ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Publication Record
Al-Alaoui, M. A. 2001. Low frequency differentiators and
integrators for biomedical and seismic signals. IEEE Transactions on
Circuits and Systems I. Fundamental Theory and Applications.
Chaaban, F. B., G. M. Ayoub, and M. Oulabi. 2001. A
preliminary evaluation of selected transport-related pollutants in the
ambient atmosphere of the city of Beirut, Lebanon. Water, Air, and Soil
Pollution 126 (12):5362.
Chaaban, F. B., and A. El-Hajj. 2000. A cost- effective design
approach for permanent magnet brushless machines. Electric Machines and
Power Systems 28 (10):893900.
Chaaban, F., I. Kaissy, and R. Chedid. 2000. Contribution of
Transport to GHG Emissions: Case study of Lebanon. World Resources
Review.
Chaaban, F. B., I. Nuwayhid, and S. Djoundourian. 2001. A
study on the social and economic implications of mobile sources on air
quality in Lebanon. Transportation Research Part D.
Chedid, R. 2001. Policy development for solar water heaters:
The case of Lebanon. International Journal of Energy Conversion and
Management.
Chedid, R., F. Chaaban, and S. Salameh. 2001. Policy analysis
of greenhouse gas emissions: The case of the Lebanese electric power sector. International
Journal of Energy Conversion and Management 24 (3):373392.
Chedid, R., N. Ghaddar, F. Chaaban, S. Chehab, and T. Mattar.
2001. Assessment of energy efficiency measures: The case of the Lebanese
energy sector. International Journal of Energy Research.
Chedid, R., S. Karaki, and C. Chemali. 2000. Adaptive fuzzy
control for wind-diesel weak power systems. IEEE Transactions on Energy
Conversion.
Chedid, R., T. Mezher, and C. Jarrouche. 1999. A fuzzy
programming approach to energy resource allocation. International Journal
of Energy Research.
Chedid, R., S. Salameh, M. Yehia, S. Karaki, and R. Al-Ali.
1999. Optimization of electrical distribution networks fed by conventional
and renewable energy sources. International Journal of Energy Research.
Diab, H., R. Abdul-Samad, J. J. Saade, and F. Mrad. 2000.
Using neuro-fuzzy methodology in cache memory design. Journal of
Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems 8 (4):289300.
Diab, H., and J. Saade. Weather prediction using fuzzy sets
and inference methodology. Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems.
Diab, H., H. Tabbara, and N. Mansour. 2000. Simulation of
dynamic input buffer space in multistage interconnection networks. Advances
in Engineering Software.
Diab, H., H. Tabbara, and W. Smari. 2000. A Simulation tool
for the performance evaluation of a class of MIMD systems. International
Journal of Modelling and Simulation.
El-Hajj, A. 1999. Functional simulation using spreadsheets. SIMULATION
73 (2):8090.
El-Hajj, A., K.Kabalan, and S.Hajj-Mahmoud. 2001. An improved
spreadsheet toolbox for simulating digital networks. Journal of Computer
Applications in Engineering Education 9 (2):7886.
El-Hajj, A., K. Y. Kabalan, and S. Khoury. 2000. A linear
control system simulation toolbox using spreadsheets. IEEE Control Systems
Magazine 20 (6):814.
El-Hajj, A., K. Y. Kabalan, M. Mneimneh, and F. Karablieh.
2000. Microprocessor simulation and program assembling using spreadsheets. SIMULATION
75 (2):8290.
El-Hajj, A., K.Y.Kabalan, and A. Rayess. 2000. Electromagnetic
transmission between two regions separated by two parallel planes perforated
with rectangular apertures. International Journal of Electronics and
Communication, AEU, 54 (4):203209.
Kabalan, K. Y., A. El-Hajj, and A. Rayess. 2001. Three
dimensional characteristic mode solution of two perforated parallel planes
separating different dielectric mediums. Radio Science 36 (2):183194.
Kabalan, K. Y., A. El-Hajj, and W. Smari. 1999. The Routh-
Hurwitz stability criterion, the imaginary-axis zero problem: A tutorial
paper. Control and Intelligent Systems 27 (3):93102.
Karaki, S., R. Chedid, and R. Ramadan. 1999. A probabilistic
performance assessment of diesel-wind energy conversion systems. IEEE
Transactions on Energy Conversion.
