplish that goal, a novel lab workbench was developed. This lab workbench integrates the load banks necessary for laboratory procedures with advanced metering, controls and safety features, and contains them within a work station ideally suited for the laboratory space. This paper details the development of those lab workbenches, from concept, to design, to prototype construction, to testing. Additionally, this work describes planned classroom experiments utilizing the developed bench. Ultimately the realized workbench demonstrates its capability to be reconfigured to suit the demands of both education as well as new research projects for undergraduate and graduate studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the President?s Message for this issue of the publication. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The 14th IEEE International Conference on Communication Systems (ICCS 2014) was successfully held in Macau, China, from 19?21 November 2014. It was co-organized by the IEEE Communications Society Singapore Chapter, the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society Singapore Chapter, and the IEEE Singapore Section, and technically co-sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society and the IEEE Macau Section. Started in Singapore in 1988, the IEEE ICCS has been a biennial conference providing a platform to researchers from both academia and industry to exchange the state-of-the-art communications technologies over two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the table of contents for this issue of the publication. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The 2015 IEEE International Conference on Communications (IEEE ICC 2015) recently concluded its global annual event with a record-breaking 2947 attendees participating in 1800 presentations dedicated to nearly every area of the communications spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the table of contents for this issue of the publication. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the table of contents for this issue of this publication. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the cover/table of contents for this issue of the periodical. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the table of contents for this issue of the publication. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Prolific, yet neglected inventor Andrew Vasily Haeff (1905-1990) made numerous contributions to vacuum tube art, including the traveling wave tube, the inductive-output tube, the electron-wave tube (or "double-stream" amplifier), the resistive wall tube, and many others. Haeff's contributions to computing history include his pioneering computer monitor technology, his high-speed electrostatic computer memory tube, and his early work in the display and storage of text and graphics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Computer pioneer Gordon Bell has been one of the industry's leading figures for nearly 50 years. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1994), American Association for the Advancement of Science (1983), ACM (1994), IEEE (1974), and Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (2009) and a member of the National Academy of Engineering (1977) and National Academy of Science (2007), Bell was also a founding board member of the Computer History Museum. This interview is based on an oral history conducted by Gardner Hendrie for the CHM in June 2005. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents author index and subject index for the 2014 volume 26 of the periodical.

The challenge for protection engineers is to balance protection and system reliability (selectivity). Engineers may bias toward protection at the cost of system reliability or toward desired (or code required) selectivity at the cost of protection. The need for compromise is often accepted as an unalterable reality. Simultaneously, the need for greater personnel safety has added a desire for space protection in addition to the usual bus protection imperative. The industry has provided devices, techniques, and schemes to minimize, or even eliminate, this compromise. Tools include smarter instantaneous sensing algorithms, differential protection, zone-selective interlocking, and arc-flash relays. Zone-selective interlocking is a cost-effective solution for low-voltage (LV) and medium-voltage (MV) applications. Today, zone-selective interlocking spans different voltages between inverse protection characteristics, such as short-time slopes and fast instantaneous protection, in both LV and MV systems. However, traditional schemes must still nest pickup current thresholds to accommodate sensing tolerances. Arc-flash relays have emerged as excellent space protectors but present concerns in LV applications. This paper reviews recent improvements in zone-selective interlocking capabilities and presents schemes, which are developed by the authors, that eliminate the need for nesting pickup levels of multiple devices and for successfully mixing arc-flash and current sensing devices into one system to simultaneously provide fast, reliable, and sensitive protection. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The uniqueness of the electrical environment (asynchronous connection to power system, variable frequency operation, and harmonics) on the output of adjustable-speed drives (ASDs) requires special consideration to be given to the motor protection. The Working Group has investigated and addressed these concerns. This paper announces the report on the findings of this activity and the recommendations made to the motor protection engineer. The full report can be found at xlink:type="simple" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"www.pes-psrc.org under Published Reports. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Maxwell's stress equation for electrostatics identifies a tensile stress in the direction of the electric field and a pressure normal to this direction. For an isolated, spherically symmetric static charge distribution, Maxwell's stress equation is manipulated using a variant of Stokes? Theorem. The recast stress equation eliminates the stress normal to the electric field and establishes a stress only aligned with the electric field. For two separated, spherically symmetric static charge distributions, Maxwell's stress equation is also manipulated using a variant of Stokes' Theorem. The recast stress equation develops a line stress that only exists on the straight path between the two charge distributions. The analysis and manipulation of Maxwell's stress equation provides some insight into electrostatic stresses and establishes additional tools for the electrical engineer when analyzing electrostatic system stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utility asset managers and engineers are concerned about the life and reliability of their power transformers which depends on the continued life of the paper insulation. The ageing rate of the paper is affected by water, oxygen and acids. Traditionally, the ageing rate of paper has been studied in sealed vessels however this approach does not allow the possibility to assess the affect of oxygen on paper with different water content. The ageing rate of paper has been studied for dry paper in air (excess oxygen). In these experiments we studied the ageing rate of Kraft and thermally upgraded Kraft paper in medium and high oxygen with varying water content. Furthermore, the oxygen content of the oil in sealed vessels is low which represents only sealed transformers. The ageing rate of the paper has not been determined for free breathing transformers with medium or high oxygen content and for different wetness of paper. In these ageing experiments the water and oxygen content was controlled using a special test rig to compare the ageing rate to previous work and to determine the ageing effect of paper by combining temperature, water content of paper and oxygen content of the oil. We found that the ageing rate of paper with the same water content increased with oxygen content in the oil. Hence, new life curves were developed based on the water content of the paper and the oxygen content of the oil. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This Events and Sightings installment covers a range of recent events focusing on the history of computing. Akihiko Yamada recaps the 5th Commemoration: One Step on Electrotechnology (Look Back to the Future) of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ), held at the Hiroshima Institute of Technology on 22 March 2012 during the IEEJ annual convention. Dag Spicer also reviews activities and developments at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, over the last year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A project to develop a 9.4 T magnetic resonance imaging system is proposed for bioscience research applications. A whole body superconducting magnet system will be manufactured and test in the Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IEE, CAS). This magnet system features a room temperature bore of 800 mm in diameter, helium bath cooing, 9.4 T center magnetic field and passive iron shielding. The magnet is designed with radial layer-winding method. Five coaxial coils will be wound independently and assembled together as the main magnet. Coil length of the magnet is 3000 mm. In the magnet design, current density grading is performed to optimize the magnetic field distribution and stress level in the coil windings. The maximum magnetic field is 9.505 T, corresponding to an operating current of 224.515 A. The total magnetic energy storage is 138 MJ. Detailed magnetic and mechanic structure design as well as structure stress analysis are presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Battery thermal management for high-power applications such as electrical/hybrid vehicles is crucial. Modeling is an indispensable tool to help engineers design better battery cooling systems. An accurate battery thermal model using a Foster network is proposed. The parameters in the Foster network, including capacitance and resistance, are extracted from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results. The Foster network model is then shown to provide equivalent results as those from CFD under transient heat dissipation inputs. The model can be readily coupled with a battery electrical circuit model to form a complete battery system circuit model capable of predicting accurate battery temperature and the impact of temperature on battery electrical transient performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the table of contents for this issue of the periodical. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Selecting proper features to identify the root cause is a critical step in distribution fault diagnosis. Power engineers usually select features based on experience. However, engineers cannot be familiar with every local system, especially in fast growing regions. With the advancing information technologies and more powerful sensors, utilities can collect much more data on their systems than before. The phenomenon will be even more substantial for the anticipating Smart Grid environments. To help power engineers select features based on the massive data collected, this paper reviews two popular feature selection methods: 1) hypothesis test, 2) stepwise regression, and introduces another two: 3) stepwise selection by Akaike's Information Criterion, and 4) LASSO/ALASSO. These four methods are compared in terms of their model requirements, data assumptions, and computational cost. With real-world datasets from Progress Energy Carolinas, this paper also evaluates these methods and compares fault diagnosis performance by accuracy, probability of detection and false alarm ratio. This paper discusses the advantages and limitations of each method for distribution fault diagnosis as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a summary of the IEEE Power System Relaying Committee report. It describes the performance of protective relays during wide-area stressed power system conditions. First, the behavior of protection functions during dynamic operating conditions is described. Then, the lessons learned from studying recent wide area disturbances, as well as the operational history of protection performance during stressed system conditions, are analyzed. Finally, methods of implementing protective relay functions to prevent further propagation of system-wide disturbances are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the conference calendar for the ComSoc Society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the table of contents for this issue of the publication. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the ComSoc conference calendar of events. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although teachers and authors of textbooks make extensive use of examples, little has been published on assessing and classifying pedagogic examples in engineering and science. This study reviews various characteristics of examples intended for a course on probability for electrical engineers. Twelve examples are constructed to illustrate some characteristics of the correlation co-efficient. A survey incorporating these examples was administered to professors and students at Rensselaer who have taught or taken a course in probability. Statistical tests are applied to determine which examples professors and students prefer and to what extent they agree in their preferences. New bipolar criteria are proposed to classify objectively a broader set of examples that appear in textbooks. Even though preferences depend on educational background and maturity, textbooks on probability are sharply differentiated by the proposed classification criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the responses of the candidates running for the position of President -Elect and Members-at-Large on the Board of Governors of the Institution of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Comminication Society to the question about how to make membership to the organization more valuable to young engineers. Sergio Benedetto relates that it would warrant the society to be more open to new ideas and contributions from younger members, while Vijay Bhargava says that the society should establish programs designed for the career advancement of young members. Meanwhile, Ender Ayanoglu stresses that the society's magazine should devote one issue discussing the state and condition of the industry.

