Intra-party democracy: a revisionist perspective from below

Contrary to the expectations of many people, China's recent economic growth has not led to the collapse of the Chinese Communist Party. In fact, the party has recently carried out a peaceful and orderly transition to the so-called fourth generation of leadership, has revitalised itself, and created a new, younger and better trained cadre corps. Despite this successful transformation, there continue to be many problems that the party will need to overcome if it is to remain in power, including pressures for democratisation in both urban and rural areas, widespread corruption, the emergence of new social groups, and increasing dissatisfaction among workers who seem to be losing out in the present transition processs. This book explores the current state of the Chinese Communist Party and the many challenges which it faces.

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.

Effect of migration on food habits of Somali women living as refugees in Australia

This study aimed to assess the dietary changes that occur for migrants moving from a low-income to a high-income country. The sample included 45 females who had migrated to Australia from Somalia within the past 5years (1996-2001). The data for the study was derived from structured interviews conducted by a bilingual interviewer and anthropometry. Usual dietary intake and frequency of consumption of 54 foods were determined both for Australia (current home) and for Somalia (previous home). In Australia, subjects maintained the structure of the diet from their country of birth. They did increase their consumption of some processed food, such as instant noodles, crisps, and pizza. However, there was little evidence that the subjects adopted ready or partially prepared meals or takeaway meals. A significant addition to the diet in Australia was the use of breakfast cereals. Significant substitutions were of ready-baked bread for traditional bread and lamb for camel meat. The mean BMI of the sample was 27.4kg/m². Sixty percent of the sample were overweight or obese (BMI>25). Some of the dietary changes observed may be consistent with increased energy intake and altered nutrient density. Given the association between transition to a high-income diet and obesity, it is important that migrants are encouraged to retain the best of their traditional diet while adopting healthy foods from host country.

Environment, resource sustainability and sustainable behaviour: exploring perceptions of students in South West Victoria

The movement toward a sustainable future has begun in many parts of the world, as the seriousness of the environmental problems faced by the planet become more widely recognised. Waste reduction, improved efficiency of energy use, water saving devices and changes in modes of transport are the first steps in the transition to a sustainable future. The students of today will be the decision makers of tomorrow and, thus, can have a significant effect on future development and the environmental
impacts of that development. If students today are to become active participants in the environmental decision-making process, education for sustainability becomes a key component in ensuring sustainable futures. There is a need to establish data describing students’ attitudes toward environmental and resource sustainability issues so that challenges to implementing sustainable development policy can be better recognised. The aims of this study were to identify the perceptions of students in
the south west region of Victoria regarding environment and resource sustainability, and to identify their level of participation in sustainable behaviours. A survey of students has found that global environmental issues perceived by students as being in urgent need of attention were access to freshwater, loss of tropical rainforest and exhaustion of natural resources. At the local level the most urgent issues identified were water pollution, salinization and soil degradation, and clearing of native vegetation. Students perceive that Australians are overusing natural resources. They indicated particular concern for the sustainability of fossil fuels, water, coastal environments and fisheries resources. The results of this study indicate that students are responding to concerns for the environment and resource sustainability by embracing some forms of sustainable behaviour. However, as educators we need to ensure that
the link is made between environment and resource sustainability and the implementation of policies that will further encourage sustainable behaviour.

How do critical care nurses define the discharge planning process?

Background: Professional, political and organisational factors have focused attention on the discharge planning process in the Victorian health care sector. Discharge planning for patients, as part of continuity of care, is seen as a key concept in the delivery of nursing care. However, there is no question that discharge planning has emerged as a complex area of practice, and is, perhaps, most complex in the critical care area.

Aim: The study reported here is part of a larger thesis exploring critical care nurses’ perceptions and understanding of the discharge planning process in the health care system in the state of Victoria, Australia. As part of the survey participants were asked to define discharge planning as it related to the critical care environment in which they worked.

Methods: Utilising an exploratory descriptive approach, 502 Victorian critical care nurses were approached to take part in the study. The resultant net total of 218 participants completed the survey, which represented a net response rate of 43.4%. The data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

Findings: Three common themes emerged. A significant number of participants did not believe that discharge planning occurred in critical care, and therefore, thought that they could not provide a definition. There was uncertainty as to what the discharge planning process actually referred to in terms of discharge from critical care to the general ward or discharge from the hospital. There was an emphasis on movement of the patient to the general ward, which was considered in three main ways by first, getting the patient ready for transfer; second, ensuring a smooth transition to the ward and third, transfer of the patient to the ward often occurred because the critical care bed was needed for another patient.

Conclusion: The findings presented here suggest at a nursing level, the discharge planning process is not well understood and some degree of mutual exclusivity still remains. There is a need for further education of critical care nurses with regard to the underlying principles of the discharge planning process.

Nanostructures, semicrystalline morphology, and nanoscale confinement effect on the crystallization kinetics in self-organized block copolymer/thermoset blends

This work reports the first instance of self-organized thermoset blends containing diblock copolymers with a crystallizable thermoset-immiscible block. Nanostructured thermoset blends of bisphenol A-type epoxy resin (ER) and a low-molecular-weight (Mn = 1400) amphiphilic polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (EEO) symmetric diblock copolymer were prepared using 4,4'-methylenedianiline (MDA) as curing agent and were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). All the MDA-cured ER/EEO blends do not show macroscopic phase separation but exhibit microstructures. The ER selectively mixes with the epoxy-miscible PEO block in the EEO diblock copolymer whereas the crystallizable PE blocks that are immiscible with ER form separate microdomains at nanoscales in the blends. The PE crystals with size on nanoscales are formed and restricted within the individual spherical micelles in the nanostructured ER/EEO blends with EEO content up to 30 wt %. The spherical micelles are highly aggregated in the blends containing 40 and 50 wt % EEO. The PE dentritic crystallites exist in the blend containing 50 wt % EEO whereas the blends with even higher EEO content are completely volume-filled with PE spherulites. The semicrystalline microphase-separated lamellae in the symmetric EEO diblock copolymer are swollen in the blend with decreasing EEO content, followed by a structural transition to aggregated spherical micellar phase morphology and, eventually, spherical micellar phase morphology at the lowest EEO contents. Three morphological regimes are identified, corresponding precisely to the three regimes of crystallization kinetics of the PE blocks. The nanoscale confinement effect on the crystallization kinetics in nanostructured thermoset blends is revealed for the first time. This new phenomenon is explained on the basis of homogeneous nucleation controlled crystallization within nanoscale confined environments in the block copolymer/thermoset blends.

New technology in a developing country - a case study in the Maldives

In 1998, Maafahi Island was leased by the Maldives government to a private company for development as a multi-faceted primary production value-adding project. The project included boat building, agriculture and fish processing. As part of the agriculture project, a hydroponics facility was commenced in 2001, using a novel zero-runoff nutrient system. Virtually no information was available for using this system in tropical conditions; however Deakin University had been undertaking research on the system for tomato production. In 2004, two Deakin scientists visited the island with the specific purpose of assisting the project operators to ‘improve the greenhouse conditions’ and optimise the production from the greenhouse. In essence, the transition to successful production from ‘book learning’ and ‘no practical experience’ was found to be limited by a range of constraints, and demonstrated that a little knowledge is no substitute for a multidisciplinary approach. Progress had come to a standstill, not because of lack of horticultural expertise, but because of lack of understanding of fundamental science, and lack of understanding by equipment suppliers of the requirements imposed by the conditions.

Financial accounting and library collections : the bottom line

The valuation and depreciation of library collections is an increasing challenge in the context of financial accounting requirements. The depreciation implications of major collection management strategies have become of increasing concern to Deakin University library in regard to accrual accounting reporting procedures. Changes to library collections, such as the transition to online journals, are moving the financial value of library collections from capital to operating budgets. Major collection management projects such as weeding print assets can have unexpected implications for depreciation and library budgets. Gratis publication acquisitions can also significantly affect valuation and depreciation. Many other libraries are facing similar challenges and this paper will incorporate a range of experiences and practices.

There appears to be little consistency across libraries in how collections are valued and accounting procedures can differ greatly across institutions. The seemingly arbitrary and often questionable nature of financial policies in relation to library collections can create problems for libraries when used to inform decision making and budgets. Libraries increasingly need to work in partnership with financial managers to ensure the financial reporting requirements do not result in adverse implications for collections and budgets and that the capacity of the library to meet its strategic objectives is not impeded. This paper explores the issues and challenges facing many libraries and outlines some strategies to assist library managers in dealing with this financial conundrum

E-democracy: media-liminal space in the era of age compression

In this chapter, the authors will look at the ideas of e-government and e-governance and practical examples of how new media are being used to enhance decision-making in democratic societies. The authors argue that the learning environments that have emerged from interactive entertainment and other contexts signal a change in the nature and role of liminality-the transition to citizen and civic engagement-in modern society.

Mental health promotion and socio-economic disadvantage: lessons from substance abuse, violence and crime prevention and child health

Issue addressed: Mental health promotion aimed at populations with low socio-economic status (SES) may benefit by investigating prevention strategies that effectively address related child and adolescent problems.
Methods: Evidence from a number of literature reviews and program evaluations was synthesised. First, the impact of SES on development from childhood to adulthood is considered in light of research on substance
abuse, violence, crime, and child development problems. Second, evaluations of interventions are reviewed to identify those that have shown outcomes in research studies (efficacy) or in real-world settings (effectiveness) in reducing developmental problems associated with low SES. Low SES is measured in different ways including low levels of education and/or income or definitions that combine several variables into a new indicator of low SES.
Results: Factors associated with low SES are also associated to varying extent with the development of violence and crime, substance abuse and child health problems. Interventions that address underlying determinants of low SES show strong efficacy in decreasing adolescent crime and violence and effectiveness in improving child health outcomes. Although there is limited efficacy evidence that substance abuse prevention can be effectively addressed by targeting low SES, programs designed to improve educational pathways show some efficacy in reducing aspects of adolescent substance use.
Conclusion: Mental health promotion strategies can draw on the approaches outlined here that are associated with the prevention of child and adolescent problems within low SES communities. Alternatively, such interventions could be supported in mental health promotion policy as they may assist in preventing related problems that undermine mental health.

Developmental language disorders and adolescent risk: a public-health advocacy role for speech pathologists?

Within the multi-disciplinary team concerned with child and adolescent development, speech pathologists are uniquely positioned to understand the nature and overall developmental significance of language acquisition in childhood and adolescence. Other disciplines contribute valuable insights about psychosocial development during the childhood and adolescent years. The field of developmental psychology, for example provides a large and convincing body of evidence about the role of academic success as a protective factor against a range of psychosocial harms, in particular substance misuse, truancy, early school leaving, and juvenile offending. In this paper, we argue that juvenile offending embodies the notion of "adolescent risk", but in Australia in particular, has been under-investigated with respect to possible associations with developmental language disorders and subsequent academic failure. We present findings pertaining to a sample of 30 male juvenile offenders completing community based orders. Performance on a range of oral language processing and production skills was poorer than that of a demographically similar comparison group. Our results confirm the need to conceptualize language within a broader risk and protective framework. We therefore emphasize the public health importance of early language competence, by virtue of the psychosocial protection it confers on young people with respect to the development of prosocial skills, transition to literacy and overall academic achievement. We argue that speech pathologists are best positioned to advocate at a policy level about the broader public health importance of oral language competence.

Decoding the mentoring experience : a conversation with Parker Palmer

"I think it would be awesome for everyone to be involved in a mentoring group. A lot of the time I don't think we needed 'guidance' but it was just great social interaction with people you would otherwise not have met" says one student in a University-wide First Year Initiative designed to assist students with the transition to University studies. Parker Palmer (1998, p. 21) describes mentoring as "a mutuality that requires more than meeting the right teacher; the teacher must meet the right student. In this encounter, not only are the qualities of the mentor revealed, but the qualities of the student are drawn out in a way that is equally revealing". In the Faculty of Education's 'pilot program' 54 students (25% of those enrolled in the Bachelor of Education, Primary) were randomly selected to participate. Mentoring groups consisted of six students who chose to meet volunteer staff mentors for six weeks. This paper is a reflection on the mentoring experience of one group that continues to meet regularly. The research question: What was it about the group members that allowed successful mentoring to happen? is addressed through a conversation with Parker's ideas, thereby decoding this rich mentoring experience.

Financial crime in South Africa

During the 1990s economic crime began to spiral in South Africa. This phenomenon coincided with the country's transition to a democratic state. The article outlines a number of steps that South Africa took to align its laws with international standards and to improve the legal tools of law enforcement to address the crime wave. A number of successes, for instance the improvement in tax morality, are pointed out but it is argued that co-ordination and co-operation between law enforcement agencies require more attention.

The development of young children's mathematical understanding

Early childhood mathematics education research is burgeoning in Australasia. This chapter highlights and critiques key research in the area that has been published between 2004 and 2007. In particular, it considers specific mathematical topics such as number and numeracy, space and measurement, and structure and patterning; contextual matters such as links among home, school, pri or·to·sch 001 settings and community, indigenous learners and mathematics learning as children start school; assessment of mathematics learning in early childhood settings and the professional development of early childhood teachers of mathematics. It concludes with some suggestions for fruitful areas of future research.