Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2010

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 104101 - 104130 of 104222

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Credit Risk And Real Capital : An Examination Of Swiss Banking Sector Default Risk Using Cvar, Robert J. Powell, David E. Allen Jan 2010

Credit Risk And Real Capital : An Examination Of Swiss Banking Sector Default Risk Using Cvar, Robert J. Powell, David E. Allen

Research outputs pre 2011

The global financial crisis (GFC) has placed the creditworthiness of banks under intense scrutiny. In particular, capital adequacy has been called into question. Current capital requirements make no allowance for capital erosion caused by movements in the market value of assets. This paper examines default probabilities of Swiss banks under extreme conditions using structural modeling techniques. Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) and conditional probability of default (CPD) techniques are used to measure capital erosion. Significant increase in probability of default (PD) is found during the GFC period. The market asset value based approach indicates a much higher PD than external …

Go to article

A New Design For A Turing Test For Bots, Philip Hingston Jan 2010

A New Design For A Turing Test For Bots, Philip Hingston

Research outputs pre 2011

Interesting, human-like opponents add to the entertainment value of a video game, and creating such opponents is a difficult challenge for programmers. Can artificial intelligence and computational intelligence provide the means to convincingly simulate a human opponent? Or are simple programming tricks and deceptions more effective? To answer these questions, the author designed and organised a game bot programming competition, the BotPrize, in which competitors submit bots that try to pass a “Turing Test for Bots”. In this paper, we describe a new design for the competition, which will make it simpler to run, and, we hope, open up new …

Go to article

Parties' Perceptions Of Apologies In Resolving Equal Opportunity Complaints, Alfred Allan, Dianne Mckillop, Robyn Carroll Jan 2010

Parties' Perceptions Of Apologies In Resolving Equal Opportunity Complaints, Alfred Allan, Dianne Mckillop, Robyn Carroll

Research outputs pre 2011

Apologies are known to play an important role in the resolution of discrimination and harassment complaints brought under equal opportunity legislation. Sometimes parties agree on an apology as a term on the basis of which a complaint is settled. Occasionally, where a complaint is not settled, a respondent will be ordered to apologize. The ability to order an apology is a distinctive feature of equal opportunity law in Australia. The aim of the researchers was to gather information on the role of apologies in the equal opportunity jurisdiction in Western Australia. Twenty-four complainants and respondents took part in semi-structured interviews. …

Go to article

Opto-Vlsi-Based Tunable Linear-Cavity Fibre Laser, David Michel, Feng Xiao, Kamal Alameh Jan 2010

Opto-Vlsi-Based Tunable Linear-Cavity Fibre Laser, David Michel, Feng Xiao, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs pre 2011

A novel approach using an Opto-VLSI processor to achieve a tunable fibre laser is presented. The Opto-VLSI based fibre laser is able to tune wavelengths and maintain a high Side-Mode Suppression Ratio (SMSR) even when the output optical power is low. Experimental results show a continuously tunable fibre laser source with a tuning range as high as 30 nm and a SMSR exceeding 30 dB.

Go to article

Technological Challenges Of 1-Dimensional Magnetic Photonic Crystals, Mikhail Vasiliev, Kamal Alameh, Dmitry E. Balabanov, Vladimir I. Burkov, V. V. Koledov, Viacheslav A. Kotov, V. G. Shavrov, Anotoly K. Zvezdin Jan 2010

Technological Challenges Of 1-Dimensional Magnetic Photonic Crystals, Mikhail Vasiliev, Kamal Alameh, Dmitry E. Balabanov, Vladimir I. Burkov, V. V. Koledov, Viacheslav A. Kotov, V. G. Shavrov, Anotoly K. Zvezdin

Research outputs pre 2011

Visible-region magnetic photonic crystals (MPC) designed for higher-order bandgap operation have been proposed to overcome the technological restrictions originating from the strong thickness dependency of the individual magnetic layer properties observed in MPC structures.

