This thesis concentrates on identifying and examining ambivalence and contradictions in the discourse of moral education within mid-nineteenth-century British literature. Through an analysis of contemporary women???s advice literature and the fiction of two authors I locate the discourse within the larger ideologies of femininity (which defined women as different from men based on their gender) and domesticity (which assigned women to the domestic sphere because of gender) and analyse its fundamental features. The mother was a representation of the ideal woman and thus the measure for standards of behaviour within the discourse of moral education, and, indeed, within the ideologies of femininity and domesticity for all women. I focus on the inconsistencies that the discourse of moral education attempts to mask in its representations of women. Part I (Chapters One, Two and Three) examines the social standards of behaviour for mothers established in women???s advice literature and the literature???s simultaneous resistance to these standards. Chapters Four and Five are dedicated to Anne Bront?????s two novels, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall; in particular, Chapter Five examines how Helen Huntingdon???s attempts to be the perfect moral mother are constantly open to conflicting ideological interpretation exposing ambivalence within the discourse of moral education and in the novel???s approach to the discourse. Chapters Six, Seven and Eight focus on many of Gaskell???s short stories as well as her novel Ruth. The inherent conflict within the discourse of moral education results in three separate images of motherhood for Gaskell???s fiction: traditional mothers who gain their moral influence through an association with death, the ideologically contradictory moral mother, and women who use maternal traits to live in communities of women without men. I conclude that none of the texts are categorically resistant to or complicit with the ideals within the discourse of moral education but are internally contradictory. In particular, the fiction simultaneously promotes conventional ideals of womanhood and moral mothers as self-sacrificing and nurturing and offers a vision of women either in unhappy compliance with or otherwise defying these ideals, for example, by living in unconventional relationships without men.

With the rapid growth in the development of economic reform in the People???s Republic of China since the late 1970s, China???s legal system has also been undergoing major reform and development. This has seen the emergence of a major effort to draw upon the law reform experiences of other countries, especially in the area of economic law reform. As the securities industry is a key component of an increasingly corporatised market economy, it has been necessary to adopt an effective body of securities laws. Disclosure is the fundamental issue of securities laws as it exists in market transactions and the conduct of market participants. As such, the development of an appropriate body of disclosure law and practice is vital to the integrity of securities law and ultimately to the market economy. It is for this reason that this dissertation looks at the development of China???s securities market and corporate disclosure laws, and identifies the forces that have led to its current form and content. This dissertation argues that China???s legal system must be seen as a product of China???s distinctive history and local circumstances. It analyses the current nature of China???s corporate disclosure laws and notes that China???s law reformers have relied heavily upon the US model which may not necessarily suit China. Based upon a number of theoretical understandings of the transplantation and development of law, this dissertation argues that China???s approach to law reform in this area has not always produced a body of law that is appropriate to China???s particular circumstances. It suggests that valuable insights can be gained from a comparison of the methods of corporate disclosure law reform that were followed in Australia. The Australian experience is relevant to China as Australian lawyers and regulators have played an important role in fashioning securities regulation in Hong Kong and as Hong Kong has sometimes been seen as providing useful models for China itself.

Five experiments investigated the effects of mood and judgmental heuristics on decision making under uncertainty. According to the mood-and-general-knowledge model (Bless, 2000), the assimilation-accommodation model (Fiedler, 2000) and the numeric-priming account of anchoring (Jacowitz & Kahneman, 1995; Wong & Kwong, 2000), happy individuals should rely more on the anchoring heuristic in decision making under uncertainty. However, the semantic-priming account of anchoring (Strack & Mussweiler, 1997) and the processing account of mood (Bless, 2000; Fiedler, 2000) predict that it is sad individuals who should be more susceptible to the anchoring bias. Experiment 1 used a new methodological paradigm, which captures the key methodologies of past mood and anchoring studies to test these two competing hypotheses. The overall results of Experiment 1 found that neither positive nor negative mood influenced the reliance on the anchoring heuristic, but a post-hoc analysis suggests that happy participants relied more on the anchoring heuristic in making decisions for low personal relevance, low familiarity scenarios whereas sad participants were more susceptible to the anchoring heuristic in making high personal relevance, high familiarity decisions. Experiment 2 tested this suggestion and confirmed that personal relevance significantly moderated the effects of mood on the use of the anchoring heuristic. Experiment 3 replicated this result and showed that sad participants processed longer in the high personal relevance condition whereas happy participants were comparably fast in making high and low personal relevance decisions. These findings support the suggestion that it was changes in processing styles that were responsible for the effects of mood and personal relevance on the reliance of the anchoring heuristic. In addition, Experiment 3 found no evidence that familiarity moderated the effects of mood on anchoring. Experiment 4 extended these results to the domain of general knowledge questions but failed to show that an individual difference variable, the Need for Cognition (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982) moderated these effects. The fifth and final experiment extended these findings to a different kind of heuristic, the representativeness heuristic. It was predicted and found that, contrary to the previous results, happy participants relied more on the representativeness heuristic in the high personal relevance condition. These findings have important implications for the theories of mood, judgmental heuristics and decision making under uncertainty.

On a global basis over A$450 billion is invested each year in foreign direct investment and aid with a view to supporting development. Developing countries themselves allocate significant sums out of their own budgets in order to stimulate development. Development is concomitantly a major goal and enterprise of the global economy. Developed countries through aid (Official Development Assistance) spend large sums purportedly to improve the development status of developing countries. Recently voices from within the developed world???s establishment have derided the performance of aid and by default the performance of state organisations charged with managing aid delivery. Australia has not been immune from this criticism. Its aid program while modest by global standards still consumes A$1.5 billion in taxpayers money each year. Australian aid is delivered primarily by the Australian International Aid Agency (AusAID) with smaller contributions through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Defence and Australian Federal Police. AusAID has recently faced severe criticism over failure of the aid investment in the South Pacific to engender development. Most South Pacific countries (excluding Fiji and Samoa) have failed to show desired development. A number have faced bankruptcy (Naru, Solomon Islands), while others have increasing lawlessness (Papua New Guinea). It is important in the above milieu to examine the delivery mechanisms of Australian aid through its chosen vehicle (AusAID) and determine whether aid has really been effective or not. This thesis reviews the development effectiveness of Australian aid in one Pacific island nation ??? Samoa. In this context, the effectiveness of Australian development assistance is reviewed in terms of the results of four case studies of project aid to Samoa. The four case studies cover a range of project activity in differing sectors and offer specific insights into aid policy and delivery and the effects other variables such as culture, history and development status have on development outcomes. The thesis tests the hypothesis that Australian aid to Samoa has resulted in only limited development success and then in ways that are not generally sustainable. In confirming the hypothesis, this thesis identifies that while variables such as the procedural and policy underpinnings of the Australian aid program, aid design/delivery and management, and the history, culture and development status of Samoa impact on the development outcomes, they do not prohibit development. This thesis concludes that development outcomes will be maximised when there are good macro policies present, sound sector policies and real commitments of the government and people to development. Moreover, this thesis finds that while development theories inform the debate over aid none successfully encapsulates the actual development process.

Since the early stages of the Hawke government, Australia???s taxation system has been modified with a view to attracting additional capital into the domestic venture capital market. In December 2002, the Howard government enacted the Taxation Laws Amendment (Venture Capital) Act 2002 (Cth) and the Venture Capital Act 2002 (Cth). This legislative package created a prospective concession primarily aimed at qualifying limited partnerships who participate in the Australian venture capital market. Subject to a rather stringent qualification criteria, such partnerships are treated as fiscally transparent for the purposes of Australian taxation law. In addition, the gains made upon the disposal of portfolio investments by these partnerships may not be subject to Australian capital gains tax (&quotCGT&quot) or otherwise assessable as ordinary income. The central concept of these measures is the venture capital limited partnership (&quotVCLP&quot), and other fund of fund organisational forms which are founded on the limited partnership. For this reason, the provisions of the Taxation Laws Amendment (Venture Capital) Act 2002 (Cth) and the Venture Capital Act 2002 (Cth) are collectively identified as the &quotVCLP Concessions&quot. This thesis has been prepared as a rigorous assessment of the VCLP Concessions. It draws upon an analysis of the nature and structure of venture capital investing to determine whether the particular features of the VCLP Concessions appropriately cater for the needs of prospective foreign investors. The efficacy and appropriateness of the VCLP Concessions from a policy perspective is also examined. Recommendations are provided which, if enacted, would address regions of structural inconsistency and improve the functioning of this concessional regime.

Neuromelanin (NM) is a dark polymer pigment present in specific populations of catecholaminergic neurons in the brain. Interest in this pigment has rekindled in recent years because of a hypothesised link between NM and the especial vulnerability of NM-containing neurons to cell death in Parkinson???s disease (PD). Many aspects of the biology of NM are yet to be characterised. It is not known if NM like the similar melanin of the skin is synthesised via an enzymatic pathway or solely through autoxidation as has traditionally been thought. Examination of the ultrastructure of NM granules showed that in contrast to peripheral melanosomes, an electron-lucent lipid component was present that represented 30% of pigment volume. The identity of the lipid component of NM has remained unclear since it was first suggested that NM contained lipid in the 1960???s. NM lipid was biochemically isolated from the substantia nigra of 32 human brains. Using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry and 1H- and 13C NMR techniques, it was shown for the first time that the NM lipid is the polyisoprenoid dolichol. The age-related development and regulation of NM has not previously been described. Optical density and area measurements of unstained NM in ventral substantia nigra neurons spanning the ages of 24 weeks to 95 years old demonstrated three developmental phases. NM was not present at birth and initiation of pigmentation began at approximately 3 years of age, followed by a period of increasing pigment granule number and colouration until age 20. In PD brain, the ultrastructure of NM demonstrated that the amount of lipid did not change. However, filipin staining showed a reduction of cholesterol in PD NM containing neurons. In addition, immunogold staining of ??-synuclein demonstrated that this protein redistributed to the NM lipid in PD brain. The finding of phases in the development of NM, and the identification of lipid species in NM suggest that NM biology is regulated. This thesis has also demonstrated changes in the lipid and associated proteins in PD, suggesting NM???s chemical composition alters which may have functional consequences that contribute to PD.

Ectomycorrhizal fungi are able to ameliorate heavy metal stress to host trees in polluted soils. Their sensitivity or tolerance to heavy metals is usually examined based on growth and proliferation on heavy metal amended media. However, there are no data on cellular effects of heavy metals and detoxification in live cells of these fungi. Organelle morphology has recently been recognized as an indication of cellular health and its changes can be used to assess cytotoxicity. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate short term effects of common heavy metal pollutants, Zn2+ and Ni2+ on the morphology of vacuoles, mitochondria and microtubules in hyphal tip cells of two Paxillus involutus strains. Vacuoles, mitochondria and microtubules were labeled with Oregon Green?? 488 carboxylic acid diacetate, 3,3'-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide ((DiOC6(3)) and anti-??- tubulin antibodies, respectively. They were treated with 0-1 mmol L-1 NiSO4 or 0-100 mmol L-1 ZnSO4 or K2SO4 (SO4 2- control) and examined by fluorescence microscopy. Vacuoles and mitochondria in untreated hyphal tip cells of strain P2 which originated from a heavy metal-rich soil were motile and tubular forming networks. Exposure to the metals caused tubular vacuole thickening and vesiculation as well as fragmentation of tubular mitochondria in living hyphal tip cells. The highest K2SO4 concentration also had severe effects on mitochondria. These effects were metal, concentration and exposure time dependent. NiSO4 caused these effects at a hundred fold lower concentration than ZnSO4 and induced severe microtubule disruption. Vacuole tubularity recovered after removal of the metal solutions depending on the metal, concentration and exposure time. Mitochondrial tubularity recovered to pretreatment morphology in a shorter time and even during exposure to the highest metal concentration. Vacuoles of strain P46 which originated from a non-polluted soil were pleomorphic, but mainly spherical with occasional tubular interconnections. The vacuoles were too sensitive to UV light exposure required for fluorescence microscopy to investigate their response to heavy metals. The mitochondrial network and microtubules resembled those of strain P2. The highest ZnSO4 and NiSO4 concentrations caused similar trends in response of mitochondria and microtubules of the two strains. However, mitochondria of strain P46 were less sensitive at lower metal concentrations. The highest K2SO4 concentration had more severe effects on mitochondria of strain P46 than in strain P2 from which tubularity was not recovered. This investigation is the first to reveal that heavy metals affect organelle morphology in two strains of an ectomycorrhizal fungus. Nickel effects on the organelles are likely to result from microtubule disruption. Metal induced mitochondrial fragmentation is possibly an apoptotic response and the recovery of tubular organelle networks suggests cellular detoxification.

On a global basis over A$450 billion is invested each year in foreign direct investment and aid with a view to supporting development. Developing countries themselves allocate significant sums out of their own budgets in order to stimulate development. Development is concomitantly a major goal and enterprise of the global economy. Developed countries through aid (Official Development Assistance) spend large sums purportedly to improve the development status of developing countries. Recently voices from within the developed world???s establishment have derided the performance of aid and by default the performance of state organisations charged with managing aid delivery. Australia has not been immune from this criticism. Its aid program while modest by global standards still consumes A$1.5 billion in taxpayers money each year. Australian aid is delivered primarily by the Australian International Aid Agency (AusAID) with smaller contributions through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Defence and Australian Federal Police. AusAID has recently faced severe criticism over failure of the aid investment in the South Pacific to engender development. Most South Pacific countries (excluding Fiji and Samoa) have failed to show desired development. A number have faced bankruptcy (Naru, Solomon Islands), while others have increasing lawlessness (Papua New Guinea). It is important in the above milieu to examine the delivery mechanisms of Australian aid through its chosen vehicle (AusAID) and determine whether aid has really been effective or not. This thesis reviews the development effectiveness of Australian aid in one Pacific island nation ??? Samoa. In this context, the effectiveness of Australian development assistance is reviewed in terms of the results of four case studies of project aid to Samoa. The four case studies cover a range of project activity in differing sectors and offer specific insights into aid policy and delivery and the effects other variables such as culture, history and development status have on development outcomes. The thesis tests the hypothesis that Australian aid to Samoa has resulted in only limited development success and then in ways that are not generally sustainable. In confirming the hypothesis, this thesis identifies that while variables such as the procedural and policy underpinnings of the Australian aid program, aid design/delivery and management, and the history, culture and development status of Samoa impact on the development outcomes, they do not prohibit development. This thesis concludes that development outcomes will be maximised when there are good macro policies present, sound sector policies and real commitments of the government and people to development. Moreover, this thesis finds that while development theories inform the debate over aid none successfully encapsulates the actual development process.

Issue Addressed: Access block (the prolonged wait for an inpatient hospital bed after emergency department (ED) treatment) is regarded as one of the major issues currently facing emergency medicine both in Australia and internationally. At this tertiary referral hospital review of existing data has indicated that access block has continued to increase in recent years, with a sharp rise in emergency access problems since July 1999 and is now identified as a system wide problem. Objective: This research thesis sought to explore four main areas of inquiry concerning access issues within this hospital. The first objective was to determine the current bed capacity of this hospital and identify the percentage of access block within this system. The second objective was to seek an understanding of hospital clinicians??? experiences of access block and to identify the factors they perceive directly influence patient access to acute in-patient care. The third objective was to identify change strategies to improve patient access. The final objective was to determine whether collaborative participation and involvement of clinicians would lead to a change in hospital culture and foster a collective ownership of access block as a hospital wide problem. Method: In a participatory action research inquiry, hospital clinicians within this hospital were invited to be co-researchers. The process of concurrent investigation and action followed a five- part sequence of entry, issue identification, planning, action and reflection. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used including in-depth semi structured interviews, focus groups, process mapping, control charts and statistical analysis. Results: The research findings revealed a consistently high level of access block experienced by this hospital with bed occupancy rates in excess of 90%. During the study, hospital clinicians??? became actively involved in identifying major access issues. Six main delay categories evolved: Access delays due to limited imaging and diagnostic services, patient transport delays, barriers within the patient discharges process, insufficient access and availability to transitional, hostel, rehabilitation and nursing home beds and delays due to poor internal processes within the wards. Multi-disciplinary working parties were formed to implement six intervention strategies identified by the hospital clinicians. These included: the development of a patient access database and hospital wide alert system for code red status, the design of a pharmacy discharge prescription tracking system, the establishment of a patient discharge lounge, a quality study of the aged care assessment team within the ED and the formation of a transport working group to evaluate an electronic transport booking system within the hospital. Conclusion: In recording the qualitative process involved in gaining hospital clinicians??? perceptions of the problem of access block some indicators of engagement and empowerment were documented. The success of this participatory action approach is based on the simple principal that those that are doing the job are in the best position to change or improve it.

In the past decade some 150 planets have been detected outside our Solar System, mostly via precise radial-velocity measurements of their host stars. Using an alternative method, transit searches have recently added 6 planets to the tally, and are expected to make more significant contributions in the future. The transit method is based on the detection of the tiny, periodic dip in the apparent brightness of a star when an orbiting planet passes in front of it. It requires intensive photometric monitoring of ??? 104 stars, with a precision better than ??? 1%. The 0.5 m Automated Patrol Telescope (APT) at Siding Spring Observatory, Australia, with its wide field of view and large aperture, is ideal for this task. This combination is also somewhat unique among telescopes used in transit searches. Since 2001, the APT has been semi-dedicated to a search for extrasolar planets. In this thesis work, observing, data reduction and analysis procedures were developed for the project. A significant fraction of the initial effort was focused on reaching the required photometric precision. This was achieved by implementing a new observing technique, and robust data reduction software. In the first two years of regular observations (starting in August 2002), 8 crowded Galactic fields were monitored, with photometric precision reaching 0.2% for the brightest stars. We searched the lightcurves of the brightest stars (V &lt13) and selected 5 planet candidates. Follow-up photometry and spectroscopy revealed all of these to be eclipsing binary stars. To date, no planets have been detected by this project. A detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the observations, using the currently known frequency and properties of extrasolar planets, resulted in a low calculated detection rate, consistent with the lack of detections. Using this simulation, we have investigated the observational and target star/planet parameters that determine the sensitivity of transit searches. The results highlighted the factors limiting our detection rate, and allowed us to significantly improve our observing strategy. According to the simulations, we should now detect ??? 2 planets per year. This will increase by a factor of a few when a new camera, currently under construction, is installed on the APT in early 2006.