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Is it ethically justifiable to use antipsychotics in long-term care facilities for managing people with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia?
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 86-96.Introduction -- Chapter 1. Background -- Chapter 2. Scoping review -- Chapter 3. The four-principles approach -- Chapter 4. The ethics of care -- Chapter 5. The way forward -- Concluding remarks -- References.The use of antipsychotics (APs) is common practice in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) to manage people with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). This practice gives rise to various ethical issues, particularly in light of the fact that the use of APs might have at best modest efficacy in managing people with BPSD and at worst lead to significant adverse effects. This thesis aims to explore and critically examine the ethical justifiability of the use of APs for managing people with BPSD in LTCFs. First, in the empirical part of the thesis, I conduct a scoping review to map out the relevant existing literature. The review identifies rationales given for why, how, when and by whom using APs might or might not be ethically justified. Then, I examine the ethical justifiability of using APs from the standpoint of the well-known four-principles approach to biomedical ethics. Next, I take Tronto's ethics of care approach to offer an ethical examination of using APs as a form of care provided to people with BPSD in LTCFs. Finally, by drawing on the preceding discussions, I identify and suggest potential areas for further ethical investigation.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (iii, 96 pages) diagrams, table
Market efficiency with respect to corporate credit conditions and internal capital allocation
No full textThesis by publication.Bibliography: pages 146-153.chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. The effect of IMF programs on corporate default risk -- Chapter 3. Internal capital market efficiency and diversified firms' default risk -- Chapter 4. Does internal capital market efficiency predict future stock returns? -- Chapter 5. Conclusion -- References.This thesis consists of three key papers, which are presented in chapters 2, 3 and 4. The three chapters examine three different issues in financial risk management and corporate investment. Chapter 2 evaluates the effects of International Monetary Fund (IMF) programs on corporate default risk. Chapter 3 investigates the relationship between internal capital market efficiency and and diversified firm default risk. Chapter 4 studies the role of internal capital market efficiency in predicting the subsequent stock returns of diversified firms. Chapter 3 is the bridge that links the three key chapters in this thesis together. It shares the same scope with chapter 2 in the financial risk management area and with chapter 4 in the corporate investment area.Using firm-level expected default frequency (EDF) metrics from Moody's KMV and an event study style approach, chapter 2 investigates how corporate default risk responds to IMF intervention and whether the magnitude and direction of the effect are different for the financial versus non-financial sector and for various program sizes and types during the period from 1996 to 2012. Our findings suggest that corporate default risk increases consistently before and after IMF announcements, and is mainly driven by the financial sector in the countries receiving Standby Arrangement (SBA). We also find that countries receiving the smallest IMF program sizes experience greater increases in corporate default risk than the ones receiving the largest loan sizes. These results are robust to the control for the issue of endogeneity.Sharing the same scope with chapter 2 in the financial risk management area, chapter 3 seeks to establish the link between corporate investment and corporate default risk by studying the effect of Internal Capital Market Efficiency (ICM) on diversified firm default risk, and how this effect varies in firms with different levels of external financial constraints during the period 1997-2014. Following Billett and Mauer (2003), we define ICM as the movements of funds from the segments with low return on assets to the segments with high return on assets. Using panel data of 11,202 firm-year observations in the US, we find a negative association between diversified firm default risk and their use of internal funds. However, this relationship is only economically significant in highly leveraged firms. Our findings are robust to the three measures of credit risk: Merton-style default probabilities, the Altman Z-score and S&P credit rating. In addition, though the theory suggests that ICM has a stronger effect on the default risk of financially constrained firms, we find weak evidence supporting this argument. Our result shows that ICM only has a larger impact on financially constrained firm default risk in the case of the Altman Z-score.Taking the ICM computed in chapter 3 as a proxy for diversified firms' expected profitability, chapter 4 investigates the role of this measure in predicting stock returns of diversified firms during the period 1997-2015. Our expected profitability proxy is distinguished from other proxies suggested in the literature since our measure takes into account the firm's current level of external financial constraints. We find that ICM can help predict stock returns, and this predictive ability is incremental to the other stock return predictors identified in the literature such as book to market ratio, firm size, default risk, accruals and Piotroski's (2000) F-score. Furthermore, when examining the relationship between ICM and future stock returns separately for financially constrained and non-financially constrained firms, we find that ICM is only important in predicting stock returns in the former group.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (153 pages) graphs, table
Internet pronography and emerging adults
No full textEmpirical thesis.Running title: Internet pronography and emerging adults.Bibliography: pages 83-103.Introduction --- Method -- Results -- Discussion -- Appendices.The primary aim of this study was to explore the role of Internet Pornography (IP) in the sexual socialisation of emerging adults, most notably the impact of IP on the acquisition or reinforcement of aggressive, sexual and gendered scripts, attitudes and behaviours. Also examined were whether such processes may facilitate hostility and aggression toward women by men, whether dissociation processes play a role, and gender differences. This research utilised an online survey and involved a sample of 278 young adults (aged 17-25 years) who completed measures of their initial recalled exposure to IP, their affective and cognitive responses to IP, global attitudes to IP and the influence of IP on their sexual beliefs and behaviours. IP usage patterns in terms of compulsiveness, tendency to isolate oneself and experience guilt concerning usage along with the propensity to dissociate when viewing IP also formed part of this enquiry. Specific hypotheses were based on theories related to sexual scripts, cultivation and social learning. These theories propose that immersion in an IP mediated world view can cultivate an analogous world view in its consumers, with possible impacts on both the sexual attitudes and behaviours of young adults. The results indicated that a high number of respondents felt their sexual behaviour had been changed by their IP use, and many were enacting some of what they had seen online. Whilst most felt they could control their use of IP a substantial proportion were concerned they were addicted to IP. Although a general acceptance of violence was rejected by most respondents, a small but robust link between IP and sexual aggression in the form of sexual coercion and physical aggression was noted in this study. This research has provided important insights into the role of IP in the sexual socialisation of emerging adults, and does so in the under-researched Australian context.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (ix, 133 pages
The choice theory and the right to life: capital punishment, abortion and euthanasia
No full textTheoretical thesis."A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Law under a co-tutelle arrangement ; Macquarie Law School, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia and Koguan Law School Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China" -- page ii.Bibliography: pages 229-261.Part One. Introduction and background. Chapter One. Introduction ; Chapter Two. The right to life debate ; Chapter Three. The two main theories of rights -- Part Two. Interpreting existing arguments via the two main theories of rights. Chapter Four. Capital punishment ; Chapter Five. Abortion ; Chapter Six. Euthanasia -- Chapter Seven. Conclusion and further implications -- Bibliography.This thesis deals with debate about the legitimacy of capital punishment, abortion and euthanasia. It adopts the two competing theories of rights - the will and the interest- to examine existing arguments, for the purpose of finding a fresh argument that can provide a legally robust answer to such debate. The thesis highlights the modern version of the will approach, namely the Choice Theory, which defines a right as a choice held by the right holder over the performance of the duty bearer.This thesis contends that all existing arguments regarding the debate can be interpreted as resting on certain accounts of the right to life, via the concept of a will, a choice, a benefit or an interest. When conceived in this way, weaknesses and strengths of the arguments, namely their ability or inability to reach definite, consistent and acceptable conclusions to the three practices in question, can be critiqued usefully. The best argument is therefore one that possesses merits of certainty, conclusiveness, consistency and acceptability; the thesis finds this to be one raised on the grounds of rights that implies a concept of the right to life as a choice. This leads to the conclusion that capital punishment, abortion and euthanasia all ought to be permitted, unless the law has otherwise incorporated a duty to the contrary. The Choice Theory proves to be the most reliable interpretation of the right to life as regards the legitimacy of the three issues.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (x, 261 pages