. 1999. A probabilistic performance assessment of
solar-wind energy conversion Systems. IEEE Transactions on Energy
Conversion.
. 1999. Probabilistic production costing of diesel-wind
energy conversion systems. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion 15
(3):284289.
Liu, J., R. Makki, and A. Kayssi. 2000. Dynamic power supply
current testing of CMOS SRAMs. Journal of Electronic Testing Theory and
Applications 16 (5):499511.
Mrad, F., S. Karaki, and B. Copti. 2000. An adaptive fuzzy
synchronous machine stabilizer. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and
Cybernetics.
Saade, J., and H. Diab. 2000. Deffuzification techniques for
fuzzy controllers. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics,Part
B.
Samaha, J., A. Kayssi, A. Achkar, and M. Azar. 2000. G3:
GPS-GSM-GIS. IEEE Computer 33 (10):107110.
Abstracts, Conferences, and Proceedings
Abdennour, E., H. Diab, and F. Kurdahi. December 2000. FIR
filter mapping and performance analysis on morphosys. The 7th IEEE International
Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems (ICECS'2K), Kaslik, Lebanon.
Al-Alaoui, M. A. March 2000. A weighted means approach to
pattern classification. International Conference on Research Trends in
Science and Technology, Beirut and Byblos, Lebanon.
. March 2000. Very low frequency differential
differentiator and differential integrator. International Conference on
Research Trends in Science and Technology, Beirut and Byblos, Lebanon.
Al-Alaoui, M. A., R. Farran, C. Lakkis, and R. Rabbat.
December 2000. B.O.M.B. Ballistic Oracle at Military Borders. The Seventh
IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits, and Systems
(ICECS'2K), Jounieh, Lebanon.
Al-Alaoui, M. A., R. Mouci, and M. Mansour. December
2000. A redundancy approach to classifier training. The Seventh IEEE
International Conference on Electronics Circuits and Systems (ICECS'2K),
Jounieh, Lebanon.
Al-Khatib, M., and J. J. Saade. December 2000. A data-driven
fuzzy approach to robot navigation among moving obstacles. IDEAL 2000, 2nd
International Conference on Intelligent Data Engineering and Automated
Learning, Hong Kong, China.
Chaaban, F., and R. Chedid. 2000. Policy options for GHG
reduction in the energy sector, case study of Lebanon. Proceedings of the World
Renewable Energy Congress VI, Brighton, UK.
Chaaban, F. B., R. Chedid, and N. Ghaddar. April 2001. Energy
efficiency as a tool for sustainable development in non- annex I nations.
12th Global Warming International Conference and Expo, Cambridge, UK.
Chaaban, F. B., N. Ghaddar, and A. Nahle. August 1999.
Experimental study of novel thermosyphonic MHD electric generator.
Intersociety Engineering Conference on Energy Conversion, Vancouver, Canada.
Chabaan, F. B., and J. Koftikian. November 1999. Air pollution
analysis using GIS. The 13th Science Meeting, Beirut, Lebanon.
Chabaan, F. B., F. Mrad, and M. K. Joujou. November 2000. A
soft-start inverter for an electric vehicle. The 14th Science Meeting,
Beirut, Lebanon.
Chedid, R. July 1999. On the enforcement of energy related
norms and practices for a cleaner environment. The Expert Group Meeting on
the Harmonization of Environmental Standards in the Energy Sector of the
ESCWA Member States, Cairo, Egypt.
. September 1999. Mitigating GHG in the electricity supply
sector of Lebanon. A Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Lebanon. Century
Park Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon.
. October 2000. Mitigation options for the energy sector of
Lebanon. The Asian Workshop of the Consultative Group of Experts on National
Communications from Non-Annex I Parties, Bangkok, Thailand.
. October 2000. Solar energy in the context of sustainable
development. The Expert Group Meeting on "Dissemination of Renewable
Energy in the ESCWA Member States-Chances and Challenges." UN-ESCWA,
Beirut, Lebanon.
. March 2001. New and renewable energy fuels for transport.
A workshop on "Towards a National Plan for Fighting Against Air
Pollution Problems in Lebanon." Grand Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon.
Chedid, R., F. Chaaban, and H. Kanj. 2000. An educational
laboratory model on hybrid renewable energy systems. Proceedings of the World
Renewable Energy Congress VI.
Damaj, I., and H. Diab. December 2000. Performance analysis of
vector operations using reconfigurable computing. The 14th Science Meeting,
Beirut, Lebanon.
. June 2001. Performance analysis of extended vector-scalar
operations using reconfigurable computing. ACS International Conference on
Computer Systems and Applications (AICCSA'2001), Beirut, Lebanon.
Damaj, I., J. J. Saade, and H. B. Diab. December 2000.
Performance testing of refrigerators using fuzzy inference methodology under
labview. The 7th IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and
Systems (ICECS'2K), Kaslik, Lebanon.
Diab, H. July 1999. Case method for the application of
spreadsheets for computer engineering education. 16th International
Conference on Case Method Research and Application, Caceres, Spain.
Diab, H., E. Abdennour, and N. Mansour. December 2000.
Spreadsheet model for MorphoSys RC array. The 7th IEEE International
Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems (ICECS'2K), Kaslik, Lebanon.
Diab, H., U. Furbach, and H. Tabbara. March 2000. On the use
of fuzzy techniques in cache memory management. 5th International Conference
on Computer Science and Informatics (CS&I'2000), Atlantic City, New
Jersey, USA.
Diab, H., W. Haffar-Habbal, and I. Damaj. March 2001. Computer
graphics educational toolkit. On the Use of Information Technology in Higher
Education in Arab Countries Conference, Louaize, Lebanon.
Diab, H., and H. Tabbara. November 1999. Application of fuzzy
logic in cache memory. The 13th Science Meeting, Beirut, Lebanon.
. March 2000. The introduction of fuzzy methodology to
computer architecture design. International Conference on Research Trends in
Science and Technology (RTST'2000), Beirut, Lebanon.
. July 2000. Performance-oriented design of cache memory
using fuzzy replacement policy. The 2000 Symposium on Performance Evaluation
of Computer and Telecommunication Systems (SPECTS'2K), Vancouver, Canada.
. November 2000. Simulation-based modeling in cache design
performance analysis. 10th International Conference on Computing and
Information (ICCI'2000), Kuwait, Kuwait.
Diab, H., H. Tabbara, and W. Smari. November 1999. Fuzzy logic
in memory arbiters of multiprocessor systems. First International Conference
on Information Reuse and Integration (IRI'99), Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
El Hajj, A., January November 1999. On using spreadsheets for
circuits simulation. The 13th Science Meeting of the Lebanese Association for
the Advancement of Science, Beirut, Lebanon.
. March 2000. Rotor winder control system simulation using
spreadsheets. International Conference on Research Trends in Science and
Technology RTST 2000, Beirut and Byblos, Lebanon.
. May 2001. A nonlinear control system simulation toolbox
using spreadsheets. IASTED International Conference on Modeling and
Simulation 2001, Pittsburgh, USA.
El Hajj, A., and M. Hazim. October 1999. Digital logic design
using spreadsheets. First Syrian-Lebanese Engineering Conference, Damascus,
Syria.
El Hajj, A., K. Y. Kabalan, and W. Smari. May 2001. Linear
systems simulation and controller design using spreadsheets. IASTED
International Conference on Modeling and Simulation 2001, Pittsburgh, USA.
El Hajj, A., and F. Mrad. May 2000. Robot manipulator
kinematics using spreadsheets. IASTED International Conference on Modeling
and Simulation 2000, Pittsburgh, USA.
El-Helou, M., A. Kayssi, and M. Badran. July 1999. Phinique:
An intelligent web agent. Fourth International Conference on Recent Trends in
Computer Science Applications and Information Systems, Amman, Jordan.
El-Zoghet, F., and M. A. Al-Alaoui. March 2000. Using the
four-neighbor connectivity in the contour tracing algorithm. International
Conference on Research Trends in Science and Technology, 2000, Beirut and
Byblos, Lebanon.
Habbal, W., and H. Diab. Computer graphics in engineering
education. November 1999. The 13th Science Meeting, Beirut, Lebanon.
Kayssi, A., L. Harik, and R. Ferzli. December 2000. FPGA-based
internet protocol firewall chip. IEEE International Conference on
Electronics, Circuits, and Systems, Kaslik, Lebanon.
Saade, J. J. November 2000. Design of readable and efficient fuzzy
controllers. The 14th Science Meeting, Beirut, Lebanon.
Saade, J. J., and M. Al-Khatib. December 2000. Efficient
representation of non-linear functions by fuzzy controllers design
algorithms. The 7th IEEE International Conference on Electronics Circuits and
Systems (ICECS'2K), Kaslik, Lebanon.
Wouhaybi, R., and M. A. Al-Alaoui. August 1999. Different
implementations of neural networks for speaker recognition. The European
Conference on Circuit Theory and Design, Stresa, Italy.
. September 1999. Comparison of neural networks for speaker
recognition. The 6th IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits
and Systems, Pafos, Cyprus.
Graduate Theses and Projects
Al-Khatib, I. July 1999. A multimedia package for
electrophysiology. N. Sabah, H. Diab, and A. Kayssi.
Al-Khatib, M. February 2001. Performance efficiency factors
for the comparison of data-driven design algorithms for fuzzy controllers
with application to robot navigation. J. J. Saade, H. Diab, and M. A.
Al-Alaoui.
Bridi, M. October 1999. GIS based technique for supporting
operational and management activities in distribution networks. M. Yehia and
R. Chedid.
Chatila, Y. May 2000. Energy resource allocation using fuzzy
logic and decision analysis. T. Mezher and R. Chedid.
Daabul, E. May 2001. Evaluation of energy efficiency policies
for Lebanon. T. Mezher and R. Chedid.
Damaj, I. June 2001. Performance analysis of linear algebraic
functions using reconfigurable computing. H. Diab, N. Sabah, and R. Haraty.
El-Husseini, M. June 2001. The improved modified Chebyshev
arrays. K. Y. Kabalan and A. El-Hajj.
El-Zoghet, F. October 1999. Boundary extraction methods for
segmentation and description in digital image processing. M. A. Al-Alaoui.
Fany, R. July 1999. PERF solutions for distributed query
optimization. R. Haraty, N. Mansour, and H. Diab.
Haffar-Habbal, W. July 1999. A multimedia educational tool for
computer graphics courses. H. Diab, A. El-Hajj, and A. Feghali.
Nehmetallah, G. May 2000. Moment method solution of a partially
filled parallel plate fed antenna. A. El Hajj and K. Kabalan.
Ramadan, R. July 1999. Probabilistic approach for performance
assessment of autonomous solar-wind energy conversion systems. S. Karaki and
R. Chedid.
Slim, B. October 2000. Reliability evaluation of composite
systems with renewable energy sources. S. Karaki and R. Chedid.
Zaraket, F. February 2001. Local and general fusion and
objective comparison of edge detectors. M. A. Al-Alaoui.
Research Projects
Analog signal processing
An active network synthesis of inverse system design is
presented. The synthesis is general and can be applied with different
impedances. Its application to invert a passive differentiator resulted in a
versatile low frequency, from a few hundred hertz to less than one hertz,
differential integrator. Its application to invert a passive RC integrator
yielded a versatile low frequency differential differentiator.
Each employs a single time constant, has a resistive input, and has a
reasonably high Q value. Simulation and experimental results verify the
theoretical expectations. The active network synthesis can be applied to
obtain other varied realizations. The differential integrators and
differentiators could easily be modified to obtain inverting and non-inverting
integrators and differentiators by simply grounding one of the two inputs in
each of the differential configurations. Al-Alaoui, M. A. (PL).
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
Digital image processing
The notion of an edge in a digital image plays a big role
in the approach used in detection. Edges constitute a means of representing
images by reduced information, and they trace boundaries between regions with
relatively distinct gray levels; also they are local image features that
depend on the gray level patterns where the fundamental part of an edge is a
pixel. The previous definitions allow us to approach the "edge"
term from the human vision perspective, where the relation between object
recognition and the human perceptual system has been proven to rely on edges.
The importance of edge detection extends beyond the human to the machine
vision system, and has many implementations in robot vision, object
recognition, radar signal analysis, medical photometry and graphic design. It
keeps the field open for research, especially since optimality and
generality, as well as comparability, are still unmet targets in the
literature.
Mr. Fadi Zarakets MA thesis uses existing detectors to produce a combined
edge map with a new fusion mechanism combination algorithm. He proposes a
threshold selection mechanism that lessens subjectivity and introduces
changes in a few current algorithms so as to produce a unified
multi-resolution output. Furthermore he proposes and implements two comparison
figures to introduce an objective comparison of detector output for the first
time in the literature. Comparison results match literature results in most
environments. Al-Alaoui, M. A. (PL), and F. Zaraket.
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
Digital signal processing
Two new approaches to s-to-z transforms are developed. The
first yields novel stable higher order s-to-z transforms. A class of
second-order stable transforms is obtained by stabilizing the class of
second-order integrators resulting from interpolating the Simpson and the
trapezoidal rules. In addition, new transforms are obtained by stabilizing
the s-to-z mapping functions obtained from the Adams-Moulton numerical
integration formulas. An important advantage of the new stabilized rules is
that they yield minimum phase filters when applied to analog all-pole
filters. The second approach yields new s-to-z transformations that map
minimum phase systems in the s-plane to minimum phase systems in the z-plane.
The derivations of the transforms employ the poles and zeros of the analog
transfer function. This is more logical to carry out approximations on s than
to employ the resulting approximations to factors of the form (s+a), where a
is an exact constant. Subjecting the possibly complex constant, a, to the
same approximations as the complex variable, s, yielded s-to-z
transforms that could perform better than the traditional transforms.
Al-Alaoui, M. A. (PL).
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
Low frequency differentiators and integrators for biomedical and seismic
signals
A general active network synthesis approach to inverse
system design is introduced. The approach is applied to a passive RC
differentiator and a passive RC integrator to obtain, respectively, a very
low frequency differential integrator and a very low frequency
differential differentiator. The frequency ranges of the proposed
circuits, from dc to a few hundred Hz, are particularly suitable for the
frequency ranges of the biomedical and seismic signals. The advantages of
the proposed circuits include single time constants, dc stable
integrators, and resistive input differentiators. Non-inverting and inverting
differentiators and integrators could be obtained by grounding one of the
input terminals in the differential configurations. Simulation and
experimental results at subhertz frequencies support the analysis of the
proposed circuits. Al-Alaoui, M. A. (PL).
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
Neural networks and adaptive filtering
The Al-Alaoui algorithm is a weighted mean-square-error
(MSE) approach to pattern recognition. It employs cloning of the erroneously
classified samples to increase the population of their corresponding
classes. The algorithm was originally developed for linear classifiers.
In this paper, the algorithm is extended to multilayer neural networks which
may be used as non-linear classifiers. It is also shown that the application
of the Al-Alaoui algorithm to multilayer neural networks speeds up the
convergence of the Backpropagation algorithm. The application of the
Al-Alaoui algorithm to the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm for difficult
pattern classification problems reduces the number of patterns that are
erroneously classified. Al-Alaoui, M. A. (PL), R. Mouci, and M. Mansour.
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
Design and build a start-inverter for an electric vehicle
The affordability and powerful capabilities of portable
and practically-packaged micro-controllers open the way to revisit many
conventional control and driving applications. The sought flexibility and
reprogrammability of microprocessor-based digital controllers should replace
the fixed analog-based controllers. This project aims at designing and
building a 3- phase microprocessor-controlled inverter drive and all
necessary supporting parts. This drive could be very promising in various
industrial processes where soft starters and torque controllers are required.
One eventual application of the new drive is to drive an electric car. Other
applications include elevator drive systems, and solar applications where the
dc power of PV cells could be converted into single-phase or 3-phase
waveforms. The commercial micro-controllers are very attractive to such
applications due to their ease of use and integration, low cost, and
flexibility, on board capabilities (A/D and D/A converters, memory).
Chaaban, F., and F. Mrad.
Supported by National Council for Scientific Research
Completed or in progress at AUB (FEA)
A CAA environment for the assessment of renewable energy in energy
planning
There are many obstacles to the practical consideration of
renewable energy systems in energy planning, including shortages of data on
natural resources, lack of appropriate tools to assess the environmental and
economic benefit of renewable energy, uncertainty related to the
effectiveness of adopted regulations for sustaining renewable energy in the
market, and micro-social and economic structures of different nations. This
project will address the above-mentioned concerns by proposing a
Computer-Aided Analysis environment (CAA) which can be used by design
engineers, developers, and decision-makers to evaluate the importance of
considering renewable energy options in energy planning. Chedid, R., and F.
Chaaban.
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB (FEA)
Application of fuzzy methodology to performance evaluation in parallel
processing systems
Performance is one of the key factors that need to be
taken into account in the design, development, configuration, and tuning of a
computer system. Hence, the quantitative evaluation of computer performance
(CP) is needed during the entire life-cycle of a computer system. The methods
that have been used can be divided into three main areas, namely, performance
measurement, analytic performance modeling, and simulation performance
modeling. These methods have been applied across the entire spectrum of
computer systems. This research work proposes the introduction of fuzzy logic
methodology as an alternative simulation performance modeling technique. This
methodology has been successfully used in specific CP application areas,
including performance evaluation of cache memory and of the arbiters used for
multiple-bus multiprocessor systems. Diab, H.
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
Performance evaluation of reconfigurable computer architectures
Processors vary from ASICs (Application-specific
Integrated Circuits), designed to perform specific pre-defined operation(s),
to general-purpose processors (GPPs), designed to perform a wide range of
applications. ASICs make use of the inherent quality of a certain
application's algorithm to provide very high performance. Whereas GPPs are
designed to execute any application. A system that combines the high
performance of ASICs and the flexibility of GPPs is thus needed. This has led
to the introduction of reconfigurable computing (RC) that employs both
reconfigurable hardware and programmable processors. RC allows the user to
configure the hardware through software by defining the hardware resources
needed for a certain application. The aim of this research is to map new
applications on an RC architecture, which will involve tuning the algorithm
pertaining to the application to the hardware. The driving force of the
above-mentioned mapping is to optimize the execution performance. Diab, H.
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
A linear control system toolbox using spreadsheets
In this work, a method for simulating linear control
systems using spreadsheets is considered. This method is based on simulating
as basic blocks an adder, an integrator, a first-order system, and a
second-order system. It allows the connection of any two blocks using a
graphical interface. Any linear control system is simulated by connecting the
basic blocks that constitute this system. This simulation allows the
calculation of the time response of the control system for any input signal.
The simulation is customized using toolbars. It is characterized by its low
cost, flexibility, and simplicity. El Hajj, A., K. Kabalan, and S.
Khoury.
Supported by AUB
Completed or in progress at AUB
Electromagnetic transmission through planar slot array antennas
Solutions to Maxwell's equations in general form are
calculated efficiently using the moment method or characteristic modes theory
for many situations. These methods are used to solve electromagnetic
problems of different geometries. The purpose of this research is to
show how to obtain the solution to Maxwell's equations using the moment
method and the characteristic modes theory when the boundary condition is
appropriate for an antenna consisting of an array of apertures in a
conducting plane. The convergence of each method is to be studied, and
numerical results will approximate the magnetic current sheet using either
method. El Hajj, A., K. Kabalan, and S. Khoury.
Supported by AUB
Completed or in progress at AUB
A characteristic modes solution of electromagnetic penetration into a
hole in a perfectly conducting plane
The electric field integrodifferential equations for the
electromagnetic scattering from a perfectly conducting plane perforated with
a circular hole is to be solved using the characteristic modes theory.
The problem will be formulated as an operator equation, where the unknown is
the equivalent magnetic current over the aperture and the known is the
tangential magnetic field over the aperture region for the complete
conducting plane, i.e., aperture shorted. Finally, a matrix equation will be
obtained and used for obtaining a numerical solution to the problem.
Several numerical results will be given for illustration and for testing the
convergence of the procedure. Kabalan, K. Y., and A. El-Hajj.
Supported by LNCSR
Completed or in progress at AUB
A Modified Routh approach for determining the roots of polynomial
The objective of this research is to develop a new
algorithm for determining the roots of a complex-coefficient
polynomial. This new algorithm will be regarded as a combination of the
Modified Routh method and the shifting method. As for the case of
a real coefficient polynomial, the Modified Routh table ought to display some
characteristics that will be used in determining these roots. This
procedure should be very reliable in determining the real,
complex-conjugates, distinct and repeated roots of the polynomial. The
convergence of the procedure will be addressed and comparison with other
numerical procedures will be studied. Kabalan, K. Y., and A. El-Hajj.
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
A spreadsheet solution of the roots of a linear real-coefficient
polynomials
This research work aims at finding a spreadsheet solution
to the roots of a linear real-coefficients polynomial of any order.
This procedure is a combination of the Routh-Hurwitz method and the bisection
method. It is very reliable in determining the real,
complex-conjugates, distinct and repeated roots of the polynomial. The
user would simply enter the coefficients of the polynomial and the shifting
indices, and the program will calculate the n roots and display them within
certain precision. Kabalan, K.Y., and A. El-Hajj.
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
Assessment of a distributed generation expansion plan for Lebanon
In this work, we propose to investigate two alternative
strategies for developing the power generation system of Lebanon. In the
first strategy, the system will be expanded using large turbo-generator units
at central power stations whereas, in the second strategy, relatively smaller
Diesel units running on fuel oil and distributed throughout the system will
be used in the expansion. The possible benefits and requirements of
each strategy will be assessed. The average and marginal operating costs and
the environmental impact of each strategy will be
assessed. A stability assessment of the Lebanese electric network at a
selected future year for the dispersed generation strategy will be carried
out. Karaki, S., A. Al-Alaoui, and H. Chahine.
Supported by LNCSR
Completed or in progress at AUB
An environmentally-aware energy model of Lebanon
The objective of this research is to develop an energy
model to help build an integral
picture of the energy scene in Lebanon that may eventually allow
decision-makers to
determine the risks and opportunities under varying future supply and demand
scenarios. The model will allow the assessment of the various sectors in
order to
determine the effect of existing and new technologies on the utilization of
energy in
the country with due regard to the economy and the environment. The main
energy
sectors of Lebanon will be identified, and the corresponding energy exchanges
represented. Karaki, S., N. Ghaddar, F. Al Khal, and M. El Fadel.
Supported by ERG/RAY IRANI Fund
Completed or in progress at AUB
Power flow management in a deregulated electric power utility
This work investigates the transmission congestion problem
that may arise in a deregulated or privatized Electricite du Liban (EDL)
power utility, and identifies a methodology to assess it. A pool model is
assumed to govern the operation in the privatized utility. Under congested
conditions, the economics of the problem are imbedded in satisfying, as much
as possible, the demand from the offered generation bids, while relieving the
system equipment from any potentially damaging overloads. Hence, the problem
is formulated as an optimal power flow problem to minimize generation costs
subject to satisfying energy demand, the network flow constraints, and the
generator capacities. This formulation determines the regional incremental
costs so that generators are paid their nodal incremental cost and the loads
also
pay their nodal incremental costs. If there are no congested interfaces
(lines) in the system, all nodal incremental costs are equal. However, if
there are congested interfaces the load costs will be higher. The model is
now being tested on the EDL system. Karaki, S. (PL), and B. Salim.
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
Design and implementation of an FPGA-based IP firewall
We propose the design of a firewall for IP networks using
a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The FPGA will implement, in hardware,
the accept or deny rules of the firewall. A hardware-based firewall offers
the advantages of speed over a software firewall, in addition to direct
interfacing with network devices, such as an Ethernet or a serial line
transceiver. The design will show how the rules are translated to VHDL and then
implemented in hardware, and how the hardware is utilized to filter network
traffic in a packet-by-packet fashion, or based on connection information,
with a much higher speed than software firewalls. Kayssi, A. (PL).
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
Design and implementation of an FPGA-based load balancer for internet
servers
Reliability and high performance are essential features of
any internet service. However, due to inevitable software and hardware
failures, servers go down for certain periods of time, thus causing a loss of
service. One solution to this problem is redundancy. One form of redundancy
is server load balancing (SLB), which is the focus of this research. SLB
refers to the concept of having multiple servers servicing the same requests.
In order to coordinate the operation of the multiple parallel servers, a load
balancer is needed. The function of the load balancer is to take a request
coming from the Internet, and forward this request to the best server. The
term "best" may mean the fastest, least-loaded, cheapest, or
most-available. The load balancer can be implemented either in software or in
hardware. In this research, we propose to show how to build the core of the
load balancer in hardware using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).
Kayssi, A. (PL).
Supported by URB
Completed or in progress at AUB
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