In this work, chitin (CTN), chitosan (CTS) and activated carbon (AC) were used as adsorbents to recover metals (Au, Ni and Cu) from leachates of mobile phone wastes. The mobile phone wastes (contactors) were collected and characterized. The metals were extracted by thiourea leaching. The adsorption of metals from the leachates was studied according to the kinetic and equilibrium viewpoints. It was found that the contactors were composed by Au, Ni, Cu and Sn. The thiourea leaching provided extraction percentages of 68.6% for Au, 22.1% for Ni and 2.8% for Cu. Sn was not extracted. The leachate presented 17.5 mg L��1 of Au, 324.9 mg L��1 of Ni and 573.1 mg L��1 of Cu. The adsorption was fast, being the maximum time to attain the equilibrium of 120 min. The adsorption of Au, Ni and Cu onto CTN and AC followed the Langmuir model, while, the adsorption of these metals onto CTS followed the Freundlich model. Removal percentages higher than 95% were obtained for all metals, depending of the type and amount of adsorbent. It was demonstrated that the adsorption onto chitin, chitosan and activated carbon can be an alternative to recover valuable metals and purify the leachates of mobile phone wastes. / Neste trabalho, quitina, quitosana e carvão ativado foram utilizados como adsorventes para recuperar metais (Au, Ni e Cu) de lixiviados de contactores de telefones celulares. Os contactores foram coletados e caracterizados. Os metais foram extraídos por lixiviação com tioureia. A adsorção dos metais dos lixiviados foi estudada de acordo com a cinética e o equilíbrio. Verificou-se que os contactores são compostos por Au, Ni, Cu e Sn. A lixiviação com tioureia forneceu percentuais de extração de 68,6% para o Au, 22,1% para o Ni e 2,8% para o cobre. O Sn não foi extraído. O lixiviado apresentou 17,5 mg L-1 de Au, 324,9 mg L-1 de Ni e 573,1 mg L-1 de Cu. A adsorção foi rápida, sendo o tempo máximo para alcançar o equilíbrio de 120 min. A adsorção de Au, Ni e Cu sobre quitina e carvão ativado seguiu o modelo de Langmuir, enquanto que, a adsorção destes metais com a quitosana seguiu o modelo de Freundlich. Percentuais de remoção superiores a 95% foram obtidos para todos os metais, dependendo do tipo e da quantidade de adsorvente. Demonstrou-se que a adsorção em quitina, quitosana e carvão ativado pode ser uma alternativa para recuperar metais valiosos e purificar os lixiviados de resíduos de telefones celulares.

A tendência de utilização de dados voluntários e colaborativos no contexto de fenômenos naturais é crescente. Esse fato, aliado aos alagamentos e inundações que ocorrem na cidade de São Paulo, traz a possibilidade de exploração sobre o modo voluntário e colaborativo de geração e transmissão do dado geográfico de forma dinâmica. Isso é proporcionado por tecnologias acessíveis à população, como a Internet, o GPS (Global Positioning System) e demais sistemas de localização embarcados em celulares. A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo a proposta de um esquema conceitual para um sistema dinâmico e colaborativo de mapeamento dos pontos alagados, cuja fonte de dados advém das pessoas equipadas com aparelhos celulares que permitem a sua localização. Os resultados apresentados correspondem aos esquemas conceituais do sistema, bem como ao protótipo Pontos de Alagamento - mapa disponibilizado via web com os pontos de alagamento da cidade, fornecidos no momento da ocorrência do evento por pessoas comuns. O protótipo foi desenvolvido por meio da plataforma livre e de código aberto Crowdmap/Ushahidi. O sistema foi avaliado através de um questionário respondido por usuários, os quais opinaram sobre a viabilidade do mesmo, bem como os ajustes que devem ser realizados para o uso efetivo da população. Constatou-se a complexidade e as particularidades da aplicação para alagamentos e inundações, em especial com relação à questão temporal. / The trend of using volunteered and crowd data in natural phenomenon contexts is growing. This fact coupled with flooding that occurred in the city of São Paulo, brings the possibility of exploration about the voluntary and collaborative approach to the generation and transmission of the geographic data dynamically. And these are provided by technologies accessible to the population, such as internet, GPS (Global Positioning System) and other positioning systems embedded in cell phones. This research aims to propose a conceptual scheme for a dynamic and collaborative mapping system of flooding, whose source of data corresponds to those equipped with mobile devices that enable location. The results correspond to the conceptual schemes of the system as well as the prototype Points of Flooding available map on the web with the points of flooding, provided at the time of the event by people. The prototype was developed through the free and open source platform Crowdmap/Ushahidi The system was evaluated by a questionnaire answered by users, who opined about the viability of this as well as the adjustments that must be done for the effective use by population. There has been a thoughtful analysis of the complexity and particularities of the application to flooding, particularly related to temporal issue.

The goal of this work is to demonstrate the value of students self-expression through visual and sound narratives, allowing an exploration of sense and reason. The work is focused on a participative action-research, developed with high school students, specifically grade 9th, in a total of 27 students from the public school system in the city of Santa Maria, RS. The research aims to answer the following question: What is the role of the individual in this socio-environmental context? This question leads to the search of a protagonist and co-authorship role in interpretation, creation and recreation of reality that fosters the development of autonomy, interdisciplinary and contextualization. This is achieved through the identification of themes using the research as a basis to build actions and find the answer related to the selected problem. The research was carried out in 2015 and its overall goal was to apply visual and oral expression and through them build perceptions and concepts that allows the expression of ideas and feelings, as well as establish actions through the use of mobile devices. The specific goals are: to identify environmental themes; to define the main environmental problems in the community we live; to come up with collaborative strategies to bring forth our reality for the better understanding of the environmental theme; to use the mobile phone as a supporter the collect and publish the data, to explore student s oral and visual expression through and to build strategies for the comprehension of the problem at hand as well their socialization with the local community. Mobile phones were used to register relevant data such as images, sound, testimonies, and also for internet research, proving that the use of technology in the classroom modifies the process of teaching and learning, giving value to the students and bringing new perspectives to the learning experience. The results obtained were: a lecture with the Veterinarian class from UFSM, the writing of a letter to the city hall informing them of the project underway in the school and in the community, as well as asking for support in the project s development. The writing of a final reflective text, the suggestions of solutions to the problem giving emphasis to the creation of a Facebook page to bring the groups suggestions together. The use of mobile phones, a device every day more present in our lives, is not only practical, multifunctional, portable and light, but is also allows faster access to information, which creates a link between the possibilities and conflicts that its use fosters inside the learning institutions. / O foco investigativo deste trabalho consiste na valorização da autoexpressão dos estudantes mediante narrativas visuais e sonoras, possibilitando, por meio da oralidade, explorar os sentidos e a razão. Trabalhou-se numa perspectiva de pesquisa-ação participativa, desenvolvida com os estudantes do Ensino Fundamental, séries finais, especificamente o 8º ano, envolvendo um total de 27 estudantes, de uma escola pública da rede Estadual no município de Santa Maria RS. A proposta busca responder a questão: Qual é o papel do indivíduo inserido neste contexto socioambiental? Tal questionamento direciona para a busca de um papel de protagonismo e co-autoria na interpretação, criação e recriação da realidade, potencializando o desenvolvimento da autonomia, interdisciplinaridade e contextualização, mediante a identificação de temas utilizando a pesquisa como base para construir as ações e encontrar as resposta com relação a problematização selecionada. A pesquisa se desenvolveu no ano de 2015, tendo como objetivo geral: utilizar a expressão oral e visual e, através delas, construir percepções e conceitos que possibilitem a expressão de idéias e sentimentos, além de estruturar as ações, mediante a utilização dos dispositivos móveis. Os objetivos específicos são: Identificar temas ambientais; levantar os principais problemas ambientais na comunidade onde vivemos; elaborar de forma colaborativa estratégias de resgate da realidade para a compreensão do tema ambiental; utilizar os dispositivos móveis como suporte para a coleta e divulgação dos dados da pesquisa; explorar a partir dos dispositivos móveis a expressão oral e visual dos estudantes e construir estratégias para a compreensão do problema estudado, bem como sua socialização com a comunidade local. Os celulares seriam utilizados para registrar os dados relevantes como imagens, som, os relatos e pesquisar na internet, comprovando que o uso das tecnologias na sala de aula modifica o processo de ensinar e aprender, valorizando o estudante e trazendo novas perspectivas para o aprendizado. Os resultados obtidos foram: palestra com o curso da Veterinária da UFSM, elaboração de uma carta para a prefeitura de Santa Maria, informando sobre o trabalho que desenvolvíamos na escola e comunidade, como também solicitar apoio no desenvolvimento do mesmo, criação de um texto conclusivo, elaboração de propostas para a solução do problema, destacando a criação da página no facebook como sugestão chave para englobar as proposições dos grupos. O uso de dispositivos móveis, cada vez mais presentes na vida cotidiana, além de ser prático, multifuncional, portátil e leve, permite potencializar o acesso a informação, criando um link entre possibilidades e conflitos que o seu uso provoca no interior das instituições de ensino.

Orientador: Vitor Baranauskas / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Eletrica e de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-05T19:00:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Garcez_ScheilaGuedes_M.pdf: 4340903 bytes, checksum: dea029add06ff470ae4ab6fa9dfd28de (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Resumo: Este trabalho apresenta subsídios para uma análise preliminar dos efeitos da interação de campos eletromagnéticos com alguns tipos de tecidos, biológicos. A motivação está na necessidade da avaliação de tais efeitos tendo em vista a da grande difusão na utilização de aparelhos celulares. Nese sentido, os campos analisados estão nas freqüências de 800- 900 e 1800 MHz e nas potências de 600. 250 e 125 mW, respectivamente, que representam valores efetivamente utilizados, principalmente pela tecnologia digitai GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication). O método utilizado roi o FDTD. (Finite-Difference Time-Domain) implementado no software Matlab e os resultados de SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) foram obtidos e comparados com os dado:-publicados por algumas agendas reguladoras / Abstract: This work presents the basis for a primary analysis concerning the effects of iteraiton between electromagnetic fields and some kinds of biological tissues. The motivation is the evaluation need of such effects observing the great diffusion of mobile phones. Therefore, the analyzed fields are in the frequencies of 800. 900 and 1800 MHz with output power of 600, 250 and 125 mW. respectively, which correspond to effective!1, used values, most!) for GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) digital technology. The used method was FDTD (Finite-Difference Time-Domain) and it was implememed using Mat lab software. The results related lo SAR (Specific Absorption Rate; were achieved and compared with the data published by some regulatory agencies / Mestrado / Eletrônica, Microeletrônica e Optoeletrônica / Mestre em Engenharia Elétrica

The study looked at the viability of using mobile phones by an academic health library to provide health information to rural women. It is understood that Mobile phones have become household items thereby providing an opportunity for organisation to use them for information delivery. Access to information by individuals is essential in reducing people’s levels of uncertainty especially in matters that relate to growth and survival such as health. The central research question upon which this study was based was, “How can an academic library adopt the use of mobile phones as an information delivery device to enhance access to health information for rural women?” with sub-questions focusing on information needs and sources of health information for women and the adaptation of mobile services within the library. It further looked at appropriate partnership needed in developing mobile services for health information delivery. Reviewed literature revealed that mobile phones are already being used by several organisations in making available information. In particular academic libraries have embraced the mobile revolution by creating mobile services for their users. A qualitative approach was adopted for this study and interviews were used for all the three categories of respondents, who are rural women from Buyengo sub-county, health workers from Kakaire health centre iv and librarians from Albert Cook Medical Library. Findings from the study have shown that in the information era where one’s survival is highly dependent upon information, rural women do not have access to credible sources of health information despite the fact that they have high demand for health information because of the soaring disease burden in rural areas. The study without doubt has led to the establishment that the use of mobile phones to fill this gap is a cost effective and life saving venture which if well set up and implemented will add to the global programmes initiated with the aim of reducing child mortality, maternal deaths and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. / Mini Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Information Science / MIT / Unrestricted

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short range wireless communication protocol which is primarily intended to be used on mobile phones. Building upon existing infrastructure of RFID, NFC brings simplicity for connection of mobile devices, service initiation, mobile payment and ticketing. However, NFC still remains as a field that number of researches done are limited. The aim of this paper was to provide solutions for the problems of NFC that cause security risks and hurt user experience. To reach this goal we have reviewed the current literature and implemented an NFC application that we have used throughout our user experience tests. This application provides a practical way to store and transfer contact information using NFC. The results of the study indicated that usability and security suffer from lack of user awareness and physical design of the mobile phones.

The last few years has witnessed a fast growth in technological advancement which has led to the development of several consumer electronic devices for different purposes or functionalities. For convenience and efficiency, there is the need to bring together all the different functionalities of these devices into a single multipurpose device such as mobile phone with the help of NFC (near field communication) technology. The need for NFC technology in mobile devices is fast gaining popularity in some countries, especially with the successes recorded in some of the NFC pilot projects. The NFC enabled mobile device is very intuitive; works with already existing infrastructures (i.e. ISO/IEC 14443 smartcards and it readers), allows for multiple applications, has a high level of security and comes with unique and attractive features, such as the ability to serve as both reader and writer modes, etc. NFC standards are specified by NFC Forum and it has a well organised ecosystem. This thesis is focused on the potentials of NFC and how it is used as a multipurpose device.

This study is about language use in text messaging. In this study there are 338 text messages: 206 of them written by girls and 132 written by boys. The informants in the study are 16 years old and they live in the countryside on the outskirts of a small town in southern Sweden. The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristic linguistic features in the messages, in order to determine what significant meaning an emoticon such as a smiley brings to a text and further, to explore what speech acts smileys occur in. The results show that the language in the messages is a mix of spoken and written language. The characteristic features that were found in the messages were short sentences, onomatopoetic expressions, words written in capital letters, English expressions and use of smileys. Most of the speech acts in the messages were expressions of feelings or attitude. In the investigated corpus, 181 emoticons were found, scrutinized and placed into categories, which show various kinds of implicit information. The girls have used 97 emoticons and the boys 84. The most common emoticon was ,  which appeared 66 times in the messages and mostly served the purpose of making the message nice and friendly and sometimes to alleviate a direction. The reason for using emoticons in text messages was to bring life to it by expressing feelings, without an emoticon the true emotion of the message can easily be misunderstood.

At least 30 million men are infertile around the world, identifying male factor infertility as a global health issue. In the past 70 years, evidence of a significant general decline in sperm quality has been reported, prompting concerns about the implications for reproductive health. Over the same period, there have been substantial changes in human lifestyles. New technologies, such as mobile phones and wi-fi, have been proposed to have a negative impact on a range of health outcomes, from an increased risk of cancer to a decrease in fertility. However, these links remain controversial. Over the last 30 years, the introduction of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has offered infertile patients, particularly men with severe male factor infertility, a successful treatment option. However, miscarriage rates associated with fertility treatment can be as high as 30% and how this risk had changed over time was unclear. In addition, there are natural fluctuations in human health, including seasonal changes to birth rates. However, the clinical implications of these fluctuations need to be established. In this thesis, using an integrated approach that combined epidemiological research with laboratory investigations, I show that sperm quality is negatively affected by exposure to RF-EMR from mobile phones and wi-fi. I also identified a seasonal summer increase in sperm motility and morphology that followed patterns of seasonality in birth rates and in the success of assisted conception cycles. I showed that although the number of successful conceptions from ART has increased over time, there has been an equal increase in miscarriage rates. Male reproductive health continues to be under-researched when compared with the female, this inequality needs to be addressed in order to understand the causes of the decline in male fertility and the relationship this has with subsequent reproductive success.

Mobile technologies are the latest technologies in the realm of communication media. They have the potential to flatten the world by making it a place where gender, age, class, race and nationality can no longer hold us back from being heard and being informed. We have learned that these technologies can help to liberate and empower us, and they can lead to a collective cognition as much as they can distract us from what we need to know about the world we live in. In Greece thousands of years ago, a selected number of Greeks had a public space called the Agora to discuss the issues that concerned the public, meaning each and every citizen. They were the first to be able to create the space and place were the word “democracy” could be brought into language; the very word that was used to start a new war in the era of a communication revolution in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. There are still issues that concern the public today such as wars, global warming, homelessness or human rights which are all matters of our collective cognition. However, today in an age of information revolution the public life of people and their collective cognition is being exercised mostly in the virtual spaces of the Internet. Simultaneously, some physical spaces are being abandoned by people. This thesis investigates the possibility of having physical public spaces that are enriched with communication media and not weakened by it. If architects rethink their designs based on a new understanding of the networked society it might be possible to turn this “networked individualism” into a networked collectivism. However, most designed public spaces fail to offer new possibilities that can transform space for the new generation of users. Here, the aim is to understand a new generation of users. Who have they become as a result of new communication media? And how can architects design in a way that responds to this new subject in architecture? / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate