Investigation of the wear resistance and durability of high speed steel for use in sheep shearing comb construction
- Authors: Creelman, Glenn
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The goal of this thesis was to evaluate high speed steel for use in the construction of sheep shearing combs, to determine if its use can be justified on a performance basis."
- Description: Master of Applied Science
- Authors: Creelman, Glenn
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The goal of this thesis was to evaluate high speed steel for use in the construction of sheep shearing combs, to determine if its use can be justified on a performance basis."
- Description: Master of Applied Science
Strangers in a strange land : Converging and accommodating Celtic identities in Ballarat 1851-1901
- Authors: Croggon, Janice
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "This thesis examines the paths by which four Celtic ethnic identities, Cornish, Welsh, Scottish and Irish, responded to the specific society and culture of the Victorian goldfields between 1850-1901. The individual Celtic groups intersected, harmonised and contested with each other in a process through which they retained their identities and yet managed to move towards becoming part of a larger, more-encompassing unity."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Croggon, Janice
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "This thesis examines the paths by which four Celtic ethnic identities, Cornish, Welsh, Scottish and Irish, responded to the specific society and culture of the Victorian goldfields between 1850-1901. The individual Celtic groups intersected, harmonised and contested with each other in a process through which they retained their identities and yet managed to move towards becoming part of a larger, more-encompassing unity."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Innovation and capacity growth in mental health promotion : Working with the past
- Authors: Crouch, Alan
- Date: 2006
- Type: Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The field of practice addressed by this Portfolio of works is mental health promotion in the context of survival of extreme, organized, armed violence and associated repression. Studies were undertaken in two historical and geo-political settings – Cambodian refugees in Australia post 1979 and Bulgarian post World War II concentration camp survivors after the fall of communism in 1989. The portfolio reports on original image-based research in mental health promotion, using discussions by focus groups composed of genocide and repression survivors. The discourse developed by each group following reflection on a set of photographs from respective conflict periods was used to explore meaning-making within that survivor group.
- Description: Doctor of Health Promotion
- Authors: Crouch, Alan
- Date: 2006
- Type: Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The field of practice addressed by this Portfolio of works is mental health promotion in the context of survival of extreme, organized, armed violence and associated repression. Studies were undertaken in two historical and geo-political settings – Cambodian refugees in Australia post 1979 and Bulgarian post World War II concentration camp survivors after the fall of communism in 1989. The portfolio reports on original image-based research in mental health promotion, using discussions by focus groups composed of genocide and repression survivors. The discourse developed by each group following reflection on a set of photographs from respective conflict periods was used to explore meaning-making within that survivor group.
- Description: Doctor of Health Promotion
A conceptual framework for a theory of liquidity
- Authors: Culham, James
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This study contributes to the understanding of liquidity in two ways. First, it considers the multifaceted nature of liquidity and its relationship with money. Second, it constructs a conceptual framework for a theory of liquidity. The first contribution is achieved by clarifying and categorising the various forms of liquidity to identify those overlooked by the existing literature. The second contribution consists of a realist critique of the literature on liquidity and money to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each theoretical approach. The study reflects on the attempts to analyse liquidity using moneyless models of perfect barter with the assumption that every commodity exhibits perfect saleability; an assumption that removes any need for a medium of exchange and, moreover, crowds out all other forms of liquidity. It is concluded that, because liquidity is a social and monetary phenomenon, it cannot be analysed with models populated by a representative agent consuming a single commodity. Furthermore, this conclusion is not altered by the introduction of ‘financial frictions’, which are fundamentally at odds with the nature of money. Instead, the clarification of the nature of liquidity forms the basis for an interpretation of Keynes’s theory of liquidity preference that emphasises its reliance on liquidity in general, not money in particular. The study introduces the terms redemption liquidity and exchange liquidity to explain the trade-off that underpins the theory of liquidity preference. Properly interpreted, the theory of liquidity preference can then address many of the deficiencies prevalent in the dominant theories of the rate of interest. The study therefore has implications for monetary policy and asset pricing.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Culham, James
