Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Art, modern Australia'
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1
Whitehouse, Denise Mary 1947. "The Contemporary Art Society of NSW and the theory and production of contemporary abstraction in Australia, 1947-1961." Monash University, Dept. of Visual Arts, 1999. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/8387.
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Williams, Court. "Sensitive skin." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2008. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/28932.
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The work being considered for examination will be my gallery installation Affliction.
Consisting of approximately six hundred digitally printed and hand constructed three
dimensional models, it will be installed on the gallery floor as a part of the Postgraduate
Degree show at Sydney College of the Arts (Tuesday December 9th through to Wednesday
December 17th).
My masters project explores the isolation and dislocation experienced in the urban
environment and situates un-commissioned street art as a construct that potentially
generates modes of plurality through immediate encounter, collaboration and intervention.
My work explores the inter-activity of street art. This is done through a reading of Nicolas
Bourriaud’s Relational Aesthetics - a theory of art that takes as its theoretical horizon
the realm of human inter-actions in social spaces. 1 demonstrate the inter-activity of street
art through a discussion of my work as well as the work of three other street artists.
In doing so, 1 also draw attention to the virtual characteristics of the anonymous urban
environment by locating street art as a virtual representation of the art world, the street
artist as an avatar and the city surface as an online blog.
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Tzavaras, Annette. "Transforming perceptions of Islamic culture in Australia through collaboration in contemporary art." Faculty of Creative Arts, 2008. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/120.
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My creative work investigates the negative space, the ‘in between space’ that leads to new knowledge about other artists and other cultures. The fundamental and distinctive elements of Islamic pattern in my paintings in the exhibition Dialogue in Diversity are based on my own experience of misinformation as well as rewarding collaboration within a culturally blended family.This research explores the continuity of the arabesque and polygon. I experiment with the hexagon and its geometric shapes, with its many repeat patterns and the interrelatedness of the negative space, or the void indicative of the space between layers of past and present civilizations that are significant fundamentals in my paintings.The thesis Transforming perceptions of Islamic culture in Australia through collaboration in contemporary art traces the visual history of Orientalist art, beginning with a key image of Arthur Streeton, Fatima Habiba, painted in 1897 and contrasts Streeton’s perception with that of important Islamic women artists working globally such as Emily Jacir who participated in the Zones of Contact 2006 Biennale of Sydney.A core element of my research is working with emerging artists from Islamic backgrounds in Western Sydney. The February 2007 exhibition Transforming Perceptions Via . . . at the University of Wollongong brought together artists from east and west.By adopting the Islamic pattern in my paintings, I hope to strengthen the interaction between the Christian and Muslim interface in Australian contemporary society. My work contemplates the human aspects of relationships and responsibilities within the cross cultural spectrum.
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Roche, Judith D. "The role of the artist at the beginning of the twenty-first century: An exploration of dialectical processes in art and science with particular reference to biologically based art." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2005. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1571.
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This thesis examines the role of the artist at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It focuses on the interaction between art and science in an exploration of the dialectical processes that may occur in that interaction. Researchers have recently developed techniques in stem cell technology and genetic modification that offer remarkable potential and bring possible advantages and disadvantages for scientists and the wider community. In response to these new technologies, scientists and artists have developed collaborative projects and, in some instances, artists have moved from the studio to the science laboratory to create work called sci-art, bio-art, or moistmedia. This new inter-disciplinary activity affords prospects of dialectical processes: it crosses many boundaries and disturbs some existing conventions and practices, and, for the artists involved, the access to innovative materials has moved their work into areas of new skills and concepts. The extent to which traditional artists and those with collaborative sci-art practices contribute to the debate on important social and cultural issues forms part of this study. The research data was gathered during semi-structured interviews with scientists and artists, of whom three scientists and five artists are involved in sci-art collaborations. Proposed dialectical processes identified in the data are outlined throughout the document. A discussion about the ways in which contemporary art and artists are located within the current social and cultural environment; the status accorded visual art education today; and the manner in which commentators and other members of the public regard the elements and functions of art, forms the initial framework. This is followed by an overview of biologically based art practices, worldwide, that provides a background for a discussion of sci-art collaborations. These collaborations are initiated by a wide range of individuals and organisations and, according to the participants, the intentions of the originator or funding body have the potential to influence the outcome of the collaboration. The research explores possible conflicts of interest between the parties involved in these interactions, and any perceived implications for creative freedom. This study also examines current attitudes towards the notion of creativity in science and art, the avant-garde, and the relevance of philosophy and theory in art practices. It discusses the extent to which technology influences the creative process, and highlights issues that augment, interrogate or philosophise about the role of the contemporary artist. The research found that, although the notion of Snow’s ‘two cultures’ still has supporters, there are more similarities than dissimilarities between scientists and artists. Although some instances of Hegelian dialectical processes were identified, the data residing in many of the participants’ responses called for a more post-structuralist, non-linear approach to the dialectic as described by Jervis (1998), Janesick (2000) and others. In this way, the data drew attention to many complex issues and tensions that emanate from the interaction between art, science, technology, government and commerce, and the interaction between artists and the culture and society in which they live at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
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Knezevic, Nina. "Interpreting the autobiographical archive." Phd thesis, Sydney College of the Arts, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/13893.
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Ren, Wei. "The Writer's Art: Tao Yuanqing and the Formation of Modern Chinese Design (1900-1930)." Thesis, Harvard University, 2015. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17465116.
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The dissertation examines the history of modern design in early 20th-century China. The emergent field of design looked to replace the specific cultural and historical references of visual art with an international language of geometry and abstraction. However, design practices also, encouraged extracting culturally unique visual forms by looking inward at a nation’s constructed past. The challenge of uniting these dual, and seemingly contradictory, goals was met in a collaborative book cover design project between Lu Xun (1881-1936), China’s most influential modern writer, and Tao Yuanqing (1893-1929), a painter who transformed ancient motifs into a transnational vocabulary of modern design.
As the title suggests, the dissertation provides a history of modern Chinese design in four chapters, with the Lu Xun-Tao Yuanqing collaboration at its core. The investigation begins with the moment of culmination, wherein Lu Xun and Tao Yuanqing’s intersubjective dynamic allowed for evocative yet inscrutable book cover designs to be created. In the new medium of design, the writer’s anxiety regarding the inadequacy of language converged with the artist’s desire for ambiguity in art. The critical analysis then moves back to earlier instances of design and examines how the history of design in China was inflected by the World Exposition, Japan, art education, and commercial art. The inquiry finally moves forward to the discussion of Tao Yuanqing’s art and design’s relationship with a range of discursive fields in aesthetics and literary criticism, including modern notions of beauty, childlikeness, empathy, the native soil movement, cosmopolitanism, symbolism, and ambiguity in art. This part reveals how Tao Yuanqing’s innovations ironically endorsed while simultaneously subverting contemporary interpretive efforts.History of Art and Architecture
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Souliman, Victoria. "“The remoteness that pains us” — National Identity, Expatriatism and Women’s Agency in the Artistic Exchanges between Australia and Britain in the 1920s and 1930s." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/21336.
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This thesis explores the cultural and artistic influence of Britain in Australia, or the Britishness of the Australian character, from the years directly following the end of World War I until 1941. Australia during this period was often described as an isolated, or a “quarantined”, culture characterised by its delay in accepting modernism. Despite Britain ceding more independence and autonomy to its dominions at the time, Australia sought to maintain its cultural and imperial bond, identifying exclusively with Britain in a number of ways. For instance, many Australians still considered Britain to be “Home”, while London continued to attract expatriate artists from Australia. In the words of Australian art historian Daniel Thomas, Australia developed a “bi-hemispheric Anglo-Australian cultural identity”, which was marked by nationalism, conservatism and masculinism. This thesis examines the artistic exchanges between Australia and Britain in the 1920s and 1930s, shedding light on the complexities of cultural identification. It considers in particular the fact that such nationalistic historiography of Australian art has denied women’s agency in defining Australian art and identity. The national collections of British art, as well as the mechanisms of the circulation of modern British art in Australia, are closely examined to demonstrate the dualism of Australian cultural identity and the marginalisation of women within this history, not only as artists but also as art patrons. This thesis discusses the experience of Australian expatriates in England, considering how they sought to integrate into the British art scene. In doing so, it brings to the fore the significance of expatriatism as a concept that shaped both Australian and British art historiographies. Finally, it conceptualises the achievements of two Australian expatriate women, Edith May Fry and Clarice Zander, who, as exhibition curators, played a crucial role in disseminating modernism in Australia and defining Australia’s cultural identity during the interwar period. The aim of this thesis is thus to demonstrate the mechanisms through which Australia sought to represent its national character in art, as it strove to maintain its identification with Britain.
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Wise, Gianni Ian Media Arts College of Fine Arts UNSW. "Scenario House." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. Media Arts, 2006. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/26230.
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Scenario House, a gallery based installation, is comprised of a room constructed as a ???family room??? within a domestic space, a television with a looped video work and a sound componant played through a 5.1 sound system. The paper is intended to give my work context in relation to the processes leading up to its completion. This is achieved through clarification of the basis for the installation including previous socio-political discourses within my art practice. It then focuses on ways that the installation Scenario House is based on gun practice facilities such as the Valhalla Shooting Club. Further it gives an explanation of the actual production, in context with other art practices. It was found that distinctions between ???war as a game??? and the actual event are being lost within ???simulation revenge scenarios??? where the borders distinguishing gaming violence, television violence and revenge scenarios are increasingly indefinable. War can then be viewed a spectacle where the actual event is lost in a simplified simulation. Scenario House as installation allows audience immersion through sound spatialisation and physical devices. Sound is achieved by design of a 5.1 system played through a domestic home theatre system. The physical design incorporates the dual aspect of a gun shooting club and a lounge room. Further a film loop is shown on the television monitor as part of the domestic space ??? it is non-narrative and semi-documentary in style. The film loop represents the mediation of the representation of fear where there is an exclusion of ???the other??? from the social body. When considering this installation it is important to note that politics and art need not be considered as representing two separate and permanent realities. Conversely there is a need to distance politicised art production from any direct political campaign work in so far as the notion of a campaign constitutes a fixed and inflexible space for intellectual and cultural production. Finally this paper expresses the need to maintain a critical openness to media cultures that dominate political discourse. Art practices such as those of Martha Rosler, Haacke and Paul McCarthy are presented as effective strategies for this form of production.
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Price, Alun John. "Cultures Of Practice Within Design: An Exploration Of The Differences And Similarities Between Photography And Painting As Representational Practices." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2014. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1451.
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Contemporary designers and photographers face many challenges as the profession rapidly develops. This is especially the case in in the Western Australian context. A review into the recent history of the Western Australian design profession is evidence that designers and photographers are consistently shifting between commercial and self-expressive practice. However, the urge to keep up with technological advancement has masked conscious development of this shift, which is a key to self-realisation and improvement for a designer and photographer. This lack of conscious questioning limits holistic development in design practice. This research reflects on myself as a designer developing a response to the significant convergence of media that developed during my career. The research led to an understanding of the development of design as a practice and its connections to art, especially painting. This exploration of the differences and similarities between photography and painting, as representational practices that impact upon the values of a practitioner, seeks, in part, to understand photography using paint.
This research is a broad investigation that sets out to reveal aspects of these relationships, and to raise questions that will form the basis of more in depth studies.
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Pryor, Sally, University of Western Sydney, of Arts Education and Social Sciences College, and of Communication Design and Media School. "Extending integrationist theory through the creation and analysis of a multimedia work of art : postcard from Tunis." THESIS_CAESS_CDM_Pryor_S.xml, 2003. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/746.
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This thesis consists of the production of an inter-active computer-based artwork, an analysis of its research outcomes, and an exploration of the theoretical issues that influenced the artistic practice. The artwork, Postcard from Tunis, is an Integrationist exploration of writing and its transformation at the human-computer interface. It is set in a personal portrait of Tunis, a city with a rich history of writing. The thesis starts with the theory of writing. The conventional view of real writing as representation of speech is shown to have serious limitations.Postcard from Tunis offers users who are not Arabic-literate the perception that there are actually no fixed boundaries between writing and pictures, as both are based on spatial configurations. User interaction with Postcard from Tunis, particularly rollover activity, creates a variety of dynamic signs that cannot be theorised by a bipartate theory of signs and that transcend a distinction between the verbal and the non-verbal altogether. Postcard from Tunis both extends Integrationist theory into writing and human-computer interaction and also uniquely articulates this integration of activities in a way that is impossible with written words on paper. The research asserts the validity of the Integrationist theory of writing, language and human communication and of uncoupling these from spoken words. A framework is outlined for future Integrationist research into icons and human-computer interaction.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Willacy, Eric. "The search for "self" in a fragmented mind." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2011. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/28928.
