Considerando todos os avanços tecnológicos pelos quais a fonografia passou desde sua invenção, em 1877, por que persistem registros sonoros de baixa definição? Para enfrentarmos essa questão, propomos encarar o lo-fi como um objeto comunicacional, de modo a compreender, a partir de sua linguagem, como ele modeliza a música pop. O lo-fi é reconhecido em senso comum pelo uso de equipamentos de áudio e instrumentos musicais deteriorados, obsoletos ou sucateados. Nesta tese, problematizamos essa noção. Logo de saída, desprendemos o lo-fi do determinismo tecnológico, passando ele a significar outras práticas, linguagens, políticas, estéticas e discursos. Para compreender esse panorama, evitamos uma construção linear ou mesmo histórica. Ao invés disso, mapeamos diversos agenciamentos de baixa definição simultâneos que se processam ao longo da história, circunscrevendo como objeto empírico canções registradas fonograficamente e que promovem algum tipo de desterritorialização do regime de signos institucionalizado pelo mainstream, o que nos leva ao seguinte objetivo geral: compreender o lo-fi como uma virtualidade que age na comunicação fonográfica, isto é, como uma máquina abstrata que não só se diferencia de si própria, mas também produz diferença na música pop. Para dar conta desse objetivo geral, desenvolvemos os seguintes objetivos específicos: (1) evidenciar a presença dos suportes fonográficos, instrumentos musicais e demais aparelhos tecnológicos na paisagem sonora das canções lo-fi; (2) mapear e sintetizar os diferentes sistemas culturais que, postos em relação, edificam a semiosfera de onde o lo-fi emerge como um novo sistema; (3) mapear os territórios de significação agenciados pelas imagens sonoras de baixa definição em canções lo-fi; (4) analisar a capacidade dessas imagens sonoras de promover agenciamentos de baixa definição na música pop; (5) descrever o diagrama da máquina abstrata lo-fi, seus modos de funcionamento e de modelização da música pop. Organizamos as análises em platôs, que percorrem diferentes linhas de variação contínua de significação efetuadas pelos agenciamentos de baixa definição. Ao final, descrevemos os modos de funcionamento da máquina abstrata lo-fi. Ao longo do estudo, também revisitamos e refletimos sobre teorias relacionadas ao assunto, como ecologia acústica, materialidades da comunicação, arqueologia da mídia, afecto, semiótica e a filosofia da diferença de Gilles Deleuze e Félix Guattari. Como resultado, esperamos contribuir para as teorias da comunicação com reflexões referentes às noções de fidelidade, resolução, ruído, percepção sonora e, em especial, para a constituição de um modelo comunicacional micropolítico, reconhecido nos processos de diferenciação de nosso objeto de estudo. A baixa definição, defendemos, manifesta-se entre estados regulares da música pop, desestabilizando seus ritmos regulares, forçando seu núcleo a modificar sua estratégia para lidar com a diferença. Imagens sonoras lo-fi são institucionalizadas pela música pop, mas isso acaba por gerar outras imagens sonoras potenciais. A baixa definição segue, assim, resistindo aos regimes de signos impostos pelos movimentos hegemônicos da música pop, sempre propondo arrebatamentos e estabelecendo modos de comunicar imprecisos, distorcidos, violentos. / Considering every technological advance phonographic recording has achieved since its invention in 1877, how come low definition sound recordings still exist (and persist)? To face such question, we treat lo-fi as a communicational object, in order to comprehend, from its language, how it models pop music. Lo-fi is recognized by common sense as the use of either scraped, obsolete, or spoiled audio and/or music equipments. In the present dissertation, we question and problematize such notion. From the start, lo-fi is set loose of its technological determinism, so it can be understood as different practices, languages, politics, aesthetics and discourses. To comprehend such a perspective, we avoid linear or historical approaches. Instead, several simultaneous low definition agencements processed throughout history are mapped, where we look for recorded songs that promote some kind of deterritorialization of the regime of signs institutionalized by the mainstream, which leads us to the following general objective: to comprehend lo-fi as a virtuality that acts on phonographic communication, that is, as an abstract machine that not only differs from itself, but also produces differentiation in pop music as well. To unravel this general objective, we established the following specific objectives: (1) to point out the presence of phonographic supports, musical instruments and other technological devices in the soundscape of lo-fi songs; (2) to map and to synthesize the different cultural systems that, when put in relation to each other, build a semiosphere from where lo-fi emerges as a new system of its own; (3) to map the territories of signification produced by agencements of low definition sound images; (4) to analyze the capacity of such sound images in promoting low definition agencements in pop music; (5) to describe the diagram of lo-fi’s abstract machine, its operating modes and pop music modelizations. The analyses are organized in plateaus that roam different lines of continuous meaning variations elicited by low definition agencements. At the end, we describe the modes of operation of the lo-fi abstract machine. Throughout the research, we also revisit and speculate about theories regarding the subject: acoustic ecology, materialities of communication, media archaeology, affect, semiotics and Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy of difference. As a result, we expect to contribute to the theories of communication, specially concerning the notions of fidelity, resolution, noise, sound perception and, last but not least, to contribute to the construction of a micro-political communication model, recognized in the processes of differentiation of our object of research. As we advocate, low definition manifests itself between pop music’s regular states, destabilizing its regular rhythms, forcing its core to modify its strategy to deal with the difference. However, pop music institutionalizes lo-fi sound images, but that movement ends up generating other potential lo-fi sound images in the lo-fi system. Therefore, low definition follows, resisting to the regimes of signs imposed by pop music’s hegemonic movements, developing new ways of ravishments and establishing fuzzy, distorted, violent, inaccurate modes of communication.

