http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/ The University of Queensland en Fez http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:106217 2007-08-24T00:00:00Z Seebungkert, Benchamaporn. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:158047 2008-11-21T00:00:00Z Saunders, Aaron Marc http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:158779 2008-11-21T00:00:00Z Playsted, Cameron William Skerman http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:244925 Many people love opera. Far many more find it utterly absurd. For the latter, the idea that there exists a form of dramatic entertainment that utilizes all the trappings of the theatre – the sets and costumes, the make-up and lighting – but in which all the dialogue is sung, beggars belief. The purpose of this commentary is to set down the contemplations of a composer who, no less bemused than most by the matter, has attempted better to understand the operatic proposition by writing one for himself. As varied as such contemplations have been, a systematic approach has been adopted in the present document, categorizing identifiably discrete areas for consideration, but moving always towards the alliance of all such elements in the multidisciplinary form under scrutiny. Reference is made throughout, to a wide range of works from many disciplines in the hope both of clarifying and invigorating the account. It was, however, considered indispensable to an honest appraisal of the subject at hand, that two areas of concern to the author be aired at the outset. The first of these relates to questions regarding the utility of music and the belief, expressed herein, that such evaluation is quite inappropriate. The second relates to the belief, equally strongly held, that a good deal of musical critique is deleterious to the understanding and enjoyment of music. The commentary proper gets under way with a discussion of the nature of music itself – whether it is a language, and if not, then what? – whether it has meaning, and if so, then by what means? The discussion then moves on to the world of words and the consideration of language in everyday usage, and then in the area of linguistic art. The focus of this passage moves from the general, to the specifics of language as drama, this area seeming to offer the most advantageous comparison with music. Poetry is touched upon lightly. The field of incidental music is taken up as the first meeting point between words and music by reason of the fact that for a majority of people in the developed world it represents the place of most common encounter with words and music combined. It is also an area in which music is clearly understood to be subservient to language and it therefore provides a starting point for a journey from one condition of relative value to another. The next area for examination is that of song; first the popular song (and in particular “Les feuilles mortes” by Kosma and Prévert) along with some discussion of translation and appropriation, and then the art song, through a brief account of Schubert’s Der Erlkönig. There is then a consideration of opera itself and an attempt to draw some conclusions, based on the previous discussions, concerning the extent to which libretto and music can be truly and beneficially alloyed in a dramatic work. The decline and final disappearance of spoken dialogue is cited as evidence of the progressive musical domination of the genre. But, in turn, questions arise as to the viability of the sung dramatic discourse. Matters of mutual responsibility between collaborators are also discussed. Finally, there is a brief account of how these contemplations informed the composition of The Hoop of the World, along with a few of the measures that were adopted in response to certain perceived difficulties inherent in the operatic form. The composer is not yet clear as to whether or not a true personal reconciliation with the genre as a whole has been achieved but there is a deeper sense of engagement with the proposition that may well lead to further creative exploits. The folio of works includes two instrumental works, Marteaux suspendus, for solo piano, and “x,y” for percussion ensemble. There is no mention of these works in the critical commentary, as such relationships as they bear to the operatic work are of a purely technical nature and of no relevance to the principal chosen topic of discussion. 2011-08-02T00:00:00Z Alan Lawrence http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:283631 2012-10-19T00:00:00Z Ngongo, Yohanis http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:158010 2008-11-21T00:00:00Z Cvetkovski, Trajce http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:217581 Abstract Since its emergence during the 1980s the idea of sustainability has come to provide the dominant frame within which environmental policy is debated. Thus, for many ‘sustainability’ represents the best way to address the economic, social and environmental effects of the myriad of environmental issues facing human societies, including biodiversity loss, soil erosion, pollution of waterways, ozone depletion and climate change. There are however, widely divergent views advocated as to what sustainability means, which has important implications for how serious environmental issues are understood to be, why they are important, what has caused them, and what needs to be done to address them. Given the diversity of such views, the consequences for policy making, and the likelihood of effective responses being developed, are self evident. Within this context, this thesis investigates the politics of sustainability, focussing particularly on the way in which it is defined, because of the implications this has for the way in which environmental issues are understood and addressed. Following a review of various approaches to analysing environmental policy (traditional, mainstream, ecopolitical and discursive), Norman Fairclough’s approach to discourse analysis (Critical Discourse Analysis) was identified as having particular merit. Fairclough’s approach avoids the assumption that policy issues exist independently of the way they are framed and offers a perspective on discourse that links the social theoretical concerns of Foucault with the micro level concerns of linguistics. It also provides a means for taking environmental policy analysis in directions that that have attracted relatively limited attraction, namely the detailed analysis of the ideological effects of language on environmental policy. In this thesis Fairclough’s approach is used to explore how three storylines of sustainability (sustainable development, environmentally sustainable growth and transforming society) and their associated discourses shaped environmental policy making in Victoria, Australia, between 1999 and 2006. In undertaking this analysis, I examined the political and institutional context informing policy making (social practice); the contested process of text production (discourse practice), and; the detailed wording of a policy text (textual analysis). A major policy statement on environmental sustainability released by the Victorian Government in 2005 is subjected to detailed analysis. Based on the analysis undertaken, the substantive finding from this research is that rather than moving beyond neoliberalism, the Victorian Government embraced an approach to sustainability that was informed by neoliberalism and (weak) ecological modernisation, which constructs sustainability in ways that limit its importance and constrain the types of responses that could be advocated. In doing so, it drew heavily on notions of natural assets and ecosystems services as ways to make sense of the environment and why it is important. The Victorian Government also highlighted that environmental issues are caused by the cumulative effects of individual choices, and emphasized the importance of individual choice and behavioural change as central features of sustainability, while restricting opportunities for more transformative ideas to be heard. The broader conclusion arising from this research is that approaches to environmental policy that rely on neoliberal and (weak) ecological modern discourses are flawed, because, in commodifying nature, limiting the nature and magnitude of change required, and placing responsibility onto individuals they offer a constrained understanding of the challenge of sustainability and what needs to be done about it. The overall contribution made by this research is an improved understanding of the discursive nature of the politics of sustainability and the influence of neoliberalism and ecological modernisation, the use of a methodology that has attracted relatively limited attention within environmental policy (despite its widespread use in other areas of policy) and the documentation of a period of significant environmental policy reform in Victoria. 2010-09-30T00:00:00Z Brian Coffey http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:282552 2012-09-27T15:03:26Z Carswell, Trudy http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:273733 Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodoidea: Aleyrodidea) biotype B, is one of the most severe agricultural pests of cropping systems. In the case of B. tabaci there is no clear understanding of the genetic limits of the numerous genetic groups and biotypes so far identified. This has resulted in a lack of consistency in both the application of the terms, the approaches used to apply them and in our understanding of what genetic structure within B. tabaci means. A background of B. tabaci biotype B is outlined in Chapter 1, along with the importance of understanding the genetic makeup and bounds of this pest species at a global scale, and a scale of localised agricultural regions. Globally, an accurate understanding and characterisation of species boundaries within the B. tabaci complex is essential as part of biosecurity. Within a localised agricultural environment, gaining knowledge of population movement and localised genetic structure can provide a better understanding of potential dispersal in an agricultural region, and the population dynamics. Analyses of the genetic bounds and putative species number of B. tabaci globally is provided in chapter 2. Identifying species boundaries within morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species complexes is often contentious. Our response has been to use mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase 1 to consider how to clearly and consistently define genetic separation. Using Bayesian phylogenetic analysis and analysis of sequence pairwise divergence we found a considerably higher number of genetic groups than had been previously determined with two breaks in the distribution, one at 11% and another at 3.5%. At greater than 11% divergence 11 distinct groups were resolved whereas at greater than 3.5% divergence 24 groups were identified. Consensus sequences for each of these groups were determined and were shown to be useful in the correct assignment of sequences of unknown origin. The 3.5% divergence bound is consistent with species level separations in other insect taxa and suggests that B. tabaci is a species complex composed of at least 24 distinct species. We further show that the placement of B. atriplex within the B. tabaci in- group adds further weight to the argument for species level separation within B. tabaci. This new analysis, which constructs consensus sequences and uses these as a standard against which unknown sequences can be compared, provides for the first time a consistent means of identifying the genetic bounds of each species with a high degree of certainty. Finally, with this species level revision the old nomenclature for biotype B has been changed to Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), and referred to as such in chapter 3. A spatial and temporal study of population genetic differentiation across an agricultural landscape is presented in chapter 3. Organisms differ greatly in dispersal ability and landscapes differ in amenability to an organism’s movement. Thus, landscape structure and heterogeneity can affect genetic composition of populations. While many agricultural pests are known for their ability to disperse rapidly, it is unclear how fast and over what spatial scale insect pests might respond to temporally dynamic agricultural landscapes they inhabit. We used population genetic analyses of a severe crop pest, a member of the B. tabaci cryptic species complex known as Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (commonly known as biotype B), to estimate spatial and temporal genetic diversity over four months of the summer growing season, based on 559 individuals from 8 sites, scored for 8 microsatellite loci. Temporal genetic structure vastly exceeded spatial structure. There was significant temporal change in local genetic composition from the beginning to the end of the season with heterozygote deficits and inbreeding. This temporal structure suggests entire cohorts of pests can occupy a large and variable agricultural landscape but are rapidly replaced. These rapid genetic fluctuations reinforce the concept that agricultural landscapes are dynamic mosaics in time and space and may contribute to better decisions for pest and insecticide resistance management. The results I present in this thesis have progressed our understanding of the bounds and genetic structure of the B. tabaci complex at different spatial and temporal scales. By increasing our understanding and refining what we know of this serious global agricultural pest, my results have also enabled the identification of key research areas to continue to improve efforts to manage this species. 2012-05-07T00:00:00Z Adam Dinsdale http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:227031 Scholars have interpreted the opening decades of the third century as a period when the imperial women of the Severan dynasty held substantial political power. These decades coincided with the end of the supposed renaissance of Greek letters, known then as now as the Second Sophistic. It was during this political and cultural climate that the senatorial historian Cassius Dio wrote his ambitious and influential Roman History. The portrayals of politically involved Roman women were important literary components of Dio’s historical project. This thesis is an attempt to analyse these portrayals from historiographical and narratological standpoints. As is demonstrated throughout this enquiry, the individual Roman women portrayed in Dio’s History fulfil several moralizing and narrative functions. It is argued that from these representations of women it is possible to gauge Dio’s beliefs concerning the role of women in relation to political power and how Dio constructed models of appropriate and inappropriate feminine behaviour. 2011-01-24T00:00:00Z Christopher Mallan http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:284779 2012-11-13T00:00:00Z Nicholson, Jay http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:106813 2007-08-24T00:00:00Z Pheng, Sophea http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:158663 Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is understood to refer to a recurring and specific pattern amongst infants presenting with brain injury, characterized by retinal and extracerebral haemorrhage, and a lack of external trauma to the head and neck. While numerous cases of SBS have been diagnosed, its validity is a contentious issue on both biomechanical and medical fronts, primarily due to a lack of understanding of the loading-injury relationship of infant shaking, and the parameters which are deterministic to its nature. In order to address this lack, a series of finite element representations of a three month infant head were developed to utilise the results of physical testing with an anthropomorphic infant surrogate. Physical testing involved subjecting the infant surrogate to manually applied shaking confined to the sagital plane, in the anteroposterior direction. The 3D kinematics of the torso and head of the surrogate were recorded using a motion tracking system. The output history was converted to an ‘average shake’ profile, which in turn yielded translational and rotational sagital plane accelerations in the anatomic reference system of the head. This data is suitable for application to numerical models as boundary conditions, and constitutes a fundamental data set for future investigations. Brain matter material properties are a key component of finite element models of the head. Given the disparate body of research in this field, a detailed synthesis was conducted to determine appropriate representations for use in infant head models. This led to the proposal of a new infinitesimal strain viscoelastic model which was in good agreement with much of the past testing, and covered a much larger frequency range than has generally been used. Additionally, recently developed large strain models were proposed for use in future numerical modeling, given their superior ability to represent both shear and uniaxial test data for isotropic and transversely isotropic brain matter. Building upon the previous chapters, a series of 2D finite element models of the infant head were created in order to parametrically investigate the effects of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) modelling technique, CSF thickness, brain matter stiffness, dissipation and nonlinearity, and material differentiation. A novel method based on Reynolds lubrication theory was used to represent the subarachnoid CSF. The results attest to the need to represent CSF through fluid rather than solid mechanics, particularly in the loading regime associated with shaking, as opposed to impact. Furthermore, it is evident that the brain-CSF interaction is highly dependant on both the subarachnoid CSF volume, and the thickness variations associated with protusions of the gyri. These protusions alleviate deep brain stress concentrations and hence aid injury mitigation. Differentiating between types of brain matter led to noticeable changes in the evolution of the brain-CSF interaction, outside of those caused by average stiffness changes. Inclusion of the pia mater was important from a local stress reduction perspective. These results aided the development of a 3D finite element model of the infant brain. A method allowing for the creation of more optimal meshes of the head with the capacity for case specific adaption was developed and applied to create the model. CSF was represented through static pressure equilibration in combination with a locally based squeezing resistance. The results of the simulation indicate that anteroposterior shaking will lead to specific patterns of brain matter motion, with a rotational squashing caused at both extremes of the shaking cycle, combined with translational acceleration effects which generate a tendency for the brain to cleave to the underside of the superior portion of the cranium. Significant contact between the brain matter and the cranium/membranes is caused at each squashing extreme, while high strains are also developed in the corpus callosum and brainstem/cerebrum/cerebellum connections. Taking into account the repetition of these strain levels, it appears likely that focal axonal injury would be generated at these locations. The relative motion between the cranium and brain matter is substantial, and sufficient to overstretch many of the bridging veins, particularly those located superiorly, indicating a capacity for the development of subdural hematomas. Taken together, these results indicate the act of anteroposterior shaking of an infant is sufficiently traumatic to cause injuries to the contents of the cranial vault, in the absence of blunt trauma. The results of this thesis are suitable for consideration by medical practitioners. The partial predication of Shaken Baby Syndrome diagnosis on subdural hematoma development appears to be justified; in addition, improvements to the confidence of SBS diagnosis could be aided by the targeted detection of focal axonal injury. However, further work is required to improve the fidelity and performance of the numerical models, with the eventual aim of establishing a detailed correspondence between an applied head insult and the resulting injury pattern. 2008-11-21T00:00:00Z Couper, Zachariah Sol http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:283762 2012-10-22T00:00:00Z Underwood, Darren James http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:194393 Abstract The chemical characteristics of spent wash, an effluent from the distillation of ethanol from molasses, can vary, depending on the initial feed stock and the operations of the factory. Spent wash from Australia contained large quantities of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), K, N and Cl with moderate to low concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, and S, and small amounts of trace elements (Fe, Al, Mn, Cu, Zn). Spent wash from Thailand was obtained from whisky distillation and generally had similar chemical attributes to the spent wash from ethanol production, although the Zn concentration was much higher (399-974 mg Zn L-1). Large differences in EC and pH were found between Australian (pH: 4.08-4.49; EC: 40.4-42.2 dS m-1) and Thai spent wash (pH: 7.86-9.20; EC: 11.3-82.4 dS m-1). However, the high concentration of K in spent wash from both manufacturing processes indicates the unique chemical characteristic of wastewater produced from molasses-based distillation. While chemical characterisations of spent wash have shown its potential value as a fertilizer, its utility needs to be more practical than by direct application. This is due to its dilute nature, associated with the presence of organic carbon (OC) and nutrients in soluble form, thus making direct application susceptible to leaching losses of nutrients, especially in soils of low cation exchange capacity (CEC). It was hypothesized that capturing OC and nutrients on a high activity exchanger would overcome this problem. Since the charge on organic components in spent wash is important to the capturing process, pH manipulation is one of the major factors affecting the efficiency of this capture. The study of the influence of pH on development of charge on organic components in spent wash was undertaken using potentiometric titration. The potentiometric titration, and derived pH buffer curve, showed that the organic components in spent wash comprised a wide range of ionizable organic functional groups behaving like a mix of weak acids. While the inflection point (s) could not be obtained from the potentriometric titration, the absorbance of spent wash in the UV waveband (250 to 400 nm) confirmed the presence of phenolic groups in spent wash. The charge on organic components in spent wash was strongly pH dependent, and highest in the pH range of 4.0-5.0. The manipulation of pH and salt concentration (EC) was shown to have an effect on flocculation/dispersion and it is inferred that this was due to changes in the molecular arrangement of organic components in spent wash. A coiled configuration is suggested at acidic pH, whereas a linear flexible configuration and macromolecular structure tending to occur at neutral and alkaline pH respectively. Ca-saturated bentonite, originally sourced from Mantuan Downs, Central Queensland, was used in an investigation of the capture of OC and nutrients from Sarina spent wash at different pH values (4.5, 6.0, 8.0). This study demonstrated that manipulation of pH and electrolyte concentration had a small effect on adsorption of OC by the clay, probably the result of effects on the charge characteristics of both clay mineral surfaces and organic molecules and also on molecular sizes of the dissolved organic matter (DOM). The highest absorption of OC was only 28% for dewatered spent wash, suggesting Ca-saturated bentonite may not be a strong sorbent for DOM from a wastewater of high EC and which contains high concentration of DOC of the composition found in spent wash. The study of the adsorption of K by bentonite in a pure inorganic system (without DOM) indicated sufficiently high concentrations of K can compete with divalent Ca2+ for exchange sites on the clay surface. The adsorption of K in an organic system (the DOM component in spent wash) showed that DOM had a positive influence on adsorption of inorganic ions (e.g. K+). Characterisation of the spent wash/ clay mixture demonstrated its potential to be used as a soil ameliorant on the basis of the large quantity of OC and nutrients it contained (especially N and K). Wet and dry organic clays were produced and assessed as ameliorants in a glasshouse trial using forage oat (Avena sativa var. Coolobah) as test species. This pot study indicated a positive influence of application of either wet or dry organic clay on crop biomass at the high application rate (equivalent to 40 tonnes ha-1). The high proportional K recovery from this high application rate application suggests that organic clays can be used as K fertilizer. The crop nutrient uptake data also indicated its use as a source of S and Mn. 2010-02-01T00:00:00Z Wannipa Soda http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:274449 Rapid advances in science and new technologies are transforming the way people in both developed and developing countries live, interact, learn, think, and work. As a result, the workforce needs to be flexible, self-reliant, knowledgeable, skilful, and equipped with generic skills in order to be able to meet the demands of changing technologies and the shift towards knowledge-based and service economies worldwide. Calls for institutions to demonstrate the quality of their training, globalisation, and education reforms have prompted the need to examine graduate attributes. This inevitably calls for the evaluation of the efficacy of training programs, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) included. The aim of this study was to investigate, from the perspectives of graduates and employers, the efficacy of selected courses in relation to their effectiveness in preparing graduates for employment, further education, and the acquisition of generic skills. This was achieved by an evaluative case study of the efficacy of two courses conducted by a polytechnic in Malaysia. A mixed methods research design was employed for data collection. Two instruments were developed. After a pilot study was conducted, the questionnaires were mailed to the participants. Twelve graduates and ten employers were subsequently interviewed. Data from the surveys were analysed using a predominantly nonparametric statistical approach while data from the interviews were transcribed and then analysed by content analysis. Employers and graduates were agreed and positive about the overall efficacy of the courses. Their perceptions of the generic skills graduates need to possess when entering the workplace also concurred. These generic skills were identified as communication skills, teamworking skills, problem solving skills, and time management skills. This finding suggests that the generic skills needed in the workplace were similar for graduates in developed as well as developing countries. Employers indicated they value the capacity to learn new skills and the ability to apply knowledge. Overall, both graduates and employers found graduates were adequate in knowledge but lacked technical, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. Employers perceived diploma graduates as more work-ready compared to certificate graduates. Graduates identified group work, projects, and industrial training as useful. This study additionally fostered a deeper understanding of the elements that shaped and explained stakeholders’ perspectives which will help educators better understand and respond to the needs of employers as their learners, particularly in the context of TVET in a developing country. 2012-05-22T00:00:00Z Helen Teh http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:252760 2011-09-21T00:00:00Z Morrell, Stephen, 1954- http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:276031 Since the 1960s, the internationalisation process of firms has attracted wide research interest. One of the dominant explanations of firm internationalisation that has emerged is the Uppsala internationalisation process model, which describes internationalisation as a firm's gradual and incremental international involvement. In the recent decades, there has been much debate surrounding the Uppsala model, with one highlighted criticism being that the model is unclear in explaining how the internationalisation process first originated within a firm. In this thesis, the internationalisation process as described in the Uppsala model is extended through the incorporation of a pre-internationalisation phase to explore the antecedents of firm internationalisation. This thesis focuses on examining the key activities and behaviour of firms prior to an initial internationalisation decision through export commencement. Adopting the Uppsala model's theoretical underpinnings, this thesis develops and operationalises a pre-internationalisation phase decision heuristic and introduces the concept of 'export readiness'. Four constructs are proposed that highlight the driving and inhibiting factors of export commencement decision-making during a firm's pre-internationalisation phase: internal and external export stimuli, attitudinal/psychological commitment, resources and lateral rigidity. Through a survey of Australian exporting and non-exporting small and medium sized firms, data relating to the four pre-internationalisation constructs are collected and an Export Readiness Index (ERI) is developed through factor analysis and tested using logistic regression. The ERI is presented as a multi-item heuristic measure for assessing a firm's preparedness and propensity to commence international sales utilising an export market entry mode. 2012-06-22T00:00:00Z Alvin Tan http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:221639 2010-11-19T00:00:00Z Dunlop, Ian Arthur. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:282091 2012-09-18T00:00:00Z Begg, Stephen John http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:218633 Face processing is one of the most fundamental abilities for the members of our social species. We are constantly required to recognize faces, some of which we have only seen once before. If developmental problems or brain injuries impair the ability to process faces, one’s social life is greatly affected. In some instances healthy observers seem to experience difficulties recognizing others accurately. It has been shown that observers systematically recognize some faces better than others. The other-race effect describes the tendency of people to recognize faces of their own race more accurately than other-race faces (Brigham, 2008). Recently, an other-age effect has been documented as well, that is, better recognition of own-age than other-age faces (e.g., Harrison & Hole, 2009). These effects have been classified according to a general ingroup/outgroup bias in recognition (Bernstein, Young, & Hugenberg, 2007; Sporer, 2001). The present thesis investigated how ingroups and outgroups become relevant when race, age and sex information is simultaneously available and how subsequent recognition may be affected. The main finding across this set of studies was that an other-race effect was present in recognition of own-age faces. No other-race effect occurred for other-age faces of different races. Additionally, the other-age effect was found to be limited to recognition of own-race faces. It is suggested that observers apply one feature to determine group membership of some faces, but use a different feature for other faces. For instance, race information biased processing of young faces, but age information determined processing of old faces. The encoding of sex information did not seem to affect subsequent recognition. The observer seems capable of rapidly switching between processing of different features for the ingroup/outgroup categorization, suggesting that there is no fixed sequence for the processing of different facial features. These findings are described in Chapter 2, in a series of studies that form the basis of the present research program. The experimental chapters that follow report studies that mainly confirmed results of these first investigations. In addition, it was found that processing of own- and other-age faces results in a pattern different to that generally found in perception of race-faces. Although an other-age effect was present in recognition, no difference in inversion cost or categorization speed was found when own- and other-age faces were processed (Chapter 3). Chapter 4 reports studies that investigated whether systematic recognition differences observed in earlier studies could be explained by differences in subjective likeability of ingroup and outgroup faces. Although a negative bias towards old faces, measured by implicit and explicit measures, was observed no correlation with recognition accuracy was present. Further investigations showed that a difference in exposure time during encoding improves overall recognition performance, but does not alter the recognition pattern. In Chapter 5 it was observed that the other-race effect was present irrespective of exposure duration and its magnitude was unchanged. The research reported in Chapter 6 examined whether the recognition pattern found in the previous chapters may change depending on observers’ mood state. The results showed that recognition is more accurate for own-age faces of the opposite sex when experiencing a positive mood. In summary, the present research showed that the other-race effect seems limited to own-age faces, and the other-age effect seems limited to own-race faces. Furthermore, when faces differ on multiple features, it seems that spontaneously (i.e., in absence of task demands that favor a particular feature) the ingroups and outgroups are formed based on age and race differences in preference to sex-related information. Future research may further investigate these feature interactions, considering that typically, various facial features are available when encoding a face. 2010-10-18T00:00:00Z Jennifer Kuebbeler http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:241494 2011-05-28T00:00:00Z Gilpin, Alan, 1924- http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:241496 2011-05-28T00:00:00Z Mason, H. H. (Harvey Harold) http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:288091 2013-01-03T13:33:55Z Forster, Paul I. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:201749 Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma in the world. Melanocytic nevi and mutations in the CDKN2A gene are the main risk factors for the development of cutaneous melanocytic melanoma, and particularly in those of European descent. My study uses genetic epidemiological methods to investigate causes of variation in the number of melanocytic nevi and pigmentary traits such as freckles, eye colour, hair colour and skin colour collected on a sample of adolescent twins and siblings from the Brisbane Twin Nevus Study (1992-2006). Information was available for 2524 individuals from 973 families (from the first visit when the twins were aged 12 years), and from a repeat visit (two years later) for 1598 individuals from 791 families. Using the twin study design extended to siblings and parents, variance components analyses showed that the proportion of phenotypic variance explained by genetic factors ranged from 43 to 99 percent for the traits studied. The atypical nevus count and freckles showed sex differences in the magnitude of genetic and environmental effects. Genetic correlations among counts of three types of nevus (flat, raised and clinically atypical) ranged from 0.46 to 0.63. Nevus count was genetically correlated with skin colour (r=0.23). I analysed genome-wide linkage data using a total of 1190 microsatellite (STR) markers from three scans for 644 families with 1646 twins and siblings, plus genotypes for 1033 parents. These were combined with an additional 169 families with genome-wide association 100K SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) data, where I selected a linkage analysis panel of 13,000 SNPs making a total of 3365 individuals from 811 families (each individual had more than 200 markers typed). Suggestive linkages for flat nevus count (FNC) were identified on chromosomes 2p25 and 9p21 with lod scores of 3.19 and 2.62 respectively. For raised nevus count (RNC), a suggestive QTL with a lod score of 2.20 was found on chromosome 2q37.2, and for atypical nevus count (ANC) a lod score of 2.71 was found on chromosome 7p14.1. There was suggestive evidence of linkage for freckling on chromosomes 2 and 9. Eye colour was strongly linked (lod=17.86) to chromosome 15, at the OCA2 locus. I have also carried out genetic association analyses using the 100K SNP data in 169 families, and additional fine mapping using SNPs (as well as STR markers) in the complete data set. A sample size of 169 families (461 twins) for genome-wide association data means that statistical power is low. From the 100K SNP data, the best association for total nevus count (TNC) was with SNP rs2420070, p=6.0×10-6 on chromosome 10, and included another two nearby SNPs; rs7086663, p=2.0×10-4 and rs7090904, p=1.5×10-4. These 3 SNPs also showed possible association with FNC; rs2420070, p=3.9×10-6, rs2420070, p=1.3×10-4 and rs2420070, p=8.9×10-5. For raised nevus count the top three associated SNPs were rs1885238, p=1.8×10-5 on chromosome 9; rs10503048, p=3.7×10-5 on chromosome 18 and rs4769189, p=4.0×10-5 on chromosome 13. SNP rs1412341 which is located near CDKN2A on chromosome 9, was also associated with p=2.8×10-4. There were a total 18 SNPs which showed evidence of association with atypical nevus count, the strongest signal being with rs951099 (p=3.7×10-5) on chromosome 9. In a fine-mapping dataset, I studied the association of CDKN2A SNP rs2218220 with TNC, FNC, RNC and ANC. The best SNP, rs2218220, gave p values of 2.8×10-10, 7.7×10-8, 2.7×10-12 and 9.1×10-8, respectively. A SNP, rs1800407 (R419Q) located in the OCA2 gene (chromosome 15q11.2-15q12) showed evidence of association with eye colour and particularly with blue and green eye colours, (p=1.7×10-12 and p=6.0×10-7). SNP rs12913832 from the Hect Domain and RCC1-like Domain 2 gene (HERC2) on chromosome 15q13.1, was also strongly associated with eye colour p=3.6×10-155. This SNP was associated with blue (p= 7.9×10-150) and brown (p=5.3×10-158), but not green eye colour. In addition I confirmed the association of the MC1R SNP rs1805007 and freckling (p=4.8×10-12). This SNP was also associated with FNC (p=3.5×10-8), a finding not previously described in the literature. I also carried out multi-allelic association analysis using STR markers with these traits and uncovered suggestive findings for several regions. Finally, I conducted a multivariate association analysis searching for SNPs with pleiotropic effects. The most interesting results for all types of nevi were with rs801840, p=3.5×10-5, and rs10487075, p=4.9×10-5, both on chromosome 7q21.13. Another four SNPs on chromosome 8p23.1 also showed associations, rs7009724, p=1.4×10-4, rs10503389, p=1.9×10-4, rs7832398, p=6.2×10-4 and rs7005133, p=6.9×10-4 (close to a candidate gene, MFHAS1, implicated in sarcoma risk). In conclusion I have characterised a number of definite and possible genetic factors influencing important risk factors for melanoma. 2010-04-06T00:00:00Z Gu Zhu http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:158549 Over the last few decades, the importance of inflammation in the initiation and perpetuation of cardiovascular (CV) disease has become increasingly recognized. Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) have been shown to have an increased risk of premature death, occurring predominantly due to an increased rate of premature CV disease. The presence of an adverse risk factor profile in RA is well established, but does not fully explain the excess risk. It is clear that chronic inflammation is a major pathogenic mechanism in atherosclerosis, and this is likely to explain at least some of the increased risk of CV disease in subjects with RA. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) measured by ultrasound, is a good non-invasive approach to measurement of atherosclerotic burden, and is increased in preclinical atherosclerotic disease. cIMT is significantly higher in patients with RA than age and sex matched controls. The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE) may be important for the perpetuation of chronic inflammation. This cell surface receptor molecule is upregulated at sites of chronic vascular inflammation, and can be signalled by a range of proinflammatory ligands as well as advanced glycation end-products. The gene has a number of polymorphisms, and the Glycine 82 Serine polymorphism has a prevalence of about 10% in Caucasians. Patients with RA are more likely to have this polymorphism than control subjects, as the gene is in linkage disequilibrium with DRB1*0401, one of the RA susceptibility alleles. There is evidence that ligation of RAGE in monocytes derived from donors with the Ser 82 allele signals an enhanced NF-kB and p38 MAP Kinase cellular response, associated with production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In this study, I hypothesized an association between the RAGE 82 Ser polymorphism of this receptor, which is enriched in RA, and the risk of CV disease in subjects with RA. To investigate whether RAGE 82Ser is associated with CV disease in RA, I examined events, risk factors, features of RA and RAGE 82Ser, in 232 patients with RA attending a tertiary referral hospital. Carotid intima-media thickness was measured using carotid duplex scanning in 137 of those patients. CV events, duration and severity of RA, and CV disease risk factors were determined using patient questionnaires, chart review, laboratory analysis, and radiographs. DNA was typed for HLA-DRB1 genes and the RAGE 82Ser polymorphism. Twenty percent of patients carried the RAGE 82Ser allele. More than 20% of the cohort had suffered a vascular event. Increasing age, elevated fasting glucose, a history of hypercholesterolemia, and a shorter duration of RA were significantly associated with events. RAGE 82Ser was protective against CV events in this cohort. RA patients with RAGE 82Ser had lower LDL levels and LDL/HDL ratio. cIMT was independently and significantly associated with increasing age, male sex, hypertension, low BMI, and the number of pack years of smoking, but not RAGE genotype. Multiple factors, both CV and RA disease-related, contribute to atherosclerosis in established RA. These data suggest RAGE genotype may contribute to the risk of CV events in RA. The role of RAGE genotype requires further study in inception cohorts examining CV events to better understand its contribution to RA-associated CV disease. 2008-11-21T00:00:00Z Carroll, Lisa http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:106609 2007-08-24T00:00:00Z Woodruff, Trent M http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:230305 Gene therapy is a promising and rapidly developing medical approach, the aim of which is to transfer therapeutic genes into target cells to replace or destroy an "abnormal" disease-causing gene. However, a significant impediment to this approach becoming a therapeutic tool in the clinic is the lack of safe and effective delivery systems, coupled with a poor universal understanding of the underlying mechanisms leading to gene delivery. Thus, the broad aim of the studies described herein is to explore the mechanisms of gene delivery from different aspects, and then design and develop novel non-viral vectors with the aim of improving our understanding of how vectors behave and how rational design can then be employed to overcome biological barriers. It is apparent from our recently published review that non-viral reducible vectors, comprising disulfide bridges lead to selective (intra- over extracellular delivery) and more efficient intracellular gene release, resulting in higher transfection efficiencies (c.f. non-reducible vectors). However, existing synthetic strategies to introduce disulfide bridges into molecules employ costly reagents and are laborious. In our research, we designed and compared three approaches toward introduction of disulfide bonds into peptides and assessed the efficiency of each via construction of model tripeptide ‘HO-Cys((S-S-(CH2)2-NH2)-Lys-Gly-H’ using Fmoc-solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). The first two methods describe on-resin manipulation to introduce the terminal –S-S- bond, while the third, innovative approach utilizes a newly developed disulfide bridge-ready amino acid. Development of Boc-Cys(S-S-(CH2)2-NHBoc)-OH is firstly described and its stability profile also investigated. Its application toward the facile preparation of a disulfide-based tripeptide has been successfully demonstrated. Molecular dynamics (MD) can be used for exploring the structure, dynamical process and binding energies of biomolecular complexation on the molecular level. However, existing MD simulations for polymer-gene complexation do not correlate well with biological experiments/ conditions. In this thesis, systematic investigations of the complexation process of siRNA-cationic polymer were performed by MD simulations and their effects in gene release within the cytosol were analysed. Firstly, we studied the conformational fluctuation of double-strand 21 base-pair siRNA in the aqueous environment by MD simulations to provide clues into the complexation processes that occur with other biomolecules/carriers, which added a dynamical perspective beyond the static information available from X-ray data and the effects of complexation with other biomolecules for two conformations of siRNA. Changes in the two conformations of siRNA in aqueous solution were analyzed from three perspectives these being, major groove width, inclination angle and base pair per helix. Next we studied the single cationic polymer-siRNA complexation process by MD simulations. The simulations reveal detailed molecular-level pictures of the structures and dynamics of the RNA-polycation complexes. Estimates for the binding free energy indicate that electrostatic contributions are dominant followed by van der Waals interactions. The binding free energy between 8+polymers and RNA was found to be greater than that of 4+polymers, and was in general agreement with previously published data. Reliable binding free energies were firstly introduced to provide an effective index of the ability of the polycationic carrier to bind a nucleic acid and also carry implications for the process of gene release within the cytosol. Moving forward we investigated a highly complex system whereby multiple cationic polymers-siRNA complexation was studied by MD simulations, a scenario that represents more closely, the processes occurring at a cellular level when genes and vectors associate. At lower charge ratios polymers bind quite effectively to siRNA, while at high charge ratios the complexes are saturated and there are free polymers which are unable to associate with RNA. We also observed reduced fluctuations in RNA-structures when complexed with multiple polymers in-solution compared to both free siRNA in water and the single polymer complexes. These novel simulations provide a much better understanding of key mechanistic aspects of gene-polycation complexation and thereby advance progress towards rational design of non-viral gene delivery systems. Live cell imaging experiments are increasingly useful qualitative and quantitative tools for gauging delivery to cells and determining the fate of both gene and vector once delivered. In the tail-end of the thesis we explore the uptake of oligo-dendrimer complexes in NIH3T3 EpoR cells via the use of two different dyes (green and red) independently labelled to an oligonucleotide and dendrimer. Albeit unsurprisingly we demonstrated that the oligonucleotide alone is unable to translocate the cell membrane; this result being effectively reversed in the presence of preformed oligo-dendrimer complexes. A gradual increase in charge ratio further facilitated the delivery of oligo-dendrimer complexes, but we observed an inverse relationship i.e. delivery efficiency reduced on increasing oligo length. Furthermore, delivery rates for single strand oligos appeared to be better than double strand oligos, under identical conditions. Overall, our research systematically investigated the mechanisms relating to the gene delivery from chemical, physical and biological perspectives, which will effectively facilitate the rational design of gene delivery systems in the future. 2011-02-26T00:00:00Z Defang Ouyang http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:261624 As Rawls memorably counselled, “severe if not impossible tests” attend reflection on “justice between generations”. The ‘intergenerational’ denotes transtemporal concerns, and implicates future generations and their interests. It assumed great significance for Rawls – his explorations of “justice between generations” are actually wider than his well-recognised just savings principle. This thesis offers, as its major key, an exposition of the Rawlsian intergenerational, in both its political-philosophical and constitutional senses; its minor key introduces the Rawlsian intergenerational’s potential in Australian constitutional law. A prime aim is to illustrate the complexity of the Rawlsian intergenerational, and its dimensions as an intellectual resource. Broadly, the thesis develops by first delineating the senses and dimensions of the Rawlsian intergenerational, then addressing a bridging question (the curial incorporation of philosophy), and finally introducing the potential for the Rawlsian intergenerational’s resonance in Australian constitutional law. Zuckert’s distinction of old Rawls from new Rawls is adopted to denote the movement in Rawlsian justice as fairness from the comprehensive to the ‘political’ – relevantly, political liberalism’s ‘political not metaphysical’. Specifically, this thesis proceeds in three Parts. A critical question is whether the Rawlsian apparatus is too limited or inchoate to usefully effect an intergenerational vision. The answer proposed is no, although the Rawlsian intergenerational is, at times, underdeveloped or, alternatively, developed within the American constitutional system. This has implications for its recognition in Australian constitutional law. Part One locates the intergenerational on the canvass of three overlapping senses, dubbed the political-philosophical, constitutional, and environmental. Given Rawls’s lack of attention to the environment, this last sense is invoked as a point of critique. Rawls’s political-philosophical sense of the intergenerational develops the just savings principle. Wider dimensions include the natural duties to justice, and the international duty of assistance. Rawls’s attraction to the theme of institutional preservation and maintenance is apparent. Part Two develops Rawls’s constitutional sense. The theme of preservation and maintenance appears in aspects of Rawlsian constitutional design, adjudication and interpretation. Rawls’s constitutional positions are informed by his various intellectual infrastructure – in particular, the principles of justice, four-stage sequence, reflective equilibrium and public reason – and his via media in the originalism versus anti-originalism debate. Constitutional questions with intergenerational significance emerge. Are formally-valid, but substantively noxious, constitutional amendments legitimate? What informs constitutional interpretation and the constitutional essentials? In answer, the Rawlsian position, at times, assumes radical constraints, and introduces substantive and procedural limits on the curial interpretive power. Finally, Part Three, an extended coda, focuses on the prospects for the Rawlsian intergenerational to enrich or illuminate Australian constitutional law. The analysis canvasses prospects for the curial use of philosophy, and then examines potential directions for the High Court’s treatment of issues with intergenerational dimensions. The focus is on Rawls’s opposition to comprehensive doctrines, and his support for future generations’ claims, the rule of law, and an evolution of rights and principles. The conclusion is that Rawlsian subject-centred, institutionally-directed justice seems to have a broad resonance with Australian directions in (procedural) fairness, the “evolution of representative democracy”, and the ratcheted-up status of the franchise in Australian constitutional law. The Rawlsian intergenerational, then, is a position of potential. 2011-11-18T00:00:00Z Karen Schultz http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:157832 Leonie Kramer has noted that 'literary commentary . . . is a powerful influence on notions of what constitutes a particular reality.' But literary commentary does not act alone: it also intersects with other discursive acts that together produce a dominant ideology, participating with them in the construction of 'a particular reality'. This thesis demonstrates, for the period since 1940, how arguments about the nature of Canadian and Australian Literatures in English are part of that ideological process. It therefore interrogates the kinds of 'national interests' which the discussions of the national literatures serve. Acknowledging that such debates are conducted as being 'in the interest' of the nation but are in fact in the domain of particular institutions, it enquires into the sources and relations of power within those institutions (and other cultural formations), and the ways in which that power is enhanced by the discussions of the national literatures. While it is true that the question, 'Is there any?' continued to be used as a dismissive topos in some polemics well into the period covered, this thesis argues that in the significant debates about Australian and Canadian Literatures, and in most of the public use of them, the issues that are engaged are rather 'What is it?' and, implicitly at least, 'What may be done with/to it?' That last question discloses that the debate is about authority. The thesis argues that the attempts to define national literatures have been attempts to privilege the position of the definer. It proposes that the visibility of national literatures, the general acknowledgement of their 'presence', depends not on the adventitious .pn iv production of particular literary works -- the epic, a 'masterpiece', the Great Canadian/Australian Novel -- or on the 'mastery' of particular literary material -- the vernacular, indigenous peoples, the natural environment -- but rather on the establishment of the institutions of literary culture. It further argues that, despite the considerable achievements of individuals, this is not a history of individual heroism any more than it is a matter of reaching a quota of quality, quantity, or content. The 'actions' of those notable individuals are subject to, and are often precipitated by, institutional, political, and economic forces such as those examined in Chapters Five and Six. One premise of this thesis is that in Post-Colonial cultures, the 'presence' of history, ideology, and discourse is especially 'marked', and that, for an understanding of the development of literary culture, an examination of the economies of public/ation, of the relation to public policy, is not only necessary but inevitable. The proof of the existence of a national literature is, indeed, the existence of its infrastructure -- the institutions of writing, teaching, scholarship, and publishing. But a crucial cause seems to be the precipitation of a polemic -- a 'timely' debate about the literature. Equally, the maintenance of a cultural nationalism depends not on the 'existence' of a national culture but upon the promotion of a problematic -- a rhetoric of crisis. In this, Canada has been more prominent than Australia. It is worth noting that the 'crisis' in Canadian culture in the nineteen seventies was especially closely tied to the focussing upon the national in 1967 (the Centennial), upon internal threats to its survival (the 'Quebec crisis'), and the external threats to its survival (American economic domination of Canadian industry and consequently of Canadian culture): the debate about Canadian culture was a metaphor and a metonymy for each of these. While it has become axiomatic to observe that Canadian society is pluralist (the mosaic) and Australian society is assimilationist (the monolith), this thesis nevertheless shows that the coherence of Canadian society is in many ways more apparent. This is especially true of the cultural articulations of that society, its concern for principles (rather than Australian pragmatism), its impetus towards defining issues (rather than the Australian dealing with problems), and its concern with self- knowledge. However, in working comparatively with Canadian and Australian literatures this thesis departs from the customary Australian-Canadian strategy of distinguishing between the two literatures with the implied object of judging the two cultures. Its aim, rather, is to pursue an understanding of the development and workings of national literary cultures. It therefore considers not only the particular histories of literary criticism and literary history, and those of the various cultural institutions, but also endeavours to analyse their sociologies as well. The effects, then, of the particular modes of operation of the institutions (and even individuals) in Canadian and Australian literary culture upon the representation and recognition of those 'Literatures' are considered in some detail in the process of examining the range of social and cultural domains that must be analysed if the stories of national literary cultures are to be made intelligible. 2008-11-21T00:00:00Z Lawson, Alan http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:106667 2007-08-24T00:00:00Z Walsh, Nicole Cherie. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:294887 2013-03-26T11:49:06Z Dickinson, Joanne L http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:240461 2011-04-28T00:00:00Z Wooding, Sally. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:246899 The aim of the current body of work is to bridge a gap in the literature by providing an evaluation of an integrated model of gambling among the Chinese with the incorporation of both positive and negative antecedents of problem gambling. This thesis made advancements in the assessment of Chinese problem gambling (PG), theoretical model and thus, it is hoped in interventions of PG. Stemming from Chapter 1, which is a comprehensive review of Chinese PG, we acknowledged that there is a lack of empirical research in this area and went on to address some of the questions raised in subsequent chapters. Thus, this thesis aimed to provide psychometric evaluations of two scales that have not been translated and validated in this ethnic group, test the predictive ability of a range of gambling correlated, and finally to test the validity of the cognitive-behavioural component of Sharpe’s (2002) biopsychosocial model of PG in a Chinese sample. The participants consisted of 801 Taiwanese Chinese individuals (Mean age = 25.36 years). Different subsets of this sample were used for statistical analyses in each empirical chapter. Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 aimed to test the validity and reliability of the Chinese translated versions of The Resilience Scale (TRS-C) and The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI-C), respectively. The TRS-C was found to be unstable across different ethnicities (i.e., in Spanish, Russian, and English language versions). Hence, the TRS-C was omitted from empirical analyses in subsequent chapters. Furthermore, further analyses revealed that resilience as measured by TRS-C was not a significant predictor of PG behaviour. The 9-item PGSI-C scale was found to have good psychometric properties and was utilised in subsequent empirical chapters. Chapter 5 aimed to examine the patterns of PG and the predictive ability of variables such as gambling-related cognitions, gambling urge, depression, anxiety, stress, and help-seeking attitudes in predicting Chinese PG. The overall rates of PG (measured with PGSI-C) and pathological gambling (measured with South Oaks Gambling Screen-Chinese version; SOGS-C) are higher in this Taiwanese Chinese sample as compared to participation rates in past prevalence research in other samples. Significant differences were found between PGSI-C groups (i.e., non-PG, low-risk, moderate-risk, and PG) in socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, marital status, and employment status. Erroneous gambling-related cognitions and overall level of depression, anxiety, and stress significantly predicted PG severity. Unique to PG research, Chapter 6 aimed to investigate the predictive ability of the positive psychological dispositions on problem gambling severity, gambling-related cognitions, and gambling urges among Chinese individuals. The positive psychological dispositions examined were curiosity, gratitude, hope, personal growth initiative, and mindfulness. Higher levels of gratitude and hope were found to predict lower PG, gambling-related cognitions, and gambling urges. Meanwhile, higher mindfulness predicted lower PG, but only among Chinese males. However, lower personal growth initiative (PGI) predicted lower PG, gambling-related cognitions, and gambling urges. The nature of the results obtained is further discussed in this chapter. The first in PG literature, Chapter 7 aimed to evaluate the validity of the cognitive-behavioural component of Sharpe’s (2002) biopsychosocial model with a combination of positive and negative factors in predicting PG. Path analyses were conducted to examine model fit. In the proposed framework, gambling-urge mediated the relationship of negative psychological states, hope, gratitude, and personal-growth initiative with gambling-related cognitions. Meanwhile, gambling-related cognitions mediated the relationship between gambling-urge and PG among the Chinese. The results evidenced the importance of gratitude in predicting PG among the Chinese via gambling-urge and gambling-related cognitions. In addition, hope in life (encompassing autonomy in devising plans for life goals and agency in thought processes) was found to have the same predictive pathway as gratitude on PG. Contrary to initial predictions, stronger personal-growth initiative (PGI) predicted higher PG severity, gambling-related cognitions, and gambling urges. The implications of these results in relation to PG literature was further elaborated in this chapter. The implications, strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations are discussed in each chapter and in the final chapter. These studies were unique investigations in both the general and Chinese PG literature. The final chapter (Chapter 8) provided a general discussion of the results obtained in this thesis and present a global overview, strengths, limitations, and direction for future research. 2011-09-01T00:00:00Z Jasmine Loo http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:106454 2007-08-24T00:00:00Z Oram, Joanne. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:246937 2011-09-02T00:00:00Z Slaughter, Geoffrey John. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:106126 2007-08-24T00:00:00Z Miller, Raymond Jeffery http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:221505 2010-11-18T00:00:00Z Hamilton, K. G. (Kenneth Gordon), 1921- http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:240093 The World Health Organization (WHO, 1948) has long advocated the importance of including positive indicators of behaviour and health, such as quality of life (QOL), in clinical assessment and treatment planning. QOL is likely to assist in our understanding and treatment of psychological conditions when assessed in addition to negative clinical symptoms. However, the majority of clinical research studies have focused primarily on the negative symptomatology of psychological disorders. It is suggested in this thesis that this narrow approach to treatment outcome assessment is incomplete without considering the factors that can enable mental health patients to return to an active, meaningful life. Clinicians have only recently begun to incorporate QOL assessment into their treatment protocols and outcome studies, and very little longitudinal data over extended time frames has been reported in the literature. It is clear that further research into the effects of different treatments on QOL, particularly psychotherapeutic techniques, is necessary if QOL instruments are to be accepted as a serious addition to routine outcome measures. Furthermore, the inclusion of QOL as an outcome measure in clinical studies of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) may have implications for the cognitive models of psychopathology. However, the mechanisms by which QOL improves during CBT have not been adequately explored. This thesis aims to make an important contribution to the QOL literature, by demonstrating the maintenance of long-term gains in QOL following a group CBT intervention in a naturalistic clinical setting, and by investigating the underlying mechanisms by which QOL improves during CBT. The specific aims of this thesis were to: 1) validate the QOLI for use with anxiety and depression patients; 2) examine the generalisability of the relationships between QOL and the psychopathology of anxiety and depression in an Australian naturalistic clinical sample; 3) examine patient QOL outcomes and the effectiveness of group CBT for anxiety and depression; 4) test a number of models regarding the underlying mechanisms that may explain treatment-related changes in QOL; and 5) assess longitudinal changes in QOL, symptom and cognitive variables over a naturalistic follow-up period of seven years, on average. Chapter 1 provides a review of the existing QOL literature, discussing the utility and importance of QOL assessment with clinical groups, the impact of anxious and depressive psychopathology on QOL, the use of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions to improve QOL, and the way in which QOL can be incorporated into cognitive theories of psychopathology. The results of Chapter 2 highlight the reliability and validity of the Quality of Life Inventory (Frisch, 1994b) for a sample of patients with anxiety and depression. In Chapter 3, it was found that for depressed patients, symptoms of depression were negatively related to QOL, and for anxiety patients, anxiety and depression symptoms were negatively related to QOL. Both groups of patients experienced significant improvements in QOL, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and cognitions, following group CBT, as reported in Chapter 4. Furthermore, between 35% and 40% of therapy completers, reported reliable improvements in their anxiety and depression symptoms. The results of Chapters 3 and 4 were consistent with the QOL literature and demonstrated that the relationships between QOL and psychopathology at baseline and post-treatment each generalized to a real-world clinical sample. Chapter 5 presents findings which suggest that changes in specific cognitions predicted changes in anxiety and depression, which in turn were directly related to changes in QOL. There was no evidence that cognitive change mediated the relationships between change in QOL and changes in anxiety and depression. These results provide some insight into how QOL might be incorporated into CBT models of anxiety and depression. Long-term QOL and symptom outcomes, measured on average seven years after the completion of group CBT, were reported in Chapter 6 such that post-treatment scores for both anxiety and depression patients were maintained at follow-up. Furthermore, for the anxiety group, anxiety symptoms continued to decrease between post-treatment and follow-up assessments. Finally, in Chapter 7, the results of this thesis are integrated and discussed with regard to their implications for cognitive behavioural theories of anxiety and depression, for theories of CBT, for the use of QOL in clinical practice and for future research into QOL, psychopathology, and CBT. It is argued that patients’ QOL is a valid and important outcome to consider in real-world, clinical practice with patients who struggle with anxiety and depressive disorders. Aiming to improve patients’ QOL in addition to reducing their symptoms represents a more holistic approach to treatment and it acknowledges that it important for patients to feel that they are successfully meeting their personal needs and goals. Furthermore, the key to improving QOL appears to be directly linked to reducing psychopathology rather than changing cognitions. 2011-04-07T00:00:00Z Niamh McAlinden http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:106074 2007-08-24T00:00:00Z Connor, Jason Paul. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:158106 2008-11-21T00:00:00Z Anstee, Mark. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:288886 2013-01-11T13:36:27Z Warner, Kathleen Marie http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:157998 This study examines the biology of the venus tuskfish Choerodon venustus from the southern Great Barrier Reef to enable better-informed management decisions. Venus tuskfish are taken almost exclusively by line fishing. The size of the catch is uncertain, but the annual Queensland commercial catch is probably about 30 t and the recreational catch much greater than this (possibly ca. 300 t). The species is not the primary target of fishers and can be regarded as by-catch taken while targeting other species. However C. venustus is the second or third most commonly retained species in the study area. Venus tuskfish are taken in habitats associated with coral and other reefs across a depth range from 5 m to 90 m. The species is a benthic predator, taking molluscs, echinoderms, annelids, arthropods, and fish (in decreasing order of importance). Feeding intensity was greatest in summer. There was evidence of complex feeding behaviours and a dominance hierarchy amongst feeding fish that may result in large males being more susceptible to fishing. The species is slow growing and long lived. Up to 38 bands were observed on the opercular bones of C. venustus. Back-calculation methods yielded von Bertalanffy growth parameters of L¥ =669 mm, K = 0.09 and t0 = -3.89. Male fish appear to grow faster than females. This may be related either to faster growing fish becoming males, growth acceleration following sex reversal, or both. Selective removal of faster growing males in heavily fished locations may result in a greater proportion of slower growing females in the remaining population. iv Choerodon venustus is a protogynous hermaphrodite; the proportion of males increases as the fish increase in size, transitional fish exist and remnant female tissue was evident in testes. The species is a serial spawner with an extended breeding season perhaps peaking in autumn and around the new and full moon. Females mature between 200 and 250 mm forklength (LCF). Venus tuskfish display sexually dimorphic colouration and appear to have a socio-sexual group structure. Fish occur in extended groups with several large males associated with a larger number of smaller females. Multiple sex-reversals may occur in the groups perhaps in response to the loss of the larger males. Large females produce over 100,000 eggs in the ovaries. The number of eggs released at each spawning is unknown. There is a direct cubic relationship between length and the weight of female gonads. Large females over 500 mm LCF are capable of producing over 20 times the number of eggs of small mature females (around 250 mm LCF). The locations sampled showed marked differences in fishing effort. The Capricorn Bunker Group was subject to much higher fishing effort than the Swains Reefs. Estimates of fishing mortality reflected this trend. Line fishing selects large male fish. The heavily fished Masthead Island had smaller males, females and transitional fish. Fish below 300 mm LCF were not captured efficiently. Venus tuskfish may be capable of modifying their life cycle in response to increased fishing mortality. Sex reversal may be related to the absence of large males in social groups. Hence sex ratio remains constant between fished and unfished locations. In heavily fished populations, females are smaller and consequently produce fewer eggs. Modeling suggests unfished areas may have a potential fecundity over six times that of those heavily exploited. Choerodon venustus are severely impacted by barotrauma during capture, and few captured and released fish are likely to survive. There are special challenges in managing venus tuskfish including: · Their status as a largely bycatch species; · The poor survival of released fish due to barotrauma; · A lack of good measures of catch and effort caused by inconsistent naming of the species and inherent errors in current data collection methods; · Their extended spawning period and likely widespread spawning sites and · The need to support group fecundity by protecting larger fish. A combination of a series of fish reserves, raising the minimum legal size to 36 cm TL, effective catch limits and an effective education program are likely to support the sustainability of the fishery. 2008-11-21T00:00:00Z Platten, John Robert http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:106279 2007-08-24T00:00:00Z Gibson, Elizabeth. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:106421 2007-08-24T00:00:00Z O'Donnell, Chris http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:261538 Software ownership significantly affects the users of information technology as it allows owners to withhold rights from users and also impose duties upon them. This thesis evaluates this ownership by determining the rights and duties users should hold by using a conceptual framework of rights and duties over software to evaluate the major arguments for and against software ownership. I begin by describing the relevant aspects of software and the intellectual property laws covering it, and the software licenses defining the rights and duties of software users. I distinguish between three groups of people associated with any software project: creators (those who write the software), custodians (those who control the rights and duties others have over the software), and users (those who use the software). These classifications are used to define a set of rights and duties that these groups may possess over a particular program. The major categories of software ownership (such as the public domain, free software, open source, freeware, shareware, and retail software) are described in terms on this framework. I use this framework to determine the particular rights creators and custodians can justifiably withhold from users based on the three arguments most frequently given for why software creators should have greater control over the software they develop. These arguments claim that the creator’s labour in developing her software grants her an entitlement to claim ownership over it (the labour entitlement argument), that the creator deserves to own her program as a reward for developing it (the desert argument), and that granting ownership to creators is the most effective incentive for encouraging software development (the consequentialist incentive argument). I then examine the three major arguments for giving users greater control over software to determine the particular rights and duties that these arguments require users to possess. These arguments are that software ownership causes an unjustified social harm (the social disutility argument), that granting users more rights over software improves software quality (the open source argument), and that users need greater control over the software they use to protect their autonomy (the liberty argument). After evaluating these arguments, I conclude by comparing the different bundles of rights and duties each argument grants users to determine if there is any agreement between them over the particular rights and duties that should be granted to users and which rights creators and custodians can legitimately withhold from them. Finally, I compare the rights and duties that various kinds of software licenses grant users and determine whether they grant users the bundle of rights and duties that are justified by the arguments discussed. 2011-11-16T00:00:00Z David Douglas http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:240444 This project is a documentary film and script with an accompanying critical essay. The creative work under review is Family First – A Federal Crusade, made by the author for broadcast by ABC TV, Australia, on 1 May, 2005. The critical essay evaluates the process of creating this and other documentary films using the ‘guerrilla doc’ method. The first section seeks to define documentary through a review of it as a field of practice with its own literature. It charts the history of documentary practice, arguing that changes in technology and the marketplace have seen present-day documentary production determined, not only by technologies of production and distribution, but also by significant market forces, such as aggregation of television markets and fragmentation of audiences. Both had a profound implication for the aesthetic and practice of documentary filmmaking. The second section contextualises documentary as a field of practice by examining the current practice of four contemporary, observational ‘guerrilla’ documentarians: David Bradbury, Leonard Retel Helmrich, Olivia Roussett, and Faramarz K-Rahber. It examines in detail their equipment, techniques and, relationship with investors and broadcasters, and it illustrates how the ‘guerrilla doc’ form has allowed them greater flexibility, intimacy, and overall artistic control over their work. The third section is a critical reflection on the creation of my documentary, Family First – A Federal Crusade in the context of markets, technology, and aesthetics. This documentary was produced in classic ‘guerrilla’ mode, without a broadcaster presale or external investment until shooting was completed. It was compiled for transmission when ABC TV was attracted to the unique ‘insider’s view’ of the potent mix of politics and religion during the 2004 Australian federal election. This third section draws upon the insights of section one and two to critically evaluate the personal experiences of the author during the production and post-production of the creative project. The essay’s conclusion is that the intimacy achieved by the filmmaker with the participants would not have been as effective if the project had been attempted using a traditional crew setup. The essay concludes with reflections about the possibilities and limitations of the ‘guerrilla doc’ method and the future of ‘guerrilla docs’ in a global, but increasingly fragmented digital media market. 2011-04-27T00:00:00Z Bruce Redman http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:158814 2008-11-21T00:00:00Z Scott, Heather A. (Heather Anne) http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:158452 Developing environmentally friendly methods for the recycling and disposal of waste plastic is important for the efficient use of resources and environmental sustainability. Of the different strategies for waste plastic recycling, chemical recycling has shown great potential as an environmentally friendly method of disposing of a wide variety of plastics. The advantage of chemical recycling is that useful chemicals and fuels can be produced from waste plastic streams without significant effort spent sorting and purifying the plastic waste stream. The aims of this thesis were to demonstrate the potential of reactive extrusion as a method of degrading plastic into useful fuels and to investigate the reaction kinetics of the degradation of high density polyethylene (HDPE) through the use of population balances. The thermal degradation of HDPE was first studied using thermogravimetric analysis to identify important kinetic mechanisms and reaction rates. A population balance model was proposed to describe how the molecular weight distribution changed throughout the thermal degradation. The proposed model described the data well for all nonisothermal experiments however the model was less accurate at the slow reaction rates of the isothermal experiments. The thermal degradation of HDPE was then conducted in a reactive extruder for a variety of conditions. The important operating variables and behaviour of the reactive extruder were characterised, with the molecular weight distributions of the reactive extruder reaction products determined using gel permeation chromatography. A new population balance model was developed to describe the thermal degradation in the reactive extruder by incorporating two more model parameters, a parameter for the rate of scission’s dependence on molecular size and a breakage kernel parameter that allowed departure from random breakage. The model parameters were estimated from the molecular weight data of the reactor products. The new model predicted the reactive extruder data well for all conditions, particularly so for the long residence time (slow screw speed) experiments. The new population balance model also performed better than the previous model when applied to the data obtained from thermogravimetric analysis. Finally the catalytic degradation of HDPE was conducted in the reactive extruder using two weight percent silica-alumina catalyst. All the catalytic degradation experiments produced a high yield of liquid with a liquid weight fraction ranging from 74 to 84 weight percent. The liquid produced was found to have a composition that was comparable to gasoline. The influence of the screw speed on the total mass flowrate of the reactive extruder was significantly less in the catalytic experiments compared to the thermal experiments. This was attributed to the decrease in effectiveness of screw to convey gaseous reaction products. A population balance model for catalytic degradation described the product distribution obtained from reactive extruder well. In conclusion this thesis has demonstrated the potential for developing a process to recycle waste plastic into useful fuels utilising a reactive extruder. Additionally population balances were successfully used to describe the molecular size distribution of HDPE undergoing both thermal and catalytic degradation. 2008-11-21T00:00:00Z Wallis, Michael Drew http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:106501 2007-08-24T00:00:00Z Devlin, Hilton Joseph