- Authors: McCoy, Jennifer
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: This thesis explores the contribution of Scottish selectors to the social development of the Omeo region of remote eastern Victoria, Australia, during the period 1875 to 1900, drawing on the experiences of people with familial connection to the McCoy family. These people were mostly agricultural labourers, prevented from land ownership in Scotland, and handloom weavers whose skills had been lost to the industrial revolution. Their lives had been changed by economic circumstances in Scotland, and by taking advantage of the Victorian Selection Acts, they achieved economic security while contributing to the development of the area. This thesis positions land as central to the economic and social development of this area. It was a remote, geographically isolated area where communication and climate challenges had defeated many. Using a documentary historical methodology, it examines the impact of each wave of Europeans, explorers, squatters, miners, and selectors on the land, with the corresponding dispossession of Aboriginal people, revealing the agency of those Aboriginal people in their responses, as well as the resilience of the settlers. Land records and demographic data have been used extensively to chart the land holdings and businesses of selected Scottish family members, positioning their place in the developing society, as community centres and activities flourished in response to a secure and growing population. As part of the Scottish diaspora in Australia, it highlights some of the qualities they brought with them to their new environment; it demonstrates the resilience people could bring to challenging circumstances; and it reveals the wealth of creative opportunities that grew and were encouraged, when limited communication to the outside world demanded a call on their own resources. The study also uncovers questions for further research, amongst them: a more detailed investigation of the role of newspapers, which are the primary source of historical information available; and the role played by women in building and supporting families even through crises, and whose records are buried in personal family records or diminished in newspaper stories.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Semantic manipulation and business context in big data analytics
- Authors: Dinh, Loan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Business organisations receive a huge amount of data from many sources every day. These data are known as big data. Since they are mostly unstructured, big data creates a complex problem of how to capture, manage, analyse and then derive meaningful information from them. To deal with the challenges that big data has brought, this research proposes a new technique in big data analytics in the business area to integrate semantically meaningful information relevant to textual queries and business context. To achieve this aim, this study makes three major related contributions. Firstly, the relationship between business processes and strategies is established using the concept of a rule-based inference model via facts and annotations. This relationship is required to determine the importance of a big data query for a business organisation. Secondly, we introduce approaches to determine the significance level of a query, by incorporating the processstrategy relationship, process contributions and priority of business strategies. Thirdly, the proposed data analytic technique embeds business context into the bedrock of data collection and analysis process. The first two contributions were implemented using Python programming language including the Pyke package (Pyke is built in the Python environment and has an artificial intelligence tool for the development of expert systems) and their performances were analysed based on a business use case. The last contribution was implemented mainly in the Hadoop and Java programs. Results show that the first contribution successfully establishes the processstrategy relationship, the second calculates the significance level of a query in relation to a business organisation, while the third reveals the huge impact of query significance level and business context on big data collection and captures deep business insights.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Dinh, Loan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Business organisations receive a huge amount of data from many sources every day. These data are known as big data. Since they are mostly unstructured, big data creates a complex problem of how to capture, manage, analyse and then derive meaningful information from them. To deal with the challenges that big data has brought, this research proposes a new technique in big data analytics in the business area to integrate semantically meaningful information relevant to textual queries and business context. To achieve this aim, this study makes three major related contributions. Firstly, the relationship between business processes and strategies is established using the concept of a rule-based inference model via facts and annotations. This relationship is required to determine the importance of a big data query for a business organisation. Secondly, we introduce approaches to determine the significance level of a query, by incorporating the processstrategy relationship, process contributions and priority of business strategies. Thirdly, the proposed data analytic technique embeds business context into the bedrock of data collection and analysis process. The first two contributions were implemented using Python programming language including the Pyke package (Pyke is built in the Python environment and has an artificial intelligence tool for the development of expert systems) and their performances were analysed based on a business use case. The last contribution was implemented mainly in the Hadoop and Java programs. Results show that the first contribution successfully establishes the processstrategy relationship, the second calculates the significance level of a query in relation to a business organisation, while the third reveals the huge impact of query significance level and business context on big data collection and captures deep business insights.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Sense of belonging in workplace as a predictor of mental and physical health and intention to leave among university employees
- Authors: Oldfield, Stuart
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: It is has been recognised that sense of belonging and related concepts are strongly associated with mental and physical health. Research to date, however, has focused on sense of belonging to the community in which one lives. The present research extended the work on sense ofbelonging by assessing the relationship between sense ofbelonging in the workplace and the mental and physical health ofstaff employed in a regional university. It was hypothesised that there would be a significant negative relationship between sense ofbelonging and stress. It was also hypothesised that those staff who indicated a higher sense ofbelonging to their work team and organisation would be less likely to leave their employment and have fewer mental and physical health problems. A sample of 46 male and 49 female staff members completed sense ofbelonging and stress questionnaires. The research found that females showed a higher sense ofbelonging to both the work team and the organisation than males. Also, employees who showed a lower sense ofbelonging to the University had stronger intentions ofleaving their employment. Further, workers who indicated a higher sense ofbelonging to the work team exhibited lower burnout, lower global stress, and better general health. Results suggested that the mental health ofworkers can be improved by encouraging a sense of belonging to the immediate work team and that retention of workers may be increased by facilitating a sense of belonging to the organisation.
