Image data understanding and preparation
- Authors: Kaur, Roopdeep
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: Data understanding and preparation involves a process of analyzing, cleaning, transforming, and organizing the data in preparation for data mining. To improve the performance of applications that use image processing, verifying the quality of the images and image cleaning are crucial steps. However, diverse and complex environments have a great effect on images, directly affecting the decisions derived from image analysis and thereby limiting the acceleration of industrial automation. Environmental and camera impacts play a vital role in the quality of the photos captured in outdoor environments. Because of these impacts, the use of images captured in outdoor environments limits the effectiveness of an application in which image processing is involved. There are many techniques available in the current literature for analyzing the impact of the environment on Internet of Things (IoT) images. However, objectively assessing the effect of dynamic and complex environments on IoT images is challenging. To advance this research area, we present an innovative technique for evaluating the impact of environmental parameters on image quality compared with the quality affected by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image compression technique and the different levels of Gaussian noise. The quality values produced by the structural similarity index measure (SSIM) are consistent with the different levels of environmental impacts, JPEG image quality, and Gaussian noise, and can be used for image understanding and preparation. For camera impacts, there exist many approaches that assess the influence on the quality of the images. Analysis shows that none of the existing metrics produces quality values consistent with intuitively defined impact levels for lens blur, lens dirtiness, or barrel distortion. To address the loopholes in the existing metrics and to ensure that the quality assessment metrics are more reliable, we introduce a new image quality assessment metric that uses the Dempster–Shafer theory to fuse quality values from different metrics. Our proposed metric produces quality values that are more consistent and better aligned with perceptually defined camera parameter impact levels. Various noise reduction techniques are proposed in the literature for image data preparation, including the use of median, Gaussian, and bilateral filters. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have gained popularity in image denoising owing to their ability to extract complex patterns and features from data. CNNs are highly adaptable, making them effective tools for various image-denoising tasks. The drawback of CNN-based techniques is that they require an appropriate training dataset and all images to be resized. Another notable disadvantage of these filtering techniques is that they work for certain types of environmental and camera impacts. To bridge this research gap, we analyze the impact of denoising on CNN performance. First, we filter noise from images using traditional denoising methods before using them in the CNN model. Second, we embed a denoising layer within the CNN. We conduct extensive experiments on traffic sign and object recognition datasets to validate the performance of image denoising. We also present an approach using peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) distribution to determine whether denoising should be adopted and which filter to use. Both CNN accuracy and PSNR distribution are used to determine the type of filter that needs to be used. The results vary by filter type, impact, and dataset, with traditional denoising showing better accuracy and embedded denoising offering shorter computational time in most cases. This comparative study provides insights into adopting denoising in various CNN-based image analyses. From this analysis, it is shown that traditional and embedding denoising techniques are efficient in reducing many impacts; however, these are not competent enough to reduce impact types such as salt and pepper, lens blur, and shadow. To address this problem, finally, for the first time, we introduce an approach to directly filter out poor-quality images for different environmental and camera impacts. Our approach assesses quality using an image quality metric and employs an optimal threshold to remove low-quality images while ensuring that an adequate number of images remain for deep learning model development. Results from real and simulated traffic and object recognition data showcase the superior performance of our approach compared with state-of-the-art approaches. The merit of our technique is that it works well for all environmental and camera impacts with comparable computational time.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Landscape to earthscape : practice and aesthetics in a time of environmental crisis
- Authors: Clarke, Stella
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This research asks the question: ‘How can contemporary landscape art address and reflect the urgent and complex nature of the environmental crisis we face today?’. It investigates contextual, cross-disciplinary responses to this existential predicament alongside a creative practice-based inquiry. The landscape in question is goldfields bushland in Central Victoria. In this locale, conventional ideas of the rural and scenic may be displaced by a troubled awareness, engendering solastalgia. Not only is the forest successive to major industrial-extractive disturbance, but it is also subject to the climate threat evident in the 2019-20 bushfire disaster. Conceptual interrogations of ‘nature’ are reviewed, alongside artistic engagements with natural environments, from earth-art to climate art. The relational nexus between artist and landscape encompasses sub-issues, from recognizing colonial ways of seeing that reinforce anthropocentrism, to reconceptualizations of modernity’s schism between the human and the non-human. This research connects with environmentalist thought (for example in the work of scientist Matthew Colloff, anthropologist Anna Tsing and interdisciplinary theorist Donna Haraway), and examples of eco-centric art (for example in the work of William Robinson and John Wolseley). The research methodology is informed by the work of theorists including Robin Nelson and Brad Haseman, aiming for an ‘intra-connected’ approach, alongside a studio-based ‘enthusiasm of practice’. The contextual and creative practice-based inquiries operate symbiotically in the research approach; however, for clarity they are dealt with consecutively in the exegesis. Whilst environmentalist thought supports seeing landscape differently, this research aims for greater connection with a fragile living habitat. Concepts which include the idea of the Umwelt, and primal landscapes, correlate with eco-centric tenets to fold into studio practice choices. These choices focus upon organic materials and creating an ‘earthscape’ aesthetics. A key material, charcoal, operates at an indexical level, as a signifier of our carbon-obsessed planetary emergency. Generative of life, it is the colour of mourning; the final body of artworks advocates for a mindful noticing of a vulnerable bushland environment.
- Description: Partial Masters by Research
- Authors: Clarke, Stella
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This research asks the question: ‘How can contemporary landscape art address and reflect the urgent and complex nature of the environmental crisis we face today?’. It investigates contextual, cross-disciplinary responses to this existential predicament alongside a creative practice-based inquiry. The landscape in question is goldfields bushland in Central Victoria. In this locale, conventional ideas of the rural and scenic may be displaced by a troubled awareness, engendering solastalgia. Not only is the forest successive to major industrial-extractive disturbance, but it is also subject to the climate threat evident in the 2019-20 bushfire disaster. Conceptual interrogations of ‘nature’ are reviewed, alongside artistic engagements with natural environments, from earth-art to climate art. The relational nexus between artist and landscape encompasses sub-issues, from recognizing colonial ways of seeing that reinforce anthropocentrism, to reconceptualizations of modernity’s schism between the human and the non-human. This research connects with environmentalist thought (for example in the work of scientist Matthew Colloff, anthropologist Anna Tsing and interdisciplinary theorist Donna Haraway), and examples of eco-centric art (for example in the work of William Robinson and John Wolseley). The research methodology is informed by the work of theorists including Robin Nelson and Brad Haseman, aiming for an ‘intra-connected’ approach, alongside a studio-based ‘enthusiasm of practice’. The contextual and creative practice-based inquiries operate symbiotically in the research approach; however, for clarity they are dealt with consecutively in the exegesis. Whilst environmentalist thought supports seeing landscape differently, this research aims for greater connection with a fragile living habitat. Concepts which include the idea of the Umwelt, and primal landscapes, correlate with eco-centric tenets to fold into studio practice choices. These choices focus upon organic materials and creating an ‘earthscape’ aesthetics. A key material, charcoal, operates at an indexical level, as a signifier of our carbon-obsessed planetary emergency. Generative of life, it is the colour of mourning; the final body of artworks advocates for a mindful noticing of a vulnerable bushland environment.
