Digital Commons Network^™

Extended Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Systems, Chun Yin Lau

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis presents a novel extension to the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) which we call extended ANFIS (EANFIS). The extension includes the introduction of an output class based membership function architecture, in which each output class in a discrete output situation has its own membership function and in the case of a continuous output, only one class; the possibility of determining the structure of the rule base from the underlying structure of the input variables; the determination of a possibly non-symmetric membership function the parameters of which can be determined automatically from the given input variables; the possibility of …

The Development Of A Spatial Technical Writing Technique: The Application Of Concept Mapping And Sentence Diagramming, Hung Manh Ha

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

In today’s era of dynamic information technology, technical documents are becoming bigger and are updated more frequently than ever before. As a result, people have to spend a huge amount of time and efforts to digest these technical documents. At present, traditional technical writing uses word-after-word narrative writing to produce technical documents. The resulting narrative document often has language ambiguity and an inefficient concept manipulation problem which can cause a lot of difficulty for readers. In this thesis, it is proposed that concept mapping and sentence diagramming are two techniques that have the potential to effectively solve the inefficient concept …

Reconstructing The Quaternary Landscape Evolution And Climate History Of Western Flores: An Environmental And Chronological Context For An Archaeological Site, Kira E. Westaway

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The recent discovery of a late-surviving new human species, Homo floresiensis, in western Flores has accentuated our lack of understanding of the history of the genus Homo in Asia and of the environmental challenges that may have influenced these hominins. Western Flores contains a wealth of archaeological and palaeoanthropological material with far-reaching implications for human evolution and for Indonesian, Australian and world archaeology. But the interpretation of this evidence has been hindered by a limited Quaternary context and age control for complex stratigraphies in a region of great geological instability and widespread environmental change.

Liang Bua in western Flores is …

The Effect Of Marketing's Participation In New Product Development On Its Manifest Influence: A Test Of A Contingency Model, Eddie Fu-Keung Yu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

A substantial body of research suggests that new product development (NPD) is a critical potential source of competitive advantage and profitability for organisations. It has also been well recognized that new product development is a complex process that involves multi-disciplinary and multi-functional activities. This thesis initially argues a critical factor that influences the efficacy of the NPD process in the participation of different functional groups. Despite the strong theoretical link between the interaction of R&D and Marketing and NPD success, empirical studies on this topic have had contradictory results. One important reason attributing to these inconsistent results is that few …

Creation And Distribution Of Real-Time Content, Cong Duc Nguyen

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The rapid increases in network bandwidth and processing power have led to tremendous growth in Internet applications and changed the nature of delivering content. From earlier web application, which is only about retrieval of pre-computed static content, current content delivery architectures provide dynamic content and enable personalization of content. Recent interactive entertainment applications, such as multiplayer online games, require content to be created and distributed in real-time. In addition, the rapid increase in processor speed has led to various proposals to put real-time computation within or at the edge of the network that allow application specific processing on packet flow …

Characterisation Of Cell Wall Proteins, Virulence Factor Maturation And Invasive Disease Trigger Of Group A Steptococcus, Jason Nicklaus Cole

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus; GAS) is a Gram-positive human pathogen responsible for numerous life-threatening diseases, including necrotising fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). The non-suppurative sequelae of acute rhematic fever (ARF) and acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) may develop upon repeated exposure to GAS. Over the last two decades, there has been a world-wide resurgence in GAS infection. In this study, a proteomic analysis was undertaken to identify the major cell wall-associated proteins of GAS. Mutanolysin cell wall extracts from GAS strain NS931 (serotype M69), NS13 (serotype M53) and S43 (serotype M6) were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and …

Harming And Healing : Young Women And The Development Of The Autonomous Self, Renee L. Kyle

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This thesis examines the behaviour known as deliberate self-harm in young women who are victims of parental incest. I am interested in identifying the impact and significance of incest in childhood on the development of young women’s agency and the significance of self-harming behaviour in that development. I argue that central to understanding the relationship between self-harm and incest is the notion of the self and the social and relational context in which it develops. The theoretical framework I employ to explain the development of self draws upon work in developmental psychology and feminist philosophical discourse on selfhood. My examination …

Constructing Visual Literacy: An Investigation Into Upper Primary Teachers' Construction Of Visual Literacy Teaching, Sarah-Jane Atkins

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate the conceptual and practical construction of visual literacy philosophy and pedagogy within the broader context of effective literacy teaching. More specifically, the study set out to illuminate the key features of visual literacy as a course of study and a dynamic teaching and learning domain, as well as identify teachers' rationale and motivation for instigating educational change within their literacy teaching to encompass the teaching of visual literacy. The research literature from social change theorists demonstrated that multiliterate practices are required by individuals in contemporary western industrialised society and visual literacy holds …

