Ecological practice : Performance making in the age of the anthropocene
- Authors: Snowball, Georgia
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The emerging field of Performance and Ecology addresses approaches to performance and performance making in response to the profound challenges heralded by the age of the Anthropocene. Transdisciplinary artist-scholars within this paradigm bring into question spatiotemporal relationships between all things, through varying artistic and scholarly practices. This practice-led-research project seeks to create work at the open intersections of the human and more-than-human, audience and performer, practice and research. The aim of the project is to disturb these binaries, which contribute to hierarchies of destruction of all multispecies beings and habitats, including humans. Through performance, this work addresses and critiques distinctive ways of being in, listening to, and viewing our shared world. The accompanying exegesis highlights how performance can reveal what otherwise remains hidden in this entangled process. The exegesis documents the development of site-specific performance works over three active modes: Walking, Dancing and Writing. These experiments in performance include both solo works and participatory projects. All works traverse these modes and are influenced by current international and Australian performance practices in site-specific Walking, Dancing and/or Writing. Three main projects are discussed through text, photograph and video. These are Promenade Locale a participatory walking project that took place in Central Victoria, Ends of the Earth and Instability, dance solos performed in Melaka, Malaysia and the practice of Weather Writing, which takes places at my home, also in Central Victoria.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Snowball, Georgia
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The emerging field of Performance and Ecology addresses approaches to performance and performance making in response to the profound challenges heralded by the age of the Anthropocene. Transdisciplinary artist-scholars within this paradigm bring into question spatiotemporal relationships between all things, through varying artistic and scholarly practices. This practice-led-research project seeks to create work at the open intersections of the human and more-than-human, audience and performer, practice and research. The aim of the project is to disturb these binaries, which contribute to hierarchies of destruction of all multispecies beings and habitats, including humans. Through performance, this work addresses and critiques distinctive ways of being in, listening to, and viewing our shared world. The accompanying exegesis highlights how performance can reveal what otherwise remains hidden in this entangled process. The exegesis documents the development of site-specific performance works over three active modes: Walking, Dancing and Writing. These experiments in performance include both solo works and participatory projects. All works traverse these modes and are influenced by current international and Australian performance practices in site-specific Walking, Dancing and/or Writing. Three main projects are discussed through text, photograph and video. These are Promenade Locale a participatory walking project that took place in Central Victoria, Ends of the Earth and Instability, dance solos performed in Melaka, Malaysia and the practice of Weather Writing, which takes places at my home, also in Central Victoria.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Efficacy and understanding of the safety hierarchy of controls
- Authors: Young, Stephen
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This document constitutes the submission of Stephen Young for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Federation University Australia. The submission is offered as a thesis by publication – representing a summary of the candidate’s research based around a number of already-published peer-reviewed papers, supported by additional analysis and commentary. The research project is entitled “Efficacy and Understanding of the Safety Hierarchy of Controls”. The key question posed in this thesis is stated as: “What constrains understanding of the efficacy of the safety hierarchy?” This question was broken down into three sub-questions, each of which is represented within this submission as Part One, Part Two, and Part Three respectively. The three questions are stated as: 1. How may contemporary evidence demonstrate the efficacy of the safety hierarchy? 2. What are the constraints on understanding the hazard vector as it relates to the safety hierarchy? 3. What is the current understanding of hazard mitigation in a selected industry and how may the safety hierarchy be implemented to ameliorate a key hazard? The Introduction indicates the importance of the topic and explains the background to the concept known as the [safety] hierarchy of control, including a distinction between hazard and risk. It then undertakes a brief review of the development of twentieth century safety literature, including a consideration of how safety analysis has been split into the energy damage model and the anthropocentric model – complicated by a persistence of myth and superstition. An update of more recent safety literature in the twenty-first century and literature relating to governance decision making is also included. The intended contribution of this research project is laid out along with an explanation of how the thesis is organised. Part One seeks to use contemporary evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of the safety hierarchy. This is primarily achieved by presenting two case studies predominantly focussed on a New Zealand aluminium smelter. The first paper, “From zero to hero: A case study of industrial injury reduction”, used the candidate’s earlier research documenting that company’s remarkable journey from a worksite with an unenviably high level of injuries to that of one of the safest industrial worksites in the world. It contextualised the research within the contemporary zero accident vision (ZAV) and considered the company’s use of the hierarchy of controls as a primary means of hazard intervention. This paper was published in Safety Science in 2014. A further study was conducted later in 2014 to qualitatively consider the effect on safety of the difficult economic times being experienced by the aluminium industry. This purposive critical case study revisited the New Zealand aluminium smelter to document the observations of safety managers as they sought to continue the company’s exemplary safety record in the face of financial duress. “Safety in hard times: A qualitative analysis of safety concerns in two industrial plants under financial duress” also included parallel observations of safety managers from an Australian aluminium rolling mill as it closed down in response to the same economic factors. The impact of lean management and the ongoing efficacy of hierarchy of controls methodology within both plants was documented and considered. This paper was published in Safety Science in 2018. Insofar as is possible using case studies, both papers demonstrated the efficacy of the hierarchy of control as an intervention methodology for ameliorating hazards in the workplace. Part Two seeks to consider the constraints on understanding the hazard vector as it relates to the hierarchy of controls. A focussed literature review entitled “The root cause fallacy” was conducted to better understand the uses of the word cause in philosophy, law, and science – as well as in the applied science of safety management. This paper highlighted the limitations of the concept of root cause as a safety intervention precept; thereby identifying a significant constraint on understanding the hazard vector and the hierarchy of control. This is followed by a chapter deconstructing the most common version of the hierarchy of controls, pointing out how it could be made easier to understand and proposing a simplified version – more aligned to the underlying hazard vector. This alignment has been successfully presented in a number a conferences including the proceedings of 2014 Australian Systems Safety Conference; and ultimately, to the 15th World Congress on Public Health in 2017. Part Three applies the knowledge gained in Parts One and Two, and presents two studies investigating the fermentation industry to both understand the role of the hierarchy of controls in hazard mitigation and to illustrate how it can be more effectively implemented. The first paper took the potentially catastrophic hazard of asphyxiation from elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and demonstrated how the hierarchy of controls could be applied to more effectively control the hazard. The second paper surveyed the rapidly growing boutique beer industry in Victoria and Tasmania to understand how hazards were being managed, and the degree to which the hierarchy of controls was used to ameliorate the identified hazards. Together, these papers illustrated that application of the hierarchy of controls is largely conspicuous by its absence in the mitigation of hazards in a rapidly growing industry; while also demonstrating an effective hierarchal control that could evade an almost inevitable looming catastrophe. In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates the efficacy of the hierarchy of controls in Part One. In Part Two, it considers the linguistic origin of the word cause and consequently reconsiders the hazard vector insofar as it relates to the hierarchy of controls – incorporating these findings into a simpler and more easily understood hierarchy. Part Three provides a demonstration of how the hierarchy of controls can be applied to a difficult hazard in an emerging industry and also highlights the contemporary deficiencies in how that industry currently deals with the hazards they identify. Finally, the key question “What constrains understanding of the efficacy of the safety hierarchy?” is addressed by summarising the three parts of this thesis and concluding: 1. An assiduous application of the hierarchy of controls can prevent occupational injuries. 2. The efficacy of the hierarchy of controls is constrained by the following factors: a. Over-complication of what is a simple concept; b. Misunderstanding of how hazard interventions may be used to prevent injury; c. Misunderstanding of the construct of cause as it relates to the hazard vector. 3. Appropriate recognition of the relative significance of identified hazards is central to the understanding of the safety hierarchy.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Young, Stephen
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This document constitutes the submission of Stephen Young for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Federation University Australia. The submission is offered as a thesis by publication – representing a summary of the candidate’s research based around a number of already-published peer-reviewed papers, supported by additional analysis and commentary. The research project is entitled “Efficacy and Understanding of the Safety Hierarchy of Controls”. The key question posed in this thesis is stated as: “What constrains understanding of the efficacy of the safety hierarchy?” This question was broken down into three sub-questions, each of which is represented within this submission as Part One, Part Two, and Part Three respectively. The three questions are stated as: 1. How may contemporary evidence demonstrate the efficacy of the safety hierarchy? 2. What are the constraints on understanding the hazard vector as it relates to the safety hierarchy? 3. What is the current understanding of hazard mitigation in a selected industry and how may the safety hierarchy be implemented to ameliorate a key hazard? The Introduction indicates the importance of the topic and explains the background to the concept known as the [safety] hierarchy of control, including a distinction between hazard and risk. It then undertakes a brief review of the development of twentieth century safety literature, including a consideration of how safety analysis has been split into the energy damage model and the anthropocentric model – complicated by a persistence of myth and superstition. An update of more recent safety literature in the twenty-first century and literature relating to governance decision making is also included. The intended contribution of this research project is laid out along with an explanation of how the thesis is organised. Part One seeks to use contemporary evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of the safety hierarchy. This is primarily achieved by presenting two case studies predominantly focussed on a New Zealand aluminium smelter. The first paper, “From zero to hero: A case study of industrial injury reduction”, used the candidate’s earlier research documenting that company’s remarkable journey from a worksite with an unenviably high level of injuries to that of one of the safest industrial worksites in the world. It contextualised the research within the contemporary zero accident vision (ZAV) and considered the company’s use of the hierarchy of controls as a primary means of hazard intervention. This paper was published in Safety Science in 2014. A further study was conducted later in 2014 to qualitatively consider the effect on safety of the difficult economic times being experienced by the aluminium industry. This purposive critical case study revisited the New Zealand aluminium smelter to document the observations of safety managers as they sought to continue the company’s exemplary safety record in the face of financial duress. “Safety in hard times: A qualitative analysis of safety concerns in two industrial plants under financial duress” also included parallel observations of safety managers from an Australian aluminium rolling mill as it closed down in response to the same economic factors. The impact of lean management and the ongoing efficacy of hierarchy of controls methodology within both plants was documented and considered. This paper was published in Safety Science in 2018. Insofar as is possible using case studies, both papers demonstrated the efficacy of the hierarchy of control as an intervention methodology for ameliorating hazards in the workplace. Part Two seeks to consider the constraints on understanding the hazard vector as it relates to the hierarchy of controls. A focussed literature review entitled “The root cause fallacy” was conducted to better understand the uses of the word cause in philosophy, law, and science – as well as in the applied science of safety management. This paper highlighted the limitations of the concept of root cause as a safety intervention precept; thereby identifying a significant constraint on understanding the hazard vector and the hierarchy of control. This is followed by a chapter deconstructing the most common version of the hierarchy of controls, pointing out how it could be made easier to understand and proposing a simplified version – more aligned to the underlying hazard vector. This alignment has been successfully presented in a number a conferences including the proceedings of 2014 Australian Systems Safety Conference; and ultimately, to the 15th World Congress on Public Health in 2017. Part Three applies the knowledge gained in Parts One and Two, and presents two studies investigating the fermentation industry to both understand the role of the hierarchy of controls in hazard mitigation and to illustrate how it can be more effectively implemented. The first paper took the potentially catastrophic hazard of asphyxiation from elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and demonstrated how the hierarchy of controls could be applied to more effectively control the hazard. The second paper surveyed the rapidly growing boutique beer industry in Victoria and Tasmania to understand how hazards were being managed, and the degree to which the hierarchy of controls was used to ameliorate the identified hazards. Together, these papers illustrated that application of the hierarchy of controls is largely conspicuous by its absence in the mitigation of hazards in a rapidly growing industry; while also demonstrating an effective hierarchal control that could evade an almost inevitable looming catastrophe. In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates the efficacy of the hierarchy of controls in Part One. In Part Two, it considers the linguistic origin of the word cause and consequently reconsiders the hazard vector insofar as it relates to the hierarchy of controls – incorporating these findings into a simpler and more easily understood hierarchy. Part Three provides a demonstration of how the hierarchy of controls can be applied to a difficult hazard in an emerging industry and also highlights the contemporary deficiencies in how that industry currently deals with the hazards they identify. Finally, the key question “What constrains understanding of the efficacy of the safety hierarchy?” is addressed by summarising the three parts of this thesis and concluding: 1. An assiduous application of the hierarchy of controls can prevent occupational injuries. 2. The efficacy of the hierarchy of controls is constrained by the following factors: a. Over-complication of what is a simple concept; b. Misunderstanding of how hazard interventions may be used to prevent injury; c. Misunderstanding of the construct of cause as it relates to the hazard vector. 3. Appropriate recognition of the relative significance of identified hazards is central to the understanding of the safety hierarchy.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Exploring youth perceptions of school (dis)engagement and absence in Hepburn Shire
- Authors: O'Loughlan, Courtney
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis examines the educational experiences of some young people living in the Hepburn Shire, a Local Government Area (LGA) in the Central Highlands of Victoria. These young people were in various stages of disengaging from the mainstream education on offer in the shire. The research came about via consultation between the secondary school and Federation University in response to data from the Department of Education and Training (DET) showing that the Hepburn area had the lowest school attendance figures of the eleven LGA’s in the Grampians region. The school was interested in the reasons behind the lower figures and sought to gather some further information which might shed light on the experiences of young people who had difficulty in connecting, or staying connected to, school. It was hoped that the resultant findings would inform the approach taken by the schools in offering appropriate programs to support people to re-engage with school. Thus, the research question underpinning this research is: What are the key reasons that school attendance has been identified as being lower in the Hepburn Shire Local Government Area than in other parts of the Grampians region? A critical ethnographic study was undertaken comprised of participant observation, facilitated by the researcher being situated within the school, and a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with young people (of secondary school age), families, teachers, Principals, support staff including welfare providers and a selection of other professionals working with youth and their families in the Hepburn Shire. The study revealed a complexity within the Hepburn community, where a rich diversity of views about child-raising and education was present. Such views spanned philosophies about ‘unschooling’, the benefits of home-schooling, and a sense of permissiveness about not attending school each day. Further, there seemed to be a tendency within the school (both by teachers and other professionals working with youth) to talk about disengaged students and families of nonattending students in terms of deficit: there was something lacking with them, parenting skills, work ethic, behavioural or emotional regulation, that was viewed as contributing to the students’ poor attendance. Finally, the centrality of the teacher-student relationship to both student engagement and disengagement was evident in the conversations with young people and their families. Building respectful, reciprocal relationships with at least one key member of staff seems to be a major protective factor against disengagement. And further, seems to be a pre-requisite for those students who are entering the school for the first time, or who are re-entering after a significant absence.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: O'Loughlan, Courtney
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis examines the educational experiences of some young people living in the Hepburn Shire, a Local Government Area (LGA) in the Central Highlands of Victoria. These young people were in various stages of disengaging from the mainstream education on offer in the shire. The research came about via consultation between the secondary school and Federation University in response to data from the Department of Education and Training (DET) showing that the Hepburn area had the lowest school attendance figures of the eleven LGA’s in the Grampians region. The school was interested in the reasons behind the lower figures and sought to gather some further information which might shed light on the experiences of young people who had difficulty in connecting, or staying connected to, school. It was hoped that the resultant findings would inform the approach taken by the schools in offering appropriate programs to support people to re-engage with school. Thus, the research question underpinning this research is: What are the key reasons that school attendance has been identified as being lower in the Hepburn Shire Local Government Area than in other parts of the Grampians region? A critical ethnographic study was undertaken comprised of participant observation, facilitated by the researcher being situated within the school, and a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with young people (of secondary school age), families, teachers, Principals, support staff including welfare providers and a selection of other professionals working with youth and their families in the Hepburn Shire. The study revealed a complexity within the Hepburn community, where a rich diversity of views about child-raising and education was present. Such views spanned philosophies about ‘unschooling’, the benefits of home-schooling, and a sense of permissiveness about not attending school each day. Further, there seemed to be a tendency within the school (both by teachers and other professionals working with youth) to talk about disengaged students and families of nonattending students in terms of deficit: there was something lacking with them, parenting skills, work ethic, behavioural or emotional regulation, that was viewed as contributing to the students’ poor attendance. Finally, the centrality of the teacher-student relationship to both student engagement and disengagement was evident in the conversations with young people and their families. Building respectful, reciprocal relationships with at least one key member of staff seems to be a major protective factor against disengagement. And further, seems to be a pre-requisite for those students who are entering the school for the first time, or who are re-entering after a significant absence.
