The relationship of adult attachment to emotion, catastrophizing, control, threshold and tolerance, in experimentally-induced pain

Although insecure attachment has been associated with a range of variables linked with problematic adjustment to chronic pain, the causal direction of these relationships remains unclear. Adult attachment style is, theoretically, developmentally antecedent to cognitions, emotions and behaviours (and might therefore be expected to contribute to maladjustment). It can also be argued, however, that the experience of chronic pain increases attachment insecurity. This project examined this issue by determining associations between adult attachment characteristics, collected prior to an acute (coldpressor) pain experience, and a range of emotional, cognitive, pain tolerance, intensity and threshold variables collected during and after the coldpressor task. A convenience sample of 58 participants with no history of chronic pain was recruited. Results demonstrated that attachment anxiety was associated with lower pain thresholds; more stress, depression, and catastrophizing; diminished perceptions of control over pain; and diminished ability to decrease pain. Conversely, secure attachment was linked with lower levels of depression and catastrophizing, and more control over pain. Of particular interest were findings that attachment style moderated the effects of pain intensity on the tendency to catastrophize, such that insecurely attached individuals were more likely to catastrophize when reporting high pain intensity. This is the first study to link attachment with perceptions of pain in a pain-free sample. These findings cast anxious attachment as a vulnerability factor for chronic pain following acute episodes of pain, while secure attachment may provide more resilience. (c) 2006 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

O IMPACTO DE BEM-ESTAR NO TRABALHO E DE CAPITAL PSICOLÓGICO SOBRE INTENÇÃO DE ROTATIVIDADE: UM ESTUDO COM PROFESSORES

A dinâmica acelerada dos negócios, as mudanças constantes nas políticas de gestão de pessoas aplicadas por organizações e as complexas interações empresariais em rede parecem ter mudado visivelmente as ênfases dadas por pesquisadores às facetas do comportamento de profissionais que atuam em organizações. Desse modo, dentre tantos outros temas, o planejamento que cada profissional faz acerca de sua saída da organização, denominado intenção de rotatividade, tornou-se novamente um fenômeno de interesse no campo do comportamento organizacional. Atualmente, a alternativa mais aplicada aos estudos do comportamento organizacional tem sido a elaboração de modelos para representar o escopo de uma investigação científica. O objetivo geral deste estudo foi testar um modelo teórico para intenção de rotatividade, analisando-se sua relação com três dimensões de bem-estar no trabalho (satisfação no trabalho, envolvimento com o trabalho e comprometimento organizacional afetivo), moderada por capital psicológico, conceito composto por quatro capacidades psicológicas (eficácia, otimismo, esperança e resiliência). Para análise do modelo foram testadas quatro hipóteses relativas às interações das variáveis nele contidas. Participaram do estudo 85 professores, escolhidos por conveniência, que atuavam em uma universidade na Região do ABCD Paulista. A idade média dos participantes era de 45 anos (DP=11,49), sendo a maioria do sexo masculino, casada, com mestrado concluído e tempo de trabalho variando de 1 a 5 anos. Foi utilizado um questionário de auto preenchimento contendo cinco medidas brasileiras validadas e precisas, as quais aferiram as variáveis do modelo teórico. Os resultados descritivos indicaram que os docentes detêm um quadro de bem-estar no trabalho composto por satisfações maiores com colegas, chefias e tarefas e menores com salários e promoções; desse quadro fazem parte também índices medianos de envolvimento com o trabalho e medianos de compromisso afetivo com a universidade em que atuavam. Entretanto, observou-se que, apesar dos índices medianos das dimensões de bem-estar no trabalho, foi revelada baixa intenção de rotatividade por parte dos docentes. O capital psicológico observado entre os docentes situa-se alto. Análises de correlação pelo r de Pearson informaram índices negativos e significativos entre as três dimensões de bem-estar no trabalho e intenção de rotatividade. Capital psicológico também se mostrou negativa e significativamente correlacionado à intenção de rotatividade. Tais resultados informam que o plano de deixar a universidade onde atuam é inversamente proporcional ao bem-estar vivenciado no trabalho e ao nível de capital psicológico retido pelos docentes. Parece que docentes com elevado capital psicológico e que se sentem bem no trabalho planejam menos deixar a universidade onde atuam, sendo possível interpretar como plausível o inverso. Análises de regressão linear múltipla hierárquica, executadas pelo método enter, informaram que capital psicológico atua como moderador na relação entre bem-estar no trabalho e intenção de rotatividade: foram observadas aumento na predição de intenção de rotatividade quando se adicionou capital psicológico a dois modelos compostos, respectivamente, por satisfação no trabalho e envolvimento com o trabalho. Portanto, o alto nível de capital psicológico poderia potencializar o impacto de satisfação no trabalho e envolvimento com o trabalho sobre a intenção de rotatividade. Por outro lado, no modelo integrado por comprometimento organizacional afetivo o qual revelou maior força de predição sobre intenção de rotatividade, capital psicológico conseguiu reduzir levemente o impacto. Parece que docentes com alto nível de capital psicológico agem sob menos influência do seu compromisso afetivo com a organização quando fazem planos de sair da universidade empregadora. Portanto, os resultados deste trabalho permitem reconhecer que o estado positivo e saudável representado por bem-estar no trabalho poderia ter seu impacto sobre intenção de rotatividade moderado levemente por capital psicológico. Além disso, os resultados descritivos foram discutidos, comparando-os com outros estudos empíricos com professores. Por fim, foi proposta uma pauta para investigações futuras e sugerido criar uma nova linha de pesquisa no Brasil na investigação do papel moderador do conceito integral de capital psicológico nas relações entre constructos do campo do comportamento organizacional, baseada nas lacunas da literatura nacional apontadas nesse estudo.

Immune-inspired adaptive information filtering

Adaptive information filtering is a challenging research problem. It requires the adaptation of a representation of a user’s multiple interests to various changes in them. We investigate the application of an immune-inspired approach to this problem. Nootropia, is a user profiling model that has many properties in common with computational models of the immune system that have been based on Franscisco Varela’s work. In this paper we concentrate on Nootropia’s evaluation. We define an evaluation methodology that uses virtual user’s to simulate various interest changes. The results show that Nootropia exhibits the desirable adaptive behaviour.

Agent-based Anomalies Monitoring in Distributed Systems

In this paper an agent-based approach for anomalies monitoring in distributed systems such as computer networks, or Grid systems is proposed. This approach envisages on-line and off-line monitoring in order to analyze users’ activity. On-line monitoring is carried in real time, and is used to predict user actions. Off-line monitoring is done after the user has ended his work, and is based on the analysis of statistical information obtained during user’s work. In both cases neural networks are used in order to predict user actions and to distinguish normal and anomalous user behavior.

A Longitudinal Study of Consumer Perceptions of Travel Websites: The Case of Hong Kong

Knowing how consumers perceive travel websites can help practitioners better understand consumers’ online requirements. This paper reports the findings of a longitudinal study that investigated the changes and trends in the profile and behavior of online travel-website users in Hong Kong. The profiles of e-buyers and e-browsers in 2009, when compared with those established by prior studies conducted in 2000 and 2007, point in a new direction for practitioners and researchers investigating online travelwebsite user behavior. The results indicated that more middle-aged consumers have become online travel-website users, and that website security and price are perceived to be the most important factors for travel-website use by both e-browsers and e-buyers.

Design of a dynamic e-commerce system with engineering applications

The primary purpose of this thesis was to design and develop a prototype e-commerce system where dynamic parameters are included in the decision-making process and execution of an online transaction. The system developed and implemented takes into account previous usage history, priority and associated engineering capabilities. The system was developed using three-tiered client server architecture. The interface was the Internet browser. The middle tiered web server was implemented using Active Server Pages, which form a link between the client system and other servers. A relational database management system formed the data component of the three-tiered architecture. It includes a capability for data warehousing which extracts needed information from the stored data of the customers as well as their orders. The system organizes and analyzes the data that is generated during a transaction to formulate a client's behavior model during and after a transaction. This is used for making decisions like pricing, order rescheduling during a client's forthcoming transaction. The system helps among other things to bring about predictability to a transaction execution process, which could be highly desirable in the current competitive scenario.

Impacto das tecnologias digitais nas bibliotecas universitárias: reflexões sobre o tema

MOREIRA, Luciana Moreira; SILVA, Armando Malheiro da. Impacto das tecnologias digitais nas bibliotecas universitarias: reflexões sobre o tema. Informaçao e sociedade: estudos. Joao Pessoa, v.19, n.3, p. 125-132,2009.

A mãe nas ações de acompanhamento do crescimento e desenvolvimento infantil

ARAÚJO, Marluce Oliveira de; ENDERS, Bertha Cruz. A mãe nas ações de acompanhamento do crescimento e desenvolvimento infantil. Revista Baiana de enfermagem, Salvador, v.19,n.1/2/3,p.93-103, jan./dez. 2004, jann./dez.2005.

Efficient Security and Privacy Enhancing Solutions in Untrusted Environments

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Impacto das tecnologias digitais nas bibliotecas universitárias: reflexões sobre o tema

MOREIRA, Luciana Moreira; SILVA, Armando Malheiro da. Impacto das tecnologias digitais nas bibliotecas universitarias: reflexões sobre o tema. Informaçao e sociedade: estudos. Joao Pessoa, v.19, n.3, p. 125-132,2009.

A mãe nas ações de acompanhamento do crescimento e desenvolvimento infantil

ARAÚJO, Marluce Oliveira de; ENDERS, Bertha Cruz. A mãe nas ações de acompanhamento do crescimento e desenvolvimento infantil. Revista Baiana de enfermagem, Salvador, v.19,n.1/2/3,p.93-103, jan./dez. 2004, jann./dez.2005.

Fatalism, Attributions of Failure and Academic Performance in Mapuche and Non-Mapuche Chilean Students

This study investigated the role of fatalism as a cultural value orientation and causal attributions for past failure in the academic performance of high school students in the Araucania Region of Chile. Three thousand three hundred and fourty eight Mapuche and Non-Mapuche students participated in the study. Consistent with the Culture and Behavior model that guided the research, the test of causal models based on the analysis of structural equations show that academic performance is in part a function of variations in the level of fatalism, directly as well as indirectly through its influence in the attribution processes and failure-related emotions. In general, the model representing the proposed structure of relations among fatalism, attributions, and emotions as determinants of academic performance fit the data for both Mapuche and non-Mapuche students. However, results show that some of the relations in the model are different for students from these two ethnic groups. Finally, according to the results from the analysis of causal models, family SES appear to be the most important determinant of fatalism.

Formalizing operator task analysis

Human operators are unique in their decision making capability, judgment and nondeterminism. Their sense of judgment, unpredictable decision procedures, susceptibility to environmental elements can cause them to erroneously execute a given task description to operate a computer system. Usually, a computer system is protected against some erroneous human behaviors by having necessary safeguard mechanisms in place. But some erroneous human operator behaviors can lead to severe or even fatal consequences especially in safety critical systems. A generalized methodology that can allow modeling and analyzing the interactions between computer systems and human operators where the operators are allowed to deviate from their prescribed behaviors will provide a formal understanding of the robustness of a computer system against possible aberrant behaviors by its human operators. We provide several methodology for assisting in modeling and analyzing human behaviors exhibited while operating computer systems. Every human operator is usually given a specific recommended set of guidelines for operating a system. We first present process algebraic methodology for modeling and verifying recommended human task execution behavior. We present how one can perform runtime monitoring of a computer system being operated by a human operator for checking violation of temporal safety properties. We consider the concept of a protection envelope giving a wider class of behaviors than those strictly prescribed by a human task that can be tolerated by a system. We then provide a framework for determining whether a computer system can maintain its guarantees if the human operators operate within their protection envelopes. This framework also helps to determine the robustness of the computer system under weakening of the protection envelopes. In this regard, we present a tool called Tutela that assists in implementing the framework. We then examine the ability of a system to remain safe under broad classes of variations of the prescribed human task. We develop a framework for addressing two issues. The first issue is: given a human task specification and a protection envelope, will the protection envelope properties still hold under standard erroneous executions of that task by the human operators? In other words how robust is the protection envelope? The second issue is: in the absence of a protection envelope, can we approximate a protection envelope encompassing those standard erroneous human behaviors that can be safely endured by the system? We present an extension of Tutela that implements this framework. The two frameworks mentioned above use Concurrent Game Structures (CGS) as models for both computer systems and their human operators. However, there are some shortcomings of this formalism for our uses. We add incomplete information concepts in CGSs to achieve better modularity for the players. We introduce nondeterminism in both the transition system and strategies of players and in the modeling of human operators and computer systems. Nondeterministic action strategies for players in \emph{i}ncomplete information \emph{N}ondeterministic CGS (iNCGS) is a more precise formalism for modeling human behaviors exhibited while operating a computer system. We show how we can reason about a human behavior satisfying a guarantee by providing a semantics of Alternating Time Temporal Logic based on iNCGS player strategies. In a nutshell this dissertation provides formal methodology for modeling and analyzing system robustness against both expected and erroneous human operator behaviors.

Coaching or gaming? Implications of strategy choice for home based stroke rehabilitation

Background: The enduring aging of the world population and prospective increase of age-related chronic diseases urge the implementation of new models for healthcare delivery. One strategy relies on ICT (Information and Communications Technology) home-based solutions allowing clients to pursue their treatments without institutionalization. Stroke survivors are a particular population that could strongly benefit from such solutions, but is not yet clear what the best approach is for bringing forth an adequate and sustainable usage of home-based rehabilitation systems. Here we explore two possible approaches: coaching and gaming. Methods: We performed trials with 20 healthy participants and 5 chronic stroke survivors to study and compare execution of an elbow flexion and extension task when performed within a coaching mode that provides encouragement or within a gaming mode. For each mode we analyzed compliance, arm movement kinematics and task scores. In addition, we assessed the usability and acceptance of the proposed modes through a customized self-report questionnaire. Results: In the healthy participants sample, 13/20 preferred the gaming mode and rated it as being significantly more fun (p < .05), but the feedback delivered by the coaching mode was subjectively perceived as being more useful (p < .01). In addition, the activity level (number of repetitions and total movement of the end effector) was significantly higher (p <.001) during coaching. However, the quality of movements was superior in gaming with a trend towards shorter movement duration (p=.074), significantly shorter travel distance (p <.001), higher movement efficiency (p <.001) and higher performance scores (p <.001). Stroke survivors also showed a trend towards higher activity levels in coaching, but with more movement quality during gaming. Finally, both training modes showed overall high acceptance. Conclusions: Gaming led to higher enjoyment and increased quality in movement execution in healthy participants. However, we observed that game mechanics strongly determined user behavior and limited activity levels. In contrast, coaching generated higher activity levels. Hence, the purpose of treatment and profile of end-users has to be considered when deciding on the most adequate approach for home based stroke rehabilitation.