Go to article

The Influence Of Elliptical Chainrings On 10 Km Cycling Time Trial Performance, Jeremiah Peiffer, Chris Abbiss Jan 2010

The Influence Of Elliptical Chainrings On 10 Km Cycling Time Trial Performance, Jeremiah Peiffer, Chris Abbiss

Research outputs pre 2011

The use of elliptical chainrings (also called chainwheels or sprockets) has gained considerable interest in the amateur and professional cycling community. evertheless, we are unaware of any scientific studies that have examined the performancebenefits of using elliptical chainrings during an actual performance trial. Therefore, this study examined the influence of elliptical chainring use on physiological and performance parameters during a 10 km cycling time trial. Nine male cyclistscompleted, in a counterbalanced order, three 10 km cycling time trials using either a standard chainring or an elliptical chainring at two distinct settings. An attempt was made to blind the cyclists to …

Go to article

Women's Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Alcohol Consumption In Pregnancy: A National Survey, Elizabeth Peadon, Jan Payne, Nadine Henley, Heather D'Antoine, Anne Bartu, Colleen O'Leary, Carol Bower, Elizabeth Elliott Jan 2010

Women's Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Alcohol Consumption In Pregnancy: A National Survey, Elizabeth Peadon, Jan Payne, Nadine Henley, Heather D'Antoine, Anne Bartu, Colleen O'Leary, Carol Bower, Elizabeth Elliott

Research outputs pre 2011

Background: Alcohol exposure in pregnancy is a common and modifiable risk factor for poor pregnancy and child outcomes. Alcohol exposure in pregnancy can cause a range of physical and neurodevelopmental problems in the child including the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). In order to improve prevention strategies, we sought to describe the knowledge and attitudes of women of childbearing age regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy and its effects on the fetus. Methods: We conducted a national cross-sectional survey via computer assisted telephone interview of 1103 Australian women aged 18 to 45 years. Participants were randomly selected from the Electronic White …

Go to article

Call Admission Control Scheme For Improved Quality Of Service In Wimax Communication At Vehicular Speeds, Iftekhar Ahmad, Daryoush Habibi Jan 2010

Call Admission Control Scheme For Improved Quality Of Service In Wimax Communication At Vehicular Speeds, Iftekhar Ahmad, Daryoush Habibi

Research outputs pre 2011

The IEEE 802.16e standard, also known as mobile WiMAX, has emerged as an exciting mobile wireless communication technology that promises to offer both high throughput and guaranteed quality of service (QoS). Call admission control (CAC) scheme serves as a useful tool for WiMAX, which ensures that resources are not overcommitted and thereby, all existing connections enjoy guaranteed QoS. Existing CAC schemes largely depend on readily available information like currently available resources and bandwidth demand of the new call while making an acceptance or rejection decision once a new request arrives. Since wireless channels are not as reliable as wired communication, …

Go to article

Turban Snails As Habitat For Foliose Algae: Contrasting Geographical Patterns In Species Richness, Thomas Wernberg, Fernando Tuya, Mads Thomsen, Gary Kendrick Jan 2010

Turban Snails As Habitat For Foliose Algae: Contrasting Geographical Patterns In Species Richness, Thomas Wernberg, Fernando Tuya, Mads Thomsen, Gary Kendrick

Research outputs pre 2011

Understanding patterns of species richness is a major goal for ecologists, especially in space-limited habitats where many organisms live on top of others (epibiosis, e.g. by algae growing on gastropods in marine environments). We tested the hypotheses that species richness of epiflora on the gastropod Turbo torquatus would not differ between regions with similarly rich algal floras, and that epifloral richness would increase with increasing gastropod size. Macroalgal floras of Hamelin Bay (HB), Marmion (M), Jurien Bay (JB) and Kalbarri (K), Western Australia, ranged from ~20 to 40 species reef–1 (JB = HB = M ≥ K). Epiflora on small …

Go to article

An Analysis Of Information Security Awareness Within Home And Work Environments, Shuhaili Talib, Nathan Clarke, Steven Furnell Jan 2010

An Analysis Of Information Security Awareness Within Home And Work Environments, Shuhaili Talib, Nathan Clarke, Steven Furnell

