Canonical Duality Theory for Global Optimization problems and applications
- Chen, Yi
- Authors: Chen, Yi
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The canonical duality theory is studied, through a discussion on a general global optimization problem and applications on fundamentally important problems. This general problem is a formulation of the minimization problem with inequality constraints, where the objective function and constraints are any convex or nonconvex functions satisfying certain decomposition conditions. It covers convex problems, mixed integer programming problems and many other nonlinear programming problems. The three main parts of the canonical duality theory are canonical dual transformation, complementary-dual principle and triality theory. The complementary-dual principle is further developed, which conventionally states that each critical point of the canonical dual problem is corresponding to a KKT point of the primal problem with their sharing the same function value. The new result emphasizes that there exists a one-to-one correspondence between KKT points of the dual problem and of the primal problem and each pair of the corresponding KKT points share the same function value, which implies that there is truly no duality gap between the canonical dual problem and the primal problem. The triality theory reveals insightful information about global and local solutions. It is shown that as long as the global optimality condition holds true, the primal problem is equivalent to a convex problem in the dual space, which can be solved efficiently by existing convex methods; even if the condition does not hold, the convex problem still provides a lower bound that is at least as good as that by the Lagrangian relaxation method. It is also shown that through examining the canonical dual problem, the hidden convexity of the primal problem is easily observable. The canonical duality theory is then applied to dealing with three fundamentally important problems. The first one is the spherically constrained quadratic problem, also referred to as the trust region subproblem. The canonical dual problem is onedimensional and it is proved that the primal problem, no matter with convex or nonconvex objective function, is equivalent to a convex problem in the dual space. Moreover, conditions are found which comprise the boundary that separates instances into “hard case” and “easy case”. A canonical primal-dual algorithm is developed, which is able to efficiently solve the problem, including the “hard case”, and can be used as a unified method for similar problems. The second one is the binary quadratic problem, a fundamental problem in discrete optimization. The discussion is focused on lower bounds and analytically solvable cases, which are obtained by analyzing the canonical dual problem with perturbation techniques. The third one is a general nonconvex problem with log-sum-exp functions and quartic polynomials. It arises widely in engineering science and it can be used to approximate nonsmooth optimization problems. The work shows that problems can still be efficiently solved, via the canonical duality approach, even if they are nonconvex and nonsmooth.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Chen, Yi
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The canonical duality theory is studied, through a discussion on a general global optimization problem and applications on fundamentally important problems. This general problem is a formulation of the minimization problem with inequality constraints, where the objective function and constraints are any convex or nonconvex functions satisfying certain decomposition conditions. It covers convex problems, mixed integer programming problems and many other nonlinear programming problems. The three main parts of the canonical duality theory are canonical dual transformation, complementary-dual principle and triality theory. The complementary-dual principle is further developed, which conventionally states that each critical point of the canonical dual problem is corresponding to a KKT point of the primal problem with their sharing the same function value. The new result emphasizes that there exists a one-to-one correspondence between KKT points of the dual problem and of the primal problem and each pair of the corresponding KKT points share the same function value, which implies that there is truly no duality gap between the canonical dual problem and the primal problem. The triality theory reveals insightful information about global and local solutions. It is shown that as long as the global optimality condition holds true, the primal problem is equivalent to a convex problem in the dual space, which can be solved efficiently by existing convex methods; even if the condition does not hold, the convex problem still provides a lower bound that is at least as good as that by the Lagrangian relaxation method. It is also shown that through examining the canonical dual problem, the hidden convexity of the primal problem is easily observable. The canonical duality theory is then applied to dealing with three fundamentally important problems. The first one is the spherically constrained quadratic problem, also referred to as the trust region subproblem. The canonical dual problem is onedimensional and it is proved that the primal problem, no matter with convex or nonconvex objective function, is equivalent to a convex problem in the dual space. Moreover, conditions are found which comprise the boundary that separates instances into “hard case” and “easy case”. A canonical primal-dual algorithm is developed, which is able to efficiently solve the problem, including the “hard case”, and can be used as a unified method for similar problems. The second one is the binary quadratic problem, a fundamental problem in discrete optimization. The discussion is focused on lower bounds and analytically solvable cases, which are obtained by analyzing the canonical dual problem with perturbation techniques. The third one is a general nonconvex problem with log-sum-exp functions and quartic polynomials. It arises widely in engineering science and it can be used to approximate nonsmooth optimization problems. The work shows that problems can still be efficiently solved, via the canonical duality approach, even if they are nonconvex and nonsmooth.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Causes, magnitude and implications of Griefing in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games
- Authors: Achterbosch, Leigh
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis presents findings from research into the global phenomenon known as griefing that occurs in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). Griefing, in its simplest terms, refers to the act of one player intentionally disrupting another player’s game experience for personal pleasure and potential gain. For too long it has been unknown how pervasive griefing is, how frequently griefing occurs and, in particular, the impact on players that are subjected to griefing. There has also been limited research regarding what causes a player to perform griefing. This thesis addresses these concerns by answering the research question “What are the causes and implications of griefing in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, and what magnitude of griefing exists in this genre?” Mixed method research was employed using the “Sequential Explanatory Strategy”, in which a quantitative phase was followed by a qualitative phase to strengthen the findings. The quantitative phase consisted of a survey that attracted 1188 participants of a representative player population. The qualitative phase consisted of interviews with 15 participants to give more personalised data. The data was analysed from the perspectives of different demographics and different associations to griefing. The thesis contributed original findings regarding the causes, magnitude and implications of griefing in MMORPGs. Some of the main findings were: • Factors that motivated a player to cause grief; • how griefers selected their targets based on particular demographics or avatar characteristics; • the pervasiveness, frequency and impact of different types of griefing; • the amount of griefing that can be tolerated; • how players reacted to griefing; • the impact to the well-being of the players after a griefing incident. The thesis concluded with advice to MMORPG developers regarding the most pervasive, frequent and impactful types of griefing, and how game design may increase or decrease the amount and intensity of griefing.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Achterbosch, Leigh
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis presents findings from research into the global phenomenon known as griefing that occurs in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). Griefing, in its simplest terms, refers to the act of one player intentionally disrupting another player’s game experience for personal pleasure and potential gain. For too long it has been unknown how pervasive griefing is, how frequently griefing occurs and, in particular, the impact on players that are subjected to griefing. There has also been limited research regarding what causes a player to perform griefing. This thesis addresses these concerns by answering the research question “What are the causes and implications of griefing in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, and what magnitude of griefing exists in this genre?” Mixed method research was employed using the “Sequential Explanatory Strategy”, in which a quantitative phase was followed by a qualitative phase to strengthen the findings. The quantitative phase consisted of a survey that attracted 1188 participants of a representative player population. The qualitative phase consisted of interviews with 15 participants to give more personalised data. The data was analysed from the perspectives of different demographics and different associations to griefing. The thesis contributed original findings regarding the causes, magnitude and implications of griefing in MMORPGs. Some of the main findings were: • Factors that motivated a player to cause grief; • how griefers selected their targets based on particular demographics or avatar characteristics; • the pervasiveness, frequency and impact of different types of griefing; • the amount of griefing that can be tolerated; • how players reacted to griefing; • the impact to the well-being of the players after a griefing incident. The thesis concluded with advice to MMORPG developers regarding the most pervasive, frequent and impactful types of griefing, and how game design may increase or decrease the amount and intensity of griefing.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Classification of network information flow analysis (CONIFA) to detect new application versions
- Authors: Azab, Ahmad
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Monitoring network traffic to identify applications or services is vital for internet service providers, network engineers and law enforcement agencies. The identification of applications enables network traffic to be prioritized, sophisticated plans for network infrastructure to be developed and facilitates the work of law enforcement agencies. Voice over IP (VoIP) and malware services are important to be classified because of the reliance by both legitimate users and cybercriminals respectively on these services. This dissertation addresses the detection of these services, represented by Skype application voice calls traffic and Zeus application command and control traffic. Three major approaches have been used to fulfil the classification goal, which are port-based, deep packet inspection and the use of the statistical features in conjunction with the machine learning algorithms. The latter approach addressed many of the limitations of the first two. However, the existing approach still contains many limitations. The detection of new versions by analysing and building the classifier on an old version was not deeply discussed for the machine learning approach. However, not all the statistical values are similar for different versions for Skype voice calls and Zeus command and control traffic. This is because Skype uses different codecs for different versions and Zeus uses different malware builders for different versions. While some approaches, aside from the machine learning approach, tackled the detection of the different versions, none of them maintain all the characteristics supported by the machine learning approach in terms of providing online classification capability and supporting various transport and application protocols, without the need to access different device’s traffic, access packet’s content or monitor different phase’s traffic. This research study aims to tackle this gap by proposing a novel framework called Classification of Network Information Flow Analysis (CONIFA). CONIFA addresses the detection of different untrained versions for a targeted application (Skype voice calls and Zeus command and control traffic) with a low detection time by analysing and building the classifier on a different single version in a systematic and well-defined approach, providing online classification capability and supporting various transport and application protocols, without the need to access different device’s traffic, access packet’s content or monitor different phase’s traffic. CONIFA is not limited to a specific application and could be extended to other types of applications. CONIFA utilizes the concepts of cost sensitive algorithms and different feature combinations for building the classifiers, unlike the machine learning approach that utilizes cost insensitive algorithms and a single feature combination. The outputs of the first phase are two classifiers, lenient and strict, that are used by the next phase to detect the untrained versions of a targeted application as well as to reduce the error rate. CONIFA results, for detecting the untrained version of Skype voice calls and Zeus C&C traffic, supported this approach in providing a better detection performance compared to the previous approach. While the previous approach was not able to reliably detect new versions of VoIP, CONIFA was able to consistently detect a previously unseen version. For the botnet detection, the previous approach had a good efficacy at the network level. However, CONIFA outperformed this approach in detecting a new version of a known piece of malware.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Azab, Ahmad
