Digital Commons Network^™

Misconceptions: Loss And Melancholia In Poetry Of Miscarriage, Stillbirth And Abortion, Donna Yannakis

Theses : Honours

This thesis argues that cultural and discursive attitudes towards miscarriage, stillbirth and abortion attribute maternal blame to these losses and silence the expression of grief over them. It further argues that, following pregnancy loss, this silence and blame, coupled with the veneration and discursive production of motherhood as a woman's biological and psychical destiny, produce 'symptoms' that, according to Freud, are a sign of a pathological melancholia. I suggest, however, that these symptoms - self-reproach and impoverishment of the ego as responses to pregnancy loss, do not necessarily indicate a woman's pathological failure to resolve loss but reflect the social …

That's Freakin' Sweet: The Collecting Of Family Guy, Matthew Knight

Theses : Honours

The animated series Family Guy (1999-2006) has been cancelled twice and resurrected twice mainly because of the efforts of viewers. It is worth asking, however; why has Family Guy attained a level of fanaticism that repeatedly rescues it from permanent cancellation? Arguably, the Family Guy audience is made up predominantly of members of generation y and as such, the way they view the program and their relationship to it will differ to that of previous generations. In short, Family Guy was cancelled due to poor ratings, however, these ratings were a result of erratic scheduling that was not conducive to …

Financial Philanthropy Towards Australian Public Art Galleries By Individual Benefactors: Some Empirical Evidence From The National Gallery Of Victoria, Elisha London

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study is to examine why individuals philanthropically contribute finances to public art galleries in Australia. As· government funding decreases philanthropy is becoming an increasingly attractive option for public art galleries as alternative sources of revenue need to be sought. A thorough understanding of the factors that influence giving is imperative for any organisation that engages in philanthropy as a revenue stream. This study examines these factors using a fundraising campaign conducted by the National Gallety of Victoria as a case in point. The motivations and characteristics of donors who gave to this campaign are examined using …

The Dancing Mind, Rebecca Mccormac

Theses : Honours

How is it that we go from the unknown to the known? Is there a parallel relationship between mind and body? How does the brain inform the body? An active approach to cognition conceives of the mind as one with the body. The human brain controls feeling, cognition, perception, action, learning and other basic functions, and therefore it is vital to consider the influence of neuroscience on the development of cognitive psychology and vice versa, when looking at a dancing body/mind.

Transforming Messiaen : The Application Of Elements Of The Musical Language Of Olivier Messiaen To The Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Johannes Luebbers

Theses : Honours

The music of Olivier Messiaen is a unique and interesting contribution to the canon of 20^th Century art music, but one that has received little attention from the jazz world. Through a detailed study of his music, this dissertation aims to gain a deeper understanding of Messiaen's musical language and investigate the possibilities of applying that language within the jazz idiom. In addition to a discussion of Messiaen and his music, a detailed analysis of the author's own composition for pipe organ and jazz orchestra, Auguries of Innocence, will explore the results of this application. The complete scores and …

Tan Dun's Eight Memories In Watercolor: Insights Into Performance, Zhen Zeng

Theses : Honours

"Shostakovich, as· a composer also living under a dictatorship, taught me to express deep humanity. From Takemitsu, I learned that Western and Eastern instruments can be part of the same color palette. John Cage led me to discover structures and sounds as yet unknown, by always keeping an open mind. I owe deepest thanks to these three composers, whose contributions to music have also helped me develop myself---as a composer from a·. traditional culture, growing up in a high-pressure society, living in a now international world." (Tan Dun) The global reach of Tan Dun's music reached its zenith recently at …

Use Of A Weighted Matching Algorithm To Sequence Clusters In Spatial Join Processing, Husen Husen

Theses : Honours

One of the most expensive operations in a spatial database is spatial join processing. This study focuses on how to improve the performance of such processing. The main objective is to reduce the Input/Output (I/O) cost of the spatial join process by using a technique called cluster-scheduling. Generally, the spatial join is processed in two steps, namely filtering and refinement. The cluster-scheduling technique is performed after the filtering step and before the refinement step and is part of the housekeeping phase. The key point of this technique is to realise order wherein two consecutive clusters in the sequence have maximal …

An Exploratory Study Of Executive Hubris And Its Effect On How Chief Executive Officers In Small To Medium Enterprises Make Strategic Management Decisions, A. S. Parker

