7440 research outputs found
Sort by
Social support and identity development in the journey from PhD 'student' to 'researcher' and beyond
No full textThesis by publication.Bibliography: pages 285-322.Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Literature review -- Chapter 3. Methodology -- Chapter 4. Findings -- Chapter 5. Discussion and conclusion -- References -- Appendices.This thesis explores how doctoral candidates become researchers. Despite a substantial body of literature on doctoral education, how PhD candidates develop researcher identities, both internalised (feeling like a researcher) and externalised (being recognised and performing as one), largely remains a mystery. In this thesis, the PhD is framed as a journey of becoming. It uses McAlpine's (2012) theoretical framework of identity-trajectory that conceives candidates as composites of their past experiences, present circumstances and future aspirations. It positions the candidate as an active agent in their personal and professional development. The aim of this thesis is to explore the doctoral experience in regards to the identity development of students becoming researchers within the social aspects of the PhD. This research draws on three lines of empirical data using a mixed methods approach: (1) focus groups and interviews with 64 doctoral candidates from two research-intensive Australian universities, at the beginning and final stages of their PhDs, (2) 79 doctoral thesis acknowledgements, and (3) autoethnography. The findings demystify candidates' researcher identity development by presenting a nuanced and empirically supported understanding of how doctoral students become researchers. They point to issues of candidates' exclusion from professional communities and the risk of developing narrow researcher identities in contrast to candidates' diverse professional needs and outcomes. Research findings show candidates pro-actively engage in various practices beyond their PhD research to develop researcher identities for various employment contexts and to increase their perceived employability. This thesis argues that researcher identity development in the PhD is facilitated by social and collaborative practices, as well as diverse academic and other professional development and learning experiences. It suggests that PhD programs should be refocused to increase the level of connectedness of candidates with academic and other professional communities, facilitate more collaborative practices during PhDs, and support students' agency in engaging in professional development practices early on.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (331 pages) colour illustration
Maintenance of segmental lordosis and disk height in stand-alone and instrumented extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF)
No full textStudy Design: A prospective single-surgeon nonrandomized clinical study. Objective: To evaluate the radiographic and clinical outcomes, by fixation type, in extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) patients and provide an algorithm for determining patients suitable for stand-alone XLIF. Summary of Background Data: XLIF may be supplemented with pedicle screw fixation, however, since stabilizing structures remain intact, it is suggested that stand-alone XLIF can be used for certain indications. This eliminates the associated morbidity, though subsidence rates may be elevated, potentially minimizing the clinical benefits. Materials and Methods: A fixation algorithm was developed after evaluation of patient outcomes from the surgeon's first 30 cases. This algorithm was used prospectively for 40 subsequent patients to determine the requirement for supplemental fixation. Preoperative, postoperative, and 12-month follow-up computed tomography scans were measured for segmental and global lumbar lordosis and posterior disk height. Clinical outcome measures included back and leg pain (visual analogue scale), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and SF-36 physical and mental component scores (PCS and MCS). Results: Preoperatively to 12-month follow-up there were increases in segmental lordosis (7.9-9.4 degrees, P=0.0497), lumbar lordosis (48.8-55.2 degrees, P=0.0328), and disk height (3.7-5.5 mm, P=0.0018); there were also improvements in back (58.6%) and leg pain (60.0%), ODI (44.4%), PCS (56.7%), and MCS (16.1%) for stand-alone XLIF. For instrumented XLIF, segmental lordosis (7.6-10.5 degrees, P=0.0120) and disk height (3.5-5.6 mm, P<0.001) increased, while lumbar lordosis decreased (51.1-45.8 degrees, P=0.2560). Back (49.8%) and leg pain (30.8%), ODI (32.3%), PCS (37.4%), and MCS (2.0%) were all improved. Subsidence occurred in 3 (7.5%) stand-alone patients. Conclusions: The XLIF treatment fixation algorithm provided a clinical pathway to select suitable patients for stand-alone XLIF. These patients achieved positive clinical outcomes, satisfactory fusion rates, with sustained correction of lordosis and restoration of disk height.9 page(s
The Incidence of low phosphorus soils in Australia
