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Evaluation of countering violent extremism initiatives: lessons learned from best practice public health frameworks
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 62-67.Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Method -- Chapter3: Literature review -- Chapter 4: How to address the current issues in CVE evaluation: findings from a critical analysis of public health evaluation frameworks -- Chapter 5: Primary level case study - compact project -- Chapter 6: Secondary level case study - the CAPE project -- Chapter 7: Tertiary level case study - the PRISM service -- Chapter 8: Conclusions.The importance of the empirical evaluation of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programs to ensure continued refinement and transparency is widely recognised throughout the literature. However there is much debate regarding how evaluation is best conducted, and a limited body of evidence to draw from. The current research project has developed out of this area of debate in the scholarly literature; the broader argument suggests that approaches to CVE would benefit from using a public health framework, which may enable the allocation of additional resources and funding, facilitate information sharing, encourage trust from the community, and align with existing public health approaches to complex issues, such as violence prevention. A school of thought stemming from this debate posits that the frameworks of practice and theory within public health are relevant to CVE, one of which is the framework of program evaluation. This thesis seeks to critically analyse this debate by focusing on the application of public health evaluation to CVE projects in two ways; firstly, public health evaluation frameworks will be described and critically analysed. Secondly, three CVE case studies from Australia will be used to explore the potential utility of evaluation methodology already utilised in public health. This study found that the principles of public health evaluation best practice are applicable to CVE programs and add value to CVE evaluation. Findings suggest that applying existing public health evaluation approaches could ensure that several of the challenges identified with CVE evaluation are resolved. In addition, application of these approaches would ensure a consistent and internationally recognised evaluation language is used, that evaluation is imbedded in CVE program development, and that there is accountability for using and disseminating the lessons learned from CVE evaluations. It is hoped that future CVE project evaluation strategies may be informed by the lessons learned in the current study.1 online resource (67 pages
Incorporating user rating credibility in recommender systems
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 53-60.1. Introduction -- 2. Literature studies and related work -- 3. An integrated method for recommendaton -- 4. Experiments and discussion -- 5. Conclusion -- List of symbols -- References.There has been a lot of research efforts aimed at improving the recommendation accuracy with Collaborative Filtering (CF); yet there is still a lack of investigation into the integration of CF algorithms with the analysis of users' rating behaviors. Considering that by incorporating the rating credibility, the impact of the ratings given by neighbors with low credibility should be decreased. In this work, we develop an integrated solution for CF recommendation by incorporating the credibility of users' ratings, demographic information of the people, and ontological semantics of items. The demographic information of users and ontological semantics of items are used in the similarity measurement of users/items to alleviate the issues of sparsity and cold-start in CF algorithms. To our knowledge, this is the first time an integration of the rating credibility, demographic information of users, and ontological semantics of items is created in order to improve the performance of CF recommendation system. Experiments are conducted on the real-world datasets of MovieLens and Yahoo!Movie. Comparing with baseline methods, the experimental results show that the proposed approach significantly improves the quality of recommendation in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, F-measure, and standard deviation of the errors.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xx, 60 pages) diagrams, graph
Benefits of music training for children with hearing loss
No full textTheoretical thesis."Audiology Section, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University ; The Hearing CRC ; CCD, ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders" -- title page.Bibliography: pages 82-94.Chapter 1. General introduction -- Chapter 2. Conceptual review -- Chapter 3. Methodology -- Chapter 4. Music training for children with hearing loss improves music and speech outcomes -- Chapter 5. Music training for children with hearing loss : quality of life and psychosocial outcomes -- Chapter 6.Summary and conclusion -- References -- Appendices.Children with hearing loss report difficulties in a range of challenging listening situations such as music and speech-in-noise perception and have poorer psychosocial outcomes compared to their typical-hearing peers. Music training has been proposed as a suitable form of habilitation; driven primarily by typical-hearing music training studies that indicate a speech-in-noise enhancement for adults and children. The number of studies investigating the benefits of music training for children with hearing loss is modest, though recent studies have shown improvement for some elements of speech perception such as emotional prosody and lexical tone recognition. This thesis aimed to investigate the music, speech, and psychosocial benefits of a 12-week music training program for children with hearing loss.Eleven children aged between 6.13 and 9.24 years (M = 7.48, SD = 1.07) with moderate to profound prelingual hearing loss (5 bilateral cochlear implant recipients, 4 bimodal users, 2 bilateral hearing aid users) participated in this study. The design was a pseudo-randomised, longitudinal study (half the cohort was waitlisted, initially serving as a passive control group). Music training was 12 weeks in duration, consisting of weekly face-to-face group-based music therapy sessions with activities such as drumming, singing, dancing, and improvisation; and a suite of online music apps 3 times a week that consisted of activities such as creating compositions, and identification of high, low, fast, or slow sounds. Children were tested at the following timepoints: double baseline (pre-training), mid-training, post-training, and at follow-up (12-weeks after training ceased). The test battery consisted of the Clinical Assessment of Music Perception to assess pitch and timbre perception, a Music Appreciation Questionnaire, the Australian Sentences Test in Noise, the Spectral-temporally Modulated Ripple Test, the Macquarie Battery of Emotional Prosody, a Question/Statement Prosody Test, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire that provides an overview of behaviours, emotion, and relationships, the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory—a generic measure of health-related quality of life, the Hearing Environments and Reflection on Quality of Life, and the Glasgow Children’s Benefit Inventory.Statistical analyses for the main hypotheses were conducted with linear mixed models, controlling for hearing age, device, and prior formal music training. Double baseline measures (separated by 1-week) were not significantly different, indicating high test-retest validity; additionally, the waitlist group (separated by 12-weeks) were not significantly different, indicating no improvement from natural maturation and development. At the post-training point, statistically significant results were found for: speech-in-noise perception (speech reception thresholds improved by 1.1 dB (p = .036), timbre perception by 8 percentage points (p = .028), spectral resolution by 2 rpo (p < .001), and question/statement prosody by 14 percentage points (p = .004), and various music appreciation measures. Psychosocial outcomes also improved significantly for internalising behavioural problems (p = .001), and total scores (p = .012). Non-significant results were found for emotional prosody, pitch perception, all domains for the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory and the Hearing Environments and Reflection on Quality of Life.The findings suggest even a modest amount of music training has benefits for music, speech and psychosocial outcomes. The results provide further evidence that music training is an excellent complementary means of habilitation to improve the outcomes for children with hearing loss.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xv, 137 pages) colour illustration
Dysregulation of actin dynamics in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 197-237.1. General introduction -- 2. Materials and methods -- 3. C9ORF72 regulates actin dynamics -- 4. Dysregulation of actin dynamics in ALS -- 5. Mechanisms involved in dysregulation of actin dynamics in ALS -- 6. General discussion -- 7. References -- 8. Appendices.Mutations in the C9ORF72 (chromosome 9 open reading frame 72) gene account for 40% of familial cases of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and pathological forms of TDP-43 in motor neurons are present in almost all cases of ALS. Currently, there is no effective treatment for this disorder. Therefore, given their importance in ALS, understanding the pathological roles of C9ORF72 and TDP-43 is crucial for developing effective therapeutic strategies.The mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in ALS are still not fully understood. Whilst defects in cytoskeletal organisation and cytoskeletal proteins have been previously associated with ALS, the role of actin filaments and actin binding proteins in ALS has not been previously examined. The overall aim of the studies described in this thesis was to examine the regulation of actin dynamics and actin binding proteins in C9ORF72 and TDP-43 related ALS. Firstly, the normal cellular function of C9ORF72 was examined in Chapter 3. Here it was demonstrated that C9ORF72 is an actin binding protein that regulates actin dynamics. Furthermore, the uDENN domain of C9ORF72 is required for this activity via cofilin-mediated signalling mechanisms. These studies therefore provide novel insights into the normal cellular function of C9ORF72. Secondly, in Chapter 4, it was demonstrated that actin dynamics is disturbed by pathological forms of TDP-43 in cells expressing cytoplasmic TDP-43, in the TDP-43 rNLS mice model and in sporadic ALS (SALS) patient tissues. These studies therefore demonstrate that TDP-43 pathology is associated with increased actin polymerisation, possibly mediated by a direct interaction between actin and TDP-43. Moreover, actin polymerisation causes both mis-localisation of TDP-43 to the cytoplasm and stress granule formation, implying that actin polymerisation induces pathological events relevant to ALS. Finally, the regulation of actin-binding and regulatory proteins in the TDP-43 rNLS mice model and in SALS patients was examined in Chapter 5. Cofilin phosphorylation and profilin-1 expression was enhanced in SALS patients. Furthermore, increased levels of Rac1/cdc42 and Limk1 phosphorylation were also detected, thus providing mechanistic insights into these observations. Similarly, increased levels of profilin-1 and cofilin phosphorylation correlated with disease course pathologically and phenotypically in TDP-43 rNLS mice, consistent with the findings obtained in SALS patients. While actin related proteins; Arp2, Arp3 and ARPC3 were decreased at a later stage in TDP-43 rNLS mice. In conclusion, this thesis provides novel insights into the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in ALS. Importantly, it identifies dysregulation of actin dynamics and actin binding proteins as novel disease mechanisms in both C9ORF72 and TDP-43 associated ALS.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xxvii, 249 pages) colour illustration
Capite coperto/aperto in context: selected depictions of female head covering on statuary and in relief sculptures in the Large and Small Herculaneum woman types from the Roman world between the 1st century B.C.E. and 4th century C.E.
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 255-291.Introduction -- Chapter One. Scholarly considerations of head-covering practices and depictions of head-covering garments, and literature on the Large and Small Herculaneum Woman statue types -- Chapter Two. Research methods and corpus overview -- Chapter Three. Marriage and the ideal matrona : interpreting marital status from the presence or absence of a head covering -- Chapter Four. The significance of head coverings in some depictions of mother-figures among family groups -- Chapter Five. Attitudes to idealised representations : the presence and absence of head coverings within statuesque depictions of women in the Large and Small Herculaneum types -- Conclusions -- Bibliography.In this thesis I examine head coverings among selected sculptural representations of women in the Large and Small Herculaneum types as they appear in portrait statues, reliefs and sarcophagi from the Roman world in the period between the 1st century B.C.E. and the early 4th century C.E. Where enough contextual information survives, I explore the possible reasons why the female figure depicted has a head covering or not. I focus primarily on depictions of married women, representations of mother-figures and portraits of women depicted alongside statuesque iconography on sepulchral monuments and in civic commemorations. My study enriches our knowledge of women from the Roman world, highlighting the different forms of their representation within sculptural monuments, as well as the nuanced and multivalent reasons for portraying women with and without head coverings within visual commemorations.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (291 pages) illustrations (some colour
Synthesis of fluorinated benzophenones for biological activity probing
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 45-48.1. Introduction -- 2. Experimental -- 3. Results and discussion -- 4. Conclusions and future directions -- 5. References.The benzophenone (BP) structure, with its unique biaryl twist, has been shown to be an important bioactive functionality and prevalent motif in natural products. In this work, the synthesis and characterization of new fluorinated BP synthons are reported. These new BP fragments may provide additional specificity in protein-ligand binding, due to new interactions that could come from the fluorine substituents in protein pockets. One monofluorinated BP fragment was accessed in 13 steps with an overall yield of 11% employing key reactions such as lithium halogen exchange, intramolecular anionic Fries rearrangement, and chemoselective oxidations. The second, difluorinated BP fragment was brought to the pre-oxidation stage. Current results demonstrate that the intramolecular Fries rearrangement is feasible for accessing mono- and difluorinated scaffolds. These fluorinated BP fragments will in future be incorporated into the natural product (-)-balanol framework for probing the isozyme selective inhibition within the AGC superfamily of kinases.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xi, 48 pages) diagram
Movement, vertebral morphology and age dynamics of the common sawshark Pristiophorus cirratus
No full textThesis by publication.Bibliography: pages 52-60.The common sawshark (Pristiophorus cirratus) is a deepsea shark endemic to southeastern Australia that has been fished for over 90 years. We explored two critical parameters required for effective fisheries management: movement ecology and longevity. To investigate movement ecology, three common sawsharks were tagged with passive satellite archival tags (PSATs) off the northeast coast of Tasmania in 2016. Archived data suggest sawsharks are able to move larger distances than previously thought and engage in vertical movements with a diel pattern observed. To gain insight into the longevity of sawsharks, we first assessed their vertebral morphology to best direct age determination efforts for vertebral band pair analysis. Vertebrae located in the post-branchial region were found to be the largest and least variable throughout ontogeny and therefore most ideal for band pair analysis. A range of age determination methodologies, traditional and non-traditional, were then applied to shark vertebrae to test the efficacy of vertebral band-pair analysis in sawsharks. Bands were indeterminable across all methodologies. This study provides insights into population dynamics and vertebral morphometrics and offers direction for future age determination studies in sawsharks. Such information will provide vital information for the conservation and management of this data-poor species.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (68 pages) colour illustration
Copula-based joint regression models for longitudinal data
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 45-52.1. Introduction -- 2. Simulation -- 3. Applications -- 4. Conclusion -- 5. Discussion -- References -- Supplementary materials.A popular approach to modelling longitudinal observations is using mixed models with random effects for subjects. Recent developments in joint regression modelling presents an alternative approach to longitudinal analysis which utilises copulas to flexibly model dependence structures for correlated data. The performance of copula-based regression models has, to date, not been quantified in comparison to random effect based models and other popular methods.This thesis provides a preliminary analysis of some of the situations in which copula-based joint regression models may be more appropriate than mixed models for longitudinal regression analysis. The models are compared across a range of simulated longitudinal datasets generated from a flexible bivariate distribution, and applied to three real-world datasets. The results of the analysis indicate that in cases where the outcome variables marginal distributions are skewed and there is rank correlation between regression outcome variables, measured by Kendall’s tau, mixed models provide biased parameter estimates while copula-based joint regression models provide unbiased estimates with generally lower standard errors than other alternative methods such as generalised linear models or generalised estimating equations.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (vi, 61 pages) graphs, table
Determinants and economic consequences of corporate social responsibility in China
No full textThesis by publication.Includes bibliographical references.Chapter One. Overview of the thesis -- Chapter Two. Cross-border acquisitions and CSR performance -- Chapter Three. Short selling, margin trading and corporate social responsibility -- Chapter Four. Mandatory CSR disclosure and financial constraints -- Chapter Five. Conclusions.To achieve economic, social and environmental objectives, the Chinese government has directed Chinese firms to acquire strategic assets and expand business abroad through its “Go Global” policy. As a result, Chinese firms have become the world’s largest foreign investors since 2016. In the first paper, I examine the relationship between the cross-border acquisition activities and corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance of Chinese firms. I find that Chinese acquirers significantly improve CSR performance following their cross-border acquisitions, suggesting that Chinese acquirers initiate efforts to improve CSR performance to gain legitimacy in host countries. I also find that host country legal origins, social norms, and the exposure of the acquirers to multiple jurisdictions hold the keys to improve the CSR performance of acquirers. In addition, CSR performance of non-State-Owned Enterprises (non-SOEs) are positively affected by cross-border acquisitions, especially that of non-SOEs in heavy-pollution industries. The study provides micro-level evidence on the effect of the government’s “Go Out” policy on the CSR practices of Chinese firms. It also explores the implication of corporate acquisition activities on stakeholder welfare.In the second paper, I examine whether firms use CSR activities to signal information about their future prospects to investors and other stakeholders using the pilot program of short selling and margin trading introduced by the China Securities Regulatory Commission in 2010 as a quasi-natural experiment. This pilot program imposes non-fundamentally driven pressure on the stock prices of the pilot firms. I find that the pilot firms enhance their CSR performance to respond to the exogenous shock of the sudden removal of the short-selling and margin-trading bans. When the effect of short selling on CSR is disentangled from the effect of margin trading on CSR performance, I find that the pilot firms respond to the exogenous shock of short-selling pressure by enhancing their CSR performance but not to the exogenous shock of margin trading. The results suggest that CSR activities can send a positive signal about future prospects to investors and other stakeholders including short sellers.In the third paper, I examine the effect of mandatory CSR disclosure on financial constraints using a quasi-natural experiment in China that mandates a subset of listed firms to disclose their CSR activities. Using a difference-in-differences research design, I find that firms with mandatory CSR reporting experience an increase in financial constraints after the mandate. Additional analyses reveal that the increase in financial constraints is more pronounced for firms without political connections and firms with better CSR performance. The results suggest that CSR practices that can be valuable for seeking political connections in emerging economies come at the cost of shareholder wealth, with increasing agency problems and financial constraints.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xiv, 182 pages) graphs, table
Bank loan covenants, lending relationships and covenant violations
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 59-64.1. Introduction -- 2. Theories and hypothesis development -- 3. Data and measurement -- 4. Analyses of lending relationships and financial covenant strictness -- 5. Analyses of lending relationships and covenant violations -- 6. Additional tests -- 7. Conclusion -- References.Using a large sample of U.S. corporate bank loans, we investigate the influence of lending relationships on loan covenants and covenant violations. Consistent with the information asymmetry argument, we find that lending relationships substitute for financial covenants in loan contracts. In addition, the effect of lending relationship intensity on the total number of financial covenants included in a loan package is U-shaped.It appears that lending relationship intensity acts as an indicator of covenant violations. Specifically, an increasing lending relationship intensity decreases the likelihood of covenant violations, but relationship borrowers who have access to the public debt market or are of a large size in their industry are subject to a high probability of covenant violations. Overall, relationship borrowers with different levels of relationship intensity and financing capacity are subject to a distinct probability of covenant violations.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (iii, 64 pages) table