Digital Commons Network^™

The Peritectic Phase Transition And Continuous Casting Practice, Suk-Chun Moon

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The thin solidifying shell in the meniscus region of a continuous caster deforms due to severe contraction in steels of near-peritectic composition, thereby exacerbating the risks of cracking and in the extreme, breakouts. The main purpose of the present study was to contribute to an improved understanding of the fundamentals underpinning the solidification behaviour of selected steels of industrial importance and to relate these fundamentals to industrial practice. A further aim was to explore the potential of countermeasures aimed at avoiding or at least minimizing surface defects that originate as a result of the occurrence of the peritectic phase transition. …

Afghanistan Diaries: 1993 - 2012, Stephen Dupont

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

There is little discourse analysis on war diaries and their value as journalistic, historic, artistic and cultural artefacts. War diaries can be truthful, personal and raw accounts of war from the war correspondent’s perspective. When designed and contextualized, they can also become works of art that explore creative and challenging ways of seeing, and so may be a new genre of journalism. Such diaries are often accurate confessions, in public interest, which can also be therapeutic to the writer under pressure, enabling reflection on professional practice. The war diary can help the photojournalist reflect on process and detect instances where …

Mathematical Models For Tumour Invasion, Andrew Brett Holder

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Mathematical modelling of tumour invasion and cancer development has grown dramatically in recent years, with mathematics being applied to understand more complex and specific tumour mechanisms such as angiogenesis and metastasis. One such mechanism that has gained attention is aerobic glycolysis due to the association of this mechanism with increased tissue invasion, increases in angiogenesis and metastasis and some evidence suggesting it causes an increase in chemoresistance. Aerobic glycolysis is an altered metabolism that results in the extracellular tumour environment becoming acidic. This acidity has been hypothesised to be a mechanism for invasion termed the acid-mediation hypothesis. This is the …

Fabrication Of Gamma Titanium Aluminide Alloys By Gas Tungsten Arc Welding-Based Additive Layer Manufacturing, Yan Ma

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Although intermetallic titanium aluminide alloys have extensive practical industrial applications owing to their unique characteristics, their usage has been limited by the difficulties and high cost of fabrication.

This research proposes an alternative manufacturing approach to fabricating titanium aluminide alloys, which combines in-situ alloying and additive layer manufacturing (ALM) using gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). This new fabrication process promises significant time and cost saving in comparison to traditional methods. Since the chemical composition, microstructural features and mechanical performance of the asfabricated components can be greatly influenced by the manufacturing parameters, the effect of several important variables including arc current, …

Driving With Dementia: Obstacles And Solutions, John Carmody

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Dementia refers to a syndrome characterised by a progressive deterioration of memory and at least one other cognitive domain which interferes with daily function and independence. Epidemiological data indicate the prevalence of dementia to be 6.4% of those aged over 65. Recent estimates by the World Health Organisation claim that 35.6 million people have dementia. It is expected that this figure will double every 20 years to 115.4 million by 2050. The issue of driving is critically important for people as they age prompting calls for the development of interventions to maintain the mobility of older adults. Given the rising …

Schedule Design For Liner Shipping Networks With Port Time Windows, Abdurahim Fares M Alharbi

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Containers are transported by global liner companies on regularly scheduled ship routes. A large variety of general cargos are containerized, such as manufactured products, food, and garment. Liner shipping services have fixed sequences of ports of call and fixed schedules, i.e., arrival and departure times at each port of call. Liner services are announced in advance to attract potential customers. Customers can arrange the delivery of their cargo based on the available date of the cargo at the origin port and the expected arrival date at the destination port. Therefore, container liner shipping is of significant importance to the global …

Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Phenothiazinium-Efflux Pump Inhibitor Hybrids As New Agents For Use In Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy, Ardeshir Rineh

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) uses photosensitiser (PS) molecules in combination with visible light to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS; e.g. 1O2 and •OH) that kill bacteria. The approach is highly suited to skin and other body surface infections, where photosensitisers and light can easily be applied directly to infection sites. As examples, the phenothiazinium PS methylene blue (MB) has been used in aPDT for the sterilisation of blood products, and aPDT with a related compound toluidine blue O (TBO) has been used for oral disinfection of dental cavities and for treating periodontitis.

