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Palm trees, xanax, and dank memes: vaporwave’s nostalgia play
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 47-51.Chapter I. Introduction -- Chapter II. Literature review -- Chapter III. How did we get here? Vaporwave's family tree -- Chapter IV. Vaporwave as ghostly media -- Chapter V. Conclusion -- Reference list.This thesis studies the online multimedia genre of vaporwave (alternatively spelled ‘vapourwave’) as a vehicle of self-expression for certain members of the millennial generation. The genre is the latest milestone in a tradition of appropriation art from a musical perspective, as well as a visual one. Vaporwave’s practitioners appropriate and recycle material to create works which evoke nostalgia for the recent past, especially the aesthetics of the late 1980s and early 1990s, early internet art and computerised graphics from the same period.The musical aspect of the genre follows similar themes, and samples obscure or forgotten music and sounds (such as TV commercials or computer operating system sounds, for example). The central question which describes the thesis is, ‘To What Extent Do Millennial Worldviews Inform Vaporwave?’ The thesis answers this question not only by understanding millennial worldviews, but also framing that understanding around vaporwave and its nostalgic tendencies.To do this, numerous media theories (such as the concept of ‘media nostalgia’ and ‘hauntology’, terms credited to Katharina Niemeyer and Jacques Derrida respectively ) will be employed to develop an insight into how vaporwave and its millennial audience views past media objects as a source for the genre and its artistic inspiration. Furthermore, the thesis considers the impact that historical events has had on vaporwave’s outlook and that promotes desire of the millennial generation to ‘return to a better time’ (such as the 1990s, when members of the generation were children) through vaporwave’s nostalgia play.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (51 pages
The regional significance of mortuary architecture at the Dendara necropolis, from between c.2345 BCE – 2055 BCE
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 66-79.1. Introduction -- 2. History of work at Dendara -- 3. Critical evaluation of Slater -- 4. Funerary structures and substructures -- 5. Shaft traditions -- 6. Shaft group traditions -- 7. Offering place traditions -- 8. Mastaba traditions -- 9. Staff tomb traditions -- 10. Conclusions -- References -- Appendices.The evolution of funerary traditions and mortuary features is a valuable proxy indicator of contemporaneous local cultural practices and political relations. The necropolis at Dendara presents a well suited case-study for the First Intermediate Period (c. 2160-2055 BCE)1. This thesis attempts to determine the relative importance of Dendera, from the late Old Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom (c.2345 –2055 BCE) through a comparative analysis of mortuary structures against examples at other Ancient Egyptian cemeteries. The study will use archaeological evidence to provide one of the most comprehensive studies of Dendara’s significance during the First Intermediate Period.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource ([vii], 104 pages) maps, plan
Early alert systems using learning analytics to determine and improve student engagement and academic success in a unit: student and teacher perspectives
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 292-314.Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Literature review -- Chapter 3. Research design and methodology -- Chapter 4. The student perspective study -- Chapter 5. The teacher perspective study -- Chapter 6. Conceptual Student Engagement Academic Success (SEAS) framework -- Chapter 7. Moodle Engagement Analytics Plugin (MEAP+) Now -- Chapter 8. Conclusions, recommendations and future work -- References -- Appendices.Given the focus on boosting retention rates and the potential benefits of proactive and early identification of students who may require support, higher education institutions are looking at the data already captured in university systems. The student early alert system is a formal, proactive, early intervention communication system that institutions have put into place to help with the timely identification (alert) and intervention of at-risk students. The significance of student early alert systems is that support could be offered to high-risk students while they are still enrolled in the unit and able to influence their success/failure before the unit completes. Delivering timely interventions to students via a student early alert system typically requires teaching staff to identify at-risk students, and act upon that information in a way that would encourage students to change their behaviours.The research in this thesis carefully investigates the students’ and teachers’ perceptions on the use of learning analytics tool to identify disengaged students/at risk students and/or suggest intervention/s using student early alert systems. Furthermore, this thesis draws on the existing student success and retention literature to build a student engagement and academic success (SEAS) conceptual framework that incorporates teacher and student perspectives to early alert systems.The specific research questions explored in this thesis are: What are the opinions and preferences of students with respect to early alerts? How do students respond (attitude) to receiving an early alert/intervention? Do students report change in behaviour for how they studied for a unit, if they actually receive an early alert? Do early alerts increase student performance and motivation to continue in the unit? Do early alert notifications increase student motivation to utilise the campus student support services? What are the perceptions of teachers with respect to early alerts? What information would the teaching staff find meaningful to include in a student early alert system? What are the potential barriers to early alert system usage? What are the experiences and motivations of teachers with regard to usage, helpfulness and barriers/challenges to the use of a prototype early alert system?This PhD project followed mixed methods design to answer the above research questions. The research was undertaken in the form of two studies: ‘student perspective’ study and ‘teacher perspective’ study. Then, results from both studies were compared and interpreted. By using mixed methods design, this thesis has the potential to achieve the respondent group triangulation (students and teachers) in empirical evidence and to overcome some of the limitations within singular methods.The main contributions of this thesis are: (1) development of a theoretical framework to understand the perspectives of students and teachers regarding early alerts; (2) the development and use of ‘exploratory instruments’ for investigating the opinions and preferences of students on their attitudes towards the interventions and perceptions of teachers with respect to early alert process, and advantages and limitations to the use of early alert systems; and (3) development of a student engagement and academic success (SEAS) conceptual framework at the unit level.This study offers implications and recommendations for administrators, department, faculty, and institutions focused on utilising early alert systems as a retention tool. Study findings contribute to the body of knowledge on the future use and application of learning analytics tools such as early alert process, support and interventions based on the student and teacher perspectives.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xxx, 422 pages) diagrams, graphs, table
Mineralogical and geochemical constraints on magmatic evolution at Tengger caldera, Indonesia
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 51-55.1. Introduction -- 2. Approach and analytical methods -- 3. Results -- 4. Discussion -- 5. Conclusions and future work.A detailed mineralogical and geochemical study was carried out on stratigraphically wellconstrained samples at Tengger Caldera Volcanic Complex (TCVC) to investigate the petrological and geochemical evolution of Tengger Caldera and the genetic relationship of the post-caldera volcanic cones to the pre-caldera magmatic system. The TCVC deposits are separated into the pre-caldera, caldera-forming and post-caldera eruptive episodes that span 820,000 years. These deposits range in composition from basalt, basaltic andesite to trachyandesite and are tholeiitic to calc-alkaline in nature. The volcanic rocks define two geochemical groups based on major and trace element compositions: a low silica group and high silica group, with the initial caldera-forming eruption sequence characterised by low silica content. The post-caldera centres of Batok and Bromo show affinity to the low silica and high silica groups, respectively. Bromo rocks contain a more restricted range in plagioclase composition, towards lower An content compared to Batok. Bromo samples contain phenocrysts of pigeonite, which is absent elsewhere in the system. Thermobarometry estimates of crystallisation temperatures and pressures reveal two storage regions beneath the caldera: a shallow region at 7 to 11 km and a deeper region at 19 to 27 km. Magma feeding Bromo shows relativity deeper storage compared to that at Batok.1 online resource (vi, 61 pages : illustrations, maps
Empirical studies in default and insurance risk
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 118-130.1.Introduction -- 2. Application of the bivariate negative binomial regression model in analysing insurance count data -- 3. Assessing sovereign risk: a bottom-up approach -- 4. A joint model for longitudinal and time-to-event data in corporate default risk modelling -- 5. Conclusion.This PhD thesis evaluates three types of financial risks with analytical methods that improve the accuracy when making predictions for future risk events. It consists of three key chapters based on three research papers.The research paper titled 'Application of the bivariate negative binomial regression model in analysing insurance count data' analyses insurance claim frequency data using the bivariate negative binomial regression (BNBR) model, and claims data from third-party liability and comprehensive motor insurance. It is found that bivariate regression, with its capacity for modelling correlation between the two observed claim counts, provides a superior fit and improved out-of-sample prediction compared to the more common practice of fitting univariate negative binomial regression (UNBR) models separately to each claim type. Noting the complexity of BNBR models and their potential for a large number of parameters, this study explores the use of model shrinkage with the Lasso and ridge regression. Results show that our models estimated using shrinkage methods outperform the ordinary likelihood-based models when being used to make predictions out-of-sample. It can also be shown that the Lasso performs better than ridge regression as a method of shrinkage in the context considered here. The research paper titled 'Assessing Sovereign Risk: A Bottom-Up Approach' assesses sovereign default risk of individual states in the U.S. using information about default risk at the company level. The integrated risk factors of the private sector are linked to the overall sovereign risk of state governments in conjunction with additional financial variables. Using data from Moody's KMV expected default frequencies (EDFs) on corporate default risk, credit risk indicators for different industries are estimated. Building on these measures, state level credit risk indicators are developed encompassing industry compositions to explain the behaviour of credit default swap (CDS) spreads for individual states. It is found that market-based measures of private sector credit risk are strongly associated with subsequent shifts in sovereign credit risk premiums measured by CDS spreads. The credit risk indicators developed here are demonstrated to be highly significant in forecasting sovereign CDS spreads at weekly and monthly sampling frequencies.The research paper titled 'A joint model for longitudinal and time-to-event data in corporate default risk modelling' applies a joint model for longitudinal and time-to-event data to assess corporate default risk. A linear mixed-effects model is used to describe the trajectory of the predictor variable for company default. The output from this analysis is then used in a survived model where time to corporate default in the response variable of interest. The joint model does not assume constant values for the independent variable between observations, and can take advantage of the fully-specified subject-specific longitudinal trajectories. Data collected on U.S. listed companies from 1997 to 2016 is used to test the ability of the joint model to predict corporate default events. Two independent variables, the distance-to-default and the age of a company, are used to assess the company's probability of default over various time horizons. It is found that the joint models outperform the Cox model and the Weibull model in making predictions of default events. The results show that the joint model is more suitable in assessing corporate default risk than the selected standard survival models.1 online resource (xii, 130 pages
Path to conscious leadership
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 84-97.Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Literature review -- Chapter 3. Methodology -- Chapter 4. Findings -- Chapter 5. Discussion -- References.With the global challenges our society currently faces, a new type of business leader is required to demonstrate awareness and compassion. Based on conscious capitalism and its emphasis on conscious leadership, this research aims to shed light on the determinants of consciousness in business leaders. Using a qualitative approach, and ten semi-structured interviews, we have sought to understand the life stories, and underlying processes of conscious leaders. The data analysis led to four main themes: early formative years, impactful experiences, role models and spiritual intelligence. For each of these groups, other subgroups 20were identified to better classify the determinants for conscious leadership.This research proposes that the learnings and experiences from the early formative years, both from school and parents—together with the development of an individual’s spiritual intelligence—are the foundation upon which individuals become ready for their raise of consciousness and transformation when other determinants of conscious leadership emerge. This foundation enables leaders to perceive impactful experiences and their encounters with role models in a way that raises consciousness so as to lead business as a force for positive change in society.Connecting psychology, business, sustainable development and spirituality, this research aims to enhance leadership that effectively changes business models to address global challenges and societal needs. It has an important contribution to conscious capitalism and conscious leadership frameworks, as it brings evidence to support these concepts while capturing the voice of these leaders. This research also has important implications for business management, particularly for leadership recruitment and development. In addition, the importance of early childhood and education on conscious leadership, might also imply that a change is required in our education system to help better raise women and men who can make a difference.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (97 pages
Investigating the neural circuitry of methamphetamine addiction, and prelimbic cortex GABA involvement in the treatment effect of Oxytocin
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 61-69.Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Methamphetamine-induced changes to neuronal activity and GABAergic systems within the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens -- Chapter 3. Is systemic Oxytocin acting via GABAergic neurons in the prelimbic cortex to attenuate methamphetamine-relapse behaviours? -- Chapter 4. General discussion -- Appendices.Abuse of methamphetamine (METH), a potent psychostimulant, elicits dysfunction of reward-associated brain regions such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Additionally, it is thought that METH disrupts the balance of excitation and inhibition in the brain, perturbing neurotransmitter systems and inducing neurotoxicity. Current pharmacotherapies act to reduce the acute rewarding effects of METH, however, existing treatments are largely ineffective with most abstinent users relapsing to drug-taking behaviour. Ineffective pharmacotherapies can, in part, be attributed to our limited understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms which underlie METH addiction. Preclinical models of addiction have evidenced the therapeutic potential of oxytocin, an endogenous neuropeptide, which may act to restore METH-induced disruptions to the excitatory/inhibitory balance. The present thesis utilized the intravenous drug-self administration model of reinstatement to investigate METH-induced neuroadaptations and the mechanistic action of oxytocin.Existing published literature suggests increased neuronal activation in reward-associated brain regions following administration of addictive drugs or drug-associated cues. However, it is unknown precisely which neuronal populations are activated and how this may impact on functional connectivity. Chapter 2 investigated alterations to neuronal activity as indicated by Fos immunoreactivity and immunoreactivity of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and parvalbumin (PV), two populations of GABAergic interneurons. Injection of METH significantly increased Fos immunoreactivity in the NAc and many subregions of the PFC. Analysis also revealed reduced correlated activity between these regions in METH-exposed animals. Analysis of nNOS immunoreactivity revealed increased number and activation of nNOS+ neurons at discrete areas of the NAc in chronic METH-exposed animals, suggesting increased activation of the nitrergic system. In contrast, no significant differences were noted in PV immunoreactivity. Furthermore, the lack of colocalisation of Fos with GABAergic markers suggests activation was most likely confined to excitatory populations. This study presents the first investigation of altered correlated activity following relapse to METH use in the intravenous self-administration paradigm, evidencing aberrant activation of excitatory neurons within subregions of the NAc and PFC.It is hypothesized that oxytocin treatment interacts with GABA systems within the brain to restore the imbalance of excitation and inhibition, yet the precise mechanisms for this interaction are unknown. Chapter 3 used a chemogenetic approach to investigate the interaction between GABAergic neurons and oxytocin in the PFC during relapse. DREADDs were used to inactivate GABAergic neurons in the prelimbic subregion of the PFC (PrL) prior to pretreatment with systemic oxytocin. It was hypothesised that inactivation of GABAergic neurons would blunt the effect of systemic oxytocin treatment, eliciting robust reinstatement. While this study demonstrated attenuation of cue-induced and METH-primed reinstatement behaviours following treatment with systemic oxytocin, chemogenetic inactivation of GABAergic neurons did not reduce the efficacy of systemic oxytocin treatment. This suggests that oxytocin is not interacting with GABAergic neurons within the PrL to attenuate drug-seeking behaviours. The present thesis reveals new insights relating to the neurobiological mechanisms underlying METH addiction and enhances knowledge about the mechanistic actions of oxytocin which facilitates attenuatuation of drug-associated behaviours.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xviii, 154 pages) colour illustration
Look at me now: the meaning of freedom, recognition and work for the young-old middle class
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 57-60.Introduction and the rise of the young-old -- Chapter 1. Hegel, Honneth and social freedom -- Chapter 2. The career experience -- Chapter 3. Young-old and market-related activity -- Chapter 4. Young-old and family, friends and community -- Conclusion -- Bibliography.Increased life expectancy and improved health means many Australians in their early 60s can expect to be active for 15 to 20 years prior to the onset of old age. They are known as the young-old. This thesis critically examines the experience of freedom of the middle class members of this social group, the assumed ‘winners’ of the neo-liberal socio-economic transformation that has occurred over the last 50 years. Honneth’s elaboration of Hegelian social freedom and mutual recognition forms the theoretical framework to interpret the extent to which middle class young-old are socially free, or ‘at home’ in their society. What is the meaning of freedom for the middle class young-old? Whilst this is a philosophical question, it can only be answered properly by looking at the specific historical context in which it arises. After establishing the theoretical framework in the first two chapters, chapters three and four shift to an empirical focus and consider how the young-old middle class recognise themselves, and are recognised by others, in a stage of life that is in normative flux. I argue that the dominance of the market and prioritisation of career undermines the realisation of social freedom, despite the members of this group having been beneficiaries of the marketisation of society in other ways.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (iv, 61 pages
3D-printed artificial dielectrics for beam steering metasurfaces
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 55-59.1. Introduction -- 2. Literature review -- 3. 3D printable meta-atoms -- 4. Beam steering metasurfaces -- 5. Medium-gain beam steering antenna -- 6. Conclusion and future work -- Appendices -- References.Fused decomposotion 3D printing technology can be used to develop artificial dielectric meta-atoms that are not available commercially, with the advantage of low cost and little human intervention. A two-dimensional periodic arrangement of artificial dielectric meta-atoms forms a metasurface, which can serve as a platform to realise subwavlength-thick phase shifting (PS) structures. Such metasurfaces manipulate radio frequency (RF) waves and possess the ability to control the amplitude, phase and polarisation of the field. The objective of this thesis is to develop highly transmitting sub-wavelength sized 3D printable meta-atoms that can inculcate a full 2π phase shift in the transmitting field. These meta-atoms are then used to design transmitting beam steering metasurfaces. The meta-atom configuration developed uses one dielectric and two metallic layers. The dielectric permittivity and height are varied to achieve a full range of [0, 2π] while ensuring transmission levels remain greater than -0.75 dB. Moreover, meta-atoms are used to design beam steering surfaces for resonant cavity antennas (RCA) operating at 20 GHz. A peak gain of 21.65 dBi was achieved and the RCA pattern can be steered to any elevation between 0° and 35° with less than 2 dB gain variation.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xx, 59 pages) diagrams, graphs, table
The art of mentoring: examining some practices of media mentorship in culturally diverse Australia
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 45-48.Chapter 1. The research methodologies -- Chapter 2. What is mentoring? -- Chapter 3. What is the role of media mentorships in a culturally diverse Australia?The Art of Mentoring project combines written thesis with creative production to investigate some of the practices of media mentorships in culturally diverse Australia. Current and previous governments have developed programs that support students from culturally diverse groups enrolled in tertiary education media subjects to promote equality of opportunity and increase participation. This practice is intended to support, develop, and ultimately change the current look and feel of local media to reflect more accurately the diversity of Australian culture. There are questions, however, about the principles underpinning these programs and whether they have been sufficiently founded in research. This project addresses the gap in knowledge by asking: What is mentoring? With a substantive definition in hand it goes on t o consider: What, in particular, is media mentoring? What is the role of media mentorships in a culturally diverse Australia ? This project aimed to examine some of these practices of media mentorships in culturally diverse Australia and to highlight the benefits and drawbacks that have led to the successes and failures of mentorship programs locally. The methods used to answer these questions were practice - based enquiry and qualitative critical analysis of existing research. The written thesis builds upon current research that investigates the association between diversity and mentorship in culturally diverse Australia. Accompanying the 10,000 - word thesis is a 10 - minute documentary video interviewing mentors and mentees, exploring some of the ways that mentoring and mentorships have personally influenced their careers. The outcomes of this research are a synthesis of knowledge about general mentoring, highlighting specific roles of culturally diverse media mentoring in Australia; and a video resource documenting insight from successful mentors and mentees. Both offer some foundational guidelines that may support the development of programs locally.1 online resource (52 pages