Social Interactions and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Latin America

In this paper, we seek to examine the effect of comparisons and social capital on subjective well-being. Furthermore, we test if, through social influence and exposure, social capital is either an enhancer or appeaser of the comparison effect. Using the Latinobarómetro Survey (2007) we find that in contrast to most previous studies, the comparison effect on well-being is positive; that is, the better others perform, the happier the individual is. We also find that social capital is among the strongest correlates of individuals’ subjective well-being in Latin American countries. Furthermore, our findings suggest that social contacts may enhance the comparison effect on individual’s happiness, which is more intense for those who perform worse in their reference group.

Impact of depressive symptoms on subjective well-being: the importance of patient-reported outcomes in schizophrenia

Objective: The subjective experience of psychotic patients toward treatment is a key factor in medication adherence, quality of life, and clinical outcome. The aim of this study was to assess the subjective well-being in patients with schizophrenia and to examine its relationship with the presence and severity of depressive symptoms. Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted with clinically stable outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia. The Subjective Well-Being under Neuroleptic Scale - short version (SWN-K) and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) were used to gather information on well-being and the presence and severity of depressive symptoms, respectively. Spearman's rank correlation was used to assess the associations between the SWN-K total score, its five subscales, and the CDSS total score. Discriminative validity was evaluated against that criterion by analysing the area under the curve (AUC). Results: Ninety-seven patients were included in the study. Mean age was 35 years (standard deviation = 10) and 72% were male. Both the total SWN-K scale and its five subscales correlated inversely and significantly with the CDSS total score (P < 0.0001). The highest correlation was observed for the total SWN-K (Spearman's rank order correlation [ rho] = -0.59), being the other correlations: mental functioning (-0.47), social integration (-0.46), emotional regulation (-0.51), physical functioning (-0.48), and self-control (-0.41). A total of 33 patients (34%) were classified as depressed. Total SWN-K showed the highest AUC when discriminating between depressive severity levels (0.84), followed by emotional regulation (0.80), social integration (0.78), physical functioning and self-control (0.77), and mental functioning (0.73). Total SWN-K and its five subscales showed a significant linear trend against CDSS severity levels (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The presence of moderate to severe depressive symptoms was relatively high, and correlated inversely with patients' subjective well-being. Routine assessment of patient-reported measures in patients with schizophrenia might reduce potential discrepancy between patient and physician assessment, increase therapeutic alliance, and improve outcome.

Desarrollo de servicios para vigilancia tecnológica

[EN]If a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out; but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. Without de ability to observe changing environmental conditions, the frog can find itself boiled alive before realizing it is in trouble. This is known as the boiling frog syndrome. In the same manner, it is impossible to be competitive without knowing and being aware of the environmental changes. From here comes the necessity for the Technological Watch and Competitive Intelligence. The main goals of this project are to evaluate the current Technological Vigilance System of the IK4-Tekniker research center and to develop services that help in improving the system. For that purpose, first of all the Technological Vigilance is going to be placed in the business field and its origins are going to be explained. Following that, the Technological Vigilance system of IK4-Tekniker is going to be analyzed for its evaluation. Finally the creation of the services previously mentioned are going to be described in detail, showing the technologies and tools used for that purpose like the Responsive Web Design.

Geology alive. GeoBizirik.org

Geology is the science that studies the Earth, its composition, structure and origin in addition to past and present phenomena that leave their mark on rocks. So why does society need geologists? Some of the main reasons are listed below: - Geologists compile and interpret information about the earth’s surface and subsoil, which allows us to establish the planet’s past history, any foreseeable changes and its relationship with the rest of the solar system. - Society needs natural resources (metals, non-metals, water and fossil fuels) to survive. The work of geologists is therefore a key part of finding new deposits and establishing a guide for exploring and managing resources in an environmentally-friendly way. - The creation of geological maps allows us to identify potential risk areas and survey different land uses; in other words, they make an essential contribution to land planning and proposing sustainable development strategies in a region. - Learning about Geology and the proper use of geological information contributes to saving lives and reducing financial loss caused by natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, flooding and landslides, while also helping to develop construction projects, public works, etc. Through the proposed activities we aim to explain some of the basic elements of the different specialities within the field of Geological Sciences. In order to do this, four sessions have been organised that will allow for a quick insight into the fields of Palaeontology, Mineralogy, Petrology and Tectonics.

Geology alive. GeoBizirik.org

Geology is the science that studies the Earth, its composition, structure and origin in addition to past and present phenomena that leave their mark on rocks. So why does society need geologists? Some of the main reasons are listed below: - Geologists compile and interpret information about the earth’s surface and subsoil, which allows us to establish the planet’s past history, any foreseeable changes and its relationship with the rest of the solar system. - Society needs natural resources (metals, non-metals, water and fossil fuels) to survive. The work of geologists is therefore a key part of finding new deposits and establishing a guide for exploring and managing resources in an environmentally-friendly way. - The creation of geological maps allows us to identify potential risk areas and survey different land uses; in other words, they make an essential contribution to land planning and proposing sustainable development strategies in a region. - Learning about Geology and the proper use of geological information contributes to saving lives and reducing financial loss caused by natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, flooding and landslides, while also helping to develop construction projects, public works, etc. Through the proposed activities we aim to explain some of the basic elements of the different specialities within the field of Geological Sciences. In order to do this, four sessions have been organised that will allow for a quick insight into the fields of Palaeontology, Mineralogy, Petrology and Tectonics.

Air Quality and Europeans' Subjective Well-being

[EN]Happiness economics deals with self-reported subjective well-being, or life satisfaction, and its relationship to a wide variety of other variables. On the study of these other factors, this line of research has helped demonstrate that higher levels of environmental quality increase people’s subjective well-being. This paper focuses on analyzing the relationship between subjective well-being and air quality. On the one hand, the life satisfaction approach to environmental valuation is cautiously described, and on the other hand, the method is implemented in an empirical analysis that seeks to assess how an increase in the level of air pollution at a regional level affects individual-level subjective well-being in Europe. We use a dataset that merges the third wave of the European Social Survey (ESS) with a dataset that includes regional air pollution (including CO, PM10, NO2, SO2 and Benzene) and other regional variables. We find a robust negative impact for CO, a positive impact for SO2, and no conclusive evidence of any effect on subjective well-being for the remaining three pollutants.

The Many Lovers of Jane Austen: Irony & Parody

Master in Literature and Literary Science

Self-reported sitting time and physical activity: interactive associations with mental well-being and productivity in office employees

Background: Little is known about how sitting time, alone or in combination with markers of physical activity (PA), influences mental well-being and work productivity. Given the need to develop workplace PA interventions that target employees' health related efficiency outcomes; this study examined the associations between self-reported sitting time, PA, mental well-being and work productivity in office employees. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Spanish university office employees (n = 557) completed a survey measuring socio-demographics, total and domain specific (work and travel) self-reported sitting time, PA (International Physical Activity Questionnaire short version), mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburg Mental Well-Being Scale) and work productivity (Work Limitations Questionnaire). Multivariate linear regression analyses determined associations between the main variables adjusted for gender, age, body mass index and occupation. PA levels (low, moderate and high) were introduced into the model to examine interactive associations. Results: Higher volumes of PA were related to higher mental well-being, work productivity and spending less time sitting at work, throughout the working day and travelling during the week, including the weekends (p < 0.05). Greater levels of sitting during weekends was associated with lower mental well-being (p < 0.05). Similarly, more sitting while travelling at weekends was linked to lower work productivity (p < 0.05). In highly active employees, higher sitting times on work days and occupational sitting were associated with decreased mental well-being (p < 0.05). Higher sitting times while travelling on weekend days was also linked to lower work productivity in the highly active (p < 0.05). No significant associations were observed in low active employees. Conclusions: Employees' PA levels exerts different influences on the associations between sitting time, mental well-being and work productivity. The specific associations and the broad sweep of evidence in the current study suggest that workplace PA strategies to improve the mental well-being and productivity of all employees should focus on reducing sitting time alongside efforts to increase PA.