The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development- 3rd Edition: A Quantitative Analysis for Application in an Australian Population
No full textTheoretical thesis.Includes bibliographical references.1. General Introduction -- 2. Study 1: A comparison between Australian infant performance and United States (US) normative data at 1-year on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development- 3rd Edition -- 3. Study 2: Utility of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-3rd Edition BSID-III to distinguish 1-year old infants at perinatal risk of neurodevelopmental delay -- 4. Study 3: A comparison between Australian and United States normative data at 3-years of age on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development- 3rd Edition (BSID-III) -- 5. Study 4: Predictive utility of Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development- 3rd Edition from 1-year to 3-years of age -- 6. General Discussion -- Appendix.The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development- 3rd Edition (BSID-III) is widely used in Australia. Despite this, there are no Australian normative data and scant quantitative evidence regarding its clinical and predictive utility in an Australian context. This thesis used prospective, longitudinal data from a large cohort of general population 1- and 3-year-old Australian children and their mothers to investigate the clinical and predictive utility of the BSID-III in Australia. Specifically, this thesis consisted of four empirical studies that aimed to: (1) explore differences between 1-year-old Australian infant performance on the BSID-III and the US normative sample; (2) investigate the utility of the BSID-III to detect differences in infant performance based on indirect perinatal risk factors for neurodevelopmental delay; (3) explore differences in performance on the BSID-III between 3-year-old Australian children and the US normative sample; and, (4) examine the predictive utility of the BSID-III from 1-year to 3-years, as well as by sex. Information on maternal socio-demographics, birth and infant health was collected via structured maternal interview antenatally, and at 8-weeks, 1-year and 3-years (subsample) postnatally. The BSID-III was administered by trained assessors at 1- and 3-years. Study 1 found that at 1-year of age Australian children performed significantly higher than the US BSID-III normative sample on the cognitive domain and significantly lower on the gross motor domain. Study 2 showed that the BSID-III was able to detect some statistically significant, but not clinically relevant differences between infants at indirect risk of neurodevelopmental delay based on perinatal factors, and those at low risk/no risk. Study 3 demonstrated that Australian 3-year-old children performed significantly higher on the language (expressive and receptive) and motor domains (fine and gross) of the BSID-III compared to the US normative sample, but significantly lower on the cognitive domain. With regards to Study 4, results suggested that the BSID-III held greatest predictive utility from 1- to 3-years on the receptive language domain, and that predictive utility of the BSID-III improved once examined by sex. This thesis contributes to our knowledge of the clinical and predictive utility of the BSID-III for Australian infants and pre-schoolers. Taken together, results suggest that the current clinical practice in Australia of utilising US normative data to interpret infant performance is likely to result in sub-optimal identification of developmental delay. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.Available in electronic formxi, 237 pages 30 c
Antennas for 5G and 4G/LTE mobile devices
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 273-291.1. Introduction -- 2. Background overview and related work -- 3. 28 GHz millimeter-wave 5G antennas with dielectric load -- 4. Leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) for 28 GHz millimeter-wave 5G for beam scanning -- 5. Pattern reconfigurable antennas for 28 GHz millimeter-wave 5G -- 6. Planar antennas for LSA and mid-LTE bands -- 7. Dual-band antenna for LSA, mid-LTE and high-LTE bands -- 8. Wideband antenna for LSA, mid-LTE and high-LTE bands -- 9. Antenna for low-LTE band -- 10. Conclusions and future work -- Bibliography.Increasing demand for high data throughput and reliable service for mobile traffi chave motivated the development of 5G mobile communication systems, which are currently in the planning stage. Proposed 28 GHz millimeter-wave bands have much potential for forthcoming 5G mobile communication because of the available massive bandwidth and relatively low atmospheric absorption compared with 60GHz Wi-Gig and other short-range systems. Although the standards for 5G mobile devices have not