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Monitoring network traffic to identify applications or services is vital for internet service providers, network engineers and law enforcement agencies. The identification of applications enables network traffic to be prioritized, sophisticated plans for network infrastructure to be developed and facilitates the work of law enforcement agencies. Voice over IP (VoIP) and malware services are important to be classified because of the reliance by both legitimate users and cybercriminals respectively on these services. This dissertation addresses the detection of these services, represented by Skype application voice calls traffic and Zeus application command and control traffic. Three major approaches have been used to fulfil the classification goal, which are port-based, deep packet inspection and the use of the statistical features in conjunction with the machine learning algorithms. The latter approach addressed many of the limitations of the first two. However, the existing approach still contains many limitations. The detection of new versions by analysing and building the classifier on an old version was not deeply discussed for the machine learning approach. However, not all the statistical values are similar for different versions for Skype voice calls and Zeus command and control traffic. This is because Skype uses different codecs for different versions and Zeus uses different malware builders for different versions. While some approaches, aside from the machine learning approach, tackled the detection of the different versions, none of them maintain all the characteristics supported by the machine learning approach in terms of providing online classification capability and supporting various transport and application protocols, without the need to access different device’s traffic, access packet’s content or monitor different phase’s traffic. This research study aims to tackle this gap by proposing a novel framework called Classification of Network Information Flow Analysis (CONIFA). CONIFA addresses the detection of different untrained versions for a targeted application (Skype voice calls and Zeus command and control traffic) with a low detection time by analysing and building the classifier on a different single version in a systematic and well-defined approach, providing online classification capability and supporting various transport and application protocols, without the need to access different device’s traffic, access packet’s content or monitor different phase’s traffic. CONIFA is not limited to a specific application and could be extended to other types of applications. CONIFA utilizes the concepts of cost sensitive algorithms and different feature combinations for building the classifiers, unlike the machine learning approach that utilizes cost insensitive algorithms and a single feature combination. The outputs of the first phase are two classifiers, lenient and strict, that are used by the next phase to detect the untrained versions of a targeted application as well as to reduce the error rate. CONIFA results, for detecting the untrained version of Skype voice calls and Zeus C&C traffic, supported this approach in providing a better detection performance compared to the previous approach. While the previous approach was not able to reliably detect new versions of VoIP, CONIFA was able to consistently detect a previously unseen version. For the botnet detection, the previous approach had a good efficacy at the network level. However, CONIFA outperformed this approach in detecting a new version of a known piece of malware.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Cultural influence on China's household saving
- Authors: Boffa, Zhang-Ming
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The recession following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis highlighted the problem of deficient household saving and imprudent consumer credit. Studies of selected economies reveal that household saving tends to decline as economies move to higher stages of development. Following rapid economic growth, China’s household saving, possibly due to the influence of traditional culture, has remained high by international standards while consumer credit levels are low. This significant phenomenon has prompted the question of what this development trajectory may become as China proceeds to higher income levels. Whereas the economic, social and financial development factors related to household saving and development have been well researched, from the perspective of this investigation, there are missing ‘cultural values’ in the analysis. Consequently, the Institutional Economics concept of ‘culture as a value’ provides the basis for this thesis into the influence of culture on China’s household saving and its effects. By extending Keynes’s General Theory in relation to saving, and incorporating studies from both the Chinese and Western scholarly traditions, five themes are identified as influencing the cultural preferences of China’s household saving. These are: (i) precautionary motives; (ii) habit formation; (iii) children’s education; (iv) consumer credit; and (v) teaching thrift. The holistic approach of this study has allowed a deeper understanding of the role of cultural values on agency and structure in economic events and their subsequent impact on household saving. Results of this investigation indicate that the Confucian value of family ties and ‘Zhong Yong’ – the Golden Mean, which translates essentially as balance, enable Chinese households to save. This development has highlighted a growing tension, in China’s modernity process, between the traditional Confucian value of thrift and the Western cultural influence of stimulating economic growth by consumption. After consideration of current saving practices and the anticipation of economic changes, this research advocates the striking of a balance between household saving and increasing consumption in China in order to avert a future financial crisis and to facilitate economic growth. The implication of this research is that finding a balance between household saving and consumption is crucial to sustainable future development in China as it shifts its development focus from investment and export-led to domestic consumption-driven growth and social development.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Boffa, Zhang-Ming
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The recession following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis highlighted the problem of deficient household saving and imprudent consumer credit. Studies of selected economies reveal that household saving tends to decline as economies move to higher stages of development. Following rapid economic growth, China’s household saving, possibly due to the influence of traditional culture, has remained high by international standards while consumer credit levels are low. This significant phenomenon has prompted the question of what this development trajectory may become as China proceeds to higher income levels. Whereas the economic, social and financial development factors related to household saving and development have been well researched, from the perspective of this investigation, there are missing ‘cultural values’ in the analysis. Consequently, the Institutional Economics concept of ‘culture as a value’ provides the basis for this thesis into the influence of culture on China’s household saving and its effects. By extending Keynes’s General Theory in relation to saving, and incorporating studies from both the Chinese and Western scholarly traditions, five themes are identified as influencing the cultural preferences of China’s household saving. These are: (i) precautionary motives; (ii) habit formation; (iii) children’s education; (iv) consumer credit; and (v) teaching thrift. The holistic approach of this study has allowed a deeper understanding of the role of cultural values on agency and structure in economic events and their subsequent impact on household saving. Results of this investigation indicate that the Confucian value of family ties and ‘Zhong Yong’ – the Golden Mean, which translates essentially as balance, enable Chinese households to save. This development has highlighted a growing tension, in China’s modernity process, between the traditional Confucian value of thrift and the Western cultural influence of stimulating economic growth by consumption. After consideration of current saving practices and the anticipation of economic changes, this research advocates the striking of a balance between household saving and increasing consumption in China in order to avert a future financial crisis and to facilitate economic growth. The implication of this research is that finding a balance between household saving and consumption is crucial to sustainable future development in China as it shifts its development focus from investment and export-led to domestic consumption-driven growth and social development.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Development and evaluation of optimization based data mining techniques analysis of brain data
- Authors: Zarei, Mahdi
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary science which deals with the study of structure and function of the brain and nervous system. Neuroscience encompasses disciplines such as computer science, mathematics, engineering, and linguistics. The structure of the healthy brain and representation of information by neural activity are among most challenging problems in neuroscience. Neuroscience is experiencing exponentially growing volumes of data obtained by using different technologies. The investigation of such data has tremendous impact on developing new and improving existing models of both healthy and diseased brains. Various techniques have been used for collecting brain data sets for addressing neuroscience problems. These data sets can be categorized into two main groups: resting-state and state-dependent data sets. Resting-state data is based on recording the brain activity when a subject does not think about any specific concept while state-dependent data is based on recording brain activity related to specific tasks. In general, brain data sets contain a large number of features (e.g. tens of thousands) and significantly fewer samples (e.g. several hundred). Such data sets are sparse and noisy. In addition to these problems, brain data sets have a few number of subjects. Brains are very complex systems and data about any brain activity reflects very complex relationship between neurons as well as different parts of the brain. Such relationships are highly nonlinear and general purpose data mining algorithms are not always efficient for their study. The development of machine learning techniques for brain data sets is an emerging research area in neuroscience. Over the last decade, various machine learning techniques have been developed for application to brain data sets. In the meantime, some well-known algorithms such as feature selection and supervised classification have been modified for analysis of brain data sets. Support vector machines, logistic regression, and Gaussian Naive Bayes classifiers are widely used for application to brain data sets. However, Support vector machines and logistic regression algorithms are not efficient for sparse and noisy data sets and Gaussian Naive Bayes classifiers do not give high accuracy. The aim of this study is to develop new and modify the existing data mining algorithms for the analysis brain data sets. Our contribution in this thesis can be listed as follow: 1. Development of new algorithms: 1.1. Development of new voxel (feature) selection algorithms for Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data sets, and evaluation of these algorithms on the Haxby and Science 2008 data sets. 1.2. Development of new feature selection algorithm based on the catastrophe model for regression analysis problems. 2. Development and evaluation of different versions of the adaptive neuro-fuzzy model for the analysis of the spike-discharge as a function of other neuronal parameters. 3. Development and evaluation of the modified global k-means clustering algorithm for investigation of the structure of the healthy brain. 4. Development and evaluation of region of interest (ROI) method for analysis of brain functionalconnectivity in healthy subjects and schizophrenia patients.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Zarei, Mahdi
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary science which deals with the study of structure and function of the brain and nervous system. Neuroscience encompasses disciplines such as computer science, mathematics, engineering, and linguistics. The structure of the healthy brain and representation of information by neural activity are among most challenging problems in neuroscience. Neuroscience is experiencing exponentially growing volumes of data obtained by using different technologies. The investigation of such data has tremendous impact on developing new and improving existing models of both healthy and diseased brains. Various techniques have been used for collecting brain data sets for addressing neuroscience problems. These data sets can be categorized into two main groups: resting-state and state-dependent data sets. Resting-state data is based on recording the brain activity when a subject does not think about any specific concept while state-dependent data is based on recording brain activity related to specific tasks. In general, brain data sets contain a large number of features (e.g. tens of thousands) and significantly fewer samples (e.g. several hundred). Such data sets are sparse and noisy. In addition to these problems, brain data sets have a few number of subjects. Brains are very complex systems and data about any brain activity reflects very complex relationship between neurons as well as different parts of the brain. Such relationships are highly nonlinear and general purpose data mining algorithms are not always efficient for their study. The development of machine learning techniques for brain data sets is an emerging research area in neuroscience. Over the last decade, various machine learning techniques have been developed for application to brain data sets. In the meantime, some well-known algorithms such as feature selection and supervised classification have been modified for analysis of brain data sets. Support vector machines, logistic regression, and Gaussian Naive Bayes classifiers are widely used for application to brain data sets. However, Support vector machines and logistic regression algorithms are not efficient for sparse and noisy data sets and Gaussian Naive Bayes classifiers do not give high accuracy. The aim of this study is to develop new and modify the existing data mining algorithms for the analysis brain data sets. Our contribution in this thesis can be listed as follow: 1. Development of new algorithms: 1.1. Development of new voxel (feature) selection algorithms for Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data sets, and evaluation of these algorithms on the Haxby and Science 2008 data sets. 1.2. Development of new feature selection algorithm based on the catastrophe model for regression analysis problems. 2. Development and evaluation of different versions of the adaptive neuro-fuzzy model for the analysis of the spike-discharge as a function of other neuronal parameters. 3. Development and evaluation of the modified global k-means clustering algorithm for investigation of the structure of the healthy brain. 4. Development and evaluation of region of interest (ROI) method for analysis of brain functionalconnectivity in healthy subjects and schizophrenia patients.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Effective leadership behaviours to manage people issues of cross border mergers and aquisitions in China
- Authors: Wang, Jian
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The aim of this research is to identify the effective leadership behaviours in managing people issues of a British-Chinese cross border acquisition case study in China. There are three areas involved in this study: people issues in mergers and acquisitions (M&As), cross culture differences and cross culture leadership. The knowledge gap identified from past research is that there appears to be no in-depth empirical study to date on an integrated model of the three areas noted above to have a holistic understanding of their influence on the success or failure of M&As, especially in the context of cross border M&As in China. This is the focus of this research. The objectives of this research are to identify how leaders have managed cross culture issues, communications, employees’ resistance, stress and trust in a Western-Chinese cross border acquisition as well as the perceived effectiveness of these leadership behaviours both from the perspectives of Chinese employees and the western managers. The conceptual framework of this research adopted and built on the theoretical model of Project GLOBE. Findings from this study suggest a ‘multiplier’ effect with impact across all the people issues in this cross border acquisition, which means that when one people issue is not managed well by the leadership team, other people issues are triggered. The outcome of this acquisition was influenced by the integrated and holistic effect of all the people issues. In this study, management of people issues in a cross-culture environment was fundamental. There are seven culture dimensions proposed by this study to measure the organisational culture differences pre- and post-acquisition as influenced by both Chinese and British cultures. Specific cultural behaviours related to the proposed seven culture dimensions were also identified. Organisation culture clash was found with the post-acquisition organisation culture which influenced the leadership behaviours in managing the people issues and the perceived effectiveness of the leadership behaviours. This study contributes to existing knowledge by adding the integrated dimension of effective leadership behaviours in managing people issues in a cross culture context of M&As in China as well as extending the theoretical model of Project GLOBE. The practical learning from this study could help leaders in future M&As to take effective actions in managing people issues to improve the success rate of cross border M&As in China which can potentially contribute to the economic development of China and other developing countries.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Wang, Jian
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The aim of this research is to identify the effective leadership behaviours in managing people issues of a British-Chinese cross border acquisition case study in China. There are three areas involved in this study: people issues in mergers and acquisitions (M&As), cross culture differences and cross culture leadership. The knowledge gap identified from past research is that there appears to be no in-depth empirical study to date on an integrated model of the three areas noted above to have a holistic understanding of their influence on the success or failure of M&As, especially in the context of cross border M&As in China. This is the focus of this research. The objectives of this research are to identify how leaders have managed cross culture issues, communications, employees’ resistance, stress and trust in a Western-Chinese cross border acquisition as well as the perceived effectiveness of these leadership behaviours both from the perspectives of Chinese employees and the western managers. The conceptual framework of this research adopted and built on the theoretical model of Project GLOBE. Findings from this study suggest a ‘multiplier’ effect with impact across all the people issues in this cross border acquisition, which means that when one people issue is not managed well by the leadership team, other people issues are triggered. The outcome of this acquisition was influenced by the integrated and holistic effect of all the people issues. In this study, management of people issues in a cross-culture environment was fundamental. There are seven culture dimensions proposed by this study to measure the organisational culture differences pre- and post-acquisition as influenced by both Chinese and British cultures. Specific cultural behaviours related to the proposed seven culture dimensions were also identified. Organisation culture clash was found with the post-acquisition organisation culture which influenced the leadership behaviours in managing the people issues and the perceived effectiveness of the leadership behaviours. This study contributes to existing knowledge by adding the integrated dimension of effective leadership behaviours in managing people issues in a cross culture context of M&As in China as well as extending the theoretical model of Project GLOBE. The practical learning from this study could help leaders in future M&As to take effective actions in managing people issues to improve the success rate of cross border M&As in China which can potentially contribute to the economic development of China and other developing countries.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Enculturated beliefs: A grounded theory inquiry into club rugby coaching in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand
- Authors: Hassanin, Remy
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Due to the enduring positivist assumptions underpinning them, coach education programs typically have overlooked the importance of experience as a powerful influence for developing as a sports coach Despite growing recognition of the links between past experience and current coaching pedagogy, little empirical research has focused precisely on how lived experience influences coaching beliefs or practices. Using a constructivist grounded theory methodology, this study investigated the influence of culture on coaching beliefs and how these manifest in the discourse of coaching in a site-specific context. It further examined how beliefs of coaching develop from the experience of playing and coaching in three different countries. Interviews, completed with coaches in the highest levels of club competition m Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, provided the primary data source. Findings demonstrated that beliefs about coaching are profoundly shaped by participation in the practices of rugby as players, and then coaches, in local cultures. The results identified unique differences across the sites of study. These differences were intimately linked with the cultural context within which each coach learned to play and coach Briefly, the Australian coaches valued decision-making and had strong views of rugby as entertainment; the South African coaches prioritised respect and authority; and the New Zealand coaches cherished humility and sense of belonging. . Despite the unique characteristics of each of the coach's beliefs, the notion of rugby as a vehicle for developing character, and teaching moral lessons rooted in the nineteenth century schools of the rising English middle classes, formed a powerful influence across all sites. The coaches' local ised bel iefs interacted with, and were shaped by, the remarkbly resilient global discourse of the " amateur ideal" and it's associated values. Its influence was, however, distinct at each site. The findings indicate that coaches' beliefs adapted to, and were moulded by, local cultural contexts and a broader national ethos resulting in discrete differences in each context on coaches' development of beliefs about coaching , while highlighting the complex and dynamic ways in which local and global cultures interact. As a result of thes interaction, unique conditions are created , manifesting in indvidua; discourse and beliefs about rugby coaching.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Hassanin, Remy
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Due to the enduring positivist assumptions underpinning them, coach education programs typically have overlooked the importance of experience as a powerful influence for developing as a sports coach Despite growing recognition of the links between past experience and current coaching pedagogy, little empirical research has focused precisely on how lived experience influences coaching beliefs or practices. Using a constructivist grounded theory methodology, this study investigated the influence of culture on coaching beliefs and how these manifest in the discourse of coaching in a site-specific context. It further examined how beliefs of coaching develop from the experience of playing and coaching in three different countries. Interviews, completed with coaches in the highest levels of club competition m Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, provided the primary data source. Findings demonstrated that beliefs about coaching are profoundly shaped by participation in the practices of rugby as players, and then coaches, in local cultures. The results identified unique differences across the sites of study. These differences were intimately linked with the cultural context within which each coach learned to play and coach Briefly, the Australian coaches valued decision-making and had strong views of rugby as entertainment; the South African coaches prioritised respect and authority; and the New Zealand coaches cherished humility and sense of belonging. . Despite the unique characteristics of each of the coach's beliefs, the notion of rugby as a vehicle for developing character, and teaching moral lessons rooted in the nineteenth century schools of the rising English middle classes, formed a powerful influence across all sites. The coaches' local ised bel iefs interacted with, and were shaped by, the remarkbly resilient global discourse of the " amateur ideal" and it's associated values. Its influence was, however, distinct at each site. The findings indicate that coaches' beliefs adapted to, and were moulded by, local cultural contexts and a broader national ethos resulting in discrete differences in each context on coaches' development of beliefs about coaching , while highlighting the complex and dynamic ways in which local and global cultures interact. As a result of thes interaction, unique conditions are created , manifesting in indvidua; discourse and beliefs about rugby coaching.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Enhancing integration of specialised exercise training into coach practice to prevent lower-limb injury : Using theory and exploring coaches' salient beliefs
- Authors: McGlashan, Angela
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Lower limb injuries (LLIs) are common in community-Australian football (CAF) and specialised exercise training (SET) programs can reduce their incidence. Despite the protection SET programs afford, the use of SET by coaches in CAF contexts, who play a key role in the preparation of players, is largely unknown. The overall purpose of this thesis research was to explore and describe: (1) the contextual and specific nature of CAF coaching practices, and, (2) the factors central to understanding whether or not coaches will make changes in their training practices in the future. Thereby, assisting to devise effective behaviour change and implementation strategies that maximise future integration (adoption and maintainence) of SET programs in CAF contexts to reduce the risk of LLIs for players. This mixed methods research was underpinned by a combination of behavioural and social science theories and models (BSSTM). Coaches’ were sampled from CAF clubs in Victoria and Western Australia. Eligible coaches completed cross-sectional questionnaires pre (n=31) and post (n=28) season in 2007/08. Three coaches engaged in semi-structured, in-depth interviews, 12-18 months later. At preseason, 58% of coaches used injury prevention strategies with their team. Only 69% of them had a formal training plan for the entire season, and most did not explicitly incorporate SET programs, despite their views being favourable towards the latter. Coaches believed their players had a high chance of sustaining a LLI and that LLI could have serious consequences. They believed it was important to have current knowledge of SET programs, but many lacked the behavioural capability and self-efficacy to implement SET programs. They also reported that player attendance at training could also impact on SET program outcomes. Postseason findings were similar with generally positive SET outcome expectancies; many coaches reported they intended to modify SET program implementation in future seasons. Suggested improvements related to collaboration, feedback/reinforcement approaches, education and other sociocultural themes. Coaches reported divergent views about their self-efficacy in relation to SET program implementation but were motivated by what their players thought. Qualitative analysis of the in-depth interviews identified four main themes (and associated coach salient beliefs) that supported and extended quantitative findings. These included: (1) the development of coach behavioural capability/self-efficacy (including informal and formal learning sources), (2) biopsychosocial risk perceptions regarding players’ injury susceptibility, (3) facilitators and hindrances to adopting/maintaining SET, and (4) cues to action/planning. The promotion of SET programs to reduce the susceptibility of LLIs and ensure safe and sustainable participation in AF is important. This thesis has captured a complexity of factors that can be used to enhance and facilitate CAF coaches’ adoption and maintenance of SET, alongside wider-prevention efforts. Future research should continue to use a range of BSSTM and methodological approaches, and devise and evaluate the efficacy of a comprehensive taxonomy of cognitive-behavioural strategies, to provide more insight into effective translation of SET programs into practice. Coaches and their players will be safer if such work continues.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: McGlashan, Angela
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Lower limb injuries (LLIs) are common in community-Australian football (CAF) and specialised exercise training (SET) programs can reduce their incidence. Despite the protection SET programs afford, the use of SET by coaches in CAF contexts, who play a key role in the preparation of players, is largely unknown. The overall purpose of this thesis research was to explore and describe: (1) the contextual and specific nature of CAF coaching practices, and, (2) the factors central to understanding whether or not coaches will make changes in their training practices in the future. Thereby, assisting to devise effective behaviour change and implementation strategies that maximise future integration (adoption and maintainence) of SET programs in CAF contexts to reduce the risk of LLIs for players. This mixed methods research was underpinned by a combination of behavioural and social science theories and models (BSSTM). Coaches’ were sampled from CAF clubs in Victoria and Western Australia. Eligible coaches completed cross-sectional questionnaires pre (n=31) and post (n=28) season in 2007/08. Three coaches engaged in semi-structured, in-depth interviews, 12-18 months later. At preseason, 58% of coaches used injury prevention strategies with their team. Only 69% of them had a formal training plan for the entire season, and most did not explicitly incorporate SET programs, despite their views being favourable towards the latter. Coaches believed their players had a high chance of sustaining a LLI and that LLI could have serious consequences. They believed it was important to have current knowledge of SET programs, but many lacked the behavioural capability and self-efficacy to implement SET programs. They also reported that player attendance at training could also impact on SET program outcomes. Postseason findings were similar with generally positive SET outcome expectancies; many coaches reported they intended to modify SET program implementation in future seasons. Suggested improvements related to collaboration, feedback/reinforcement approaches, education and other sociocultural themes. Coaches reported divergent views about their self-efficacy in relation to SET program implementation but were motivated by what their players thought. Qualitative analysis of the in-depth interviews identified four main themes (and associated coach salient beliefs) that supported and extended quantitative findings. These included: (1) the development of coach behavioural capability/self-efficacy (including informal and formal learning sources), (2) biopsychosocial risk perceptions regarding players’ injury susceptibility, (3) facilitators and hindrances to adopting/maintaining SET, and (4) cues to action/planning. The promotion of SET programs to reduce the susceptibility of LLIs and ensure safe and sustainable participation in AF is important. This thesis has captured a complexity of factors that can be used to enhance and facilitate CAF coaches’ adoption and maintenance of SET, alongside wider-prevention efforts. Future research should continue to use a range of BSSTM and methodological approaches, and devise and evaluate the efficacy of a comprehensive taxonomy of cognitive-behavioural strategies, to provide more insight into effective translation of SET programs into practice. Coaches and their players will be safer if such work continues.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Evaluation of knowledge translation and workforce development through targeted exercise for falls prevention education programs for exercise physiologists
- Authors: Pascoe, Deborah
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: There is a wealth of evidence supporting the positive effects of exercise for falls prevention. The problem that faces researchers, policy makers, accreditation bodies and higher education providers is how to best translate this information to allied health practitioners to ensure they are providing the best evidence-based practice to their clients. One in three community dwelling older people over the age of 65 years fall every year and this figure increases to one in two people over the age of 80 years. As a profession, exercise physiologists (EPs) are responsible for providing exercise for the prevention, maintenance and treatment of chronic disease and complex medical conditions, including prescribing exercise for falls prevention. The incidence of falls, chronic disease and complex medical conditions increases with age and as Australia moves towards an ever ageing population, the cost burden of health care for older people and falls is exploding. Exercise physiology and exercise science professionals have an opportunity to become champions of exercise for falls prevention and assist in ameliorating the ever increasing burden of falls in Australia. By targeting the exercise physiology profession and providing methods to translate the research evidence, there is great potential to build workforce capacity to deliver falls prevention exercise programs. But how best to target the profession of exercise physiology? Advances can be made by targeting undergraduate and post-graduate university programs or as part of mandated professional continuing education programs which focuses on both the future and current exercise physiology workforce respectively. A scoping study conducted across two States in Australia (New South Wales and Victoria) established that at the time, the current level of knowledge of undergraduate human movement and exercise and sports science students and post graduate exercise rehabilitation/exercise physiology students, was inadequate with regard to falls risk and exercise prescription for fall prevention in older people. These results highlighted the need for the development and widespread implementation of an evidence-based “exercise for falls prevention” curriculum for future exercise professionals. The UniFPEP curriculum was developed to provide evidence-based teaching and learning resource materials to enhance learning beyond current levels by translating the latest research evidence regarding falls risk and exercises for falls prevention to produce a discipline leading curriculum. The curriculum was designed to enhance exercise science and exercise rehabilitation students’ learning outcomes through the provision of online lectures and learning materials to supplement and strengthen the delivery of face-to-face lectures, practical classes and self-directed learning tasks. The UniFPEP curriculum was implemented at the University of Ballarat and following completion students’ knowledge outcomes and self-reported confidence to prescribe exercise for older people and for falls prevention were significantly increased. The results indicated that a significant change in knowledge and confidence can be achieved during a 2-3 week educational period during a normal university semester. More importantly, these changes were retained 13 weeks after completion of the UniFPEP curriculum. Following evaluation of the UniFPEP the curriculum was reviewed and prepared as a workforce continuing education program (CEP) (Fit+Fall=Free). This was implemented and evaluated as a clustered controlled trial to compare two different delivery modes: face-to-face and online, to a control group of exercise physiology professionals. The Fit+Fall=Free CEP showed significant improvements in the knowledge and confidence of EPs in prescribing exercise for older people and exercise prescription for falls prevention for both the face-to-face (F2F) and Online delivery modes. The F2F delivery of the Fit+Fall=Free CEP provided the greatest long-term impact with the increases being maintained at a significant level six months post workshop.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Pascoe, Deborah
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: There is a wealth of evidence supporting the positive effects of exercise for falls prevention. The problem that faces researchers, policy makers, accreditation bodies and higher education providers is how to best translate this information to allied health practitioners to ensure they are providing the best evidence-based practice to their clients. One in three community dwelling older people over the age of 65 years fall every year and this figure increases to one in two people over the age of 80 years. As a profession, exercise physiologists (EPs) are responsible for providing exercise for the prevention, maintenance and treatment of chronic disease and complex medical conditions, including prescribing exercise for falls prevention. The incidence of falls, chronic disease and complex medical conditions increases with age and as Australia moves towards an ever ageing population, the cost burden of health care for older people and falls is exploding. Exercise physiology and exercise science professionals have an opportunity to become champions of exercise for falls prevention and assist in ameliorating the ever increasing burden of falls in Australia. By targeting the exercise physiology profession and providing methods to translate the research evidence, there is great potential to build workforce capacity to deliver falls prevention exercise programs. But how best to target the profession of exercise physiology? Advances can be made by targeting undergraduate and post-graduate university programs or as part of mandated professional continuing education programs which focuses on both the future and current exercise physiology workforce respectively. A scoping study conducted across two States in Australia (New South Wales and Victoria) established that at the time, the current level of knowledge of undergraduate human movement and exercise and sports science students and post graduate exercise rehabilitation/exercise physiology students, was inadequate with regard to falls risk and exercise prescription for fall prevention in older people. These results highlighted the need for the development and widespread implementation of an evidence-based “exercise for falls prevention” curriculum for future exercise professionals. The UniFPEP curriculum was developed to provide evidence-based teaching and learning resource materials to enhance learning beyond current levels by translating the latest research evidence regarding falls risk and exercises for falls prevention to produce a discipline leading curriculum. The curriculum was designed to enhance exercise science and exercise rehabilitation students’ learning outcomes through the provision of online lectures and learning materials to supplement and strengthen the delivery of face-to-face lectures, practical classes and self-directed learning tasks. The UniFPEP curriculum was implemented at the University of Ballarat and following completion students’ knowledge outcomes and self-reported confidence to prescribe exercise for older people and for falls prevention were significantly increased. The results indicated that a significant change in knowledge and confidence can be achieved during a 2-3 week educational period during a normal university semester. More importantly, these changes were retained 13 weeks after completion of the UniFPEP curriculum. Following evaluation of the UniFPEP the curriculum was reviewed and prepared as a workforce continuing education program (CEP) (Fit+Fall=Free). This was implemented and evaluated as a clustered controlled trial to compare two different delivery modes: face-to-face and online, to a control group of exercise physiology professionals. The Fit+Fall=Free CEP showed significant improvements in the knowledge and confidence of EPs in prescribing exercise for older people and exercise prescription for falls prevention for both the face-to-face (F2F) and Online delivery modes. The F2F delivery of the Fit+Fall=Free CEP provided the greatest long-term impact with the increases being maintained at a significant level six months post workshop.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Firm growth by women-owned Small and Medium Enterprises in a developing economy setting
- Authors: Jomaraty, Mosfeka
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The growth experiences of women-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the context of a developing economy are examined through the lens of pragmatism. This approach views a businesswoman’s ‘belief’, ‘habit’ and ‘doubt’ as critical for researching gender related issues in entrepreneurship. This study explains the growth aspects of women-owned manufacturing and services SMEs of Bangladesh with the aim of addressing two neglected research issues. One is the scarcity of studies on growth oriented women entrepreneurs in developing countries. The other is the lack of focus on very successful high-growth women-owned firms in the context of a strong male-dominated economy. This study adopts a framework developed out of the Diana International Project to evaluate the factors influencing the growth of these successful, growing, Bangladeshi women-owned businesses. In order to evaluate the growth process itself, this framework was then modified with growth resources and actions as explained by Edith Penrose in her 1959 seminal book The Theory of Growth of the Firm. This allows for the investigation of the effects of managerial and entrepreneurial abilities in growth, and the identification of how firms achieve growth. A multiple-case design is adopted, covering sixteen successful growth-oriented firms in the manufacturing and services sector. SMEs were studied as the basis for firm growth from initial venture creation, while the sector concentration on manufacturing and services reflects the urban nature of the study in examining firms that exist in the capital city of Dhaka. Data from in-depth interviews and supporting documents were used for the case studies and integrated with the theoretical framework. Themes were categorised and patterns compared against the framework. The results of this research suggest that SME growth is a process which is gradual and iterative, comprising a series of growth strategies and approaches. The framework identifies interactive connection between different growth variables and highlights how industry sector and the national context of a growing economy facilitate growth of women-owned SMEs. The case study based research seeks to advance scholarship in relation to women’s entrepreneurship globally and contribute to the understanding of growth oriented women’s entrepreneurship. Building upon existing knowledge, this research endeavours to generate new insights and advance theoretical discourse by providing richness and subtlety to the knowledge of growth process and opening up new avenues for future research.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Jomaraty, Mosfeka
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The growth experiences of women-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the context of a developing economy are examined through the lens of pragmatism. This approach views a businesswoman’s ‘belief’, ‘habit’ and ‘doubt’ as critical for researching gender related issues in entrepreneurship. This study explains the growth aspects of women-owned manufacturing and services SMEs of Bangladesh with the aim of addressing two neglected research issues. One is the scarcity of studies on growth oriented women entrepreneurs in developing countries. The other is the lack of focus on very successful high-growth women-owned firms in the context of a strong male-dominated economy. This study adopts a framework developed out of the Diana International Project to evaluate the factors influencing the growth of these successful, growing, Bangladeshi women-owned businesses. In order to evaluate the growth process itself, this framework was then modified with growth resources and actions as explained by Edith Penrose in her 1959 seminal book The Theory of Growth of the Firm. This allows for the investigation of the effects of managerial and entrepreneurial abilities in growth, and the identification of how firms achieve growth. A multiple-case design is adopted, covering sixteen successful growth-oriented firms in the manufacturing and services sector. SMEs were studied as the basis for firm growth from initial venture creation, while the sector concentration on manufacturing and services reflects the urban nature of the study in examining firms that exist in the capital city of Dhaka. Data from in-depth interviews and supporting documents were used for the case studies and integrated with the theoretical framework. Themes were categorised and patterns compared against the framework. The results of this research suggest that SME growth is a process which is gradual and iterative, comprising a series of growth strategies and approaches. The framework identifies interactive connection between different growth variables and highlights how industry sector and the national context of a growing economy facilitate growth of women-owned SMEs. The case study based research seeks to advance scholarship in relation to women’s entrepreneurship globally and contribute to the understanding of growth oriented women’s entrepreneurship. Building upon existing knowledge, this research endeavours to generate new insights and advance theoretical discourse by providing richness and subtlety to the knowledge of growth process and opening up new avenues for future research.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Framed by reconciliation : Reading cross-cultural space in early twenty-first century Australian literature
- Authors: Hall, Demelza
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis analyses literary works by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian writers, focussing on the production and function of space in scenes of constructive cross-cultural interaction. All of the novels examined can be read as pedagogies of reconciliation due to their engagement with – and subversion of – the goals, processes, issues, and outcomes of the 1990s reconciliation movement. Yet, while these texts are all broadly framed by reconciliation, this thesis argues that it is their commitment to reimagining spaces of home which marks them as particularly productive reconciliatory pedagogies. One of the primary assertions of this thesis is that for reconciliatory discourses to become useful pedagogies – to educate and inspire and connect people, rather than just inform and unsettle – they need to create spaces of hope. Home became a contested site during the reconciliation years, with processes of historical revisioning and reports such as Bringing Them Home forcing a reconsideration of what it might actually mean to be at home. By moving away from traditional domestic spaces and staid conceptions of dwelling, these narratives attempt to heterogeneously reconfigure notions of home and nation. This thesis is organised around specific spaces and spatial metaphors, and the critical paradigms informing them. Chapter 2, for example, examines ways in which the metaphor of ‘the Gap’ structures ideas of intercultural exchange in reconciliatory discourse and postcolonial criticism. Chapter 3 – which analyses Kate Grenville’s The Secret River and Vivienne Cleven’s Her Sister’s Eye – focusses on the space of the colonial homestead and how it is used to frame notions of impasse, or unbelonging. Chapter 4 examines a series of “interspaces” and how “dwelling-in-motion” frames cross-cultural transformation in Alex Miller’s Journey to the Stone Country, Gail Jones’s Sorry and Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria. Moving away from traditional conceptions of home, Chapter 5 analyses how heterotopic spaces are deployed to frame scenes of exile in Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria, Tim Winton’s Dirt Music and Richard Flanagan’s Gould’s Book of Fish. Chapter 6 explores how conceptions of being in country frame notions of belonging and well-being in Alex Miller’s Landscape of Farewell and Kim Scott’s That Deadman Dance. Finally, in conclusion, Chapter 7 suggests that spaces of hope can emerge in reconciliatory discourses when home, like nation, is recognised as a site of entanglement.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Hall, Demelza
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis analyses literary works by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian writers, focussing on the production and function of space in scenes of constructive cross-cultural interaction. All of the novels examined can be read as pedagogies of reconciliation due to their engagement with – and subversion of – the goals, processes, issues, and outcomes of the 1990s reconciliation movement. Yet, while these texts are all broadly framed by reconciliation, this thesis argues that it is their commitment to reimagining spaces of home which marks them as particularly productive reconciliatory pedagogies. One of the primary assertions of this thesis is that for reconciliatory discourses to become useful pedagogies – to educate and inspire and connect people, rather than just inform and unsettle – they need to create spaces of hope. Home became a contested site during the reconciliation years, with processes of historical revisioning and reports such as Bringing Them Home forcing a reconsideration of what it might actually mean to be at home. By moving away from traditional domestic spaces and staid conceptions of dwelling, these narratives attempt to heterogeneously reconfigure notions of home and nation. This thesis is organised around specific spaces and spatial metaphors, and the critical paradigms informing them. Chapter 2, for example, examines ways in which the metaphor of ‘the Gap’ structures ideas of intercultural exchange in reconciliatory discourse and postcolonial criticism. Chapter 3 – which analyses Kate Grenville’s The Secret River and Vivienne Cleven’s Her Sister’s Eye – focusses on the space of the colonial homestead and how it is used to frame notions of impasse, or unbelonging. Chapter 4 examines a series of “interspaces” and how “dwelling-in-motion” frames cross-cultural transformation in Alex Miller’s Journey to the Stone Country, Gail Jones’s Sorry and Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria. Moving away from traditional conceptions of home, Chapter 5 analyses how heterotopic spaces are deployed to frame scenes of exile in Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria, Tim Winton’s Dirt Music and Richard Flanagan’s Gould’s Book of Fish. Chapter 6 explores how conceptions of being in country frame notions of belonging and well-being in Alex Miller’s Landscape of Farewell and Kim Scott’s That Deadman Dance. Finally, in conclusion, Chapter 7 suggests that spaces of hope can emerge in reconciliatory discourses when home, like nation, is recognised as a site of entanglement.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Integrated project-based curriculum: A case study in a Victorian School.
- Authors: Bendall, Derek
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Leaders of research in the field of effective education have recognised that in the late twentieth century traditional styles of teaching were no longer sustaining student interest, nor helping students achieve their fullest potential. Sir Ken Robinson, a leading commentator, has spoken about the problems with the current Western educational system that was designed during the Industrial Revolution to accommodate the needs of that time. Education reform has been broadly researched and discussed and a wide range of strategies and theories have been developed, including integrated Project-Based Curriculum. This study investigates the development of an integrated Project-Based Curriculum program, what this type of program involves, the implementation of the program and an analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected throughout the program highlighting its potential benefits. Making use of a mixed method approach, this project examined the outcomes of an integrated Project-Based Curriculum program case study consisting of six teachers and fifty Year 7 students. The context of the study involves a private Christian school located in a suburban outer fringe area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The study investigated the overarching question of whether integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs are constructive and beneficial to today’s schools. The research showed three key findings: that integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs are set up to allow students to make choices in their own education, which creates an appreciation of each discipline and a connection to the ‘real world’; that integrated Project- Based Curriculum involves a great deal of group work which develops a number of ‘lifelong’ 21st century work related skills, including collaboration, communication and creative and critical thinking; and most significantly, that integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs engage students to self-learn and come to class with a greater prior knowledge, enabling teachers to teach a more in-depth content that creates a deeper learning.
- Description: Masters in Education
- Authors: Bendall, Derek
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Leaders of research in the field of effective education have recognised that in the late twentieth century traditional styles of teaching were no longer sustaining student interest, nor helping students achieve their fullest potential. Sir Ken Robinson, a leading commentator, has spoken about the problems with the current Western educational system that was designed during the Industrial Revolution to accommodate the needs of that time. Education reform has been broadly researched and discussed and a wide range of strategies and theories have been developed, including integrated Project-Based Curriculum. This study investigates the development of an integrated Project-Based Curriculum program, what this type of program involves, the implementation of the program and an analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected throughout the program highlighting its potential benefits. Making use of a mixed method approach, this project examined the outcomes of an integrated Project-Based Curriculum program case study consisting of six teachers and fifty Year 7 students. The context of the study involves a private Christian school located in a suburban outer fringe area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The study investigated the overarching question of whether integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs are constructive and beneficial to today’s schools. The research showed three key findings: that integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs are set up to allow students to make choices in their own education, which creates an appreciation of each discipline and a connection to the ‘real world’; that integrated Project- Based Curriculum involves a great deal of group work which develops a number of ‘lifelong’ 21st century work related skills, including collaboration, communication and creative and critical thinking; and most significantly, that integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs engage students to self-learn and come to class with a greater prior knowledge, enabling teachers to teach a more in-depth content that creates a deeper learning.
- Description: Masters in Education
Integrating human communication strategies with project management for effective outcomes
- Authors: Ivkovic, Sasha
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Project managers' email in-boxes often contain hundreds of emails in which project related conversations are captured. The conversations are written records of team members' feedback regarding activities and their experiences performing these activities. They may also contain problems, expectations, emotions and lexical patterns (PEEL). Identifying these elements of project communication from email text and using them for the purpose of project management is a complex process. From the review of the existing literature of email analysis and project communication we identied four signicant shortcomings made up of: (i) lack of communication features, (ii) limited communication metrics, (iii) no link of email analysis to project monitoring, and (iv) limited understanding of how knowledge from email analysis can help improve functioning of a project. The study was set out to address the four shortcomings with the aim of addressing the need for a methodology that integrates knowledge from incoming email communication into project management practices. The research found that measurable characteristics of incoming communication through observations of both factual (technical) and personal (human) factors can generate signicant insight into indicators for the state of project health which in turn can be used to draw the project manager's attention to areas that worked well and areas that need consideration. In this study we developed a better understanding of various factors of incoming communi- cation in projects by in-depth analysis of email communication from ve projects with over a thousand emails. This included identication of multiple features embedded in emails, as well as coding and analysis of feature values for the purpose of identifying various measurable character- istics of incoming communication. This enabled implementation of communication metrics where \communication metrics" were linked to project \critical success factors". We demonstrate that by linking of two areas of research focus is on the observations of actors and their activities and experiences performing these activities. We were able to identify measurable characteristics of communication which could be used to provide signicant insights into indicators for the state of project health. We used this approach to generate communication reports which assisted the managers in identifying areas that worked or were critical to the project progress. Our theoretical contribution relates to the \Email Feedback Analysis" (EFA) model used for processing of project email communication in order to identify important elements of project activity useful for project managers; the insights into the e ectiveness of communication within a project as well as a metric for comparing communications across projects. Our model focuses on two types of information: information about team members (actors) activities and experiences while performing those activities in the context of communication and the same information in the context of project tasks. Our practical contributions relate to a framework and a vocabulary for the analysis of incoming communication, instructions of \how to code" incoming communication records in projects such as emails sent to project managers, \ProCommFeedback" software that can be used to simplify and expedite the process of communication analysis, and communication reports. This research aims to make a signicant contribution to conceptual understanding of the role that incoming communication plays in the context of project management as well as practical implementation of linking knowledge from incoming email communication with project success for the purpose of project management. Our approach has the potential to be highly benecial for large projects with many teams and resources (locally or globally dispersed) where project managers do not have su cient day-to-day contact with all their staff members to gauge their problems, feelings and emotions which are a strong indicator of sound project progress.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Ivkovic, Sasha
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Project managers' email in-boxes often contain hundreds of emails in which project related conversations are captured. The conversations are written records of team members' feedback regarding activities and their experiences performing these activities. They may also contain problems, expectations, emotions and lexical patterns (PEEL). Identifying these elements of project communication from email text and using them for the purpose of project management is a complex process. From the review of the existing literature of email analysis and project communication we identied four signicant shortcomings made up of: (i) lack of communication features, (ii) limited communication metrics, (iii) no link of email analysis to project monitoring, and (iv) limited understanding of how knowledge from email analysis can help improve functioning of a project. The study was set out to address the four shortcomings with the aim of addressing the need for a methodology that integrates knowledge from incoming email communication into project management practices. The research found that measurable characteristics of incoming communication through observations of both factual (technical) and personal (human) factors can generate signicant insight into indicators for the state of project health which in turn can be used to draw the project manager's attention to areas that worked well and areas that need consideration. In this study we developed a better understanding of various factors of incoming communi- cation in projects by in-depth analysis of email communication from ve projects with over a thousand emails. This included identication of multiple features embedded in emails, as well as coding and analysis of feature values for the purpose of identifying various measurable character- istics of incoming communication. This enabled implementation of communication metrics where \communication metrics" were linked to project \critical success factors". We demonstrate that by linking of two areas of research focus is on the observations of actors and their activities and experiences performing these activities. We were able to identify measurable characteristics of communication which could be used to provide signicant insights into indicators for the state of project health. We used this approach to generate communication reports which assisted the managers in identifying areas that worked or were critical to the project progress. Our theoretical contribution relates to the \Email Feedback Analysis" (EFA) model used for processing of project email communication in order to identify important elements of project activity useful for project managers; the insights into the e ectiveness of communication within a project as well as a metric for comparing communications across projects. Our model focuses on two types of information: information about team members (actors) activities and experiences while performing those activities in the context of communication and the same information in the context of project tasks. Our practical contributions relate to a framework and a vocabulary for the analysis of incoming communication, instructions of \how to code" incoming communication records in projects such as emails sent to project managers, \ProCommFeedback" software that can be used to simplify and expedite the process of communication analysis, and communication reports. This research aims to make a signicant contribution to conceptual understanding of the role that incoming communication plays in the context of project management as well as practical implementation of linking knowledge from incoming email communication with project success for the purpose of project management. Our approach has the potential to be highly benecial for large projects with many teams and resources (locally or globally dispersed) where project managers do not have su cient day-to-day contact with all their staff members to gauge their problems, feelings and emotions which are a strong indicator of sound project progress.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
International students and social connectedness : The role sport can play
- Authors: McLeod, Beth Lauren
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Whilst it is well known that international education is a lucrative industry, what is not so well known is how to continue attracting prospective higher education students to Australia in what has become a competitive global market. Adding concern to Australia’s reputation as an international education provider is the recent research which indicated that international students are dissatisfied with their social experiences while in Australia. This research highlights that international students in Australia are not getting the most value out of their educational sojourn, in part, because of their less than engaging experiences with Australians. As a consequence, one of the main challenges faced by Australia’s international education sector is to create and sustain a positive student experience in order to enhance Australia’s reputation as an education provider, be fair to the students and remain competitive in this valuable industry. Developing stronger social connections appears to be an important factor for creating a positive international student experience, and a case can be made to consider the role of sport as a potential strategy for enhancing the international student experience. In particular, sports participation and spectatorship may be possible vectors for enhancing international students’ social connections with Australians because of the opportunity provided for personal interaction. To date, there is a relative lack of research that has investigated this relationship. This Australian-based study aimed to bridge this knowledge gap by focusing on three key areas: (1) to determine whether there was a relationship between sports participation and social connectedness, and if this relationship was influenced by the students’ type and level of sports participation; (2) to determine whether there was a relationship between sport spectatorship and social connectedness, and if the context of sport spectatorship influenced this relationship; and, (3) to determine whether there was a relationship between sport spectatorship and sports participation, particularly from the perspective of international students in Australia. ii The investigation used a mixed methods approach, which combined quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, in a sequential manner. The first phase involved the collection of questionnaire data. Subsequently, these quantitative findings were used to frame the qualitative interview themes and foci. Through this process, greater depth and personal perspectives were added to the initial findings to enrich understanding of various elements of the investigation. Qualitatively the overarching premise as to why a quantitative relationship existed between sports participation and social connectedness (p<0.0001) was that sporting involvement enabled close proximity to the Australian people, who the students perceived to be highly active in sport. The qualitative findings also supported the quantitative finding for the second research sub-question indicating that spectatorship was related to social connectedness (p<0.0001). According to the qualitative results spectatorship was deemed to be one of the best ways for students to connect with Australian people. The students explained this was possible because spectatorship provided them with an easy and relaxed way to connect to people, particularly Australian people and in a casual environment. Three underlying themes explained why spectatorship was perceived to provide this unique environment and connection opportunity. These were (1) spectatorship is a universal and inclusive leisure activity; (2) spectatorship connects people; and (3) Australia has a strong sporting culture. The quantitative results from the third research sub-question revealed a relationship between spectatorship and sports participation (p<0.0001) and the qualitative interview data enriched this finding. The interview data indicated that students considered spectatorship as a driver for their sports participation. Students revealed that spectatorship helped them increase their level of sports participation, and to feel included in sport even without physical involvement. The qualitative results from this study suggest spectatorship plays a more important role than sports participation for international students in developing social connections with Australian people. Results revealed that increased involvement in sports participation and spectatorship enhanced students’ understanding of the Australian language and culture, assisting them iii to develop and maintain meaningful friendships in their host country. This finding indicates that sport may be a unique way for international students to achieve the connections they desire with Australians. The value of both sports participation and spectatorship for international students is evident. Accordingly it is recommended that Australian educational institutions offer sporting opportunities specifically for international students, and thus contribute positively to a rewarding and lasting educational experience.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: McLeod, Beth Lauren
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Whilst it is well known that international education is a lucrative industry, what is not so well known is how to continue attracting prospective higher education students to Australia in what has become a competitive global market. Adding concern to Australia’s reputation as an international education provider is the recent research which indicated that international students are dissatisfied with their social experiences while in Australia. This research highlights that international students in Australia are not getting the most value out of their educational sojourn, in part, because of their less than engaging experiences with Australians. As a consequence, one of the main challenges faced by Australia’s international education sector is to create and sustain a positive student experience in order to enhance Australia’s reputation as an education provider, be fair to the students and remain competitive in this valuable industry. Developing stronger social connections appears to be an important factor for creating a positive international student experience, and a case can be made to consider the role of sport as a potential strategy for enhancing the international student experience. In particular, sports participation and spectatorship may be possible vectors for enhancing international students’ social connections with Australians because of the opportunity provided for personal interaction. To date, there is a relative lack of research that has investigated this relationship. This Australian-based study aimed to bridge this knowledge gap by focusing on three key areas: (1) to determine whether there was a relationship between sports participation and social connectedness, and if this relationship was influenced by the students’ type and level of sports participation; (2) to determine whether there was a relationship between sport spectatorship and social connectedness, and if the context of sport spectatorship influenced this relationship; and, (3) to determine whether there was a relationship between sport spectatorship and sports participation, particularly from the perspective of international students in Australia. ii The investigation used a mixed methods approach, which combined quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, in a sequential manner. The first phase involved the collection of questionnaire data. Subsequently, these quantitative findings were used to frame the qualitative interview themes and foci. Through this process, greater depth and personal perspectives were added to the initial findings to enrich understanding of various elements of the investigation. Qualitatively the overarching premise as to why a quantitative relationship existed between sports participation and social connectedness (p<0.0001) was that sporting involvement enabled close proximity to the Australian people, who the students perceived to be highly active in sport. The qualitative findings also supported the quantitative finding for the second research sub-question indicating that spectatorship was related to social connectedness (p<0.0001). According to the qualitative results spectatorship was deemed to be one of the best ways for students to connect with Australian people. The students explained this was possible because spectatorship provided them with an easy and relaxed way to connect to people, particularly Australian people and in a casual environment. Three underlying themes explained why spectatorship was perceived to provide this unique environment and connection opportunity. These were (1) spectatorship is a universal and inclusive leisure activity; (2) spectatorship connects people; and (3) Australia has a strong sporting culture. The quantitative results from the third research sub-question revealed a relationship between spectatorship and sports participation (p<0.0001) and the qualitative interview data enriched this finding. The interview data indicated that students considered spectatorship as a driver for their sports participation. Students revealed that spectatorship helped them increase their level of sports participation, and to feel included in sport even without physical involvement. The qualitative results from this study suggest spectatorship plays a more important role than sports participation for international students in developing social connections with Australian people. Results revealed that increased involvement in sports participation and spectatorship enhanced students’ understanding of the Australian language and culture, assisting them iii to develop and maintain meaningful friendships in their host country. This finding indicates that sport may be a unique way for international students to achieve the connections they desire with Australians. The value of both sports participation and spectatorship for international students is evident. Accordingly it is recommended that Australian educational institutions offer sporting opportunities specifically for international students, and thus contribute positively to a rewarding and lasting educational experience.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Market valuation of junior natural resources companies
- Authors: Iddon, Casey
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Junior mining companies provide a vital feedstock to the mining sector, which in turn, feeds into the wider economy via manufacturing. The valuation models traditionally used in other sectors of the economy appear to be insufficient, in terms of scope and capacity to handle uncertainty, to provide a rational pricing of junior mining companies. The observation that junior mining firms are valued by some means suggests that either the junior mining markets are inefficient or, more likely, that these markets are able to provide insight, scope, and capacity to the methods of firm valuation. The process by which natural resource companies are valued on equity markets is poorly understood, especially for those companies at an early stage-of-development focussed upon exploration and the development of embryonic natural resources. Thus, the primary research question motivating this research is: How does the market value junior natural resource companies? While a number of studies have contributed to our understanding of market valuation within the junior natural resources sector, the extant research is often siloed in a focus on traditional value-relevant factors that neglects other factors that potentially have even greater value-relevance. A key contribution of this research is to identify, define and subsume potential value-relevant factors into a conceptual framework of junior mining firm valuation. Another key contribution of this research is its empirical analysis of the relevance of accounting information in 2,324 junior mining companies and an empirical event study into 1,526 seasoned equity offerings by junior mining companies. The findings support the value-relevance of commodity prices and reveal that natural resource companies tend to undertake seasoned equity offerings following persistent market outperformance. This research, by conjoining the extant literature with empirical analysis in a mixed methods approach, provides an integrated account of market valuation within the junior natural resource sector.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Iddon, Casey
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Junior mining companies provide a vital feedstock to the mining sector, which in turn, feeds into the wider economy via manufacturing. The valuation models traditionally used in other sectors of the economy appear to be insufficient, in terms of scope and capacity to handle uncertainty, to provide a rational pricing of junior mining companies. The observation that junior mining firms are valued by some means suggests that either the junior mining markets are inefficient or, more likely, that these markets are able to provide insight, scope, and capacity to the methods of firm valuation. The process by which natural resource companies are valued on equity markets is poorly understood, especially for those companies at an early stage-of-development focussed upon exploration and the development of embryonic natural resources. Thus, the primary research question motivating this research is: How does the market value junior natural resource companies? While a number of studies have contributed to our understanding of market valuation within the junior natural resources sector, the extant research is often siloed in a focus on traditional value-relevant factors that neglects other factors that potentially have even greater value-relevance. A key contribution of this research is to identify, define and subsume potential value-relevant factors into a conceptual framework of junior mining firm valuation. Another key contribution of this research is its empirical analysis of the relevance of accounting information in 2,324 junior mining companies and an empirical event study into 1,526 seasoned equity offerings by junior mining companies. The findings support the value-relevance of commodity prices and reveal that natural resource companies tend to undertake seasoned equity offerings following persistent market outperformance. This research, by conjoining the extant literature with empirical analysis in a mixed methods approach, provides an integrated account of market valuation within the junior natural resource sector.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Meeting point : The physical and emotional environment
- Authors: Joy, Cody
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This investigation uses a phenomenological framework to explore how an engagement with artistic process might create a meeting point through which to consider the internal and external environments. As a practice-led research project, it is the identification and exploration of artistic process that has led and revealed the theoretical issues to be explored alongside the creation of studio work. The shifting, interwoven oscillation between analytical and intuitive components that occurs in both conceptual underpinnings and the central processes of making, are recognised as being interdependent and mutually beneficial. This reflects both the nature of creative practice and artistic process, that is influential in both the realisation and progression of the theoretical and studio based outcomes. Significantly mark-making is established as a way of co-incidentally entering and extending the intuitive state while engaged in artistic activity. Those engaged with artistic practice are well placed to move between and across boundaries, absorbing and combining knowledge. Individual growth when shared, contributes back to the wider network of knowledge that feeds realisation and development of insight, both within the field of visual art and in other disciplines. The resulting body of work reveals the intuitive artistic development which is realised through a commitment to, and engagement with, individual artistic process. This investigation strengthens acceptance of self in its perfect state of imperfection, ultimately reflected in the wider process of creation going on both within and around all of us. The processes of creating art and creating self are therefore linked through engagement with materials and an awareness of the place where all things meet, the work. Realisation of the significance of art practice and the subsequently heightened focus on discovery, change and adaptability, aids physical and emotional recovery following adversity and raises areas of potential research for the future.
- Description: Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours)
- Authors: Joy, Cody
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This investigation uses a phenomenological framework to explore how an engagement with artistic process might create a meeting point through which to consider the internal and external environments. As a practice-led research project, it is the identification and exploration of artistic process that has led and revealed the theoretical issues to be explored alongside the creation of studio work. The shifting, interwoven oscillation between analytical and intuitive components that occurs in both conceptual underpinnings and the central processes of making, are recognised as being interdependent and mutually beneficial. This reflects both the nature of creative practice and artistic process, that is influential in both the realisation and progression of the theoretical and studio based outcomes. Significantly mark-making is established as a way of co-incidentally entering and extending the intuitive state while engaged in artistic activity. Those engaged with artistic practice are well placed to move between and across boundaries, absorbing and combining knowledge. Individual growth when shared, contributes back to the wider network of knowledge that feeds realisation and development of insight, both within the field of visual art and in other disciplines. The resulting body of work reveals the intuitive artistic development which is realised through a commitment to, and engagement with, individual artistic process. This investigation strengthens acceptance of self in its perfect state of imperfection, ultimately reflected in the wider process of creation going on both within and around all of us. The processes of creating art and creating self are therefore linked through engagement with materials and an awareness of the place where all things meet, the work. Realisation of the significance of art practice and the subsequently heightened focus on discovery, change and adaptability, aids physical and emotional recovery following adversity and raises areas of potential research for the future.
- Description: Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours)
Nonsmooth optimization models and algorithms for data clustering and visualization
- Authors: Mohebi, Ehsan
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis
- Full Text:
- Description: Cluster analysis deals with the problem of organization of a collection of patterns into clusters based on a similarity measure. Various distance functions can be used to define this measure. Clustering problems with the similarity measure defined by the squared Euclidean distance have been studied extensively over the last five decades. However, problems with other Minkowski norms have attracted significantly less attention. The use of different similarity measures may help to identify different cluster structures of a data set. This in turn may help to significantly improve the decision making process. High dimensional data visualization is another important task in the field of data mining and pattern recognition. To date, the principal component analysis and the self-organizing maps techniques have been used to solve such problems. In this thesis we develop algorithms for solving clustering problems in large data sets using various similarity measures. Such similarity measures are based on the squared L
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Mohebi, Ehsan
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis
- Full Text:
- Description: Cluster analysis deals with the problem of organization of a collection of patterns into clusters based on a similarity measure. Various distance functions can be used to define this measure. Clustering problems with the similarity measure defined by the squared Euclidean distance have been studied extensively over the last five decades. However, problems with other Minkowski norms have attracted significantly less attention. The use of different similarity measures may help to identify different cluster structures of a data set. This in turn may help to significantly improve the decision making process. High dimensional data visualization is another important task in the field of data mining and pattern recognition. To date, the principal component analysis and the self-organizing maps techniques have been used to solve such problems. In this thesis we develop algorithms for solving clustering problems in large data sets using various similarity measures. Such similarity measures are based on the squared L
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Reliability-based design optimisation methods in large scale systems
- Authors: Ezzati, Ghasem
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Description: Structural optimisation is an important field of applied mathematics, which has proved useful in engineering projects. Reliability-based design optimisation (RBDO) can be considered a branch of structural optimisation. Different RBDO approaches have been applied in real world problems (e.g. vehicle side impact model, short column design, etc.). Double-loop, single-loop, and decoupled approaches are three categories in RBDO. This research focuses on double-loop approaches, which consider reliability analysis problems in their inner loops and design optimisation calculations in their outer loops. In recent decades, double-loop approaches have been studied and modified in order to improve their stability and efficiency, but many shortcomings still remain, particularly regarding reliability analysis methods. This thesis will concentrate on development of new reliability analysis methods that can be applied to solve RBDO problems. As a local optimisation algorithm, the conjugate gradient method will be adopted. Furthermore, a new method will be introduced to solve a reliability analysis problem in the polar space. The reliability analysis problem must be transformed into an unconstrained optimisation problem before solving in the polar space. Two methods will be introduced here and their stability and efficiency will be compared with the existing methods via numerical experiments. Next, we consider applications of RBDO models to electricity networks. Most of the current optimisation models of these networks are categorised as deterministic design optimisation models. A probabilistic constraint is introduced in this thesis for electricity networks. For this purpose, a performance function must be defined for a network in order to define safety and failure conditions. Then, new non-deterministic design optimisation models will be formulated for electricity networks by using the mentioned probabilistic constraint. These models are designed to keep failure probability of the network below a predetermined and accepted safety level.
- Authors: Ezzati, Ghasem
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Description: Structural optimisation is an important field of applied mathematics, which has proved useful in engineering projects. Reliability-based design optimisation (RBDO) can be considered a branch of structural optimisation. Different RBDO approaches have been applied in real world problems (e.g. vehicle side impact model, short column design, etc.). Double-loop, single-loop, and decoupled approaches are three categories in RBDO. This research focuses on double-loop approaches, which consider reliability analysis problems in their inner loops and design optimisation calculations in their outer loops. In recent decades, double-loop approaches have been studied and modified in order to improve their stability and efficiency, but many shortcomings still remain, particularly regarding reliability analysis methods. This thesis will concentrate on development of new reliability analysis methods that can be applied to solve RBDO problems. As a local optimisation algorithm, the conjugate gradient method will be adopted. Furthermore, a new method will be introduced to solve a reliability analysis problem in the polar space. The reliability analysis problem must be transformed into an unconstrained optimisation problem before solving in the polar space. Two methods will be introduced here and their stability and efficiency will be compared with the existing methods via numerical experiments. Next, we consider applications of RBDO models to electricity networks. Most of the current optimisation models of these networks are categorised as deterministic design optimisation models. A probabilistic constraint is introduced in this thesis for electricity networks. For this purpose, a performance function must be defined for a network in order to define safety and failure conditions. Then, new non-deterministic design optimisation models will be formulated for electricity networks by using the mentioned probabilistic constraint. These models are designed to keep failure probability of the network below a predetermined and accepted safety level.
Relic of memories : An examination of nostalgia and longing in an old victorian manse
- Authors: O’Síocháın, Nó
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: An old Victorian manse and its accumulations are especially potent symbols of place and memory. The old dwelling and garden stir collective as well as individual memories which are deeply personal and spiritual. Elements of the building, as well as old and new plantings in the garden, converge as unique and irreplaceable marks of human existence, nostalgia, and longing. The character of the house and garden is an exposition of European identity; my investigation is an attempt to explicate the hybrid nature of the manse through the lens of visual art to convey an atmosphere of age, memory, and continuity.
- Description: Master of Arts
- Authors: O’Síocháın, Nó
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: An old Victorian manse and its accumulations are especially potent symbols of place and memory. The old dwelling and garden stir collective as well as individual memories which are deeply personal and spiritual. Elements of the building, as well as old and new plantings in the garden, converge as unique and irreplaceable marks of human existence, nostalgia, and longing. The character of the house and garden is an exposition of European identity; my investigation is an attempt to explicate the hybrid nature of the manse through the lens of visual art to convey an atmosphere of age, memory, and continuity.
- Description: Master of Arts
Static code analysis of data-driven applications through common lingua and the Semantic Web technologies
- Authors: Ureche, Oana
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Web applications have become increasingly popular due to their potential for businesses' high revenue gain through global reach. Along with these opportunities, also come challenges in terms of Web application security. The increased rise in the number of datadriven applications has also seen an increased rise in their systematic attacks. Cyberattacks exploit Web application vulnerabilities. Attack trends show a major increase in Web application vulnerabilities caused by improper implementation of information-flow control methods and they account for more than 50% of all Web application vulnerabilities found in the year 2013. Static code analysis using methods of information-flow control is a widely acknowledged technique to secure Web applications. Whilst this technique has been found to be both very effective and efficient in finding Web application vulnerabilities, specific tools are highly dependent on the programming language. This thesis leverages Semantic Web technologies in order to offer a common language through source code represented using the Resource Description Framework format, whereby reasoning can be applied to securely test Web applications. In this thesis, we present a framework that extracts source code facts from various programming languages at a variable-level of granularity using Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs) generated using language grammars and the ANTLR parser generator. The methodology for detecting Web application vulnerabilities implements three phases: entry points identification, tracing information-flow and vulnerability detection using the Jena framework inference mechanism and rules describing patterns of source code. The approach discussed in this thesis is found to be effective and practical in finding Web application vulnerabilities with the limitation that it can only detect patterns that are used as training data or very similar patterns. False positives are caused by limitations of the language grammar, but they do not affect the accuracy of the security vulnerability detection method in identifying the correct Web application vulnerability.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Ureche, Oana
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Web applications have become increasingly popular due to their potential for businesses' high revenue gain through global reach. Along with these opportunities, also come challenges in terms of Web application security. The increased rise in the number of datadriven applications has also seen an increased rise in their systematic attacks. Cyberattacks exploit Web application vulnerabilities. Attack trends show a major increase in Web application vulnerabilities caused by improper implementation of information-flow control methods and they account for more than 50% of all Web application vulnerabilities found in the year 2013. Static code analysis using methods of information-flow control is a widely acknowledged technique to secure Web applications. Whilst this technique has been found to be both very effective and efficient in finding Web application vulnerabilities, specific tools are highly dependent on the programming language. This thesis leverages Semantic Web technologies in order to offer a common language through source code represented using the Resource Description Framework format, whereby reasoning can be applied to securely test Web applications. In this thesis, we present a framework that extracts source code facts from various programming languages at a variable-level of granularity using Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs) generated using language grammars and the ANTLR parser generator. The methodology for detecting Web application vulnerabilities implements three phases: entry points identification, tracing information-flow and vulnerability detection using the Jena framework inference mechanism and rules describing patterns of source code. The approach discussed in this thesis is found to be effective and practical in finding Web application vulnerabilities with the limitation that it can only detect patterns that are used as training data or very similar patterns. False positives are caused by limitations of the language grammar, but they do not affect the accuracy of the security vulnerability detection method in identifying the correct Web application vulnerability.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy