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Isolation of cancer cells on nanomaterial functionalized microfluidic devices
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 45-50.1. Introduction -- 2. Experimental methods : materials, instrumentation and analytical tools -- 3. Results and discussions -- 4. Conclusions and future works -- References -- Appendix.Primary cancerous tumors release cells that either stay locally or metastasize (spread) to different tissues through blood, referred to as circulating tumor cells (CTCs). CTCs are extremely rare in patients with metastatic cancer in initial stages (one cell per 109 hematologic cells in blood approx.) Isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is widely pursued as these cells provide valuable information about the metastasis and invasiveness of cancer growth through protein expression and is a critical element for therapeutic monitoring. Conventional batch processing methods do not provide precise safe handling and spatial-temporal manipulation for CTCs. Enrichment of CTCs with microfluidic methods provides a non-surgical, non-invasive and cost-effective alternative for CTC isolation through analysis of body fluids like blood or urine in case of bladder cancer. This thesis presents the fabrication, optimization and capture analysis results of a microfluidic device developed for capturing DU145, a prostate cancer cell line. Potential of the nanomaterial graphene oxide has been investigated in capture of these cells via immuno-affinity binding with the MIL-38 antibody inside the device. Binding affinity of antibodies towards the functionalized surfaces has been explored. The capture rates for DU145 and C3 cell lines on graphene oxide functionalized and non-functionalized surfaces are presented in this thesis.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (viii, 51 pages) illustrations (some colour
Franklin’s TSS : examining factor structure and convergence with SWB
No full textTheoretical thesis.Running title: Franklin’s TSS : examining factor structure and convergence with SWB.Bibliography: pages 127-274.Introduction : the state of well-being - beginnings of positive psychology and current challenges -- Chapter 1. Approaches to well-beingt -- Chapter 2. Evolutionary psychology and well-being -- Chapter 3. Thrive and survive theory-- Chapter 4. Method -- Chapter 5. Results -- Chapter 6. Discussion -- References -- Appendices.Despite overlap in the concepts presented within established needs-based theories of well-being, a lack of consensus exists regarding the most appropriate formulation of the needs, or the basis upon which they should be derived. This dissertation assesses a survey that addresses Thrive and Survive Theory (TST; Franklin, 2013, 2018), which is an evolutionary needs-based theory of achievement and well-being which aims to unify the plurality of existing approaches to well-being. The Thrive Survive Survey is a quantitative measure of TST’s six discrete needs domains. Altogether, 882 primarily Western adults completed the Survey. Factor Analysis utilising Principal Axis Factoring revealed several problematic items, and suggested that the survey failed to discriminate between Growth and Achievement needs, which is consistent with a prior investigation. However, a five-factor solution combining Growth and Achievement resulted in a good fit to the data. Hence, Franklin’s proposed factor structure was largely supported. Multiple regression models demonstrated the resulting five needs domains significantly predicted Positive and negative affect, and life satisfaction, which further supported the survey’s construct validity. These findings suggest that TST shows promise as a unifying framework of human psychological needs, and may yield valuable contributions towards the development of novel intervention and treatment strategies.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (274 pages) graphs, table
Neuromagnetic approaches to measuring auditory brain function in cochlear implant recipients: markers of speech processing and evaluation of a prototype MEG system
No full textThesis by publication."KIT-Macquarie Brain Research Laboratory, Department Cognitive Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia" -- title page.Includes bibliographical references.Chapter 1. Hearing deprivation and cochlear implant performance : a perspective from the brain -- Chapter 2. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) : a review of methods and applications for investigating normal and impaired auditory brain function -- Chapter 3. Effects of intelligibility on cortical responses to speech -- Chapter 4. Effect of perceptual experience on cortical responses to embedded linguistic structures -- Chapter 5. Evaluation of a MEG system for unilateral cochlear implant recipients --General discussion.There is substantial variability in the speech perception performance achieved by different cochlear implant (CI) recipients, for reasons that are poorly understood but that may be attributable to changes in the way that the brain functions after auditory deprivation. Objective measures of speech processing in the brains of CI recipients would be valuable for identifying the central sources of performance variability and provide potential targets for intervention. Within an adult population, the specific objectives of the present thesis were to: (1) evaluate the effects of intelligibility on a reported novel MEG brain response that tracks hierarchical linguistic structures in connected speech; (2) evaluate the effects of prior perceptual experience on the MEG response, which reflects increased intelligibility of the degraded speech signal; (3) evaluate the capabilities of a novel, prototype MEG system designed to measure auditory brain function in cochlear implant recipients. Noise vocoding was employed to degrade the speech signal to a level that approximates the signal produced by a cochlear implant. Results showed that responses to sentence- and phrase-level structures were systematically reduced with reduced intelligibility of the speech signal; and that cortical sources coherent with intelligible phrase and sentence-level structures were left lateralized. Responses to sentence-level structure were slightly but significantly enhanced by prior experience; and this enhancement was associated with greater coherence in the right cerebral hemisphere (STG). Our evaluation of the prototype MEG system showed that CI artefacts from an emulator device were strongly attenuated. However, cochlear implant recipients still showed substantial levels of noise that preclude reliable measurements of auditory evoked brain activity. We conclude that further improvements will be required before the prototype MEG system is capable of routine measurements with CI recipients. Dissociated from artefacts at stimulus presentation frequency, this brain response to spoken language may serve as a sensitive markers of speech processing in CI recipients.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xii, 184 pages) colour illustration
Bayesian estimation of switching rates for blinking quantum emitters
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 51-54.1. Introduction -- 2. Blinking quantum emitters -- 3. Logic and probability theory -- 4. Discrete-time Markov chain models for a blinking emitter -- 5. Continuous-time Markov chain model for a blinking emitter -- 6. Conclusion and future outlook -- References.Quantum emitters such as quantum dots or colour centres in diamond have a range of interesting applications ranging from quantum sensing to biomedical imaging to being th eactive material in the newest generation of screen technologies. However, the particular environment a quantum emitter is exposed to can lead to intermittency of its fluorescence known as blinking. Understanding blinking dynamics and its causes is essential for optimizing quantum emitters for technological applications. A first step in this process is the correct analysis and inference of underlying blinking rates which characterize the internal switching process of the quantum emitter from a dark to a bright state and vice versa. This thesis develops a methodology for inferring these rates from data using Bayesian analysis. It treats the underlying blinking process as a hidden Markov chain. Both discrete and continuous-time Markov models are developed and applied in order to infer switching rates from fluorescence time-series having a physically realistic range from very slow to very fast blinking. The hidden-chain Markov model developed here could find applications in other areas such as finance and computational biology.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xiv, 54 pages) diagrams, graphs, table
Unpacking value creation through new product development at the bottom of the pyramid: evidence from local manufacturing firms in Ethiopia
No full textThesis by publication.Includes bibliographical references.1. Introduction -- 2. Do bottom of the pyramid manufacturing firms with bricolage capabilities and social capital deliver superior value to their customers? -- 3. When does new product development team problem solving creativity in bottom of the pyramid firms' pay off? -- 4. Leveraging local BoP manufacturers' ability to offer affordable products and enhance new product performance in bottom of the pyramid markets -- 5. Conclusion -- Appendices.Delivering value to customers and fostering new product success at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) are major challenges for local manufacturing firms. At the BoP, local manufacturing firms (which originate in the local community and are owned by locals) pursuing the development of new products as part of their strategy have to deal with significant challenges such as poor infrastructure, poor distribution channels, high citizen illiteracy rates, corruption, and lack of enforceable legal frameworks. In order to deliver value to customers and realise new product success, local firms in BoP markets need to create ways to overcome these challenges. One key focus for local BoP firms is to effectively manage their intra (widening their resource base, deploying capabilities) and extra organisational processes (establishing collaboration) which may help better drive new product development (NPD) projects towards successful outcomes. Yet, the literature remains almost silent about how these intra and extra organisational processes affect NPD at the BoP. In an effort to raise awareness and address the silence of research on firms from BoP countries, this thesis develops three papers. The first paper (under 2nd round review at Industrial Marketing Management) examines how a firm's bricolage capability helps to enhance new product innovativeness and how social ties with civil society organisations and government bolster the impact of bricolage by moderating the relationship between bricolage and new product innovativeness. The study further discusses marketing capabilities as an important moderator of the relationship between product innovativeness and the firm's ability to create customer value. Data were obtained from managers of 150 Ethiopian local manufacturing firms and 325 active business customers. Drawing on the capability-based view and social capital theory, the findings show that bricolage has an inverted-U shape relationship with product innovativeness, and ties with civil society organisations attenuate this effect. Whereas our data do not support the moderating role of ties with governments. Further, the results demonstrate a significant moderating role for marketing capabilities in translating product innovativeness into customer value at the BoP. The second paper (under review at the Journal of Business Research) focuses on the role of NPD team's problem-solving creativity in enhancing new product performance. The paper seeks to identify factors (such as leadership style and role ambiguity) that facilitate or inhibit problem-solving creativity in NPD teams within BoP firms. Underpinned by social exchange theory and using a sample of 274 middle-level managers from local BoP firms in Ethiopia, the study shows that NPD team's creativity is a key to develop a new product that pays off financially in BoP markets. The study identifies that ambidextrous leaders (leaders who can deploy simultaneously transformational and transaction leadership styles) can reduce ambiguity in the minds of their NPD managers to foster their teams to look for new and better methods of performing tasks. The findings suggest that CEO's of BoP firms who engage in ambidextrous leadership attenuate the negative effect of role ambiguity on problem-solving creativity in their NPD teams. The third paper (under review at the European Journal of Marketing) examines underlying mechanisms linking collaboration with customers and suppliers to new product advantage en route to creating affordable product and enhancing new product performance for local firms at the BoP. The study further focuses on the contingent roles of two environmental factors relevant to the BoP market context (i.e., market turbulence and competitive intensity). Survey data were collected from three respondent groups including two managerial positions including marketing and NPD managers in local BoP firms and their customers. Drawing upon social capital and institutional theories, the findings show that collaboration with customers and suppliers enhance the ability of local BoP firms to create new product advantages. The relationship between collaboration with customers and suppliers, and new product advantage is, however, impacted by the level of market turbulence BoP local manufacturers face. Market turbulence diminishes the capacity of customer collaboration to generate new product advantage, while its effect on the supplier collaboration - new product advantage relationship was not supported. The study provides evidence for the view that new product advantage in the form of cost-efficiency and differentiation are determinants of affordability and new product performance at the BoP. The study confirms that new product advantage is translated into new product performance in environments with a higher level of competitive intensity. However, the benefit of product advantage in BoP markets to affordability diminishes at higher levels of competitive intensity1 online resource (v, 160 pages
Somatechnics and the impossible subject of suicide
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 262-290.Introduction -- Chapter 1. Suicidology : the truth of suicide -- Chapter 2. Critical suicidology and prevention : the persistence of the presumed -- Chapter 3. The somatechnics of suicide : tracing the (im)possibility of the suicidal subject -- Chapter 4. The soma-techno-logic of life : interrogating the position of the living -- Chapter 5. The Carter-Roy case : suicide as manslaughter -- Chapter 6. The risky business of 13 reasons why -- Conclusion -- References.Suicide is consistently framed as a problem in need of resolution. Suicidology, the key field in the production of knowledge about suicide, positions suicide as a symptom of individual (psycho)pathology. In recent years, however, the emergent field of critical suicidology has critiqued suicidological understandings of suicide and has begun to emphasise the importance of acknowledging its social, cultural, and discursive factors. Each of these two fields employs vastly different approaches to the study of suicide, yet they share the mutual conviction that suicide must be prevented. The pervasiveness of this view is further expressed in a wide variety of cultural domains, including the media, law, medicine, and the general public.In this thesis, rather than continuing efforts in the service of suicide prevention, I critically interrogate the very notion of prevention as the only possible response to suicide. I deploy somatechnics as a critical orientation that explicates the mutually constitutive relationship between bodies and technologies, and as such the ways in which individual lives are incorporated into wider structures through a range of regulatory mechanisms. I argue that in a biopolitical apparatus, a range of technologies operate so as to render both suicide and the suicidal subject impossible. In other words, because suicide cannot be recognised as a legitimate choice in the framework of suicide prevention, the suicidal subject is instantly relegated to de-agentified subject positions such as mentally ill, vulnerable, and victim, and thus cannot exist as suicidal subject. In highlighting the somatechnics implicated in suicide, then, I bring somatechnics and suicide into a critical conversation to begin reformulating agency and subjectivity in suicidal being.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xii, 290 pages
Fiction and the moral imagination: & The swing of the sea : a novel
No full textTheoretical thesis.Volume 2 involves a creative component and cannot be made available due to copyright reasonBibliography: pages 122-131 of volume 1.Chapter 1. A Beginning, an invention, a discovery : introduction -- Chapter 2. Realms of gold : the first half of the twentieth century -- Chapter 3. Cat's cradle : the moral imagination and postmodernism -- Chapter 4. A leaf of sage : fiction, moral philosophy and the ethical turn -- Chapter 5. Oddity and light : a consideration of two novels -- Chapter 6. Of what is past, or passing, or to come : conclusion -- Works cited.This creative writing thesis examines the role of the moral imagination in the reading and writing of fiction through a theoretical investigation of its history and influence, both on literary criticism and on the practice of fiction writing. The creative part of the thesis consistsof a novel that reflects the ideas explored in the theoretical part of the thesis. Moral imagination is defined as being the human capacity to enter imaginatively into the situations of others who may be very different from ourselves.The central proposition of the thesis is that fiction is peculiarly positioned to exercise a reader's moral imagination through its capacity to show the complexity and difficulty of ethical choice. Relevant literary and philosophical positions are evaluated, and it is argued that the moral imagination offers a conceptual framework embracing both the emotional and intellectual aspects of ethical dilemmas. It is further argued that an appreciation of alterity lies at the heart of morality and that the postmodern era of literary criticism, often seen as antithetical to the practice of ethical criticism, has been misinterpreted.The novel The Swing of the Sea forms the creative part of the thesis. It is set in Sydney between the years 1996 and 2007. The novel's main protagonist, Stephen, is a progressive thinker, critical of government ethics, while making some dubious choices of his own. Stephen and his family live in a period of conflict and violence in the world around them, while feeling safe in their comfortable suburb. One night, complacency is shattered by a terrible unpredictable event, after which everything changes for Stephen as he is forced to comprehend the nature of personal responsibility. The novel explores the parallels between the political and the personal and the way human behaviour is affected by the overarching cultural context in which it occurs.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (2 volumes
Outcomes of end of range axilla splinting in children following burn injury
No full textEmpirical thesis.Contains bibliographic references.Chapter One. Burns and the development of burn scar contracture -- Chapter Two. The shoulder joint and prevention of axilla contracture -- Chapter Three. Outcomes of end of range axilla splinting in children following burn injury -- Chapter Four. Discussion -- Appendices.This thesis explores the prevalence and predictors of hypertrophic scarring and burn scar contracture in adults and children. It builds upon the limited evidence base of axilla splinting as an intervention, which may be a valuable treatment strategy to prevent axilla contracture following burn injury to this area. To date, two randomised control trials have been completed into the effectiveness of axilla splinting at 90° abduction post burn in adult cohorts. In children, the only available evidence is a case series of 23 children splinted between 90° and 160° abduction post burn, published in 1985. Anecdotally, at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead splinting the axilla at end of range post burn injury is well-tolerated with excellent range of movement outcomes.Therefore, a retrospective study was completed, exploring outcomes from January 2006 to July 2016 in 76 children. No child developed contracture of the axilla for the duration of the 2 year study follow-up with no adverse events recorded. Children who required splinting ≥60 days to maintain full axilla range of movement had a higher frequency of deep burn, flame mechanism and burn distribution involving the anterior trunk, flank and arm compared to children who were splinted <60 days. Early signs of contracture, considered to be loss of full axilla range of movement or significant banding, developed in 9 children within the first 3 months post burn. All 9 children responded to intensive therapy with restoration of full axilla range by 9 months post burn.End of range splinting may be a valuable intervention to maintain axilla range of movement in children following a burn to this area. To provide better evidence of the efficacy, feasibility and safety of end of range axilla splinting, comparison of this intervention to other types of axilla splinting practice or exercise only is recommended. Future research should also focus on improving reporting of the prevalence and predictors of burn scar contracture and hypertrophic scarring.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xi, 96 pages) colour illustration
A comparative study of anthropogenic antimicrobial pollution on Australia’s little penguins
No full textThesis by publication.Bibliography: pages 51-58.Chapter 1. Review : physiological and ecological traits of wild birds affecting the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance -- Chapter 2. Class 1 integrons in wild and captive little penguins (Eudyptula minor) -- Chapter 3. Targeted screening for antibiotic resistance determinants in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in wild and captive little penguins (Eudyptula minor) -- Concluding statement -- References -- Appendix.This thesis presents a synthesis of the literature on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wildbirds, in order to ascertain whether there are any traits, physiological or ecological, that are associated with the acquisition and retention of resistant organisms in wild birds. Major knowledge gaps were identified in types of bird species and bacterial species targeted for investigating AMR in wild birds. This was particularly evident in the Australian context.In Australia, the little penguin (Eudyptula minor) is an iconic marine bird that spends the majority of its life at sea. The life history of the little penguin potentially increases the species’ opportunity for exposure to resistant organisms present in the marine environment, making these birds an ideal study species for the investigation of the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. Little penguin colonies in Australia are widely distributed, with mainland and island colonies ranging from New South Wales on the East coast to Western Australia. These colonies experience differing levels of human influences ranging from isolated off-shore islands to mainland sites highly frequented by tourists. There are also several little penguin colonies in captive institutions in Australia, enabling comparison of resistant determinants between wild and captive little penguins.After identifying the little penguin as a key species to investigate in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance from humans to wild birds, the aim of this study was to examine the bacterial community of wild and captive little penguins to determine if the class 1 integron, a mobile element that confers antibiotic resistance, was present in their faecal microbiota. In addition, two Gram-negative bacterial species of clinical relevance, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, were genetically characterised and assessed for the presence of class 1 integrons to elucidate if the bacterial species harbouring the class 1 integrons are human associated.Understanding the presence of organisms carrying resistance traits in the host is an important step towards understanding if human antimicrobial pollution is contributing to the decline seen in little penguin colonies across Australia, as such acquisition may affect little penguin health. Defining alterations caused by the acquisition of resistance determinants could thus help shape conservation practices for future management of the little penguin.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xii, 60 pages) 1 colour illustratio
An investigation into Chinese ESL learners’ perceptions of English language teaching and learning in Australia: a case study of an English language training program
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 64-71.Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Literature review -- Chapter 3. Design and methodology -- Chapter 4. Results and discussion -- Chapter 5. Conclusions, implications and limitations -- References -- Appendices.In recent decades, with the rapid economic development of China, there has been a large influx of Chinese students into Western countries to pursue their studies. Empirical research by Yu and Shen (2006) indicates that some international students have difficulties adapting to the Western learning environment due to linguistic and academic challenges. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, this thesis examines how Chinese ESL learners perceive English language teaching in Australia and the learning difficulties they face. By doing so, it seeks to help instructors make informed pedagogical decisions and assist learners in addressing these difficulties. Ten Chinese students who were or have been enrolled in an English language program at Macquarie University participated in qualitative interviews. Meanwhile, the researcher observed five English sessions to gain a better understanding of Western teaching pedagogy. The findings reveal that the participants show highly positive attitudes toward the communicative approach, and mostly favor grammar instruction within communicative practice. The learning difficulties they experience are mostly influenced by their prior exposure to Chinese teaching and learning styles. English language teaching at Macquarie University is communication-oriented and learner-centered, and generally corresponds with what the learners reported during the interviews.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (84 pages