The aim of the research was to explore the relationship between the use of SMS communication by adolescents and their perceived feelings of loneliness. The SMS seems to be the new communication medium for young people as they are most comfortable with and enthusiastic about this technology and its applications. The adolescent stage is characterised by the building of own social networks, the definition of boundaries between themselves and parents, self-presentation constructed on a social stage in relation to others and characterised by the development of romantic attachments, feelings of anxiety, self-esteem development and maintenance which may result in feelings of isolation and loneliness. Loneliness can be defined as an emotional and cognitive reaction to having fewer and less satisfying relationships than one desires. This includes the absence or self-perceived absence of satisfying social relationships and the unpleasant experience that occurs when a person's network of social relations is deficient in some important way. The motivation for this research was to get insight into the relationship between the use of SMS communication and loneliness in the South African context. An internet search on the 13th February 2006 indicated that no research has yet been done on the relationship between the use of the SMS and loneliness of adolescents in South Africa. An availability sample was used. One hundred and seventeen Grade 11 and 12 learners from two schools in the North West Province participated in the research project. An explanatory cross-sectional survey design with features of qualitative data analysis was used in this investigation. Three methods were used to obtain data, namely the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3), Satisfaction with Life Scale as well as a self-compiled questionnaire. After scoring the UCLA scale the researcher determined which of the participants had the highest level of loneliness and the lowest level of loneliness. Two groups were chosen, each consisting or 15 learners, according to the highest and lowest scores on the loneliness scale respectively. These two groups represented the top and bottom 14% of the sample. The data obtained from the self-compiled questionnaire and Satisfaction with Life scale were qualitatively compared. Analysis of the data indicated that there might be a relationship between the experience of loneliness and the following: gender; number of siblings; involvement in romantic relationships; amount of money spent on bill (financial constraints); quantity of SMS messages sent and received; need to stay in contact with friends over the weekend; reasons for sending SMS messages; feelings regarding sending or receiving SMS messages; feelings regarding no response to SMS messages; feeling with regard to not receiving SMS messages from a friend for a long time; initiating of friendships via cellphone and the SMS rather than face-to-face communication. Suggestions for future research projects were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Abstract Wireless communication and monitoring have been applied in military and other related engineering for couples of year. The application concept of this technology is now initiating in family life and the power monitoring of home scale combined with network and wireless communication will be setup in this study. This thesis is based on the use of PIC 16F877 microprocessor as main unit to catch the equipment information and treat the process of state control. The interchange control between information and main computer will be employed by RF wireless modulus. The drawing-type interface of human/machine is designed by using the software of Labview. The internet obeying agreements of TCP/IP communication combined with global movable communication of GSM will be built up to carry out the wireless remote control for safety-management system of power equipment by fast information transfer. This system was approved to meet the define requirements through the processes of analysis¡Bdesign¡Bmanufacturing and test.

The aim of the research was to explore the relationship between the use of SMS communication by adolescents and their perceived feelings of loneliness. The SMS seems to be the new communication medium for young people as they are most comfortable with and enthusiastic about this technology and its applications. The adolescent stage is characterised by the building of own social networks, the definition of boundaries between themselves and parents, self-presentation constructed on a social stage in relation to others and characterised by the development of romantic attachments, feelings of anxiety, self-esteem development and maintenance which may result in feelings of isolation and loneliness. Loneliness can be defined as an emotional and cognitive reaction to having fewer and less satisfying relationships than one desires. This includes the absence or self-perceived absence of satisfying social relationships and the unpleasant experience that occurs when a person's network of social relations is deficient in some important way. The motivation for this research was to get insight into the relationship between the use of SMS communication and loneliness in the South African context. An internet search on the 13th February 2006 indicated that no research has yet been done on the relationship between the use of the SMS and loneliness of adolescents in South Africa. An availability sample was used. One hundred and seventeen Grade 11 and 12 learners from two schools in the North West Province participated in the research project. An explanatory cross-sectional survey design with features of qualitative data analysis was used in this investigation. Three methods were used to obtain data, namely the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3), Satisfaction with Life Scale as well as a self-compiled questionnaire. After scoring the UCLA scale the researcher determined which of the participants had the highest level of loneliness and the lowest level of loneliness. Two groups were chosen, each consisting or 15 learners, according to the highest and lowest scores on the loneliness scale respectively. These two groups represented the top and bottom 14% of the sample. The data obtained from the self-compiled questionnaire and Satisfaction with Life scale were qualitatively compared. Analysis of the data indicated that there might be a relationship between the experience of loneliness and the following: gender; number of siblings; involvement in romantic relationships; amount of money spent on bill (financial constraints); quantity of SMS messages sent and received; need to stay in contact with friends over the weekend; reasons for sending SMS messages; feelings regarding sending or receiving SMS messages; feelings regarding no response to SMS messages; feeling with regard to not receiving SMS messages from a friend for a long time; initiating of friendships via cellphone and the SMS rather than face-to-face communication. Suggestions for future research projects were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Health applications are usually complicated and low end devices do not benefit from them. The focus of this thesis is on expandable health services platform for low end cell phones. Large number of mobile phones in the world are incapable using web or modern operating systems and pre-installed SMS application is the preferred communication medium. Moreover, SMS does not require a stable connection so text-based health information can still be available even during natural disasters. Although our platform is accessible through communication forms other than SMS. We propose a scalable platform for light weight health applications, providing novel and proactive client communication. Using cloud we assure the scalability, elasticity and reliability of the server side. Our multi-layered architecture provides separation of concerns and decoupling of communication and business logic. Furthermore, plug-ins can expand and customize functionalities.

Introdução: A mortalidade materna é aquela resultante de complicações diretas e indiretas da gravidez, parto ou puerpério, e um indicador de saúde da mulher bem como do desempenho dos sistemas de atenção à saúde. O Planejamento Familiar é considerado fundamental na diminuição das taxas de mortalidade materna. A implantação de estratégias efetivas de planejamento familiar no pós-parto (PFPP) poderia contribuir na diminuição das taxas de morbidade e mortalidade materna e infantil, bem como do número de gestações não planejadas e abortos inseguros. O uso de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) em uma intervenção educativa em saúde de PFPP poderia ser considerado uma ferramenta complementar útil na atenção pós-natal. Objetivo: Determinar se o envio de mensagens de texto via Short Message Service (SMS) sobre PFPP, é um complemento útil para o acompanhamento pós-natal, incentivando o uso de anticoncepcional no pós-parto e o retorno à consulta de puerpério. Métodos: Ensaio clínico aleatorizado controlado por grupo . Realizado entre fevereiro de 2015 e junho de 2016 em Ribeirão Preto. Com 420 mulheres, 326 mulheres do grupo de controle e 94 mulheres do grupo com intervenção, cada grupo estava composto por 10 Unidades Básicas e Distritais de Saúde. Mulheres do grupo com intervenção, com idade igual ou superior a 18 anos e com idade gestacional inferior a 20 semanas, foram convidadas a cadastrar-se no programa, após o aceite de participação, foi enviado o primeiro grupo de mensagens com informações referentes ao parto e gravidez, este envio terminava após o parto. Dentro das primeiras 48 horas pós-parto a mulher era entrevistada na maternidade, sendo coletados dados sociodemográficos, e do histórico sexual e reprodutivo, quatro dias após o parto as mulheres do grupo com intervenção que aceitaram receber as mensagens após o parto, receberam o segundo grupo de mensagens durante oito semanas com informações sobre contracepção no pós-parto. No terceiro mês após o parto foram entrevistadas as 420 no domicílio, o uso de anticoncepcional no pós-parto e assistência à consulta puerperal foram avaliados como desfechos principais. Todas as mulheres assinaram o Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido. Resultados: A taxa total de uso de anticoncepcional foi de 92% no terceiro mês após o parto, 89% foram anticoncepcionais hormonais. Em relação á consulta puerperal, 76% das mulheres compareceram à consulta. 7 Conclusões: Não houve diferencia estatisticamente significante entre os grupos, talvez o impacto deste tipo de intervenção educativa pode ser diferente em outros contextos e regiões brasileiras onde a informação em saúde é mais defasada e as mulheres têm mais dificuldades no acesso ao serviço de saúde. Este foi o primeiro estudo da literatura que avaliou o impacto de mensagens educativas via SMS sobre uso de contraceptivos após três meses do parto. Além de promover informação através de SMS, numa linguagem de fácil entendimento para as mulheres sobre saúde reprodutiva, a proposta deste estudo possibilitou a participação ativa dessas mulheres, por possuir um sistema de mensagem de texto bidirecional. / Introduction: Maternal mortality is the result of direct and indirect complications of pregnancy, childbirth or puerperium, and an indicator of women\'s health as well as the performance of health care systems. Family Planning is considered to be crucial in reducing maternal mortality rates. The implementation of effective family planning strategies in the postpartum period (FPPP) could contribute to the reduction of rates of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, as well as the number of unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions. The use of Information and Communication Technologies (CIT) in a FPPP health education intervention could be considered a useful complementary tool in postnatal care. Objective: To determine if the sending of text messages via Short Message Service (SMS) on FPPP is a useful complement to postnatal follow-up, encouraging postpartum contraceptive use and the return to puerperal consultation. Methods: Conglomerate-controlled randomized clinical trial. Held between February 2015 and June 2016 in Ribeirão Preto. With 420 women, 326 women from the conglomerate control and 94 women from the conglomerate with intervention, each conglomerate was composed of 10 Basic and District Health Units. Women of the conglomerate with intervention, aged 18 years or above and with gestational age less than 20 weeks, were invited to join the program, after accepting participation, was sent the first group of messages with information regarding delivery and pregnancy, this shipment ended after delivery. Within the first 48 hours postpartum, the woman was interviewed in the maternity ward, and socio-demographic data and sexual and reproductive history were collected. Four days after delivery, women from the conglomerate with intervention who accepted to receive postpartum messages received the second group of messages for eight weeks with information on postpartum contraception. In the third month after delivery, the 420 women were interviewed at home, postpartum contraceptive use and puerperal consultation were evaluated as the main outcomes. All the women signed the Free and Informed Consent Form. Results: The total contraceptive use rate was 92% in the third month after delivery, 89% were hormonal contraceptives. Regarding the puerperal consultation, 76% of the women attended the consultation. Conclusions: There was no statistically significant 9 difference between groups, perhaps the impact of this type of educational intervention may be different in other Brazilian contexts and regions where health information is more lagged and women have more difficulties in accessing the health service. This was the first study in the literature that evaluated the impact of educational messages via SMS on contraceptive use after three months of childbirth. In addition to promoting information through SMS, in a language that women can easily understand about reproductive health, the proposal of this study made possible the active participation of these women, because it has a two-way text message system.

Introdução: A mortalidade materna é aquela resultante de complicações diretas e indiretas da gravidez, parto ou puerpério, e um indicador de saúde da mulher bem como do desempenho dos sistemas de atenção à saúde. O Planejamento Familiar é considerado fundamental na diminuição das taxas de mortalidade materna. A implantação de estratégias efetivas de planejamento familiar no pós-parto (PFPP) poderia contribuir na diminuição das taxas de morbidade e mortalidade materna e infantil, bem como do número de gestações não planejadas e abortos inseguros. O uso de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) em uma intervenção educativa em saúde de PFPP poderia ser considerado uma ferramenta complementar útil na atenção pós-natal. Objetivo: Determinar se o envio de mensagens de texto via Short Message Service (SMS) sobre PFPP, é um complemento útil para o acompanhamento pós-natal, incentivando o uso de anticoncepcional no pós-parto e o retorno à consulta de puerpério. Métodos: Ensaio clínico aleatorizado controlado por grupo . Realizado entre fevereiro de 2015 e junho de 2016 em Ribeirão Preto. Com 420 mulheres, 326 mulheres do grupo de controle e 94 mulheres do grupo com intervenção, cada grupo estava composto por 10 Unidades Básicas e Distritais de Saúde. Mulheres do grupo com intervenção, com idade igual ou superior a 18 anos e com idade gestacional inferior a 20 semanas, foram convidadas a cadastrar-se no programa, após o aceite de participação, foi enviado o primeiro grupo de mensagens com informações referentes ao parto e gravidez, este envio terminava após o parto. Dentro das primeiras 48 horas pós-parto a mulher era entrevistada na maternidade, sendo coletados dados sociodemográficos, e do histórico sexual e reprodutivo, quatro dias após o parto as mulheres do grupo com intervenção que aceitaram receber as mensagens após o parto, receberam o segundo grupo de mensagens durante oito semanas com informações sobre contracepção no pós-parto. No terceiro mês após o parto foram entrevistadas as 420 no domicílio, o uso de anticoncepcional no pós-parto e assistência à consulta puerperal foram avaliados como desfechos principais. Todas as mulheres assinaram o Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido. Resultados: A taxa total de uso de anticoncepcional foi de 92% no terceiro mês após o parto, 89% foram anticoncepcionais hormonais. Em relação á consulta puerperal, 76% das mulheres compareceram à consulta. 7 Conclusões: Não houve diferencia estatisticamente significante entre os grupos, talvez o impacto deste tipo de intervenção educativa pode ser diferente em outros contextos e regiões brasileiras onde a informação em saúde é mais defasada e as mulheres têm mais dificuldades no acesso ao serviço de saúde. Este foi o primeiro estudo da literatura que avaliou o impacto de mensagens educativas via SMS sobre uso de contraceptivos após três meses do parto. Além de promover informação através de SMS, numa linguagem de fácil entendimento para as mulheres sobre saúde reprodutiva, a proposta deste estudo possibilitou a participação ativa dessas mulheres, por possuir um sistema de mensagem de texto bidirecional. / Introduction: Maternal mortality is the result of direct and indirect complications of pregnancy, childbirth or puerperium, and an indicator of women\'s health as well as the performance of health care systems. Family Planning is considered to be crucial in reducing maternal mortality rates. The implementation of effective family planning strategies in the postpartum period (FPPP) could contribute to the reduction of rates of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, as well as the number of unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions. The use of Information and Communication Technologies (CIT) in a FPPP health education intervention could be considered a useful complementary tool in postnatal care. Objective: To determine if the sending of text messages via Short Message Service (SMS) on FPPP is a useful complement to postnatal follow-up, encouraging postpartum contraceptive use and the return to puerperal consultation. Methods: Conglomerate-controlled randomized clinical trial. Held between February 2015 and June 2016 in Ribeirão Preto. With 420 women, 326 women from the conglomerate control and 94 women from the conglomerate with intervention, each conglomerate was composed of 10 Basic and District Health Units. Women of the conglomerate with intervention, aged 18 years or above and with gestational age less than 20 weeks, were invited to join the program, after accepting participation, was sent the first group of messages with information regarding delivery and pregnancy, this shipment ended after delivery. Within the first 48 hours postpartum, the woman was interviewed in the maternity ward, and socio-demographic data and sexual and reproductive history were collected. Four days after delivery, women from the conglomerate with intervention who accepted to receive postpartum messages received the second group of messages for eight weeks with information on postpartum contraception. In the third month after delivery, the 420 women were interviewed at home, postpartum contraceptive use and puerperal consultation were evaluated as the main outcomes. All the women signed the Free and Informed Consent Form. Results: The total contraceptive use rate was 92% in the third month after delivery, 89% were hormonal contraceptives. Regarding the puerperal consultation, 76% of the women attended the consultation. Conclusions: There was no statistically significant 9 difference between groups, perhaps the impact of this type of educational intervention may be different in other Brazilian contexts and regions where health information is more lagged and women have more difficulties in accessing the health service. This was the first study in the literature that evaluated the impact of educational messages via SMS on contraceptive use after three months of childbirth. In addition to promoting information through SMS, in a language that women can easily understand about reproductive health, the proposal of this study made possible the active participation of these women, because it has a two-way text message system.

Published Article / A company in South Africa is a three-phase induction motor protection relay manufacturer. The function of the protection relay is to capture running data, to provide protection against possible damage, to control an electric motor and to communicate this data to the System Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system in a control room. In the case of remote sites e.g. a pump station, the protection relays are used as standalone units. The protection relays are equipped with communication facilities to be used in an instrumentation environment. If a trip occurs or settings need to be changed a technician has to visit the remote site and address the problem. The ideal cost and time effective solution is to perform these tasks remotely via a reliable wireless network. A study was conducted to ascertain the viability of using the standard GSM cellular networks in South Africa to effectively control electric motors and to communicate with the Motor Protection Relays (MPRs) controlling the electric motors in order to determine the status of a motor, settings of the motor, trips that occurred and time of occurrence. It was shown that a node controller could be used to store all the data from various electric motors at a single location. It was also shown that the data from the different electric motors could be analysed at the node controller and that communication can then be initiated from the controller to a responsible person via the GSM network. It was further illustrated that, by making use of the GSM networks in South Africa together with the short message service (SMS), communication and control can be effectively established. SMSs proved to be a reliable means of communication between cellular phones, an embedded network and MPRs. It was shown that software protocols, although slower in communication speed, proved to be reliable and effective for the purpose of transferring information between the node controller and the motor protection relays connected to the electric motors.

