Techniques for the reverse engineering of banking malware
- Authors: Black, Paul
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Malware attacks are a significant and frequently reported problem, adversely affecting the productivity of organisations and governments worldwide. The well-documented consequences of malware attacks include financial loss, data loss, reputation damage, infrastructure damage, theft of intellectual property, compromise of commercial negotiations, and national security risks. Mitiga-tion activities involve a significant amount of manual analysis. Therefore, there is a need for automated techniques for malware analysis to identify malicious behaviours. Research into automated techniques for malware analysis covers a wide range of activities. This thesis consists of a series of studies: an anal-ysis of banking malware families and their common behaviours, an emulated command and control environment for dynamic malware analysis, a technique to identify similar malware functions, and a technique for the detection of ransomware. An analysis of the nature of banking malware, its major malware families, behaviours, variants, and inter-relationships are provided in this thesis. In doing this, this research takes a broad view of malware analysis, starting with the implementation of the malicious behaviours through to detailed analysis using machine learning. The broad approach taken in this thesis differs from some other studies that approach malware research in a more abstract sense. A disadvantage of approaching malware research without domain knowledge, is that important methodology questions may not be considered. Large datasets of historical malware samples are available for countermea-sures research. However, due to the age of these samples, the original malware infrastructure is no longer available, often restricting malware operations to initialisation functions only. To address this absence, an emulated command and control environment is provided. This emulated environment provides full control of the malware, enabling the capabilities of the original in-the-wild operation, while enabling feature extraction for research purposes. A major focus of this thesis has been the development of a machine learn-ing function similarity method with a novel feature encoding that increases feature strength. This research develops techniques to demonstrate that the machine learning model trained on similarity features from one program can find similar functions in another, unrelated program. This finding can lead to the development of generic similar function classifiers that can be packaged and distributed in reverse engineering tools such as IDA Pro and Ghidra. Further, this research examines the use of API call features for the identi-fication of ransomware and shows that a failure to consider malware analysis domain knowledge can lead to weaknesses in experimental design. In this case, we show that existing research has difficulty in discriminating between ransomware and benign cryptographic software. This thesis by publication, has developed techniques to advance the disci-pline of malware reverse engineering, in order to minimize harm due to cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, government institutions, and industry.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Black, Paul
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Malware attacks are a significant and frequently reported problem, adversely affecting the productivity of organisations and governments worldwide. The well-documented consequences of malware attacks include financial loss, data loss, reputation damage, infrastructure damage, theft of intellectual property, compromise of commercial negotiations, and national security risks. Mitiga-tion activities involve a significant amount of manual analysis. Therefore, there is a need for automated techniques for malware analysis to identify malicious behaviours. Research into automated techniques for malware analysis covers a wide range of activities. This thesis consists of a series of studies: an anal-ysis of banking malware families and their common behaviours, an emulated command and control environment for dynamic malware analysis, a technique to identify similar malware functions, and a technique for the detection of ransomware. An analysis of the nature of banking malware, its major malware families, behaviours, variants, and inter-relationships are provided in this thesis. In doing this, this research takes a broad view of malware analysis, starting with the implementation of the malicious behaviours through to detailed analysis using machine learning. The broad approach taken in this thesis differs from some other studies that approach malware research in a more abstract sense. A disadvantage of approaching malware research without domain knowledge, is that important methodology questions may not be considered. Large datasets of historical malware samples are available for countermea-sures research. However, due to the age of these samples, the original malware infrastructure is no longer available, often restricting malware operations to initialisation functions only. To address this absence, an emulated command and control environment is provided. This emulated environment provides full control of the malware, enabling the capabilities of the original in-the-wild operation, while enabling feature extraction for research purposes. A major focus of this thesis has been the development of a machine learn-ing function similarity method with a novel feature encoding that increases feature strength. This research develops techniques to demonstrate that the machine learning model trained on similarity features from one program can find similar functions in another, unrelated program. This finding can lead to the development of generic similar function classifiers that can be packaged and distributed in reverse engineering tools such as IDA Pro and Ghidra. Further, this research examines the use of API call features for the identi-fication of ransomware and shows that a failure to consider malware analysis domain knowledge can lead to weaknesses in experimental design. In this case, we show that existing research has difficulty in discriminating between ransomware and benign cryptographic software. This thesis by publication, has developed techniques to advance the disci-pline of malware reverse engineering, in order to minimize harm due to cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, government institutions, and industry.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Telling a story – managing impressions about corporate social responsibility
- Authors: Paynter, Merryn
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Today, an increasing number of companies are being held accountable by stakeholders for their impact on the environment and on society. Hence, failure to address stakeholder concerns can have dire consequences for companies, threatening their social licence-to-operate. To retain stakeholder support, companies must communicate to stakeholders how their concerns are being addressed, and this includes making disclosures about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Existing literature focuses on explaining the reasons for the uptake of CSR reporting, and why companies make CSR disclosures. Presently, to date, there has been only limited research on the way that companies use CSR reporting to manage impressions, and how this differs across industries. This study is unique because it uses constructive-interpretive, qualitative storytelling research methods to examine CSR reporting, and to investigate companies’ motivations for making CSR disclosures. In this thesis, multi-level narrative research was conducted on the annual, CSR, and integrated reports produced by three Australian companies: BHP, Westpac, and Westfield between 1992 and 2017. These companies represent very different industry sectors, and were chosen to provide an understanding of the similarities and differences in the development of storytelling practices in their CSR reporting. Significant events in company reports are substantiated by newspaper articles published in the Sydney Morning Herald. These significant events are used to study episodic changes in companies’ strategic organisational storytelling responses. This study found that companies use explicit and implied storytelling strategies to convey meanings about CSR using both visual and textual language. A conceptual framework is developed which presents organisational storytelling as a process and illustrates how companies construct and tell stories about CSR. Several implications were identified from this research, key amongst them being the ability of stakeholders to determine companies’ underlying motives for creating their particular CSR stories. From a company perspective, the importance of management’s understanding of the implications of poorly-executed storytelling is demonstrated, highlighting the consequent potential for stakeholders to misinterpret CSR disclosures and form adverse opinions of companies’ actions, despite positive intentions
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Paynter, Merryn
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Today, an increasing number of companies are being held accountable by stakeholders for their impact on the environment and on society. Hence, failure to address stakeholder concerns can have dire consequences for companies, threatening their social licence-to-operate. To retain stakeholder support, companies must communicate to stakeholders how their concerns are being addressed, and this includes making disclosures about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Existing literature focuses on explaining the reasons for the uptake of CSR reporting, and why companies make CSR disclosures. Presently, to date, there has been only limited research on the way that companies use CSR reporting to manage impressions, and how this differs across industries. This study is unique because it uses constructive-interpretive, qualitative storytelling research methods to examine CSR reporting, and to investigate companies’ motivations for making CSR disclosures. In this thesis, multi-level narrative research was conducted on the annual, CSR, and integrated reports produced by three Australian companies: BHP, Westpac, and Westfield between 1992 and 2017. These companies represent very different industry sectors, and were chosen to provide an understanding of the similarities and differences in the development of storytelling practices in their CSR reporting. Significant events in company reports are substantiated by newspaper articles published in the Sydney Morning Herald. These significant events are used to study episodic changes in companies’ strategic organisational storytelling responses. This study found that companies use explicit and implied storytelling strategies to convey meanings about CSR using both visual and textual language. A conceptual framework is developed which presents organisational storytelling as a process and illustrates how companies construct and tell stories about CSR. Several implications were identified from this research, key amongst them being the ability of stakeholders to determine companies’ underlying motives for creating their particular CSR stories. From a company perspective, the importance of management’s understanding of the implications of poorly-executed storytelling is demonstrated, highlighting the consequent potential for stakeholders to misinterpret CSR disclosures and form adverse opinions of companies’ actions, despite positive intentions
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Telomere, DNA Methylation and Gene Expression changes caused by exercise training
- Authors: Denham, Joshua
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Exercise training is one of the few therapeutic interventions that improves health span by delaying the onset of age-related diseases and preventing early death. Despite the clear benefits to health conferred by exercise training, our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms remain crude. The primary purpose of this thesis is to determine and analyse the molecular biology changes that occur with strenuous aerobic exercise. Specifically, the main objectives were to investigate the impact of strenuous aerobic exercise training on structural DNA modifications, measured in context with cardiovascular health and fitness adaptations. In the first part of this thesis I investigated the influence of endurance exercise training on leukocyte telomere length and cardiovascular health. Leukocyte telomere length reflects biological age. Indeed, excessively short leukocyte telomeres are associated with age-related chronic diseases. Epidemiological studies indicate endurance athletes live longer than people from the general public who do not engage in extensive aerobic exercise training. In Chapter 2, my literature review on the subject of exercise and telomere biology suggested that, at the time of this study, the impact of exercise training on leukocyte telomere length was equivocal. Therefore, to determine whether strenuous aerobic exercise training influences biological ageing (assessed by leukocyte telomere length), I conducted two cross-sectional studies on leukocyte telomere length differences between endurance athletes and healthy controls. The first study (Chapter 3) was a cross-sectional analysis of leukocyte telomere length between athletes and controls, determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). This is a relative measurement of telomere length expressed as a telomere (T) to single copy gene (S) ratio. Relative to the healthy controls (n = 56), the ultra-marathon runners (n = 67) possessed 11% longer leukocyte telomeres in age-adjusted analysis (ultra-marathon runners vs controls; average T/S ratio: 3.56 vs 3.16, p = 1.4 × 10-4) and the difference was not explained by the favourable cardiovascular health profile exhibited by the athletes (p = 2.2 × 10-4). The difference in leukocyte telomere length indicated the athletes had reduced their biological age by 16.2 years. To elucidate the potential mechanism for the longer leukocyte telomeres observed in endurance athletes, I recruited another cohort of athletes and controls and measured leukocyte telomere length and gene expression of genes involved in telomere length regulation. In the second study (Chapter 4), I describe data replicating the finding that endurance athletes possess longer leukocyte telomeres compared to healthy controls (athletes v controls mean T/S ratio ± SE: 3.64 ± 0.06 vs 3.38 ± 0.06, p = 0.002). This difference was associated with a concomitant increased activity of two important telomere regulating genes, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and adrenocortical dysplasia homolog (TPP1) (2- fold and 1.3-fold, respectively, both p < 0.05). The difference in leukocyte telomere length and leukocyte telomere-regulating gene (TERT and TPP1 mRNA) expression was ameliorated after adjusting for maximal oxygen uptake and resting heart rate (all p > 0.05). This finding indicates that cardiorespiratory fitness is an important determinant of telomere biology. Together, these two cross-sectional studies suggest that regular endurance exercise training is associated with longer leukocytes telomeres and that this is likely achieved through higher TPP1 and TERT mRNA expression gained through improved cardiorespiratory fitness. The findings in Chapters 3 and 4 provide evidence for extensive endurance exercise training as an effective lifestyle strategy to attenuate biological ageing. In parallel to telomere length changes, epigenetic modifications (e.g. DNA methylation) caused by environmental factors alter the transcriptomic milieu of cells. My thorough literature review (Chapter 5) revealed that exercise training seems to rearrange chromatin by modifying the DNA methylome in a variety of cells and that the extent is dictated by exercise duration and intensity. Therefore, in the second part of my thesis, I investigated the DNA methylation changes in leukocytes (which are somatic cells) and sperm (male germ cells) from healthy men before and after sprint interval training (SIT). Unlike traditional, long duration training at moderate intensity training, SIT involves short, intense (>85% VO2max to supra-maximal) efforts followed by periods of rest (3–4 min), typically repeated 3–8 times. It is an effective type of training that improves cardiorespiratory fitness quicker than traditional long slow distance training. Thus, to establish the DNA methylome changes associated with SIT, I conducted two training studies and analysed the leukocyte and sperm methylomes using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip (Illumina). My third study (Chapter 6) provides the first evidence showing an association between DNA methylation changes paralleled with improvements to lipid profile and cardiorespiratory fitness in humans. Twelve young men (18–24 years) undertook SIT (thrice weekly) for four weeks. Resting blood samples were obtained and whole-blood leukocytes were isolated by red blood cell lysis. Genome-wide DNA methylation was assessed using the 450K BeadChip (Illumina). Cardiorespiratory fitness, determined by maximal oxygen uptake, was improved by 2.1 ml.kg-1.min-1 and low-density lipo-protein cholesterol was decreased by 3.9% after SIT (p < 0.05). Notably, the leukocyte methylome was significantly affected by SIT, in regions throughout the genome in relation to CpG islands – CpG islands, North shores, N shelves, South shores and South shelve – and the nearest genes – 3’ untranslated region (UTR), 5’ UTR, exonic, intergenic, intronic, non-coding and promoter regions (all p < 0.001). Genes with differentially methylated CpG sites (q < 0.005) after SIT were enriched for cardiovascular gene ontology (GO) terms that included metabolic activity, biological adhesion and antioxidant activity. Similarly, pathway analysis revealed genes involved in focal adhesion, calcium signaling and mitogen activated protein kinase were modulated by SIT-induced DNA methylation changes. Amongst the 205,987 probes relating 32,445 transcripts differentially methylated after SIT (q < 0.05), with methylation changes between 0.1 – 62.8%, the largest and most statistically significant demethylated site was in the epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene, causing decreased mRNA expression. As with EGF, the microRNA-21 and microRNA-210 genes (MIR21 and MIR210, respectively), known for their roles in cardiovascular disease (ischemic heart disease and coronary atherosclerosis), had modest but consistently statistically significant DNA methylation changes at numerous CpG sites, which altered mature microRNA abundance. Together, these data suggest that genome-wide DNA methylation changes occur after short-term intense exercise training concurrently with improvements to blood cholesterol profile and cardiorespiratory fitness. The data presented in this thesis provided evidence that the epigenome of somatic cells is malleable to exercise. There is mounting evidence supporting the premise that environmental perturbations cause DNA methylation changes and these are subsequently transgenerationally inherited, altering phenotypes of future generations. In the current study I also asked the question; can exercise training reconfigure the DNA methylome of male germ cells (sperm)? Therefore, my next study (Chapter 7) entails an analysis of the impact that three months of SIT has on genome-wide DNA methylation of sperm in healthy men. Thirteen subjects undertook twice-weekly SIT for three months, while the controls were asked not to change their current physical activity habits (if any). Sperm samples were donated before and after the three-month intervention. Mature sperm were isolated using density gradient centrifugation and DNA was extracted using the Purelink Genomic DNA Mini Kit (Life Technologies). Global and genome-wide DNA methylation was assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based kit and the 450K BeadChip (Illumina), respectively. Relative to controls, the cases decreased their resting heart rate and had a higher maximal treadmill speed during exercise testing (both p < 0.05). Cases had decreased global DNA methylation after SIT compared to controls (p < 0.05). Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis revealed numerous modest (0.3 – 6%) methylation changes to 7509 CpG sites, relating to 4602 transcripts (q ≤ 0.1). Differentially methylated CpG sites were in genes associated with developmental biology, which included GO terms, such as developmental process, anatomical structure, embryonic morphogenesis and organ development, together with known pathways regulated by exercise training (MAPK, ErbB and PI3K-Akt signalling). Genes with increased methylation were associated with numerous human diseases, with most overrepresented being psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and autism). Notably, paternally imprinted genes associated with other diseases were also differentially methylated after SIT. Therefore, exercise training is associated with the modifications to genome-wide DNA methylation of both somatic and germ cells. In conclusion, the studies presented as a series of peer-reviewed publications, outlines investigations that describe an influence of strenuous exercise training on leukocyte telomere length regulation and the DNA methylome of both leukocytes and germ cells. Both of these molecular changes in leukocytes and sperm provide evidence for novel molecular mechanisms by which exercise improves cardiovascular health and fitness. Future investigations should focus on longitudinal studies determining whether these changes are required for improved health and fitness, and should establish whether exercise-induced DNA methylation changes are transgenerationally inherited, and if so, what impact this has to future generations. Such discoveries could change national physical activity guidelines and policies, by emphasising the benefit of regular exercise both in the present and to future offspring.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Denham, Joshua
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Exercise training is one of the few therapeutic interventions that improves health span by delaying the onset of age-related diseases and preventing early death. Despite the clear benefits to health conferred by exercise training, our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms remain crude. The primary purpose of this thesis is to determine and analyse the molecular biology changes that occur with strenuous aerobic exercise. Specifically, the main objectives were to investigate the impact of strenuous aerobic exercise training on structural DNA modifications, measured in context with cardiovascular health and fitness adaptations. In the first part of this thesis I investigated the influence of endurance exercise training on leukocyte telomere length and cardiovascular health. Leukocyte telomere length reflects biological age. Indeed, excessively short leukocyte telomeres are associated with age-related chronic diseases. Epidemiological studies indicate endurance athletes live longer than people from the general public who do not engage in extensive aerobic exercise training. In Chapter 2, my literature review on the subject of exercise and telomere biology suggested that, at the time of this study, the impact of exercise training on leukocyte telomere length was equivocal. Therefore, to determine whether strenuous aerobic exercise training influences biological ageing (assessed by leukocyte telomere length), I conducted two cross-sectional studies on leukocyte telomere length differences between endurance athletes and healthy controls. The first study (Chapter 3) was a cross-sectional analysis of leukocyte telomere length between athletes and controls, determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). This is a relative measurement of telomere length expressed as a telomere (T) to single copy gene (S) ratio. Relative to the healthy controls (n = 56), the ultra-marathon runners (n = 67) possessed 11% longer leukocyte telomeres in age-adjusted analysis (ultra-marathon runners vs controls; average T/S ratio: 3.56 vs 3.16, p = 1.4 × 10-4) and the difference was not explained by the favourable cardiovascular health profile exhibited by the athletes (p = 2.2 × 10-4). The difference in leukocyte telomere length indicated the athletes had reduced their biological age by 16.2 years. To elucidate the potential mechanism for the longer leukocyte telomeres observed in endurance athletes, I recruited another cohort of athletes and controls and measured leukocyte telomere length and gene expression of genes involved in telomere length regulation. In the second study (Chapter 4), I describe data replicating the finding that endurance athletes possess longer leukocyte telomeres compared to healthy controls (athletes v controls mean T/S ratio ± SE: 3.64 ± 0.06 vs 3.38 ± 0.06, p = 0.002). This difference was associated with a concomitant increased activity of two important telomere regulating genes, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and adrenocortical dysplasia homolog (TPP1) (2- fold and 1.3-fold, respectively, both p < 0.05). The difference in leukocyte telomere length and leukocyte telomere-regulating gene (TERT and TPP1 mRNA) expression was ameliorated after adjusting for maximal oxygen uptake and resting heart rate (all p > 0.05). This finding indicates that cardiorespiratory fitness is an important determinant of telomere biology. Together, these two cross-sectional studies suggest that regular endurance exercise training is associated with longer leukocytes telomeres and that this is likely achieved through higher TPP1 and TERT mRNA expression gained through improved cardiorespiratory fitness. The findings in Chapters 3 and 4 provide evidence for extensive endurance exercise training as an effective lifestyle strategy to attenuate biological ageing. In parallel to telomere length changes, epigenetic modifications (e.g. DNA methylation) caused by environmental factors alter the transcriptomic milieu of cells. My thorough literature review (Chapter 5) revealed that exercise training seems to rearrange chromatin by modifying the DNA methylome in a variety of cells and that the extent is dictated by exercise duration and intensity. Therefore, in the second part of my thesis, I investigated the DNA methylation changes in leukocytes (which are somatic cells) and sperm (male germ cells) from healthy men before and after sprint interval training (SIT). Unlike traditional, long duration training at moderate intensity training, SIT involves short, intense (>85% VO2max to supra-maximal) efforts followed by periods of rest (3–4 min), typically repeated 3–8 times. It is an effective type of training that improves cardiorespiratory fitness quicker than traditional long slow distance training. Thus, to establish the DNA methylome changes associated with SIT, I conducted two training studies and analysed the leukocyte and sperm methylomes using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip (Illumina). My third study (Chapter 6) provides the first evidence showing an association between DNA methylation changes paralleled with improvements to lipid profile and cardiorespiratory fitness in humans. Twelve young men (18–24 years) undertook SIT (thrice weekly) for four weeks. Resting blood samples were obtained and whole-blood leukocytes were isolated by red blood cell lysis. Genome-wide DNA methylation was assessed using the 450K BeadChip (Illumina). Cardiorespiratory fitness, determined by maximal oxygen uptake, was improved by 2.1 ml.kg-1.min-1 and low-density lipo-protein cholesterol was decreased by 3.9% after SIT (p < 0.05). Notably, the leukocyte methylome was significantly affected by SIT, in regions throughout the genome in relation to CpG islands – CpG islands, North shores, N shelves, South shores and South shelve – and the nearest genes – 3’ untranslated region (UTR), 5’ UTR, exonic, intergenic, intronic, non-coding and promoter regions (all p < 0.001). Genes with differentially methylated CpG sites (q < 0.005) after SIT were enriched for cardiovascular gene ontology (GO) terms that included metabolic activity, biological adhesion and antioxidant activity. Similarly, pathway analysis revealed genes involved in focal adhesion, calcium signaling and mitogen activated protein kinase were modulated by SIT-induced DNA methylation changes. Amongst the 205,987 probes relating 32,445 transcripts differentially methylated after SIT (q < 0.05), with methylation changes between 0.1 – 62.8%, the largest and most statistically significant demethylated site was in the epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene, causing decreased mRNA expression. As with EGF, the microRNA-21 and microRNA-210 genes (MIR21 and MIR210, respectively), known for their roles in cardiovascular disease (ischemic heart disease and coronary atherosclerosis), had modest but consistently statistically significant DNA methylation changes at numerous CpG sites, which altered mature microRNA abundance. Together, these data suggest that genome-wide DNA methylation changes occur after short-term intense exercise training concurrently with improvements to blood cholesterol profile and cardiorespiratory fitness. The data presented in this thesis provided evidence that the epigenome of somatic cells is malleable to exercise. There is mounting evidence supporting the premise that environmental perturbations cause DNA methylation changes and these are subsequently transgenerationally inherited, altering phenotypes of future generations. In the current study I also asked the question; can exercise training reconfigure the DNA methylome of male germ cells (sperm)? Therefore, my next study (Chapter 7) entails an analysis of the impact that three months of SIT has on genome-wide DNA methylation of sperm in healthy men. Thirteen subjects undertook twice-weekly SIT for three months, while the controls were asked not to change their current physical activity habits (if any). Sperm samples were donated before and after the three-month intervention. Mature sperm were isolated using density gradient centrifugation and DNA was extracted using the Purelink Genomic DNA Mini Kit (Life Technologies). Global and genome-wide DNA methylation was assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based kit and the 450K BeadChip (Illumina), respectively. Relative to controls, the cases decreased their resting heart rate and had a higher maximal treadmill speed during exercise testing (both p < 0.05). Cases had decreased global DNA methylation after SIT compared to controls (p < 0.05). Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis revealed numerous modest (0.3 – 6%) methylation changes to 7509 CpG sites, relating to 4602 transcripts (q ≤ 0.1). Differentially methylated CpG sites were in genes associated with developmental biology, which included GO terms, such as developmental process, anatomical structure, embryonic morphogenesis and organ development, together with known pathways regulated by exercise training (MAPK, ErbB and PI3K-Akt signalling). Genes with increased methylation were associated with numerous human diseases, with most overrepresented being psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and autism). Notably, paternally imprinted genes associated with other diseases were also differentially methylated after SIT. Therefore, exercise training is associated with the modifications to genome-wide DNA methylation of both somatic and germ cells. In conclusion, the studies presented as a series of peer-reviewed publications, outlines investigations that describe an influence of strenuous exercise training on leukocyte telomere length regulation and the DNA methylome of both leukocytes and germ cells. Both of these molecular changes in leukocytes and sperm provide evidence for novel molecular mechanisms by which exercise improves cardiovascular health and fitness. Future investigations should focus on longitudinal studies determining whether these changes are required for improved health and fitness, and should establish whether exercise-induced DNA methylation changes are transgenerationally inherited, and if so, what impact this has to future generations. Such discoveries could change national physical activity guidelines and policies, by emphasising the benefit of regular exercise both in the present and to future offspring.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Temporal and environmental influences on seed protein accumulation in soybean seeds
- Authors: Sykes, Geoffrey
- Date: 1991
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text: false
- Description: Masters Degree of Applied Science
Tertiary student connectedness : Intervention influence on student connectedness as measured in health and academic behaviours of regional tertiary students
- Authors: Young, Patricia
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: At a time when university student diversity is heightened and when national government regulations have shifted their quality focus from support improvements to student achievement, little is known about the mechanism of the latter. University efforts to support quality, caring interactions between students and staff, known as connectedness, are currently favoured, and this thesis examines connectedness, mood, emotional well-being and academic behaviours of commencing students at a regional Australian university. This is done through the lens of a first semester intervention, known as Tertiary Learning Communities (TLC). Drawing on existing connectedness research, across both school and university settings and guided by a whole-school framework, details of the establishment of a suitable working party, the development of survey, pilot and intervention activities, and monitoring the ability of a cross-campus intervention to influence student connectedness and behaviour markers, are highlighted to advance further understanding of the mechanics of connectedness in a university setting. The developed survey, which collected data from undergraduate students early in their first semester, effectively captured perceptions of connectedness across a broad range of sources in addition to their mood, emotional well-being and academic student behaviours. Paired sample-tests assessed connectedness changes, and chi square analysis assessed behaviour changes when comparing the experimental and control groups on two occasions. A single intervention aligned to a first year core unit to support academic and social interactions, was shown to be ineffective in enhancing student connectedness during the semester of the intervention or the semester following the intervention. However, the level of connectedness decreases measured across ‘personal’, ‘other students’ and ‘lecturers’ were indeed significant, as was the finding that connectedness decreases for intervention participants exceeded the decreases of the control group. Furthermore, mood and emotional well-being challenges and the slow emergence of academic behaviours were also revealed. These findings provided support for future inclusive student support initiatives, maintained the involvement of working party members and extended support beyond the first semester to across first year.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Young, Patricia
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: At a time when university student diversity is heightened and when national government regulations have shifted their quality focus from support improvements to student achievement, little is known about the mechanism of the latter. University efforts to support quality, caring interactions between students and staff, known as connectedness, are currently favoured, and this thesis examines connectedness, mood, emotional well-being and academic behaviours of commencing students at a regional Australian university. This is done through the lens of a first semester intervention, known as Tertiary Learning Communities (TLC). Drawing on existing connectedness research, across both school and university settings and guided by a whole-school framework, details of the establishment of a suitable working party, the development of survey, pilot and intervention activities, and monitoring the ability of a cross-campus intervention to influence student connectedness and behaviour markers, are highlighted to advance further understanding of the mechanics of connectedness in a university setting. The developed survey, which collected data from undergraduate students early in their first semester, effectively captured perceptions of connectedness across a broad range of sources in addition to their mood, emotional well-being and academic student behaviours. Paired sample-tests assessed connectedness changes, and chi square analysis assessed behaviour changes when comparing the experimental and control groups on two occasions. A single intervention aligned to a first year core unit to support academic and social interactions, was shown to be ineffective in enhancing student connectedness during the semester of the intervention or the semester following the intervention. However, the level of connectedness decreases measured across ‘personal’, ‘other students’ and ‘lecturers’ were indeed significant, as was the finding that connectedness decreases for intervention participants exceeded the decreases of the control group. Furthermore, mood and emotional well-being challenges and the slow emergence of academic behaviours were also revealed. These findings provided support for future inclusive student support initiatives, maintained the involvement of working party members and extended support beyond the first semester to across first year.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Testing the efficacy of therapeutic footwear with rocker-soles to protect ulceration in diabetic and neuropathic patients
- Authors: Stacpoole Shea, Susan
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "This thesis aimed to test rocker-sole shoe designs to select the most effective design for protecting plantar hallux and plantar first metatarsophalangeal joint ilcerations from plantar pressures during walking in adults with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Stacpoole Shea, Susan
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "This thesis aimed to test rocker-sole shoe designs to select the most effective design for protecting plantar hallux and plantar first metatarsophalangeal joint ilcerations from plantar pressures during walking in adults with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The Accountability of public museums in Portugal
- Authors: Menezes, Carlos
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This research examines the historical development and current state of accountability practices in Portugal’s public museums, within the context of New Public Management (NPM) philosophies. The study addresses the following research questions: (1) What systems of accountability presently apply to Portugal's public museums? (2) What are the historical determinants of these systems and what has been the role of NPM? (3) Relative to the objectives and missions of the museums, what deficiencies are evident in the systems of accountability and how might these be redressed? New institutional theory, supplemented by the concepts of path dependency, practical drift and governmentality, provides the theoretical framework for examining the historical determinants of accountability practices, identifying the limitations of those practices, and proposing possible solutions. This study adopts an interpretative paradigm and an inductive reasoning approach. The research uses a case study approach based on the Portuguese Museums Network. The study combines quantitative, archival and qualitative (interviews) data. The survey was administered to directors and other people directly responsible for the management of public museums and yielded 220 usable responses. The analysis of archival data included historical documents available in the archives of museums, legislation, newspapers and historical books. Finally, 26 interviews were conducted with directors and other personnel from nine museums and six interviews were conducted with representatives from the central government and relevant professional associations. The findings show that present accountability systems in Portuguese public museums are hierarchical and frail and provide limited information for meaningful accountability evaluations. In addition, accountability has been influenced by historical path dependency, leading to museums being used as instruments of governmentality for controlling citizens, society and public organisations. The implementation of NPM and double entry bookkeeping are reflections of a process of institutional isomorphism that has led to a process of “double talking” and the adoption of practical drift situations. The accountability deficiencies identified – within the context of the missions and objectives of museums – lead to a set of recommendations to improve accountability in the sector. Managerial implications stemming from the study entail, for example, giving more managerial autonomy to the museums; periodically auditing the collections and their scope; and, producing new accounting rules that reflect and involve relevant stakeholders.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Menezes, Carlos
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This research examines the historical development and current state of accountability practices in Portugal’s public museums, within the context of New Public Management (NPM) philosophies. The study addresses the following research questions: (1) What systems of accountability presently apply to Portugal's public museums? (2) What are the historical determinants of these systems and what has been the role of NPM? (3) Relative to the objectives and missions of the museums, what deficiencies are evident in the systems of accountability and how might these be redressed? New institutional theory, supplemented by the concepts of path dependency, practical drift and governmentality, provides the theoretical framework for examining the historical determinants of accountability practices, identifying the limitations of those practices, and proposing possible solutions. This study adopts an interpretative paradigm and an inductive reasoning approach. The research uses a case study approach based on the Portuguese Museums Network. The study combines quantitative, archival and qualitative (interviews) data. The survey was administered to directors and other people directly responsible for the management of public museums and yielded 220 usable responses. The analysis of archival data included historical documents available in the archives of museums, legislation, newspapers and historical books. Finally, 26 interviews were conducted with directors and other personnel from nine museums and six interviews were conducted with representatives from the central government and relevant professional associations. The findings show that present accountability systems in Portuguese public museums are hierarchical and frail and provide limited information for meaningful accountability evaluations. In addition, accountability has been influenced by historical path dependency, leading to museums being used as instruments of governmentality for controlling citizens, society and public organisations. The implementation of NPM and double entry bookkeeping are reflections of a process of institutional isomorphism that has led to a process of “double talking” and the adoption of practical drift situations. The accountability deficiencies identified – within the context of the missions and objectives of museums – lead to a set of recommendations to improve accountability in the sector. Managerial implications stemming from the study entail, for example, giving more managerial autonomy to the museums; periodically auditing the collections and their scope; and, producing new accounting rules that reflect and involve relevant stakeholders.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The acute effects of aerobic exercise on Leukocyte Telomere biology
- Authors: Chilton, Warrick
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Description: Habitual exercise is unequivocally associated with decreased all-cause mortality and morbidity. Despite the strength of the association, a large part of the decreased risk is physiologically unaccounted for. Accumulating evidence indicates that leukocyte telomere length (LTL) may be one such explanatory mechanism. Telomeres are specialized deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences located at chromosomal ends where they protect the genomic DNA from enzymatic degradation. Excessive and/or premature telomere shortening in leukocytes is associated with a host of chronic diseases and impaired immune function. Observational associations exist between LTL and habitual physical activity/exercise in multiple cohorts. However, correlation does not imply causal story and the underpinning mechanisms behind the association are unclear. The current consensus is that long-term exercise-induced reductions in oxidative stress and inflammation mediate the association. The acute dynamics of telomere biology are poorly understood; however, a growing body of evidence suggests that telomeres may be amenable to acute modulation via expression of telomereassociated genes and microRNAs. Accordingly, the overarching aim of this thesis was to characterize the acute effects of aerobic exercise on leukocyte telomere biology.
- Authors: Chilton, Warrick
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Description: Habitual exercise is unequivocally associated with decreased all-cause mortality and morbidity. Despite the strength of the association, a large part of the decreased risk is physiologically unaccounted for. Accumulating evidence indicates that leukocyte telomere length (LTL) may be one such explanatory mechanism. Telomeres are specialized deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences located at chromosomal ends where they protect the genomic DNA from enzymatic degradation. Excessive and/or premature telomere shortening in leukocytes is associated with a host of chronic diseases and impaired immune function. Observational associations exist between LTL and habitual physical activity/exercise in multiple cohorts. However, correlation does not imply causal story and the underpinning mechanisms behind the association are unclear. The current consensus is that long-term exercise-induced reductions in oxidative stress and inflammation mediate the association. The acute dynamics of telomere biology are poorly understood; however, a growing body of evidence suggests that telomeres may be amenable to acute modulation via expression of telomereassociated genes and microRNAs. Accordingly, the overarching aim of this thesis was to characterize the acute effects of aerobic exercise on leukocyte telomere biology.
The application of marketing concepts to occupational health and safety in an Australian University
- Authors: Giles, Murray
- Date: 1993
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text: false
- Description: The dissertation examines the legal, financial and social responsibilities that Universities have in complying with minimum occupational health and safety performance standards.The marketing principles and techniques identified in this project may assist Occupational Health and Safety managers to enhance the service provided.
- Description: Masters of Applied Science, Occupational Health and Safety
- Authors: Giles, Murray
- Date: 1993
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text: false
- Description: The dissertation examines the legal, financial and social responsibilities that Universities have in complying with minimum occupational health and safety performance standards.The marketing principles and techniques identified in this project may assist Occupational Health and Safety managers to enhance the service provided.
- Description: Masters of Applied Science, Occupational Health and Safety
The art of homecoming
- Authors: Heron, Julie
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This project is concerned with exploring a particular cluster of ideas and stories concerning Homecoming, most notably the presence of the Woman Who Waits for the traveller to return. Underlying the storied aspects of the visual work are the deeper intentions of soulfulness, personal therapy and social interaction. Although profoundly autobiographical, the metaphoric images I have produced are not only a means to touch others but are inclusive of a broader experience than simply my own. Throughout the following exegesis I draw on the disciplines of psychology, sociology, mythology and history, to explore the metaphoric presences of the deities Hestia and Hermes and their relationship to ideas of Home and Not - Home. Particular qualities associated with Home may, for the traveller, become symbolically embodied within the figure of The Woman Who Waits. This simple perception of The Woman Who Waits, and the process of waiting for the traveller to return was explored and expanded through autobiographic art practice combined with visual and theoretical research. Throughout the project the expression of emotive autobiographic issues through the running use of metaphor has been combined with increasing technical control and subtlety along with sustained explorations of spatial and compositional dynamics.
- Description: Masters (Visual Arts)
- Authors: Heron, Julie
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This project is concerned with exploring a particular cluster of ideas and stories concerning Homecoming, most notably the presence of the Woman Who Waits for the traveller to return. Underlying the storied aspects of the visual work are the deeper intentions of soulfulness, personal therapy and social interaction. Although profoundly autobiographical, the metaphoric images I have produced are not only a means to touch others but are inclusive of a broader experience than simply my own. Throughout the following exegesis I draw on the disciplines of psychology, sociology, mythology and history, to explore the metaphoric presences of the deities Hestia and Hermes and their relationship to ideas of Home and Not - Home. Particular qualities associated with Home may, for the traveller, become symbolically embodied within the figure of The Woman Who Waits. This simple perception of The Woman Who Waits, and the process of waiting for the traveller to return was explored and expanded through autobiographic art practice combined with visual and theoretical research. Throughout the project the expression of emotive autobiographic issues through the running use of metaphor has been combined with increasing technical control and subtlety along with sustained explorations of spatial and compositional dynamics.
- Description: Masters (Visual Arts)
The association of circular RNAs with hypertension
- Authors: Woods, Bradley
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis contains six chapters in total with chapter 1 being a literature overview and chapter 2 being a summary of material and methods. The three results chapters contain all my own work unless stated otherwise and lastly chapter 6 is discussion and conclusions linking together the work undertaken in this thesis.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Woods, Bradley
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis contains six chapters in total with chapter 1 being a literature overview and chapter 2 being a summary of material and methods. The three results chapters contain all my own work unless stated otherwise and lastly chapter 6 is discussion and conclusions linking together the work undertaken in this thesis.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The assumed divide : Examining gender, feminism and relationships through visual art
- Authors: Hollis, Sylvia
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text: false
- Description: The Assumed Divide is a visual arts based, practice-led research project which explores expectations of gender within the context of interpersonal relationships, structured through feminist theory. I created a collection of small, figurative sculptures inspired by experiences of animosity and misunderstanding, to locate areas of gendered interpersonal ambivalence. This thesis proposes that feminism might enhance gender relations by deconstructing harmful stereotypes and by encouraging empathy and respect for diversity. Issues such as reproductive choice, intergenerational debate, and uncertainty in aims are discussed as apparent impediments to the unity of feminism, against a patriarchal tradition that grants men categorical universality. I argue that by dismantling the perception of male unification and by elucidating the multitudinous similarities and variances of human experience, feminism makes advances in eliminating sexism. I also examine how binary gender division, with an assumption of distinct difference between male and female, generates conflict and power dynamics advantageous to men, diminishing the quality of heterosexual and social relationships. The observation that overlapping gender traits blur boundaries of male and female, and that rigid categorisations are not indisputably representative of all people, may offer more points of connection to bridge the divide of gender. Each artwork in The Assumed Divide reflects on gendered experience, with sculpted depictions of disintegrated flesh acting as visual manifestations of the psyches and social conditions of the figures. Working realistically on a small scale, and integrating found silver trays as motifs of domesticity and relationships, my intent is to directly stimulate contemplation of the themes in context to viewers’ lives, recognising that the audience is free to find their own meaning in the works. Discussion of these pieces, alongside works by other artists who broach topics of feminism, gender, and relationships, exemplifies the capacity for art to infuse theory with personal insight, inspired and derived from the lives of both artist and viewer.
- Description: Masters by Research
The attitudes of Australian heterosexuals to same-sex parenting
- Authors: Marchesani, Charmaine
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text: false
- Description: Master of Applied Science
The biopsychosocial impact of Autism on families and the contribution of solar irradiance to its aetiology
- Authors: Syed, Somayya
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong disorder of unknown aetiology. A recent hypothesis is that a lack of Vitamin D is implicated in either the aetiology or maintenance of ASD. The human body synthesises Vitamin D from Ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation found in sunlight. It follows that greater exposure to sunlight hours may be related to decreased rates of ASD. There are no interventions that target the causes of ASD rather therapies address either its symptoms or its comorbidities. ASD not only affects individuals, it also has an impact on their families. Family members have experienced social, occupational and personal costs associated with their child’s ASD which can result in parental separation or divorce. While researchers have established some of the factors which contribute to the impact on families, this research has not addressed families living in regional areas nor have empirical studies used domain-specific scales. The aims in this thesis were: Study 1) to determine whether the prevalence rates of ASD vary as a function of exposure to sunlight by reviewing reported prevalence rates by latitude where, the greater the distance from the equator, the higher the expected prevalence rates; Study 2) to conduct interviews with parents and caregivers of children with ASD who live in a regional area to determine the factors which affect them and those which might protect them; and Study 3) use the interview data to develop domain specific measures and test a model of living with a child with ASD. The results of Study 1 revealed that there is an increase in the prevalence of ASD as distance from the equator increases lending some support to the hypothesis that Vitamin D is implicated in ASD. The 16 interviews conducted in Study 2 revealed seven themes: impact on finances; family life; child’s health and behaviour, and schooling; child’s future; limited support, and regional living. In Study 3, with 178 participants, domain-specific scales were developed to test a model of the impact of living with a child with ASD. Resilience manifested by social support and coping strategies, explained 54% of the variance in impact of living with a child with ASD which, was operationalised by financial and relationship costs, social impact and feelings. Family life as assessed in this thesis, is significantly impacted by living with a child with ASD. The implications of these findings are discussed, especially around the need for greater exposure to outdoor activities and hence sunlight for children with ASD, more regional facilities and assistance for families, the importance of educational interventions for the public as well as enhancing levels of family resilience, as operationalised by support and coping strategies. Limitations of the studies and future research are discussed.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Syed, Somayya
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong disorder of unknown aetiology. A recent hypothesis is that a lack of Vitamin D is implicated in either the aetiology or maintenance of ASD. The human body synthesises Vitamin D from Ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation found in sunlight. It follows that greater exposure to sunlight hours may be related to decreased rates of ASD. There are no interventions that target the causes of ASD rather therapies address either its symptoms or its comorbidities. ASD not only affects individuals, it also has an impact on their families. Family members have experienced social, occupational and personal costs associated with their child’s ASD which can result in parental separation or divorce. While researchers have established some of the factors which contribute to the impact on families, this research has not addressed families living in regional areas nor have empirical studies used domain-specific scales. The aims in this thesis were: Study 1) to determine whether the prevalence rates of ASD vary as a function of exposure to sunlight by reviewing reported prevalence rates by latitude where, the greater the distance from the equator, the higher the expected prevalence rates; Study 2) to conduct interviews with parents and caregivers of children with ASD who live in a regional area to determine the factors which affect them and those which might protect them; and Study 3) use the interview data to develop domain specific measures and test a model of living with a child with ASD. The results of Study 1 revealed that there is an increase in the prevalence of ASD as distance from the equator increases lending some support to the hypothesis that Vitamin D is implicated in ASD. The 16 interviews conducted in Study 2 revealed seven themes: impact on finances; family life; child’s health and behaviour, and schooling; child’s future; limited support, and regional living. In Study 3, with 178 participants, domain-specific scales were developed to test a model of the impact of living with a child with ASD. Resilience manifested by social support and coping strategies, explained 54% of the variance in impact of living with a child with ASD which, was operationalised by financial and relationship costs, social impact and feelings. Family life as assessed in this thesis, is significantly impacted by living with a child with ASD. The implications of these findings are discussed, especially around the need for greater exposure to outdoor activities and hence sunlight for children with ASD, more regional facilities and assistance for families, the importance of educational interventions for the public as well as enhancing levels of family resilience, as operationalised by support and coping strategies. Limitations of the studies and future research are discussed.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Cooper, Andrew
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: Doctor of Psychology
The Body as Fiction / Fiction as a Way of Thinking: On Writing A Short (Personal) History of the Bra and its Contents
- Authors: Spencer, Beth
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis uses fiction as a research technology for investigating and thinking about issues to do with bodies and knowledge at the cusp of the 20th and 21st centuries. It includes sample material from a novel in progress -- A Short (Personal) History of the Bra and its Contents -- to illustrate some of the unique outcomes of this approach to exploring cultural history and writing cultural criticism. One of the advantages of fiction is that it allows me to create a discursive field in which it is possible for the very wide range of issues raised by my topic to coexist, work off each other and cross-fertilise. These include ideas regarding gender, sexuality, nurture and subjectivity; issues to do with the implants controversy, the cancer industry and the corporatisation of medicine (and hence various current debates within science and medicine); as well as movements in fashion history and popular culture -- all of which contribute to making up the datasphere in which and through which we continually reproduce ourselves as subjects. [...]
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Spencer, Beth
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis uses fiction as a research technology for investigating and thinking about issues to do with bodies and knowledge at the cusp of the 20th and 21st centuries. It includes sample material from a novel in progress -- A Short (Personal) History of the Bra and its Contents -- to illustrate some of the unique outcomes of this approach to exploring cultural history and writing cultural criticism. One of the advantages of fiction is that it allows me to create a discursive field in which it is possible for the very wide range of issues raised by my topic to coexist, work off each other and cross-fertilise. These include ideas regarding gender, sexuality, nurture and subjectivity; issues to do with the implants controversy, the cancer industry and the corporatisation of medicine (and hence various current debates within science and medicine); as well as movements in fashion history and popular culture -- all of which contribute to making up the datasphere in which and through which we continually reproduce ourselves as subjects. [...]
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The care factor of leadership : identifying and understanding workplace appreciative behaviours in the supervisory relationship
- Authors: Timmerman, Geoffrey
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Most would agree, people like to be appreciated for who they are and for the work they do. Yet, the process resulting in employees feeling appreciated is not well understood. Further, appreciation in the workplace is complex, when considering the concept’s multifaceted nature. Workplace-relevant research supports hypotheses that being appreciated at work is associated with desirable employee outcomes such as enhanced subjective well-being (SWB), higher levels of job satisfaction and performance, creativity while also benefiting organisations through higher employee productivity. Some authors even suggest that being appreciated links to physical well-being. Regardless, empirical evidence supporting a putative relationship between appreciation and key workplace outcomes (SWB, job satisfaction and happiness) is lacking; This represents a knowledge gap in the management literature. An important related question concerns optimal ways that managers can express appreciation to their employees at work, and conversely, employee preferences for the form of appreciation that they receive from their manager. Past studies investigating the influence of appreciation in the workplace, though informative, have failed to apply a rigorous process to identify forms of appreciative behaviour. To advance knowledge on forms of workplace appreciation endowed by supervisors, and how this may influence employees, the first study aim was to identify and appraise the underlying components of appreciation-type behaviours. Hence, the supervisor-employee relationship forms the central component for this study. The second study aim was to identify whether and how supervisor-enacted appreciative behaviours influence selected employee work outcomes. A review of literature pertinent to the research aims provided theoretical foundations for understanding appreciative behaviours in the workplace. These included social relationships, human motivation, workplace sources of support, dispositional versus behavioural approaches to appreciation, selected aspects of leadership and the theorised function of workplace appreciation. From this, a conceptual model of an iterative workplace appreciation cycle was proposed to support the study aims. To meet the research aims, a two-phase study approach was adopted. Firstly, a qualitative study investigated the construct of expressed appreciation (phase 1). Here, expressed supervisor appreciative behaviours were identified through 19 one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with employees from a variety of professions and employment sectors. Through a rigorous thematic analysis, five supervisor appreciative behavioural themes (Interest, Rewards, Acknowledgment, Trust and Endorsement) were established to determine what (forms of appreciative behaviours enacted by supervisors). This first thematic framework was complemented by three outcome-related themes (Cognisance, Confirmation and Commendation) capturing the why (with regard to why employees feel appreciated) as a second thematic framework. Phase 2 of the study employed an online quantitative survey directly informed by phase 1 results. The hypothetical what and why constructs forming workplace appreciative behaviours were each developed as itemised scales (20-item and 12-item, respectively). An online survey instrument gathered employee (N=206) responses for itemised scales plus workplace outcome scales measuring SWB, job satisfaction and job commitment. Factor analysis of the 20-item what scale identified workplace appreciation behaviours endowed by supervisors to comprise a three-factor structure (factors labelled acknowledgement, trust and reward). A 12-item scale representing why employees feel appreciated provided a one-factor solution. Subsequent multiple regressions revealed the factors of acknowledgement and trust to be associated (p<.05) with job satisfaction, job commitment and overall well-being. Reward was not associated with any measured employee workplace outcome. Relationships of workplace appreciation factors with other measured variables including employee age, gender and workplace role were identified. The study findings provide both theoretical and practical contributions concerning the roles of and importance of supervisor appreciative behaviours manifest in the workplace. Supervisor acknowledgment is theorised to provide a foundation for developing a positive supervisor-employee relationship with trust conveyed over time to realise positive employee and organisational outcomes. Building on this, further studies are recommended to confirm this study’s results across a range of workplaces and for other national cultures.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Timmerman, Geoffrey
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Most would agree, people like to be appreciated for who they are and for the work they do. Yet, the process resulting in employees feeling appreciated is not well understood. Further, appreciation in the workplace is complex, when considering the concept’s multifaceted nature. Workplace-relevant research supports hypotheses that being appreciated at work is associated with desirable employee outcomes such as enhanced subjective well-being (SWB), higher levels of job satisfaction and performance, creativity while also benefiting organisations through higher employee productivity. Some authors even suggest that being appreciated links to physical well-being. Regardless, empirical evidence supporting a putative relationship between appreciation and key workplace outcomes (SWB, job satisfaction and happiness) is lacking; This represents a knowledge gap in the management literature. An important related question concerns optimal ways that managers can express appreciation to their employees at work, and conversely, employee preferences for the form of appreciation that they receive from their manager. Past studies investigating the influence of appreciation in the workplace, though informative, have failed to apply a rigorous process to identify forms of appreciative behaviour. To advance knowledge on forms of workplace appreciation endowed by supervisors, and how this may influence employees, the first study aim was to identify and appraise the underlying components of appreciation-type behaviours. Hence, the supervisor-employee relationship forms the central component for this study. The second study aim was to identify whether and how supervisor-enacted appreciative behaviours influence selected employee work outcomes. A review of literature pertinent to the research aims provided theoretical foundations for understanding appreciative behaviours in the workplace. These included social relationships, human motivation, workplace sources of support, dispositional versus behavioural approaches to appreciation, selected aspects of leadership and the theorised function of workplace appreciation. From this, a conceptual model of an iterative workplace appreciation cycle was proposed to support the study aims. To meet the research aims, a two-phase study approach was adopted. Firstly, a qualitative study investigated the construct of expressed appreciation (phase 1). Here, expressed supervisor appreciative behaviours were identified through 19 one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with employees from a variety of professions and employment sectors. Through a rigorous thematic analysis, five supervisor appreciative behavioural themes (Interest, Rewards, Acknowledgment, Trust and Endorsement) were established to determine what (forms of appreciative behaviours enacted by supervisors). This first thematic framework was complemented by three outcome-related themes (Cognisance, Confirmation and Commendation) capturing the why (with regard to why employees feel appreciated) as a second thematic framework. Phase 2 of the study employed an online quantitative survey directly informed by phase 1 results. The hypothetical what and why constructs forming workplace appreciative behaviours were each developed as itemised scales (20-item and 12-item, respectively). An online survey instrument gathered employee (N=206) responses for itemised scales plus workplace outcome scales measuring SWB, job satisfaction and job commitment. Factor analysis of the 20-item what scale identified workplace appreciation behaviours endowed by supervisors to comprise a three-factor structure (factors labelled acknowledgement, trust and reward). A 12-item scale representing why employees feel appreciated provided a one-factor solution. Subsequent multiple regressions revealed the factors of acknowledgement and trust to be associated (p<.05) with job satisfaction, job commitment and overall well-being. Reward was not associated with any measured employee workplace outcome. Relationships of workplace appreciation factors with other measured variables including employee age, gender and workplace role were identified. The study findings provide both theoretical and practical contributions concerning the roles of and importance of supervisor appreciative behaviours manifest in the workplace. Supervisor acknowledgment is theorised to provide a foundation for developing a positive supervisor-employee relationship with trust conveyed over time to realise positive employee and organisational outcomes. Building on this, further studies are recommended to confirm this study’s results across a range of workplaces and for other national cultures.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The causes and prevention of airline baggage handler back injuries : Safe designs required where behaviour and administrative solutions have had limited effect
- Authors: Dell, Geoff
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "Back injuries have consistently been the most common types of injuries suffered by people at work. They have been a significant worker injury problem in most, if not all, industrialised countries for many years and manual handling has long been established as a significant task related back injury causal factor.[...] This research project established that the manufacturers of the jet airlines used by the airlines in this study had not previously been acquainted with the issue of baggage handler back injuries.[...] This study also canvassed the opinion of airline safety professionals and airline baggage handlers concerning baggage handling tasks and working environment related causal factors. [...] A major focus of this research project was also to measure the effect of ACE and Sliding Carpet, two commercially available retro-fit baggage systems, on the risk of back injuries to baggage handlers stacking baggage within Boeing B737 narrow-body aircraft."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Dell, Geoff
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "Back injuries have consistently been the most common types of injuries suffered by people at work. They have been a significant worker injury problem in most, if not all, industrialised countries for many years and manual handling has long been established as a significant task related back injury causal factor.[...] This research project established that the manufacturers of the jet airlines used by the airlines in this study had not previously been acquainted with the issue of baggage handler back injuries.[...] This study also canvassed the opinion of airline safety professionals and airline baggage handlers concerning baggage handling tasks and working environment related causal factors. [...] A major focus of this research project was also to measure the effect of ACE and Sliding Carpet, two commercially available retro-fit baggage systems, on the risk of back injuries to baggage handlers stacking baggage within Boeing B737 narrow-body aircraft."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The classification and mapping of the Casuarina pauper woodlands of the Scotia 1:100 000 map
- Authors: Miller, John
- Date: 1998
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text: false
- Description: Master of Applied Science
The collaborative designer : An investigation into the lived experience of co-design practice
- Authors: Smith, Chrissie
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This enquiry is motivated by a growing recognition of citizen participation by design disciplines and other disciplines outside of design (such as social science, science and business) in solving complex problems across society. Co-design is the approach that this research focuses on in particular. Codesign is a new field of collaborative practice that has emerged from the Scandinavian tradition of Participatory Design. Integral to the philosophy of both these practices is the decentralisation of the individual expert designer and the empowering of the end user as an active participant. Despite many studies that have provided useful frameworks and insights into the practice of co-design, conceptualisations and discussions around implications for participation and design deployment rarely include the voice of the co-design practitioner. This study uses a descriptive phenomenological approach to explore the experience of practitioners, some trained in design and some not, facilitating co-design practice. Aligned with this approach, detailed interviews were conducted with six practitioners from Australia and New Zealand to understand what is unique or contingent to them personally, situated within their practices. Through a process of detailed and analytic exploration of these six individual descriptions of the phenomenon under investigation, the core constituents of the experience of co-design practice were distinguished for each participant. From these constituents, general structures representing the essences, or invariants common to all experiences under investigation were identified. Based on the careful analysis of the narrative descriptions from the interviewed practitioners, the core aspects of their practice in collaboration with end-user groups and other stakeholders are described. A visual framework is proposed that capture the complexity of their lived experiences of co-design practice.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Smith, Chrissie
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This enquiry is motivated by a growing recognition of citizen participation by design disciplines and other disciplines outside of design (such as social science, science and business) in solving complex problems across society. Co-design is the approach that this research focuses on in particular. Codesign is a new field of collaborative practice that has emerged from the Scandinavian tradition of Participatory Design. Integral to the philosophy of both these practices is the decentralisation of the individual expert designer and the empowering of the end user as an active participant. Despite many studies that have provided useful frameworks and insights into the practice of co-design, conceptualisations and discussions around implications for participation and design deployment rarely include the voice of the co-design practitioner. This study uses a descriptive phenomenological approach to explore the experience of practitioners, some trained in design and some not, facilitating co-design practice. Aligned with this approach, detailed interviews were conducted with six practitioners from Australia and New Zealand to understand what is unique or contingent to them personally, situated within their practices. Through a process of detailed and analytic exploration of these six individual descriptions of the phenomenon under investigation, the core constituents of the experience of co-design practice were distinguished for each participant. From these constituents, general structures representing the essences, or invariants common to all experiences under investigation were identified. Based on the careful analysis of the narrative descriptions from the interviewed practitioners, the core aspects of their practice in collaboration with end-user groups and other stakeholders are described. A visual framework is proposed that capture the complexity of their lived experiences of co-design practice.
- Description: Masters by Research