- Description: Master of Applied Science
- Authors: Oldfield, Stuart
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: It is has been recognised that sense of belonging and related concepts are strongly associated with mental and physical health. Research to date, however, has focused on sense of belonging to the community in which one lives. The present research extended the work on sense ofbelonging by assessing the relationship between sense ofbelonging in the workplace and the mental and physical health ofstaff employed in a regional university. It was hypothesised that there would be a significant negative relationship between sense ofbelonging and stress. It was also hypothesised that those staff who indicated a higher sense ofbelonging to their work team and organisation would be less likely to leave their employment and have fewer mental and physical health problems. A sample of 46 male and 49 female staff members completed sense ofbelonging and stress questionnaires. The research found that females showed a higher sense ofbelonging to both the work team and the organisation than males. Also, employees who showed a lower sense ofbelonging to the University had stronger intentions ofleaving their employment. Further, workers who indicated a higher sense ofbelonging to the work team exhibited lower burnout, lower global stress, and better general health. Results suggested that the mental health ofworkers can be improved by encouraging a sense of belonging to the immediate work team and that retention of workers may be increased by facilitating a sense of belonging to the organisation.
- Description: Master of Applied Science
Shared value priorities in groups : The impact of the Bahá’i Faith on Values
- Authors: Afshar, Faezeh
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Values such as honesty, meaning in life, pleasure, justice and freedom are guiding principles in motivating the selection and evaluation of individual behaviour and goals. They are also important for understanding cultural norms, attitudes and practices. In previous studies individuals and groups have often been found to be willing to subordinate their values toward goals and behaviours that are aligned with their own group; their ‘in-group’. Studies of values within a group have not reported evidence for the subordination of their values toward universal goals and behaviours; their ‘out-groups’. This research is the first to examine widely the values held by adherents of the Bahá’i Faith; a world-wide religious community that envisions a united global society. The main aim of this thesis is to discover and explain the system of value priorities held by Bahá’is. Data was obtained from an online survey of over one thousand responses to the cross-culturally validated ‘Schwartz Value Survey’. Data relating to the degree of commitment to religion referred to as religiosity, was also collected in addition to demographic information.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Afshar, Faezeh
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Values such as honesty, meaning in life, pleasure, justice and freedom are guiding principles in motivating the selection and evaluation of individual behaviour and goals. They are also important for understanding cultural norms, attitudes and practices. In previous studies individuals and groups have often been found to be willing to subordinate their values toward goals and behaviours that are aligned with their own group; their ‘in-group’. Studies of values within a group have not reported evidence for the subordination of their values toward universal goals and behaviours; their ‘out-groups’. This research is the first to examine widely the values held by adherents of the Bahá’i Faith; a world-wide religious community that envisions a united global society. The main aim of this thesis is to discover and explain the system of value priorities held by Bahá’is. Data was obtained from an online survey of over one thousand responses to the cross-culturally validated ‘Schwartz Value Survey’. Data relating to the degree of commitment to religion referred to as religiosity, was also collected in addition to demographic information.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Shelter From the Storm. Webs of connectedness and entanglement in contemporary painting of the everyday
- Authors: Griffin, Tony
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Considering the often-overlooked objects in a single Australian suburban home through the practice of still life painting, this project examines the everyday as a means to understand our anxious times. By employing phenomenological approaches this project explores the theoretical understandings of the everyday and many recent iterations of “thing theory”. Through the practice of still life, its traditions, language and its contemporary currency, painting is employed as a means to understand this age of anxiety. My research closely observes, documents and presents the everyday objects in a single suburban Australian home in the early part of the twenty-first century. Ian Hodder’s theory of entanglement and the mutual dependency between humans and things that it proposes, is considered as a suitable tool for a contemporary visual art practitioner in creating new understandings of our domestic and broader world. Additionally, my research employs the innovative and challenging approaches to the familiar championed by the French writer Georges Perec. His work in revealing an understanding of our world through the exhaustively comprehensive and meticulous description of everyday things provides a structural basis for this project. Our homes are where we experience the everyday nature of our existence most keenly and my home is not unlike the homes of others. It is a place that shares those broader ideals considered to constitute a home, my shelter and my refuge. It is a worthy place in which to seek an understanding of our complex world. This project reveals in paint my observations of the minor things which, when combined, constitute the major things in my small home. The result of these observations is a series of representations of a familiar environment that enables an audience to recognise their own surroundings and re-evaluate the many hidden entanglements in their world in more complex and evocative ways.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Griffin, Tony
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Considering the often-overlooked objects in a single Australian suburban home through the practice of still life painting, this project examines the everyday as a means to understand our anxious times. By employing phenomenological approaches this project explores the theoretical understandings of the everyday and many recent iterations of “thing theory”. Through the practice of still life, its traditions, language and its contemporary currency, painting is employed as a means to understand this age of anxiety. My research closely observes, documents and presents the everyday objects in a single suburban Australian home in the early part of the twenty-first century. Ian Hodder’s theory of entanglement and the mutual dependency between humans and things that it proposes, is considered as a suitable tool for a contemporary visual art practitioner in creating new understandings of our domestic and broader world. Additionally, my research employs the innovative and challenging approaches to the familiar championed by the French writer Georges Perec. His work in revealing an understanding of our world through the exhaustively comprehensive and meticulous description of everyday things provides a structural basis for this project. Our homes are where we experience the everyday nature of our existence most keenly and my home is not unlike the homes of others. It is a place that shares those broader ideals considered to constitute a home, my shelter and my refuge. It is a worthy place in which to seek an understanding of our complex world. This project reveals in paint my observations of the minor things which, when combined, constitute the major things in my small home. The result of these observations is a series of representations of a familiar environment that enables an audience to recognise their own surroundings and re-evaluate the many hidden entanglements in their world in more complex and evocative ways.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Ship of Fools
- Authors: Collins, Julie
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The Ship of Fools is an ancient allegory that has long been a part of Western culture in literature, art and song... It has been chosen by many to comment on contemporary issues throughout history, highlighting the foibles of that society. The ship of fools however is also about our world, as a vessel, full of passengers of humanity, full of those who have no care what they do or where they are going... It is the 21st Century and we are all sailing on a Ship of Fools. We consume beyond reason, we want, and get the latest, newest, biggest things. We complain about interest rates and petrol prices, but consume beyond reason often with purchases on credit we don't really need.
- Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
- Authors: Collins, Julie
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The Ship of Fools is an ancient allegory that has long been a part of Western culture in literature, art and song... It has been chosen by many to comment on contemporary issues throughout history, highlighting the foibles of that society. The ship of fools however is also about our world, as a vessel, full of passengers of humanity, full of those who have no care what they do or where they are going... It is the 21st Century and we are all sailing on a Ship of Fools. We consume beyond reason, we want, and get the latest, newest, biggest things. We complain about interest rates and petrol prices, but consume beyond reason often with purchases on credit we don't really need.
- Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
Short-term forecasting model for crude oil price based on artificial neural networks
- Authors: Haidar, Imad
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text: false
- Description: This thesis examines the ability of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to predict crude oil spot price direction and short-term trends.
- Description: Masters of Computing
Single- and multiobjective reinforcement learning in dynamic adversarial games
- Authors: Kurniawan, Budi
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis uses reinforcement learning (RL) to address dynamic adversarial games in the context of air combat manoeuvring simulation. A sequential decision problem commonly encountered in the field of operations research, air combat manoeuvring simulation conventionally relied on agent programming methods that required significant domain knowledge to be manually encoded into the simulation environment. These methods are appropriate for determining the effectiveness of existing tactics in different simulated scenarios. However, in order to maximise the advantages provided by new technologies (such as autonomous aircraft), new tactics will need to be discovered. A proven technique for solving sequential decision problems, RL has the potential to discover these new tactics. This thesis explores four RL approaches—tabular, deep, discrete-to-deep and multiobjective— as mechanisms for discovering new behaviours in simulations of air combat manoeuvring. Itimplements and tests several methods for each approach and compares those methods in terms of the learning time, baseline and comparative performances, and implementation complexity. In addition to evaluating the utility of existing approaches to the specific task of air combat manoeuvring, this thesis proposes and investigates two novel methods, discrete-to-deep supervised policy learning (D2D-SPL) and discrete-to-deep supervised Q-value learning (D2D-SQL), which can be applied more generally. D2D-SPL and D2D-SQL offer the generalisability of deep RL at a cost closer to the tabular approach.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Kurniawan, Budi
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis uses reinforcement learning (RL) to address dynamic adversarial games in the context of air combat manoeuvring simulation. A sequential decision problem commonly encountered in the field of operations research, air combat manoeuvring simulation conventionally relied on agent programming methods that required significant domain knowledge to be manually encoded into the simulation environment. These methods are appropriate for determining the effectiveness of existing tactics in different simulated scenarios. However, in order to maximise the advantages provided by new technologies (such as autonomous aircraft), new tactics will need to be discovered. A proven technique for solving sequential decision problems, RL has the potential to discover these new tactics. This thesis explores four RL approaches—tabular, deep, discrete-to-deep and multiobjective— as mechanisms for discovering new behaviours in simulations of air combat manoeuvring. Itimplements and tests several methods for each approach and compares those methods in terms of the learning time, baseline and comparative performances, and implementation complexity. In addition to evaluating the utility of existing approaches to the specific task of air combat manoeuvring, this thesis proposes and investigates two novel methods, discrete-to-deep supervised policy learning (D2D-SPL) and discrete-to-deep supervised Q-value learning (D2D-SQL), which can be applied more generally. D2D-SPL and D2D-SQL offer the generalisability of deep RL at a cost closer to the tabular approach.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Site, substance and sensation
- Authors: Ryan, Leonie
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The idea that experiencing the world is a straightforward uncomplicated matter is challenged in a contemporary postmodern context. The empirical notion that reality can be experienced firsthand has been mostly abandoned in favour of the view that reality is constructed through language and culture. Indeed, most views of the world carry a bias, whether conscious or unconscious, which affects all that is encountered. It is not possible to separate the observable world from the person observing it nor to report on the world without already having a position on how it functions. As such ‘meaning’, in this body of research, is found in the awareness that the past informs and shapes the experience of the present moment. This is activated through a heightened sensory awareness of various stimuli, set up through the artworks, which draw distant, past associations into the present consciousness. Through practice led research I am creating the conditions within which the visitor can develop a heightened awareness of their associations through sensory experience and discover that those associations are always tethered to the past, shaping the ways in which they encounter the world. It is my objective through this project to open the way for a better understanding of the Self in relation to Being (consciousness), in a phenomenological sense, through this heightened sensory awareness. The practical outcomes of this research have been developed through a creative exploration of the sensorial world. In this project I posit that we do not draw meaning from the physical, material world itself but rather, meaning is located in our understanding that the physical world is brought into being through our consciousness of it.
- Description: Master of Art by Research
- Authors: Ryan, Leonie
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The idea that experiencing the world is a straightforward uncomplicated matter is challenged in a contemporary postmodern context. The empirical notion that reality can be experienced firsthand has been mostly abandoned in favour of the view that reality is constructed through language and culture. Indeed, most views of the world carry a bias, whether conscious or unconscious, which affects all that is encountered. It is not possible to separate the observable world from the person observing it nor to report on the world without already having a position on how it functions. As such ‘meaning’, in this body of research, is found in the awareness that the past informs and shapes the experience of the present moment. This is activated through a heightened sensory awareness of various stimuli, set up through the artworks, which draw distant, past associations into the present consciousness. Through practice led research I am creating the conditions within which the visitor can develop a heightened awareness of their associations through sensory experience and discover that those associations are always tethered to the past, shaping the ways in which they encounter the world. It is my objective through this project to open the way for a better understanding of the Self in relation to Being (consciousness), in a phenomenological sense, through this heightened sensory awareness. The practical outcomes of this research have been developed through a creative exploration of the sensorial world. In this project I posit that we do not draw meaning from the physical, material world itself but rather, meaning is located in our understanding that the physical world is brought into being through our consciousness of it.
- Description: Master of Art by Research
Social exclusion : contested meanings, policy and experience
- Authors: Brass, Kate
- Date: 2009
- Type: Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "This thesis takes a critical inquiry approach to the concept of social exclusion, which has become a prevalent feature of the contemporary social policy lexicon ... [the] study takes an innovative methodological approach in that it explores and makes visible the diverse and contradictory meanings that practitioners and community members hold for social exclusion, and gives those meanings equal stature with the views of academic researchers and policy makers, as they are represented in the scholarly research literature and associated policy documents."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Brass, Kate
- Date: 2009
- Type: Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "This thesis takes a critical inquiry approach to the concept of social exclusion, which has become a prevalent feature of the contemporary social policy lexicon ... [the] study takes an innovative methodological approach in that it explores and makes visible the diverse and contradictory meanings that practitioners and community members hold for social exclusion, and gives those meanings equal stature with the views of academic researchers and policy makers, as they are represented in the scholarly research literature and associated policy documents."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Sources of severe occupational injury in a major Australian water authority
- Authors: Bellchambers, Brenton
- Date: 1992
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: An analysis of occuptational accidents (n=587) was completed for the years 1989/90/91 for a major Australian water authority for injuries of five or more days lost time.
- Description: Masters of Applied Science, Occupational Health and Safety
- Authors: Bellchambers, Brenton
- Date: 1992
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: An analysis of occuptational accidents (n=587) was completed for the years 1989/90/91 for a major Australian water authority for injuries of five or more days lost time.
- Description: Masters of Applied Science, Occupational Health and Safety
Space : Contemplating the voids
- Authors: Zuccolo, Michelle
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This research project into the manipulation of spatial concepts by artists on the two-dimensional surface plane, has involved a selected study into cultural and aesthetic evolution from early civilization through to the present era. I have cast a line of inquiry into eastern, western and primitive art practices, observing the journey of chance accelerated by developments in technology. Traditionally artists utilized modes of spatial convention and techniques according to the specific cultural traditions of the time and place of their production. By contrast, contemporary artists know no such boundaries, and are able to select from a range of spatial options relevant both to current forms of expression and to a personal visual language. My own art practice has been enriched and extended, increasing my ability to challenge the notion of still life composition by reversing the traditional hierarchy of form and space through the application of a series of experiments brought about by extensive research into this spatial evolution. The research project has further assisted this development in my art practice by engaging me in a new level of understanding of the topic, informing my perceptions and increasing my ability to translate a combination of forms in space with heightened emotion and personal meaning.
- Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
- Authors: Zuccolo, Michelle
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This research project into the manipulation of spatial concepts by artists on the two-dimensional surface plane, has involved a selected study into cultural and aesthetic evolution from early civilization through to the present era. I have cast a line of inquiry into eastern, western and primitive art practices, observing the journey of chance accelerated by developments in technology. Traditionally artists utilized modes of spatial convention and techniques according to the specific cultural traditions of the time and place of their production. By contrast, contemporary artists know no such boundaries, and are able to select from a range of spatial options relevant both to current forms of expression and to a personal visual language. My own art practice has been enriched and extended, increasing my ability to challenge the notion of still life composition by reversing the traditional hierarchy of form and space through the application of a series of experiments brought about by extensive research into this spatial evolution. The research project has further assisted this development in my art practice by engaging me in a new level of understanding of the topic, informing my perceptions and increasing my ability to translate a combination of forms in space with heightened emotion and personal meaning.
- Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
Spatial epidemiological investigation of sport and leisure injuries in Victoria, Australia
- Authors: Singh, Himalaya
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Sport and leisure injuries are recognised as a public health issue in Australia. Despite the many health benefits associated with sport and leisure participation, there is a risk of sustaining injury during participation. To keep Australia active, there is a critical need to prevent injury occurrence. Epidemiological investigations in sport and leisure injuries have been largely examined by grouping of sports, age groups, sex and level of play. In addition, intrinsic (person-level) factors have been considered, such as strength, flexibility or previous injury history. These factors may not be sufficient to identify injury burden or prevent an increase in injury incidences. In the broader injury literature (e.g., road traffic crashes or drowning), it is known that injuries often cluster within specific places (i.e., road intersections or bodies of water). These specific geographic locations may also relate to sport and leisure injuries (e.g., sports grounds or facilities). Similarly, population-level factors such as socio-economic status or cultural groups within an area could influence the types of sports and leisure activities people participate in and consequently, the injuries that occur. A review presented in this PhD thesis revealed that there is very limited sport and leisure injury epidemiological information from a geographical perspective. To address this gap, and determine whether there is a spatial pattern in sport/leisure injuries, the aim of this PhD was to examine the geospatial distribution of sport/leisure injury hospitalisations and their association with a broad range of social and economic characteristics. This thesis uses spatial epidemiological methods to answer questions such as ‘Where do sports and leisure injuries occur?’ and ‘In whom do sports/leisure injuries occur?’ The main chapters present the results of the application of spatial epidemiological methods to describe the problem, to test hypotheses and to explore associations with possible explanatory variables. The findings showed a significant variation across metropolitan, regional and rural areas in the pattern and clustering of injuries when examining different sports, age groups and other variables such as education level. A secondary aim of this thesis was to consider the dissemination of sport and injury epidemiological data. As emphasised in the literature, there is limited spatial epidemiological information available to decision-makers and key stakeholders. At best, descriptive maps might be included in a report or research paper. However, these are static and limited to the results that the author chooses to present. Therefore, an important output from this PhD is a web-GIS application that has been specifically built to enable the exploratory analysis of sport/leisure injuries in Victoria. Sport and leisure injury prevention strategies and policy development relies on information about where, when, to whom and how sport/leisure injuries occur. This thesis demonstrates that a spatial epidemiological approach is an important and novel way to address epidemiological questions from a geographical perspective.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Singh, Himalaya
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Sport and leisure injuries are recognised as a public health issue in Australia. Despite the many health benefits associated with sport and leisure participation, there is a risk of sustaining injury during participation. To keep Australia active, there is a critical need to prevent injury occurrence. Epidemiological investigations in sport and leisure injuries have been largely examined by grouping of sports, age groups, sex and level of play. In addition, intrinsic (person-level) factors have been considered, such as strength, flexibility or previous injury history. These factors may not be sufficient to identify injury burden or prevent an increase in injury incidences. In the broader injury literature (e.g., road traffic crashes or drowning), it is known that injuries often cluster within specific places (i.e., road intersections or bodies of water). These specific geographic locations may also relate to sport and leisure injuries (e.g., sports grounds or facilities). Similarly, population-level factors such as socio-economic status or cultural groups within an area could influence the types of sports and leisure activities people participate in and consequently, the injuries that occur. A review presented in this PhD thesis revealed that there is very limited sport and leisure injury epidemiological information from a geographical perspective. To address this gap, and determine whether there is a spatial pattern in sport/leisure injuries, the aim of this PhD was to examine the geospatial distribution of sport/leisure injury hospitalisations and their association with a broad range of social and economic characteristics. This thesis uses spatial epidemiological methods to answer questions such as ‘Where do sports and leisure injuries occur?’ and ‘In whom do sports/leisure injuries occur?’ The main chapters present the results of the application of spatial epidemiological methods to describe the problem, to test hypotheses and to explore associations with possible explanatory variables. The findings showed a significant variation across metropolitan, regional and rural areas in the pattern and clustering of injuries when examining different sports, age groups and other variables such as education level. A secondary aim of this thesis was to consider the dissemination of sport and injury epidemiological data. As emphasised in the literature, there is limited spatial epidemiological information available to decision-makers and key stakeholders. At best, descriptive maps might be included in a report or research paper. However, these are static and limited to the results that the author chooses to present. Therefore, an important output from this PhD is a web-GIS application that has been specifically built to enable the exploratory analysis of sport/leisure injuries in Victoria. Sport and leisure injury prevention strategies and policy development relies on information about where, when, to whom and how sport/leisure injuries occur. This thesis demonstrates that a spatial epidemiological approach is an important and novel way to address epidemiological questions from a geographical perspective.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Spatial modelling of the relationship between respiratory admissions and ambient air pollution
- Authors: Pearce, Dora
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The aims of this research were to investigate the association between air pollution and respiratory health effects using a spatial approach, and to derive a composite indicator of ambient air pollution."
- Description: Master of Information Technology by Research
- Authors: Pearce, Dora
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The aims of this research were to investigate the association between air pollution and respiratory health effects using a spatial approach, and to derive a composite indicator of ambient air pollution."
- Description: Master of Information Technology by Research
Special needs, special play? Examining the agency of children with impairments in play-based learning in a special school
- Authors: Claughton, Amy
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Play is an inherent part of childhood, often cast as an innate behaviour of children. Over the years, play has been scrutinised by theorists, researchers and educators alike in their attempts to understand how children engage in play, the role of play in development and how to identify, define and measure play. For children with impairments, play is frequently subjected to surveillance and compared to that of children whose development is considered typical. This thesis interrogates the play-based learning experiences of five children who attended a special educational school in rural Victoria, Australia. It examines the experiences that these children had in play and how teacher actions and responses enabled and supported their engagement in play-based learning. The theoretical framework for this study draws on critical ethnography underpinned by disability studies. Disability studies recognises the social model of disability, in which disability is a social construction. Using this model, impairment is distinct and separate from disability. In this study, socially constructed barriers that confront children in their play are identified as being created by attitudes, structures and environments (Bishop et al., 1999). These barriers are overlaid by the psycho-emotional dimensions of disability (C. Thomas, 1999) in an effort to represent the experiences of children as shaped by the actions and responses of others. This thesis introduces a new analytic tool in the learning portal framework. The learning portal framework aims to provide a platform through which teacher actions and responses can be analysed to understand how children are enabled to access play-based learning. The findings of this study indicate that children with impairments play in complex and nuanced ways. They show purpose in their play, are able to self-initiate, and independently investigate play-based learning experiences. Adult actions and responses often enable children with impairments to engage in play by offering opportunities and pathways for exploration. Indirect adult facilitation in play supports children’s ability to act in play with individuality and determination.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Claughton, Amy
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Play is an inherent part of childhood, often cast as an innate behaviour of children. Over the years, play has been scrutinised by theorists, researchers and educators alike in their attempts to understand how children engage in play, the role of play in development and how to identify, define and measure play. For children with impairments, play is frequently subjected to surveillance and compared to that of children whose development is considered typical. This thesis interrogates the play-based learning experiences of five children who attended a special educational school in rural Victoria, Australia. It examines the experiences that these children had in play and how teacher actions and responses enabled and supported their engagement in play-based learning. The theoretical framework for this study draws on critical ethnography underpinned by disability studies. Disability studies recognises the social model of disability, in which disability is a social construction. Using this model, impairment is distinct and separate from disability. In this study, socially constructed barriers that confront children in their play are identified as being created by attitudes, structures and environments (Bishop et al., 1999). These barriers are overlaid by the psycho-emotional dimensions of disability (C. Thomas, 1999) in an effort to represent the experiences of children as shaped by the actions and responses of others. This thesis introduces a new analytic tool in the learning portal framework. The learning portal framework aims to provide a platform through which teacher actions and responses can be analysed to understand how children are enabled to access play-based learning. The findings of this study indicate that children with impairments play in complex and nuanced ways. They show purpose in their play, are able to self-initiate, and independently investigate play-based learning experiences. Adult actions and responses often enable children with impairments to engage in play by offering opportunities and pathways for exploration. Indirect adult facilitation in play supports children’s ability to act in play with individuality and determination.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Olson, Ashley
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: A fundamental goal of biogeography is to determine how communities of species assemble. Islands offer an excellent opportunity to study community assembly because they have discrete boundaries, their species compliment can be readily quantified, and biogeographic processes operating at broad spatial scales can be separated from the effects of local interactions. Indeed, islands have contributed extensively to the development of biogeographical theory. Historically, the focus of island biogeography studies has been to predict the species richness of their communities. Yet, species richness provides no information about the ecological differences among the species that comprise a community, and thus cannot explain why different types of species do, or do not, appear in island communities. The niche of any particular species represents all of the abiotic and interspecific interactions that determine the survival of that species in a given location. Thus, a niche-based description of island communities differs from a richness-only description as it can link biogeography to the ecological interactions that ultimately drive successful colonisation and evolution on an island. However, island isolation and island area - the key predictors of species immigration and extinction, respectively - and the influence of the composition of the regional species pool have rarely been investigated for their effect on niche differences among species occupying an island. Understanding how the regional species pool, isolation and area influence niche-based diversity on islands provides an important link between biogeography and the ecological interactions that ultimately determine the composition of island communities. I used data on the island birds across Melanesian archipelagos to explore the role of biogeography in driving the niche-based structure of island communities. Specifically, I studied how the composition of the regional species pool, island isolation and island area influence: i) variation in a key functional trait (body size), ii) occupancy and saturation of niches, and iii) the phylogenetic structure of island communities. To do so, I studied three Melanesian archipelagos; the Bismarck, Solomon and Vanuatu islands, each of which represent a separate biogeographic region with a different degree of isolation from the primary source of avian colonists, mainland New Guinea. As such, the influence of oceanic dispersal barriers on the composition of the avifauna of each archipelago can be clearly distinguished. Using this model system, I demonstrate that the effects of island isolation and island area extend beyond determining the number of species on an island to influencing maximum body size, niche occupancy and the phylogenetic structure of island communities. Further, the research I describe in this thesis demonstrates that the influence of island isolation and area on the ecological and evolutionary differences among species that comprise each island community is mediated by the diversity of the regional species pool. Thus, the species observed in island communities, and the niches they occupy, may not be a product of local ecological interactions. Rather, immigration from the regional species pool may determine the persistence of a species on an island.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Sperm donor limits : controlling for the 'relative risks' associated with the multiple use of donors in donor insemination (DI)
- Authors: Sawyer, Neroli
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "Investigates the central problem that most donor limits associated with multiple use of sperm donors in donor insemination (DI) vary considerably between jurisdictions, despite no evidence-base."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Sawyer, Neroli
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "Investigates the central problem that most donor limits associated with multiple use of sperm donors in donor insemination (DI) vary considerably between jurisdictions, despite no evidence-base."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Spiritual Art : evoking the numinous using a 3D computer game engine
- Authors: Nelson, Christopher
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- 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
- Authors: Nelson, Christopher
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- 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
Spiritual awareness of professional nurses in the western region of Victoria: Investigation of a significant component of holistic heath care
- Authors: Lea, Dorothy
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- 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
- Authors: Lea, Dorothy
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- 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
Static code analysis of data-driven applications through common lingua and the Semantic Web technologies
- Authors: Ureche, Oana
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Web applications have become increasingly popular due to their potential for businesses' high revenue gain through global reach. Along with these opportunities, also come challenges in terms of Web application security. The increased rise in the number of datadriven applications has also seen an increased rise in their systematic attacks. Cyberattacks exploit Web application vulnerabilities. Attack trends show a major increase in Web application vulnerabilities caused by improper implementation of information-flow control methods and they account for more than 50% of all Web application vulnerabilities found in the year 2013. Static code analysis using methods of information-flow control is a widely acknowledged technique to secure Web applications. Whilst this technique has been found to be both very effective and efficient in finding Web application vulnerabilities, specific tools are highly dependent on the programming language. This thesis leverages Semantic Web technologies in order to offer a common language through source code represented using the Resource Description Framework format, whereby reasoning can be applied to securely test Web applications. In this thesis, we present a framework that extracts source code facts from various programming languages at a variable-level of granularity using Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs) generated using language grammars and the ANTLR parser generator. The methodology for detecting Web application vulnerabilities implements three phases: entry points identification, tracing information-flow and vulnerability detection using the Jena framework inference mechanism and rules describing patterns of source code. The approach discussed in this thesis is found to be effective and practical in finding Web application vulnerabilities with the limitation that it can only detect patterns that are used as training data or very similar patterns. False positives are caused by limitations of the language grammar, but they do not affect the accuracy of the security vulnerability detection method in identifying the correct Web application vulnerability.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Ureche, Oana
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Web applications have become increasingly popular due to their potential for businesses' high revenue gain through global reach. Along with these opportunities, also come challenges in terms of Web application security. The increased rise in the number of datadriven applications has also seen an increased rise in their systematic attacks. Cyberattacks exploit Web application vulnerabilities. Attack trends show a major increase in Web application vulnerabilities caused by improper implementation of information-flow control methods and they account for more than 50% of all Web application vulnerabilities found in the year 2013. Static code analysis using methods of information-flow control is a widely acknowledged technique to secure Web applications. Whilst this technique has been found to be both very effective and efficient in finding Web application vulnerabilities, specific tools are highly dependent on the programming language. This thesis leverages Semantic Web technologies in order to offer a common language through source code represented using the Resource Description Framework format, whereby reasoning can be applied to securely test Web applications. In this thesis, we present a framework that extracts source code facts from various programming languages at a variable-level of granularity using Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs) generated using language grammars and the ANTLR parser generator. The methodology for detecting Web application vulnerabilities implements three phases: entry points identification, tracing information-flow and vulnerability detection using the Jena framework inference mechanism and rules describing patterns of source code. The approach discussed in this thesis is found to be effective and practical in finding Web application vulnerabilities with the limitation that it can only detect patterns that are used as training data or very similar patterns. False positives are caused by limitations of the language grammar, but they do not affect the accuracy of the security vulnerability detection method in identifying the correct Web application vulnerability.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy