Today's living room context offers more and more possibilities when it comes to when and how to interact with the television and media content offerings. Buzzwords such as "TV Everywhere" is something that both hardware manufacturers, content providers and television networks are pursuing to great lengths. At the core of such marketing schemes is the availability of platform-independent content consumption. In a Utopian setting, the end-user should never have to worry if he or she is currently using a smart TV, tablet, phone or computer to view a video or photos, play music or play games. Taking the concept even further, the devices should also be able to connect and communicate with each other seamlessly. Having for example a television set (first screen) controlled by a mobile phone (second screen) is commonly referred to as companion device interaction and is what this thesis has investigated. More specifically, a way of discovering and launching a first screen application from a second screen application using the zero configuration discovery protocol named DIAL has been implemented into a cross-platform messaging solution. A case study was conducted to gather data about the system and its context as well as what was needed of the framework in terms of architecture design, use cases and implementation details. A proof of concept application was developed for Android that used the proposed framework, showcasing the ease of use and functionality presented in integrating DIAL into such a solution. Since DIAL is so well-documented, easy to understand and is becoming one of the industry standards among consumer electronic manufacturers in terms of device discovery, I believe it should become a standard for so called zero configuration companion device interactivity.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Previous studies on the academic utilisation of mobile devices in South Africa have rendered some invaluable insights into the rationale and different ways students utilise mobile technologies in and outside the classroom. However, these studies have addressed issues about social practices of adoption in high schools that emphasise tutor-directed, instant messagingmediated supply of supplementary tuition/training in subjects like science and mathematics. Consequently, insufficient attention has been devoted to understanding the dynamic complexities of implementing mobile learning (m-Learning) projects in tertiary institutions. This research contributes to the m-Learning discourse by exploring a collaborative m-Learning perspective, through the pedagogical application of WhatsApp, a special-purpose instant messaging service implemented at a University of Technology in South Africa. This research paper argues that mobile instant messaging (MIM) may create alternative academic discussion platforms for the students’ collaborative interactions outside the classroom, which implies the transformation of pedagogical delivery. The FRAME model was utilised as the theoretical lens for this study. An interview instrument was developed based on the FRAME model constructs. Face-to-face semistructured interviews were conducted with twenty participants. The findings suggest improved academic participation, the promotion of collaborative m-Learning for critical thinking, knowledge creation and sharing, as well as fostering effective learning through student-centered approach hence liberal transformation in the lecturer’s mode of instructional delivery.

Lymphoedema is a chronic health condition characterized by the accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the subcutaneous tissues resulting in arm swelling and can significantly affect physical and psychological health and QOL. Although significant research on lymphoedema has developed over the past decade, the literature reveals that there are gaps in knowledge on framing the illness, communication, and effective practices to improve the QOL for individuals living with lymphoedema. This research contributes to this growing field of research through a qualitative investigation of twelve women's reported understandings, experiences, and perceptions of lymphoedema using Brown’s (1995) theory of framing disease and illness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with women living with lymphoedema to determine the impact of health messaging, to explore the ways in which these women made sense of conflicting messages on exercise, and to better understand how barriers to the effective adoption and integration of good management practices can be overcome.

To understand how to better stimulate adult sport engagement, this study investigated effects of gain-framed messages (GFM; Rothman & Updegraff, 2010) on psychological/behavioural outcomes, with or without efficacy-enhancing messages (Latimer et al., 2010). Eligible adults (30-69 years-old) were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions (‘GFM alone’ or ‘GFM plus efficacy-enhancing messages’), or a control condition. Participants (N = 232; 62.5% female) completed baseline/screening measures, watched their messaging intervention and reported outcomes one-week later (Time 2), and responded one-month later (Time 3). Comparing the experimental conditions showed non-significant differences for all outcomes, indicating no added benefit of efficacy-enhancing messages. Collapsing the experimental groups and comparing against the control showed significant group-by-time interactions for three ‘outcome expectancies’ (travel, social affiliation, stress relief), with reports higher among experimental participants. Results also indicated that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity significantly decreased at Time 3 within the control, but remained constant among experimental participants.

In this thesis, we examine the architecture and the security framework underlying the Android operating system. We explore existing Android end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) messaging applications and derive four categories of common issues that are applicable to these applications. We then provide an overview of the known issue of privilege escalation wherein a malicious privileged application can utilize inter-process communication techniques to send protected data to an unauthorized application on a user’s device. We demonstrate through a proof of concept how this behavior can be achieved in real applications, and we suggest potential countermeasures that can help prevent this issue. Furthermore, in the interest of diminishing the common issues that are applicable to E2EE messaging applications, we propose a new design for such applications that employs some of the principal security features offered by the Android operating system. We explain how our design can help eliminate trust-related issues associated with such applications, as well as how it can help minimize issues in other categories. Finally, we demonstrate how our proposed design can be used in practice by implementing a proof of concept.

Objetivo: Desenvolver e testar um sistema de monitoramento à distância por short message service (SMS) para pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca (IC) agudamente descompensada. Método: A elaboração do protótipo foi desenvolvida em três etapas: a primeira, foi a definição de todas as funcionalidades previstas; a segunda, procurou a codificação dos módulos do programa; a terceira, consistiu na realização dos testes, para garantir seu funcionamento pleno. O programa desenvolvido enviava dois tipos de mensagens: com perguntas, que deveriam ser respondidas pelos pacientes, e com reforços educativos, que não necessitavam de respostas. Além disso, o sistema gerava alarmes em caso de ausência de resposta ou conforme um fluxograma para detectar congestão. Esta dinâmica permitia o contato imediato com o participante para confirmar os dados recebidos e dar orientações sobre as medidas necessárias para auxiliá-lo. Para o teste do protótipo, foram acompanhados 10 pacientes com internação por descompensação aguda da IC que estavam nas unidades clínicas ou na unidade de cuidados coronarianos do Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre. Após a alta, as mensagens que exigiam respostas foram enviadas durante uma semana (duas pela manhã e duas à noite). Os SMS educativos foram enviados uma vez a cada dois dias. Resultados: Participaram do teste do protótipo, 10 pacientes. A média de idade foi de 67±13 anos. Os pacientes eram predominantemente do sexo masculino e moravam acompanhados por familiares. A fração de ejeção média foi de 35±7%. Dos 30 pacientes potencialmente elegíveis no período de teste, 14 foram incluídos. Destes, quatro não tiveram alta no momento do teste e um não completou o seguimento de sete dias por internação por síndrome coronariana aguda. Dos 264 SMS enviados, 247 foram respondidos. Dez dos SMS não respondidos coincidiram com a falta de luz gerada por fortes tormentas que ocorreram na cidade. Os demais SMS não foram respondidos porque os pacientes não os viram (quatro) ou porque eles esqueceram (três). O alarme foi acionado sete vezes: três pacientes acordaram com falta de ar durante duas noites consecutivas e quatro pacientes se sentiram mais cansados durante dois dias consecutivos. Nenhum paciente aumentou dois Kg em três dias. Todos os pacientes tomaram as medicações prescritas durante o seguimento. A enfermeira do estudo orientou os pacientes que geraram alarme no sistema. Conclusões: O sistema de monitoramento à distância foi desenvolvido com êxito e, durante o teste, foi possível detectar algumas limitações – que foram corrigidas. Entre os participantes que completaram o estudo, observamos uma alta taxa de resposta e evidência preliminar de melhorias na autogestão da IC. / Objective: To develop and test a short message service remote monitoring system for patients with acute decompensated heart failure (HF). Method: The elaboration of the prototype was developed in three stages: the first one was the definition of all the expected functionalities; the second sought coding of the program modules; the third consisted of the tests, which ensured its full operation. The program sent two types of messages: questions that should be answered by the patients, and educational reinforcements that did not require answers. In addition, the system generated alarms in case of no response or according to a flow chart to detect congestion in the patient previously created by the team. This system allows the immediate contact with the participant to confirm the received data and to give the necessary orientations to him. For the prototype test we included 10 patients hospitalized for acute decompensation of HF who were in the clinical units or coronary care unit of the Clinical Hospital of Porto Alegre. After discharge, messages that required responses were sent for one week (two in the morning and two in the evening). The educational SMS was sent once every two days. Results: Ten patients participated in the prototype test. The mean age was 67 ± 13. The patients were predominantly males and lived with relatives. The ejection fraction was 35 ± 7%. Of the 30 potentially eligible patients in the trial period, 14 were included. Of these, four were not discharged at the time of the test and one did not complete the seven-day follow-up for hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome. Of the 264 SMS sent, 247 were answered. Ten of the unanswered SMS coincided with the lack of light generated by the strong storms in the city. The remaining SMS were not answered because the patients did not see them (four) or they forgot these (three). The alarm was triggered seven times: three patients woke up with shortness of breath for two consecutive nights and four patients felt more fatigued for two consecutive days. No patient increased two Kg in three days. All patients took the prescribed medications during follow-up. The study nurse guided the patients who generated alarm in the system. Conclusions: The remote monitoring system was successfully developed and during the test it was possible to visualize some limitations that were corrected. Among the participants who reform the study, we observed a high response rate and preliminary evidence of improvements in self-management of HF.

The prevalence of obesity is rising in the United States and one factor that contributes to it is the lack of cooking at home and planning out meals. Since text messaging is now a main avenue of communication, it could be used to motivate people to plan out their meals and cook at home instead of consuming fast food. Current research on how weekly nudges might relate to peoples’ goals about meal preparation and dietary intake is very limited. The purpose of this study was to examine if sending weekly nudges, focusing on specific dietary goals, improves meal planning and dietary intake in an online meal planning group. A Facebook group was used to send weekly nudges to the participants throughout six weeks. It was found that meal planning appears to have a significant effect on meal preparation at home and thus may help improve dietary intake. The results found can also be utilized in other aspects of leading to healthier lifestyles and motivation-need situations such as weight loss.

This thesis aimed to create a messaging protocol for OpenSpace to interoperate with other astronomy software. The goal was to create a messaging standard that was not language-dependent and could be implemented by any astronomy software. To establish an asynchronous communication between OpenSpace and connected software, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), threading, and Peer-To-Peer (P2P) were the techniques mainly used. TCP was used to achieve reliable communication between software connected to the network. The enabling of two-way communication was solved by threading. P2P was used as a network communication architecture to share resources between the connected software. By using Unicode characters expressed through UTF-8, the Unicode Standard was used to encode messages sent. The messages are structured by combinations of different sizes of bytes and are sent and received as binary strings. All messages contain a header and the data being sent. Different message types were created to specify which type of data is sent. The protocol works primarily between OpenSpace and Glue but is not limited to these software. The implementation serves as the basis of the messaging protocol for OpenSpace, where Glue represents future software integrations.

Master’s thesis is trying to create opensource IM application for communication in Jabber network. In nowadays it is getting more and more popularity as at providers, so mainly at end users. In first half of thesis are explained basics of whole issues and in second half is described resulting application, which has been created by using of object oriented programming language Java. Java is very extended between programmers for her simplicity and great support. Thanks this is available a many external libraries and extensions. Application has been written on Smack library in version 3.04 and VoIP module on JMF (Java Media Framework). Graphic interface has been created by using of standard Java visual components (javax.swing).

This thesis is dedicated to communication with lost mobile device throw the Internet with its owner because of the possibility of finding, return or lock the device. It focused on analysis existing solution and draft own mobile application for Android platform with supportive web application, This thesis also summary basic principles of creating application for Android OS and communication with cloud base service Google Cloud Messaging.