An investigation of Surf Life Saving Australia's Junior Development Program for Nippers
- Authors: Higgerson, Amanda
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The primary aim of Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA), through their State and Territory bodies is to provide safe coastal environments for Australian beach goers. With over 312 affiliated clubs across Australia, SLSA provides an opportunity for primary school aged children (Nippers) to experience water safety and aquatic education in an open water environment. Nippers in the Under 8-Under 13 years age groups are involved in a participation-based education program known as the Junior Development Program (JDP), which aims to develop skills required for future lifesaving (Giles & Slade, 2012). The overall aim of this research was to identify and explore the barriers and enablers to involvement in SLSA’s JDP from the perspective of the participants, their parents/carers and those involved in the delivery of the program. Utilising a multiphase mixed method design, 341 Nippers from eight surf lifesaving clubs in New South Wales completed a questionnaire and 30 interviews were conducted – 19 with parents/carers from seven of the eight participating lifesaving clubs, and 11 Age Managers from six of the eight clubs. The findings indicated that the Nippers perceived most lifesaving skills were important and were happy/very happy to be learning about safety of themselves and how to assist others in the surf. Most concerns related to unknowns in terms of sea creatures and adverse weather conditions like storms and lightening. Interviewees believed Nipper participation was based on interpersonal and intrapersonal reasons, with socialisation a positive aspect of the program. In line with common fears reported by Nippers, interviewees reported unfavourable environmental conditions, including big surf, cold weather, weed and stingers, as barriers to participation. The findings and opinions from those involved in the JDP provide insights into barriers and enablers to participation in the program, which is intended to provide important guidance for future delivery of the JDP across Australia.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Higgerson, Amanda
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The primary aim of Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA), through their State and Territory bodies is to provide safe coastal environments for Australian beach goers. With over 312 affiliated clubs across Australia, SLSA provides an opportunity for primary school aged children (Nippers) to experience water safety and aquatic education in an open water environment. Nippers in the Under 8-Under 13 years age groups are involved in a participation-based education program known as the Junior Development Program (JDP), which aims to develop skills required for future lifesaving (Giles & Slade, 2012). The overall aim of this research was to identify and explore the barriers and enablers to involvement in SLSA’s JDP from the perspective of the participants, their parents/carers and those involved in the delivery of the program. Utilising a multiphase mixed method design, 341 Nippers from eight surf lifesaving clubs in New South Wales completed a questionnaire and 30 interviews were conducted – 19 with parents/carers from seven of the eight participating lifesaving clubs, and 11 Age Managers from six of the eight clubs. The findings indicated that the Nippers perceived most lifesaving skills were important and were happy/very happy to be learning about safety of themselves and how to assist others in the surf. Most concerns related to unknowns in terms of sea creatures and adverse weather conditions like storms and lightening. Interviewees believed Nipper participation was based on interpersonal and intrapersonal reasons, with socialisation a positive aspect of the program. In line with common fears reported by Nippers, interviewees reported unfavourable environmental conditions, including big surf, cold weather, weed and stingers, as barriers to participation. The findings and opinions from those involved in the JDP provide insights into barriers and enablers to participation in the program, which is intended to provide important guidance for future delivery of the JDP across Australia.
- Description: Masters by Research
Green IT: Sustainability by aligning business requirements with IT resource utilization
- Authors: Subburaj, Srikanth
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The term “green IT” is defined as “Optimal use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for managing the environment sustainability of enterprise operations throughout their life cycles.” Its objective is to create a positive impact on environment through net lowered emissions. The heart of green IT (Information Technology) is the concept of “Environmental Sustainability,” its initiatives are multifaceted to support enterprises “business as usual model,” in low-carbon economy. Many green IT initiatives have provided short–term financial benefits, based on which organizations are now focusing on increased energy efficiency. Since many of these approaches provide less financials benefits’ which are harder to implement but provides improved environmental performance. So the financial benefits and environmental performance should be the multiple objectives in the green IT study.
- Description: Master of Computing (by Research)
- Authors: Subburaj, Srikanth
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The term “green IT” is defined as “Optimal use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for managing the environment sustainability of enterprise operations throughout their life cycles.” Its objective is to create a positive impact on environment through net lowered emissions. The heart of green IT (Information Technology) is the concept of “Environmental Sustainability,” its initiatives are multifaceted to support enterprises “business as usual model,” in low-carbon economy. Many green IT initiatives have provided short–term financial benefits, based on which organizations are now focusing on increased energy efficiency. Since many of these approaches provide less financials benefits’ which are harder to implement but provides improved environmental performance. So the financial benefits and environmental performance should be the multiple objectives in the green IT study.
- Description: Master of Computing (by Research)
The contribution of poker machines to reduced community wellbeing : A pre and post study
- Authors: Bell, Diana
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis reports on a study of the impacts of poker machines on community wellbeing, using a pre and post survey method. The study used a variety of indicators to test community wellbeing and gambling attitudes and behaviours before and after a hotel venue with 40 poker machines opened in a new suburb in the designated growth area of Melbourne’s northern fringe. There was a higher proportion of respondents who met the criteria for ‘problem gambling’ after the poker machines were installed, compared to before, particularly when considered as a proportion of people who gambled on poker machines (5.3% compared to 3.6%). A proportion of respondents reported reduced levels of personal happiness, contentment and wellbeing as a result of the introduction of poker machines (16.5%, 12.3% and 16.1% respectively) and 41.5% reported there had been a detrimental impact on the community, in terms of social character. Mean scores on sense of community indexes and social cohesion showed a small decline in the post sample on every measure. Overall, the community reported reduced wellbeing on all measures after the introduction of poker machines. The significance of this study is that measures of community wellbeing and attitudes towards poker machines were measured before their introduction so that this baseline data could be compared with reported wellbeing 18 months after their installation within the suburban area. The substantial proportion of respondents who reported detrimental impact on social character, along with many negatively expressed opinions of poker machines, and a higher rate of problem gambling provide support for the notion that the introduction of poker machines at least contributed to the reduction in community wellbeing. This research provides some suggestions for the use of indicators for measuring the impact of poker machines on community wellbeing.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Bell, Diana
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis reports on a study of the impacts of poker machines on community wellbeing, using a pre and post survey method. The study used a variety of indicators to test community wellbeing and gambling attitudes and behaviours before and after a hotel venue with 40 poker machines opened in a new suburb in the designated growth area of Melbourne’s northern fringe. There was a higher proportion of respondents who met the criteria for ‘problem gambling’ after the poker machines were installed, compared to before, particularly when considered as a proportion of people who gambled on poker machines (5.3% compared to 3.6%). A proportion of respondents reported reduced levels of personal happiness, contentment and wellbeing as a result of the introduction of poker machines (16.5%, 12.3% and 16.1% respectively) and 41.5% reported there had been a detrimental impact on the community, in terms of social character. Mean scores on sense of community indexes and social cohesion showed a small decline in the post sample on every measure. Overall, the community reported reduced wellbeing on all measures after the introduction of poker machines. The significance of this study is that measures of community wellbeing and attitudes towards poker machines were measured before their introduction so that this baseline data could be compared with reported wellbeing 18 months after their installation within the suburban area. The substantial proportion of respondents who reported detrimental impact on social character, along with many negatively expressed opinions of poker machines, and a higher rate of problem gambling provide support for the notion that the introduction of poker machines at least contributed to the reduction in community wellbeing. This research provides some suggestions for the use of indicators for measuring the impact of poker machines on community wellbeing.
- Description: Masters by Research
The Port Phillip Lime Economy : The vessels, the industry and their decline
- Authors: Taylor, Peter
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The objective of this Master of Arts thesis is to address the previous knowledge gap that existed with regards to the unwritten history of the Port Phillip lime economy. The particular focus of this thesis concerns the participating craft that helped to drive that economy, the types of craft and a number of shipwrecks concerning lime craft.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Taylor, Peter
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The objective of this Master of Arts thesis is to address the previous knowledge gap that existed with regards to the unwritten history of the Port Phillip lime economy. The particular focus of this thesis concerns the participating craft that helped to drive that economy, the types of craft and a number of shipwrecks concerning lime craft.
- Description: Masters by Research
The life and times of Dr Hermann Beckler (1828-1914) : An Australian - Barvarian Odyssey
- Authors: Dodd, David
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The principal aim of this research thesis has been to reconstruct the life and times of Dr Hermann Beckler (1828-1914), a Bavarian-born scientist and adventurer who spent six years in Australia between 1856 and 1862. This study constitutes the first authoritative analysis of Beckler’s life. It focuses on the various turning points that influenced his odyssey-like journey from Bavaria to Australia and back again, as well as his travels within Australia, his interest in the natural environment and the botany of Australia, and his empathy towards the Indigenous people. Beckler was a product of the Age of Romanticism. He was an enigmatic and contemplative person, yet possessed a degree of toughness and resilience to overcome what appeared to be initially a self-imposed exile, replete with self-recriminations, as he tried to establish himself, firstly as a medical doctor and then as a pharmacist in the pioneering Moreton Bay region of colonial New South Wales. His interests in the natural sciences provided a solution to the problem of employment, and his botanical collecting skills ultimately gained him a position with Dr Ferdinand Mueller of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. He worked as a botanical plant collector in northern New South Wales before his medical qualifications and botanical saw him appointed as medical doctor and botanist to the Victorian Exploring Expedition 1860-1861 led by Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills. Beckler recognized this appointment as an opportunity to explore the hitherto unknown parts of the interior of Australia and while he did his best to fulfill his role, he was frustrated by the mismanagement of the whole expedition by Burke’s erratic leadership and by the ineptitude of the Royal Society of Victoria’s Exploration Committee. He remains one of Australia’s and Germany’s forgotten explorer botanists. This thesis aims to bring to life Beckler’s contribution to this important episode in Australian colonial history.
- Description: Master of Business by Research
- Authors: Dodd, David
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The principal aim of this research thesis has been to reconstruct the life and times of Dr Hermann Beckler (1828-1914), a Bavarian-born scientist and adventurer who spent six years in Australia between 1856 and 1862. This study constitutes the first authoritative analysis of Beckler’s life. It focuses on the various turning points that influenced his odyssey-like journey from Bavaria to Australia and back again, as well as his travels within Australia, his interest in the natural environment and the botany of Australia, and his empathy towards the Indigenous people. Beckler was a product of the Age of Romanticism. He was an enigmatic and contemplative person, yet possessed a degree of toughness and resilience to overcome what appeared to be initially a self-imposed exile, replete with self-recriminations, as he tried to establish himself, firstly as a medical doctor and then as a pharmacist in the pioneering Moreton Bay region of colonial New South Wales. His interests in the natural sciences provided a solution to the problem of employment, and his botanical collecting skills ultimately gained him a position with Dr Ferdinand Mueller of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. He worked as a botanical plant collector in northern New South Wales before his medical qualifications and botanical saw him appointed as medical doctor and botanist to the Victorian Exploring Expedition 1860-1861 led by Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills. Beckler recognized this appointment as an opportunity to explore the hitherto unknown parts of the interior of Australia and while he did his best to fulfill his role, he was frustrated by the mismanagement of the whole expedition by Burke’s erratic leadership and by the ineptitude of the Royal Society of Victoria’s Exploration Committee. He remains one of Australia’s and Germany’s forgotten explorer botanists. This thesis aims to bring to life Beckler’s contribution to this important episode in Australian colonial history.
- Description: Master of Business by Research
The warrior woman in contemporary romance fiction
- Authors: Chivers, Marian
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Master of Arts by Research
- Description: The warrior woman is a recurring figure in myth and history. She could be seen as an ambiguous character as she challenges patriarchal assumptions about gender roles with her capability for masculine aggression while being recognisably female and “feminine”. In the new millennium, she has reappeared as the action heroine in films, televisions, comics and video games and she has also infiltrated romance fiction, a genre often considered one of the most conservative genres in terms of gender roles and equality. The Silhouette Bombshell line was created by the multinational publisher Harlequin to capitalise on the popularity of “action heroines” in popular culture. The romance genre, perhaps the most derided of all scorned literature, is often accused, particularly by feminist critics, of reinforcing the patriarchal structure of society. This thesis examines how this character type in romance fiction can provide a means to question and even subvert traditional or patriarchal gender expectations. It will undertake the close examination of the first six books of the Athena Force series, which were published in 2004-2005 as part of the Silhouette Bombshell line. Both the warrior woman and the romance genre are defined and historically reviewed, together with an outline of the workings of the contemporary romance industry with regard to category, genre and publishing guidelines. There follows a detailed analysis of the warrior woman character as she appears in the Athena Force series with regard to agency, violence, sisterhood, professional career, performance of femininity and romantic relationships. This study of the warrior woman in romance fiction challenges many critical and social preconceptions about the romance genre in general, and its treatment of gender roles in particular
- Authors: Chivers, Marian
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Master of Arts by Research
- Description: The warrior woman is a recurring figure in myth and history. She could be seen as an ambiguous character as she challenges patriarchal assumptions about gender roles with her capability for masculine aggression while being recognisably female and “feminine”. In the new millennium, she has reappeared as the action heroine in films, televisions, comics and video games and she has also infiltrated romance fiction, a genre often considered one of the most conservative genres in terms of gender roles and equality. The Silhouette Bombshell line was created by the multinational publisher Harlequin to capitalise on the popularity of “action heroines” in popular culture. The romance genre, perhaps the most derided of all scorned literature, is often accused, particularly by feminist critics, of reinforcing the patriarchal structure of society. This thesis examines how this character type in romance fiction can provide a means to question and even subvert traditional or patriarchal gender expectations. It will undertake the close examination of the first six books of the Athena Force series, which were published in 2004-2005 as part of the Silhouette Bombshell line. Both the warrior woman and the romance genre are defined and historically reviewed, together with an outline of the workings of the contemporary romance industry with regard to category, genre and publishing guidelines. There follows a detailed analysis of the warrior woman character as she appears in the Athena Force series with regard to agency, violence, sisterhood, professional career, performance of femininity and romantic relationships. This study of the warrior woman in romance fiction challenges many critical and social preconceptions about the romance genre in general, and its treatment of gender roles in particular
Walking the trade route to a dead end? Exploring journey stories of early completers of Victorian School Vocational Programs
- Authors: Grinham, Fiona
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: In Victoria, there are some school students who, having completed Year 11, as Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) Intermediate students, leave school. They do not go on to complete Year 12 [or equivalent] either in other institutions or as part of an apprenticeship or traineeship. This group of students is quite a substantial proportion of the total VCAL student cohort, and their numbers are increasing every year. This behaviour is juxtaposed with government policy that is emphasizing youth participation in schools or vocational alternatives. The Compact with Young Australians (COAG, 2009) set a new target of 90% attainment of Year 12 or equivalent by 2015 and expects an additional 92,527 young people across Australia (23,500 in Victoria) to remain in school. A survey of the literature indicates that there is a significant gap in our knowledge of what behavioural intentions drive vocational students to leave school early. By using in-depth conversations with selected students, this study seeks to determine the factors that students see act as drivers in their decision to get to this level, and then to leave school. This study provides, in the words of the students, some of the reasons for their choice for their non-continuance of the secondary school programs that are available to them. This will enable education policy makers to understand these students’ perspectives and to examine the VCAL programs in a new light. As educators, they can then respond to the challenge to develop and sustain vocational programs and retention strategies that will engage young people and assist them to build work-ready skills.
- Description: Master of Business (Research)
- Authors: Grinham, Fiona
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: In Victoria, there are some school students who, having completed Year 11, as Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) Intermediate students, leave school. They do not go on to complete Year 12 [or equivalent] either in other institutions or as part of an apprenticeship or traineeship. This group of students is quite a substantial proportion of the total VCAL student cohort, and their numbers are increasing every year. This behaviour is juxtaposed with government policy that is emphasizing youth participation in schools or vocational alternatives. The Compact with Young Australians (COAG, 2009) set a new target of 90% attainment of Year 12 or equivalent by 2015 and expects an additional 92,527 young people across Australia (23,500 in Victoria) to remain in school. A survey of the literature indicates that there is a significant gap in our knowledge of what behavioural intentions drive vocational students to leave school early. By using in-depth conversations with selected students, this study seeks to determine the factors that students see act as drivers in their decision to get to this level, and then to leave school. This study provides, in the words of the students, some of the reasons for their choice for their non-continuance of the secondary school programs that are available to them. This will enable education policy makers to understand these students’ perspectives and to examine the VCAL programs in a new light. As educators, they can then respond to the challenge to develop and sustain vocational programs and retention strategies that will engage young people and assist them to build work-ready skills.
- Description: Master of Business (Research)
Towards an understanding of the strategic influence of the occupational health and safety professional
- Authors: Pryor, Pam
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: As indicated by the emergence of occupational health and safety (OHS) professional bodies in the United States of America (1911), United Kingdom (1945) and Australia (1949), OHS advisors have had a role in industry for over 50 years. However, despite changes in legislation and in the major paradigm for OHS together with changes in the industrial and economic environment, it appears that the role of the OHS professional has changed little from the technically-oriented, people-focused, compliance approach of 50 years ago. It appears that senior managers may not seek the input of OHS professionals on strategic business matters that may impact on workplace health and safety, and the activities of OHS professionals do not position themselves to be influential with senior managers. This lack of strategic influence may be inhibiting improvement in OHS in Australian workplaces. This document outlines the rationale, research framework and research design for a study that applied grounded theory analysis methods to data collected through interviews of senior managers and OHS professionals, supported by observations, to develop a theory and model to explain the way OHS professionals interact with senior managers and how the manager processes and perceives OHS professional advice. The implications for OHS professional practice are presented in the form of a letter to a young colleague. The outcomes of this research should assist OHS professionals in developing the capability to enhance the acceptance of OHS professional advice at senior levels of management and so optimise safety and health in Australian workplaces.
- Description: Master of Applied Science (Research)
- Authors: Pryor, Pam
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: As indicated by the emergence of occupational health and safety (OHS) professional bodies in the United States of America (1911), United Kingdom (1945) and Australia (1949), OHS advisors have had a role in industry for over 50 years. However, despite changes in legislation and in the major paradigm for OHS together with changes in the industrial and economic environment, it appears that the role of the OHS professional has changed little from the technically-oriented, people-focused, compliance approach of 50 years ago. It appears that senior managers may not seek the input of OHS professionals on strategic business matters that may impact on workplace health and safety, and the activities of OHS professionals do not position themselves to be influential with senior managers. This lack of strategic influence may be inhibiting improvement in OHS in Australian workplaces. This document outlines the rationale, research framework and research design for a study that applied grounded theory analysis methods to data collected through interviews of senior managers and OHS professionals, supported by observations, to develop a theory and model to explain the way OHS professionals interact with senior managers and how the manager processes and perceives OHS professional advice. The implications for OHS professional practice are presented in the form of a letter to a young colleague. The outcomes of this research should assist OHS professionals in developing the capability to enhance the acceptance of OHS professional advice at senior levels of management and so optimise safety and health in Australian workplaces.
- Description: Master of Applied Science (Research)
Susceptibility of rehabilitated mine batter surface to mass movement
- Authors: Allen, Tristan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The goal of the research is to quantify coal properties that may affect the processes and controls governing rehabilitated brown coal mine surface mass movements. The research investigates weathering of coal and assesses the difference in strength characteristics between fresh and weathered coal. In addition to quantifying the mechanical properties of coal surfaces in a rehabilitated slope, permeability changes due to weathering of coal are also investigated. Changes in coal strength influence sliding resistance. Changes in coal permeability impact pore pressures above the coal surface, which may also affect sliding resistance on the coal – cover interface. To assess these issues, direct and residual shear tests were used to investigate the changes in shear strength due to weathering at low normal stresses applicable to shallow cover materials. Testing was undertaken with abrasive surfaces to simulate sliding on the contact coal surface beneath cover materials assuming that the cover material is stronger than the coal. The roughness of the abrasive surface proved to be unimportant for large strain shear strength. The shear strength for coal with different weathering and normal effective stresses was examined. Coal cohesion was found to be low, but some rebinding of coal would occur with time. A coal residual friction angle of 39.1 and 37.0 degrees was found for the unsaturated and saturated tested coal respectively. Permeability tests using oxygenated water were undertaken to investigate changes to brown coal permeability as a result of weathering. Even with low levels of oxidation achievable with the permeability test apparatus, coal permeability dropped over time. While the magnitude of the reduction was not large for low oxidation magnitudes, the impact on permeability was demonstrated. A weathering index was developed as part of the study to provide a quantitative basis for assessing the weathered state of coal samples. The index employed changes to Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra to define the state of weathering. To assess the rate and magnitude of weathering of coal through oxidation an autoclave was used to artificially weather brown coal. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography used to analyse the results. As for the permeability testing the autoclave experiments could not be run for sufficient time to progress to complete weathering by oxidation. Nevertheless the principles of the test and the equipment specifications were developed so that they could be used in future to complete the determination of weathering rates. The research has demonstrated the importance of understanding coal weathering at the upper boundary of a rehabilitated coal surface to the potential for cover mass movements due to sliding at the coal cover interface.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Allen, Tristan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The goal of the research is to quantify coal properties that may affect the processes and controls governing rehabilitated brown coal mine surface mass movements. The research investigates weathering of coal and assesses the difference in strength characteristics between fresh and weathered coal. In addition to quantifying the mechanical properties of coal surfaces in a rehabilitated slope, permeability changes due to weathering of coal are also investigated. Changes in coal strength influence sliding resistance. Changes in coal permeability impact pore pressures above the coal surface, which may also affect sliding resistance on the coal – cover interface. To assess these issues, direct and residual shear tests were used to investigate the changes in shear strength due to weathering at low normal stresses applicable to shallow cover materials. Testing was undertaken with abrasive surfaces to simulate sliding on the contact coal surface beneath cover materials assuming that the cover material is stronger than the coal. The roughness of the abrasive surface proved to be unimportant for large strain shear strength. The shear strength for coal with different weathering and normal effective stresses was examined. Coal cohesion was found to be low, but some rebinding of coal would occur with time. A coal residual friction angle of 39.1 and 37.0 degrees was found for the unsaturated and saturated tested coal respectively. Permeability tests using oxygenated water were undertaken to investigate changes to brown coal permeability as a result of weathering. Even with low levels of oxidation achievable with the permeability test apparatus, coal permeability dropped over time. While the magnitude of the reduction was not large for low oxidation magnitudes, the impact on permeability was demonstrated. A weathering index was developed as part of the study to provide a quantitative basis for assessing the weathered state of coal samples. The index employed changes to Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra to define the state of weathering. To assess the rate and magnitude of weathering of coal through oxidation an autoclave was used to artificially weather brown coal. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography used to analyse the results. As for the permeability testing the autoclave experiments could not be run for sufficient time to progress to complete weathering by oxidation. Nevertheless the principles of the test and the equipment specifications were developed so that they could be used in future to complete the determination of weathering rates. The research has demonstrated the importance of understanding coal weathering at the upper boundary of a rehabilitated coal surface to the potential for cover mass movements due to sliding at the coal cover interface.
- Description: Masters by Research
"Beyond home and sex?" : Gender and sexuality in Elizabeth Moon's
- Authors: O'Sullivan, Jennifer
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Historically, fantasy fiction has tended to present sexuality and gender in a conservative light. Contemporary authors in this genre have the opportunity to imagine worlds in which they can critique these norms and offer new and subversive alternatives. Elizabeth Moon’s work has been seen by some readers and critics (Mains, et al, Bach) to challenge conservative gender roles, and while in some areas this is evident, a critical reading of her Paksworld series through a feminist lens reveals that her work is still largely restricted by normative notions of gender and heteronormative contexts and ideals. In this thesis I argue that while Moon’s female characters are allowed a certain amount of autonomy, they are still often repressed by those around them, silenced, or subject to male dominance and/or sexual violence. Those women in the novels who achieve a position of social, political or spiritual power are forced to make choices between roles: for example, between being a warrior and a mother, and are not allowed to ‘have it all’. Moon does subvert some familiar feminine tropes – her fantasy princesses for example avoid being married against their will, and her female warriors are more complex than simply being ‘sheroes’. Utilising masculinities and disability theory, I also analyse Moon’s treatment of men and masculinity. While Moon presents several familiar male fantasy tropes, she also portrays some surprisingly subversive men. These men are forced to reimagine and reinterpret their own masculine identities by having to confront ageing, disability, mutilation and loss of personal power while negotiating traditionally masculine homo-social environments. Finally, I argue that Moon’s presentation of sexuality in the Paksworld series is problematic and conservative in that very few of her characters are having pleasurable, consensual sex, especially not outside traditional marriage structures. Furthermore, the Paksworld series is largely heteronormative, with same-sex desire identified predominantly with a character who is presented as an antagonist to Paks. Paks herself is asexual, and I argue that Moon uses this as a way to avoid dealing with the issue of female sexual desire rather than an opportunity to explore asexuality as a valid sexual preference or identity. Overall, I argue that despite some subversive elements, Moon’s characters are still largely restricted by conservative expectations of genre, culture, gender and sexuality.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: O'Sullivan, Jennifer
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Historically, fantasy fiction has tended to present sexuality and gender in a conservative light. Contemporary authors in this genre have the opportunity to imagine worlds in which they can critique these norms and offer new and subversive alternatives. Elizabeth Moon’s work has been seen by some readers and critics (Mains, et al, Bach) to challenge conservative gender roles, and while in some areas this is evident, a critical reading of her Paksworld series through a feminist lens reveals that her work is still largely restricted by normative notions of gender and heteronormative contexts and ideals. In this thesis I argue that while Moon’s female characters are allowed a certain amount of autonomy, they are still often repressed by those around them, silenced, or subject to male dominance and/or sexual violence. Those women in the novels who achieve a position of social, political or spiritual power are forced to make choices between roles: for example, between being a warrior and a mother, and are not allowed to ‘have it all’. Moon does subvert some familiar feminine tropes – her fantasy princesses for example avoid being married against their will, and her female warriors are more complex than simply being ‘sheroes’. Utilising masculinities and disability theory, I also analyse Moon’s treatment of men and masculinity. While Moon presents several familiar male fantasy tropes, she also portrays some surprisingly subversive men. These men are forced to reimagine and reinterpret their own masculine identities by having to confront ageing, disability, mutilation and loss of personal power while negotiating traditionally masculine homo-social environments. Finally, I argue that Moon’s presentation of sexuality in the Paksworld series is problematic and conservative in that very few of her characters are having pleasurable, consensual sex, especially not outside traditional marriage structures. Furthermore, the Paksworld series is largely heteronormative, with same-sex desire identified predominantly with a character who is presented as an antagonist to Paks. Paks herself is asexual, and I argue that Moon uses this as a way to avoid dealing with the issue of female sexual desire rather than an opportunity to explore asexuality as a valid sexual preference or identity. Overall, I argue that despite some subversive elements, Moon’s characters are still largely restricted by conservative expectations of genre, culture, gender and sexuality.
- Description: Masters by Research
The effects of playing Nintendo Wii on depression, sense of belonging, social support, and mood among Australian aged care residents : A pilot study
- Authors: Chesler, Jessica
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Adults aged 65 years or older constitute the fastest growing age group worldwide, leading to greater numbers of people requiring care in residential facilities. Adults in these facilities have higher levels of depression, lower levels of social support, and lower levels of sense of belonging compared with older adults living in the community. Research has begun to assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving the mental health of aged care residents. Within this population, cognitive and physical benefits of playing video games have been documented in the literature, as well as greater social interaction, and decreased loneliness. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of playing Wii bowling twice weekly, with up to 3 other residents, for 6 weeks. An Australian sample of 31 women and 8 men between the ages of 65 and 95 years (Mean age = 85.68, SD = 9.62) were randomised to either a treatment or control group based on their place of residence. The residents completed demographic information, The Veterans Affairs Saint Louis University Mental Status Exam, the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form, the Social Provisions Scale, and three visual analogue scales to measure sense of belonging and mood. These scales were completed pre-intervention (0 weeks), postintervention (6 weeks), and at 2-month follow up (14 weeks). Qualitative data on social interaction between group members was also collected at weeks 1, 3, and 6. Results did not support the use of the Wii to improve residents’ self-reported levels of depression, social support, sense of belonging, or mood. Social interaction increased over the 6 weeks, as measured by interaction analyses and also residents’ comments. Overall, findings indicate that Wii bowling may be a useful intervention as part of a comprehensive care program to increase social interaction within aged care. Pervasive environmental problems associated with aged care, as well as participant characteristics, may have reduced the effectiveness of the intervention program.
- Description: Master of Applied Science by Research (Psychology)
- Authors: Chesler, Jessica
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Adults aged 65 years or older constitute the fastest growing age group worldwide, leading to greater numbers of people requiring care in residential facilities. Adults in these facilities have higher levels of depression, lower levels of social support, and lower levels of sense of belonging compared with older adults living in the community. Research has begun to assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving the mental health of aged care residents. Within this population, cognitive and physical benefits of playing video games have been documented in the literature, as well as greater social interaction, and decreased loneliness. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of playing Wii bowling twice weekly, with up to 3 other residents, for 6 weeks. An Australian sample of 31 women and 8 men between the ages of 65 and 95 years (Mean age = 85.68, SD = 9.62) were randomised to either a treatment or control group based on their place of residence. The residents completed demographic information, The Veterans Affairs Saint Louis University Mental Status Exam, the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form, the Social Provisions Scale, and three visual analogue scales to measure sense of belonging and mood. These scales were completed pre-intervention (0 weeks), postintervention (6 weeks), and at 2-month follow up (14 weeks). Qualitative data on social interaction between group members was also collected at weeks 1, 3, and 6. Results did not support the use of the Wii to improve residents’ self-reported levels of depression, social support, sense of belonging, or mood. Social interaction increased over the 6 weeks, as measured by interaction analyses and also residents’ comments. Overall, findings indicate that Wii bowling may be a useful intervention as part of a comprehensive care program to increase social interaction within aged care. Pervasive environmental problems associated with aged care, as well as participant characteristics, may have reduced the effectiveness of the intervention program.
- Description: Master of Applied Science by Research (Psychology)
Never give up... : Perceptions of perseverance and its impact on the life and academic success of nine university students
- Authors: Griffiths, Katrina
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Perseverance is a quality which individuals draw on to achieve their goals, despite any challenges they may face, and so is one of the keys to academic and life success. Perseverance is considered to be a positive attribute that can be learned. In this study, how tertiary students understand perseverance, how they acquired it and its role in their lives and learning are explored. The research sample for the study consists of nine pre-service teachers from Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in regional Victoria, Australia. The researcher uses semi-structured interviews, and draws on educational and salutogenic theory and a qualitative methodology. The data has been analysed within the Ecological framework based on the work of McLeroy and colleagues (1988). In the introductory chapter the aims of the study are outlined, perseverance is defined and its significance as a character strength/ attribute is considered. The second chapter, the literature review, explores the extent to which perseverance, along with associated character strengths, has been identified as a significant factor that influences educational achievement and the ability to meet life’s challenges. The third chapter provides justification for applying a qualitative phenomenological methodology, with particular attention to describing both the salutogenic theoretical perspective and the Ecological Model (EM). The fourth chapter, the data analysis, identifies themes within the data and these are discussed with reference to the relationships between the EM layers. The fifth chapter offers the discussion, implications and conclusion of the study. The research findings indicate that all the participants defined perseverance as an attribute or character strength which they called on to overcome challenges and obstacles as they pursued their goals. They associated it with such qualities as persistence, motivation, commitment, focus, goal-setting and strength, amongst others. They recognized perseverance as integral to their academic success as well as to their ability to manage crises and challenges in their lives. They identified multiple contributors to their acquisition of perseverance, including family members, friends and some teachers. Many of the participants identified instances when they made a conscious decision to persevere, and viewed the experience as definitive in their growth as mature people. However, few of the participants considered the schools they attended to have played a significant role in developing their understanding of perseverance or of helping them acquire it, though they were appreciative of those teachers who gave them general support and encouragement. They recognized the importance of schools and teachers explicitly teaching perseverance and supporting its development through positive critique and feedback, and of students experiencing multiple opportunities for practising perseverance at the individual, family, school and policy levels. In educational practice, these conclusions suggest that further research into how best to implement these approaches across all schools would be invaluable.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Description: erseverance is a quality which individuals draw on to achieve their goals, despite any challenges they may face, and so is one of the keys to academic and life success. Perseverance is considered to be a positive attribute that can be learned. In this study, how tertiary students understand perseverance, how they acquired it and its role in their lives and learning are explored. The research sample for the study consists of nine pre-service teachers from Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in regional Victoria, Australia. The researcher uses semi-structured interviews, and draws on educational and salutogenic theory and a qualitative methodology. The data has been analysed within the Ecological framework based on the work of McLeroy and colleagues (1988). In the introductory chapter the aims of the study are outlined, perseverance is defined and its significance as a character strength/ attribute is considered. The second chapter, the literature review, explores the extent to which perseverance, along with associated character strengths, has been identified as a significant factor that influences educational achievement and the ability to meet life’s challenges. The third chapter provides justification for applying a qualitative phenomenological methodology, with particular attention to describing both the salutogenic theoretical perspective and the Ecological Model (EM). The fourth chapter, the data analysis, identifies themes within the data and these are discussed with reference to the relationships between the EM layers. The fifth chapter offers the discussion, implications and conclusion of the study. The research findings indicate that all the participants defined perseverance as an attribute or character strength which they called on to overcome challenges and obstacles as they pursued their goals. They associated it with such qualities as persistence, motivation, commitment, focus, goal-setting and strength, amongst others. They recognized perseverance as integral to their academic success as well as to their ability to manage crises and challenges in their lives. They identified multiple contributors to their acquisition of perseverance, including family members, friends and some teachers. Many of the participants identified instances when they made a conscious decision to persevere, and viewed the experience as definitive in their growth as mature people. However, few of the participants considered the schools they attended to have played a significant role in developing their understanding of perseverance or of helping them acquire it, though they were appreciative of those teachers who gave them general support and encouragement. They recognized the importance of schools and teachers explicitly teaching perseverance and supporting its development through positive critique and feedback, and of students experiencing multiple opportunities for practising perseverance at the individual, family, school and policy levels. In educational practice, these conclusions suggest that further research into how best to implement these approaches across all schools would be invaluable.
- Authors: Griffiths, Katrina
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Perseverance is a quality which individuals draw on to achieve their goals, despite any challenges they may face, and so is one of the keys to academic and life success. Perseverance is considered to be a positive attribute that can be learned. In this study, how tertiary students understand perseverance, how they acquired it and its role in their lives and learning are explored. The research sample for the study consists of nine pre-service teachers from Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in regional Victoria, Australia. The researcher uses semi-structured interviews, and draws on educational and salutogenic theory and a qualitative methodology. The data has been analysed within the Ecological framework based on the work of McLeroy and colleagues (1988). In the introductory chapter the aims of the study are outlined, perseverance is defined and its significance as a character strength/ attribute is considered. The second chapter, the literature review, explores the extent to which perseverance, along with associated character strengths, has been identified as a significant factor that influences educational achievement and the ability to meet life’s challenges. The third chapter provides justification for applying a qualitative phenomenological methodology, with particular attention to describing both the salutogenic theoretical perspective and the Ecological Model (EM). The fourth chapter, the data analysis, identifies themes within the data and these are discussed with reference to the relationships between the EM layers. The fifth chapter offers the discussion, implications and conclusion of the study. The research findings indicate that all the participants defined perseverance as an attribute or character strength which they called on to overcome challenges and obstacles as they pursued their goals. They associated it with such qualities as persistence, motivation, commitment, focus, goal-setting and strength, amongst others. They recognized perseverance as integral to their academic success as well as to their ability to manage crises and challenges in their lives. They identified multiple contributors to their acquisition of perseverance, including family members, friends and some teachers. Many of the participants identified instances when they made a conscious decision to persevere, and viewed the experience as definitive in their growth as mature people. However, few of the participants considered the schools they attended to have played a significant role in developing their understanding of perseverance or of helping them acquire it, though they were appreciative of those teachers who gave them general support and encouragement. They recognized the importance of schools and teachers explicitly teaching perseverance and supporting its development through positive critique and feedback, and of students experiencing multiple opportunities for practising perseverance at the individual, family, school and policy levels. In educational practice, these conclusions suggest that further research into how best to implement these approaches across all schools would be invaluable.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Description: erseverance is a quality which individuals draw on to achieve their goals, despite any challenges they may face, and so is one of the keys to academic and life success. Perseverance is considered to be a positive attribute that can be learned. In this study, how tertiary students understand perseverance, how they acquired it and its role in their lives and learning are explored. The research sample for the study consists of nine pre-service teachers from Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in regional Victoria, Australia. The researcher uses semi-structured interviews, and draws on educational and salutogenic theory and a qualitative methodology. The data has been analysed within the Ecological framework based on the work of McLeroy and colleagues (1988). In the introductory chapter the aims of the study are outlined, perseverance is defined and its significance as a character strength/ attribute is considered. The second chapter, the literature review, explores the extent to which perseverance, along with associated character strengths, has been identified as a significant factor that influences educational achievement and the ability to meet life’s challenges. The third chapter provides justification for applying a qualitative phenomenological methodology, with particular attention to describing both the salutogenic theoretical perspective and the Ecological Model (EM). The fourth chapter, the data analysis, identifies themes within the data and these are discussed with reference to the relationships between the EM layers. The fifth chapter offers the discussion, implications and conclusion of the study. The research findings indicate that all the participants defined perseverance as an attribute or character strength which they called on to overcome challenges and obstacles as they pursued their goals. They associated it with such qualities as persistence, motivation, commitment, focus, goal-setting and strength, amongst others. They recognized perseverance as integral to their academic success as well as to their ability to manage crises and challenges in their lives. They identified multiple contributors to their acquisition of perseverance, including family members, friends and some teachers. Many of the participants identified instances when they made a conscious decision to persevere, and viewed the experience as definitive in their growth as mature people. However, few of the participants considered the schools they attended to have played a significant role in developing their understanding of perseverance or of helping them acquire it, though they were appreciative of those teachers who gave them general support and encouragement. They recognized the importance of schools and teachers explicitly teaching perseverance and supporting its development through positive critique and feedback, and of students experiencing multiple opportunities for practising perseverance at the individual, family, school and policy levels. In educational practice, these conclusions suggest that further research into how best to implement these approaches across all schools would be invaluable.
Intelligent sewer blockage detection system using Internet of Things
- Authors: Buurman, Benjamin
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Despite being a common issue in both developed and developing countries, wastewater blockages have severe potential consequences. Blockages can be located at sewer mains or individual properties and can also be classified as partial or full. Full blockages completely obstruct a wastewater asset, and partial blockages will often develop into full blockages if left unattended. Currently, blockages are managed by routine manual inspections to wastewater assets on a round-robin schedule. This is highly inefficient and costly, as blockages that form between these inspections and progress to effluent breaches will go undetected. In this thesis we present an Internet of Things (IoT) solution capable of simultaneously monitoring an entire wastewater infrastructure for blockages while still remaining inexpensive, reliable, and practical. Wireless motes use float switch sensors to detect blockages and transmit this to a central system using either LoRa or Wi-Fi communications. Making both LoRa and Wi-Fi available ensures the system can be adapted in any situation across a variety of geographic and economic restrictions. The central system determines whether a surcharge is caused by a blockage or simply the result of regular activity not requiring intervention. Detection of false positives is critical, as deployment of field technicians is an expensive process that moves resources from other skilled work. If a surcharge is determined to be caused by a blockage, the central system will classify it as full or partial before estimating the property or length of main between properties it is located at. Following this, relevant parties will be notified so field technicians can be deployed to resolve the blockage. We performed both practical laboratory testing and simulation modelling on our proposed system, and confirmed it is indeed capable of detecting, classifying, and locating blockages across a wide urban area. Our choice of hardware, software and network equipment ensures that the proposed IoT-based solution is inexpensive, workable, and easily deployable.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Buurman, Benjamin
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Despite being a common issue in both developed and developing countries, wastewater blockages have severe potential consequences. Blockages can be located at sewer mains or individual properties and can also be classified as partial or full. Full blockages completely obstruct a wastewater asset, and partial blockages will often develop into full blockages if left unattended. Currently, blockages are managed by routine manual inspections to wastewater assets on a round-robin schedule. This is highly inefficient and costly, as blockages that form between these inspections and progress to effluent breaches will go undetected. In this thesis we present an Internet of Things (IoT) solution capable of simultaneously monitoring an entire wastewater infrastructure for blockages while still remaining inexpensive, reliable, and practical. Wireless motes use float switch sensors to detect blockages and transmit this to a central system using either LoRa or Wi-Fi communications. Making both LoRa and Wi-Fi available ensures the system can be adapted in any situation across a variety of geographic and economic restrictions. The central system determines whether a surcharge is caused by a blockage or simply the result of regular activity not requiring intervention. Detection of false positives is critical, as deployment of field technicians is an expensive process that moves resources from other skilled work. If a surcharge is determined to be caused by a blockage, the central system will classify it as full or partial before estimating the property or length of main between properties it is located at. Following this, relevant parties will be notified so field technicians can be deployed to resolve the blockage. We performed both practical laboratory testing and simulation modelling on our proposed system, and confirmed it is indeed capable of detecting, classifying, and locating blockages across a wide urban area. Our choice of hardware, software and network equipment ensures that the proposed IoT-based solution is inexpensive, workable, and easily deployable.
- Description: Masters by Research
A hand made wood object : Studio investigation into transformed nature
- Authors: Rein, Jeannette
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This research explores the importance of retaining traditional hand skills in terms of their relevance to contemporary and future art practice. I examine the hand made and the process of transforming timber into a wooden sculptural form. I investigate how the artist thinks with the material, and how this process gives the artist the ‘sight’ to identify new and original possibilities. Furthermore, I explore how the transformative approach perpetuates new knowledge, and how skills are modified and adapted to suit the changes. I describe this as a dialogic process. The research examines the correlation between the transformative process and the hand made object, the imprint of the maker and how their memories of the processes used, remain embedded in the object. In addition, this research investigates the transformation processes used in creating an object, to provide individualisation within our highly mechanised world, while providing a bridge connecting the past and the future. Through the examination of traditional hand skills, I demonstrate how such skills provide an anchor, a standard of quality and artisanship that connects artists from traditional wood practice, through contemporary praxis, to hand made digital art. My research focuses on the transformation process and traditional hand skills, the vital role they play in the creation of digital hand made objects; as digital processes utilize new materials, processes and machinery that interfaces with traditional analogue tools.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Rein, Jeannette
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This research explores the importance of retaining traditional hand skills in terms of their relevance to contemporary and future art practice. I examine the hand made and the process of transforming timber into a wooden sculptural form. I investigate how the artist thinks with the material, and how this process gives the artist the ‘sight’ to identify new and original possibilities. Furthermore, I explore how the transformative approach perpetuates new knowledge, and how skills are modified and adapted to suit the changes. I describe this as a dialogic process. The research examines the correlation between the transformative process and the hand made object, the imprint of the maker and how their memories of the processes used, remain embedded in the object. In addition, this research investigates the transformation processes used in creating an object, to provide individualisation within our highly mechanised world, while providing a bridge connecting the past and the future. Through the examination of traditional hand skills, I demonstrate how such skills provide an anchor, a standard of quality and artisanship that connects artists from traditional wood practice, through contemporary praxis, to hand made digital art. My research focuses on the transformation process and traditional hand skills, the vital role they play in the creation of digital hand made objects; as digital processes utilize new materials, processes and machinery that interfaces with traditional analogue tools.
- Description: Masters by Research
The cultural interactions of Aborigines with Whales, Whalers and Whaling in southwest Victoria 1828-1850
- Authors: Eldridge, Richard
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The primary aim of this thesis is to reconstruct the history of Aboriginal cultural associations with whales and whaling in southwest Victoria in the nineteenth century. Despite there being a considerable corpus of information about Aboriginal peoples and whaling in southeast South Australia and southern New South Wales, there is a relative poverty of information on southwest Victoria. One of the primary objectives of this thesis is to offer explanations for this absence of information. Through an analysis of the Convincing Ground massacre that is believed to have taken place in the early period of whaling at Portland Bay, it will be argued that the violence characterised by this event fundamentally transformed race relations at Portland to such an extent that Aboriginal people avoided interaction with whalers. The rationale for this research is twofold: first to contribute to the history of frontier relations in Victoria; second, to reconstruct from archival sources the cultural and economic associations between Victorian Aboriginal people and whalers.
- Description: Master of Business (Research)
- Authors: Eldridge, Richard
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The primary aim of this thesis is to reconstruct the history of Aboriginal cultural associations with whales and whaling in southwest Victoria in the nineteenth century. Despite there being a considerable corpus of information about Aboriginal peoples and whaling in southeast South Australia and southern New South Wales, there is a relative poverty of information on southwest Victoria. One of the primary objectives of this thesis is to offer explanations for this absence of information. Through an analysis of the Convincing Ground massacre that is believed to have taken place in the early period of whaling at Portland Bay, it will be argued that the violence characterised by this event fundamentally transformed race relations at Portland to such an extent that Aboriginal people avoided interaction with whalers. The rationale for this research is twofold: first to contribute to the history of frontier relations in Victoria; second, to reconstruct from archival sources the cultural and economic associations between Victorian Aboriginal people and whalers.
- Description: Master of Business (Research)
The collaborative designer : An investigation into the lived experience of co-design practice
- Authors: Smith, Chrissie
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This enquiry is motivated by a growing recognition of citizen participation by design disciplines and other disciplines outside of design (such as social science, science and business) in solving complex problems across society. Co-design is the approach that this research focuses on in particular. Codesign is a new field of collaborative practice that has emerged from the Scandinavian tradition of Participatory Design. Integral to the philosophy of both these practices is the decentralisation of the individual expert designer and the empowering of the end user as an active participant. Despite many studies that have provided useful frameworks and insights into the practice of co-design, conceptualisations and discussions around implications for participation and design deployment rarely include the voice of the co-design practitioner. This study uses a descriptive phenomenological approach to explore the experience of practitioners, some trained in design and some not, facilitating co-design practice. Aligned with this approach, detailed interviews were conducted with six practitioners from Australia and New Zealand to understand what is unique or contingent to them personally, situated within their practices. Through a process of detailed and analytic exploration of these six individual descriptions of the phenomenon under investigation, the core constituents of the experience of co-design practice were distinguished for each participant. From these constituents, general structures representing the essences, or invariants common to all experiences under investigation were identified. Based on the careful analysis of the narrative descriptions from the interviewed practitioners, the core aspects of their practice in collaboration with end-user groups and other stakeholders are described. A visual framework is proposed that capture the complexity of their lived experiences of co-design practice.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Smith, Chrissie
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This enquiry is motivated by a growing recognition of citizen participation by design disciplines and other disciplines outside of design (such as social science, science and business) in solving complex problems across society. Co-design is the approach that this research focuses on in particular. Codesign is a new field of collaborative practice that has emerged from the Scandinavian tradition of Participatory Design. Integral to the philosophy of both these practices is the decentralisation of the individual expert designer and the empowering of the end user as an active participant. Despite many studies that have provided useful frameworks and insights into the practice of co-design, conceptualisations and discussions around implications for participation and design deployment rarely include the voice of the co-design practitioner. This study uses a descriptive phenomenological approach to explore the experience of practitioners, some trained in design and some not, facilitating co-design practice. Aligned with this approach, detailed interviews were conducted with six practitioners from Australia and New Zealand to understand what is unique or contingent to them personally, situated within their practices. Through a process of detailed and analytic exploration of these six individual descriptions of the phenomenon under investigation, the core constituents of the experience of co-design practice were distinguished for each participant. From these constituents, general structures representing the essences, or invariants common to all experiences under investigation were identified. Based on the careful analysis of the narrative descriptions from the interviewed practitioners, the core aspects of their practice in collaboration with end-user groups and other stakeholders are described. A visual framework is proposed that capture the complexity of their lived experiences of co-design practice.
- Description: Masters by Research
Secure network solutions for cloud services
- Authors: Huang, Chengcheng
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Securing a cloud network is an important challenge for delivering cloud services to cloud users. There are a number of secure network protocols, such as VPN protocols, currently available to provide different secure network solutions for enterprise clouds. For example, PPTP, L2TP, GRE, IPsec and SSL/TLS are the most widely used VPN protocols in today’s securing network solutions. However, there are some significant challenges in the implementation stage. For example, which VPN solution is easy to deploy in delivering cloud services? Which solution can provide the best network throughput in delivering the cloud services? Which solution can provide the lowest network latency in delivering the cloud services? This thesis addresses these issues by implementing different VPNs in a test bed environment set up by the Cisco routers. Open source measurement tools will be utilized to acquire the results. This thesis also reviews cloud computing and cloud services and look at their relationships. It also explores the benefits and the weaknesses of each securing network solution. The results can not only provide experimental evidence, but also facilitate the network implementers in development and deployment of secure network solutions for cloud services.
- Description: Master of Computing (Research)
- Authors: Huang, Chengcheng
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Securing a cloud network is an important challenge for delivering cloud services to cloud users. There are a number of secure network protocols, such as VPN protocols, currently available to provide different secure network solutions for enterprise clouds. For example, PPTP, L2TP, GRE, IPsec and SSL/TLS are the most widely used VPN protocols in today’s securing network solutions. However, there are some significant challenges in the implementation stage. For example, which VPN solution is easy to deploy in delivering cloud services? Which solution can provide the best network throughput in delivering the cloud services? Which solution can provide the lowest network latency in delivering the cloud services? This thesis addresses these issues by implementing different VPNs in a test bed environment set up by the Cisco routers. Open source measurement tools will be utilized to acquire the results. This thesis also reviews cloud computing and cloud services and look at their relationships. It also explores the benefits and the weaknesses of each securing network solution. The results can not only provide experimental evidence, but also facilitate the network implementers in development and deployment of secure network solutions for cloud services.
- Description: Master of Computing (Research)
Neurotrophic biomarker change after physical activity and mindfulness interventions
- Authors: England, Gina
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: BACKGROUND AND AIM AND HYPOTHESIS: BDNF, FGF2 and NGF are neurotrophins associated with neuroplasticity, nervous system development and psychiatric disorder in the literature. BDNF in particular is suggested as a useful biomarker of mood disorder. Both mindfulness and physical activity are shown to improve mood, reduce stress and are widely used as part of a multi-component treatment approach, reducing distressing symptoms of mood and affect disorders. The utility of protein level as a biomarker has been controversial in the literature following issues concerning the assessment of peripheral levels as a proxy for central levels. The principal aim of this study was to investigate the gene expression of three neurotrophins BDNF, FGF2 and NGF as potential biomarkers of mood disorder, at an early stage of these disorders, which are now widely recognised as having pathogenesis related to dysregulation in the neuro-immuno-endocrine axis. In addition, the study will explore the effect of both physical activity and mindfulness on neurotrophin expression clarifying the associations between the success of these interventions seen in the literature and their effect on the change of neurotrophin expression. Current literature reports increased levels of BDNF protein both centrally and peripherally following mood disorder treatment and participation in both physical exercise and mindfulness activities. Based on similarity of structure and function amongst the three neurotrophins, this thesis will hypothesize an increase in BDNF and potentially FGF2 and NGF mRNA following participation in the two interventional modules designed to improve wellbeing in clinical and non-clinical communities. METHOD: In this independent measures design, 28 non-clinical volunteers were randomly allocated to an 8 week intervention, comprising digital health tracking modules and participation in an unstructured increase in Physical Activity or Mindfulness program, to assess the effect of these interventions on levels of mRNA expression. RTqPCR was used to compare relative mRNA abundance in peripheral blood at baseline and 8 week time interval. The control group were allocated to a waitlist for the period of the 8 week study, followed by access to the program of their choice. Change in emotional state was measured using the DASS. RESULT: BDNF expression is shown significantly increased (p 0.01, n=5) in the Physical Activity group, and significantly decreased in the Mindfulness group (p 0.01, n=11). FGF2 and waitlisted controls showed no significant change. In the case of NGF no expression was seen in human peripheral blood either before or after the intervention. DASS scores revealed a significant decrease in negative affect in the Mindfulness group p = 0.03. CONCLUSION: This study revealed a significant positive association between physical activity and BDNF mRNA, although no significant reduction in distressing mood symptoms was shown. This was potentially due to the small group size. Mindfulness was significantly associated with decreasing negative affect, despite an unexpected decrease in BDNF mRNA consistent with pathophysiology of depression, likely related to neuro-immunoendocrine axis disturbance as suggested in the published literature. It is suggested decreasing mRNA levels reflect lower numbers of immune activated leucocytes present in the blood following mood improvement, albeit not verified in the study. This study suggests even in a small non-clinical sample there may be potential benefits to well-being by increasing levels of physical activity or becoming mindful, and that BDNF has potential as a biomarker of emotional state.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: England, Gina
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: BACKGROUND AND AIM AND HYPOTHESIS: BDNF, FGF2 and NGF are neurotrophins associated with neuroplasticity, nervous system development and psychiatric disorder in the literature. BDNF in particular is suggested as a useful biomarker of mood disorder. Both mindfulness and physical activity are shown to improve mood, reduce stress and are widely used as part of a multi-component treatment approach, reducing distressing symptoms of mood and affect disorders. The utility of protein level as a biomarker has been controversial in the literature following issues concerning the assessment of peripheral levels as a proxy for central levels. The principal aim of this study was to investigate the gene expression of three neurotrophins BDNF, FGF2 and NGF as potential biomarkers of mood disorder, at an early stage of these disorders, which are now widely recognised as having pathogenesis related to dysregulation in the neuro-immuno-endocrine axis. In addition, the study will explore the effect of both physical activity and mindfulness on neurotrophin expression clarifying the associations between the success of these interventions seen in the literature and their effect on the change of neurotrophin expression. Current literature reports increased levels of BDNF protein both centrally and peripherally following mood disorder treatment and participation in both physical exercise and mindfulness activities. Based on similarity of structure and function amongst the three neurotrophins, this thesis will hypothesize an increase in BDNF and potentially FGF2 and NGF mRNA following participation in the two interventional modules designed to improve wellbeing in clinical and non-clinical communities. METHOD: In this independent measures design, 28 non-clinical volunteers were randomly allocated to an 8 week intervention, comprising digital health tracking modules and participation in an unstructured increase in Physical Activity or Mindfulness program, to assess the effect of these interventions on levels of mRNA expression. RTqPCR was used to compare relative mRNA abundance in peripheral blood at baseline and 8 week time interval. The control group were allocated to a waitlist for the period of the 8 week study, followed by access to the program of their choice. Change in emotional state was measured using the DASS. RESULT: BDNF expression is shown significantly increased (p 0.01, n=5) in the Physical Activity group, and significantly decreased in the Mindfulness group (p 0.01, n=11). FGF2 and waitlisted controls showed no significant change. In the case of NGF no expression was seen in human peripheral blood either before or after the intervention. DASS scores revealed a significant decrease in negative affect in the Mindfulness group p = 0.03. CONCLUSION: This study revealed a significant positive association between physical activity and BDNF mRNA, although no significant reduction in distressing mood symptoms was shown. This was potentially due to the small group size. Mindfulness was significantly associated with decreasing negative affect, despite an unexpected decrease in BDNF mRNA consistent with pathophysiology of depression, likely related to neuro-immunoendocrine axis disturbance as suggested in the published literature. It is suggested decreasing mRNA levels reflect lower numbers of immune activated leucocytes present in the blood following mood improvement, albeit not verified in the study. This study suggests even in a small non-clinical sample there may be potential benefits to well-being by increasing levels of physical activity or becoming mindful, and that BDNF has potential as a biomarker of emotional state.
- Description: Masters by Research
An experimental investigation into the drainage properties of coarse Loy Yang pond ash
- Authors: Stipcevich, Jack
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The Latrobe Valley mines, Victoria, Australia, are facing some major challenges as they approach the end of their mining life. Most of these challenges surround current rehabilitation practice and the ability to create safe and stable landforms for future land uses well after the mines have closed. As there has been no developed alternative use for the brown coal at this stage, stopping power generation leads to the cessation of mining. AGL Loy Yang is undertaking rehabilitation cover trials on exposed coal batters to investigate optimal cover materials that will enable safe and stable batters well beyond mine closure. A series of rehabilitation trials using coarse coal ash have been constructed by AGL to assess the performance of coarse coal ash as a ‘subsurface drainage layer’. One of the trials includes the use of a 1 metre coarse coal ash layer placed below a 1 metre thick clay cover and above a coal surface shaped to approximately 18 degrees (1V:3H). Without a drainage layer, water may percolate through the clay cover or seep through the intact brown coal, resulting in a build of pore water pressure at the coal – clay interface and increasing the potential for slope failure. The aim of this research work was to assess the spatial distribution of ash properties known to affect drainage behaviour at the field scale; to test and calibrate field-monitoring equipment that can be used to assess drainage behaviour at the field-scale; to provide recommendations for further research on the use of coal ash drainage layer; and to provide a benchmark for future testing and monitoring. Through an experimental investigation, it was shown that there no significant variation exists in the coarse fraction of Loy Yang pond ash’s physical and chemical properties. Monitoring equipment used to determine the field drainage performance of the ash included a T8 Tensiometer and EnviroPro (multi-capacitance sensor) that were calibrated and tested in the laboratory. It was determined that monitoring devices used in this study were suitable for measuring the ash’s hydraulic behaviour only once calibrations had been performed. As a result the tested field equipment were included in the design of a future monitoring program.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Stipcevich, Jack
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The Latrobe Valley mines, Victoria, Australia, are facing some major challenges as they approach the end of their mining life. Most of these challenges surround current rehabilitation practice and the ability to create safe and stable landforms for future land uses well after the mines have closed. As there has been no developed alternative use for the brown coal at this stage, stopping power generation leads to the cessation of mining. AGL Loy Yang is undertaking rehabilitation cover trials on exposed coal batters to investigate optimal cover materials that will enable safe and stable batters well beyond mine closure. A series of rehabilitation trials using coarse coal ash have been constructed by AGL to assess the performance of coarse coal ash as a ‘subsurface drainage layer’. One of the trials includes the use of a 1 metre coarse coal ash layer placed below a 1 metre thick clay cover and above a coal surface shaped to approximately 18 degrees (1V:3H). Without a drainage layer, water may percolate through the clay cover or seep through the intact brown coal, resulting in a build of pore water pressure at the coal – clay interface and increasing the potential for slope failure. The aim of this research work was to assess the spatial distribution of ash properties known to affect drainage behaviour at the field scale; to test and calibrate field-monitoring equipment that can be used to assess drainage behaviour at the field-scale; to provide recommendations for further research on the use of coal ash drainage layer; and to provide a benchmark for future testing and monitoring. Through an experimental investigation, it was shown that there no significant variation exists in the coarse fraction of Loy Yang pond ash’s physical and chemical properties. Monitoring equipment used to determine the field drainage performance of the ash included a T8 Tensiometer and EnviroPro (multi-capacitance sensor) that were calibrated and tested in the laboratory. It was determined that monitoring devices used in this study were suitable for measuring the ash’s hydraulic behaviour only once calibrations had been performed. As a result the tested field equipment were included in the design of a future monitoring program.
- Description: Masters by Research
Electro-kinetic treatment of a quartz-illite tailing
- Authors: Huggins, Grant
- Date: 2000
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The purpose of the study is to determine what use electro-kinetics may have to the minefilling process. It also examines what possible use it may have in other mining areas, where stabilising fine soils can improve the mining process. A review of minefilling methods and the general use of electro-kinetics is performed to support this examination."
- Description: Master of Engineering Science
- Authors: Huggins, Grant
- Date: 2000
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The purpose of the study is to determine what use electro-kinetics may have to the minefilling process. It also examines what possible use it may have in other mining areas, where stabilising fine soils can improve the mining process. A review of minefilling methods and the general use of electro-kinetics is performed to support this examination."
- Description: Master of Engineering Science