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Hybrid Model Predictive Control Of Residential Heating, Ventilation And Air Conditioning Systems With On-Site Energy Generation And Storage, Massimo Fiorentini

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Driven by population growth and our insatiable need for energy, there is an ever increasing trend in worldwide energy consumption and cost. Therefore, sustainability in the energy sector has become one of the most important international strategic issues. One approach to mitigating this trend is to reduce energy consumption in the built environment, which contributes significantly to overall world energy demand. A substantial reduction in consumption of fossil fuels can be achieved by increasing building energy efficiency, as well as integrating on-site renewable electrical and thermal energy generation, and energy storage. Such solutions are becoming more and more cost effective, …

A Trial Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy To Facilitate Psychological Adjustment After A Traumatic Brain Injury, Diane Lynn Whiting

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The adjustment process after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is complex, individual and results in high levels of psychological distress as the individual comes to accept their post-injury self. This thesis undertakes a series of five studies to investigate whether Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can facilitate psychological adjustment after a severe TBI. The first study provides a selective review of cognitive and psychological flexibility in the context of treatment for psychological distress after traumatic brain injury, with a focus on acceptance-based therapies. Cognitive flexibility is a component of executive function that is referred to mostly in the context of …

Women And Alcohol: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Women’S Decisions To Engage With Drug And Alcohol Services, Renee Michelle Brighton

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The aim of this study was to explore the meaning that women who live with alcohol-use disorders attributed to their decisions to engage with drug and alcohol services. Women, alcohol and alcohol-use disorders are under-researched topics when compared to the abundance of studies on male alcohol consumption and its related harms. In particular, there is nearly silence on the discourse about the lived experience of women who consume harmful levels of alcohol and live with alcohol-use disorders (AUDs).

In order to understand and interpret the essence of meaning behind the reasons why the 15 women participants made their decisions to …

Characterisation Of Nanodot Optically Stimulated Luminescent Dosimeters For In Vivo Radiotherapy Dosimetry, Christopher Boyd

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Al2O3:C has increasingly been used for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimetry, initially for personal dosimeters and more recently through the Landauer commercial OSL system for dosimetry. The system couples the InLight® microStar reader with NanoDot® dosimeters that were then paired with a GammaSonics® manual annealing lightbox to perform robust, simple and reliable dosimetry.

The Implementation Of The Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) In Bangladesh, Paola Frassinetti Alves De Miranda

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

In this thesis I studied the effectiveness of CEDAW’s regime of reservations to protect treaty integrity. Specifically, I examined Bangladesh’s reservation to CEDAW to illustrate the effects of impermissible reservations to the Convention, in particular, regarding the implementation and monitoring process of CEDAW. To do this, I conducted a qualitative analysis of relevant documents on the monitoring and implementation process of CEDAW in Bangladesh. The analysis focused on the challenges faced by the CEDAW Committee in effectively discharging its mandate and the interpretation of the provisions of CEDAW, according to their relevance to the implementation of the ‘object and purpose’ …

Borate Modified Graphite Anodes For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Michelle Kathleen Mccray

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Global efforts to reduce emissions and the need for improved energy storage for mobile power applications have stimulated extensive research on new battery technologies. Lithium-ion batteries have emerged as the principal technology for energy storage in electric vehicles, portable electronic devices, and grid storage; strongly driving demand for component materials. Nevertheless, substantial improvements in performance, safety and cost are required, creating a need for new technical solutions. Here, borates are investigated for the enhancement of energy storage. As confirmed by a deep exploration of the literature and further experimentation, borates show excellent potential as additives to graphite anodes to improve …

Australian Industry Superannuation Default Funds: Examining Sequencing Risk For Baby Boomers, Loretta Anne Iskra

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The growth of superannuation (private pension systems) is a global phenomenon, which has been intended to counter the financial burden of an ageing population. Superannuation is part of the Australian government’s retirement income policy, as it is expected to supplement the Government Age Pension and other private savings in providing sufficient retirement funding for the nation. With the impact of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) leading to reduced share market asset values, corporate failures and consequently reduced retirement funds, superannuation is increasingly the focus of reform initiatives. In Australia, superannuation is the legislated process of employers depositing a percentage …

The Australian Competition And Consumer Commission Immunity Policy For Cartel Conduct: A Critical Legal Analysis, Pariz Lythgo-Marshall

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis provides a critical legal analysis of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Immunity Policy for Cartel Conduct. The Immunity Policy is touted as the ‘most effective anti-cartel enforcement tool in the world’ as it aims to increase cartel detection and deterrence by offering the first cartel participant full immunity from civil and criminal penalties. This thesis presents a detailed examination of the theory underpinning the policy’s design and intended operation to question whether the current model of assessing the effectiveness of the policy needs to be enhanced in light of more recent theoretical developments.