Research outputs pre 2011

As technology such as the Internet, computers and mobile devices become ubiquitous throughout society, the need to ensure our information remains secure is imperative. Unfortunately, it has long been understood that good security cannot be achieved through technical means alone and a solid understanding of the issues and how to protect yourself is required from users. Whilst many initiatives, programs and strategies have been proposed to improve the level of information security awareness, most have been directed at organizations, with a few national programs focused upon home users. Given people's use of technology is primarily focused upon those two areas: …

Go to article

Trading In Freedoms: Creating Value And Seeking Coalition In Western Australian Arts And Culture, Duncan Robert Mckay Jan 2010

Trading In Freedoms: Creating Value And Seeking Coalition In Western Australian Arts And Culture, Duncan Robert Mckay

Research outputs pre 2011

In this brief paper it is my intention to interrogate the idea of “coalition” in relation to the evidence provided in the DCA’s Policy Framework, Creating Value, in order to examine the extent to which this State’s involvement in culture and arts may indeed be considered coalitional.

Go to article

A Study Of Clinical Behaviour In Intensive Care Unit, Vivienne-Marie Smith Jan 2010

A Study Of Clinical Behaviour In Intensive Care Unit, Vivienne-Marie Smith

Research outputs pre 2011

In order to support the needs of the staff working in discrete areas of nursing, the attitudes, behaviors and needs of the group must first be articulated. Unfortunately, there has been little research conducted to understand the culture of what it is that health care workers think and feel and why they make the choices they do in their working environment and also why they chose to leave the environment. Specifically, what do intensive care clinicians think about the work they do when managing end-of-life care in this technical, highly skilled environment. The focus of an ethnographic study conducted in …

Go to article

Bandwidth Allocation And Routing Information For Wireless Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks, Rajeshkumar Ramraj Jan 2010

Bandwidth Allocation And Routing Information For Wireless Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks, Rajeshkumar Ramraj

Research outputs pre 2011

An admission control Algorithm must organize among flows and should afford assurance of how the medium is shared between nodes. In a wired network, nodes can keep an eye on the medium to see how much bandwidth is being used by the network. On the other hand, in an Ad-Hoc network, during communication nodes possibly will use the bandwidth of neighbouring nodes. Consequently, the bandwidth consumption of flows and the accessible resources to a node are not local concepts, other than it being linked to the neighbouring nodes in carrier-sensing range. Current solutions do not address how to perform admission …

Go to article

The Development Of A Video Task Of Remedial Behaviour To Use In Communication Training Of Health Professionals With Specific Reference To Open Disclosure Practice, Dianne Mckillop, Alfred Allan, Julian Dooley Jan 2010

The Development Of A Video Task Of Remedial Behaviour To Use In Communication Training Of Health Professionals With Specific Reference To Open Disclosure Practice, Dianne Mckillop, Alfred Allan, Julian Dooley

Research outputs pre 2011

The National Open Disclosure Standard requires health professionals (hereafter professionals) to disclose errors in the course of their practice. There is, however, evidence that some professionals are reluctant to do so because they are uncertain about how to engage in open disclosure communications in general and, specifically, how to do it in a legally appropriate manner. One way of addressing this problem is to train professionals in disclosing errors to patients and their families in ways that meet their psychological needs as well as the legal requirements. Although preferable, the comprehensive training of all professionals in appropriate open disclosure practices …

Go to article

Design Of High-Sensitivity Plasmonics-Assisted Gaas Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Photodetectors, Ayman Karar, Narottam Das, Chee Leong Tan, Kamal Alameh, Yong Lee Jan 2010

Design Of High-Sensitivity Plasmonics-Assisted Gaas Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Photodetectors, Ayman Karar, Narottam Das, Chee Leong Tan, Kamal Alameh, Yong Lee

Research outputs pre 2011

In this paper, we use the finite difference timedomain (FDTD) method to optimize the light absorption of an ultrafast plasmonic GaAs metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector (MSM-PD) employing metal nano-gratings. The MSM-PD is optimized geometrically, leading to improved light absorption near the designed wavelength of GaAs through plasmon-assisted electric and magnetic field concentration through a subwavelength aperture. Simulation results show up to 10-times light absorption enhancement at 867 nm due to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) propagation through the metal nano-grating, in comparison to conventional MSM-PD.

Go to article

A Wrapper-Based Feature Selection For Analysis Of Large Data Sets, Jinsong Leng, Craig Valli, Leisa Armstrong Jan 2010

A Wrapper-Based Feature Selection For Analysis Of Large Data Sets, Jinsong Leng, Craig Valli, Leisa Armstrong

Research outputs pre 2011

Knowledge discovery from large data sets using classic data mining techniques has been proved to be difficult due to large size in both dimension and samples. In real applications, data sets often consist of many noisy, redundant, and irrelevant features, resulting in degrading the classification accuracy and increasing the complexity exponentially. Due to the inherent nature, the analysis of the quality of data sets is difficult and very limited approaches about this issue can be found in the literature. This paper presents a novel method to investigate the quality and structure of data sets, i.e., how to analyze whether there …

Go to article

Behaviour Profiling On Mobile Devices, Fudong Li, Nathan Clarke, Maria Papadaki, Paul Dowland Jan 2010

Behaviour Profiling On Mobile Devices, Fudong Li, Nathan Clarke, Maria Papadaki, Paul Dowland

Research outputs pre 2011

Over the last decade, the mobile device has become a ubiquitous tool within everyday life. Unfortunately, whilst the popularity of mobile devices has increased, a corresponding increase can also be identified in the threats being targeted towards these devices. Security countermeasures such as AV and firewalls are being deployed, however, the increasing sophistication of the attacks requires additional measures to be taken. This paper proposes a novel behaviour-based profiling technique that is able to build upon the weaknesses of current systems by developing a comprehensive multilevel approach to profiling. In support of this model, a series of experiments have been …

Go to article

Adult Outcomes Of Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, Miriam Beauchamp, Julian Dooley, Vicki Anderson Jan 2010

Adult Outcomes Of Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, Miriam Beauchamp, Julian Dooley, Vicki Anderson

Research outputs pre 2011

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common causes of acquired disability during childhood. While the majority of such injuries are mild, and result in few, if any, functional sequelae, children sustaining more significant insults may experience permanent cognitive and behavioral deficits. Clinical reports indicate residual impairments in a range of skills, particularly information-processing, attention, memory, learning, social function and behavior. These deficits impact on a child's capacity to interact with the environment effectively, resulting in lags in skill acquisition, and increasing gaps between injured children and their age peers, as they move through childhood and into adulthood. …

Go to article

Bullying In School And Cyberspace: Associations With Depressive Symptoms In Swiss And Australian Adolescents, Sonja Perren, Julian Dooley, Therese Shaw, Donna Cross Jan 2010

Bullying In School And Cyberspace: Associations With Depressive Symptoms In Swiss And Australian Adolescents, Sonja Perren, Julian Dooley, Therese Shaw, Donna Cross

Research outputs pre 2011

Background Cyber-bullying (i.e., bullying via electronic means) has emerged as a new form of bullying that presents unique challenges to those victimised. Recent studies have demonstrated that there is a significant conceptual and practical overlap between both types of bullying such that most young people who are cyber-bullied also tend to be bullied by more traditional methods. Despite the overlap between traditional and cyber forms of bullying, it remains unclear if being a victim of cyber-bullying has the same negative consequences as being a victim of traditional bullying. Method The current study investigated associations between cyber versus traditional bullying and …

Go to article

Summary Of Indigenous Women's Health, Jane Burns, Caitlin M. Maling, Neil Thomson Jan 2010

Summary Of Indigenous Women's Health, Jane Burns, Caitlin M. Maling, Neil Thomson

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Employee Engagement With A Corporate Physical Activity Program: The Global Corporate Challenge, Pascal Scherrer, Lynnaire Sheridan, Ruth Sibson, Maria Ryan, Nadine Henley Jan 2010

