The economic value of Brassica oilseed crops, particularly Brassica napus (canola), is primarily attributed to their final grain yield, which is essential for various industries, including food, feed, and biofuel. The primary challenge in canola breeding is the requirement to select for quality and disease resistance traits alongside yield in a range of different target environments. However, direct selection for grain yield in canola breeding programs is challenging due to: first, its complex quantitative nature and the fact that yield evaluation occurs at the end of the growth cycle, and second, lack of enough seeds during early generations for conducting evaluation trials. Unpredictable factors such as environmental stress or improper management practices can adversely impact the assessment of yield. Therefore, enhancing the efficiency of selection and the rate of genetic gain for yield through indirect selection is critical.

Vegetative vigour is considered a potential proxy for yield evaluations in canola breeding programs, which can provide an opportunity to enhance genetic gain for yield. Vigour in canola is a foundational trait that supports co-selection for yield, quality, and disease resistance since it enhances growth, improving stress resilience facilitating the expression of traits across diverse environments. This makes vegetative vigour a valuable component in multi-trait breeding strategies. However, it is also a complex phenotype, and conventional methods of its evaluation in canola are limited and sometimes inaccurate. This thesis investigated the potential of quantifying vegetative vigour using new traits (vigour components) from as early as the sixth-leaf stage (early vigour) to the peak of the vegetative phase and before flowering in canola (stem elongation).

In this thesis, by conducting one glasshouse and three field trials, I measured a total of 21 diverse traits, including vegetative traits, flowering time and grain yield, encompassing the entirety of canola’s life cycle. These traits were measured on three phenotyping levels including seedling (six traits), a single leaf (i.e. the fourth rosette leaf; 11 traits), and agronomic plots (four traits). A diversity panel comprised of 300 canola lines from the Australian B. napus Homozygous Diversity Set (ABnHDS), which represents the global genetic diversity of canola, was used for my trials. This germplasm was genotyped previously with 12,413 markers from the Brassica 60K Illumina Infinium SNP array. The broad- and narrow-sense heritability was estimated for all the traits. The phenotypic and genetic correlations among the traits were investigated in a global analysis (for revealing their connections across the entire life cycle of canola) and also between field and glasshouse (for testing the usefulness of glasshouse measurements for predicting vigour, flowering time and grain yield in field). Additionally, I examined the genetic architecture of these traits using GWAS with one single-locus and two multi-locus models.

My results showed that several leaf and seedling characteristics demonstrated higher heritability estimates than the common methods of vigour assessment (i.e. measuring seedling total biomass and NDVI). These characteristics were also highly correlated with the common methods of vigour assessment, which demonstrates their usefulness as alternative methods for evaluating vegetative vigour in canola. Using global correlation analyses, it was shown that several components of early vigour can predict vigour throughout canola’s life cycle, such as specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content. Seeding components at stem elongation (leaf mass fraction and total leaf dry mass), as well as early vigour components (aspect ratio, and leaf roundness), were also highly correlated with flowering time. However, correlations between vigour components and grain yield were weaker, with the highest found for petiole length. I also demonstrated that measuring early vigour components in the glasshouse can predict vigour and flowering time under field conditions, though the prediction for grain yield was less strong. Additionally, several common SNPs were identified across different traits, with some consistently associated with the traits across multiple environments. By searching the flanking regions of the significant SNPs, several candidate genes were proposed for further downstream validation analyses in reverse genetics.

Overall, in this thesis, I provided a comprehensive data-driven evidence for the usefulness of leaf and seedling characteristics for quantifying vegetative vigour in canola. My results suggest that new potentials exist for quantifying vegetative vigour by its components in canola, which can be used to enhance the efficiency of selection for vigour and flowering time and to a lesser degree, for grain yield. My results create the opportunity for future studies to potentially enhance the rate of genetic gain.

This thesis critically re-examines the “Norfolk Island Legend” by tracing the lives of 361 men returned to mainland New South Wales during 1839, under the Remissions Act. Employing archival sources, including convict records, petitions, and correspondence, and newspapers, it presents a collective biography that challenges the portrayal of Norfolk Island prisoners as uniformly brutalised and incorrigible. The study merges quantitative analysis with qualitative life histories, revealing the varied pre- and post-island experiences of these men. By foregrounding the human detail within larger penal narratives, this research both questions the validity of the Norfolk Island Legend and contributes to a deeper understanding of punishment and reintegration in convict New South Wales.

Background

Exercise training is a recognised safe therapy for chronic health conditions but is not commonly prescribed for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) many of whom are sedentary. Growing awareness of the importance of exercise has led to randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing an exercise intervention group to a usual care group in CKD. As new ideas emerge and the number of trials increases, it becomes increasingly challenging to stay current with all the information, determine what is pertinent, interpret the results, and decide how the information could be integrated into overall CKD therapy. Systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) offer an effective framework for gathering, analysing, and critically evaluating studies.

Research objective

This research aimed to evaluate the effect of exercise training on health parameters in people with CKD providing evidence to support its integration into CKD therapy.

Methodology

An initial scoping review of SRs/MAs of RCTs mapped and synthesised evidence on exercise’s effect on health outcomes in CKD. Subsequent research syntheses using SRs and meta-analytical techniques addressed gaps in the literature.

Findings and Results

A scoping review found limited evidence of exercise benefits across various health outcomes in CKD. Aerobic and combined exercise improved peak VO₂ and body mass index in pre-dialysis CKD. For those on dialysis, exercise positively affected peak VO₂, the six-minute walk test, sit-to-stand test, physical component (PCS) score, depression, dialysis adequacy, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP & DBP).

However, exercise did not improve several health outcomes including estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), SBP, or DBP in pre-dialysis CKD patients; or handgrip strength, the mental component summary score (MCS), other domains of the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) questionnaire, cardiovascular risk factors, inflammatory markers, or relevant biochemical levels in dialysis patients.

An imbalance in evidence synthesis was noted, with more SRs/MAs on people requiring dialysis than those in pre-dialysis stages. A SR/MA on pre-dialysis CKD showed exercise improved aerobic capacity, functional ability, HRQoL, eGFR, serum cystatin-C, resting heart rate, waist circumference, triglycerides, glycosylated haemoglobin, and interleukin-6 levels.

A further SR/MA focused on dialysis patients found that supervised, inter-dialytic or intra-dialytic exercise, including aerobic or resistance training at moderate intensity for up to 26 weeks, significantly improved both MCS and PCS.

Conclusion

This thesis provides evidence supporting integration of exercise training into CKD therapy. Exercise can significantly improve some key health parameters, particularly in those undergoing dialysis, despite some limitations. These findings advocate for broader adoption of exercise therapy in clinical practice to enhance CKD outcomes and support the development of evidence-based guidelines for CKD management.

Herein, we report the modular synthesis and immunological activity of seven bis-aryl triazole trehalolipids (1a–1g) as Brartemicin analogs. The compounds comprised one or two octyloxy (C8) alkyl chains and were synthesized using the venerable CuAAc reaction between the respective aryl acetylenes and a trehalose diazide. A Mincle reporter cell assay revealed that all lipidated analogs activated Mincle. Two compounds, 1c and 1d, produced strong Mincle-dependent immune responses in vitro. The activity was dependent on the degree of alkylation and regiochemistry, with 1c and 1d showing significantly increased IL-1β production in vitro compared to monoalkylated compounds and dialkylated compounds lacking ortho substitution. Molecular docking of 1c positioned the triazole in proximity to Arg-183, which may offer additional interactions that could explain the binding affinity for this class of ligand. These findings demonstrate the capability of triazole-linked Brartemicin analogs as Mincle-mediated Th1/Th17 vaccine adjuvants.