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Dose Verifcation For Liver Target Volumes Using Respiratory Management, Emma Dyce

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Respiratory motion during radiotherapy has a significant impact on the dose delivered to the targeted volume and surrounding tissue. The accurate treatment of liver tumours near the diaphragm can be difficult due to the large respiratory movement, as well as the differing tissue densities at the liver/lung interface. The aim of this project was to evaluate the accuracy of dose delivered to liver tumours using an in-house respiratory phantom designed to emulate the lung/liver interface.

Investigation Of Iron Selenide Superconducting Thin Films Fabricated By Pulsed Laser Deposition, Wenbin Qiu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Superconductivity is one of the most attractive research projects in condensed matter physics. Among various types of different superconductors, the family of ironbased superconductors has always been a lively topic since the discovery of the superconductivity in LaFeAsO_1-xF_x in 2008. The conflict between the necessity of Fe element in this type of superconductor and the superficial thinking on the detrimental effect of ferromagnetism on superconductivity makes iron-based superconductivity both intriguing and unconventionally elusive. In material science, iron selenide (FeSe) is a very promising candidate for exploring the mechanism of iron-based superconductivity due to its having the simplest …

Power And Influence In The Us Investment Banking Industry – A Case Study Of Lehman Brothers, Paul Mazzola

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

The Global Financial Crisis caused upheaval to the world economy, triggered many corporate failures, and inflicted significant social distress with long lasting ramifications. This thesis applies DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) New Institutional Theory and Clegg’s (1989) Theory of Power to analyse contributing factors to the collapse of the investment bank Lehman Brothers. This is achieved by employing a case study approach which examines reasons for the failure. It is of interest because Lehman Brothers was the only major US investment bank allowed to fail by regulators at this time. Isomorphic influences and interplays of power associated with the US investment …

Mlaas: A Service-Oriented System To Facilitate Adaptive Micro Open Learning, Geng Sun

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

1 Abstract Mobile learning through open educational resources (OERs) evidently differs from its traditional ways as it becomes more fragmented. Hence, micro open learning, where learning occurs within relatively short and fragmented time spans, has gained high popularity in the era of mobile and pervasive computing. However, adaptive micro learning support remains inadequate by current OER platforms. To address this, this thesis has leveraged the advantages from cloud computing and big data techniques to promote adaptive micro open learning. A service-oriented personalized learning environment (PLE) is realized by a newly designed Software as a Service (SaaS), namely Micro Learning as …

Design And Development Of Noble Metal Based Porous Materials As Electrocatalysts, Kyubin Shim

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Electrocatalysts are in the spotlight due to their various applications, including energy storage and sensors. Among them, electrocatalysts used as sensor electrodes are very important because they are relevant to human health. Many studies have been made to increase the efficiency of the electrocatalysts via the development of new catalytic materials. Among the various materials, noble metal-based materials are considered important because of their good catalytic properties, although they have the disadvantage that they are expensive compared to common materials. Therefore, various methods, such as changing their morphology, increasing their surface area, and size control, have been employed to overcome …

Effect Of Electrical Stimulation On The Acetylcholine Receptors Available For Neuromuscular Junction Formation In 2d And 3d, Rodrigo Lozano

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Contractile muscle activity is controlled by the highly reliable motor neuron-muscle system. The regulation of this system involves the transmission of action potentials from the central nervous system to muscle fibres at neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). This complex system relies on dynamic interactions of cell adhesion and signalling molecules and cell membrane proteins to release neurotransmitters from motor neurons into the synaptic cleft, followed by neurotransmitter binding to specific receptors: acetylcholine receptors (AChR), that are located at the end plate of the plasma membrane of muscle fibres. There are many factors to be considered when investigating NMJ formation, maturation and fast …

Study Of New Materials For Sodium-Ion Batteries, Boyang Ruan

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Sustainable energy sources, such as solar panels and wind turbines, have attracted ever-growing attention due to concerns about the issue of climate change. The utilization of these energy sources relies on the availability of large-scale energy storage systems. Currently, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been widely used as power sources for portable electronic devices due to their high voltage, long cycle life, and ability to operate at ambient temperature, but the low abundance of lithium resources will make it hard to meet the demands of large-scale applications. Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are believed to be a promising alternative to LIBs due to …

The Political Limits Of The Conscious Mc Brand: Ladi6, Urthboy And K’Naan, Annalise Friend

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

The contemporary hip hop MC faces a commercially powerful and globally established hip hop culture. To be successful in this field requires a distinctive brand, deployed across multiple media types. Within the hip hop culture there is a 'conscious', or socially engaged, style that emphasizes communal identities and is in tension with the imperative to develop self-branding in a neoliberal era. This thesis aims to show (a) how selected artists construct their own personal brands as 'conscious' performers, and asks (b) whether self-branding limits the political critique of the 'conscious' artists.

The thesis examines the self-branding activity of three politically …

Behavior Study For A Self-Mixing Laser Diode With Undamped Relaxation Oscillation And Its Sensing Applications, Bin Liu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Self-mixing interferometry (SMI), or also called optical feedback interferometry (OFI) is a promising non-contact sensing technology. It is based on the self-mixing effect which occurs when a fraction of light back-reflected or back-scattered by an external target re-enters the laser internal cavity. A sensing system by using SMI technique consists of a laser diode (LD), a photodiode (PD) packaged at the rear of the LD, a lens and a target. The LD is called self-mixing laser diode (SMLD). This configuration reflects a minimum part-count scheme, which is useful for engineering implementation. Compared to traditional interferometry, e.g., Michelson or Mach-Zehnder interferometry, …

Review Of Methodology For Patient Dose From Cone Beam Ct Procedures In Radiotherapy, Ajay Thomas

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Background: Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) has drastically enhanced the accuracy of radiation delivery and has developed as the new worldview for patient positioning and target localization in radiotherapy. Using a Kilo Voltage Cone Beam Computed Tomography (KV CBCT) approach, three dimensional (3D) volumetric patient anatomy is available for patient positioning for each fraction. This helps in adaptive planning as seen in newly developed scenarios that contributes to better care for patients.

Although the addition of the kV CBCT imaging modality into radiotherapy increases treatment precision, it also increases the patient dose without it being displayed on the planned dose. Separately …

Improving Access To Justice Through Embracing A Legal Pluralistic Approach: A Case Study Of Nepal, Rajendra Ghimire

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Nepali people access justice either through the formal justice system (FJS) or traditional justice systems (TJS). TJS in Nepal exist alongside the FJS and serve the justice needs of people living in rural areas, Indigenous peoples, the poor, and marginalised groups of the population, such as women, Dalits and minority group members.

This PhD thesis analyses the structure and operation of selected TJS, explores the extent to which TJS in Nepal accord with international principles of human rights, describe the existing relationship between TJS and the FJS, and explores the potential for establishing a relationship between the two systems to …

Investigation Of Alteration In Erythrocyte Lipids In People At Ultra High Risk Of Developing Psychosis, Ayedh Saad Alqarni

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Consumption of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) is associated with higher n-3 LCPUFA status in the circulation, which has in turn has been associated with a number of health benefits in humans. n-3 LCPUFA cardiovascular health benefits are well known and there is emerging evidence for mental health benefits. Limited studies have indicated that there is a positive correlation between an improvement of Ultra-High-Risk (UHR) of developing psychosis symptoms and the intake of n-3 LCPUFA; however there is a need for further studies involving larger randomized-controlled studies since the previous work was conducted with low numbers. These …

Examining The Complex Relationship Of Customer Satisfaction And Loyalty Within The Australian Retail Banking Market: A Multigroup Analysis Between High And Low-Involvement Product Types, Mercedez Hinchcliff

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Whilst customer loyalty and satisfaction are important and essential constructs for banks, customer attitudes about whether specific product types affect that loyalty and satisfaction have had insufficient empirical investigation. Furthermore, many studies are from non-Western countries and fail to specifically investigate retail banking in Western societies and, particular to this study, Australia.

The fundamental question this thesis poses is whether customers are truly loyal to their bank or whether the products they use moderate their loyalty. How do different product types affect loyalty outcomes? This work analyses the historical and preliminary investigations into loyalty a concept which has evolved from …

Geoarchaeology Of The Soa Basin, Flores, Indonesia: New Considerations On Stratigraphy, Chronology And Palaeoenvironment, Ruly Setiawan

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

The Soa Basin, Flores contains abundant assemblages of stone tools and fossil remains, which occurred between Early Pleistocene and Middle Pleistocene. This study has used an interdisciplinary approach, integrating field and laboratory analyses, to examine geoarchaeological archives of the Soa Basin. Since the stratigraphic framework was still problematic, this study performed detailed investigations on temporal and spatial distributions of the lithological units by using lithofacies analysis and tephrostratigraphy that are combined with the 40Ar/39Ar dating technique to obtain reliable ages and establishing a new chronostratigraphical framework.

The tephra records and additional chronological data demonstrate new considerations with regard to stratigraphic …

Measuring And Assessing The Risk Of Metal Contaminants In The Antarctic Nearshore Marine Environment, Darren J. Koppel

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

ANTARCTICA is generally considered to be pristine; however, localised contamination around research stations is causing disturbances in the nearshore marine environment. Mixtures of metal contaminants enter the nearshore marine environment by leaching from historical waste during summer ice-melt events, in station wastewater discharge, and from anthropogenic activities such as fuel burning. To address these and other human impacts, the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty System came into force in 1998 and required more stringent environmental management practices from nations, such as cleaning up historical waste and limiting the impact of anthropogenic activities. Despite being in place for …

Three Essays On Indonesian Migration, Household Consumption, Education And Health, Alfiah Hasanah

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

This thesis investigates various aspects of family wellbeing using data from the only large-scale ongoing longitudinal survey in Indonesia, the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS). Across three essays, I explore households’ wellbeing, examining consumption, health and education in Indonesia. Analysing the impact of migration on households’ outcomes, the first two essays investigate the effect of migration on consumption and health; the third essay focuses on the effect of parental health shocks on children’s education.

Behaviour Of High Strength Concrete (Hsc) Columns Reinforced With Steel Equal Angle (Sea) Sections Under Different Loading Conditions, Ayoob Abbas Ibrahim

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

The main objectives for the design of reinforced concrete (RC) columns are to satisfy strength and ductility requirements. High strength concrete (HSC) has been widely used in buildings, bridges and other structures due to its advantages over normal strength concrete (NSC). The use of HSC in lower storey RC columns of high rise buildings leads to the reduction of column sizes. However, the main problem associated with the use of HSC in the construction of RC columns is the lower ductility of the HSC column compared to the ductility of the NSC column for the same amount of confinement reinforcement. …

High Pressure Torsion Of Polycrystalline And Single Crystal Aluminium, Yu Liu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

As a technique to produce ultrafine grained (UFG) materials, severe plastic deformation (SPD) has engaged considerable investigation over last two decades. HPT is one of the most important SPD techniques because of its unique advantages, including the extreme grain refinement capability, over other SPD techniques. In this work, the evolution of microstructure, texture, hardness and grain boundary (GB) migration in the one-layer and two-layer stacked polycrystalline Al and Al single crystal processed by HPT have been investigated in detail.

The one-layer polycrystalline aluminium was employed to study material flow behaviour for a wide range of strains. The morphology, texture and …

Nutrition And Food Systems Education For Secondary School Students In Australia And Iran, Sanaz Sadegholvad

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Introduction: The need to improve consumers’ knowledge of nutrition has been raised in literature. However, few studies have encompassed the broad range of important nutrition and food systems (N&FS) issues that affect population health, environmental sustainability and animal welfare. Also not well explored is the most efficient and effective N&FS education strategies.

Objectives: This research project aimed to explore the perspectives of prominent Australian and Iranian food professionals regarding: 1) essential N&FS knowledge issues for secondary school students, 2) gaps in Australian and Iranian school-leavers’ knowledge of N&FS and 3) effective strategies to improve school-leavers’ knowledge of N&FS.

Methods: Semi-structured …

Perceptions Of Multiple Stakeholders On The Effectiveness Of Ability Grouping Of Gifted And Talented, Bushra Noor

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Every school in the world has a mission to help children reach their potential. In practice, however, many teachers do not always attend to the needs of gifted students as they think that the students can achieve by themselves and do not need any individual attention. An Australian Parliamentary Senate Inquiry (2001) warned that there is a problem with gifted education in Australia and that the needs of gifted students are not being met. In New South Wales, there are academically selective classes in Years 5 and 6 of primary school (known as “opportunity classes”) and selective high schools for …

Effect Of Fruit Anthocyanin Consumption On Cognition, Blood Pressure And Other Health Parameters In Older Adults, Ezinne Oyidia Igwe

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Epidemiological evidence has shown that dietary factors, as part of lifestyle behaviours, have significant positive effects on the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders including dementia and other chronic diseases. Plant-rich diets especially, have been shown to have significant protective effects on overall health. This is due to the presence of phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins and dietary fibre in these foods. Phytochemicals are classified under carotenoids and polyphenols; which include flavonoids, phenolic acids, and stilbenes/lignans. Anthocyanins are a subclass of flavonoids responsible for the dark red-purple colours in fruits and vegetables. In the last decades, there has been an increased research …

New Catalysts For Electrochemical Reduction Of Co2, Jaecheol Choi

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere continues to rise having reached the highest level in recorded history five years ago and this is driving the rise in global temperatures. The utilization of CO₂ either directly from the atmosphere or from stored sources is currently attracting attention as a promising approach to mitigate both energy and environmental issues and the electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into high quality chemical feedstocks and fuels is one way to do this.

This thesis focused on the development of tetrapyrrolic molecule-based electrocatalysts for the selective and efficient conversion of …

Visualisation Of Transcription-Coupled Repair In Live Escherichia Coli, Han Ngoc Ho

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Cellular DNA is constantly under threat from exogenous as well as endogenous genotoxic agents that result in DNA damage. Transcription, the first step of gene expression, helps to safeguard the genome via the transcription-coupled repair (TCR) process. During this reaction, transcription complexes stalled at sites of lesions stimulate recruitment of DNA repair factors. In prokaryotes, TCR is mediated by the translocase Mfd. Mfd displaces stalled transcription complexes and subsequently recruits UvrA-UvrB, the damage recognition complex that detects bulky lesions. How TCR is orchestrated in cellular environments remains poorly understood. To further our understanding of TCR in live cells, we developed …

Continued Fractions And Their Applications, Joseph Tonien

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

In this thesis, a special representation of numbers called continued fraction is studied. The continued fraction has a rich history and it is one of the most striking and powerful representations of numbers. For irrational numbers, a continued fraction expansion often reveals beautiful number patterns which remain obscured in their decimal expansion.

For the first part of this thesis, we prove some old and new continued fraction identities. Most of the proofs here are direct and elementary, where we use the Euler-Wallis recursive formula to derive closed form formulas for the convergents of particular continued fractions. A major part of …

Process Intensification For Autothermal Reaction, Manal Moftah Saleh

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

An external heat source is often required to derive a chemical reaction. In an auto thermal reactor the heat from an exothermic reaction is used to produce a self-sustaining scenario in which the use of a continuous heat source is not required. This feature makes auto thermal reactors advantageous for various applications. With the proper choice of process conditions and catalyst, auto thermal technology can provide high quality and efficient operation.

Assessing Factors That Influence Employees’ Creativity In Public-Sector Organisations The Case Of Dubai Government Organisations, Mardeya Alblooshi

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

The componential model of creativity and innovation in organisations (Amabile, 1988) focuses on factors that influence employees’ creativity in the workplace. The model is widely accepted in the creativity field, which is why many theorists have used it as a foundation to develop their own. However, a limitation of the model is its predominant focus on individual/organisational factors to the exclusion of external factors outside the organisation that might influence employees’ creativity. Moreover, the revised model by Amabile and Pratt (2016) prioritised organisational motivation to innovate a factor within the model influence employees’ creativity. Despite this, limited studies have examined …

Maritime Security Cooperation In The Indian Ocean Region: Assessment Of India’S Maritime Strategy To Be The Regional “Net Security Provider”, Shishir Upadhyaya

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

This thesis assesses India’s maritime strategy and critically examines its efficacy and sustainability including India’s ambitions to be the “net security provider” for the region.” It seeks to answer the question, whether or not the extant maritime strategy would help India maintain its balance of power with respect to China, and recommends complementary actions and alternate strategic options for India to fulfill its goals in the Indian Ocean.

The first part of the thesis examines the entire range of strategic maritime threats and challenges posed to India by the evolving Indian Ocean security environment of the twenty-first century. These include …

Ultrathin Two-Dimensional Metal Oxides For Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage, Yang Zheng

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Rechargeable batteries have been recognized as one of the most promising energy storage systems for the wide applications ranging from consumer electronics to electric transport. The great success achieved in the mature market of commercialized Li-ion batteries motivates us to explore advanced energy storage techniques to meet the ever-increasing energy demand of our society, especially in the areas require high-energy density. The traditional battery technology could not provide reliable high energy density and satisfied cycle life, limited by the current electrode materials and preparation process, however, severely impede its large-scale practical application. Therefore, exploring novel electrode materials with high capacity …

Cellulose-Based Magnetoelectric Composites, Yan Zong

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

For the modern electronic industry, miniaturized, multifunctional, low-cost and easily processable materials are always desired to meet the requirements of integrated devices. For many decades, magnetoelectric (ME) composites that allow magnetic-to-electrical signal conversion have been highly attractive for applications, including sensing, actuating, memory and energy harvesting devices. In these ME materials, such as ceramic composites BaTiO3/Fe3O4 and lead zirconate titanate (PZT)/NiFe2O4, the magnetic-to-electrical conversion is not an intrinsic property of the ME materials but is essentially due to the strain coupling between a piezoelectric (PE) and magnetostrictive (MS) materials. Most significantly, the strain-mediated output voltage of ME composites can be …

Fabrication And Characterisation Of High Temperature Pbte-Based Thermoelectric Modules For Waste Heat Recovery Applications, Xavier Reales Ferreres

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Thermoelectric (TE) materials are capable of directly converting heat into electricity and vice versa. Potential areas of application for TE materials are processes with large quantities of wasted heat, such as industrial furnaces, power plants, or even in the exhaust pipe of automobiles. The recovery and transformation of heat into electricity is done without moving parts in the integration of TE materials in a thermoelectric generator, which comprises TE couple/s and heat exchangers for the hot and cold sides of application.

The conversion efficiencies (figure-of-merit) of TE materials and TE multicouples strongly depend on temperature. The former, figure-of-merit of materials, …