Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Maturational Variation On The Performance Of Young Australian Footballers And Their Selection Into The Australian Football League's Talent Pathway, Ashley Cripps

Theses

Traditional player development pathways share a common goal, to identify and accelerate the development of talented adolescent players for senior competition. Players who gain selection into development programs gain greater access to experienced coaches, training facilities, support staff and competition. However, despite such advantages, research has shown that few players who gain initial selection into development pathways progress into professional senior competition. A major factor which potentially contributes to poor player retention in development pathways is the initial misidentification of talented athletes due to variations in biological maturity.

Earlier maturing individuals have been shown to be at a physical advantage …

Early Life Events And Motor Development: A Longitudinal Study, Tegan Grace

Theses

Longitudinal studies are important to fully understand the processes of neurological development during gestation and how risk factors present during this time impact motor development outcomes, yet few to date have focused on this critical time period.

The purpose of this study was to identify modifiable risk factors influencing motor development during the prenatal period. Of particular interest was finding out whether these risk factors differed between the sexes.

Participants (N=2900) were from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. The Raine Study began in May 1989 and women were recruited between 16-20 weeks gestation (m = 18 weeks) from …

Towards The Identification Of Metabolite Markers Of Nipple Pain And Inflammation In Human Milk, Erin Fee

Theses

Background: Human milk is considered the best source of nutrition for all newborns as it contains important growth, developmental and immunological factors. The WHO (2003) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of age, with complementary breastfeeding up to two years and beyond. However, some women experience complications of the breast that lead to early cessation of breastfeeding, which can adversely affect the well being of the developing infant and her own health.

Nipple pain is the most commonly cited reason for weaning in the first week postpartum. Nipple pain is also linked to mastitis from milk stasis and …

The Effect Of Exercise Intensity On Physiological And Psychological Outcomes In Breast And Prostate Cancer Survivors: A Controlled Study, Eric Martin

Theses

Introduction

Research has identified a need to explore the components of exercise prescription for cancer survivors, particularly the most effective exercise intensity. The main purpose of this research was to examine whether exercise intensity modulates a range of physiological and psychological outcomes for breast and prostate cancer survivors. The primary outcomes were related to peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) and quality of life (QOL). VO2peak is a highly sensitive measure that indicates overall health. QOL references the general wellbeing of individuals, and is an outcome of great importance in cancer rehabilitation research.

Pilot Study

A pilot study involving breast cancer survivors …

The Interaction Between Hedgehog And Tgf-Β Signalling Pathways In Malignant Mesothelioma, Keyuri Koriya

Theses

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive cancer, the consequence of which is neoplastic transformation of mesothelial cells and is strongly associated with previous asbestos exposure. The disease is associated with poor patient survival due to difficulties in diagnosis and treatment options currently available. Therefore, it is essential to identify novel molecular targets that can be used to develop new treatment opportunities. Hedgehog (Hh) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signalling pathways are involved in numerous overlapping developmental processes as well as tissue repair and tumorigenesis. Recently, TGF-β has been shown to induce the expression of Hh signalling effector molecules, the Gli …

Extra Food Intake And Depressive Symptoms In Adolescents: Is There A Relationship?, Elizabeth Bradshaw

Theses

This pilot study explored the potential role of food on young people’s mental health. Specifically, the aim was to determine if a relationship exists between extra food intake and depressive symptoms in adolescents’ age 12-17 years. It has been documented that mental health problems in young people result from a complex interaction of risk and protective factors. Eating behaviours and food intake has been investigated in early adolescence (age 10-14), however the specific contribution of extra food on depressive symptoms in mid adolescence has not been determined.

Extra food intake and depressive symptoms were collected from girls and boys in …