Digital Commons Network^™

The Organization Of Information Technology Activities In North American Research Libraries, Rebecca L. Mugridge, Janetta Waterhouse

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This study presents the results of an online survey that benchmarked the organization of information technology (IT) functions in academic library members of the Association of Research Libraries. The survey investigated whether responsibility for 14 key areas resided in the libraries or in an institution-level information technology department, whether responsibilities have shifted over the past 20 years, satisfaction with services provided, assessment methods used to evaluate information technology services, and top challenges facing library IT. This paper considers the survey results addressing where the responsibility lies, satisfaction with the support, and whether and when the responsibility changed.

It Assessment In Arl Libraries, Rebecca L. Mugridge, Janetta Waterhouse

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

With the rapid pace of change and the high cost invested in information technology, it is important for academic libraries to evaluate the information technology solutions they use in their institutions to determine whether they are meeting the needs of their students, faculty, staff, and other users of their libraries and resources. This study presents the results of an online survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) academic library members to benchmark the assessment strategies that they used to evaluate their IT activities. This article compares their responses with earlier studies to identify trends and make recommendations for effective assessment …

Systematic Review Of Necrophilia Aetiology Focusing On The Link Between Childhood Sexual Abuse And Necrophiliac Behaviours, Sophie Foxcroft

Theses : Honours

Sexual attraction to corpses is a disturbing concept to those who do not achieve sexual gratification from the stimuli. Due to this reason, as well as ethical concerns with relations and methods of obtaining, there has been little to no research on correlations between behaviours and psychological concepts. This is especially evident since the 1980s after the bulk of the literature on necrophilia was published. This systematic review looked at the existing literature on necrophilia and, in addition to reviewing the aetiology, aimed to identify cases that included individuals' upbringings and childhoods. Out of all existing literature, only 11 sources …

Exploring Nate Smith’S Approach To Improvising On The Two-Piece Drum-Kit Through Analysis Of Selected Performances With The Fearless Flyers, Zachary S. Wise

Theses : Honours

Nate Smith is a highly acclaimed contemporary drummer, songwriter, and composer who displays virtuosic facility and pushes the boundaries of creativity within the contemporary funk and jazz- fusion drumming landscape. In performances with dynamic funk band The Fearless Flyers, Smith uses an uncommon, simplified drum set-up comprising just the kick, snare, and hi-hat (termed the ‘two-piece drum kit’), which introduces a range of challenges around maintaining creativity and the listener’s interest through just three distinct voices. This study investigates Smith’s approach to improvising on this restricted kit through transcription and analysis of six improvisations from selected studio and live performances …

The Space Between Writing And Dancing: Dancingwords/Wordsthatdance, Lara Dorling

Theses : Honours

This practice-led research investigates the figurative space between writing and dancing through a looped feedback cycle. The project explores the ‘conversation’ between writing and improvisational dance and how it forms a responsive process named dancingwords/wordsthatdance. Conducted in sessions lasting 30 minutes at a time, this project asks: how can writing and dancing intersect to create a broader and clearer understanding of embodied knowledge, improvisation, creative research process and personal practice? This research project involved solo studio investigation and an hour-long interview with dancer, writer, researcher, and choreographer Dr Jo Pollitt, who is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the ECU School …

A Musical Analysis Of Tosin Abasi's Contemporary Guitar Techniques, Thumping And Selective Picking, On The Madness Of Many (2016), Ashton Weaver

Theses : Honours

The progressive metal genre has gained popularity over the past fifteen years, attracting virtuosic musicians navigating complex meter, harmony, and technically demanding melodies. Guitarists within this genre often use extended techniques to generate innovative sounds and create unique compositions.

Award-winning, modern guitar hero Tosin Abasi embodies this individualistic virtuosity within the band Animals As Leaders, releasing five albums with the group. The extended techniques “Thumping” and “Selective Picking” have been pioneered by Abasi, with contemporary guitarists adopting these techniques following the release of Abasi’s educational DVD Thump! (Guitar Messenger, 2016). Despite the growing popularity of “Thumping” and “Selective Picking,” their …

Mining For Sleep Data: An Investigation Into The Sleep Of Fly-In Fly-Out Shift Workers In The Mining Industry And Potential Solutions, Gemma Maisey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Shift work in the mining industry is a risk factor for sleep loss leading to impaired alertness, which may adversely impact health and safety risks. This risk is being increasingly recognised by leaders and shift workers in the mining industry, however, there is limited knowledge available on the extent of sleep loss and other potential contributing factors. Furthermore, knowledge of the efficacy of individual interventions to assist shift workers to improve their sleep, and the management of risk at an organisational level is scarce. This PhD thesis involved three studies. The first two studies involved the recruitment of 88 shift …

Comparative Study On Development Of Novel Catalytic Oxidation For Removing Emerging Contaminants, Abdul H. Asif

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

‘Wastewater treatment’ is not itself a new concept, where global water bodies have been polluted since the evolution of mankind. As a result of human activities including domestic, industrial and commercial practices, levels of water pollution through aqueous contaminants are increasing every day. Moreover, rapid industrialisation and recent human progress has given rise to a new classification of pollution, that of emerging contaminants (ECs). Further, these chemicals are highly resistant to biodegradation and are capable of travelling, where they can penetrate from one part of the world to another. Whilst traditional wastewater treatment techniques, such as adsorption, might be effective …

Comparing Western Australia And South Australia Public High School’S Cyberbullying Policies – Is There A Need For A Legislative Change, Vanessa Tay

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The internet provides some of the most effective means of communication. Cyberbullying occurs when the internet is used to bully another person. Along with the positive aspects of the internet, cyberbullying is certainly one of the most negative aspects, especially with regard to school students. Victims of cyberbullying may be able to obtain legal sanctions, however, this usually occurs after the harm is done. In Australia, some states such as South Australia have recognised the need for preventive strategies by requiring schools to have an anti-bullying plan in place. Other countries, like Ontario, Canada have implemented similar preventative strategies in …

An Investigation Into Theories Of Odd Meter And Their Application To Jazz Composition And Improvisation, Kristian Borring

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research examines how perception and cognition theories regarding musical meter may assist in the process of developing ‘odd meter’ practice in jazz for ‘melodic’ instrumentalists. Introduced in jazz as early as the 1950s, the integration of irregular meters into jazz practice has occurred only incrementally, as has the knowledge towards their theoretical premises. With the author acting as the intertwined composer and improviser, this study aims to develop an approach towards proliferating a ‘fluent idiolect’ to aid in obtaining clarity surrounding odd-meter types and present rhythmic and melodic strategies based on the investigation of theoretical underpinnings of meter. The …

Aesthetic Choices: Defining The Range Of Aesthetic Views In Interactive Digital Media Including Games And 3d Virtual Environments (3d Ves), Hira Maqbool

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Defining aesthetic choices for interactive digital media such as games is a challenging task. Objective and subjective factors such as colour, symmetry, order and complexity, and statistical features among others play an important role for defining the aesthetic properties of interactive digital artifacts. Computational approaches developed in this regard also consider objective factors such as statistical image features for the assessment of aesthetic qualities. However, aesthetics for interactive digital media, such as games, requires more nuanced consideration than simple objective and subjective factors, for choosing a range of aesthetic features.

From the study it was found that the there is …

How Public Libraries In Western Australia Support The Language And Literacy Learning Of Children From Birth To Age Three Years, Jennifer Ruth Campbell-Hicks

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Early language and literacy skills develop rapidly during the first three years of children’s lives. Successful development of these skills is based on dynamic interactions and supportive relationships within children’s families and communities. However, nearly a quarter of Australia’s children do not receive the necessary support or proactive interactions, and therefore start their schooling at age four or five with inadequate language and literacy skills. Reducing early difficulties is beneficial since evidence indicates that children who struggle at the start of their education rarely catch up.