It has been shown that membrane efflux pumps …

Coastal Vulnerability Assessment: A Case Study In Kien Giang, Western Part Of The Mekong River Delta In Vietnam, Thang Thi Xuan Nguyen

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Climate change, particularly sea-level rise, threatens low-lying coastal systems, such as small islands on coral atolls, and deltas where millions of people are living. The Mekong River Delta is considered especially at risk. Although most of the delta is only a few metres above sea level, there have been few assessments of vulnerability at local scale. The aim of this thesis is to provide quantitative and qualitative information to guide the process of adaptation and provide visualisations that will enhance local authority’s decision making to adapt to climate change, particularly sea-level rise. It focuses on the seven coastal districts within …

Challenges In The Conservation Of High Seas Biodiversity In The Southeast Pacific, Carole Claire Durussel

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) is a global challenge. The loss of marine biodiversity has been attributed to intensifying human activities on and in the oceans, and the nonparticipation in and non-compliance by States with international and regional fisheries instruments. The special legal status of the high seas as a global commons also contributes to the difficulties in achieving the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in ABNJ. With no legal instruments adequately addressing the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in ABNJ, there is a pressing need to …

Coverage Problems In Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks, Changlin Yang

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), in general, contains many low-cost sensor nodes, each with the capability to monitor its surrounding environment. As conventional or non-rechargeable WSNs are restricted by the nite battery capacity of sensor nodes, researchers have sought the help of renewable energy techniques such as solar and wind. Consequently, each sensor node, in the resulting energy harvesting WSN, is able to harvest energy and recharge its battery from its environment. Assuming no other failures, WSNs are now able to operate perpectually if all nodes have energy neutral operation; i.e., they harvest more energy than what they spend.

A …

Emergency Department Registered Nurses’ Conceptions Of Recovery For Mental Health Consumers: A Phenomenographic Study, Donna Therese Marynowski-Traczyk

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Mental health reforms have changed the Australian health care landscape, altering the location of mental health services and impacting their accessibility. A consequence of the restructuring is that people who are experiencing a mental health crisis often access mental health care through the Emergency Departments of general hospitals. Registered Nurses, many with no formal mental health training, often care for consumers as part of their daily practice. The Emergency Department is now an integral link to both mental health inpatient and community services and has a significant role in supporting the optimal transition of consumers between services.

Recovery underpins contemporary …

Using Flexsim® To Simulate The Complex Strategies Of Longwall Mining Production Systems, Dalin Cai

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Longwall mining operations are complex systems which involve numerous interrelated activities. This thesis is an attempt to establish a simple yet effective methodology using discrete event simulation to identify primary constraints in the longwall mining process and to assess the effect that modifications to the system have on elevating a particular constraint without having to implement the change in situ.

A model of potential longwall mining systems, including roadway development technologies and practices, was developed using Flexsim® simulation software. The simulation model was structured such that it can be configured to most longwall layouts, with cutting and development sequences matching …

Let It Be What It Is: Fact And Fiction In Helen Garner's Monkey Grip And The Spare Room & Deepwater, Alexandra Mcleavy

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

In literature, the line between fiction and real life is often seductively thin. Taking the example of Helen Garner's autobiographical fictions in her first novel, Monkey Grip (1977), and her last, The Spare Room (2008), the theoretical component of my Masters project examines how the first person narratives are vivified by their connection to the author’s life. The thirty-one years separating the novels' publication saw distinct changes in the critical landscape, and I argue that while Monkey Grip was condemned for its likeness to a journal, The Spare Room capitalised on its correlation with reality. This dynamic constructs an extra-textual …

Phytochemical And Biological Studies On Selected Stemona And Stichoneuron Species (Stemonaceae), Rosdayati Alino Ramli

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Chapter 1 of this thesis is a review of the literature on the structure, biological activities and isolation of Stemona alkaloids from the Stemonaceae family of plants. This chapter also outlines the aims of this project, which were to isolated and determine the structures of the Stemona alkaloids and other chemical constituents in four species of Stemonaceae; three of them collected in peninsular Malaysia and another one in Indonesia. Another aim of this project was to determine the biological activities of these alkaloids.

Chapter 2 reviews and describes the genus of Stemona and Stichoneuron including their distribution and morphologies, and …

Nursing Work Activities In Australian Residential Aged Care Homes, Siyu Qian

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Background Australian residential aged care (RAC) homes are facing challenges of an increasing number of older people with complex care needs and a chronic shortage of skilled nursing staff to provide quality and efficient aged care services to these older people. Strategies like task re-allocation, process management and introduction of electronic information systems can be promising to overcome these challenges; however development of these strategies requires knowledge of nursing work activities and associate problems. Two important aged care services provided by nursing staff are personal care and nursing care. To date, there is little research on nursing work activities of …

Exploring Crisis Management Challenges In Destination Management Organizations, Michelle Renee Scarpino Johns

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Characterized as integrated and open systems, tourism economies are highly susceptible to external factors due to the number and diversity of stakeholders involved. The alarming rise of global crises, coupled with the capacity of each crisis to severely impact a range of tourism organizations and a variety of other stakeholders (Ritchie, 2009), has led tourism scholars and professionals to take a more rigorous approach toward addressing this issue through tourism crisis management (TCM). TCM is essentially crisis management for the tourism industry.

Development Of Mass Spectrometry-Based Methods For The Analysis Of Lipid Isomers, Rachel Kozlowski

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Glycerophospholipids, or phospholipids, are important biochemical components of many biological organisms. They are involved in many biochemical processes including signal transduction, serving as enzyme substrates for lipoprotein metabolism and serving as ligands for receptors and precursors of essential biomolecules; they are also intracellular traffickers of cholesterol as well as modulators of the immune system. Likely to fulfill these diverse functional roles, not only do phospholipids contain a variety of head groups attached to a glycerol backbone but even more diversity exists within the fatty acyl chain(s) that are attached to the same glycerol backbone. These differences can be very subtle …

The Impact Of Oral Probiotics On Vaginal Group B Streptococcal Colonisation Rates In Pregnant Women: A Pilot Randomised Control Study, Paula Grace Olsen

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Aim The aim of this study was to complete a pilot project to ascertain if the research design was appropriate to determine whether a daily oral dose of probiotics can reduce the rate of vaginal group B streptococcal (GBS) colonisation in pregnancy.

Methodology A pilot randomised controlled trial was performed which recruited 34 GBS-positive women who were approximately 36 weeks pregnant. The participants were randomly allocated to the control group, who continued with standard antenatal care, or to the intervention group, which continued with standard antenatal care and received a daily oral dose of probiotics for three weeks or until …

Neuromuscular And Physiological Characteristics Of The Early Phase Of Running After Cycling In Elite Triathletes, Joel A. Walsh

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Background: In triathlon, the ability to run efficiently after cycling is considered paramount to an athlete’s performance. However, it has been previously reported that when triathletes transition between cycling and running, termed the cycle-run transition, they are likely to experience noticeable levels of movement impairment and muscle activation disturbances. Previous research has specifically noted that prior cycling has a negative impact on neuromuscular control and increases the oxygen cost of subsequent running. Alternatively, research specifically observing the effects of prior exercise have reported a ‘speeding’ in oxygen uptake (V̇ O2) during the early phase of subsequent exercise. Interestingly, there has …

“Investigating The Use And Perceived Effectiveness Of Social Media For Informatics Programs In The Malaysian Higher Education Context.”, Jane See Yin Lim

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The trend in the use of digital technologies in learning in higher education has been driven by a number of underlying assumptions about the affordances of technology in learning. This trend has not only been advocated by educationalists, who argue for digital technologies as a catalyst for pedagogical change, but also by students themselves as they adopt new ways of collaborating and communicating with their worlds.

A significant amount of literature is now appearing arguing that technology is changing learners with terms like 'digital natives' (Prensky 2001) gaining prominence and authors such as Coates (2007) arguing that these ‘millennial learners’ …

Preservation Of Privacy In Public-Key Cryptography, Hui Cui

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This work in this thesis can be divided into two aspects. Firstly, we consider confidentiality and anonymity under a scenario where an untrusted third party is involved in a cryptographic system to check all the messages received. Then we study confidentiality, anonymity and integrity under a special atack called related-key attack. Lastly, we pay attention to data integrity in the setting of related-key attacks, and show how data integrity can be broken in a proof of retrievability system by a related-key attack and show how data integrity can be broken in a proof of retrievability system by a related-key attack …

Dnag As An Antibacterial Target, Zorik Chilingaryan

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The rise of “superbugs” – antibiotic resistant infection-causing bacteria - poses a catastrophic threat to public health, and prompts the investigation of new drug targets. In this work, the inhibition of specific proteins in bacterial DNA replication machinery – a rich source of new targets - was investigated.

The single stranded DNA-binding protein, SSB, is an interaction hub that engages in vital interactions with several partner proteins through a flexible C-terminal peptide motif (DDDIPF; SSB-Ct). Based on available crystal structures of SSB-Ct with partner proteins, molecular dynamics simulations were used to identify mobile elements of SSB-Ct and important interactions in …

Investigations Of Peroxidation Of Membrane Phospholipids, Colin H. Cortie

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The deterioration of lipids by oxygen, termed peroxidation, is a constitutive process in living systems. Enzymatic peroxidation is required for some forms of cell signalling, but the non-enzymatic peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) produces numerous toxic and mutagenic products associated with pathology and aging. Phospholipids containing PUFA are common in mammalian membranes, but an inverse relationship has been found between membrane susceptibility to peroxidation and maximal lifespan (MLS). Past studies of peroxidation have focused on the PUFA content of phospholipids, but other elements of phospholipid composition including class and saturated fatty acid (SFA) or monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content …

Design And Construction Of High Temperature Thermoelectric Power Generator Module Characterisation System, Tomas Katkus

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Thermoelectric (TE) power generators (TEGs) are used to convert thermal energy directly into electrical energy. Therefore, thermoelectric power generation is believed to be among key technologies that will allow harnessing of large amounts of waste heat produced in steel and automotive industries. Currently used TEGs have limited conversion efficiency and don’t have capacity to penetrate these highly important industry sectors. Nevertheless, thermoelectric power generators are already successfully used for waste heat energy recovery or for pure power generation in some of the niche fields, such as space applications, scientific equipment and facilities, and lasers. With increasing demand on clean energy …

Sumptuary Law By Any Other Name: Manifestations Of Sumptuary Regulation In Australia, 1901-1927, Caroline Irene Dick

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

It is generally considered that sumptuary law is an archaic form of governmental intervention that targeted the personal lives of people living in the early modern period in Europe, and has no modern significance. This thesis examines the post Federation period, between 1901 and 1927, to reveal that the sumptuary impulse was alive and well in modern Australia. This impulse was now transmuted by a new patrician elite into a form of social and legal regulation in order to control the clothing and entertainment choices of working Australians. The impulse was sustained through taxation and fiscal legal mechanisms (ie: tariffs), …

Swinging The Lantern: Spatial Narrative In Visual Arts, Jenny Cuthbert

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Literary narratologists have long argued that narrative is not as present in the visual arts as in literary texts due to the lack of perceived linear sequencing and temporal movement. Such research has primarily focussed on pictorial narratives prior to modernism, leaving a notable absence of narrative theory surrounding a broader sphere of art forms from modernism to the present day. In this thesis, I propose that narratives within visual arts should be analysed from a new perspective that focuses on the spatial essence of visual arts practice. I examine diverse art-forms such as film, painting, installation and sculpture, from …

Diversity Oriented Synthesis Of Fused Heterocycles From The Cascade Reactions Of Indigo With Allylic And Propargylic Systems, Alireza Shakoori

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Diversity-oriented synthesis based on the cascade allylation chemistry of indigo, with its 2,2'-bisindolic system, has resulted in rapid access to new examples of the hydroxy- 8a,13-dihydroazepino[1,2-a:3,4-b']diindol-14(8H)-one (248-250) skeleton in up to 51% yield. Additionally the presence of the terminal substituent on the allylic substrates provided selectivity in production of 1-allyl-5'-allyloxy-3',4'-dihydrospiroindoline- pyrido[1,2-a]indol-ones systems (227-231) in up to 69%, where as the absence of the substituent on the terminal position of the allylic systems resulted in production of pyridoindolo-azepino[1,2-a]indol-11(7H)-ones heterocycles (232-236) in up to 72% yield. Quantitative generation of N-substituted indigo provided the mechanistic insights and preliminary measures to control the outcome …

The Quaternary Geomorphological Evolution Of The River Murray Mouth And Lakes Region, Southern Australia, Deirdre Dymphna Ryan

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis examines the Quaternary geomorphological evolution of the River Murray Mouth region of southern Australia in the context of increasing aridity and fluctuations in eustatic sea level and climate. The region is located at the northern margin of the Coorong Coastal Plain, which preserves a long terrestrial record of Quaternary sea-level highstands within the Bridgewater Formation, a sedimentary succession of coastal carbonate aeolianites with associated beach and back-barrier lagoon facies. The stratigraphic record within the study area has been obscured by long term regional subsidence due to its location adjacent to the uplifting Mount Lofty Ranges, erosion by the …

Real-Time Source Tracking For Quality Assurance In Hdr Prostate Brachytherapy, Zhangbo Han

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is the preferred treatment option for clinically localised prostate cancer. The underlying principle is simple: temporarily inserting a highly radioactive source inside the target volume and moving it through a sequence of predefined positions for pre-calculated dwell times. HDR brachytherapy is capable of achieving a highly conformal dose distribution which cannot be matched by external beam radiation therapy.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Of Fracture Behaviour In Nanocrystalline Fcc Structures, Linqing Pei

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The study of material failure has always been very important for human beings. Previous studies were mostly conducted at the macroscopic and microscopic scale based on continuum mechanics. However, the effect of nanostructural features on fracture has not been fully understood. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the fracture mechanics at the atomic scale. Computational modelling, particularly atomistic (or molecular) simulation is becoming an increasingly important technology with which to analyse fracture. In this thesis, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out to investigate the fracture behaviours in Face Centred Cubic (fcc) nanocrystals.

Nanotwinned Copper (Cu) has an unusual combination …