Pricing American-Style Parisian Options, Tan Nhat Le

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Barrier options are the most common path-dependent options traded in financial markets. They are particularly attractive to investors, because not only are they cheaper than vanilla options but they also offer different choices of investment, which allow investors to bet their views on the movement of the underlying asset prices. The “one-touch” breaching barrier however is prone to market manipulations which can be made by influential agents in order to free them from their liabilities to the option holders. Aiming to prevent such market manipulations, Parisian options were introduced, with an extended trigger clause, which makes the knock-in or knock-out …

Ultraviolet Photodissociation Of Protonated Pyridine Derivatives: Action Spectroscopy And Mass Spectrometry, Christopher S. Hansen

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis describes the development and benchmarking of photodissociation action spectroscopy instrumentation bringing together a commercial linear ion trap mass spectrometer and multiple pulsed laser systems. The focus of the thesis is then a study of the spectroscopy and photochemistry of gas-phase protonated pyridine derivatives using this instrumentation.

Link Schedule Construction Algorithms For Multi-Transmit-Receive Wireless Mesh Networks, He Wang

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The capacity of Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) is closely tied to the number of links activated simultaneously. More active links mean wireless routers have a higher data forwarding rate to one or more gateways and also other routers. The key challenge, however, is to limit interference with the goal of maximizing the number of active links or spatial reuse. To this end, researchers have proposed to equip nodes with Multiple-Transmit-Receive (MTR) capability. Briey, MTR capability can be achieved using the following methods: (i) equipping nodes with multiple directional antennas, (ii) using Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology, and (iii) exploiting 60 GHz radios, …

Development Of Three Dimensional, Conducting Structures For Nerve Regenerative Applications, Katharina Schirmer

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Peripheral nerve damage affects thousands of people every year. While less severe injuries usually heal over time, surgery is the only option to attempt restoration of sensation and function in severely damaged peripheral nerves. Autologous nerve grafting is currently the most successful and commonly used treatment for injuries of the peripheral nervous system. The functional outcomes of autografting are still far from ideal and further limitations result from the need to sacrifice a nerve from elsewhere in the body. To overcome these limitations research has focussed on the development of artificial nerve conduits which are designed to support the damaged …

Coming To Terms With The Occupation Of Nature: Engagements Between Indigenous Australians And Conservation Organisations, Heather Moorcroft

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis explores contemporary engagements between Indigenous Australians and conservation organisations. Under a new paradigm, conservation claims to be inclusive of Indigenous people. There is a considerable body of work on this topic stemming from case studies from developing countries, yet little attention has been afforded to developed settler societies such as Australia, where Indigenous people are often considered citizens of the “fourth world”.

Using a multiple case study design and a mixed methods approach of archival research, document analysis, interviews and observations, the thesis investigates the historical and contemporary context of engagements between Indigenous Australians and the conservation sector, …

Developing Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Method For Studying Bio-Corrosion Of Magnesium Alloys And Protective Surface Treatments, Sina S. Jamali

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Ways of implementing scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) for studying corrosion and degradation of Mg in simulated biological solution has been studied in this thesis. SECM was first employed in more conventional mode of operation, namely feedback mode, to provide a baseline for comparison with other imaging modes of SECM. Four modes of SECM were in total exploited including feedback, AC, potentiometric and surface generation/tip collection modes. In feedback and AC modes electro-activity and insulating properties of surface were examined at a local scale. In the AC mode variation in conductivity of solution that was caused by corrosion reactions was also …

Aboriginal People Come In All Shapes And Sizes: Authentic Aboriginal Paintings, Peter James Hewitt

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

In my artistic practice I have identified as an ‘Aboriginal artist’; a contemporary Aboriginal painter to be more accurate. This categorisation is significant to my painting practice, and it is essentially the motivating concern of my MCA-R inquiry. While the studio research component Dis & Dat will be mostly engaged with independently, in terms of its material and conceptual strengths, this exegesis examines the personal importance of having my paintings engaged with as authentic expressions of my Aboriginality. ‘Urban-based’ Aboriginal art, that broad category of contemporary creative expression with which I mostly identify, has, since its relatively recent inception in …

Brand As An Influence On Mobile Converged Technology Purchases Among Australian 18 To 34 Year Old Young Adults, David Edwin Rogerson

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis explores the influence of brand on mobile converged technology purchase decisions made by young adult Australians, between 18 to 34 years of age, specifically focusing on mobile phone purchase decisions from 1 February, 2009 to 31 January, 2011. A review of the literature reveals that, predominantly, research has focused on the individual elements of brand, technology convergence and the consumer decision making processes, however, research into the combination of multiple variables in the purchase decision making process, for newer converged technologies, is not apparent. This research contributes to the available literature analysing the influence of brand as well …

Past And Present Coral Distribution At The Latitudinal Limit Of Reef Development, Southwest Pacific Ocean, Michelle Linklater

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Coral reefs are particularly vulnerable to climate-change impacts such as warming sea-surface temperatures, ocean acidification and increased storm activity. In response to these changes, corals may alter their geographical distributions and expand their ranges into higher latitudes. Coral reef range expansions have occurred during past periods of warming and coral populations have survived in regions protected from adverse conditions, termed ‘refugia’, until conditions improved and reefs replenished. Modern-day climate refugia have been hypothesised in higher latitudes as well as deeper, mesophotic waters (30-150 m depth). Few studies have investigated the role of higher latitude, mesophotic environments in supporting modern corals …

Image-I-Nation And Fictocriticism: Rewriting Of The Malay Myth, Nasirin Bin Abdillah

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The premise of this study centres upon the examination of rewriting the Malay myth in a critical and creative context. The main focus is on the way myth rewriting can reconfigure the notion of ‘nation’. In the scholarly component of this thesis, two of Fatimah Busu’s short stories, “Al-Isra’” (“Night Journey”) and “Gurindam Jiwa 50 Tahun Merdeka” (“50 Years of Independence: A Gurindam Jiwa”) are the main materials for analysis. Fatimah Busu’s works has been chosen as she primarily and consistently draws upon the idea of myth rewriting in many of her short stories. I intentionally chose these two particular …

Novel Shear Thickening And Magnetorheological Materials And Their Application In Controllable Electrolytes, Gangrou Peng

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Shear viscosity is used as a parameter that characterizes the energy dissipation rate under shear loading. For instance, shear viscosity for Newtonian fluid is an intrinsic material parameter and independent of shear rate. Through the method of suspending small particles inside of the Newtonian fluid, particle concentration is formed and exhibits a number of rheological phenomena, for instance, shear thinning, shear thickening, thixotropy, yielding, and shear induced aggregation.

In some occasions, the energy dissipation rate decreases with the increasing shear rate, which means decreased shear viscosity and corresponding shear stress increases below linearity with the respect to shear rate, it …

Improving Coastal Management Outcomes Through Science And The Law, Katie J. O'Neal

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The conservation of coastal resources and environmental values for current and future generations is challenged by pressure for development in vulnerable coastal locations. Science and the law each provide important contributions to addressing how development is approved on the coast. Coastal decision makers accept that science is crucial for management, providing knowledge about habitats, physical processes and predicted responses to change. Yet, there are many challenges associated with applying science to management decisions. A growing body of scientific research investigates the barriers occurring within environmental governance networks to identify ways to improve the application of science, referred to as ‘science …

Effects Of Gas Atmosphere On Reduction Of Quartz And Its Reaction With Silicon Carbide For Silicon Production, Xiang Li

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Wider use of solar energy is impeded by high cost of solar-grade silicon used in photovoltaics. Carbothermal synthesis of silicon carbide (SiC) followed by further reacting with quartz is a novel and economical approach for production of solar-grade silicon. The aim of the project was to investigate carbothermal reduction of quartz to SiC and production of silicon from quartz and SiC in different gas atmosphere, and establish reaction mechanism. The concentrations of CO, CO2 and CH4 in the off gas during reaction were measured online using an infrared gas analyzer. The samples after reduction were characterized by XRD, LECO analyser, …

Frequency-Domain Method For Measuring Alpha Factor By Self-Mixing Interferometry, Zhenghao Liu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Linewidth enhancement factor, also known as the alpha factor, is a fundamental characteristic parameter of a laser diode (LD). It characterises the broadening of the laser linewidth, the frequency chirp, the injection lock range and the response to external optical feedback. In the past few decades, extensive researches have been dedicated to the measurement of alpha. Among all the existing approaches, the methods based on selfmixing interferometry (SMI) are considered the most simple and effective. The core components of a SMI consist of an LD, a lens and a moving target. When a portion of laser light backscattered or reflected …

Argentine Tango And Contact Improvisation, Eleanor Brickhill

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis explores two different forms of improvised, social partner dance – contact improvisation and Argentine tango – arguing that despite their emergence from wildly different cultural and socio-political contexts, there is nonetheless a shared core of physical partnering skills. It draws on my embodied experience as a professional dancer trained in various forms of modern dance, as well as extensive and ongoing study of contact improvisation, Ideokinesis, and Argentine tango, in order to ask: what are the practices and issues that create difficulties or barriers to the transmission or reception of these core skills from one form to the …

Grounded Theory Examination Of The Perspective Of Practice And Education Sectors Regarding Graduate Registered Nurse Practice Readiness In The Australian Context, May El Haddad

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Despite the considerable reform in nursing education and graduate transition programmes and the commitment of academics to prepare competent registered nurses (RNs), the debate regarding graduate RN practice readiness continues to linger. Such debate is in part reflective of a difference in opinion between nurses in education and practice sectors, as to whether recently graduated RNs are in fact practice ready. In order to understand this longstanding debate, a Grounded Theory study was undertaken. The study explored the perspectives of nurse unit managers (NUMs) as representatives of the practice sector and Bachelor of Nursing programme coordinators (BNPCs) as representatives of …

The Trace Of An Affective Object Encounter: A Picture Postcard, Its Provocations, And Processual Becomings, Louise J. Boscacci

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis of practice-based research begins with a first encounter: the affective provocation of a one hundred year-old pictorial postcard. It draws on a Spinozan-Deleuzian philosophical trajectory of contemporary affect theory in which affect is posited as the generative forces of encounter and the durational passage of those intensities and energies within a vocabulary of becomings. The travelling postcard, named within the project, ‘the Round Table postcard’, is housed in an intergenerational, familial archive in the Queensland tropics: an emplaced material object, and an electric encounter situated in idiolocal country of embodied attunement and connection. The thesis traces the …

Testing Stock Market Efficiency In The Weak Form: Evidence From The Dow Jones Islamic Indices, Mohammad Saleh Alsayed

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Market efficiency is one of the most controversial topics in the finance literature. Over the past four decades, academics and practitioners have widely examined the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) in conventional developed and developing financial markets. However, the limited number of studies on Islamic indices found within the literature stresses the need for additional scrutiny as to whether the claim of religious or moral Islamic principles may have led investors to make sacrifices in market efficiency. This thesis provides an empirical understanding for policy makers, investors, portfolio managers and researchers, whether individual or institutional, on Islamic investing in equity markets …

Quality Issues In Multipurpose Ongoing Population Health Surveys, Margo Barr

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Background: Quality is an important aspect of the conduct of sample surveys, but often the need for timely results, generated within a specified budget, can become the overriding imperative. When sample surveys are considered from a quality perspective two major dimensions need to be considered; measurement and representativeness. In ongoing data collections there is a third dimension; the impact dimension that includes timeliness, sensitivity and responsiveness, flexibility and coherence, comparability, accessibility and usefulness.

Aims and objectives: To consider important research issues for ongoing population health surveys in Australia including: (i) the diminishing coverage of landline phone frames because of mobile-only …

Trouble With Tango: Conversations Across Boundaries Argentine Tango And Contact Improvision, Eleanor Brickhill

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis explores two different forms of improvised, social partner dance – contact improvisation and Argentine tango – arguing that despite their emergence from wildly different cultural and socio-political contexts, there is nonetheless a shared core of physical partnering skills. It draws on my embodied experience as a professional dancer trained in various forms of modern dance, as well as extensive and ongoing study of contact improvisation, Ideokinesis, and Argentine tango, in order to ask: what are the practices and issues that create difficulties or barriers to the transmission or reception of these core skills from one form to the …

Towards An Improved Framework To Prevent Marine Plastic Debris, Karen Raubenheimer

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

A range of multilateral agreements exists to prevent pollution of the oceans from various sources. Yet it would seem this framework has failed to prevent the continuing flow of plastic waste into the marine environment. This research provides the first analysis of the international and regional legal and policy framework to assess the adequacy of provisions in establishing a duty to prevent marine plastic debris.

The central contributing factor is one of differing jurisdictions resulting in varying levels of duty established in the different maritime zones and on land. The Law of the Sea Convention provides various rights to States …

Nano-Engineering And Advanced Characterizations Of Layered-Structure Electrode Materials For Lithium-Ion And Sodium-Ion Batteries, Sujith Kalluri

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Undoubtedly, there is a huge demand for renewable energy storage devices for various everyday applications, from portable electronics to large-scale applications such as electric vehicles and energy storage for electrical grids, made especially urgent due to the depletion of fossil fuels. Currently, rechargeable lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology is most prominently used in mobile or portable electronics, which has raised a huge demand for expensive lithium, the reserves of which would not be sufficient for a future huge share of electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage, thereby putting severe pressure on lithium production and its cost. Alongside LIB technology, both academic …