abstract: This thesis examines perceptions of climate change in literature through the lens of the environmental humanities, an interdisciplinary field that brings history, ecocriticism, and anthropology together to consider the environmental past, present and future. The project began in Iceland, during the Svartárkot Culture-Nature Program called “Human Ecology and Culture at Lake Mývatn 1700-2000: Dimensions of Environmental and Cultural Change”. Over the course of 10 days, director of the program, Viðar Hreinsson, an acclaimed literary and Icelandic Saga scholar, brought in researchers from different fields of study in Iceland to give students a holistically academic approach to their own environmental research. In this thesis, texts under consideration include the Icelandic Sagas, My Antonia by Willa Cather, Tropic of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita, and The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi. The thesis is supported by secondary works written by environmental humanists, including Andrew Ross, Steve Hartman, Ignacio Sanchez Cohen, and Joni Adamson, who specialize in archeological research on heritage sites in Iceland and/or study global weather patterns, prairie ecologies in the American Midwest, the history of water in the Southwest, and climate fiction. Chapter One, focusing on the Icelandic Sagas and My Antonia, argues that literature from different centuries, different cultures, and different parts of the world offers evidence that humans have been driving environmental degradation at the regional and planetary scales since at least the 1500s, especially as they have engaged in aggressive forms of settlement and colonization. Chapter Two, focused on Tropic of Orange, this argues that global environmental change leads to extreme weather and drought that is increasing climate migration from the Global South to the Global North. Chapter Three, focused on The Water Knife, argues that climate fiction gives readers the opportunity to think about and better prepare for a viable and sustainable future rather than wait for inevitable apocalypse. By exploring literature that depicts and represents climate change through time, environmental humanists have innovated new methods of analysis for teaching and thinking about what humans must understand about their impacts on ecosystems so that we can better prepare for the future. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis English 2019

L’essor de l’internet des objets engendre le développement et l’introduction de nouveaux capteurs dans l’industrie mais aussi dans les objets du quotidien. Bâtiments et usines mais aussi réfrigérateurs et lunettes regorgeront bientôt de capteurs sans fils connectés. L’utilisation de capteurs sans fils implique le développement d’antennes compactes à la conception complexe. Diverses technologies de capteurs sans fils et passifs (sans batterie) ont été étudiées ou sont d’ores et déjà disponibles dans le commerce. L’utilisation d’antennes miniatures dans ces technologies de capteur a été traitée dans la thèse. Plus intégrables, les antennes miniatures imposent des contraintes en termes d’efficacité et de facteur de qualité qui peuvent détériorer les performances du capteur. La conception, la modélisation ainsi que l’optimisation d’une antenne miniature particulièrement intéressante pour les capteurs sans fils et passifs sont présentées. Les résultats obtenus montrent l’intérêt de la méthode décrite pour améliorer les performances de telscapteurs / The Internet of Things is a promising research area for the next years. 50 billions of connected objects are expected in 2020. Among them, wireless sensors are required for appli- cations like body and environmental monitoring. This implies a lot of research works such as size reduction, efficiency im- provement and energy harvesting. The variety of applications and environments leads to a huge panel of constraints. In this context, chipless and passive sensors present numerous advantages such as long lifetime, low cost and robustness. This thesis has two aims : show the interest of using electrically small antenna in wireless sensors and developpe a method to improve sensors performance (range and sensibilitty)