The Train Communication Network standard was approved in 1999 by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the IEEE to warrant train and equipment interoperability. However, we have not found any published work presenting a top-down device design that is compliant with this standard. None of the found publications deals with the real-time protocols of the design nor resolves the many open points left in it. The link-layer design that is presented here implements the full set of specifications of the IEC 61375-1 Standard (also named the IEEE 1473-T Standard) that is related to the Slave devices for the multifunction vehicle bus (MVB), including all of its real-time protocols, procedures, and free options. It is the first step to obtaining a true system-on-chip, including all the layers of any MVB device, as stated by the standard. Our proposal is based on a concur- rent, easily parameterized and reconfigurable, top-down design procedure that is implemented in a single field-programmable gate array plus a very simple embedded application processor. The performance of our design is only limited by the standard constraints themselves, which is restricted neither by its proposed implementation nor by our design criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineered systems can be analyzed by applying the black box paradigm. The ability to abstract complex things is essential to all of engineering. Without such ability, engineers would have to mentally retain entire production designs. However, designs have become so complicated that it has been in the past. The difference between computer science- and electronic and electrical-trained engineers can be seen by pondering the effect of black-box function-style thinking and programming language abstractions. Good hardware engineers have a visceral sense of standing on the ground at all times. The know their design will succeed or fail based on how well they have anticipated nature itself. Computer science engineers, on the other hand, are generally believers in specifications and writing down the rules by which various modules interact.

This section presents the answers of the 2004 IEEE President-Elect candidates regarding Computer Society concerns. The candidates are Michael R. Lightner, Levent Onural and James M. Tien. The questions include: the appropriate role of fields like software engineering, information technology, and bioinformatics in the IEEE; specific steps which the IEEE can take to increase essential aspects of the organization such as responsibility, accomplishment, trust and reciprocity; the New Initiatives program which addresses the need for more funds; strategy for controlling spending at the IEEE level to ensure that the units could indeed do responsible budgeting; and the importance of the current structure of the IEEE.

This paper presents a Web-based system for managing a telematics laboratory network that supports practical activities in different courses from the Telecommunications Engineering degree in the Polytechnic Center (University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain). The system is used in two different ways: the teachers use it to design and apply the network configurations required in the laboratory for the selected practices, and the students use the system in the Network Management course to learn about Web-based network management, with special emphasis on simple network management protocol (SNMP) strategies. The network manager remotely controls and monitors computers and communication devices in the laboratory by using SNMP. The system is able to define (or load predefined) configurations by establishing the desired logical connections between the devices, segmenting the hubs, defining virtual circuits, etc. It also enables facilities to discover and depict the network configuration and to provide network management and monitoring and traps management. The system constitutes a helpful tool for the teachers to configure the laboratory network and also permits the students to apply their network management skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a probabilistic methodology to assist the electric system planning engineers in the selection of the distribution substation locations. Factors considered in the selection of a distribution substation; Methodologies for the substation location problem; Analysis of bivariate probability distributions used in the study.