Digital Commons Network^™

Tiled Time Delay Estimation In Mobile Cloud Computing Environments, Ruairí De Fréin

Conference papers

We present a tiled delay estimation technique in the context of Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) environments. We examine its accuracy in the presence of multiple sources for (1) sub-sample delays and also (2) in the presence of phase-wrap around. Phase wrap-around is prevalent in MCC because the separation of acoustic sources may be large. We show that tiling a histogram of instantaneous phase estimates can improve delay estimates when phase-wrap around is sig- nificantly present and also when multiple sources are present. We report that error in the delay estimator is generally less than 5% of a sample, when the …

Interference Unmixing And Estimation Technique For Improvement Of Speech Separation Performance, Ankur Maurya

Dissertations

Presence of noise in the speech can sometimes become annoying as it can lead to loss of important data or create misunderstandings between the communications area which can lead to major problems associated to loss of time and money. This thesis focuses to filter out noise form a speech signal which is simulated in Matlab/Octave software while making a comparison between temporal resolution of signal with respect to the spectral resolution of the signal in which the parameters such as the size of window length are varied in order to obtain the best speech separation performance. To get the best …

Ka-Band Vivaldi Antenna With Novel Core Element For High-Gain, Manh-Ha Hoang, Kansheng Yang, Matthias John, Patrick Mcevoy, Max Ammann

Conference Papers

A high gain Vivaldi antenna employing an integrated core element is proposed. The maximum antenna gain is 16.9 dBi and it performs better than 14 dBi over the complete Ka (24 - 40 GHz) band. The design methodology, excitation arrangement and field distribution features are described.

28 Ghz 5g Radio Over Fiber Using Uf-Ofdm With Optical Heterodyning, E Martin, C Browning, L Barry, A Farhang, L Doyle, Manh-Ha Hoang, Matthias John, Max Ammann

Conference Papers

A 5G millimeter-wave radio over fibre optical fronthaul system based on optical heterodyning, utilising an externally injected gain switched distributed feedback laser, is successfully demonstrated. Five bands of UF-OFDM are transmitted over 25 km of fibre and a 28 GHz Vivaldi Antenna wireless link. Transmission performance below the 7% FEC limit is achieved with an aggregate total data rate of 4.56 Gb/s.

Chaos-Based Encryption Keys And Neural Key-Store For Cloud-Hosted Data Confidentiality, N.N Mosola, M.T Dlamini, Jonathan Blackledge, J.H.P Eloff, H.S Venter

Conference papers

Cloud computing brings flexible and cost-effective services. However, security concerns plague the cloud. Data confidentiality is one of the security concerns inhibiting the adoption of cloud computing. This concern stems from various cyberattacks directed towards gaining unauthorised access to cloud-bound or cloud-hosted data. This paper proposes a clientend encryption and key management system to curb cyberattacks that target compromising data confidentiality on the cloud.

Spatial Thinking In The Engineering Curriculum: An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Problem Solving And Spatial Skills Among Engineering Students., Gavin Duffy

Doctoral

Long considered a primary factor of intelligence, spatial ability has been shown to correlate strongly with success in engineering education, yet is rarely included as a learning outcome in engineering programmes. A clearer understanding of how and why spatial ability impacts on performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects would allow educators to determine if spatial skills development merits greater priority in STEM curricula. The aim of this study is to help inform that debate by shedding new light on the role of spatial thinking in STEM learning and allow teaching practice and curriculum design to be informed …

Incremental Joint Modelling For Dialogue State Tracking, Anh Duong Trinh, Robert J. Ross, John D. Kelleher

Conference papers

Dialogue State Tracking is an important task in dialogue management as it provides a mechanism to monitor dialogue contributions. In this paper we introduce an Incremental Joint Model as a new approach to the task. Our tracker is capable of incrementally tracking Dialogue States. We base our model and analysis on the datasets provided in the Second Dialogue State Tracking Challenge (DSTC2). Our early stage evaluations are based on comparisons of our tracker with both the baseline model provide by the DSTC2 and also LecTrack: a state-of-the-art incremental LSTM-based tracker. The main finding of our experiments is that moving from …

The Impact Of Power Curve Estimation On Commercial Wind Power Forecasts - An Empirical Analysis, Gianni Goretti, Aidan Duffy, Tek Tjing Lie

Conference papers

An increasing number of utilities participating in the energy market require short term (i.e. up to 48 hours) power forecasts for renewable generation in order to optimize technical and financial performances. As a result, a large number of forecast providers now operate in the marketplace, each using different methods and offering a wide range of services. This paper assesses five different day-ahead wind power forecasts generated by various service providers currently operating in the market, and compares their performance against the state-of-the-art of short-term wind power forecasting. The work focuses on how power curve estimations can introduce systematic errors that …

Iot Based Recipes For Enabling Senior Citizens: Stakeholders Views On How Integration Of Iot And Web Services Can Enhance Well-Being And Inclusion Of Older People, Matteo Zallio, Damon Berry, John Mcgrory

Conference papers

The main body of research clearly highlights the world’s population is rapidly expanding. When this fact is combined with the increase in life longevity due to medical and social advances it alters the demographic balance in relation to age. Hence, the number of people aged 65 and over is constantly increasing. The potential of Smart Technologies and IoT-based devices to improve health has increased rapidly in the last few years and users are now in a position to contribute to the development of the interaction process and need to be properly trained on benefits of using new technologies. IFTTT (If …

Magnetic Field Sensor Based On A Combination Of A Microfiber Coupler Covered With Magnetic Fluid And A Sagnac Loop, Fangfang Wei, Arun Mallik, Dejun Liu, Qiang Wu, Gang-Ding Peng, Gerald Farrell, Yuliya Semenova

Articles

This paper proposes a novel magnetic field sensor based on a microfiber coupler (MFC) combined with a magnetic fluid (MF) in a Sagnac loop formed from a polarization maintaining fiber (PMF). Thanks to the small (~2.6μm) waist diameter of the MFC, the resulting interference is strongly influenced by the presence of the MF and this leads to the desirable high sensitivity of the structure to the applied magnetic field. The maximum magnetic field sensitivities of −100pm/mT and −488pm/mT have been experimentally demonstrated with the PMF lengths of 75cm and 20cm respectively in the range of magnetic field strengths from 0 …

A Hardware One-Time Pad Prototype Generator For Localising Cloud Security, Paul Tobin, Lee Tobin, Michael Mckeever, Jonathan Blackledge

Conference papers

In this paper, we examine a system for encrypting data before storing in the Cloud. Adopting this system gives excellent security to stored data and complete control for accessing data by the client at different locations. The motivation for developing this personal encryption came about because of poor Cloud security and doubts over the safety of public encryption algorithms which might contain backdoors. However, side-channel attacks and other unwanted third-party interventions in Cloud security, probably contribute more to the poor security record history. These factors led to the development of a prototype for personalising security locally which defeats cryptanalysis. The …

Chaos-Based Cryptography For Cloud Computing, Paul Tobin, Lee Tobin, Michael Mckeever, Jonathan Blackledge

Conference papers

Cloud computing and poor security issues have quadrupled over the last six years and with the alleged presence of backdoors in common encryption ciphers, has created a need for personalising the encryption process by the client. In 2007, two Microsoft employees gave a presentation ``On the Possibility of a backdoor in the NIST SP800-90 Dual Elliptic Curve Pseudo Random Number Generators'' and was linked in 2013 by the New York Times with notes leaked by Edward Snowden. This confirmed backdoors were placed, allegedly, in a number of encryption systems by the National Security Agency, which if true creates an urgent …

One-To-Cloud One-Time Pad Data Encryption: Introducing Virtual Prototyping With Pspice, Paul Tobin, Lee Tobin, Roberto Gandia Blanquer Dr, Michael Mckeever, Jonathan Blackledge

Conference papers

In this paper, we examine the design and application of a one-time pad encryption system for protecting data stored in the Cloud. Personalising security using a one-time pad generator at the client-end protects data from break-ins, side-channel attacks and backdoors in public encryption algorithms. The one-time pad binary sequences were obtained from modified analogue chaos oscillators initiated by noise and encoded client data locally. Specific ``one-to-Cloud'' storage applications returned control back to the end user but without the key distribution problem normally associated with one-time pad encryption. Development of the prototype was aided by ``Virtual Prototyping'' in the latest version …

Implementing Test Patterns To Dynamically Assess Internet Response For Potential Voip Sessions Between Sip Peers, Declan Barber

The ITB Journal

The capability of VoIP to provide internet telephony is limited by the lack of homogeneous quality of service (QoS) mechanisms in the Internet. Whereas approaches which reserve QoS resources will work well in an end-to-end managed environment, they are not automatically suited to the heterogeneous nature of the Internet. It may be possible to adopt the 'chirp-sounder' approach uses in establishing the optimal frequency channel for a high frequency (HF) radio transmission which dynamically samples a range of possible transmission channels and uses the echoing of a an established test pattern to ascertain the quality of the potential links. The …

Investigation Into The Correct Statistical Distribution For Oxide Breakdown Versus The Oxide Thickness Used In Integrated Circuit Manufacture, James Prendergast, Eoin O'Driscoll, Ed Mullen

The ITB Journal

A critical aspect of integrated circuit manufacturing is the reliability of the components, in particular the gate oxide of transistors and capacitors. Accelerated stress tests are used for reliability predictions of gate oxides. There are two statistical distributions, which can be applied to stress test failure data, namely the Lognormal or the Weibull distributions. The failure data can fit each distribution equally well. However the use of either distribution will give vastly different lifetime predictions and their correct use is crucial for accurate lifetime prediction. A statistical based test, developed with Monte Carlo data, which is designed to decide if …

Soc Test: Trends And Recent Standards, Michael Higgins, Ciaran Macnamee

The ITB Journal

The well-known approaching test cost crisis, where semiconductor test costs begin to approach or exceed manufacturing costs has led test engineers to apply new solutions to the problem of testing System-On-Chip (SoC) designs containing multiple IP (Intellectual Property) cores. While it is not yet possible to apply generic test architectures to an IP core within a SoC, the emergence of a number of similar approaches, and the release of new industry standards, such as IEEE 1500 and IEEE 1450.6, may begin to change this situation. This paper looks at these standards and at some techniques currently used by SoC test …

Ray Tracing Technique For The Optimal Design Of An Air Heater Concentrating Collector, Fernando Guerreiro

Student Journal of Energy Research

There is a wide range of micro and macro renewable and sustainable energy methods available for reducing the inefficient use of fossil fuels, minimising carbon emissions and maximising energy use in a clean and environment-friendly process. Solar energy plays an important role due to its abundance and ubiquity. Solar air heaters convert solar energy into hot air to be used for heating and drying of various products. The objective of this paper is to define and optimise the geometry of an inverted absorber compound parabolic concentrating (IACPC) collector for air heating. This optimisation was developed based on an optical analysis …

Short Term Demand Forecasting For The Integrated Electricity Market, Katie Kavanagh

Student Journal of Energy Research

This paper presents a means for the short term load forecasting (STLF) of electricity. The forthcoming Integrated-Single Electricity Market (I-SEM) diverges from the current market structure (the Single Electricity Market or SEM), with significant impacts on Irish supply companies, creating a need for these companies to be able to accurately forecast their customers’ load in the Day Ahead. Using a Double Seasonal Exponential Smoothing variation of the Holt-Winters method that factors in an error correction, data from the Irish market was trained and used to forecast a supply company’s demand resulting in an average daily MAPE (Mean Absolute Percentage Error) …

Objective Assessment Of Perceptual Audio Quality Using Visqolaudio, Colm Sloan, Damien Kelly, Naomi Harte, Anil C. Kokaram, Andrew Hines

Conference papers

Digital audio broadcasting services transmit substantial amounts of data that is encoded to minimize bandwidth whilst maximizing user quality of experience. Many large service providers continually alter codecs to improve the encoding process. Performing subjective tests to validate each codec alteration would be impractical, necessitating the use of objective perceptual audio quality models. This paper evaluates the quality scores from ViSQOLAudio, an objective perceptual audio quality model, against the quality scores of PEAQ, POLQA, and PEMO-Q on three datasets containing fullband audio encoded with a variety of codecs and bitrates. The results show that ViSQOLAudio was more accurate than all …

5‐Minute Power Ouptut Data For A 1.72kwp Pv System With Weather Variables, Lacour Ayompe, Aidan Duffy, Kevin O'Farrell

Other resources

This dataset contains 5-minute power (AC and DC) power output date from a 1.72kWp PV system located in Dublin in 2009-10 together with input weather variables and system parameters. Details below.

Geographical site: FOCAS Institute building roof top, Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Situation: Latitude 53.4degN Longitude -6degE

Time zone GMT

Installation date: 4th April 2008

PV array orientation: Tilt 53deg Azimuth 0deg

Near shadings: No shadings

Building height: Approximately 12 m

PV array capacity: 1.72 kWp

Collection period: 4^th April 2009 – 3^rd April 2010

The data acquisition system consisted of a Sunny …

On The Development Of A One-Time Pad Generator For Personalising Cloud Security, Paul Tobin, Lee Tobin, Michael Mckeever, Jonathan Blackledge

Conference papers

Cloud computing security issues are being reported in newspapers, television, and on the Internet, on a daily basis. Furthermore, in 2013, Edward Snowden alleged backdoors were placed in a number of encryption systems by the National Security Agency causing confidence in public encryption to drop even further. Our solution allows the end-user to add a layer of unbreakable security by encrypting the data locally with a random number generator prior to uploading data to the Cloud. The prototype one-time pad generator is impervious to cryptanalysis because it generates unbreakable random binary sequences from chaos sources initiated from a natural noise. …

Design Of A Community-Supported Capable Microwave System For People With Intellectual And Physical Disabilities, Matteo Zallio, Damon Berry, Paula Kelly, Hicham Rifai, Modestas Jakuska

Conference papers

Product personalisation has become a central topic and expected part of every day life. Different people have different characteristics and abilities and every single user has different needs which means that products have to be tailored accordingly. Micro- wave ovens are one of the most commonly used home appliances. People use them to quickly heat or cook certain foods. Today, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statis- tics, more than 90% of U.S. households own a microwave oven [11]. This project seeks to enable people with intellectual disabilities and physical impairments to perform sim- ple cooking tasks. The target …

Stakeholder Outcomes In A Wind Turbine Investment; Is The Irish Energy Policy Effective In Reducing Ghg Emissions By Promoting Small-Scale Embedded Turbines In Sme's?, Tony Kealy

Articles

As a member state of the European Union (EU), Ireland has adopted an energy policy which includes promoting wind powered electricity generators as an economically viable, GHG-reducing, alternative to environmentally damaging fossil-fuel driven electrical generators. This longitudinal, inductive in-depth study investigates the outcomes for the government and other stakeholders involved in a wind turbine project investment by a Small-to-Medium-Enterprise (SME) based in rural Ireland. A case study research methodology is used to acquire and analyse quantitative numerical data from multiple sources including electrical power and energy meters, historical electricity bills and company sustainability reports. The study found that the installation …

Wavelength Drift In Cwdm Systems: Impact And Measurement, Thomas Freir

Masters

The research begins with an investigation of wavelength drift in Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) systems, especially in the context of temperature dependent wavelength drift. A simple model was proposed using a typical ‘application’ from ITU-T G.695. OptiSystem was chosen as the simulation platform due to its ease of use, the variety and flexibility of its inbuilt components and similar models simulated on the platform in the past. The research then investigates the measurement of wavelength drift focusing on how to determine an acceptable wavelength accuracy for a CWDM wavelength monitor. The chosen approach arose from observations of the results …

Simulation And Analysis Of Switched Reluctance Generator For Renewable Energy Applications, Simone Sartori, Malabika Basu, Michael Farrell, Andrea Tortella

Conference papers

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the application of a Switched Reluctance Generator (SRG) for future wave energy converters. This machine presents some favourable features as compared to others. The machine optimal operation can be obtained after a detailed assessment of the control strategy. For this purpose, a SRG model is implemented in Matlab® Simulink® environment to find out the values of the switching angles which maximize the converted power and to set up an appropriate control of the power exchange with the grid to which the machine is connected. The simulation results provide evidence that a proper …

On The Use Of Wheeler Cap For Mimo Antennas, Florian Reher, Adam Narbudowicz, Max Ammann, Dirk Heberling

Conference Papers

A new equivalent circuit based Wheeler Cap method to calculate MIMO efficiency is introduced. The method works without the necessity for interpolation by avoiding concur of resonating and cavity modes. The method is tested with a set of three differently correlated MIMO antennas. Results are compared with the recently proposed quality factor method for MIMO antennas and efficiency data from spherical near field measurements.

Easy-To-Deploy Lc-Loaded Dipole And Monopole Antennas For Cubesat, Korbinian Schraml, Adam Narbudowicz, Suramate Chalermwisutkul, Dirk Heberling, Max Ammann

Conference Papers

This paper proposes a new approach to reduce weight and complexity of VHF/UHF cubesat antennas by utilizing a dual band antenna, rather than standard two-antenna system routinely implemented in cubesats. Three systems are compared: A standard system with separate transmit/receive dipoles, a dual-band dipole for both transmit and receive and a dual-band monopole, which uses the body of 1U cubesat (10 × 10 × 10cm) as a “groundplane”. Additionally it is demonstrated that with appropriate feed the dipole might be used in monopole configuration in case of deployment system malfunction.

Short-Term Electricity Load Forecasting For The Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-Sem), Katie Kavanagh, Martin Barrett, Michael Conlon

Conference papers

The electricity market structure in Ireland is being reconstructed in order to meet with the requirements of the EU Third Energy Package. The forthcoming Integrated-Single Electricity Market (I-SEM) differs from the current market structure in many ways. However this research addresses the issue of balance responsibility under the I-SEM. Given the volatility of prices in the Balancing market, observed in similarly-structured markets around the world, Irish supply companies need to be able to accurately forecast their customers' load in the Day-Ahead market in order to manage risk in the Balancing market. This paper presents a means for suppliers to implement …

Assessing Peer Review By Gauging The Fate Of Rejected Manuscripts: The Case Of The Journal Of Artificial Societies And Social Simulation, Niccolò Casnici, Francisco Grimaldo, Nigel Gilbert, Pierpaolo Dondio, Flaminio Squazzoni

Articles

This paper investigates the fate of manuscripts that were rejected from JASSS-The Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, the flagship journal of social simulation. We tracked 456 manuscripts that were rejected from 1997 to 2011 and traced their subsequent publication as journal articles, conference papers or working papers. We compared the impact factor of the publishing journal and the citations of those manuscripts that were eventually published against the yearly impact factor of JASSS and the number of citations achieved by the JASSS mean and top cited articles. Only 10% of the rejected manuscripts were eventually published in a …

Aphonic: Adaptive Thresholding For Noise Cancellation In Smart Mobile Environments, Ruairí De Fréin

Articles

We propose a signal-channel, adaptive threshold selection technique for binary mask construction, namely APHONIC, (AdaPtive tHreshOlding for NoIse Cancellation) for smart mobile environments. Using this mask, we introduce two noise cancellation techniques that perform robustly in the presence of real-world interfering signals that are typically encountered by mobile users: a violin busker, a subway and busy city square sounds. We demonstrate that when the power of the time-frequency components of the voice of a mobile user does not significantly overlap with the components of the interference signal, the threshold learning and noise cancellation techniques significantly improve the Signal-to-Interference Ratio (SIR) …