A work integrated learning (WIL) framework to develop graduate skills and attributes in a university's accounting and business courses

For many years, emphasis has been placed on the production of 'work ready' graduates competent in their disciplinary field and able to cope in a changing work environment. Universities are being placed under increasing pressure to produce employable graduates with governments making public funding for universities contingent upon demonstrable graduate outcomes. This has resulted in universities offering their undergraduate students in commerce and business the opportunity to gain good business acumen and real world experience by undertaking Work Integrated Learning (WIL) as part of their learning. This paper proposes a three stage model to effectively embed WIL into undergraduate accounting and business programs. Through careful planning, implementation and assessments in three accounting/business courses in the WIL framework, students are encouraged to build essential knowledge and skills. They learn that to be successful in the working environment, they will need to be equipped with not only technical skills but transferable generic skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving and the ability to network in a variety of workplace situations. This program seeks to narrow the expectations gap between industry and academia and students and supports the development of graduates who can respond to changing economic circumstances and are employable, adaptable and positive contributors in the workplace

Vitamin D, innate immunity and outcomes in community acquired pneumonia

We investigated the associations between vitamin D status, the antimicrobial peptides cathelicidin and beta defensin-2 and outcomes in community acquired pneumonia. In hospitalised patients with community acquired pneumonia, vitamin D deficiency but not antimicrobial peptide levels were associated with increased 30-day mortality. Vitamin D was not associated with levels of the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin or beta defensin-2

Enhancing business undergraduates’ skills and future employability through career development and management

There is currently a gap between employer expectations of the skills graduates should possess on entry to the workforce and the skills that new graduates possess. The new knowledge economy, emerging as a result of technological advancement, needs business graduates with flexible mindsets and transferable skill sets, capable of innovating and adapting to dynamic work environments. Many Australian companies are unable to attract competent and quality workers, with business leaders often citing poor business acumen, lack of relevant skills and real world experience as serious shortcomings leading to employers deeming new graduates as not work-ready. For universities to stay relevant, they will have to be proactive rather than reactive, challenge existing pedagogies and re-examine their teaching approaches in higher education in order to add value to students’ learning and the community. To achieve this, course curricula must develop learning, teaching and assessment practices to encourage employability development to take place alongside developments in discipline specialisations. The importance of developing employability skills has been acknowledged by business, government and universities. Universities are now focusing on developing employability skills in students to prepare them for work in different work contexts and dynamic business environments (Barrie 2006; Bridgstock 2009). The objective of this thesis is to study how one Australian university used a Career Development Learning activity to facilitate future employability preparation and development in first year business students in an Accounting course as part of careers education. Through personal student journal reflections, a majority of students found the experiential activity beneficial in helping them prepare for future employability. Through this activity, they learned about the skills required for successful careers and encouraged them to identify practical ways to improve their employability prospects. The findings will be used to extend the Systems Theory Framework in Career Development and may assist academics and career practitioners to better prepare their business students to seek suitable post-graduation employment, thereby assisting to narrow the employer-graduate expectations gap

PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT AKAN KEBUTUHAN AIR BERSIH DI DUSUN TEGALSARI DESA KUPANG, KECAMATAN JABON, KABUPATEN SIDOARJO

Pemanasan global saat ini menimbulkan berbagai masalah lingkungan, salah satunya adalah krisis air bersih. Di Indonesia, daerah pesisir merupakan daerah yang sering kekurangan air bersih. Salah satu kawasan pesisir yang kekurangan air bersih adalah Dusun Tegalsari, Desa Kupang, Kecamatan Jabon, Kabupaten Sidoarjo. Salah satu solusi untuk mengatasi masalah tersebut adalah kegiatan amal yang diselenggarakan oleh mahasiswa Universitas Kristen Petra melalui metode service-learning. Pembelajaran service-learning instalasi balam dilakukan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan masyarakat pesisir di lokasi penelitian yang membutuhkan air bersih. Selain itu, siswa belajar untuk berpikir kritis ketika memecahkan masalah sosial dan mempromosikan kepedulian terhadap lingkungan dan masyarakat. Teknologi balam membersihkan air payau dengan material lokal sehingga air menjadi lebih jernih dan dapat digunakan untuk kebutuhan sehari-hari. Cara kerja ini dibagi menjadi tiga langkah/fase. Fase pertama adalah fase pra-implementasi, area disurvei dan beberapa peralatan dibeli dan dipasang. Fase implementasi, perangkat balam dipasang di lokasi. Fase pasca-implementasi, wawancara dengan warga dan penyebaran kuesioner tentang kepuasan terhadap kegiatan service-learning tersebut. Hasilnya adalah lima rumah warga Dusun Tegalsari memiliki fasilitas air sehat yang memadai dan layak digunakan. Kemudian, sebanyak 85% responden yang memasang perangkat BALAM di rumahnya merasa sangat puas dan 15% responden merasa cukup puas

NaviCane [navigation assisting cane]

We at Envision Today aim to enhance the quality of life of the visually impaired with the NaviCane: Navigation-Assisting White Cane. The NaviCane is essentially an integration between an ordinary white cane and pre-existing Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. Along with navigational capabilities, the NaviCane also features obstacle detections in front of and above the user. This will ensure that any user (regardless of their degree of vision impairment) may be able to comfortably and confidently travel. By utilizing our software application in conjunction with the NaviCane, the user is able to input any desired destination into the device. In the real world, the NaviCane operates similarly to an ordinary white cane so the learning curve is rather low; this provides the user with an easier transition period from their ordinary white cane to our device. We foresee the NaviCane being able to guide the user to venture out of their comfort zone and into unfamiliar territories. Since our product provides functionalities of a GPS navigational device within a regular white cane, it becomes more costeffective, lighter in weight, and more user-friendly when compared to existing solutions on the market

Impact of smoking status and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on pulmonary complications post lung cancer surgery

Introduction Smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with an increased risk of post-operative pulmonary complications (PPCs) following lung cancer resection. It remains unclear whether smoking cessation reduces this risk. Methods Retrospective review of a large, prospectively collected database of over 1000 consecutive resections for lung cancer in a quaternary lung cancer centre over a 23-year period. Results One thousand and thirteen patients underwent curative-intent lobectomy or pneumonectomy between 1995 and 2018. Three hundred and sixty-two patients (36%) were ex-smokers, 314 (31%) were current smokers and 111 (11%) were never smokers. A pre-operative diagnosis of COPD was present in 57% of current smokers, 57% of ex-smokers and 20% of never smokers. Just over 25% of patients experienced a PPC. PPCs were more frequent in current smokers compared to never smokers (27% vs 17%, p = 0.036), however, no difference was seen between current and ex-smokers (p = 0.412) or between never and ex-smokers (p = 0.113). Those with a diagnosis of COPD, independent of smoking status, had a higher frequency of both PPCs (65% vs 35%, p<0.01) and overall complications (60% vs 40%, p<0.01) as well as a longer length of hospital stay (10 vs 9 days, p<0.01). Conclusion Smoking and COPD are both associated with a higher rate of PPCs post lung cancer resection. COPD, independent of smoking status, is also associated with an increased overall post-operative complication rate and length of hospital stay. An emphasis on COPD treatment optimisation, rather than smoking cessation in isolation, may help improve postoperative outcomes. © 2022 Jeganathan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

How to diagnose the cause of sudden cardiac arrest

Sudden cardiac death or sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is defined as natural death that occurs within an hour of the onset of acute symptoms or during sleep due to a primary cardiac cause. Most cases of SCA are attributable to coronary artery disease, with occult cardiomyopathy or inheritable arrhythmic syndromes accounting for a minority of SCA. Diagnosing the cause of SCA has potential implications for the patient and the family, and demands a comprehensive approach. This review summarizes the potential causes of SCA and outlines a systematic diagnostic approach to the SCA survivor. (Cardiol J 2011; 18, 2: 210-216