Employee Engagement With A Corporate Physical Activity Program: The Global Corporate Challenge, Pascal Scherrer, Lynnaire Sheridan, Ruth Sibson, Maria Ryan, Nadine Henley

Research outputs pre 2011

Employers engage with corporate physical activity programs to foster employee wellbeing with a view to reducing the costs of absence and recruitment. This study reports on employee engagement with a commercial program, the Global Corporate Challenge, in terms of motivation, barriers, team dynamics, social aspects and self-reported physical activity levels. It uses guided introspection to explore how participation affected employee's motivation to sustain regular physical activity within the workplace setting. The program raised awareness of employees' individual physical activity levels and fostered social interaction in the workplace. Findings highlight the importance of employers providing a supportive context, fostering staff-led team …

Go to article

Financial Market Integration In The Greater China Region: A Multivariate Asymmetric Approach, K.Y. Ho, Zhaoyong Zhang Jan 2010

Financial Market Integration In The Greater China Region: A Multivariate Asymmetric Approach, K.Y. Ho, Zhaoyong Zhang

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper examines the volatility dynamics of the greater China stock markets (Shanghai A- and B-shares, Shenzhen A- and B-shares, Taiwan, and Hong Kong) by employing a multivariate (tetravariate) framework that incorporates the features of asymmetries, persistence, and time-varying correlations, which are typically observed in stock markets of developed economies. Our results indicate that, unlike the Shenzhen and Shanghai Ashares, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets, the B-share markets do not exhibit significant asymmetric volatility (“leverage effect”), and return volatility in the A-share market is substantially higher than the B-share market before April 1997, but this result is reversed after that. …

Go to article

The Relationship Between A Teacher Check List And Standardised Tests For Visual Perception Skills: A South African Remedial Primary School Perspective, Janet Richmond, K Holland Jan 2010

The Relationship Between A Teacher Check List And Standardised Tests For Visual Perception Skills: A South African Remedial Primary School Perspective, Janet Richmond, K Holland

Research outputs pre 2011

Occupational therapy in remedial education settings has been questioned by the South African Government as they see occupational therapy as a costly service and thus has challenged occupational therapy clinicians’ approach to assessment. This study was undertaken to establish whether the results of standardised tests of visual perception skills, relate to teachers’ observations in respect of primary remedial school age children (six to eleven years) attending a short term remedial school because of low scholastic achievement despite having average or above intellectual ability. The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – Revised, the Developmental Test of Visual Perception-2, the Jordan Left-Right …

Go to article

The Mds Mortality Risk Index: The Evolution Of A Method For Predicting 6-Month Mortality In Nursing Home Residents, Davina Porock, Debra Parker-Oliver, Gregory F. Petroski, Marilyn Rantz Jan 2010

The Mds Mortality Risk Index: The Evolution Of A Method For Predicting 6-Month Mortality In Nursing Home Residents, Davina Porock, Debra Parker-Oliver, Gregory F. Petroski, Marilyn Rantz

Research outputs pre 2011

Accurate prognosis is vital to the initiation of advance care planning particularly in a vulnerable, at risk population such as care home residents. The aim of this paper is to report on the revision and simplification of the MDS Mortality Rating Index (MMRI) for use in clinical practice to predict the probability of death in six months for care home residents.

Go to article

Using Nicknames, Pseudonyms And Avatars On Heartnet: A Snapshot Of An Online Health Support Community, Debbie Rodan, Lynsey Kay Uridge, Lelia Green Jan 2010

Using Nicknames, Pseudonyms And Avatars On Heartnet: A Snapshot Of An Online Health Support Community, Debbie Rodan, Lynsey Kay Uridge, Lelia Green

Research outputs pre 2011

Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability for the ageing Australian population. During recovery from a heart event, many people seek an alternative to traditional support groups and look to the Internet and World Wide Web to establish a connection with others who have had a similar experience. HeartNET provides just such an alternative support structure for anyone affected by heart disease. One issue faced by members of any online support community is whether to remain anonymous by using pseudonyms, nicknames or avatars or whether to accept a certain level of risk, usually in …

Go to article

Equilibrium Exchange Rate Of Asian Currencies: The Chinese Renminbi, K. Sato, J. Shimizu, N. Shrestha, Zhaoyong Zhang Jan 2010

Equilibrium Exchange Rate Of Asian Currencies: The Chinese Renminbi, K. Sato, J. Shimizu, N. Shrestha, Zhaoyong Zhang

Research outputs pre 2011

We estimate the equilibrium exchange rate (EER) of the Chinese renminbi (RMB) vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar from 1992 to 2009. In contrast to the recent empirical studies on the EER employing a large cross-country analysis, we focus on the supply side real factors in estimating the EER by extending the Yoshikawa (1990) model. To better reflect China's processing exports in the context of growing intra-regional trade in Asia, we incorporate in the empirical analysis the source country breakdown data on import prices and input coefficients of intermediate inputs by constructing an annual new International Input-Output (IIO) table for the period …

Go to article

Overseas Students In Australia: An Experiential View, Maria Ryan, Madeleine Ogilvie Jan 2010

Overseas Students In Australia: An Experiential View, Maria Ryan, Madeleine Ogilvie

Research outputs pre 2011

Overseas students have access to a number of learning opportunities available by virtue of a highly competitive tertiary education market system. Despite the increasing trend for remote, online-based learning programs, many students elect to travel outside their home country to experience the cultural difference of studying abroad. The benefit is symbiotic, with crucial university funding being attracted by increased numbers of overseas students seeking an enriched studying experience. The focus of this paper is the on-campus learning experience received by expatriate students studying in Australia and Singapore. How these students adapt to the different physical, social and emotional environments is …

Go to article

Jpeg Compression Of Monochrome 2d-Barcode Images Using Dct Coefficient Distributions, Keng Teong Tan, Douglas Chai Jan 2010

Jpeg Compression Of Monochrome 2d-Barcode Images Using Dct Coefficient Distributions, Keng Teong Tan, Douglas Chai

Research outputs pre 2011

Two dimensional (2D) barcodes are becoming a pervasive interface for mobile devices, such as camera phones. Often, only monochrome 2D-barcodes are used due to their robustness in an uncontrolled operating environment of camera phones. Most camera phones capture and store such 2D-barcode images in the baseline JPEG format. As a lossy compression technique, JPEG does introduce a fair amount of error in the decoding of captured 2D-barcode images. In this paper, we introduce an improved JPEG compression scheme for such barcode images. By altering the JPEG compression parameters based on the DCT coefficient distribution of such barcode images, the improved …

Go to article

Cladding Modes Analysis Of Photonics Crystal Fiber For Refractive Index Sensors Using Finite Element Method, Naeem Khurram, Linh Viet Nguyen, Kamal Alameh, Youngjoo Chung Jan 2010

Cladding Modes Analysis Of Photonics Crystal Fiber For Refractive Index Sensors Using Finite Element Method, Naeem Khurram, Linh Viet Nguyen, Kamal Alameh, Youngjoo Chung

Research outputs pre 2011

We developed a Finite Element package to analyze cladding mode field extensions into the air-holes of photonics crystal fiber for refractive index sensing. Our analysis could determine the most sensitive cladding mode for liquid sensing.

Go to article

Funding And Secondary School Choice In Australia: A Historical Consideration, Rosemary Cahill, Jan Gray Jan 2010

Funding And Secondary School Choice In Australia: A Historical Consideration, Rosemary Cahill, Jan Gray

Research outputs pre 2011

Since public funds first began to flow into non-government schools in the mid-1970s, successive Commonwealth and state governments have steadily increased the amount of funding they have provided to nongovernment schools (Bonnor & Caro, 2007; Macfarlane, 2003). The outcome of this funding decision has brought the cost of a ‘private school education’ within reach of many more Australian families in the 21st century (Rothman, 2003; Symes & Gulson, 2005). This paper explores the historical backdrop within which secondary schooling is provided in Western Australian today in order to better understand how it influences and/or predisposes the secondary school choices currently …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last