The cross layer RMPA handover: a reliable mobility pattern aware handover strategy for broadband wireless communication in a high-speed railway domain

Enhancing the handover process in broadband wireless communication deployment has traditionally motivated many research initiatives. In a high-speed railway domain, the challenge is even greater. Owing to the long distances covered, the mobile node gets involved in a compulsory sequence of handover processes. Consequently, poor performance during the execution of these handover processes significantly degrades the global end-to-end performance. This article proposes a new handover strategy for the railway domain: the RMPA handover, a Reliable Mobility Pattern Aware IEEE 802.16 handover strategy "customized" for a high-speed mobility scenario. The stringent high mobility feature is balanced with three other positive features in a high-speed context: mobility pattern awareness, different sources for location discovery techniques, and a previously known traffic data profile. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no IEEE 802.16 handover scheme that simultaneously covers the optimization of the handover process itself and the efficient timing of the handover process. Our strategy covers both areas of research while providing a cost-effective and standards-based solution. To schedule the handover process efficiently, the RMPA strategy makes use of a context aware handover policy; that is, a handover policy based on the mobile node mobility pattern, the time required to perform the handover, the neighboring network conditions, the data traffic profile, the received power signal, and current location and speed information of the train. Our proposal merges all these variables in a cross layer interaction in the handover policy engine. It also enhances the handover process itself by establishing the values for the set of handover configuration parameters and mechanisms of the handover process. RMPA is a cost-effective strategy because compatibility with standards-based equipment is guaranteed. The major contributions of the RMPA handover are in areas that have been left open to the handover designer's discretion. Our simulation analysis validates the RMPA handover decision rules and design choices. Our results supporting a high-demand video application in the uplink stream show a significant improvement in the end-to-end quality of service parameters, including end-to-end delay (22%) and jitter (80%), when compared with a policy based on signal-to-noise-ratio information.

Mejora de la gestión de proyectos en el desarrollo de nuevos productos en una empresa de motores.

[ES]Este proyecto tiene la intención de convertirse en una herramienta útil para Guascor I + D, empresa española dedicada al diseño y producción de motores de cogeneración, mediante la elaboración de una propuesta de mejora de la organización que proporcionará un estímulo para su crecimiento en un futuro cercano. Se centra en el uso óptimo de los recursos y en evitar errores de planificación que podrían conducir a un retraso en los plazos de entrega establecidos. El enfoque técnico se basa en el Modelo de Madurez en la Gestión de Proyectos desarrollado por su autor Harold Kerzner, que identifica los procesos deficientes que han de ser modificados. La efectividad de esta propuesta se analiza en este documento y será corroborado por su posterior aplicación en la empresa.

Radio-aware service-level scheduling to minimize downlink traffic delay through Mobile Edge Computing

One of the most challenging problems in mobile broadband networks is how to assign the available radio resources among the different mobile users. Traditionally, research proposals are either speci c to some type of traffic or deal with computationally intensive algorithms aimed at optimizing the delivery of general purpose traffic. Consequently, commercial networks do not incorporate these mechanisms due to the limited hardware resources at the mobile edge. Emerging 5G architectures introduce cloud computing principles to add flexible computational resources to Radio Access Networks. This paper makes use of the Mobile Edge Computing concepts to introduce a new element, denoted as Mobile Edge Scheduler, aimed at minimizing the mean delay of general traffic flows in the LTE downlink. This element runs close to the eNodeB element and implements a novel flow-aware and channel-aware scheduling policy in order to accommodate the transmissions to the available channel quality of end users.

The conventional facade solution during the developmental period in Gipuzkoa: decline (and end) of a construction system

The article analyses the construction process, the evolution and the disturbing future of the facade enclosure of the collective housing constructions built during the developmental period in the province of Gipuzkoa. 128 residential complexes were checked, and 17 people who directly took part in the construction of many of these buildings were interviewed. After examining the material and elements that make up the conventional facade solution used in Gipuzkoa and in much of Spain not only during those years but also up to the present time, the effects and causes of its main damages and flaws were studied. Its complex and costly adaptation to current demands is going to require a strong effort from society at large, and this raises the question of whether the life cycle of this construction system should be terminated once and for all.