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Synthetic bio-catalytic solutions for mercury pollution
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 115-134.Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Literature review -- Chapter 3: Research aims -- Chapter 4: Research paper 1 -- Chapter 5: Research paper 2 -- Chapter 6: Research paper 3 -- Chapter 7: Results and discussion -- Bibliography.Highly toxic mercury (Hg) causes many adverse biological impacts from exposure to even low concentrations. Mercury is subject to a complex biogeochemical cycle once released into the environment, many aspects of which are driven by living organisms. The extreme toxicity, together with the mobility of Hg once released, has profound impacts on biota, including at least two acute mass poisoning events for human populations in recent history. The transformative nature of the cycle to the chemical and physical characteristics of Hg means that there is no one solution readily amenable to solve the problem. The main inspiration for this work is derived directly from the bacterial world, whom, having evolved many varied ways of dealing with this toxicant, can now be employed both directly and indirectly to assist with reducing the environmental load of Hg. Some bacterial agents have long been known to possess the ability to enzymatically reduce divalent Hg to elemental Hg, whereupon it becomes volatile and passively diffuses as gaseous elemental mercury (GEM). Delivery of bacterial inoculants for remediation purposes to diverse, sometimes remote, and heterogeneous sites has proven logistically very difficult. This work shows that Pseudomonas veronii with this Hg2+ [to] Hg0 capability can be immobilized on a solid substrate via encapsulation in a biopolymer, and stored for extended periods, while retaining Hg transformation activity after international shipment and subsequent exposure to contaminated soils. Ideally one wants to capture those induced emissions. Elemental Hg has proven very difficult to capture in this GEM form, notwithstanding the rather complex and sometimes hazardous solutions previously employed. This body of work extends the existing research into capture of GEM in ambient conditions without relying on complex catalytic and physical separation and capture methods as constitutes the main body of current knowledge in this area. In this work, a modified coir fibre mat was used to show that GEM could be captured in ambient conditions without any prior physico-chemical alteration, by employing a semi-gas permeable silicone based fibre coating, the matrix of which is infused with copper(I) iodide crystals. The coating was applied to coir fibre prefabricated as matting. Upon contact with GEM, stable and insoluble copper(I) tetra iodide mercurate is formed and bound stably to the mat. It is envisioned this may be deployed as a geotextile over large terrestrial sites being remediated, or it could be configured for other GEM capture situations including numerous industrial settings. The final aspect of the work involves development of a biomimetic device for potential remediation of methylmercury in aquatic environments. A synthetic gene was designed, synthesized, and then expressed in a bacterial host, the product of which is a fusion protein consisting of an organo-mercurial lyase and a short tethering polypeptide at the C-terminal with very high affinity for silica. The tethering peptide allows one to directionally immobilize the lyase on a solid silica based substrate, so that the active site is not hampered by steric hindrance or other spatial considerations. The desired product was extracted, purified and tethered via the solid binding peptide (SBP) to synthetic zeolite particles. The enzyme produced is potentially capable of degrading methylmercury while bound. It is hoped that the combination of these three approaches can assist in reducing the environmental burden of mercury, and adds something valuable by extension to the existing body of knowledge in this area. Due to the distributive and transformational effect of the biogeochemical cycle on Hg, there is no single remedial solution that suits all forms and environmental conditions, but these approaches hopefully add low cost and readily employable solutions to a greater number of problematic contaminated sites -- abstract.1 online resource (xiii, 134 pages) illustration
Digital entrepreneurship: review, trajectory and practice
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 257-270.Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: The research context: digital start-ups -- Chapter 3: Theoretical foundation -- Chapter 4: Research methodologies -- Chapter 5: Overview of research papers -- Chapter 6: Paper 1 - An integrative literature review on a decade of 'entrepreneuring research' -- Chapter 7: Paper 2 - Digital entrepreneurship: an interdisciplinary structured literature review and research agenda -- Chapter 8: Paper 3 - Digital entrepreneurship: long-term entrepreneurial journeys enabled by digital technologies -- Chapter 9: Paper 4 - New venture creation in digital entrepreneurship: a process model -- Chapter 10: Conclusion -- Appendices -- References.Digital start-ups have fundamentally transformed many industries and markets by digitising consumer routines and business services. Digital technologies, related business model innovations and mainstream use of digital applications have developed at a momentous and unrelenting speed. As a result, digital start-ups remain at the forefront of an ongoing global entrepreneurial movement. However, knowledge about digital start-ups is often fragmented across multiple academic disciplines and practice literature. Connections with existing entrepreneurship research perspectives remain tentative, research themes are yet