Ethnic enclave lifecycle : a case study of Chinese restaurants in south east Queensland

Immigrant entrepreneurs tend to start businesses within their ethnic enclave (EE), as it is an integral part of their social and cultural context and the location where ethnic resources reside (Logan, Alba, & Stults, 2003). Ethnic enclaves can be seen as a form of geographic cluster, China Towns are exemplar EEs, easily identified by the clustering of Chinese restaurants and other ethnic businesses in one central location. Studies on EE thus far have neglected the life cycles stages of EE and its impact on the business experiences of the entrepreneurs. In this paper, we track the formation, growth and decline of a EE. We argue that EE is a special industrial cluster and as such it follows the growth conditions proposed by the cluster life cycle theory (Menzel & Fornahl, 2009). We report a mixed method study of Chinese Restaurants in South East Queensland. Based on multiple sources of data, we concluded that changes in government policies leading to a sharp increase of immigrant numbers from a distinctive culture group can lead to the initiation and growth of the EE. Continuous incoming of new immigrants and increase competition within the cluster mark the mature stage of the EE, making the growth condition more favourable “inside” the cluster. A decline in new immigrants from the same ethnic group and the increased competition within the EE may eventually lead to the decline of such an industrial cluster, thus providing more favorable condition for growth of business outside the cluster.

A visual profile of Queensland indigenous and non-indigenous school children, and the association between vision and reading

This research investigated the prevalence of vision disorders in Queensland Indigenous primary school children, creating the first comprehensive visual profile of Indigenous children. Findings showed reduced convergence ability and reduced visual information processing skills were more common in Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous children. Reduced visual information processing skills were also associated with reduced reading outcomes in both groups of children. As early detection of visual disorders is important, the research also reviewed the delivery of screening programs across Queensland and proposed a model for improved coordination and service delivery of vision screening to Queensland school children.

The rurality of sex : community resistance and objection to prostitution in rural and regional areas throughout Queensland

Queensland legislation currently defines two legally recognised forms of prostitution: sex work conducted in a licensed brothel; or, sex work conducted privately by a sole operator.Despite prostitution’s legality in these contexts, it continues to be heavily controlled and restricted by authorities, while also being rejected by surrounding communities. Such resistance towards prostitution is demonstrated in Queensland where over 200 towns with populations of less than 25,000 have been successful in applying for exemption from the development of licensed brothels in those jurisdictions (Prostitution Licensing Authority 2012). Queensland’s legislative acknowledgement of prostitution as a legal act, while simultaneously allowing small communities to reject such activity, seems somewhat contradictory. This paper will provide a theoretical examination of common community objections to prostitution in modern society, determining whether such attitudes are applicable to communities in rural and regional Queensland towns. Additionally, this paper will incorporate an analysis of rural and urban areas via the ‘gemeinschaft‐gesellschaft’ dichotomy to understand the potential justification for opposing areas being subject to differential treatment under the law.

Community arts and appropriate internet technology : participation, materiality, and the ethics of sustainability in the digitally networked era

This thesis delivers new knowledge about how Australian community arts practices of appropriate technology are shifting due to the internet. It reconfigures the sector's incumbent ethics of sustainability in response to emerging concerns about how the internet's material politics are affecting cultural participation.

The rise and demise of the Inspector of Schools in Queensland

The colony of Queensland, established on 10 December 1859, passed its first Education Act in 1860. This enabled the government to provide for the education of all children from six to twelve years of age. The Board of General Education appointed its first Inspector of Schools in 1863, and he was followed by over 400 men — and later women — to inspect schools and teachers to guarantee conformity and efficiency. In 1875, education became a ministerial responsibility and the Department of Public Instruction was established. Teachers never seemed to enjoy a friendly working relationship with inspectors, and with the establishment of the Queensland Teachers Union, hostility increased. Eventually, in 1989, the Inspector of Schools position was abolished.

Development of gas sensing technology for ground and airborne applications powered by solar energy : methodology and experimental results

Monitoring gases for environmental, industrial and agricultural fields is a demanding task that requires long periods of observation, large quantity of sensors, data management, high temporal and spatial resolution, long term stability, recalibration procedures, computational resources, and energy availability. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are currently representing the best alternative to monitor large, remote, and difficult access areas, as these technologies have the possibility of carrying specialised gas sensing systems, and offer the possibility of geo-located and time stamp samples. However, these technologies are not fully functional for scientific and commercial applications as their development and availability is limited by a number of factors: the cost of sensors required to cover large areas, their stability over long periods, their power consumption, and the weight of the system to be used on small UAVs. Energy availability is a serious challenge when WSN are deployed in remote areas with difficult access to the grid, while small UAVs are limited by the energy in their reservoir tank or batteries. Another important challenge is the management of data produced by the sensor nodes, requiring large amount of resources to be stored, analysed and displayed after long periods of operation. In response to these challenges, this research proposes the following solutions aiming to improve the availability and development of these technologies for gas sensing monitoring: first, the integration of WSNs and UAVs for environmental gas sensing in order to monitor large volumes at ground and aerial levels with a minimum of sensor nodes for an effective 3D monitoring; second, the use of solar energy as a main power source to allow continuous monitoring; and lastly, the creation of a data management platform to store, analyse and share the information with operators and external users. The principal outcomes of this research are the creation of a gas sensing system suitable for monitoring any kind of gas, which has been installed and tested on CH4 and CO2 in a sensor network (WSN) and on a UAV. The use of the same gas sensing system in a WSN and a UAV reduces significantly the complexity and cost of the application as it allows: a) the standardisation of the signal acquisition and data processing, thereby reducing the required computational resources; b) the standardisation of calibration and operational procedures, reducing systematic errors and complexity; c) the reduction of the weight and energy consumption, leading to an improved power management and weight balance in the case of UAVs; d) the simplification of the sensor node architecture, which is easily replicated in all the nodes. I evaluated two different sensor modules by laboratory, bench, and field tests: a non-dispersive infrared module (NDIR) and a metal-oxide resistive nano-sensor module (MOX nano-sensor). The tests revealed advantages and disadvantages of the two modules when used for static nodes at the ground level and mobile nodes on-board a UAV. Commercial NDIR modules for CO2 have been successfully tested and evaluated in the WSN and on board of the UAV. Their advantage is the precision and stability, but their application is limited to a few gases. The advantages of the MOX nano-sensors are the small size, low weight, low power consumption and their sensitivity to a broad range of gases. However, selectivity is still a concern that needs to be addressed with further studies. An electronic board to interface sensors in a large range of resistivity was successfully designed, created and adapted to operate on ground nodes and on-board UAV. The WSN and UAV created were powered with solar energy in order to facilitate outdoor deployment, data collection and continuous monitoring over large and remote volumes. The gas sensing, solar power, transmission and data management systems of the WSN and UAV were fully evaluated by laboratory, bench and field testing. The methodology created to design, developed, integrate and test these systems was extensively described and experimentally validated. The sampling and transmission capabilities of the WSN and UAV were successfully tested in an emulated mission involving the detection and measurement of CO2 concentrations in a field coming from a contaminant source; the data collected during the mission was transmitted in real time to a central node for data analysis and 3D mapping of the target gas. The major outcome of this research is the accomplishment of the first flight mission, never reported before in the literature, of a solar powered UAV equipped with a CO2 sensing system in conjunction with a network of ground sensor nodes for an effective 3D monitoring of the target gas. A data management platform was created using an external internet server, which manages, stores, and shares the data collected in two web pages, showing statistics and static graph images for internal and external users as requested. The system was bench tested with real data produced by the sensor nodes and the architecture of the platform was widely described and illustrated in order to provide guidance and support on how to replicate the system. In conclusion, the overall results of the project provide guidance on how to create a gas sensing system integrating WSNs and UAVs, how to power the system with solar energy and manage the data produced by the sensor nodes. This system can be used in a wide range of outdoor applications, especially in agriculture, bushfires, mining studies, zoology, and botanical studies opening the way to an ubiquitous low cost environmental monitoring, which may help to decrease our carbon footprint and to improve the health of the planet.

In vitro and in vivo assessment of bioactive composite scaffolds fabricated via additive manufacturing technology

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology was implemented together with new composite material comprising a synthetic materials, namely, polycaprolactone and bioactive glass with the ultimate aim of the production of an off-the-shelf composite bone scaffold product with superior bone regeneration capacity in a cost effective manner. Our studies indicated that the composite scaffolds have huge potential in promoting bone regeneration. It is our contention that owing to the fruits of such innovative efforts, the field of bone regeneration can metamorphose into a technology platform that allows clinicians worldwide to create tissue-engineered bone with economies of scale in the years to come.

The functional significance of fruit exocarp on host selection and oviposition by Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Tephritidae: Diptera)

Queensland fruit fly is Australia's most serious insect pest of horticulture. The fly lays its eggs into fruit, where they hatch into maggots which destroy the fruit. Understanding egg laying behaviour, known as oviposition, is a critical but under-researched aspect of fruit fly biology. This thesis focused on three aspects of oviposition: the role of fruit peel as a physical barrier to oviposition; the quality of fruit for maggot development; and the structure and wear of the egg laying organ – the ovipositor. Results showed that flies selected fruit based on their suitability for offspring survival, not because of the softness or hardness of fruit peel. Previously reported use of holes or wounds in fruit peel by ovipositing females was determined to be a mechanism which saved the female time, not a mechanism to reduce ovipositor wear. The results offer insights into the evolution of host use by fruit flies and their sustainable management.

Displaced twice? Talking about resilience with a cohort of men from refugee backgrounds who were affected by the 2011 Queensland floods

What can we learn from people from refugee backgrounds who have been affected by an environmental disaster? This paper presents the first year findings of a study that is investigating the impact of the 2011 Queensland floods on a cohort of men from refugee backgrounds living in Brisbane and the Toowoom- ba–Gatton region of Southeast Queensland. Between 2008 and 2010, the SettleMEN study yielded pre-disaster measures of health and settlement among 233 refugee men. The current 2012−2013 follow-up study offers a rare opportunity to investigate and describe the impact of an environmental disaster on the health and wellbeing of a group of resettled refugee men who were affected by the 2011 Queensland floods. Using a mixed-method approach and a peer interviewer model, this paper reports on the exposure to and impact of the floods on the first 100 respondents who were interviewed between September 2012 and March 2013. Overall, we have found that the floods had a considerable economic and psychosocial impact on this group of men, their families and communities in terms of being forced to evacuate their homes, work disrup- tion, loss of income and personal belongings, and emotional distress. Many of these men reported that their previous refugee experience helped them to cope better during and after the floods, and for some, providing assistance to others during the floods impacted positively on their relationship with their neighbours. These findings challenge the Western deficits model that defines former refugees as traumatised victims. Refugee people’s strengths and capabilities should be taken into consideration when developing disaster response strategies at the neighbourhood and community levels.

Designing fashion : an exploration of practitioner research within the university environment

This thesis positions practitioner research within the emerging discipline of fashion and disputes that practitioner knowledge of fashion is predominantly tacit. This research contributes to the understanding of practitioner knowledge and proposes an object based model of practitioner research as an alternative to existing practice-led methodologies. The thesis theorises fashion objects as a site of significant knowledge and argues their potential to record and communicate fashion knowledge and disseminate practice-led research.

Experiences in becoming a paramedic : a qualitative study examining the professional socialisation of university qualified paramedics

This thesis used qualitative methods to investigate the professional socialisation of university educated paramedics from Australia and the United Kingdom. The study tested existing professional socialisation theories, taken from other health disciplines, against the paramedical context and developed of a specific model depicting the professional socialisation of university educated paramedics.

A space for spirituality : Dutton Park Community House. Kuril dhagun, State Library of Queensland

A Space for Spirituality: Dutton Park Community House Exhibition of QUT Student Design Work for Murri Watch Men’s Shed, Dutton Park. As designers it is important to work with communities to develop inclusive spaces and be mindful of the diversity of cultures, histories and indeed spirituality. This exhibition includes a selection of proposals from QUT Interior Design students for the adaptation of the Murri Watch Men’s Shed, Dutton Park. The designs respond to local community narratives and environmental qualities, such as site texture, landscape and light to propose a dwelling space for spirituality and gathering.

The influence of social media on international students' choice of university and course

This thesis is a qualitative study of the influence of social media on the university and course decision making process of international students. It examines the role of social media in influencing international students' decisions on course and university selection and the role of social media in meeting their information needs. It also gathered inputs on how universities could engage, collaborate and communicate using social media communities and channels for more effective recruitment strategies.

Setting limits to laughter : university teaching and the boundaries of humour

This paper forms one part of a broadly-based study into the use of humour within tertiary teaching. One theme to emerge from semi-structured, in-depth interviews with university academics concerns the setting of boundaries to the appropriate use of humour within lectures and tutorials. Following the ‘benign violations’ theory of humour—wherein, to be funny, a situation/statement must be some kind of a social violation, that violation must be regarded as relatively benign, and the two ideas must be held simultaneously—this paper suggests that the willingness of academics to use particular types of humour in their teaching revolves around the complexities of determining the margins of the benign. These margins are shaped in part by pedagogic limitations, but also by professional delimitations. In terms of limitations, the boundaries of humour are set by the academic environment of the university, by the characteristics of different cohorts of students, and by what those students are prepare to laugh at. In terms of delimitations—where humour choice is moderated, not by the possibility of immediate laughter, but rather by the consequences of that choice—academic seniority and security play a large role in determining what kinds of humour will be used, and where boundaries are to be set. The central conclusion here is that formal maxims of humour use—‘Never tease students’, ‘Don’t joke about potentially sensitive issues’—fail to account for the complexity of teaching relationships, for the differences between student cohorts, and for the talents and standing of particular teachers.

A multiple case study of NAPLAN numeracy testing of Year 9 students in three Queensland secondary schools

This thesis reports on a multiple case study of the actions of three Queensland secondary schools in the context of Year 9 NAPLAN numeracy testing, focusing on their administrative practices, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. It was established that schools have found it both challenging and costly to operate in an environment of educational reform generally, and NAPLAN testing in particular. The lack of a common understanding of numeracy and the substantial demands of implementing the Australian Curriculum have impacted on schools' ability to prepare students appropriately for NAPLAN numeracy tests. It was concluded that there is scope for schools to improve their approaches to NAPLAN numeracy testing in a way that maximises learning as well as test outcomes.