been finalized as yet, this thesis focuses on the designand development of single-beam antennas and pattern reconfigurable antennas,which are potentially suitable for forthcoming 5G mobile devices.This thesis initially develops three highly efficient antennas radiating boresight at 28 GHz. Firstly, a narrow-band compact planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) is developed. Then, a method is presented to convert this narrow-band PIFA to a wideband PIFA while maintaining the same size of the antennas (i.e. 4 mm x 4 mm). Also, a wideband leaky-wave antenna (LWA) array is presented and investigated. Methods to enhance the efficiency and impedance bandwidth of the antennas are proposed. All the antennas have stable boresight radiation in both the x-z and y-z planes. The impact of the mobile device battery on antenna performance is investigated using one of the PIFAs.A novel 1-D and 2-D pattern reconfigurable antenna has been developed and investigated for 28 GHz band. Firstly, a basic LWA radiating off-boresight was designed for mobile devices. Then, a wideband LWA radiating boresight was developed and investigated. This was followed by a novel multi-feed antenna being developed, prototyped and verified experimentally, for 1-D beam switching.The antenna is able to switch beam in three different directions along the antenna axis such as boresight, forward and backward directions using three feeds at three different positions. Because of the wide beamwidth, the antenna radiationpatterns can fill 128º of space (3-dB coverage), i.e. θ = -64º to +6º at the azimuth angle of Φ = 0º. Then two antennas are placed at right angles to eachother to achieve 2-D beam switching. The 2-D beam switching antenna pair was prototyped and tested after integrating them in to the ground plane of a mobile device. The antenna is able to point the beam in five different directions, and infact its beam covers 167º (θ = -89º to 78º) at Φ = 0º, and 154º (θ = -72º to 82º)at Φ = 90º.For 5G mobile communications, a new technology of cognitive radio named licensed shared access (LSA) has been demonstrated and two bands (1452-1492 and 2300-2400 MHz) have been allocated by the European Commission. More bands are expected to be allocated for LSA operation from the bands 698-960,1427-2690 and 3400-3800 MHz. Hence, the future mobile device antenna require to cover all the LSA and LTE bands while having no null in the radiation patterns.To cover these frequency bands, initially a planar antenna was developed for the said LSA bands and the performance of the antenna was investigated with and without a battery of a mobile device. Secondly, another planar antennawas developed to reduce the number of nulls in the radiation patterns. These antennas cover the LSA (1452-1492 and 2300-2400 MHz), mid-LTE (1427-2690MHz), GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS and 2.4 GHz WLAN bands. Thirdly, a dual-band antenna loaded with a small vertical plate was developed and investigated. This antenna covers the LSA, mid-LTE and high-LTE (3400-3800 MHz) bands.In the lower LSA band radiation patterns there is no null but a null is present in the higher LSA band and two nulls are evident in the high-LTE band. Fourthly, a novel wideband antenna having a planar structure, loaded with an L-shaped vertical plate was developed and prototyped; thus the concept was validated experimentally. The antenna radiation patterns have no nulls and cover the above-mentioned bands. All the antennas were designed without requiring an active or passive component for input impedance matching. The dual-band and wideband antennas cover the aforementioned bands even when the size of the substrate and ground plane is varied between 120 mm x 70 mm and 240 mm x 170 mm. This makes them suitable for mobile devices of different sizes, for instance smart phones and tablet computers.The final contribution this thesis makes in the development of a highly efficient inverted-L-feed capacitive-coupled inverted-L antenna for the low-LTE (698-960MHz) band. Similar to the previous antennas this antenna does not require any lumped components for input impedance matching. The antenna is presented for future mobile devices utilizing LSA/spectrum reallocation within the low-LTE band. The measured reflection coefficient bandwidths are 684-732, 714-774, 748-823, 788-882, and 820-965 MHz for the tuning inductor values of 9, 7, 5, 3, and1 nH, respectively. Therefore, this antenna concept is suitable for conversion to a frequency reconfigurable antenna, with switchable inductors. The prototype's radiation performance was measured with the 1 nH inductor to verify the concept.Although some modern commercial mobile phone handsets use very thin antennas with relatively poor performance due to their low cost and high emphasis on handset aesthetics, high-performance antennas such as those developed in this thesis are required for some multiband (4G/5G/LSA) applications. One of them is a defense application where a handset - carried by many military personnel - detects, intercepts and jams mobile phone signals used by the enemy to trigger explosive devices such as land mines. Such handsets for improvised threat detection and neutralization require high-performance antennas with high efficiencyand gain and their thickness and cost are not critical.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (lii, 291 pages) colour illustration
The right to Information Act: issues and challenges of its implementation in Bangladesh
No full textTheoretical thesis.Includes bibliography.Chapter 1: Introductio9n -- Chapter 2: The right to information, Its meaning and relevance to human rights -- Chapter 3: Implementation of the right to Information Act in Bangladesh: concepts and framework -- Chapter 4: Implementation realities of the right to Information Act: the Bangladesh experience -- Chapter 5: Implementation challenges of the RTI Act in Bangladesh: what went wrong? -- Chapter 6: Overcoming the implementation challenges: what comes next? -- Chapter 7: Conclusion.Over the past few decades, there has been a trend to introduce right to information laws. Even though much of the existing literature regard this trend as a new phenomenon, it was integral to the overall development of international human laws that has taken place over time. In 2009, Bangladesh introduced the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which guarantees people's access to information and aims to reduce corruption and empower people to access their social, economic and political entitlements. This thesis raises the question, 'To what extent has the implementation of the RTI Act contributed to improving people's access to government information?' Few studies have raised this question since the Act was introduced. The existing literature is fragmented and inconclusive. This study aims to address the gap in the literature and investigate the implementation of the RTI Act, particularly at the local level. This thesis strives to ascertain whether the implementation of the RTI Act has been successful in achieving its objectives. The empirical findings of this study show no significant improvement in people's access to information. It presents arguments that support why the top-down approach used to implement the RTI Act in Bangladesh is inappropriate in achieving the desired goals. The study argues that there are various factors-institutional, behavioural, cultural that had a major impact on the implementation of the Act. The proposed Open Access Model is to overcome implementation challenges. In a nutshell, this thesis aims to provide a new perspective and to encourage more studies on approaches to ensure the successful implementation of the Act.1 online resource (282? pages
Living betwixt and between: a study of the title 'elder of the porch' (sms.w h)y.t) and its holders - a prosopographical approach
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 306-324 of volume I.Volume I. Chapter One. The study of 'titles' - preliminaries ; Chapter Two. The orthography and lexicography of the title, sms.w h)y.t ; Chapter Three. The ancient Egyptian palace and the concept of liminality ; Chapter Four. The sms.w h)y.t in the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period ; Chapter Five. The sms.w h)y.t in the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period ; Chapter Six. The sms.w h)y.t in the New Kingdom ; Chapter Seven. The 'Elder of the Porch' - a synthesis -- Volume II. Prosopography.Titles are one of the primary sources about ancient Egyptian society and government providing invaluable information on how each sphere was organised. The title 'elder of the portal' (sms.w h)y.t) is an enigmatic title belonging to the administration of the Egyptian palace and occurs in sources throughout Egyptian history. Yet very little prior research on this office has been undertaken. As a result, the meaning of this title and the function and status of its holders has remained unresolved.This study begins with the cataloguing of all individuals who bore the title 'elder of the portal' from the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the end of the New kingdom in a prosopography. The corpus of 176 title-holders, their titularies, social networks, and monuments, is assessed within the framework of each historical period. The common characteristics and attributes of holders of the title 'elder of the portal' are identified to determine their role and social position in the state and in society. Any other sources referring to the 'elder of the portal' are also incorporated into the analysis. The orthography and lexicography of the elements 'elder' and 'portal' is completed to ascertain their meaning, which greatly impacts how the title is to be interpreted. Finally, the Egyptian palace as well as the concept of 'liminality' is explored to situate the 'elder of the portal' in the physical space of the king's residence and within the socio-political networks of the royal court.The primary finding of this investigation is that the 'elder of the portal' was an official active in a specific liminal zone in the palace. Title-holders were courtiers at the royal court physically and socially close to the king and were frequently involved in affairs of the state. The 'elder of the portal' was a functional regular palace appointment from the Old Kingdom to the end of the Second Intermediate Period. A shift from a palace to a temple context occurred during the New Kingdom, which altered the nature of the title and the function of its holders in society.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (2 volumes
Perceptions of writing: writing in English for academic purposes (EAP) programs and writing in disciplines
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 89-93.Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Literature review -- Chapter 3. Methods -- Chapter 4. Findings -- Chapter 5. Summary, implications and conclusion -- References -- Appendices.In this qualitative case study, I investigated academic writing in two contexts. The first was writing task designers at an EAP program, the second was the academics in the discipline of Accounting and Corporate Governance. Two participant task designers from each context volunteered their perspectives on the role and function of academic writing in their respective settings. The research questions were: 1) How is academic writing conceptualised in a university direct entry preparation program for business, accounting and economics at Macquarie University’s ELC? ; 2) How is academic writing conceptualised in the discipline of Accounting and Corporate Governance at Macquarie University? ; 3) How are participants’ views about academic writing compared in the two contexts? To answer the research questions, I collected task descriptions, evaluation criteria, task descriptions and follow-up interviews with task designers and unit convenors from the participants. To facilitate data storage and analysis, I used Nvivo 11 for Windows.Drawing on Roz Ivanič’s (2004) theoretical framework, I coded and categorised data into discrete concepts. Analysis of participants’ perspectives reflected core concepts encountered in Ivanič’s framework, although some responses combined discourses separately proposed by Ivanič. Although dominant perceptions on the features of academic writing reflected skills discourse and genre discourse, findings showed that the approaches to writing task design in both contexts are more compatible with social practice, genre and process discourse. There were no signs of skills approaches to teaching writing in the design of writing tasks. I discussed the findings to illuminate potential implications for different stakeholders.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (iii, 100 pages) table
The effect of opioids on the signalling of the µ-opioid receptor and some variants
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: Pages 69-86.1. General introduction -- 2. Experimental methodology -- 3. Effect of Pethidine on signalling of µ-opioid receptor and its variants -- 4. Effect of genotype variation on Tramadol signalling -- 5. Signalling of TRV 130 on µ-opioid receptor and variants -- 6. General discussion, limitations and future directions.Opioid analgesics are the most effective medications used for the treatment of moderate to severe nociceptive pain. However, their clinical utility is limited by their adverse effects and prevalence of tolerance and dependence on chronic use. Moreover, the degree of pain relief varies in individuals and studies suggest genetic variation as one of the cause.In this project, we focus on comparing the effect of pethidine, O-desmethyl tramadol and TRV 130 on signalling of µ-opioid receptor (MOR) and some common polymorphisms of MOR (A118G and C17T). In addition, we sought to compare the efficacy of these opioids with enkephalin analog, DAMGO and commonly studied opioid-morphine in K channel activation assay in AtT20 transfected cells. FLIPR membrane potential assay is used to determine the change in membrane potential caused by different opioids.The highest concentration tested for pethidine and O-desmethyl tramadol showed a reduced inhibition of forskolin response in CHO cells expressing C17T as compared to WT (P<0.05) whereas no significant difference was observed in A118G. TRV 130 showed a significantly reduced inhibition of forskolin response (P<0.05) in the CHO cells expressing A118G and C17T than in WT. Pethidine, )-desmethyl tramadol and TRV 130 activated K channel in AtT20 hMOR cells with pEC50 of 5.7 ± 0.1, 6.3 ± 0.1, 8.1 ± 0.1 respectively, as compared to morphine (7.1 ± 0.1) and DAMGO (8.3 ± 0.1). Depleting MOR with an irreversible antagonist, ß-CNA, allowed us to calculate a measure of transduction efficiency (tau), which elates receptor occupancy to effect, forboth control and depleted cases for DAMGO (67.6, 7.1), morphine (11.1, 1.5) and TRV 130 (5.5, 0.6). demonstrating the lower efficacy of TRV 130 compared to morphine.All the opioids under study appeared to be lower efficacy agonist than morphine, and their efficacy may be further reduced at common MOR polymorphisms. It remains to be established whether the findings of this project, yields similar clinical effects.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xii, 86 pages) illustration