Digital Commons Network^™

Pictures In Words : Indexing, Folksonomy And Representation Of Subject Content In Historic Photographs, Brian Stewart

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Subject access to images is a major issue for image collections. Research is needed to understand how indexing and tagging contribute to make the subjects of historic photographs accessible.

This thesis firstly investigates the evidence of cognitive dissonance between indexers and users in the way they attribute subjects to historic photographs, and, secondly, how indexers and users might work together to enhance subject description. It analyses how current indexing and social tagging represent the subject content of historic photographs. It also suggests a practical way indexers can work with taggers to deal with the classic problem of resource constraints and …

Exercise As Medicine : Reversing Treatment Toxicities In Prostate Cancer Patients, Bradley A. Wall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A common treatment for prostate cancer, which is the most common form of cancer after skin cancer in Australian males, is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). However, ADT is associated with an array of adverse effects including reduced bone and lean mass, loss of muscle strength, negative change in lipid profile, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as diabetes, all of which can compromise physical function and quality of life. Physical exercise has been suggested as a key lifestyle intervention for this group of cancer patients as it has enormous potential to limit and even reverse the effects …

Ten Pounds For Adults, Kids Travel Free: An Essay On The Effects Of Migration Upon The Children Of The British Migrants To Western Australia In The 1960s And 1970s ; And , The Red Pipe: A Novella Set In Port Hedland, Karen Helen Fouweather

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study comprises an essay entitled ‘Ten Pounds for Adults, Kids Travel Free’ and a creative component entitled ‘The Red Pipe: a Novella Set in Port Hedland’. The essay focuses upon the children of the ‘golden era’ of British migration to Australia, between 1961 and 1971, when over 300,000 arrived as part of an unprecedented post-war population drive. Most travelled under an assisted passage scheme in which adults paid £10 towards their fare and their children travelled free of charge. Consequently, these assisted British immigrants were known by Australians as the ‘Ten Pound Poms’. Two decades on from the introduction …

Inorganic Hydrogeochemical Responses To Fires In Wetland Sediments On The Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia, David Blake

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the past decade the wetlands of the Swan Coastal Plain (SCP) region of Western Australia have been subject to increasing fire frequency and intensity. Whilst wetland sediment fires (also known as peat fires) on the SCP are not new phenomena, the increased frequency, duration and extent of combustion have been concomitant with an increase in urbanisation and reduction in average annual rainfall for the region. This has led to a decrease in ground- and surface-water levels which, in turn, has increased the susceptibility of the wetland sediments to ignition and combustion events. Increased wetland fire severity has resulted in …

Mining Climate Data For Shire Level Wheat Yield Predictions In Western Australia, Yunous Vagh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Climate change and the reduction of available agricultural land are two of the most important factors that affect global food production especially in terms of wheat stores. An ever increasing world population places a huge demand on these resources. Consequently, there is a dire need to optimise food production.

Estimations of crop yield for the South West agricultural region of Western Australia have usually been based on statistical analyses by the Department of Agriculture and Food in Western Australia. Their estimations involve a system of crop planting recommendations and yield prediction tools based on crop variety trials. However, many crop …

A Study Of The Spatial Dynamics Of Some Introduced Avian Species In The Southwest Region Of Western Australia, Desiree L. Moon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Southwest region of Western Australia is a recognised ‘biodiversity hotspot’, as it possesses high levels of biodiversity and endemism; it also holds a number of species threatened by habitat loss. The arrival of Europeans in the region wrought major changes on the natural landscape. Extensive tracts of bushland were cleared for housing, infrastructure, forestry, farming, and mining. Another challenge to regional biodiversity was the spread of exotic plants and animals (including birds); the latter provide the focus for the present study. The research examines four bird species that colonised the Southwest region following European settlement: Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis …

Understanding Variety In Small Firm Internationalization : The Decison-Making Process Of Small Manufacturing Firms In Indonesia, Maria Y.D.H. Agustini

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Research on small firm internationalization has been conducted intensively over the last few decades. However, knowledge of small firm internationalization varied. This research addresses the question of this variety in small firm internationalization applying the stage models theory, network theory, resource-based theory and international new venture. As the more recent studies showed that researchers have inclined towards one conclusive finding of the central role of the manager in internationalization, the key explanation of the inconclusive knowledge about small firm internationalization possibly resides in the decision made by the manager. Thus, this research explored the process of making an internationalization decision …

Migration Matters : The Experience Of United Kingdom Registered Nurses Migrating To Western Australia, Caroline J. Vafeas

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This qualitative study uses heuristic inquiry to investigate the unique journey of 21 registered nurses (RN) who migrated from the United Kingdom (UK) to Perth in Western Australia (WA) between 2003 and 2008. The study explores the reasons for migration as well as the professional, social and psychological impact on each participant and their accompanying family during the first two years of settling in a new country.

In the contemporary climate of international nurse mobility, many employers are attempting to attract new employees, often with tantalising offers of an immediate visa and the enticement of a better climate and standard …

Muscle Damage And Metabolic Profiles Of Eccentric Cycling, Luis Penailillo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Eccentric cycling, in which the knee extensor muscles perform eccentric contractions while trying to brake the backward rotational movements of the cranks of a cycle ergometer, has been shown to effectively increase muscle function and volume with a low metabolic cost. However, acute responses to repeated eccentric cycling bouts have not been well documented. Thus, the primary purposes of this PhD project were to investigate muscle damage and metabolic profiles of eccentric cycling in comparison to concentric cycling (Studies 1-3), and muscle-tendon behaviour (Study 4) during eccentric cycling in relation to muscle damage.

Study 1 compared muscle damage and metabolic …

Effects Of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy On Symptoms Associated With Eccentric Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage, Henry Banyard

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Unaccustomed exercise consisting of eccentric contractions induces muscle damage that is characterised by muscle weakness, soreness, swelling and increased muscle stiffness. These symptoms affect daily activities and athletic performance; therefore, interventions to attenuate the symptoms and enhance recovery from muscle damage are necessary. Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMFT) is anecdotally reported to increase muscle blood flow and oxygenation to enhance tissue healing. One previous study showed that PEMFT was effective for alleviating muscle soreness and losses in range of motion after exercise. However, studies investigating the effect of PEMFT on recovery of muscle strength following eccentric exercise are lacking. The …

Metapopulation Theory Explains Black-Stripe Minnow (Pisces: Galaxiidae, Galaxiella Nigrostriata) Distribution In Seasonal Wetlands In South-West Western Australia, David M. Galeotti

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The objective of this project was to determine if Galaxiella nigrostriata populations could belong to a metapopulation. Metapopulation theory describes how multiple populations with occasional connectivity are a ‘population of populations’. Some populations’ habitats have optimal conditions (source habitats), others experience regular extinctions (sink habitats). Connectivity allows repopulation of extinct or uninhabited habitats. Galaxiella nigrostriata occurred randomly in 11 seasonal wetlands in the Kemerton wetland complex in south-west Western Australia over a 16 year period. The wetlands did not appear to be connected.

Around 70% of wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain in south-west WA have been filled or degraded …

Complexity And Creative Capacity : Reformulating The Problem Of Knowledge Transfer In Environmental Management, Kelly Chapman

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s largest fringing coral reef and an iconic tourist destination; however tourism development in Ningaloo has been ad hoc and the area is challenged by human pressure on numerous fronts. In response to these challenges a number of research agencies brought together a range of scientists to study the effects of human interaction on the reef. Moving from research to practice has been understood to depend on the adaptive capacity of the institutions responsible for governing human activities, in this case in the Ningaloo area. Knowledge transfer describes the suite of strategies used to try to …

Pax3 Expression, Protein Modifications And Downstream Target Gene Profiling In Melanocytes And Melanoma Cells, Danielle Bartlett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

PAX3 is a transcription factor. It plays a major role in the development of melanocytes in the embryo. As a result of alternative splicing, the gene gives rise to eight different transcripts which encode proteins that have differing structures and are therefore likely to activate different downstream target genes. The presence of post-translational modifications has also been shown to alter the functions of the proteins.

PAX3 regulates the maintenance of undifferentiated melanoblasts and mediates pathways involved in proliferation, migration and survival. It has been shown to be expressed in melanoblasts, adult melanocytes, naevi and in most melanoma cells. This implies …

Opto-Vlsi-Based Adaptive Optical Power Splitter/Combiner For Next Generation Dynamic Optical Telecommunication Networks, Haithem A. Mustafa

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The demand for optical power splitters is growing globally, due to the rapid deployment of fibre-to-the-premises, optical metropolitan area network (MAN), and active optical cables for TV/Video signal transport. Optical splitters play an important role in passive optical network (PON) technology by enabling several hundred users to share one optical line terminal. However, current PONs, which use fixed optical power splitters, have limited reconfigurability particularly in adding/dropping users to/from an optical network unit.

An adaptive optical power splitter (OPS) can dynamically reallocate the opticalpower in the entire network according to the real-time distribution of users and services, thus providing numerous …

A Model For Systematically Investigating Relationships Between Variables That Affect The Performance Of Novice Programmers, Vivian Campbell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research was motivated by an interest in novices learning to program

and a desire to understand the factors that affect their learning. The

traditional approach to performing such an investigation has been to select

factors which may be important and then perform statistical tests on a few

potential relationships. A new research model is proposed and tested to

ensure that a thorough and systematic investigation of the data is performed.

This thesis describes the data, defines the model and explains the

application and validation of the model.

The research process is managed by a control algorithm that is the …

Factors Influencing The Incidence Rates Of Injuries And Accidents Among Seafarers And Rig Workers Providing Support To The Wa Offshore Oil And Gas Industry, Tony Martinovich

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this study was to identify, discuss and make recommendations regarding causal factors associated with injuries and accidents among seafarers and rig workers providing support to the WA offshore oil and gas industry. These incidents cause significant personal and economic burdens for employees, employers and the community in general.

A sample of 484 participants were recruited from a workforce of 9800 employees (approximately 5%). Participants were stratified into 2 cohorts; those who had suffered injury (286 – study group) and those who had not (198 - controls).

Data from the study group were stratified into oilrig workers and …

The Identification Of Diagnostic Serological Autoantibodies For Cutaneous Melanoma, Pauline Zaenker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Abstract not available.

Silver (Ag) Nanoparticle Based Masks For The Development Of Antireflection Subwavelength Structures In Gaas And Si Solar Cells, Nazme A. Moushumy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis focuses on the design and development of silver nanoparticles that can be used as masks for the development of antireflection subwavelength grating (SWG) structures. We particularly investigate the impact of silver thin film thickness and the effect of annealing temperature on the fabrication of silver nanoparticles of controlled size and spacing distributions. We also use these measured distributions to predict the performance of subwavelength grating structures developed using dry and isotropic etching of semiconductor substrates.

Silver (Ag) thin films of different thicknesses are deposited on Silicon (Si) and Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) semiconductor substrates and annealed at different temperatures. …

Biomarkers Of Disease : Concentrations In The Serum Of Women During Natural And Stimulated Ovarian Cycles And During Early Pregnancy, Melissa Stemp

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Molecular biomarkers are chemical signatures that all cell types possess. They are used in medicine to evaluate both normal biological events and pathogenic processes. A series of biomarkers associated with cancer of the breast, ovaries and other parts of the female reproductive tract and the monitoring of pregnancy were measured in disease‐free women. The biomarkers measured were prostate specific antigen (PSA), CA125, CA15‐3, CA72‐4, and pregnancy associated plasma protein‐a (PAPP‐A). The patterns of change during natural and stimulated ovarian cycles and early pregnancy were investigated to determine if these biomarkers could reflect normal events relating to ovulation and implantation/placentation. In …

Evaluating Residential Satisfaction With An Innovative Dual Water Supply System In Water Sensitive Urban Development, Raju S. Dhakal

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Australian water industry is facing two major challenges: a rise in water demand due to a growing population and a decrease in rainfall availability due to a drying climate. This situation has triggered a re-evaluation of traditional water schemes and promoted consideration of alternatives for sustainable urban water management. One possibility is to replace drinking water usage in garden and outdoor irrigation with non-potable groundwater. This could save almost half of the water supplied in the residential sector, which is the biggest consumer of scheme water in most Australian cities. A major hurdle for the success of such fit-for-purpose …

Magnetocardiography In Unshielded Environment Based On Optical Magnetometry And Adaptive Noise Cancellation, Valentina Tiporlini

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis proposes and demonstrates the concept of a magnetocardiographic system employing an array of optically-pumped quantum magnetometers and an adaptive noise cancellation for heart magnetic field measurement within a magnetically-unshielded environment.

