On the permutation behaviour of Dickson polynomials of the second kind

The known permutation behaviour of the Dickson polynomials of the second kind in characteristic 3 is expanded and simplified.

Perceptions of the first year experience at university

Until recently the issues of transition to university have been largely ignored in educational research. However, in recent years economic factors have meant that Governments require universities to be more publicly accountable and efficient than in the past. As a result, increased emphasis has been placed on the retention and transition of university students. Students new to tertiary study face a range of challenges in making the adjustment from school to university. They are expected to learn challenging material and to develop independent thought while adjusting to different teaching and expanded social environments (McInnis and James, with Mc Naught, 1995). In the context of first year accounting studies, the importance of the first year experience has been emphasised in the United States by the Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC) (1992). The AECC (1992, p.1) states that "the [first] course shapes [potential accounting majors'] perceptions of (1) the profession, (2) the aptitudes and skills needed for successful careers in accounting, and (3) the nature of career opportunities in accounting." Adams et al. (1994) and Cohen and Hanno (1993) provide empirical support for the importance of a positive experience in the first accounting course.

Practicality of a technological tool for the teaching of the first year psychology students

The current paper discusses the applicability of an online manual for the teaching of first year psychology laboratory programs and compares it with conventional teaching methods. For the first time, in 2001, the manual for the first year program was made available via a website. This method was in contrast to the text manual that was utilised previously. When the text manual was used, students needed to bring it each week to class. However, with the online manual, students were required to be cognisant of several aspects of the week's laboratory agenda prior to attending the class and did not have immediate access to the manual in class. This was quite uncustomary to both students and staff members and therefore necessitated a great amount of time to be spent reviewing the contents of the week's work before attending class. It also caused inconvenience both in terms of students not having ready access to necessary information, and staff having to photocopy bulk information as and when required. What was discovered at the end of the semester was that a technological tool, because of its ability to provide easy access, may not be applicable to teach all subjects, particularly not the psychology lab program, and hence a thorough evaluation of the practicality of the device is required prior to adoption.

Building capacity in sexuality education : The Northern Bay College experience : Report of the first phase of the sexuality education and community support (SECS) project

The Sexuality Education and Community Support (SECS) project aims to introduce a P-12 approach to sexuality education at Northern Bay P-12 College (NBC) through a collaborative partnership process between the schools within the College and local, regional, and state health and education agencies and has set out to change current sexual health education practice in the College and assist other schools in the region to do the same. The Project’s goal is a ‘sustainable, responsive, whole school, regionally consistent, best practice sexuality education’. During this first or establishment phase of the SECS project strategies have been implemented to begin the process of building capacity in sexuality education at NBC. These strategies are aimed at developing a sustainable approach during the next three and a half years.

The epidemiology of the first wave of H1N1 influenza pandemic in Australia : a population-based study

Objectives: Following the recent H1N1 influenza pandemic we were able to describe seropositivity in a repre-sentative sample of adults prior to the availability of a specific vaccine.

Methods: This cross-sectional serological study is set in the Barwon Statistical Division, Australia. Blood samples were collected from September 2009 through to May 2010, from 1184 individuals (569 men, 615 women; median age 61.7 years), randomly selected from electoral rolls. Serum was analysed for specific H1N1 immunity using a haemagglutina-tion inhibition test. A self-report provided information about symptoms, demographics and healthcare. Associations be-tween H1N1 infection, gender, households and occupation were determined using logistic regression, adjusting for age.

Results: Of 1184 individuals, 129 (58 men, 71 women) were seropositive. Gender-adjusted age-specific prevalence was: 8.3% 20-29 years, 13.5% 30-39, 10.4% 40-49, 6.5% 50-59, 9.7% 60-69, 10.3% 70-79, 18.8% 80+. Standardised preva-lence was 10.3% (95%CI 9.6-11.0). No associations were detected between seropositivity and gender (OR=0.82, 95%CI 0.57-1.19) or being a healthcare worker (OR=1.43, 95%CI 0.62-3.29). Smokers (OR=1.86, 95%CI 1.09-3.15) and those socioeconomically disadvantaged (OR=2.52, 95%CI 1.24-5.13) were at increased risk. Among 129 seropositive individu-als, 31 reported symptoms that were either mild (n = 13) or moderate (time off work, doctor visit, n = 18). For age <60, 39.6% of seropositive individuals reported symptoms, whereas the proportion was 13.2% for age 60+.

Conclusions: Following the pandemic, the proportion of seropositive adults was low, but significant subclinical infection was found. Social disadvantage increased the likelihood of infection. The low symptom rate for older ages may relate to pre-existing immunity.

Nude dalliance with alien abductions turns into a close encounter of the dull kind

Review : Balletlab's  ' And All Things Return to Nature Tomorrow'

Qualitative and historiometric methods in leadership research: a review of the first 25 years of the leadership quarterly

In the spirit of the 25th anniversary edition of The Leadership Quarterly, as the world's premier outlet for leadership research, we have reviewed qualitative and historiometric research across those 25. years. Qualitative research is a complex and cluttered area of scholarship. This is not because there is an inherent confusion about it. Rather, it is because 'qualitative' research is a cover-all term for a wide range of research strategies, paradigms, parent disciplines, sources of data, and methods of analysis for them. More so than in previous journal review articles, we explored variation in qualitative analysis as well as variety in qualitative data. In terms of methodologies, our efforts concentrated on case study, content analysis, grounded theory and historiometrics. We also examined trends toward post-positivism, post-modernity and liquid modernity, and their resultant benefits for researching leadership. Future directions for leadership research are posited. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Findings of the first ANZICS conference on the role of intensive care in Rapid Response Teams.

Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are specialised teams introduced into hospitals to improve the outcomes of deteriorating ward patients. Although Rapid Response Systems (RRSs) were developed by the intensive care unit (ICU) community, there is variability in their delivery, and consultant involvement, supervision and leadership appears to be relatively infrequent. In July 2014, the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) convened the first conference on the role of intensive care medicine in RRTs in Australia and New Zealand. The conference explored RRSs in the broader role of patient safety, resourcing and staffing of RRTs, effect on ICU workload, different RRT models, the outcomes of RRT patients and original research projects in the area of RRSs. Issues around education and training of both ICU registrars and nurses were examined, and the role of team training explored. Measures to assess the effectiveness of the RRS and RRT at the level of health system and hospital, team performance and team effectiveness were discussed, and the need to develop a bi-national ANZICS RRT patient database was presented. Strategies to prevent patient deterioration in the 'pre-RRT' period were discussed, including education of ward nurses and doctors, as well as an overarching governance structure. The role of the ICU in deteriorating ward patients was debated and an integrated model of acute care presented. This article summarises the findings of the conference and presents recommendations on the role of intensive care medicine in RRTs in Australia and New Zealand.