- Description: Masters by Research
Historical mine sites as modern-day sources of contamination : Measurement and characterisation of arsenic in historical gold mine wastes to identify the potential for mobility and human exposure
- Authors: Martin, Rachael
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Centuries of metalliferous mining activities have resulted in a legacy of contamination throughout the world. Unremediated mine wastes and tailings, as well as contaminated soils, water and sediments, represent ongoing sources of environmental degradation and human exposure, long after mine closure and abandonment. Despite global concern over these contaminant sources, there remain uncertainties surrounding the nature of human exposure to mine wastes and their toxicologically relevant characteristics. As urbanisation expands into areas proximal to abandoned mine sites, an understanding of the human-contaminant interface at this boundary is critical for assessing the potential health risks. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the importance of particle size as a factor governing the distribution of metals and metalloids in historical gold mine wastes in regional Victoria, Australia, with an emphasis on arsenic as a contaminant of potential concern. By characterising those particle size fractions that are relevant to dust mobilisation and human exposure, this thesis examines the human-contaminant interface using a multi-pathway approach. In particular, this thesis focuses on the potential for exposure via inhalation of mine waste particulates. The outcomes of the studies presented in this body of work demonstrate that historical gold mine wastes in regional Victoria represent a source of readily ingestible and inhalable particulates characterised by extremely elevated levels of arsenic (and other contaminants) well above their bulk (in situ) concentrations. Although lung bioaccessibility testing and mineralogical analyses revealed that most of the arsenic in inhalable dust has been naturally immobilised, the lung-soluble fraction should be considered when undertaking risk assessments for chronic exposure. This thesis provides a framework for the development of targeted management strategies for unremediated historical gold mining wastes in regional Victoria. The findings suggest there is a need for environmental regulations to shift from generic guideline values to exposure-specific guidelines that more accurately reflect the human health risks posed by historical mine sites. This thesis has emphasised the notion that in order for remedial action to accurately match the level of risk, the sourcepathway- receptor linkage must be evaluated using a systematic size-resolved approach.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Martin, Rachael
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Centuries of metalliferous mining activities have resulted in a legacy of contamination throughout the world. Unremediated mine wastes and tailings, as well as contaminated soils, water and sediments, represent ongoing sources of environmental degradation and human exposure, long after mine closure and abandonment. Despite global concern over these contaminant sources, there remain uncertainties surrounding the nature of human exposure to mine wastes and their toxicologically relevant characteristics. As urbanisation expands into areas proximal to abandoned mine sites, an understanding of the human-contaminant interface at this boundary is critical for assessing the potential health risks. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the importance of particle size as a factor governing the distribution of metals and metalloids in historical gold mine wastes in regional Victoria, Australia, with an emphasis on arsenic as a contaminant of potential concern. By characterising those particle size fractions that are relevant to dust mobilisation and human exposure, this thesis examines the human-contaminant interface using a multi-pathway approach. In particular, this thesis focuses on the potential for exposure via inhalation of mine waste particulates. The outcomes of the studies presented in this body of work demonstrate that historical gold mine wastes in regional Victoria represent a source of readily ingestible and inhalable particulates characterised by extremely elevated levels of arsenic (and other contaminants) well above their bulk (in situ) concentrations. Although lung bioaccessibility testing and mineralogical analyses revealed that most of the arsenic in inhalable dust has been naturally immobilised, the lung-soluble fraction should be considered when undertaking risk assessments for chronic exposure. This thesis provides a framework for the development of targeted management strategies for unremediated historical gold mining wastes in regional Victoria. The findings suggest there is a need for environmental regulations to shift from generic guideline values to exposure-specific guidelines that more accurately reflect the human health risks posed by historical mine sites. This thesis has emphasised the notion that in order for remedial action to accurately match the level of risk, the sourcepathway- receptor linkage must be evaluated using a systematic size-resolved approach.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Innate-like T cells in patients with cancer
- Authors: Minoda, Yosuke
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Innate-like T cells, including invariant natural killer T (NKT), mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells or g T cells are associated with regulation of anti-tumour responses in humans and mice, although their exact role remains controversial. We have studied innate-like T cells from tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILS), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and bone marrow (BM) derived cells from patients undergoing treatment for cancer and compared their characteristics to cells from healthy donors. We identifed that the overall frequency of innate-like T cells was variably deficient in patients with blood or solid cancers. Interestingly, the deficiency of innate-like T cells appeared to be more severe than that of other T cells suggesting a specific impact. An increased proportion of activated g T cells and MAIT cells suggested they could have a functional role in responses to cancer cells. Despite the deficiency of these subsets in patient tissue samples, we showed that anti-tumour capacity of innate-like T cells was intact as innate-like T cells in most patient groups had a similar cytokine response to stimulation as cells from healthy donors. Finally, we also showed that innate-like T cells appeared not to broadly recognize cancer cells, as no direct impact was identified in their overall frequency or cytokine expression when exposed to autologous tumour cells, cancer lysates or lipids extracted from patient tumours, or colorectal cancer cell lines. This project was aimed at providing an overview of potential defects in innate-like T cells based on my analysis of a wide range of samples in the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute (FECRI) Tissue Bank. As a result of my studies, we have established a clear understanding of innate cells in cancer, which provides a basis for future studies. Our novel findings include analysis of frequency distribution and functional capacity of MAIT cells in solid tumours other than colorectal cancer and in patients with blood cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), multiple myeloma (MM) or other haematological malignancies, something not previously reported. Taken together, we showed that a deficiency of innate-like T cells is common in patient groups with cancer and could be a risk factor for disease and possibly a target for immunotherapies, but the functional capacity was intact for cytokine responses.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Description: Innate-like T cells, including invariant natural killer T (NKT), mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells or
- Authors: Minoda, Yosuke
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Innate-like T cells, including invariant natural killer T (NKT), mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells or g T cells are associated with regulation of anti-tumour responses in humans and mice, although their exact role remains controversial. We have studied innate-like T cells from tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILS), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and bone marrow (BM) derived cells from patients undergoing treatment for cancer and compared their characteristics to cells from healthy donors. We identifed that the overall frequency of innate-like T cells was variably deficient in patients with blood or solid cancers. Interestingly, the deficiency of innate-like T cells appeared to be more severe than that of other T cells suggesting a specific impact. An increased proportion of activated g T cells and MAIT cells suggested they could have a functional role in responses to cancer cells. Despite the deficiency of these subsets in patient tissue samples, we showed that anti-tumour capacity of innate-like T cells was intact as innate-like T cells in most patient groups had a similar cytokine response to stimulation as cells from healthy donors. Finally, we also showed that innate-like T cells appeared not to broadly recognize cancer cells, as no direct impact was identified in their overall frequency or cytokine expression when exposed to autologous tumour cells, cancer lysates or lipids extracted from patient tumours, or colorectal cancer cell lines. This project was aimed at providing an overview of potential defects in innate-like T cells based on my analysis of a wide range of samples in the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute (FECRI) Tissue Bank. As a result of my studies, we have established a clear understanding of innate cells in cancer, which provides a basis for future studies. Our novel findings include analysis of frequency distribution and functional capacity of MAIT cells in solid tumours other than colorectal cancer and in patients with blood cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), multiple myeloma (MM) or other haematological malignancies, something not previously reported. Taken together, we showed that a deficiency of innate-like T cells is common in patient groups with cancer and could be a risk factor for disease and possibly a target for immunotherapies, but the functional capacity was intact for cytokine responses.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Description: Innate-like T cells, including invariant natural killer T (NKT), mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells or
James Curtis and spiritualism in Nineteenth-Century Ballarat
- Authors: Young, Gregory
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis is about the origins, growth, and decline of spiritualism in nineteenth- century Ballarat. It gives special attention to Rustlings in the Golden City, the religious confessions of James Curtis, a notable Ballarat pioneer and the city’s most active and prominent spiritualist believer and evangelist. In Ballarat, spiritualism was commonly regarded as little more than entertaining humbug, usually derided by the press as delusive nonsense. Though clerics occasionally condemned it as heretical and dangerous, few people took spiritualist ideas and practice seriously. Even so, Ballarat had its small core of devout believers. For these, spiritualism provided a route to direct, intuitive, knowledge of the destiny of the spiritual self, comparable to gnostic liberating self-discovery. Rustlings in the Golden City stands as a classic statement of Victorian-era spiritualism and James Curtis has claim to be regarded as Australia’s greatest nineteenth-century spiritualist. While the commitment of many prominent Australian spiritualists of the period was compromised by credulity, bad faith, and self-interest, James Curtis was guileless and sincere. His writings open a window on a neglected area of nineteenth-century Australian social and religious history. The historiography of the thesis is realist and empiricist, with the predominant methodology critical text-analysis. Its chief source is contemporary newspapers and journals and the publications of spiritualists and their opponents and critics.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Young, Gregory
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis is about the origins, growth, and decline of spiritualism in nineteenth- century Ballarat. It gives special attention to Rustlings in the Golden City, the religious confessions of James Curtis, a notable Ballarat pioneer and the city’s most active and prominent spiritualist believer and evangelist. In Ballarat, spiritualism was commonly regarded as little more than entertaining humbug, usually derided by the press as delusive nonsense. Though clerics occasionally condemned it as heretical and dangerous, few people took spiritualist ideas and practice seriously. Even so, Ballarat had its small core of devout believers. For these, spiritualism provided a route to direct, intuitive, knowledge of the destiny of the spiritual self, comparable to gnostic liberating self-discovery. Rustlings in the Golden City stands as a classic statement of Victorian-era spiritualism and James Curtis has claim to be regarded as Australia’s greatest nineteenth-century spiritualist. While the commitment of many prominent Australian spiritualists of the period was compromised by credulity, bad faith, and self-interest, James Curtis was guileless and sincere. His writings open a window on a neglected area of nineteenth-century Australian social and religious history. The historiography of the thesis is realist and empiricist, with the predominant methodology critical text-analysis. Its chief source is contemporary newspapers and journals and the publications of spiritualists and their opponents and critics.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Learning a trade in New Zealand : On and off the job learning in engineering trades
- Authors: Cannan, James
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The engineering trades selected for this study were specifically in the automotive and refrigeration/air-conditioning/electrical disciplines, as they are typical of the engineering discipline trade groups studying at institutes of technology and workplaces as apprentices. This research focused on two trade occupations within the engineering industry and investigated differences between pre-apprentice and apprentice experiences in skills and knowledge acquisition and assessment whilst learning on and off the job; that is, studying vocational education at institutes of technology and engaging in practical activities at the workplace. New Zealand has faced dramatic changes in tertiary education over the past 20 years, particularly in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. As a result of these changes there has been a substantial increase in participation in education and training. There is now a far wider range of courses to cater for the needs of learners in the vocational sector as the New Zealand population grows, along with the engineering trade opportunities that are currently available in the workplace. A qualitative research approach was used including interviews, focus groups and questionnaires. The project consisted of case studies based around cohorts of apprentices and pre-apprentices. Lecturers and employers were also included. The findings of the study will inform discussions on the ways in which learning prior to and in the workplace might be more effectively facilitated and managed in the future. It also raises questions about the effectiveness and quality of current training and assessment of engineering trade programs of study within New Zealand, as well as issues in apprenticeships and attrition within specific trades.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Cannan, James
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The engineering trades selected for this study were specifically in the automotive and refrigeration/air-conditioning/electrical disciplines, as they are typical of the engineering discipline trade groups studying at institutes of technology and workplaces as apprentices. This research focused on two trade occupations within the engineering industry and investigated differences between pre-apprentice and apprentice experiences in skills and knowledge acquisition and assessment whilst learning on and off the job; that is, studying vocational education at institutes of technology and engaging in practical activities at the workplace. New Zealand has faced dramatic changes in tertiary education over the past 20 years, particularly in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. As a result of these changes there has been a substantial increase in participation in education and training. There is now a far wider range of courses to cater for the needs of learners in the vocational sector as the New Zealand population grows, along with the engineering trade opportunities that are currently available in the workplace. A qualitative research approach was used including interviews, focus groups and questionnaires. The project consisted of case studies based around cohorts of apprentices and pre-apprentices. Lecturers and employers were also included. The findings of the study will inform discussions on the ways in which learning prior to and in the workplace might be more effectively facilitated and managed in the future. It also raises questions about the effectiveness and quality of current training and assessment of engineering trade programs of study within New Zealand, as well as issues in apprenticeships and attrition within specific trades.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Manipulating a conditioning activity to enhance potentiation and its application to jumping and sprinting performance
- Authors: O'Grady, Mathew
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Post-activation potentiation (PAP) is the phenomenon where contractile history of a muscle may acutely increase voluntary performance of future contractions that are biomechanically similar (72). In order to exploit the PAP phenomenon, a conditioning activity (CA) is performed to enhance the performance of a subsequent skill. Throughout the literature, a common example of a CA is sets of heavy-loaded squats in order to potentiate subsequent jumping (31,33,39,57,83,116,151,163) or sprinting performance (15,28,39,99). Post-activation potentiation can be used either in a warm-up to acutely enhance performance for competition, or used within a resistance training session to enhance speed-strength, with the intention of producing a greater training stimulus for chronic adaptations. The major issue with the PAP literature is the inconsistent results from study to study. There are many examples within the research that show the positive effects of PAP (44,54,57,62,83,102,133,163), whilst many others have failed to find any increase in performance (42,47,56,81,112,123,141). The results have been inconsistent as the methodology between studies has varied dramatically. These differences include the warm-up used prior to testing sessions, changes in the type of CA (30,54,163), the intensity or load of the CA (19,21,33) and the rest period allocated between the CA and the performance of the skill. Furthermore, it seems that certain individuals respond better to a CA, with most of the literature suggesting that participant strength has a positive correlation with a potentiating response (15,31,44,116,128,129,163). Due to the vast differences in methodologies used throughout the potentiation literature, it is hard for coaches to identify the best practice in order to elicit a positive potentiating effect. Therefore, four studies were designed to address these current gaps within the potentiation literature in order to establish the best methodology to elicit a potentiating response. The first study sought to investigate whether a heavy half-squat CA could further improve jumping after an individualised optimal warm-up. As many of the warm-ups used prior to the baseline measurement in the potentiation research have been insufficient (30,44,69,71,88,102,111,115,140,143,158), it is plausible to suggest that improvements after a CA could be due to general mechanisms of a warm-up, rather than PAP. To investigate this, participants performed six different volumes of warm-ups on six separate days, followed by CMJ and DJ testing. After each participant completed the six warm-ups, their individual optimum warm-up was identified as the warm-up that produced the greatest CMJ relative peak power (RPP). On two separate sessions, a CA of four half-squats at a 5RM load was then added to each individual’s optimum warm-up and a sub-optimum warm-up. Countermovement jump tests were performed before the CA (pre) and then four and eight minutes after the CA. Drop jump testing was performed before the CA (pre) and then six and 10 minutes after the CA. When examining each post-test separately, no improvements in CMJ performance were identified. Furthermore, for both the optimum and sub-optimum warm-up conditions, DJ performance significantly decreased at all post-tests (p < 0.05). When each individuals best recovery period was considered (post-best), both the maximum and mean CMJ jump height significantly increased above baseline measures for the optimum warm-up condition. No other CMJ or DJ variable displayed any significant change after the addition of the CA for either condition. As significant increases in CMJ jump height were identified, the four half-squat CA with a 5RM load was used in the next investigation. Although each individual’s optimum warm-up volume varied, the moderate warm-up volume produced sufficient CMJ performance for all individuals. Considering the time required identifying each individuals optimum warm-up, the moderate warm-up was deemed sufficient and was used for the following studies. The second study of this thesis investigated the acute response of two different CA strategies. Both CAs included four half squats at a 5RM load, however, in one condition participants were instructed to perform the squat in a controlled manner, whilst in the second condition, they were instructed to lift the bar as fast as possible without losing contact with the ground. At any post-time (including post-best), no significant improvement were identified for any CMJ variable in either condition. Furthermore, DJ performance significantly decreased at all post-tests for the explosive CA condition. Although no significant improvements were identified, when each individual’s optimum recovery period was considered, CMJ jump height increased by 2.6% in the explosive CA condition, as opposed to 0.9% in the controlled CA condition. Because of this difference within the means of each condition, for the future studies throughout this thesis, participants were instructed to lift the bar as fast as possible during a heavy half-squat CA. The third study of this thesis compared different volumes of plyometric CAs (rebound jumps) to a CA involving heavy half-squats and assessed the effect each had on potentiating CMJ and sprinting performance. Past research had often used small amounts of plyometric contacts to potentiate future contractions (23,30,143,146,151), however, due to their short duration; they were often not successful in improving performance. For one condition, this study increased the repetitions of plyometric contacts in the CA, so that its duration matched the time under tension exhibited by the four half-squats with a 5RM load. Furthermore, two other plyometric CA conditions were included; one that matched half of the time under tension of the half-squats and one that involved only four repetitions of the rebound jump (match the amount of repetitions of the half-squat). No CA (plyometric or half-squat) displayed statistical significant improvements in CMJ or sprint performance at any post-test interval. For CMJ performance, although it did not significantly improve performance, generally the heavy half-squat CA had smaller decrements in performance than the plyometric CAs, hence the final investigation of this thesis focussed upon different heavy dynamic CAs in order to potentiate CMJ performance. The final study of this thesis firstly aimed to investigate the effect of three different types of half-squat CAs had on potentiating CMJ performance. This study also aimed to explore why certain individuals respond positively to a CA, whilst others respond in a negative manner. At the beginning of this study, participants completed a number of fitness performance tests, to assess each individual’s performance. Participants then assessed the effect of three different CAs on CMJ performance. These CAs included three repetitions of the half-squat with a 3RM load (3 @ 3RM), four repetitions with a 5RM load (4 @ 5RM) and then five repetitions with a 5RM load (5 @ 5RM). In terms of the entire population of the study, after each of the CAs, post-CMJ performance typically decreased across all rest periods, whilst any improvement in particular CMJ variables were considered to only be trivial in terms of effect size magnitudes. Despite this, multiple statistically significant positive correlations were evident between particular fitness qualities (absolute strength, CMJ RPP and aerobic capacity) and the change scores between pre and post-best CMJ performance after certain CAs. Therefore, the participants were median split in terms of each of the following fitness qualities to assess the relationship each quality has on potentiating CMJ performance. When the population was split in terms of absolute strength, the stronger participants significantly improved CMJ performance at their best recovery period after the performance of the 5 @ 5RM CA (three out of the four CMJ variables assessed significantly improved), whilst the weaker individuals showed no significant improvements. A similar trend was exhibited when the population was split in terms of CMJ RPP, with the more powerful individuals improving by small to moderate effect size magnitudes after the 5 @ 5RM CA, whilst the less powerful group did not. From the studies presented in the thesis, it can be concluded that certain recreationally resistance trained males can acutely enhance CMJ performance with the use of a heavy dynamic CA, even after pre-test performance has been optimised by a general warm-up. The optimum recovery period for the individual does need to be considered, as individuals require different amounts of rest to allow for an improvement in performance. Furthermore, the individual needs to have sufficient strength of the lower limbs in order to improve future contractions via the use of the heavy dynamic CA, as individuals with less strength do not improve post-CMJ performance after a CA. In terms of the type of CA used, heavy half-squat seem to be more effective than rebound jumps in order to potentiate CMJ performance. Furthermore, five repetitions with a 5RM load seems more effective than heavier CAs (3 @ 3RM) or ones that have less repetitions (4 @ 5RM) for this particular population.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: O'Grady, Mathew
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Post-activation potentiation (PAP) is the phenomenon where contractile history of a muscle may acutely increase voluntary performance of future contractions that are biomechanically similar (72). In order to exploit the PAP phenomenon, a conditioning activity (CA) is performed to enhance the performance of a subsequent skill. Throughout the literature, a common example of a CA is sets of heavy-loaded squats in order to potentiate subsequent jumping (31,33,39,57,83,116,151,163) or sprinting performance (15,28,39,99). Post-activation potentiation can be used either in a warm-up to acutely enhance performance for competition, or used within a resistance training session to enhance speed-strength, with the intention of producing a greater training stimulus for chronic adaptations. The major issue with the PAP literature is the inconsistent results from study to study. There are many examples within the research that show the positive effects of PAP (44,54,57,62,83,102,133,163), whilst many others have failed to find any increase in performance (42,47,56,81,112,123,141). The results have been inconsistent as the methodology between studies has varied dramatically. These differences include the warm-up used prior to testing sessions, changes in the type of CA (30,54,163), the intensity or load of the CA (19,21,33) and the rest period allocated between the CA and the performance of the skill. Furthermore, it seems that certain individuals respond better to a CA, with most of the literature suggesting that participant strength has a positive correlation with a potentiating response (15,31,44,116,128,129,163). Due to the vast differences in methodologies used throughout the potentiation literature, it is hard for coaches to identify the best practice in order to elicit a positive potentiating effect. Therefore, four studies were designed to address these current gaps within the potentiation literature in order to establish the best methodology to elicit a potentiating response. The first study sought to investigate whether a heavy half-squat CA could further improve jumping after an individualised optimal warm-up. As many of the warm-ups used prior to the baseline measurement in the potentiation research have been insufficient (30,44,69,71,88,102,111,115,140,143,158), it is plausible to suggest that improvements after a CA could be due to general mechanisms of a warm-up, rather than PAP. To investigate this, participants performed six different volumes of warm-ups on six separate days, followed by CMJ and DJ testing. After each participant completed the six warm-ups, their individual optimum warm-up was identified as the warm-up that produced the greatest CMJ relative peak power (RPP). On two separate sessions, a CA of four half-squats at a 5RM load was then added to each individual’s optimum warm-up and a sub-optimum warm-up. Countermovement jump tests were performed before the CA (pre) and then four and eight minutes after the CA. Drop jump testing was performed before the CA (pre) and then six and 10 minutes after the CA. When examining each post-test separately, no improvements in CMJ performance were identified. Furthermore, for both the optimum and sub-optimum warm-up conditions, DJ performance significantly decreased at all post-tests (p < 0.05). When each individuals best recovery period was considered (post-best), both the maximum and mean CMJ jump height significantly increased above baseline measures for the optimum warm-up condition. No other CMJ or DJ variable displayed any significant change after the addition of the CA for either condition. As significant increases in CMJ jump height were identified, the four half-squat CA with a 5RM load was used in the next investigation. Although each individual’s optimum warm-up volume varied, the moderate warm-up volume produced sufficient CMJ performance for all individuals. Considering the time required identifying each individuals optimum warm-up, the moderate warm-up was deemed sufficient and was used for the following studies. The second study of this thesis investigated the acute response of two different CA strategies. Both CAs included four half squats at a 5RM load, however, in one condition participants were instructed to perform the squat in a controlled manner, whilst in the second condition, they were instructed to lift the bar as fast as possible without losing contact with the ground. At any post-time (including post-best), no significant improvement were identified for any CMJ variable in either condition. Furthermore, DJ performance significantly decreased at all post-tests for the explosive CA condition. Although no significant improvements were identified, when each individual’s optimum recovery period was considered, CMJ jump height increased by 2.6% in the explosive CA condition, as opposed to 0.9% in the controlled CA condition. Because of this difference within the means of each condition, for the future studies throughout this thesis, participants were instructed to lift the bar as fast as possible during a heavy half-squat CA. The third study of this thesis compared different volumes of plyometric CAs (rebound jumps) to a CA involving heavy half-squats and assessed the effect each had on potentiating CMJ and sprinting performance. Past research had often used small amounts of plyometric contacts to potentiate future contractions (23,30,143,146,151), however, due to their short duration; they were often not successful in improving performance. For one condition, this study increased the repetitions of plyometric contacts in the CA, so that its duration matched the time under tension exhibited by the four half-squats with a 5RM load. Furthermore, two other plyometric CA conditions were included; one that matched half of the time under tension of the half-squats and one that involved only four repetitions of the rebound jump (match the amount of repetitions of the half-squat). No CA (plyometric or half-squat) displayed statistical significant improvements in CMJ or sprint performance at any post-test interval. For CMJ performance, although it did not significantly improve performance, generally the heavy half-squat CA had smaller decrements in performance than the plyometric CAs, hence the final investigation of this thesis focussed upon different heavy dynamic CAs in order to potentiate CMJ performance. The final study of this thesis firstly aimed to investigate the effect of three different types of half-squat CAs had on potentiating CMJ performance. This study also aimed to explore why certain individuals respond positively to a CA, whilst others respond in a negative manner. At the beginning of this study, participants completed a number of fitness performance tests, to assess each individual’s performance. Participants then assessed the effect of three different CAs on CMJ performance. These CAs included three repetitions of the half-squat with a 3RM load (3 @ 3RM), four repetitions with a 5RM load (4 @ 5RM) and then five repetitions with a 5RM load (5 @ 5RM). In terms of the entire population of the study, after each of the CAs, post-CMJ performance typically decreased across all rest periods, whilst any improvement in particular CMJ variables were considered to only be trivial in terms of effect size magnitudes. Despite this, multiple statistically significant positive correlations were evident between particular fitness qualities (absolute strength, CMJ RPP and aerobic capacity) and the change scores between pre and post-best CMJ performance after certain CAs. Therefore, the participants were median split in terms of each of the following fitness qualities to assess the relationship each quality has on potentiating CMJ performance. When the population was split in terms of absolute strength, the stronger participants significantly improved CMJ performance at their best recovery period after the performance of the 5 @ 5RM CA (three out of the four CMJ variables assessed significantly improved), whilst the weaker individuals showed no significant improvements. A similar trend was exhibited when the population was split in terms of CMJ RPP, with the more powerful individuals improving by small to moderate effect size magnitudes after the 5 @ 5RM CA, whilst the less powerful group did not. From the studies presented in the thesis, it can be concluded that certain recreationally resistance trained males can acutely enhance CMJ performance with the use of a heavy dynamic CA, even after pre-test performance has been optimised by a general warm-up. The optimum recovery period for the individual does need to be considered, as individuals require different amounts of rest to allow for an improvement in performance. Furthermore, the individual needs to have sufficient strength of the lower limbs in order to improve future contractions via the use of the heavy dynamic CA, as individuals with less strength do not improve post-CMJ performance after a CA. In terms of the type of CA used, heavy half-squat seem to be more effective than rebound jumps in order to potentiate CMJ performance. Furthermore, five repetitions with a 5RM load seems more effective than heavier CAs (3 @ 3RM) or ones that have less repetitions (4 @ 5RM) for this particular population.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Misogynology and the impossibility of dwelling
- Authors: Hammond, Richard
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: For Martin Heidegger, the essence of technology—Ge-stell—is a framing and ordering of the world that valorises instrumental-calculative thinking at the direct expense of other forms of thought. As being-in-the-world—a notion that the later Heidegger would re-interpret as belonging-to Being as the mortal of the fourfold—human being is given over to the logos of framing and ordering: technology. In the technological age, human being is ordered into an inauthentic relationship with itself, its environment, and with Being itself. Yet the gatheringsaying of the modern logos is more than a framing of the cosmos into standing reserve, it is also a peculiarly gendered framing of human being. In this thesis I claim that while Heidegger was oblivious to the inherently masculinist aspect of the Western tradition, his thought provides an effective theoretical basis to interrogate invisible systemic gender inequality. In order to demonstrate this I develop an account of Heidegger’s critique of technology by tracing the origins of the critique from Heidegger’s early thinking in Being and Time onwards. This genealogical approach demonstrates the centrality of Heidegger’s critique of technology to his broader project, and facilitates an exploration of the fourfold as a heuristic from which an originary sense of Being (as dwelling) can emerge. By employing Heidegger’s critique of technology to highlight the metaphysical assumptions that frame mainstream debates on pornography, I demonstrate that the pornification of popular culture—now largely synonymous with rape culture—can be interpreted as a significant aspect of the logos of Ge-stell. I argue that rather than remain the purview of masculine privilege, the seeming impossibility of dwelling in the modern age reveals the techno-misogynological framing of Ge-stell.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Hammond, Richard
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: For Martin Heidegger, the essence of technology—Ge-stell—is a framing and ordering of the world that valorises instrumental-calculative thinking at the direct expense of other forms of thought. As being-in-the-world—a notion that the later Heidegger would re-interpret as belonging-to Being as the mortal of the fourfold—human being is given over to the logos of framing and ordering: technology. In the technological age, human being is ordered into an inauthentic relationship with itself, its environment, and with Being itself. Yet the gatheringsaying of the modern logos is more than a framing of the cosmos into standing reserve, it is also a peculiarly gendered framing of human being. In this thesis I claim that while Heidegger was oblivious to the inherently masculinist aspect of the Western tradition, his thought provides an effective theoretical basis to interrogate invisible systemic gender inequality. In order to demonstrate this I develop an account of Heidegger’s critique of technology by tracing the origins of the critique from Heidegger’s early thinking in Being and Time onwards. This genealogical approach demonstrates the centrality of Heidegger’s critique of technology to his broader project, and facilitates an exploration of the fourfold as a heuristic from which an originary sense of Being (as dwelling) can emerge. By employing Heidegger’s critique of technology to highlight the metaphysical assumptions that frame mainstream debates on pornography, I demonstrate that the pornification of popular culture—now largely synonymous with rape culture—can be interpreted as a significant aspect of the logos of Ge-stell. I argue that rather than remain the purview of masculine privilege, the seeming impossibility of dwelling in the modern age reveals the techno-misogynological framing of Ge-stell.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Neurotrophic biomarker change after physical activity and mindfulness interventions
- Authors: England, Gina
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: BACKGROUND AND AIM AND HYPOTHESIS: BDNF, FGF2 and NGF are neurotrophins associated with neuroplasticity, nervous system development and psychiatric disorder in the literature. BDNF in particular is suggested as a useful biomarker of mood disorder. Both mindfulness and physical activity are shown to improve mood, reduce stress and are widely used as part of a multi-component treatment approach, reducing distressing symptoms of mood and affect disorders. The utility of protein level as a biomarker has been controversial in the literature following issues concerning the assessment of peripheral levels as a proxy for central levels. The principal aim of this study was to investigate the gene expression of three neurotrophins BDNF, FGF2 and NGF as potential biomarkers of mood disorder, at an early stage of these disorders, which are now widely recognised as having pathogenesis related to dysregulation in the neuro-immuno-endocrine axis. In addition, the study will explore the effect of both physical activity and mindfulness on neurotrophin expression clarifying the associations between the success of these interventions seen in the literature and their effect on the change of neurotrophin expression. Current literature reports increased levels of BDNF protein both centrally and peripherally following mood disorder treatment and participation in both physical exercise and mindfulness activities. Based on similarity of structure and function amongst the three neurotrophins, this thesis will hypothesize an increase in BDNF and potentially FGF2 and NGF mRNA following participation in the two interventional modules designed to improve wellbeing in clinical and non-clinical communities. METHOD: In this independent measures design, 28 non-clinical volunteers were randomly allocated to an 8 week intervention, comprising digital health tracking modules and participation in an unstructured increase in Physical Activity or Mindfulness program, to assess the effect of these interventions on levels of mRNA expression. RTqPCR was used to compare relative mRNA abundance in peripheral blood at baseline and 8 week time interval. The control group were allocated to a waitlist for the period of the 8 week study, followed by access to the program of their choice. Change in emotional state was measured using the DASS. RESULT: BDNF expression is shown significantly increased (p 0.01, n=5) in the Physical Activity group, and significantly decreased in the Mindfulness group (p 0.01, n=11). FGF2 and waitlisted controls showed no significant change. In the case of NGF no expression was seen in human peripheral blood either before or after the intervention. DASS scores revealed a significant decrease in negative affect in the Mindfulness group p = 0.03. CONCLUSION: This study revealed a significant positive association between physical activity and BDNF mRNA, although no significant reduction in distressing mood symptoms was shown. This was potentially due to the small group size. Mindfulness was significantly associated with decreasing negative affect, despite an unexpected decrease in BDNF mRNA consistent with pathophysiology of depression, likely related to neuro-immunoendocrine axis disturbance as suggested in the published literature. It is suggested decreasing mRNA levels reflect lower numbers of immune activated leucocytes present in the blood following mood improvement, albeit not verified in the study. This study suggests even in a small non-clinical sample there may be potential benefits to well-being by increasing levels of physical activity or becoming mindful, and that BDNF has potential as a biomarker of emotional state.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: England, Gina
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: BACKGROUND AND AIM AND HYPOTHESIS: BDNF, FGF2 and NGF are neurotrophins associated with neuroplasticity, nervous system development and psychiatric disorder in the literature. BDNF in particular is suggested as a useful biomarker of mood disorder. Both mindfulness and physical activity are shown to improve mood, reduce stress and are widely used as part of a multi-component treatment approach, reducing distressing symptoms of mood and affect disorders. The utility of protein level as a biomarker has been controversial in the literature following issues concerning the assessment of peripheral levels as a proxy for central levels. The principal aim of this study was to investigate the gene expression of three neurotrophins BDNF, FGF2 and NGF as potential biomarkers of mood disorder, at an early stage of these disorders, which are now widely recognised as having pathogenesis related to dysregulation in the neuro-immuno-endocrine axis. In addition, the study will explore the effect of both physical activity and mindfulness on neurotrophin expression clarifying the associations between the success of these interventions seen in the literature and their effect on the change of neurotrophin expression. Current literature reports increased levels of BDNF protein both centrally and peripherally following mood disorder treatment and participation in both physical exercise and mindfulness activities. Based on similarity of structure and function amongst the three neurotrophins, this thesis will hypothesize an increase in BDNF and potentially FGF2 and NGF mRNA following participation in the two interventional modules designed to improve wellbeing in clinical and non-clinical communities. METHOD: In this independent measures design, 28 non-clinical volunteers were randomly allocated to an 8 week intervention, comprising digital health tracking modules and participation in an unstructured increase in Physical Activity or Mindfulness program, to assess the effect of these interventions on levels of mRNA expression. RTqPCR was used to compare relative mRNA abundance in peripheral blood at baseline and 8 week time interval. The control group were allocated to a waitlist for the period of the 8 week study, followed by access to the program of their choice. Change in emotional state was measured using the DASS. RESULT: BDNF expression is shown significantly increased (p 0.01, n=5) in the Physical Activity group, and significantly decreased in the Mindfulness group (p 0.01, n=11). FGF2 and waitlisted controls showed no significant change. In the case of NGF no expression was seen in human peripheral blood either before or after the intervention. DASS scores revealed a significant decrease in negative affect in the Mindfulness group p = 0.03. CONCLUSION: This study revealed a significant positive association between physical activity and BDNF mRNA, although no significant reduction in distressing mood symptoms was shown. This was potentially due to the small group size. Mindfulness was significantly associated with decreasing negative affect, despite an unexpected decrease in BDNF mRNA consistent with pathophysiology of depression, likely related to neuro-immunoendocrine axis disturbance as suggested in the published literature. It is suggested decreasing mRNA levels reflect lower numbers of immune activated leucocytes present in the blood following mood improvement, albeit not verified in the study. This study suggests even in a small non-clinical sample there may be potential benefits to well-being by increasing levels of physical activity or becoming mindful, and that BDNF has potential as a biomarker of emotional state.
- Description: Masters by Research
Never give up... : Perceptions of perseverance and its impact on the life and academic success of nine university students
- Authors: Griffiths, Katrina
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Perseverance is a quality which individuals draw on to achieve their goals, despite any challenges they may face, and so is one of the keys to academic and life success. Perseverance is considered to be a positive attribute that can be learned. In this study, how tertiary students understand perseverance, how they acquired it and its role in their lives and learning are explored. The research sample for the study consists of nine pre-service teachers from Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in regional Victoria, Australia. The researcher uses semi-structured interviews, and draws on educational and salutogenic theory and a qualitative methodology. The data has been analysed within the Ecological framework based on the work of McLeroy and colleagues (1988). In the introductory chapter the aims of the study are outlined, perseverance is defined and its significance as a character strength/ attribute is considered. The second chapter, the literature review, explores the extent to which perseverance, along with associated character strengths, has been identified as a significant factor that influences educational achievement and the ability to meet life’s challenges. The third chapter provides justification for applying a qualitative phenomenological methodology, with particular attention to describing both the salutogenic theoretical perspective and the Ecological Model (EM). The fourth chapter, the data analysis, identifies themes within the data and these are discussed with reference to the relationships between the EM layers. The fifth chapter offers the discussion, implications and conclusion of the study. The research findings indicate that all the participants defined perseverance as an attribute or character strength which they called on to overcome challenges and obstacles as they pursued their goals. They associated it with such qualities as persistence, motivation, commitment, focus, goal-setting and strength, amongst others. They recognized perseverance as integral to their academic success as well as to their ability to manage crises and challenges in their lives. They identified multiple contributors to their acquisition of perseverance, including family members, friends and some teachers. Many of the participants identified instances when they made a conscious decision to persevere, and viewed the experience as definitive in their growth as mature people. However, few of the participants considered the schools they attended to have played a significant role in developing their understanding of perseverance or of helping them acquire it, though they were appreciative of those teachers who gave them general support and encouragement. They recognized the importance of schools and teachers explicitly teaching perseverance and supporting its development through positive critique and feedback, and of students experiencing multiple opportunities for practising perseverance at the individual, family, school and policy levels. In educational practice, these conclusions suggest that further research into how best to implement these approaches across all schools would be invaluable.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Description: erseverance is a quality which individuals draw on to achieve their goals, despite any challenges they may face, and so is one of the keys to academic and life success. Perseverance is considered to be a positive attribute that can be learned. In this study, how tertiary students understand perseverance, how they acquired it and its role in their lives and learning are explored. The research sample for the study consists of nine pre-service teachers from Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in regional Victoria, Australia. The researcher uses semi-structured interviews, and draws on educational and salutogenic theory and a qualitative methodology. The data has been analysed within the Ecological framework based on the work of McLeroy and colleagues (1988). In the introductory chapter the aims of the study are outlined, perseverance is defined and its significance as a character strength/ attribute is considered. The second chapter, the literature review, explores the extent to which perseverance, along with associated character strengths, has been identified as a significant factor that influences educational achievement and the ability to meet life’s challenges. The third chapter provides justification for applying a qualitative phenomenological methodology, with particular attention to describing both the salutogenic theoretical perspective and the Ecological Model (EM). The fourth chapter, the data analysis, identifies themes within the data and these are discussed with reference to the relationships between the EM layers. The fifth chapter offers the discussion, implications and conclusion of the study. The research findings indicate that all the participants defined perseverance as an attribute or character strength which they called on to overcome challenges and obstacles as they pursued their goals. They associated it with such qualities as persistence, motivation, commitment, focus, goal-setting and strength, amongst others. They recognized perseverance as integral to their academic success as well as to their ability to manage crises and challenges in their lives. They identified multiple contributors to their acquisition of perseverance, including family members, friends and some teachers. Many of the participants identified instances when they made a conscious decision to persevere, and viewed the experience as definitive in their growth as mature people. However, few of the participants considered the schools they attended to have played a significant role in developing their understanding of perseverance or of helping them acquire it, though they were appreciative of those teachers who gave them general support and encouragement. They recognized the importance of schools and teachers explicitly teaching perseverance and supporting its development through positive critique and feedback, and of students experiencing multiple opportunities for practising perseverance at the individual, family, school and policy levels. In educational practice, these conclusions suggest that further research into how best to implement these approaches across all schools would be invaluable.
- Authors: Griffiths, Katrina
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Perseverance is a quality which individuals draw on to achieve their goals, despite any challenges they may face, and so is one of the keys to academic and life success. Perseverance is considered to be a positive attribute that can be learned. In this study, how tertiary students understand perseverance, how they acquired it and its role in their lives and learning are explored. The research sample for the study consists of nine pre-service teachers from Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in regional Victoria, Australia. The researcher uses semi-structured interviews, and draws on educational and salutogenic theory and a qualitative methodology. The data has been analysed within the Ecological framework based on the work of McLeroy and colleagues (1988). In the introductory chapter the aims of the study are outlined, perseverance is defined and its significance as a character strength/ attribute is considered. The second chapter, the literature review, explores the extent to which perseverance, along with associated character strengths, has been identified as a significant factor that influences educational achievement and the ability to meet life’s challenges. The third chapter provides justification for applying a qualitative phenomenological methodology, with particular attention to describing both the salutogenic theoretical perspective and the Ecological Model (EM). The fourth chapter, the data analysis, identifies themes within the data and these are discussed with reference to the relationships between the EM layers. The fifth chapter offers the discussion, implications and conclusion of the study. The research findings indicate that all the participants defined perseverance as an attribute or character strength which they called on to overcome challenges and obstacles as they pursued their goals. They associated it with such qualities as persistence, motivation, commitment, focus, goal-setting and strength, amongst others. They recognized perseverance as integral to their academic success as well as to their ability to manage crises and challenges in their lives. They identified multiple contributors to their acquisition of perseverance, including family members, friends and some teachers. Many of the participants identified instances when they made a conscious decision to persevere, and viewed the experience as definitive in their growth as mature people. However, few of the participants considered the schools they attended to have played a significant role in developing their understanding of perseverance or of helping them acquire it, though they were appreciative of those teachers who gave them general support and encouragement. They recognized the importance of schools and teachers explicitly teaching perseverance and supporting its development through positive critique and feedback, and of students experiencing multiple opportunities for practising perseverance at the individual, family, school and policy levels. In educational practice, these conclusions suggest that further research into how best to implement these approaches across all schools would be invaluable.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Description: erseverance is a quality which individuals draw on to achieve their goals, despite any challenges they may face, and so is one of the keys to academic and life success. Perseverance is considered to be a positive attribute that can be learned. In this study, how tertiary students understand perseverance, how they acquired it and its role in their lives and learning are explored. The research sample for the study consists of nine pre-service teachers from Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in regional Victoria, Australia. The researcher uses semi-structured interviews, and draws on educational and salutogenic theory and a qualitative methodology. The data has been analysed within the Ecological framework based on the work of McLeroy and colleagues (1988). In the introductory chapter the aims of the study are outlined, perseverance is defined and its significance as a character strength/ attribute is considered. The second chapter, the literature review, explores the extent to which perseverance, along with associated character strengths, has been identified as a significant factor that influences educational achievement and the ability to meet life’s challenges. The third chapter provides justification for applying a qualitative phenomenological methodology, with particular attention to describing both the salutogenic theoretical perspective and the Ecological Model (EM). The fourth chapter, the data analysis, identifies themes within the data and these are discussed with reference to the relationships between the EM layers. The fifth chapter offers the discussion, implications and conclusion of the study. The research findings indicate that all the participants defined perseverance as an attribute or character strength which they called on to overcome challenges and obstacles as they pursued their goals. They associated it with such qualities as persistence, motivation, commitment, focus, goal-setting and strength, amongst others. They recognized perseverance as integral to their academic success as well as to their ability to manage crises and challenges in their lives. They identified multiple contributors to their acquisition of perseverance, including family members, friends and some teachers. Many of the participants identified instances when they made a conscious decision to persevere, and viewed the experience as definitive in their growth as mature people. However, few of the participants considered the schools they attended to have played a significant role in developing their understanding of perseverance or of helping them acquire it, though they were appreciative of those teachers who gave them general support and encouragement. They recognized the importance of schools and teachers explicitly teaching perseverance and supporting its development through positive critique and feedback, and of students experiencing multiple opportunities for practising perseverance at the individual, family, school and policy levels. In educational practice, these conclusions suggest that further research into how best to implement these approaches across all schools would be invaluable.
Optimising the management of invasive aquatic plants targeted for extirpation from catchments and waterways : Utilising alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.) as a target species
- Authors: Clements, Daniel
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Aquatic plants are integral components of freshwater ecosystems and provide essential ecosystem services. However, when invasive species establish in new aquatic environments, there are few natural checks and balances to inhibit their growth and spread. Overabundant aquatic vegetation can harm aquatic systems if left unchecked and negatively impact on agricultural productivity, social amenity and biodiversity values. Prevention and early intervention are recognised as the most cost effective means to manage invasive species that pose a biosecurity risk. This thesis contributes to the development of effective management strategies for one of the world’s most invasive aquatic plant species, known as alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.). It focusses on developing management strategies in an early stage of invasion, in order to achieve extirpation of this species from catchments and waterways. Developing effective detection and surveillance strategies are required for invasive aquatic plants, as a key impediment to achieving extirpation is the ability to detect infestations, so that control strategies can be enacted. This thesis investigates the effectiveness of aerial surveillance for detection of alligator weed at different spatial scales, using high altitude aerial imagery (orthophotos) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology. An examination of the growth rate of alligator weed in Victoria, Australia, over a five year period, demonstrates the effective use of orthophotos to detect and monitor large infestations of aquatic alligator weed. The efficacy of unmanned aerial vehicle technology, including the use of automated algorithms, to detect patches of alligator weed growing in waterways is evaluated against current detection techniques. Effective management of invasive aquatic plants targeted for extirpation requires the coupling of effective detection and control efforts to prevent reproduction. To date, development of control strategies for aquatic alligator weed has been limited to evaluating the efficacy of short-term control at a local scale without regard to the effects of management strategies on dispersal of propagules throughout catchments. This thesis determines that viable alligator weed stem fragments are produced following herbicide application, which comprises extirpation efforts. This thesis has gone further than current practice in that it has evaluated the efficacy of current and novel control techniques, in both laboratory and field trials and has developed methods to manage viable fragment production post-herbicide application, to limit dispersal throughout catchments. In this respect, the application of the herbicides glyphosate, metsulfuron-methyl and imazapyr, and their effectiveness when incorporating surfactant systems and plant growth regulators, have been evaluated in field and laboratory studies to optimise control techniques for aquatic alligator weed. Results have shown that our approaches, when used in an early stage of invasion, are capable of eliminating patches of alligator weed in two to three years. Integral to the research is an experiment to determine the effect of herbicide treatments on the production of alligator weed stem fragments and their subsequent viability. Further investigation to determine the usefulness of commercially available plant growth regulators (PGRs) to reduce the number of viable propagules produced by alligator weed post-herbicide application was found to be ineffective. This thesis also evaluates the impact of herbicides and surfactant systems, on all key alligator weed response metrics in aquatic environments including; above ground biomass, below ground biomass and viable stem fragmentation. No previous studies have looked simultaneously at these three important measures for determining the efficacy of a particular control regime, and we have determined that this is essential for effective management of aquatic alligator weed in an early stage of invasion. The thesis has underscored the notion that development of more effective management strategies, based upon experimental trials, will result in an increased likelihood of eradicating invasive aquatic plants that pose a biosecurity risk, and thus move toward the mitigation of the threat that high-risk species pose to aquatic ecosystems. PLEASE NOTE: Portions of the full text have been removed due to copyright restrictions.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Clements, Daniel
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Aquatic plants are integral components of freshwater ecosystems and provide essential ecosystem services. However, when invasive species establish in new aquatic environments, there are few natural checks and balances to inhibit their growth and spread. Overabundant aquatic vegetation can harm aquatic systems if left unchecked and negatively impact on agricultural productivity, social amenity and biodiversity values. Prevention and early intervention are recognised as the most cost effective means to manage invasive species that pose a biosecurity risk. This thesis contributes to the development of effective management strategies for one of the world’s most invasive aquatic plant species, known as alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.). It focusses on developing management strategies in an early stage of invasion, in order to achieve extirpation of this species from catchments and waterways. Developing effective detection and surveillance strategies are required for invasive aquatic plants, as a key impediment to achieving extirpation is the ability to detect infestations, so that control strategies can be enacted. This thesis investigates the effectiveness of aerial surveillance for detection of alligator weed at different spatial scales, using high altitude aerial imagery (orthophotos) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology. An examination of the growth rate of alligator weed in Victoria, Australia, over a five year period, demonstrates the effective use of orthophotos to detect and monitor large infestations of aquatic alligator weed. The efficacy of unmanned aerial vehicle technology, including the use of automated algorithms, to detect patches of alligator weed growing in waterways is evaluated against current detection techniques. Effective management of invasive aquatic plants targeted for extirpation requires the coupling of effective detection and control efforts to prevent reproduction. To date, development of control strategies for aquatic alligator weed has been limited to evaluating the efficacy of short-term control at a local scale without regard to the effects of management strategies on dispersal of propagules throughout catchments. This thesis determines that viable alligator weed stem fragments are produced following herbicide application, which comprises extirpation efforts. This thesis has gone further than current practice in that it has evaluated the efficacy of current and novel control techniques, in both laboratory and field trials and has developed methods to manage viable fragment production post-herbicide application, to limit dispersal throughout catchments. In this respect, the application of the herbicides glyphosate, metsulfuron-methyl and imazapyr, and their effectiveness when incorporating surfactant systems and plant growth regulators, have been evaluated in field and laboratory studies to optimise control techniques for aquatic alligator weed. Results have shown that our approaches, when used in an early stage of invasion, are capable of eliminating patches of alligator weed in two to three years. Integral to the research is an experiment to determine the effect of herbicide treatments on the production of alligator weed stem fragments and their subsequent viability. Further investigation to determine the usefulness of commercially available plant growth regulators (PGRs) to reduce the number of viable propagules produced by alligator weed post-herbicide application was found to be ineffective. This thesis also evaluates the impact of herbicides and surfactant systems, on all key alligator weed response metrics in aquatic environments including; above ground biomass, below ground biomass and viable stem fragmentation. No previous studies have looked simultaneously at these three important measures for determining the efficacy of a particular control regime, and we have determined that this is essential for effective management of aquatic alligator weed in an early stage of invasion. The thesis has underscored the notion that development of more effective management strategies, based upon experimental trials, will result in an increased likelihood of eradicating invasive aquatic plants that pose a biosecurity risk, and thus move toward the mitigation of the threat that high-risk species pose to aquatic ecosystems. PLEASE NOTE: Portions of the full text have been removed due to copyright restrictions.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Perceived organisational support and expatriation in Ghana
- Authors: Sokro, Evans
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis explores the relationship between perceived organisational support and expatriation outcomes in host subsidiaries of multinational companies. While multinationals depend on expatriates to manage their foreign subsidiaries, successful expatriation is influenced by expatriates’ cross-cultural adjustment to the host country’s environments. Although Ghana has witnessed a substantial growth in the number of foreign subsidiaries operating in various sectors of the country’s economy, support structures have not been well researched in terms of how host organisations manage expatriation, considered from an African perspective. Adopting a positivist research approach, this study surveyed 229 expatriates working in foreign subsidiaries of multinational companies based in Ghana. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the model and hypothesised relationships. The test of the hypothesised model reveals that support from the organisation and host employees has significant positive effects on expatriation. Specifically, the study shows that perceived organisational support positively relates to expatriate assignment completion and career development. Host-country nationals’ support has a significant effect on expatriate adjustment to the work environment but no effect on Ghanaian cultural adjustment. The empirical results indicate that headquarters-subsidiary coordination has significant positive effects on expatriate adjustment to the host country’s environment and on how the subsidiary is shaped through knowledge transfer. In contrast, Ghanaian cultural adjustment was found to have a negative impact on assignment completion and shaping of the subsidiary. Furthermore, while assignment completion is positively related to career and professional skills development, shaping the subsidiary has a direct effect on overall success. Career development and overall success are significantly associated with expatriate satisfaction. This thesis concludes by discussing the implications of the findings of the study for both theory and practice. The limitations of the study are acknowledged and explained. Several recommendations for future research are detailed to ensure successful expatriation in sub-Saharan Africa in general.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Sokro, Evans
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis explores the relationship between perceived organisational support and expatriation outcomes in host subsidiaries of multinational companies. While multinationals depend on expatriates to manage their foreign subsidiaries, successful expatriation is influenced by expatriates’ cross-cultural adjustment to the host country’s environments. Although Ghana has witnessed a substantial growth in the number of foreign subsidiaries operating in various sectors of the country’s economy, support structures have not been well researched in terms of how host organisations manage expatriation, considered from an African perspective. Adopting a positivist research approach, this study surveyed 229 expatriates working in foreign subsidiaries of multinational companies based in Ghana. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the model and hypothesised relationships. The test of the hypothesised model reveals that support from the organisation and host employees has significant positive effects on expatriation. Specifically, the study shows that perceived organisational support positively relates to expatriate assignment completion and career development. Host-country nationals’ support has a significant effect on expatriate adjustment to the work environment but no effect on Ghanaian cultural adjustment. The empirical results indicate that headquarters-subsidiary coordination has significant positive effects on expatriate adjustment to the host country’s environment and on how the subsidiary is shaped through knowledge transfer. In contrast, Ghanaian cultural adjustment was found to have a negative impact on assignment completion and shaping of the subsidiary. Furthermore, while assignment completion is positively related to career and professional skills development, shaping the subsidiary has a direct effect on overall success. Career development and overall success are significantly associated with expatriate satisfaction. This thesis concludes by discussing the implications of the findings of the study for both theory and practice. The limitations of the study are acknowledged and explained. Several recommendations for future research are detailed to ensure successful expatriation in sub-Saharan Africa in general.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Pixel N-grams for Mammographic Image Classification
- Authors: Kulkarni, Pradnya
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: X-ray screening for breast cancer is an important public health initiative in the management of a leading cause of death for women. However, screening is expensive if mammograms are required to be manually assessed by radiologists. Moreover, manual screening is subject to perception and interpretation errors. Computer aided detection/diagnosis (CAD) systems can help radiologists as computer algorithms are good at performing image analysis consistently and repetitively. However, image features that enhance CAD classification accuracies are necessary for CAD systems to be deployed. Many CAD systems have been developed but the specificity and sensitivity is not high; in part because of challenges inherent in identifying effective features to be initially extracted from raw images. Existing feature extraction techniques can be grouped under three main approaches; statistical, spectral and structural. Statistical and spectral techniques provide global image features but often fail to distinguish between local pattern variations within an image. On the other hand, structural approach have given rise to the Bag-of-Visual-Words (BoVW) model, which captures local variations in an image, but typically do not consider spatial relationships between the visual “words”. Moreover, statistical features and features based on BoVW models are computationally very expensive. Similarly, structural feature computation methods other than BoVW are also computationally expensive and strongly dependent upon algorithms that can segment an image to localize a region of interest likely to contain the tumour. Thus, classification algorithms using structural features require high resource computers. In order for a radiologist to classify the lesions on low resource computers such as Ipads, Tablets, and Mobile phones, in a remote location, it is necessary to develop computationally inexpensive classification algorithms. Therefore, the overarching aim of this research is to discover a feature extraction/image representation model which can be used to classify mammographic lesions with high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity along with low computational cost. For this purpose a novel feature extraction technique called ‘Pixel N-grams’ is proposed. The Pixel N-grams approach is inspired from the character N-gram concept in text categorization. Here, N number of consecutive pixel intensities are considered in a particular direction. The image is then represented with the help of histogram of occurrences of the Pixel N-grams in an image. Shape and texture of mammographic lesions play an important role in determining the malignancy of the lesion. It was hypothesized that the Pixel N-grams would be able to distinguish between various textures and shapes. Experiments carried out on benchmark texture databases and binary basic shapes database have demonstrated that the hypothesis was correct. Moreover, the Pixel N-grams were able to distinguish between various shapes irrespective of size and location of shape in an image. The efficacy of the Pixel N-gram technique was tested on mammographic database of primary digital mammograms sourced from a radiological facility in Australia (LakeImaging Pty Ltd) and secondary digital mammograms (benchmark miniMIAS database). A senior radiologist from LakeImaging provided real time de-identified high resolution mammogram images with annotated regions of interests (which were used as groundtruth), and valuable radiological diagnostic knowledge. Two types of classifications were observed on these two datasets. Normal/abnormal classification useful for automated screening and circumscribed/speculation/normal classification useful for automated diagnosis of breast cancer. The classification results on both the mammography datasets using Pixel N-grams were promising. Classification performance (Fscore, sensitivity and specificity) using Pixel N-gram technique was observed to be significantly better than the existing techniques such as intensity histogram, co-occurrence matrix based features and comparable with the BoVW features. Further, Pixel N-gram features are found to be computationally less complex than the co-occurrence matrix based features as well as BoVW features paving the way for mammogram classification on low resource computers. Although, the Pixel N-gram technique was designed for mammographic classification, it could be applied to other image classification applications such as diabetic retinopathy, histopathological image classification, lung tumour detection using CT images, brain tumour detection using MRI images, wound image classification and tooth decay classification using dentistry x-ray images. Further, texture and shape classification is also useful for classification of real world images outside the medical domain. Therefore, the pixel N-gram technique could be extended for applications such as classification of satellite imagery and other object detection tasks.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Kulkarni, Pradnya
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: X-ray screening for breast cancer is an important public health initiative in the management of a leading cause of death for women. However, screening is expensive if mammograms are required to be manually assessed by radiologists. Moreover, manual screening is subject to perception and interpretation errors. Computer aided detection/diagnosis (CAD) systems can help radiologists as computer algorithms are good at performing image analysis consistently and repetitively. However, image features that enhance CAD classification accuracies are necessary for CAD systems to be deployed. Many CAD systems have been developed but the specificity and sensitivity is not high; in part because of challenges inherent in identifying effective features to be initially extracted from raw images. Existing feature extraction techniques can be grouped under three main approaches; statistical, spectral and structural. Statistical and spectral techniques provide global image features but often fail to distinguish between local pattern variations within an image. On the other hand, structural approach have given rise to the Bag-of-Visual-Words (BoVW) model, which captures local variations in an image, but typically do not consider spatial relationships between the visual “words”. Moreover, statistical features and features based on BoVW models are computationally very expensive. Similarly, structural feature computation methods other than BoVW are also computationally expensive and strongly dependent upon algorithms that can segment an image to localize a region of interest likely to contain the tumour. Thus, classification algorithms using structural features require high resource computers. In order for a radiologist to classify the lesions on low resource computers such as Ipads, Tablets, and Mobile phones, in a remote location, it is necessary to develop computationally inexpensive classification algorithms. Therefore, the overarching aim of this research is to discover a feature extraction/image representation model which can be used to classify mammographic lesions with high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity along with low computational cost. For this purpose a novel feature extraction technique called ‘Pixel N-grams’ is proposed. The Pixel N-grams approach is inspired from the character N-gram concept in text categorization. Here, N number of consecutive pixel intensities are considered in a particular direction. The image is then represented with the help of histogram of occurrences of the Pixel N-grams in an image. Shape and texture of mammographic lesions play an important role in determining the malignancy of the lesion. It was hypothesized that the Pixel N-grams would be able to distinguish between various textures and shapes. Experiments carried out on benchmark texture databases and binary basic shapes database have demonstrated that the hypothesis was correct. Moreover, the Pixel N-grams were able to distinguish between various shapes irrespective of size and location of shape in an image. The efficacy of the Pixel N-gram technique was tested on mammographic database of primary digital mammograms sourced from a radiological facility in Australia (LakeImaging Pty Ltd) and secondary digital mammograms (benchmark miniMIAS database). A senior radiologist from LakeImaging provided real time de-identified high resolution mammogram images with annotated regions of interests (which were used as groundtruth), and valuable radiological diagnostic knowledge. Two types of classifications were observed on these two datasets. Normal/abnormal classification useful for automated screening and circumscribed/speculation/normal classification useful for automated diagnosis of breast cancer. The classification results on both the mammography datasets using Pixel N-grams were promising. Classification performance (Fscore, sensitivity and specificity) using Pixel N-gram technique was observed to be significantly better than the existing techniques such as intensity histogram, co-occurrence matrix based features and comparable with the BoVW features. Further, Pixel N-gram features are found to be computationally less complex than the co-occurrence matrix based features as well as BoVW features paving the way for mammogram classification on low resource computers. Although, the Pixel N-gram technique was designed for mammographic classification, it could be applied to other image classification applications such as diabetic retinopathy, histopathological image classification, lung tumour detection using CT images, brain tumour detection using MRI images, wound image classification and tooth decay classification using dentistry x-ray images. Further, texture and shape classification is also useful for classification of real world images outside the medical domain. Therefore, the pixel N-gram technique could be extended for applications such as classification of satellite imagery and other object detection tasks.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Rainfall prediction in Australia : Clusterwise linear regression approach
- Authors: Mahmood, Arshad
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Accurate rainfall prediction is a challenging task because of the complex physical processes involved. This complexity is compounded in Australia as the climate can be highly variable. Accurate rainfall prediction is immensely benecial for making informed policy, planning and management decisions, and can assist with the most sustainable operation of water resource systems. Short-term prediction of rainfall is provided by meteorological services; however, the intermediate to long-term prediction of rainfall remains challenging and contains much uncertainty. Many prediction approaches have been proposed in the literature, including statistical and computational intelligence approaches. However, finding a method to model the complex physical process of rainfall, especially in Australia where the climate is highly variable, is still a major challenge. The aims of this study are to: (a) develop an optimization based clusterwise linear regression method, (b) develop new prediction methods based on clusterwise linear regression, (c) assess the influence of geographic regions on the performance of prediction models in predicting monthly and weekly rainfall in Australia, (d) determine the combined influence of meteorological variables on rainfall prediction in Australia, and (e) carry out a comparative analysis of new and existing prediction techniques using Australian rainfall data. In this study, rainfall data with five input meteorological variables from 24 geographically diverse weather stations in Australia, over the period January 1970 to December 2014, have been taken from the Scientific Information for Land Owners (SILO). We also consider the climate zones when selecting weather stations, because Australia experiences a variety of climates due to its size. The data was divided into training and testing periods for evaluation purposes. In this study, optimization based clusterwise linear regression is modified and new prediction methods are developed for rainfall prediction. The proposed method is applied to predict monthly and weekly rainfall. The prediction performance of the clusterwise linear regression method was evaluated by comparing observed and predicted rainfall values using the performance measures: root mean squared error, the mean absolute error, the mean absolute scaled error and the Nash-Sutclie coefficient of efficiency. The proposed method is also compared with the clusterwise linear regression based on the maximum likelihood estimation, linear support vector machines for regression, support vector machines for regression with radial basis kernel function, multiple linear regression, artificial neural networks with and without hidden layer and k-nearest neighbours methods using computational results. Initially, to determine the appropriate input variables to be used in the investigation, we assessed all combinations of meteorological variables. The results confirm that single meteorological variables alone are unable to predict rainfall accurately. The prediction performance of all selected models was improved by adding the input variables in most locations. To assess the influence of geographic regions on the performance of prediction models and to compare the prediction performance of models, we trained models with the best combination of input variables and predicted monthly and weekly rainfall over the test periods. The results of this analysis confirm that the prediction performance of all selected models varied considerably with geographic regions for both weekly and monthly rainfall predictions. It is found that models have the lowest prediction error in the desert climate zone and highest in subtropical and tropical zones. The results also demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is capable of finding the patterns and trends of the observations for monthly and weekly rainfall predictions in all geographic regions. In desert, tropical and subtropical climate zones, the proposed method outperform other methods in most locations for both monthly and weekly rainfall predictions. In temperate and grassland zones the prediction performance of the proposed model is better in some locations while in the remaining locations it is slightly lower than the other models.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Description: Accurate rainfall prediction is a challenging task because of the complex physical processes involved. This complexity is compounded in Australia as the climate can be highly variable. Accurate rainfall prediction is immensely benecial for making informed policy, planning and management decisions, and can assist with the most sustainable operation of water resource systems. Short-term prediction of rainfall is provided by meteorological services; however, the intermediate to long-term prediction of rainfall remains challenging and contains much uncertainty. Many prediction approaches have been proposed in the literature, including statistical and computational intelligence approaches. However, finding a method to model the complex physical process of rainfall, especially in Australia where the climate is highly variable, is still a major challenge. The aims of this study are to: (a) develop an optimization based clusterwise linear regression method, (b) develop new prediction methods based on clusterwise linear regression, (c) assess the influence of geographic regions on the performance of prediction models in predicting monthly and weekly rainfall in Australia, (d) determine the combined influence of meteorological variables on rainfall prediction in Australia, and (e) carry out a comparative analysis of new and existing prediction techniques using Australian rainfall data. In this study, rainfall data with five input meteorological variables from 24 geographically diverse weather stations in Australia, over the period January 1970 to December 2014, have been taken from the Scientific Information for Land Owners (SILO). We also consider the climate zones when selecting weather stations, because Australia experiences a variety of climates due to its size. The data was divided into training and testing periods for evaluation purposes. In this study, optimization based clusterwise linear regression is modified and new prediction methods are developed for rainfall prediction. The proposed method is applied to predict monthly and weekly rainfall. The prediction performance of the clusterwise linear regression method was evaluated by comparing observed and predicted rainfall values using the performance measures: root mean squared error, the mean absolute error, the mean absolute scaled error and the Nash-Sutclie coefficient of efficiency. The proposed method is also compared with the clusterwise linear regression based on the maximum likelihood estimation, linear support vector machines for regression, support vector machines for regression with radial basis kernel function, multiple linear regression, artificial neural networks with and without hidden layer and k-nearest neighbors methods using computational results. Initially, to determine the appropriate input variables to be used in the investigation, we assessed all combinations of meteorological variables. The results confirm that single meteorological variables alone are unable to predict rainfall accurately. The prediction performance of all selected models was improved by adding the input variables in most locations. To assess the influence of geographic regions on the performance of prediction models and to compare the prediction performance of models, we trained models with the best combination of input variables and predicted monthly and weekly rainfall over the test periods. The results of this analysis confirm that the prediction performance of all selected models varied considerably with geographic regions for both weekly and monthly rainfall predictions. It is found that models have the lowest prediction error in the desert climate zone and highest in subtropical and tropical zones. The results also demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is capable of finding the patterns and trends of the observations for monthly and weekly rainfall predictions in all geographic regions. In desert, tropical and subtropical climate zones, the proposed method outperform other methods in most locations for both monthly and weekly rainfall predictions. In temperate and grassland zones the prediction performance of the proposed model is better in some locations while in the remaining locations it is slightly lower than the other models.
- Authors: Mahmood, Arshad
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Accurate rainfall prediction is a challenging task because of the complex physical processes involved. This complexity is compounded in Australia as the climate can be highly variable. Accurate rainfall prediction is immensely benecial for making informed policy, planning and management decisions, and can assist with the most sustainable operation of water resource systems. Short-term prediction of rainfall is provided by meteorological services; however, the intermediate to long-term prediction of rainfall remains challenging and contains much uncertainty. Many prediction approaches have been proposed in the literature, including statistical and computational intelligence approaches. However, finding a method to model the complex physical process of rainfall, especially in Australia where the climate is highly variable, is still a major challenge. The aims of this study are to: (a) develop an optimization based clusterwise linear regression method, (b) develop new prediction methods based on clusterwise linear regression, (c) assess the influence of geographic regions on the performance of prediction models in predicting monthly and weekly rainfall in Australia, (d) determine the combined influence of meteorological variables on rainfall prediction in Australia, and (e) carry out a comparative analysis of new and existing prediction techniques using Australian rainfall data. In this study, rainfall data with five input meteorological variables from 24 geographically diverse weather stations in Australia, over the period January 1970 to December 2014, have been taken from the Scientific Information for Land Owners (SILO). We also consider the climate zones when selecting weather stations, because Australia experiences a variety of climates due to its size. The data was divided into training and testing periods for evaluation purposes. In this study, optimization based clusterwise linear regression is modified and new prediction methods are developed for rainfall prediction. The proposed method is applied to predict monthly and weekly rainfall. The prediction performance of the clusterwise linear regression method was evaluated by comparing observed and predicted rainfall values using the performance measures: root mean squared error, the mean absolute error, the mean absolute scaled error and the Nash-Sutclie coefficient of efficiency. The proposed method is also compared with the clusterwise linear regression based on the maximum likelihood estimation, linear support vector machines for regression, support vector machines for regression with radial basis kernel function, multiple linear regression, artificial neural networks with and without hidden layer and k-nearest neighbours methods using computational results. Initially, to determine the appropriate input variables to be used in the investigation, we assessed all combinations of meteorological variables. The results confirm that single meteorological variables alone are unable to predict rainfall accurately. The prediction performance of all selected models was improved by adding the input variables in most locations. To assess the influence of geographic regions on the performance of prediction models and to compare the prediction performance of models, we trained models with the best combination of input variables and predicted monthly and weekly rainfall over the test periods. The results of this analysis confirm that the prediction performance of all selected models varied considerably with geographic regions for both weekly and monthly rainfall predictions. It is found that models have the lowest prediction error in the desert climate zone and highest in subtropical and tropical zones. The results also demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is capable of finding the patterns and trends of the observations for monthly and weekly rainfall predictions in all geographic regions. In desert, tropical and subtropical climate zones, the proposed method outperform other methods in most locations for both monthly and weekly rainfall predictions. In temperate and grassland zones the prediction performance of the proposed model is better in some locations while in the remaining locations it is slightly lower than the other models.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Description: Accurate rainfall prediction is a challenging task because of the complex physical processes involved. This complexity is compounded in Australia as the climate can be highly variable. Accurate rainfall prediction is immensely benecial for making informed policy, planning and management decisions, and can assist with the most sustainable operation of water resource systems. Short-term prediction of rainfall is provided by meteorological services; however, the intermediate to long-term prediction of rainfall remains challenging and contains much uncertainty. Many prediction approaches have been proposed in the literature, including statistical and computational intelligence approaches. However, finding a method to model the complex physical process of rainfall, especially in Australia where the climate is highly variable, is still a major challenge. The aims of this study are to: (a) develop an optimization based clusterwise linear regression method, (b) develop new prediction methods based on clusterwise linear regression, (c) assess the influence of geographic regions on the performance of prediction models in predicting monthly and weekly rainfall in Australia, (d) determine the combined influence of meteorological variables on rainfall prediction in Australia, and (e) carry out a comparative analysis of new and existing prediction techniques using Australian rainfall data. In this study, rainfall data with five input meteorological variables from 24 geographically diverse weather stations in Australia, over the period January 1970 to December 2014, have been taken from the Scientific Information for Land Owners (SILO). We also consider the climate zones when selecting weather stations, because Australia experiences a variety of climates due to its size. The data was divided into training and testing periods for evaluation purposes. In this study, optimization based clusterwise linear regression is modified and new prediction methods are developed for rainfall prediction. The proposed method is applied to predict monthly and weekly rainfall. The prediction performance of the clusterwise linear regression method was evaluated by comparing observed and predicted rainfall values using the performance measures: root mean squared error, the mean absolute error, the mean absolute scaled error and the Nash-Sutclie coefficient of efficiency. The proposed method is also compared with the clusterwise linear regression based on the maximum likelihood estimation, linear support vector machines for regression, support vector machines for regression with radial basis kernel function, multiple linear regression, artificial neural networks with and without hidden layer and k-nearest neighbors methods using computational results. Initially, to determine the appropriate input variables to be used in the investigation, we assessed all combinations of meteorological variables. The results confirm that single meteorological variables alone are unable to predict rainfall accurately. The prediction performance of all selected models was improved by adding the input variables in most locations. To assess the influence of geographic regions on the performance of prediction models and to compare the prediction performance of models, we trained models with the best combination of input variables and predicted monthly and weekly rainfall over the test periods. The results of this analysis confirm that the prediction performance of all selected models varied considerably with geographic regions for both weekly and monthly rainfall predictions. It is found that models have the lowest prediction error in the desert climate zone and highest in subtropical and tropical zones. The results also demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is capable of finding the patterns and trends of the observations for monthly and weekly rainfall predictions in all geographic regions. In desert, tropical and subtropical climate zones, the proposed method outperform other methods in most locations for both monthly and weekly rainfall predictions. In temperate and grassland zones the prediction performance of the proposed model is better in some locations while in the remaining locations it is slightly lower than the other models.
Reducing climate change related fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from operational longwall coal mines
- Authors: Holmes, Robert
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The aim of this research is to quantify and validate a method which can significantly reduce fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from collieries in Australia, both cost-effectively and safely. Methane (CH₄) is controlled in collieries currently only for safety, statutory compliance or for capture and use reasons. But today, there is pressure on collieries to reduce not only mining costs but their greenhouse gas emissions. It is known that 65% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with collieries come from fugitive ventilation air methane (VAM). The oxidising machinery to mitigate these fugitive emissions is expensive, has safety concerns and is not widely used at present for these reasons. But widespread concern over GHG emissions means that it is desirable to lower VAM emissions now. One safe, low-cost and non-gas drainage solution explored herein to reduce emissions, is a method to prevent some CH₄ from entering the mine airstream and becoming VAM in the first place. This emissions reduction method underwent a 12-month trial in a colliery in the Hunter Valley using six different quantified and costed non-gas drainage measures. All relevant data was retained, and with the mine’s permission has been processed and published here as a part of this research. A reduction in fugitive emissions of 95,398 t/CO₂-e below that projected for the subsequent 12 months was quantified, at a mitigation cost of A$1.08 t/CO₂-e. The level of mitigation achieved, represents approximately 20% of the mine’s VAM emissions. This research has also further tested the method used in the Hunter Valley trial, by visiting two other large collieries in Queensland, and assessing the two most successful mitigation measures from the Hunter Valley trial (roadway sealing and pressure balancing of sealed panels) against operational conditions at these collieries by ventilation modelling, using their measured gas, airflow and seal pressure data.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Holmes, Robert
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The aim of this research is to quantify and validate a method which can significantly reduce fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from collieries in Australia, both cost-effectively and safely. Methane (CH₄) is controlled in collieries currently only for safety, statutory compliance or for capture and use reasons. But today, there is pressure on collieries to reduce not only mining costs but their greenhouse gas emissions. It is known that 65% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with collieries come from fugitive ventilation air methane (VAM). The oxidising machinery to mitigate these fugitive emissions is expensive, has safety concerns and is not widely used at present for these reasons. But widespread concern over GHG emissions means that it is desirable to lower VAM emissions now. One safe, low-cost and non-gas drainage solution explored herein to reduce emissions, is a method to prevent some CH₄ from entering the mine airstream and becoming VAM in the first place. This emissions reduction method underwent a 12-month trial in a colliery in the Hunter Valley using six different quantified and costed non-gas drainage measures. All relevant data was retained, and with the mine’s permission has been processed and published here as a part of this research. A reduction in fugitive emissions of 95,398 t/CO₂-e below that projected for the subsequent 12 months was quantified, at a mitigation cost of A$1.08 t/CO₂-e. The level of mitigation achieved, represents approximately 20% of the mine’s VAM emissions. This research has also further tested the method used in the Hunter Valley trial, by visiting two other large collieries in Queensland, and assessing the two most successful mitigation measures from the Hunter Valley trial (roadway sealing and pressure balancing of sealed panels) against operational conditions at these collieries by ventilation modelling, using their measured gas, airflow and seal pressure data.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Reflective leadership : A self-study of practice
- Authors: Ludvigsen, Donna
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Encouraging reflective leadership practice is a recognised focus for coaches and consultants in primary schools. Despite the wealth of knowledge on coaching and consulting in organisational learning, there is less known about the transition between these two interactions and the purpose behind this. This self-study of my practice as a regional school improvement officer in Victoria, Australia, details my interaction with six teacher-leaders, who considered school improvement strategies by constructing a pattern-block representation of the structures within their schools. The research questions posed were: “What do teacher-leaders reflect upon when considering school improvement approaches?” and “How does the external facilitator encourage teacherleaders to reflect upon their practice?” Research undertaken for this study was used to develop a range of statements related to Donald Schön’s theory of reflective practice, particularly reflection-in-action. The statements were presented as a stimulus for action in practice and encompassed a range of tensions. Tensions included; orchestrating change by moving between the current situation and a preferred future; making connections by acknowledging the complexity of the situation whilst attempting to create order; developing a strategy from the consideration of a shared vision and a written plan; and undertaking leadership by moving between hierarchical, distributive and self-organising structures. Tacit and explicit knowledge was evident when reflecting-inaction. Finally I explored how, as the external facilitator, I encouraged reflection by moving between coaching and consulting interactions. I began this research by examining the practice of others. However, the greatest learning I achieved related to how I reflected-in-action and my understanding of self-study in practice. Initially in this study, I placed myself at the centre of the research and considered this a selfin- study; however, as the study progressed, I examined both my practice and the research simultaneously, terming this self-and-study, and, finally, from my analysis of the research when the study concluded, I developed a series of statements that could be used as a stimulus for future action, which I refer to as self-from-study. The larger implication for this research therefore relates to my understanding of my own reflection-in-action and how by embracing a number of tensions one can consider a range of possibilities for improvement.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Ludvigsen, Donna
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Encouraging reflective leadership practice is a recognised focus for coaches and consultants in primary schools. Despite the wealth of knowledge on coaching and consulting in organisational learning, there is less known about the transition between these two interactions and the purpose behind this. This self-study of my practice as a regional school improvement officer in Victoria, Australia, details my interaction with six teacher-leaders, who considered school improvement strategies by constructing a pattern-block representation of the structures within their schools. The research questions posed were: “What do teacher-leaders reflect upon when considering school improvement approaches?” and “How does the external facilitator encourage teacherleaders to reflect upon their practice?” Research undertaken for this study was used to develop a range of statements related to Donald Schön’s theory of reflective practice, particularly reflection-in-action. The statements were presented as a stimulus for action in practice and encompassed a range of tensions. Tensions included; orchestrating change by moving between the current situation and a preferred future; making connections by acknowledging the complexity of the situation whilst attempting to create order; developing a strategy from the consideration of a shared vision and a written plan; and undertaking leadership by moving between hierarchical, distributive and self-organising structures. Tacit and explicit knowledge was evident when reflecting-inaction. Finally I explored how, as the external facilitator, I encouraged reflection by moving between coaching and consulting interactions. I began this research by examining the practice of others. However, the greatest learning I achieved related to how I reflected-in-action and my understanding of self-study in practice. Initially in this study, I placed myself at the centre of the research and considered this a selfin- study; however, as the study progressed, I examined both my practice and the research simultaneously, terming this self-and-study, and, finally, from my analysis of the research when the study concluded, I developed a series of statements that could be used as a stimulus for future action, which I refer to as self-from-study. The larger implication for this research therefore relates to my understanding of my own reflection-in-action and how by embracing a number of tensions one can consider a range of possibilities for improvement.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The assumed divide : Examining gender, feminism and relationships through visual art
- Authors: Hollis, Sylvia
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text: false
- Description: The Assumed Divide is a visual arts based, practice-led research project which explores expectations of gender within the context of interpersonal relationships, structured through feminist theory. I created a collection of small, figurative sculptures inspired by experiences of animosity and misunderstanding, to locate areas of gendered interpersonal ambivalence. This thesis proposes that feminism might enhance gender relations by deconstructing harmful stereotypes and by encouraging empathy and respect for diversity. Issues such as reproductive choice, intergenerational debate, and uncertainty in aims are discussed as apparent impediments to the unity of feminism, against a patriarchal tradition that grants men categorical universality. I argue that by dismantling the perception of male unification and by elucidating the multitudinous similarities and variances of human experience, feminism makes advances in eliminating sexism. I also examine how binary gender division, with an assumption of distinct difference between male and female, generates conflict and power dynamics advantageous to men, diminishing the quality of heterosexual and social relationships. The observation that overlapping gender traits blur boundaries of male and female, and that rigid categorisations are not indisputably representative of all people, may offer more points of connection to bridge the divide of gender. Each artwork in The Assumed Divide reflects on gendered experience, with sculpted depictions of disintegrated flesh acting as visual manifestations of the psyches and social conditions of the figures. Working realistically on a small scale, and integrating found silver trays as motifs of domesticity and relationships, my intent is to directly stimulate contemplation of the themes in context to viewers’ lives, recognising that the audience is free to find their own meaning in the works. Discussion of these pieces, alongside works by other artists who broach topics of feminism, gender, and relationships, exemplifies the capacity for art to infuse theory with personal insight, inspired and derived from the lives of both artist and viewer.
- Description: Masters by Research
The development of the Malaysian vocational education and training system
- Ramanathan Chettiar, Palaniappan
- Authors: Ramanathan Chettiar, Palaniappan
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The vocational education and training (VET) sector in Malaysia has experienced significant change over the last 10 years. This thesis aimed to identify the challenges facing VET development in Malaysia and consider the lessons that can be learnt from Australian and Singaporean VET experiences. This research explored the challenges using a mixed methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) to answer the research question from a multiple stakeholder perspective. The 42 respondents included policymakers, chief executive officers (CEOs) from industry, CEOs from registered training organisations (RTOs), VET instructors and trainees. There were 34 respondents from Malaysia involved in the interviews. Two policymakers and two CEOs of RTOs from Singapore and Australia were also involved in the interviews. An online survey was answered by 209 Malaysian respondents. Significantly, the literature review, including literature from Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, focused on the development of VET policy and the ideas associated with vocational education theory, human capital theory, systems theory and threshold theory, program theory, employability theory, collective skills formation, stakeholder engagement and the capability approach. The literature review provided an overview of the motivations behind government initiates to expand skills development initiatives using different models, the shifting of responsibility for employability to the employee and promoting inclusivity within the nation. While VET objectives were overt, the need for socially inclusive results were not. There is a need to consider economic, social and education contexts when developing VET systems, given the diversity of Malaysian society. The argument is made within the thesis that the development of VET policy has been largely led by government and legislation, rather than industry. The thesis suggests that challenges inherent in the development of a VET system arise from the gaps between VET policy and practice, rhetoric and implementation. While the presence of policy mechanisms for system efficiency was acknowledged by stakeholders, VET policy was characterised by respondents as incremental rather than long term. Most stakeholders acknowledged the importance of lifelong learning and for the need for Malaysia to become a learning nation. The lack of a single agency to monitor skills development was considered an obstacle for effective skills development within the country. Accordingly, this thesis proposes a set of recommendations to address these challenges and provides directions for future research.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Ramanathan Chettiar, Palaniappan
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The vocational education and training (VET) sector in Malaysia has experienced significant change over the last 10 years. This thesis aimed to identify the challenges facing VET development in Malaysia and consider the lessons that can be learnt from Australian and Singaporean VET experiences. This research explored the challenges using a mixed methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) to answer the research question from a multiple stakeholder perspective. The 42 respondents included policymakers, chief executive officers (CEOs) from industry, CEOs from registered training organisations (RTOs), VET instructors and trainees. There were 34 respondents from Malaysia involved in the interviews. Two policymakers and two CEOs of RTOs from Singapore and Australia were also involved in the interviews. An online survey was answered by 209 Malaysian respondents. Significantly, the literature review, including literature from Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, focused on the development of VET policy and the ideas associated with vocational education theory, human capital theory, systems theory and threshold theory, program theory, employability theory, collective skills formation, stakeholder engagement and the capability approach. The literature review provided an overview of the motivations behind government initiates to expand skills development initiatives using different models, the shifting of responsibility for employability to the employee and promoting inclusivity within the nation. While VET objectives were overt, the need for socially inclusive results were not. There is a need to consider economic, social and education contexts when developing VET systems, given the diversity of Malaysian society. The argument is made within the thesis that the development of VET policy has been largely led by government and legislation, rather than industry. The thesis suggests that challenges inherent in the development of a VET system arise from the gaps between VET policy and practice, rhetoric and implementation. While the presence of policy mechanisms for system efficiency was acknowledged by stakeholders, VET policy was characterised by respondents as incremental rather than long term. Most stakeholders acknowledged the importance of lifelong learning and for the need for Malaysia to become a learning nation. The lack of a single agency to monitor skills development was considered an obstacle for effective skills development within the country. Accordingly, this thesis proposes a set of recommendations to address these challenges and provides directions for future research.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The immanence of traumatic rupture : From the extra/ordinary to the originary
- Authors: Pedersen, Cassie
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis critically intervenes into the interdisciplinary space of trauma theory by both identifying and circumventing the tendency of theorists to posit trauma in a relation of either transcendence or immanence to the contexts in which it occurs. In the classical trauma theories of Shoshana Felman, Dori Laub, and Cathy Caruth, trauma is broadly defined as a disruptive and aporetic event that shatters the cognitive, experiential, and representational frameworks necessary for making sense of the occurrence. These theorists conceptualise trauma as transcendent, seeing trauma as existing “outside” or “beyond” the frameworks in which it comes into being. However, more recent critics enter a polemic with classical trauma theorists by reconceptualising trauma as immanent to the all too human frameworks that facilitate its occurrence in the first place. I contend that the mutual exclusive insistence that trauma need either be conceived as immanent to, or transcendent of, the frameworks in which it occurs has led to a conceptual impasse in trauma theory that is rooted in a false dichotomy between these extremes. Tracing this oppositional tendency across a broad disciplinary spectrum, engaging contributions to trauma theory from philosophy, literary theory, and history, the major aim of this thesis to move beyond the false dichotomy between the immanent and the transcendent by revealing that these terms are inextricably bound. Drawing on the works of Hannah Arendt, Giorgio Agamben, Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, Jean Laplanche, and Jean-François Lyotard (to name only a few), this thesis revitalises the space of trauma theory by offering a series of interlocking arguments that conceptualise the alterity of trauma as being immanent to the frameworks it transcends. This paradoxical logic is at the crux of what I refer to as the immanence of traumatic rupture.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Pedersen, Cassie
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis critically intervenes into the interdisciplinary space of trauma theory by both identifying and circumventing the tendency of theorists to posit trauma in a relation of either transcendence or immanence to the contexts in which it occurs. In the classical trauma theories of Shoshana Felman, Dori Laub, and Cathy Caruth, trauma is broadly defined as a disruptive and aporetic event that shatters the cognitive, experiential, and representational frameworks necessary for making sense of the occurrence. These theorists conceptualise trauma as transcendent, seeing trauma as existing “outside” or “beyond” the frameworks in which it comes into being. However, more recent critics enter a polemic with classical trauma theorists by reconceptualising trauma as immanent to the all too human frameworks that facilitate its occurrence in the first place. I contend that the mutual exclusive insistence that trauma need either be conceived as immanent to, or transcendent of, the frameworks in which it occurs has led to a conceptual impasse in trauma theory that is rooted in a false dichotomy between these extremes. Tracing this oppositional tendency across a broad disciplinary spectrum, engaging contributions to trauma theory from philosophy, literary theory, and history, the major aim of this thesis to move beyond the false dichotomy between the immanent and the transcendent by revealing that these terms are inextricably bound. Drawing on the works of Hannah Arendt, Giorgio Agamben, Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, Jean Laplanche, and Jean-François Lyotard (to name only a few), this thesis revitalises the space of trauma theory by offering a series of interlocking arguments that conceptualise the alterity of trauma as being immanent to the frameworks it transcends. This paradoxical logic is at the crux of what I refer to as the immanence of traumatic rupture.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy