Interfaces for television content sharing and annotation

Disserta����o para obten����o do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Inform��tica

Avatar modeling: a telepresence study with natural user interface

Disserta����o para obten����o do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrot��cnica e de Computadores

Real-time labview assessment on adsorption systems

Disserta����o para obten����o do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Qu��mica e Bioqu��mica

Narrative Bifurcation, Cloud Computing Interfaces and Hitchcok

From a narratological perspective, this paper aims to address the theoretical issues concerning the functioning of the so called ��narrative bifurcation�� in data presentation and information retrieval. Its use in cyberspace calls for a reassessment as a storytelling device. Films have shown its fundamental role for the creation of suspense. Interactive fiction and games have unveiled the possibility of plots with multiple choices, giving continuity to cinema split-screen experiences. Using practical examples, this paper will show how this storytelling tool returns to its primitive form and ends up by conditioning cloud computing interface design.

Dynamic adaptation of interaction models for stateful web services

Disserta����o para obten����o do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Inform��tica

A domain specific language for domotic systems

To cope with modernity, the interesting of having a fully automated house has been increasing over the years, as technology evolves and as our lives become more stressful and overloaded. An automation system provides a way to simplify some daily tasks, allowing us to have more spare time to perform activities where we are really needed. There are some systems in this domain that try to implement these characteristics, but this kind of technology is at its early stages of evolution being that it is still far away of empowering the user with the desired control over a habitation. The reason is that the mentioned systems miss some important features such as adaptability, extension and evolution. These systems, developed from a bottom-up approach, are often tailored for programmers and domain experts, discarding most of the times the end users that remain with unfinished interfaces or products that they have difficulty to control. Moreover, complex behaviors are avoided, since they are extremely difficult to implement mostly due to the necessity of handling priorities, conflicts and device calibration. Besides, these solutions are only reachable at very high costs, yet they still have the limitation of being difficult to configure by non-technical people once in runtime operation. As a result, it is necessary to create a tool that allows the execution of several automated actions, with an interface that is easy to use but at the same time supports all the main features of this domain. It is also desirable that this tool is independent of the hardware so it can be reused, thus a Model Driven Development approach (MDD) is the ideal option, as it is a method that follows those principles. Since the automation domain has some very specific concepts, the use of models should be combined with a Domain Specific Language (DSL). With these two methods, it is possible to create a solution that is adapted to the end users, but also to domain experts and programmers due to the several levels of abstraction that can be added to diminish the complexity of use. The aim of this thesis is to design a Domain Specific Language (DSL) that uses the Model Driven Development approach (MDD), with the purpose of supporting Home Automation (HA) concepts. In this implementation, the development of simple and complex scenarios should be supported and will be one of the most important concerns. This DSL should also support other significant features in this domain, such as the ability to schedule tasks, which is something that is limited in the current existing solutions.

m-SportGIS

Information technologies (ITs), and sports resources and services aid the potential to transform governmental organizations, and play an important role in contributing to sustainable communities development, respectively. Spatial data is a crucial source to support sports planning and management. Low-cost mobile geospatial tools bring productive and accurate data collection, and their use combining a handy and customized graphical user interface (GUI) (forms, mapping, media support) is still in an early stage. Recognizing the benefits ��� efficiency, effectiveness, proximity to citizens ��� that Mozambican Minister of Youth and Sports (MJD) can achieve with information resulted from the employment of a low-cost data collection platform, this project presents the development of a mobile mapping application (app) ��� m-SportGIS ��� under Open Source (OS) technologies and a customized evolutionary software methodology. The app development embraced the combination of mobile web technologies and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) (e.g. Sencha Touch (ST), Apache Cordova, OpenLayers) to deploy a native-to-the-device (Android operating system) product, taking advantage of device���s capabilities (e.g. File system, Geolocation, Camera). In addition to an integrated Web Map Service (WMS), was created a local and customized Tile Map Service (TMS) to serve up cached data, regarding the IT infrastructures limitations in several Mozambican regions. m-SportGIS is currently being exploited by Mozambican Government staff to inventory all kind of sports facilities, which resulted and stored data feeds a WebGIS platform to manage Mozambican sports resources.

Launching platforms for user-generated content

Field lab: Entrepreneurial and innovative ventures

Impact of mobile app user acquisition on managerial decisions: Evidence from empirical experiment

In this research we conducted a mixed research, using qualitative and quantitative analysis to study the relationship and impact between mobile advertisement and mobile app user acquisition and the conclusions companies can derive from it. Data was gathered from management of mobile advertisement campaigns of a portfolio of three different mobile apps. We found that a number of implications can be extracted from this intersection, namely to product development, internationalisation and management of marketing budget. We propose further research on alternative app users sources, impact of revenue on apps and exploitation of product segments: wearable technology and Internet of Things.

Who uses NHS sa��de 24 hotline? Has the user changed over time?

There has been an increase in the use of telephone-based services and internet throughout the years and, therefore, the Sa��de 24 Hotline has become an important service in Portugal. This service aims to screen, counsel and refer the patient in order to avoid unnecessary visits to health institutions and also to indicate the most appropriate resource according to the illness. This work has two different questions: the first one examines the determinants of satisfaction that have more influence on the overall satisfaction of the Sa��de 24 Hotline users. The second one aims to analyze if the confidence level of the users is increasing over time, measured by following the recommendation. The first study was conducted on a random sample collected from June to October 2014, which was taken from the User Satisfaction Survey. The second approach includes data from January 2008 to December 2014 from the Clinical Data Base of all users who have called the Hotline. Findings suggest that the majority of users are very satisfied with the service and the variables with more impact on the overall satisfaction are commitment and availability from the nurse, adequacy of call duration and quick identification of the problem. The survey indicates that 94% of respondents follow the recommendation and on average people have called the hotline 3 times in the previous year. The results from the Clinical Database show that people who were recommended to go to the emergency room are more likely to follow the advice than the people who were recommended to book routine appointments

Invasive aspergillosis in a user of inhaled cocaine: rhinosinusitis with bone and cartilage destruction

Aspergillosis is an infection caused by saprophytic fungi of the genus Aspergillus, which typically occurs in immunosuppressed individuals, but has also been reported in immunocompetent patients. The main routes of entry are the respiratory tract, skin, cornea, and ear, and the infection may be localized or disseminated by contiguity or vascular invasion. We report a severe case of rhinosinusitis with cutaneous involvement, caused by invasive aspergillosis, in an immunocompetent user of inhaled cocaine. Invasive aspergillosis related to cocaine abuse has not yet been reported in the literature. After itraconazole treatment and surgical debridement, complete clinical remission was achieved. Nasal reconstruction with a skin graft over a silicone prosthesis resulted in a satisfactory esthetic outcome.

Dimensions of source credibility in the case of user-generated advertisements

User-generated advertising changed the world of advertising and changed the strategies used by marketers. Many researchers explored the dimensions of source credibility in traditional media and online advertising. However, little previous research explored the dimensions of source credibility in the context of user-generated advertising. This exploratory study aims to investigate the different dimensions of source credibility in the case of user-generated advertising. More precisely, this study will explore the following factors: (1) objectivity, (2) trustworthiness, (3) expertise, (4) familiarity, (5) attractiveness and (6) frequency. The results suggest that some of the dimensions of source credibility (objectivity, trustworthiness, expertise, familiarity and attractiveness) remain the same in the case of user-generated advertising. Additionally, a new dimension is added to the factors that explain source credibility (reputation). Furthermore, the analysis suggests that the dimension ���frequency��� is not an explanatory factor of credibility in the case of user-generated advertisement. The study also suggests that companies using user-generated advertisement as part of their overall marketing strategy should focus on objectivity, trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness and reputation when selecting users that will communicate sponsored user-generated advertisements.

User-centric product derivation in software product lines

Software Product Line (SPL) engineering aims at achieving efficient development of software products in a specific domain. New products are obtained via a process which entails creating a new configuration specifying the desired product���s features. This configuration must necessarily conform to a variability model, that describes the scope of the SPL, or else it is not viable. To ensure this, configuration tools are used that do not allow invalid configurations to be expressed. A different concern, however, is making sure that a product addresses the stakeholders��� needs as best as possible. The stakeholders may not be experts on the domain, so they may have unrealistic expectations. Also, the scope of the SPL is determined not only by the domain but also by limitations of the development platforms. It is therefore possible that the desired set of features goes beyond what is possible to currently create with the SPL. This means that configuration tools should provide support not only for creating valid products, but also for improving satisfaction of user concerns. We address this goal by providing a user-centric configuration process that offers suggestions during the configuration process, based on the use of soft constraints, and identifying and explaining potential conflicts that may arise. Suggestions help mitigating stakeholder uncertainty and poor domain knowledge, by helping them address well known and desirable domain-related concerns. On the other hand, automated conflict identification and explanation helps the stakeholders to understand the trade-offs required for realizing their vision, allowing informed resolution of conflicts. Additionally, we propose a prototype-based approach to configuration, that addresses the order-dependency issues by allowing the complete (or partial) specification of the features in a single step. A subsequent resolution process will then identify possible repairs, or trade-offs, that may be required for viabilization.

Lag-user method: Using laggards to leverage user innovation

Laggards are the last users to adopt a product. Prior literature on user-led innovation ignores laggards��� impact on innovation. In this paper, we develop the Lag-User Method, through which laggards can generate new ideas. Through six studies with 62 teams in three countries, we apply the method to different technologies and services and present our findings to executives to get managerial insights. Findings reveal that laggards who generate new ideas (lag-users) have different perceptions of user-friendly products and different unfulfilled needs. They prefer simple products. We propose that by involving lag-users in NPD, firms can improve the effectiveness of NPD.

Contribution of Mental Health Service User Groups to Mental Health Services and Policy in Ghana : The Case of Mental Health Society of Ghana

RESUMO: Este estudo procurou documentar a perspectiva (s) dos utentes de sa��de mental e das associa����es de prestadores de cuidados sobre a presta����o, o papel e a contribui����o de servi��os de sa��de mental da comunidade tal como foram percebidos por um n��mero de informadores-chave, incluindo os utentes do servi��o mentais e os pr��prios prestadores de cuidados. O caso espec��fico da Sociedade Sa��de Mental do Gana (MEHSOG) foi o foco deste estudo. O modelo foi o de um estudo de caso, utilizando discuss��es de grupo e entrevistas com informadores-chave como instrumentos de recolha de dados. Estas ferramentas de colheita de dados foram complementadas por observa����es dos participantes e pela revis��o de documentos da MEHSOG e dos v��rios grupos de apoio da comunidade de auto-ajuda que comp��em a associa����o nacional. O estudo revelou que os utentes dos servi��os de sa��de mental e seus prestadores de cuidados constituem um importante grupo de partes interessadas na presta����o de servi��os de sa��de mental da comunidade e no desenvolvimento de pol��ticas que tenham em conta as necessidades e os direitos das pessoas com doen��a mental ou epilepsia. O envolvimento da MEHSOG promove a mobiliza����o de membros e fam��lias relacionadas com a doen��a mental de beneficiar de servi��os de tratamento bem organizados com um impacto significativo na melhoria da sa��de e da participa����o dos utentes dos servi��os e seus prestadores de cuidados prim��rios em processos de tomada de decis��o da fam��lia e na comunidade processos de desenvolvimento. Os utentes dos servi��os por beneficiarem de tratamento, e os prestadores de cuidados prim��rios, por se tornarem mais livres e menos sobrecarregados com a responsabilidade de cuidar, podem passar a envolver-se mais em atividades que melhoramo seu estado, o de suas fam��lias e das comunidades. A advocacia dos membros da MEHSOG para conseguir que a ���Mental Health Bill��� se transforme numa Lei foi tamb��m um desenvolvimento significativo resultante da participa����o ativa dos utentes do servi��o em chamar a aten����o para uma nova e inclusiva legisla����o de sa��de mental para o Gana. Entre os fatores e oportunidades que permitiram aos utentes dos servi��os de sa��de mental e aos prestadores de cuidados prim��rios de pessoas com doen��a mental apoiar activamente a presta����o de servi��os de sa��de mental comunit��ria e o desenvolvimento de pol��ticas conta-se a contribui����o da sociedade civil do Gana, particularmente o movimento da defici��ncia, e os esfor��os anteriores de ONGs em sa��de mental e dos profissionais de sa��de mental para ter uma nova lei em sa��de mental. Observ��mos um certo n��mero de desafios e barreiras que actuam de forma a limitar a influ��ncia dos utentes dos servi��os de sa��de mental na provis��o da sa��de mental comunit��ria e no desenvolvimento de pol��ticas. Entre elas o estigma social contra a doen��a mental e pessoas com doen��a mental ou epilepsia e seus cuidadores primaries �� um factor chave. O estigma tem alterado a percep����o e as an��lises do p��blico em geral, especialmente dos profissionais de sa��de e das autoridades pol��ticas afetando a prioriza����o dos problemas de sa��de mental nas pol��ticas e programas. Outro desafio foi a deficiente infra-estrutura dispon��vel para apoiar servi��os de sa��de mentais que assegurem aos utentes permanecerem em bom estado de sa��de e bem-estar para serem advogados de si pr��prios. A recomenda����o do presente estudo �� que os movimentos de utentes dos servi��os de sa��de mental s��o importantes e que eles precisam de ser apoiados e encorajados a desempenhar o seu papel como pessoas com experi��ncia vivida para contribuir para a organiza����o e presta����o de servi��os de sa��de mental, bem como para a implementa����o, monitoriza����o e avalia����o de pol��ticas e programas. ------------------------------------ ABSTRACT: This study sought to document the perspective(s) of mental health users and care-givers associations in community mental health service provision and their role and contribution as it was perceived by a number of key informants including the mental service users and care-givers themselves. The specific case of the Mental Health Society of Ghana (MEHSOG) was the focus of this study. A case study approach was used to with Focus Group Discussions and Key Informants Interviews being the data collection tools that were used. These data collection tools were complemented by participant observations and review of documents of the MEHSOG and the various community self-help peer support groups that make up the national association. The study revealed that mental health service users and their care-givers constitute an important stakeholder group in community mental health service provision and development of policies that factor in the needs and rights of persons with mental illness or epilepsy. MEHSOG���s involvement in mobilising members and education families to come forward with the relations with mental illness to benefit from treatment services were well made a significant impact in improving the health and participation of service users and their primary carers in family decision-making processes and in community development processes. Service users, on benefiting from treatment, and primary care-givers, on becoming freer and less burdened with the responsibility of care, move on to engage in secure livelihoods activities, which enhanced their status in their families and communities. The advocacy MEHSOG members undertook in getting the mental health Bill become Law was also noted as significant development that was realised as a result of active involvement of service users in calling for a new and inclusive mental health legislation for Ghana. Enabling factors and opportunities that enabled mental health service users and primary care-givers of people with mental illness to actively support community mental health service provision and policy development is with the vibrant civil society presence in Ghana, particularly the disability movement, and earlier efforts by NGOs in mental health in Ghana long-side mental health professionals to have a new law in mental health. A number of challenges were also noted which were found to limit the extent to which mental health service users can be influential in community mental health service provision and policy development. Key among them was the social stigma against mental illness and people with mental illness or epilepsy and their primary carers. Stigma has affected perceptions, analyses of the general public, especially health practitioners and policy authorities that it has affected their prioritisation of mental health issues in policies and programmes. Another challenge was the poor infrastructure available to support enhanced mental health care services that ensure mental health service users remain in a good state of health and wellbeing to advocate for themselves. The recommendation from the study is that mental health service user movements are important and need to be supported and encouraged to play their role as persons with lived experience to inform organisation and provision of mental health services as well as design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programes.