Engineering Commons^™

Comparison Of Indian Ppp Construction Industry And European Ppp Construction Industry: Process, Thresholds And Implementation, Louis Gunnigan, Renuka Rajput

Conference papers

Abstract Since the 1990’s, there has been a rapid rise of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) across the world. Governments in developing as well as developed countries are increasingly using this procurement method to bridge the much needed infrastructure gap. PPPs are seen as an important tool for producing an accelerated and larger pipeline of infrastructure investments, and catching up with the infrastructure deficit. Arguably, this is why developed and especially developing countries are very keen on PPP models. This paper will compare the PPP procurement process followed in Europe compared to India and presents a thorough review of literature on …

Exploiting Glottal Formant Parameters For Glottal Inverse Filtering And Parameterization, Alan O'Cinneide, David Dorran, Mikel Gainza, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

It is crucial for many methods of inverse filtering that the time domain information of the glottal source waveform is known, e.g. the location of the instant of glottal closure. It is often the case that this information is unknown and/or cannot be determined due to e.g. recording conditions which can corrupt the phase spectrum. In these scenarios, alternative strategies are required. This paper describes a method which, given the parameters of the glottal formant of the signal frame, can accurately parameterize the glottal shape source and vocal filter for a broad range of voice quality types and which is …

Developments In Monitoring Techniques For Durability Assessment Of Cover-Zone Concrete, W.J. Mccarter, T. M. Chrisp, G. Starrs, Niall Holmes, L. Basheer, M. Basheer, S. V. Nanukuttan

Conference papers

This paper outlines developments in the use of an embedded multi-electrode sensor to study the response of the cover-zone (surface 50mm) to the changing ambient environment. The sensor enables the measurement of the spatial and temporal distribution of the electrical properties of concrete and temperature within the cover-zone thereby allowing an integrated assessment of cover-zone concrete performance. Both laboratory and field results are presented to highlight the information that can be obtained from embedded sensors. When exposed to the natural environment, the temperature dependence of the electrical response is highlighted and standardization protocols are developed to account for this effect. …

Site Specific Modelling Of Traffic Loading On Highway Bridges, Bernard Enright, Eugene J. Obrien

Conference papers

Accurate traffic loading models based on measured weigh-in-motion (WIM) data are essential for the accurate assessment of existing bridges. Much work has been published on the Monte Carlo simulation of single lanes of heavy vehicle traffic, and this can easily be extended to model the loading on bridges with two streams of traffic in opposing directions. However, a typical highway bridge will have multiple lanes in the same direction, and various types of correlation are evident in measured traffic, such as groups of very heavy vehicles travelling together and heavy vehicles being overtaken by lighter ones. These traffic patterns affect …

Practical Simulation Application: Evaluation Of Process Control Parameters In Twisted-Pair Cables Manufacturing System, Amr Mahfouz, Amr Arisha

Articles

Intensive competition and rapid technology development of Twisted-Pair Cables (TPC) industry have left no room for competing manufacturers to harbour system inefficiencies. TPC are used in various communication and networks hardware applications; their manufacturing facilities face many challenges including various product configurations with different equipment settings, different product flows and Work in Process (WIP) space limitations. The quest for internal efficiency and external effectiveness forces companies to align their internal settings and resources with external requirements/orders, or in different words, significant factors must be set appropriately and identified prior to manufacturing processes. Integrated definition models (IDEF0, IDEF3) in conjunction with …

Ablation Of Chronic Total Occlusions Using Kilohertz-Frequency Mechanical Vibrations In Minimally Invasive Angioplasty Procedures., Garrett Mcguinness, Mark Wylie, Graham Gavin

Articles

Certain minimally invasive cardiology procedures, such as balloon angioplasty and stent implantation, critically require that the site of an arterial blockage be crossed by an intraluminal guidewire. Plaques resulting in near or totally occluded arteries are known as chronic total occlusions (CTOs), and crossing them with conventional guidewires is a significant challenge. Among the most promising proposed solutions is the delivery of high power, low frequency ultrasonic vibrations to the occlusion site via an intraluminal wire waveguide. The vibrating distal-tip of the ultrasound wire waveguide is used to transmit energy to the surrounding plaques, tissues and fluids in order to …

Interactive Music Archive Access System, Martin Gallagher, Mikel Gainza, Derry Fitzgerald, Dan Barry, Matt Cranitch, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

The goal of the Interactive Music Archive Access System (IMAAS) project was to develop an interactive music archive access system which was capable of allowing an end-user to easily extract rhythmic, melodic and harmonic musical metadata
descriptors from audio, and allow the user to interact with the archive contents in a manner not typically allowed in archive access systems. To this end, the IMAAS system incorporates a range of real-time interaction tools which allow the user to modify the retrieved audio in a number of ways including the ability to isolate individual instruments in stereo mixes, pitch and timescale modification, …

Dissociative Cdse/Zns Quantum Dot-Molecule Complex For Luminescent Sensing Of Metal Ions In Aqueous Solutions, A. V. Baranov, A. O. Orlova, V. G. Maslov, Yu. A. Toporova, E. V. Ushakova, A. Federov, M. V. Artemyev, T. S. Perova, Kevin Berwick

Articles

The optical properties of dissociative luminescent sensors based on a complex consisting of highly luminescent hydrophobic core/shell CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) and 1-(2-pyridilazo)-2-naphtol (PAN) molecules in organic solutions and a polymer film are reported. It is demonstrated, using Ni²⁺ and Co²⁺ ions as an illustrative example, that the QD/PAN sensor may have applications in the quantitative luminescent sensing of metal ions in aqueous solutions.

The Analysis Of Rush Orders Risk In Supply Chain: A Simulation Approach, Amr Arisha, Amr Mahfouz

Conference papers

Satisfying customers by delivering demands at agreed time, with competitive prices, and in satisfactory quality level are crucial requirements for supply chain survival. Incident of risks in supply chain often causes sudden disruptions in the processes and consequently leads to customers losing their trust in a company’s competence. Rush orders are considered to be one of the main types of supply chain risks due to their negative impact on the overall performance. Using integrated definition modeling approaches (i.e. IDEF0 & IDEF3) and simulation modeling technique , a comprehensive integrated model has been developed to assess rush order risks and examine …

Use Of A Bent Single Sms Fiber Structure For Simultaneous Measurement Of Displacement And Temperature Sensing, Qiang Wu, Agus Hatta, Pengfei Wang, Yuliya Semenova, Gerald Farrell

Articles

We have proposed the use of a single bent single-multiple-single mode (SMS) fiber structure to measure both displacement and temperature simultaneously and independently. Our experimental results show that this sensor has a sensitivity of 5.89 pm/μm for displacement and 11.6 pm/ºC for temperature.

Optimum Design For Maximun Wavelength Resolution For An Edge Filter Based Ratiometric System, Qiang Wu, Ginu Rajan, Pengfei Wang, Yuliya Semenova, Gerald Farrell

Articles

In this letter, we propose a high resolution temperature insensitive interrogation technique for FBG sensors where one FBG acts as an edge filter to interrogate a separate FBG sensor. A high resolution of better than 5 με in strain measurement range from 0 to 1100 με and the best resolution of better than 1 με were verified by experiments. An error of only ±2.2 με is achieved over a temperature range from 15 to 50 °C, indicating that this strain interrogation technique is temperature insensitive. Using an altered system configuration, the temperature was also measured simultaneously with a resolution better …

A Hybrid Fiber Optic Sensing System For Simultaneous Strain And Temperature Measurement And Its Application, Ginu Rajan, Karolina Milenko, Piotr Lesiak, Yuliya Semenova, Anna Boczkowska, Manjusha Ramakrishnan, Kazimierz Jedrzejewski, Andrzej Domanski, Tomasz Wolinski, Gerald Farrell

Articles

A hybrid fiber optic sensor by integrating polarimetric fiber sensors and fiber Bragg grating sensors for simultaneous strain and temperature measurement is presented in this paper. Two types of polarimetric fiber sensors are used; a Panda fiber and a polarization maintaining photonic crystal fiber. The polarimetric strain sensors give the average strain and temperature information, while the fiber Bragg grating sensors give localized strain information. Two applications of the proposed configuration are also demonstrated in this paper. In the composite materials three fiber sensors are used while for other engineering applications a temperature insensitive polarimetric fiber sensor can be used …

Simple Design Technique For A Triangular Fbg Filter Based On A Linearly Chirped Grating, Qiang Wu, Gerald Farrell, Yuliya Semenova

Articles

A novel and simple design technique for triangular spectrum response of fibre Bragg grating (FBG) is pre- 21 sented based on a linear chirped grating. It is shown that this method is fast and can give a straightfor- 22 ward solution to meet a design target. The numerical simulation examples verified the effectiveness of 23 the design method. A general approach to design for multichannel triangular spectral responses for 24 FBG filters is proposed, which provides a solution that achieves a minimum change of refractive index 25 for the fibre.

Humidity Sensor Based On A Photonic Crystal Fiber Interferometer, Jinesh Mathew, Yuliya Semenova, Ginu Rajan, Gerald Farrell

Articles

A photonic crystal fiber interferometer that operates in reflection mode for humidity detection is presented for the first time which has the advantage that it does not require the use of any hygroscopic material. The fabrication of the sensor head is therefore simple since it only involves cleaving and splicing. The all-silica nature of the device has the potential for many applications.

Experimental Demonstration Of A Simple Displacement Sensor Based On A Bent Singlemode-Multimode-Singlemode (Sms) Fiber Structure, Qiang Wu, Yuliya Semenova, Pengfei Wang, Agus Hatta, Gerald Farrell

Articles

A simple displacement sensor based on a bent singlemode-multimode-singlemode (SMS) fiber structure is proposed and experimentally investigated. The sensor offers a wider displacement range, not limited by the risk of fiber breakage, as well as a three-fold increase in displacement sensitivity by comparison with a straight SMS structure sensor. This sensor can be interrogated by either an optical spectral analyzer (OSA) or a ratiometric interrogation system: (1) if interrogated by an OSA assuming a resolution of 1 pm, it has a sensitivity of 28.2 nm for a displacement measurement range from 0 to 280 μm; (2) if interrogated by a …

Strain Sensor Based On A Pair Of Single-Mode-Multimode-Single-Mode Fiber Structures In A Ratiometric Power Measurement Scheme, Agus Hatta, Yuliya Semenova, Qiang Wu, Gerald Farrell

Articles

The strain and temperature dependencies of a step-index single-mode–multimode–single-mode (SMS) fiber structure are investigated numerically and experimentally. For intensity-based strain measurement using a single SMS fiber structure, at a selected wavelength, it is found that there is a high strain dependence, but also a temperature dependence that will induce strain measurement error. To minimize the temperature-induced strain measurement error, two SMS fiber structures are proposed and demonstrated in a ratiometric power measurement scheme; one SMS structure acts as the strain sensor, and the other SMS structure acts as the temperature monitor. The extracted temperature information is used to determine a …

A Study Of The Effect Of The Position Of An Edge Filter Within A Ratiometric Wavelength Measurement System, Qiang Wu, Pengfei Wang, Yuliya Semenova, Gerald Farrell

Articles

The effect of the position of an edge filter within a ratiometric wavelength measurement system was investigated based on three cases: (1) the reflected fibre Bragg grating (FBG) signal passes through both the reference arm and the edge filter arm, (2) the reflected FBG signal is connected directly to the edge filter arm and does not pass through the reference arm, (3) the edge filter sits in line with the FBG and thus the source power is filtered prior to reaching the FBG. Both numerical simulations and experimental results show that cases 1 and 2 have similar system performance whilst …

A Bend Loss Based Singlemode Fiber Micro-Displacement Sensor, Pengfei Wang, Yuliya Semenova, Qiang Wu, Gerald Farrell

Articles

An all-fiber displacement sensor with a simple configuration is proposed and investigated theoretically and experimentally. The proposed fiber displacement sensor consists of a half-loop structure of high-bend loss singlemode fiber-1060XP. A ratiometric power measurement system for interrogating the proposed sensor is also presented. By measuring the change in ratio of bend loss in the ratiometric measurement system, a change in displacement can be measured assuming the ratiometric system is calibrated. The proposed macrobending fiber based displacement sensor achieves a competitive resolution of circa 0.33 μm and also benefits from simplicity compared with the conventional fiber Bragg grating based displacement sensor. …

Electron-Electron Scattering In A Double Quantum Dot: Effective Mass Approach, S. Yu. Kruchinin, A. V. Federov, A. V. Baranov, Tatiana Perova, Kevin Berwick

Articles

We present a theoretical description of the first-order scattering of interacting electrons and holes in a double quantum dot. Assuming infinitely high walls, strong confinement, and a two-band approximation, we derive general expressions for the two-particle matrix elements of the screened Coulomb potential. We also determine the selection rules for different scattering channels and consider special cases where the corresponding matrix elements can be represented by simple analytical expressions. Numerical calculations of the matrix elements and an analysis of their dependence on the geometrical and material parameters of the double quantum dot have also been performed.

A Voltage Sensor Based On A Singlemode-Multimode-Singlemode Fiber Structure, Agus Hatta, Yuliya Semenova, Ginu Rajan, Gerald Farrell

Articles

A voltage sensor based on a singlemode-multimodesinglemode (SMS) fiber structure, attached to a piezoelectric (PZT), utilized in a ratiometric optical power measurement scheme is proposed. The elongation of the PZT due to an applied voltage induces a strain on the SMS fiber structure and in turn results in a change in the transmission loss response of the SMS fiber structure. It is found that at selected wavelengths, a strong voltage dependence for the transmission loss of the SMS fiber structure can be achieved. The voltage information can be obtained from the power ratio of the system, assuming the system is …

On The Applications Of Deterministic Chaos For Encrypting Data On The Cloud, Jonathan Blackledge, Nikolai Ptitsyn

Conference papers

Cloud computing is expected to grow considerably in the future because it has so many advantages with regard to sale and cost, change management, next generation architectures, choice and agility. However, one of the principal concerns for users of the Cloud is lack of control and above all, data security. This paper considers an approach to encrypting information before it is ‘place’ on the Cloud where each user has access to their own encryption algorithm, an algorithm that is based on a set of Iterative Function Systems that outputs a chaotic number stream, designed to produce a cryptographically secure cipher. …

Concurrent Masters Degrees Across The Atlantic: Innovations, Issues And Insights, Michael Dyrenfurth, Mike Murphy, Gary Bertoline, Robert Herrick, Kathryne Newton, Gareth O'Donnell, Donal Mchale, Nuria Castell, Miquel Barcelo, Didac Balas, Maria Ribera Sancho, Jordi Garcia

Conference papers

Atransatlantic degree consortium to implement a four-semester dual masters degree initiative across a three-institution consortium consisting of Purdue University (USA), the Technological University Dublin (DIT), and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain) is presented in this paper.

Quality Indicators For Engineering And Technology Education, Michael Dyrenfurth, Mike Murphy, Gary Bertoline

Conference papers

In recent years the development and use of university rankings, comparisons, and/or league tables has become popular and several methodologies are now frequently used to provide a comparative ranking of universities. These rankings are often based on research and publication activity and also not uncommonly focus on indicators that can be measured rather than those that should be measured. Further, the indicators are generally examined for the university as a whole rather than for university divisions, departments or programs. Implicit also is that placement in the rankings is indicative of quality. This paper provides an overview of the methodologies used …

Development Of A Cloud Solution For Smes In The Irish Construction Industry, Alan V. Hore, Alan Redmond, Roger West

Conference papers

There is a strong emerging trend within the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector for replacing traditional packaged desktop applications with Web based, outsourced products and services. The drive for this innovative solution is its contribution to enabling software to be developed, delivered and consumed in discrete chunks (known as services) liberating the users from traditional computing and providing services accessible across a range of devices and appliances. The objective of this paper is to report on the progress towards defining this Web based service, commonly known as ‘Cloud computing’, for Small to Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) in the Irish construction …

Single Channel Vocal Separation Using Median Filtering And Factorisation Techniques, Derry Fitzgerald, Mikel Gainza

Articles

This paper deals with the problem of the extraction of vocals from single channel audio signals containing both vocals and other instruments, including both pitched instruments and percussion instruments. A novel median filtering-based approach for the extraction of vocal tracks is described, which is simple and efficient to implement. Further improvements in separation quality are then obtained by the application of tensor factorisation techniques to further extract residual instruments from the vocal mix. Finally, a novel use of non-negative partial matrix cofactorisation is demonstrated as a means of further improving separation quality. Here the original single channel mixture is partially …

The Fractal Market Hypothesis: Applications To Financial Forecasting, Jonathan Blackledge

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Connecting Micro-Generators In Parallel To The Low Voltage Distribution Network Utilising Standard En50438 In The Republic Of Ireland, Liam Murphy

Other resources

The green agenda has been much to the fore internationally and has particularly had an influence in Republic of Ireland (ROI) where there are ‘green’ ministers in Government. Mr. Eamon Ryan who is the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has particularly championed the idea of self generation. The author’s interest in the subject matter is to investigate the up-take of micro-generation and determine the likely short term future along with the grid tie standard i.e. EN50438.

Issues surrounding micro-generation are considered from the international and national perspective and from a customer and generation utility point of view. The …

The Measurement Of Success In External Engagement Activities, Mike Murphy

Conference papers

Our ambition is to identify, through the presentations and the discussion, a number of key insights and necessary actions for development of more and deeper partnerships between Higher Education Institutions and Employers.

Blind Single Channel Sound Source Separation, Mark Leddy

Masters

In recent years source separation has become an increasingly popular area of research in the signal processing community. The subject has found applications in a variety of fields such as medical imaging, sound and audio, econometrics and geophysics. This document will discuss the application of source separation techniques to the area of audio. Sound source separation is the process of observing a mixture signal made up of a number of sources, and from this mixture estimating the individual source signals. Audio source separation techniques may be crudely split into the following areas; techniques that utilise attributes of the sources, and …

Development Of A Moodle Vle Plug-In To Support Simultaneous Visualisation Of A Collection Of Multi-Media Sign Language Objects, Brian Nolan

Conference Papers

Using Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) to support blended learning is very common in educational institutes. Delivering learning material in a flexible and semi-structured manner to the learner transforms such systems into powerful eLearning tools. However, the presentation and visualisation of individual or multiple learning objects is mostly dictated by the system and cannot be altered easily. This paper reports on a project between Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB) that aims to improve the simultaneous visualisation of multiple multimedia objects for deaf learners of ISL. The project was implemented using the Open Source VLE Moodle. …