Digital Commons Network^™

Netnography: Range Of Practices, Misperceptions, And Missed Opportunities, Leesa N. Costello, Marie-Louise Mcdermott, Ruth M. Wallace

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This is the first article to describe how broadening of the term netnography in qualitative research is leading to misperceptions and missed opportunities. The once accepted need for human presence in netnographic studies is giving way to nonparticipatory (passive) approaches, which claim to be naturalistic and bias-free. While this may be tenable in some environments, it also removes the opportunity for cocreation in online communities and social media spaces. By contrast, participatory (active) netnographers have an opportunity to conduct their research in a way that contributes value and a continuity of narrative to online spaces. This article examines the ways …

Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Experiences And Self-Efficacy To Teach Music: Are They Ready?, Geoffrey M. Lowe, Geoff W. Lummis, Julia Morris

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Music is essential in developing the young brain, particularly skills relating to concentration, filtering, information retrieval, verbal competencies, mental visualisation, problem solving, empathy and personal expression. With the introduction of the Australian National Curriculum and its adoption as the basis of the Western Australian P-10 music syllabus, there is cause to reflect on the effectiveness of music provision within teacher education courses and pre-service generalist teachers' abilities to deliver the new music syllabus. Accordingly, a mixed method study was conducted with first and fourth year Bachelor of Education primary students at a Western Australian university, to investigate students' music experiences …

Drinking Water Disinfection By-Products Detection, Formation And The Precursors Removal Study, Runmiao Xue

Doctoral Dissertations

"Haloacetic acids (HAAs) and trihalomethanes (THMs) are two groups of commonly found disinfection by-products (DBPs). Iodinated THMs and HAAs were observed after disinfection of water containing high level of iodide and are proved to be more toxic than their corresponding chlorinated and brominated species. In the presented dissertation, a novel rapid and sensitive high performance ion chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPIC-MS/MS) method has been developed for simultaneous analysis of all these HAAs, bromate, bromide, iodide, and iodate, seventeen compounds in total, without any tedious sample preparation. Besides an efficient analytical method for the detection of DBPs, seeking for a green disinfectant …

T-Closed Sets, Multivalued Inverse Limits, And Hereditarily Irreducible Maps, Hussam Abobaker

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation consists of three subjects: T-closed sets, inverse limits with multivalued functions, and hereditarily irreducible maps.

For a subset A of a continuum X define T(A) = X \ {x ∈ X : there exists a subcontinuum K of X such that x ∈ int_xX(K) ⊂ K ⊂ X \ A}. This function was defined by F. Burton Jones and extensively investigated in the book [20] by Sergio Macias. A subset A of a continuum X is called T-closed set if T(A) = A. A characterization of T-closed set is given using generalized …

Imaging A Fly Ash Landfill Using Non-Invasive Technologies (Ert And Masw), Atiat Shaban Qasim Alsaaideh

Doctoral Dissertations

"Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data were acquired across a segment of an existing fly ash landfill in southwestern Missouri. The objective was to map potential karst features and identify probable groundwater seepage through and beneath the landfill.

Variations in the moisture content were mapped below and above the two liners (clay and synthetic) systems, the soil and bedrock. Seepage pathways were mapped through the fly ash and the underlying soil and rock. No visual evidence was found on any of the 3D ERT profiles of the presence of either pre-existing air-filled voids or pre-existing or newly infilled clay-filled voids. There …

Advanced Analytical Strategies To Determine Biomedical Parameters For Medical Diagnostics, Drug Delivery, And Therapy, Sisi Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

"Biomedical parameters are critical for diseases prognosis, diagnosis and therapy. Many research groups have dedicated their studies to develop analytical instrumentation and apply analytical methods to determine biomedical parameters that have the potential to help with disease control and increase public health. This dissertation focuses on three major aspects of analytical strategies development and applications: 1) detection of pH changes caused by nanotoxicity (induced by TiO₂ nanoparticles) using newly developed micro-pH sensor, 2) quantification of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) biomarkers by high-performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), and 3) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of porous wall …

Volumetric Error Compensation For 5-Axis Machine Tools, Jennifer Ruth Creamer

Doctoral Dissertations

"This work presents a geometric error compensation method for large 5-axis machine tools. The compensation method presented here uses tool tip measurements recorded throughout the axis space to construct a position-dependent geometric error model that can easily be used for error compensation. The measurements are taken using a laser tracker, permitting rapid error data gathering at most locations in the axis space. First two model types are compared for generating table-based error compensation and experimental results are presented. Table-based compensation is then extended to machine tool controller types with restrictions on the number or combination of compensation tables using an …

Quantitative Dependability And Interdependency Models For Large-Scale Cyber-Physical Systems, Koosha Marashi

Doctoral Dissertations

"Cyber-physical systems link cyber infrastructure with physical processes through an integrated network of physical components, sensors, actuators, and computers that are interconnected by communication links. Modern critical infrastructures such as smart grids, intelligent water distribution networks, and intelligent transportation systems are prominent examples of cyber-physical systems. Developed countries are entirely reliant on these critical infrastructures, hence the need for rigorous assessment of the trustworthiness of these systems. The objective of this research is quantitative modeling of dependability attributes -- including reliability and survivability -- of cyber-physical systems, with domain-specific case studies on smart grids and intelligent water distribution networks. To …

Survivability Modeling For Cyber-Physical Systems Subject To Data Corruption, Mark James Woodard

Doctoral Dissertations

"Cyber-physical critical infrastructures are created when traditional physical infrastructure is supplemented with advanced monitoring, control, computing, and communication capability. More intelligent decision support and improved efficacy, dependability, and security are expected. Quantitative models and evaluation methods are required for determining the extent to which a cyber-physical infrastructure improves on its physical predecessors. It is essential that these models reflect both cyber and physical aspects of operation and failure. In this dissertation, we propose quantitative models for dependability attributes, in particular, survivability, of cyber-physical systems. Any malfunction or security breach, whether cyber or physical, that causes the system operation to depart …

An Investigation Of Service Providers' Understanding, Perspectives And Implementations Of The Transdisciplinary Model In Early Intervention Settings For Children With Disabilities, Eimear Fitzmaurice,, Janet E. Richmond, Matthew Wittorf

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose

The transdisciplinary practice model is currently being promoted as best practice in early intervention therapy for children with disabilities. However, supporting literature is limited. Thus, the question is asked, “What are service providers' understanding and perception of the transdisciplinary model in early intervention settings for children with disabilities?”

Method

A systematic review was carried out using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews. An electronic search was conducted via six databases. Eight articles were selected

Results

Four studies predominantly focused on service providers’ perspectives of the model using semi-structured interviews or surveys. Many studies were of adequate to low …

Barriers To Lung Cancer Care: Health Professionals’ Perspectives, J. Dunn, G. Garvey, P. C. Valery, D. Ball, K. M. Fong, S. Vinod, D. L. O'Connell, Suzanne K. Chambers

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose

Globally, lung cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death. Problematically, there is a wide variation in the management and survival for people with lung cancer and there is limited understanding of the reasons for these variations. To date, the views of health professionals across relevant disciplines who deliver such care are largely absent. The present study describes Australian health professionals’ views about barriers to lung cancer care to help build a research and action agenda for improving lung cancer outcomes.

Methods

Qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a multidisciplinary group of 31 Australian …

Altered Levels Of Blood Proteins In Alzheimer's Disease Longitudinal Study: Results From Australian Imaging Biomarkers Lifestyle Study Of Ageing Cohort, Veer B. Gupta, Eugene Hone, Steve Pedrini, James D. Doecke, Sid E. O'Bryant, Ian James, Ashley I. Bush, Christopher C. Rowe, Victor L. Villemagne, David Ames, Colin L. Masters, Ralph N. Martins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction

A blood-based biomarker panel to identify individuals with preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) would be an inexpensive and accessible first step for routine testing.

Methods

We analyzed 14 biomarkers that have previously been linked to AD in the Australian Imaging Biomarkers lifestyle longitudinal study of aging cohort.

Results

Levels of apolipoprotein J (apoJ) were higher in AD individuals compared with healthy controls at baseline and 18 months (P =.0003) and chemokine-309 (I-309) were increased in AD patients compared to mild cognitive impaired individuals over 36 months (P =.0008).

Discussion

These data suggest that apoJ may have potential in the context …

An Exploration Of Cava Wineries: A Resource-Based Approach, Alonso Duarte

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose:

The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify the most important resources, and emerging issues among Spain’s Cava wineries, including opportunities and challenges, from predominantly winery operators, and through the lens of the resource-based view of the firm (RBVF).

Design/methodology/approach:

Unstructured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with the representatives of five Cava firms, and with the manager of the local Institute of Cava in Sant Sadurnà d’Anoia, Spain. In addition, owners/managers of seven other Cava wineries provided responses and comments via email. Findings: The attributes pertaining to the RBVF, such as valuable, rare, imperfect imitable resources, and (non)substitutability …

Sensitivity Analysis For Justification Of Utilising Special Purpose Machine Tools In The Presence Of Uncertain Parameters, Ana Vafadar, Kevin Hayward, Majid Tolouei-Rad

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Decision-makers in manufacturing area frequently face machine tool selection problem under uncertainty due to competitive market changes. Special purpose machines (SPMs), a relatively new class of reconfigurable machine tools, are used to react quickly to changes. Justification of utilising these machines vs. other machine tools requires a technique to investigate the sources of uncertainties. In this work, sensitivity analysis is utilised to investigate the sources of these uncertainties and errors which may reveal new insights for evaluating a machine tool. An illustrative example is provided to show the sensitivity of parameters on the economic performance of SPMs compared to the …

Nanoscale In Photocatalysis, Zhaohui Wang, Hongqi Sun

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Rationally harvesting sunlight to carry out chemical reactions, for example, photochemistry and photocatalysis, has appeared as a beautiful episode within the long history of solar-energy utilization by human beings. Before solar-driven chemical processes approach the scale of solar panel or solar thermal application, considerate efforts are still required from effective collaborations among academia, industries, and governments. Over past few decades, the photocatalysis frontier has been continuously explored by means of interdisciplinary research. Emerging understanding in the nanoscale is most likely to lead photocatalysis into the future.

Checking The “Academic Selection” Argument. Chess Players Outperform Non-Chess Players In Cognitive Skills Related To Intelligence: A Meta-Analysis, Giovanni Sala, Alexander P. Burgoyne, Brooke N. Macnamara, David Z. Hambrick, Guillermo J. Campitelli, Fernand Gobet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Substantial research in the psychology of expertise has shown that experts in several fields (e.g., science, mathematics) perform better than non-experts on standardized tests of intelligence. This evidence suggests that intelligence plays an important role in the acquisition of expertise. However, a counter argument is that the difference between experts and non-experts is not due to individuals' traits but to academic selection processes. For instance, in science, high scores on standardized tests (e.g., SAT and then GRE) are needed to be admitted to a university program for training. Thus, the “academic selection process” hypothesis is that expert vs. non-expert differences …

Control Of Single- And Dual-Probe Atomic Force Microscopy, Muthukumaran Loganathan

Doctoral Dissertations

“Atomic force microscope (AFM) is one of the important and versatile tools available in the field of nanotechnology. It is a type of probe-based microscopy wherein an atomically sharp tip, mounted on the free end of a microcantilever, probes the surface of interest to generate 3D topographical images with nanoscale resolution. An integral part of the AFM is the feedback controller that regulates the probe deflection in the presence of surface height changes, enabling the control action to be used for generating topographical image of the sample. Besides sensing, the probe can also be used as a mechanical actuator to …

Data Analysis And Application Guidelines Of Particle Gel Treatments, Yue Qiu

Doctoral Dissertations

“Water production is a severe worldwide issue in mature oilfields, which results in shortening the economic life of oil and gas wells. Particle gel have been widely applied in mature oilfields to improve reservoir sweep efficiency and control water production. To date, more than 10,000 injection wells were successfully treated by particle gels. However, considerable uncertainty still exists regarding to where and how particle gel treatments can be best applied.

The main objective of this study is to provide application guidelines and prediction model for particle gel treatments through data analysis. In this study, four particle gel treatment datasets have …

Psychosocial Correlates Of Diabetes Self-Management Practices, Muhammad W. Darawad, Sawsan Hammad, Sultan Mosleh, Osama A. Samarkandi, Ayman Hamdan-Mansour, Amani A. Khalil, Diana Arabiat

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Self-Management is a crucial regimen for patients with diabetes mellitus. Many factors have affected patients' self-management practice including psychosocial factors. Literature revealed contradictory results concerning the psychosocial correlates of patients' self-management practices. Therefore, this study assessed the psychosocial correlates of diabetes self-management practices among Jordanian diabetic patients.

Methods

A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design was utilized to collect data (conducted in the middle region of Jordan in 2015) from 341 Jordanian outpatients with diabetes using self-reported questionnaires (Social Support Scale, CES-D, and Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities) and chart review.

Results

Participants reported practice rate of 2.85/ 7 (SD …

Pd-L1 Expressing Circulating Tumour Cells In Head And Neck Cancers, Arutha Kulasinghe, Chris Perry, Liz Kenny, Majid E. Warkiani, Colleen Nelson, Chamindie Punyadeera

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint pathway is emerging as a promising immunotherapeutic approach for the management and treatment of head and neck cancer patients who do not respond to 1st/2nd line therapy. However, as checkpoint inhibitors are cost intensive, identifying patients who would most likely benefit from anti PD-L1 therapy is required. Developing a non-invasive technique would be of major benefit to the patient and to the health care system.

Case presentation

We report the case of a 56 year old man affected by a supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). A CT scan showed a 20 mm right …

Employer Understanding Of Work-Integrated Learning And The Challenges Of Engaging In Work Placement Opportunities, Denise Jackson, David Rowbottom, Sonia Ferns, Diane Mclaren

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study examines employer understanding of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), reasons for participation and the challenges and barriers posed during the WIL process. This is important given the drive to grow WIL, augmented by the National Strategy for WIL, and the significant benefits it holds in preparing students for their transition to employment. The study was undertaken by the four publicly funded Western Australian universities, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, and is focused on work placements among business students. Findings indicate employers had very little understanding of WIL offerings at the four Business Schools. …

Applying Surrogate Species Presences To Correct Sample Bias In Species Distribution Models: A Case Study Using The Pilbara Population Of The Northern Quoll, Shaun W. Molloy, Robert A. Davis, Judy A. Dunlop, Eddie Van Etten

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The management of populations of threatened species requires the capacity to identify areas of high habitat value. We developed a high resolution species distribution model (SDM) for the endangered Pilbara northern quoll Dasyurus hallucatus, population using MaxEnt software and a combined suite of bioclimatic and landscape variables. Once common throughout much of northern Australia, this marsupial carnivore has recently declined throughout much of its former range and is listed as endangered by the IUCN. Other than the potential threats presented by climate change, and the invasive cane toad Rhinella marina (which has not yet arrived in the Pilbara). The …

Vegetable And Fruit Intake And Fracture-Related Hospitalisations: A Prospective Study Of Older Women, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Joshua R. Lewis, Amanda Devine, Richard J. Woodman, Wai H. Lim, Germaine Wong, Kun Zhu, Catherine P. Bondonno, Natalie C. Ward, Richard L. Prince

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The importance of vegetable and fruit intakes for the prevention of fracture in older women is not well understood. Few studies have explored vegetable and fruit intakes separately, or the associations of specific types of vegetables and fruits with fracture hospitalisations. The objective of this study was to examine the associations of vegetable and fruit intakes, separately, and specific types of vegetables and fruits with fracture-related hospitalisations in a prospective cohort of women aged ≥70 years. Vegetable and fruit intakes were assessed at baseline (1998) in 1468 women using a food frequency questionnaire. The incidence of fracture-related hospitalisations over 14.5 …

Changes In The Relative Balance Of Approach And Avoidance Inclinations To Use Alcohol Following Cue Exposure Vary In Low And High Risk Drinkers, Ross Hollett, Werner G.K. Stritzke, Phoebe Edgeworth, Michael Weinborn

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

According to the ambivalence model of craving, alcohol craving involves the dynamic interplay of separate approach and avoidance inclinations. Cue-elicited increases in approach inclinations are posited to be more likely to result in alcohol consumption and risky drinking behaviors only if unimpeded by restraint inclinations. Current study aims were (1) to test if changes in the net balance between approach and avoidance inclinations following alcohol cue exposure differentiate between low and high risk drinkers, and (2) if this balance is associated with alcohol consumption on a subsequent taste test. In two experiments (N = 60; N = 79), low …

Development Of The Aboriginal Communication Assessment After Brain Injury (Acaabi): A Screening Tool For Identifying Acquired Communication Disorders In Aboriginal Australians, Elizabeth Armstrong, Natalie Ciccone, Deborah J. Hersh, Judith Katzenellebogen, Juli Coffin, Sandra Thompson, Leon Flicker, Colleen Hayward, Deborah Woods, Meaghan Mcallister

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose:

Acquired communication disorders (ACD), following stroke and traumatic brain injury, may not be correctly identified in Aboriginal Australians due to a lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate assessment tools. Within this paper we explore key issues that were considered in the development of the Aboriginal Communication Assessment After Brain Injury (ACAABI) – a screening tool designed to assess the presence of ACD in Aboriginal populations.

Method:

A literature review and consultation with key stakeholders were undertaken to explore directions needed to develop a new tool, based on existing tools and recommendations for future developments.

Result:

The literature searches revealed …