Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Road Sprint Cycling Performance, Paolo Menaspa

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Sprint cycling ability is a key determinant of road cycling performance, with many races designed specifically for sprinters. The ability to excel in the final sprint is relevant for both individual riders and teams. Despite the importance of sprints within professional road cycling, the characteristics of professional road sprints and sprinters have yet to be extensively described. Thus, the overall objective of the five research studies contained within this doctoral thesis was to describe road cycling sprint performance and improve the general understanding of the physical, technical and tactical factors associated with such performances.

The first two descriptive field studies …

The Clinical Utility Of Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation In Individuals With Huntington’S Disease, Travis Miles Cruickshank

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterised by a progressive loss of cognitive function, motor control and psychiatric features. Individuals also display a variety of systemic features. Progressive neuronal dysfunction and neuronal cell death are thought to underlie the onset and progression of many clinical features of HD.

Despite scientific progress, there is still no cure or disease modifying therapy for HD, and available pharmaceutical agents only provide partial relief of motor and psychiatric features. An emerging body of evidence indicates that lifestyle enrichment may delay the onset and progression of clinical features, and exert favourable effects …

Investigating The Value Of Workplace-Endorsed Social Media For Improving Deskbound Employee Physical Activity Program Engagement And Reducing Sedentary Behaviour Health Risks, Darren Leigh Webb

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Sedentary (prolonged sitting) behaviour is now recognised as an independent health risk factor contributing to a number of preventable lifestyle related diseases (Katzmarzyk, Church, Craig, & Bouchard, 2009). The widespread integration of computers into the office environment has seen an increase in employee work time participating in technology facilitated desk-based tasks requiring them to remain physically inactive (Philipson & Posner, 2003). According to recent research, workplace sedentary behavioural practices have objectively been measured as accounting for 81.8% of employee time, with a further 15.3% categorised as light activity within office based populations (Parry & Straker, 2013). With a recorded national …

Forget Me Not: An Exhibition –And– Creative Reuse: How Rescued Materials Transformed My A/R/Tographic Practice: An Exegesis, Susan Girak

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis, comprising of a written exegesis, solo exhibition and an artist book, emerged from research undertaken by an artist-researcher-teacher. For that reason, a/r/tography was the overarching methodology used, incorporating a bricolage of methods to address a multifaceted study undertaken in two settings: a primary school classroom and an artist’s studio. A/r/tography is a multilayered interdisciplinary Arts education research methodology that correlates well with my expertise as a primary Visual Arts specialist. The methodology allowed me to immerse myself in both teaching and the artmaking process, as ways of gaining a deeper understanding of Visual Arts pedagogy. The purpose of …

Learning To Teach: What Pre-Service Teachers Report, Dawn Naylor

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

With universities and schools of education receiving recurring criticism for being ineffective in preparing graduates for school teaching, this study sought to understand the phenomenon of learning to teach in order to investigate universal questions about who was learning to teach and what, where, when and how did they learn to teach during their initial learning to teach experiences at university. The topic was approached by listening to the voices and stories of those who ought to know the most about the phenomenon: the pre-service teachers. A multiple case study analysis was conducted with seven pre-service teachers, enrolled in their …

Leaving Home: Investigating Transitioning Challenges Faced By Boarding Students And Their Families, Kate Margaret Hadwen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Transitioning to boarding school during the middle years of childhood impacts upon the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of young people (Bramston & Patrick, 2007; Connell & Wellborn, 1991; Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991; Earls & Carlson, 2001). Students who live at school as boarders, may experience greater transitional changes in all three components of wellbeing due to the extent of change experienced during this transition. While research addressing transitioning to school has indicated the importance of connectedness to school, bonding, friendships and a sense of autonomy (Eccles et al., 1993), there is limited research addressing the transitioning experiences …

Exploring The Benefits Of Attracting, Recruiting And Retaining Mature Age Employees Up To And Beyond The Traditional Age Of Retirement: Perspectives From Western Australia, Jonathan Georgiou

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

There has been a recent upsurge in media attention surrounding Australia’s ageing workforce. A review of academic, media and grey literature highlighted inadequacies in existing workplace polices, as well as flaws in financial and social security schemes. Of particular concern were persistent negative attitudes and counterproductive policies regarding mature age employees (MAEs). Poor retention rates among this cohort of workers aged 45 years and over are leading to skilled labour shortages and losses in corporate knowledge. This expected mass exodus of mature cohorts into retirement has been predicted to negatively impact the socio-economic sustainability of ageing societies world-wide and is …

Enter The Movement: Generating Stimulus From Sceneography And Proposing 'De-Sign' As A Tool For Choreographic Invention, Helene Gee Markstein

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to provide the notion of ‘de-sign’ as a proposed aid for movement composition and is the core framework of my research, which is aimed at empowering the dancer/choreographer with a multi-disciplinary aesthetic and a focus for dialectic discussion and experimentation with all material enclosed within the scenographic. De-sign is a method for decoding scenography (as a deconstruction tool to extract the components of composition classified as elements and principles). The play on words is a deliberate acknowledgement of the ‘design’ in the scenographic environment which, in this study, takes into account that all forms …

Duet For Life: Is Alexithymia A Key Note In Couples’ Empathy, Emotional Connection, Relationship Dissatisfaction, And Therapy Outcomes?, Pamela D. Mcneill

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Alexithymia is an emotion-related construct involving difficulties identifying, describing, and processing emotion, which hinder the capacity to provide empathy, and the development of emotionally connected intimate relationships. To date, there has been minimal investigation of the impact of alexithymia on community couples’ relationships, no associated examination of clinical couples, and no consideration of therapists’ knowledge of alexithymia as a source of influence in couple therapy outcomes.

Studies 1 and 2 investigated alexithymia in 170 community couples and 17 therapy couples, respectively, in association with their empathy provided, empathy received, emotional connection components (i.e., turn toward, turn away, turn against, positive …

Judging Dread: A Quantitative Investigation Of Affect, Psychometric Dread And Risk Consequence, Melvyn Griffiths

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Risk is generally understood as a product of the likelihood and consequence of an event. However, the way in which estimations of consequences are formed is unclear due to the complexities of human perception. In particular, the influence of Affect, defined as positive or negative qualities subjectively assigned to stimuli, may skew risk consequence judgements. Thus a clearer understanding of the role of Affect in risk consequence estimations has significant implications for risk management, risk communication and policy formulation.

In the Psychometric tradition of risk perception, Affect has become almost synonymous with the concept of Dread, despite Dread being measured …

Saying ‘No’: A Biographical Analysis Of The Experiences Of Women With A Genetic Predisposition To Developing Breast/Ovarian Cancer Who Reject Risk Reducing Surgery, Doreen Molloy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background: Genetic technologies have identified some of the genes implicated in cancer susceptibility. Women with mutations in breast/ovarian cancer-susceptibility genes (BRCA1 and 2) have a lifetime combined risk of breast/ovarian cancer of more than 80%. Risk reducing surgery (RRS) reduces cancer risk by as much as 90% in high risk populations. Despite this, some BRCA1/2 mutation-positive women say no to RRS.

Purpose: To illuminate an understanding of why women at high risk of developing breast/ovarian cancer say no to risk reducing surgery (RRS).

Design: Denzin’s (1989) interpretive biography was combined with Dolby-Stahl’s (1985) literary folkloristic methodology to provide a contextualised …

Motherhood First: An Interpretive Description Of The Experience Of Mature Age Female Students With Dependent Children At One Regional University Campus In Australia, Amanda Draper

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study explored the experience of mature age female students with dependent children at one regional university campus in Western Australia, Edith Cowan University South West (ECUSW). These students are one of many student groups whose experience differs to that of more traditional students such as young, unmarried, and well-supported school-leaver students. Although all students enter university with experiences that make them valuable to the university institution, mature age female students with dependent children enter university with unique knowledge, experiences and attitudes making them potentially valuable contributors to their own and others’ learning (Martins & Anthony, 2007). Whilst at university, …

Aboriginal Perspectives About Child Sexual Abuse: Informing The Cultural Dimension In Sex Offending Theories For Use With Aboriginal Offenders, Victoria Elizabeth Hovane

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Child sexual abuse (CSA) and its consequences constitute a serious social issue in Aboriginal and other communities throughout the world. As a result, a number of influential psychological theories about sexual offending have been developed. These theories suggest that the early socialisation and developmental experiences of offenders are implicated in the onset, development and maintenance of sexual offending behaviour. While these theories suggest that culture is important for understanding such behaviour, their specific role has largely been ignored in the literature. Given the paucity of research in this area the aim of this study was to understand the perspectives of …

Early Maladaptive Schemas In An Australian Adult Alcohol Dependent Clinical Sample: Differences Between Men And Women, Diana Lanie Janson

Theses : Honours

Recent literature suggests that there are widespread differences between men and women’s Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMSs) and that EMSs are highly prevalent in alcohol dependent populations. The present study examined differences between men and women’s EMSs in an Australian clinical sample who had sought treatment specifically for alcohol dependence. A total of 111 men and 114 women completed the Young Schema Questionnaire – Long Form (YSQ-L3) between 2012 and 2015 in order to assess them on 18 EMSs. Despite previous findings suggesting that women report higher levels on a number of EMSs the present study found that women only scored …

Identifying The Enablers And Barriers To Community Participation Amongst Older Adults, Nicole Papageorgiou

Theses : Honours

The older adult population in Western Australia (WA) has significantly increased over the last decade and continues to grow, highlighting the importance of maintaining their health, wellbeing and independence. This may be achieved by facilitating active ageing, enabling older adults to continue to live meaningful and fulfilling lives, contribute positively to society, and lower the demand on costly health and human services. Conversely, a lack of social engagement and community participation may hinder healthy ageing and lead to social isolation, which is adversely related to the quality of life and health status of older adults. Occupational participation is critical to …

The Role Of Awareness Of Repetition During The Development Of Automaticity, Emma Shadbolt

Theses : Honours

Investigation into the influence of contextual information on performance of an automatic task has found inconsistent results. The majority of studies have investigated whether changing the context of a simple cognitive task can inhibit an automatic response, but do not review whether context can help the development of automatic responding. The current study examined whether bringing awareness to the context of a simple numerosity task could aid the development of automaticity. It also examined whether participants were aware of when automaticity developed for them via a post-test interview. The numerosity task used in this study was a simple counting task …

A Comparative Acoustic Examination Of Infant Cries: Children At High Risk Versus Low Risk For Autism Spectrum Disorder Development, Ildiko Eva Bruz

Theses : Honours

Background: Early interventions for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have shown positive gains in children who enter therapy at a young age. However, commencement of early intervention is often hindered by challenges with diagnosis. Due to the complex nature of ASD, the age of detection can range from 2 years old into adulthood. This highlights the need for methods of early detection. Previous research has found infants at risk for ASD to present atypical cry characteristics, possibly as a result from damage to the brainstem. In particular, measures of fundamental frequency appear to be the most sensitive to …

Resting Energy Expenditure Using Indirect Calorimetry In Individuals With Moderate To Low Burns: A Pilot Study Of Associated Factors, Patient Acceptability And Comparison With Predictive Equations, Janica Bell

Theses : Honours

Background: Energy expenditure increases following a burn injury. The extent of hypermetabolism is dependent on a range of factors including burn total body surface area. Moderate to low burn injuries (< 15% TBSA) represent majority of hospital admissions for burn injuries however, their energy expenditure remains unpublished. While indirect calorimetry (IC) is the gold standard for determining energy requirements, less accurate predictive equations are often used in practice. Acceptability of IC from a burn patient perspective has not been published.

Aim: To describe the resting energy expenditure (REE) of patients with a moderate to low burn injury using IC; compare measured REE to predictive equations; and determine the patient acceptability of IC.

Methods: Demographic, anthropometric and dietary data were collected for five male and three female burn patients. REE was determined using indirect calorimetry (Ultima CPX) and five predictive methods (Schofield, Harris-Benedict, Toronto and the Ireton-Jones …

Early Intervention Of Parent-Infant Interactions In Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review, Stacey Osborne

Theses : Honours

Every year approximately 15 million babies are born preterm. These infants are at an increased risk of language, and other developmental delays due to their immature brain development and higher incidence of brain abnormalities. They also have poorer health outcomes in the early stages of life which may go on to hinder successful parent-infant interactions. Successful parent-infant interactions are important for infant developmental outcomes such as language, cognition and behaviour. While interventions targeting the promotion of positive interactions have been found to have positive effects in a number of populations to date, interactions involving preterm infants have not been explored. …

Short- And Moderate-Duration Static Stretching Do Not Decrease Vertical Jump Performance When Performed With A Complete, Sport-Specific Warm-Up, Alvin M. Goh

Theses : Honours

Background: Research has shown that static stretching may improve muscle flexibility as well as minimise soft tissue injury. However, recent studies have recommended the removal static muscle stretching from pre-exercise routines due to its deleterious effect on physical performance. Nonetheless, research has shown a duration-dependent effect of static stretching, with total muscle stretch durations < 45 s having little influence on subsequent sporting performance. Furthermore, some evidence indicates that muscle stretching may not influence performance when a sport-specific warm-up follows the stretching component. However, this protocol has not been implemented in most studies.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of shorter (5 s) and longer (30 s) periods of static stretching to dynamic stretching on vertical jump performance in sub-elite athletes when the stretches are completed early in a complete pre-exercise routine. It …

The Feasibility Of Implementing A Novel Electrical Stimulation Device In The Self-Management Of Hand Burn Pain, Katrina Liddiard

Theses : Honours

Burns are widely acknowledged as one of the most painful injuries experienced, and poorly controlled pain following burn injury has been linked to reduced psychological adjustment, lower quality of life, and increased risk of developing a chronic pain state. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation has been used for pain relief in a range of medical conditions, and may have the potential to reduce pain and analgesic consumption for burns patients. The burn care environment presents unique challenges to the introduction of new interventions, and the feasibility of introducing a novel form of electrical stimulation into this environment has not been tested. …

Semiparametric Analysis In Conditionally Independent Multivariate Mixture Models, T. Wrobel, Denis H. Y. Leung, J. Qin, T. Hettmansperger

Research Collection School Of Economics

The conditional independence assumption is commonly used in multivariate mixture models in behavioral research. We propose an exponential tilt model to analyze data from a multivariate mixture distribution with conditionally independent components. In this model, the log ratio of the density functions of the components is modeled as a quadratic function in the observations. There are a number of advantages in this approach. First, except for the exponential tilt assumption, the marginal distributions of the observations can be completely arbitrary. Second, unlike some previous methods, which require the multivariate data to be discrete, modeling can be performed based on the …

A Survey Of The Needs And Utilization Of Health Information Among Young Adults In Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, Samuel Olu Adeyoyin, Fadekemi Omobola Oyewusi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Good health is an indispensable prerequisite for the socio-economic development of any country. The increasing number of health related problems among young adults in Nigeria warrants urgent and special attention. This study, therefore focused on health information needs and utilisation among young adults. Correlational research design was adopted for this study using descriptive survey method. Questionnaires were designed and used as survey instruments. The target population for this study were young undergraduates within the ages of 16-24 years. Federal University of Agriculture and Crescent University were selected because they are the two universities within the city of Abeokuta. The study …

Improving Internet Security Through Mandatory Information Disclosure, Qian Tang, Andrew B. Whinston

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Although disclosure has long been considered as a solution to internalize externalities, mandatory security information disclosure is still in debate. We propose a mandatory disclosure mechanism based on existing data. The information is disclosed as straightforward rankings of organizations for users to understand, interpret, and make comparisons. As a result, the disclosure can influence organizations through reputational effects. We created a public website to disclose information regularly and conducted a quasi-experiment on outgoing spam to test the effectiveness of our mechanism on four matched country groups. For each treated country, we released the ranking list of top 10 most spamming …

Emotion Regulation And Residual Depression Predict Psychosocial Functioning In Bipolar Disorder: Preliminary Study, Rodrigo Becerra, Kate Cruise, Craig Harms, Alfred Allan, Darryl Bassett, Sean Hood, Greg Murray

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study explores the predictive value of various clinical, neuropsychological, functional, and emotion regulation processes for recovery in Bipolar Disorder. Clinical and demographic information was collected for 27 euthymic or residually depressed BD participants. Seventy one percent of the sample reported some degree of impairment in psychosocial functioning. Both residual depression and problems with emotion regulation were identified as significant predictors of poor psychosocial functioning. In addition, to residual depression, the results of the current study introduce a variable of emotion dysregulation to account for poor psychosocial functioning among BD populations. Improving emotion regulation strategies, in particular, concentration and task …

Psychological Perspectives On Expertise, Guillermo Campitelli, Michael H. Connors, Merim Bilalić, David Z. Hambrick

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

No abstract available

A Longitudinal Study Of Post-Traumatic Growth And Psychological Distress In Colorectal Cancer Survivors, Stefano Occhipinti, Suzanne K. Chambers, Stephen J. Lepore, Joanne F. Aitken, Jeff C. Dunn

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The stability of post-traumatic growth overtime and the relationship between post-traumatic growth and traditional distress outcomes remains unclear. We tracked post-traumatic growth in a population-based sample of colorectal cancer patients from soon after diagnosis to five years subsequently to assess the heterogeneity of a post-traumatic growth response to cancer over time and describe the simultaneous and longitudinal relationships between post-traumatic growth and psychological distress. 1966 colorectal patients who were five months post diagnosis were assessed six times over a five year period. There was considerable heterogeneity associated with both psychological distress and benefit finding scores over time. However, both for …

The Mental Health Of Nurses In Acute Teaching Hospital Settings: A Cross-Sectional Survey, Lin Perry, Scott Lamont, Scott Brunero, Roybyn Gallagher, Christine Duffield

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Nursing is an emotionally demanding profession and deficiencies in nurses' mental wellbeing, characterised by low vitality and common mental disorders, have been linked to low productivity, absenteeism and presenteeism. Part of a larger study of nurses' health, the aim of this paper was to describe the mental health status and related characteristics of nurses working in two acute metropolitan teaching hospitals. Methods: A cross sectional survey design was used. Results: A total of 1215 surveys were distributed with a usable response rate of 382 (31.4%). Altogether 53 nurses (14%) reported a history of mental health disorders, of which n=49 …

Integrating Psychosocial Care Into Neuro-Oncology: Challenges And Strategies, Suzanne K. Chambers, L. Grassi, M.K. Hyde, J. Holland, J. Dunn

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Approximately 256,000 cases of malignant brain and nervous system cancer were diagnosed worldwide during 2012 and 189,000 deaths, with this burden falling more heavily in the developed world. Problematically, research describing the psychosocial needs of people with brain tumors and their carers and the development and evaluation of intervention models has lagged behind that of more common cancers. This may relate, at least in part, to poor survival outcomes and high morbidity associated with this illness, and stigma about this disease. The evidence base for the benefits of psychosocial care in oncology has supported the production of clinical practice guidelines …

Inter-Rater Reliability And Validity Of The Australian Football League’S Kicking And Handball Tests, Ashley J. Cripps, Luke S. Hopper, Christopher Joyce

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Talent identification tests used at the Australian Football League’s National Draft Combine assess the capacities of ath-letes to compete at a professional level. Tests created for the National Draft Combine are also commonly used for talent identification and athlete development in development path-ways. The skills tests created by the Australian Football League required players to either handball (striking the ball with the hand) or kick to a series of 6 randomly generated targets. Asses-sors subjectively rate each skill execution giving a 0-5 score for each disposal. This study aimed to investigate the inter-rater reliability and validity of the skills tests …