Sydney Digital Theses (University of Sydney Access only)

Critical point network-based organizational principle of cortical spatiotemporal dynamics

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Critical point network-based organizational principle of cortical spatiotemporal dynamics Xu, Yiben Inspired by the field of turbulence and vector field topology in neural activities, this thesis introduces a novel and generalizable organizational principle of cortical spatiotemporal dynamics based on a global network of interacting critical points. Starting from the analysis of human fMRI signals, this thesis highlights the discovery of travelling cortical spiral waves (termed ‘brain spirals’) during both the resting and task states, emphasizing the mechanistic and functional relevance of a novel spiralbased organizational principle of large-scale brain activities. Next, based on human high-density electroencephalography (HdEEG) recordings, this thesis extends the spiral-based organizational principle from wakefulness to non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, revealing that this spiralbased organizational principle is also a defining feature of human N2 sleep, which is associated with sleep-dependent-memory-consolidation and aging-related memory decline. Finally, this thesis further expands the spiral-based organizational principle to include other types of critical points (i.e., sinks, sources and saddles), two new recording modalities (Magnetoencephalography/MEG and Electrocorticography/ECoG), and intracranial recordings of non-human primates (marmoset). In two distinct datasets, a global network of interacting critical points can be consistently observed regardless of species, recording modalities and cognitive states. Acting like an organizational skeleton, this network of critical points collectively enables the task-dependent organizations of largescale brain activities, supporting the universal presence of a critical point network-based organizational principle of large-scale brain activities across species.

Memory, Perception & the Art of Seeing Double

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Memory, Perception & the Art of Seeing Double Brollo, Deidre This project seeks to examine the role of memory in the viewing of art, in a thesis, ‘Memory, Perception & the Art of Seeing Double’, and an exhibition, ‘the return room’. Drawing on the writings of Henri Bergson and Marcel Proust, the discussion argues for the interrelationship of perception and memory. In contending that perception is inherently bound up with memory, it argues that all artworks have the potential to elicit acts of recollection in the viewer. These acts of recollection should not be understood as an individual reverie detached from the world, but rather as a sort of introspective engagement, an act of viewing that encompasses both the present moment and a past one, in which individual recollection is brought to bear upon the artwork. It is therefore a process of seeing double. Subsequent chapters investigate the use of forms of memory technology in art, looking firstly at the privileged though problematic forms of the photograph and the public memorial. This is followed by an examination of text, maps, and books. The exhibition ‘the return room’ consists of an installation of artists’ books in a specially constructed room reminiscent of both a domestic and a gallery space. It draws on the idea of the palimpsest as a site in which other traces are visible, while also having the potential to be read as a form of memory theatre. The exhibition employs the forms of memory technology discussed in the thesis, with text, maps, and photographs, used within the books. This project, then, claims to be original in the following ways. It claims that Proust and Bergson’s demonstration of the interrelation of memory and perception has important implications for the role of memory in the viewing of all artworks. Secondly, this project draws attention to the possibilities of other forms of memory technology (text and maps) which have not been previously discussed in an art context with regard to their mnemonic potential in relation to the viewer. Thirdly, emphasising that memory is about the juxtaposition of past and present moments, the discussion here offers the models of the palimpsest and the stereoscope as useful conceptual models to describe the ‘art of seeing double.’ Finally, in taking a broad approach to the concept of the artist’s book, the project suggests that the idea of the book may move beyond its boundaries, and that the idea of the palimpsest can be applied in an extended sense to installation space. Includes publication

Mathematical Models for Immune Checkpoint Blockade and Delayed Responses

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Mathematical Models for Immune Checkpoint Blockade and Delayed Responses Zheng, Collin Yarmeng Immune checkpoint blockades have transformed oncology, yet a persistent clinical puzzle remains: Why do some patients exhibit delayed responses, with tumours that initially grow or plateau before abruptly regressing? This thesis tackles that question with a multi-scale mathematical study that couples analytically tractable ordinary differential equation (ODE) models with a spatial, stochastic agent-based model (ABM). In ODE form, we show that delayed responses can arise intrinsically, without imposed time lags, via costimulation bottlenecks and slow passages near tipping points associated with special saddle-node bifurcations. We map delayed responses to a statistically-thin part of the model parameter space, suggesting their rarity. Our ODE results enable us to propose an immune profile framework that maps patient prognosis to the natural strength of their immune system---an idea that has become increasingly popular in clinical research since COVID-19. To move beyond mean-field assumptions, we develop an ABM tracking cancer cells, dendritic cells (DCs), CD8+ T cells, and Tregs at single-cell resolution, with molecular attributes and cell-level rules. Mechanistically, our ABM explains why combination therapy outperforms monotherapy: anti-CTLA-4 'reopens the gate' while anti-PD-1 'lifts the brake', yielding a larger and fitter effector CD8+ T cell pool. Our results supports two hypothesised mechanisms of action underlying CTLA-4 blockades---Treg depletion in humans and Treg-driven stripping of B7 ligands---highlighting how depleting suppressors and protecting strategically-important ligands reopen the costimulatory pathway. We characterise delayed responses as an alignment of a multitude of immune events, followed by a fast cascade of killing. This suggests that DC therapies prioritising net DC recruitment and T cell therapies that prioritise tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) survivability synergise well with immune checkpoint blockades.

Efficient and Robust Self-Supervised Learning for Deep Learning-Based Healthcare Applications

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Efficient and Robust Self-Supervised Learning for Deep Learning-Based Healthcare Applications Wang, Hao As healthcare increasingly relies on deep learning for medical imaging, a critical challenge arises: the scarcity of labeled data due to expensive and time-consuming manual clinical annotation. This thesis addresses the mismatch between deep learning's heavy data demands and clinical data scarcity by exploring Self-Supervised Learning (SSL). SSL learns meaningful representations from unlabeled data, significantly reducing dependency on extensive annotations by leveraging inherent data structures and relationships. The primary objective of this research is to develop novel SSL methodologies tailored to distinct healthcare analysis tasks, maximizing the efficient use of limited data across multiple scales and modalities. This is demonstrated through three domain-specific innovations: 1. Histopathology: A novel SSL framework leverages the multi-resolution nature of whole-slide images to enable hierarchical representation learning. This effectively captures both global tissue organization and fine-grained cellular details. 2. Dermatology: To mirror clinical workflows, SSL is customized with pretext tasks that align multi-modal representations (clinical and dermoscopic images) and encode inter-label dependencies for complex diagnostic predictions. 3. Remote Physiological Measurement: To extract subtle spatiotemporal signals from facial videos, SSL is extended with physiology-aware temporal and spatial augmentations. This preserves periodic signal integrity while efficiently suppressing noise. Through these investigations, this thesis demonstrates that SSL can be successfully adapted to exploit domain-specific data characteristics—such as multi-resolution hierarchies, multi-modal complementarity, and spatiotemporal dynamics. Ultimately, this research introduces a robust, general SSL framework that significantly reduces annotation requirements while consistently achieving state-of-the-art predictive performance across diverse healthcare applications. Includes publication

Targeted evidence-based care in bronchiectasis in a regional centre: a treatable traits approach to improving clinical and implementation outcomes

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Targeted evidence-based care in bronchiectasis in a regional centre: a treatable traits approach to improving clinical and implementation outcomes Krieg, Kirsty Elise Bronchiectasis is a syndrome that develops from a complex interaction of pathophysiological mechanisms, where permanent, abnormal airway dilation is the defining feature. Symptoms, recurrent exacerbations and hospitalisation are key factors determining the severity of bronchiectasis. Exacerbations impact health-related quality of life and disease progression, with frequent exacerbations associated with a higher risk of hospitalisation and mortality. National and international guidelines in bronchiectasis outline the current evidence-based interventions for bronchiectasis. However, it is increasingly recognised that the co-existence of bronchiectasis with other respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, along with the large number of possible comorbid conditions, adds further complexity to management. It is difficult for management guidelines to address the individualised application required, in the presence of complex and unique clinical presentations. Perhaps due to these factors, adherence to guideline recommendations is reported as low in bronchiectasis, resulting in sub-optimal treatment outcomes. New treatment approaches have been proposed in other chronic respiratory diseases, which account for the heterogeneity of clinical presentations. Such approaches are focused on identifying treatable targets or traits of respiratory disease through a structured assessment, and the prioritisation of traits for treatment together with the patient. While treatable traits have been described in bronchiectasis, the approach has not yet been implemented and evaluated in clinical practice. With the known clinical heterogeneity and reported low adherence to guideline-informed care, it is important to test approaches that further individualise care. The treatable traits approach may offer a model that can improve health outcomes in people with bronchiectasis, with interventions that are guided by the patients’ priorities. Includes publication

Psychological injury: A quantitative assessment of natural justice and the optimum management of psychological factors in compensations systems

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Psychological injury: A quantitative assessment of natural justice and the optimum management of psychological factors in compensations systems McMahon, John Edward This thesis documents the creation of psychosocial support program and interdisciplinary clinics for people with insured injuries. Applying machine learning and artificial intelligence, insights are derived from eight single arm studies, including recovery pathways, feigning spectrum behaviour, and the impact of interventions for different insured injuries. A comprehensive narrative review shows the evolution of language from an instrument for cooperation, the means of incorporation, trauma, and the recent development of Generative Artificial Intelligence as language incarnate. Psychological injuries are elucidated. There is a review of literature showing how stakeholder interactions can impact recovery from injury and the need for a trauma informed care approach. The predictive value of verbal and non-verbal expressions of psychological distress on recovery are demonstrated through the application of the Manchester Colour Wheel to a cohort of 1098 injured workers. Machine learning models to compare recovery from work related shoulder injury and motor crash related whiplash, demonstrates the diverse factors in recovery from insured injury. Machine learning models were used to identify the significant psychosocial factors important to the vexing and costly problem of clinical non-attendance. Cut scores for simulation were determined for some common psychometric measures. Large Language Models were used to derive insights from more than 7472 injured workers using a new approach called "persona generation". So called "thinking" large language models generated recovery personas in 711 motor accident injured people. Time series analysis was used to show the locus of natural justice is not with laws per se but at the case manager or business unit level within compensation systems. Detailed recommendations were made for applying trauma informed care and artificial intelligence to maximise natural justice and improve the recovery journeys of people with insured injuries. Includes publication

Poisonings with Paracetamol: Improving Understanding to Guide Medication Safety Initiatives

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Poisonings with Paracetamol: Improving Understanding to Guide Medication Safety Initiatives Chidiac, Annabelle Suzan Paracetamol poisoning is a leading cause of acute liver failure in developed countries and a leading substance reported in calls to Australian Poisons Information Centres (PICs). Paracetamol poisoning is often intentional and higher doses taken in these poisonings carry a greater risk of severe liver injury. However, liver injury and death can also occur from unintentional poisonings. This thesis aims to characterise the nature of paracetamol poisoning in Australia using data from PICs and hospital admissions (with data linkage). Chapter 1 - Introduction on Australian paracetamol access, Australian PICs and data linkage. Chapter 2 - Narrative literature review encompassing paracetamol toxicity, treatments, prevention measures and an estimate of global burden from paracetamol poisoning. We estimated that paracetamol was involved in 6% of poisonings worldwide, 56% of severe acute liver injury and acute liver failure and 7% of drug-induced liver injury. Chapter 3 - Study focusing on therapeutic (dosing) errors with paracetamol in Australians aged ≥12 years old reported to Australia’s largest PIC. Our analysis found that exposures requiring hospitalisation were associated with paracetamol use for dental pain and that these individuals used paracetamol at greater doses for longer durations. Chapter 4 - Study focusing on therapeutic (dosing) errors with paracetamol in Australians aged <12 years old reported to Australia’s largest PIC. Our analysis found that high strength liquid dosage forms were frequently implicated however exposures in children were unlikely to cause severe outcomes such as liver injury and death. Chapter 5 - Data linkage study of hospitalised cases of paracetamol poisoning that explores poisoning intent, patient demographics and outcomes. Our analysis found that intentional poisonings had the lowest rates of liver injury compared to other types of poisoning but had a high risk of repeated poisoning and eventual death during the follow up period. Includes publication

The diagnostic and prognostic value of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in heart failure

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The diagnostic and prognostic value of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in heart failure Iyer, Nithin Ramesh Heart failure (HF) is a highly prevalent clinical syndrome with significant morbidity. There remain several unmet needs in HF, including delayed diagnosis, and knowledge gaps in risk stratification, monitoring of disease progression and determining response to treatment. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has become the non-invasive reference standard for evaluating HF due to its ability to accurately assess cardiac volumes, function, and myocardial tissue characteristics. As a result, CMR imaging in HF has been endorsed in multiple HF guidelines. The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether novel CMR techniques could improve upon current diagnostic algorithms, provide accurate risk stratification in HF and assess response to treatment. Chapter 2 reports on the study of a novel CMR sequence to quantify lung water density (LWD) in patients at risk of HF and in healthy volunteers. LWD was increased in patients at risk of heart failure from healthy volunteers, indicating a potential role for CMR in the early diagnosis of HF. Chapter 3 reports on the findings of a CMR study in a large cohort of patients with hypertensive heart disease, which showed that markers of focal and diffuse myocardial fibrosis predict cardiovascular outcomes in this group. Chapter 4 reports on the findings of a CMR and biomarkers study in patients with HF and DM, which showed that CMR-derived global longitudinal strain and soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2), a novel HF biomarker, are prognostic in this group. Finally, chapter 5 reports on the findings of a longitudinal CMR study assessing response to treatment in patients with OSA. This study showed that markers of diffuse myocardial fibrosis reduced following treatment. Overall, this thesis highlights the potential for CMR to be better integrated into contemporary HF guidelines, from a role in diagnosis, to risk stratification and prognostication, and assessment of treatment response. Includes publication

Increasing access to pulmonary rehabilitation through utilising primary care

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Increasing access to pulmonary rehabilitation through utilising primary care Walsh, Jessica Anne Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) improves exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for people with chronic respiratory disease (CRD), yet only 5-10% of eligible patients access a program. PR is predominantly delivered in hospital outpatient settings, with accessibility a key barrier. Most physiotherapists and accredited exercise physiologists (AEPs) work in private practice (PP), an untapped workforce that could deliver PR in primary care, but no funding model currently supports this. This thesis investigated whether upskilling PP physiotherapists and AEPs to deliver PR in primary care is feasible, acceptable and effective. Methods: A two-phase mixed-methods feasibility study comprised: a prospective cohort study of a PR training program for PP clinicians; a randomised controlled feasibility trial comparing an 8-week twice-weekly PR program in PP to usual care for people with COPD and interstitial lung disease; and a qualitative study of patient experiences and acceptability. In addition, a national cross-sectional survey of PP clinician interest and resources was conducted. Results: Training improved clinician knowledge, with 82% achieving the competency threshold post-training compared to 13% pre-training. The feasibility trial randomised 52 participants; 72% completed the intervention. Within-group changes in exercise capacity and HRQoL exceeded minimally important differences, with only one minor adverse event. Qualitative analysis identified high acceptability and a shift away from a passive illness-identity. The survey received 245 eligible responses; 91% of clinicians were interested in delivering PR and most practices had suitable resources, though current funding limited business sustainability. Conclusion: PP physiotherapists and AEPs upskilled in PR can feasibly deliver PR programs with promising clinical outcomes. A full-scale trial with longer-term follow-up is warranted to support advocacy for a funding model. Includes publication

Characteristics for successful implementation of professional services in Australian community pharmacies

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Characteristics for successful implementation of professional services in Australian community pharmacies Seda, Veronika Community pharmacy in Australia has expanded beyond dispensing to include patient‑centred and public health services. Despite strong evidence of effectiveness, these services are often inconsistently implemented and not sustained once external support ends. Existing research has focused on service models or strategies in controlled settings, offering limited insight into everyday practice. This thesis investigates how pharmacists implement and sustain services in real-world settings, focusing on their role as implementation leads and identifying pharmacist implementer archetypes. A multi method approach informed by implementation science and psychology was used. Four studies were conducted: (1) a systematic review of implementation strategies and effectiveness; (2) a national survey of service delivery and implementation practices; (3) qualitative interviews exploring factors supporting successful implementation; and (4) Q methodology to identify archetypal roles and practices. Limited comparative evidence was identified via systematic review, although higher intensity training was linked to better outcomes. Survey results showed pharmacists prioritised internal operational factors, with more experienced pharmacists placing less emphasis on external influences. Interviews highlighted key elements supporting sustained implementation. Q methodology identified four distinct pharmacist archetypes reflecting different approaches to successful service delivery. Successful implementation depends not only on strategies but on how they are applied in practice. Experience, operational priorities, and adaptive behaviours shape long term success. The four archetypes show implementation is not one size fits all, highlighting the need to align strategies with those leading implementation, and informing future research, policy, and workforce development. Includes publication

Methods to include environmental impacts in health technology assessments

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Methods to include environmental impacts in health technology assessments Williams, Jake Thomas Warton In the Australian health system, Government reimbursement decisions are often made on the basis of opportunity costs. The methods used to inform these decisions are health economic evaluation and health technology assessment. These consider the costs and consequences of alternative courses of action and have not traditionally considered environmental impacts. There is interest in Australia and elsewhere in understanding methods to include environmental impacts in health technology assessment in the pursuit of minimising the environmental and climate change impact of health technologies. The thesis found that economic evaluation frameworks are a useful way to estimate and present the environmental impact of health technologies. Further work is needed to understand how these can most usefully be implemented to inform HTA decisions in Australia and globally. Includes publication

Digital Discharge Education and Secondary Prevention of Heart Disease following Acute Coronary Syndrome

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Digital Discharge Education and Secondary Prevention of Heart Disease following Acute Coronary Syndrome Ellis, Tiffany Bianca Background: For people diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), education on secondary prevention should commence prior to discharge from hospital, however there are many barriers to engagement and its delivery. This thesis aims to investigate if digitally delivered discharge education on secondary prevention is effective, acceptable, and feasible for improving knowledge, quality of life (QOL), and cardiovascular risk factors, and for reducing readmissions, in people following ACS. Methods: A systematic review with meta-analyses of RCTs of secondary prevention education interventions commencing in hospital; RCT examining the effectiveness of an avatar-based discharge education smartphone application in people with ACS; and qualitative study exploring perspectives of people who declined or were ineligible to receive digitally delivered education. Results: Discharge education on secondary prevention, compared with usual care, improves knowledge and QOL and reduces hospital readmissions in people with CHD. An RCT of the aforementioned app found it to score highly on ease of use and satisfaction, was cost-effective, but did not elicit additional improvements in knowledge compared with usual care. This lack of benefit may be explained by high rates of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) attendance and low app engagement. Digital modes of education may be more suitable for people with low disease knowledge and low intentions to attend CR. People following ACS with sound disease knowledge and intentions to attend CR, or who have competing life stressors, may benefit from non-digital modes of education. Conclusions: This thesis provides evidence that digitally delivered discharge education on secondary prevention is acceptable and may improve outcomes. Future studies should evaluate whole models of care in which education is provided. Clinicians should tailor the mode and timing of education to the individual’s preferences, sociocultural context, and personal circumstances. Includes publication

Second Time Around: A critical re-evaluation of Julio Cortázar’s position in the Latin American literary canon

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Second Time Around: A critical re-evaluation of Julio Cortázar’s position in the Latin American literary canon Bayer, Fernando Rafael Arnaud Jallis Valentin This PhD thesis considers the various reasons for the decline in critical and commercial attention towards Julio Cortázar in the English-speaking world in the years following since his death in 1984. In acknowledging that Julio Cortázar is still considered to be and referenced as one of the ‘Big Four’ authors of the Latin American literary Boom of the 1960s, I argue that his current state of obscurity within the popular culture of the English-speaking world especially relative to other writers from Latin America such as Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez, who were first translated into English at a similar point, has broader implications for the discipline of Latin American studies. This is especially important when considering that the situation is vastly different in Latin America itself, and in particular his native Argentina, where he has instead remained one of the most celebrated authors of the 20th century. In this way, I propose that the irregular treatment of Cortázar as a representative of the Latin American literary canon is evidence of a broader schism in the field concerning the way that Latin America and its literature are conceived and thus that the revaluation of Cortázar’s reception in English-language criticism is a necessary step to better understanding of the literary and critical currents of the continent, and to address reductive streaks in the current field.

Investigation of Mechanical Field Effect on Liquid Metals

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Investigation of Mechanical Field Effect on Liquid Metals Azman, Nur Adania Binti Nor Gallium-based liquid metals exhibit unique mechanical and interfacial properties, including low viscosity, high surface tension, and dynamic surface reactivity, enabling significant deformation, fragmentation, and transport under external stimuli. Despite their potential in particle synthesis and functional applications, the role of mechanical fields in governing their interfacial dynamics remains poorly understood. This thesis investigates the influence of mechanical fields on liquid metal behaviour, focusing on ultrasonication and electrically induced effects. Ultrasonication is shown to drive efficient fragmentation and particle formation, with alloy composition playing a critical role in modulating surface tension and cavitation dynamics. Minor alloying additions reduce interfacial energy, enhancing cavitation–interface interactions and producing smaller, more uniform particles. High-speed imaging reveals cavitation-driven surface eruptions and fragmentation as key mechanisms. The introduction of an external electric field during sonication further modifies liquid metal behaviour. Voltage-assisted sonication demonstrates that electrical bias alters interfacial tension, oxidation, and surface activity, leading to polarity-dependent fragmentation and distinct particle size distributions. These results highlight the role of electrochemical effects in tuning the mechanical response under dynamic excitation. Under static electric fields, liquid metals exhibit composition-dependent deformation, motion, and fragmentation governed by electrocapillarity and oxidation-induced interfacial gradients. The strong coupling between alloy composition and interfacial stresses dictates macroscopic behaviour. Overall, this work establishes a unified framework linking mechanical fields and interfacial phenomena in liquid metals, providing new insights for controlling particle generation and liquid metal dynamics in advanced material systems. Includes publication

Renewable Energy-driven Oxidation of Methane to Value-added Products

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Renewable Energy-driven Oxidation of Methane to Value-added Products Song, Qiang Methane, as the primary component of natural gas, is an abundant but chemically inert molecule that represents both a challenge and an opportunity in modern catalysis. Recent advances in renewable electricity generation, notably from solar, wind, and hydroelectric sources, have accelerated the transition of electricity to chemicals. This progress provides a compelling rationale for developing electricity-driven catalytic processes that can be operated under ambient conditions, aiming to convert methane using electrons rather than high-temperature thermal energy. Such novel electrochemical approaches enable precise modulation of reaction potentials, interfacial energetics, and reactive intermediate formation, thereby offering a controllable and sustainable pathway for methane oxidation. However, the most critical challenge in methane oxidation reaction lies in the activation of methane molecule. Its high C–H bond dissociation energy, highly symmetric and nonpolar molecular structure, restrain the efficient activation and selectively conversion of methane under mild conditions, and often leading to overoxidation into CO2 or undesired by-products. Overcoming this kinetic and thermodynamic barrier is therefore a central issue for realizing the direct conversion of methane into value-added chemicals. Designing an efficient strategy to achieve selectively methane conversion under ambient conditions remains one of the most demanding goals in catalysis, and often regarded as the “Holy Grail” of catalytic chemistry. This thesis focuses on the development of renewable electricity–driven electrocatalytic systems for the selective oxidation of methane under ambient conditions. Includes publication

Heterogeneous metal catalyst for electrochemical applications

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Heterogeneous metal catalyst for electrochemical applications She, Fangxin Electrochemical energy conversion driven by renewable electricity offers a promising strategy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Among various systems, heterogeneous molecular catalysts (HMCs) have attracted attention due to their well-defined active sites and tunable structures. By immobilizing transition metal complexes onto solid supports, HMCs combine molecular-level precision with the advantages of heterogeneous catalysis. However, their performance strongly depends on interactions between metal centers and supports, which regulate electronic structure and reaction pathways. This thesis systematically investigates the synergistic roles of carbon support geometry, surface chemistry, and metal site configuration in HMCs. Chapter III shows that the curvature of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) modulates electron distribution and adsorption behavior, significantly enhancing H₂O₂ selectivity in the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e⁻ ORR). Chapter IV demonstrates that the CO₂-to-methanol performance of CoPc supported on CNTs is strongly dependent on surface oxygen functional groups, and this effect can be extended to other reactions. Building on these findings, HMCs with tunable single-atom and dual-atom configurations are developed to regulate CO₂RR product selectivity. Overall, this work reveals the synergistic regulation of electrocatalysis across support geometry, surface chemistry, and metal site structure, providing design principles for advanced heterogeneous catalysts. Includes publication

Empathy and Cultural Adaptation in Auto-Translated Subtitles for Postpartum Depression:Improving Women’s Mental Health Media from English to Chinese

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Empathy and Cultural Adaptation in Auto-Translated Subtitles for Postpartum Depression:Improving Women’s Mental Health Media from English to Chinese Zhang, Boren Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent yet often overlooked mental health problem that profoundly affects women, babies, and families. Although one in seven women experiences PPD after childbirth, many are reluctant to disclose their symptoms due to stigma, resulting in nearly 50% of cases going undiagnosed and untreated. In light of this, YouTube has become an important medium for disseminating health information and reducing the stigma associated with mental health. Its automatic translation feature provides a cost-effective way to distribute PPD educational videos worldwide, but auto-translated subtitles still face challenges in delivering empathy, cultural context, and proper formatting, particularly between English and Chinese. This study examines the challenges and improvement strategies in translating PPD-related subtitles from English to Chinese through qualitative analysis of ten selected YouTube videos. Based on mental health language guidelines, it highlights four dimensions of empathy in automatic translation: destigmatising language, respectful language, positive language, and the handling of sensitive topics such as suicide and death discourse. From the perspective of cultural adaptation, the study reveals challenges in terminology, cultural and social attitude expression, and the handling of metaphors and polysemy. It also identifies issues in subtitle formatting and proposes strategies to improve readability, consistency, and viewers’ understanding. This research helps build a framework for translating PPD mental health subtitles and supports the wider dissemination of mental health information.

Antitrust Policies and Firm Strategies in a Global Context

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Antitrust Policies and Firm Strategies in a Global Context Wen, Zhihong This thesis examines the impact of antitrust policies on international business strategies through three independent but interrelated studies. The first two focus on outward internationalization. The first study finds that stronger domestic antitrust legislation leads small and medium-sized enterprises to shift their focus to domestic markets, reducing their level of product market internationalization. This effect is moderated by ownership structure, with private firms and business-group affiliates responding more strongly. The second study explores the impact of stringent domestic antitrust enforcement on large emerging market firms. It finds that these firms accelerate their internationalization speed in response, and firms with moderate technological capabilities are most likely to pursue faster internationalization as a strategic response. The third study examines inward internationalization, specifically the influence of antitrust merger review policies on cross-border acquisitions. It finds that the introduction of these policies significantly reduces the likelihood of successful acquisitions by foreign acquirers, while domestic acquirers are unaffected, suggesting the presence of covert economic nationalism in the implementation of these policies. The negative impact is mitigated when foreign acquirers come from politically aligned countries or have a strong track record of successful acquisitions in the target country’s political allies. Together, these studies contribute to understanding how antitrust policies shape both inward and outward internationalization strategies in global business.

Profiling the landscape of short tandem repeats in human immunity

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Profiling the landscape of short tandem repeats in human immunity Tanudisastro, Hope Affandi Tandem repeats (TRs) are highly polymorphic repetitive sequences found throughout the human genome. There are over 2 million TR loci, with many playing key roles in regulating gene expression and biological function. Despite their functional importance, our understanding of how TRs regulate gene expression have lagged behind that of other classes of genetic variation due to genotyping uncertainty and computational challenges. This PhD thesis aims to characterise the landscape of TR variation genome-wide and their effect on gene expression in circulating immune cells. Chapter 1 describes the causes and consequences of TR variation and discusses advances in sequencing technology and genotyping tools that enable genome-wide characterisation of TRs. Benchmarking and validation experiments are performed in Chapter 2 to evaluate the performance of short-read TR genotyping tools. Chapter 3 describes whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis and quality control (QC) of the study cohort as well as QC of the TR genotypes. In Chapter 4, genome-wide single-cell expression quantitative trait TR loci (sc-eTR) discovery is performed using preliminary data from the TenK10K Phase 1 dataset, the largest collection of paired human WGS and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data generated to date. In Chapter 5, the performance of fine-mapping tools is compared, and functional characterisation of candidate causal sc-eTRs is performed. Using the final dataset of 1,925 individuals from TenK10K Phase 1, Chapter 6 describes a genome-wide atlas of expression-modulating TRs across 28 immune cell types, including epigenetic characterisation and downstream fine-mapping and functional characterisation. Finally, Chapter 7 summarises the findings of the thesis and discusses future directions. The discovery of immune cell type-specific sc-eTRs opens new avenues for understanding the genetic drivers of gene expression, immune function, and disease. Includes publication

Effect of Barium Promoter in Carbon-Supported Ruthenium Catalyst for Nitrogen Activation

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Effect of Barium Promoter in Carbon-Supported Ruthenium Catalyst for Nitrogen Activation Li, Jiarong Ammonia is essential for fertilisers and a promising carbon-free fuel, yet its industrial synthesis through the Haber-Bosch process remains highly energy-intensive and CO2-emitting. In response, carbon-supported ruthenium (Ru) catalysts with promoters such as barium (Ba) have gained significant attention, as they exhibit high intrinsic activity under milder conditions. However, the atomic-scale mechanism of Ba’s promotional effect on nitrogen activation and Ru’s electronic structure is still not well understood, limiting rational catalyst design. Here, we employ first-principles calculations to investigate the catalytic behaviour of the Ba–Ru/C system. Adsorption geometries and energies of N2 were evaluated at different surface sites, and the electronic structure was analysed through charge density distribution, density of states, and crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) analysis to elucidate bonding interactions. The results, obtained from both structural optimisations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, reveal that Ru clusters preferentially occupy defect sites, displacing Ba atoms initially located there. Ru clusters act as active centres that attract and bind N2, while Ba functions as an electronic promoter by donating electrons to the Ru-N system. This strengthens orbital interactions between Ru-d and N-p states, thereby enhancing the donation-backdonation process and promoting more efficient N≡N bond cleavage under mild conditions. Overall, the study reveals the cooperative roles of Ru and Ba in nitrogen activation and provides mechanistic insights to guide the design of next-generation carbon-supported Ru catalysts for sustainable ammonia synthesis.

Deep Learning Enhanced Multivariate GARCH

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Deep Learning Enhanced Multivariate GARCH Wang, Haoyuan This thesis develops a unified multivariate volatility modeling framework that integrates deep learning architectures into multivariate GARCH processes. Beginning with the Long Short-Term Memory enhanced BEKK (LSTM-BEKK) model, the study combines the flexibility of recurrent neural networks with the econometric interpretability of BEKK to capture nonlinear, dynamic, and high-dimensional dependence structures in financial return data. The model effectively overcomes key limitations of traditional MGARCH frameworks, such as their restricted ability to represent persistent volatility clustering and asymmetric co-movements. Empirical analyses across multiple equity markets show that the LSTM-BEKK model significantly improves out-of-sample forecasting accuracy and portfolio risk evaluation. Building upon this, a Transformer-based MGARCH model is further proposed, replacing recurrence with self-attention and learnable positional embeddings to better capture long-range dependencies and structural shifts. The Transformer-MGARCH demonstrates superior scalability and robustness, particularly under high-dimensional and volatile market conditions. Overall, this research establishes a hybrid econometric–deep learning paradigm that preserves interpretability while enhancing flexibility and forecasting performance, offering new insights for financial volatility modeling and risk management.

Ultrasound Assessment of Kidney Transplant Blood Flow

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Ultrasound Assessment of Kidney Transplant Blood Flow Thebridge, Linda Nicole Renal transplantation is a treatment option for end stage renal failure. It is now also performed in some patients previously unfavourable for transplantation including older patients generally matched with a kidney from older donors, recipients with BMI over 35kg/m2 and recipients with less “well-matched” kidneys. Opportunities for transplantation are limited, due to the lack of suitable donors, so it is most important that outcomes are maximised. Kidney transplantation is a complex surgical procedure and therefore, minimising the risk of early renal transplant graft loss or graft dysfunction is essential. Early renal transplant graft loss can occur immediately post-operatively and up to day 30,and is caused by technical and surgical issues directly related to the surgery. Ultrasound is a readily repeatable, non-invasive, reliable investigation, however, knowledge of blood flow in kidney transplants is limited, especially at the time of surgery and in the early peri-operative period. The aim of this Thesis was to evaluate whether the additional clinical information about transplant blood flow provided by ultrasound improves the outcomes of renal transplantation. Ultrasound when routinely used intra-operatively, identified surgical or technical complications enabling immediate correction prior to wound closure. The rate of loss of the transplant kidney reduced from the national rate of 1% to zero. Post-operatively, there was demonstrated compression of the renal cortex and deeper vessels from adipose tissue or the weight of the kidney itself, causing reduced perfusion to the kidney. When patients were decubitus or standing the perfusion improved. Data from both studies provided nominal values for transplant blood flow. In conclusion, routine use of ultrasound provided additional information about kidney transplant blood flow with improved outcomes and avoided graft loss and dysfunction. Includes publication

Exploring New Possibilities for Decolonial Praxis in “Multicultural” Australia from “Latinx”

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Exploring New Possibilities for Decolonial Praxis in “Multicultural” Australia from “Latinx” Dai, Jiayu This thesis explores the transnational circulation and recontextualisation of “Latinx” as a contested political and epistemological signifier within the Australian settler-colonial and multicultural context. Originating in the United States as a gender-inclusive and decolonial linguistic intervention, Latinx has sparked extensive debates around language, identity, power, and representation. While its U.S.-centric genealogy has been widely theorised, its translocation beyond the U.S.—particularly into Australia—remains critically underexplored. Situated at the intersection of decolonial theory, settler-colonial studies, and intersectionality, the thesis conceptualises Latinx not as a stable identity category but as a mobile, contested signifier whose meanings are produced and negotiated through public discourse. Methodologically, it adopts a non-extractive, text-based approach aligned with critical discourse analysis and reflexive research praxis, analysing a curated corpus of public texts from digital platforms, cultural organisations, and policy discourse. Findings demonstrate that Latinx occupies a marginal yet symbolically charged position in Australia, circulating primarily within arts-based, academic, and LGBTQ+ spaces while remaining largely unintelligible within state multicultural discourse structured by the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) framework. The analysis reveals how Latinx debates expose the depoliticising limits of Australian multiculturalism and illuminate deeper tensions around race, gender, migrant settler complicity, and Indigenous sovereignty. The thesis contributes theoretically to debates on the transnational travel of identity politics, empirically to Latin American diaspora studies in Australia, and methodologically to decolonial, reflexive, and text-based research practices, framing Latinx as a diagnostic lens to examine the contradictions and possibilities of decolonial praxis in a settler-colonial multicultural state.

Insights into Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Using Multimodality Imaging

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Insights into Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Using Multimodality Imaging Readford, Thomas R. This thesis investigates atherosclerosis as a systemic, multifactorial inflammatory disease by evaluating atherosclerotic burden through non-invasive multimodal imaging techniques, including computed tomography angiography (CTA), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET). Drawing on diverse international cohorts, the research characterises structural and physiological imaging biomarkers to serve as surrogate measures of plaque composition and biology across multiple vascular beds. The overarching aim is to demonstrate that integrating these complementary biomarkers improves patient-level risk stratification, identifies high risk vascular phenotypes, and provides greater precision for atherosclerosis assessment than traditional risk factor profiling alone. A multimodality imaging framework is employed to uncover distinct, yet interconnected, pathophysiological insights. The research leverages CTA to quantify extracardiac plaque burden, revealing the limitations of standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs) in predicting true systemic disease extent. Additionally, it develops a simplified, reproducible dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI methodology that uses normalised signal intensity as a surrogate marker for carotid plaque neovascularisation, offering a reliable alternative to complex gadolinium kinetic modelling. Finally, dual-radiotracer PET/CT evaluations of arterial inflammation demonstrate that the distinct physiological processes driving atherosclerosis are only weakly correlated. Collectively, these studies underscore the additive diagnostic value of non-invasive multimodality imaging in atherosclerosis assessment. By capturing complex structural and biological insights not captured by conventional cardiovascular risk factor assessments or single-modality imaging approaches, this thesis establishes a comprehensive framework to complement existing risk stratification strategies for high risk atherosclerotic disease. Includes publication

An educational neuroscientific enquiry into the dynamics of moral thought: Probing the personal, affective, and social nexus in the neurobiological construction of moral meanings and judgements, and their linguistic communication

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

An educational neuroscientific enquiry into the dynamics of moral thought: Probing the personal, affective, and social nexus in the neurobiological construction of moral meanings and judgements, and their linguistic communication Wu, Kwan Yiu Yoyo Research into human morality and the teaching of moral values education (MVE) in schools has a long and often distinguished history, though most of it was conducted without any reference to the human brain. This thesis conducts an educational neuroscientific enquiry into the dynamics of moral thought that closely aligns with the affirmation of the Australia Values Education Program (AVEP) that, at the heart of MVE there should be a commitment to each student’s personal, academic, social and emotional wellbeing. The focus of this thesis is the personal, affective, and social nexus in the neurobiological construction of moral meanings and judgements, and their linguistic communication. This inquiry is novel and significant in drawing on the neurobiological individuality of the human brain, and the philosophical concepts of personal knowledge and understanding, to support the claim that moral meanings and judgements are inherently personal. This claim involves the recognition that moral thought and language are distinct processes in the brain. Taken together, these claims act as a counterpoint to the strong emphasis placed on the sociocultural and sociolinguistic emphasis that has traditionally guided research into human morality and the teaching of moral values. This thesis fully recognises the sociocultural embeddedness of human brains and hence the social context of moral meanings and judgements, and the role of language in interpersonally communicating them. Nevertheless, it does so by drawing on key insights from the literature on (a) neural plasticity and the interweaving of thought and emotion in the brain, (b) the science of complex, dynamic systems, and (c) the neurobiological consensus that all brains are different, together with the philosophical concept of ‘personal knowledge and understanding’ that is not advocating subjectivity or sociocultural relativism, but rather as a hallmark of objective science.

How Autistic Students’ Voices Feature in Peer-Mediated Interventions: A Scoping Review

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

How Autistic Students’ Voices Feature in Peer-Mediated Interventions: A Scoping Review Ma, Kaiwen Guided by Lundy's (2007) Model of Participation, this scoping review is structured around the four elements of space, voice, audience, and influence. This review aims to investigate the methods used to capture the perspectives of school-aged autistic students regarding their experiences with peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) implemented in general education settings. Additionally, autistic voices are synthesised to provide insight into thoughts, feelings, and views about these interventions. Finally, how autistic students’ views can be incorporated into intervention procedures is extracted and summarised. Results of the current review indicate that a range of methods, including observations, questionnaires, self-reports, meetings, and interviews, were used to capture the voices of autistic students across various components of PMIs during implementation. Student voice was coded and then categorised into seven domains: students’ preferences and interests, PMI components, engagement, emotion, perceived benefit, willingness to participate in future interventions, and friendship. Some studies used these voices to inform intervention design, goal setting, and ongoing adjustments, enabling the interventions to be tailored to students’ individual needs. In summary, this review summarised the methods used to capture students’ views, classified their views into meaningful domains, and identified practical approaches for incorporating these views into the design of PMIs. These findings serve as a guide for valuing students’ voices and fostering more inclusive educational practices within classrooms and research. Additionally, this review identified several limitations, including limited representation of female students, preschoolers and kindergarten students due to small sample sizes in these populations, as well as limited student voice in studies where academic skills were targeted as dependent variables. These are considerations for future research in this area.

Transforming care and improving patient-important outcomes in people with kidney failure

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Transforming care and improving patient-important outcomes in people with kidney failure Sabanayagam, Dharshana As patients transition from advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) to dialysis and from one kidney replacement therapy (KRT) modality to another, they are often faced with higher levels of morbidity and mortality, resulting in further increases in healthcare costs and reductions in QoL. This thesis furthers our understanding of transition phases in the management of kidney failure treatment, and to identify opportunities to improve resource utilisation, support home-based therapies and reduce the burden on patients and the healthcare system. Chapter 2 of this thesis presents a perspective piece, examining the underlying causes of and downstream impacts of inequities in access to dialysis services in Australia and proposes tangible solutions to help address them. Chapter 3 of this thesis presents a mini review of the epidemiology and impact of symptoms in people with kidney failure, whilst also providing a framework on selecting appropriate symptom measures and evidence-based interventions for symptom assessment and management in the dialysis population. Chapter 4 examines incremental dialysis as a potential approach for people transitioning from advanced CKD to dialysis, exploring both potential benefits and harms. Chapter 5 examines the association between sex and all-cause and cause-specific PD discontinuation and explores the factors mediating this relationship. Chapter 6 evaluates how graft survival time affects home dialysis uptake and Chapter 7 examines how different kidney function trajectories prior to graft loss influence the time to home dialysis uptake. By examining factors affecting key transition phases in the management of kidney failure, this thesis provides a holistic foundation to inform future studies, clinical practice and policy aimed at transforming care and improving patient-important outcomes for people kidney failure. Includes publication

Measuring and modelling maladaptive core beliefs in eating disorders

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Measuring and modelling maladaptive core beliefs in eating disorders Hatoum, Amaani Haifa Maladaptive core beliefs have been implicated in both the development and maintenance of eating disorders (EDs) and have been associated with increased eating psychopathology. Despite advances in treatment, low remission rates, high comorbidity, and diagnostic migration highlight the need to examine higher-order cognitive factors that contribute to EDs. This thesis explored the assessment and role of maladaptive core beliefs in disordered eating, and addressed limitations in measurement tools and theoretical models. Chapter 1 provided a critical narrative review of the literature on measuring and modelling maladaptive core beliefs in EDs and Chapter 2 presented a systematic review of psychometric properties of existing self-report questionnaires assessing ED-related cognitions. Chapter 3 evaluated the 40-item Eating Disorder Core Beliefs Questionnaire (ED-CBQ) and introduced a brief, psychometrically robust version (the 15-item ED-CBQ-R) that assesses four belief dimensions: self-loathing, unassertive/inhibited, demanding, and abandoned/isolated. Chapter 4 validates the ED-CBQ-R in an undergraduate sample, and Chapter 5 established its reliability, construct validity, and clinical utility in treatment-seeking adults across Australia and New Zealand with an ED. This study found that individuals with anorexia nervosa (restricting subtype) reported higher self-loathing than those with binge eating disorder, with self-loathing showing the strongest, consistent associations with symptom severity. Chapter 6 developed a cohesive theoretical model of maladaptive core beliefs in disordered eating, outlining distinct pathways to restriction, binge eating, and compensatory behaviours. Chapter 7 partially validates this model in an international clinical sample. The final chapter synthesised the findings of this thesis, and emphasised the theoretical and clinical significance of core beliefs in EDs, highlighting their potential as key targets for intervention. Includes publication

Optimising Management of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Remote Monitoring Through Digital Health Initiatives

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Optimising Management of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Remote Monitoring Through Digital Health Initiatives Sheahen, Brodie Introduction Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device (CIEDs) remote monitoring (RM) was introduced to streamline in clinic workflows but has since shown substantial patient and system benefits. However, unscheduled RM alerts increase clinician workload, and limited guidance affects decision making. Patients also want greater engagement, yet current practices restrict this. This thesis advances understanding and implementation of effective CIED RM models. Methods This thesis examined CIED RM use across Australia and New Zealand, stakeholder perspectives, and the feasibility of digital support interventions. Methods included mixed methods analysis of industry and clinic data; interviews exploring RM barriers and enablers; observational and implementation evaluations of SMS based support programs; a randomised controlled trial of a post implant support program (PARTICIPATE); and development of expert consensus recommendations using a modified Delphi process. Results Findings showed a 10.2% rise in CIED implantations and a 55.8% increase in RM distribution from 2019–2023. Interviews with 35 stakeholders highlighted major implementation barriers, including limited resources, lack of standardised guidance, inadequate post implant education, and minimal patient engagement. The HeartHealth program reduced healthcare utilisation (RR 0.91) and was well accepted, with high completion and positive behavioural impacts. Preliminary PARTICIPATE trial findings showed high satisfaction with post implant support. A Delphi process produced 23 expert recommendations for RM data management and clinical response. Conclusion This thesis shows that optimising CIED RM requires digital health tools and standardised data management. SMS based programs improved engagement, support, and outcomes, while expert recommendations strengthened workflows. Together, these findings inform future CIED RM policy, reimbursement, and the transition from remote monitoring to comprehensive remote management. Includes publication

Lord Guan Cult and Lord Guan Performance in Southern Shanxi

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Lord Guan Cult and Lord Guan Performance in Southern Shanxi Tian, Ye This thesis examines the cult of Lord Guan (Guan Gong) and its associated ritual and theatrical performances. In particular, it probes how Lord Guan is worshipped and why his cult is so popular in China, exploring the significance and status of the cult in China’s popular belief system. I argue that the cult of Lord Guan is the spiritual source of various forms of Lord Guan performance and, at the same time, is enriched and shaped by them. By examining Lord Guan performances and rituals based on my fieldwork and archival research in southern Shanxi (Jinnan), this study provides insight into the complexity of the rituals, the grandeur of the temple fairs, the bustling nature of the performances and the immersive engagement of the participants. These events also present an opportunity to explore the dynamic relationship between ritual and theatre. This thesis is a multidisciplinary study that involves religion, ritual, anthropology, ethnography, social history, sociology, archaeology, architecture and, above all, theatre and performance studies. By conducting extensive fieldwork in Lord Guan temples and participant observation of ritual performances in southern Shanxi, this thesis demonstrates the continued vitality of the Lord Guan cult in the present day and its unique cultural phenomenon, unparalleled by any other deity in China.

Targeted Delivery of siRNA and CRISPR-Cas9 Using a Nanotechnology Delivery Platform

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Targeted Delivery of siRNA and CRISPR-Cas9 Using a Nanotechnology Delivery Platform Westwood, Lara Small interfering RNAs (siRNA) are repressive molecules that inhibit gene expression by promoting mRNA degradation and are being explored as therapeutic agents. However, RNA cannot freely cross cell membranes and requires an effective delivery system that avoids off-target effects and immune activation. Silver sulfide quantum dots (Ag2SQDs) have previously enabled targeted delivery to liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) without immune recognition. This thesis investigates their use for targeted oral siRNA delivery to downregulate gene expression. siRNA was conjugated to a nanocarrier composed of a quantum dot coated with polymers to guide endocytosis, enable lysosomal escape, and promote cytosolic release. This system reduced GAPDH expression following oral administration. In vitro, LSECs showed reduced GAPDH expression after 4 hours with no toxicity. In vivo, orally delivered nanoformulated siRNA significantly reduced LSEC GAPDH expression, comparable to GalNAc tail vein injection, with no effect in hepatocytes, indicating cell-specific targeting. In a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) colitis model, siRNA targeting CD98 unexpectedly increased disease severity. In healthy mice, oral delivery reduced CD98 expression in Peyer’s patches, suggesting uptake in gut-associated lymphoid tissue. In diseased mice, nanoparticle accumulation was observed, likely contributing to worsened colitis, highlighting the need for formulation refinement in inflammatory settings. For CRISPR-Cas9 delivery, free Cas9-GFP showed strong uptake, while nanoparticle-conjugated Cas9-GFP was poorly internalised, indicating challenges related to size, charge, and aggregation. Overall, Ag2SQDs enabled effective, cell-specific oral siRNA delivery, though further optimisation is needed for CRISPR-Cas9 delivery and use in inflammatory disease. Includes publication

Off-label Antipsychotic Use and Cardiometabolic Effects: Real-World Evidence from Long-term Low-dose Use

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Off-label Antipsychotic Use and Cardiometabolic Effects: Real-World Evidence from Long-term Low-dose Use Radha Krishnan, Ramya Padmavathy Antipsychotic medicines are increasingly used off-label at low doses to treat chronic non-psychotic disorders. They can cause cardiovascular and metabolic adverse effects at recommended doses, with lack of evidence at lower doses and off-label. This research characterised antipsychotic use patterns and associated cardiometabolic burden in Australia. This research used pharmacoepidemiologic methods to address the aims. A systematic review of published literature quantified the cardiometabolic adverse effects of long-term off-label antipsychotic use. We then used national medicines dispensing claims data and general practitioner prescribing data to delineate trends in antipsychotic utilisation. Additionally, we examined the prevalence of cardiometabolic medicine use among antipsychotic-users compared with non-users, and the influence of their past antipsychotic treatment patterns. Overall, evidence was limited in literature, with high study heterogeneity. Long-term antipsychotic use was associated with weight gain, hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia in both children and adults, while there was a weak association of ischaemic heart disease and cardiometabolic mortality among adults. Both incidence and prevalence rates of antipsychotic use increased between 2005–2021, with 27% being off-label and commonly at lower median daily doses. Quetiapine had the highest utilisation, with around 35% low-dose dispensings. Cardiometabolic medicine use was more prevalent among antipsychotic-users in a dose- and duration-dependent manner, with onset occurring at younger ages and even with low doses (including quetiapine). Despite policy initiatives to restrict low-dose and presumably off-label use, the trend has continued in Australia. Contrary to prevailing perceptions, higher cardiometabolic medicine use among low-dose users reinforces the need for greater scrutiny, especially for quetiapine, regular metabolic monitoring and safer prescribing practices. Includes publication

Developing a cost-effective treatment program for the management of obesity using Dexamphetamine

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Developing a cost-effective treatment program for the management of obesity using Dexamphetamine Khalifa, Hazer The public health problem of obesity is outlined, noting that it is a multifactorial, chronic disease that is increasing in prevalence both globally and in Australia. This underlies the rationale for re-evaluating the currently available treatments, with a view to establishing which might be the most cost-effective. The historical treatment strategies for obesity are reviewed, compared and scored in terms of efficacy, cost and availability, together with any particular shortcomings that might prevent their widespread adoption. These treatments include lifestyle modification, pharmacotherapies and surgical intervention. Dexamphetamine is identified as having the potential to be a low cost and effective treatment but has been discarded due to concerns about addictive properties. This was investigated further with a narrative review that proved inconclusive. Given the poor quality of the current evidence, we looked for clinical evidence on the prevalence of dexamphetamine addiction from admissions records in an outer metropolitan drug and alcohol service. Our negative findings are reported. The final section of the thesis evaluates the feasibility of a six month treatment program using dexamphetamine together with diet and lifestyle for treating obesity. Results from the primary care component from the study are provided. Feasibility outcomes evaluated include: acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality, adaptation, integration, expansion, and limited-efficacy testing. The findings of this thesis could inform a larger trial in primary care. In the longer term, this simple and inexpensive treatment program may have the potential to be used more widely for treating overweight and obesity, particularly in less affluent communities. Includes publication

Urban transformation and architectural identity in Makkah, 1932-2010

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Urban transformation and architectural identity in Makkah, 1932-2010 Albarqawi, Wadia Ali H. This thesis examines urban transformation and architectural identity in Makkah since the early 1930s. Particular focus is upon the radical changes brought about by oil modernisation since 1972 and the processes of globalisation in more recent years. Makkah has been the centre of Islam since the Ka'aba was built by the Prophet Ibrahim around 2000 BC. All urban transformations have revolved around the Ka'aba from the time of the Makkan tribe, the Quraysh, up to the modern era of Saudi Arabia. This thesis explores the complexities and tensions surrounding the making of the architectural identity of Makkah during different historical periods, starting with an investigation into the mechanisms of change in architectural identity in relation to nation-building during the early Saudi period of the 1930s. While the formation of national identity is often considered contradictory to the development of transnational identity of a religious centre, this thesis argues that the two processes were closely tied to each other. By bringing the leaders of the Muslim nations together to build Makkah collectively, Saudi Arabia managed not only to establish a modern national identity, but also to strengthen the transnational identity of Makkah. Urban transformation in Makkah accelerated in the 1970s, when oil revenue reached its peak. Under the influence of Western oil companies, Western urbanism spread throughout the region as a desirable mode of living. A new master plan for Makkah was made by the British firm Robert Matthew and Johnson Marshall and Partners. This period saw different approaches adopted in an attempt to attach traditional elements to modern forms. This thesis argues, however, that they were essentially ineffective in terms of preserving the unique architectural identity of Makkah. In recent years, a large number of skyscrapers have been built to provide accommodation for pilgrims in the context of globalisation. This development, while projecting a modern image of Makkah to the world, contradicts the role of Makkah as a sacred city. This thesis not only investigates the mechanisms behind the change of architectural identity from a self-referential history to an external global modernity, but also reveals the complex workings of capital, governance and professional knowledge during the process.

Inherited Retinal Diseases – natural history, disease modelling and gene therapies

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Inherited Retinal Diseases – natural history, disease modelling and gene therapies Yates, William Buchanan Evolving diagnostic technology have driven improvements in the molecular understanding of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). This has also resulted in the ability to develop potential targeted genetic therapies with the aim of arresting further retinal degeneration. However, this requires significant pre-clinical development and testing in model systems such as animals or cell cultures. Simultaneously, clinical trials for genetic therapies in IRD have resulted in mixed success, partly driven by clinical endpoints selection. For an investigational product to result in a potential therapy for patients it requires determination of potential biomarkers, often derived from natural history data. In addition, pre-clinical models aim to recapitulate similarities to human retina and further provide understanding of disease mechanism. Therapeutic design, testing and evidence of efficacy in model systems are an important step towards a clinical trial with the aim of an effective, safe therapy for patients. This work focused on the IRD gene PROM1, particularly the autosomal recessive (AR) form, with emphasis on all three aspects in the early stages of developing a potential genetic therapy. Includes publication

Developing a Macula in Stem Cell-Derived Human Retinal Organoids

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Developing a Macula in Stem Cell-Derived Human Retinal Organoids Lim, Benjamin Yian-Han Retinal development is a highly complex process that has been extensively studied across various animal models. With the advent of pluripotent stem cells and three-dimensional retinal organoids (hROs), we can now investigate the intricacies of human retinogenesis in vitro. However, this requires retinal organoids that faithfully replicate the structure of the human retina. In the primate retina, an especially important and complex structure, the macula, is located at the central retina, where retinogenesis is initiated. The macula is critical because it is responsible for most of our colour vision and visual acuity, which together account for a large part of our overall sense of sight. While retinal development in model organisms has been widely investigated, the macula is unique to primates, and its development remains poorly understood due to tissue scarcity. With the rise of in vitro hROs, we can now model many aspects of human retinal development; however, current organoid technologies lack this key macular feature. Therefore, the overall aim of this thesis work was to generate an in vitro human macula that would enable deeper insights into macular development and facilitate the study and treatment of maculopathies such as Stargardt's disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In the future, macular organoids will provide a more effective platform for cell therapy, including transplantation of cone-rich photoreceptor populations or even the creation of macular transplantation patches. Includes publication

Psychosocial Processes in Endometriosis-Related Pain: The Role of Interpretation Bias and Implications for a Biopsychosocial Approach

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Psychosocial Processes in Endometriosis-Related Pain: The Role of Interpretation Bias and Implications for a Biopsychosocial Approach Pickup, Brydee Anne Endometriosis is a chronic, progressive condition affecting approximately 10% of individuals born with a uterus worldwide. Pain is the most common and most impactful symptom. Biomedical treatments for endometriosis-related pain have limited efficacy and there is a weak relationship between anatomical severity and pain, indicating the involvement of psychosocial factors. Yet, such factors remain understudied. This thesis therefore investigates psychosocial mechanisms involved in endometriosis-related pain and its treatment. Chapter 1 is an overview of endometriosis-related pain. Chapter 2 presents the first biopsychosocial model of endometriosis-related pain. The COmprehensive Model of endometriosis-related Pain encompassing Agency, Sense making and Systemic factors (COMPASS model) describes psychosocial factors associated with less pain distress and interference, even with high pain severity. Chapter 3 showed that interpretation bias, a process posited in the COMPASS model and the leading psychological model of chronic pain, was elevated among individuals with painful endometriosis compared to healthy controls and uniquely associated with pelvic pain interference. Chapter 4 presents the Pelvic Pain Bias Assessment, a pelvic pain specific interpretation bias with 27 ambiguous scenarios that differentiate individuals with endometriosis, adenomyosis and chronic pelvic pain from individuals without any pain related conditions. Stronger interpretation bias was related to more severe pelvic pain and menstrual symptom severity. Chapter 5 adapted this task to investigate whether interpretation bias could be modified for therapeutic benefit through Cognitive Bias Modification for Interpretation (CBM-I). No differences in interpretation bias between the treatment and placebo conditions were evident post intervention, indicating a null trial. Chapter 6 discusses the broader theoretical and clinical implications of this program of research and avenues for future research. Includes publication

Cross-scale dynamics in the working regime of the visual cortex

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Cross-scale dynamics in the working regime of the visual cortex Harris, Brendan John The visual cortex, bombarded with input from a complex environment, must rapidly detect small changes while maintaining stable, persistent representations. From rapid action potentials to slow traveling waves, dynamical structures allow the brain to process information efficiently, and coupling these structures across scales enhances computational flexibility. Mounting evidence also suggests the brain operates near a critical point, where activity spans all scales and information capacity is maximized. How do the cross-scale dynamics of the brain balance the efficiency of scale-specific structure with the flexibility of cross-scale interactions? We approach this question using new analytical tools, theoretical frameworks, biophysical models, and large-scale electrophysiological data from the mouse visual cortex. First, in Chapter 2, we reveal how cross-scale interactions between broad traveling waves, local oscillatory bursts, and single-neuron spiking support flexible hierarchical computation. Second, in Chapter 3, we develop a practical metric for detecting criticality in noisy, poorly sampled neural data that suggests higher areas of the visual hierarchy are positioned closer to criticality. Third, in 4, we ask what circuit-level regime reconciles structured dynamics with scale-free stochasticity. We find that both the mouse visual cortex and a biophysical circuit model exhibit non-Gaussian superdiffusion, subdiffusive long-range memory, and collective oscillations, which we capture using an empirical mean-field model based on the formalism of fractional calculus. Thus, across three chapters, we elucidate how the visual cortex leverages cross-scale spatiotemporal dynamics alongside anomalous scale-free stochasticity to enable flexible processing of complex visual information. Includes publication

From Diagnostic Variability to Clinical Precision: Development of a Comprehensive Evidence-Based Ultrasound Guideline for Chronic Venous Insufficiency to Promote Best Practices by Incorporating a Professional Survey, Guideline Analysis, and Anatomical Expansion

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

From Diagnostic Variability to Clinical Precision: Development of a Comprehensive Evidence-Based Ultrasound Guideline for Chronic Venous Insufficiency to Promote Best Practices by Incorporating a Professional Survey, Guideline Analysis, and Anatomical Expansion Liu, Gaorui Chronic venous disease (CVD) is a prevalent condition that significantly affects patients’ quality of life. Recurrence after varicose vein treatment has been reported to reach up to 80%, despite recent advances in minimally invasive endovenous techniques. Duplex ultrasound (DUS) remains the gold standard for diagnosing CVD, and performing high-quality examinations is of paramount for improving treatment outcomes and reducing early recurrence. This thesis offers a comprehensive evaluation of CVD using DUS. It begins with an exploratory survey that reveals inconsistencies in the performance and reporting of DUS examinations among Australasian sonographers, identifying knowledge gaps and highlighting areas requiring improvement to achieve standardised practice. A critical appraisal of existing guidelines uncovers the root causes of these variations and lays the foundation for developing a methodologically rigour and practicable guideline. Subsequent empirical research expands the understanding of lymph node venous networks, anatomical variations at junctions, and non-saphenous reflux as these entities are often poorly recognised or under-diagnosed yet carry significant clinical implications for therapeutic management of CVD. Finally, through a major collaborative project led by the author with expert sonographers, phlebologists, and professional association, this thesis presents a new comprehensive ultrasound guideline grounded in the best available evidence. The new guideline combines explanatory and educational content, offering general and specific recommendations aimed at enhancing diagnostic quality and promoting widespread adoption in clinical practice. Includes publication

Establishing and Utilising a Registry for Congenital Heart Disease

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Establishing and Utilising a Registry for Congenital Heart Disease Lloyd, Larissa Katherine Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect, affecting over 2,000 Australian infants annually. The National Australian CHD Registry will improve care for CHD patients, capturing data on nearly all patients diagnosed with a congenital heart defect in Australia. At the time of writing, the Registry contains data on over 80,000 Australian children and adults with CHD, representing the most comprehensive cohort collected for the Australian CHD population thus far. This is comparable with the largest contemporary CHD registries around the world. Such a resource has significant translational impact. This thesis reports on the complex landscape of conducting such national database projects and proposes methods to improve the existing frameworks. This thesis also demonstrates the research utility of the Registry, by providing examples of both quantitative and qualitative research outputs. The Registry forms a powerful research tool, allowing for population-level analysis of trends and outcomes, as well as furthering our understanding of the true burden of CHD in Australia. This thesis thus lays the groundwork for future research using the Registry and demonstrates its potential as a foundation for ongoing national studies in CHD. Includes publication

Post-Concussion Sleep Disturbance: Impact on Brain Healing and Recovery Outcomes in Children and Adolescents

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Post-Concussion Sleep Disturbance: Impact on Brain Healing and Recovery Outcomes in Children and Adolescents Cassimatis, Maree Sleep disturbance is one of the most prevalent and persistent complaints reported after a concussion. Until recently, screening for sleep disturbance in children and adolescents was largely neglected in the overarching management of concussion. This thesis aimed to characterise sleep disturbance in paediatric concussion, investigate the implications of sleep disturbance to concussion recovery outcomes, and determine the therapeutic utility of melatonin supplementation for the treatment of sleep disturbance after head trauma. Three original studies and a scoping review were conducted to fulfil the aims of this thesis. Study 1 was conducted in 554 children and adolescents with concussion and revealed the significant association between sleep disturbance, exacerbated symptom severity, and worsened neurocognitive functioning. Study 2 described post-concussion insomnia in 164 children and adolescents and demonstrated that insomnia was a notable driver of symptom burden and prolonged recovery. Further investigation into post-concussion insomnia within an exclusive sample of 20 children with persistent post-concussion symptoms is presented in Study 3, which conveyed that sleep disturbance clustered with mood disruption and was a major component of delayed recovery time in this population. As endogenous melatonin production is observed to be impaired in traumatic brain injury, Study 4 utilised a scoping review to demonstrate the positive therapeutic utility of melatonin administration for treating sleep disturbance in 8 out of 9 studies reviewed. Taken together, the findings from this thesis provide evidence of the adverse implications post-concussion sleep disturbance has to recovery outcomes in children and adolescents. Sleep should be considered a core domain in concussion assessment and management. Melatonin may be beneficial as a short-term treatment to facilitate sleep in individuals with sleep and mood disturbance after injury. Includes publication

Ability (Experiential and Strategic) Emotional Intelligence in Working Memory Updating: Inhibiting Emotional vs Non-Emotional Distractors

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Ability (Experiential and Strategic) Emotional Intelligence in Working Memory Updating: Inhibiting Emotional vs Non-Emotional Distractors Lim, Ming Ze This thesis examined the relationship between ability emotional intelligence (EI) and working memory (WM) performance under emotional interference. Although previous research has suggested that ability EI may be associated with performance on cognitive tasks involving emotional material, these associations have not been examined within a single experimental paradigm. To address this gap, six fully within-subjects studies (N = 357) were conducted using an n-back task called the Emotional Flanker N-back (EFLNB). The EFLNB assessed continuous WM updating across verbal and visual domains while manipulating memory load, target type, and the valence of distracting flankers. Ability EI was measured using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test. Across studies, emotional flankers generally impaired working memory performance relative to neutral flankers, indicating the presence of emotional interference effects. However, the association between ability EI and task performance was not uniform. Higher Strategic EI was generally associated with better performance, particularly under conditions of greater cognitive load and interference, consistent with the possibility that emotion understanding and regulation may be related to performance when executive demands are high. In contrast, Experiential EI showed a more variable pattern. In some conditions, higher Experiential EI was associated with slower responses under emotional interference, which may reflect greater sensitivity to emotional stimuli. Overall, the findings suggest that Experiential EI and Strategic EI were differentially associated with cognitive performance under emotional interference. The results are consistent with a differentiated account of ability EI and suggest that its components may be related to executive processes involved in updating and inhibitory control. These findings contribute to understanding ability EI as a cognitive-emotional ability. Includes publication

Rehabilitation and Falls in Huntington's Disease

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Rehabilitation and Falls in Huntington's Disease Vuong, Kenny The effectiveness of rehabilitation and the identification of those most likely to benefit are critical questions in Huntington’s Disease (HD). This is particularly important for those at risk of falls given its impact on quality of life. The literature review showed that falls are linked to gait and balance impairment which begin in the pre-manifest stage and worsen with disease progression. Rehabilitation was shown to improve functional outcomes, with a retrospective clinical audit of 124 participants demonstrating median gain of 8 (p<0.001) in the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and 7 (p<0.001) in FIM motor sub scores. Those with moderate admission FIM scores demonstrated greatest improvement, with a median gain of 15. Further exploration of the relationship between FIM scores and clinical and biomechanical characteristics was conducted in a prospective cohort of 63 rehabilitation participants. It showed that individuals with lower FIM scores performed worse across cognitive, motor, and biomechanical gait measures; however, there were no significant between-group differences in the proportion of fallers. Rehabilitation outcomes were predicted with AUC 0.70 (95% CI: 0.65-0.75) with a model that included FIM motor, Stroop Word Reading Test (SWRT), Timed Up and Go and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. New fallers were predicted with AUC 0.79 (95%CI = 0.73-0.84) with a model that included United Huntington Disease Rating Scale Total Motor Score (UHDRS-TMS), finger tap speed on UHDRS-TMS, Symbol Digit Modality Test and SWRT. These findings show that rehabilitation improves functional outcomes in people with HD. Furthermore, motor and cognitive measures can help predict both those who may benefit from rehabilitation and those at risk of becoming fallers, who may benefit from early intervention. Includes publication

Optimising Trial Conduct and Generating Translational Gains with Studies Within a Trial (SWATs): A Case Study from the MEL-SELF Randomised Controlled Trial of Patient-Led Surveillance

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Optimising Trial Conduct and Generating Translational Gains with Studies Within a Trial (SWATs): A Case Study from the MEL-SELF Randomised Controlled Trial of Patient-Led Surveillance Ackermann, Deonna Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for evaluating healthcare interventions, but inefficiencies in trial conduct and delays in uptake of effective interventions create waste and widen the evidence-to-practice gap. Studies Within A Trial (SWATs) are embedded sub-studies used to improve trial processes such as recruitment and retention, but their potential to support implementation is underused. Melanoma surveillance is a useful test case because patients require ongoing self-monitoring, increasingly supported by teledermatology, which requires sustained engagement and effective implementation. This thesis examined how SWATs can improve trial efficiency and inform implementation, using the MEL-SELF RCT as a case study. Two scoping reviews found substantial inconsistency in how melanoma surveillance RCTs reported recruitment, retention, outcome completion, and adherence, with limited evaluation of strategies to improve these processes. Four SWATs were embedded in MEL-SELF. A baseline survey identified participant motivations for enrolment, including altruism, personal benefit, and trust in their clinician. A behavioural analysis using the COM-B model identified barriers to skin self-examination and image submission, including low self-efficacy, poor planning, time constraints, technical difficulties, and preference for clinician-led care, and was used to guide adherence support. A randomised SWAT found that motivation-informed reminders did not improve completion of low-complexity trial tasks or more demanding image submissions, suggesting that burden and usability were more important than reminder wording. Another SWAT comparing dermatoscopes found similar clinical usefulness across devices, but better image quality and fewer support needs with the higher-cost polarised device. Overall, this thesis shows that multiple SWATs can be embedded within a single RCT to improve trial conduct and inform implementation of complex interventions. Includes publication

Electrostatic charge of pharmaceutical aerosols

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Electrostatic charge of pharmaceutical aerosols Lestari, Ayu Electrostatic charging plays a critical yet poorly understood role in the performance of inhalation aerosols by influencing particle adhesion, dispersion, and lung deposition. This thesis investigates the mechanisms governing electrostatic charge in pharmaceutical aerosol systems, with particular emphasis on the roles of surface chemistry, excipients, and environmental humidity. A foundational review of dry powder inhalers (DPIs) identifies key gaps in understanding molecular-level charge transfer, the interplay between surface composition and humidity, and limitations in charge measurement reproducibility. Experimental studies on pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) demonstrate that propellant physicochemical properties strongly influence electrostatic behaviour, with HFA-152a generating higher and bipolar charge distributions compared to HFA-134a, while the effect of tetraethylsilane is shown to be propellant-dependent. The influence of L-leucine (LL) as a surface-active excipient is systematically evaluated in spray-dried salbutamol sulfate (SS) and disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) powders, where LL modulates charge magnitude and polarity, with peak charging at intermediate concentrations and more stable, reduced charging at higher LL content due to increased crystallinity. Surface characterisation reveals that LL alters particle morphology, reduces contact area, and modifies triboelectric interactions, with distinct behaviours observed between SS and DSCG due to differences in hygroscopicity and drug–excipient interactions. Furthermore, under varying relative humidity (15–85%), LL stabilises electrostatic charge in SS formulations but not in DSCG systems, highlighting formulation-dependent effects. Overall, this work provides mechanistic insights to support the rational design of more robust inhalation formulations. Includes publication

Understanding Stability, Rheology and Interfacial Properties of Bulk Nanobubbles by Molecular Simulations and Experiments

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Understanding Stability, Rheology and Interfacial Properties of Bulk Nanobubbles by Molecular Simulations and Experiments Peng, Fankai Since the first image of a nanobubble was published in 2000, researchers have increasingly explored them, further proving their existence. It is reported that nanobubbles have unique properties, including high concentration and super-stability, which can be used in various applications. However, the mechanism of nanobubbles is still unclear. Precise measurement of bulk nanobubble (BNB) properties is key to understanding their stability. To address these questions, we employed molecular dynamics simulations to quantify the density, internal pressure, charge distribution, and structural characteristics of various nanobubble types and sizes. A key objective is to disentangle the contributions of surface tension and interfacial electrostatic forces to internal pressure. Additionally, we calculated surface tension both directly and via Young-Laplace's Theorem, and investigated how nanobubble conditions and gas type influence it. After this, we used the results to discuss factors that help stabilize BNBs. Furthermore, we conducted both molecular simulations and experiments to analyse the rheological behaviours of BNBs-water systems under different volume fractions. Our simulations reveal that the zero-shear viscosity of BNB-water systems exceeds that of pure water and increases significantly with volume fraction. We derived a relative viscosity model grounded in classical theories to describe this behaviour. Our experimentally validated model predicts zero-shear viscosity within 8.93% of measured values. Under Couette flow, bulk nanobubbles become unstable at high shear rates, coalescing into larger bubbles. Prior to coalescence, shear viscosity also rises with increasing volume fraction. Lastly, we predicted the zeta potential of BNBs and examined the effect of electric fields. In conclusion, this study systematically characterises the internal, interfacial, and rheological properties of BNBs, thereby guiding potential applications of these materials.

A randomised controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of dexamphetamine compared to placebo for treating obesity complicated by obstructive sleep apnoea

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A randomised controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of dexamphetamine compared to placebo for treating obesity complicated by obstructive sleep apnoea Gauci, Natalie Background: Obesity is a major global health concern associated with significant morbidity, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Although effective pharmacotherapies exist, high costs limit accessibility. Dexamphetamine (DEX), a centrally acting stimulant with anorexigenic and psychotropic properties, may represent a cost-effective alternative, though its use in obesity is restricted. Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of DEX for weight loss in adults with obesity and OSA, and its effects on cardiovascular and behavioural outcomes. Methods: In this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, 62 adults (BMI 25–70 kg/m², AHI >15 events/hour) were assigned 1:1 to DEX (up to 60 mg/day) or placebo for six months, followed by two-year observation. Outcomes included anthropometry, OSA severity, cardiovascular safety, executive function, and eating behaviours. Assessments included polysomnography, echocardiography, ECG, cognitive testing, and behavioural questionnaires. Results: At six months, weight loss was significantly greater with DEX than placebo (16.6 kg vs. 3.7 kg; p < 0.001), with 75% achieving >10% weight loss. Significant reductions in BMI and waist circumference were observed. OSA severity improved with DEX, including reductions in AHI and oxygen desaturation, while controls worsened or showed minimal change. Cardiovascular parameters remained stable, with only a modest increase in heart rate and no serious adverse events. DEX was well tolerated, with low discontinuation rates and mild adverse effects. Eating behaviours improved, with no significant change in executive function. Conclusion: DEX effectively promoted weight loss and improved OSA with good tolerability and no significant cardiovascular risk, supporting its potential as a cost-effective obesity treatment.

Anorectal Dysfunction and Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury in Females

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Anorectal Dysfunction and Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury in Females Trieu, Rose Qizhengyan Disorders of defaecation and bowel continence affect millions worldwide, and can have profound impacts for individuals and the healthcare system. Increasingly recognised is the high prevalence of these conditions in females compared to their male counterparts. Despite these differences, there remain gaps in our knowledge regarding the anorectal physiological changes and long-term outcomes for these patients. Following a comprehensive review of the literature, chapter 3 examines data from a prospective randomised study of the use of a footstool during defaecation in managing constipation, assessed by the balloon expulsion test. Footstool use did not change measures of evacuation in patients with undifferentiated constipation. However, it may be useful in the subset of constipated patients with dyssynergic defaecation. Chapter 4 describes the physiological changes of the anorectum associated with isolated flatus incontinence compared with healthy controls and females with faecal incontinence (FI). An association between isolated flatus incontinence and impaired anorectal physiology was identified, which correlated with poorer measures of quality of life. Chapter 5 and 6 explore the longterm clinical and physiological changes that occur in a group of patients who have experienced an obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) and assess if any baseline symptoms or physiology can predict the development of longterm FI. The novel findings in these two chapters provide a better understanding of anorectal function over time, and identify predictors of longterm FI in this group of patients. In summary, the body of work in this thesis provides new insights into the clinical and physiological characteristics of patients experiencing constipation, flatus incontinence, and OASI. Furthermore, it highlights gaps in current knowledge and provides a focus for future studies to better understand these common but often suboptimally treated disorders that preferentially affect females. Includes publication

Elucidating the Role of BLH Homeodomain Transcription Factors in Arabidopsis thaliana Leaf Development

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Elucidating the Role of BLH Homeodomain Transcription Factors in Arabidopsis thaliana Leaf Development Imlay, Eleanor Elizabeth Leaves account for a considerable portion of the morphological diversity that is seen in the kingdom Plantae. Their shapes are informed by patterns of differential growth that are generated along the adaxial-abaxial, proximodistal, and mediolateral axes of development. Much of the variation in leaf shape is found around the leaf margin. Margin forms are diverse and span a range of shapes from smooth edges to those that are decorated with tooth-like serrations and/or leaflets. Although it may seem an obscure developmental feature, significant strides have been made into understanding the genetic regulation of the leaf margin in the past three decades. This work has, in turn, provided a useful platform to interrogate the molecular basis of shape evolution in plants. Three amino acid loop extension (TALE) homeodomain transcription factors are a conserved protein superfamily characterised by their atypical homeodomains. The first plant TALE to be characterised was the Zea mays gene KNOTTED1 (KN1) in 1991. Upon its discovery, KN1 was noted to give rise to ectopic knots of tissue when expressed aberrantly in the leaf lamina. This work was a prelude to a rapidly expanding dataset which described TALE as regulators of developmental functions in plants, including morphogenesis. In an extension of this work, this thesis seeks to elucidate the function of uncharacterised TALE in Arabidopsis thaliana shoots. Includes publication

The cost of treatment and quality of life in patients with colorectal liver metastases

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The cost of treatment and quality of life in patients with colorectal liver metastases Bhimani, Nazim Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer, and in Australia, it is ranked the fourth most common cancer. This incidence and high mortality rates place a substantial economic burden on patients, families and the healthcare system. In the era of personalised medicine, treating metastatic disease can be particularly costly. There is limited data on the cost of treating patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) to the patient and the healthcare system in Australia. Furthermore, there is limited data on the provision of information and the long-term health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) in patients who have undergone liver resection for CRLM. This thesis demonstrated manageable healthcare costs for treating patients who have undergone liver resection for CRLM in the Australian healthcare system. In addition, the out-of-pocket (OOP) costs for treating CRLM are also manageable, with most patients demonstrating a lack of stress or worry when paying for treatment. The provision of information, overall, was excellent, but some areas of improvement were identified. Patients with long-term survival have excellent HRQoL; an optimal tool has been identified to assess long-term HRQoL. Patients had minimal ongoing symptoms that were not attributable to their disease but rather to their age and underlying comorbidities. Includes publication