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Defining sets which intersect each Latin trade at least twice
(Elsevier, 2026) Bean, Richard; Cavenagh, Nicholas J.
A defining set of a Latin square is a partially filled-in Latin square which completes to no other Latin square of the same order. We introduce the concept of a k -strong defining set, in which if less than k entries are deleted, the property of being a defining set is retained. Equivalently, a k -strong defining set intersects every Latin trade in the Latin square at least k times. In the addition table for integers modulo n , when n is even we determine the minimum size of a k -strong defining set for any k . For odd n we give a construction for a minimally 2-strong defining set. We furthermore give computational results for Latin squares of small orders.
Social Capital is critical to perseverance at university during COVID-19: Pasifika students in Fiji, New Zealand and Solomon Islands universities
(University of Sydney, 2022) Dorovolomo, Jeremy; Laulaupea’alu, Siuta; Rafiq, Loriza Zinnie; Rodie, Patricia; Fito’o, Billy
This study investigated how university students in two Pacific Island contexts coped with the shift to remote learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers aimed to investigate the social capital of a group of Pasifika university students in New Zealand and the Solomon Islands based in Fiji and the Solomon Islands during COVID-19 and how they coped with the rapid shift to remote learning. Social capital refers to building relationships and networks to deal with collective issues in the present and future. The researchers used tokstori to collect data from Solomon Islands students and talanoa in New Zealand. Sixteen Solomon Islanders participated in tokstoris and ongoing Pasifika students’ talanoa and faikava (kava consumption) to share concerns and challenges to their academic studies and lives. Deductive in nature, the analysis found that communication with fellow students, often via digital media, and interaction with supportive staff helped their success. Furthermore, getting in touch with the family and following COVID-19 protective practices helped students adjust positively. Being able to ‘tap’ the social resources within these spaces helped build perseverance, resilience and strong social capital. The research findings show the importance of individuals, student communities and institutions consciously strengthening social networks among students during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Navigating the challenges of wearables: A case study of research-grade devices
(ACM, 2025) Konig, Jemma; Bidois, Ben; Manchester, Ryan; Head, Mitchell; Owen, Mahonri; Hoskens, Merel; Dwivedi, Anany; August, Luke; Fredericks, Joel; Yoo, Soojeong; Tran, Tram Thi Minh; Pantidi, Nadia; Hoang, Thuong; Hoggenmueller, Marius; Caldwell, Glenda; Tag, Benjamin; Andres, Josh; Davis, Hilary; Boden, Marie; Zhu, Howe; Harman, Joel; Rahman, Jessica
The use of wearable devices in HCI research is becoming more common. However, it is also widely accepted that there are challenges associated with the use of wearable devices. Researchers have investigated generalized challenges, and more recently, challenges associated with low-cost commercial devices. Yet, little work has been published on the challenges of working with higher-cost research-grade devices. In this paper, we use a case study to explore the challenges associated with research-grade devices, and compare these challenges with those that have been identified by other researchers. The case study involves the use of two research-grade devices to record a series of physiological data-points. The case study identified one new challenge that is associated with research-grade wearable devices (setup complexity (researcher adoption)) and highlighted similarities between generalized challenges, low-cost device challenges, and research-grade challenges. The findings from this work can be used to further investigate challenges associated with wearable devices.
Academic misconduct among undergraduates across Aotearoa: Insights and implications for policy and practice
(Springer, 2024-03-26) Stephens, Jason M.; Absolum, Kate; Adam, Lee A.; Blickem, Chelsea J.; Gilliver-Brown, Katherine E.; Hart, Deirdre E.; Kelly, John; Olsen, Wendy; Ulrich, Neil
As elsewhere in the world, academic misconduct is a serious problem in Aotearoa. Yet, beyond the occasional newspaper headline, we know relatively little about the extent of the problem here or the factors associated with it. Consequently, our educational leaders and practitioners are left under-informed as they seek to address the problem and promote academic integrity. To help provide the knowledge and insights needed to craft good policy and best practice, the Research on Academic Integrity in New Zealand (RAINZ) Project—a research collaboration involving eight tertiary institutions—was founded in 2021. In the second semester of 2022, the RAINZ Project launched the first-ever nationwide survey of undergraduate students’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours related to academic integrity. Results from this survey, which was completed by undergraduates (N = 4493), indicate that most students (approximately two-thirds) reported engaging in at least one form of academic misconduct in the past year. As hypothesised, students’ perceptions (of the institutional climate and peer norms) and moral attitudes (related to cheating) were significantly associated with their engagement in academic misconduct. Details of these results as well as their implications for policy and practice are discussed.
A multi-objective decision-support framework for early-stage cost–carbon–process-hour screening of prefabricated cold-formed steel residential framing in New Zealand
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Ramani, Kevin; Lim, James Boon Piang
Early-stage configuration decisions in prefabricated cold-formed steel (CFS) residential framing can influence process cost, A1–A5 embodied carbon, and construction process-hours before detailed structural verification, procurement, and construction planning are complete. In the New Zealand residential construction context, these decisions are important because panel rationalisation, truss rationalisation, opening/detailing complexity, and prefabrication level affect how work is distributed across factory production, transport, logistics, and site installation. As a result, single-objective assessment is insufficient for comparing alternative framing configurations. This thesis develops a multi-objective decision-support framework for early-stage cost–carbon–process-hour screening of prefabricated CFS residential framing in New Zealand. A project-derived residential framing package is represented using the decision vector 𝐱=[𝑅𝑝,𝑅𝑡,𝑂𝐶,𝑃𝑓], where 𝑅𝑝 and 𝑅𝑡 represent panel and truss rationalisation intensity, 𝑂𝐶 represents opening/detailing complexity, and 𝑃𝑓 represents prefabrication level. Three objectives are minimised simultaneously: CFS framing process cost, A1–A5 embodied carbon, and CFS framing process-hours. A model-calculated S2 reference configuration is used for normalisation, comparison, and robustness assessment. An LHS-initialised NSGA-II optimisation procedure was used to generate nondominated cost–carbon–process-hour alternatives within the fixed case-study boundary. The reported optimisation run produced 8,302 feasible nondominated configurations without hard constraint violations, of which 2,695 achieved simultaneous reductions in predicted process cost, embodied carbon, and process-hours relative to S2. The remaining nondominated configurations are interpreted as trade-off alternatives rather than universal improvements over the reference case. Model credibility was assessed through S2 reasonableness checking, coefficient-audit traceability, convergence diagnostics, sensitivity analysis, constraint testing, multi-seed stability checking, and Monte Carlo robustness assessment. The results indicate that improved performance is achieved through coordinated rationalisation, detailing simplification, and prefabrication control rather than by maximising any single variable independently. The contribution of this thesis is an applied-methodological decision-support workflow for screening prefabricated CFS residential framing configurations before detailed structural design, contractor pricing, life-cycle assessment, and construction scheduling.