Optically-pumped quantum magnetometers are based on the use of the atomic-spin-dependent optical properties of an atomic medium. An Mxconfiguration- based optically-pumped quantum magnetometer employing two sensing cells containing caesium vapour is theoretically described and experimentally developed, and the dependence of its sensitivity and frequency bandwidth upon the light power and the alkali vapour temperature is experimentally demonstrated. Furthermore, the capability of the developed magnetometer of measuring very weak …

Stakeholders Perspective On Sustainable Technology Selection To Achieve Zero Carbon Retail Buildings, Syeda Zainab, Wei Pan, Steve Goodhew, Alba Fuertes

School of Art, Design and Architecture

In the design and construction of sustainable retail buildings, there are various stakeholders involved with the overall aim of selecting appropriate sustainable technologies to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Previous studies and literature review indicate there is no comprehensive selection process to assist stakeholders. This can be classified as a complex multi-criteria decision problem due to the high number of alternatives, potential solutions and variety of stakeholders (e.g. clients, professional advisors, end-users) with multiple, often conflicting, objectives leading in turn to the slow take-up of sustainable technologies. There is a demand for a systematic and effective evaluation tool for …

Financing Preferences And Capital Structure Among Successful Malaysian Smes, Shafie Mohamed Zabri

Plymouth Business School Theses

The increasing importance of economic contributions of small and medium-sized sized enterprises (SMEs) around the world, especially in developing countries, motivated a better understanding of financial practices among SMEs. Financial support is among the factors affecting the success of SMEs. However, studies on the financial practices among successful SMEs in Malaysia are still limited. An understanding of the financial practices of this particular group of SMEs is essential in developing a supportive financial framework to achieve national agenda for improving SMEs sustainability and increasing the overall SMEs’ contributions to the Malaysian economy. This research investigates the financial practices among successful …

The Mediating Role Of Entrepreneurial Leadership: An Investigation Of The Competitiveness Of Smes In The Uk South-West Food And Drink Manufacturing, Lise Hunter

Plymouth Business School Theses

ABSTRACT It has long been argued that Social Capital, a concept represented by the value embedded in the social relationships of individuals or collectives constitute strategic resources for individuals and organisations. Social networks are thus perceived by businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, as a means to access those resources, for example gaining privileged access to strategic information that could secure financial resources. In reality, and because of the inherent characteristics of Social Capital, entrepreneurs or business owner/managers who effectively use resources available within social networks are driven by a clear and compelling vision and sustained by a set of …

Optimising Supply Chain Performance Via Information Sharing And Coordinated Management, Wei Xu

Plymouth Business School Theses

Supply chain management has attracted much attention in the last decade. There has been a noticeable shift from a traditional individual organisation-based management to an integrated management across the supply chain network since the end of the last century. The shift contributes to better decision making in the supply chain context, as it is necessary for a company to cooperate with other supply chain members by utilising relevant information such as inventory, demand and resource capacity. In other words, information sharing and coordinated management are essential mechanisms to improve supply chain performance. Supply chains may differ significantly in terms of …

Remembering The City: Memory-Images: Part Of The Portfolio Memory City, I Rae

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

The Potential For Using Geopolymer Concrete In The Uk, A Heath, K Paine, S Goodhew, M Ramage, M Lawrence

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

Rural Non-Farm Livelihood Diversification And Poverty Reduction In Nigeria, Paul Agu Igwe

Plymouth Business School Theses

The aim of this research is to provide analysis of the rural non-farm sector in Nigeria by investigating inter-linkages between farm and non-farm activities. By critical analysis using quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate farm and non-farm sectors, the research attempts to reveal the complex linkages between these activities undertaken by rural households. The analysis employs household surveys aimed at collecting primary data undertaken to investigate various aspects of rural livelihoods including sources of income, employment, diversification and determinants of household income. The research provides analysis of Rural Micro and Small Enterprises (RMSEs) in the non-farm sector. It investigates …

The Construction Of Local Road Safety Issues: When Lay And Professional Discourses Collide, Stephen Ball

Plymouth Business School Theses

Highway Authorities in the United Kingdom have jurisdiction to control, maintain and improve the local highway network, and the Road Traffic Act 1988 places a duty on such authorities to take preventative measures to reduce road casualties. As such, engineers working for the Highway Authority are on the ‘front-line,’ and are required to deal directly with lay concerns relating to road safety. This study investigates the nature and characteristics of how local road safety issues are raised and how engineers respond to such issues in a local authority setting. A grounded theory methodology was applied in the collection and analysis …

Election Data Visualisation, Elena Long

Plymouth Business School Theses

Visualisations of election data produced by the mass media, other organisations and even individuals are becoming increasingly available across a wide variety of platforms and in many different forms. As more data become available digitally and as improvements to computer hardware and software are made, these visualisations have become more ambitious in scope and more user-friendly. Research has shown that visualising data is an extremely powerful method of communicating information to specialists and non-specialists alike. This amounts to a democratisation of access to political and electoral data. To some extent political science lags behind the progress that has been made …