Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Stakeholder Power Relations, Governmentality And Capital In Vocational Education And Training Policy In Australia, Jonathon Mascorella

Theses

The purpose of this study was to observe the perspectives of stakeholders on Vocational Education and Training (VET) policy in Australia. The intention was to explore the interplay of policy implementation, stakeholder perspectives on policy and VET activities, and theoretical notions of power relations, governmentality and capital, utilising frameworks by Foucault and Bourdieu. The problem, as it was established in literature review, is the potential influence of policy relations, governmentality and capital on VET activities and VET policy formation and implementation. The outcome was to better understand stakeholder perspectives of VET and to add a facet of knowledge to the …

St Thomas Aquinas On Affectivity: A Way Forward For Seminary Formation, Bernard Gordon

Theses

St Thomas Aquinas on Affectivity: A Way Forward for Seminary Formation, is a theological argument that St Thomas’ teaching can be applied to the affective formation of men preparing to be Catholic priests. St Thomas’ teaching provides a very helpful understanding of affective maturity and its integral importance for a truly Christian and priestly life in the service of others. It flows from a theological anthropology that recognizes proper affective growth as an integral part of human life and interpersonal relationships. Affective maturity is an essential attribute for the seminarian to acquire because he is preparing to be a priest …

Perceptions Of Parental Awareness, Knowledge And Anxiety Levels Regarding Infant Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training Amongst Parents Residing In Southern Tasmania, Nakita Stephens

Theses

Prenatal and postnatal education help to prepare parents to care appropriately for their newborn child. This education however, rarely includes learning infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR. CPR for Infants differs from both adult and paediatric resuscitation techniques, and most people who do learn CPR usually only learn adult techniques. Research shows that bystander intervention with CPR improves the chances of both survival and survival without sequelae in out of hospital arrests. Including Infant CPR education as part of the general parent education could assist in scenarios of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or other emergency situations. Some concern has been …

The Validity And Reliability Of The Basketball Jump Shooting Accuracy Test, Brenton Boddington

Theses

Valid and reliable jump shooting assessments that replicate in-game shooting performance are currently lacking in basketball. The aims of this thesis were to (1) describe the development of the newly-established Basketball Jump Shooting Accuracy Test (BJSAT), (2) determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the BJSAT, and (3) determine the content validity, construct validity, and test-retest reliability of the BJSAT. Basketball athletes from different playing levels (State Basketball League [SBL], n = 30, age: 22.7 ± 6.1 yr; SBL Division I, n = 11, age: 20.6 ± 2.1 yr) completed four trials of the BJSAT with each trial consisting of …

Christmas Island: A Question Of Self-Determination, Kelvin Matthews

Theses

The notion of self-determination for Christmas Island has been considered for many years. There have been a range of reports, studies, inquiries and indeed protests (on the Island and in Canberra) over the years that have failed to provide a solution which is satisfactory to residents of Christmas Island and Australia’s Commonwealth Government. Accordingly, the purpose of this thesis is to explore and investigate the possibilities and options of the Territory of Christmas Island:

a) becoming an autonomous self-governing region (Parliamentary Legislative Assembly);
b) being incorporated into the legislative arrangements of West Australia (WA) or Northern Territory (NT);
c) developing …

The Steering Towards Readiness Framework : The Lived Experience Of Clinical Facilitators In Identifying, Assessing And Managing Students At Risk Of Not Being Ready To Practice As Beginning Practitioners Within Western Australian Health Settings, Rosealie Southwell

Theses

Clinical facilitators (CFs) are a fundamental resource for student registered nurses (RNs) as they facilitate the consolidation of theory and practice in preparation for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). Health service providers (HSPs) and higher education providers (HEPs) require CFs to identify, assess and manage (I, A & M) the risks of final placement nursing students and, in doing so, protect risk to patient safety. This research aimed to explore the lived experience of CFs in Western Australia in identifying, assessing and managing risk of a student progressing to be a RN. The study used …

University- Based Entrepreneurial Ecosystem And Entrepreneurial Intentions: Evidence From South India, Deepa Subhadrammal

Theses

This study seeks to understand the impact of University-Based Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (UBEE), particularly entrepreneurial support infrastructure within a university ecosystem on the entrepreneurial intentions of students in South India. A UBEE can directly affect the likelihood that students identify and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities, which, affects their entrepreneurial intentions. India is one of the top three countries globally in terms of the number of start-ups and is projected to host over 10,500 start-ups by 2020. However, there is a dearth of research investigating the impact of university entrepreneurial support initiatives on students’ entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. This is especially true …

A Quest For Confidence: The Extent To Which Philosophical Inquiry Through The Integrated Pedagogies Of The Question Quadrant And Community Of Inquiry Can Encourage The Exhibition Of Attributes Associated With The Critical And Creative Thinking Capability, Stephanie Massey