Sinkholes are hazardous to buildings and their occupants, so a sensing device that can monitor underground changes is vital. Void Technology, developed in the Research and Development Center at Western Kentucky University, is creating a device that can improve monitoring for any movement underground. This device, created by Void Technology, is equipped with ESP8266, which is a Wi-Fi module that can send its information to the router in a wireless network. The focus of this thesis is on designing and developing an IOS framework application to show the signal strength capabilities in different buildings to find the optimum placement of the Void Technology devices. Each building, based on various construction materials, had different attenuations that could cause signal loss from the application to the ESP82266. The optimum place was found with this designed application. From this test experiment, it can be concluded that the application can show the signal strength based dBm. Thus, this new application is cost-effective as well as user friendly and which can help both the installer and homeowner to find the best position for installing The Void Technology with optimum signal strength.

Les communications sans fil sont essentielles pour les nouveaux systèmes des transports. Ainsi, ces communications sans fil doivent être capables d'opérer sans interruption quelque soit l'environnement électromagnétique (EM) dans lequel elles se trouvent. Pour cette raison, nous nous étudions comment certains environnements EM affectent les systèmes de communication. Dans cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés aux trains à grande vitesse. Dans ce secteur, on peut trouver des interférences EM intentionnelles (IEMI) et des interférences EM non intentionnelles (EMI). Nous avons considéré comme EMI les signaux interférences électromagnétiques transitoires produites par les pertes de contact entre la caténaire et le pantographe. Pour les IEMI, nous avons utilisé des signaux d'interférence générés par des brouilleurs. Nous avons étudié la vulnérabilité du réseau de communication IEEE 802.11n face à ces différents types d'interférences. Par la suite nous avons identifié le mécanisme d'accès au canal comme un point potentiellement vulnérable aux deux types d'interférences. En effet, une interférence de faible puissance peut faire croire que le canal est occupé, empêchant toute communication. Concernant les IEMI, nous avons remarqué que la période de balayage de la bande de fréquence du signal du brouillage est un paramètre important pour que celui-ci soit efficace. Pour les signaux EMI, nous avons identifié la période DIFS comme étant un autre paramètre vulnérable de la norme, car à partir d'un certain niveau de puissance d'interférence et dès que l'intervalle de répétition entre les transitoires est inférieur au DIFS, la communication est systématiquement interrompue. / Wireless communications are essential for new transportation systems. Thus, these wireless communications must be able to operate without interruption, regardless of the electromagnetic (EM) environment. For this reason, we study how some EM environments affect communication systems. In this thesis, we are particularly interested in the transportation sector, especially high speed trains. In this sector, both unintentional EM interferences (EMI) and intentional EM interferences (IEMI) can be found. We considered unintentional EM interferences (EMI), such as transient EM interference signals produced by contact losses between the catenary and the pantograph. For intentional EM interferences (IEMI) we used interference signals as those generated by low power commercial jammers. We have studied the vulnerability of the IEEE 802.11n communication network facing these different interference types. We identified the channel access mechanism as a vulnerable feature of IEEE 802.11n. As a matter of fact, in the presence of low power interferences, the channel can be considered busy by the channel access mechanism, preventing any communication. With regard to the IEMI, we have noticed that the sweep period of the frequency band of the jamming signal is an important parameter on the jamming performance. For transient EM interference signals, we identified the DIFS period as another vulnerable parameter of the standard. Indeed, when the repetition interval between transients is lower than DIFS period, with a certain interference power level, the communication is systematically interrupted.

<p>Lansen Technology develops and sells alarm systems. The communication between the system devices are wireless. The radio protocol used by the system is developed by Lansen with the purpose to be energy efficient. The alarm systems target groups are individuals, businesses and government agencies. The current system is installed, configured and controlled from a control panel for all audiences. Some operations are also available using a mobile phone via a GSM network. Lansen Technology has a request to move more of the functionality to a mobile device and avoid the cost of using the GSM network used today. The target group for the application is primarily users that want instant access to information within the network. The project has mainly consisted of two parts. The first part of the project was to investigate two different wireless technologies that were relevant to the project. The investigation showed that Bluetooth was the best choice based on the requirements of the alarm system. Bluetooth was then integrated to the existing alarm system. The second part consisted of developing software to operate the alarm system from a PDA running Windows Mobile. An application was developed successfully and it can perform the majority of the functions specified by Lansen. The idea of remote controlling an alarm system from a mobile device has resulted in a successful project. Lansen Technology develops and sells alarm systems. The communication between the system devices are wireless. The radio protocol used by the system is developed by Lansen with the purpose to be energy efficient. The alarm systems target groups are individuals, businesses and government agencies. The current system is installed, configured and controlled from a control panel for all audiences. Some operations are also available using a mobile phone via a GSM network. Lansen Technology has a request to move more of the functionality to a mobile device and avoid the cost of using the GSM network used today. The target group for the application is primarily users that want instant access to information within the network. The project has mainly consisted of two parts. The first part of the project was to investigate two different wireless technologies that were relevant to the project. The investigation showed that Bluetooth was the best choice based on the requirements of the alarm system. Bluetooth was then integrated to the existing alarm system. The second part consisted of developing software to operate the alarm system from a PDA running Windows Mobile. An application was developed successfully and it can perform the majority of the functions specified by Lansen. The idea of remote controlling an alarm system from a mobile device has resulted in a successful project.</p> / <p>Lansen Technology utvecklar och säljer larmsystem. Kommunikationen mellan systemets enheter sker trådlöst. Det trådlösa radioprotokoll som används är utvecklat av Lansen med målet att vara energisnål. Larmsystemets målgrupp är privatpersoner, företag och myndigheter. Nuvarande system installeras, konfigureras och styrs från en manöverpanel. Viss manövrering kan också ske med hjälp av mobiltelefon via GSM-nätet. Önskemål från Lansen Technology finns att flytta funktionalitet till en mobil enhet och att komma ifrån trafikkostnaden på GSM-nätet. Målgruppen för applikationen är i första hand användare som omgående kräver tillgång till information från larmsystemet. Projektet har i huvudsak bestått av två delar. Första delen av projektet bestod av att utreda de två olika trådlösa tekniker som var aktuella för projektet. Utvärderingen visade att Bluetooth var det bästa valet med de krav larmsystemet ställde på uppkopplingen. Bluetooth integrerades därefter i nuvarande larmsystem. Den andra delen bestod av att utveckla en mjukvara  för att kunna manövrera larmsystemet från en handdator med Windows Mobile. Applikationen utvecklades framgångsrikt och kan utföra majoriteten av de funktioner som specificerats inför projektet. Idén med att fjärrstyra larmsystemet från en mobil enhet har resulterat i ett lyckosamt projekt. Lansen Technology utvecklar och säljer larmsystem. Kommunikationen mellan systemets enheter sker trådlöst. Det trådlösa radioprotokoll som används är utvecklat av Lansen med målet att vara energisnål. Larmsystemets målgrupp är privatpersoner, företag och myndigheter. Nuvarande system installeras, konfigureras och styrs från en manöverpanel. Viss manövrering kan också ske med hjälp av mobiltelefon via GSM-nätet. Önskemål från Lansen Technology finns att flytta funktionalitet till en mobil enhet och att komma ifrån trafikkostnaden på GSM-nätet. Målgruppen för applikationen är i första hand användare som omgående kräver tillgång till information från larmsystemet. Projektet har i huvudsak bestått av två delar. Första delen av projektet bestod av att utreda de två olika trådlösa tekniker som var aktuella för projektet. Utvärderingen visade att Bluetooth var det bästa valet med de krav larmsystemet ställde på uppkopplingen. Bluetooth integrerades därefter i nuvarande larmsystem. Den andra delen bestod av att utveckla en mjukvara  för att kunna manövrera larmsystemet från en handdator med Windows Mobile. Applikationen utvecklades framgångsrikt och kan utföra majoriteten av de funktioner som specificerats inför projektet. Idén med att fjärrstyra larmsystemet från en mobil enhet har resulterat i ett lyckosamt projekt.</p>

During the last century, the significant increase in electricity demand, and its consequences, has appeared as a serious concern for the utility companies, but no essential change has been applied to the conventional power grid infrastructure till now. Recently, researchers have identified efficient control and power distribution mechanisms as the immediate challenges for conventional power grids. Hence, the next step for conventional power grid toward Smart Grid is to provide energy efficiency management along with higher reliability via smart services, in which the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is inevitable. ICT introduces powerful tools to comply with the smart grid requirements. Among various ICT properties, the telecommunication network plays a key role for providing a secure infrastructure. The two-way digital communication system provides an interaction between energy suppliers and consumers for managing, controlling and optimizing energy distribution. We can also define the smart grid as a two-way flow of energy and control information, where the electricity consumers can generate energy using green energy resources. The main objective of this thesis is to select an effective communication infrastructure to support the smart grid services by considering wireless and optical communication technologies. Fiber-wireless (FiWi) networks are considered as a potential solution to provide a fast and reliable network backbone with the optical access network integration and the flexibility and mobility of the wireless network. Therefore, we adopt the integration of the wireless sensor network (WSN) to Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) as a broadband access network to transmit smart meter data along with the Fiber To The Home/Building/Curb (FTTX) traffic through the shared fiber. Finally, we present and analyze the simulation results for the aforementioned infrastructure based on our adopted priority-based FTTX-WSN integration model.

With shows such as Big Bang Theory and the increased mainstreaming of San Diego Comic-con, now more than ever before, it is acceptable to be a “nerd”. The question now becomes what efforts are being made to appeal to fans of color in traditional “nerd” activities, specifically comic books (this can include television shows and movies based on comic book characters), anime, and science fiction. Throughout the decades, there have been various attempts to have a discourse about the lack of diversity in nerd culture, both among its creators and characters from various properties considered beloved to nerds. Only, at the time of this writing, in recent years does there seem to be an increase among fans of color discussing these issues in the world at large, and not just in their own social group(s). This research will discover how minority fans feel about representation, or lack thereof, in the three above fandom. It will examine how minority fans feel about specific instants involving race and ethnicity in fandom from the past year. What I have discovered is that, issues of race are not discussed among the majority of fans and creators. Occasionally, when such issues are discussed there is an amount of hostility from white fans.

This project examines the level of accuracy that can be achieved in precision positioning by using built-in sensors in an Android smartphone. The project is focused in estimating the position of the phone inside a building where the GPS signal is bad or unavailable. The approach is sensor-fusion: by using data from the device’s different sensors, such as accelerometer, gyroscope and wireless adapter, the position is determined. The results show that the technique is promising for future handheld indoor navigation systems that can be used in malls, museums, large office buildings, hospitals, etc.

<p>Cascading Web Services represent a collection of services offered in a system consisting of multiple devices and multiple interacting platform independent networks. ‘Cascading’ enables Web Services to exploit access in diverse environments without manual intervention. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how Mobile Web Services interact with multiple other Web Services by allowing the generated content to cascade. These services are demonstrated as a technical design solution, in a number of cases within the field of Learning technologies. Communication among devices is preceded using request-response commands by cascading these commands between different Web Services that are self-contained and independent on their context or state.</p><p>The system signifies a typical Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) based on a distributed system. Cascading Web Services involve multiple transport networks including Bluetooth Technology, GPRS, Wi-Fi, and Wired Networks. Whereas the protocol of this communication is to bridge Wired and Wireless networks for data transactions, specifically from a Bluetooth location-based network. A number of particular cases will be illustrated in the context of ‘educational outdoor activities’, to demonstrate how the system solution works involving users.</p>