No full textBackground: Low phosphorus (P) soils have been described as a widespread characteristic of the Australian continent and associated with sclerophyll leaf traits. In that context we ask: what proportion of the continent is low-P and how much does this vary between regions? Methods: 9234 locations sampled for soil total P from the Australian National Site Soil Data Collation were analysed. In order to make some adjustment for uneven spatial sampling we area-weighted the data using subregions from the Interim Bioregionalisation of Australia. Results: Topsoil total P concentrations ≤100 mg kg⁻¹ were widespread, but not a majority of the continent (estimated 25 %). The western Monsoon Tropics (65 %), southwestern Australia (50 %), and southeast South Australia (38 %) were estimated to have larger fractions of the sampled landscape ≤100 mg kg⁻¹ than eastern Australia (13.5 %), but not a lower range of values. Total P values across the continent included a large fraction (33 %) in the range 101–250 mg kg⁻¹. Conclusions: Continent-wide soil P levels low enough to favour long leaf lifespans for nutrient conservation and a variety of sclerophyll traits were widespread. It is time to move away from the qualitative dichotomies between low- and high-P that have characterised discussion of Australian vegetation, to a more quantitative view.8 page(s
Human resources for mental health in low and middle income countries : evidence from Bangladesh
No full textMental disorders are a major public health challenge globally, contributing to 40% of the global burdenof disease. Nevertheless, it remains highly neglected by health planners and policy makers, particularlyin low and middle income countries (LMIC). Bangladesh, one of the low-income countries, suffers froma severe shortage of appropriately trained and an adequate number of human resources to providemental health care. The authors reviewed available evidence on the dynamics of mental health servicesin LMIC like Bangladesh, with a view to help develop appropriate policies on human resources. Thischapter critically examines the current situation of human resources for mental health in Bangladesh,and explores ways to further strengthen human resources so as to enhance mental health services inthe country.21 page(s
Learning and robustness to catch-and-release fishing in a shark social network
No full textIndividuals can play different roles in maintaining connectivity and social cohesion in animal populations and thereby influence population robustness to perturbations. We performed a social network analysis in a reef shark population to assess the vulnerability of the global network to node removal under different scenarios. We found that the network was generally robust to the removal of nodes with high centrality. The network appeared also highly robust to experimental fishing. Individual shark catchability decreased as a function of experience, as revealed by comparing capture frequency and site presence. Altogether, these features suggest that individuals learnt to avoid capture, which ultimately increased network robustness to experimental catch-and-release. Our results also suggest that some caution must be taken when using capture-recapture models often used to assess population size as assumptions (such as equal probabilities of capture and recapture) may be violated by individual learning to escape recapture.5 page(s
A Comparison of three external transmitter attachment methods for snakes
No full textRadiotelemetry is a widely used and informative tool in studies of animal ecology, behavior, and conservation. Over the past 50 years, many different methods have been used to outfit animals with radiotransmitters. Radiotelemetry studies on snakes typically require anesthesia and surgery to internally implant transmitters; however, internal implantation methods can increase snake mortality and infection rates, and may alter natural behaviors, thereby reducing data validity. We qualitatively compared 3 methods of external transmitter attachment (i.e., glue-only, tape-and-glue, and a subdermal stitch), and compared their utility for collection of spatial data from April to November 2012 and 2013 at Magnetawan First Nation near Britt, Ontario, Canada. Transmitters attached with glue-only and tape-and-glue methods fell off shortly after deployment because of environmental factors and snake shedding. Both methods also resulted in skin irritation and slightly impeded snake movements. Conversely, the subdermal stitch method was long lasting in both the field and lab, and did not cause significant skin irritation. Also, the subdermal stitch method did not affect movement or the rattlesnake's ability to rattle. Additional quantitative research is required to determine if the subdermal stitch method triggers immune responses, infections, or negatively affects snake fitness. Our results suggest that the subdermal stitch method may be a viable external attachment method for use in radiotelemetry of snakes.8 page(s
Towards breeding better oysters: a proteomic investigation of disease resistance in Sydney rock oysters
No full textEmpirical thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Chapter 1. General introduction -- Chapter 2. Biomarkers of winter mortality resistance in selectively bred Sydney Rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerata) -- Chapter 3. Temporal comparison of Sydney rock oysters selectively bred for QX disease resistance reveals biomarkers of the disease progression response -- Chapter 4. Proteomic comparison of shore caught wild oysters and disease-resistance selected Sydney rock oysters from Woolooware Bay -- Chapter 5. SWATH - MS proteomic analysis of disease resistant Sydney rock oysters -- Chapter 6. Conclusions and general discussion -- Appendices.Sydney Rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerata) are a native Australian oyster species present mainly along the eastern coast of New South Wales. These oysters are economically very important as they are consumed as food across Australia. Sydney Rock oysters are known in particular for their distinctive taste, making them one of the major aquaculture products of Australia. During the early 20th century, the introduction of modern farming methods resulted in rapid growth in Sydney Rock oyster production. However, during the 1970s production started to decline as a result of mass mortalities caused by different diseases such as Queensland Unknown (QX) and Winter Mortality (WM). These diseases, in addition to the changing environmental conditions such as water pollution, further diminished the production of oysters. While there has been some previous research on environmental and disease stress in oysters, the causes and impacts of different diseases on the Sydney Rock industry are relatively underexplored. This thesis makes an attempt to enhance our fundamental understanding of two diseases of Sydney Rock oysters - QX and WM - using quantitative shotgun proteomics.Winter mortality was previously believed to be caused by a protozoan - Bonamia roughleyi, however the exact aetiology is still not clear. Whereas, QX disease is known to be caused by a paramyxean protozoan, Marteilia sydneyi, and is the major cause of the mass mortality of Sydney Rock oysters. The current mode of mitigating the impact of diseases relies on the farming of selected line of Sydney Rock oysters. The selective breeding programme of Sydney Rock oysters was established by NSW DPI using the survivors of mass mortality as a pioneering parent population. However, this mode of selection lacked the biological information of selection mechanisms and therefore it is feared that inbreeding depression might affect the future generations. Therefore, for sustainable growth of the industry it is very important to understand the biological basis of selection.This thesis aims to understand the underlying molecular processes of better adaptability of selected lines of oysters against diseases, by identifying the proteomics differences in selected and unselected populations. Chapter 1 of this thesis deals with the proteomic investigation of oysters selected for WM. Using 2DE in association with LC-MS/MS, we identified differential proteomic expression of proteins involved in many different biological processes.The major focus of this thesis is on QX disease and the following three experimental chapters of the thesis addresses different aspects of QX disease of Sydney Rock oysters. Chapter 3 reports a time dependent proteomic response of Sydney Rock oyster populations. We have identified a pattern of cytoskeletal breakdown in this study which shows a stepwise breakdown of cytoskeletal proteins with the disease period progression. Chapter 4 investigated the differences and similarities between selected Sydney Rock oysters from the wild Sydney Rock oysters grown in the same estuary. This work showed that in spite of being grown very close to each other the proteomic differences between the two populations was significant, suggesting a lack of genetic exchange or cross breeding. Chapter 5 used digestive gut tissue of Sydney Rock oyster for studying the comparative proteomics using a cutting edge proteomic analysis technique known as SWATH-MS. For the peptide to spectrum matching we used a newly available, but still unannotated, genome sequence of Sydney Rock oysters, and we identified a much greater number of proteins as compared to previous studies using the Pacific oyster genome sequence as a reference. This study reiterates the importance of the availability of functionally annotated genome sequence information for proteomics studies. The findings of this study are the first step towards generation of an identified protein library of Sydney Rock oyster which will be highly valuable for future studies.Considered together, the body of work described in this thesis represents a significant advancement in our fundamental understanding of the molecular mechanisms and biology of disease resistance and progression in Sydney Rock oysters.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xx, 192 pages) colour illustrations, 1 ma
Reaping the benefits of the transition: Discourses of the community and renewable energy development in rural NSW
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 69-801 Introduction -- 2 Community benefits, social acceptance and wind energy politics : A literature review -- 3 Research methodology -- 4 What is White Rock Wind Farm? -- 5 Whose community benefits? -- 6 Discussion -- 7 AppendicesThis research investigated White Rock Wind Farm, under construction by Goldwind Australia in northern NSW. It intended to learn the significance of the project in local politics and understand the development of the project's community benefits fund. This thesis presents the results of discourse analysis of Goldwind Australia's public communications about the project, as well as reporting by local politicians and newspapers. It also presents analysis of the discursive construction of community within NSW guidelines for community consultation and the consequences for the appointment of community representatives to the White Rock Wind Farm Community Consultative Committee. This research found that major discursive elements of Goldwind Australia's representations of White Rock Wind Farm were reproduced within politician media releases and news articles, giving it a large degree of influence over public discussions of the project. Its representations of the project's benefits resonated with existing political discourses about economic development. It also found that the guidelines for community consultation define community as the people whose interests conflict with a development. Processes for appointing community representatives restrict access to people with high social capital, with consequences for the development of White Rock's community benefits fund.1 online resource (xii, 96 pages
Representation of picture books and book reading on children's television: a social semiotic study with implications for early literacy learning
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 245-274.Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Literature review -- Chapter 3. Methodology -- Chapter 4. Theoretical orientation -- Chapter 5. Reading as transmedia resemiotisation -- Chapter 6. Reading aloud as performance and its representation on television programmes for children -- Chapter 7. A multimodal analysis of cohesion during shared reading on television and by mother-child dyads in the home -- Chapter 8. The stated views of mothers, 4 year old children and television producers about television programmes that represent picture-book reading -- Chapter 9. Discussion -- Chapter 10. Conclusion -- References -- Appendices.It has frequently been observed that multimedia, including television, have fundamentally reshaped children's literacy practices. To address concerns expressed by some commentators about young children's declining engagement with print-based literature in "the age of the screen", some television programmes have been produced in which picture books are read to the audience. While there are undoubtedly many factors influencing the decisions made by those responsible for creating certain types of television programmes, one reason sometimes cited for the production of such programmes is that they form a type of "public pedagogy" aimed at encouraging book reading between preschool-aged children and their parents. Clearly, there are significant contextual differences between the picture-book reading that occurs in the home between very young children and their parents, and the scripted picture-book reading that is presented by actors on television programmes. Little research has been done, however, on the ways in which television programmes transform (or "resemiotise") the original print-based picture-book text through the employment of various resources such as animation and camera angle, and then re-present it to the viewing audience. Likewise, little is known about whether, and if so how, the practice of adult-child shared reading, as it is scripted, acted and presented on television programmes, resembles the actual reading experiences of young children in the home. This recontextualisation of picture books and the ways they are read to children raises issues surrounding the potential of such programmes to encourage and support shared reading of picture books in the home. If, as is frequently asserted, young children prior to school age are spending a large proportion of their time watching television, it is significant for parents and educators to consider the manner in which television programmes present picture books, in order to critically evaluate the potential benefits and limitations of this type of programme for supporting children's literacy development.This study employs social semiotic theory to analyse a range of data that includes picture books, television programmes, and video-recorded parent-child shared readings in the home, or in similar home-like settings. This theoretical orientation provides tools that support a theoretically-grounded, context-sensitive and systematic analysis of semiotic modes such as language, image, animation, and gesture, and their interaction in shared reading as a social practice, which includes elements such as the reader, the child listener, the book they are reading, and the manner in which they interact.The study explores the resemiotisation of print-based picture books and book reading on television programmes from three perspectives. Firstly, it analyses the multimodal transformations in a picture book that take place during one episode of a popular children's television programme, Bookaboo. Secondly, it explores reading aloud on television in terms of its performative features, comparing the manner in which that book is read on Bookaboo and on CBeebies Bedtime Stories, with the manner in which nine mothers and 4-to-5-year-old children read together and discuss the picture book in the home or similarly naturalistic environment. This comparison includes a consideration of the manner in which the textual patterns in the picture book itself play a part in shaping the interactions between the mother-child participants, as they read the print-based picture book together. Thirdly, the study investigates the perspectives of those involved in the production of such programmes, and the views of the nine mothers and young children, who are the potential target audience, on television programmes in which picture books are read to the audience. Cutting across each of these perspectives is a consideration of the implications of the television programmes for children's emergent literacy development, based on what is known from previous research.The findings will provide parents and educators with evidence to evaluate the potential benefits and limitations of such programmes to support children's emerging literacy development.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xiv, 295 pages) colour illustration
Modelling the faint radio sky: the pathway to SKA
No full textEmpirical thesis."Tesi presentata all'Università di Bologna per il conseguimento del titolo di Philosophiae Doctor, Dipartimento di Fisica ed Astronomia. A thesis submitted to Macquarie University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Physics and Astronomy. Completed under a program of joint doctoral supervision between Università di Bologna and Macquarie University" -- title page.Bibliography: pages 105-122.1. Introduction -- 2. Radio-quiet active galactic nuclei -- 3. Further analysis of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei -- 4. Infrared-faint radio sources in the SERVS deep fields : pinpointing AGN at high redshift -- 5. Conclusion -- A. Star formation rate from radio luminosity -- References.In the last decade our understanding of the faint radio sky has undergone a significant change. Our perception of weak radio sources has been deeply changed due to the discovery that the so-called radio-quiet active galactic nuclei are not, in fact, radio silent, but simply faint as they finally started to be detected. Moreover, a new, unexpected class of radio-loud active galactic nuclei has been recently discovered, the so-called infrared-faint radio sources. This class of rare objects discovered in deep radio surveys, is emerging as a potentially promising class of sources to pre-select high-redshift powerful radio-loud active galactic nuclei.In this thesis, I present my contribution to the ongoing efforts to understand the nature of both these types of active galactic nuclei. A more in depth analysis of their nature and properties is fundamental for a proper modelling of the faint radio sky, and will be of paramount importance for a proper interpretation of the future sky survey outcomes, on the pathway to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).On the topic of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei, I searched for compact radio cores within a number of these sources, selected from deep radio samples. The search for these cores is particularly useful to shed light on the nature of the radio emission in high-redshift radio-quiet active galactic nuclei, which origin is currently hotly debated (star formation in the host galaxy or active nucleus). In particular, I searched for compact radio emission through long baseline radio interferometric observations of a selected sample of these sources. I also conducted a literature review, searching for such compact emissions in deep radio samples with high resolution (parsec-scale) observations already available, where radio-quiet active galactic nuclei were not recognised as such, by applying new classification criteria. In my experiment, I detected compact and bright radio cores in two active galactic nuclei classified as radio quiet, and I helped to classify other three detected objects in another experiment. Reviewing the literature, I found other five of these sources provided of a compact radio core. Therefore, I here report on a first direct evidence of radio cores in radio-quiet active galactic nuclei at cosmological redshifts. My preliminary analysis also indicates that star formation and active-galactic-nuclei-related radio emission likely coexist in these objects.On the topic of infrared-faint radio sources, I searched for the infrared counterparts of the radio faintest tail (sub-mJy/mJy) of the distribution of these objects. Moreover, I compared the radio/IR properties of the IR-detected infrared-faint radio sources with those expected for a number of known classes of objects. I found that these sources are mostly consistent with a mixture of powerful, high-redshift (z ≥ 3) radio-loud active galactic nuclei, as their radio brighter (>> 1 mJy) counterparts. Their faintness is likely to be ascribed to higher redshifts (z > 3-4). Some contamination by lower redshift (z ~ 2) heavily dust-enshrouded star forming galaxies can be present at the lowest end of their radio flux distribution (S 1:4 GHz ≤ 0.1 mJy). This research was not only useful to better understand the nature of these sources,but provided further evidence that they may potentially be a useful resource to pre-select very high redshift (z > 4) active galactic nuclei candidates and, if confirmed, to explore the onset of the radio-loud active galactic nuclei phenomenon in the distant Universe.The future, planned sub-mJy radio surveys (the ones expected to be delivered by the new facilities like ASKAP and SKA) will sample active galactic nuclei in the million, and the above mentioned classes will constitute a relevant fraction of the future radio catalogues. Developing methods to recognise them, and to correctly address their nature, is fundamental to fully exploiting these surveys.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xx, 122 pages) graphs, table