Theses

With the increasing need for Australian students to be prepared for the ‘world of work’ once they have finished their schooling (Gonski et al., 2018), it is important for schools to offer opportunities to develop the necessary skills required for adulthood. Western Australian schools have the responsibility of ensuring that all students develop the General Capabilities stipulated by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority (2009). One of these capabilities is ‘critical and creative thinking’. One of the ways to develop students’ ability to think critically and creatively is through philosophical inquiry adopting an integrated pedagogy of Cam’s (2006) Question …

The Great Wings Of Silence: Servant Absence And Presence In The English Country House Tradition, Ellen O'Brien

Theses

Despite the fundamental role of the servant in the historic English country house, servant representation within the country house genre lacks depth and detail. Rounded servant figures do not feature prominently throughout the accumulated textuality surrounding the country house. Yet, servants, and the symbiotic community of which they are a part, comprise an integral part of the country house ideal. As articulated by Malcolm Kelsall and others, the country house ideal informs the representation of remembered and imagined country houses, equally reliant on a servant community. The ideal may be described as an often-ambiguous composite of historical practice, cultural perception, …

Applying Merleau-Ponty’S Phenomenology Of Perception To Maternal Well-Being In The First Twelve Months Following Birth, Anna Bosco

Theses

Maternal emotional wellbeing is a deeply personal experience embodied through society; however previous literature examining emotional adaptation to motherhood has focussed on negative outcomes, risk factors and pathology. This perspective is limiting and objectifies a mother’s experiences rather than exploring her being-in-the- world. In contrast to current conceptualisations, Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of perception asserts a holistic view of the individual within the world, whereby the subjective body and the lived body are intertwined, and perception is a conversation between the body and the world. This conversation is how the mother embodies the world within her being, for example how she …

A Town Centre Management Framework For Rural Ireland: Fit For Purpose, David Jordan

Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify a Town Centre Management Framework [TCMF] for future-proofing towns in rural Ireland. Town centre management has been widely credited as a mechanism for town rejuvenation to combat high vacancy rates, online retail sales, changing demographics, out of town shopping centres, changing consumer behaviours. Despite the popularity of this public-private partnership model growing internationally in the last decade (Currently over 600 schemes currently operating in the UK), Ireland remains steadfastly dependent on volunteers anchoring up retail-focused strategies. Initiatives, through Business Improvement Districts [BID] somewhat redress this imbalance in some larger towns. The model, …

Don’T Mention Dark Tourism: An Irish Perspective, Emilie-Kate O'Mahony

Theses

This study investigates dark tourism in the Irish context with international supporting research. Dark tourism is connected to sites of death, the macabre and suffering and there are many sites in Ireland that fit this description. Examples include prisons, famine sites, graveyards, sites of terrorist attacks and many more. In this document the term dark tourism is thoroughly researched via secondary sources to provide a foundation of understanding. By including this academic research from journals and books, the researcher is provided with the background information necessary to understand the importance of dark tourism and to identify gaps in knowledge suitable …

Crystallographic Studies On Host-Interacting Proteins Of Phage K Virion, Antonio Pichel Beleiro

Theses

Phage K is a lytic bacteriophage that infects a broad range of staphylococci, including some methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. Phage K attaches to its host via a baseplate. The contracted conformation of the baseplate contains a fiber and two receptorbinding proteins responsible for the interaction with the host. The native conformation of the baseplate also includes a tail central spike that shears off after contraction. The aim of the thesis is the structural characterization of phage K receptor-binding proteins and tail central spike. Experimentally, the thesis relies on crystallographic methods, which encompass: production of suitable sample, crystallization, diffraction, and data …

Modelling And Simulation Of Renewable Technologies For Economic And Environmental Analysis And Optimization Of Dairy Farms, Michael Christopher Breen

Theses

The aim of this thesis was to develop a dairy optimisation platform to optimise investments in dairy farm technology and changes to on-farm management practices and electricity tariffs, in order to maximise profitability and minimise environmental impacts. Increased dairy herd sizes and milk production levels in Ireland as well as changing regulations concerning emissions, renewable penetration and energy efficiency have necessitated a means of financial decision support for farmers. Therefore this body of work focused on the creation of a comprehensive method for optimising dairy farm technology selection, management practices and electricity tariffs. The measures which could be implemented on …

Isolation, Identification And Characterisation Of Enterococcus Faecalis Isolates For The Generation Of Multifuctional Bioactive Peptides From Milk, Kenneth Patrick Graham

Theses

Enterococci are lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that have the paradoxical position of possessing biochemical properties of technological importance, but are also considered as opportunistic pathogens capable of causing infection in immunocompromised patients. However, they have a long history of safe use in foods and have been evaluated in several studies for their role as starter, adjunct, probiotic and protective cultures. They show higher proteolytic activities than other LAB and have demonstrated the ability to produce bioactive peptides during the fermentation of milk. The aim of this project was to identify proteolytic Enterococcus faecalis isolates capable of generating health-promoting bioactive peptides …

Dynamics Of Swept Source Lasers, Ben O'Shaughnessy

Theses

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the dynamics of two kinds of swept source lasers for optical coherence tomography. A mathematical model consisting of a pair of coupled delay differential equations was adapted to study Fourier Domain Mode-Locked (FDML) lasers and short cavity swept source lasers, and to explain experimental observations of these lasers.