to be fully developed, and the sub-contexts in which digital start-ups operate, remain to be identified more clearly. Claims that the characteristics of digital technologies impart uniqueness to the entrepreneurial process of digital start-ups remain to be comprehensively examined. Therefore, much remains to be understood about the digital entrepreneurial process, both at the firm level of new venture creation and the individual level of digital start-up founders. This thesis is based on four research papers that address the current needs in digital entrepreneurship research. The first two papers provide a review of the overall field of study - entrepreneurship, and the particular field of interest - digital entrepreneurship. Paper 1 anchors this project to some contemporary perspectives of entrepreneurship research by providing an integrative review of entrepreneurship research, with a focus on entrepreneurial process. 115 publications from the latest decade (2009-2019) are classified and synthesised to identify a spectrum of perspectives in five aggregate dimensions. Paper 2 consolidates digital entrepreneurship research by providing a multi- and interdisciplinary critical review of digital entrepreneurship literature comprising 133 publications. The paper distils key definitions, identifies sub-contexts and supplies a narrative of the field's stages of development. The paper further critiques and identifies the focus in research methodologies, contexts and entrepreneurship theory dimensions. A future research agenda of digital entrepreneurship is developed and used to map the field's trajectory. The remaining two papers present the findings of an exploratory multiple case study of the practice of 50 Australian digital start-up founders. Paper 3 proposes a stage-based 'Digital Entrepreneurial Journey' framework that explains why founders embark on entrepreneurial journeys involving digital technologies and the milestones of their long-term engagement with the field. This paper contributes a data-grounded understanding of digital start-up founders' motivation, behaviour and actions. Paper 4 studies the new venture creation process in digital start-ups. This study takes the narrower scope and level of a single new venture creation. A stage-based 'digital entrepreneurial process' framework is proposed, interwoven with an analysis of entrepreneurial decision-making logics underpinning the decisions and actions in each of the proposed process stages. This thesis makes an important contribution by consolidating digital entrepreneurship research and proposing links with the existing theoretical foundations, and particularly by discovering novel insights into why and how digital technologies implicate unique entrepreneurial processes and behaviours. In policy and practice, this study paves the path for improving mentoring and support programs targeting founders, and providing them with better entrepreneurial methods, training and education in new venture creations -- abstract.1 online resource (270 pages
The relationship between immigration policies in Venezuelan history, the development of racism, and the election of President Hugo Chávez Frías in 1998-2012
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 117-125.Chapter 1. Immigration policies in Venezuela: history, racism and class division (1830 to modern Venezuela) -- Chapter 2. Economic changes during the Democratic Era (1958-1998): from Pérez in 1974 to Pérez in 1988 -- Chapter 3. Social and political polarization: racism and class conflict in the Chávez Era (1998-2013) -- Chapter 4. Voting outcomes of the 1998, 2000, 2006 and 2012 elections -- Conclusion -- Bibliography.Venezuela is one of the most racially mixed countries in Latin America and has been described for more than a century as a place where all races are welcome. However, this mentality was tested on December 06, 1998, when Hugo Chávez Frías became "the first non-white president in the majority non-white country's history" (MacLeod 2018, p.9). It follows that from the perspective of this study, Chávez's election, as well as social conflicts post-election, exposed doubts about this presumably racially egalitarian democracy. Scholars like Corrales (2005) have accused Chávez of polarizing the country with his radical political changes. Likewise, studies such as MacLeod's (2018) have blamed the Western media for manipulating Chávez's image and presenting him as a divisive figure. However, polarization and racism in Venezuela before Chávez have not been studied in sufficient detail. This thesis argues that racism and polarization were pre-existing conditions generated by the country's colonial past as well as immigration policies put in place long before Chávez's election, that were then exposed clearly during his government. The aims of this study are to investigate: 1. How did the immigration policies historically implemented by the Venezuelan government play an important role in the development of class and racial division? 2. Had these policies already divided Venezuela into two groups before the election of Chávez, and did this impact the support for Chávez in the 1998 election, as well as in consecutive elections in 2000, 2006, and 2012? The first part of this research will analyse discourses put forth by historians and experts in the field of race and migration history, as well as including an auto-ethnographic approach. The second part will compare data related to ethnic identities through their own identification with certain ethnic categories from the most recent Venezuelan census (2011) to voting trends obtained from the Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) (National Electoral Council). This research attempts to add to additional evidence to claims for the history of racism in Venezuela as a significant possible cause of polarization after Chávez's election -- abstract.1 online resource (125 pages
Incentive model for managing cyber risk in the supply chain
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 54-58.1. Introduction -- 2. Literature review -- 3. Incentive model ontology -- 4. APRA CPS 234 use case -- 5. Cyber insurance use case -- 6. CyberMetrics -- 7. Conclusion -- 8. Future research -- Bibliography.Competition has transformed many economic processes, from manufacturing to financial services, into complex supply chains. Entities along these chains specialise in core processes in which they have a competitive advantage, measured by their ability to manage the process risk at the lowest cost. Outsourcing of non-core processes does not relieve these entities from the associated regulatory compliance obligations and other liabilities. The rapid rise in financial liabilities from cyber-attacks, from record fines to class action settlements, demands a better understanding and handling of these outsourcing arrangements. Unfortunately, our limited understanding of the rapidly evolving nature of cyber-attacks and the difficulty of quantifying cyber risk present a challenge in managing liability from cyber risks. The traditional compliance-based approach does not offer an assurance of security, with an increasing number of organisations suffering major data breaches despite being certified. This research explores an alternative approach in building an incentive driven risk-sharing approach to minimise preventable data breaches. It focuses on improving cyber resilience at the source of risk. An incentive model ontology leveraging quantification techniques is presented to identify the key elements in the incentive model. This approach has been validated through the APRA CPS 234 and a cyber insurance use case.1 online resource (vii, 58 pages
Communication-based load allocation and restoration to improve efficiency and resilience in smart grids integrated with renewables and electric vehicles
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 113-130.1. Introduction -- 2. Literature review -- 3. MQTT-Based load allocation for grid demand reduction in smart neighborhoods considering unreliable communication links -- 4. Load restoration planning to improve resilience in power distribution networks: a multi-objective decision support -- 5. Enhancing power grid resilience through an IEC61850-based EV-assisted load restoration -- 6. Conclusion and future work -- References -- Appendix: Miscellaneous applications of the proposed IOT platform in Chapter 3.Recent developments in the area of advanced information and communication technologies offer provisions to power utilities to run an elegant load allocation and restoration in smart grids. Communication-enhanced platforms enable higher situational awareness with more grid components getting actively involved in load allocation and restoration, which results in higher network flexibilities and lower grid demand. For instance, multi-functional Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers, in aggregated level, can enable new ancillary services for operators to use (e.g. EV-assisted Volt-Var Control (VVC)). In addition, service restoration after a High-Impact Low-Probability (HILP) event in the grid could be improved by modern grid components, such as EVs and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), to be dispatched during the restoration. This results in higher restoration rapidity and robustness in future grids. Communication-based load allocation and restoration can improve various phases of the power system behavior from planning (preventive activities in pre-event period) to operation (corrective activities in post-event time interval). This Ph.D. study encompasses chapters on both planning and operation stages. A resilience-oriented multi-objective decision-making framework has been designed in this work to plan for higher structural resilience in the grid subject to HILP events.Unlike the widely accepted standard metrics for reliability assessment in power distribution systems (e.g. system average interruption duration index (SAIDI), system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI), energy not supplied (ENS) etc.), a resilience index which quantifies resilience features such as preparedness, robustness, and restorative/disruptive rapidity is missing. A novel multi-dimensional resilience metric is proposed in this Ph.D.study to be adopted by power utilities to evaluate resilience of the grid and optimize the aforementioned characteristics of power system behavior. For operational resilience, a communication-based EV-assisted load restoration system is designed and implemented in this Ph.D. work. Unlike the past studies, the proposed solution harnesses (a) the imported power and flexibility from the neighboring networks, (b)Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), and (c) aggregated vehicle to grid (V2G) capacity in all steps of restoration when facing an extreme HILP incident with multiple faults. The proposed real-time SR mechanism is implemented using the RTDS Hardware In the Loop (HIL) platform and the contribution of each SR resource was numerically quantified by the developed resilience metric in previous chapter. The proposed solution ensures an enhanced feeder-level resourcefulness that can contribute to agile response and efficient recovery. This is primarily achieved by a strategic deployment of major modern resources (with focus on EVs contribution) during a sequence of multiple faults -- abstract.1 online resource (xx, 135 pages) illustration
Do sex differences exist in cardiovascular mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD)?: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 82-90.Chapter One. Literature review -- Chapter Two. Systematic review -- Conclusion -- References -- Appendices.Although it is known that sex differences exist in cardiovascular mortality among the general population, the evidence regarding these differences among men and women with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is inconclusive and inconsistent. This thesis aims to systematically review the current literature regarding sex differences in cardiovascular mortality among CKD patients. PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Scopus and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched systematically and studies were included if they looked at sex-stratified cardiovascular mortality outcomes among adult CKD patients of any stage from 2004 up to May 2019, and excluded if their patient population were exclusively diabetic or had a renal transplant, malignancy, non-conventional treatments or surgical interventions. Reported risk estimates (hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI)) were pooled and risk ratios (RR) and cardiovascular mortality rates were calculated where data was available. Thirty eight studies and one registry report (ANZDATA) involving 110,568 participants were included, and the results demonstrated that there was no significant association of sex with overall cardiovascular mortality among CKD patients, both in reported risk estimates (HR 1.10, 95% CI 0.95-1.28), and calculated risk estimates from additional data in the included studies together with ANZDATA (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.02-1.32). However, there was some heterogeneity among both the reported HRs (I2= 41.6%, p= 0.013), and calculated RRs (I2= 69.1%, p= 0.000). Subgroup analysis and risk of bias assessment revealed there were considerable bias at study and outcome level that contributed to heterogeneity of results. The findings from the study show that men and women with CKD share equal risk of cardiovascular mortality, which is contradictory to the prevalent opinion that cardiovascular risk is higher in men with CKD. Therefore, further research is required to understand whether this shift in cardiovascular mortality is due to a reduction in mortality in men, or an increased risk in women with CKD, and strategies to address these inequalities in cardiovascular disease prevention and management in CKD patients -- abstract.1 online resource (234 pages
Poetics of the machine: machine writing and the AI literature frontier
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 225-266.Introduction : machine writing -- Chapter 1. Historical machines : charting and contextualising machine writing trajectories -- Chapter 2. Collisions of prose and code : adaptation and analysis through machine writing and reading -- Chapter 3. Nauseous machines : subversion through absence in machine writing -- Chapter 4. Noisy machines : the use of noise in machine writing -- Chapter 5. Cyborgs & tarantulas : cut-up, corpora and challenges to authorship -- Chapter 6. Weaponised machines : forging and dismantling oppression through machine writing -- Conclusion : the AI literature frontier -- Reference list.Machine writing is defined in this thesis as the explicit use of computational methods to compose literature. The form has seen a surge in popularity as part of academic and journalistic conversations regarding the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in creative practices. Currently, creative coders, literary scholars and computer scientists are grappling with what does and does not constitute AI-penned literature, occasionally leading into conversations regarding singularity-type events. This thesis seeks to ground the conversation, focusing on past and present machine writing and evaluating how it relates to the idea of AI literature. To do this, the common theme of comparing literature by machines to literature by humans will be challenged. Through close readings of both output and code, I argue that to understand AI literature, we must explore the poetics and consequences unique to machine writing.In order to highlight changes in the form, this thesis will develop a history of machine writing. Trajectories from the language games of the OuLiPo group and the Beat Generation's cut-up experiments to Twitterbots and algorithmically generated novels will be charted. Through analysis that focuses on both the literary output of these machines and their constraints/codes, the distinctly inhuman qualities of machine writing will be explored. This analysis will reveal the capacity of machine writing to transform texts, create unthinkable worlds, and mirror the anxieties of the information age. In short, machine writing will be analysed on the basis of its own literary and linguistic techniques, and the effects these techniques produce, establishing a sort of "machine poetics".Uncovering the poetics of these machines then reveals several other concerns. Authorship becomes complicated by the use of algorithms, corpora and other authorial forces. Further, the utility of machine writing to both promulgate and dismantle oppressive structures through unthinking automation is revealed. In exploring these topics, this thesis maps the current climate of machine writing literature and provides insight into what may lie beyond the AI literature frontier.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (iv, 266 pages
Drivers and challenges of implementing integrated water-cycle management strategy in regional NSW
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 51-55.1. Introduction -- 2. Literature review: development of IWCM in the last century -- 3. Research method -- 4. Data collection: literature review and stakeholder engagement -- 5. Analytical discussions: a review of stakeholder responses -- 6. Recommended actions -- 7. Conclusions and future directions -- References -- Appendix A -- Appendix B -- Appendix C.Regional water utilities in the state of New South Wales (NSW) are recommended to prepare a 30-year Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM) strategy. The aim of IWCM strategies is to ensure that the regional town water supply, sewage, stormwater and related infrastructure, is safe, secure, efficient and sustainable, fit for purpose and meets with community needs at fair price. But, barriers to implementation of IWCM strategies are fraught with many challenges including multiple regulatory obligations, differing community expectations, shifting political priorities and influences and having to navigate institutional silos. This study reveals an insight into the challenges and opportunities faced by and for rural-regional water utility's strategic planning and its implementation. The method used is stakeholder engagement of the bottom-up perspectives of strategic and operational water managers and top-down perspectives of state level water managers and regulators. The vertical and horizontal approach is designed to facilitate the needed step change in IWCM to future proofing water services of regional towns in NSW. The findings from on-grounds, bottom-up barriers in IWCM strategy development is that: process is very expensive and resource intensive; used as procedural document to obtain funds; multiple and prescriptive regulations leading to prolonged approvals processing times; resource limitations and internal organisational silos. The top-down solutions as suggested by the strategic water managers and regulators are: acknowledgement of governance as a major reform area; identified need to streamline the IWCM processes and procedure, but that the options analysis requirement - needs to consider all available options; taking ownership of the strategy development process (reducing reliance on consultants), legislations are enabling the pieces in the puzzle of achieving water security; These challenging, complex and interwoven settings, if not overcome, may result in towns being without a reliable supply of water as has, and is, presently occurring across the rural-regional NSW -- abstract.1 online resource (viii, 55 pages
Biophysical characterisation of proteins and peptides
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 51-55.Chapter 1. Introduction: literature review -- Chapter 2. Biophysical techniques and applications -- Chapter 3. Analytical techniques for a batch comparison of proteins -- Chapter 4. Biophysical characterisation of nucleic acids -- Chapter 5. Conclusion and future work.The term biopharmaceuticals (otherwise known as biotechnological or biological products) was first introduced in the 1980s with the advent of the recombinant DNA technology and refers to proteins, polypeptides and their derivatives, which are produced from cell - culture expression systems. Unlike small molecules, which have a well - defined structure and can be chemically synthesized in large quantities and fully characterized, the manufacturing of biological products is highly complicated involving living cells, and therefore these products are required to be highly purified to meet the safety standards. Biological products have been developed as an effective treatment for patients who suffer from several immune system disorders, cancers, and blood - related diseases such as anemia. Biophysical characterization plays an important role in the development of biosimilars. Biophysical analytical techniques can monitor conformational similarity between batches of biosimilar products. Biophysical analysis aids in the characterization of biopharmaceutical drug candidates. Protein conformation, secondary structure, and folding play an important role in maintaining drug candidate potency and activity. The main goal of this research work is to establish the extent to which different spectroscopic techniques can be utilized to establish whether the same proteins and nucleic acids from different sources have the same structure.1 online resource (x, 66 pages
A comparison of China and Australia flood response practice
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 55-3-60Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Literature Review -- Chapter 3. Methodology -- Chapter 4. Analysis -- Chapter 5. Discussion -- Chapter 6. Conclusion and future direction.China and Australia have a high incidence of flood disasters and the damage, loss of life that they cause. Both countries have successful flood management approaches underpinned by disaster management methodologies and resources. This research highlights different flood management practices in China and Australia to compare and contrast these approaches to develop cross-cultural "lessons learned". This research compares how both the countries plan for and respond to flood disasters, highlighting their operational differences. Our comparison focus es on their political systems as a background to their flood responses. Analysis shows that China is more reliant on government and the military for flood management during disasters, with the central government leading the management effort. China's approach is top down with minimal regional and local government interference. In Australia, state governments are responsible for flood control and local council coordination, and rarely use military resources. China has an operational advantage in large scale of floods, but Australia has an operational advantage when they are small scale. This thesis concludes with a comparison of Chinese and Australian flood management practices. It is hoped that lessons can be learned by both countries from developing a better understanding of the flood management practices of both countries.1 online resource (viii, 60 pages