A probability-based multimetric routing protocol for vehicular ad hoc networks in urban scenarios

Vehicular Ad hoc Networks have received considerable attention in recent years and are considered as one of the most promising ad-hoc network technologies for intelligent transport systems. Vehicular Ad hoc Networks have special requirements and unique characteristics (e.g., special mobility patterns, short life links, rapid topology changes) which make the design of suitable routing protocols, a challenge. Consequently, an efficient routing protocol that fits with VANETs’ requirements and characteristics is a crucial task to obtain a good performance in terms of average percentage of packet losses and average end-to-end packet delay. To attain this goal, we propose a novel probabilistic multimetric routing protocol (ProMRP) that is specially designed for VANETs. ProMRP estimates the probability for each neighbor of the node currently carrying the packet, to successfully deliver a packet to destination. This probability is computed based on four designed metrics: distance to destination, node’s position, available bandwidth and nodes’ density. Furthermore, an improved version of ProMRP called EProMRP is also proposed. EProMRP includes an algorithm that accurately estimates the current position of nodes in the moment of sending the packet instead of using the last updated position obtained from the previous beacon message. Simulations are carried out in a realistic urban scenario using OMNeT++/VEINS/SUMO, including real maps from the OpenStreetMaps platform. Simulation results show a better performance of ProMRP and EProMRP compared to recent similar proposals found in the literature in terms of packet losses and end-to-end packet delay, for different vehicles’ densities.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A traffic-aware electric vehicle charging management system for smart cities

© . This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/The expected increase in the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in the coming years will contribute to reducing CO2 pollution in our cities. Currently, EVs' users may suffer from distress due to long charging service times and overloaded charging stations (CSs). Critical traffic conditions (e.g., traffic jams) affect EVs' trip time (TT) towards CSs and thus influence the total trip duration. With this concern, Intelligent transport systems (ITS) and more specifically connected vehicle technologies, can leverage an efficient real-time EV charging service by jointly considering CSs status and traffic conditions in the city. In this work, we propose a scheme to manage EVs' charging planning, focusing on the selection of a CS for the energy-requiring EV. The proposed scheme considers anticipated charging slots reservations performed through a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET), which has been regarded as a cost-efficient communication framework. In specific, we consider two aspects: 1) the EV's total trip time towards its destination considering an intermediate charging at each candidate CS, and 2) the communication delay of the VANET routing protocol. First, in order to estimate the EV's total trip time, our CS selection scheme takes into account the average road speed, traffic lights, and route distance, along the path of the EV. The optimal CS that produces the minimum total charging service time (including the TT) is suggested to that energy-requiring EV. Then, we introduce two communication modes based on geographical routing protocols for VANETs to attain an anticipated charging slot reservation. Simulation results show that with our charging scheme EVs' charging service time is reduced and more EVs are successfully charged.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Large-scale simulations manager tool for OMNeT ++: expediting simulations and post-processing analysis

Usually, simulations are the first approach to evaluate wireless and mobile networks due to the difficulties involved in deploying real test scenarios. Working with simulations, testing, and validating the target network model often requires a large number of simulation runs. Consequently, there are a significant amount of outcomes to be analyzed to finally plot results. One of the most extensively used simulators for wireless and mobile networks is OMNeT++. This simulation environment provides useful tools to automate the execution of simulation campaigns, yet single-scenario simulations are also supported where the assignation of resources (i.e., CPUs) has to be declared manually. However, conducting a large number of simulations is still cumbersome and can be improved to make it easier, faster, and more comfortable to analyze. In this work, we propose a large-scale simulations framework called simulations manager for OMNeT ++ (SMO). SMO allows OMNeT++ users to quickly and easily execute large-scale network simulations, hiding the tedious process of conducting big simulation campaigns. Our framework automates simulations executions, resources assignment, and post-simulation data analysis through the use of Python’s wide established statistical analysis tools. Besides, our tool is flexible and easy to adapt to many different network scenarios. Our framework is accompanied by a command-line environment allowing a fast and easy manipulation that allows users to significantly reduce the total processing time to carry out large sets of simulations about 25% of the original time. Our code and its documentation are publicly available at GitHub and on our website.This work was supported by the Spanish Government through the Research Project sMArt Grid Using Open Source Intelligence (MAGOS) under Grant TEC2017-84197-C4-3-R. The work of Pablo Andrés Barbecho Bautista was supported by a grant from the Secretaría Nacional de Educación Superior, Ciencia y Tecnología (SENESCYT). The work of Leticia Lemus CÁrdenas was supported by a Ph.D. grant from the Academic Coordination of the University of Guadalajara, Mexico.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Implementación de los dispute boards dentro de los contratos de infraestructura vial

106 páginasHoy en día es usual en Colombia encontrar noticias acerca de los muchos problemas que se suscitan en todos los proyectos viales y de infraestructura. El desarrollo de un país está directamente relacionado el progreso de su infraestructura. Este documento tiene como objetivo, introducir, comparar y validar el uso de Dispute Board como un mecanismo eficaz de resolución de conflictos en contratos viales; mediante la explicación de cómo esta figura se ha sido implementada en diferentes países de Latinoamérica, incluyendo Colombia y demostrando las ventajas que este mecanismo puede representar en comparación con otros Métodos Alternativos de Solución de Conflictos (MASC) que tradicionalmente han sido usados en Colombia.Nowadays in Colombia is usual to find news about the many problems that carry on all the roads and infrastructure projects. The development of any Country is directly related to its infrastructure progress. This document aims to introduce, compare and validate the use of Dispute Board as a dispute resolution mechanism in road contracts; by explaining how the figure has been historically implemented in different countries in Latin America, including Colombia, and the advantages that this mechanism represent in comparison with other Alternative Conflict Resolution Method (MASC in Spanish) that traditionally has been used in ColombiaAbogado(a)Pregrad

Reconocimiento de la violencia intrafamiliar y ansiedad de estado y rasgo presentada en niños de 7 a 9 años, de las obras sociales mamá margarita

Analizar el reconocimiento de la violencia intrafamiliar y la ansiedad de rasgo y estado presentada en niños de 7 a 9 años de la OSMM, ubicada en zona 8 de la Ciudad de Guatemala. Como objetivos específicos se dispuso a determinar el reconocimiento de la violencia intrafamiliar en el grupo de estudio, evaluar la ansiedad de estado y rasgo presentada en los niños y detectar los principales factores de ansiedad que presentan los niños. Esta investigación se fundamentó en la teoría del aprendizaje vicario de Albert Bandura, para explicar la variable sobre la violencia y para la explicación sobre el fenómeno de la ansiedad presentada en niños se fundamentó desde la teoría de estado y rasgo de Spielberger. Se realizó una investigación de tipo cuantitativo con un diseño exploratorio descriptivo, la técnica de muestreo utilizada fue de tipo probabilístico, para la recolección de datos se aplicó el cuestionario de ansiedad-rasgo en niños STAIC y el cuestionario “Reconocimiento de la violencia intrafamiliar” dirigida a padres de familia. Para el análisis de datos se utilizó el programa “SPSS” que es un programa estadístico informático; se realizaron tablas y gráficos de los resultados. Los hallazgos principales revelaron que más de la mitad de los participantes no reconocen la violencia intrafamiliar, únicamente se familiarizan con la violencia física; también se evaluó que los niños presentan niveles de ansiedad altos, en ambos rubros de la prueba, o sea A-R (Ansiedad Rasgo) y A-E (Ansiedad estado)

Estimación de masa de forraje en una pradera mixta por aprendizaje automatizado, datos del manejo de la pradera y meteorológicos satelitales

Measuring forage mass (FM) in the pasture, prior to grazing, is critical to determining the daily allocation of forage in pastoral animal production systems. FM is estimated by cutting forage in known areas, using allometric equations, or with the use of remote sensors (RS); however, the accuracy and practicality of the different methods for estimating FM is variable. The objective was to obtain predictive models using environmental and pasture management variables to predict FM. Regression models were fitted to estimate FM based on variables of pasture management (PM) or measurements obtained by RS, such as reflectance, air temperature, and rainfall. A mixed pasture grazed by beef cattle was studied for three years. With 80 % of data, models were built by ordinary least squares (OLS) or by machine  learning (ML) algorithms.  The remaining 20 % of the data was used to validate the models using the coefficient of determination and average bias between estimated and observed values. The base model of study was the relationship between pasture height before grazing and FM, this model was fitted using OLS; the r2 was 0.43. When models that included PM variables were fitted, the r2 was 0.45 for OLS and 0.63 for ML. When fitting models with PM and RS variables, the r2 was 0.71 for OLS and 0.96 for ML. ML-fitted model ensembles reduced the bias of FM estimates of the examined pasture. Overall, ML models better represented the relationship between pasture height before grazing and FM than OLS models, when fitted with pasture management variables and RS information. ML models can be used as a tool for daily decision-making in pastoral production systems.Medir la masa de forraje (MF) en la pradera, antes del pastoreo, es fundamental para determinar la asignación diaria de forraje en sistemas pastoriles de producción animal. La MF se estima por corte de forraje en áreas conocidas, utilizando ecuaciones alométricas, o con el uso de sensores de percepción remota (PR); sin embargo, la exactitud y practicidad de los distintos métodos para estimar la MF, es variable. El objetivo fue obtener modelos predictivos usando variables ambientales y del manejo de la pradera para predecir la MF. Se ajustaron modelos de regresión para estimar la MF con base en variables del manejo de la pradera (MP) o mediciones obtenidas por PR, como reflectancia, temperatura del aire y lluvia. Por tres años se estudió una pradera mixta pastoreada con bovinos productores de carne. Con 80 % de datos se modeló por mínimos cuadrados  ordinarios  (OLS)  o por algoritmos de aprendizaje  automatizado  (ML). El 20 % restante de los datos se utilizó para validar los modelos usando el coeficiente de determinación y el sesgo promedio entre valores estimados y observados. El modelo base de estudio fue la relación entre la altura de la pradera antes del pastoreo y la MF de este modelo se ajustó usando OLS; la r2 fue 0.43. Cuando se ajustaron modelos que incluyeron variables del MP, la r2 fue 0.45 para OLS y 0.63 para ML. Al ajustar modelos con variables de MP y PR, la r2 fue 0.71 para OLS y 0.96 para ML. Los ensambles de modelos ajustados con ML redujeron el sesgo de estimados de MF de la pradera examinada. En general, los modelos de ML representaron mejor la relación entre altura de la pradera antes del pastoreo y MF que los de modelos de OLS, al ajustarlos con variables de manejo de la pradera y con información de PR. Los modelos de ML pueden usarse como herramienta para la toma de decisiones diaria en sistemas productivos pastoriles

Multimedia communications in vehicular adhoc networks for several applications in the smart cities

[EN] Road safety applications envisaged for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) depend largely on the exchange of messages to deliver information to concerned vehicles. Safety applications as well as inherent VANET characteristics make data dissemination an essential service and a challenging task. We are developing a decentralized efficient solution for broadcast data dissemination through two game-theoretical mechanisms. Besides, VANETs can also include autonomous vehicles (AVs). AVs might represent a revolutionary new paradigm that can be a reality in our cities in the next few years. AVs do not need a driver to work; instead, they should copy a proper human behavior to adapt the driving according to the current circumstances, such as speed limit, pedestrian crossing street or wheather conditions. We will develop an AV software module including artificial intelligence (AI) techniques so that AVs can interact with the dynamic scenario throughout time. Finally, we also will include electrical vehicles (EV) in the VANET, so that special services such as finding and reserving an EV charging station place will be welcome. In addition, we are developing a multimetric geographic routing protocol for VANETs to transmit H.265 video (traffic accident, traffic state, commercial….) over VANETs.This work was partly supported by the Spanish Government through the project TEC2014-54335-C4- 1-R INcident monitoRing In Smart COmmunities, QoS and Privacy (INRISCO). Cristian Iza is recipient of a grant from Secretaria Nacional de Educación Superior, Ciencia y Tecnología SENESCYT. Ahmad Mohamad Mezher is a postdoctoral researcher with the Information Security Group (ISG) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC).Iza Paredes, C.; Uribe Ramírez, JA.; López Márquez, N.; Lemus, L.; Mezher, A.; Aguilar Igartua, M. (2018). Multimedia communications in vehicular adhoc networks for several applications in the smart cities. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 212-215. https://doi.org/10.4995/JITEL2017.2017.6584OCS21221

Efecto de la intervención física en el perfil lipídico de mujeres

For World Health Organization (WHO) obesity and overweight are the most common public health problems affecting the world population. What makes it even worse is that they are related to a variety of other diseases including cardiovascular system pathologies. This situation increases the risk of morbidmortality in the population. Women aged between 40 and 50 are prone to obesity and overweight given their physical, physiological and hormone conditions. It is well known that doing regular aerobic physical exercises is good for health since it decreases LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol making people get better. Moreover doing physical exercise is nonexpensive, has no side effects and promotes healthy life habits. In this research it is determined the effects of physical exercise on plasmatic lipid profile rates. It was done with a quasi-experimental study, applied to a group of 28 obese and overweight women. Inclusion criteria are: age (between 40-50), body mass index (BMI), overweight between 25 and 29.9 Kg/m2, obesity between 30 and 39.9 Kg/m2; and morbid obesity more than 40 Kg/m2, to be in full possession of mental and physical faculties, to show an electrocardiogram examination dated within the latest 15 days, taken at the respective health care supply center. The main data obtained show that physical exercise is a regulator of BMI and of blood lipid profile.De acuerdo con la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), la obesidad y el sobrepeso son los problemas de salud pública que más afectan a la población mundial. Como agravante, están asociados con una gran variedad de enfermedades, incluyendo las patologías del sistema cardiovascular, lo que aumenta el riesgo de morbi-mortalidad en la población. Dentro del grupo poblacional de mayor susceptibilidad se encuentran las mujeres en edades comprendidas entre 40 y 50 años, cuyas condiciones físicas, fisiológicas y hormonales predisponen hacia la obesidad y el sobrepeso. Se reconoce que la aplicación del ejercicio físico aeróbico regular, predispone favorablemente, disminuye el colesterol-LDL, al igual que el colesterol total, demostrando tendencia hacia la mejoría, por tanto se convierte en un elemento económico, sin efectos secundarios y con tendencia hacia la promoción de hábitos de vida saludable. En esta investigación se determinaron los efectos del ejercicio físico en los valores del perfil lipídico plasmático, a través de un estudio de tipo cuasi experimental, aplicado a un grupo de 126 mujeres con sobrepeso y obesidad y usando como criterios de inclusión: rango de edad (entre 40 a 50 años), índice de masa corporal (IMC) de sobrepeso entre 25 y 29.9 kg/m2; obesidad entre 30 y 39.9 kg/m2; y, obesidad mórbida más de 40 kg/m2, estar en pleno uso de sus facultades mentales y físicas, presentar un examen de electrocardiograma no mayor a 15 días realizado en su respectiva IPS. Los principales datos obtenidos muestran que la actividad física como regulador del ejercicio físico es un regulador de IMC (Índice de Masa Corporal) y del perfil lipídico sanguíneo

The spanish definite article interference upon the english definite article usage on students of Intermediate Intensive English II, Group 04, of the Bachelor of Arts in English Language Teaching at the University of El Salvador, Semester I-2018

The present research is about the interference of the Spanish definite article upon the English definite article usage on Students of Intermediate Intensive English II, Group 04, of the Bachelor of Arts in English Language Teaching at the University of El Salvador, Semester I-2018. The definite article is a unique and complex feature in the English language. It is also one of the most used words in English (Harb, 2014). Many studies have approached the difficulties of acquiring the English definite article when it is studied as a second or foreign language. These studies have concluded that Spanish language has an impact on this process. Students who have a L1 that does not use definite articles find it more difficult to acquire them than students that have an L2 that has articles (Zdorenko & Paradis 2011). Nevertheless, students whose native language contains article systems might find other problems. Many linguists have examined the acquisition process of English articles by learners whose L1 contains articles. Some authors have concluded that “language transfer” is the responsible why students misuse the English definite article (Nitschke, S. et al. 2010). However, there is not much information in order to know for sure that this is the case of students of the Foreign Language Department at University of El Salvador (UES). In order to expand the amount of knowledge regarding the complexity of the topic, it is necessary to determine what theories have to be studied and what particular aspects have to be taken into account in the case of intermediate students of English. This contains some aspects that can help to explain the research topic such as, measuring the influence from Spanish language, showing the hypotheses and the results. First, the statement of the problem leads the way to the whole process of the research. Then, some hypotheses are used to state the problem. Third, the theoretical framework considers some linguistic theories like: Interlanguage, Language Transfer, etc, in order to have a clear idea about the aspects that can lead to a better understanding of the problem. After that, the methodology describes: the type of focus, research method, technique and instruments. The next part is, the population, sampling frame, and sample. Then, the findings are described, containing the data analysis and interpretations of the results. After that the conclusions are presented. And finally, a list of recommendation