Digital Commons Network^™

A Framework Of An Effective Online Help System To Support Nurses Using A Nursing Information System, Yiyu Qiu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Research Aim and Questions: This research aims to develop a quality framework of an effective Online Help System (OHS) for a Nursing Information System (NIS). This involves the identification of the criteria for an effective OHS. The research questions are what content, structure, functions and aesthetics this OHS should have. The research will also provide guidelines about how to evaluate the usability of an OHS. To learn unfamiliar features or functions of a Nursing Information System (NIS), nurses need effective and efficient assistances. An OHS, which aims to bridge the gap between the complexity of a NIS and nurse-users’ need …

Government-Initiated Community Website Schemes: What Can We Learn From The Implementation Of An Australian Model?, Alison Freeman

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

As the Internet has become integral to our daily lives, many community websites have been developed in an attempt to create ‘community’ online and to support traditional communities. These community websites were typically developed on an ad-hoc basis. In 2002, the Australian Domain Name Administrators responded to the lack of government-initiated, structured community website schemes by establishing the Community Geographic Domain Name (CGDN) Scheme. This Scheme created new domain names, solely for the use of community groups with the purpose of building community websites. Before gaining access to a CGDN, a community group must demonstrate their links to the community …

In-Situ Studies Of Delta-Ferrite/Austenite Phase Transformation In Low Carbon Steels, Salar Niknafs

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

During continuous casting of steel, the delta-ferrite to austenite phase transition occurs following solidification in the meniscus region of the solidifying strand. It is of great industrial significance to gain a better understanding of the nature and mechanism of this reaction because product quality is in large measure determined by events occurring during and shortly following solidification. Moreover, the exact way in which delta-ferrite transforms to austenite may influence the subsequent transformation of austenite to ferrite, by which much of the mechanical properties of the steel is determined.

Relatively little attention has been devoted to the delta-ferrite to austenite phase …

Silence Speaks Volumes - The Deaf Experience Of Mental Health, Culture And Communication, Otilia Rodrigues

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis sets out to explore the world of deafness and to identify the major issues that beset deaf people. The experience of deaf people is largely unknown by the hearing world, partly because of the unimaginable nature of the reality of deafness (unlike blindness which, to some extent at least, can be easily simulated, though blindness from birth cannot), partly because deafness is not immediately visible and partly because the communication issues are so complex. The thesis begins with an historical view of deafness to provide a rationale for the way in which deaf people are understood and treated …

A Personal Development, Health And Physical Education (Pdhpe) Community Of Practice Responding To Curriculum Change, Deborah K. Clarke

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

In 1999, the New South Wales Board of Studies (NSW BOS) released a revised Stage 6 Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) syllabus1. This syllabus signalled a significant discursive shift with subject knowledge altering to reflect a sociocultural perspective of health and physical activity. This shift challenged the identity of many Physical and Health Education teachers who have historically created their professional self around the scientific discourses of human movement.

Physical and Health Education teachers have been criticised for their lack of engagement with and insensitivity to the socio-cultural aspects of the revised syllabus (Gard & Wright, 2001; MacDonald …

The Development Of Radiolabelled Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptor Ligands For Imaging Cancer And Neurodegenerative Disorders, Taryn P. Homes

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Three classes of compounds were chosen for investigation to find a high affinity and selective iodinated peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) ligand; indol-3-ylglyoxylamides, pyrazolopyrimidines, and pyridopyrrolooxazepines and pyrrolobenzoxazepines. These compounds were chosen from a literature search for their high PBR affinity and selectivity, ease of synthesis, and the potential for radioiodination.

Fifteen new halogenated N,N-dialkylindol-3-ylglyoxylamides were synthesised and tested for their PBR and central benzodiazepine receptor (CBR) affinity. The compounds IC50 values for the PBR ranged from 7.8 – 618 nM, and a structure activity relationship (SAR) was determined. Brominated compounds had higher binding affinities than their iodinated analogues, and indoles …

Parents' And Adolescents' Perceived Influences And Barriers To Mental Health Services, Tim J. Wahlin

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Many young people with mental health problems do not seek professional help and remain at risk of suicide and adult psychopathology. The present research investigates the barriers that impede the help seeking of parents and their children and the sources of influence that assist young people to access clinical services. Study 1 uses archival data from a recent survey of non-clinical samples of young people between 15-25 years of age who attended Technical and Further Education (TAPE) colleges (n = 137) or accessed neighbourhood centres (n = 49). Respondents completed measures of psychological distress, suicidal ideation, perceived help seeking barriers …

Kiama: Its Region And Community 1901 To 1938, Elaine M. Dunn

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis examines the Kiama region, its economics and the social progress of its environs during the years 1901 to 1938. It recognises the basic self-sufficiency and independent nature of the inhabitants and the individuality in rural and village life as it places the Kiama society within the context of a changing world. This *outside world* brought issues and influences that intruded into, and disturbed the simple on-going rhythm of the rural life. The thesis recognises the influence of the region-s geographical and environmental elements and the difficulties encountered by people in their attempts to advance and expand the dairying …

Financial Liberalisation In Sri Lanka: An Econometric Analysis, Ramsh Chandra Paudel

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This study examines the impact of financial liberalisation on macroeconomic issues such as saving, investment, financial performance, financial sector widening, gross domestic product, and the money demands of Sri Lanka over the time series annual data from 1963 to 2005. Financial liberalisation in Sri Lanka commenced in since 1977 with most of the effort being made up to 1995. This study is based on empirical analysis using the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) base Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach of cointegration, and includes a causality test. This study contributes primarily where an evaluation of financial liberalisation impacts the financial liberalisation …

Seedling Establishment In An Pyrogenic Flowering Species: The Role Of Time-Since-Fire, Litter And Post-Dispersal Seed Predation, Andrew J. Denham

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

In fire prone environments, the period immediately following fire events is perceived to provide the only opportunity for recruitment for many plant species. Resprouting shrubs do not need to recruit after every fire, because many individuals survive each fire and therefore may contribute to the population. However, without periodic recruitment, the accumulated mortality of adults both during and between fires would lead to local extinction even of these species. Most plant species establish seedlings within a year of fire from either canopy or soil seed banks. In contrast, species with pyrogenic flowering have no seeds available immediately after fire and …

Novel Approaches To The Delivery Of Xml And Schemas, S. J. Davis

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Typically XML documents are delivered as whole documents, and the transmission does not consider if all of this data may actually be relevant to the user. This results in inefficiencies in terms of both bandwidth (transferring unnecessary data) and computing resources (extra memory and processing to handle the entire XML document). Through exploitation of XML's tree-like structure, a simple and lightweight protocol is introduced (referred to as RXPP). Designed with mobile devices in mind, RXPP provides users with the ability to navigate and retrieve data from remote documents on a node-by-node or branch-by-branch basis, allowing users to retrieve only fragments …

The Evaluation Of Corporate Governance Practise In Indonesia: A Case Study, Agus Setiawan

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

There is a limited published research on corporate governance practise in Asian countries, during and after the Asian economic crisis of 1997, especially the practise within the Indonesian context. Most of Indonesian companies suffered a loss during the crisis, and only a limited number of companies survived and booked a profit. This study is concerned with the corporate governance practice in a baby milk formula producer and a public listed company, PT Sari Husada Tbk. The company was acquired by Royal Numico N.V. Holland in 1997 and was one of those Indonesian companies which survived and outperformed the market average …

Design And Synthesis Of Chiral Ligands For Use In Stereoselective Atropisomeric Biaryl Coupling Reactions, Mary J. Gresser

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

A new chiral ligand design program was initiated for the stereoselective synthesis of sterically hindered systems, such as atropisomeric biaryls. The concept of helical-sense discrimination was investigated, for use in the Pd-based Suzuki coupling reaction. A new set of design principles was established for chiral ligands for use in these reactions; 1) the ligand must contain a defined helical twist enclosed at each end by donor atoms, 2) the ligand must be bidentate, to best transfer the helical aspect of the ligand to the Pd reaction site, 3) the substituents of the donor atoms should be tied back in ring …

Work-Related Learning With The Arts: Developing Work Skills With The Performing And Visual Arts, Claire Manning

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

the last decade there has been a trend to incorporate the arts into work-related learning. The purpose of this study was to explore work-related learning utilising the arts to determine the benefits of this approach to learning. This study was designed to investigate how work related learners, predominately adult learners, could benefit from learning with artistic processes. This study contributes to the body of knowledge and current limited research available on learning with the arts for work related development. Qualitative research was conducted in two arts environments, visual and performing, that offered work-related learning opportunities. This was undertaken using case …

Evaluating The Use Of Gis By Public Participants In Environmental Decision-Making Processes: A Case Study Approach, Emma Mcintyre

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have traditionally been used by government agencies engaged in land use planning. As public participation in environmental decision-making has increased in recent times, so has use of Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS).

This research addresses the current debate regarding PPGIS and its effects on public participants in environmental decision-making processes by comparing the “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches to providing participants with access to GIS. A set of criteria for evaluating these two approaches were developed and applied to two case studies: (1) Was the GIS information provided easy to use and/or interpret?; (2) Did the …

Analysis Of Lepton Contamination In High Energy X-Ray Beams, Nyanpen Damrongkijudom

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The objectives of this study were to improve our understanding of the contamination arising in conventional radiotherapy treatment from the various principal processes involved. The evolution of the contamination was investigated in two main ways: i) experimental measurements; and ii) the Monte Carlo method. The magnetic field strengths in this improved design were intended to result in more uniform magnetic flux densities in the area of interest, with the prediction of a greater volume where the electron contamination was effectively removed by our magnetic deflector device. The magnetic field strengths obtained by the magnetic deflector will theoretically give rise to …

Indigenous Plant Recruitment Limitation By Bitou Bush (Chrysanthemoides Monilifera Spp. Rotundata): Effect On Life History Stages And Allelopathic Mechanisms, Emilie-Jane Ens

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Exotic plant invasion, the consequent displacement of indigenous flora and subsequent effects on ecosystem health has become of increasing concern to land managers, conservationists and government agencies. Despite the concomitant attention of ecologists and invasion biologists, our empirical understanding of the impacts and mechanisms of exotic plant invasion remains rudimentary and fragmented and further complicated by species and site specific effects. Exotic plant invasion is of paramount concern in Australia due to the high species endemism and the recent settlement of Europeans (in 1788) which has been paralleled by vast, rapid modification of the landscape. Large expanses of land have …

Algorithms, Microtonality, Performance: Eleven Musical Compositions, Warren A. Burt

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Following a lifetime of creative work and investigation into algorithmic composition and microtonality, I became interested in the speculative mathematical music theory of Ervin Wilson. Encountering his work spurred me on to further investigations in sound and tuning, in a series of compositions using electronic, acoustic, and robotic acoustic instruments. Tuning ideas developed by Wilson and others were extended and expanded into several families of new microtonal musical scales, which were used as the basis for composing a series of algorithmic real-time musical works of extended duration. Some of these works involved collaborative relationships with other musicians, hardware and software …

The Social Impact Of Using Automatic Identification Technologies And Location-Based Services In National Security, Holly Tootell

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This study seeks to explore the use of automatic identification technologies (auto-ID) and location-based services (LBS) in national security initiatives. Public awareness of national security has increased significantly since the terrorist attacks in the United States of America on 11 September 2001. Location-based services require technologies such as radio frequency identification, the global positioning system, and biometric identification, to provide applications such as immigration and visa control functions to advanced home-detention. Location applications have the potential to be privacy insensitive and pervasive. These potential traits need to be balanced with benefits that the technologies offer. Critical Social Theory (CST) is …

Structure Of Properties Of The Heat Affected Zone Of P91 Creep Resistant Steel, Samsiah Sulaiman

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This investigation is concerned with the characterisation of actual welded samples of P91 - a 9%Cr heat resisting steel that is widely used for pressure vessels in the power generation industry. Although the creep resistance of the normalised and tempered base steel is excellent, weld fabrication compromises creep performance because of degraded properties in the heat affected zone (HAZ). In order to elucidate the structure and properties of the HAZ, dilatometer heat treatments and simulations of HAZ sub-zones were carried out using both a dilatometer and a Gleeble thermo-mechanical simulator. The simulated samples were used to study the microstructure of …

Coordination Mechanisms For Self-Interested Multi-Agent Systems, Q. Bai

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

A multi-agent system (MAS) is a collection of agents that interact with each other. Multi-agent systems (MASs) can be classi¯ed as self-interested MASs and cooperative MASs according to the features of agent goals. Coordination is one of the major issues of MAS research. It plays a central role in MASs to ensure agents achieve interactions properly. Today, the remarkable growth of MAS applications brings higher requirements and more challenges to agent coordinations. Many complex applications require a MAS to include various agents to work together under an open and dynamic environment. Toward some challenges in current agent coordination research, this …

What Is The Effect Of Non-Clinical Change On Australian Gps? : A Survey Of Regional And Rural General Practitioners, Andrew Dalley

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Australian General Medical Practices have undergone substantial change over the last two decades. This thesis identifies those changes and examines how a cohort of regional and rural general practitioners has responded to them. It also identifies the impact of environmental change on the GPs, their practices and their patients.

The methodology is largely qualitative, based on interviews with 20 practicing GPs in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions of Australia. Case studies were developed with the assistance of a group of GP academics from each mainland state, meeting as an electronic Delphi group. The case studies were selected to be of …

Development Of Advanced Electrode Materials For Use In Rechargeable Lithium Batteries, Scott A. Needham

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Batteries are a necessary companion to most portable electronic devices, and the rechargeable lithium battery is the most energy dense and lightest of all the competing battery types. These features make it the most likely battery to be used in future electronic devices, which will be smaller and have increased functionality. Therefore, the performance of the rechargeable lithium battery must continue to be improved in terms of capacity, rate capability, and cycle life. This thesis contributes to this goal by developing new materials and novel synthesis techniques for application in advanced rechargeable lithium batteries. A significant contribution to the ever-growing …

New Music Composition In Computer-Assisted Environments, Daniel Blinkhorn

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The focal point of this DCA thesis is the development of an original body of creative audio and audiovisual work gravitating around computer-assisted compositional environments. Integral to this is an exploration of my acoustic, electroacoustic and audiovisual works generated through intensive investigations into computer music software. This written documentation supports the major part of the DCA submission, a folio of nine original compositions. Its purpose is to chronicle, typify, and contextualise the creation of these works, to galvanise the aesthetic foundations of the pieces and to illustrate compositional techniques that I have developed during my DCA candidature. The structure of …

Novel Nanostructured Electrodes, Yong Liu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Nanotechnology provides an effective and direct way to create novel properties and phenomena through the reduction in material sizes without changing the materials’ chemical composition. A number of routes to the preparation of novel nanostructured electrodes were investigated in this thesis. These involve the formation of nanoporous opaline electrodes, three dimensional nanofibrous networks and the synthesis of flexible nanoelectrodes based on highly dense ordered aligned carbon nanotubes and conducting polymers. Excellent improvements with the use of nanostructures in a wide range of application areas such as methanol oxidation, photoelectrochemical cells, enzyme biosensors, cell culturing and energy storage are presented in …

Magneto-Optical Imaging In Superconductors, Marie Roussel

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Knowing the magnetic flux behavior in a superconducting material is essential for a better understanding of the superconductivity phenomenon. The magneto-optical imaging (MOI) technique is one of the few techniques enabling the real time study of the local magnetic flux behavior in superconductors. This work had several aims: • Firstly, an efficient MOI system enabling the study of superconducting samples at liquid helium temperatures had to be set up to replace the former limited MOI system in ISEM (Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials). Indeed, the former MOI equipment was equipped with a cryostat cooled down via a cryocooler in …

Enhancements To Channel Models, Dmt Modulation And Coding For Channels Subject To Impulsive Noise, D. Franklin

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

DMT modulation is an OFDM-based modulation scheme used in ADSL and proposed for various other high-speed broadband access systems. Existing mathematical models for transmission lines make a number of simplistic assumptions about the distribution of noise, in particular, the assumption that impulsive noise originates at either end of the transmission line. It is therefore desirable to improve the accuracy of the transmission-line model to allow better prediction of broadband modem performance, and to further improve the bit-allocation algorithms and equaliser designs used in DMT-based modems. This Thesis presents a new channel model particularly well-suited for simulation of high-speed digital subscriber …

An Examination Of Employee Participation In The Private Sector: Malaysian Case Studies, Balakrishnan Parasuraman

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Employee participation refers to a wide variety of policies, mechanisms, and practices that enable employees to take part in decision-making, frequently at the level of the enterprise or workplace. The subject of employee participation (EP) in the organisation has attracted a great deal of international interest as attested by the considerable amount of research in the issue. However, whereas the issues have been fairly well researched in OECD countries, especially those in Europe, EP has been rather less emphasised in Asia. The few studies that have been conducted on EP in this Malaysia have been from the organisational behaviour perspective …

Orthogonal Designs And Complementary Sequences: Constructions And Applications For Wireless Communication, Ying Zhao

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Problems concerned with the algebraic structure and existence of orthogonal designs and complementary sequences with zero aperiodic autocorrelation have long been of interest in combinatorics, coding theory and applied statistics. Over the last few decades, due to an increased demand for wireless services, new technologies have had to be considered since traditional methods are reaching their technical or financial limits. This has motivated the study of new applications of algebraic structures for wireless communications to improve system performance. For example, space-time block codes (STB Cs) from orthogonal designs for multiple-input multiple-output (M IM O) wireless systems have received a lot …

Assessing Reef Fish Assemblages In A Temperate Marine Park Using Baited Remote Underwater Video, James A. Wraith

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Baited remote underwater video (BRUV) is becoming an increasing popular tool for examining reef fish assemblages in depths less than 100m. This sampling technique is relatively new in the literature and several gaps remain to be filled. Scientists using this technique have selected bait based on results from trapping experiments. Therefore the first objective of the study was to compare commonly used baits and test if different fish species and fish assemblages were recorded. I planned to apply results from the first study towards further research using BRUV. Management at Jervis Bay Marine Park, located in southeast Australia, have applied …