This thesis discusses the creation of a novel platform that incorporates multiple communication methods, including SMS, email and web-based technologies, for interacting with users of mobile communication devices. The platform utilises people in a mobile environment to solve a range of different application problems, where each problem is a separate and distinct scenario type with unique objectives. There are existing applications available that interact with users of mobile communication devices to provide a service, such as regular weather updates to the users. Other applications have been designed to manage and coordinate the users to perform tasks within a mobile environment, such as performing field studies for scientific purposes. However, the existing applications are designed for only one specific scenario, with the design and implementation solely focused on solving the objectives of that scenario. Each component of these applications needs to be developed from scratch in order to cater for the application s requirements. There is currently no integrated communications platform that offers a framework for supporting a range of different scenario types. The new platform, entitled the Connected-Mobile Platform, aims to support the rapid development and implementation of new scenarios. This platform is composed of a framework of generic components that enable the active running of multiple scenarios concurrently, with the ability to tailor to the requirements of new scenarios as they arise via a structured process. The platform facilitates a means to coordinate its users in order to tackle the objectives of a scenario. The thesis investigates several system architectures to determine an appropriate architectural design for constructing the proposed platform. The platform has a generic framework, based on a client-server architecture, to facilitate the inclusion of a multitude of scenarios. A scenario represents a problem or an event, whereby the platform can utilise and interact with users of mobile communication devices to attempt to solve the objectives of the scenario. Three mobile communication methods are supported; the Short Message Service, electronic mail and web-forms via the mobile internet. Users are able to select and switch between the different methods. The thesis describes the platform s tailored communication structure for scenarios and autonomous analysis of messages. The thesis discusses case studies of two different scenarios to evaluate the platform s facilities for rapid scenario development. The Diet Diary scenario, which is for individual users, aims to manage a user s daily calorie intake to help them reach their desired weight goal. The focus is on the platform s functionality for analysing and responding to messages autonomously. The Missing Persons scenario, which utilises multiple users, involves tracking and locating people who have been reported missing. The focus is on the platform s functionality for coordinating the multiple users, through the creation of assignments, in order to distribute the scenario objectives. The thesis concludes by highlighting the novel features of the platform and identifying opportunities for future work.

The thesis studies the literacy practices of a group of young people in Närpes in southern Ostrobothnia, Finland with focus on SMS (Short Message Service), both in Standard Swedish and in dialect, but for the most part written in dialect. The aim of the investigation is to describe this writing as a social marker (young people against adults) and its function as an identity act. In addition the study investigates the orthographic norms and conventions that the young people use in their writing. The material consists of 520 SMS and such material as was collected through inquiries and interviews. In Närpes, as in many other Finland Swedish dialect areas, the dialect has got widened areas of usage and is well established and accepted in more domains than before. It is used in the new media and is thereby also gaining larger scope in public space. This also applies to writing SMS in dialect. The theoretical points of departure are taken from sociolinguistics and literacy research. A central concept is the new writing, i.e. writing in electronic media such as e.g. SMS and e-mail, which are somewhere between speech and writing. This has given speech and writing new forms with new preconditions, forms that the new media have “triggered” forth and that the language is adapting itself to. In the first investigative chapter (Ch. 3) eleven literacy practices divided into five groups are analysed: I electronic literacy practices (SMS, e-mail, chat), II hand-written slips of paper (reminder slips, purchase lists, slips to parents and friends respectively), III picture postcards and letters, IV diaries and V school assignments. The informants participate with one exception, group V, in all literacy practices in dialect to a greater or lesser extent. The second investigative chapter (Ch. 4) accounts for the dialect features, diphthongs and consonant combinations that were concretely investigated in the SMS material. The young people’s writing in dialect is functional and shows that the dialect is an important identity marker. The lack of shared conventions for spelling is not conceived of as a problem but allows everyone to create their own conventions, which in its turn has resulted in the tolerance level for variations in orthography being high. One group think that they write as it sounds, while another think that they do not follow any rules. The dialect is reserved for everyday matters, while Standard Swedish is used in more formal writing situations. The literacy practice may be the same, but the choice of language variety varies with the aim, content and length.