19 research outputs found
Smart aging : utilisation of machine learning and the Internet of Things for independent living
Smart aging utilises innovative approaches and technology to improve older adults’ quality of life, increasing their prospects of living independently. One of the major concerns the older adults to live independently is “serious fall”, as almost a third of people aged over 65 having a fall each year. Dementia, affecting nearly 9% of the same age group, poses another significant issue that needs to be identified as early as possible. Existing fall detection systems from the wearable sensors generate many false alarms; hence, a more accurate and secure system is necessary. Furthermore, there is a considerable gap to identify the onset of cognitive impairment using remote monitoring for self-assisted seniors living in their residences. Applying biometric security improves older adults’ confidence in using IoT and makes it easier for them to benefit from smart aging. Several publicly available datasets are pre-processed to extract distinctive features to address fall detection shortcomings, identify the onset of dementia system, and enable biometric security to wearable sensors. These key features are used with novel machine learning algorithms to train models for the fall detection system, identifying the onset of dementia system, and biometric authentication system. Applying a quantitative approach, these models are tested and analysed from the test dataset. The fall detection approach proposed in this work, in multimodal mode, can achieve an accuracy of 99% to detect a fall. Additionally, using 13 selected features, a system for detecting early signs of dementia is developed. This system has achieved an accuracy rate of 93% to identify a cognitive decline in the older adult, using only some selected aspects of their daily activities. Furthermore, the ML-based biometric authentication system uses physiological signals, such as ECG and Photoplethysmogram, in a fusion mode to identify and authenticate a person, resulting in enhancement of their privacy and security in a smart aging environment. The benefits offered by the fall detection system, early detection and identifying the signs of dementia, and the biometric authentication system, can improve the quality of life for the seniors who prefer to live independently or by themselves
Snake-Oil Security Claims the Systematic Misrepresentation of Product Security in the E-Commerce Arena
The modern commercial systems and software industry in the United States have grown up in a snake-oil salesman\u27s paradise. The largest sector of this industry by far is composed of standard commercial systems that are marketed to provide specified functionality (e.g. Internet web server, firewall, router, etc.) Such products are generally provided with a blanket disclaimer stating that the purchaser must evaluate the suitability of the product for use, and that the user assumes all liability for product behavior. In general, users cannot evaluate and cannot be expected to evaluate the security claims of a product. The ability to analyze security claims is important because a consumer may place unwarranted trust in the security abilities of a web server (or other computer device) to perform its stated purpose, thereby putting his own organization at risk, as well as third parties (consumers, business partners, etc.) All but the largest and most capable organizations lack the resources or expertise to evaluate the security claims of a product. More importantly, no reasonable and knowledgeable person would expect them to be able to do so. The normal legal presumptions of approximate equality of bargaining power and comparable sophistication in evaluating benefits and risks are grievously unjust in the context of software security. In these transactions, it is far wiser to view the general purchaser, even if that purchaser is a sizable corporation, as an ignorant consumer. Hence, often purchasers accept what appear to be either implied merchantability claims of the vendor or claims of salespersons\u27 made outside of the context of a written document. These claims frequently have little, if any, basis in fact. These standard commercial systems form the bulk of the critical infrastructure of existing Internet functionality and e-commerce systems. Often, these systems are not trustworthy, yet the use of these systems by misinformed purchasers created massive vulnerability for both purchasers and third parties (including a substantial fraction of both U.S. and international citizens). The frequent disclosure of individual credit card information from supposedly secure commercial systems illustrates an aspect of this vulnerability and raises serious questions concerning the merchantability of these systems. While it is impossible to avoid all risks, they can be reduced to a very small fraction of their current level. Vendors have willfully taken approaches and used processes that do not allow assurance of appropriate security properties, while simultaneously and recklessly misrepresenting the security properties of their products to their customers
Development of an acoustic measurement system of the Modulus of Elasticity in trees, logs and boards
The objective of this Bachelor’s Thesis is to develop a portable electronic device capable of quantifying
the stiffness of the wood of standing trees, logs and boards using non-destructive testing (NDT) by means
of acoustic wave analysis. As an indicator of stiffness, the Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) is used, a standard
figure in the industry. This way, wood from forestry can be characterized and classified for different purposes.
This Thesis is part of LIFE Wood For Future, a project of the University of Granada (UGR) financed by
the European Union’s LIFE programme. LIFE Wood For Future aims to recover the cultivation of poplar
(populus sp.) in the Vega de Granada, by proving the quality of its wood through innovative structural
bioproducts. Recovering the poplar groves of Granada would have great benefits for the Metropolitan Area:
creation of local and sustainable jobs, improvement of biodiversity, and increase in the absorption of carbon
dioxide in the long term, helping to reduce the endemic air pollution of Granada. This Final Degree Project
has been developed in collaboration with the ADIME research group of the Higher Technical School of
Building Engineering (ETSIE) and the aerospace electronics group GranaSat of the UGR.
The goal of the developed device, named Tree Inspection Kit (or TIK), is to be an innovative, portable
and easy-to-use tool for non-destructive diagnosis and classification of wood by measuring its MOE. TIK
is equipped with the necessary electronics to quantify the Time of Flight (ToF) of an acoustic wave that
propagates inside a piece of wood. In order to do this, two piezoelectric probes are used, nailed in the wood
and separated a given distance longitudinally. The MOE can be derived from the propagation speed of the
longitudinal acoustic wave if the density of the is known. For this reason, this device has the possibility of
connecting a load cell for weighing logs or boards to estimate their density. It also has an expansion port
reserved for future functionality.
A methodology based on the Engineering Design Process (EDP) has been followed. The scope of this
project embraces all aspects of the development of an electronic product from start to finish:
conceptualization, specification of requirements, design, manufacture and verification. A project of this
reach requires planning, advanced knowledge of signal analysis, electronics, design and manufacture of
Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) and product design, as well as the development of a firmware for the
embedded system, based on a RTOS. Prior to the design of the electronics, a Reverse Engineering process
of some similar products of the competition is performed; as well as an exhaustive analysis of the signals
coming from the piezoelectric sensors that are going to be used, and the frequency response
characterization of the piezoelectric probes themselves.
This project has as its ultimate goal the demonstration of the multidisciplinary knowledge of engineering,
and the capacity of analysis, design and manufacturing by the author; his skill and professionalism in CAD
and EDA software required for these tasks, as well as in the documentation of the entire process.El presente Trabajo de Fin de Grado tiene como objetivo el desarrollo de un dispositivo electrónico
portátil capaz de cuantificar la rigidez de la madera de árboles en pie, trozas y tablas usando ensayos no
destructivos (Non-Destructive Testing, NDT) por medio del análisis de ondas acústicas. Como indicador de
la rigidez se usa el Módulo de Elasticidad (MOE), una figura estándar en la industria.
Este TFG forma parte de LIFE Wood For Future, un proyecto de la Universidad de Granada (UGR)
financiado por el programa LIFE de la Unión Europea. LIFEWood For Future tiene como objetivo recuperar
el cultivo del chopo (populus sp.) en la Vega de Granada demostrando la viabilidad de su madera a través
de bioproductos estructurales innovadores. Recuperar las choperas de Granada tendría grandes beneficios
para la zona del Área Metropolitana: creación de puestos de trabajo locales y sostenibles, mejora de la
biodiversidad, e incremento de la tasa de absorción de dióxido de carbono a largo plazo, contribuyendo a
reducir la contaminación endémica del aire en Granada. Este Trabajo de Fin de Grado se ha desarrollado
con la colaboración del grupo de investigación ADIME de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de
Edificación (ETSIE) y el grupo de electrónica aeroespacial GranaSat de la UGR.
El objetivo del dispositivo, denominado Tree Inspection Kit (TIK), es ser una herramienta innovadora,
portátil y fácil de usar para el diagnóstico y clasificación no destructiva de la madera por medio de su MOE.
TIK está dotado de la electrónica necesaria para medir el tiempo de tránsito (ToF) de una onda acústica que
se propaga en el interior de una pieza de madera. Para ello, se utilizan dos sondas piezoeléctricas clavadas
en la madera y separadas longitudinalmente una distancia conocida. De la velocidad de propagación de la
onda longitudinal se puede derivar el MOE, previo conocimiento de la densidad del material. Por ello, este
dispositivo cuenta con la posibilidad de conectarle una célula de carga y pesar trozas o tablas para estimar
su densidad. También tiene un puerto de expansión reservado para funcionalidad futura.
Se ha seguido una metodología basada en el Proceso de Diseño de Ingeniería (Engineering Design
Process, EDP), abarcando todos los aspectos del desarrollo de un producto electrónico de principio a fin:
conceptualización, especificación de requisitos, diseño, fabricación y verificación. Un proyecto de este
alcance requiere de planificación, conocimientos avanzados de análisis de señales, de electrónica, de diseño y
fabricación de Placas de Circuito Impreso (PCB) y de diseño de producto, así como el desarrollo de un
firmware para el sistema empotrado, basado en un RTOS. Previo al diseño de la electrónica, se realiza un
proceso de Ingeniería Inversa (Reverse Engineering) de algunos productos similares de la competencia; al
igual que un exhaustivo análisis de las señales provenientes de los sensores piezoeléctricos que van a
utilizarse y la caracterización en frecuencia de las propias sondas piezoeléctricas.
Este proyecto tiene como fin último la demostración de los conocimientos multidisciplinares propios de la
ingeniería y la capacidad de análisis, diseño y fabricación por parte del autor; su habilidad y profesionalidad
en el software CAD y EDA requerido para estas tareas, así como en la documentación de todo el proceso.Unión Europe
Technology 2002: The Third National Technology Transfer Conference and Exposition, volume 2
Proceedings from symposia of the Technology 2002 Conference and Exposition, December 1-3, 1992, Baltimore, MD. Volume 2 features 60 papers presented during 30 concurrent sessions
Power Quality
Electrical power is becoming one of the most dominant factors in our society. Power
generation, transmission, distribution and usage are undergoing signifi cant changes
that will aff ect the electrical quality and performance needs of our 21st century industry.
One major aspect of electrical power is its quality and stability – or so called Power
Quality.
The view on Power Quality did change over the past few years. It seems that Power
Quality is becoming a more important term in the academic world dealing with electrical
power, and it is becoming more visible in all areas of commerce and industry, because
of the ever increasing industry automation using sensitive electrical equipment
on one hand and due to the dramatic change of our global electrical infrastructure on
the other.
For the past century, grid stability was maintained with a limited amount of major
generators that have a large amount of rotational inertia. And the rate of change of
phase angle is slow. Unfortunately, this does not work anymore with renewable energy
sources adding their share to the grid like wind turbines or PV modules. Although the
basic idea to use renewable energies is great and will be our path into the next century,
it comes with a curse for the power grid as power fl ow stability will suff er.
It is not only the source side that is about to change. We have also seen signifi cant
changes on the load side as well. Industry is using machines and electrical products
such as AC drives or PLCs that are sensitive to the slightest change of power quality,
and we at home use more and more electrical products with switching power supplies
or starting to plug in our electric cars to charge batt eries. In addition, many of us
have begun installing our own distributed generation systems on our rooft ops using
the latest solar panels. So we did look for a way to address this severe impact on our
distribution network. To match supply and demand, we are about to create a new, intelligent
and self-healing electric power infrastructure. The Smart Grid. The basic idea
is to maintain the necessary balance between generators and loads on a grid. In other
words, to make sure we have a good grid balance at all times. But the key question that
you should ask yourself is: Does it also improve Power Quality? Probably not!
Further on, the way how Power Quality is measured is going to be changed. Traditionally,
each country had its own Power Quality standards and defi ned its own power
quality instrument requirements. But more and more international harmonization efforts
can be seen. Such as IEC 61000-4-30, which is an excellent standard that ensures
that all compliant power quality instruments, regardless of manufacturer, will produce of measurement instruments so that they can also be used in volume applications and
even directly embedded into sensitive loads. But work still has to be done. We still use
Power Quality standards that have been writt en decades ago and don’t match today’s
technology any more, such as fl icker standards that use parameters that have been defi
ned by the behavior of 60-watt incandescent light bulbs, which are becoming extinct.
Almost all experts are in agreement - although we will see an improvement in metering
and control of the power fl ow, Power Quality will suff er. This book will give an
overview of how power quality might impact our lives today and tomorrow, introduce
new ways to monitor power quality and inform us about interesting possibilities to
mitigate power quality problems.
Regardless of any enhancements of the power grid, “Power Quality is just compatibility”
like my good old friend and teacher Alex McEachern used to say.
Power Quality will always remain an economic compromise between supply and load.
The power available on the grid must be suffi ciently clean for the loads to operate correctly,
and the loads must be suffi ciently strong to tolerate normal disturbances on the
grid
Technology 2001: The Second National Technology Transfer Conference and Exposition, volume 1
Papers from the technical sessions of the Technology 2001 Conference and Exposition are presented. The technical sessions featured discussions of advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, computer graphics and simulation, communications, data and information management, electronics, electro-optics, environmental technology, life sciences, materials science, medical advances, robotics, software engineering, and test and measurement
Integrated scalable system for smart energy management
The planet's reserves are encountering vital challenges and suffer inequitable consumption. The outcomes of the prostration of natural reserves have started affecting every single organism on the globe. Energy is a critical key factor in this aspect because a considerable part of the destruction is triggered by utilising the planet reserves to produce power in diverse forms. The increasing environmental awareness in humans' minds, and the rapid development of smart concepts, home automation technologies in both hardware and software fields, played an essential role in speeding up the progress to apply smart energy management which is needed to revert the situation to its appropriate track by focusing on two main divisions: firstly, producing clean and renewable energy and secondly, reducing the loss of the total generated energy. This research will concentrate on the second approach by proposing, implementing and evaluating a contemporary integrated, scalable, smart energy management framework that assists in reducing the energy consumption in the household sector, covering a range of single households till huge communities and big organisations with thousands of appliances. A number of correspondent strategies and policies which utilise a set of observed and predicted system entities are applied to keep meetings the most relevant quality attributes such as integrability, scalability, interoperability and availability. IoT concepts are applied in this context to connect conventional household appliances to a farm of microservices that implement predictive analytics techniques to reduce energy consumption by applying two main strategies; appliance substitution based on the energy consumption and creating automatic schedules to run appliances based on predictions. A case study is presented on two sample appliances within the household to illustrate the framework validity and deliver percentage figures of the saved energy. Additionally, the framework offers a number of possibilities to provide relevant third parties such as local energy providers, apparatuses' manufacturers, or pertinent government offices with various appliances’ operational behaviours under real-life conditions
Southern Accent September 2004 - April 2005
Southern Adventist University\u27s newspaper, Southern Accent, for the academic year of 2004-2005.https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/southern_accent/1082/thumbnail.jp