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This paper proposes an original model of the visual information retrieval interface (VIRI), aimed at websites described by metadata. The paper also describes the development of an experimental prototype based on the proposed model. The applied methodology for the prototype's development is a combination of three methods: Metadata mining, Multidimensional scaling (MDS), and a Focus+Context technique called Fisheye. Finally, a user test is conducted, whose results suggest that the proposed model of VIRI is useful for information browsing and retrieval, and is satisfying for the end–user as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the relationship between motivation and time estimates spent on internet based tasks, and its eventual incidence in informational and dialogical activities. The sample consisted of 120 students from 7 schools ("liesceos") in Chile, whose average age was 15. The participants had to carry out two different tasks on the Internet: first, a vertical communication activity (Google search); second, a horizontal communication activity (messaging). In each task, the perceived elapsed time and the level of interest were evaluated. When comparing the vertical and the horizontal communication activities, the results show a significantly higher interest and significantly lower estimated time in the horizontal communication task (chatting). From these results, a projection of the informational and educational uses of the internet can be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terminology used in biomedicine has lexical characteristics that have required the elaboration of terminological resources and information retrieval systems with specific functionalities. The main characteristics are the high rates of synonymy and homonymy, due to phenomena such as the proliferation of polysemic acronyms and their interaction with common language. Information retrieval systems in the biomedical domain use techniques oriented to the treatment of these lexical peculiarities. In this paper we review some of these techniques, such as the application of Natural Language Processing (BioNLP), the incorporation of lexical-semantic resources, and the application of Named Entity Recognition (BioNER). Finally, we present the evaluation methods adopted to assess the suitability of these techniques for retrieving biomedical resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal information management (PIM) studies how people should organize and use the information they get to solve everyday needs, in order to take full advantage of personal resources (time, money, energy, attention) and thereby increase productivity and improve their quality of life. This paper presents the components and activities where PIM is articulated and describes how to promote the integration of personal information that is generally scattered in different forms, applications and devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vast and growing number of web resources show that lexical-statistical aids by themselves cannot resolve the problem of information retrieval. The "semantic web" project tries to solve these problems (and to do much more) by having the computers comprehend the content of the resources. This paper examines the current status of the required layers' put forward by Berners-Lee for the development of the Semantic web: namely, the uniform identification layer, the representation layer, the logical layer, and the security layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]