The Sojourn and Communication Self-Efficacy Enhancement: A Study of Travelers' Perspectives

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the sojourn, or overseas travel, and the development of traveler intercultural communication self-efficacy. Self-efficacy, an individual's perception of his or her own ability to accomplish tasks (Bandura, 1997), originates from the psychology discipline and has rarely been applied to communication. The study examines and extends the work of Milstein (2005), a communication scholar who investigated the relationship between the sojourn and intercultural communication self-efficacy and found a positive relationship between the two. This study investigated how the experience of the sojourn affects traveler perceptions of their own intercultural communication self-efficacy. Data were collected through individual face-to-face interviews with participants. The researcher selected a convenience sample of 20 respondents who had all participated in separate sojourns. Participants in the study differed in age, ethnic identity, sojourn destination, and purpose for the sojourn. Responses to interview questions were tape recorded and transcribed preceding analysis and categorization of data based on emergent themes. The perceptions of travelers were analyzed to understand how the sojourn affects self-efficacy. Results of the study supported a positive relationship between the sojourn and development of intercultural communication self-efficacy among travelers with no previous exposure to multicultural settings prior to the sojourn. Travelers with prior exposure to multicultural settings in the home culture did not perceive an increase in intercultural communication self-efficacy as a result of the sojourn. How the background of the traveler may affect perceptions of the sojourn and the specific types of events abroad that were perceived as contributors to self-efficacy development are discussed

Who needs epinephrine? Anaphylaxis, auto-injectors, and parachutes

International guidelines stipulate that intramuscular (IM) epinephrine (adrenaline) is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, with an established good safety profile. The availability of epinephrine autoinjectors (EAI) has greatly facilitated the lay administration of IM epinephrine in community settings. However, key areas of uncertainty remain around epinephrine usage. These include variations in prescribing EAI, what symptoms should prompt epinephrine administration, whether emergency medical services (EMS) need to be contacted after administration, and whether epinephrine administered via EAI reduces mortality from anaphylaxis or improves quality of life measures. We provide a balanced commentary on these issues. There is increasing recognition that a poor response to epinephrine, particularly after 2 doses, is a useful marker of severity and the need for urgent escalation. It is likely that patients who respond to a single epinephrine dose do not require EMS activation or emergency department transfer, but data are needed to demonstrate the safety of this approach. Lastly, patients at risk of anaphylaxis must be counseled against over-reliance on EAI alone

Identificación y aplicación de las diferentes metodologías y tipos de coberturas financieras existentes en el mercado financiero colombiano para proyectos y empresas mineras en Antioquia

En el artículo se presentan en forma breve aspectos relacionados con dos sectores económicos en Colombia: el minero y el financiero -- Se busca describir e identificar la relación entre ambos, de manera específica lo relacionado con la complementariedad que mantienen a través de los instrumentos derivados financieros de cobertura y el bajo uso de los mismos por parte del sector minero -- Para el objetivo planteado, el artículo se enfoca en el sector minero del departamento de Antioquia y los instrumentos derivados financieros por lo común utilizados como alternativas de cobertura para empresas exportadoras e importadoras, que buscan la minimización del impacto que tiene la volatilidad del tipo de cambio en los resultados económico-financieros en dichas empresas -- En la parte inicial se presenta la evolución de ambos sectores en Colombia, incluyendo una breve reseña histórica, se identifican las perspectivas para el año 2015 y por último se identifican los instrumentos derivados financieros utilizados con mayor frecuencia para operaciones de cobertura mediante la presentación de ejemplos algunos de ellos en situaciones que afrontan los empresarios del sector de la minerí

Distributed optimization of traffic delay on a periodic switched grid network

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 39-40).Given a switched network, e.g. a city grid with semaphores in its intersections or a packet network, each unit (car or packet) accumulates some delay while traversing the network. This delay is undesirable but unavoidable, which makes minimizing the total average delay of the network given certain constraints, a desirable objective. In this work, we consider the case of periodic networks, meaning that in every traffic cycle inputs to the system are the same and we try to arrive to an allocation of phases in every intersection that minimizes the total delay per cycle. We propose a model for such networks in which the delay is given as a function of external parameters (arrivals to the system) as well as internal parameters (switching decisions). Additionally, we present a distributed algorithm which makes use of messages passed between adjacent nodes to arrive at a solution with low delay, when compared with what is obtained when nodes take decisions independently. Furthermore, dealing with large networks proves difficult to arrive to theoretical results. This distributed algorithm gives an insight on how one can analyze big networks by taking a local approach and determining bounds in smaller networks that are part of the big picture.by Fabián Ariel Kozynski Waserman.S.M