The short cavity laser is experimentally observed to produce pulses during the frequency sweep. This ‘sliding frequency mode-locking’ behaviour is reproduced by simulation, which is then used to establish simple relationships between the key parameters of sweep speed, linewidth and output power.

The FDML …

The Occurrence Of Listeria Monocytogenes In The Mushroom Production Chain And The Use Of Bacteriophage For Its Control, Vincenzo Pennone

Theses

In Agaricus bisporus production, the occurrence of L. monocytogenes is still poorly understood. A number of studies have shown the presence of L. monocytogenes in the mushroom processing environment, suggesting its source from raw materials storage areas (Viswanath et al, 2013; Murugesan et al, 2015). In this study, 10 mushroom producers and three raw material (compost and casing) producers participated in two surveys on the occurrence of L. monocytogenes in the most high-risk areas of the production environment. In the first survey, floors, drains, platforms, crates, raw materials and mushrooms were tested for L. monocytogenes presence and the results were …

A Research Study On The Impact Management Have On Employee Engagement In A Manufacturing Company, Alice Murphy

Theses

The purpose of this paper is to discover can management have an impact on employee engagement. Many companies put millions into creating the best fit policies for their organization without focusing on management behaviour and how it affects employees alone. Leadership theories have evolved over the years and will continue to change from generation to generation. The evolving term of the meaning of 'leadership' suggests to the researcher that there will never be enough studies done in this field. Despite the vast amount of research done, there seems to be a paucity in the area of leadership in the manufacturing …

Patient Involvement In Healthcare Projects: A Mixed Method Study On The Perspectives Of Project Staff In Western Australian (Wa) Public Hospitals And Health Services, Melanie Wright

Theses

Background: the benefits of patient involvement in clinical care and research is well described in the literature; but there is little evidence to suggest that involving patients in the planning and delivery of healthcare projects is beneficial to the outcomes of the project.

Purpose: this study explores the perspectives of staff who were specifically employed to lead and manage healthcare projects in Western Australian (WA) public hospitals and health services, regarding patient involvement in their projects and the perceived benefits and barriers of this involvement.

Study design: the study was designed using a sequential mixed method approach in three phases …

The Conjecture From The Universality Of Objectivity In Jurisprudential Thought: The Universal Presence Of A ‘Reasonable Man’, Johnny Sakr

Theses

This thesis proposes that all legal systems use objective standards as an integral part of their conceptual foundation. To demonstrate this point, this thesis will show that Jewish law, ancient Athenian law, Roman law and canon law use an objective standard like English common law’s ‘reasonable person’ to judge human behaviour. It argues that the universal use of objective standards dictates that human reason, a capability possessed by all mentally complete human beings, holds that objective standards are an important tool in judicial reasoning.

To establish a just system of law, this thesis contends that objective standards should be used …

Does The Catechism Of The Catholic Church Possess An Educational Function As A Formative Tool For Catholic Educators?, Marlon De La Torre

Theses

With the initial formal promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church by St. John Paul II (1992) the entire Christian world exercised a call to hope and at the same time despair. Hope in the continual fruitful understanding of Church doctrine presented in a clear and definitive way, a living resource that would provide the faithful since the development of the Roman Catechism a deeper understanding of the Mysteries of Christ and His Church. In concert with this is a clear systematic exposition of the faith rooted in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition bringing to light the importance of …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of A Low Dose Subcutaneous Lignocaine And Ketamine Infusion Utilising Nerve Excitability Studies In A Chronic Migraine Population., Christopher Rofe

Theses

Migraine is a common condition in which the diagnosis is based on clinical grounds. There is no clinically available biophysical marker that can evaluate migraine. Migraines are linked to functional brain changes in the absence of structural abnormalities. A clinically useful tool capable of evaluating functional changes in patients with migraine could be used to aid diagnosis and management.

Patients with chronic migraine have frequent or continuous headache which is accompanied by significant morbidity. There are limited data available regarding treatment options for curtailment of chronic migraine. In this prospective observational study, patients suffering from chronic migraine underwent a prolonged …

"Taming The Beast": Exploring The Lived Experience Of Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Using A Life History Approach, Therese Burke

Theses

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a complex neurological disease affecting the central nervous system and is driven by a complex autoimmune cascade. The peak age of onset is between the ages of 20 and 40 years and shows a female preponderance of 3:1. The most common form of the disease affecting 85% of people living with the illness is called relapsing remitting MS (RRMS), and is characterised by unpredictable relapses or exacerbations which usually last a few weeks before returning to baseline function. There is the possibility of disease progression and non-reversible disability after many years. RRMS is also characterised by …

“Turning Mirrors Into Windows”: A Study Of Participatory Dynamic Simulation Modelling To Inform Health Policy Decisions, Louise Freebairn

Theses

Introduction: Achieving evidence-based public health policy is challenging. There is increasing recognition that more sophisticated, system-science, analytic methods, such as dynamic simulation modelling (DSM), are needed to better understand the dynamic, interacting and interrelated elements within complex public health systems. This thesis explored the implementation, feasibility and value of a novel participatory DSM approach as a tool for knowledge mobilisation and decision support in Australian health policy settings. An indepth case study of participatory modelling of Diabetes in Pregnancy (DIP) in the Australian Capital Territory (2016-2018) was conducted. Two additional modelling case studies focusing on prevention of childhood overweight and …

Mark Oliphant And The Invisible College Of The Peaceful Atom, Darren Holden

Theses

The weapon first created by atomic scientists of the 1940s was unprecedented in its power and potential to kill. Not only can it destroy infrastructure and all living things over a wide area, it leaves a haunting invisible footprint of radiation that can continue to harm long after its heat has dissipated. The atomic bomb was first conceptualised, proven and built by civilian scientists and overseen by an ambitious military and wary bureaucrats. The scientists belligerently lobbied their governments to take the potential of atomic weaponry seriously and it is hence not surprising that they are often portrayed as ghoulishly …

Hearing And Understanding: Vernacular Liturgical Reform At Holy Trinity Abbey New Norcia 1963-1970, Christopher Kan

Theses

The first fruit of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) was Sacrosanctum Concilium – the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Within eight years of its promulgation Roman Catholic worship across the world was transformed, as the language and practice of the rites of the Church underwent significant change. One of the most noticeable changes was the relaxation of the requirement for the Church’s liturgy to be celebrated in Latin and instead be in the local language of the people, the vernacular.

Case studies of the implementation of the post-conciliar reform, as advocated by the Council, are infrequent, especially in the context …

Evaluating Local, National, Regional And International Interventions In Northern Uganda Using A Human Security Approach, Davis Kawooya

Theses

Since gaining independence from Britain in 1962, Uganda has been beset by conflicts, the worst of which took place between the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda (1988-2006), causing a massive humanitarian crisis. The central argument of the thesis is that the government’s programmes in response would have been more successful if they had been people-centred, directly responsive to the suffering of the people, rather than centralised in the hands of a small Kampala-based elite, which controlled access to funding and political power, without transparency or accountability. This research uses human security as an umbrella concept …

Differentiating Pre-Capillary And Post-Capillary Pulmonary Hypertension By Doppler Echocardiography In A Large Realworld Database, Pyi Naing

Theses

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common, dangerous and has multiple causes. Vasodilator therapy has significantly improved the prognosis of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but the diagnosis can be challenging, requiring right heart catheterisation (RHC). Differentiating pre-capillary PH (prePH) and postcapillary PH (postPH) and measuring pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) are key steps for diagnosing PAH. A novel echocardiographic parameter, the pulmonary to left atrial ratio (ePLAR), which is derived from the tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) divided by the ratio between the early diastolic filling velocity and the early mitral annulus velocity (E/e’), i.e., ePLAR=TRV/E/e’, has been described as a …

The Course Changes In Maximal Strength Velocity Following A Traditional Strength- Or Power Orientated Training Session, Alexander Vernon

Theses

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the return to baseline of movement velocity and maximal strength following a typical strength-orientated and power-orientated session in the full depth, free-weight back squat performed with maximal concentric velocity. Fourteen strength-trained males completed a power-orientated session (3-sets of 6-repetitions @50% of a one-repetition maximum [1RM]) and a strength-orientated session (5-sets of 5-repetitions @80%1RM) in randomised order over two weeks. At 24, 48, 72 and 96-hours following the training session stimulus, sessions were completed with loads of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 90% and 100%1RM lifted. Prior to the completion of the training …

Motivation In Knowledge Workers, Carmen Wong

Theses

Traditional theories that form the basis of workplace motivation may be inadequate to manage workers in the knowledge-based economy. Knowledge workers are a growing segment of the workforce, and their needs differ from previous generations of employees. How managers can best motivate knowledge workers towards greater performance and employee satisfaction may not have a definitive answer, however we will explore the effectiveness of some of the commonly used practices in the current workplace.

Knowledge workers add value to a company's products and services by applying their knowledge. The self-determination theory (SDT) is considered a more encompassing theory than the traditional …