With the proliferation of wireless networks and the declining cost of wireless devices there is increasing interest in the development of location aware applications. These applications include robotics, context aware systems to collect or disseminate information, duress alarms in institutions such as hospitals and prisons and security of the wireless network. There are many technologies that may be used to sense the location of mobile devices or personnel, including those based on infrared, ultrasonic, radio frequency tags and magnetic sensing. Most of these technologies require the deployment of devices specifically placed to support the location system. This paper focuses on a location system based on the RSSI of packets on the IEEE 802.11b wireless network. This technique has the great advantage that it may be implemented using off the shelf hardware that is generally already deployed to support the data network. A simple wireless network was deployed in the School of Computing Building at the Newnham Campus of the University of Tasmania and used to test the location performance of a location system based on Bayesian filtering of detected signal strengths.

Worldwide, governments and representatives of the community sector believe that the adoption of ICT by community-sector organisations is important because it contributes to the achievement of mission, strategic and business objectives, and benefits the communities those organisations serve. However, despite the fact that many organisations have developed innovative ICT applications, most experience problems in taking up ICT (Burt & Taylor 1999, Surman 2001, DCITA 2005b). This thesis explores the conditions for success and barriers to the take-up and effective use of information and communications technology (ICT), specifically websites and online services, by community-based non-profit organisations, using a study of seventeen organisations based in rural and regional Victoria in Australia, and Tuscany in Italy. In particular, it examines the structural barriers and the inter-organisational relationships that act to facilitate the take-up, or otherwise, of technology by community sector non-profit organisations. The study adopts a grounded theory approach, based on a two-stage data analysis: using the LIAISE framework for the take-up of ICT (Schauder et al. 2005), to identify the factors or conditions that contribute to the development of effective, sustainable websites; and social network analysis to explore the extent to which organisational networks enable the achievement of those conditions. The broad aims of this approach are to enable the evaluation of the existing LIAISE framework and to develop it as a more dynamic systems model capable of serving as a guide to policy and action. The study finds that although the LIAISE framework provides a good taxonomy of the factors important to the take-up of ICT by community-based non-profit organisations, it has weaknesses in that it does not explicitly identify user literacy as a factor, nor does it sufficiently emphasise the importance of an organisation’s external relationships, which provide an essential means of accessing required information and resources such as technical skills, and of enhancing core internal skills such as the ability to develop strategic plans. A new model is proposed to address these weaknesses: ALLIANCE (Applications; Literacy; user Literacy; Infrastructure; Access; Networks; Computing support; and Evaluation).

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In the 1950's and early 1960's a considerable amount of effort was devoted by Dr. H.A. Whale and others at the Seagrove Radio Research Station (now the Radio Research Centre, University of Auckland), to the examination of some of the problems involved in HF radio propagation. Among these were the evaluation of the effects of large-scale ionospheric tilts, the scattering which occurs at the earth and ionosphere, and the measurement and prediction of incoming bearing and elevation angles of signals from distant stations. In the latter stages of this work it became obvious that little was known about effects occurring at antipodal distances, so attempts were made to examine these and to postulate a propagation model consistent with the effects observed. The results presented in this thesis are a logical extension of this early work, and comprise investigations in three main areas: (1) The shape and size of the antipodal focussing area, (2) The development of a more general and less idealised propagation model, (3) The shape of the incoming angular power spectrum at antipodal distances. A summary of the theory and experimental results contained in chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 has been published (Bold, 1969), and that contained in chapters 8 and 9 will be submitted for publication shortly.

In the 1950's and early 1960's a considerable amount of effort was devoted by Dr. H.A. Whale and others at the Seagrove Radio Research Station (now the Radio Research Centre, University of Auckland), to the examination of some of the problems involved in HF radio propagation. Among these were the evaluation of the effects of large-scale ionospheric tilts, the scattering which occurs at the earth and ionosphere, and the measurement and prediction of incoming bearing and elevation angles of signals from distant stations. In the latter stages of this work it became obvious that little was known about effects occurring at antipodal distances, so attempts were made to examine these and to postulate a propagation model consistent with the effects observed. The results presented in this thesis are a logical extension of this early work, and comprise investigations in three main areas: (1) The shape and size of the antipodal focussing area, (2) The development of a more general and less idealised propagation model, (3) The shape of the incoming angular power spectrum at antipodal distances. A summary of the theory and experimental results contained in chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 has been published (Bold, 1969), and that contained in chapters 8 and 9 will be submitted for publication shortly.

