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Theses : Honours

1995

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Perceptions Of Control And Satisfaction With Hospital Birth Experiences For First-Time Mothers, Clelia Tedeschi Jan 1995

Perceptions Of Control And Satisfaction With Hospital Birth Experiences For First-Time Mothers, Clelia Tedeschi

Theses : Honours

Satisfaction with childbirth is associated with women's future emotional wellbeing. This study examined whether first- time mother's antenatal expectations, postnatal evaluations of control during labour and delivery, and the discrepancy between expectations and evaluations were significant predictors of women's satisfaction with their childbirth experiences. The effect of medical interventions (e.g., obstetrical interventions and pain relief medication) on women's perceptions of control and satisfaction was also examined. The purposive sample of eighty first-time mothers, mean age 26 years (excluding women who had caesareans) delivered at the public hospital where they attended antenatal classes. During their fourth antenatal class women completed a …

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An Ada-Like Language To Facilitate Reliable Coding Of Low Cost Embedded Systems, Michael Collins Jan 1995

An Ada-Like Language To Facilitate Reliable Coding Of Low Cost Embedded Systems, Michael Collins

Theses : Honours

Due to a lack of operating system (0/S) support, it is more difficult to develop programs for embedded systems than for workstations. For those developing on a low budget, the problem is often further compounded by the necessity of using inappropriate, 0/S dependent, compilers. This study attempts to ascertain those elements of a High Level Language (HLL) which are absolutely necessary and implementable to produce reliable, efficient, embedded programs without the benefit of a large budget. The study is based upon the Ada philosophy as the Ada language incorporates many desirable features for modelling real-world problems in terms of embedded …

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Influence Of The Label Intellectual Disability On Trainee Disability Service Providers' Impressions, Dianne Rosemary Mckillop Jan 1995

Influence Of The Label Intellectual Disability On Trainee Disability Service Providers' Impressions, Dianne Rosemary Mckillop

Theses : Honours

Labels can be identifiers of deviance from social norms and values as well as cognitive heuristics. Labelling theory proposes that deviancy labels create a perception of a stereotypical master status (Becker, 1963), which biases perceivers' impressions. The master status principle of labelling theory is analogous to the schema-based models of impression formation proposed by social psychology. The opposing view is that individual characteristics influence social perception to a greater extent than labels. The present study investigated the master status prediction of labelling theory using a social psychological framework. Empirical and theoretical evidence suggests that the perceptions of the people who …

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Localisation Of The Gene For A Novel Form Of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease In An Isolated Population, Kaite Honeyman Jan 1995

Localisation Of The Gene For A Novel Form Of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease In An Isolated Population, Kaite Honeyman

Theses : Honours

Localising the gene for a previously undescribed autosomal recessive form of CMT involved the use of a relatively new approach to rapid genome screening based on the identification of segments which are inherited identical by descent (IBD) from common founding ancestors. It is most feasible for populations which have been founded relatively recently (say less than 25 generations) and which have remained relatively isolated either geographically or culturally. The method is not suitable for highly inbred populations, that is with first and second cousin matings, as many segments will be inherited by chance. It appears to be a suitable screening …

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Is There A Difference In Cortical Representation Between Dominant And Non-Dominant Arm Muscles Of Elite Badminton Players?, Dylan J. Edwards Jan 1995

Is There A Difference In Cortical Representation Between Dominant And Non-Dominant Arm Muscles Of Elite Badminton Players?, Dylan J. Edwards

Theses : Honours

Training for sport involves the development of skill and coordination. The physiological changes associated with skill acquisition are complex and at present poorly understood. One of the areas in the central nervous system thought to be involved with skill acquisition is the cerebral motor cortex where localised areas are responsible for controlling specific muscle groups. Learning or improving a motor skill may require reorganisation of the cortical areas controlling relevant muscles to accommodate the new skill. To test this idea we studied a group of elite badminton players that were highly skilled in their dominant playing arm. Transcranial magnetic stimulation …

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Student Attitudes To Their Roles And Responsibilities Within A Sport Education Curriculum Model In Physical Education, A. Sadler Jan 1995

Student Attitudes To Their Roles And Responsibilities Within A Sport Education Curriculum Model In Physical Education, A. Sadler

Theses : Honours

Sport education is one of the six curriculum models in physical education described by Siedentop, Mand and Taggart (1986). Sport education is a student centered curriculum model whereby students take on the specific roles of management board of control, captain/coach, first aid officer, advertising/publicity officer as well as player. It is the social interaction of students within these roles that is the key to the potential success of the model. Research suggests that many students have unfavourable attitudes towards the dominant curriculum model currently being used in physical education in most Western Australian schools, while on the other hand, many …

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Video Coding For Bit Rates 64kbps And Below, Geoffrey N. Alagoda Jan 1995

Video Coding For Bit Rates 64kbps And Below, Geoffrey N. Alagoda

Theses : Honours

With digital motion video for either transmission or storage, there always exists a trade-off between the data transmission rate and the picture quality. The lower the transmission bit-rate is made, the more the quality of the image tends to degrade. With usual transform coding schemes the degradation usually occurs when low bit-rates, that is less than about 64Kbps, are used. The resultant image tends to suffer visually from a ''blocking" effect. This thesis therefore, is based on the development of a different implementation scheme, for motion video compression or encoding, so as to support both low bit-rates, around 64Kbps or …

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Domestic Violence: Service Providers' Perceptions Of Factors Affecting Women's Decision To Leave Abusive Relationships, Anne I. Walters Jan 1995

Domestic Violence: Service Providers' Perceptions Of Factors Affecting Women's Decision To Leave Abusive Relationships, Anne I. Walters

Theses : Honours

Review of research conducted into woman abuse indicates there was an emphasis on questions looking at why women stayed in abusive relationships. Little or no research was specifically designed to answer questions about how women leave abusive relationships or determine the salient factors involved. The literature review also highlighted the importance of services and service providers because women who had experienced abuse would seek help and Knight and Hatty (1992) found that the quality of help received determined their future responses. Kurz and Stark (1988) found that workers' perceptions about woman abuse influenced how workers responded to the women seeking …

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Postdischarge Surveillance Of Surgical Wound Infection By Telephone Interview, Robyn Taverner Jan 1995

Postdischarge Surveillance Of Surgical Wound Infection By Telephone Interview, Robyn Taverner

Theses : Honours

Many postoperative wound infections are not being detected by traditional methods of surveillance of hospital acquired infections, due to decreasing length of hospital stay Unless some form of postdischarge surveillance is undertaken, rates of hospital acquired infections will he underestimated. While Infection Control Practitioners are aware of this problem, implementation of postdischarge surveillance is hampered by lack of research into suitable cost-effective methods. This study describes the implementation and feasibility of postdischarge surveillance by telephone interview and compares rates of infection in a private hospital before and after discharge. During a five month period a systematic sample of 300 clients …

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The Effect Of Eccentric And Concentric Training On The Size And Strength Of Human Skeletal Muscle, Haydn J. N. Mcdonald Jan 1995

The Effect Of Eccentric And Concentric Training On The Size And Strength Of Human Skeletal Muscle, Haydn J. N. Mcdonald

Theses : Honours

The objective of this study was to determine if the high forces generated through eccentric contractions, and the subsequent damage sustained, contributes to greater growth and force increase in human skeletal muscle than other contraction types, and whether damage from eccentric exercise effects the increase in torque and muscle size expected after a progressive concentric strength training program. 20 healthy subjects were split into four groups which participated in 3 different training protocols, with one group serving as the control (C). Groups underwent either concentric training (CT), eccentric damage (ED), or a combination of the two protocols (DC) with the …

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Long Term Restoration Of Peak Torque, Endurance And Muscle Activation Post Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Darryl Alan Turner Jan 1995

Long Term Restoration Of Peak Torque, Endurance And Muscle Activation Post Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Darryl Alan Turner

Theses : Honours

In recent years, Accelerated Rehabilitation (A.R.) protocols have been used following Anterior Cruciate Ligament (A.C.L.) reconstructions, the longer term effects of these programs are seldom analysed. This study examined musculoskeletal mechanisms that might affect long term functional restoration, the control subjects (n = 19) of mixed age and gender, had no previous knee deficiencies and were recreationally fit. The experimental subjects (n = 17) had undergone intra-articular A.C.L reconstruction, using bone patellar-tendon bone grafts performed by the same surgeon and had also participated in the A.R. protocol, similar to that described by Shelbourne and Nitz (1990). The experimental group attended …

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Perceptions Of Lower Secondary Design And Technology Teachers About The Utilisation Of The Design Process, Desire Mallet Jan 1995

Perceptions Of Lower Secondary Design And Technology Teachers About The Utilisation Of The Design Process, Desire Mallet

Theses : Honours

This study investigated the perceptions of lower secondary school teachers about the utilisation of a design process. Seven Design and Technology teachers from government and private secondary schools, situated in Perth metropolitan area, were selected. The participants have been using a design process in lower secondary school for at least eighteen months prior to the study. Each participant was interviewed individually and the interviews were audio-recorded. The Education Department of Western Australia considers a design process as a central element in the Technology and Enterprise learning area of the Student Outcome Statements. However, not much is known about how this …

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Equity Theory Predictions Of The Effects Of Participation In Justice Or Police Studies On The Promotional Expectations Of Members Of The Western Australian Police Force, William J. Boaks Jan 1995

Equity Theory Predictions Of The Effects Of Participation In Justice Or Police Studies On The Promotional Expectations Of Members Of The Western Australian Police Force, William J. Boaks

Theses : Honours

Before 1988 police in this State were promoted solely on seniority. No university courses for officers existed locally and education played little part in promotion. Promotion is now on the basis of merit and Edith Cowan University conducts courses in Police and Justice Studies. This study investigates possible links between the factors of higher education and merit based promotion. Predictions of student officers' of the benefits of higher education, organisational commitment and various aspects of non-promotion were examined by use of a questionnaire. The results showed that student officers placed a higher value on education for basic police work and …

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Difficulties Experienced By Year 10 Students When Solving Monohybrid Autosomal And X-Linked Genetic Problems, Christina Williams Jan 1995

Difficulties Experienced By Year 10 Students When Solving Monohybrid Autosomal And X-Linked Genetic Problems, Christina Williams

Theses : Honours

Genetics is an important aspect of secondary education as it improves students, understanding of the inheritance of genetic diseases which are present in many families. Genetics also provides opportunities for students to learn important problem solving skills. Students experience difficulties with problem solving in genetics as they tend to rote learn algorithmic methods and not have a meaningful understanding of the concepts of meiosis, gametes and fertilisation which underpin genetics problems. Following instruction in the area of genetics, think-aloud protocols were collected from 20 Year 10 students, while solving four genetic problems. The students were also interviewed to probe their …

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Identifying The Difficulties Experienced By Year 10 High School Students When Attempting To Solve Genetic Pedigree Problems, Richard Hamilton-Brown Jan 1995

Identifying The Difficulties Experienced By Year 10 High School Students When Attempting To Solve Genetic Pedigree Problems, Richard Hamilton-Brown

Theses : Honours

Teachers rate genetics as one of the most difficult biology topics for high school students to understand (Finley, Stewart & Yarroch, 1982). It has been observed that some students are able to solve genetics problems using routine algorithmic methods, without understanding the basic underlying concepts (Stewart, 1982). The aim of this study was to identify the procedural errors and conceptual misunderstandings that the students had when attempting to solve genetic pedigree problems. Genetic pedigrees are diagrammatic representations of the members and ancestral relationships in a family (Cummings, 1991). Two male and two female students were selected from each of four …

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Immunisation Delay In The 0-18 Month Age Group In The Kimberley Region Of Western Australia, Anne Mahony Jan 1995

Immunisation Delay In The 0-18 Month Age Group In The Kimberley Region Of Western Australia, Anne Mahony

Theses : Honours

In two separate complementary exploratory descriptive studies the cover and timing of vaccine administration to children in the 0-18 month age group in the remote Kimberley Region of Western Australia were quantified, and reasons for delay in vaccine administration were investigated. The adapted PRECEDE model was used to guide the research and to integrate and interpret the findings. Study One: Three separate computer immunisation databases were combined to provide the first validated age-appropriate infant immunisation data in Western Australia. For the first time in WA, the timing of administration of vaccines was investigated, and for the first time in Australia, …

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Reasons Given By Year 9 Girls For The Non-Selection Of Outdoor Education In A Selected Government School, Janene Walton Jan 1995

Reasons Given By Year 9 Girls For The Non-Selection Of Outdoor Education In A Selected Government School, Janene Walton

Theses : Honours

This study focuses on the reasons why fewer girls than boys are selecting outdoor education units in Year 9 in a selected government secondary school in Perth, Western Australia. Outdoor education has attracted increasing enrolments across all years since units were introduced at lower school level in 1987. However the percentage of girls enrolling has declined over the same period. The participation rate for Years 9 to 12 has consistently been about two times greater for boys than for girls. The study utilised group interviews as a means of data collection to document the girls' reasons for not selecting Outdoor …

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Eccentrically Induced Skeletal Muscle Damage In Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Cfs), With Reference To Overtrained Athletes, David L. Wright Jan 1995

Eccentrically Induced Skeletal Muscle Damage In Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Cfs), With Reference To Overtrained Athletes, David L. Wright

Theses : Honours

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and Overtraining syndrome (OTS) are separate, complex conditions which have so many similar debilitating effects that it has led some researchers to conclude that OTS is a sub-condition of CFS. The purpose of this research was to compare the force and damage-recovery characteristics of skeletal muscle in CFS patients and control normals, after a single damaging bout of eccentric contractions in the non-dominant forearm flexors. The subjects ( n = 25 ), a convenience sample were assigned to three groups; [I] CFS + eccentric damage (n = 8), [2] Control Damage (CD)+ eccentric damage (n = …

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The Effects Of Strategy Instruction On The Vocabulary Acquisition And Reading Comprehension Of Grade Five Students, Michelle Gurry Jan 1995

The Effects Of Strategy Instruction On The Vocabulary Acquisition And Reading Comprehension Of Grade Five Students, Michelle Gurry

Theses : Honours

Two studies were conducted to examine the effects of specified teaching strategies on vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. Two methods were used to teach Grade 5 students to infer word meanings from context. The first was based on regular methods that occur within primary classrooms. The second involved a detailed strategy that gave students a step-by-step guide to deriving word meanings from context. Both groups were pretested and posttested with a developed vocabulary acquisition test and the Progressive Achievement Test of reading comprehension. A four-factor ANOVA with repeated measures was used to test the hypotheses. The first study showed no …

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Foraging Preferences Of The Introduced Honeybee In Winter Flowering Banksia Woodland : Implications For The Management Of Flora And Fauna Of Conservation Areas, Simon Lawrence Judd Jan 1995

Foraging Preferences Of The Introduced Honeybee In Winter Flowering Banksia Woodland : Implications For The Management Of Flora And Fauna Of Conservation Areas, Simon Lawrence Judd

Theses : Honours

The Honeybee (Apis mellifcra) is arguably Australia's most abundant feral animal, and relatively little is known about its interactions with the Australian biota. A lack of such information makes it difficult for the managers of nature conservation areas to decide whether beekeeping is appropriate and whether attempts should be made to control feral bees. This study made observations of feral honeybees and native pollinating invertebrates for one hundred and twelve hours, at fifteen sites in Banksia woodland, between July 27 and September 10, 1995. Flowering and preflowering invertebrate assemblages of Leucopogon polymorphus, an epacrid shrub which provided …

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The Supply Of Needles And Syringes To Injecting Drug Users : Attitudes And Practices Of Pharmacists In Western Australia, Heather June Newbey Jan 1995

The Supply Of Needles And Syringes To Injecting Drug Users : Attitudes And Practices Of Pharmacists In Western Australia, Heather June Newbey

Theses : Honours

Since 1986 in Western Australia many pharmacists have been supplying needles and syringes to injecting drug users as part of the governments's harm minimisation policy to prevent the spread of HIVI AIDS and other blood-borne viruses, particularly the more recently recognised hepatitis C. This practice was technically illegal, although officially condoned, until May 1994. Adequate baseline data not was available concerning needle and syringe supply or the attitudes of pharmacists concerning this issue. In this study a mail survey of Western Australian community pharmacists was conducted to determine the proportion of pharmacists currently supplying needles and syringes to injecting drug …

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Differences In Attitudes About Amphetamine Held By Adolescents Who Do And Do Not Intend To Use The Drug, K. Davies Jan 1995

Differences In Attitudes About Amphetamine Held By Adolescents Who Do And Do Not Intend To Use The Drug, K. Davies

Theses : Honours

An SEU measure was constructed to test the relationships between adolescents' combined expectations and values of possible outcomes of amphetamine use and intention to use the drug. The structure of the measure was then examined using Principal Components Analysis. Two orthogonal subscales were identified representing desires for the positive outcomes and fears of negative outcomes. Tukey's HSD analysis of pairwise means indicated that the two subscales were differentially effective in distinguishing participants with high, moderate and low levels of intention to use amphetamine. Participants with high levels of intention differed significantly from participants with low or moderate intention in their …

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Investigation Of The Ashenden Proposal For Redesigning Teachers' Work: The Case Of Secondary Teacher Librarians, G. A. Hornsby Jan 1995

Investigation Of The Ashenden Proposal For Redesigning Teachers' Work: The Case Of Secondary Teacher Librarians, G. A. Hornsby

Theses : Honours

This thesis documents the implications of the Ashenden proposal for the work of teacher librarians in particular, and teachers in general. The participants are eight practising teacher librarians ‘in charge', from Perth metropolitan secondary schools. Data for this qualitative study was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using the constant comparative method. The study identifies the main strength of Ashenden's proposal as his orientation\ towards the professional ideology of teachers which implies trust in the professional intentions, knowledge and discretionary judgements of teachers. The study also finds that the Ashenden proposal is incompatible with the work of teaching as a …

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Speaking Magic Realism: Selected Short Stories Of Peter Carey, Raymond Driehuis Jan 1995

Speaking Magic Realism: Selected Short Stories Of Peter Carey, Raymond Driehuis

Theses : Honours

This thesis is an analysis determined by the investigative proposition, what is a magic realist speech act? Of the schools of thought available to any philosophical undertaking in literature, this thesis makes particular use of the principles of speech act theory, genre theory, and poststructuralism. With genre theory, the emphasis is on the subgeneric construction of the narrative structure, and this thesis will incorporate three short stories from Peter Carey's The Fat Man in History as the most overt evidence for what the thesis is proposing to analyse and illuminate. But on the whole, readers will understand that, while …

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Robust Decentralised Variable Structure Control For Rigid Robotic Manipulators, Thasapalan Kuhan Jan 1995

Robust Decentralised Variable Structure Control For Rigid Robotic Manipulators, Thasapalan Kuhan

Theses : Honours

In this thesis, the problem of robust variable structure control for non-linear rigid robotic manipulators is investigated. Robustness and convergence results are presented for variable structure control systems of robotic manipulators with bounded unknown disturbances, nonlinearities, dynamical couplings and parameter uncertainties. The major outcomes of the work described in this thesis are summarised as given below. The basic variable structure theory is surveyed, and some basic ideas such as sliding mode designs, robustness analysis and control1er design methods for linear or non-linear systems are reviewed. Three recent variable structure control schemes for robotic manipulators are discussed and compared to highlight …

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Increasing The Participation Of Girls In Physical Education : The Identification Of Factors Influencing Enjoyment And Nonenjoyment Of Physical Education In A Selected Primary School, Grant R. Collins Jan 1995

Increasing The Participation Of Girls In Physical Education : The Identification Of Factors Influencing Enjoyment And Nonenjoyment Of Physical Education In A Selected Primary School, Grant R. Collins

Theses : Honours

This study focuses on the issue of girls' participation in physical education. One important aspect of participation is the enjoyment level of students. By identifying why girls enjoy and do not enjoy physical education, appropriate adjustments could be made within physical education to increase the participation level of girls. Fifteen Year 7 students from one class within a metropolitan independent school took part in the study. It was descriptive-analytic in nature and used both qualitative and quantitative research methods. A short questionnaire was used to categorise students into those who enjoyed physical education, those with divided perceptions of enjoyment in …

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Effect Of Exercise Induced Muscle Soreness On The Motor Control Properties Of The Biceps Brachii, Alan J. Pearce Jan 1995

Effect Of Exercise Induced Muscle Soreness On The Motor Control Properties Of The Biceps Brachii, Alan J. Pearce

Theses : Honours

The objective of this study was to note the time course changes for up to 28 days on the motor control properties of biceps brachii muscle following a bout of eccentric exercise. Eight subjects (5 male, 25-40 years of age) performed 35 maximal voluntary eccentric contractions with the non-preferred arm of the elbow flexors through 130° of extension of 90°s-1. Voluntary electromyographic (EMG) activity and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) were recorded via surface electrodes placed over the belly of the biceps brachii muscle. Maximal isometric strength was measured at 90° elbow flexion. …

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The Effect Of Metacognition On Learning Outcomes For Tertiary Level Computing Students, Susan Hastings Jan 1995

The Effect Of Metacognition On Learning Outcomes For Tertiary Level Computing Students, Susan Hastings

Theses : Honours

The Technical and Further Education system Australia-wide is in a state of change. There is a push to become more cost effective and to have courses that closely relate to the demands of the work place. As part of the change, courses at TAFE are increasingly being based on a competency-based system, with students being responsible for their own learning. This entails the use of course materials by students which allow them to work at their own pace. There is a perception by educators that this method of learning may suit some students, but that the majority require a more …

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Cossap Simulation Model Of Ds-Cdma Indoor Microwave Atm Lan, Keng T. Tan Jan 1995

Cossap Simulation Model Of Ds-Cdma Indoor Microwave Atm Lan, Keng T. Tan

Theses : Honours

This thesis presents an original work in the area of designing and implementing a simulation testbed for modelling a high speed spread spectrum Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Local Area Network (LAN). The spread spectrum technique used in this LAN model is Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DS-CDMA). The simulation model includes at least a physical layer of such a LAN, embedded into the COSSAP1 simulation environment, and has been fully tested. All the newly developed building blocks are comprised of standard blocks from the COSSAP libraries or compatible user-built primitive blocks (only where it is absolutely necessary), and …

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Cultural Materialism And The Teaching Of Media : The Lesson Of Raymond Williams, D. I. Mcritchie Jan 1995

Cultural Materialism And The Teaching Of Media : The Lesson Of Raymond Williams, D. I. Mcritchie

Theses : Honours

This study seeks to examine Raymond Williams' concern with media education and its relevance to contemporary curriculum in Western Australia. By means of a critical study of specific texts of Williams, it was intended to explore the possibility of refining the Western Australian Media Studies syllabuses from a cultural materialist perspective. Williams' writings lead to the conclusion that media education should be more specifically related to popular culture. The cultural materialist approach enables and encourages a close link between the Western Australian Media Studies syllabuses and students' own cultural experiences. Cultural materialism recognises that culture and society are in a …

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