Globally there have been many changes in the roles of universities, particular increasing complexity university's relationship with state and society; it is thus unsurprising that a growing pressure on engineering programs to become more inclusive, innovative `relevant' social needs. This study arises out call South Africa, for `decolonization' higher education. There considerable debate controversy about what decolonized curriculum might comprise, this paper sought identify elements...

This article proposes a family of single-phase transformer based Z-source ac-ac converters (ZSACs). The proposed inherit all the benefits associated with classical ZSAC, which are providing buck-boost operation, maintaining or reversing phase angle, and improving reliability. also have improved input profile, continuous current, shared ground between output. Moreover, they use turns ratio transformers to produce required voltage gain, can be tuned by either increasing decreasing depending on...

A large-scale implementation of distributed generation (DG) for households involves each house generating its energy from photovoltaic (PV) cells. This approach is particularly suitable in rural electrification projects where demand relatively low and yet grid connection costly. meshed microgrid an attractive solution sharing domestic projects. Solar PV systems located on different houses can be interconnected together into a microgrid. interconnection creates integrated system that treated...

In this paper we study epistemological transitions across an intended engineering curriculum and recommend strategies to assist students in attaining the increasingly complex concepts insights that are necessary for transition advanced levels of study. We draw on Legitimation Code Theory [Maton, Karl. 2014, Knowledge Knowers: Towards a Realist Sociology Education. Abingdon: Routledge], particular dimensions sematic gravity semantic density, explain these transitions. Data was obtained from...

In this paper, a new family of impedance source inverters is presented. It employs high-frequency electrical isolation between the inverter bridge switches and load along with voltage clamping across dc-link voltage. Conventional Z-source (ZSIs) an network that consists inductors capacitors. has unique features realize both step-up/step-down functions eliminates need dead/overlap times. This paper extends novel concept by using in inverters. High-frequency many advantages terms immunity...

A matrix converter (MC) is a topology for ac-ac power conversion that has been widely investigated and compared with conventional ac-dc-ac topologies because of its attractive features. The MC formed controlled active devices does not include any sizeable passive components. can be used to directly control single/three/multiphase loads. MCs are highly effective in controlling the factor providing sinusoidal input output currents. This paper provides comprehensive state art review discusses...

This paper reports on a study focused smart energy management using advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). The digs into AMI communication standards understood and proposed by power utilities regulators. Furthermore, the discusses of different networks architectures designed various proprietors compares these system with requirements stated It appears that most are proprietary which hinders flexible interworking components from vendors. Without standard design principles, face inflexible...

Internet of things (IoT) technology is making it possible for a wide variety end-user devices to be connected the internet, leading richness and accuracy real data that would previously have needed much more cumbersome expensive methods. But this connectedness also leads challenges in security increased risk cyber-attacks. Improved, faster, schemes become key requirement these loT technologies. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) been used accelerate various cyber-security algorithms....

The ability to estimate positions of sound sources is one that gives animals a 360° awareness their acoustic environment. This helps complement the visual scene which restricted 180° in humans. Unfortunately, deaf people are left out on this ability. Smart phones rapidly becoming common tool amongst mobile users developed and emerging markets. Their processing has more than doubled since introduction mass consumer markets by Apple 2007. Top-end smart such as Samsung Galaxy Series; 3, 4, 5...

Contribution: This paper identifies key personal and academic factors in successful transfer to electrical, computer, mechatronics (ECM) engineering programs. The findings support prior research on shows that students accumulate knowledge behaviors their sending institution enable progress the receiving institution. Background: Institutional arrangements processes, inclusive cultures practices, social integration, clear requirements of who go from two-year colleges similar follow programs at...

This paper reports on the design and implementation of an open-source library parameterizable reusable Hardware Description Language (HDL) Intellectual Property (IP) cores designed for development Software-Defined Radio (SDR) applications that are deployed FPGA-based reconfigurable computing platforms. The comprises a set were chosen, together with their parameters interfacing schemas, based recommendations from industry academic SDR experts. operation is first validated then benchmarked...

Owing to the considerable shortage of traditional energy sources, utilization renewable is gaining attention. Thus, high-voltage inverters for solar and wind power generation systems are in huge demand. Modular more preferred over singular capacity due their numerous benefits such as relieving thermal management, fault tolerance, reduced component stress, modularity. This article proposes a parallel-configured improved Z-source inverter (ZSI) based on transformer. The proposed circuit has...

This paper addresses the problem of multisensor data fusion for target tracking using a Doppler radar with range rate measurements and an Electro-Optic (EO) camera. We present three architectures, named FA1-FA3, to perform above mentioned sensors. FA1 FA2 are distributed architectures employing information matrix method dynamic feedback. In FA1, camera pseudo formed that allow us make use linear Kalman Filter (KF) local filter Extended (EKF) EO filter. FA2, used directly therefore system...

South African higher education has, for the last twenty years, attempted to confront legacy its past, particularly lack of access science, technology, engineering and mathematics-based (STEM) by vast majority potential students. The current policy environment is dominated a drive towards high skills jobs innovation that links research new forms production services. With promulgation `Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework' (HEQSF, 2013) in Africa there has been considerable curriculum...

This paper presents a pilot study on the development of reconfigurable computing platform for use in prototyping Software Defined Radio (SDR) applications and building technical knowledge this specialist area. SDR is becoming an increasingly popular approach experimental radio radar systems, giving researchers significant flexibility choosing bandwidths, modulation other operational parameters traditionally fixed by front-end hardware. The involves constructing testing reusable platforms,...

The potential uses for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is vast. However, much of their can only truly be unlocked by giving them a higher level autonomy. This paper focuses on an autonomous Collision Avoidance System using Specific Acceleration Matching, which termed the `CASSAM' in this paper. approach being studied as it may prove effective means to increase autonomy UAVs. presents design CASSAM first modelling UAV dynamics and then designing suitable control algorithms. Simulation results...

This paper provides a novel way of trading increased resource utilisation for decreased latency when computing single Discrete Fourier Transform on the FPGA. Analysis conducted Cooley-Tukey FFT optimisation shows that it increases number operations in critical path transform computation. Consequentially an algorithm is proposed which allows control over degree to utilised, between and absolute latency. The results MyHDL implementation upon Rhino platform are provided demonstrate practical...

Current medical conditions in hospitals do not have specialist or senior doctors available all the time for monitoring inpatients and prescribing their treatment. Telepresence is a set of technologies that allows person to be remotely present anywhere over globe irrespective his physical true location. That remote presence achieved by various different means. "Telemedical Assistant" Mobile Robot designed specifically Medical Applications minimize errors hospitals. Among its numerous other...

Domestic photovoltaic (PV) based microgrid refers to a distributed group of small solar PV systems installed at each household in residential area. The may be integrated form meshed structure which can operate both islanded and grid-connected modes. Grid-connected microgrids domestic supplement energy needs homeowners. They are potentially viable option for implementing demand side management programs curbing peak demand. Nevertheless, like other technologies notorious destabilising the...

Computer-aided plant identification combines computer vision and pattern recognition. The Cape Floristic Kingdom is the most varied of kingdoms, comprising thousands species fynbos plants. While it easier to classify when they are flowering, mostly flower for only a few weeks in year. This paper concerns an image processing application automatic certain using leaf photographs. architecture this overviewed prior focusing on recognition operations, how these were experimentally tested series...

A transmit chain test bed is used in the project presented this paper to an 802.11g OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) Software Defined Radio (SDR) base station beacon frame transmitter. Several prior Gnuradio setups show how a SDR Transmitter able communicate with another SDR. This additionally shows visibly off-the-shelf 802.11 WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) chips. Results of implementation that successfully traditional communication chips found inside devices such as...

Research into 5G enabling technologies has seen much increased activity of late. Among the proposed with potential for becoming an important underlying aspect is massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). This paper seeks to evaluate performance linear signal processing methods applicable MIMO so as propose suitable these applications, and determine antenna array sizes a given number users in cell. A single cell, 16 square cell grid network, were modeled MATLAB enviroment base stations...

In this paper, we present a domain-specific language, referred to as OptiSDR, that matches high level digital signal processing (DSP) routines for software defined radio (SDR) their generic parallel executable patterns targeted heterogeneous computing architectures (HCAs). These HCAs includes combination of hybrid GPU-CPU and DSP-FPGA are programmed using different programming paradigms such C/C++, CUDA, OpenCL, and/or VHDL. OptiSDR presents an intuitive single high-level source code near...