In the 1950's and early 1960's a considerable amount of effort was devoted by Dr. H.A. Whale and others at the Seagrove Radio Research Station (now the Radio Research Centre, University of Auckland), to the examination of some of the problems involved in HF radio propagation. Among these were the evaluation of the effects of large-scale ionospheric tilts, the scattering which occurs at the earth and ionosphere, and the measurement and prediction of incoming bearing and elevation angles of signals from distant stations. In the latter stages of this work it became obvious that little was known about effects occurring at antipodal distances, so attempts were made to examine these and to postulate a propagation model consistent with the effects observed. The results presented in this thesis are a logical extension of this early work, and comprise investigations in three main areas: (1) The shape and size of the antipodal focussing area, (2) The development of a more general and less idealised propagation model, (3) The shape of the incoming angular power spectrum at antipodal distances. A summary of the theory and experimental results contained in chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 has been published (Bold, 1969), and that contained in chapters 8 and 9 will be submitted for publication shortly.

In the 1950's and early 1960's a considerable amount of effort was devoted by Dr. H.A. Whale and others at the Seagrove Radio Research Station (now the Radio Research Centre, University of Auckland), to the examination of some of the problems involved in HF radio propagation. Among these were the evaluation of the effects of large-scale ionospheric tilts, the scattering which occurs at the earth and ionosphere, and the measurement and prediction of incoming bearing and elevation angles of signals from distant stations. In the latter stages of this work it became obvious that little was known about effects occurring at antipodal distances, so attempts were made to examine these and to postulate a propagation model consistent with the effects observed. The results presented in this thesis are a logical extension of this early work, and comprise investigations in three main areas: (1) The shape and size of the antipodal focussing area, (2) The development of a more general and less idealised propagation model, (3) The shape of the incoming angular power spectrum at antipodal distances. A summary of the theory and experimental results contained in chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 has been published (Bold, 1969), and that contained in chapters 8 and 9 will be submitted for publication shortly.

The educational policy environment in Australia explicitly supports the integration of information and communications technologies (ICT) through targeted initiatives covering infrastructure, equipment, electronic learning materials and professional development. However, for all the energy expended to encourage teachers to use ICT, it is reported that few teachers take full advantage of the significant opportunities that ICT present. A number of reasons have been cited to explain this, the most compelling of which are bound up with teachers’ knowledge and skills in harnessing ICT and their beliefs about ICT and teaching itself. This research presents a three year longitudinal study of a cohort of 35 beginning teachers located in Western Australia. The focus on beginning teachers is purposeful. It is suggested that this segment of the teaching profession can provide useful insights into the affordances and risks that teachers face in harnessing ICT. Beginning teachers may also provide a window into how ICT will be taken up in the future. The aim of the research, therefore, is to describe and explain beginning teachers’ beliefs, knowledge, dispositions and skills in using ICT within the context of their school environment(s). The research literature characterises beginning teachers as having positive self-perceptions of their ability to use ICT, and embracing contemporary, student-centred theories of learning. Given these preconditions, it might seem likely that beginning teachers would seek to integrate ICT into their teaching in innovative ways. The seven research questions that underpin and guide the research are aimed, at least in part, at confirming or challenging this assertion. The study adopts a mixed method approach in seeking to understand and interpret the dynamic nature of participants’ beliefs about teaching and their knowledge, dispositions and skills in using ICT within their socio-cultural context. A rich data set, gathered over three years and using qualitative and quantitative techniques, is presented to provide evidence in relation to the study’s research questions. The longitudinal nature of the study provides opportunities to interpret this data set over time, adding to the strength and credibility of the research. Participants articulated pedagogical beliefs that aimed to engage students in active meaning making. However, the way in which participants used ICT was generally limited to presentation-style teaching, completion of worksheets using a narrow range of productivity software and the use of the World Wide Web for simple inquiries or reinforcement. There was a clear mismatch between the ideals that participants claimed to hold to be important and their capacity to use ICT to help realise these ideals. Four interrelated factors are posited to explain this: lack of clarity over beliefs and how ICT can support these beliefs; variability of perceptions within schools of the affordances and risks of using ICT; embedded structural constraints that stall the creative use of ICT; and, deficiencies in technological-pedagogical-content knowledge. The study may interest educational policy-makers, school leaders, managers, teachers and other learning professionals that are considering how to conceptualise, plan, implement and/or enhance the use of ICT within their local context. A model is presented to help educators grapple with the implications of using ICT in the classroom and explore its transformative potential.

Orientador: Thais Cristina Rodrigues Tezani / Banca: Marcia Cristina Argenti Perez / Banca: Nelson Antonio Pirola / Resumo: As Tecnologias Digitais da Informação e Comunicação (TDIC) tiveram um grande avanço nos últimos anos e tem estado em constante evolução, ganhando cada vez mais espaço no cotidiano das pessoas, facilitando a troca de informações e conhecimentos. Na educação isso não deve ser diferente, pois tais recursos oferecem ferramentas que podem colaborar no processo de ensino e aprendizagem. Paralelamente, a abordagem da matemática praticada em sala de aula, vem gerando conflitos no processo de ensino e aprendizagem, uma vez que os alunos de hoje, os chamados nativos digitais, convivem diariamente com a rapidez e interatividade da tecnologia. Com o objetivo de investigar a experiência do uso da Plataforma Khan Academy em sala de aula, de modo a analisar sua colaboração no processo de ensino e aprendizagem da matemática do 4º ano do ensino fundamental, a pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa-quantitativa, de caráter participante, foi realizada com 32 alunos do Ensino Fundamental I e a professora da turma, de uma escola pública municipal numa cidade de pequeno porte localizada no interior do estado de São Paulo. Quanto aos procedimentos, optamos pela pesquisa de campo, na qual por meio da observação e registros do uso da ferramenta, pudemos analisar e construir hipóteses a respeito de seu desempenho no ensino da matemática. A turma substituiu semanalmente 2 horas/aulas de matemática por 2 horas/aulas com a utilização da plataforma Khan Academy no laboratório de informática no ano de 2016. A... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Digital Information and Communication Technologies (TDIC) has made great progress in recent years and has been constantly evolving, gaining more and more space in people's daily lives, facilitating the exchange of information and knowledge. In education this should not be different, since such resources offer tools that can collaborate in the process of teaching and learning. At the same time, the approach to mathematics practiced in the classroom has generated conflicts in the teaching and learning process, since today's students, the so-called digital natives, coexist daily with the speed and interactivity of technology. With the objective of investigating the experience of using the Khan Academy Platform in the classroom, in order to analyze its collaboration in the teaching and learning process of the 4th year of elementary school mathematics, the qualitative-quantitative approach,, Was carried out with 32 students from Elementary School I and the class teacher from a municipal public school in a small city located in the interior of the state of São Paulo. As for the procedures, we opted for the field research, in which through the observation and records of the use of the tool, we were able to analyze and construct hypotheses about its performance in the teaching of mathematics.The class replaced weekly 2 hours / math classes for 2 hours / lessons with the use of the Khan Academy platform in the computer lab in the year 2016. The difficulties encountered during the cla... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Orientador: Gladys Dorotea Cacsire Barriga / Banca: José Alcides Gobbo Junior / Banca: Paulo Henrique de Souza Mendes / Resumo: A indústria de transformação brasileira sofreu uma retração devido à crise econômica vivida recentemente pelo país, alcançando em 2015 uma taxa de crescimento negativa bastante expressiva. Mesmo com resultados positivos nos últimos dois anos, o setor apresenta uma recuperação lenta. A solução proposta para melhorar o desempenho industrial, e colaborar com o processo de desenvolvimento do país, que vem sendo adotado entre as principais estratégias no mundo, é a estratégia de adoção das tecnologias e princípios da Indústria 4.0 (I4.0), conhecida também como a quarta revolução industrial. Entretanto, para a implantação dessas tecnologias, a indústria deverá enfrentar uma série de desafios, tais como relacionados às questões técnicas, organizacionais e estratégicas. Nesse sentido, esse trabalho tem o objetivo de identificar e analisar os desafios de adoção das tecnologias da I4.0 na indústria de transformação brasileira, através de uma pesquisa com os fornecedores de tecnologia da Indústria 4.0. Desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa empírica, por meio de um survey, considerando uma amostra de 73 fornecedores de tecnologias para a indústria. O questionário foi desenvolvido com base em uma revisão sistemática da literatura e evolveram perguntas abertas e perguntas de múltiplas escolhas com o uso da escala likert. A literatura apresenta como resultado uma tendência em estudos sobre os desafios técnicos em desenvolvimento de sistemas para tecnologia CPS (Sistemas Ciber-Físicos). No entanto, pa... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Brazilian manufacturing industry suffered a retraction due to the economic crisis recently experienced by the country, reaching in 2015 a very significant negative growth rate. Even with positive results in the last two years, the sector has shown a slow recovery. The proposed solution to improve industrial performance and collaborate with the country's development process, which has been adopted among the main strategies in the world, is the strategy of adopting the technologies and principles of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), also known as as the fourth industrial revolution. However, for the deployment of these technologies, the industry will face a number of challenges. In this sense, this paper aims to identify and analyze the challenges of adopting I4.0 technologies in the Brazilian manufacturing industry, through a survey with technology suppliers of Industry 4.0. An empirical research was developed through a survey, considering a sample of 73 technology providers for the industry. The questionnaire was developed based on a systematic literature review and evolved openended and multiple-choice questions using the likert scale. The literature presents as a result a trend in studies on the technical challenges in developing systems for CPS (Cyber-Physical Systems) technology. However, for the result of the empirical research, open answers present technical questions such as lack of information and communication technology infrastructure and security as the main Brazilian chall... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre