Sydney eScholarship
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From Waste Minimization to Value Maximization: How Marketing Cues Influence Consumer Adoption and Product Life Extension Decisions.
No full textMarketing’s core function is to create, communicate, and deliver value to consumers, organizations,
and the wider society. A simple way marketers communicate value to stakeholders is through
marketing cues. This thesis examines three novel marketing cues that are increasingly becoming
popular in the marketplace, which convey product information at different stages of product lifecycles:
from production to promotion and product life extension. Specifically, three empirical manuscripts
investigate how production mode (i.e., whether a product is handmade or machine-made), hidden
gem promotion (i.e., to signal the product’s social novelty and excellent value), and product care
information (i.e., maintenance strategies that can prolong the product’s lifespan) influences
consumers’ decision-making processes before and after purchase stages of consumption.
Collectively, these manuscripts advance the marketing literature by presenting new insights into why
and when such marketing cues affect consumer behavior. Importantly, this thesis offers practical
recommendations on effectively leveraging these cues to minimize waste and maximize value for
various stakeholders
The linguistic landscape of classical gardens in Suzhou, China: A sociolinguistic perspective on the production and consumption of the Humble Administrator’s Garden
No full textDespite the rapid growth of linguistic landscape studies, research on tourist destinations in China remains limited. This study explores the linguistic landscape of Classical Gardens of Suzhou, focusing on the Humble Administrator’s Garden as a case study. It examines the diversity and characteristics of Chinese and English signs, their relationships with the surrounding environment, the strategies employed in sign production, and how signs are interpreted and evaluated by tourists. The study adopts theoretical frameworks from geosemiotics, ethnographic linguistic landscape analysis, and multimodal analysis. Findings reveal distinct contrasts between the Chinese and English linguistic landscapes. Chinese signage is characterised by a rigorous production process, emphasising the historical and cultural significance of the garden. These signs are intricately connected to their surroundings, reflecting the garden’s rich cultural heritage. Conversely, English signs primarily serve functional purposes, with simpler production processes and fewer signs overall, largely due to the absence of translations for many culturally significant elements. Literal translations of some culture-specific content result in inadequate representation of the garden’s cultural depth. In addition to providing a comprehensive analysis of the linguistic landscape of the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the study develops a ‘sign production and consumption’ conceptual framework. This framework, along with methodological insights into the relationship between signs and place, offers valuable tools for future linguistic landscape research and practical guidance for designing and constructing effective signage in culturally significant locations
Management of Asthma Patients by Community Pharmacists - A Focus on High-Risk Patients and Inhaled Medication Use
No full textThe management of asthma in Australia is a significant concern. Despite the availability of explicit asthma management guidelines, the number of patients experiencing significant burden of disease from asthma still remains high. One approach to reducing this involves utilising community pharmacists to assist patients in their inhaler technique.
Whilst evidence exists that asthma management programs conducted by community pharmacists involving training on inhaler technique can assist in improving outcomes, there are a significant number of barriers impeding their implementation in daily practice.
One strategy to assist pharmacists to deliver this information is to identify which patients groups are at high risk of making inhaler technique errors associated with poor clinical outcomes. This knowledge may assist pharmacists to identify which groups of patients require more urgent or thorough assistance with the use of their inhalers, reducing the burden of disease.
The overall aim of this thesis is gain insights into high risk patient groups, being those which are most likely to benefit from the skills of community pharmacist
Medical Imaging Data Analysis based on Unsupervised Domain Adaptation for Tubular Structure Segmentation
No full textMedical image analysis plays a crucial role in clinical medicine, encompassing preoperative diagnosis of diseases, lesion evaluation, intraoperative clinical treatment, and postoperative recovery assessment. A common challenge in medical imaging datasets is the scarcity of labels and the limited data availability. With the rise of deep learning technologies, methods based on convolutional neural network (CNN) have achieved remarkable success in both segmentation and classification tasks. However, as deep learning technologies evolved, the high demand for large quantities of high-quality labeled data in medical images limited the applicability of fully supervised deep learning techniques. To address this issue and reduce reliance on high-quality labels, unsupervised methods, especially unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) methods, have been extensively studied. Tubular structures in medical images, such as nerves, blood vessels, and cell membrane boundaries, have been a critical focus of research. Variations in data acquisition methods and instrumentation lead to domain gaps in imaging characteristics even within the same anatomical site, while tubular structures across different anatomical sites exhibit substantial differences in distributions and prior anatomical knowledge. In this thesis, we propose novel UDA methods for medical image segmentation, with a particular focus on the segmentation of tubular structures in medical images. The proposed method addresses key challenges in the analysis of medical image data for tubular structures. Our thesis methods are mainly divided into two parts. The first part of the thesis methodology focuses on the application of UDA in a single anatomical source domain, presenting single-source UDA and multi-source UDA approaches. In the second part of the thesis methodology, we explore the application of UDA in cross-anatomical sites, addressing the unique challenges posed by variations across anatomical sites
The effects of clipping frequency and nitrogen fertilisation on greenhouse gas emissions and net ecosystem exchange in an Australian temperate grassland
No full textGrassland ecosystems store significant amounts of organic carbon (C) and have the potential to function as a source or sink of greenhouse gases (GHGs) under different environmental conditions and management practices. However, the effects of management (clipping frequency and N fertilisation) on the GHGs remain uncertain. In this study, a field-based experiment with automated-lid gas exchange chambers was conducted to simultaneously measure different GHG fluxes (CO 2 , N 2 O, CH 4 ), their overall global warming potential (GWP-100) impact, and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) from a grassland. The experiment had two clipping frequencies (simulating moderate and high grazing intensity) and two nitrogen (N) fertiliser treatments (0 and 40 kg N ha −1 year −1 ). The measurements were conducted during two periods (each approximately 2 weeks long) of varied temperature and moisture in early autumn. High clipping frequency caused higher daily NEE emissions, higher GWP-100 impact and lower photosynthesis; however, it did not significantly affect these parameters. Nitrogen fertilisation effects were lower than the clipping frequency treatment, but the impact on N on the time of N application. Methane (CH 4 ) 2 O fluxes was likely to be dependent was predominantly controlled by soil moisture, whereas nitrous oxide (N 2 O) was more strongly affected by temperature. N O emissions increased significantly after the break-point temperature of 20°C. Our results have highlighted the sensitivity of CH 4 2 uptake and N 2 2 O emissions to environmental conditions, particularly their increase under warmer temperatures. The main contributor of GWP-100 impact in this study was CO emissions and uptake. For the observation period, the grassland was a small C sink. For a comprehensive understanding, longer-term studies spanning over several years are needed to accurately assess the impact of different management practices on GHG emissions
Exploring Teachers’ Beliefs, Understanding, and Practices of Formative Assessment and Professional Development: A Case Study
No full textFormative assessment (FA) has gained international recognition as a powerful approach for improving student learning by providing real-time feedback and allowing teachers and students to adjust their instruction and learning accordingly. In New South Wales (NSW), Australia, the implementation of FA remains inconsistent, despite policy frameworks encouraging its use; the potential benefits of FA are widely acknowledged, however, significant barriers continue to limit its consistent application. This study explored how five NSW public secondary school teachers understand and implement FA, their beliefs and attitudes about FA, the barriers they face, and the role of professional development in supporting their practice. Utilising a qualitative multiple-case study approach, the research involved classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires with teachers across five separate urban and suburban schools. The study revealed that while teachers generally recognise the importance of FA, their application of these strategies is hindered by significant challenges, including time constraints, heavy workloads, and limited access to sustained, relevant professional development. Many teachers also struggle to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge of FA and its practical application in their classrooms. In light of these findings, the study recommends more structured and targeted professional development opportunities tailored specifically to FA. The study concludes that for FA to be more effectively integrated into NSW secondary schools, systemic changes at both the school and policy levels are necessary to provide the necessary support and resources for teachers. Although based on a small sample, this research offers valuable insights into the challenges faced by teachers in NSW public schools and provides practical recommendations for enhancing FA implementation
Systematic assessment of push and pull initiatives in behavioural responses associated with public transport fares, service frequency, car-related tolls, distance-based road user charges, and parking charges
No full textThere has been a constant flow of empirical evidence suggesting the likely modal trip impact that stand-alone policy initiatives such as public transport fares or service frequency and road pricing reforms (be it tolls or distance-based charging) have on the change in travel behaviour. While the evidence, typically converted to mean direct elasticity and cross elasticity modal estimates, is informative, there is a dearth of empirical evidence on elasticities associated with policy initiatives that combine policies such as a public transport fare or service frequency change and a car-related toll and /or distance-based charge and/or parking charges. This paper investigates the one-way trip and arc elasticity impacts of stand-alone policy initiatives and compares the two elasticity effects when push and pull policy initiatives are at play. We find not only that there are asymmetric effects according to whether the policy involves an increase or a decrease, but that the combined policy initiatives suggest very different mean arc elasticity impacts, opening up opportunities for behavioural changes that are not obtained to the same extent from a stand-alone policy initiative. Each policy by itself generally, although not always, has a lower relative elasticity compared to when it is combined with another policy. We use the advanced Metroscan integrated transport and land use strategic model system to obtain the evidence for 2024 in the Sydney Metropolitan Area
Ecological networks among key target fish species in Kenya (2015-2022).
No full textTrophic interactions (i.e., predator-prey relationships) among target fish species comprising the majority of catch by all fishing gears employed along the Kenyan coast.To determine which species were caught by each gear type being used by fishers across our study sites, we used a long-term fish catch dataset collected by our partners at the Wildlife Conservation Society. The dataset included surveys from 27 landing sites along the Kenyan coast conducted continuous between January 2015 and December 2022, although no data was collected in the year 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For each observation, onsite observers identified landed catch at the species level in addition to the gear used. Observers were present at landing stations every sampling day before the arrival of boats and stayed until the entire landing process was concluded. Although all patrols were conducted during daylight hours, the sampling method does not exclude catches attributed to nighttime fishing activities, as observers also intercepted fishers returning from their overnight fishing, ensuring that each gear used at each site was sampled and that each species landed was recorded. The number of patrols conducted per month were not stratified, but similar intervals of sampling were maintained within this randomized block design to detect long-term catch trends. An observed total of 14,524 individual fish caught across all gear types was reported between January 2015 and December 2022.
We divided the fish catch data set into three subsets to analyze whether the types of fish species caught by different fishing gears changed meaningfully over time. Here we looked at three time periods (2015-2016, 2018-2019, and 2021-2022) and seven different gear types. Our analysis did not indicate meaningful trends in the types of fish species caught by different fishing gears. We therefore continued our analysis with constant gear-species relationships over time, as well as constant ecological network configurations. Most gears used in multispecies coral reef fisheries incidentally catch several species infrequently (i.e., bycatch). We therefore focused on species comprising most of the total catch for each gear type, excluding all species that comprised less than 3% of the total catch in all of three time periods we included in our analysis. Our analysis identified 47 individual fish species that had at least >3% of the total fish catch per gear type in one of the three time periods
Trophic interactions capturing predator-prey relationships among the 47 target fish species were estimated based on a combination of diet, relative body size, and habitat use (likelihood of encounter). The corresponding ecological network was thus undirected, with edges representing trophic interactions between fish species (Fig. S2). Diet and body size (maximum length) data were taken from FishBase (1, 2), and broad patterns of habitat use (i.e., pelagic, demersal, coral-dominated, macroalgal bed) were estimated from published records and expert first-hand knowledge (TRM, NAJG, ASH). Detail on the specific fish species consumed from analyses of gut contents is largely unavailable, yet piscivorous coral reef fish are known to be generalists in terms of the species they consume (3). We thus took a conservative approach, considering one species to prey on another if its diet was predominantly piscivorous, its body length was large (ca. ≥ 2 times) compared to that of the prey species, and the two species occupied a similar habitat. We did not identify potential predatory links for any species whose diet was not primarily piscivorous as any likely predation on other targeted species was likely to be too infrequent to have a meaningful effect on prey populations.
References
1. R. Froese, D. Pauly, Eds., FishBase 2000: Concepts, designs and data sources (The WorldFish Center, 2000).
2. R. Froese, D. Pauly, FishBase, version (06/2023). (2023). Available at: https://www.fishbase.se/search.php [Accessed 22 October 2023].
3. E. S. Hobson, Feeding relationships of teleostean fishes on coral reefs in Kona, Hawaii. Fish. Bull. 72, 915–1031 (1974)
The Subsidy Question: Community Theatre and the Integral State
No full textThis thesis explores how historical shifts in capitalist accumulation strategies have influenced Australian cultural subsidy. It examines the origins of Australian neoliberalism and its impact on federal arts funding from 1972 to 1997, focusing on the relationship between the state, community arts, and cultural policy. The methodology is historical materialism, guided by Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony, which views the state as integral to capitalism.
The first half of the thesis traces the evolution of federal arts funding as a Keynesian economic policy, through its transformation under the Whitlam government, to the destabilisation of the arts council model amid economic crises, and examines how these changes shaped Australia’s federal community arts program.
The second half analyses how shifts in accumulation strategies are reflected in community arts through four case studies: Art and Working Life (1982-c1995), an arts program jointly funded by the Australia Council and the Australian Council of Trade Unions targeting projects linked to labour culture; Melbourne Workers Theatre (1987-2012), a theatre company dedicated to working exclusively with the labour movement; Creative Nation (1994), Australia’s first federal cultural policy, which entrenched an economic rationalist “creative industries” paradigm into policymaking; and The Essentials (1997), a community theatre production created with emergency services and domestic violence support workers about their experiences under a state-wide restructure by former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett. These case studies are examined in the context of declining organised labour power in Australia, and the rise and consolidation of neoliberalism as the dominant hegemony of advanced capitalism.
This thesis finds that the industrial problems of the Australian arts sector result from a structural antagonism between a sector that relies on public funding and the imperatives of the neoliberal state
Data Driven Energy Management Solutions for Smart Grid Applications
No full textThe growing integration of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, into modern power systems introduces significant challenges due to their inherent variability and intermittency. These challenges affect energy management, grid stability, and operational efficiency in active distribution networks. This thesis proposes a series of novel data-driven approaches to address these challenges, focusing on enhancing energy forecasting accuracy, optimizing grid control strategies, and improving the resilience and stability of power systems under high renewable energy penetration.This thesis demonstrates how the proposed hybrid models, advanced control frameworks, and data-driven algorithms can be used to optimize energy management and control in modern active distribution networks. Several Case studies and benchmark comparations are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed methods, demonstrating improvements in forecasting accuracy, voltage control performance, and resilience against fluctuations. This research contributes to advancing the scalability, adaptability, and effectiveness of data-driven solutions for smart grid applications, supporting the transition to more resilient and efficient energy systems