O viés da tarifa fixa ocorre quando um consumidor contrata um determinado nível de serviço e, em média, consome menos do que ele/ela tem direito a consumir. Tal comportamento é documentado em variados setores, em especial no de telecomunicações. Nesta dissertação, espera-se que o tipo de tarifa que uma pessoa tem seja a causa de determinados comportamentos. Assim, este estudo se baseia nas teorias da contabilidade mental e da dissociação da transação, para medir o impacto de tipos diferentes de tarifas no comportamento de consumo de telefonia móvel. Em uma sequência de três experimentos, foi descoberto que usuários de tarifa fixa são mais dispostos a abrir mão do consumo e se sentem menos frustrados e menos arrependidos do que usuários de tarifa por uso. Este comportamento é condizente com os efeitos dos custos irrecuperáveis que, conforme hipotetizado, também são observados em serviços por assinatura, e não apenas transacionais. Adicionalmente, foi observado que na medida em que aumenta a quantidade de pessoas consumindo o mesmo plano, a disposição a renunciar o consumo permanece a mesma. Por fim, foi observado que o viés da tarifa fixa não compromete comportamentos futuros, como a intenção de migrar ou permanecer com o mesmo plano. Estes resultados apoiam tanto implicações gerenciais quanto teóricas, e oferecem novos caminhos de estudos em mercados menos típicos, porém promissores, de serviços por assinatura. / The flat-rate bias takes place whenever a consumer contracts a given service level and, in average, consumes only a fraction of what s/he is entitled. Such behavior is documented in a number of different sectors, specially the telecommunications sector. In this thesis, the type of tariff an individual has is expected to be the cause of particular behaviors. Therefore, this study draws on mental accounting and transaction decoupling theories, to measure the impact of different types of tariffs on mobile phone consumer behavior. In a series of three experiments, it was found that flat-rate consumers are more willing to forgo consumption and they feel less frustrated and less regretful than users of a pay-per-use plan. This behavior is consistent with the sunk cost effects which, as hypothesed, can also be seen in contract services, and not only in transactional ones. Additionally, it was noted that as the amount of people consuming the same plan increases, the willingness to forgo consumption remains unaltered. Finally, it was observed that the flat-rate bias does not commit future behavior, such as the intention to either change or stay with the same plan. These results support both managerial and theoretical implications, and offer new avenues of studies on the less typical, yet promising, markets of subscription services.

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi analisar como se dão as relações afetivas através da socialização de jovens cariocas de classe média da zona sul do Rio de Janeiro, estabelecidas através do contato por telefonia celular. Com isso, foi possível verificar as novas dinâmicas na subjetividade contemporânea, pautadas na cultura de consumo, a partir da apropriação desse conjunto de tecnologias da comunicação, nas relações sociais e afetivas, em especial na ficação, além das relações entre amigos e namorados. Parto do pressuposto de que os indivíduos contemporâneos estão se apropriando, em larga escala, das tecnologias de comunicação, tornando cotidiana e corriqueira a efetuação de contatos sociais intermediados por tais artefatos tecnológicos. Para este estudo, utilizei como metodologia uma compilação de etnografias (visto que cada antropólogo organiza no campo a sua etnografia), para que fosse possível o acesso de diversas nuanças das relações afetivas em territórios privados e íntimos dos jovens que participaram deste estudo através de entrevistas e observação participante. Constatei que eles se apropriaram do celular como conjunto de tecnologias de comunicação pessoal portáteis e, em especial, das mensagens de texto como uma forma de manutenção e ampliação das relações afetivas através de estratégias de performance que possibilitam: seduzir concomitantemente diversas pessoas com mínimo investimento afetivo e exposição e máximo aproveitamento no tocante a estímulos de sedução; manter registros afetivos regulares entre namorados, independente de onde e do que estejam fazendo, visto que as mensagens podem ficar armazenadas e serem acessadas com discrição mesmo em lugares e situações em que seria inapropriado falar por telefone; registrar memórias afetivas, em virtude de no celular poder ser armazenado e revisto um grande número de dados que se tornam marcos de referência de situações amorosas; estimular recordações de emoções vivenciadas em cada situação e; marcar encontros de sociabilização entre amigos com o mínimo investimento de tempo e baixo custo de comunicação e máxima eficiência na recepção do conteúdo informacional. Dentro deste cenário, verifiquei que a dinâmica social gerada possivelmente reflete em mudanças nas formas com que os relacionamentos afetivos são mantidos e ampliados, favorecendo com isso a constituição de novas subjetividades. / The aim of this study was to analyze how are constructed the affective relationships by networks of socialization of middle-class youths living in Rio de Janeiro's South Zone, established through cell phone contact. Thus it was possible to verify the new dynamics in contemporary subjectivity, framed in the culture of consumption, from the appropriation of this set of communication technologies in social and emotional sets of life, especially in the casual relationships and the ones between friends and lovers. The primary assumption is that people in contemporary society are appropriating the communication technologies on large scale, and that current social contacts are being increasingly intermediated by such technological artifacts. For this study, the methodology employed was a compilation of ethnographies (considering that each anthropologist organizes, in the field, his own ethnography),to allows access to various nuances of the affective relationships of the young study participants in private and intimate situations through interviews and participant observation. It was observed that they use cell phones as a set of technologies for portable and personal communication, specially text messages, to maintain and expand the affective network through performance strategies that allow to: seduce many people at the same time with minimal emotional investment and best use of stimuli seduction; keep regular affective records between lovers, regardless of their location or activity, since the messages can be stored and accessed in places and situations where it would be inappropriate to talk by phone; register emotional memories, because in cell phones a large number of data can become mementos of affective relationships; stimulate memories of emotions experienced in each situation; and to set dates and meetings for socializing with friends with the minimum investment of time and cost of communication and maximum efficiency in the receipt of the informational content. Within this context, the conclusion is that the social dynamics generated possibly reflects changes in the ways how affective relationships networks are maintained and expanded, favoring the formation of new subjectivities.

Submitted by BETHANYA GRAICK CARIZIO null (bethanya.carizio@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-04-18T04:21:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO_BETHANYA_G_CARIZIO_PPG_DESIGN.pdf: 4436212 bytes, checksum: f2f9fe75b5430036c2548a2454b777fd (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-04-19T13:26:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 carizio_bc_me_bauru.pdf: 4436212 bytes, checksum: f2f9fe75b5430036c2548a2454b777fd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-19T13:26:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 carizio_bc_me_bauru.pdf: 4436212 bytes, checksum: f2f9fe75b5430036c2548a2454b777fd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-17 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / O uso de telefone celular durante a condução de automóvel é uma causa importante de risco aumentado de acidentes. Distratores, como conversar ao telefone celular no modo viva-voz ou segurando o equipamento na mão, interferem no mecanismo atencional, e tendem a perturbar o comportamento perceptual e motor dos motoristas. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito distrator de usar o telefone celular (condições viva-voz e na mão) sobre o comportamento perceptivo-motor de motoristas durante a direção simulada de automóvel. Dez motoristas novatos e dez experientes tiveram a cinemática de olhos e cabeça mensurada enquanto dirigiam em um simulador de direção sob condições de 80-120 km/h de velocidade, luz do dia, trajetória linear e baixo nível de tráfego. De modo geral, os resultados mostraram que o número de fixações aumentou, o tempo relativo de fixação diminuiu, a variância horizontal e vertical do olhar, a variância da posição e da orientação da cabeça aumentou durante as condições de uso do celular viva-voz e na mão, comparadas à condição controle (sem conversa). Efeitos dos grupos de experiência não foram observados. Em suma, conversar ao telefone celular tende a perturbar a atenção devido à diminuição da estabilidade de olho e da cabeça; consequentemente, à obtenção de informação visual relevante para a segurança da direção. Áreas de estudo como o design ergonômico podem efetivamente auxiliar o planejamento de equipamentos e de aparelhos que atendem às demandas cognitivas, perceptuais e motoras dos motoristas, contribuindo para a segurança no trânsito. / Using a mobile phone while driving a car is an important cause of increase ed risk of accidents. Distractors such as talking on a cell phone in speakerphone mode or holding the device in hand interfere in the attentional mechanism and tend to disrupt drivers’ perceptual and motor behavior. The aim of this study was to evaluate the distractor effect of using a cell phone (speakerphone mode and in hand conditions) on drivers’ perceptual-motor behavior during simulated car driving. Ten novices and ten experienced drivers had eyes and head kinematics measured while driving in a driver simulator under conditions of 80-120 Km/h velocity, day light, linear trajectory, and low traffic level. Generally, results showed that number of fixations increased, relative fixation time decreased, horizontal and vertical gaze variance increased, and variance of head position and orientation increased during both speakerphone mode and in hand conditions of mobile phone use, as compared to the control (no talking) condition. Effects of experience group were not observed. In sum, talking on a mobile phone tend to disturb attention due to decrease in eyes and head stability and, consequently, pickup of relevant visual information for safety driving. Areas of study as ergonomic design can effectively help in the planning of equipment or devices that meet the cognitive, perceptual and motor drivers’ demands, contributing to road safety.

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi analisar como se dão as relações afetivas através da socialização de jovens cariocas de classe média da zona sul do Rio de Janeiro, estabelecidas através do contato por telefonia celular. Com isso, foi possível verificar as novas dinâmicas na subjetividade contemporânea, pautadas na cultura de consumo, a partir da apropriação desse conjunto de tecnologias da comunicação, nas relações sociais e afetivas, em especial na ficação, além das relações entre amigos e namorados. Parto do pressuposto de que os indivíduos contemporâneos estão se apropriando, em larga escala, das tecnologias de comunicação, tornando cotidiana e corriqueira a efetuação de contatos sociais intermediados por tais artefatos tecnológicos. Para este estudo, utilizei como metodologia uma compilação de etnografias (visto que cada antropólogo organiza no campo a sua etnografia), para que fosse possível o acesso de diversas nuanças das relações afetivas em territórios privados e íntimos dos jovens que participaram deste estudo através de entrevistas e observação participante. Constatei que eles se apropriaram do celular como conjunto de tecnologias de comunicação pessoal portáteis e, em especial, das mensagens de texto como uma forma de manutenção e ampliação das relações afetivas através de estratégias de performance que possibilitam: seduzir concomitantemente diversas pessoas com mínimo investimento afetivo e exposição e máximo aproveitamento no tocante a estímulos de sedução; manter registros afetivos regulares entre namorados, independente de onde e do que estejam fazendo, visto que as mensagens podem ficar armazenadas e serem acessadas com discrição mesmo em lugares e situações em que seria inapropriado falar por telefone; registrar memórias afetivas, em virtude de no celular poder ser armazenado e revisto um grande número de dados que se tornam marcos de referência de situações amorosas; estimular recordações de emoções vivenciadas em cada situação e; marcar encontros de sociabilização entre amigos com o mínimo investimento de tempo e baixo custo de comunicação e máxima eficiência na recepção do conteúdo informacional. Dentro deste cenário, verifiquei que a dinâmica social gerada possivelmente reflete em mudanças nas formas com que os relacionamentos afetivos são mantidos e ampliados, favorecendo com isso a constituição de novas subjetividades. / The aim of this study was to analyze how are constructed the affective relationships by networks of socialization of middle-class youths living in Rio de Janeiro's South Zone, established through cell phone contact. Thus it was possible to verify the new dynamics in contemporary subjectivity, framed in the culture of consumption, from the appropriation of this set of communication technologies in social and emotional sets of life, especially in the casual relationships and the ones between friends and lovers. The primary assumption is that people in contemporary society are appropriating the communication technologies on large scale, and that current social contacts are being increasingly intermediated by such technological artifacts. For this study, the methodology employed was a compilation of ethnographies (considering that each anthropologist organizes, in the field, his own ethnography),to allows access to various nuances of the affective relationships of the young study participants in private and intimate situations through interviews and participant observation. It was observed that they use cell phones as a set of technologies for portable and personal communication, specially text messages, to maintain and expand the affective network through performance strategies that allow to: seduce many people at the same time with minimal emotional investment and best use of stimuli seduction; keep regular affective records between lovers, regardless of their location or activity, since the messages can be stored and accessed in places and situations where it would be inappropriate to talk by phone; register emotional memories, because in cell phones a large number of data can become mementos of affective relationships; stimulate memories of emotions experienced in each situation; and to set dates and meetings for socializing with friends with the minimum investment of time and cost of communication and maximum efficiency in the receipt of the informational content. Within this context, the conclusion is that the social dynamics generated possibly reflects changes in the ways how affective relationships networks are maintained and expanded, favoring the formation of new subjectivities.

O viés da tarifa fixa ocorre quando um consumidor contrata um determinado nível de serviço e, em média, consome menos do que ele/ela tem direito a consumir. Tal comportamento é documentado em variados setores, em especial no de telecomunicações. Nesta dissertação, espera-se que o tipo de tarifa que uma pessoa tem seja a causa de determinados comportamentos. Assim, este estudo se baseia nas teorias da contabilidade mental e da dissociação da transação, para medir o impacto de tipos diferentes de tarifas no comportamento de consumo de telefonia móvel. Em uma sequência de três experimentos, foi descoberto que usuários de tarifa fixa são mais dispostos a abrir mão do consumo e se sentem menos frustrados e menos arrependidos do que usuários de tarifa por uso. Este comportamento é condizente com os efeitos dos custos irrecuperáveis que, conforme hipotetizado, também são observados em serviços por assinatura, e não apenas transacionais. Adicionalmente, foi observado que na medida em que aumenta a quantidade de pessoas consumindo o mesmo plano, a disposição a renunciar o consumo permanece a mesma. Por fim, foi observado que o viés da tarifa fixa não compromete comportamentos futuros, como a intenção de migrar ou permanecer com o mesmo plano. Estes resultados apoiam tanto implicações gerenciais quanto teóricas, e oferecem novos caminhos de estudos em mercados menos típicos, porém promissores, de serviços por assinatura. / The flat-rate bias takes place whenever a consumer contracts a given service level and, in average, consumes only a fraction of what s/he is entitled. Such behavior is documented in a number of different sectors, specially the telecommunications sector. In this thesis, the type of tariff an individual has is expected to be the cause of particular behaviors. Therefore, this study draws on mental accounting and transaction decoupling theories, to measure the impact of different types of tariffs on mobile phone consumer behavior. In a series of three experiments, it was found that flat-rate consumers are more willing to forgo consumption and they feel less frustrated and less regretful than users of a pay-per-use plan. This behavior is consistent with the sunk cost effects which, as hypothesed, can also be seen in contract services, and not only in transactional ones. Additionally, it was noted that as the amount of people consuming the same plan increases, the willingness to forgo consumption remains unaltered. Finally, it was observed that the flat-rate bias does not commit future behavior, such as the intention to either change or stay with the same plan. These results support both managerial and theoretical implications, and offer new avenues of studies on the less typical, yet promising, markets of subscription services.

ABSTRACT: “The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information that exist. If a blind person has proper training and opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a physical nuisance.”- National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Multi-touch screen is a relatively new and revolutionary technology in mobile phone industry. Being mostly software driven makes these phones highly customizable for all sorts of users including blind and visually impaired people. In this research, we present new interface layouts for multi-touch screen mobile phones that enable visionless people to enter text in the form of Braille cells. Braille is the only way for these people to directly read and write without getting help from any extra assistive instruments. It will be more convenient and interesting for them to be provided with facilities to interact with new technologies using their language, Braille. We started with a literature review on existing eyes-free text entry methods and also text input devices, to find out their strengths and weaknesses. At this stage we were aiming at identifying the difficulties that unsighted people faced when working with current text entry methods. Then we conducted questionnaire surveys as the quantitative method and interviews as the qualitative method of our user study to get familiar with users’ needs and expectations. At the same time we studied the Braille language in detail and examined currently available multi-touch mobile phone feedbacks. At the designing stage, we first investigated different possible ways of entering a Braille “cell” on a multi-touch screen, regarding available input techniques and also considering the Braille structure. Then, we developed six different alternatives of entering the Braille cells on the device; we laid out a mockup for each and documented them using Gestural Modules Document and Swim Lanes techniques. Next, we prototyped our designs and evaluated them utilizing Pluralistic Walkthrough method and real users. Next step, we refined our models and selected the two bests, as main results of this project based on good gestural interface principles and users’ feedbacks. Finally, we discussed the usability of our elected methods in comparison with the current method visually impaired use to enter texts on the most popular multi-touch screen mobile phone, iPhone. Our selected designs reveal possibilities to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the existing text entry methods in multi-touch screen mobile phones for Braille literate people. They also can be used as guidelines for creating other multi-touch input devices for entering Braille in an apparatus like computer.

Mostly technological innovation depends on user interface design to enhance the technical complexity of products that match the end user requirements. The acceptance key of any technological product is user experience that how the user understands the end product. In design process a systematic approach is required to optimize user interface design to ensure optimal performance and usability testing. The main objective of this study is to identify the challenges and issues related to mobile phone software interface design in context of elderly people. The result of this study will support to mobile phone software interface designers and developers. During the investigation authors are trying to discover the usability problems faced by the elderly people using the current mobile phone software interface. The questionnaire technique was selected to collect the requirements from elderly about the mobile phone software interface. The finding of questionnaires was used to develop design guidelines for low fidelity prototype of mobile phone software interface. Moreover, usability testing was conducting to validate the design of low fidelity prototype. This thesis presents how we design mobile phone software interface for elderly with declining eyesight. Our system enables elderly declining eyesight to use their mobile phone by selecting different display modes.

This study aims to identify key usability factors in a GIS (Geographical Information System) web service for mobile phone. The study also includes a usability evaluation of such a prototype. The prototype was created with the objective of evaluating the cleanliness in the city of Gävle and involving the users in keeping the city clean. Research on the subject of usability was performed in preparation for the development of the prototype. The subsequent usability test that was performed showed that the prototype was highly usable in consideration to efficiency, learnability and satisfaction. However in regards to effectiveness, the prototype was in its current state not highly usable.

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Free fall drop testing is an important part of the development of commercial electronic components and devices. In the process of optimizing the quality of their entire product range, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB have decided to review their free fall drop test equipment with the goal of increasing the precision, repeatability, and time efficiency of their drop test applications. In regard to the free fall drop test principle a robot system with management software, named Doris Drop Test System, is developed to meet these goals. As the amount of related work for this application is as minimal as the timeframes for this project, the development process is empirical and entrepreneurial with engineering skills as the governing line of work. Combining the competence from fields such as mechanics, electronics and product development, reaching the goals is successful enabling the identifying of two different drop methods – Impact Position and Drop Position. Increasing the repeatability from approximately 10% to 85% enables anyone at any time to perform the exact mobile phone drop test. By reaching a precision of up to 100%, performing free fall drop tests aiming for testing specific mobile phone parts, optimizes the development process by faster detection of mechanical weaknesses. Achieving these results in parallel with increasing the throughput by shortening the testing time, has proven the success of the Doris Drop Test System.

Several studies have highlighted the possibility that radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) used in mobile phone technology could influence DNA integrity of male germ cells as well as sperm motility. Current knowledge concerning the influence of RF-EMF on male germ cells is extremely limited. In the present study the hypothesis that 900 MHz GSM radiation could induce the activation of stress response in human spermatozoa was investigated. Ejaculated, density purified, human spermatozoa from donors were exposed to 900 MHz GSM mobile phone radiation at specific absorption rate (SAR) levels of 2.0 and 5.7 W/kg and examined at various time points post exposure. Sperm motility and morphology were evaluated by computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA). The ability of RF-EMF exposed sperm to undergo the acrosome reaction was evaluated by flow cytometry. Sperm binding to the zona pellucida of human oocytes was determined by the hemi-zona (HZA) assay. Apoptotic markers, phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization, change in mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, caspase activation and DNA fragmentation were analysed using flow cytometry. Heat shock protein (Hsp) 27 and 70 expression and activity were analyzed using specific antibodies with flow cytometry and Western blot methods. Stress fibre stabilization (F-actin polymerization) was visualized using fluorescent dye labelled phalloidin. No effect was seen on kinematic parameters assessed at SAR 2.0 W/kg, however straight line velocity (VSL) and beat cross frequency (BCF) were significantly altered after exposure at SAR 5.7 W/kg. Sperm shrinkage (decrease in surface area) was observed at both exposure levels. RF-EMF did not influence exposed spermatozoa’s ability to undergo the acrosome reaction. A significant decrease in sperm-zona binding was observed at both exposure levels. RF radiation did not have an effect on any apoptotic markers. ROS generation increased significantly with an increase in SAR (5.7 W/kg). RF-EMF did not induce a stress response in exposed sperm (no activation of Hsp70 and 27 activity). These results cannot be ascribed to heating, as the temperature did not increase by more than 0.2 - 0.3ºC during exposure. The decrease in sperm-zona binding is the result of an alternative non-stress inducible pathway. This study should be replicated at lower SAR levels that would simulate the radiation absorption from carrying the cell phone in a pocket close to the testes. / Thesis (PhD (Reproductive Biology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Obstetrics and Gynaecology / unrestricted