Theses : Honours

This exploratory study examined the nature of the recently conceptualised notion of executive hubris; and in particular the effect it may have on how chief executive officers in small to medium sized enterprises make their strategic management decisions. It was designed to explore executive hubris and strategic decision making in a limited sample of executives. On this basis the results are limited to this study and are not generalisable. A core aim of the study however; was to test qualitatively and quantitatively in a fundamental, exploratory way; Hambrick and Hiller's (2005) propositions that executive hubris has an effect on how …

Time In Kyrgyzstan, Robert Mcpherson

Theses : Honours

The topic of the exegesis is travel documentary photography. The exegesis is based on previous written academic work on travel documentary photography and it is related to my own experience when photographing the people and the landscapes of Kyrgyzstan. In the exegesis I argue that travel documentary photography is highly subjective and ambiguous. There is no such thing as a purely objective representation of the 'Other'. Rather it is and illusion of objectivity that emerges through the eye of the photographer. In travel documentary photography I argue that we make the 'Others' seem less like us than they are because …

Bob Brookmeyer: Composer, Performer, Pedagogue, Mace Francis

Theses : Honours

Before my California stay (1968-1978) I considered myself a player first and a writer second, although I did a lot of writing, from Ray Charles to Thad [Jones] and Mel [Lewis].1 Since 1979 I have come to view myself as a composer who also plays trombone; add conducting and teaching and that gives me 4 hats to wear. I do not have a swollen head, so they all fit nicely. (Brookmeyer, 1997, n.p.)

Although acknowledged as one of the pivotal figures in twentieth-century jazz, the career and the music of Bob Brookmeyer has received scant attention in secondary literature. This …

Impressions Of Standard Japanese And Osaka Dialect, Stephen Bumstead

Theses : Honours

In various countries there has been much research involving attitudes to standard and non-standard language (for example Giles, Baker and Fielding 1975, Strongman and Woosley 1967, Cheyne 1970), much of which has found a tendency to ascribe speakers of a standard dialect or accent with higher values in status traits such as intelligence, but lower values in solidarity traits such as sincerity, than speakers of a non-standard dialect or accent. The current research investigated and compared the attitudes towards standard Japanese and the Osaka dialect. The participants were 5 males and females born and raised in Tokyo and 5 males …

Developing A School Based Science Curriculum: Teachers' Work As Language Work, Jennifer Ann Barnett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

While it is widely recognised that language is consequential in teachers' work within the classroom, this thesis argues that it is also consequential in their curriculum development work outside the classroom. The study takes a phenomenological approach based in a single school, and the key data sources are transcripts of teachers' meetings held to develop a new curriculum framework for their junior secondary science classes. The broad aims of the study are to better understand the ways in which language is consequential in that work, to consider the implications these have for understanding school based curriculum development, and to identify …

Reintroduction Ecology Of Mala (Lagorchestes Hirsutus) And Merrnine (Lagostrophus Fasciatus) At Shark Bay, Western Australia, Blair Hardman

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The transfer of threatened animals from one location to another in order to benefit the species is a technique frequently used by animal conservation managers. However, very few of these relocations have experimentally assessed the relative merits and disadvantages of commonly used release techniques. Two species of hare-wallaby, mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus) and merrnine (Lagostrophus fasciatus), were reintroduced in August 2001 onto Peron Peninsula in Western Australia. These threatened species were reintroduced using two release strategies (soft versus hard release), and their subsequent movements and body condition were monitored using radio-telemetry and trapping.

Neck Loading In High Performance Combat Pilots During Aerial Combat Manoeuvres And Specific Neck Strengthening Exercises, Kevin J. Netto

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background: Neck pain and injury is a common occurrence in high performance combat pilots (HPCP) around the world. The cause of this has been attributed to exposure to the unavoidable high mechanical loading related to the neck being positioned in non-neutral head postures whilst being exposed to moderate to high +Gz levels. Specific neck conditioning exercises have been proposed as being a possible method to decrease the incidence of neck pain and injury in this population. However, there has been sparsely published research examining the suitability of selected exercises for HPCP who participate in regular aerial combat manoeuvres (ACM).

Critical Literacy In A Global Context: Reading Harry Potter, Jill Reading

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Millions of adolescents across the globe eagerly await and read each new Harry Potter fictional novel. As a series, the novels can be assumed to participate influentially in the production of adolescent literacies and subjectivities. Situated in politically conservative times, however, the texts may support readings in simple accord with culturally pervasive conservative views which favour conventionally masculinist, martial views of the individual and of society. Such readings potentially confirm ancient prejudices built out of differences which themselves may be associated with the socio-cultural reproduction of violent conflicts. Nevertheless, contemporary conditions such as planetary climate change and globalised political fear …

A Bell In The Storm: Persistent Unexplained Pain And The Language Of The Uncanny In The Creative Neurophenomenal Reference, David A. Buchanan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A Bell in the Storm - Persistent unexplained pain and the language of the uncanny in the creative neurophenomenal reference is a doctoral work comprised of three parts. Part 1 is an exegesis Persistent unexplained pain and the language of the uncanny in the creative neurophenomenal reference; Part 2 is The Plays, A Bell in the Storm (produced by deckchair theatre in May, 2005) and the radio play To Fall Without Landing (produced by the Australian Broadcasting Commission for Radio National in October 2005); and, Part 3 the book of monochord poems, Secrets of the Driftwood.

Business Adaptation Strategies Used By Small And Medium Retailers In An Increasingly Competitve Environment: A Study Of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, Kittima Cheungsuvadee

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis presents a study of business adaptation strategies employed by small and medium retailers in order to be sustainable in a climate of rapid and significant environmental change in regional Thailand. The study was carried out in Ubon Ratchathani, a large regional city in North Eastern Thailand which shares many of the difficulties encountered by regional businesses in regional Thailand. Changes over the last ten years have been considered in this work and recent strategies adopted by the small and medium retailers have been investigated. Using extensive input from a study group which represented approximately 10% of all small …

The Role Of Metacognitive Strategies In Promoting Learning English As A Foreign Language Independently, Chayada Danuwong

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

One of the challenges facing universities in Thailand is that of equipping graduates with the capacity for independent analytical thinking and learning which will enable them to operate in a global context while also contributing constructively to the changing needs of the local scene. The ability to think analytically and to learn independently calls for learners to be purposeful, strategic, and persistent in learning as well as to have more adaptive cognitive processes and the willingness to take charge of their learning. This is the role of metacognition in learning autonomy across domains. This thesis reports on research which has …

Movement Patterns And Habitat Usage Of Shark Bay Dugongs, David K. Holley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In order to define small and large scale spatial and temporal individual movement patterns of dugongs (Dugong dugon) within the Shark Bay World Heritage Property (SBWHP) a total of 19 dugongs were fitted with remote location recording and transmitting devices. Combined locations from all units totalled over 10,000 locations. This spatial and temporal data was used to define movement patterns of dugongs within Shark Bay as well as areas of high use deemed to be indicative of foraging activity. Platform Transmitting Terminals (PTT?s) using the ARGOS location collection system tracked animals over large temporal scales with 4 animals tracked up …

A Learning Community Approach To Schooling: Two Australian Case Studies, Anne Klaassen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research project investigates the implementation of a learning community approach in two rural Australian communities with a particular focus on the initiatives of a primary school in each community. Case study research describes and analyses the developments in each community and a cross case analysis examines similarities and differences in approach and outcomes.

An Investigation Of The Effect Of Exercised Arm, Training Status, And Racial Background On Changes In Markers Of Muscle Damage Following Maximal Eccentric Exercise Of The Elbow Flexors, Michael J. Newton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Despite the substantial body of research accumulated on exercise-induced muscle damage, there remain several areas that warrant further investigation. Study groups comprised of individuals from differing racial background and /or training status have the potential to influence the intra-group variability in damage markers following eccentric exercise. In addition, if a contralateral arm model is employed, intra- and inter-group variation could be influenced by the formation of groups based on limb dominance and /or the order in which the arms are exercised. Currently there is a dearth of research addressing these factors, however, these types of studies are important as they …

A Reappraisal Of Wesleyan Methodist Mission In The First Half Of The Nineteenth Century, As Viewed Through The Ministry Of The Rev John Smithies (1802-1872), Richard B. Roy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The dissertation reappraises Wesleyan Methodist (WM) mission in the first half of the nineteenth century on the basis of its mission statement (`to reform the nation, particularly the Church; and to spread scriptural holiness over the land' ) and a primary WM characteristic, religious experience. The mission statement shapes the outline for the first main section of the dissertation (3.0) utilising the three divisions of the statement only in reverse order, specifically, (1) the spread of scriptural holiness, (2) reform of the church and (3) reform of the land (nation). The second main section (4.0) examines religious experience in the …

Controlling And Constraining The Participation Of The Hepatitis C-Affected Community In Australia: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The First National Hepatitis C Strategy And Selected News Media Texts, Judith D. Pugh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The construction of texts that place hepatitis C-positive persons at social risk (Candlin, 1989, p. ix), informs this study of the ways in which public health policy makers and journalists in Australia communicate about hepatitis C. The institutions of public health and the news media form part of the cultural context within which persons construct their illness narratives. The privileged perspectives and framing of public health policy and news media discourses; the discursive practices associated with the institutions of public health and the media around hepatitis C and hepatitis C-positive persons, the “objects” of knowledge (Foucault, 1969/2002, p. 81); and …

An Investigation Into A Community Information Database System In The Northeast Of Thailand: Community Empowerment Through Community Learning Centres, Chumnong Wongchachom

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Following the economic downturn in the late 1990s the Government of Thailand restructured the economy resulting in rapid economic recovery. The society now needs developments to project it into the Information Age. This study is but one creative response to this need. To initiate the study, an extensively validated Questionnaire was implemented with a snowball sample comprising 500 representative, non-randomised respondents from the four provinces of the Inpeng Community Network (ICN). The purpose of the Questionnaire was to ascertain levels of information needs and local knowledge, and to identify ten local experts from ICN for subsequent In-depth Interviews. Data obtained …

Using Cognitive Mapping Techniques To Supplement Uml And Up In Information Requirements Determination, Keng Siau, Tan Xin

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Information requirements determination is a critical task in system development projects. Many human issues may hinder the efforts to accurately capture and clearly understand users' information requirements. In this paper, we review the cognitive underpinnings of some human issues, which are discussed in existing literature and relevant to information requirements determination. We then propose the use of cognitive mapping techniques in the process of information requirements determination. Three widely used cognitive mapping techniques - causal mapping, semantic mapping, and concept mapping – are briefly introduced in this article. A case is used to illustrate how to use these cognitive mapping …

E-Healthcare In Abc County Health Department (Abcchd): Trade-Offs Analysis And Evaluation, Keng Siau, Hwee-Joo Kam

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The issue of privacy stirred a tumultuous uproar when the ABC County Health Department (ABCCHD) was planning for an e-Healthcare system that utilized information technology to streamline the administration process of patients. ABCCHD had hired a software vendor, Info-Health, a company that specialized in information system development for the healthcare industry to help in the project. The privacy of patients with Sexually Transmitted Diseases/Human Immunity System was a thorny issue in the implementation of the e-Healthcare system. A trade-off between privacy and cost was discussed and debated. Three alternatives, with varying degrees of privacy and cost, were considered.

A Survey On Networking Games In Telecommunications, E. Altman, T. Boulogne, R. El-Azouzi, T. Jiménez, Laura Wynter

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this survey, we summarize different modeling and solution concepts of networking games, as well as a number of different applications in telecommunications that make use of or can make use of networking games. We identify some of the mathematical challenges and methodologies that are involved in these problems. We include here work that has relevance to networking games in telecommunications from other areas, in particular from transportation planning.

Advances In Data Modeling Research, G. Allen, A. Bajaj, V. Khatri, S. Ram, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we summarize the discussions of the panel on "Advances in Data Modeling Research," held at the Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) in 2005. We focus on four primary areas where data modeling research offers rich opportunities: spatio-temporal semantics, genome research, ontological analysis and empirical evaluation of existing models. We highlight past work in each area and also discuss open questions, with a view to promoting future research in the overall data modeling area.

Grid-Partition Index: A Hybrid Approach To Nearest-Neighbor Queries In Wireless Location-Based Services, Baihua Zheng, Jianliang Xu, Wang-Chien Lee, Dik Lun Lee

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Traditional nearest-neighbor (NN) search is based on two basic indexing approaches: object-based indexing and solution-based indexing. The former is constructed based on the locations of data objects: using some distance heuristics on object locations. The latter is built on a precomputed solution space. Thus, NN queries can be reduced to and processed as simple point queries in this solution space. Both approaches exhibit some disadvantages, especially when employed for wireless data broadcast in mobile computing environments. In this paper, we introduce a new index method, called the grid-partition index, to support NN search in both ondemand access and periodic broadcast …

In-Network Join Processing For Sensor Networks, Hai Yu, Ee Peng Lim, Jun Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Recent advances in hardware and wireless technologies have led to sensor networks consisting of large number of sensors capable of gathering and processing data collectively. Query processing on these sensor networks has to consider various inherent constraints. While simple queries such as select and aggregate queries in wireless sensor networks have been addressed in the literature, the processing of join queries in sensor networks remains to be investigated. In this paper, we present a synopsis join strategy for evaluating join queries in sensor networks with communication efficiency. In this strategy, instead of directly joining two relations distributed in a sensor …