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This study contributes to the understanding of liquidity in two ways. First, it considers the multifaceted nature of liquidity and its relationship with money. Second, it constructs a conceptual framework for a theory of liquidity. The first contribution is achieved by clarifying and categorising the various forms of liquidity to identify those overlooked by the existing literature. The second contribution consists of a realist critique of the literature on liquidity and money to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each theoretical approach. The study reflects on the attempts to analyse liquidity using moneyless models of perfect barter with the assumption that every commodity exhibits perfect saleability; an assumption that removes any need for a medium of exchange and, moreover, crowds out all other forms of liquidity. It is concluded that, because liquidity is a social and monetary phenomenon, it cannot be analysed with models populated by a representative agent consuming a single commodity. Furthermore, this conclusion is not altered by the introduction of ‘financial frictions’, which are fundamentally at odds with the nature of money. Instead, the clarification of the nature of liquidity forms the basis for an interpretation of Keynes’s theory of liquidity preference that emphasises its reliance on liquidity in general, not money in particular. The study introduces the terms redemption liquidity and exchange liquidity to explain the trade-off that underpins the theory of liquidity preference. Properly interpreted, the theory of liquidity preference can then address many of the deficiencies prevalent in the dominant theories of the rate of interest. The study therefore has implications for monetary policy and asset pricing.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Breaking the safety barrier : engineering new paradigms in safety design
- Authors: Culvenor, John
- Date: 1997
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Occupational health and safety legislation in Australia and internationally is based on the safe place concept and the hierarchy of control. A safe place is best achieved at the design stage and consequently the education of engineers in safety has been a priority. There have been notable efforts at the integration of safety with engineering studies, and this should be an ongoing objective, however extensive integration is likely to be difficult at least in the short term. The challenge was to develop a supplemental, innovative way to improve the ability of engineers to develop safe place solutions. The hypothesis was that training in creative thinking would achieve this aim. The hierarchy of control methodology shares a strong relationship with creative thinking. Safe place thinking challenges assumptions in the same way that creative thinking seeks to escape dominant paradigms. For this reason creative thinking seems a natural aid to the safe place approach. This study tested the effect on safety design of a creative thinking program; de Bono’s six thinking hats method. Given a recognition that groups other than engineers impact on workplace design, a range of subjects were included; engineering students, technology students, industry safety advisers, and government safety advisers. In response to safety case studies, subjects were required to generate solutions and to prioritize potential solutions. Subjects worked on a range of problems, some individually and some in teams of three. Results show that training in creative thinking improved the generation of solutions to safety problems. As the number of solutions increased, the average quality of ideas was maintained, therefore the increased number of solutions was accompanied by a similar increase in good quality safe place solutions. The results also showed in some instances the training improved the prioritization of solutions according to the safe place methodology. The effects were of a similar magnitude for individuals and teams. Creative thinking training was shown to be a useful way to enhance the generation of safe place solutions to safety problems. Given that creative thinking skills can theoretically be applied to any area of problem solving, the enhancement of these skills are likely to yield wider benefits. Furthermore the enhancement of creative thinking accords well with the current industrial mandates for improved innovation.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Culvenor, John
- Date: 1997
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Occupational health and safety legislation in Australia and internationally is based on the safe place concept and the hierarchy of control. A safe place is best achieved at the design stage and consequently the education of engineers in safety has been a priority. There have been notable efforts at the integration of safety with engineering studies, and this should be an ongoing objective, however extensive integration is likely to be difficult at least in the short term. The challenge was to develop a supplemental, innovative way to improve the ability of engineers to develop safe place solutions. The hypothesis was that training in creative thinking would achieve this aim. The hierarchy of control methodology shares a strong relationship with creative thinking. Safe place thinking challenges assumptions in the same way that creative thinking seeks to escape dominant paradigms. For this reason creative thinking seems a natural aid to the safe place approach. This study tested the effect on safety design of a creative thinking program; de Bono’s six thinking hats method. Given a recognition that groups other than engineers impact on workplace design, a range of subjects were included; engineering students, technology students, industry safety advisers, and government safety advisers. In response to safety case studies, subjects were required to generate solutions and to prioritize potential solutions. Subjects worked on a range of problems, some individually and some in teams of three. Results show that training in creative thinking improved the generation of solutions to safety problems. As the number of solutions increased, the average quality of ideas was maintained, therefore the increased number of solutions was accompanied by a similar increase in good quality safe place solutions. The results also showed in some instances the training improved the prioritization of solutions according to the safe place methodology. The effects were of a similar magnitude for individuals and teams. Creative thinking training was shown to be a useful way to enhance the generation of safe place solutions to safety problems. Given that creative thinking skills can theoretically be applied to any area of problem solving, the enhancement of these skills are likely to yield wider benefits. Furthermore the enhancement of creative thinking accords well with the current industrial mandates for improved innovation.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Curry, Christina
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: With the movement to evolving classroom practices and pedagogies to enhance student-centered learning environments across all Key Learning Areas, there has been growing concern about how educators can produce high quality, intellectual learning experiences within physical education. To provide much-needed understanding of teachers' experiences of the implementation of a TGfU (Teaching Games for Understanding) teaching approach, this study aimed to identify the ways in which individual teachers, adopt, embrace or alternatively resist TGfU as an innovative pedagogy. - Taken from abstract.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Structural properties and labeling of graphs
- Dafik
- Authors: Dafik
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The complexity in building massive scale parallel processing systems has re- sulted in a growing interest in the study of interconnection networks design. Network design affects the performance, cost, scalability, and availability of parallel computers. Therefore, discovering a good structure of the network is one of the basic issues. From modeling point of view, the structure of networks can be naturally stud- ied in terms of graph theory. Several common desirable features of networks, such as large number of processing elements, good throughput, short data com- munication delay, modularity, good fault tolerance and diameter vulnerability correspond to properties of the underlying graphs of networks, including large number of vertices, small diameter, high connectivity and overall balance (or regularity) of the graph or digraph. The first part of this thesis deals with the issue of interconnection networks ad- dressing system. From graph theory point of view, this issue is mainly related to a graph labeling. We investigate a special family of graph labeling, namely antimagic labeling of a class of disconnected graphs. We present new results in super (a; d)-edge antimagic total labeling for disjoint union of multiple copies of special families of graphs. The second part of this thesis deals with the issue of regularity of digraphs with the number of vertices close to the upper bound, called the Moore bound, which is unobtainable for most values of out-degree and diameter. Regularity of the underlying graph of a network is often considered to be essential since the flow of messages and exchange of data between processing elements will be on average faster if there is a similar number of interconnections coming in and going out of each processing element. This means that the in-degree and out-degree of each processing element must be the same or almost the same. Our new results show that digraphs of order two less than Moore bound are either diregular or almost diregular.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Dafik
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The complexity in building massive scale parallel processing systems has re- sulted in a growing interest in the study of interconnection networks design. Network design affects the performance, cost, scalability, and availability of parallel computers. Therefore, discovering a good structure of the network is one of the basic issues. From modeling point of view, the structure of networks can be naturally stud- ied in terms of graph theory. Several common desirable features of networks, such as large number of processing elements, good throughput, short data com- munication delay, modularity, good fault tolerance and diameter vulnerability correspond to properties of the underlying graphs of networks, including large number of vertices, small diameter, high connectivity and overall balance (or regularity) of the graph or digraph. The first part of this thesis deals with the issue of interconnection networks ad- dressing system. From graph theory point of view, this issue is mainly related to a graph labeling. We investigate a special family of graph labeling, namely antimagic labeling of a class of disconnected graphs. We present new results in super (a; d)-edge antimagic total labeling for disjoint union of multiple copies of special families of graphs. The second part of this thesis deals with the issue of regularity of digraphs with the number of vertices close to the upper bound, called the Moore bound, which is unobtainable for most values of out-degree and diameter. Regularity of the underlying graph of a network is often considered to be essential since the flow of messages and exchange of data between processing elements will be on average faster if there is a similar number of interconnections coming in and going out of each processing element. This means that the in-degree and out-degree of each processing element must be the same or almost the same. Our new results show that digraphs of order two less than Moore bound are either diregular or almost diregular.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Audit education in a socialist oriented market economy – the case of Vietnam
- Dang, Ky
- Authors: Dang, Ky
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The objective of the research project is to contribute to the understanding of the auditing profession in Vietnam. In particular, it provides information on the challenges facing auditors in an emerging economy where economic transformation is in progress and where auditing, as a profession, is under development. Auditors operate in an environment of conflicting priorities where they must maintain independence and objectivity in discharging their responsibilities to stakeholders and society. In Vietnam, the audit profession only came into existence in 1986 when the country embarked on its new economic model. Whilst studies have been conducted on the status of current accounting practice in Vietnam, studies regarding the audit profession have been limited. In this research project an examination of the issues affecting audit quality in Vietnam are investigated and suggestions for changes to address the deficiencies are made. In particular, the project focuses on the relevance and appropriateness of the education of auditors. A national survey of accountants, auditors and accounting academics in Vietnam was undertaken. The survey results indicate that in Vietnam there are deficiencies in audit practices over and above those commonly observed in other countries. These deficiencies are the result of the unique history of Vietnam, the current stage of economic development and the education system for auditors. From an auditing perspective, the slow adaptation of the education system to the new economic environment is having negative effects on accounting graduates and their employment prospects. Although inadequate training was identified as the single most important factor affecting audit quality, the ineffective enforcement regime was also a contributing factor. This research project indicates that there is a need for an overhaul of the current education system in Vietnam and for universities to develop an accounting and auditing curriculum that meets the needs of employers while complying with government’s education objectives and international standards of auditing and accounting.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Dang, Ky
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The objective of the research project is to contribute to the understanding of the auditing profession in Vietnam. In particular, it provides information on the challenges facing auditors in an emerging economy where economic transformation is in progress and where auditing, as a profession, is under development. Auditors operate in an environment of conflicting priorities where they must maintain independence and objectivity in discharging their responsibilities to stakeholders and society. In Vietnam, the audit profession only came into existence in 1986 when the country embarked on its new economic model. Whilst studies have been conducted on the status of current accounting practice in Vietnam, studies regarding the audit profession have been limited. In this research project an examination of the issues affecting audit quality in Vietnam are investigated and suggestions for changes to address the deficiencies are made. In particular, the project focuses on the relevance and appropriateness of the education of auditors. A national survey of accountants, auditors and accounting academics in Vietnam was undertaken. The survey results indicate that in Vietnam there are deficiencies in audit practices over and above those commonly observed in other countries. These deficiencies are the result of the unique history of Vietnam, the current stage of economic development and the education system for auditors. From an auditing perspective, the slow adaptation of the education system to the new economic environment is having negative effects on accounting graduates and their employment prospects. Although inadequate training was identified as the single most important factor affecting audit quality, the ineffective enforcement regime was also a contributing factor. This research project indicates that there is a need for an overhaul of the current education system in Vietnam and for universities to develop an accounting and auditing curriculum that meets the needs of employers while complying with government’s education objectives and international standards of auditing and accounting.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Students' perceptions of learning science : the light and pedagogy of a social classroom / Linda Darby
- Authors: Darby, Linda
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "This study investigated the perceptions and expectations of students in a Year 7 science class in an attempt to elicit and make sense of what constitutes a learning environment conducive to engagement with science learning, and what role the teacher's pedagogy might play in the development."
- Description: Master of Education
- Authors: Darby, Linda
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "This study investigated the perceptions and expectations of students in a Year 7 science class in an attempt to elicit and make sense of what constitutes a learning environment conducive to engagement with science learning, and what role the teacher's pedagogy might play in the development."
- Description: Master of Education
Prevalence, cost and correlates of physical activity participation by adults in an Australian regional city
- Authors: Dassanayake, Jayantha
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "This study aims to investigate physical activity participation by adults in the regional city of Ballarat by examining: the current levels of physical activity and how these compare with the overall Australian adult population; the PAR fpr physical inactivity and CHD, NIDDM, colon cancer, stroke, breast cancer and all-cause mortality; the curent cost of CHD, and stroke, attributable to physical inactivity; the major determinants of physical activity participation; and the theoretical models most relevant for the design and implementation of any targeted intervention programs."
- Description: Master of Applied Science
- Authors: Dassanayake, Jayantha
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "This study aims to investigate physical activity participation by adults in the regional city of Ballarat by examining: the current levels of physical activity and how these compare with the overall Australian adult population; the PAR fpr physical inactivity and CHD, NIDDM, colon cancer, stroke, breast cancer and all-cause mortality; the curent cost of CHD, and stroke, attributable to physical inactivity; the major determinants of physical activity participation; and the theoretical models most relevant for the design and implementation of any targeted intervention programs."
- Description: Master of Applied Science
The relationship between internalised homophobia, sense of belonging to specific communities and depressive symptoms among self-identified gay men
- Authors: Davidson, Kenneth
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This study explored depressive symptoms among gay men. Gay men who internalised anti-gay attitudes experienced more depressive symptoms, where as gay men who reported a sense of belonging to gay friends and the general community reported fewer depressive symptoms.
- Description: Doctor of Psychology (Clinical)
- Authors: Davidson, Kenneth
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This study explored depressive symptoms among gay men. Gay men who internalised anti-gay attitudes experienced more depressive symptoms, where as gay men who reported a sense of belonging to gay friends and the general community reported fewer depressive symptoms.
- Description: Doctor of Psychology (Clinical)
New insights into wild deer population genetics, ecology and impacts : implications for management in south eastern Australia
- Authors: Davies, Christopher
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis is a compilation of my own work, driven by my interest into the ecology and impacts of introduced deer in Victoria. My interest in deer initially lead me to undertake an honours project, focussed on deer as a vector for parasites that can affect domestic livestock. During my honours year it became apparent that little was known about the ecology of wild deer throughout south east Australia. My PhD study was therefore developed to fill knowledge gaps of deer ecology, with a focus on developing and optimising ecological tools to generate data to improve deer management strategies. There are many methods available which can be used to collect ecological data on invasive species, such as deer. For my study, I chose methods from four quite discrete fields; global positioning systems (GPS) tracking, population genetics, camera trapping and spatial modelling. These methods were chosen as they are commonly used in ecological studies of invasive species. During my candidature significant attempts were made to deploy GPS collars onto sambar deer to investigate their movement patterns. Movement pattern data is extremely useful and can provide insights into habitat preferences, dispersal ability and other information useful for management. Significant time (around 12 months) was spent applying for ethics approval, gaining relevant approvals, permits and licenses to perform this work as well as performing collaring attempts. Unfortunately all attempts were unsuccessful and the investigation of sambar deer movement patterns had to be abandoned. This highlights the difficulties of working with cryptic deer species inhabiting difficult terrain. The other fields of research pursued (population genetics, camera trapping and spatial modelling) were more successful, the results of which are presented and discussed in this thesis. As the three methods employed in this study are taken from very different fields, a number of experts were enlisted to guide the respective data chapters. The population genetic studies (Chapters two and three) were guided by my primary supervisor Dr Fiona Hogan. I conducted all scat collections from across Victoria, including French Island and Mount Cole and performed all DNA isolations (over 300 in total). Population structure analysis for chapter three was undertaken with the assistance of Dr Faye Wedrowicz and Dr Carlo Pacioni. The camera trapping study (Chapter four) involved deploying camera traps in Baw Baw National Park, which I conducted myself. Occupancy and detectability data analysis for chapter four was performed with the assistance of Dr Hugh Davies. Spatial modelling (Chapter five) which focussed on modelling deer-vehicle collision risk across Victoria was directed by Dr Casey Visintin. Chapter’s two to five are written as independent scientific publications, therefore there is some unavoidable repetition within the thesis as a whole. Minor changes have been made to the formatting of the published papers to keep style consistent within the thesis.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Davies, Christopher
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis is a compilation of my own work, driven by my interest into the ecology and impacts of introduced deer in Victoria. My interest in deer initially lead me to undertake an honours project, focussed on deer as a vector for parasites that can affect domestic livestock. During my honours year it became apparent that little was known about the ecology of wild deer throughout south east Australia. My PhD study was therefore developed to fill knowledge gaps of deer ecology, with a focus on developing and optimising ecological tools to generate data to improve deer management strategies. There are many methods available which can be used to collect ecological data on invasive species, such as deer. For my study, I chose methods from four quite discrete fields; global positioning systems (GPS) tracking, population genetics, camera trapping and spatial modelling. These methods were chosen as they are commonly used in ecological studies of invasive species. During my candidature significant attempts were made to deploy GPS collars onto sambar deer to investigate their movement patterns. Movement pattern data is extremely useful and can provide insights into habitat preferences, dispersal ability and other information useful for management. Significant time (around 12 months) was spent applying for ethics approval, gaining relevant approvals, permits and licenses to perform this work as well as performing collaring attempts. Unfortunately all attempts were unsuccessful and the investigation of sambar deer movement patterns had to be abandoned. This highlights the difficulties of working with cryptic deer species inhabiting difficult terrain. The other fields of research pursued (population genetics, camera trapping and spatial modelling) were more successful, the results of which are presented and discussed in this thesis. As the three methods employed in this study are taken from very different fields, a number of experts were enlisted to guide the respective data chapters. The population genetic studies (Chapters two and three) were guided by my primary supervisor Dr Fiona Hogan. I conducted all scat collections from across Victoria, including French Island and Mount Cole and performed all DNA isolations (over 300 in total). Population structure analysis for chapter three was undertaken with the assistance of Dr Faye Wedrowicz and Dr Carlo Pacioni. The camera trapping study (Chapter four) involved deploying camera traps in Baw Baw National Park, which I conducted myself. Occupancy and detectability data analysis for chapter four was performed with the assistance of Dr Hugh Davies. Spatial modelling (Chapter five) which focussed on modelling deer-vehicle collision risk across Victoria was directed by Dr Casey Visintin. Chapter’s two to five are written as independent scientific publications, therefore there is some unavoidable repetition within the thesis as a whole. Minor changes have been made to the formatting of the published papers to keep style consistent within the thesis.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: DeAraugo, Jodi
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: "Although a multitude of preventative programs have been utilised worldwide to modify cardiovascular risk factors, none have included internet based interventions. Study 1 aimed to compare internet based (n = 21), face-to-face (n = 27), and combined (n = 21) treatment groups with a naturally occurring control group (n = 24) on physiological, psychological, and lifestyle risk variables for cardiovascular disease across 6-months, and to determine if there were relationships between changes in the psychological and physiological variables over time. Results indicated that the internet based group had significantly greater social reciprocity than the face-to-face group. Significant time effects were noted for heart rate, stress, depression, anxiety, reciprocity, anger expression-out, anger expression-in, anger control-out, and anger control-in. Results also demonstrated that increases in reciprocity and anxiety, and decreases in anger expression-out, were related to increases in heart rate. "In contrast, less anger suppression was a significant predictor of greater systolic blood pressure. However, there were no significant results for group, time, or predictive value for the other psychological, physiological, and lifestyle risk variables. A follow-up study examined the effects of unstructured (n = 13) and highly structured (n =14) internet based programs on physiological, psychological, and lifestyle risk variables for coronary heart disease over 6-months. It also investigated if there were relationships between changes in the psychological and physiological variables over time. Participants stages of change were assessed in relation to psychological and lifestyle risk variables. Results showed that the unstructured group scored significantly higher on anger-expression-out than the highly structured group and that the unstructured groups alcohol usage significantly reduced over time. "The remaining psychological, physiological and lifestyle risk variables did not produce significant group, time, or predictive changes. The stage of change results indicated no significant group or time effects. Results indicated that greater angry reaction scores were predictive of higher heart rate and increased stress scores were predictive of higher diastolic blood pressure. The critical psychological variables predictive of poorer cardiovascular functioning should be targeted in future interventions."
- Description: Doctorate of Psychology
Dr Fanny Reading : 'A clever little bird'
- Authors: Debney-Joyce, Jeanette
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis is the biographical study of the ‘transnational’ life of Dr. Fanny Reading (1884-1974). Dr Reading came to live in the Ballarat area c. 1888 when she was four years old. Originally she was born in Karelitz near Minsk, Russia as Zipporah Rubinovitch. The thesis tells the story of her transformation and also the story of her family members because they were a close-knit orthodox Jewish family. Reading’s biography is of a migrant woman who belonged to a persecuted minority group, and who through force of character rose above the challenging circumstances of her birth. It serves to redress the fact that historically she has been overlooked. It confirms that at a grassroots level she mobilised the Jewish women of Australia and was a significant Jewish leader. As a transnational figure of considerable stature, Reading’s biography contains themes of place, class, gender, ethnicity and diaspora that are woven throughout the thesis. It covers her early childhood and adolescence in Ballarat, then her move to Melbourne early in the twentieth century where she became involved in Jewish youth activities and taught Hebrew at the St Kilda Jewish Congregation. The family name was changed to Reading about 1919. Reading entered the University of Melbourne firstly to study music and then medicine (M.B., B.S.1922.) After graduation, she went into general practice with her eldest brother, who was also a doctor, in Sydney. Inspired by a Zionist emissary Bella Pevsner, Reading founded the Council of Jewish Women in 1923. This organisation became the National Council of Jewish Women in 1929. Reading had a keen interest in the health and education of women and girls, the Hebrew language and Israel. She was held in high regard in both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities and received an MBE in 1961.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Debney-Joyce, Jeanette
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis is the biographical study of the ‘transnational’ life of Dr. Fanny Reading (1884-1974). Dr Reading came to live in the Ballarat area c. 1888 when she was four years old. Originally she was born in Karelitz near Minsk, Russia as Zipporah Rubinovitch. The thesis tells the story of her transformation and also the story of her family members because they were a close-knit orthodox Jewish family. Reading’s biography is of a migrant woman who belonged to a persecuted minority group, and who through force of character rose above the challenging circumstances of her birth. It serves to redress the fact that historically she has been overlooked. It confirms that at a grassroots level she mobilised the Jewish women of Australia and was a significant Jewish leader. As a transnational figure of considerable stature, Reading’s biography contains themes of place, class, gender, ethnicity and diaspora that are woven throughout the thesis. It covers her early childhood and adolescence in Ballarat, then her move to Melbourne early in the twentieth century where she became involved in Jewish youth activities and taught Hebrew at the St Kilda Jewish Congregation. The family name was changed to Reading about 1919. Reading entered the University of Melbourne firstly to study music and then medicine (M.B., B.S.1922.) After graduation, she went into general practice with her eldest brother, who was also a doctor, in Sydney. Inspired by a Zionist emissary Bella Pevsner, Reading founded the Council of Jewish Women in 1923. This organisation became the National Council of Jewish Women in 1929. Reading had a keen interest in the health and education of women and girls, the Hebrew language and Israel. She was held in high regard in both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities and received an MBE in 1961.
- 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
Aircraft pushback accidents worldwide 1964-1992 : causes and prevention
- Authors: Dell, Geoff
- Date: 1993
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The purpose of the study was to analyse aircraft pushback accidents which have resulted in death or serious injury to aircraft pusback ground crew members and to develop effective strategies to prevent such accidents.
- Description: Thesis (Master of Applied Science)
- Authors: Dell, Geoff
- Date: 1993
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The purpose of the study was to analyse aircraft pushback accidents which have resulted in death or serious injury to aircraft pusback ground crew members and to develop effective strategies to prevent such accidents.
- Description: Thesis (Master of Applied Science)
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
Investigation of unconventional T cells in patients with haematological malignancies
- Authors: Develyn, Tamekha
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Haematological malignancies involve the uncontrolled division of white blood cells, which can lead to an accumulation of these cells in lymphoid organs and cause the disruption of normal immune function. Multiple Myeloma (MM) and Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are the most common haematological disorders among the elderly (Elidrissi Errahhali et al, 2016), but despite recent advances in treatment options, most individuals with MM or MDS eventually relapse and succumb to the disease (Rjkumar 2020 and Schurch 2018 and Kumar et al, 2012). The association of immune defects with MM and MDS may be a factor in disease progression, therefore it is important to develop a comprehensive understanding of how the immune system changes throughout the progression of these diseases, so that more effective treatment options can be developed. This thesis presents a detailed analysis of the frequency, phenotype and function of conventional T cells, unconventional T cells and antigen presenting cells (APC) throughout the progression of MM and MDS. This analysis has identified a range of immune abnormalities within these patient groups, including novel findings that provide new insights into disease progression and potential new targets for immune therapies. Some of the abnormalities we identified in patients with MM and MDS include; a reduction in the frequency of unconventional T cell (Natural Killer T (NKT) cells and Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells), as well as reduced frequencies of various APC populations. We also reported an increased expression of chronic activation and exhaustion markers on CD8+ T cells and MAIT cells, despite their retention of functional capacity. Importantly, the abnormalities we observed in patients with MM were consistent from the pre-malignant disease stage to active disease, which has not been shown previously suggesting that many of these defects are present from very early in disease development. We also identified key differences in the frequency and phenotype of conventional T cells, unconventional T cells and APC between patients with MM and those with MDS. Together highlighting the many different immune changes that are occurring within these patients groups and the importance of analysing haematological malignancies as individual diseases rather than as a collective. One of the most significant findings in this thesis was the alteration in frequency and phenotype of MAIT cells within the blood of patients with MM and MDS. MAIT cells may have important roles in anti-tumour immunity, so we explored the potential causes of these changes, including soluble factors and cell-to-cell interactions between MAIT cells and APC. Interestingly, we found MM patient plasma contained increased levels of IL-18, which is a cytokine known to influence MAIT cell function. This led us to establishing a long term in vitro culture of sorted MAIT cells supplemented with IL-18, finding that culturing MAIT cells with IL-18 lead to rapid expansion of MAIT cells without otherwise alternating their phenotype or function. We next established a novel mixed-donor MAIT cell co-culture system to examine the interactions between sorted healthy MAIT cells and APC from patients. This system uniquely allowed us to investigate whether abnormal patient APC were capable of stimulating MAIT cells and whether MAIT cell responses were altered as a result of this interaction. Whilst this was conducted as a pilot study to look for potentially important interactions rather than significance, we did conclude that culturing healthy donor MAIT cells with APC from monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and MM patients did not lead to alterations in phenotype. The development and application of these long term MAIT cell cultures shed new light on how MAIT cell defects emerge in MM and MDS, and has also provided valuable insights into optimal MAIT cell growth conditions, which could be applied in the future to analyse other complex disease settings and for the use in therapeutic approaches. Our research was the first comprehensive study to characterise immune system alterations at both the individual cell population level and to examine their functional interactions throughout all stages of MM and in MDS. We discovered a range of novel findings which have greatly improved our understanding of the role that these various immune cells populations might play in MM and MDS, and identified new areas of study that could lead to improved disease management.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Develyn, Tamekha
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Haematological malignancies involve the uncontrolled division of white blood cells, which can lead to an accumulation of these cells in lymphoid organs and cause the disruption of normal immune function. Multiple Myeloma (MM) and Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are the most common haematological disorders among the elderly (Elidrissi Errahhali et al, 2016), but despite recent advances in treatment options, most individuals with MM or MDS eventually relapse and succumb to the disease (Rjkumar 2020 and Schurch 2018 and Kumar et al, 2012). The association of immune defects with MM and MDS may be a factor in disease progression, therefore it is important to develop a comprehensive understanding of how the immune system changes throughout the progression of these diseases, so that more effective treatment options can be developed. This thesis presents a detailed analysis of the frequency, phenotype and function of conventional T cells, unconventional T cells and antigen presenting cells (APC) throughout the progression of MM and MDS. This analysis has identified a range of immune abnormalities within these patient groups, including novel findings that provide new insights into disease progression and potential new targets for immune therapies. Some of the abnormalities we identified in patients with MM and MDS include; a reduction in the frequency of unconventional T cell (Natural Killer T (NKT) cells and Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells), as well as reduced frequencies of various APC populations. We also reported an increased expression of chronic activation and exhaustion markers on CD8+ T cells and MAIT cells, despite their retention of functional capacity. Importantly, the abnormalities we observed in patients with MM were consistent from the pre-malignant disease stage to active disease, which has not been shown previously suggesting that many of these defects are present from very early in disease development. We also identified key differences in the frequency and phenotype of conventional T cells, unconventional T cells and APC between patients with MM and those with MDS. Together highlighting the many different immune changes that are occurring within these patients groups and the importance of analysing haematological malignancies as individual diseases rather than as a collective. One of the most significant findings in this thesis was the alteration in frequency and phenotype of MAIT cells within the blood of patients with MM and MDS. MAIT cells may have important roles in anti-tumour immunity, so we explored the potential causes of these changes, including soluble factors and cell-to-cell interactions between MAIT cells and APC. Interestingly, we found MM patient plasma contained increased levels of IL-18, which is a cytokine known to influence MAIT cell function. This led us to establishing a long term in vitro culture of sorted MAIT cells supplemented with IL-18, finding that culturing MAIT cells with IL-18 lead to rapid expansion of MAIT cells without otherwise alternating their phenotype or function. We next established a novel mixed-donor MAIT cell co-culture system to examine the interactions between sorted healthy MAIT cells and APC from patients. This system uniquely allowed us to investigate whether abnormal patient APC were capable of stimulating MAIT cells and whether MAIT cell responses were altered as a result of this interaction. Whilst this was conducted as a pilot study to look for potentially important interactions rather than significance, we did conclude that culturing healthy donor MAIT cells with APC from monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and MM patients did not lead to alterations in phenotype. The development and application of these long term MAIT cell cultures shed new light on how MAIT cell defects emerge in MM and MDS, and has also provided valuable insights into optimal MAIT cell growth conditions, which could be applied in the future to analyse other complex disease settings and for the use in therapeutic approaches. Our research was the first comprehensive study to characterise immune system alterations at both the individual cell population level and to examine their functional interactions throughout all stages of MM and in MDS. We discovered a range of novel findings which have greatly improved our understanding of the role that these various immune cells populations might play in MM and MDS, and identified new areas of study that could lead to improved disease management.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Effects of commuting status upon community involvement of professionals in rural North West Victoria
- Authors: Devers, Deanna
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Because mobility is associated with rural social decline, this two-phase cross sectional study investigates whether social patterns in small, rural Australian towns are affected by commuting. Quantitative data, which was gathered via a mail-out questionnaire (response = 54 per cent) that was issued to 1,040 occupationally diverse professionals who worked in fourteen towns throughout north-western Victoria, was analysed to determine whether commuting and non-commuting professionals differed significantly in their community involvement. To explain why certain relationships emerged from survey analysis, face-toface interviews were subsequently undertaken with 24 questionnaire respondents. The key finding of this study is that there is a significant relationship between commuting status and the retention of rural professionals. A significantly greater proportion of noncommuters than commuters remain working in the one location for longer than five years. This finding has important implications for the sustainability of rural areas.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Effects of commuting status upon community involvement of professionals in rural North West Victoria
- Authors: Devers, Deanna
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Because mobility is associated with rural social decline, this two-phase cross sectional study investigates whether social patterns in small, rural Australian towns are affected by commuting. Quantitative data, which was gathered via a mail-out questionnaire (response = 54 per cent) that was issued to 1,040 occupationally diverse professionals who worked in fourteen towns throughout north-western Victoria, was analysed to determine whether commuting and non-commuting professionals differed significantly in their community involvement. To explain why certain relationships emerged from survey analysis, face-toface interviews were subsequently undertaken with 24 questionnaire respondents. The key finding of this study is that there is a significant relationship between commuting status and the retention of rural professionals. A significantly greater proportion of noncommuters than commuters remain working in the one location for longer than five years. This finding has important implications for the sustainability of rural areas.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The Oneiric Veil in contemporary Australian art
- Authors: Devrome, Kelly
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The Oneiric Veil in Contemporary Australian Art researches the use of the veil in modernist art and its generative capacity to visually evoke an oneiric space. The oneiric veil is a lens through which current conceptual approaches and practices in contemporary visual art can be understood. More precisely, the oneiric veil delineates an intermediary space present in current visual culture. Therefore, the research surveys the veil sign and applications of it employed by artists from an extended historical period to demonstrate connections that link the veil to the oneiric through traditional practice and theoretical concerns. (Taken from Abstract)
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Devrome, Kelly
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The Oneiric Veil in Contemporary Australian Art researches the use of the veil in modernist art and its generative capacity to visually evoke an oneiric space. The oneiric veil is a lens through which current conceptual approaches and practices in contemporary visual art can be understood. More precisely, the oneiric veil delineates an intermediary space present in current visual culture. Therefore, the research surveys the veil sign and applications of it employed by artists from an extended historical period to demonstrate connections that link the veil to the oneiric through traditional practice and theoretical concerns. (Taken from Abstract)
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy