Rochester Institute of Technology - Dubai

About: Rochester Institute of Technology - Dubai is a education organization based out in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Machining & Finite element method. The organization has 56 authors who have published 112 publications receiving 1149 citations.

A review of lightweight block ciphers

Abstract: Embedded systems are deployed in various domains, including industrial installations, critical and nomadic environments, private spaces and public infrastructures. Their operation typically involves access, storage and communication of sensitive and/or critical information that requires protection, making the security of their resources and services an imperative design concern. The demand for applicable cryptographic components is therefore strong and growing. However, the limited resources of these devices, in conjunction with the ever-present need for smaller size and lower production costs, hinder the deployment of secure algorithms typically found in other environments and necessitate the adoption of lightweight alternatives. This paper provides a survey of lightweight cryptographic algorithms, presenting recent advances in the field and identifying opportunities for future research. More specifically, we examine lightweight implementations of symmetric-key block ciphers in hardware and software architectures. We evaluate 52 block ciphers and 360 implementations based on their security, performance and cost, classifying them with regard to their applicability to different types of embedded devices and referring to the most important cryptanalysis pertaining to these ciphers.

A review of passive envelope measures for improved building energy efficiency in the UAE

Abstract: The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) hot climate, coupled with the extreme demographic and urban growth experienced over the past four decades, has shaped a built environment where energetic quality of construction has been superseded by the quantity of construction needed to support the country's growth. This development is further aggravated by the slow development of energetic building codes, as well as the subsidized cost of electricity. The result is that the UAE consistently leads the list of countries with the highest environmental footprint, and the electricity production required to drive building cooling constitutes the brunt of the emissions balance-sheet. The work presented here reviews primarily UAE-based research that addresses the effectiveness of passive building-envelope measures that reduce energy consumption. A number of measures have been developed in response to the increasing demands of emerging energy regulations, and include measures specific to the building envelope in the planning phase or as retrofit, including radiative, convective and conductive heat transfer through walls, windows, roof, as well as energy efficient natural ventilation techniques. This review is geographically restricted to the UAE as its development challenges are directly tied to its distinct economic growth pattern and specific legislation implemented to address energy efficiency. Results confirm the importance of the following factors for energy-optimized structures: building orientation, thermal insulation (which can generate in excess of 20% energy savings in particular in the residential context), appropriate glazing type and orientation in highly glazed office buildings (up to 55% energy savings reported), excessive light levels and glare, and natural ventilation, which can reduce energy consumption from a reported high of 30% in villas to up to 79% in a high rise office building using mixed mode ventilation.

Recent Advances in the Machining of Titanium Alloys using Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) Based Techniques

Abstract: Titanium alloys are generally known as difficult-to-machine materials because of their low machinability ratings. Their usage is favored for demanding sectors because of their high strength to weight ratio, high corrosion resistance and ability to operate at elevated temperatures. Machining of titanium alloys results in higher environmental burden, because they require high energy and generous amount of cutting fluids during machining. It is a well-known fact that most of the cutting fluids are toxic and non-biodegradable in nature and their disposal is costly. Therefore, researchers in metal cutting are keen to explore the potential of minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) and minimum quantity cooling lubrication (MQCL) based cooling techniques as an alternate to conventional flood cooling. When MQL and MQCL techniques are used by employing biodegradable vegetable based oils then there is an encouraging potential of replacing the non-biodegradable cutting fluids. This study documents the recent experimental and numerical advances achieved in the MQL and MQCL assisted techniques for machining titanium alloys. The study also highlights the current challenges in this area and recommends future work to address these challenges.

A survey of lightweight stream ciphers for embedded systems

Abstract: Pervasive computing constitutes a growing trend, aiming to embed smart devices into everyday objects. The limited resources of these devices and the ever-present need for lower production costs, lead to the research and development of lightweight cryptographic mechanisms. Block ciphers, the main symmetric key cryptosystems, perform well in this field. Nevertheless, stream ciphers are also relevant in ubiquitous computing applications, as they can be used to secure the communication in applications where the plaintext length is either unknown or continuous, like network streams. This paper provides the latest survey of stream ciphers for embedded systems. Lightweight implementations of stream ciphers in embedded hardware and software are examined as well as relevant authenticated encryption schemes. Their speed and simplicity enable compact and low-power implementations, allow them to excel in applications pertaining to resource-constrained devices. The outcomes of the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission 29192-3 standard and the cryptographic competitions eSTREAM and Competition for Authenticated Encryption: Security, Applicability, and Robustness are summarized along with the latest results in the field. However, cryptanalysis has proven many of these schemes are actually insecure. From the 31 designs that are examined, only six of them have been found to be secure by independent cryptanalysis. A constrained benchmark analysis is performed on low-cost embedded hardware and software platforms. The most appropriate and secure solutions are then mapped in different types of applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.