Morphological Changes Of A Small Reef Island On A Platform Reef, Bongkoch Samosorn

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This study examines: i) the morphological evolution of a small sand cay on a platform reef over past millennia; ii) changes in its shoreline over past decades; and ii) contemporary characteristics of waves on the reef platform. The study site is Warraber Island located on a platform reef in Torres Strait, Australia. The study is based upon: i) detailed radiocarbon dating; ii) 3-D morphological reconstruction using a DTM; and iii) field measurement of island topography, waves and wind.

Temporal patterns of evolution were assessed based on radiocarbon dating on both bulk samples and on specific components. Bulk radiocarbon ages are …

Constraint-Based & Agent-Based Requirements Engineering, Y. Guan

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Non-functional requirements represent a critical and difficult problem in requirement engineering, but are often ignored. Usually, these are articulated as statements of objectives, as opposed to propositional assertions. A key challenge in dealing with objectives is that there is no obvious means of deciding when they are satisfied. In effect, these objectives are never fully satisfied, but satisficed to varying degrees. In evaluating alternative design decisions, we need to trade-off varying degrees of satisfaction of potentially mutually contradictory non-functional requirements. One key contribution of this work is the use of the hierarchical constraint logic programming framework in dealing with non-functional …

Improving The Performance Of Fbg Sensing System, Xingyuan Xu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) is a periodic perturbation of the refractive index inside the fiber formed by exposure of the fiber core to an intense optical interference pattern. The most important property of FBG is that it will reflect the incident light with particularly predetermined wavelengths, while passing all the other wavelengths of light at the same time. As the wavelength of the reflected light varies with the strain, temperature and other environmental factors, detection of the wavelength will yield information about these quantities. Recently, FBG has attracted much research and development effort due to their potential enormous potential …

The 'Citizens' And 'Citizenship' Debates: 'Vernacular Citizenship' And Contemporary Australian Politics And Society, Simon Maher

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

'Citizens' and 'citizenship' have become 'buzz words' in contemporary times. Within Australian academia the subjects have attracted an unprecedented level of interest. Typically the focus is on 'formal' definitions and 'official' forms of citizenship found within Government legislation. This focus is problematic because it is possible that it overlooks the existence of 'informal' and 'unofficial' understandings of citizenship. This thesis challenges the approaches that concentrate on 'official' versions of citizenship. It argues that an 'informal' understanding of citizenship has developed in the minds of the Australian community. This citizenship consists of a range of 'popular' and 'informal' ideas that comprise …

Harmonic Impact Of Photovoltaic Inverter Systems On Low And Medium Voltage Distribution Systems, Ahmed Ahsan Latheef

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

As residential customers become more energy conscious and environmentally aware, the installation of grid connected photovoltaic solar panels for small-scale electricity generation is expected to increase. However, the issue of quality of the electrical supply is as equally important as adopting sustainable energy. This thesis proposes a method to determine the quality of electrical supply based on the acceptable level of harmonic current that can be injected from a typical grid connected residential type photovoltaic inverter system (PVIS). The acceptable number of PVISs is based on not exceeding the recommended harmonic voltage levels in medium voltage (MV-11kV) and low voltage …

The Principal's Role In Teacher Professional Learning, Alireza Ghaleei

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Little attention has been paid to understanding the principal's role in teachers' professional learning. This study was conducted to investigate ways in which principals implement state-wide policy on teachers' professional learning at the school level in New South Wales (NSW) public schools. The major question in this study was: What is the principal's role in teacher professional learning and its relationship with the Professional Learning Policy? Three sub questions framed the study were: Firstly, how do principals implement the state-wide policy on teacher professional learning? Secondly, what kinds of capabilities do principals need for the implementation of the Professional Learning …

Impacts Of Plant Invaders And Management Techniques On Native Communities : Ecological And Social Perspectives At Regional And Global Levels, Tanya J. Mason

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Plant invasions of natural communities threaten biodiversity and ecosystem processes across many biomes and trophic levels. Understanding and managing invader impacts are therefore significant steps in achieving conservation. Both causes and management of invasion are dependent on human behaviour and ecologists must consider this human dimension in developing management protocols. While control of invaders is routine in many conservation reserves, assessment of ecological outcomes following control is rarely enacted. Management is itself a disturbance and the compounding effects of both invasion and management on biodiversity merit rigorous assessment. While species-level responses to plant invasion have been widely reported, functional group …

Refugees In The 2001 Australian Federal Election: An Analysis Using The Backfire Model, Andrew Herd

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The issue of asylum seekers was central to the 2001 Australian federal election campaign. Of several incidents involving asylum seekers during the campaign, two have become essential to the election narrative: the so-called children overboard and SIEV X incidents. Although both incidents involved asylum seekers, they were also quite different. During children overboard, the Government was very quick to inform the public of what occurred, although this was later proven wrong, whereas the Government did not wish to publicise the deaths of 353 asylum seekers onboard SIEV X. Most Australians are now well aware of the truth behind children overboard, …

A Reputation System For Bittorrent Peer-To-Peer File-Sharing Networks, Lan Yu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Over the past few years, Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks have grown extensively and dramatically changed large-scale file transfer. One of the most popular P2P network is the BitTorrent system. BitTorrent can efficiently distribute large files by optimizing the use of network bandwidth and providing scalability. Due to the open and anonymous nature of P2P systems BitTorrent also provides an ideal environment for distribution of malicious, low quality, or doctored information. A number of reputation systems, including P2PRep with its successors XRep and X2Rep, had been proposed to address security weaknesses of Gnutella P2P file sharing networks. Although it has been claimed …

The Dynamics Of Financial Reporting Practice In An Indonesian Insurance Company: A Reflection Of Javanese Views Of An Ethical Social Relationship, Anis Chariri

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This study is an ethnographic case study conducted in an Indonesian insurance company. The aim of the study is to understand the dynamics of financial reporting practice in the company. Ontologically, this study is built on a belief that financial reporting practice is a socially constructed reality. It is an institutional and political practice. As a socially constructed reality, such a practice involves an interaction among social actors, and between organisational actors and the institutional and cultural environment in which the company operates. The main research question of this study is why and how the company commits to quality financial …

An Implementation Of Multiplayer Online Game With Distributed Server Architecture, Dingliang Liang

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The distribution of game servers has received serious attention in recent years. A multi-server structure may distribute the load of the server, as well as improve the fairness of games played over large geographical distances without sacrificing delay. However, while distributing the game authority, the system takes risk of game state inconsistency between servers. Mechanisms are presented to provide synchronization between servers. However, user response to these mechanisms for maintaining server consistency in different game types is largely unknown. This thesis aims to study the user responses to two of the important synchronization techniques, Local Lag and Timewarp, within a …

Plant Rarity: Species Distributional Patterns, Population Genetics, Pollination Biology, And Seed Dispersal In Persoonia (Proteaceae), Paul D. Rymer

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

An understanding of rarity can provide important insights into evolutionary processes, as well as valuable information for the conservation management of rare and threatened species. In this research, my main objective was to gain an understanding of the biology of rarity by investigating colonization and extinction processes from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. I have focused on the genus Persoonia (family Proteaceae), because these plants are prominent components of the Australian flora and the distributional patterns of species vary dramatically, including several that are listed as threatened. The approach I have taken was first to define the level of commonness/rarity …

Influential Factors In The Trust Relationships Existing Between Financial Analysts And Corporate Managers In Iran, Mehdi Arabsalehi Nasrabadi

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This research explored the role of trust in the relationship between the financial analysts and corporate managers in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) by focusing on two important aspects of the trust relationship. These aspects are key trustworthiness factors and the influential factors to perceive these key factors. Financial analysts use financial reports, which are prepared by corporate managers, in their analysis. In this thesis components of trust are distinguished from each other. These components are antecedent factors to trust, trust, and outcome of trust. Trust is considered as the financial analysts intention to depend on managers based on their perception …

Performance And Capacity Of Centrifugal Gas Cleaning Devices, Mohamed S. Saad

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The purpose of dust control systems is to capture, collect and dispose of contaminant in an efficient manner. This research examines how to improve the operational and collection efficiency of gas cleaning devices via variations in geometry of different cyclone components. Unfortunately many of the predictive models provide inaccurate and contradictory results. Furthermore, many practical issues such as outlet and inlet configurations have not been investigated properly or at all. This study investigates the effect of cyclone outlet (vortex finder) diameter on cyclone pressure drop. Two cyclone configurations were used: air discharging directly to atmosphere; air discharging through a pipe …

Studies On Diluted Oxide Magnetic Semiconductors For Spin Electronic Applications, Germanas Peleckis

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Conventional semiconductor electronics is based on the charge of the electron. For a long time the spin of the electron has been ignored in the field of conventional electronics. Spintronics, also called spin electronics, agnetoelectronics or magnetotronics, is a newly emerging field in solid state physics and information technology. One of the major challenges for emiconductor spintronic devices is to develop suitable novel spin-polarized magnetic semiconducting materials that will effectively allow spin-polarized carriers to be injected, transported, and manipulated. Therefore, searching for new materials has become crucial from the viewpoints of both fundamental research and practical applications. Diluted magnetic semiconductors …

Management Control Systems In Research And Development Organisations: A Multiple Case Study In Indonesia, Parulian Silaen

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Research and Development organisations deal with different environments, purposes, goals, and employees characteristics compared to non-Research and Development organisations. Research and Development (R&D) activity is a learning process that makes the R&D units deal with relatively uncertain conditions in conducting their tasks. The R&D activity is a non-repetitive task with a purpose to contribute new knowledge whether or not it has specific commercial objectives. Such a situation makes the goals relatively difficult to measure quantitatively and monetarily. This thesis is built on the thrust of those characteristics of R&D organisations and uses a descriptive case study research strategy to conduct …

The Effects Of The Indian Ocean Tsunami On Peace In Sri Lanka And Aceh, Meredith Melecki

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The 26 December 2004 tsunami was far reaching in its effects but the two areas most devastated by the tidal wave were the Indonesian province of Aceh and the country of Sri Lanka. These areas have much more than the impact of the tsunami disaster in common. They have both also been sites of decades-long violent conflicts that have compounded many of the problems caused by the tsunami. One result of the tsunami was an influx of NGOs into these two areas. NGOs, as promoters of development, have increasingly been associated with activities deemed necessary to the creation of peace. …

The 'Legalisation' Of Education : A Study Of New South Wales Teachers And Their Professional Development Needs In The Area Of Law, David J. Newlyn

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

This study is concerned with the legal knowledge held by teachers of New South Wales Government schools and the need for continued professional development in this area. The study commenced in 1997 and primary research concluded in 2000. The Australian experience seems to be mirroring international experiences, particularly those of the United States of America, which have seen an increase in the legalisation of the field of education. From this increase there emerged a need for a systematic programme of instruction to address the problem of a lack of legal knowledge held by teachers in order to adequately perform their …

The Power Of The Extractive Industries: Capturing The International Accounting Standard Setting Process, Corinne L. Cortese

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Purpose

- This thesis examines the role of power in the international accounting standard setting process for the extractive industries and explains how that process was mobilised by key extractive industries constituents. For many years these constituents, highly significant in the global economy, have enjoyed choice in the application of accounting standards, enabling them flexibility in the way they present their operations. This investigation illuminates the way in which they have influenced the process of setting an International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) for the extractive industries. Design/methodology/approach

- The methodology is based on a critical approach to accounting research, termed …

Using Assumptions In Service Composition Context, Z. Lu

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Service composition aims to provide an efficient and accurate model of a service, based on which the global service oriented architecture (SOA) can be realized, allowing value added services to be generated on the fly. Unlike a traditional software module, which runs within a predictable domain, Web Services are autonomous software agents running in a heterogeneous execution environment. Because of distributed responsibilities, ownership and control, it is often not feasible to acquire all information needed for the service composition. These characteristics of autonomy and heterogeneity are fundamental to service oriented computing but make it inherently difficult to avoid service conflicts. …

Distribution, Speciation And Geochemistry Of Selenium In Contaminated Marine Sediments - Port Kembla Harbour, Nsw, Australia, Pattanan Tarin

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Selenium (Se) is an element of concern in Port Kembla Harbour as it was the only element found in harbour fish tissues in the mid-1990s at concentrations that exceeded the Australia New Zealand Food Authority Maximum Residue Limit. This thesis investigated the distribution, speciation, binding phases and geochemical behaviour of selenium in Port Kembla Harbour sediments, which potentially receive selenium pollution from local metal processing and smelting and coal industries. Sedimentary selenium is a potential selenium source for fish and organisms via benthic food chain transfer. Grab surface sediments from 23 sites around the harbour and a total of 14 …

Susceptibility Of 12% Cr Steels To Sensitisation During Welding Of Thick Gauge Plate, Martin Nicholas Van Warmelo

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

In recent years, the subject of sensitisation in unstabilised ferritic/martensitic dual phase 11-14%Cr steels has been investigated in some detail after a number of failures in service due to accelerated corrosion. It was found that sensitisation could occur due to a number of different mechanisms which were dependant on the heat treatment, the number of thermal cycles and the phases present in the material. All the detected modes of sensitisation could be prevented by stabilisation with titanium or niobium and suitable design of the material composition to produce a suitably high ferrite factor. However, these options could not readily be …