- Description: Partial Masters by Research
Pain management for sedated and ventilated patients in australian intensive care settings: current situation and ways to optimise intervention implementation
- Authors: Hamadeh, Samira
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Background: In intensive care units (ICUs), sedated and ventilated patients frequently encounter pain, which is sometimes undermanaged. The impact of pain management on patient outcomes is profound for it culminates in prolonged length of hospital stay which warrants advanced life support measures. The thesis reports on the current pain management situation of adult sedated and ventilated patients in Australian ICUs. The thesis also delineates the contexts conducive to the successful implementation of pain management interventions and the underlying mechanisms activated in given circumstances, using a theory-driven approach. Aims: The aims of this thesis were threefold: (1) to explore the clinical practices, training, governance, knowledge and attitudes of nurses caring for adult sedated and ventilated patients in ICUs; (2) to seek the program theories that describe how, why and under what circumstances the implementation of pain management interventions in ICUs can be enhanced; and (3) to suggest recommendations for the purpose of optimising the implementation of such interventions in ICUs, towards improving intervention buy-in and sustainability over time. Methods: The thesis was informed by sequential research involving three phases. In Phase 1, a cross-sectional survey with free-text responses was used to collate quantitative and qualitative ddata from intensive care nurses around demographics, clinical practices, governance, knowledge and attitudes using instruments developed from published guidelines (Devlin et al., 2018) and adopted from the literature(Ferrell,2022; Guttormson et al., 2010). Quantitative data were analysed non- parametrically, while narrative responses were analysed thematically. The Consensus-based Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies (CROSS) and the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) guidelines were followed. Instrument used to Phase 2 constituted a rapid realist review conducted in a five-step iterative process to develop the project scope/research questions, collate and appraise literature, synthesise evidence and interpret information from data sources to generate and refine the initial program theories about implementation of pain management interventions. The review was informed by the Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards (RAMESES) publication standards for realist synthesis. Initial searches were undertaken in three electronic databases: MEDLINE, CINHAL and OVID. The review was supplemented with key articles from a bibliographic search of identified articles. The first 200 hits from Google Scholar were screened. Phase 3 comprised a realist evaluation employing realist interviews to refine and test 12 initial program theories obtained from Phase 2. A purposively selected sample of 14 nurses with variant roles were interviewed over a period of six months. Data from Phases 2 and 3 were analysed using an integrated approach of Context (C), Mechanism (M), Outcome (O) categorisation coding, CMO configurations connecting and pattern matching. This phase was governed by the RAMESES publication standards for realist evaluation. Results: In Phase 1, a total of 108 nurses took part in the survey; 92 completed surveys were analysed. Half of the participants used analgesia to complete nursing tasks irrespective of the comfort needs (n = 49, 53.3%) and administered more opioid analgesia when vital signs changed (n = 48, 52.1%). The first-line pharmacologic agent to treat pain was subject to the doctor’s preference (n = 63, 68.5%). Participants administered non-opioid medications first, and then opioids (n = 42, 45.7%), and they provided sedatives when patients were agitated (n = 50, 54.3%). There was no statistically significant difference in participants’ knowledge although those from major tertiary hospitals had a slightly higher knowledge mean rank. Lack of training, paucity of pain management interventions, patient acuity, funding and casual employment were acknowledged barriers. Two overarching themes emerged from the qualitative data: pain assessment, where is it? and the priorities of critical illness. The pain management of sedated and ventilated patients diverged from best practice evidence and required increasing efforts to use best practice interventions. Priorities related to critical illness had implications for decision-making and focus of care. Results from Phases 2 and 3 identified mechanisms such as empowerment, recognition, confidence, awareness and ethical and professional obligations. These mechanisms are activated in the contexts in which pain management interventions are perceived as beneficial, precise, comprehensive, easy to understand and fit for purpose; nurses are willing to accept change and update knowledge; and organisations proactively change infrastructure, provide resources, mitigate barriers, develop shared mental models, update evidence and institute quality assurance. These mechanisms are also triggered in contexts in which intensive care team leaders nurture the development of nurses’ professional identity and facilitate their access to learning, autonomy and self-determination. Adherence to pain management is swayed by the intrinsic merits of the intervention and a positive impact on outcomes. Conclusion: The results delineated the current pain management situation, the contexts affecting the implementation of pain management interventions and the mechanisms activated under given contexts. This thesis recommends that actions be taken at the micro, meso and macro levels to improve implementation buy-in.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Hamadeh, Samira
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Background: In intensive care units (ICUs), sedated and ventilated patients frequently encounter pain, which is sometimes undermanaged. The impact of pain management on patient outcomes is profound for it culminates in prolonged length of hospital stay which warrants advanced life support measures. The thesis reports on the current pain management situation of adult sedated and ventilated patients in Australian ICUs. The thesis also delineates the contexts conducive to the successful implementation of pain management interventions and the underlying mechanisms activated in given circumstances, using a theory-driven approach. Aims: The aims of this thesis were threefold: (1) to explore the clinical practices, training, governance, knowledge and attitudes of nurses caring for adult sedated and ventilated patients in ICUs; (2) to seek the program theories that describe how, why and under what circumstances the implementation of pain management interventions in ICUs can be enhanced; and (3) to suggest recommendations for the purpose of optimising the implementation of such interventions in ICUs, towards improving intervention buy-in and sustainability over time. Methods: The thesis was informed by sequential research involving three phases. In Phase 1, a cross-sectional survey with free-text responses was used to collate quantitative and qualitative ddata from intensive care nurses around demographics, clinical practices, governance, knowledge and attitudes using instruments developed from published guidelines (Devlin et al., 2018) and adopted from the literature(Ferrell,2022; Guttormson et al., 2010). Quantitative data were analysed non- parametrically, while narrative responses were analysed thematically. The Consensus-based Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies (CROSS) and the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) guidelines were followed. Instrument used to Phase 2 constituted a rapid realist review conducted in a five-step iterative process to develop the project scope/research questions, collate and appraise literature, synthesise evidence and interpret information from data sources to generate and refine the initial program theories about implementation of pain management interventions. The review was informed by the Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards (RAMESES) publication standards for realist synthesis. Initial searches were undertaken in three electronic databases: MEDLINE, CINHAL and OVID. The review was supplemented with key articles from a bibliographic search of identified articles. The first 200 hits from Google Scholar were screened. Phase 3 comprised a realist evaluation employing realist interviews to refine and test 12 initial program theories obtained from Phase 2. A purposively selected sample of 14 nurses with variant roles were interviewed over a period of six months. Data from Phases 2 and 3 were analysed using an integrated approach of Context (C), Mechanism (M), Outcome (O) categorisation coding, CMO configurations connecting and pattern matching. This phase was governed by the RAMESES publication standards for realist evaluation. Results: In Phase 1, a total of 108 nurses took part in the survey; 92 completed surveys were analysed. Half of the participants used analgesia to complete nursing tasks irrespective of the comfort needs (n = 49, 53.3%) and administered more opioid analgesia when vital signs changed (n = 48, 52.1%). The first-line pharmacologic agent to treat pain was subject to the doctor’s preference (n = 63, 68.5%). Participants administered non-opioid medications first, and then opioids (n = 42, 45.7%), and they provided sedatives when patients were agitated (n = 50, 54.3%). There was no statistically significant difference in participants’ knowledge although those from major tertiary hospitals had a slightly higher knowledge mean rank. Lack of training, paucity of pain management interventions, patient acuity, funding and casual employment were acknowledged barriers. Two overarching themes emerged from the qualitative data: pain assessment, where is it? and the priorities of critical illness. The pain management of sedated and ventilated patients diverged from best practice evidence and required increasing efforts to use best practice interventions. Priorities related to critical illness had implications for decision-making and focus of care. Results from Phases 2 and 3 identified mechanisms such as empowerment, recognition, confidence, awareness and ethical and professional obligations. These mechanisms are activated in the contexts in which pain management interventions are perceived as beneficial, precise, comprehensive, easy to understand and fit for purpose; nurses are willing to accept change and update knowledge; and organisations proactively change infrastructure, provide resources, mitigate barriers, develop shared mental models, update evidence and institute quality assurance. These mechanisms are also triggered in contexts in which intensive care team leaders nurture the development of nurses’ professional identity and facilitate their access to learning, autonomy and self-determination. Adherence to pain management is swayed by the intrinsic merits of the intervention and a positive impact on outcomes. Conclusion: The results delineated the current pain management situation, the contexts affecting the implementation of pain management interventions and the mechanisms activated under given contexts. This thesis recommends that actions be taken at the micro, meso and macro levels to improve implementation buy-in.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Ranking of modified early warning score using a novel pattern matching technique for continuous patient monitoring
- Authors: Arora, Teena
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) applications deploy sensors, fog, edge and cloud technologies to monitor diverse patients' health continuously. However, RPM is challenging, particularly when patients' signs are continually monitored due to difficulties in data stream visualisation, dealing with missing data and generating alerts. The thesis advances a systematic approach for alarm generation, a novel pattern-matching method for vital signs data, ranking of the patterns and sophisticated pre-processing methods as solutions to these problems. The main objective of these contributions is to improve patient care using emerging RPM applications. The thesis's initial contribution (1) involves a thorough examination of the RPM application challenges, primarily on the causes of false-positive alerts during continuous monitoring of patients. Usually, sensors in healthcare are susceptible and produce numerous alerts to identify any possible deterioration of health conditions, which tend to make numerous false positive alarms, leading to alarm fatigue. Based on the identified causes, (2) the thesis proposed an approach to provide a systematic framework for creating effective alarm generators, emphasising physiological data, clinical settings, medical sensor devices, and clinical knowledge. Data integrity is crucial in healthcare, and the widespread use of wearable sensors in RPM has produced significant health data. However, the effectiveness of analytical health data models is compromised by the missing data values, noise, and inconsistencies that frequently appear in health data. The thesis (3) contributes health data pre-processing techniques to manage these obstacles and offers quality data for trustworthy health data analysis. The acquisition of health data presents difficulties for continuous RPM, which could result in transmission errors. The thesis (4) contributes a unique computation pattern-matching method to determine patient risk. Data from a clinical field trial is used to assess the proposed technique, which shows that it can detect and forecast missing patterns comparable to machine learning algorithms. Furthermore, the thesis acknowledges the intricacy of incorporating physiological data obtained from wearable sensors into RPM. The focus is on continuously monitoring vital signs, blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, blood oxygen, and respiratory rate. One of the thesis's significant (5) contributions is the derived continuous vital signs sematic parameters known as Trust, Frequency, Slope, and Trend from the raw physiological RPM data readings. A practical clinical tool for quickly recognising and evaluating a patient's vital signs decline is the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), which standardises alerts for clinical intervention. The derived parameters and the standard MEWS support better-informed clinical decisions by improving data representation and enabling automated assessment of prioritised alerts. This thesis underscores the potential for enhancing RPM technology in various healthcare settings. By addressing issues such as false alarms, data quality, and data representation, the research aims to improve patient care and clinical decision-making, aligning with its primary objective.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Arora, Teena
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) applications deploy sensors, fog, edge and cloud technologies to monitor diverse patients' health continuously. However, RPM is challenging, particularly when patients' signs are continually monitored due to difficulties in data stream visualisation, dealing with missing data and generating alerts. The thesis advances a systematic approach for alarm generation, a novel pattern-matching method for vital signs data, ranking of the patterns and sophisticated pre-processing methods as solutions to these problems. The main objective of these contributions is to improve patient care using emerging RPM applications. The thesis's initial contribution (1) involves a thorough examination of the RPM application challenges, primarily on the causes of false-positive alerts during continuous monitoring of patients. Usually, sensors in healthcare are susceptible and produce numerous alerts to identify any possible deterioration of health conditions, which tend to make numerous false positive alarms, leading to alarm fatigue. Based on the identified causes, (2) the thesis proposed an approach to provide a systematic framework for creating effective alarm generators, emphasising physiological data, clinical settings, medical sensor devices, and clinical knowledge. Data integrity is crucial in healthcare, and the widespread use of wearable sensors in RPM has produced significant health data. However, the effectiveness of analytical health data models is compromised by the missing data values, noise, and inconsistencies that frequently appear in health data. The thesis (3) contributes health data pre-processing techniques to manage these obstacles and offers quality data for trustworthy health data analysis. The acquisition of health data presents difficulties for continuous RPM, which could result in transmission errors. The thesis (4) contributes a unique computation pattern-matching method to determine patient risk. Data from a clinical field trial is used to assess the proposed technique, which shows that it can detect and forecast missing patterns comparable to machine learning algorithms. Furthermore, the thesis acknowledges the intricacy of incorporating physiological data obtained from wearable sensors into RPM. The focus is on continuously monitoring vital signs, blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, blood oxygen, and respiratory rate. One of the thesis's significant (5) contributions is the derived continuous vital signs sematic parameters known as Trust, Frequency, Slope, and Trend from the raw physiological RPM data readings. A practical clinical tool for quickly recognising and evaluating a patient's vital signs decline is the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), which standardises alerts for clinical intervention. The derived parameters and the standard MEWS support better-informed clinical decisions by improving data representation and enabling automated assessment of prioritised alerts. This thesis underscores the potential for enhancing RPM technology in various healthcare settings. By addressing issues such as false alarms, data quality, and data representation, the research aims to improve patient care and clinical decision-making, aligning with its primary objective.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Reframing inclusion through the lens of educational permaculture
- Authors: Holcombe, Wendy
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: Educational inclusion is high on the agenda in countries across the globe, yet it continues to be a problematic challenge for those charged with the responsibility of enacting inclusive policies. Issues of nomenclature, conceptualisation and interpretation complicate the identification and implementation of reliable and consistent processes within the complexity of dynamic school systems. Attempts to address inequity in education have evolved over time from exclusionary and segregated practices to more integrated and inclusive practices, but historical bias remains evident in schools today. As we continue to reframe inclusion in the context of teaching to and for diversity, attention is moving from an initial focus on what teachers do, to consideration of what students actually experience. It is evident that many teachers are caught between embracing inclusive ideals and intentions and managing the realities of how to generate an inclusive culture. This is a particularly relevant issue for graduate teachers who may emerge from initial teacher education (ITE) courses with enthusiasm and idealistic understandings of the teaching profession. Reframing inclusion as a goal, a process and an outcome within a complex bioecological system can assist in supporting teachers to maintain a realistic perspective without diminishing positive, inclusive intentions. This case study used the conceptual framework of educational permaculture, purposefully created for this thesis through analogy with the practical wisdom of permaculture principles and processes, to explore the experience of eleven graduate teachers emerging from different ITE degrees within a single Victorian university. Data was collected via a survey of the main participants and their peers and combined with information from their final Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA) submissions to generate insight into their preservice attitudes, intentions, knowledge, skills and dispositions. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted during the first two years of teaching to investigate the nature of their experience with a focus on challenges, strategies, goals and outcomes. Thematic analysis was used to interrogate the data and situate it within the educational permaculture framework as a means of triangulating perspectives and building credibility of the framework design as a lens for understanding classroom experience. Findings from the study suggest that educational principles, elements, processes and practices can be captured within an educational permaculture framework making it a viable proposition for further study. The predominant focus of graduate teachers on managing immediate challenges in their classroom experience was noted within the time and attention given to planning, establishing relationships, developing ways of working, meeting the needs of learners and introspective reflection. Finally, the study reveals that while graduate teachers may be classroom and inclusion ready in terms of attitudes, intentions and values, they require additional support during transition to manage the unique challenges of local contexts so they can develop practical skills and confidence in building and maintaining an inclusive classroom culture.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Splitting algorithms with applications in power systems
- Authors: Pham, Nhat
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: In this thesis, we develop novel splitting optimization algorithms and investigate their potential applications in compressed sensing and power system operations. We mainly focus on a class of nonconvex and nonsmooth problems which is more general than the wellknown difference-of-convex (DC) program in the literature. Specifically, we allow weaker convexity assumptions on the components of the objective function. We begin with a proximal subgradient algorithm with extrapolation, which can be viewed as a generalized version of the so-called proximal gradient algorithm to deal with a class of difference of functions. We then propose a Bregman proximal linearized alternating direction method of multipliers for minimizing separable sums coupled by a difference of functions and showed its competitiveness against our first algorithm and other notable algorithms in the literature. Next, we develop an algorithm which extends the Douglas–Rachford splitting, called the doubly relaxed forward-Douglas–Rachford splitting for the sum of two nonconvex and a DC function, and our convergence proof not only extends but also unifies and improves recent convergence analyses in nonconvex settings. We also propose another variant of the Douglas–Rachford splitting, called the backward-Douglas–Rachford algorithm for the generalized DC programming, in which the concave part is evaluated by proximal steps. Finally, we provide an application of a DC regularization term in the development of an efficient forecasting process, which helps to enhance power system’s resiliency against wildfire. All of the algorithms developed in this thesis are tested on several important structured optimization problems, such as compressed sensing, optimal power flow, matrix factorization, and matrix completion, and they are tested on both synthetic data and real-world data.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Pham, Nhat
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: In this thesis, we develop novel splitting optimization algorithms and investigate their potential applications in compressed sensing and power system operations. We mainly focus on a class of nonconvex and nonsmooth problems which is more general than the wellknown difference-of-convex (DC) program in the literature. Specifically, we allow weaker convexity assumptions on the components of the objective function. We begin with a proximal subgradient algorithm with extrapolation, which can be viewed as a generalized version of the so-called proximal gradient algorithm to deal with a class of difference of functions. We then propose a Bregman proximal linearized alternating direction method of multipliers for minimizing separable sums coupled by a difference of functions and showed its competitiveness against our first algorithm and other notable algorithms in the literature. Next, we develop an algorithm which extends the Douglas–Rachford splitting, called the doubly relaxed forward-Douglas–Rachford splitting for the sum of two nonconvex and a DC function, and our convergence proof not only extends but also unifies and improves recent convergence analyses in nonconvex settings. We also propose another variant of the Douglas–Rachford splitting, called the backward-Douglas–Rachford algorithm for the generalized DC programming, in which the concave part is evaluated by proximal steps. Finally, we provide an application of a DC regularization term in the development of an efficient forecasting process, which helps to enhance power system’s resiliency against wildfire. All of the algorithms developed in this thesis are tested on several important structured optimization problems, such as compressed sensing, optimal power flow, matrix factorization, and matrix completion, and they are tested on both synthetic data and real-world data.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Telomeres in CKD prognosis improvement : prediction, early detection, and management
- Authors: Akinnibosun, Olutope
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health challenge, affecting around 10% of the global population and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Its progression is often silent until the advanced stages, underscoring the need for early detection markers to improve patient outcomes. This PhD thesis presents findings on how telomere length and the mechanisms that maintain telomeres might play a crucial role across the CKD spectrum. Renal fibrosis, which is central to CKD advancement, is linked with shortened or dysfunctional telomeres in animal studies. Despite existing studies suggesting a relationship between telomeres and CKD in humans, there is no conclusive evidence. This work proposes that telomere dynamics significantly influence CKD progression. It addresses this gap by examining whether variations in telomere length could serve as early indicators of CKD, potentially offering new avenues for early intervention and improving health outcomes after kidney transplants. It also investigates the relationship between telomeres and the reninangiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which could provide early treatment options. The research finds a correlation between kidney damage (even before a noticeable decline in renal function) and telomere length in both kidney tissue and blood leukocytes. It also establishes a connection between kidney telomere length and age, suggesting that older kidneys might be more prone to CKD due to shorter telomeres. Furthermore, through an observational cohort and using Mendelian randomisation, the study demonstrates that telomere length contributes to a decline in renal function. It also shows a non-causal association between telomere length and kidney diseases, including CKD. Moreover, the thesis explores how telomeres affect the molecular mechanisms behind renal fibrosis using human primary renal cells, identifying a role for telomerase gene TERT in renal fibrogenesis. Among kidney transplant recipients, it suggests that differentiated T-cells could be more indicative of cardiovascular health than telomere length. In animal models, it demonstrates the potential of RAAS inhibition to preserve telomere length and modulate telomere gene expression. This effect persists even after stopping the treatment, indicating a lasting benefit. This comprehensive analysis provides novel insights on telomeres in CKD, pointing to telomere length as an early indicator of kidney damage and a predictor of renal function. It highlights the potential of telomere length as a biomarker for early CKD detection, which could improve CKD outcomes. In addition, it implicates telomerase in renal fibrosis progression, suggesting that therapies targeting telomere dynamics could represent a new approach to CKD management. Moreover, it shows the potential of RAAS inhibition as an early intervention strategy. Future studies are essential to confirm these findings, further elucidate the mechanisms involved in these processes and evaluate the long-term benefits of early RAAS inhibition on patient outcomes.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Akinnibosun, Olutope
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health challenge, affecting around 10% of the global population and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Its progression is often silent until the advanced stages, underscoring the need for early detection markers to improve patient outcomes. This PhD thesis presents findings on how telomere length and the mechanisms that maintain telomeres might play a crucial role across the CKD spectrum. Renal fibrosis, which is central to CKD advancement, is linked with shortened or dysfunctional telomeres in animal studies. Despite existing studies suggesting a relationship between telomeres and CKD in humans, there is no conclusive evidence. This work proposes that telomere dynamics significantly influence CKD progression. It addresses this gap by examining whether variations in telomere length could serve as early indicators of CKD, potentially offering new avenues for early intervention and improving health outcomes after kidney transplants. It also investigates the relationship between telomeres and the reninangiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which could provide early treatment options. The research finds a correlation between kidney damage (even before a noticeable decline in renal function) and telomere length in both kidney tissue and blood leukocytes. It also establishes a connection between kidney telomere length and age, suggesting that older kidneys might be more prone to CKD due to shorter telomeres. Furthermore, through an observational cohort and using Mendelian randomisation, the study demonstrates that telomere length contributes to a decline in renal function. It also shows a non-causal association between telomere length and kidney diseases, including CKD. Moreover, the thesis explores how telomeres affect the molecular mechanisms behind renal fibrosis using human primary renal cells, identifying a role for telomerase gene TERT in renal fibrogenesis. Among kidney transplant recipients, it suggests that differentiated T-cells could be more indicative of cardiovascular health than telomere length. In animal models, it demonstrates the potential of RAAS inhibition to preserve telomere length and modulate telomere gene expression. This effect persists even after stopping the treatment, indicating a lasting benefit. This comprehensive analysis provides novel insights on telomeres in CKD, pointing to telomere length as an early indicator of kidney damage and a predictor of renal function. It highlights the potential of telomere length as a biomarker for early CKD detection, which could improve CKD outcomes. In addition, it implicates telomerase in renal fibrosis progression, suggesting that therapies targeting telomere dynamics could represent a new approach to CKD management. Moreover, it shows the potential of RAAS inhibition as an early intervention strategy. Future studies are essential to confirm these findings, further elucidate the mechanisms involved in these processes and evaluate the long-term benefits of early RAAS inhibition on patient outcomes.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Aleu, Mark
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: Background: Essential hypertension (EH) is a complex multifactorial condition caused by genetic and environmental factors. The genetic component of hypertension (HTN) accounts for 30-50% of BP variations but the exact genetic pathways involved are very complex and unclear. Nevertheless, there is increasing evidence that the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) is involved in EH. Early RAAS inhibition has been shown to reduce BP permanently in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model through unknown BP regulating genes in the kidney. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as regulators of gene expression at all levels. They play regulatory roles in EH pathophysiology by sequestering microRNAs, binding to messenger RNAs and interacting with proteins. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and the regulatory role of kidney lncRNAs following early RAAS inhibition in SHRs. Design and Methods: SHRs were treated with the angiotensin receptor blocker, losartan (7.5mg/kg/d) and vehicle between 10-14 weeks of age. Kidney cortices were harvested at 14 and 20 weeks of age and RNA was extracted. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to profile differences in renal lncRNAs expression at 20 weeks (6 weeks post treatment). Bioinformatic analyses was applied to assess renal lncRNA expression, correlations between lncRNA expression and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and gene co-expression at 20 weeks. lncRNAs expression was confirmed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). RNA pull-down assay, RNA sequencing and mass spectroscopy was conducted to assess mRNA and protein interaction with LncRNA in HEK293 cell line. False discovery rate (FDR) and statistical significance was set as P<0.05. Results: Early RAAS inhibition with losartan significantly reduced MAP (P <0.0001) and SBP at 14 weeks (P < 0.0001) compared to controls in SHRs . This reduction was maintained at 20 weeks (P < 0.001) indicating a legacy of reduced BP following early RAAS inhibition.In addition, RNA-seq identified 15 differentially expressed lncRNAs (13 increased, 2 decreased) at 20 weeks, six weeks after treatment was stopped (FDR<0.05). Furthermore, we found correlations (r>|0.8|) between the expression of lncRNA, miRNA (miR-145-5p, miR-339-5p, miR-423-5p) and mRNA (Bcl6, Nrd1, Smad7, Bdkrb2, Ren, Adamts1) which may represent the genetic networks underpinning long-term BP reduction in SHRs . RT-qPCR validation identified differential expression of 13 lncRNAs (11 up-regulated, 2 down-regulated) at 20 weeks (P < 0.05). LncRNA AABR07021465.2 and AABR07014855.1 expression in the kidney was consistent in both RNA-seq analysis and qPCR validation (P<0.05). RNA-pulldown and sequencing showed binding between lncRNA AABR07021465.2 and 133 mRNAs including angiotensinogen (AGT), apolipoprotein B/A1 (APOB/A1), fibronectin 1 (FN1), hypoxia inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF1A) and transforming growth factor beta receptor 2 (TGF-
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The effect of hydralazine on abdominal aortic aneurysms
- Authors: Sargisson, Owen
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are complex aortic lesions that are characterised by increased inflammation and apoptosis. AAA is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. There is currently no pharmaceutical treatment for AAA. Hydralazine is an anti-hypertensive drug that also has anti-inflammatory properties. This project aimed to investigate the effect of hydralazine on AAA. Methods and results: In vivo experiments were conducted on two groups of apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE-/-) mice that were infused with angiotensin II at the rate of 1
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Patrick, Anton
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: Whilst shallow urban lakes often show phytoplankton blooms due to heavy loads of nutrient inputs, occasionally they will evidence an alternative massive growth of aquatic plants. These species of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) can interfere with valued community recreational activities such as boating, rowing, swimming, and fishing, therefore mechanical harvesting has traditionally been used as a control measure. This occurs in Lake Wendouree, a small flat-bottomed urban shallow lake in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. However, the impact of mechanical harvesting on the ecology of non-target biological communities is poorly studied in southern hemisphere lakes, particularly in Australia. Therefore, a before and after control-impact experimental design was used to assess the impact of Low, Medium, and High intensity harvest regimes on phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrate communities across all four seasons in Lake Wendouree. Variables measured included: plankton and macroinvertebrate abundance, diversity, and evenness. Further factors affecting those communities resulting from mechanical harvesting were analysed temporally such as immediately after, 1 day after, 7 days after, 28 days after harvest, and seasonally over the study period. Seven major groups of phytoplankton (Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, Cyanophyta, Charophyta, Chrysophyta, Euglenophyta and Dinophyta), four major groups of zooplankton (Cladocera, Rotifera, Copepoda and Ostracoda), and nine major groups of macroinvertebrates (including Crustacea, Insecta, Gastropoda, and Nematoda) were identified in Lake Wendouree. Cyanophyta occurred during all seasons and was generally inversely correlated with Charophyta. Phytoplankton were strongly correlated with water temperature, pH and DO (dissolved Oxygen). Zooplankton correlated with pH and DO, while macroinvertebrates mostly correlated with water temperature. Harvest was important in the control of excessive growth of SAV. However, this study found that harvesting regimes were non-detrimental for all non-target communities. Seasonal and harvesting effects exerted the greatest influence during autumn. Despite the impacts on plankton and macroinvertebrate communities by mechanical harvesting, recovery was observed by 4 weeks following harvest disturbance. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis would be predictable for phytoplankton and macroinvertebrate than zooplankton. The taxa most vulnerable to removal with harvested SAV materials were macroinvertebrates. While some fish were removed in harvested material, removal of the most highly targeted recreational fishery species did not appear to be pronounced. Amphipods were the most abundant macroinvertebrate removed from the lake in harvested SAV material. However, other studies have shown that Amphipods are not significant components of fish in Australian freshwater environments. Further study of fish diets in Lake Wendouree is required to better understand the links between SAV harvest and fish feeding, condition, and growth. SAV harvest in Lake Wendouree exerts effects on non-target plankton and macroinvertebrate communities but these effects appear to be short-lived and not have a longer-term detrimental effect on invertebrate communities in the lake. Indirect effects on fish in the lake would therefore seem to be minimized.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A framework for adoption decision process for blockchain technology - an institutional and actor-network theory perspective
- Authors: Kaushik, Shipra
