A Multidimensional Approach to Social Support: the Questionnaire on the Frequency of and Satisfaction with Social Support (QFSSS)

The Questionnaire on the Frequency of and Satisfaction with Social Support (QFSSS) was designed to assess the frequency of and the degree of satisfaction with perceived social support received from different sources in relation to three types of support: emotional, informational, and instrumental. This study tested the reliability of the questionnaire scores and its criterion and structural validity. The data were drawn from survey interviews of 2042 Spanish people. The results show high internal consistency (values of Cronbach's alpha ranged from .763 to .952). The correlational analysis showed significant positive associations between QFSSS scores and measures of subjective well-being and perceived social support, as well as significant negative associations with measures of loneliness (values of Pearson's r correlation ranged from .11 to .97). Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling verified an internal 4-factor structure that corresponds to the sources of support analysed: partner, family, friends, and community (values ranged from .93 to .95 for the Goodness of Fit Index (GFI); from .95 to .98 for the Comparative Fit Index (CFI); and from .10 to .07 for the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA)). These results confirm the validity of the QFSSS as a versatile tool which is suitable for the multidimensional assessment of social support.

Information and the evolution of codon bias

The informational properties of biological systems are the subject of much debate and research. I present a general argument in favor of the existence and central importance of information in organisms, followed by a case study of the genetic code (specifically, codon bias) and the translation system from the perspective of information. The codon biases of 831 Bacteria and Archeae are analyzed and modeled as points in a 64-dimensional statistical space. The major results are that (1) codon bias evolution does not follow canonical patterns, and (2) the use of coding space in organsims is a subset of the total possible coding space. These findings imply that codon bias is a unique adaptive mechanism that owes its existence to organisms' use of information in representing genes, and that there is a particularly biological character to the resulting biased coding and information use.

La protection de la vie privée au temps de la biosécurité

Cette thèse s’intéresse à la protection de la vie privée informationnelle dans le contexte de la biosécurité. La biosécurité se définit comme le processus qui vise à prendre en charge, dans une optique de sécurité nationale, les menaces et dangers que représentent les épidémies de maladies infectieuses pour la santé des populations humaines et la sécurité de l’État. Notre projet remet en question l’idée selon laquelle la conduite des activités de surveillance de la santé publique implique nécessairement une diminution de la protection offerte aux renseignements personnels sur la santé. Nos recherches tendent à démontrer que la conciliation de la surveillance de la santé et la protection de la vie privée est non seulement possible, mais qu’elle est surtout nécessaire. Nous portons plus précisément notre attention sur le cas de la collecte et de l’utilisation de renseignements dépersonnalisés sur la santé par les systèmes de surveillance syndromique. Bien calibrée et soigneusement réglementée, cette forme novatrice et particulière de surveillance offrirait le double avantage de réduire les risques d’atteintes à la vie privée des individus et d’augmenter de manière considérable l’efficacité des capacités étatiques en matière de détection des épidémies.

News telewizyjny jako akt retoryczny

Artykuł przedstawia news telewizyjny jako akt retoryczny. News telewizyjny rozumiany jest jako relacja o wydarzeniu zbudowana zazwyczaj z zapowiedzi i krótkiego kilkuminutowego materiału filmowego (nazywanego czasem felietonem), będącego rezultatem pracy reporter-skiej, wyemitowana w telewizji, zazwyczaj jako jeden z elementów w strukturze magazynu informacyjnego, ale również jako element bloków programowych telewizji informacyjnych. Newsy telewizyjne funkcjonują w mediach jako jeden z elementów działań strategicznych nadawców medialnych nastawionych na określone cele, w tym cele wizerunkowe, polityczne i ekonomiczne. Newsy powstają jako reakcja na konkretne wydarzenia, zaspokajają potrzebę informacji, ale służą też kreowaniu obrazu świata, skupianiu uwagi na pewnych aspektach rze-czywistości, wartościowaniu jej, przekonywaniu o ważności lub nieważności pewnych zda-rzeń. Pełnią funkcje informacyjne, ale też kreacyjne, wzorcotwórcze, stymulacyjne, wartościu-jące, i w końcu estetyczne. Dla osiągnięcia tych celów są odpowiednio konstruowane, z uwzględnieniem specyfiki i potrzeb odbiorcy oraz ethosu nadawcy. W tym sensie są więc ak-tami „retorycznymi”, a więc zamierzonymi, celowymi, będącymi odpowiedzią na określoną sytuację (uwarunkowane są historycznie, społecznie i politycznie) i adresowanymi do określo-nych odbiorców.

AUDITORÍA DE LA GESTIÓN DE LOS RECURSOS DE INFORMACIÓN EN LA ESCUELA DE BIBLIOTECOLOGÍA, DOCUMENTACIÓN E INFORMACIÓN

La información vista hoy en día como un recurso estratégico para la organización, ha llevado a que se evalúe su gestión de la misma forma que se hace con los demás recursos que existen en la organización.Para esta evaluación se utiliza la Auditoría de información por ser una herramienta indispensable en aquellos procesos relacionados con la gestión de información.La presente investigación surge a raíz de la necesidad que plantea la Escuela de Bibliotecología, Documentación e Información de realizar una evaluación de los recursos de información que requiere para el cumplimiento de objetivos y toma de decisiones, a fin de determinar el nivel de la gestión de éstos por medio de la aplicación de una Auditoría de Información.El desarrollo de esta auditoría se hizo a través de varias fases, las cuales permitieron obtener como resultados:- La identificación de los recursos de información estratégicos que la Escuela requiere para desarrollarse adecuadamente, a partir del análisis de diferentes estructuras de información.- La descripción de cada uno de los recursos a fin de conocer todas sus características e importancia para la Escuela.- El conocer los diferentes flujos de información que se presentan en la Escuela.- Un análisis de la situación actual de los recursos, el balance informacional y la evaluación general de los recursos para determinar las fortalezas y debilidades presentes en su gestión.- La presentación de oportunidades de mejora que aplicadas oportunamente pueden contribuir a optimizar la gestión de los recursos.- Y finalmente presentar un propuesta para la gestión de uno de los recursos de información que presentó debilidad en su gestión.En términos generales, la aplicación de la auditoría de información en la Escuela fue muy pertinente y oportuna ya que permitió identificar y evaluar los recursos de información tal y como se espera en este tipo de proceso.

Video lectures and online activities to engage students in a flipped classroom

In recent years there have been several proposals for alternative pedagogical practices. Most of these proposals are based in the, so called, “active learning”, in opposition to the common “passive learning”, which is centered on transmission of information inside classrooms as well as recognized as teacher-centered procedure. In an active learning pedagogical structure, students have a more participative role in the overall learning/teaching process, being encouraged to face new learning challenges like, for instance, solving problems and developing projects, in an autonomous approach trying to make them, consequently, able to build their own knowledge. The flipped or “inverted” classroom is one of these active learning pedagogical methodologies that emphasizes a learner-centered instruction. According to this approach, the first contact that students have with the content on a particular curriculum subject is not transmitted by the lecturer in the classroom, this teaching strategy requires students to assess and analyze the specific subject before attending to class, therefore the informational component from the lecture is the homework, and class time is dedicated to exercises and assignments, always with support from the instructor, who acts as a facilitator, helping students when needed and offering supplementary explanation as required. The main objective of this paper is to discuss and explore how the use of different types of instructional videos and online activities may be implemented in the flipped classroom procedure (as means of incorporating new content and teaching new competencies) and to describe students’ perceptions of this approach within a course in a Higher Education Institution (HEI), presenting some positive and negative features of this pedagogical practice.

Editorial

Los significativos y rápidos cambios que se operan en la sociedad moderna, producto de la incorporación de la telemática al mundo cotidiano, se registran en documentos, fuentes documentales y herramientas intelectuales. El administrador de la información debe moverse en los ambientes ciberespaciales y proyectar sus esfuerzos hacia la construcción de redes y sistemas, bibliotecas virtuales, consorcios bibliotecológicos y alianzas estratégicas.

Social support in cyberspace: A content analysis of communication within a Huntington’s Disease online support group

Objective: Huntington’s Disease (HD) is an inherited disorder, characterised by a progressive degeneration of the brain. Due to the nature of the symptoms, the genetic element of the disease and the fact that there is no cure, HD patients and those in their support network often experience considerable stress and anxiety. With an expansion in Internet access, individuals affected by HD have new opportunities for information retrieval and social support. The aim of this study is to examine the provision of social support in messages posted to a HD online support group bulletin board. Methods: In total, 1313 messages were content analysed using a modified version of the Social Support Behaviour Code developed by Cutrona & Suhr (1992). Results: The analysis indicates that group members most frequently offered informational (56.2%) and emotional support (51.9%) followed by network support (48.4%) with esteem support (21.7%) and tangible assistance (9.8%) least frequently offered. Conclusion: This study suggests that exchanging informational and emotional support represents a key function of this online group. Practice implications: Online support groups provide a unique opportunity for health professionals to learn about the experiences and views of individuals affected by HD and explore where and why gaps may exist between evidence-based medicine and consumer behaviour and expectations.

Socializing toddlers : autonomy-supportive parenting practices and potential risk factors

Selon la théorie de l’auto-détermination, l’autonomie est un besoin universel de base qui, lorsque soutenu, permet aux individus de mieux fonctionner et de vivre plus de bien-être psychologique (p. ex., Deci & Ryan, 2008). Le style parental des parents qui soutiennent l’autonomie de leur enfant est caractérisé par le soutien du fonctionnement autodéterminé de ce dernier. Sa définition traditionnelle inclut des pratiques telles qu’offrir des explications et des choix lors des requêtes, communiquer de l’empathie, et encourager les prises d’initiatives tout en minimisant l’utilisation d’un langage contrôlant (p. ex., Soenens et al., 2007). Les bénéfices d’un style parental qui soutient l’autonomie d’un enfant ont été bien documentés (p. ex., Grolnick, Deci, & Ryan, 1997), toutefois, peu d’études ont été effectuées auprès des bambins. Or, cette thèse visait à enrichir la littérature sur le « parentage » en explorant les pratiques soutenantes qui sont utilisées par des parents de bambins dans un contexte de socialisation (étude 1), ainsi qu’en examinant les facteurs qui peuvent brimer leur mise en pratique (étude 2). La première étude a examiné un grand nombre de pratiques de socialisation que les parents qui favorisent davantage le soutien à l’autonomie (SA) pourraient utiliser plus fréquemment lorsqu’ils font des demandes à leurs bambins. Cette étude nous a permis d’explorer comment les parents manifestent leur SA et si le SA dans ce type de contexte est associé à un plus grand niveau d’internalisation des règles. Des parents (N = 182) de bambins (M âge = 27.08 mois) ont donc été invités à rapporter la fréquence avec laquelle ils utilisent 26 pratiques potentiellement soutenantes lorsqu’ils demandent à leurs bambins de compléter des tâches importantes mais non intéressantes et de rapporter à quel point ils valorisent le SA. Huit pratiques ont été identifiées comme étant soutenantes: quatre façons de communiquer de l’empathie, donner des explications courtes, expliquer pourquoi la tâche est importante, décrire le problème de façon informative et neutre, et mettre en pratique le comportement désiré soi-même. De plus, l’ensemble des huit pratiques corrélait positivement avec le niveau d’internalisation des bambins, suggérant aussi que celles-ci représentent bien le concept du SA. Des études futures pourraient tenter de répliquer ces résultats dans des contextes potentiellement plus chargés ou ébranlants (p. ex., réagir face à des méfaits, avec des enfants souffrant de retard de développement). La deuxième étude a poursuivi l’exploration du concept du SA parental en examinant les facteurs qui influencent la fréquence d’utilisation des stratégies soutenantes dans des contextes de socialisation. Puisque la littérature suggère que le stress parental et le tempérament difficile des bambins (c.-à-d., plus haut niveau d’affectivité négative, plus faible niveau de contrôle volontaire/autorégulation, plus faible niveau de surgency) comme étant des facteurs de risque potentiels, nous avons exploré de quelle façon ces variables étaient associées à la fréquence d’utilisation des stratégies soutenantes. Les buts de l’étude étaient: (1) d’examiner comment le tempérament des bambins et le stress parental influençaient le SA parental, et (2) de vérifier si le stress parental médiait la relation possible entre le tempérament des bambins et le SA parental. Le même échantillon de parents a été utilisé. Les parents ont été invités à répondre à des questions portant sur le tempérament de leur enfant ainsi que sur leur niveau de stress. Les résultats ont démontré qu’un plus grand niveau d’affectivité négative était associé à un plus grand niveau de stress parental, qui à son tour prédisait moins de SA parental. De plus, le stress parental médiait la relation positive entre l’autorégulation du bambin et le SA parental. Des recherches futures pourraient évaluer des interventions ayant pour but d’aider les parents à préserver leur attitude soutenante durant des contextes de socialisation plus difficiles malgré certaines caractéristiques tempéramentales exigeantes des bambins, en plus du stress qu’ils pourraient vivre au quotidien.

Essays on Uncertainty, Imperfect Information, and Investment Dynamics

Understanding how imperfect information affects firms' investment decision helps answer important questions in economics, such as how we may better measure economic uncertainty; how firms' forecasts would affect their decision-making when their beliefs are not backed by economic fundamentals; and how important are the business cycle impacts of changes in firms' productivity uncertainty in an environment of incomplete information. This dissertation provides a synthetic answer to all these questions, both empirically and theoretically. The first chapter, provides empirical evidence to demonstrate that survey-based forecast dispersion identifies a distinctive type of second moment shocks different from the canonical volatility shocks to productivity, i.e. uncertainty shocks. Such forecast disagreement disturbances can affect the distribution of firm-level beliefs regardless of whether or not belief changes are backed by changes in economic fundamentals. At the aggregate level, innovations that increase the dispersion of firms' forecasts lead to persistent declines in aggregate investment and output, which are followed by a slow recovery. On the contrary, the larger dispersion of future firm-specific productivity innovations, the standard way to measure economic uncertainty, delivers the ``wait and see" effect, such that aggregate investment experiences a sharp decline, followed by a quick rebound, and then overshoots. At the firm level, data uncovers that more productive firms increase investments given rises in productivity dispersion for the future, whereas investments drop when firms disagree more about the well-being of their future business conditions. These findings challenge the view that the dispersion of the firms' heterogeneous beliefs captures the concept of economic uncertainty, defined by a model of uncertainty shocks. The second chapter presents a general equilibrium model of heterogeneous firms subject to the real productivity uncertainty shocks and informational disagreement shocks. As firms cannot perfectly disentangle aggregate from idiosyncratic productivity because of imperfect information, information quality thus drives the wedge of difference between the unobserved productivity fundamentals, and the firms' beliefs about how productive they are. Distribution of the firms' beliefs is no longer perfectly aligned with the distribution of firm-level productivity across firms. This model not only explains why, at the macro and micro level, disagreement shocks are different from uncertainty shocks, as documented in Chapter 1, but helps reconcile a key challenge faced by the standard framework to study economic uncertainty: a trade-off between sizable business cycle effects due to changes in uncertainty, and the right amount of pro-cyclicality of firm-level investment rate dispersion, as measured by its correlation with the output cycles.

Resumen y Análisis de la Práctica del Curso el Lector y sus Necesidades Informátivas

No existe en nuestro medio ningún estudio completo sobre la educación de los usuarios que pudiera aplicarse a cualquier tipo de biblioteca.Tampoco contamos todavía con parámetros que nos permitan evaluar en que medida los objetivos propuestos en un plan a desarrollar durante un determinado tiempo, se cumplieron o no.

Work performed for the Course "The Reader and their information needs"

During "The reader and their information needs" students tried to implement the theory discussed in class. To this end, organized into sub-groups and worked in different types of libraries. The following paper covers the practice that the students: Jenssy Arguedas Salazar Hernández Sandoval Lidiette Oses and Olga Corrales held in the Library "Sister Onorina Leporati" Help Ma College of Alajuela.

Volatilidade dos retornos e governança: um estudo de eventos da crise do subprime

The financial crisis that occurred between the years 2007 and 2008, known as the subprime crisis, has highlighted the governance of companies in Brazil and worldwide. To monitor the financial risk, quantitative tools of risk management were created in the 1990s, after several financial disasters. The market turmoil has also led companies to invest in the development and use of information, which are applied as tools to support process control and decision making. Numerous empirical studies on informational efficiency of the market have been made inside and outside Brazil, revealing whether the prices reflect the information available instantly. The creation of different levels of corporate governance on BOVESPA, in 2000, made the firms had greater impairment in relation to its shareholders with greater transparency in their information. The purpose of this study is to analyze how the subprime financial crisis has affected, between January 2007 and December 2009, the volatility of stock returns in the BM&BOVESPA of companies with greater liquidity at different levels of corporate governance. From studies of time series and through the studies of events, econometric tests were performed by the EVIEWS, and through the results obtained it became evident that the adoption of good practices of corporate governance affect the volatility of returns of companies

LA ETICA DE LA INFORMACIÓN

Antes que nada deseo agradecer y felicitar a los organizadores de este Congreso por ofrecerme la posibilidad de compartir con ustedes estas reflexiones y por la excelente idea de organizar un evento tan necesario para nuestro país y la región, por su temática y objetivos. Adicionalmente, la oportunidad que se nos brinda como una instancia de reunión preliminar para la Cumbre de la Sociedad de la Información, debe ser motivo de orgullo, pues yo lo interpreto como un reconocimiento al esfuerzo que se realiza en Costa Rica por estimular el desarrollo del conocimiento informacional para la región. Permítanme compartir estas reflexiones con ustedes, que parten de la creencia de que con ellas pueda contribuir a generar discusión alrededor detemas tan complejos y a la vez tan importantes para el futuro de nuestra profesión.

Tecnologia social para autogestão : um estudo em empreendedorismo econômico solidário da cadeia produtiva da cajucultura no Rio Grande do Norte

The theme of this dissertation is social technology for self-management: a study in economic enterprise supportive of Rio Grande do Norte. The research aimed to obtain evidence that the reapplication of technology management, basic economic-financial and pricing, as production costs, has the potential to contribute to the self-management of APABV. The social technology and self-management are theoretical frameworks used and where workers are central figures in both the generation and replication of technologies that are compatible with their realities, as in the conduct and management approach adopted by them in their venture, they are makers decisions. To achieve the proposed objective was accomplished participatory research, which was used in addition to document analysis, participatory methodologies such as the construction of the DRP, group interview, experience in the production environment and family of entrepreneurs APABV. This research allowed the management technologies such as spreadsheets controls basic economic and financial costs, when socialized and understood by workers has the potential informational and become part of their daily decision-making process of the project, making up social technology