List of Titles

Ballarat and its benevolent asylum : A nineteenth-century model of Christian duty, civic progress and social reform

- Kinloch, Helen

Authors: Kinloch, Helen
Date: 2005
Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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Description: "This study of Ballarat and its Asylum covers the period between the 1850s and the early 1900s when an old-age pension was introduced in Victoria. It is essentially a case study. It argues that Ballarat's Asylum progressively developed and expanded upon a model of organised poor relief practiced among the industrial classes in England, in consequence of the perceived need for rapid capital expansion in Australia, and knowledge of the dangers associated with mining, building construction, and other manual work. The introduction of a secular education system in Victoria, together with enthusiasm among producers for technological innovation and skill development, led to changes in the nature and conditions of paid work, as well as to a push among workers and their sympathizers for greater appreciation of past contributions by older workers and the needs of the ill and/or incapacitated. This push was only partially addressed by the Victorian government in 1901 when it introduced the old-age pension."
Description: Doctor of Philosophy

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Spiritual Art : evoking the numinous using a 3D computer game engine

- Nelson, Christopher

Authors: Nelson, Christopher
Date: 2007
Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
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Description: The Seven Valleys is an interactive 3D installation based artwork inspired by mystical writings of the Bahá'í Faith. Created as a modification of the firstperson shooter Unreal Tournament 2003 (Epic, 2003) it subverts the original paradigm of the game to create an experience of the numinous, which in spirit, is diametrically opposed to the original intent of the gameplay design. This artwork presents an exploration of, and allusion to, the often subtle and illusive concepts found in the sacred treatise The Seven Valleys (Bahá'u'lláh, 1991) in which the user engages in an experiential journey through the work. The user is faced with conditions and situations that provide motivation to question, explore and attempt to fathom the abstract sense of the numinous. Each of The Seven Valleys contains its own individual mysteries while at the same time contributing its part to the telling of a collective story.
Description: Master of Arts

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When urban policy meets regional practice : Evidence based practice from the perspective of multi-disciplinary teams working in rural and remote health service provision

- Murphy, Angela

Authors: Murphy, Angela
Date: 2004
Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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Description: "In the main, contemporary research on Evidence Based Practice (EBP) has taken place within metropolitan locations, and has offered urbocentric solutions and insights. However the transferability of these developments to rural services is untested empirically. In addition, evidence development and studies on the implementation of this evidence have tended to be discipline-stream-specific; there has been very little research into either the development of multi-disciplinary evidence guidelines or the implementation of EBP from the perspective of individual practitioners working within multi-disciplinary teams. This research shortfall has provided the rationale for this study...."
Description: Doctor of Philosophy

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The presence and role of Thiamine and Riboflavin in the malting and brewing industries

- Hucker, Barry

Authors: Hucker, Barry
Date: 2013
Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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Description: Thiamine and riboflavin vitamers are present in a wide range of foods including beer. They play critical roles in a variety of enzymatic complexes and can promote and maintain metabolism. Currently, the presence and role of these vitamers in the malting and brewing industry has not been widely explored. This research has investigated the effects of various malting and brewing processes on the final thiamine and riboflavin vitamer content of finished beer. In order to achieve this, a highly accurate and reproducible HPLC (spike recovery > 95 %; RSD < 5.0 %) method was developed that allowed the separation of thiamine diphosphate (TDP), thiamine monophosphate (TMP), thiamine, riboflavin 5-phosphate (FMN) and riboflavin in various sample matrices. This method was utilised to determine the vitamer content of various cereals and malts and it was found that malting vastly alters the thiamine content of malted barley, while it has minimal effect on riboflavin content. When malted barley is roasted, all vitamers are rapidly degraded. The mashing process releases the various vitamers into a solution and this release is dependent on temperature and enzymatic activity, while wort boiling significantly reduces the vitamer content of the wort. During fermentation, the thiamine content of wort is quickly utilised within the first six hours of standard fermentations and the uptake of this vitamin is not affected by increases in wort gravity. Meanwhile riboflavin is only poorly utilised during these fermentations. Post-fermentative additives, such as the addition of tannic acid and potassium metabisulphite, negatively affect the vitamin content of the final product while phosphorylated forms of these vitamins are greatly affected by the addition of many post-fermentative processing aids/additives. The presence of both thiamine and riboflavin can enhance the spoilage of beer by known brewery spoilage organisms, and the incorrect storage of bottle-conditioned beer can negatively affect the vitamin and organoleptic properties of the final product. These various steps involved in the production of beer greatly affect the final vitamin content, and this knowledge helps to explain the large variation in the thiamine and riboflavin vitamer content of a survey of 204 commercially available beers. This survey concluded that despite the large variations within particular styles of beer, lagers contain the least amount of thiamine compared to ales, stout/porters and wheat beers. However the average riboflavin content of the tested beers was statistically similar (p = 0.608) across all of the styles. This is due to the limited utilisation of this vitamin during fermentations.
Description: Doctor of Philosophy

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Video-based training to improve decision-making performance of Australian football umpires

- Larkin, Paul

Authors: Larkin, Paul
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
Full Text:
Description: Highly refined perceptual and decision-making skills are fundamental to the umpiring process in all sports although there has been little applied research which considers ways to improve umpires‟ perceptual and decision-making skills. Contemporary research has shown that video-based decision-making tests reliably separate highly skilled Australian football umpires from their lesser skilled counterparts. To date however, no studies have considered whether video-based protocols can be used as a training tool to enhance perceptual-cognitive learning for Australian football umpires. Consequently, in this dissertation, three interconnected studies were undertaken to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a video-based training program to improve Australian football umpires‟ decision-making. Video-based methods of assessment have been commonly used to evaluate perceptual-cognitive performance of sports athletes and officials however, a major limitation of these studies is that they have not indicated whether their decision-making test had good reliability and/or validity. Study 1 of this PhD project sought to address this issue, by developing a valid and reliable video-based testing tool to monitor Australian football umpires‟ decision-making performance. The video-based decision-making test was developed from a pool of 156 video-based decision-making situations that were extracted from 23 Australian Football League games. The individual video-clips presented between 6-15 seconds of game play and all audio information was removed to ensure this did not influence participant responses. Face, content and construct validity were demonstrated, which indicated that the testing instrument was a representative measure of decision-making skill in Australian football umpires. The reliability study also provided evidence that 48 clips consistently measured decision-making skill over a two week time period. This investigation provided evidence of a reliable and valid decision-making test which can be used (pre and post) to detect improvements in decision-making following the implementation of a video-based intervention (Study 2). Study 2 investigated whether a 12-week video-based training intervention improved umpire decision-making. Metropolitan and regional Victorian Division One Australian football umpires were assigned to an intervention and control group. The intervention group completed one 20-minute video-based decision-making session per week, which presented between 60 and 225 decision-making situations. In total, 1040 different decision-making scenarios were presented over the duration of the program. In contrast to previous video-based training, the current investigation provided no explicit instruction or feedback. The control group only completed the pre and post decision-making tests. Decision-making performance of the intervention group significantly improved over time (p < 0.01), however no significant differences were observed in the control group (p = 0.94). The significant improvement of the intervention group mirrors the findings of other perceptual-cognitive research however, this study extended previous work by incorporating a greater number of decision-making trials and a discovery learning style. Findings indicated that decision-making skills can be improved without explicit instruction and in game experience. In addition, when separated according to umpire experience, participation in the video-based training program assisted less experienced umpires achieve the same decision-making standard on the video-based retention test as experienced umpires who did not complete any decision-making training (p = 0.85). Furthermore, decision-making performance of experienced umpires also showed significant improvement following participation in the video-based program (p = 0.02). Study 3 implemented a case study approach to investigate whether decision-making skills trained via video-based methods transferred to in-game performance. In-game performance of three participants from Study 2 (intervention group) were monitored (video-recoded and coded) during the Australian football season. In addition, qualitative methods were used to provide an understanding of the cognitive decision-making process of the three umpires. During the five monitored games each participant wore a voice recorder and were asked to „think out loud‟, providing a verbal report of their in-game decision-making process. Following the assessment of all five games, semi-structured interviews were conducted to provide further understanding of cognitive processes associated with each umpires‟ decision-making. Findings identified six themes that related to the in-game decision-making process (e.g., decision evaluation, player intention during game-play) and in-game umpire performance (e.g., anticipation, game-play instructions, player education, knowledge of game-play). Results supported the notion of skill transfer between video-based training and in-game decision-making performance, with all three participants improving their in-game decision-making performance from the first two games to the last two games analysed. This study provides initial evidence that video-based decision-making training can enhance in-game decision-making performance. Therefore, confirming that there is potential for skills developed through video-based training to transfer to in-game decision-making performance. As this was the first study to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a video-based training program to improve Australian football umpires‟ decision-making, this PhD makes a significant and meaningful contribution to empirical knowledge. This study provides insight into the need for valid and reliable decision-making tests, and consideration of these constructs in future research will ensure a comprehensive approach to investigate the potential transfer of decision-making skills from video-based training programs to in-game performance. From a practical perspective, the findings from this study highlight the value of video-based decision-making activities to accelerate the decision-making performance of umpires without the need for extensive time commitment and/or in-game experience. This has important implications for the development of future Australian football umpires, particularly as the current video-based program can be modified and/ or used in current umpire training without the need for large time investment by umpire coaches. Furthermore, positive transfer from video-based training to in-game performance was evident, thus, confirming the potential for video-based training to improve in-game performance. Whilst further research using high quality research designs is required, this dissertation serves to guide further video-based training research across multiple decision-making domains in sport (i.e., umpires/referees, players).
Description: Doctor of Philosophy

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A conceptual model of physical performance in Australian Football

- Mooney, Mitchell

Authors: Mooney, Mitchell
Date: 2013
Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
Full Text:
Description: Objective: The objective of this project was to identify the relative influence of valid physical parameters to elite Australian Football performance. Methods: Data was collected on match performance variables (i.e. coaches’ votes, number of ball disposals, champion data rank), match exercise intensity measures (m∙min-1, m∙min-1 above and below 15 km∙h-1 and Load™∙min-1) and physical capacities (yo-yo intermittent recovery test level 2, maximum oxygen uptake, running economy, relative aerobic intensity, maximal aerobic speed and maximal accumulated oxygen deficit) on elite and recreational Australian footballers. These variables were modelled to determine the logical sequence and relative importance towards match performance. Results: The results indicate a sequential physical path to Australian Football performance. The yo-yo intermittent recovery test (level 2) performance influenced match exercise intensity (m∙min-1 >15 km∙h-1& Load™∙min-1) which in turn, affected Australian Football performance (number of ball disposals and coaches’ votes). This sequence was altered by experience, playing position and neuromuscular fatigue. The number of interchange rotations also influenced match exercise intensity throughout the match. Furthermore, the yo-yo intermittent recovery test (level 2) was found to be determined by a complex interaction of physical capacities. However, yo-yo intermittent recovery (level 2) performance was most influenced by maximum oxygen uptake, relative aerobic intensity and maximum aerobic speed. Conclusion: This dissertation showed Australian Football performance is a complex and dynamic system influenced by many variables interacting with each other in a sequential path. Sports scientists and coaches may utilise this information as a framework to evaluate Australian Football performance matches.
Description: Doctor of Philosophy

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The influence of glycerol hyperhydration on run performance within an Olympic distance triathlon

- Van Ewyk, Gerald

Authors: Van Ewyk, Gerald
Date: 2004
Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
Full Text:
Description: This study was designed to determine the impact of glycerol hyperhydration, compared with a placebo hyperhydration, on the run performance during an Olympic distance triathlon. Ten competitive triathletes (mean peak oxygen consumption, VO2 peak = 65.5 ± 5.5 ml.kg.-1min-1) undertook two simulated Olympic Distance Triathlons in 31° C and 61% relative humidity. The trials were split into two work phases: a fixed workload phase comprising a 18-20 min swim and a 60 min cycle and, a self regulated time trial run over 10 kilometres conducted on a treadmill. One hundred and fifty min prior each trial, either a glycerol solution (1 g.kg.-1 body mass (BM) in a 4% carbohydrate – electrolyte drink) or a placebo of equal volume of the 4% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution was ingested over one hour. The total fluid intake in each trial was 23 ml.kg.-1 BM. A randomised, double blind, cross over design was used. Due to either 1) the arduous nature of the trials 2) the side effects associated with the ingestion of glycerol 3) or the combination of the two aforementioned reasons, only five of the 10 subjects completed the final 10 km self regulated time trial for both treatments. Only the data obtained from these five subjects were reported in this study. Glycerol ingestion expanded body water over the placebo by 154 ml (26%). At 60 and 90 min after the start of drinking, urine output was significantly higher with glycerol than placebo treatment (216.4, 366.4 ml vs 81.0, 242.0 ml, respectively) but significantly higher at 120 min in the placebo (421.6 ml vs 131.2 ml). There were no significant differences in heart rate and rectal temperature during the swim and cycle phases. However, there were significant increases in heart rate (at 5, 10, 15, 25 and 30 min) and rectal temperature (at 5, 20 and 30 min) during the 10 km run in the glycerol trial. The mean 10 km run time for the placebo trial was 40 min 21 sec (± 2.9 min) while the glycerol trial was 39 min 22 sec (± 2.0 min). The mean difference of 2.1% in finishing time between trials was not significant. Three of the five subjects in the glycerol trial improved their 10 km time by 7.0, 2.4 and 2.7%, respectively. The finishing time for one subject did not change for both trials while another subject had deteriorated by 2.3% in the glycerol trial. In the glycerol treatment, five subjects complained of bloating and nausea while only one subject complained of feeling unwell in the placebo treatment. Data from this study have shown that glycerol hyperhydration did not significantly improve performance while plasma volume expansion and subsequent lower rectal temperature and lower heart rates were not evident. The exact mechanisms of how glycerol hyperhydration can improve performance warrant further investigation.
Description: Masters in Applied Science

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A neural network approach for predicting the direction of the Australian stock market index

- Tilakaratne, Chandima

Authors: Tilakaratne, Chandima
Date: 2004
Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
Full Text:
Description: This research investigated the feasibility and capability of neural network-based approaches for predicting the direction of the Australian Stock market index (the target market). It includes several aspects: univariate feature selection from the historical time series of the target market, inter-market analysis for finding the most relevant influential markets, investigations of the effect of time cycles on the target market and the discovery of the optimal neural network architectures. Previous research on US stock markets and other international markets have shown that the neural network approach is one of most powerful techniques for predicting stock market behaviour. Neural networks are capable of capturing the non-linear stochastic and chaotic patterns in the stock market time series data. This study discovered that the relative return series of the Open, High, Low and Close prices of the target market, show 6-day cycles during the studied period of about 14 years. Multi-layer feedforward neural networks trained with a backpropagation algorithm were used for the experiments. Two major testing methods: testing with randomly selected test data and forward testing, were examined and compared. The best neural network developed in this study has achieved 87%, 81% 83% and 81% accuracy respectively in predicting the next-day direction of the relative return of the Open, High, Low and Close prices of the target market. The architecture of this network consists of 33 input features, one hidden layer with 3 neurons and 4 output neurons. The best input features set includes the relative returns from 1 to 6 days in the past of the Open, High, Low and Close prices of the target market, the day of the week, and the previous day’s relative return of the Close prices of the US S&P 500 Index, US Dow Jones Industrial Average Index, US Gold/Silver Index, and the US Oil Index.
Description: Master of Information Technology by Research

Statistical detection techniques to reduce confounding by association (co-medication) and confounding by indication in the Australian spontaneous reporting system

- Barty, Simon

Authors: Barty, Simon
Date: 2005
Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
Full Text: false
Description: This research is the incorporation and melding of classical and Bayesian statistical techniques into an iterative methodology aimed at reducing two major confounding issues in Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs), confounding by association (drug therapy) and confounding by indication (medical condition) to assist in the detection of signals. [...] This study highlights the ability of the STATFILE algorithm to detect drugs that are potential signals. More importantly, it also flags those drugs that are considered to be bystander drugs or noise, consequently reducing confounding by association. [...] This work highlights the significance and viability of an automated signal detection system and its practical application for the Australian spontaneous reporting of ADRs scene and potentially the international scene.
Description: Doctor of Philosophy

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Spiritual awareness of professional nurses in the western region of Victoria: Investigation of a significant component of holistic heath care

- Lea, Dorothy

Authors: Lea, Dorothy
Date: 2005
Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
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Description: A desire to more fully understand the impact of altered states of spiritual health on the general health of patients has been a focus of recent research activity. Studies have explored the meaning of spirituality held by patients and nurses, the spiritual needs of patients, and methods of providing spiritual care in nursing. However, few studies have investigated nurses’ own spiritual health and the significance this may have on the provision of holistic nursing care. The aim of this study, therefore, was to inform nursing regarding the spiritual health of nurses and the influence that nurses’ own spiritual health has on their ability to provide holistic nursing care to their patients. The study was conducted in two phases using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Phase one consisted of a survey of Division 1 nurses currently employed in the Grampians region of Victoria to describe key dimensions of their spiritual health. This survey provided biographical data and, through the use of the “Shalom Measure of Spiritual Health”, discovered the ideal of spiritual health held by nurses as well as the nurses’ perception of patient needs pertaining to the achievement of spiritual health. Phase two utilised Naturalistic Inquiry to further explore the meaning of spirituality and spiritual health held by nurses, and the methods of achieving these for nurses and patients. The findings revealed that although nurses perceive the spiritual dimension of patient care to be important, they feel ill-equipped to provide this aspect of care. In addition, the major support for nurses, who themselves experience spiritual distress whilst at work, comes from colleagues. Further, prevailing health care systems in place do not always lend themselves to holistic approaches to care. This study identifies the need for nurse education to redress the clearly inadequate preparation nurses are given for this aspect of their role. Health care policy-makers and administrators also have a responsibility to consider all dimensions of care when designing and implementing health care guidelines and systems.
Description: Master of Nursing

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Reaching the heart : Assessing & nurturing spiritual well-being via education

- Fisher, John

Authors: Fisher, John
Date: 2008
Type: Text , Thesis , EdD
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Description: Several quantitative measures of spiritual well-being were developed with primary and secondary school students and teachers, and university education students, namely the Spiritual Health And Life-Orientation Measure, Feeling Good, Living Life, and the Quality Of Life Influences Survey. Spiritual dissonance was revealed by comparing respondents’ ‘ideals’ with ‘lived experiences’ in four domains of spiritual well-being. Teachers and university education students reported a decline in help being provided in schools to develop the relationships which foster school students’ spiritual well-being.
Description: Doctor of Education EdD

Secret suburbia : An anthology of concepts relating to house and home

- Mears, Paul

Authors: Mears, Paul
Date: 2006
Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
Full Text: false
Description: The aim of this research project has been to merge components of ideas relating to House and Home that have been formed by the inherently sensitive autobiographical nature of my own experience whilst growing up in a suburban environment. Naturally, these symbols or metaphors of the mundane reveal much more than what superficial impressions allow. They invite the viewer into an inner world of dream /memory and hypothesis that hopefully invokes within the viewer a desire to reach beyond their own perceptions of the everyday, and to re-examine the source of their own identity, thereby bringing some new emphasis to their own significant journey.
Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)

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The Body as Fiction / Fiction as a Way of Thinking: On Writing A Short (Personal) History of the Bra and its Contents

- Spencer, Beth

Authors: Spencer, Beth
Date: 2006
Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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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

Interpretive phenomenological approaches to rural mental health research

- Aisbett, Damon

Authors: Aisbett, Damon
Date: 2006
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Rural Social Work and Community Practice Vol. 11, no. (2006), p. 52-58
Full Text:
Reviewed:
Description: While researchers in the fields of social work and nursing have recognised the usefulness of qualitative research methods for many years, researchers in psychology have tended to lag behind in their understanding of the value and applicability of qualitative approaches. The aims of this article are to consider the role of qualitative research in psychology, to outline the various steps involved in conducting qualitative data collection and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) for those not versed in these techniques, and to provide a case example of the applicability of these methods to rural adolescent mental health research. The final section of this article includes a detailed discussion of the advantages and limitations of IPA.
Description: C1
Description: 2003001977

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