Children and their families may be supported with language and literacy learning by engaging …

Physiological Plateaus During Childbirth: A Constructivist Grounded Theory And Novel Definition, Marina J. Weckend

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background: During childbirth, one of the most common diagnoses of pathology is ‘failure to progress,’ frequently resulting in labour augmentation and intervention cascades. However, ‘failure to progress’ is poorly defined and some evidence suggests that plateauing labour (slowing, stalling and pausing of labour processes) may represent a typical and physiological occurrence during normal childbirth. Therefore, this study aimed to explore what exactly midwives define as ‘physiological plateaus’ and which significance such plateaus may have for the labour trajectory and birth outcome.

Methods: This study followed a constructivist grounded theory approach, assuming a position of ontological critical realism combined with epistemological …

The Influence Of Networks On Suppliers’ Sustainable Innovation In Public Procurement: Insights From Ghana’S Public Works Sector, Peter Adjei-Bamfo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In recent times, governments have been using their procurement function to drive innovation in firms’ product outcomes and to improve operational activities that pose sustainability challenges. Ghana, for example, is currently advancing and upgrading its public works infrastructure with revenues from its commercialised oil reserves to match and improve its anticipated middle-income economy status. Faced with several sustainability challenges, such as environmental pollution and resource depletion, desecration of cultural heritage sites and exposure of labour force to poor working conditions, public works infrastructure procurements constitute a larger proportion of government procurement expenditure, globally, compared with the procurement of goods and …

Inclusive Communities? Collaborative Communication Practices Between Stakeholders Supporting Secondary Students On The Autism Spectrum, Christina R. Holly

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Communication is vital for effective partnerships and quality relationships between stakeholders supporting secondary students on the autism spectrum (AS) who experience many challenges upon their transition to secondary school: multiple teachers, diverse student cohorts, unstructured breaks, noisy classrooms and unpredictable changes to routines. Successful outcomes for students are more likely if supporting stakeholders collaborate with open communication channels.

This qualitative two-phase study is underpinned by the value-creation framework for social learning, developed by Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner (2020), which emphasises that all community members, regardless of their perceived community competence or experience, can add value to forming community solutions. Phase One …

Is A Pretrained Model The Answer To Situational Awareness Detection On Social Media?, Siaw Ling Lo, Kahhe Lee, Yuhao Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Social media can be valuable for extracting information about an event or incident on the ground. However, the vast amount of content shared, and the linguistic variants of languages used on social media make it challenging to identify important situational awareness content to aid in decision-making for first responders. In this study, we assess whether pretrained models can be used to address the aforementioned challenges on social media. Various pretrained models, including static word embedding (such as Word2Vec and GloVe) and contextualized word embedding (such as DistilBERT) are studied in detail. According to our findings, a vanilla DistilBERT pretrained language …

Coordinating Multi-Party Vehicle Routing With Location Congestion Via Iterative Best Response, Waldy Joe, Hoong Chuin Lau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This work is motivated by a real-world problem of coordinating B2B pickup-delivery operations to shopping malls involving multiple non-collaborative logistics service providers (LSPs) in a congested city where space is scarce. This problem can be categorized as a vehicle routing problem with pickup and delivery, time windows and location congestion with multiple LSPs (or ML-VRPLC in short), and we propose a scalable, decentralized, coordinated planning approach via iterative best response. We formulate the problem as a strategic game where each LSP is a self-interested agent but is willing to participate in a coordinated planning as long as there are sufficient …

Dashboard Design Mining And Recommendation, Yanna Lin, Haotian Li, Aoyu Wu, Yong Wang, Huamin Qu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Dashboards, which comprise multiple views on a single display, help analyze and communicate multiple perspectives of data simultaneously. However, creating effective and elegant dashboards is challenging since it requires careful and logical arrangement and coordination of multiple visualizations. To solve the problem, we propose a data-driven approach for mining design rules from dashboards and automating dashboard organization. Specifically, we focus on two prominent aspects of the organization: , which describes the position, size, and layout of each view in the display space; and, which indicates the interaction between pairwise views. We build a new dataset containing 854 dashboards crawled online, …

Psycho-Spiritual Counselling To Enhance Resiliency As Transformative Education: An Auto/Ethnographic Inquiry Of The Interface Between Spirituality And Positive Psychology, Dominic Savio

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis attempts to capture my lived experiences of psychospiritual counselling and to describe how my research journey has shaped me personally and professionally. As a priest engaged in psychospiritual counselling internationally for nearly three decades in diverse settings, I attempt to seek further clarity and make sense of my rich experiences in this research. Therefore, I endeavoured to investigate if and how building resiliency through psychospiritual counselling can be comprehended as transformative education.

Experientially speaking, as a priest and psychospiritual counsellor, I recognised that people leaned on their moral vulnerabilities and were blinded to spirituality as a source of …

Optimising A Defence-Aware Threat Modelling Diagram Incorporating A Defence-In-Depth Approach For The Internet-Of-Things, Menaka L. Godakanda

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Modern technology has proliferated into just about every aspect of life while improving the quality of life. For instance, IoT technology has significantly improved over traditional systems, providing easy life, time-saving, financial saving, and security aspects. However, security weaknesses associated with IoT technology can pose a significant threat to the human factor. For instance, smart doorbells can make household life easier, save time, save money, and provide surveillance security. Nevertheless, the security weaknesses in smart doorbells could be exposed to a criminal and pose a danger to the life and money of the household. In addition, IoT technology is constantly …

Automatic Detection And Analysis Towards Malicious Behavior In Iot Malware, Sen Li, Mengmeng Ge, Ruitao Feng, Xiaohong Li, Kwok Yan Lam

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Our society is rapidly moving towards the digital age, which has led to a sharp increase in IoT networks and devices. This growth requires more network security professionals, who are focused on protecting IoT systems. One crucial task is to analyze malicious software to gain a deeper understanding of its functionalities and response methods. However, malware analysis is a complex process that requires the use of various analysis tools, including advanced reverse engineering techniques. For beginners, parsing complex binary data can be particularly challenging as they may be strange with these tools and the basic principles of analysis. Even for …

Application Of Information And Communication Technology (Ict) In Service Delivery In Nigerian Private University Libraries, Jane C. Anyanwu Odu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information and Communication Technologies have pervaded every sphere of human endeavour and nowhere has its impact been felt more than in the library. ICT covers all forms of computer and communications equipment and software used to create, design, store, transmit, interpret and manipulate information in its various formats. Personal computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, transport systems, televisions, and network technologies are just some examples of the diverse array of ICT tools. The research was carried out because of the need to fill the knowledge gap of how private university libraries have utilized information and communication technologies to deliver services to …

Staff Training Indices For Effective Library Services In Donald E.U. Ekong Library, University Of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria., Nkiruka Blessing Wali, Jeremiah Emeka Ugwulebo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study was designed to examine the staff training indices for effective library services in Donald E. U. Ekong Library, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The indices in the study relates to the challenges and strategies to enhance staff training in the library. The study was guided by three objectives and research questions respectively. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population for this study was 104 staff comprising both professional and para-professional staff of the library. Data was collected using questionnaire and analysed using mean scores. Findings of the study revealed that key staff …

Influence Of Advocacy And Awareness Programmes On Use Of Digital Library Resources And Services By Postgraduate Students In Three Federal Universities In South-West, Nigeria, Temitope Abegunde, Olalekan Abiola Awujoola, Mary Love Bamidele

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Digital Library Resources and Services (DLRS) are the modern advancement in information technology. These resources help to get precise and current information, especially for postgraduates who depend largely on digital resources for information to enhance their leaning, research as well as to collaborate with other scholars all over the globe for intellectual advancement. Many federal universities do not organise effective awareness and advocacy programmes to get enough digital library resources by postgraduates. Thus, this study investigates advocacy and awareness programmes on use of digital library resources and services by postgraduates in federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. The descriptive survey design …

Adoption And Use Of Plagiarism Software By Postgraduate Students In Universities In South-West, Nigeria, Olusegun Adebayo Opesanwo, Hannah Okon Anwana

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Over the years, there has been an increase awakening on plagiarism and the need to curb it, especially among postgraduate students. Hence, the need for them to have a good knowledge of plagiarism software.

This study investigates the adoption and use of plagiarism software among postgraduate students in universities in South-west Nigeria. Employing a survey research design and random sampling, thirty-four postgraduate students from each of the universities were selected.

The findings of the study revealed a moderate level of awareness among the respondents regarding the availability of plagiarism software. The frequency of use was also found to be low, …

Wikipedia As A Source Of Information To Engineering Students-A Study, Nagaraju Kuppugari Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study explored the use of Wikipedia as a source of information by the engineering students at Nellore dist in Andhra Pradesh. The study also tries to examine the reasons to prefer Wikipedia over the traditional encyclopaedia by the engineering students. The study adopted survey method and an online questionnaire for collecting the data from the respondents. After analysing the data the results revealed that ‘easy to understand’ was the reason to prefer Wikipedia to the traditional encyclopedia. The study also found that 77.42 percent of the respondents using Wikipedia to get background information. The investigator suggests that faculty working …

Improving The Effectiveness Of Using Social Media In Vietnamese Academic Libraries, Thi Phuong Chi Duong

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In recent decades, social media has moved from a fringe activity to one that is considered as central for library outreach and promotion. This study aims to explore the current state of using social media and factors affecting the use, then to suggest solutions to improve social media use in Vietnamese academic libraries. In the present study, a mix research methodology was used to achieve the research objectives. The results showed that social media is a marketing communication tool for academic libraries to transmit news, announcements and events. Social media also helps them introduce library resources to users, and implement …

Causes And Measures Of Pre-Retirement Anxiety Among Academic Librarians Of Federal Universities In Northwest, Nigeria, Karimatu Isa Maisango

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the causes and measures for overcoming pre-retirement anxiety among Academic Librarians in the Federal Universities of the Northwest Geo-Political zone of Nigeria. The research employed mixed methodology (quantitative and qualitative approach) based on the pragmatic school of thought using a sequential explanatory research design. The population of the study comprised two hundred and ten (210) academic librarians and nine (9) pension desk Officers of the Universities under study. Three types of data collection instruments, questionnaire, interview, and content analysis were used. The general reliability score of all items is .837. The quantitative data …

Pattern Of Internet Use Among Librarians In Federal University Libraries In Southeast Nigeria, Ugonna Fidelugwuowo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated pattern of internet use among librarians in three Federal university libraries in Southeast Nigeria. Three research objectives guided the study. The study adopted survey research design. The population comprises 30 principal librarians and University librarians in the three Federal University libraries in Southeast Nigeria. A total of 27 copies of the questionnaire were returned. Interview was conducted and observation was made on internet facilities to determine the authenticity of the respondent’s responses. Findings revealed that major internet facilities available in the libraries include laptops, cybercafé, institutional website, institutional virtual library, desktop computers, wireless fidelity, cable modem, computer …

Use Of Search Engines As Predictors Of Research Skills Of Postgraduate Students In Library Schools: A Case Study Of South-West, Nigeria, Ayansewa Adeleke Adedeji

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Research skills have become so imperative that it is not only needed to write technical research documents like dissertations and theses, but it is also needed after postgraduate studies for research productivity as well as for research and development. Information resources are highly needed when conducting research, which is an indication that the ability to use information resources like search engines could influence research skills. This study examines the use of search engines by postgraduate students in selected library schools in South-West, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design of the correlational type was adopted for this study. The population comprises …