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The reason for making art goes beyond a desire to pictorially represent a chosen subject. The subject and the production methodology chosen to present it, are to art, what scaffolding is to a new building; a necessary means to an end, but to me at least, not an end in and of itself.
I contend that when we produce art, we instil into it some aspect of ourselves, a fragment of our psyche that we cannot describe. We know it only by its presence, which can only be detected through the nature of our response to visual or other sensory stimuli. This response is characterised through the way it makes us feel, yet the causal chain of these feelings is always absent.
This paper seeks to define the source of these emotional responses and to explain why we can have no cognition of the events that prompt them, and further, using the work of a range of artists, as well as my own, to ponder how this aspect of our personality becomes embedded in our art.
12
Souliman, Victoria. "“The remoteness that pains us” : National identity, expatriatism and women’s agency in the artistic exchanges between Australia and Britain in the 1920s and 1930s." Thesis, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019USPCC097.
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Cette thèse explore l’influence artistique et culturelle de la Grande-Bretagne en Australie, ou les caractéristiques britanniques de l’identité australienne, depuis les années suivant la fin de la Première Guerre Mondiale jusqu’à 1941. La culture australienne de cette période a souvent été décrite comme isolée, voire même « en quarantaine », caractérisée par son acceptation tardive du modernisme. Bien qu’à cette époque la Grande-Bretagne accorde davantage d’indépendance et d’autonomie à ses dominions, l’Australie cherche à maintenir des liens culturels et impériaux en s’identifiant exclusivement à la Grande-Bretagne. Ainsi, pendant cette période, la majorité des Australiens considèrent toujours l’Angleterre comme mère patrie et Londres attire de nombreux artistes australiens expatriés. Pour reprendre les termes de Daniel Thomas, historien de l’art australien, l’Australie développe une identité culturelle dite « bi-hémisphérique Anglo-australienne », imprégnée de nationalisme, de conservatisme et de valeurs patriarcales. Cette thèse examine les échanges artistiques entre l’Australie et la Grande-Bretagne pendant les années 1920 et 1930 et met en lumière les complexités de l’identification culturelle. Elle considère tout particulièrement le fait que l’historiographie nationaliste de l’art australien a passé sous silence le rôle joué par les femmes dans la construction de l’identité nationale et dans la définition d’un art australien. A travers l’analyse des collections nationales d’art britannique et les mécanismes de circulation de l’art moderne britannique en Australie, cette thèse met en avant la dualité de l’identité culturelle australienne et la marginalisation des femmes, non seulement en tant qu’artistes mais aussi en tant que défenseuses culturelles. En mettant l’accent sur l’expérience d’expatriés australiens en Angleterre et comment ceux-ci cherchent à s’intégrer à la scène artistique britannique, cette thèse rend compte de l’importance de l’expatriation en tant que concept contribuant aux historiographies de l’art en Grande-Bretagne et en Australie. Enfin, cette thèse conceptualise le travail de deux Australiennes expatriées, Edith May Fry et Clarice Zander, qui, en tant qu’organisatrices d’expositions, ont considérablement contribué à la dissémination du modernisme en Australie et à la définition de l’identité culturelle australienne pendant l’entre-deux-guerres. L’enjeu de cette thèse est de démontrer les mécanismes qui ont permis à l’Australie de représenter sa propre identité à travers l’art tout en continuant à s’identifier à la Grande-BretagneThis thesis explores the cultural and artistic influence of Britain in Australia, or the Britishness of the Australian character, from the years directly following the end of World War I until 1941. Australia during this period was often described as an isolated, or a “quarantined”, culture characterised by its delay in accepting modernism. Despite Britain ceding more independence and autonomy to its dominions at the time, Australia sought to maintain its cultural and imperial bond, identifying exclusively with Britain in a number of ways. For instance, many Australians still considered Britain to be “Home”, while London continued to attract expatriate artists from Australia. In the words of Australian art historian Daniel Thomas, Australia developed a “bi-hemispheric Anglo-Australian cultural identity”, which was marked by nationalism, conservatism and masculinism. This thesis examines the artistic exchanges between Australia and Britain in the 1920s and 1930s, shedding light on the complexities of cultural identification. It considers in particular the fact that such nationalistic historiography of Australian art has denied women’s agency in defining Australian art and identity. The national collections of British art, as well as the mechanisms of the circulation of modern British art in Australia, are closely examined to demonstrate the dualism of Australian cultural identity and the marginalisation of women within this history, not only as artists but also as art patrons. This thesis discusses the experience of Australian expatriates in England, considering how they sought to integrate into the British art scene. In doing so, it brings to the fore the significance of expatriatism as a concept that shaped both Australian and British art historiographies. Finally, it conceptualises the achievements of two Australian expatriate women, Edith May Fry and Clarice Zander, who, as exhibition curators, played a crucial role in disseminating modernism in Australia and defining Australia’s cultural identity during the interwar period. The aim of this thesis is thus to demonstrate the mechanisms through which Australia sought to represent its national character in art, as it strove to maintain its identification with Britain
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Pryor, Sally. "Extending integrationist theory through the creation and analysis of a multimedia work of art : postcard from Tunis." Thesis, View thesis, 2003. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/746.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis consists of the production of an inter-active computer-based artwork, an analysis of its research outcomes, and an exploration of the theoretical issues that influenced the artistic practice. The artwork, Postcard from Tunis, is an Integrationist exploration of writing and its transformation at the human-computer interface. It is set in a personal portrait of Tunis, a city with a rich history of writing. The thesis starts with the theory of writing. The conventional view of real writing as representation of speech is shown to have serious limitations.Postcard from Tunis offers users who are not Arabic-literate the perception that there are actually no fixed boundaries between writing and pictures, as both are based on spatial configurations. User interaction with Postcard from Tunis, particularly rollover activity, creates a variety of dynamic signs that cannot be theorised by a bipartate theory of signs and that transcend a distinction between the verbal and the non-verbal altogether. Postcard from Tunis both extends Integrationist theory into writing and human-computer interaction and also uniquely articulates this integration of activities in a way that is impossible with written words on paper. The research asserts the validity of the Integrationist theory of writing, language and human communication and of uncoupling these from spoken words. A framework is outlined for future Integrationist research into icons and human-computer interaction.
14
McNamara, Phillip Anthony. "A modernist sensibility and Christian wit in the work of Tom Gibbons." University of Western Australia. School of Architecture and Fine Arts, 2006. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2006.0124.
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This thesis is an investigation of how spiritual ideas have contributed to West Australian academic and artist Tom Gibbons’s approach to Modernism. Against the backdrop of the local context I show how Gibbons’s 1950s undergraduate and 1960s post-graduate studies in the area of the occult and esoteric influences on Early Modernism provided him with an atypical perspective on Modernism itself but that this perspective resulted in his development of a Modernist sensibility particularly suitable for the type of questions asked about art in the later part of last century. My thesis traces Gibbons’s development of an integrated aesthetic “theory” that bridged for him the gap between a host of contrary sources. For Gibbons the bridge between divergent views on art, from the Modern period to the Renaissance period, is an ahistorical perspective based on Christian Immanence. He thus adopted a perspective that redefined the metaphysical aspects of Modernist abstraction through a particular approach to realism which celebrates the everyday world because of the Christian structures that for him condition it. I argue that his sensibility, which combines the stylistic features of a Modernist literature witty juxtaposition, irony and paradox with the concept of Christian Immanence, resulted in an oeuvre which can be read as a particular example of what Ken Wilber in the late 1990s termed Integral Studies. I argue that underlying Gibbons’s use of Christian Immanence is the Integralist’s understanding that the world’s great philosophical and spiritual traditions approach consciousness and experience through similar ideas. The argument presented, in agreement with writers such as Wilber, is that Gibbons’s capacity to develop a sense of life’s irony and metaphor, and to then use this as a capacity to embrace the beauty and outrageousness of the whole, is a mature spirituality that provides an integrated perspective filled with joy for the ordinary. I conclude that his art provides a particular example of how the loss of meaning felt by Modernists may be addressed.
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Purcell, Marisa. "Ancestral spaces time, memory and the liminal experience of painting /." Connect to full text, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2763.
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Thesis (M.V.A.)--University of Sydney, 2008.Title from title screen (viewed 11 September, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Visual Arts to the Sydney College of the Arts. Degree awarded 2008; thesis submitted 2007. Includes bibliographical references.
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Bailey, Stuart. "Indirect Action: A Critique of Current Models of Political Art." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/15072.
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The current critical discourse surrounding the political in contemporary art is dominated by the notion that the efficacy of an artwork is narrowly defined through the lens of socially affirming audience participation. Yet there is evidence that suggests that artworks employing a direct, activist-style approach can result in a less than engaging aesthetic experience, and have limited political impact. There is a case to be made for art that is jarring and alienating but at the same time political. Art that evokes an unresolved political reality – that does not sacrifice aesthetics for ethics – leaves in its wake not an affirming social experience, but an unresolved tension that has critical effect. By invoking the theories of Jacques Rancière and Claire Bishop, and drawing on the practices of Thomas Hirschhorn and Mike Kelley, this thesis – both in its dissertation and studio outcomes – offers such an alternative form of political art. Motivated by the changing political imperatives of late capitalism, my practice operates indirectly and obliquely, often via the conduit of the political poster — an iconic mainstay of leftist campaigning. By presenting an unresolved engagement with the Australian political context, my practice opens a range of issues for consideration, allowing the order of the sensible to be challenged and re-imagined.
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Jens, Paul Justin, and paul jens@csl com au. "Valuation Models for Australian Biotechnology Companies." RMIT University. Economics, Finance and Marketing, 2007. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20080226.120515.
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Biotechnology generated solutions have been hailed as potential cures to many of the problems facing the world today. New therapeutics will eradicate disease, new agricultural products will solve food shortages, and industrial application will improve productivity with reduced environmental impact. Despite the much anticipated benefits of biotechnology, the industry faces significant challenges that must be overcome in the coming decades. Biotechnology is an inherently complex field with a high degree of uncertainty and associated risks. In addition to the risk associated with project development and delivery, businesses looking to extract an economic return from the provision of biotechnology products and services face significant financial risk. This is exacerbated by the long lead times in biotechnology product development and the expensive nature of research and development. This thesis looks investigates the multi faceted problem of biotechnology valuation in Australia using a multi method approach designed to provide greater insight into the valuation challenges facing the industry and identify key value drivers. The approach incorporates a broad qualitative investigation, complimented by more focused quantitative studies into specific valuation issues surrounding IPO and project valuation. Australian biotechnology firms face a significant challenge to raise sufficient capital in order to remain internationally competitive. The current industry structure and funding mechanisms encourage creation of small firms with narrow pipelines, exacerbating the risk of company failure and acting as an impediment to sustainability and, therefore, investment in the sector. Despite the challenges facing the Australian biotechnology industry, the nation possesses a competitive advantage in the strength of local science which, if fully leveraged, should see the development of an internationally competitive industry. Through improved funding mechanisms which encourage the creation of sustainable business models, increased investor participation in the industry should see a greater portion of the value generated through biotechnology retained by local participants. An IPO is likely the largest single capital raising in a company's history. A quantitative investigation into the factors influencing the amount of underpricing and money left on the table for Australian biotechnology IPOs found that the amount of money left on the table was more critical than the level of underpricing. Additionally the impact of market sentiment on biotechnology IPOs was investigated with increased media coverage found to be positively related to the amount of money left on the table. Using project valuation models, the drivers of value over the life of a typical biotechnology project were identified. Key drivers of biotechnology value are commercial viability, coupled with development cost and time. The ability of management to control these elements is crucial. Analysis of project valuations using a traditional DCF model found value estimates exhibited a greater level of uncertainty than those calculated using more contemporary methods of decision tree and real option analysis. Additionally, incorporation of management flexibility into valuation assessment using real options techniques increased the perceived value of biotechnology projects. The value of management flexibility was found to be most relevant for early stage projects where the option to abandon was found to greatly influence values.
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Siddall, Jane. "Mother what art thou? : a study of the depiction of mother figures in recent Australian and New Zealand fiction for teenagers." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2003. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1290.
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This thesis is a study of the representations of mothers and mother figures as found in five contemporary (published between 1984 and 1999) novels for teenagers. The focus is on western constructions of motherhood, as both normalising and universalising discourses. Utilising a variety of critical approaches this thesis examines the socio-cultural issues present in the novels in conjunction with western models of maternity. This study argues the category of mother is interdependent upon the category of child. As children's literature often focuses on the development of the child, the mother figures are often read as the “unconscious” of the texts. I examine the extent to which the mother figures are given a "subject-in-processness" (Lucas, 1998, p.39) subjectivity. The texts considered are The Changeover(First published in 1984) by Margaret Mahy; Greylands (1997) by lsobelle Carmody; Speaking to Miranda (First published in 1990) by Caroline Macdonald: Touching earth lightly (1996) by Margo Lanagan and Closed, Stanger(1999) by Kate De Goldi. In part, the selection of the texts has been based upon the various and multifaceted relationships between the mothers and the children. I use the Mahy text as a means to establish selected mother and, to a lesser degree, child characteristics. Some comparisons are made with this sole text of the 19805, in order to ascertain if there has been an evolution in the articulation of mother, figures in the 1990s. This study does not adopt a survey approach nor does it claim that the five novels present all the categories of "mother". Rather it addresses categories such as, mother as nurturer, as sexual being and, importantly, the dichotomy of the “good/bad" mother. Within western discourses of maternity, this latter category is still used as a model by which to label women who mother. This study considers the stability of this binary within the novels. This thesis relies upon close reading of the primary texts. The emphasis is on critical approaches that draw attention to contexts, with particular emphasis on the socio-cultural issues present in each particular novel. My readings suggest that there is the possibility for engagement with the texts' social content/comment, in conjunction with the representations of western models of maternity. I draw from a variety of motherhood discourses and theoretical approaches, including amongst others, the work of Luce Irigaray, HeIene Cixous, Judith Hennan, Martha Fineman, Rose Lucas, and Robyn McCallum.
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Limkriangkrai, Manapon. "An empirical investigation of asset-pricing models in Australia." University of Western Australia. Faculty of Business, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0197.
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[Truncated abstract] This thesis examines competing asset-pricing models in Australia with the goal of establishing the model which best explains cross-sectional stock returns. The research employs Australian equity data over the period 1980-2001, with the major analyses covering the more recent period 1990-2001. The study first documents that existing asset-pricing models namely the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and domestic Fama-French three-factor model fail to meet the widely applied Merton?s zero-intercept criterion for a well-specified pricing model. This study instead documents that the US three-factor model provides the best description of Australian stock returns. The three US Fama-French factors are statistically significant for the majority of portfolios consisting of large stocks. However, no significant coefficients are found for portfolios in the smallest size quintile. This result initially suggests that the largest firms in the Australian market are globally integrated with the US market while the smallest firms are not. Therefore, the evidence at this point implies domestic segmentation in the Australian market. This is an unsatisfying outcome, considering that the goal of this research is to establish the pricing model that best describes portfolio returns. Given pervasive evidence that liquidity is strongly related to stock returns, the second part of the major analyses derives and incorporates this potentially priced factor to the specified pricing models ... This study also introduces a methodology for individual security analysis, which implements the portfolio analysis, in this part of analyses. The technique makes use of visual impressions conveyed by the histogram plots of coefficients' p-values. A statistically significant coefficient will have its p-values concentrated at below a 5% level of significance; a histogram of p-values will not have a uniform distribution ... The final stage of this study employs daily return data as an examination of what is indeed the best pricing model as well as to provide a robustness check on monthly return results. The daily result indicates that all three US Fama-French factors, namely the US market, size and book-to-market factors as well as LIQT are statistically significant, while the Australian three-factor model only exhibits one significant market factor. This study has discovered that it is in fact the US three-factor model with LIQT and not the domestic model, which qualifies for the criterion of a well-specified asset-pricing model and that it best describes Australian stock returns.
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Murphy, Mary Denise. "Living with asthma in Australia : an anthropological perspective on life with a chronic illness." University of Western Australia. School of Anatomy and Human Biology, 2005. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2005.0070.
Full textAbstract:
[Truncated abstract] In Australia, asthma is a common chronic illness, which often requires complex treatment regimens. This study used an anthropological perspective to explore the experience of people living with asthma, with the specific aim of contributing to the health care programs offered to people living with asthma. The study was conducted in an Australian city (Perth, Western Australia). The foci of the study were Australian lay people, from the general community, living with asthma, and a small number of non- English speaking Vietnamese-Australian migrants. Some spouses of the Australians and biomedical practitioners were also included. Questionnaires, and particularly indepth interviews, were used to explore the explanatory models of asthma for doctors and lay people with the condition. The explanatory models of the doctors focused primarily on assessing and treating the physiological dimension of asthma, and educating patients. The explanatory models for lay people with asthma reflected their everyday reality: in addition to its impact on their physical health, asthma affected their daily life, social roles and participation, and their personal identity. Placing the experience of asthma in this wider perspective showed that the Australians used practical reasoning to make a trade-off between using medication, such that they felt safe from `attacks? and could `do all they wanted to do?, and minimising their `dependence? on potentially harmful medications. Responding to acute episodes involved a risk assessment in which people weighing the health risk of waiting against the social risk of seeking help unnecessarily. For the Vietnamese- Australians, caring for asthma was strongly shaped by their social position as non- English speaking migrants. They lacked access to information about asthma and to specialist care. They had sufficient medication, but were ill-informed about how to use their medicines effectively and safely: in general, the Vietnamese people were overmedicated but under-serviced in the care of their asthma. Beyond explanatory models, the Australian participants (lay people and doctors) shared a cultural model of asthma as a chronic illness. This Australian cultural model shaped the experience and care of asthma. It included concepts such as framing the past as an adjustment process, and the present as `living normally? with asthma. Taking care of asthma was expressed as `taking control? of asthma, so a person could minimise the illness and still be healthy. The Vietnamese-Australians did not share this cultural model of asthma as a chronic illness, as reflected in their expression of the hardship asthma created in limiting their ability to work hard for their family, and how they expected a cure for their condition from biomedicine. The Australians also shared a cultural model of health that was derived, in part, from the health promotion messages that are targeted at lay people. These promotional messages were the basis of a morality in health: people shared an implicit understanding that a person deserved health, and assistance when ill, when he/she displayed the required self-discipline in performing health behaviours.
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Owen, Julie. "Development of a culturally sensitive program delivering cardiovascular health education to indigenous Australians, in South-West towns of Western Australia with lay educators as community role models." University of Western Australia. School of Population Health, 2006. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2006.0061.
Full textAbstract:
[Truncated abstract] Indigenous Australians suffer cardiovascular disease (CVD) at a rate six times greater than the general population in Australia and while the incidence of CVD has been reduced dramatically amongst the majority of non-indigenous Australians and amongst Indigenous populations in other countries in the last 30 years, there has been little change in the figures for Aboriginal Australians, showing that heart health campaigns have little impact, for this group of people. Aims : The principal aims of this study were firstly, to determine and record the barriers to the development and delivery of CVD prevention programs amongst Indigenous Australians and secondly, to develop an alternative, effective and culturally sensitive method of delivering heart health messages. Methods and results : The study was qualitative research undertaken in three South-West towns of Western Australia where the incidence of CVD was high amongst the Aboriginal community members. The use of semi-formal interviews, informal individual consultation, observation, and focus groups were methods implemented to obtain information. The first phase of the research was to identify the barriers which affected the Aboriginal Health Workers’ ability to deliver specialist educational programs. Questionnaires and interviews with the Aboriginal Health Workers and other health professionals in the towns, and community focus groups were undertaken in this phase of the study. The second phase of the research was aimed at developing an alternative strategy for delivering heart health messages. The focus changed to adopt more traditional ways of passing on information in Indigenous communities. The idea of small gatherings of friends or family with a trusted community member presenting the health message was developed. The third phase of the research was to implement this new approach. Lay educators who had been identified within focus groups and by Aboriginal Health Workers were trained in each of the towns and a protocol involving discussions of health issues, viewing a video on CVD, produced by the National Heart Foundation, sharing in a ‘heart healthy’ lunch and partaking in a ‘heart health’ knowledge game which was developed specifically for the gatherings. Several of these gatherings were held in each of the towns and they became known as ‘HeartAware parties’.
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Radford, Benedict. "Cross-shelf coral reef biodiversity : does data and ecological theory fit with habitat-based species conservation models?" University of Western Australia. School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0212.
Full textAbstract:
[Truncated abstract] Selection of priority areas for Marine Park conservation is often compromised by the lack of comprehensive biodiversity data and the resources and expertise necessary to gain this information directly by sampling. One cost effective alternative is the use of species groups or indicator species as surrogates for total biodiversity. However use of these surrogates requires an ecological understanding of how they reflect biodiversity gradients. A framework for unravelling these relationships has been suggested that involves relating species biodiversity to different and competing ecological models using appropriate statistical analysis. I use this framework to explore coral species biodiversity over a range of environmental gradients encompassing the North West Shelf of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in North East Australia. ... I assessed physiological responses of corals to physical factors to corroborate crossshelf patterns in species biodiversity. Finally, I investigated to what extent coral cooccurrence based species groups (or guilds) can be used as surrogates for total coral biodiversity. The major findings of this thesis were: i) coral biodiversity along cross-shelf environments was highly correlated to specific gradients of abiotic reef conditions; ii) larval modelling indicates the potential for significant connectivity across continentalshelf environments such that differences in species distribution are not simply as a result of self seeding. iii) similar correlative patterns were demonstrated for coral species that occur along comparable abiotic gradients in reef areas of both Eastern and Western Australia, suggesting a causal relationship between the physical environment and coral biodiversity; iv) coral physiological parameters measured using lipid fractions independently corroborated the hypothesis that there is a biological basis for observed coral distributions; v) reef coral communities are not highly structured across abiotic physical gradients and biodiversity across the shelf increases as conditions become suitable for a wider range of species; vi) total coral biodiversity can be estimated very accurately (within r2 values ranging from 0.75 to 0.90) using a small number (15-30) of optimally chosen indictor species using the randomForest statistical method. These results suggest coral biodiversity over cross-shelf environments conforms most closely to the
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Buchtmann, Lydia, and n/a. "Digital songlines : the adaption of modern communication technology at Yuendemu, a remote Aboriginal Community in Central Australia." University of Canberra. Professional Communication, 2000. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060619.162428.
Full textAbstract:
During the early 1980s the Warlpiri at Yuendemu, a remote Aboriginal community in
Central Australia, began their own experiments in local television and radio production.
This was prior to the launch of the AUSSAT satellite in 1985 which brought broadcast
television and radio to remote Australia for the first time. There was concern amongst
remote Aboriginal communities, as well as policy makers, that the imposition of mass
media without consultation could result in permanent damage to Aboriginal culture and
language. As a result, a policy review 'Out of the Silent Land' was published in 1985 and
from that developed the Broadcasting in Remote Aboriginal Communities Scheme
(BRACS) which allowed communities to receive radio and television from the satellite.
BRACS also provided the option to turn off mainstream media and insert locally
produced material.
This study of the Warlpiri at Yuendemu has found that, since the original experiments,
they have enthusiastically used modern communication technology including radio, video
making, locally produced television, and, more recently, on-line services. The Warlpiri
have adapted rather than adopted the new technology. That is they have used modern
communications technology within existing cultural patterns to strengthen their language
and culture rather than to replace traditional practices and social structures. The Warlpiri
Media Association has inspired other remote broadcasters and is now one of eight remote
media networks that link to form a national network via the National Indigenous Media
Association of Australia.
The Warlpiri have actively adapted modern communication technology because it is to
their advantage. The new technology has been used to preserve culture and language, to
restore, and possibly improve, traditional communications and to provide employment
and other opportunities for earning income. It appeals to all age groups, especially the
elders who have retained control over broadcasts and it also provides entertainment.
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Cargill, Barbara J., and n/a. "Models of organizational and managerial capability for the entrepreneurial university in Australia." Swinburne University of Technology, 2007. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20070423.094131.
Full textAbstract:
Prompted by the observation that some Australian universities state that they wish to be entrepreneurial, and appear to be only mildly successful at it, whilst others are entrepreneurial by any measure and yet do not state that aim, this study explores what it means to be an entrepreneurial university in the complex and challenging Australian context. It asks the key question �What does it take?� in seeking to identify the organisational and managerial capabilities that underpin successful entrepreneurial outcomes with a view to developing a model that can assist senior university executives in their managerial and leadership practice.
The study is undertaken in an interpretive, qualitative research framework where an initial model based on a literature synthesis, using the work of Clark as a starting point, is presented to a group of participants. All are either present or recent vice-chancellors, higher education industry experts and bureaucrats, or are senior technology transfer managers concerned with direct entrepreneurial efforts in larger universities. In two iterations, the participants are engaged in dialogue about the model, refining and commenting on it until their views are incorporated and it more closely approximates their own mental models for the practice of entrepreneurship in the university.
Their comments about related issues of government policy, current national and international trends, their respective university strategies and concerns are also incorporated to add rich meaning to their views on the model itself.
The study concludes that there are five clusters of capabilities involved in building an entrepreneurial university in the Australian setting. They are labelled Context, Strategy, People, Enabling Mechanisms and Culture and Internal Politics in this study. There is some overlap with those elements Clark originally identified but also some notable additional emphasis and detail added. In this study, the capability clusters related to relationship with environment and Context and that relating to Strategy and strategic leadership in general are found to be more important than Clark indicated, more crucial in the present Australian context and generally more underdeveloped in Australia than the current circumstances would indicate is necessary.
It is concluded that where entrepreneurship is handled as a marginal, optional, or half-hearted pursuit, and the concept not fully embraced, it is likely to result in haphazard outcomes, not always enhancing or progressing the institution in its desired direction. In contrast, successful entrepreneurship in and by Australian universities essentially requires greater emphasis on the capabilities of strategic management and plans that place entrepreneurship centrally in an integrated strategic entrepreneurship framework.
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Cargill, Barbara J. "Models of organizational and managerial capability for the entrepreneurial university in Australia." Australasian Digital Thesis Program, 2007. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au/public/adt-VSWT20070423.094131/index.html.
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McMasters, Neil G., and neilgmcmasters@mac com. "Impressions from Virtual Landscapes." RMIT University. Art and Culture, 2003. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20090715.142840.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of this project was to build and render digital landscape models that reflect natural element characteristics and use the resulting data sets as source material for fine art investigation and production. The project utilized 3D computer modeling techniques, selected output technology and studio facilities. Computer-generated virtual landscapes material was incorporated into studio practice by providing observed environmental content for the development of works for exhibition. An accompanying exegesis explored the relationship and tensions between digital landscape data sets and the broader use of landscape as a motif within an Australian context.
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Mhlongo, Nanikie Charity, and n/a. "Competency-Based assessment in Australia - does it work?" University of Canberra. Education and Community Studies, 2002. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20050530.094237.
Full textAbstract:
South Africa since the liberation in 1994 has faced a lot of changes. The changes
include being a member of the international community. As part of the international
community, South Africa is finding itself largely faced by the challenges associated
with this position. Looking at other countries South Africa is realizing that the world
is looking at better ways of educating their people and organizing their education and
training systems so that they might gain the edge in an increasingly competitive
economic global environment. Success and survival in such a world demands that
South Africa has a national education and training system that provides quality
learning and promotes the development of a nation that is committed to life-long
learning.
Institutions of higher education in South Africa are currently changing their present
education system to conform to a Competency-Based Training (CBT) system. This
system has only been planned but not implemented yet and it is not clear how CBT
will be implemented, especially how the learners are going to be assessed.
Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) is an integral part of CBT that needs
particular attention if the new system is to succeed.
The key aims of this thesis are to investigate the current assessment policy and
practice at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) underpinned by Competency-
Based Training system. The project will describe and analyze the Competency-Based
Assessment system used within CIT's CBT system. The project will focus on:
Observing classroom practice of CBA, analyzing students' and teachers' perceptions
of their involvement with CBA, and analyzing employers' perceptions of the
effectiveness of CBA.
The main aim of this thesis is to suggest recommendations for an assessment model
that will be suitable to implement within hospitality training institutions in South
Africa.
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Wheeler, Jenny, and n/a. "An Australian experience of modern racism: the nature, expression and measurement of racial prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes." University of Canberra. Human & Biomedical Sciences, 2001. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060427.134111.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis aimed to investigate the changing nature, expression and
measurement of contemporary racist attitudes, discriminatory behaviours and racial
stereotypes in an Australian context. The first principal aim of this thesis was to
further establish the psychometric properties of the Symbolic Racism Extended Scale
(Fraser & Islam, 1997b). Study 1 revealed good psychometric properties for the
Symbolic Racism Extended Scale as a measure of symbolic (modern) racist attitudes
in Australian populations. The study also found support for incorporating modern
racism items within a 'social issues' questionnaire format to reduce reactivity
concerns associated with self-report measures.
The second principal aim of this thesis (Studies 2 and 3) was to explore the
nature, prevalence and potential sources of contemporary racist attitudes, and
associated discriminatory behaviours, in an Australian context. Study 2 detected a
sizeable proportion of modern racist attitudes in both the University and ACT
Secondary College student samples. The nature of modern racist attitudes in the
population samples maintained clear consistencies with key tenets of contemporary
theories of racial prejudice. Overall the study provided further empirical evidence of
the nature, tenets and potential socio-demographic sources of modern racist attitudes
in Australian populations.
Study 3 explored modern racists' discriminatory behaviours in conditions of
low racial salience. In an employment-hiring task, high and low prejudiced
participants (university undergraduates) revealed significantly different employment
hiring preferences for an Aboriginal applicant. In providing Australian empirical
evidence of modern racists' discriminatory behaviours, the study also discussed
methodological implications for future Australian research investigating the
discriminatory behaviours of modern racists.
The third principal aim of this thesis was to provide further analysis of the
measurement of contemporary racist attitudes, specifically to examine concerns
pertaining to the measurement of racial attitudes through implicit techniques. Implicit
free-response measurement of Australian racial stereotypes in Study 4 revealed that
high and low prejudiced participants (as measured by the SR-E) were equally
knowledgable of the cultural stereotypes of Aboriginals, Asians and immigrants.
Cultural knowledge of the implicit stereotypes was found to be predominantly
independent of prejudicial beliefs, lending support to concerns (Devine, 1989; Devine
& Elliot, 1995) that implicit measures of racial prejudice may actually be measuring
an individual's cultural knowledge of the primed racial group, rather than his or her
prejudicial beliefs.
The fourth principal aim of this thesis was to investigate the content of
Australian racial stereotypes. Study 4 revealed the implicit content of the cultural
stereotypes of Aborigines, Asians and immigrants to be predominantly negative in
nature. In response to the predominantly negative content of the Aboriginal cultural
stereotype, Study 5 investigated whether the recategorising of ingroup boundaries and
disconfirming information, relating to Aboriginal Australians, observed in the recent
Sydney Olympic Games would result in changes to the content of the cultural
stereotype. The study found significant decreases and increases in the negative and
positive traits respectively reported as being part of the cultural stereotype of
Aborigines, two weeks following the Sydney Olympic Games.
Together, the five studies contributed to empirical research on the changing
nature, expression and measurement of contemporary racist attitudes, discriminatory
behaviours and racial stereotypes in Australian populations. A number of theoretical
and practical implications of the present findings for Australian prejudice research are
addressed and discussed. Furthermore, a number of practical recommendations for
future research are identified to further investigate the modern nature of racist attitudes in Australian populations.
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Hearman, Amy. "A modelling study into the effects of rainfall variability and vegetation patterns on surface runoff for semi-arid landscapes." University of Western Australia. School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0047.
Full textAbstract:
[Truncated abstract] Generally hydrologic and ecologic models operate on arbitrary time and space scales, selected by the model developer or user based on the availability of field data. In reality rainfall is highly variable not only annually, seasonally and monthly but also the intensities within a rainfall event and infiltration properties on semi-arid hillslopes can also be highly variable as a result of discontinuous vegetation cover that form mosaics of areas with vegetation and areas of bare soil. This thesis is directed at improving our understanding of the impacts of the temporal representation of rainfall and spatial heterogeneity on model predictions of hydrologic thresholds and surface runoff coefficients on semi-arid landscapes at the point and hillslope scales. We firstly quantified within storm rainfall variability across a climate gradient in Western Australia by parameterizing the bounded random cascade rainfall model with one minute rainfall from 15 locations across Western Australia. This study revealed that rainfall activity generated in the tropics had more within storm variability and a larger proportion of the storm events received the majority of rain in the first half of the event. Rainfall generated from fontal activity in the south was less variable and more evenly distributed throughout the event. Parameters from the rainfall analysis were then used as inputs into a conceptual point scale surface runoff model to investigate the sensitivity of point scale surface runoff thresholds to the resolution of rainfall inputs. This study related maximum infiltration capacities to average storm intensities (k*) and showed where model predictions of infiltration excess were most sensitive to rainfall resolution (ln k* = 0.4) and where using time averaged rainfall data can lead to an under prediction of infiltration excess and an over prediction of the amount of water entering the soil (ln k* > 2). For soils susceptible to both infiltration excess and saturation excess, total runoff sensitivity was scaled by relating drainage coefficients to average storm intensities (g*) and parameter ranges where predicted runoff was dominated by infiltration excess or saturation excess depending on the resolution of rainfall data were determined (ln g* <2). The sensitivity of surface runoff predictions and the influence of specific within storm properties were then analysed on the hillslope scale. '...' It was found that using the flow model we still get threshold behaviour in surface runoff. Where conditions produce slow surface runoff velocities, spatial heterogeneity and temporal heterogeneity influences hillslope surface runoff amounts. Where conditions create higher surface runoff velocities, the temporal structure of within storm intensities has a larger influence on runoff amounts than spatial heterogeneity. Our results show that a general understanding of the prevailing rainfall conditions and the soil's infiltration capacity can help in deciding whether high rainfall resolutions (below 1 h) are required for accurate surface runoff predictions. The results of this study can be considered a contribution to understanding the way within storm properties effect the processes on the hillslope under a range of overall storm, slope and infiltration conditions as well as an improved understanding of how different vegetation patterns function to trap runoff at different total vegetation covers and rainfall intensities.
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Sadler, Rohan. "Image-based modelling of pattern dynamics in a semiarid grassland of the Pilbara, Australia." University of Western Australia. School of Plant Biology, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0155.
Full textAbstract:
[Truncated abstract] Ecologists are increasingly interested in quantifying local interacting processes and their impacts on spatial vegetation patterns. In arid and semiarid ecosystems, theoretical models (often spatially explicit) of dynamical system behaviour have been used to provide insight into changes in vegetation patterning and productivity triggered by ecological events, such as fire and episodic rainfall. The incorporation of aerial imagery of vegetation patterning into current theoretical model remains a challenge, as few theoretical models may be inferred directly from ecological data, let alone imagery. However, if conclusions drawn from theoretical models were well supported by image data then these models could serve as a basis for improved prediction of complex ecosystem behaviour. The objective of this thesis is therefore to innovate methods for inferring theoretical models of vegetation dynamics from imagery. ... These results demonstrate how an ad hoc inference procedure returns biologically meaningful parameter estimates for a germ-grain model of T. triandra vegetation patterning, with VLSA photography as data. Various aspects of the modelling and inference procedures are discussed in the concluding chapter, including possible future extensions and alternative applications for germ-grain models. I conclude that the state-and-transition model provides an effective exploration of an ecosystem?s dynamics, and complements spatially explicit models designed to test specific ecological mechanisms. Significantly, both types of models may now be inferred from image data through the methodologies I have developed, and can provide an empirical basis to theoretical models of complex vegetation dynamics used in understanding and managing arid (and other) ecological systems.
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Reimnitz, Marc. "Shear-slip induced seismic activity in underground mines : a case study in Western Australia." University of Western Australia. School of Civil and Resource Engineering, 2004. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2004.0062.
Full textAbstract:
Mining induced seismic activity and rockbursting are critical concerns for many underground operations. Seismic activity may arise from the crushing of highly stressed volumes of rock around mine openings or from shear motion on planes of weakness. Shear-slip on major planes of weakness such as faults, shear zones and weak contacts has long been recognized as a dominant mode of failure in underground mines. In certain circumstances, it can generate large seismic events and induce substantial damage to mine openings. The Big Bell Gold mine began experiencing major seismic activity and resultant damage in 1999. Several seismic events were recorded around the second graphitic shear between April 2000 and February 2002. It is likely that the seismic activity occurred as a result of the low strength of the shear structure combined with the high level of mining induced stresses. The stability of the second graphitic shear was examined in order to gain a better understanding of the causes and mechanisms of the seismic activity recorded in the vicinity of the shear structure as mining advanced. The data were derived from the observation of the structure exposures, numerical modelling and seismic monitoring. The numerical modelling predictions and the interpreted seismic monitoring data were subsequently compared in order to identify potential relationships between the two. This thesis proposes the Incremental Work Density (IWD) as a measure to evaluate the relative likelihood of shear-slip induced seismic activity upon major planes of weakness. IWD is readily evaluated using numerical modelling and is calculated as the product of the average driving shear stress and change in inelastic shear deformation during a given mining increment or step. IWD is expected to correlate with shear-slip induced seismic activity in both space and time. In this thesis, IWD was applied to the case study of the second graphitic shear at the Big Bell mine. Exposures of the second graphitic shear yielded information about the physical characteristics of the structure and location within the mine. Numerical modelling was used to examine the influence of mining induced stresses on the overall behaviour of the shear structure. A multi-step model of the mine was created using the three- dimensional boundary element code of Map3D. The shear structure was physically incorporated into the model in order to simulate inelastic shear deformation. An elasto-plastic Mohr-Coulomb material model was used to describe the structure behaviour. The structure plane was divided into several elements in order to allow for the comparison of the numerical modelling predictions and the interpreted seismic data. Stress components, deformation components and IWD values were calculated for each element of the shear structure and each mining step. The seismic activity recorded in the vicinity of the second graphitic shear was back analysed. The seismic data were also gridded and smoothed. Gridding and smoothing of individual seismic moment and seismic energy values resulted in the definition of indicators of seismic activity for each element and mining step. The numerical model predicted inelastic shear deformation upon the second graphitic shear as mining advanced. The distribution of modelled IWD suggested that shear deformation was most likely seismic upon a zone below the stopes and most likely aseismic upon the upper zone of the shear structure. The distribution of seismic activity recorded in the vicinity of the shear structure verified the above predictions. The seismic events predominantly clustered upon the zone below the stopes. The results indicated that the seismic activity recorded in the vicinity of the second graphitic shear was most likely related to both the change in inelastic shear deformation and the level of driving shear stress during mechanical shearing. Time distribution of the seismic events also indicated that shear deformation and accompanying seismic activity were strongly influenced by mining and were time-dependant. Seismic activity in the vicinity of the second graphitic shear occurred as a result of the overall inelastic shear deformation of the shear structure under mining induced stresses. A satisfactory relationship was found between the spatial distribution of modelled IWD upon the shear structure and the spatial distribution of interpreted seismic activity (measured as either smoothed seismic moment or smoothed seismic energy). Seismic activity predominantly clustered around a zone of higher IWD upon the second graphitic shear as mining advanced. However, no significant statistical relationship was found between the modelled IWD and the interpreted seismic activity. The lack of statistical relationship between the modelled and seismic data may be attributed to several factors including the limitations of the techniques employed (e.g. Map3D modelling, seismic monitoring) and the complexity of the process involved.
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Lee, Gerard. "Swell : a feature-length screenplay set in the world of Australian surfing, and an accompanying exegesis on three-act structure." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2003. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/42417/1/Gerard_Lee_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Despite many arguments to the contrary, the three-act story structure, as propounded and refined by Hollywood continues to dominate the blockbuster and independent film markets. Recent successes in post-modern cinema could indicate new directions and opportunities for low-budget national cinemas.
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Bari, Mohammed A. "A distributed conceptual model for stream salinity generation processes : a systematic data-based approach." University of Western Australia. School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, 2006. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2006.0058.
Full textAbstract:
[Truncated abstract] During the last fifty years mathematical models of catchment hydrology have been widely developed and used for hydrologic forecasting, design and water resources management. Most of these models need large numbers of parameters to represent the flow generation process. The model parameters are estimated through calibration techniques and often lead to ‘unrealistic’ values due to structural error in the model formulations. This thesis presents a new strategy for developing catchment hydrology models for representing streamflow and salinity generation processes. The strategy seeks to ‘learn from data’ in order to specify a conceptual framework that is appropriate for the particular space and time scale under consideration. Initially, the conceptual framework is developed by considering large space and time scales. The space and time scales are then progressively reduced and conceptual model complexity systematically increased until ultimately, an adequate simulation of daily streamflow and salinity is achieved. This strategy leads to identification of a few key physically meaningful parameters, most of which can be estimated a priori and with minimal or no calibration. Initially, the annual streamflow data from ten experimental catchments (control and cleared for agriculture) were analysed. The streamflow increased in two phases: (i) immediately after clearing due to reduced evapotranspiration, and (ii) through an increase in stream zone saturated area. The annual evapotranspiration losses from native vegetation and pasture, the ‘excess’ water (resulting from reduced transpiration after land use change), runoff and deep storage were estimated by a simple water balance model. The model parameters are obtained a priori without calibration. The annual model was then elaborated by analysing the monthly rainfall-runoff, groundwater and soil moisture data from four experimental catchments. Ernies (control, fully forested) and Lemon (53% cleared) catchments are located in zone with a mean annual rainfall of 725 mm. Salmon (control, fully forested) and Wights (100% cleared) are located in zone with mean annual rainfall of 1125 mm. Groundwater levels rose and the stream zone saturated area increased significantly after clearing. From analysis of this data it was evident that at a monthly time step the conceptual model framework needed to include a systematic gain/loss to storage component in order to adequately describe the observed lags between peak monthly rainfall and runoff.
34
Ernst, Wolfgang F. "The economic rationale for stochastic urban transport models and travel behaviour : a mathematical programming approach to quantitative analysis with Perth data." UWA Business School, 2003. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2005.0004.
Full textAbstract:
[Formulae and special characters can only be approximated here. Please see the pdf version of the abstract for an accurate reproduction.] This thesis reviews, extends and applies to urban traffic analysis the entropy concept of Shannon and Luce's mathematical psychology in a fairly complex and mathematically demanding model of human decision making, if it is solved as a deeply nested structure of logit calculus. Recognising consumers' different preferences and the universal propensity to seek the best choice when going to some desired goal (k), a transparent mathematical program (MP) is developed: the equivalent of a nested multinomial logit model without its inherent computational difficulty. The MP model makes a statistical assessment of individual decisions based on a randomised (measurable) utility within a given choice structure: some path through a diagram (Rk, Dk), designed a priori, of a finite number of sequential choices. The Equivalence Theorem (ET) formalises the process and states a non-linear MP with linear constraints that maximises collective satisfaction: utility plus weighted entropy, where the weight (1/θn) is a behavioural parameter to be calibrated in each case, eg for the Perth CBD. An optimisation subject to feasible routes through the (Rk, Dk) network thus captures the rational behaviour of consumers on their individually different best-choice decision paths towards their respective goals (k). This theory has been applied to urban traffic assignment before: a Stochastic User Equi-librium (SUE). What sets this thesis apart is its focus on MP models that can be solved with standard Operations Research software (eg MINOS), models for which the ET is a conditio sine qua non. A brief list of SUE examples in the literature includes Fisk's logit SUE model in (impractically many) route flows. Dial's STOCH algorithm obviates path enumeration, yet is a logit multi-path assignment procedure, not an MP model; it is nei-ther destination oriented nor an optimisation towards a SUE. A revision of Dial's method is provided, named STOCH[k], that computes primal variables (node and link flows) and Lagrangian duals (the satisfaction difference n→k). Sheffi & Powell presented an unconstrained optimisation problem, but favoured a probit SUE, defying closed formulae and standard OR software. Their model corresponds to the (constrained) dual model here, yet the specifics of our primary MP model and its dual are possible only if one restricts himself to logit SUE models, including the ET, which is logit-specific. A real world application needs decomposition, and the Perth CBD example is iteratively solved by Partial Linearisation, switching from (measured) disutility minimisation to Sheffi & Powell's Method of Successive Averages near the optimum. The methodology is demonstrated on the Perth Central Business District (CBD). To that end, parameter Θ is calibrated on Main Roads' traffic count data over the years 1997/98 and 1998/99. The method is a revision of Liu & Fricker's simultaneous estimation of not only Θ but an appropriate trip matrix also. Our method handles the more difficult variable costs (congestion), incomplete data (missing observations) and observation errors (wrong data). Finally, again based on Main Roads' data (a sub-area trip matrix), a Perth CBD traffic assignment is computed, (a) as a logit SUE and - for comparison - (b) as a DUE (using the PARTAN method of Florian, Guélat and Spiess). The results are only superficially similar. In conclusion, the methodology has the potential to replace current DUE models and to deepen transport policy analysis, taking into account individual behaviour and a money-metric utility that quantifies 'social benefits', for instance in a cost-benefit-analysis.
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Ziolkowski, Richard, and n/a. "A re-examination of corporate governance: concepts, models, theories and future directions." University of Canberra. Law, 2005. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060411.150123.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis represents a scholarly journey towards an understanding of
corporate governance. Unlike the vast majority of writings on governance, this
work attempts to take a step back, and to consider why and how we should
study corporate governance. These critical questions have been largely
ignored during the frenzy of governance research in the past few decades.
The thesis argues that corporate governance theory and practice reflects a
Tower of Academic Babel¹ reality as writers from diverse backgrounds use
different approaches, invent terminology and proclaim a new 'theory'. The
thesis analyses the extent of this conceptual confusion about corporate
governance and why this arises. It also considers some possible reasons for
the increasing disillusionment with the legal, ethical, cultural, institutional,
regulatory and other contexts of corporate governance.
The corporate governance literature indicates that much uncertainty has
arisen over the nature of corporate governance. Both, denotative and
connotative meanings of corporate governance have been ambiguous, often
because of poorly defined concepts. This ambiguity is compounded by
confusion over methodological concepts such as "paradigm", "system",
"model" and "theory", the key constructs employed by many legal, and other,
writers. Moreover, much of the literature on corporate governance is founded
on ethnocentric concepts that are often "chauvinistic in the extreme".² This
confusion has been intensified by the added complexity of unique
phenomenology, demonstrated by numerous writers with "scholarship and
advocacy that is culturally and economically insensitive"³
This thesis argues that the search for corporate efficiency and effectiveness
is often misguided, both because of biased performance criteria and a lack of
a clear conceptual domain. Consequently, the corporate governance
discourse fails meaningfully to address the enigma of what is the range of
corporate governance influence on corporate activities? The overarching
argument made in this thesis is that our understanding of corporate
governance requires a clarification of methodological approach and a
comparative perspective.
By recasting corporate governance research within consistent models,
theories and applications this thesis lays the foundation for future research by
which we may investigate the causal relationships that determine corporate
efficiency, effectiveness and the optimum structures for good corporate
governance.
practitioners from most cultures.
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Duong, Lien Thi Hong. "Australian takeover waves : a re-examination of patterns, causes and consequences." UWA Business School, 2009. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0201.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis provides more precise characterisation of patterns, causes and consequences of takeover activity in Australia over three decades spanning from 1972 to 2004. The first contribution of the thesis is to characterise the time series behaviour of takeover activity. It is found that linear models do not adequately capture the structure of merger activity; a non-linear two-state Markov switching model works better. A key contribution of the thesis is, therefore, to propose an approach of combining a State-Space model with the Markov switching regime model in describing takeover activity. Experimental results based on our approach show an improvement over other existing approaches. We find four waves, one in the 1980s, two in the 1990s, and one in the 2000s, with an expected duration of each wave state of approximately two years. The second contribution is an investigation of the extent to which financial and macro-economic factors predict takeover activity after controlling for the probability of takeover waves. A main finding is that while stock market boom periods are empirically associated with takeover waves, the underlying driver is interest rate level. A low interest rate environment is associated with higher aggregate takeover activity. This relationship is consistent with Shleifer and Vishny (1992)'s liquidity argument that takeover waves are symptoms of lower cost of capital. Replicating the analysis to the biggest takeover market in the world, the US, reveals a remarkable consistency of results. In short, the Australian findings are not idiosyncratic. Finally, the implications for target and bidder firm shareholders are explored via investigation of takeover bid premiums and long-term abnormal returns separately between the wave and non-wave periods. This represents the third contribution to the literature of takeover waves. Findings reveal that target shareholders earn abnormally positive returns in takeover bids and bid premiums are slightly lower in the wave periods. Analysis of the returns to bidding firm shareholders suggests that the lower premiums earned by target shareholders in the wave periods may simply reflect lower total economic gains, at the margin, to takeovers made in the wave periods. It is found that bidding firms earn normal post-takeover returns (relative to a portfolio of firms matched in size and survival) if their bids are made in the non-wave periods. However, bidders who announce their takeover bids during the wave periods exhibit significant under-performance. For mergers that took place within waves, there is no difference in bid premiums and nor is there a difference in the long-run returns of bidders involved in the first half and second half of the waves. We find that none of theories of merger waves (managerial, mis-valuation and neoclassical) can fully account for the Australian takeover waves and their effects. Instead, our results suggest that a combination of these theories may provide better explanation. Given that normal returns are observed for acquiring firms, taken as a whole, we are more likely to uphold the neoclassical argument for merger activity. However, the evidence is not entirely consistent with neo-classical rational models, the under-performance effect during the wave states is consistent with the herding behaviour by firms.
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Sabetraftar, Karim. "The hydrological flux of organic carbon at the catchment scale : a case study in the Cotter River Catchment, Australia /." View thesis entry in Australian Digital Theses Program, 2005. http://thesis.anu.edu.au/public/adt-ANU20070502.141450/index.html.
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Bleeker, Maryke, and n/a. "Pre-school education in the ACT : an evaluation and comparison of the traditional, the Montessori and the Weikart approaches." University of Canberra. Education, 1985. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060608.142516.
Full textAbstract:
Since the 1980s, a variety of pre-school approaches has
existed within the ACT Public School System. These approaches
are in theory based on different educational ideologies and
principles.
The Field Study Project evaluates and compares three
different educational models; existing classroom processes
and procedures, and student achievements in a 'traditional',
a modified Montessori and a Weikart pre-school currently
operating in the ACT Public School System.
Using selected criteria, an analysis of the three educational
models, an ecological survey and student assessments
were carried out to make the evaluations and comparisons.
The analysis of the three educational models indicate
different program orientations and instructional preferences
in the different models.
The ecological survey results suggest that the
'traditional', the modified Montessori and the Weikart approaches
identify with the models they are based on. Nevertheless,
educational trends and orientations are similar in the three
programs, which are predominantly cognitively oriented. In
contrast, teaching styles differ slightly. It is significant
that the teacher in the 'traditional' program fulfills a more
nurturing role, while her colleagues in the modified
Montessori and the Weikart programs fulfill more instructional
roles.
The evaluation and comparison of the student assessments
seems to indicate that there are no significant differences
in achievement in drawing, specific cognitive tasks and in
self-concept development between matched groups of learners
in the three pre-schools.
The findings support the notion that middle class children
enrolled in approved pre-schools develop cognitive abilities
regardless of the type of program they attend.
The evaluation and comparison of the three existing
approaches in the ACT suggests that the pre-school organisation
in the ACT Public School System is still strongly committed
to the 'traditional' model, and makes only minor attempts to
change educational patterns in pre-school education.
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Itzstein-Davey, Freea. "Changes in the abundance and diversity of the Proteaceae over the Cainozoic in south-western Australia." University of Western Australia. School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, 2003. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2004.0040.
Full textAbstract:
South-western Australia is a globally significant hotspot of plant species diversity, with high endemism and many rare plant species. Proteaceae is a major component of the south-western flora, though little is known about how its diversity developed. This prompted the present study to investigate changes in the abundance and diversity of Proteaceae, in south-western Australia, by concurrently studying three sediment sequences of different ages over the Cainozoic and a modern pollen rain study. Modern pollen-vegetation relationships in the two Proteaceae species rich nodes of the northern and southern sandplains were quantified. It was found that Proteaceous genera can contribute up to 50% of the total pollen rain. Banksia/Dryandra pollen was the most abundant with Isopogon, Petrophile and Lambertia also commonly noted. The vegetation and environmental setting during three pivotal periods of the Cainozoic: Holocene, Pliocene and Eocene, were investigated. Eocene sediment from Lake Lefroy confirmed the presence of a Nothofagus dominated rainforest in the Middle to Late Eocene. At this time Proteaceae species were at least as diverse as today, if not more so, contributing up to a maximum of 42% of the total pollen rain. Taxa recorded included: Banksieaeidites arcuatus, Propylipollis biporus, Proteacidites confragosus, Proteacidites crassus, Proteacidites nasus and Proteacidites pachypolus. Several taxa remain undescribed and unnamed. This study also identified that Proteaceae pollen representation varies across small lateral distances. Thus as samples varied spatially and temporally, single core samples are not sufficient to identify spatial patterns in Proteaceae or other low pollen producing taxa. Some 7.91 cm of laminated Pliocene sediment from Yallalie, south-western Australia, was also examined. It covers 84 years of record and confirmed other regional reports that south-western Australia was covered by a rich vegetation mosaic consisting of heathy and wet rainforest elements. Although Proteaceae species were a consistent component of the pollen counts, diversity and abundance (maximum of 5%) was low throughout the studied section. Banksia/Dryandra types were most commonly noted. A 2 m core was retrieved from Two Mile Lake, near the Stirling Ranges and provided an early Holocene vegetation history. Geochemical and palynological evidence recorded little change, suggesting the environment of deposition was relatively uniform. Proteaceae species were noted throughout the core, though in low numbers, at a maximum of 3.5 % of the total pollen rain. Banksia/Dryandra was the most abundant while Isopogon, Lambertia, Petrophile and Franklandia were also noted. A regression model was developed through the modern pollen rain study to predict the number of Proteaceae in the vegetation. This was also applied to the fossil pollen records. The estimated number of Proteaceae species in the Eocene suggests a maximum of 20 and a minimum of 10 taxa. For the Pliocene record, an estimated 7 - 9 species was found and for the Holocene pollen, between 7 - 8 were present. Thus the Eocene was similar in Proteaceae diversity to today. The results from the Pliocene and Holocene suggest that Proteaceae diversity was lower than today. Findings of this research indicate that Proteaceae species are an important and consistent component of vegetation in south-western Australia over the Cainozoic. It is likely that both changing pollination mechanisms and changes in associated vegetation are important in the determining the dispersal of Proteaceaous pollen. By understanding how the vegetation has changed and developed in south-western Australia, present vegetation can be managed to include intra-specific variation and ensure the majority of species are conserved for present and future generations to enjoy.
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Verspecht, Florence. "Temporal dynamics of the coastal water column." University of Western Australia. School of Environmental Systems Engineering, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0097.
Full textAbstract:
Field measurements and numerical modelling of the shallow coastal waters offshore in south-western Australia were used to describe changes in the water column's vertical structure and the biological response on temporal scales of the order of hours and days. A cycle of chlorophyll a concentration, primary production, and photosystem II function on a diel timescale, which was related to changes in the solar irradiance and thermal structure, was identified. The diel cycle included (1) vertically well-mixed (or weakly linear) conditions in density and chlorophyll a early in the morning, resulting from vertical mixing through penetrative overnight convection; (2) depleted chlorophyll a concentration in the surface layer during the middle of the day due to photoinhibition; (3) an increased chlorophyll a concentration in the bottom layer by late afternoon due to optimum light conditions; and (4) the formation of a chlorophyll a break point (CBP) at the thermocline, which migrated downwards with the deepening surface mixed layer. On a longer timescale (days), moored acoustic instruments were used to derive echo level (EL), which approximated suspended particulate matter (SPM). Wind events ultimately controlled SPM, a conclusion based on (1) elevated EL during high windgenerated turbulence and bed shear stress, (2) positive time-lagged correlations between wind speed and EL at three field sites with different exposures to wave action, and (3) significant negative correlations between wind speed and depth-differentiated echo level (d(EL)/dz) at all sites. Sea breezes produced a similar response in EL through the water column to a small storm event, and wind-driven SPM resuspension resulted in a reduction in the sub-surface light climate (kd). Near-bed dissolved oxygen concentrations varied in accord with elevated wind speeds, EL and kd, highlighting a possible suppression of photosynthesis. One-dimensional modelling revealed that wind stirring was most often the dominant process in these waters. It was found that for a brief period during thermal stratification there was shear production of turbulent instabilities that migrated from the thermocline to the surface and the seabed. Convective cooling was not able to mix the water column entirely overnight without the addition of wind, and minimum wind speeds were determined for this complete vertical mixing. Bottom-generated turbulence was limited to a small region above the bed, and was deemed insignificant compared with mixing generated at the surface. Minimum wind speeds required for de-stratification and prevention of stratification were determined for summer, autumn and winter. A hypothetical desalination outfall was simulated for all seasons and it was concluded that positioning of the discharge at middepth was preferable compared to at the seabed. The results of this thesis advance the current knowledge of coastal biophysical oceanography and provide new insights into the temporal dynamics of the coastal water column of south-western Australia.
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Siddique, Sharif Rayhan. "Development of policies to ameliorate the environmental impact of cars in Perth City, using the results of a stated preference survey and air pollution modelling." University of Western Australia. Faculty of Business, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0165.
Full textAbstract:
[Truncated abstract] Air pollution is increasingly perceived to be a serious intangible threat to humanity, with air quality continuing to deteriorate in most urban areas. The main sources of inner city pollution are motor vehicles, which generate emissions from the tail pipe as well as by evaporation. These contain toxic gaseous components which have adverse health effects. The major components are carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), particulates (PM10), and volatile organic compounds (VOC). CO and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are major emissions from cars. This study focuses on pollutant concentration in Perth city and has sought to develop measures to improve air quality. To estimate concentrations, the study develops air pollution models for CO and NOx; on the basis of the model estimates, effective policy is devised to improve the air quality by managing travel to the city. Two peaks, due to traffic, are observed in hourly CO and NOx concentrations. Unlike traffic, however, the morning peak does not reach the level of the afternoon peak. The reasons for this divergence are assessed and quantified. Separate causal models of hourly concentrations of CO and NOx explain their fluctuations accurately. They take account of the complex effects of the urban street canyon and winds in the city. The angle of incidence of the wind has significant impact on pollution level; a wind flow from the south-west increases pollution and wind from the north-east decreases it. The models have been shown to be equivalent to engineering and scientific models in estimating emission rate in the context of street canyons. However the study models are much more precise in the Perth context. ... The models are used to calculate the marginal effects for all attributes and elasticity for fuel price. In almost all attributes the non-work group is more responsive than the work group. Finally, the SP model results are integrated into an econometric model for the purpose of prediction. The travel behaviour prediction is used to estimate the policy impact on air quality. The benefit from the air quality improvement is reported in terms of life saved. The estimated relationships between probability of death and air pollution determines the number of lives that could be saved under various policy scenarios. A ratio of benefits to the financial and perceived sacrifices by drivers is calculated to compare the effectiveness of the suggested policies. A car size charge policy was found to be the most cost effective measure to ameliorate the environmental impact of cars in Perth, with a morning peak entry time charge being almost as cost effective. The study demonstrates the need for appropriate modelling of air pollution and travel behaviour. It brings together analytical methods at three levels of causality, vehicle to air pollution, charge to travel response, and air pollution to health.
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Baxter, Katrina. "Linking seafloor mapping and ecological models to improve classification of marine habitats : opportunities and lessons learnt in the Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia." University of Western Australia. School of Plant Biology, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0181.
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[Truncated abstract] Spatially explicit marine habitat data is required for effective resource planning and management across large areas, although mapped boundaries typically lack rigour in explaining what factors influence habitat distributions. Accurate, quantitative methods are needed. In this thesis I aimed to assess the utility of ecological models to determine what factors limit the spatial extent of marine habitats. I assessed what types of modeling methods were able to produce the most accurate predictions and what influenced model results. To achieve this, initially a broad scale marine habitat survey was undertaken in the Recherche Archipelago, on the south coast of Western Australia using video and sidescan sonar. Broad and more detailed functional habitats types were mapped for 1054km2 of the Archipelago. Broad habitats included high and low profile reefs, sand, seagrass and extensive rhodolith beds, although considerable variation could be identified from video within these broad types. Different densities of seagrass were identified and reefs were dominated by macroalgae, filter feeder communities, or a combination of both. Geophysical characteristics (depth, substrate, relief) and dominant benthic biota were recorded and then modelled using decision trees and a combination of generalised additive models (GAMs) and generalised linear models (GLMs) to determine the factors influencing broad and functional habitat variation. Models were developed for the entire Archipelago (n=2769) and a subset of data in Esperance Bay (n=797), which included exposure to wave conditions (mean maximum wave height and mean maximum shear stress) calculated from oceanographic models. Additional distance variables from the mainland and islands were also derived and used as model inputs for both datasets. Model performance varied across habitats, with no one method better than the other in terms of overall model accuracy for each habitat type, although prevalent classes (>20%) such as high profile reefs with macroalgae and dense seagrass were the most reliable (Area Under the Curve >0.7). ... This highlighted not only issues of data prevalence, but also how ecological models can be used to test the reliability of classification schemes. Care should be taken when mapping predicted habitat occurrence with broad habitat models. It should not be assumed that all habitats within the type will be defined spatially, as this may result in the distribution of distinctive and unique habitats such as filterfeeders being underestimated or not identified at all. More data is needed to improve prediction of these habitats. Despite the limitations identified, the results provide direction for future field sampling to ensure appropriate variables are sampled and classification schemes are carefully designed to improve descriptions of habitat distributions. Reliable habitat models that make ecological sense will assist future assessments of biodiversity within habitats as well as provide improved data on the probability of habitat occurrence. This data and the methods developed will be a valuable resource for reserve selection models that prioritise sites for management and planning of marine protected areas.
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Cordin, Robin M. "Psychopathic-like-traits and aggression in suspended mainstream school children and adolescents." University of Western Australia. Graduate School of Education, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0100.
Full textAbstract:
[Truncated abstract] The overall aim of the research reported in this thesis was to explore the viability and utility of the construct of psychopathy and aggression in children and adolescents. Specifically, by taking a developmentally informed approach it sought to develop new instrumentation which measured psychopathic-like-traits, and verbal proactive and reactive aggression in non-referred mainstream school children and adolescents. To achieve this, four separate yet interrelated studies were conducted. Study One comprised three phases relating to the development and validation of two new instruments. In Phase One the instruments currently used to measure psychopathy were reviewed and items relevant to young persons were selected for inclusion in a draft version of the new psychopathy screening instrument. Phase Two, which sought to further explore the construct of psychopathy in children and adolescents, comprised a series of interviews with school principals, deputy principals, psychologists, and education officers at the main juvenile detention centre in Perth, Western Australia. These interviews provided information relating to the behaviour and characteristics of children and adolescents who present with psychopathic-like-traits. As a consequence of the feedback from the Phase Two data, Phase Three reviewed the instrumentation currently used to measure aggression in children and adolescents. From this items were selected for possible inclusion in an aggression questionnaire. The data gathered over these three phases resulted in 117 psychopathy related items being generated for the new instrument, which were subsequently reduced to 56 when duplicated items were identified and the extant knowledge of the construct applied. The 56 items were retained in a draft version of the newly developed instrument, which was named the Child and Adolescent Psychopathy Screening Instrument (CAPSI). The Study One data revealed the instrumentation used to date provided few measures of physical and verbal aggression - a characteristic of psychopathic-like behaviour. Thus, a review of instrumentation together with the information from the interviews resulted in 63 aggression items being generated. ... Study Four utilised information from the CAPSI and the CASA in conjunction with in-depth interviews to generate case studies to further elucidate the characteristics of children and adolescents with psychopathic-like-traits and extreme aggression. Case studies were undertaken with seven male students ranging in age from 8 to 15 years who had been suspended from mainstream schools. All boys scored very highly on the new instruments. All presented with extreme aggression, with some exhibiting proactive or premeditated aggression combined with a superficially engaging personality, insincere charm, lack of remorse, and lack of empathy. The findings from all four research studies are discussed in the light of the literature reviewed and the aims of the research. Implications are then drawn for researchers and clinicians, and directions for further research are suggested.
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Linke, Simon, and n/a. "River conservation planning: accounting for condition, vulnerability and connected systems." University of Canberra. Resource, Environmental & Heritage Sciences, 2006. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20070716.155500.
Full textAbstract:
Conservation science in rivers is still lagging behind its terrestrial and marine counterparts,
despite increasing threats to freshwater biodiversity and extinction rates being estimated as
five times higher than in terrestrial ecosystems. Internationally, most protected rivers have
been assigned reserve status in the framework of terrestrial conservation plans, neglecting
catchment effects of disturbance. While freshwater conservation tools are mainly index based
(e.g. richness, rarity), modern terrestrial and marine conservation planning methods use
complementarity-based algorithms - proven to be most efficient at protecting a large number
of taxa for the least cost. The few complementarity-based lotic conservation efforts all use
broad river classifications instead of biota as targets, a method heavily disputed in the
literature. They also ignore current condition and future vulnerability.
It was the aim of this thesis to develop a framework for conservation planning that:
a) accounts for the connected nature of rivers
b) is complementarity based and uses biota as targets
c) integrates current status and future vulnerability
I developed two different approaches using macroinvertebrate datasets from Australia,
Canada and the USA. The first new method was a site/based two-tiered approach integrating
condition and conservation value, based on RIVPACS/AUSRIVAS � a modelling technique
that predicts macroinvertebrate composition. The condition stage assesses biodiversity loss by
estimating a site-specific expected assemblage and comparing it to the actual observed
assemblage. Sites with significant biodiversity loss are flagged for restoration, or other
management actions. All other sites progress to the conservation stage, in which an index of
site-specific taxonomic rarity is calculated. This second index (O/E BIODIV) assesses the
number of rare taxa (as defined by <50% probability of occurrence). Using this approach on a dataset near Sydney, NSW, Australia, I was able to identify three regions: 1) an area in need
of restoration; 2) a region of high conservation value and 3) an area that had high
conservation potential if protection and restoration measures could counteract present
disturbance.
However, a second trial run with three datasets from the USA and Canada highlighted
problems with O/E (BIODIV). If common taxa are predicted at lower probabilities of
occurrence (p<50%) because of model error, they enter the index and change O/E (BIODIV).
Therefore, despite an attractive theoretical grounding, the application of O/E (BIODIV) will
be restricted to datasets where strong environmental gradients explain a large quantity of
variation in the data and permit accurate predictions of rare taxa. It also requires extensive
knowledge of regional species pools to ensure that introduced organisms are not counted in
the index.
The second approach was a proper adaptation of terrestrial complementarity algorithms and
an extension to the Irreplaceability-Vulnerability framework by Margules and Pressey (2000).
For this large-scale method, distributions for 400 invertebrate taxa were modeled across 1854
subcatchments in Victoria, Australia using Generalised Additive Models (GAMs). The best
heuristic algorithm to estimate conservation value was determined by calculating the
minimum area needed to cover all 400 taxa. Solutions were restricted to include rules for the
protection of whole catchments upstream of a subcatchment that contained the target taxon. A
summed rarity algorithm proved to be most efficient, beating the second best solution by 100
000 hectares. To protect 90% of the taxa, only 2% of the study area need to be protected. This
increases to 10% of the study area when full representation of the targets is required.
Irreplaceability was calculated by running the heuristic algorithm 1000 times with 90% of the
catchments randomly removed. Two statistics were then estimated: f (the frequency of
selection across 1000 runs) and average c (contribution to conservation targets). Four groups of catchments were identified: a) catchments that have high contributions and are always selected; b) catchments that have high contributions and are not always selected; c)
catchments that are always chosen but do not contribute many taxa; d) catchments that are
rarely chosen and did not contribute many taxa. Summed c, the sum of contributions over
1000 runs was chosen as an indicator of irreplaceability, integrating the frequency of selection
and the number of taxa protected.
Irreplaceability (I) was then linked to condition (C) and vulnerability (V) to create the ICVframework
for river conservation planning. Condition was estimated using a stressor gradient
approach (SGA), in which GIS layers of disturbance were summarised to three principal axes
using principal components analysis (PCA). The main stressor gradient � agriculture �
classified 75% of the study area as disturbed, a value consistent with existing assessments of
river condition. Vulnerability was defined as the likelihood that land use in a catchment
would intensify in the future. Hereby current tenure was compared to land capability. If a
catchment would support a land use that would have a stronger effect on the rivers than its
current tenure, it was classified as vulnerable. 79% of catchments contained more than 50%
vulnerable land.
When integrating the three estimators in the ICV-framework, seven percent of catchments
were identified as highly irreplaceable but in degraded condition. These were flagged for
urgent restoration. Unprotected, but highly irreplaceable and highly vulnerable catchments
that were still in good condition made up 2.5% of the total area. These catchments are prime
candidates for river reserves.
The ICV framework developed here is the first method for systematic conservation planning
in rivers that is complementarity-based, biota-driven but flexible to other conservation targets
and accounts for catchment effects, thus fulfilling all the gaps outlined in the aims.
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Mannan, Haider Rashid. "Development and use of a Monte Carlo-Markov cycle tree model for coronary heart disease incidence-mortality and health service usage with explicit recognition of coronary artery revascularization procedures (CARPs)." University of Western Australia. School of Population Health, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0101.
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[Truncated abstract] The main objective of this study was to develop and validate a demographic/epidemiologic Markov model for population modelling/forecasting of CARPs as well as CHD deaths and incidence in Western Australia using population, linked hospital morbidity and mortality data for WA over the period 1980 to 2000. A key feature of the model was the ability to count events as individuals moved from one state to another and an important aspect of model development and implementation was the method for estimation of model transition probabilities from available population data. The model was validated through comparison of model predictions with actual event numbers and through demonstration of its use in producing forecasts under standard extrapolation methods for transition probabilities as well as improving the forecasts by taking into account various possible changes to the management of CHD via surgical treatment changes. The final major objective was to demonstrate the use of model for performing sensitivity analysis of some scenarios. In particular, to explore the possible impact on future numbers of CARPs due to improvements in surgical procedures, particularly the introduction of drug eluting stents, and to explore the possible impact of change in trend of CHD incidence as might be caused by the obesity epidemic. ... When the effectiveness of PCI due to introduction of DES was increased by reducing Pr(CABG given PCI) and Pr(a repeat PCI), there was a small decline in the requirements for PCIs and the effect seemed to have a lag. Finally, in addition to these changes when other changes were incorporated which captured that a PCI was used more than a CABG due to a change in health policy after the introduction of DES, there was a small increase in the requirements for PCIs with a lag in the effect. Four incidence scenarios were developed for assessing the effect of change in secular trends of CHD incidence as might be caused by the obesity epidemic in such a way that they gradually represented an increasing effect of obesity epidemic (assuming that other risk factors changed favourably) on CHD incidence. The strategy adopted for developing the scenarios was that based on past trends the most dominant component of CHD incidence was first gradually altered and finally the remaining components were altered. iv The results showed that if the most dominant component of CHD incidence, eg, Pr(CHD - no history of CHD) levelled off and the trends in all other transition probabilities continued into future, then the projected numbers of CABGs and PCIs for 2001-2005 were insensitive to these changes. Even increasing this probability by as much as 20 percent did not alter the results much. These results implied that the short-term effect on projected numbers of CARPs caused by an increase in the most dominant component of CHD incidence, possibly due to an ?obesity epidemic, is small. In the final incidence scenario, two of the remaining CHD incidence components-Pr(CABG - no history of CHD) and Pr(CHD death - no CHD and no history of CHD) were projected to level off over 2001-2005 because these probabilities were declining over the baseline period of 1998-2000. The projected numbers of CABGs were more sensitive (compared to the previous scenarios) to these changes but PCIs were not.
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Mou, Dai, and manchurian0@yahoo com. "The Use of Suggestion as a Classroom Learning Strategy in China and Australia: An Assessment Scale with Structural Equation Explanatory Models in Terms of Stress, Depression, Learning Styles and Academic Grades." RMIT University. Education, 2006. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20070207.152256.
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This study is innovative in that it draws together the concepts of suggestion from several cultural groups and develops an inventory to account for variations the occurrence of scale to studies the relatively new area of the effects of suggestion in classrooms and compares effect on personality and academic variables. As new ideas and knowledge become more widespread and accepted by the community and teaching profession, precision in the applications of suggestion in the classroom is being seen as more important. Although new to education, suggestion and similar variations has always been central to influencing behaviour and learning among pastoral, counseling and hypnotherapy fields. Teachers who had experience or influence from those fields or the ideas of Lozanov (1978) or accelerated learning groups were and are more the exception than the rule. However, as new ideas become more influential, the influence of suggestion in is becoming increasingly important in progressive, modern education. A major goal of the study was to provide a valid instrument to compare Chinese and Australian differences and similarities in use of suggestion in learning. It was hoped that such a comparison would provide increased mutual understanding of values, strategies, practices and preferences by teachers and students. A second goal was to develop a causative model that explained the relationships between the measured variables of personality and learning behaviour and suggestion in teaching and learning.. A third aim was to make a comparison on effects and performance of suggestion in teaching and learning in Australian, Chinese and Australian accelerative learning classes. This study examined differences between Australian and Chinese high school Science classrooms in their use of suggestion in teaching and learning. To ascertain the prevalence and types of suggestion in the classroom the 39-item suggestion in teaching and learning (STL) scale was developed and validated v in Year 7, 9, and 11 high school classes in China and Australia. The STL scale categorized suggestion into the following types or subscales: Selfsuggestion, metaphor, indirect non-verbal suggestion, general spoken suggestion, negative suggestion, intuitive suggestion, direct verbal suggestion, relaxation, and de-suggestion. The study involved surveying 344 participants (n=182 female, n=162 male) from four high schools in Australia and China. A further 374 participants (n=108 teachers, n=266 students) from six high schools were surveyed for selecting a Chinese sample in a pilot study. About 284 participants (China: 200 students; Australia: 84 students [includes 8 adults]) were observed for validation of the STL instrument. All subjects and classes were randomly selected and were surveyed and observed for the purpose of scale and model development. The STL scale was found to be capable of distinguishing different types of suggestion within Chinese, Australian, and Australian Accelerative Learning classes. The STL scale was significant as a first scale to measure suggestion in teaching and learning in Australian and Chinese classrooms. Items in the scale were strongly and significantly correlated with other items within the subscales and with the overall scale. Path analytic techniques were used to explain relationships between the STL scale, its subscales, nation, gender and high school students profiles on stress, depression, learning styles and academic grades. Limitations of the study included problems arising from language and cultural differences as well as newness of the scale and the field of study. Recommendations for further study included strengthening aspects of the scale with new items and further qualitative and quantitative studies on the uses of suggestion in academic learning and other forms of change in childhood and adolescence.
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Son, Kyongho. "Improving model structure and reducing parameter uncertainty in conceptual water balance models with the use of auxiliary data." University of Western Australia. School of Environmental Systems Engineering, 2006. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2006.0094.
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[Truncated abstract] The use of uncertainty analysis is gaining considerable attention in catchment hydrological modeling. In particular, the choice of an appropriate model structure, the identifiability of parameter values, and the reduction of model predictive uncertainty are deemed as essential elements of hydrological modelling. The chosen model structure must be parsimonious, and the parameters used must either be derivable from field measured data or inferred unambiguously from analysis of catchment response data. In this thesis, a long-term water balance model for the Susannah Brook catchment in Western Australia has been pursued using the ?downward approach?, which is a systematic approach to determine the model with the minimum level of complexity, with parameter values that in theory are derivable from existing physiographic data relating to the catchment. Through the analysis of the rainfall-runoff response at different timescales, and the exploration of the climate, soil and vegetation controls on the water balance response, an initial model structure was formulated, and a priori model parameter values estimated. Further investigation with the use of auxiliary data such as deuterium concentration in the stream and groundwater level data exposed inadequacies in the model structure. Two more model structures were then proposed and investigated through formulating alternative hypotheses regarding the underlying causes of observed variability, including those associated with the absence of a contribution of deep groundwater flow to the streamflow, which was indicated by deuterium concentration and internal dynamics characterized by the observed groundwater levels. ... These differences are due to differences in the time delay between rainfall and recharge between upland and riparian regions. The ages of water recharging the groundwater and discharging from the catchment were estimated by assuming a piston flow mechanism. In the deeper, upland soils, the age of recharging water was considerably larger than the unsaturated zone delay would suggest; a recharge response 16 days after an infiltration event may involve water as much as 160 days old. On the other hand, the delay and the age of recharging water were much lower in the shallow riparian zone. Where the upland zone contributes significantly to discharge, the predicted difference between the rainfall-discharge response time and the average age of discharging water can be significant.
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Fischer, Joern, and joern@cres anu edu au. "Beyond fragmentation : Lizard distribution patterns in two production landscapes and their implications for conceptual landscape models." The Australian National University. Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, 2004. http://thesis.anu.edu.au./public/adt-ANU20060718.150101.
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Fauna conservation outside protected areas can make an important complementary contribution to conservation within reserves. This thesis aimed to contribute new information and analytical frameworks to the science of fauna conservation in human-modified landscapes. Two approaches were used: (1) empirical data collection and analysis, and (2) the discussion and development of conceptual landscape models.
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Empirical work focused on lizard distribution patterns in two production landscapes in southeastern Australia. Lizards were targeted because ectotherms are frequently neglected by conservation biologists. The Nanangroe grazing landscape was used for sheep and cattle grazing. In this landscape, approximately 85% of pre-European woodland cover had been cleared, and understorey vegetation was sparse. Lizards were surveyed at 16 landscape units, which were stratified by aspect, topographic position and amount of tree cover. Each landscape unit contained three sites, and each site contained three plots. Regression modelling showed that different species responded differently to their environment. For example, the four-fingered skink (Carlia tetradactyla) and Boulengers skink (Morethia boulengeri) were more likely to occur at woodland sites with northerly aspects, whereas the striped skink (Ctenotus robustus) and olive legless lizard (Delma inornata) were more likely to inhabit sites with a simple microhabitat structure. Statistical analysis further showed that the habitat attributes that lizards were related to varied continuously through space, and over different spatial scales. For example, invertebrate abundance (a proxy for food availability) varied most strongly over tens of metres, whereas the amount of grass cover varied most strongly over hundreds to thousands of metres. Thus, work at Nanangroe revealed spatially complex patterns of lizard occurrence and habitat variables.
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The Tumut plantation landscape was a spatial mosaic of native eucalypt (Eucalyptus) forest patches embedded within a plantation of the introduced radiata pine (Pinus radiata). In this landscape, thirty sites were surveyed for lizards. Sites were stratified by forest type and patch size, and included eucalypt patches, pine sites, and extensive areas of eucalypt forest adjacent to the plantation. Regression modelling showed that lizard species responded to various habitat attributes, including elevation, the amount of eucalypt forest within 1 km of a site, invertebrate abundance and ground cover. Variables related to habitat fragmentation often were significant predictors of lizard occurrence. However, work at Tumut suggested that important additional insights into lizard distribution patterns could be obtained by considering variables related to food and shelter resources, and climatic conditions.
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The Nanangroe and Tumut landscapes were in close proximity, but together spanned an altitudinal gradient of 900 m. An investigation of changes in lizard community composition with altitude showed that (1) only one species was common to Nanangroe and Tumut, (2) different species had different altitudinal preferences, and (3) ecologically similar species replaced one another with increasing altitude. These results highlighted that even in highly modified landscapes, natural gradients (such as climate) can play an important role in shaping animal assemblage composition and species distribution patterns.
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Empirical work suggested that, in some landscapes, the frequently used fragmentation model is a relatively weak conceptual basis for the study of animal distribution patterns. The fragmentation model implicitly assumes that habitat patches can be defined unequivocally across many species, and that patches are located within a relatively inhospitable matrix. Where these assumptions are breached, conservation guidelines arising from the fragmentation model may be too simplified. In spatially complex production landscapes, it may be more appropriate to maintain habitat heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales than to focus solely on the management of large, pre-defined patches.
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Given the potential limitations of the fragmentation model, a new, more holistic landscape model was developed. The continuum model was derived from continuum theory as developed for plant ecology. The continuum model recognises (1) spatial continua of environmental variables, and (2) species individualistic responses to these variables. For animals, key environmental variables may be related to the availability of food, shelter, sufficient space, and suitable climatic conditions. Unlike the fragmentation model, the continuum model is inherently process-based and thus may help to link the perceived gap between patterns and processes in landscape ecology.
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Three general conclusions arise from this thesis:
1. Some heterogeneous production landscapes support many native species, and therefore represent important conservation opportunities.
2. In some modified landscapes, the fragmentation model does not capture the complexity of animal distribution patterns. In those landscapes, conservation recommendations derived from the fragmentation model may be overly simplistic.
3. The continuum model may be a useful extension of the fragmentation model. It provides a process-based conceptual basis for empirical work on animal distribution patterns.
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Mengler, Faron. "Gully erosion on rehabilitated bauxite mines." University of Western Australia. School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0176.
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[Truncated abstract] Landforms rehabilitated after bauxite mining can be vulnerable to soil loss by water erosion processes. On most rehabilitated sites, management controls such as deep ripping, contour mounding and landscaped sub-catchments limit erosion. Despite these measures, severe gully erosion that is anecdotally associated with steep slopes can damage rehabilitated areas and affect downstream drinking water resources. A review of erosion dynamics reveals that gullies develop episodically and in a non-linear manner. They often initiated as a near surface process and are influenced by natural climatic drivers. Despite this, local site characteristics including soil and landform can predispose an area to gully erosion. Moreover, erosion models, becoming more-widely utilized within the mining industry, may provide useful tools with which to measure, analyse, and manage gully erosion. One of these models, SIBERIA was tested to determine its suitability for application a tool to help manage erosion risk. We first surveyed 26 eroding and erosion-prone rehabilitated hillslopes to determine the common form and setting for gully erosion on these rehabilitated bauxite mines. A conceptual model was developed to include and explore the interplay between the common causes of the gullies surveyed. The conceptual model accounts for slope steepness but suggests that additionally, certain triggers and threshold effects operating under different site conditions are as influential (or even more influential) than slope steepness as determinants of gully erosion occurrence and severity. ... Soil properties and soil erodibility had some subtle influence on landform stability and erosion risk. The most-erodible media occurred where either: mine floor material was mixed with topsoil/ overburden; and/or the topsoil/overburden layer was thin or its coverage is patchy resulting in slaking subsoil, hardsetting soil and surface crusts. When erodible surface media were combined with steeper (>8[degrees]) or longer (>50 m) slopes or with any major erosion trigger, rill and gully development was greatly intensified. The SIBERIA simulation model was calibrated and its simulated outputs were compared to known locations of gully erosion on a steep, rehabilitated pit from the Willowdale mine. At a resolution of one metre, SIBERIA was able to simulate the approximate dimensions of gullies. However, SIBERIA could not simulate the exact location of individual gully headcuts. Additionally, SIBERA was able to simulate the effect of different microtopographic surface treatments but this was only achieved by increasing the grid resolution to 25 cm and reducing the size of the area simulated due to model constraints. Locations of gully headcuts were overlain onto a grid-based, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using a Geographic Information System (GIS). The spatial distribution of gully headcut locations was compared to DEM derivatives such as slope and flow accumulation. Positive, and predictive relationships allow between the steepness of the slope of the pre-mining landform and the cell count of the area contributing to flow (catchment), as determined by GIS, may allow a mine scale indication of erosion risk using simple GIS desktop analysis.
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Huber, Anita. "Internal mixing in a mine lake." University of Western Australia. School of Environmental Systems Engineering, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0103.
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[Truncated abstract] Mine lakes are a water body created after an open-cut mine ceases operating. The lakes develop in the former mine-pit due to the combination of groundwater inflow, surface run-off and, in some cases, due to rapid filling from river diversion. While potentially valuable water resources, these lakes often have poor water quality and managing the water body is an important part of the overall process of mine site rehabilitation. As mine lakes form in man-made pits, they have a bathymetry that is typically quite distinct from natural lakes and this can, in turn, strongly influence the hydrodynamics and hence the water quality of the water body. Despite the potential importance of these water bodies, there have been very few studies on the hydrodynamics of mine lakes. This study describes a field investigation of the hydrodynamics of a former coal mine lake, Lake Kepwari, in south-western Western Australia. In particular, this study examines the hydrodynamic processes in both the surface mixing layers and the internal mixing in the density stratified lake. Wind sheltering in the surface mixing layer occurs due to the presence of the steep walls and lake embankments. A week long field experiment was conducted in December 2003 using a combination of moored thermistor chains with meteorological stations and the deployment of rapid vertical profiling turbulent microstructure instruments and CTD drops from two boats operating on the lake. ... Simulations indicated that inclusion of a site specific sheltering effect, based on the results of the field campaign, significantly improved the models‘ performance in capturing the surface mixed layer deepening associated with episodic strong wind events that occur on the lake. Considerable internal mixing was indicated by the high dissipation rates observed, particularly near the boundaries. Large basin-wide diffusivities were also calculated from the heat budget method over long periods, showed a consistency with time, and were slightly higher in summer than during the Autumn Winter period. Although light, there are persistent winds over the lake and yet little basin-scale internal wave activity or seiching. It is hypothesized that any seiching motion was rapidly damped by strong mixing over the hydraulically rough bathymetry bathymetry created by the remnant benches from the open cut mining operation itself. This boundary mixing, in turn, drives secondary relaxation currents that transport mixed fluid from the boundaries to the interior, resulting in high effective basin-wide diffusivities. A simple boundary mixing model is proposed to describe this process.