O livro na passagem de “átomos” a “bits”: as tecnologias digitais no contexto do livro electrónico

As Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação colocam em debate o modo de pensar e olhar o livro tradicional e originam novas materialidades para o texto e novas formas, espaços e géneros de leitura. A revolução originada por Gutenberg democratizou o acesso ao livro tradicional, alterando os processos de acesso ao conhecimento. As tecnologias eletrónicas trouxeram consigo uma nova revolução, virtualizando o acesso aos textos que alteraram a paisagem da cultura clássica do livro. Recorrendo à ideia original do investigador Nicholas Negroponte, pretende-se realizar uma análise das alterações que o livro sofreu, enquanto objeto de suporte ao texto, na sua passagem para contextos digitais ou na passagem de “átomos” para “bits”.

Marketing móvel: where is... the hapiness: campanha aplicada à Coca-Cola Brasil

Trabalho de projeto apresentado à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Publicidade e Marketing.

On the choice of posittioning and cluster size for fixed relay stations in a LTE network

The long term evolution (LTE) is one of the latest standards in the mobile communications market. To achieve its performance, LTE networks use several techniques, such as multi-carrier technique, multiple-input-multiple-output and cooperative communications. Inside cooperative communications, this paper focuses on the fixed relaying technique, presenting a way for determining the best position to deploy the relay station (RS), from a set of empirical good solutions, and also to quantify the associated performance gain using different cluster size configurations. The best RS position was obtained through realistic simulations, which set it as the middle of the cell's circumference arc. Additionally, it also confirmed that network's performance is improved when the number of RSs is increased. It was possible to conclude that, for each deployed RS, the percentage of area served by an RS increases about 10 %. Furthermore, the mean data rate in the cell has been increased by approximately 60 % through the use of RSs. Finally, a given scenario with a larger number of RSs, can experience the same performance as an equivalent scenario without RSs, but with higher reuse distance. This conduces to a compromise solution between RS installation and cluster size, in order to maximize capacity, as well as performance.

New quasi-orthogonal BCH-derived sequences for CDMA applications

European Transactions on Telecommunications, vol. 18

DIGRA (Digital Graffiti) um protótipo de apoio à realização de percursos topográficos

Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Estatística e Gestão de Informação

Web-assisted tobacco intervention in Portuguese : intentions to make behavioural changes and behavioural changes

ABSTRACT - The problem of how to support “intentions to make behavioural changes” (IBC) and “behaviour changes” (BC) in smoking cessation when there is a scarcity of resources is a pressing issue in public health terms. The present research focuses on the use of information and communications technologies and their role in smoking cessation. It is developed in Portugal after the ratification of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (on 8 November 2005). The prevalence of smokers over fifteen years of age within the population stood at 20.9% (30.9% for men and 11.8% for women). While the strategy of helping people to quit smoking has been emphasised at National Health Service (NHS) level, the uptake of cessation assistance has exceeded the capacity of the service. This induced the search of new theoretical and practical venues to offer alternative options to people willing to stop smoking. Among these, the National Health Plan (NHP) of Portugal (2004-2010), identifies the use of information technologies in smoking cessation. eHealth and the importance of health literacy as a means of empowering people to make behavioural changes is recurrently considered an option worth investigating. The overall objective of this research is to understand, in the Portuguese context, the use of the Internet to help people to stop smoking. Research questions consider factors that may contribute to “intentions to make behavioural changes” (IBC) and “behavioural changes” (BC) while using a Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP). Also consideration is given to the trade-off on the use of the Web as a tool for smoking cessation: can it reach a vast number of people for a small cost (efficiency) demonstrating to work in the domain of smoking cessation (efficacy)”? In addition to the introduction, there is a second chapter in which the use of tobacco is discussed as a public health menace. The health gains achieved by stopping smoking and the means of quitting are also examined, as is the use of the Internet in smoking cessation. Then, several research issues are introduced. These include background theory and the theoretical framework for the Sense of Coherence. The research model is also discussed. A presentation of the methods, materials and of the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) follows. In chapter four the results of the use of the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) are presented. This study is divided into two sections. The first describes results related to quality control in relation to the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) and gives an overview of its users. Of these, 3,150 answered initial eligibility questions. In the end, 1,463 met all eligibility requirements, completed intake, decided on a day to quit smoking (Dday) and declared their “intentions to make behavioural changes” (IBC) while a second targeted group of 650 did not decide on a Dday. With two quit attempts made before joining the platform, most of the participants had experienced past failures while wanting to stop. The smoking rate averaged 21 cigarettes per day. With a mean age of 35, of the participants 55% were males. Among several other considerations, gender and the Sense of Coherence (SOC) influenced the success of participants in their IBC and endeavour to set quit dates. The results of comparing males and females showed that, for current smokers, establishing a Dday was related to gender differences, not favouring males (OR=0.76, p<0.005). Belonging to higher Socio-economic strata (SES) was associated with the intention to consider IBC (when compared to lower SES condition) (OR=1.57, p<0.001) and higher number of school years (OR=0.70, p<0.005) favoured the decision to smoking cessation. Those who demonstrated higher confidence in their likelihood of success in stopping in the shortest time had a higher rate of setting a Dday (OR=0.51, p<0.001). There were differences between groups in IBC reflecting the high and low levels of the SOC score (OR=1.43, p=0.006), as those who considered setting a Dday had higher levels of SOC. After adjusting for all variables, stages of readiness to change and SOC were kept in the model. This is the first Arm of this research where the focus is a discussion of the system’s implications for the participants’ “intentions to make behavioural changes” (IBC). Moreover, a second section of this study (second Arm) offers input collected from 77 in-depth interviews with the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) users. Here, “Behaviour Change” (BC) and the usability of the platform are explored a year after IBC was declared. A percentage of 32.9% of self-reported, 12-month quitters in continuous abstinence from smoking from Dday to the 12-month follow- up point of the use of the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) has been assessed. Comparing the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scores of participants by their respective means, according to the two groups, there was a significant difference in these scores of non smokers (BC) (M=144,66, SD=22,52) and Sense of Coherence (SOC) of smokers (noBC) (M=131,51, SD=21,43) p=0.014. This WATIP strategy and its contents benefit from the strengthening of the smoker’s sense of coherence (SOC), so that the person’s progress towards a life without tobacco may be experienced as comprehensible, manageable and meaningful. In this sample the sense of coherence (SOC) effect is moderate although it is associated with the day to quit smoking (Dday). Some of the limitations of this research have to do with self-selection bias, sample size (power) and self-reporting (no biochemical validation). The enrolment of participants was therefore not representative of the smoking population. It is not possible to verify the Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention Probe (WATIP) evaluation of external validity; consequently, the results obtained cannot be applied generalized. No participation bias is provided. Another limitation of this study is the associated limitations of interviews. Interviewees’ perception that fabricating answers could benefit them more than telling the simple truth in response to questions is a risk that is not evaluated (with no external validation like measuring participants’ carbon monoxide levels). What emerges in this analysis is the relevance of the process that leads to the establishment of the quit day (Dday) to stop using tobacco. In addition, technological issues, when tailoring is the focus, are key elements for scrutiny. The high number of dropouts of users of the web platform mandates future research that should concentrate on the matters of the user-centred design of portals. The focus on gains in health through patient-centred care needs more research, so that technology usability be considered within the context of best practices in smoking cessation.

Energy-efficient diversity combining for different access schemes in a multi-path dispersive channel

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Electrotécnica e Computadores

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.

electronic payments in mozambique: A Baseline on their adoption in Maputo and Matola

This study analyses the access and use of financial services by small business owners in the cities of Mozambique, as an important tool for boosting economic growth and diminishing inequality. It correlates owners’ and business characteristics with the probability of adopting Points-of-Sale (POS), Mobile Banking and Mobile Money in everyday transactions. The main findings highlight that what mostly affects the use of POS is the size of business and the volume of transactions (positively correlated with POS adoption), while using mobile phone technologies for payments predominantly depends on the owner’s age and whether he/she is a frequent cellphone user. Moreover, to increase the use of electronic means of payment it is necessary to increase financial literacy and improve the banking services.

Challenges and confusion in media regulation: a four-country comparison

[Excerto] ln this chapter we discuss recent developments and challenges in European media and communication policy, focusing on the period following the 2008 global financial crisis. We are especially interested in the implications of the financial crisis and its political repercussions nationally (austerity measures and cuts to public services, growing anti-politics sentiments and widespread dissatisfaction with free-market capitalism and representative democracy) for media and communication policy, understood here in a broad sense, so as to include ali electronic communications, such as the Internet, mobile communications, social media etc. Our overarching concern is with the implications of developments in media and communication policy for the democratic functions of the media in Europe (...).

Diseño de un diplexor basado en resonadores BAW

Este proyecto plantea el diseño de un diplexor basado en resonadores BAW, pensado para aplicaciones de comunicaciones móviles. Éste permite a los terminales seleccionar los canales de uplink y downlink en sistemas que utilicen duplexado por división en frecuencia. Se plantean tres alternativas de diseño a partir de filtros implementados con resonadores BAW en una topología en escalera. Éstas serán evaluadas y comparadas considerando las pérdidas de inserción, el rechazo fuera de banda y las dimensiones de la estructura obtenida.

Metodología de diseño de filtros CRF/SCF basada en modelos de resonadores BAW acoplados acústicamente

La creixent utilització de sistemes de comunicacions mòbils ha impulsat la demanda de filtres passabanda miniaturitzats d'elevades prestacions operant en el rang de freqüències de microones. Els Film Bulk Acoustic Resonators (FBAR) estan esdevenint la principal alternativa als filtres basats en ressonadors Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) o als basats en ressonadors ceràmics. Els Stacked Crystal Filters (SCF) i els Coupled Resonator Filters (CRF) són configuracions FBAR que permeten assolir una excel·lent atenuació en la banda de refús. Aquest treball presenta un innovador circuit equivalent elèctric que modela el CRF. Llavors, es desenvolupa una metodologia de síntesi de filtres per al SCF i per al CRF utilitzant els seus circuits equivalents elèctrics. La metodologia de disseny presentada permet obtenir les dimensions de l'estructura del filtre acústic partint de les especificacions del filtre i de les restriccions pròpies de la tecnologia. S'han implementat diferents respostes de Chebyshev per a sistemes de comunicacions reals per tal de validar el procediment de disseny dels filtres obtenint els resultats esperats.

Sistemas de comunicaciones para vuelos no tripulados

La iniciativa ATLANTIDA engloba numerosos estudios de ingeniería con el objetivo de reformar el actual sistema de gestión del tráfico aéreo. Dentro de estos estudios se encuentran diversas investigaciones en el campo de las comunicaciones móviles. La gran variabilidad del entorno aeronáutico promueve el estudio de sistemas de comunicaciones móviles capaces de funcionar en este tipo de entorno. Este proyecto propone un sistema de comunicaciones WiMAX en un entorno aeronáutico con aviones no tripulados utilizando la modulación OFDM.

Are the high-growth recovery periods over?

We present evidence about the loss of the so-called "plucking effect", that is, a high-growth phase of the cycle typically observed at the end of recessions. This result matches the popular belief, presented informally by different authors, that the current recession will have permanent effects, or that the current recession will have an L shape versus the old-time recessions that have always had a V shape. Furthermore, we show that the loss of the "plucking effect" can explain part of the Great Moderation. We postulate that these two phenomena may be due to changes in inventory management brought about by improvements in information and communications technologies.

Informatització de l'arxiu d'històries clíniques d'un hospital

El sector sanitari és un dels més importants i sensibles dintre de l’economia espanyola, ja que és un element clau del benestar social. Per aquest motiu, el sector de la sanitat s’enfronta a nombrosos reptes, i les Tecnologies de la Informació i les Comunicacions (TIC) obren un ampli ventall de possibilitats de renovació i millora. És per això que Hewlett-Packard està desenvolupant una aplicació informàtica per a hospitals, anomenada HCIS (Health Care Information System). El projecte que es presenta en aquesta memòria és el desenvolupament del mòdul d’HCIS per a gestionar l’Arxiu d’Històries Clíniques d’un hospital, i la seva implantació a la Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí de Sabadell.