Digital Commons Network^™

Parent Rated Importance Of Active Play And Organised Physical Activity For Young Children, Casey Murphy

Theses

Background: Children participate in less daily physical activity, both organised and informal, often referred to as active play (AP), than in the past. For young children, parents are primarily responsible for planning their child’s day including their engagement in physical activity.

Purpose: As there has been little research in this area, the purpose of this study was to examine how parents rated the importance of their child’s level of AP and organised physical activity (OPA), how this affected the amount of time their child participated in these activities, and whether their child’s physical activity (PA) related to their own level …

The Identification Of The Role And Competencies Of The Graduate Nurse In Recognising And Responding To The Deteriorating Patient In An Acute Ward Environment: A Mixed Methods Study, Steven Hardman

Theses

The identification of the role and competencies of the graduate nurse in recognising and responding to the deteriorating patient in an acute ward environment: A mixed method study. Patients’ physiological condition can be unstable for prolonged periods before transfer to critical care units. Thus, it is imperative that ward based nurses are able to recognise, respond and initially manage patients with a deteriorating condition. Unfortunately, warning signs of physiological decline are often missed, or ignored by both experienced and newly graduated registered nurses. Complex systems and processes to recognise and respond to clinical deterioration have been developed to try to …

Macroeconomic Risk Factors Of Australian Mining Companies, Mohammed Kamruzzaman

Theses

This thesis identifies the priced macroeconomic risk factors for the Australian mining industry from January, 2004 to December, 2013, and the macroeconomic variables that have had an impact on stock returns. A rapid growth in the stock returns of the mining industry in Australia occurred during this period. This phenomenon is studied using a multifactor model and arbitrage pricing theory. The method involves analysis of two samples: the top ten mining firms and the aggregate mining industry. Firstly, unbalanced panel data containing 1550 yearly observations of 155 mining companies is selected for the aggregate industrial analysis. Secondly, data from the …

Beyond The Pink Ribbon: An Exploration Of The Experience Of Self-Compassion In Western Australian Women Survivors Of Breast Cancer, Helen Wilson

Theses

Using a phenomenological lens this qualitative study explored the experience of self-compassion in self and other relating in Western Australian women breast cancer survivors (BCS). A purposive sample of 17 participants were drawn from women aged between 35 and 70 years of age who had completed treatment for primary breast cancer and had been disease-free for a minimum period of 12 months.

Participants were asked to take part in an in-depth semi-structured interview.

Additionally, eight participants interviewed engaged in three, one-hour Opening to

Self-Compassion sessions and three, four-hour sessions (12-hours in total) of a

Personal Reflection Program.

Data was …

Investigation Into The Effect Of The Upsee On The Cognitive, Social And Physical Development Of Young Children With Down Syndrome., Diana Issac

Theses

Young children with Down syndrome face developmental delay in walking compared to a typically developing child. This delay in upright exploration can in turn affect other areas of development such as cognitive, social, self- help and emotional development. Acquisition of particular motor milestones is therefore vital. UPSEE is a new mobility device designed to help children with movement delays to stand and move with the help of an adult. This research investigated the use of UPSEE and measured children’s progress covering areas such as cognitive, social and physical development. Moreover, active parental, siblings and peer group involvement during the UPSEE …

Australian Dollar Price Shocks And The Australian Stock Market, Ramzi E.N Tarazi

Theses

This thesis presents three studies on the Australian dollar price shocks and the Australian stock market. In this thesis, we study the volatility of the major currencies, identify the effect of the Australian dollar return and volatility on six sectors of the Australian stock market, evaluate volatility from the Australian dollar to the big four banks’ shares volatility in Australia, and finally identify the risk factors for the real estate market in Australia at the fundamental factors and macroeconomies level.

In chapter two, we investigate the influence of volatility of the foreign exchange rate of the US, the UK, Euro-zone, …

“First Time Here, I Didn’T Know It Was Hospital”. Travelling For Treatment: The Structural Complexities Identified Via The Stories Of Aboriginal Women Who Relocated For Treatment In The State Adult Burns Unit At Fiona Stanley Hospital., Tiffany Ryan

Theses

Background: International and national research confirms the disparity in life expectancy between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations. Inequity of access to healthcare for remote and very remote Aboriginal people makes relocation for specialist medical services a necessity. The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of relocation on Aboriginal patients admitted to the State Adult Burn Unit at Fiona Stanley Hospital.

Aims: This qualitative study sought to define and describe this experience of relocation, with a strong focus on structural complexities. Aboriginal women were asked to describe their experiences of relocating from remote and very remote communities to the …

Exploring Organisations’ Awareness Of The Costs Associated With Millennial Employee Turnover., Ray Cronin

Theses

There has been much commentary in recent years regarding younger people, particularly Millennials, and that discussion has focused on whether they change employment more than previous generations. Additionally there has been debate regarding whether the Millennial generation show less loyalty to employers today. Loyalty, for the purposes of this study, is considered not m terms of dedication, commitment or dependability, but rather in terms of medium to long term allegiance, tenure and faithfulness to the existing employer. The counter argument to this theory is that tenure has more to do with life stage and nothing to do with being Millennial …

The Ernie Els #Gameon Autism™ Golf Program For Young People With Autism: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Jerrome Suganthy Selvaraj

Theses

The first evaluation of the #GameON Autism^^ Golf Program was conducted outside of the USA by the UNESCO Chair, I.T. Tralee in conjunction with the Els for Autism Foundation in partnership with LD Golf Ltd. The central aim of this research study was to evaluate the efficacy of the #GameON Autism^ Golf Program on young people with autism (ASD), their families, PGA golf coach, and volunteers. The two main objectives of the research were to analyse the impact of the program on the socia/communication, motor, and golf skills of individuals with autism and to assess the potential for the #GameON …

The Role Of The Public Health Nurse In Rural Areas Of Kerry And Cork, Hannah Healy

Theses

Aim of Research: To understand and gain insight into the role of the Public Health nurse in rural communities in Kerry and Cork.

Background: Public health nursing is the single largest group in community care, current figure employed by the HSE stands at 1,438. Demographic, changes such as the increase in population coupled with the shift in care from the acute sector to primary care has provided many challenges to the PHN service .

Objective: Whilst there have been substantial reviews on the role and workload of the PHN in Ireland, there is limited qualitative research available on what the …

What Is The Relationship Between Work-Life Integration And Job Satisfaction With Regard To Stress And Employee Well-Being?, Nicole King

Theses

The world of work is changing with the separation of work and personal life becoming an increasing challenge. Advances in technology have facilitated the mobility of work with over 6 billion people having access to a mobile phone which has led to greater demands on the modern worker which poses a question. What is the relationship between work-life integration and job satisfaction with regard to stress and employee well-being?

Due to the universal application of the chosen research topic, an industry focus was not chosen to allow for the collection of generalisable data. Questionnaires were the chosen research method and …

Optimisation Of Ion Exchange Chromatography Purification Protocols For A Staphylococcal Peptidoglycan Degrading Hydrolase Enzyme, Fiona Maher

Theses

Bacteriophage (phage) are the most abundant biological entities on earth and were first discovered by d’Herelle in 1917. They are found wherever their hosts live and, like all viruses they do not have the ability to make their own protein. Therefore, in order to reproduce, phage must invade and infect bacterial cells. This project focused on the optimisation of Ion Exchange Chromatography purification protocols for a staphylococcal peptidoglycan degrading hydrolase enzyme (CHAPk). The project objective was to obtain the greatest yield of enzyme from the growth of the E.coU XL 1-Blue expression system into which the vector pQE60 was previously …

Sub-Wavelength Gratings For Long Wavelength Sensing, Brian Hogan

Theses

This Ph.D. thesis is concerned with the design and use of guided mode resonance (GMR) reflectors for applications in optical absorption sensing at wavelengths around 10 μm. These grating based reflectors comprise appropriately designed optical nanostructures which resonantly reflect a wide range of incident wavelengths. Because of the periodic modulation of the refractive index in the grating layer, the guided modes which exist in this region leak out of the waveguide and arc more appropriately termed leaky or quasi guided modes. Resonant reflection occurs when phase matching of the incident light and these leaky modes cancels any transmitted light. The …

Development Of Multi-Class Analytical Methods For Agrochemical Contaminants, Sarah Tuck

Theses

In this project, cost-effective multi-class analytical methods were developed to detect a range of antiparasitic, feed additive and pesticide substances in foodstuffs of animal origin. These substances have the potential to enter the food chain through their occurrence as residues either through the animals themselves or other routes e.g. contamination. To ensure the continued safety of food destined for human consumption regulatory control limits have been established for permitted levels of these residues in foods of animal origin. Despite these controls the continued monitoring of foodstuffs is necessary to ensure these limits are not breached and that substances are not …

A Mixed Methods Sequential Explanatory Study Of Male Farmers' Health Beliefs, Attitudes And Practices In Rural Kerry, Chrystal O'Brien

Theses

Aim/Background: Beliefs and attitudes about health directly and indirectly influence concomitant behaviours, practices and health outcomes. In Ireland, male farmers are experiencing a disproportionate burden of ill health in preventable lifestyle diseases, yet there is a lack of behavioural research in relation to male farmers and their health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the health beliefs, attitudes and practices of male farmers in rural Kerry, and to explore healthcare professionals' insights of male farmers' health beliefs, attitudes and practices.

Methodology: The study adopted a mixed methods design. Phase one of the study involved structured interviews with …

Assessment Of The Neuroprotective Efficacy Of Poly-Arginine-18 (R18) Peptides In A Pre-Clinical Model Of Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy (Hie), Adam Edwards

Theses

Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in infants, globally. This disorder eventuates following a reduction in oxygenated cerebral blood flow to the foetus in utero, leading to excitotoxic-mediated brain cell (e.g. neuron, glia and glial progenitor cell) death. Currently, there is no clinically appropriate neuroprotective treatment to reduce acute brain injury following HIE. Recent studies have demonstrated that poly-arginine and cationic arginine-rich peptides (CARPs; e.g. R18: R = arginine residues) exhibit potent neuroprotective properties in both in vitro and adult animal models of ischaemia, and therefore have the potential to be developed into …

Diagnosing Pulmonary Hypertension Due To Left Heart Disease Using Diastolic Echo Markers: The National Echo Database Of Australia (Neda) Ph-Lhd Predictive Formula, Kevin Chung

Theses

Aims: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is commonly due to left heart disease caused by ischaemic heart disease, hypertension and valvular heart disease. It is under diagnosed and associated with a high mortality. PH diagnosed using echo requires a measurable tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) to estimate the pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PH = PASP >40mmHg). However, up to 40% of studies have insufficient TRV to calculate a PASP. This can lead to significant delays in the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, increased morbidity and delays in the initiation of treatment.

This thesis seeks to determine the prevalence of PH and the diastolic echo …

Compact Antenna With Artificial Magnetic Conductor For Noninvasive Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring, Meenakshy Iyer

Theses

A non-invasive technique for real-time continuous monitoring of blood glucose has been under development by Venkataraman’s research group in the ETA lab at RIT [16]-[18]. The methodology involves placing an antenna on the arm and monitoring changes in the resonant frequency, which is attributed to changes in the blood glucose level. This is because the blood’s permittivity depends on the glucose levels, and in turn, affects the antenna’s resonant frequency. In order to correlate the antenna’s resonant frequency shift with the real-time blood glucose change, glucose estimation was also modeled using the antenna’s input impedance. The antennas designed could successfully …

An Investigation Into The Impact Of High-Stakes Testing, Through The Naplan Assessment, On The Teaching And Learning Of Mathematics In One Primary School, Linda Cranley

Theses

In 2008, the implementation of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) commenced in all schools across Australia. This assessment of mathematical and literacy standards across Australia raised questions about the impact which high-stakes testing has on teaching and learning. This research specifically focused on the effect NAPLAN has had on the teaching and learning of mathematics. The study explored perspectives about NAPLAN from key participants; students, teachers and parents at one Western Australian Primary School. These perspectives included the potential anxiety experienced by students and how this affected their performance in NAPLAN. According to recent research on …

Modelling Spatial Heterogeneity In The Haemodynamic Response With Implications For Neuroimaging, Russell Gore

Theses

Background: A foundational assumption of neuroimaging is the central volume principle (CVP): the mean transit time of oxygen particles in the brain equals the ratio of blood vessel volume to blood flow. Changes in mean transit time are expected to cause detectable changes in images produced by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The CVP assumes a uniform distribution of transit times, but in fact blood vessel volumes are spatially heterogeneous. This thesis examines the implications of spatial heterogeneity for fMRI research.

Methods: An amended form of the CVP that accounts for spatial heterogeneity is developed and parameterised using empirical data. …

Harbouring Discontent: Activism In 1930s Fremantle, Paul Reilly

Theses

The 1930s was a period of huge economic and political turmoil, with the Great Depression and the rise of fascism in Europe, leading to the Second World War. Western Australia has been portrayed as a place of relative calm and consensus during this decade. This research challenges this view, and examines local community activism in Fremantle in relation to unemployment, industrial strife and the rise of fascism in Europe, particularly the civil war in Spain. The research indicates a highly active and politically conscious labour movement in Fremantle in this decade.

Insight Into Unexplained Infertility: How Do Women Make Sense Of Their Experience Of Unexplained Infertility Followed By Spontaneous Conception, Fabienne Michea

Theses

The causes of infertility are diverse and broadly fall under four categories: male, female, combined or unexplained (Wynter et al., 2013, p. 285). Treating infertility is usually associated with an often medically invasive procedure and fertility clinics have been expanding globally in the last thirty years (Krisak, 2013). Furthermore, medical research and treatment for this condition have allowed for considerable progress to be made, allowing a greater number of couples to have children despite their difficulty or inability to conceive at some time in their life (Bushnik, Cook, Hughes, & Tough, 2012). The focus of this study will be the …

Narratives Of Experience: Senior Registered Nurses Working With New Graduate Nurses In The Intensive Care Unit, Susan Whittam

Theses

The experiences and perceptions of New Graduate Nurses as they transition into professional practice and into intensive care units abounds in the literature. However, there is a dearth of literature exploring the experiences of Senior Registered Nurses who work with New Graduate Nurses in intensive care units.

The aim of this inquiry was to contribute to nursing knowledge by examining Senior Registered Nurses’ stories of experience around the complexity of enabling development of New Graduate Nurses whilst working in clinical or team leading roles in the intensive care unit. Thus, allowing the Senior Registered Nurses’ voice to be heard in …

Effect Of A Nurse-Led Lymphoma Survivorship Model Of Care: A Pragmatic Phase Ii Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial, Karen Taylor

Theses

Background: Cancer survivorship is recognised as an integral component of the cancer continuum. Robust evidence on how best to deliver tailored survivorship care is limited, particularly for individuals affected by rarer cancers such as lymphoma, a potentially curable haematological cancer. These survivors may face long-term and late effects affecting quality of life due to the aggressiveness of the disease and treatment that may not be adequately addressed in current follow-up models of care.

Aim: To develop and pilot test a nurse-led model of survivorship care intervention that utilises an individualised survivorship care plan and treatment summary (SCPTS), motivational interviewing, tailored …

Psychometric Testing Of The Endotracheal Suction Assessment Tool© (Esat©): An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Study, Kylie Davies

Theses

Background: Endotracheal tube (ETT) suction is a common nursing procedure performed in paediatric intensive care settings. Significant side effects of this procedure can dramatically affect the stability of the critically ill ventilated paediatric patient. The lack of clear standards for determining when the procedure is warranted, especially in paediatrics, can present challenges for the inexperienced paediatric intensive care nurse when assessing a patient’s need for ETT suction. Previous research underpinned the development of an Endotracheal Suction Assessment Tool© (ESAT©) to guide inexperienced nurses through the decision making process to determine suction requirements. The aim of the ESAT© is to improve …

Investigating The Molecular Pathology Of Dupuytren’S Disease, Robert Pearce

Theses

The eponymous progressive palmar fibromatosis described by Guillaume Dupuytren in 1831 is a common and debilitating disease with limited treatment options and high rates of recurrence after intervention. Dupuytren’s disease has been generally accepted as predominantly affecting Northern European individuals; Dupuytren’s disease is sometimes referred to as “Vikings Disease” as an attribution to this ethnic origin. Its familial occurrence in all communities is suggestive of Mendelian inheritance as an autosomal dominant disease with incomplete penetrance. The genetic and molecular basis of Dupuytren’s disease (DD) has been the focus of many studies, with increasingly sophisticated approaches since the sequencing of the …

Workforce Nationalisation In Papua New Guinea: Security And Logistics In Resource Organisations, Warren Doudle

Theses

Many multinational organisations fail to fully employ the capabilities of their local staff, particularly those in sensitive roles, such as security and logistics positions. It is commonplace to rely on expatriate staff for many of these roles, and this practice is particularly prevalent in the resource industry in Papua New Guinea. This research first aimed to determine whether this reliance on expatriates does exist, and, if so, why this situation occurs. It then examined how resource companies operating in Papua New Guinea manage and develop their national logistics and security workforce, and how nationalisation or workforce indigenisation occurs in this …

Perceptions Of Large-Scale, Standardised Testing In Religious Education: How Do Religious Educators Perceive The Bishops’ Religious Literacy Assessment?, Antonella Poncini

Theses

This research provides a Western Australian perspective of teaching and assessing Religious Education (RE) in Catholic schools. The perspective recognises RE as a learning area reserved for classroom instruction. This educational focus aligns RE with other learning areas as well as highlights the important role that RE plays in the evangelising mission of the Catholic Church.

A pragmatic approach to research was implemented to focus on religious educators’ perceptions of a large-scale, standardised assessment in RE called The Bishops’ Religious Literacy Assessment (BRLA). This assessment is developed by the Catholic Education Office of Western Australia. The research surveyed 238 religious …

Promoting Student Belongingness: The Development, Implementation And Evaluation Of A Toolkit For Nurses, Christine King

Theses

The literature suggests that the need to belong to a community influences health and wellbeing, which in turn affects behavioural, and cognitive responses. However, student nurses are often in a vulnerable position of being excluded intentionally or otherwise from ward/unit activities. This can lead to feelings of isolation and poor achievement.

The aim of this project was to design and develop a toolkit for nurses in an e-learning format using reflective learning to promote a sense of belonging and inclusion of student nurses in the clinical team. Upon completion of the development of the e-learning program, distribution commenced to selected …

Religious Free Speech And Anti-Discrimination Laws In Australia, Isabel Rocha De Sousa

Theses

This thesis addresses the delicate relationship between Religious Free Speech and Australian Anti-discrimination laws. There are an increasing number of conflicts arising between religious and secular speech. Different opinions related to sensitive matters often result in social and legal disputes. Some of these disputes become complaints under Anti-discrimination laws and arguably lead to less freedom of conscience and speech.

This thesis focuses on ‘the relationship between Religious Free Speech and Anti-discrimination laws’. This is done though critical analysis of relevant literature, cases and legislation, contextualising them in response to the questions proposed in the research paper.