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Blockchain has been the most promising technology of the recent times. Originated from bitcoin, a blockchain technology use case has now been explored across almost every industry. It provides several novel technological features like transparency, disintermediation, immutability, trust among stakeholders and decentralisation. Despite so many advantages, the overview of challenges around blockchain adoption has revealed that there is a scarcity of understanding about the process of blockchain adoption decisions. Several organisations have failed to take advantage of blockchain's potential due to uneven adoption across industries and regions. Whether to use blockchain in their business is a difficult decision for many organisations. To fill this gap, this study examined the adoption decision process of blockchain in organisations. Firstly, there is a need of framework that details the steps in the blockchain adoption decision process, including tasks involved and the rationales for the actions taken. This understanding will help the potential adopters to make a successful decision to adopt blockchain technology for their organisation. Secondly, very few studies have examined the factors that influence the stakeholders’ interactions and dynamics while making technology adoption decisions, especially in blockchain based applications. When systems are designed to protect privacy or obscure actors intentionally, such as blockchain platforms, it can be challenging to identify them and understand their roles. Blockchain being an inter-organisational technology, primarily depends on the involvement of internal and external stakeholders. Thus, this study explored the actors involved in the adoption decision process and their roles while aligning other actors towards blockchain adoption. Thirdly, as these actors act as stakeholders while making decision, they act as rational individuals. Therefore, this study also explored their rationales while they are involved in technology adoption decisions to have an effective outcome of the decision-making process. To achieve these objectives, this study utilises Innovation Translation approach derived from Actor-Network Theory and Institutional Theory for technology adoption. The study has utilised a three- round qualitative Delphi method through semi structured interviews to gather views from a panel of experts from organisations who have experienced the blockchain adoption decision process for their business. The targeted experts for this study were categorized as Adopters, Non-Adopters (dropped the idea) and Consultants using selective purposive sampling. The first two rounds were exploratory in nature, and to extend the validity of the responses gathered, the final round was a confirmatory round of interviews. For this study, the saturation was seen with ten experts in the panel for round 2 and round 3. For the pilot study eight participants agreed to be part of the panel. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis in the NVivo tool. The analysis confirmed the use of Innovation Translation approach in literature for understanding the actors and their roles, by giving a rich interpretation of the results in understanding the crucial interactions among the actors and drawing useful findings. The interpretation also provided an insight into the institutionalisation of blockchain by exploring the institutional pressures. The study has confirmed the existence of many pressures that existed for other technologies, remain for blockchain adoption too like hype, curiosity, competitiveness, business value, cost and time but has explored new institutional pressures with blockchain adoption decision process like understanding among consultants and adopting organisations, and process participations needs. Utilising Institutional Theory for blockchain technology has also revealed a fourth pressure that is exerted by the technology itself like maturity, consensus, network dominancy and technological features that are primarily seen as blockchain being an inter-organisational and a new technology that has not been accepted widely in organisations. Achieving the objectives of this study, the study has proposed a consolidated framework for the blockchain adoption decision process from an exploratory view. The first of its kind in literature, that elaborates on the stages involved in blockchain adoption decision process, identify the actors and explains their role at each stage and how those roles evolve and also provides an insight into the institutionalisation of blockchain by exploring the pressures. These gaps, objectives, method, analysis, and contributions are further discussed in this thesis comprehensively.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Kaushik, Shipra
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Blockchain has been the most promising technology of the recent times. Originated from bitcoin, a blockchain technology use case has now been explored across almost every industry. It provides several novel technological features like transparency, disintermediation, immutability, trust among stakeholders and decentralisation. Despite so many advantages, the overview of challenges around blockchain adoption has revealed that there is a scarcity of understanding about the process of blockchain adoption decisions. Several organisations have failed to take advantage of blockchain's potential due to uneven adoption across industries and regions. Whether to use blockchain in their business is a difficult decision for many organisations. To fill this gap, this study examined the adoption decision process of blockchain in organisations. Firstly, there is a need of framework that details the steps in the blockchain adoption decision process, including tasks involved and the rationales for the actions taken. This understanding will help the potential adopters to make a successful decision to adopt blockchain technology for their organisation. Secondly, very few studies have examined the factors that influence the stakeholders’ interactions and dynamics while making technology adoption decisions, especially in blockchain based applications. When systems are designed to protect privacy or obscure actors intentionally, such as blockchain platforms, it can be challenging to identify them and understand their roles. Blockchain being an inter-organisational technology, primarily depends on the involvement of internal and external stakeholders. Thus, this study explored the actors involved in the adoption decision process and their roles while aligning other actors towards blockchain adoption. Thirdly, as these actors act as stakeholders while making decision, they act as rational individuals. Therefore, this study also explored their rationales while they are involved in technology adoption decisions to have an effective outcome of the decision-making process. To achieve these objectives, this study utilises Innovation Translation approach derived from Actor-Network Theory and Institutional Theory for technology adoption. The study has utilised a three- round qualitative Delphi method through semi structured interviews to gather views from a panel of experts from organisations who have experienced the blockchain adoption decision process for their business. The targeted experts for this study were categorized as Adopters, Non-Adopters (dropped the idea) and Consultants using selective purposive sampling. The first two rounds were exploratory in nature, and to extend the validity of the responses gathered, the final round was a confirmatory round of interviews. For this study, the saturation was seen with ten experts in the panel for round 2 and round 3. For the pilot study eight participants agreed to be part of the panel. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis in the NVivo tool. The analysis confirmed the use of Innovation Translation approach in literature for understanding the actors and their roles, by giving a rich interpretation of the results in understanding the crucial interactions among the actors and drawing useful findings. The interpretation also provided an insight into the institutionalisation of blockchain by exploring the institutional pressures. The study has confirmed the existence of many pressures that existed for other technologies, remain for blockchain adoption too like hype, curiosity, competitiveness, business value, cost and time but has explored new institutional pressures with blockchain adoption decision process like understanding among consultants and adopting organisations, and process participations needs. Utilising Institutional Theory for blockchain technology has also revealed a fourth pressure that is exerted by the technology itself like maturity, consensus, network dominancy and technological features that are primarily seen as blockchain being an inter-organisational and a new technology that has not been accepted widely in organisations. Achieving the objectives of this study, the study has proposed a consolidated framework for the blockchain adoption decision process from an exploratory view. The first of its kind in literature, that elaborates on the stages involved in blockchain adoption decision process, identify the actors and explains their role at each stage and how those roles evolve and also provides an insight into the institutionalisation of blockchain by exploring the pressures. These gaps, objectives, method, analysis, and contributions are further discussed in this thesis comprehensively.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Access and engagement of First Nations women in maternal and child health services
- Authors: Austin, Catherine
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis explores and describes the engagement of First Nations women, with children from birth to five years of age, with Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services in Victoria, Australia. Identification of the factors that facilitate, support or hinder these women’s engagement with MCH services could strengthen the model of care to effectively engage First Nations women with these services. Access in the early years of a child’s life to integrated, effective, community-based services is a well-established predictor of a child’s successful transition to school and their lifelong education and employment outcomes. Such access is crucial in a child’s first 2,000 days (the period from conception to the child’s fifth year), which forms the foundation for a child’s lifetime development and health. Prior evaluative studies have shown that participation in MCH services in Victoria improves the health outcomes for children and families, particularly First Nations families. However, First Nations women and their children in Victoria show poorer health outcomes and lower participation in MCH services compared to non-Indigenous persons; this suggests a need to improve the current Victorian MCH service model. This thesis contributes recommendations for such improvements. The literature review (Chapter 2) identified the absence of a synthesis of qualitative studies of models of care to help guide MCH practice and innovation for all families, especially those at risk of child abuse and neglect. To address this gap, a three-phase qualitative study was conducted in the Glenelg Shire, Victoria, Australia, using narrative inquiry integrated with the Indigenous philosophy ‘Dadirri’. ‘Dadirri’, which emphasises deep and respectful listening, guided the development of the research design; this methodology assisted in understanding Indigenous culture and its sensitivities, building trust with the First Nations peoples involved in the studies, developing open-ended and conversational dialogue, and building respectful relationships. This method enabled First Nations women’s voices to be heard and the collection of rich data based on participants’ perspectives of and experiences with MCH services in Victoria. Study One (Chapter 4) recruited First Nations women residing in the Glenelg Shire, with at least one child aged birth to five years, to explore their perceptions and experiences of MCH services and barriers to accessing and engaging with MCH services. Study Two (Chapter 5) compared Study One data with accounts from MCH nurses working in Glenelg Shire. Study Three (Chapter 6) reviewed a piloting of the Early Assessment Referral Links (EARL) concept (developed by the researcher) that aims to improve First Nations women and their children’s access to and engagement with MCH services. EARL involved the core principles of narrative inquiry integrated with ‘Dadirri’. Study One and Two found that enabling factors for access and engagement include interventions that are culturally sensitive and effective; recognise the social determinates of health (SDOH) and social and emotional wellbeing; are timely, appropriate, culturally strong, flexible, holistic and community-based; support continuity of care and communication; and encourage early identification of risk, particularly of family violence (FV), and further assessment, intervention, referral and support in the child’s first 2,000 days. Barriers to access and engagement include an ineffective service model built on mistrust, poor communication due to cultural differences between client and provider (particularly around identification and disclosure of woman’s risk of FV), lack of continuity of care between services, limited flexibility of service delivery to suit individual needs, and a service model that does not recognise the importance of the SDOH and social and emotional wellbeing. Study Three results showed that participation of First Nations families in MCH services was consistently above the state average during the pilot period, and several First Nations families were referred to EARL stakeholders and other health professionals during the pilot. Further, there were increases in First Nations children being breastfed, fully immunised and attending Early Start Kindergarten, and identification of First Nations children at risk of abuse or neglect improved (with a significant increase in referrals for FV and child protection and significant decrease in episodes of out-of-home care). This thesis’s findings can support policy development. This research shows that timely, effective, holistic engagement with First Nations women in their child’s first 2,000 days, that respects their culture and facilitates genuine partnerships built on co-design and shared decision-making with the Indigenous community, needs to be an essential part of the MCH service model. Additionally, this thesis recommends adopting a strengths-based approach that respects First Nations peoples’ child-rearing practices and culture, and providing necessary training to MCH nurses who work with First Nations families. Keywords: child family health, continuity of care, First Nations women
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Austin, Catherine
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis explores and describes the engagement of First Nations women, with children from birth to five years of age, with Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services in Victoria, Australia. Identification of the factors that facilitate, support or hinder these women’s engagement with MCH services could strengthen the model of care to effectively engage First Nations women with these services. Access in the early years of a child’s life to integrated, effective, community-based services is a well-established predictor of a child’s successful transition to school and their lifelong education and employment outcomes. Such access is crucial in a child’s first 2,000 days (the period from conception to the child’s fifth year), which forms the foundation for a child’s lifetime development and health. Prior evaluative studies have shown that participation in MCH services in Victoria improves the health outcomes for children and families, particularly First Nations families. However, First Nations women and their children in Victoria show poorer health outcomes and lower participation in MCH services compared to non-Indigenous persons; this suggests a need to improve the current Victorian MCH service model. This thesis contributes recommendations for such improvements. The literature review (Chapter 2) identified the absence of a synthesis of qualitative studies of models of care to help guide MCH practice and innovation for all families, especially those at risk of child abuse and neglect. To address this gap, a three-phase qualitative study was conducted in the Glenelg Shire, Victoria, Australia, using narrative inquiry integrated with the Indigenous philosophy ‘Dadirri’. ‘Dadirri’, which emphasises deep and respectful listening, guided the development of the research design; this methodology assisted in understanding Indigenous culture and its sensitivities, building trust with the First Nations peoples involved in the studies, developing open-ended and conversational dialogue, and building respectful relationships. This method enabled First Nations women’s voices to be heard and the collection of rich data based on participants’ perspectives of and experiences with MCH services in Victoria. Study One (Chapter 4) recruited First Nations women residing in the Glenelg Shire, with at least one child aged birth to five years, to explore their perceptions and experiences of MCH services and barriers to accessing and engaging with MCH services. Study Two (Chapter 5) compared Study One data with accounts from MCH nurses working in Glenelg Shire. Study Three (Chapter 6) reviewed a piloting of the Early Assessment Referral Links (EARL) concept (developed by the researcher) that aims to improve First Nations women and their children’s access to and engagement with MCH services. EARL involved the core principles of narrative inquiry integrated with ‘Dadirri’. Study One and Two found that enabling factors for access and engagement include interventions that are culturally sensitive and effective; recognise the social determinates of health (SDOH) and social and emotional wellbeing; are timely, appropriate, culturally strong, flexible, holistic and community-based; support continuity of care and communication; and encourage early identification of risk, particularly of family violence (FV), and further assessment, intervention, referral and support in the child’s first 2,000 days. Barriers to access and engagement include an ineffective service model built on mistrust, poor communication due to cultural differences between client and provider (particularly around identification and disclosure of woman’s risk of FV), lack of continuity of care between services, limited flexibility of service delivery to suit individual needs, and a service model that does not recognise the importance of the SDOH and social and emotional wellbeing. Study Three results showed that participation of First Nations families in MCH services was consistently above the state average during the pilot period, and several First Nations families were referred to EARL stakeholders and other health professionals during the pilot. Further, there were increases in First Nations children being breastfed, fully immunised and attending Early Start Kindergarten, and identification of First Nations children at risk of abuse or neglect improved (with a significant increase in referrals for FV and child protection and significant decrease in episodes of out-of-home care). This thesis’s findings can support policy development. This research shows that timely, effective, holistic engagement with First Nations women in their child’s first 2,000 days, that respects their culture and facilitates genuine partnerships built on co-design and shared decision-making with the Indigenous community, needs to be an essential part of the MCH service model. Additionally, this thesis recommends adopting a strengths-based approach that respects First Nations peoples’ child-rearing practices and culture, and providing necessary training to MCH nurses who work with First Nations families. Keywords: child family health, continuity of care, First Nations women
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
An efficient framework for mining outlying aspects
- Authors: Samariya, Durgesh
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: In the era of big data, an immense volume of information is being continuously generated. It is common to encounter errors or anomalies within datasets. These anomalies can arise due to system malfunctions or human errors, resulting in data points that deviate from expected patterns or values. Anomaly detection algorithms have been developed to identify such anomalies effectively from the data. However, these algorithms often fall short in providing insights into why a particular data point is considered as an anomaly. They cannot explain the specific feature subset(s) in which a,data point significantly differs from the majority of the data. To address this limitation, researchers have recently turned their attention,to a new research area called outlying aspect mining. This area focuses on discovering feature subset(s), known as aspects or subspaces, in which anomalous data points exhibit significant deviations from the remaining set of data. Outlying aspect mining algorithms aim to provide a more detailed,understanding of the characteristics that make a data point anomalous. Although outlying aspect mining is an emerging area of research only a few studies have been published so far. One of the key challenges in this field is scaling up these algorithms to handle large datasets, characterised by,either a large data size or high dimensionality. Many existing outlying aspect mining algorithms are not well-suited for such datasets, as they exhaustively enumerate all possible subspaces and utilise density or distance-based anomaly scores to rank subspaces. As a result, most of these algorithms struggle to handle datasets with dimensions exceeding 20. Addressing the scalability issue and developing efficient algorithms for outlying aspect mining in large datasets remain active area of research. The ability to identify and understand the specific feature subsets contributing to anomalies in big data holds great potential for various applications, including fraud detection, network intrusion detection, and anomaly-based decision support systems. Existing outlying aspect mining methods are suffering from three main problems. Firstly, these measures often rely on distance or density-based calculations, which can be biased toward high-dimensional spaces. As the dimensionality of the subspace increases, the density tends to decrease, making it difficult to assess the outlyingness of data points within specific subspaces accurately. Secondly, distances or density-based measures are computationally expensive, especially when dealing with large-scale datasets that contain millions of data points. As distance and density-based measures require computing pairwise distance, it makes them computationally expensive. In addition to that, existing work uses Z-Score normalisation to make density-based scoring measure dimensionally unbias. However, it adds additional computational overload on already computationally expensive measures. Lastly, existing outlying aspect mining uses brute-force methods to search subspaces. Thus, it is essential to tackle this efficiency issue because when the dimensionality of the data is high – candidate subspace grows exponentially, which is beyond computational resources. This research project aims to solve this challenge by developing efficient and effective methods for mining outlying aspects in high-dimensional and large datasets. I have explored and designed different scoring measures to find the outlyingness of a given data point in each subspace. The effectiveness and efficiency of these proposed measures have been verified with extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets. To overcome the first problem, this thesis first identifies and analyses the condition under which Z-Score based normalisation scoring measure fails to find the most outlying aspects and proposes two different approaches called HMass and sGrid++, both measures are dimensionally unbiased in their raw form, which means they do not require any additional normalisation. sGrid++ is a simpler version of sGrid that is not only efficient and effective but also dimensionality unbiased. It does not require Z-score normalisation. HMass is a simple but effective and efficient histogram-based solution to rank outlying aspects of a given query in each subspace. In addition to detecting anomalies, HMass provides explanations on why the points are anomalous. Both sGrid++ and HMass do not require pair-wise calculation like distance or density-based measures; therefore, sGrid++ and HMass are computationally faster than distance and density-based measures, which solves the second issue of existing work. The effectiveness and efficiency of both sGrid++ and HMass are evaluated using synthetic and real-world datasets. In addition to that, I presented an exciting application of outlying aspect mining in the cybersecurity domain. To tackle the third problem, this thesis proposes an efficient and effective outlying aspect mining framework named OIMiner (for Outlying - Inlying Aspect Miner). It introduces a new scoring measure to compute outlying degree, called Simple Isolation score using Nearest Neighbor Ensemble (SiNNE), which not only detects the outliers but also provides an explanation on why the selected point is an outlier. SiNNE is a dimensionally unbias measure in its raw form, which means the scores produced by SiNNE are compared directly with subspaces having different dimensions. Thus, it does not require any normalisation to make the score unbiased. Our experimental results on synthetic and publicly available real-world datasets revealed that (i) SiNNE produces better or at least the same results as existing scores. (ii) It improves the run time of the existing outlying aspect mining algorithm based on beam search by at least two orders of magnitude. SiNNE allows the existing outlying aspect mining algorithm to run in datasets with hundreds of thousands of instances and thousands of dimensions, which was not possible before.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Samariya, Durgesh
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: In the era of big data, an immense volume of information is being continuously generated. It is common to encounter errors or anomalies within datasets. These anomalies can arise due to system malfunctions or human errors, resulting in data points that deviate from expected patterns or values. Anomaly detection algorithms have been developed to identify such anomalies effectively from the data. However, these algorithms often fall short in providing insights into why a particular data point is considered as an anomaly. They cannot explain the specific feature subset(s) in which a,data point significantly differs from the majority of the data. To address this limitation, researchers have recently turned their attention,to a new research area called outlying aspect mining. This area focuses on discovering feature subset(s), known as aspects or subspaces, in which anomalous data points exhibit significant deviations from the remaining set of data. Outlying aspect mining algorithms aim to provide a more detailed,understanding of the characteristics that make a data point anomalous. Although outlying aspect mining is an emerging area of research only a few studies have been published so far. One of the key challenges in this field is scaling up these algorithms to handle large datasets, characterised by,either a large data size or high dimensionality. Many existing outlying aspect mining algorithms are not well-suited for such datasets, as they exhaustively enumerate all possible subspaces and utilise density or distance-based anomaly scores to rank subspaces. As a result, most of these algorithms struggle to handle datasets with dimensions exceeding 20. Addressing the scalability issue and developing efficient algorithms for outlying aspect mining in large datasets remain active area of research. The ability to identify and understand the specific feature subsets contributing to anomalies in big data holds great potential for various applications, including fraud detection, network intrusion detection, and anomaly-based decision support systems. Existing outlying aspect mining methods are suffering from three main problems. Firstly, these measures often rely on distance or density-based calculations, which can be biased toward high-dimensional spaces. As the dimensionality of the subspace increases, the density tends to decrease, making it difficult to assess the outlyingness of data points within specific subspaces accurately. Secondly, distances or density-based measures are computationally expensive, especially when dealing with large-scale datasets that contain millions of data points. As distance and density-based measures require computing pairwise distance, it makes them computationally expensive. In addition to that, existing work uses Z-Score normalisation to make density-based scoring measure dimensionally unbias. However, it adds additional computational overload on already computationally expensive measures. Lastly, existing outlying aspect mining uses brute-force methods to search subspaces. Thus, it is essential to tackle this efficiency issue because when the dimensionality of the data is high – candidate subspace grows exponentially, which is beyond computational resources. This research project aims to solve this challenge by developing efficient and effective methods for mining outlying aspects in high-dimensional and large datasets. I have explored and designed different scoring measures to find the outlyingness of a given data point in each subspace. The effectiveness and efficiency of these proposed measures have been verified with extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets. To overcome the first problem, this thesis first identifies and analyses the condition under which Z-Score based normalisation scoring measure fails to find the most outlying aspects and proposes two different approaches called HMass and sGrid++, both measures are dimensionally unbiased in their raw form, which means they do not require any additional normalisation. sGrid++ is a simpler version of sGrid that is not only efficient and effective but also dimensionality unbiased. It does not require Z-score normalisation. HMass is a simple but effective and efficient histogram-based solution to rank outlying aspects of a given query in each subspace. In addition to detecting anomalies, HMass provides explanations on why the points are anomalous. Both sGrid++ and HMass do not require pair-wise calculation like distance or density-based measures; therefore, sGrid++ and HMass are computationally faster than distance and density-based measures, which solves the second issue of existing work. The effectiveness and efficiency of both sGrid++ and HMass are evaluated using synthetic and real-world datasets. In addition to that, I presented an exciting application of outlying aspect mining in the cybersecurity domain. To tackle the third problem, this thesis proposes an efficient and effective outlying aspect mining framework named OIMiner (for Outlying - Inlying Aspect Miner). It introduces a new scoring measure to compute outlying degree, called Simple Isolation score using Nearest Neighbor Ensemble (SiNNE), which not only detects the outliers but also provides an explanation on why the selected point is an outlier. SiNNE is a dimensionally unbias measure in its raw form, which means the scores produced by SiNNE are compared directly with subspaces having different dimensions. Thus, it does not require any normalisation to make the score unbiased. Our experimental results on synthetic and publicly available real-world datasets revealed that (i) SiNNE produces better or at least the same results as existing scores. (ii) It improves the run time of the existing outlying aspect mining algorithm based on beam search by at least two orders of magnitude. SiNNE allows the existing outlying aspect mining algorithm to run in datasets with hundreds of thousands of instances and thousands of dimensions, which was not possible before.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
An evaluation of low and high intensity digital mental health treatment models for anxiety and depression : an adaptive treatment randomized clinical trial
- Authors: Andrews, Brooke
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Doctor of Philsophy
- Authors: Andrews, Brooke
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Doctor of Philsophy
An examination of physical exercise therapy on quality of life (QoL) and mortality in men diagnosed with Prostate Cancer (PCa)
- Authors: Khan, Nazib
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent malignancy in men worldwide, accounting for 27% of new cancer cases in men and responsible for 3.8% of worldwide male cancer deaths (2018). This risk is projected to double before 204, so it is surprising that there are no well- established modifiable risk factors for PCa diagnosis orr progression. Considering this, the following thesis consists of three original research studies that examined; (1) the moderating effect of physical activity and muscular strength on prostate cancer mortality; (2) the magnitude of effect from pooled therapeutic exercise studies to impact quality of life and adverse events in PCa patients following surgery; (3) the head-to-head comparative efficacy of individual exercise therapies to impact quality of life and adverse events following surgery. The sum of works presented in this thesis lead to the conclusion that 1) when PCa is the only lifetime cancer diagnosis, life expectancy is similar to lifetime cancer free counterparts whereas diagnosis of PCa with any other lifetime cancer is associated with a 30.2% lower life expectancy during 10-year follow-up. Physical activity has negligible effect on life-expectancy whereas handgrip strength accounts for ~4% of the difference in life-expectancy between PCa with any other lifetime cancer compared with controls; 2) Pooled evidence from randomised controlled trials (n=999 participants) identifies that perioperative exercise therapy (aerobic, resistance, pelvic floor, mind-body exercise, or mixed exercise (combined aerobic and resistance) has a positive impact on patient quality of life and adverse events in PCa patients undergoing surgery which is predominant in perceptions of symptom related QoL (SMD: 0.56, 111 95% CI’s [0.22-0.89]) more so than health related quality of life (HRQoL) (SMD: 0.02, 95% 112 CI’s [-0.16-0.20]; 3) Comparison of head-to-head efficacy of different therapeutic exercise interventions [Aerobic, resistance, pelvic floor, mind-body exercise or mixed exercise (combined aerobic and resistance)] identified pelvic floor muscle exercise to be the most favorable exercise therapy to maintain QoL in PCa patients undergoing surgery, partly due to the current lack of evidence to support other exercise therapies. These findings provide new knowledge to support the effective treatment of PCa patients.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Khan, Nazib
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent malignancy in men worldwide, accounting for 27% of new cancer cases in men and responsible for 3.8% of worldwide male cancer deaths (2018). This risk is projected to double before 204, so it is surprising that there are no well- established modifiable risk factors for PCa diagnosis orr progression. Considering this, the following thesis consists of three original research studies that examined; (1) the moderating effect of physical activity and muscular strength on prostate cancer mortality; (2) the magnitude of effect from pooled therapeutic exercise studies to impact quality of life and adverse events in PCa patients following surgery; (3) the head-to-head comparative efficacy of individual exercise therapies to impact quality of life and adverse events following surgery. The sum of works presented in this thesis lead to the conclusion that 1) when PCa is the only lifetime cancer diagnosis, life expectancy is similar to lifetime cancer free counterparts whereas diagnosis of PCa with any other lifetime cancer is associated with a 30.2% lower life expectancy during 10-year follow-up. Physical activity has negligible effect on life-expectancy whereas handgrip strength accounts for ~4% of the difference in life-expectancy between PCa with any other lifetime cancer compared with controls; 2) Pooled evidence from randomised controlled trials (n=999 participants) identifies that perioperative exercise therapy (aerobic, resistance, pelvic floor, mind-body exercise, or mixed exercise (combined aerobic and resistance) has a positive impact on patient quality of life and adverse events in PCa patients undergoing surgery which is predominant in perceptions of symptom related QoL (SMD: 0.56, 111 95% CI’s [0.22-0.89]) more so than health related quality of life (HRQoL) (SMD: 0.02, 95% 112 CI’s [-0.16-0.20]; 3) Comparison of head-to-head efficacy of different therapeutic exercise interventions [Aerobic, resistance, pelvic floor, mind-body exercise or mixed exercise (combined aerobic and resistance)] identified pelvic floor muscle exercise to be the most favorable exercise therapy to maintain QoL in PCa patients undergoing surgery, partly due to the current lack of evidence to support other exercise therapies. These findings provide new knowledge to support the effective treatment of PCa patients.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
An oily steppingstone : Australia’s strategic interest in Portuguese Timor, 1902-1941
- Authors: Murphy-Avery, Kathryn
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Using a realist theoretical lens, this thesis historically examines Australia’s strategic interest in Portuguese Timor between 1902 and 1941. The islands of the Malay Archipelago and South Pacific assumed a binary role in Australia’s geopolitical imagination as though they were designed to either shield or menace Australia. One of these territories, Portuguese Timor, was regarded as the weakest, most vulnerable point in Australia’s northern surroundings. Centuries of Portuguese (mis)rule had left it largely undeveloped and, according to successive Australian governments, susceptible to foreign threats. Australians therefore regarded Portuguese Timor as a potential base for operations from which a future hostile enemy—first Germany, then Japan—might menace Australia. This thesis argues that Portuguese Timor was considered vital to Australian security throughout the timeframe studied. The Australian military intervention in Portuguese Timor on 17 December 1941 was therefore the result not only of short-term considerations arising from the slide to war in the Pacific, but also a culmination of longer-term factors contributing to four decades of anxiety about the colony as a source of threat to Australian national security. With greater awareness of Britain’s incapacity to sufficiently project its military power throughout the Asia and Pacific regions, Australia’s political leaders pursued a number of measures in order to prevent foreign interests from establishing a footing in Portuguese Timor. Through examining these complex geopolitical issues, this thesis also contends that Australian policy towards Portuguese Timor, particularly during the 1930s and leading into the Pacific War, represents an understudied example of a nascent independent Australian foreign policy position during an era commonly understood as a time when Australian governments were acquiescent to the policies of London.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Murphy-Avery, Kathryn
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Using a realist theoretical lens, this thesis historically examines Australia’s strategic interest in Portuguese Timor between 1902 and 1941. The islands of the Malay Archipelago and South Pacific assumed a binary role in Australia’s geopolitical imagination as though they were designed to either shield or menace Australia. One of these territories, Portuguese Timor, was regarded as the weakest, most vulnerable point in Australia’s northern surroundings. Centuries of Portuguese (mis)rule had left it largely undeveloped and, according to successive Australian governments, susceptible to foreign threats. Australians therefore regarded Portuguese Timor as a potential base for operations from which a future hostile enemy—first Germany, then Japan—might menace Australia. This thesis argues that Portuguese Timor was considered vital to Australian security throughout the timeframe studied. The Australian military intervention in Portuguese Timor on 17 December 1941 was therefore the result not only of short-term considerations arising from the slide to war in the Pacific, but also a culmination of longer-term factors contributing to four decades of anxiety about the colony as a source of threat to Australian national security. With greater awareness of Britain’s incapacity to sufficiently project its military power throughout the Asia and Pacific regions, Australia’s political leaders pursued a number of measures in order to prevent foreign interests from establishing a footing in Portuguese Timor. Through examining these complex geopolitical issues, this thesis also contends that Australian policy towards Portuguese Timor, particularly during the 1930s and leading into the Pacific War, represents an understudied example of a nascent independent Australian foreign policy position during an era commonly understood as a time when Australian governments were acquiescent to the policies of London.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Assessment of powered mobility device use among older australians in residential aged care facilities
- Authors: Dickson, Natalie
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Autonomous mobility is fundamental for older Australians to participate in the activities that occupy and inspire daily life. Should a mobility difficulty arise, a powered mobility device (PMD) can assist to supplement or restore mobility, choice, and control. A PMD continues to be a valued resource once a person moves into residential aged care. However, increasing frailty among people within this group means that incidents can result in serious injury for PMD users or others living, visiting, or working in this environment. Guidelines for PMD use are available, however, there are no regulations or mandates to seek professional guidance for assessment of competence, equipment prescription, or training. Occupational therapy theory and practice can support all parts of this process. This thesis presents a three-part study using a mixed methods approach to (i) examine PMD use related incidents and injuries within residential aged care, (ii) to evaluate existing measurement tools, and (iii) to develop and undertake initial validation of a new screening tool developed for residents who use PMDs, based on classical test theory (De Vellis, 2006). The new screening tool will address a gap identified among screening tools for PMD capacity and performance skills specific to this population, to improve the balance between much needed autonomy and safety for all stakeholders.
- Description: Master of Health (Research)
- Authors: Dickson, Natalie
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Autonomous mobility is fundamental for older Australians to participate in the activities that occupy and inspire daily life. Should a mobility difficulty arise, a powered mobility device (PMD) can assist to supplement or restore mobility, choice, and control. A PMD continues to be a valued resource once a person moves into residential aged care. However, increasing frailty among people within this group means that incidents can result in serious injury for PMD users or others living, visiting, or working in this environment. Guidelines for PMD use are available, however, there are no regulations or mandates to seek professional guidance for assessment of competence, equipment prescription, or training. Occupational therapy theory and practice can support all parts of this process. This thesis presents a three-part study using a mixed methods approach to (i) examine PMD use related incidents and injuries within residential aged care, (ii) to evaluate existing measurement tools, and (iii) to develop and undertake initial validation of a new screening tool developed for residents who use PMDs, based on classical test theory (De Vellis, 2006). The new screening tool will address a gap identified among screening tools for PMD capacity and performance skills specific to this population, to improve the balance between much needed autonomy and safety for all stakeholders.
- Description: Master of Health (Research)
Australian nursing students’ perceptions of being a nurse : a mixed methods study
- Authors: Allen, Louise
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Background Nursing students often enter nursing programs with idealistic, altruistic perceptions of what it means to be a nurse. Over time, however, many discover that these perceptions are naïve and unrealistic. Nursing is a demanding profession that requires knowledge, skill and emotional resilience in often demanding and challenging situations that can influence emotional intelligence. Therefore, an early and realistic understanding of professional requirements may reduce transition shock and attrition rates. Aim The aim of this thesis is to explore Bachelor of Nursing (BN) students’ perceptions of being a nurse in Australia. Methods This study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. The 34-item Perceptions of a Registered Nurse (PRN) survey tool was developed using a Nominal Group Technique and validated with a sample of 797 participants across three universities and states. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was incorporated as applicable. In addition, online semi-structured interviews with 23 nursing students (n = 23) explored their perceptions of a nurse in detail, with a thematic analysis of outcomes. Results Demographic variables influenced perceptions. There were significant differences in item-by-item perceptions related to ‘primary language spoken at home’ (13/34 items; p < .04), ‘university of study’ (10/34 items; p
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Allen, Louise
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Background Nursing students often enter nursing programs with idealistic, altruistic perceptions of what it means to be a nurse. Over time, however, many discover that these perceptions are naïve and unrealistic. Nursing is a demanding profession that requires knowledge, skill and emotional resilience in often demanding and challenging situations that can influence emotional intelligence. Therefore, an early and realistic understanding of professional requirements may reduce transition shock and attrition rates. Aim The aim of this thesis is to explore Bachelor of Nursing (BN) students’ perceptions of being a nurse in Australia. Methods This study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. The 34-item Perceptions of a Registered Nurse (PRN) survey tool was developed using a Nominal Group Technique and validated with a sample of 797 participants across three universities and states. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was incorporated as applicable. In addition, online semi-structured interviews with 23 nursing students (n = 23) explored their perceptions of a nurse in detail, with a thematic analysis of outcomes. Results Demographic variables influenced perceptions. There were significant differences in item-by-item perceptions related to ‘primary language spoken at home’ (13/34 items; p < .04), ‘university of study’ (10/34 items; p
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Between a rock and a hard place : site selection for Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) translocations using an explicit decision-making process
- Authors: Mathews, Emily
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Translocation programs are used in species conservation, but their success rates, particularly in Australia, are low. The poor outcomes for translocation programs are commonly attributed to a lack of information about habitat requirements, especially for rare and endangered species. To address this, the identification of suitable release sites using analytical methods such as Habitat Suitability Models (HSM), has become common. Since biodiversity losses are predicted to increase in the future, effective strategies to reduce species decline are required. Evidence-based decisions and scientific data to support conservation decision-making is paramount in conservation efforts. Once widely distributed across the mountainous country of south-eastern Australia, the distribution of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (BTRW) has contracted particularly within the southern extent of their range. Considered critically endangered in Victoria and extinct in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), it is more important than ever that the habitat requirements of the BTRW are understood to inform future translocations and the protection of this species in the wild. In this study, an explicit decision-making process was combined with Habitat Suitability Modelling (HSM) and ground-truthing methods to inform potential Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (BTRW) translocations sites within Victoria and the ACT. Although this study is not the first of its kind to use HSM to predict BTRW habitat suitability, it is the first of its kind to apply an explicit decision-making process at two key stages: 1. to inform the selection of key physical and management attributes to be used in a HSM; and 2. to prioritise sites, within experts’ local knowledge areas, for ground-truthing By combining HSM and an explicit decision-making process, this study has been able to identify six suitable and two highly suitable habitat for BTRW across Victoria and the ACT. The use of an explicit decision-making process and ground-truthing methods to validate the model outputs and prioritise sites for ground-truthing has ensured that the final ranking of potential candidate sites can be reliably used by the Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Recovery Team to inform future translocations.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Mathews, Emily
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Translocation programs are used in species conservation, but their success rates, particularly in Australia, are low. The poor outcomes for translocation programs are commonly attributed to a lack of information about habitat requirements, especially for rare and endangered species. To address this, the identification of suitable release sites using analytical methods such as Habitat Suitability Models (HSM), has become common. Since biodiversity losses are predicted to increase in the future, effective strategies to reduce species decline are required. Evidence-based decisions and scientific data to support conservation decision-making is paramount in conservation efforts. Once widely distributed across the mountainous country of south-eastern Australia, the distribution of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (BTRW) has contracted particularly within the southern extent of their range. Considered critically endangered in Victoria and extinct in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), it is more important than ever that the habitat requirements of the BTRW are understood to inform future translocations and the protection of this species in the wild. In this study, an explicit decision-making process was combined with Habitat Suitability Modelling (HSM) and ground-truthing methods to inform potential Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (BTRW) translocations sites within Victoria and the ACT. Although this study is not the first of its kind to use HSM to predict BTRW habitat suitability, it is the first of its kind to apply an explicit decision-making process at two key stages: 1. to inform the selection of key physical and management attributes to be used in a HSM; and 2. to prioritise sites, within experts’ local knowledge areas, for ground-truthing By combining HSM and an explicit decision-making process, this study has been able to identify six suitable and two highly suitable habitat for BTRW across Victoria and the ACT. The use of an explicit decision-making process and ground-truthing methods to validate the model outputs and prioritise sites for ground-truthing has ensured that the final ranking of potential candidate sites can be reliably used by the Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Recovery Team to inform future translocations.
- Description: Masters by Research
Contrasting colonial collectors: an examination of nineteenth-century collectors of Victorian Indigenous cultural artefacts, violence and antiquarianism
- Authors: Donovan, Paul
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The motivations and methodologies for collecting Indigenous Australian cultural material from colonial Victoria from 1802–1900 have varied widely. Some collectors enacted frontier war to disarm a colonised people and dispossess them of their land. Others sought to salvage a material scientific record of the culture of a race they believed was doomed to imminent extinction or build museum collections for public education. Some sought souvenirs or gifts to document tourism experiences, and some acquired exotic material for commercial enterprise. This dissertation offers a historical overview of political and scientific paradigms underpinning the collection of Indigenous Australian cultural material from nineteenth-century Victoria and characterises the resulting collecting practices. The nature of the collection methods and the content of the collections were examined. The dynamics of relationships between nineteenth-century collectors, Indigenous Australian communities, the source of collections, and collecting institutions were analysed following on from Nicholas Thomas’s entangled objects framework and using the methodologies of Geertz’s thick description, McBryde’s ethnohistory, Denzin’s interpretive biography and Thomas, Znaniecki and Shaw’s biographical analysis. By examining evidence in the primary sources of Indigenous Australian value for colonial material and colonial value of Indigenous material, this dissertation deconstructed the nature of the relationships between agents. It explored the nexus between objects, institutions and individuals. The case studies add depth to the understanding of the collections of Victorian cultural material still held in museums.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Donovan, Paul
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The motivations and methodologies for collecting Indigenous Australian cultural material from colonial Victoria from 1802–1900 have varied widely. Some collectors enacted frontier war to disarm a colonised people and dispossess them of their land. Others sought to salvage a material scientific record of the culture of a race they believed was doomed to imminent extinction or build museum collections for public education. Some sought souvenirs or gifts to document tourism experiences, and some acquired exotic material for commercial enterprise. This dissertation offers a historical overview of political and scientific paradigms underpinning the collection of Indigenous Australian cultural material from nineteenth-century Victoria and characterises the resulting collecting practices. The nature of the collection methods and the content of the collections were examined. The dynamics of relationships between nineteenth-century collectors, Indigenous Australian communities, the source of collections, and collecting institutions were analysed following on from Nicholas Thomas’s entangled objects framework and using the methodologies of Geertz’s thick description, McBryde’s ethnohistory, Denzin’s interpretive biography and Thomas, Znaniecki and Shaw’s biographical analysis. By examining evidence in the primary sources of Indigenous Australian value for colonial material and colonial value of Indigenous material, this dissertation deconstructed the nature of the relationships between agents. It explored the nexus between objects, institutions and individuals. The case studies add depth to the understanding of the collections of Victorian cultural material still held in museums.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy