Digital Commons Network^™

Reconciling Educationally Displaced Young People And Education, Nicoli Humphry

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

In Australia there are a significant proportion of young people existing in debilitating lives, who, for a range of reasons, are no longer attending school. In this thesis I ask, what work is required of schools to reconcile these young people with education following their, often, incapacitating engagements with educational and social disadvantage and exclusion.

This thesis comes from an eighteen month ethnographic study conducted across the four school sites of one Australian organisation, Youth Off The Streets (YOTS). Fieldwork involved the use of two ethnographic techniques: in-depth interviews with 20 young people and 18 staff, and observations of over …

Ownership Structure, Corporate Governance, And Collateral Requirements: Evidence From China's Listed Firms, Can An

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Since the 2007 financial crisis the use of collateral has again come back into the focus of academics and practitioners. However, the existing literature on the determinants of collateral has concentrated mostly on developed markets, especially the U.S. and the U.K., although collateral is even more important due to the opaque information that exists in developing markets. This thesis conducted useful tests of whether the theories that have been established and applied to explain the determinants of collateral in developed markets are applicable to the world’s largest emerging market, China. Since China introduced economic reforms in the late 1970s, it …

Strategic Information Technology Alignment: Conceptualization, Measurement, And Performance Implications, Magno Jefferson De Souza Queiroz

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Explaining the effect of information technology (IT) on organizational performance is a primary concern for strategic IT alignment research. The central hypothesis is that performance is a function of the alignment between IT and the organization’s business strategy. Preceding theories explain the performance implications of IT alignment within a single line of business. However, they do not explain the need for IT to be aligned with distinct strategies developed at the corporate and strategic business unit (SBU) levels in a multi-business organization. This thesis begins the task of unpacking the concept of IT alignment to explain the performance implications of …

Creating And Modifying Mathematical Learning Resources And Learning Designs For Use In Developing Countries, Maman Fathurrohman

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The motivation for this study was the desire to take steps to reduce the digital divide between developing and developed countries. Huge differences exist between information and communication technology infrastructure and resources in advanced economies compared to those of developing countries. To facilitate economic development, improvements in information and communication technology use and quality of mathematics education, which contribute to country competitiveness, are considered essential.

The aim of this study was to identify ways to support the use of technology by mathematics teachers in developing countries. The Alexander and Hedberg evaluation of innovation model framed the study. The model involved …

The Interplay Of War, Innocence And Experience In Selected Novels Of Graham Greene, Daniel John Swinton

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis explores the interplay of war, innocence and experience in selected novels by twentieth-century English author Graham Greene. Greene mobilises the terms innocence and experience to explore them in the individual and in societies, social groups and cultures. I argue that Greene believes innocence and experience are qualities essential to the individual and to the collective. This thesis examines representations of individual and social or collective innocence and experience in various settings in selected pre-war, wartime, and post-war novels. I focus on how war affected Greene’s use of these themes from the 1930s into the 1950s. Thus, my primary …

Characterising The Role Of Streptokinase Polymorphism In The Pathogenesis Of Streptococcus Pyogenes, Simon M. Cook

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus, GAS) is a human specific pathogen responsible for a wide range of diseases. The majority of GAS infections give rise to uncomplicated disease, however, the migration of GAS from superficial to deep tissue sites can result in life-threatening invasive infections. GAS secrete streptokinase (SK), a potent plasminogen (Plg) activator which enables this bacterium to subvert the host Plg activation system to generate soluble and cell bound protease activity. Unlike the human Plg activators, u-PA and t-PA, which cleave the Plg activation bond (Arg₅₆₁-VaI₅₆₂) to generate the broad serine protease plasmin, SK …

Constructing Knowledge, Identity And Community In Asynchronous Discussion Forums: Socio-Semiotic Perspectives In Online Learning, Janine Louise Delahunty

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis explores the nature of engagement in asynchronous discussion forums in fully delivered online courses in higher education; in particular, online engagement as part of the total subject design. It addresses a number of research questions to understand how online discussion forums shape the teaching-and-learning experience, namely: What kinds of knowledge are socially constructed in online forum interactions? What is the role of interpersonal contributions in fostering/inhibiting student engagement in forum interaction, and in building a sense of community? What is the role of the instructor in mediating online discussion?

The study was motivated to understand how interaction - …

Large Throughput Analysis Of Crystal Structures For Identification Of Promising Li-Ion Battery Materials, Matthew Sale

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

It is a popular research pursuit to improve the properties of rechargeable batteries. The motivation for this research is to make rechargeable batteries more suitable for powering electric vehicles as well as increasing the operating time of portable electronics. Cheaply storing large amounts of electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind as well as providing grid electricity buffering for electricity generation would also help offset peak electricity demand.

Unfortunately, current battery materials are experiencing a plateau in performance improvements due to the maximum intrinsic capacity and cost of commonly used cathode materials. As a result, further research …

Shear Strength Of Degradable Rock Joints, Sivanathan Thirukumaran

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The typical shear behaviour of rough joints has been studied under constant normal stress or zero normal stiffness boundary conditions (CNL), but recent studies have shown that this boundary condition may not replicate more practical situations, and that constant normal stiffness (CNS) is a more appropriate boundary condition to describe the stress-strain response of field joints. Unlike CNL conditions, a limited amount of data under CNS boundary conditions is available to date. In addition to the effect of boundary conditions, the shear behaviour of a rough joint also depends on its surface properties and initial stress acting on its interface. …

Thz Spectroscopic Studies Of Materials Using The Ftir Technique: Experiment And Simulation, Lucia Malebogo Lepodise

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Terahertz (THz) radiation has remained the least developed part of the electromagnetic spectrum for quite a long time and thus it was traditionally known as the ‘terahertz gap’. The progress of research in this field has been hindered by lack of powerful sources and detectors as compared to both the sources and detectors for the electronic and optical sides of the terahertz radiation region. However, the research on the THz field has intensified in recent years due to a number of emerging interesting technologies and owing to its unique properties. It has several advantages over its counterparts like X-ray and …

Residual Stress Analysis Of Pipeline Girth Weld Joints, Djarot B. Darmadi

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Residual stress is one of the important factors that should be considered when assessing the integrity of welded structures because it is well known that residual stress may lead to failure in the weld joint. Residual stress may lead to stress corrosion cracking in a corrosive environment and has resulted in failures in energy pipelines.

Residual stress and stress corrosion cracking in the region of the girth welded joint in pipelines was investigated in the current work. The emphasis was placed on residual stress modeling in pipeline girth welds since it was judged to be an essential prerequisite for stress …

Lysosomal Cobalamin Transport And Its Relevance To Ageing And Alzheimer's Disease, Hua Zhao

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Vitamin B12, known as cobalamin (Cbl), is required for erythrocyte formation and DNA synthesis. It plays a crucial role in maintaining neurological function. As a coenzyme for methionine synthase and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, Cbl utilisation depends on its efficient transit through the intracellular lysosomal compartment and subsequent delivery to the cytosol and mitochondria. Lysosomal function deteriorates in ageing and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although rodent studies indicate that Cbl supplementation significantly improves cognitive performance, human trials have failed to provide a consistent beneficial effect on cognitive performance with either oral or parenteral Cbl. This thesis proposes a novel hypothesis that neuropathological conditions …

Permeability Of Sandstone And Coal Samples Subjected To Confining Pressure, Nazanin Nourifard

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Permeability of rock is the ability of transmitting the fluid flow through the rock body. It can be affected mainly by rock structure and it’s matrix due to the grain size, formation and the pressure or concentration gradient existing within and across it. Past studies mainly focused on the relationship of permeability and axial stress of rock, and there was a little research on the impact of circumferential stress and volumetric deformation on the permeability. A programme of laboratory tests was conducted on sandstone and coal samples from two mines (Mines A and B) to evaluate the permeability of different …

Modelling, Design Optimisation And Experimental Evaluation Of Propulsion Concepts For In-Body Robotic Systems, Hao Zhou

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Applications of miniaturised robots in medicine have created significant opportunities for minimally invasive medicine. As a pioneer in such a field, wireless capsule endoscope (WCE) has brought significant advantages to the diagnosis of the gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, especially the symptoms in the small bowel to which a conventional endoscope is hard to reach. However, current commercial capsules depend on the natural peristalsis to move, which makes site-specific diagnosis and intervention less effective, limiting WCE’s prospect to a large degree. Therefore, substantial research is being dedicated to the active locomotion of WCEs, which is crucial for further therapeutic functionalities such as …

Spiralling Progression In The Short Stories And Novels Of Patricia Grace, Barbara Joyce Kinnane

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis examines the nature of successive changes across the fictional output of Patricia Grace. Transformations are explored from three perspectives. One perspective is the relationship between Grace’s novels and collections of short stories. Each of Grace’s first four novels (Mutuwhenua, Potiki, Cousins, Baby No-Eyes) is preceded by a collection of short stories (Waiariki, The Dream Sleepers and other stories, Electric City and other stories, The Sky People). The thesis argues that there is an adaptive progression from each set of stories to the subsequent novel. In the appendix to this thesis is an interview I conducted with Grace in …

Ti-Based Nanostructured Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Jae-Geun Kim

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Worldwide efforts to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and to preserve the environment have been promoted the development of renewable energy systems which require energy storages to preserve electric energy. Lithium rechargeable battery is one of promising storage devices because of high energy and power density and reliable safety. Ti-based oxides are attractive candidates for use as an anode for lithium ion batteries due to low cost, excellent functionality, non-toxicity, thermal stability, and environmental friendliness. The morphology, phase formation and electronic structure of Ti-based oxide materials on the nanoscale definitely determine their electrochemical properties in energy storage systems. In …

What Is The Content And Process Of A Comprehensive Mental Health Nursing Assessment?, Tim Coombs

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The current study seeks to answer the question, ‘What is the content and process of a comprehensive mental health nursing assessment?’ Mental health nurses are required to undertake comprehensive mental health nursing assessments as part of their routine clinical practice. The current study was prompted by the author’s experience of implementing standard clinical documentation and measures of health status to the clinical practice of mental health nurses and the reaction of nurse’s to this implementation.

In a series of six articles the question is answered, the implications of the findings explored and a potential solution for the issues identified offered. …

The Impact Of Customer Service Orientation On Public Service Motives, Christa Wood

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The purpose of this thesis is two-fold. This study investigates the effects new public management (NPM) reforms have on public servants in one particular agency. The results of this investigation suggest that one of the reform programs, customer service orientation, appeared to be of concern to public servants affecting their motivation and morale. This led to further research with the aim to explore a likely relationship between customer service orientation and motivation. Therefore, the two research problems investigated in this thesis are:

1. What, if any, effects do new public management reforms have on public servants?

2. Does an organisation’s …

Insights Into Middle Managers Influence On Organisational Culture During Change: Understanding And Replicating Positive Deviance Behaviours, Deanne Lee Heidrich

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Organisational change, including organisational restructures, impact on the culture of organisations, often negatively. Negative organisational cultures impact on organisational performance. There is a myriad of literature pertaining to organisational change and organisational culture, however there is a relative scarcity of studies on how organisations can ensure change is successful and sustainable without impacting negatively on the culture and performance of the organisation. This study explores the links between a) how cultural change is best achieved, b) who is best to lead the change and c) what method should be utilised. The exploration results in a framework which can be utilised …

Native Community Responses To Alien Grass Invasion: Role Of Landscape And Native Plant Functional Traits In Mediating Invader Impacts, Ben William Gooden

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

It is well-known that alien plant invaders significantly threaten the diversity and ecological function of native plant communities. Recent research has shown that impacts of invasion are dependent upon invader attributes, yet it is poorly known whether landscape context and functional attributes of resident native plants also mediate invader impacts on the recipient community. I used the model system of invasion by the alien, stoloniferous grass Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze into an endangered and highly-fragmented coastal swamp forest community along the southern coastline of New South Wales, Australia, to determine whether impacts of invasion are dependent upon extrinsic landscape processes, …

Mechanism Of Toughening In Hydrogels, Hai Xin

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Tough hydrogel materials have recently attracted broad attentions and interests. Due to their high fracture energies, they are promising candidates for a wide range of biological and biomechanical applications. Two important categories of tough hydrogels are Double Network hydrogel (DN) and ionic-covalent PAAm-alginate hybrid gel (abbreviated as the “hybrid gel”). Both gel systems exhibit interesting network structures and remarkably enhanced mechanical toughness with respect to the conventional covalently-crosslinked hydrogels. The objective of the present PhD study is to provide a quantitative analysis on the toughening mechanism and damage process for DN and the hybrid hydrogels. The investigation for each of …

Contributions To Text-Based Captcha Security, Duc Vu Nguyen

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

A CAPTCHA is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to determine whether or not the user is human. It is a standard defence mechanism against bots, or automated programs, that attempt to use web-based services meant for human users. While there are many different types of CAPTCHA schemes that have emerged over the years, to date, the most widely used type is text-based CAPTCHAs in the form of a single 2D image of distorted text. Unfortunately, a large number of text-based CAPTCHA schemes have been successfully broken. Thus, animated, 3D or 4D text-based CAPTCHAs are seen as alternative …

Uncovering The Energies And Reactivity Of Aminoxyl Radicals By Mass Spectrometry, David Marshall

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Aminoxyl radicals (R1R2NO•) are a well-known class of stable free radicals and play a major role in polymer chemistry as both reagents for controlled polymerisation processes and polymer stabilisers. Both of these processes involve cycling between aminoxyl radical and alkoxyamine (R1R2NO–R3) forms. Despite their widespread industrial use, there is surprisingly little known about the intrinsic energetics and reactivity of these species that could inform our understanding of their behaviours in complex polymer matrices or reaction mixtures. In this thesis mass spectrometry is used to uncover these fundamental properties of aminoxyl radicals in the gas phase.

Alkoxyamines were prepared with an …

Weather-Ways: Experiencing And Responding To Everyday Weather, Eliza De Vet

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Climates are changing, yet how these changes will affect individuals in their everyday lives is unclear. In climate change research, weather and climate (change) have largely been represented quantitatively. Such representations offer individuals, societies and institutions limited tangible explanation of future climate change, impeding efforts to develop and implement effective climate change responses. In order to comprehend the realities of climate change and potential adaptation capacities, research must recognise how individuals and societies currently relate to weather in context of everyday life.

This thesis contributes to research on weather relations by exploring the role of weather in everyday life in …

Study On Graphene Composites For Electrode Materials Of Lithium Ion Batteries, Yi Shi

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Low carbon economy and clean renewable energy now become significant topics over the world, due to the increasing demands for energy, decreasing amount of non-renewable energy, such as petrol, coal and natural gas, as well as environmental problems. With the economic development and the improvement of living standards, there is a growing emphasis on the development and utilization of water, wind, solar and other renewable energy. Comparing with the traditional energy, these new forms of energy have many advantages. However, they are subject to the climate and weather, and their output energy peaks do not match the demand. In addition, …

Effect Of Thermo-Mechanical Processing, Ageing And Compression On Microstructure And Mechanical Properties Of Near Β Ti Alloys Made From Powder, Mansur Ahmed

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The high cost of titanium components restricts wider utilisation of Ti materials. Blended elemental powder metallurgy (BEPM) is a promising cost-effective approach to the manufacturing of Ti products for non-fatigue critical applications. In this series of investigations three near-b Ti alloys (Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-1Cr-1Fe, Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-2Cr-1Fe and Ti-10V-3Fe-3Al) produced by BEPM were subjected to different thermo-mechanical processing (TMP) schedules using a Gleeble 3500 simulator. The selected TMP schedules resulted in beneficial reductions in porosity and fragmentation of grain boundary α phase. Selection of specific cooling regimes to room temperature could be used to control the extent of b phase recrystallisation, volume fraction of …

Advances In Targeted Radiosensitiser And Nanotherapeutic Agents For Cancer Therapy, Sianne Oktaria

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Although the treatment of cancer continues to improve, the treatment of highgrade gliomas remains a major challenge; current treatments are palliative rather than curative. This is despite a variety of multimodal treatments options including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The median survival for patients with glioblastoma multiforme is less than one year after diagnosis and generally no patients survive five years post treatment.

The hypothesis underlying the work presented in this thesis is that local tumour control can be improved by exploiting elements with a high atomic number (Z) so as to increase the energy deposited in the tumour cells. The …

Effectiveness Of Marine Park Management: A Case Study From New South Wales, Australia, Andrew David Read

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The effectiveness of marine park management in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, in achieving conservation and ecological sustainable use objectives was examined using three key determinants: 1) assessment of allowable activities put in practice to meet marine park and zoning objectives; 2) assessment of the effectiveness of marine park integration with fisheries management; and, 3) effectiveness of compliance to ensure that legislated plans and management strategies were enforced. The selection and planning of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in NSW was found to be consistent with international and national guidelines, and key commitments set at international, national and state levels of …

Exploring The Role Of Accounting In Hegemonic Change: The Case Of China From 1949 To 1992, Lina Xu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis draws on Gramsci’s theory of hegemony to investigate links between political ideologies and accounting systems. In particular, the thesis examines the impact of political ideologies on Chinese accounting systems in the period from 1949 to 1992, and explains the role of accounting intellectuals in the process of ideological diffusion within the accounting discipline in different transitional and crises periods; the aim is to reveal the political nature of the accounting system in the process of maintaining the political hegemony throughout period in China.

This thesis adopts the new accounting history methodology through a narrative lens to investigate the …

‘Not Like Ordinary Times’: Aspects Of Australian Nurses’ Experiences During The Great War, Jaclyn Hopkins

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The relationships formed between Australian military nurses and soldiers during the Great War played significant roles in these men and women’s lives, yet this non-professional aspect of the nurses’ experience of the war remains largely unexplored. Through relationships with the soldiers, the nurses were able to provide comfort and support to these men throughout the traumatic experience of war, often acting as temporary replacements for the absent family. The way in which these relationships operated, and the purpose they served, is examined through the various roles the nurses filled. These ranged from the romantic interest to mother, sister, confidante, moral …