Relationship violence is a serious social problem. Given the prevalence and detrimental effects of relationship violence, much research has been undertaken to investigate the various risk factors that may be associated with this type of violence. In the present research, I examined the interrelationships among several correlates of violence (including rejection sensitivity, cognitive biases, decoding deficits and attachment style) in order to understand what differentiates physically abusive from non-abusive individuals. Hence, the current program of studies examined aggressive behaviours between partners with a focus on risk factors for violent behaviour in men and women and in particular on the role of rejection sensitivity in physically aggressive behaviour. In order to examine these constructs, the thesis includes six chapters. Following a review of the literature, a rationale was provided for the creation of an amended measure of rejection sensitivity as Downey and Feldman’s (1996) Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire was not suitable for the purposes of the current thesis. Hence, a series of validation studies were conducted in Chapter 2 to test and develop a revised measure of rejection sensitivity that would be applicable to a wider range of intimate relationships (dating, cohabiting and married) and contexts. The study reported in Chapter 3, investigated the role of rejection sensitivity, hostile attributions and attachment patterns in the etiology of intimate partner violence. This study provided preliminary support for insecure attachment and negative attributions as the link between expectations of rejection and intimate partner violence, with a stronger link for male-perpetrated violence compared to female-perpetrated violence. Consistent with the marital violence literature, when mediator and moderator relationships existed, these occurred predominantly in married relationships (as opposed to dating or defacto relationships). The studies reported in Chapters 4 and 5 built on the foundations of Chapter 3 by incorporating two constructs, the ‘overattribution bias’ and empathic accuracy into the investigation of the associations between rejection sensitivity and violence. Specifically, the study reported in Chapter 4 examined the decoding deficits and inferential biases of maritally-violent and maritally-violent rejection-sensitive men when interpreting their own partner’s messages whilst engaging in a laboratory-based decoding task. Overall, results showed that maritally-violent partner rejection-sensitive men were less accurate than were maritally non-violent partner rejection-sensitive men when interpreting their wives’ positive messages and more accurate when interpreting their wives’ negative messages. Likewise, maritally-violent rejection-sensitive men displayed an inferential bias to perceive their wives’ messages as being more negative, critical and rejecting in intent than did maritally non-violent rejection-sensitive men. In addition, maritally-violent men as a group were less accurate for their own partner’s positive and neutral messages than were maritally non-violent men and more accurate for their own wives’ negative messages than were maritally non-violent men. Finally, maritally-violent men tended to attribute their wives’ messages as being significantly more negative, critical and rejecting in intent than did maritally non-violent men. Overall, the data suggested that both rejection sensitivity and marital violence were key factors that were associated with married men’s decoding problems and biased interpretation of their own wives’ messages. In extending the previous findings, the study reported in Chapter 5 examined the decoding accuracy and inferential biases of both maritally-violent and maritally-violent rejection-sensitive men and women in relation to female strangers’ messages. There were no differences between maritally-violent rejection-sensitive women and maritally non-violent rejection-sensitive women on decoding deficits and inferential biases for female strangers. However, there was a trend for maritally-violent women to be more negatively biased than were maritally non-violent women when interpreting female strangers’ messages. Additionally, in contrast to the findings of Chapter 4, the data pointed to independent relationships among rejection sensitivity, violence and married men’s decoding deficits and biases for female strangers’ messages. In particular, there were no differences in decoding deficits or inferential biases between maritally violent rejection-sensitive and maritally non-violent rejection-sensitive men when decoding female strangers’ messages. Instead, the data revealed that maritally-violent men were poor decoders of female strangers’ positive messages compared to maritally non-violent men and maritally-violent women. In relation to negative messages, maritally-violent men were more accurate for female strangers’ negative messages than were maritally non-violent men. Maritally violent men had the highest decoding accuracy for negative messages. Maritally-violent men also tended to attribute female strangers’ messages as being significantly more negative, critical and rejecting in intent than did maritally non-violent men and maritally-violent women. Finally, the results showed that maritally-violent rejection-sensitive men’s decoding deficits and biases were relationship specific whereas maritally-violent men’s decoding deficits and cognitive biases were global deficits that extended to women other than the men’s wives. Implications of the findings were discussed, as well as the strengths and limitations of the study. The discussion concludes with implications for theory and practice and suggestions for future research.

The relationship between temperature and soil respiration has been well explored although uncertainties remain. This thesis examined the relationship between temperature and rates of heterotrophic respiration in soils from three adjacent sub-alpine Australian vegetation types; woodland, shrubland and grassland. Temperature sensitivity of soil (Q10) has recently been a hotly debate topic, one side concluding that decomposition of recalcitrant, less labile components of soil organic matter are insensitive to temperature. Whilst others argue that there is no difference in the temperature sensitivities of labile and recalcitrant carbon pools. Robust modeling of rates of soil respiration requires characterization of the temperature response of both labile and recalcitrant pools. Laboratory incubation provides a means of characterizing the temperature response of rates of respiration whilst reducing the confounding effects encountered in the field, such as seasonal fluctuations in temperature, moisture and substrate supply. I used a novel system that allowed laboratory measurement of gas exchange in soils over a range of temperatures under controlled conditions. Measurements included CO2 efflux and O2 uptake over a range of temperatures from 5 to 40oC, characterization of temperature response and sensitivity, and respiratory quotients. Rates of heterotrophic respiration fitted both exponential and Arrhenius functions and temperature sensitivity varied and depended on the model used, vegetation type and depth in the soil profile. Long-term incubation indicated both labile and resistant pools of carbon had similar temperature sensitivities. Respiratory quotients provided a strongly predictive measure of the potential rate of decomposition of soil C, independent of the temperature response of respiration, providing a tool that may be used alongside derived parameters to help understand shifts in microbial use of C substrates. Vegetation type influenced soil chemical properties and rates of heterotrophic respiration. Rates of respiration correlated well with concentrations of carbon and nitrogen as has been previously observed, unlike previous studies however a positive correlation was observed between indices of plant available phosphorus and respiration. The soils examined were from three adjacent vegetation types formed on common geology, I concluded that vegetation type had a significant influence on soil, in contrast to the commonly held view by ecologists that soil type drives patterns in vegetation. Climatic effects such as longer, dryer hotter summer, reduced snow cover and increased incidence of extreme weather events such as frosts and bushfire are likely to drive patterns in vegetation in this region and therefore have a significant impact on carbon cycling in Sub-alpine Australian soils.

Because of coeliac disease, some individuals cannot tolerate the protein gliadin present in the gluten fraction of wheat flour. From a commercial perspective, there is a need for the development of gluten-free bread with texture and flavour properties similar to the conventional wheat flour loaf. In the context of bread, the gluten component of wheat has a crucial role in stabilising the gas-cell structure and maintaining the rheological properties of the bread. The absence of gluten results in liquid batter rather than pre-baking dough, yielding baked bread with a crumbling texture, poor colour and other post-baking quality defects. The liquid batter cannot be processed on the existing production line of baking industry. The aim is to develop a gluten-free white loaf with similar quality characteristics to that of standard white bread on the existing processing lines at Quality Bakers New Zealand. Within this constraint, dough has to be produced with handling and moulding properties similar to those of conventional wheat flour loaves. This research focused on finding and implementing the gluten substitutes for the development of gluten-free high quality commercial bread. In this research, the independent variables were conventional wheat flour (the most basic control), other gluten-free flours from a variety of sources, starches, supplementary proteins, hydrocolloids such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), hydrophilic psyllium husk, and enzymes such as microbial transglutaminase, glucose oxidase, lipase and fungal α-amylase. These ingredients were trialled in different combination and composition to produce a dough having ability to trap the carbon dioxide gas during proofing and baking to get high specific volume bread suitable for the Quality Bakers’ product range. After an essentially ‘shotgun’ approach to formulations, the research narrowed to a systematic and progressive variation of ingredients and their composition to develop workable commercial models. Ingredients and their compositions were manipulated according to the outcomes of the trials and their contribution in the formulations. The dependent variables included standard bakery rheological properties based on dough stickiness, dough extensibility, oven spring, bread specific volume, bread slice ability, and bread staling. A gelation system of the lower-temperature-stable hydrocolloid psyllium husk, the heat-stable hydrocolloid hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, maize starch, and potato starch was created to form industrial process able dough having ability to entrap carbon dioxide gas produced during proofing and initial phase of baking. Microbial transglutaminase was used to increase the cross linking of protein present in flours and supplemented for enhancing the dough-like structure and its gas entrapping abilities. A formulation has been discovered by this research for the development of high quality gluten-free commercial bread. The formulated bread has similar quality characteristics to that of standard white bread and can be produced on existing processing lines at Quality Bakers. Industrial process able gluten-free bread with similar quality characteristics to that of standard white bread can be formulated by using a specific combination of soy flour, maize starch, potato starch, yoghurt powder, milk protein, HPMC (K4M), psyllium husk, microbial transglutaminase, lipase, and fungal α-amylase. The significance of this research is mainly commercial and the insights gained may extend to other bakery items that could be used by coeliacs.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Jeanne Watson.

Diss. Linköping : Univ., 2001.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2004. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio University, June, 1998. / Title from PDF t.p.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Akron, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-127).

Thesis (Ph.D.). / Written for the Dept. of Ophthalmology, Neurology and Neurosurgery. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2008/03/12). Includes bibliographical references.