Digital Commons Network^™

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Positive Psychological Functioning And Depression, John Forbes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

With unipolar depression one of the most disabling illnesses in the world, it is important to appropriately conceptualise this disorder in order to inform research, diagnosis, and treatment. While many psychological theories of depression include constructs of polarity, most research and diagnostic criteria have focused on a single dimension that concentrates on the presence of negative symptomatology. This is reflective of an illness model of mental health that predominantly considers the presence of negative symptoms in terms of mood, cognitions, behaviours, and overall functioning. Nevertheless, there is strong research evidence indicating that positive and negative aspects of psychological functioning are …

New Perspectives On Melanoma: The Role Of Pax3, Sandra Medic

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background: Cutaneous melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer, arising in cutaneous melanocytes. The transcription factor PAX3 is critical for the proper development of neural crest lineages including melanocytes. Melanocytic cells show continued PAX3 expression from melanoblast formation in the neural crest to their differentiation into melanocytes. While many studies clarify the importance of PAX3 in embryonic development of melanocytes, less well understood, and more perplexing, is the continued PAX3 expression in adult skin melanocytes. By contrast PAX3 is frequently found in melanomas and naevi, and its expression correlates with melanoma staging. In this study we explore the multiple …

Creating Persuasive Messages To Promote Abstinence From Alcohol During Pregnancy, Kathryn France

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

While the rates of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder within Australia are unknown, the rates of alcohol use during pregnancy and at-risk alcohol use by women of childbearing age highlight the need for universal prevention strategies addressing prenatal alcohol exposure. Though many awareness-raising campaigns for alcohol use during pregnancy have been conducted, predominantly in North America, they have rarely been developed using formative research nor have they been comprehensively evaluated (Saskatchewan Prevention Institute, 2009; Elliott et al., 2008). This lack of published information on the development and evaluation of campaigns makes it difficult to determine what communication elements are most credible …

Taxonomy And Ecology Of The Western Australian Soldier Crab, Mictyris Occidentalis (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Mictyridae), Joyleen Florence Unno

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The taxonomy and autoecology of the Western Australian soldier crab, Mictyris occidentalis Unno, 2008 is presented including a new species description, a comprehensive ichnology, sampling methods, an extensive habitat description and a decadal population dynamics study. Such a wide ranging, holistic study has not been carried out for any mictyrid specious previously. In detail, a taxonomy component compares M. occidentalis with congeners, clearly establishing it as a separate species from M. longicarpus to which it was previously referred, and the issues affecting taxonomic classification in the Mictyris genus in general are discussed. A species identification key is provided for the …

"More Than Three "Rs" In The Classroom" : A Case Study In Aboriginal Tertiary Business Education, Keith Truscott

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This was an investigation of factors that assisted Australian Aboriginal students complete or incomplete a business course at a University in Perth between 2000 and 2010. The concept of resilience and related factors of inclusion and exclusion from the participants’ past were assumed clues by the researcher. The investigation involved four inquiries. First, the researcher reviewed recent statistics of Aboriginal population, education and employment. A short history of Aboriginal education in Western Australian was also made. Both reviews indicated Aboriginal people endured relative exclusion and a lower status than the mainstream population in areas of education and employment.

Second, the …

Re-Presenting Gender Fluid Identity In A Contemporary Arts Practice, Matthew Jackson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This dissertation addresses the paucity of representation of gender fluid identity within contemporary imagery. An examination of historical and socio-political structures inherent in modern Western society serves as a foundational position for a broader exploration of differently gendered communities globally. The case is made for contemporary art to be encouraged as a tool for the emancipation of subjugated gender fluid identities. Examples of contemporary gender fluid visual art and artists are presented to illustrate the ability of art to enable agency within the broader gender fluid community. Finally, a commentary on my own artwork is presented and discussed in relation …

An Investigation Into The Feasibility Of Using Digital Representations Of Students’ Work For Authentic And Reliable Performance Assessment In Applied Information Technology, David G. Miller

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The assessment of student performance in areas such as drama, physical education, art and Information Technology (IT), does not lend itself to traditional, paper-based testing methods. In these domains, much emphasis is placed on the acquisition and demonstration of practical skills and these may be difficult, if not impossible, to measure by scores on theoretical, written assessments. Alternative forms of assessment, which are both valid and reliable, need to be devised for the practical aspects of these subject areas. The capture, in digital form, of students’ work, may allow the development of authentic forms of summative, high-stakes assessment with high …

Parental And Carer Responses To Angelman Syndrome And Prader-Willi Syndrome, Allyson K. Thomson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The research project undertaken as part of this thesis was designed to assess family stress levels and the use of coping strategies among the carers of people with an intellectual disability caused by Angelman syndrome (AS) or Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Both syndromes are genomic imprinting disorders that arise from disruptions in genes located within human chromosome 15q11-q13. Although the disease phenotypes are quite distinct, the genetic mechanisms involved are common to both syndromes but involve paternally-derived mutations in PWS as opposed to maternal mutations in AS. Previous investigations in Western Australia (WA) indicated that people with AS and PWS experience …

Toward A Better Understanding Of Motivations For A Geotourism Experience: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective, Mamoon Allan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Motivation theories and studies play a vital role in understanding why tourists travel and the kind of activities they engage in whilst away from home. By reviewing the literature, it is apparent that previous tourism studies pay scant attention to the issue of why people travel to geosites and this important issue is still an undeveloped area of study. Therefore, investigating the motivations of tourists undertaking a geotourism (geology and tourism) experience reflects an urgent need to bridge the gap in the geotourism literature. The purpose of this study is to explore the different motivations behind tourists engaging in a …

The Dialectics Of Textile Hand Production : In Search Of Poetic Content : An Enquiry Into The Position Of The Traditional Textile Crafts, Jane Donlin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis frames the significance of traditional textile hand production as a means of furthering the concept of aesthetic socio-cultural development. It approaches the traditional textile crafts in relation to the proposition that contemporary society is post-traditional and has broken away from nature. By examining the concept of tradition and the processes by which society transforms from the pre-modern context into the late modern, the changing nature of the crafts is explained. The research also examines wider social losses, gains and unforeseen consequences that occur in the continuous process of social transformation. My art praxis is contextualised within the framework …

Philosophy For Teenagers: Finding New Relevence In Old Concepts, Andrea Monteath

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In 2008, the Curriculum Council of Western Australia launched a formal curriculum of philosophy and ethics education for upper secondary students. This thesis is a writing project that provides a new teaching text in support of this course. The thesis is composed of two components, a creative project and an essay. The creative project is a work of non-fiction entitled, Philosophy for Teenagers: Finding New Relevance in Old Concepts, and has been researched and designed employing the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) Philosophy and Ethics course model. Philosophy for Teenagers aims to provide an innovative introduction to concepts such …

Shall We Play A Game?, Craig Caulfield

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In response to real and perceived short-comings in the quality and productivity of software engineering practices and projects, professionally-endorsed graduate and post-graduate curriculum guides have been developed to meet evolving technical developments and industry demands. Each of these curriculum guidelines identifies better software engineering management skills and soft, peopleware skills as critical for all graduating students, but they provide little guidance on how to achieve this. One possible way is to use a serious game — a game designed to educate players about some of the dynamic complexities of the field in a safe and inexpensive environment. This thesis presents …

Community Based Tourism In Cambodia : Exploring The Role Of Community For Successful Implementation In Least Developed Countries, Sotear Ellis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Sustainable tourism has been identified as a potential tool for development in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Specifically, at the community level, Community Based Tourism (CBT) has emerged as an effective model to promote the development of sustainable tourism which produces meaningful benefits for all sectors of the community while protecting the longevity of the tourist product, and encouraging environmental and cultural conservation. The practical implementation of sustainable tourism in LDCs via CBT models faces many challenges. The source of these challenges is the complex stakeholder environment in which the theoretical and practical elements of CBT exist. Stakeholders have influenced the …

The Relationship Between Residential Satisfaction, Sense Of Community, Sense Of Belonging And Sense Of Place In A Western Australian Urban Planned Community, Kylie M. Smith

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Residential satisfaction is important as it contributes to a person‟s psychological wellbeing and quality of life. Residential satisfaction develops due to physical factors such as the provision of parks and amenities within a community, social factors such as a feeling of belongingness to the community and social support within the community and personal factors such as homeownership and length of residence. Sense of community, sense of belonging and sense of place also influence residential satisfaction; however, the extent that these contribute is unclear. As a result, this study investigated the contribution of these constructs to the development of residential satisfaction …

An Investigation Into Internetworking Education, Woratat Makasiranondh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Computer network technology and the Internet grew rapidly in recent years. Their growth created a large demand from industry for the development of IT and internetworking professionals. These professionals need to be equipped with both technical hands-on skills and non-technical or soft skills. In order to supply new professionals to the industry, educational institutions need to address these skills training in their curricula. Technical hands-on skills in internetworking education can be emphasised through the practical use of equipment in classrooms. The provision of the networking equipment to the internetworking students is a challenge. Particularly, university students in developing countries may …

From Essay To Resumé : A Study Of Writing Genre And Discursive Positioning In Senior School English, Jennifer Shand

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In 2004, the Western Australian government signalled its intention to increase the school leaving age from 15 to 17 by 2008 (Carpenter, 2004). During the period from 2004 to 2006, increasing numbers of young Western Australians completed twelve years of secondary school. For English faculties in Western Australian schools, this resulted in a notably diverse cohort of students undertaking compulsory English studies in their final two years of school. The central aim of this thesis was to examine what it means to be a writer in senior school English. In doing so, the thesis investigated the construction of student writing …

Development Of A Long Range Wireless Sensor Platform, Daryoush Bayat

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Wireless Sensor Networks have emerged as an exciting field in recent years. There have been numerous studies on how to improve and standardise different aspects of wireless sensor networks. This paper aims to develop a wireless sensor network suitable for environmental monitoring applications. More specifically this paper aims to address the limited communication range of the existing wireless sensor technology. In order to achieve the desired objectives, we have initially developed a hardware platform and then integrated the hardware with a long range RF radio module to achieve the goals. The system is further enhanced with mesh networking capabilities to …

They Reckon I Need A Dramaturg : Examining The Value Of A Dramaturg To Both The Playwright And The Professional Theatre Company In Australia, Polly Low

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis examines aspects of dramaturgy delivered by a dramaturg, and the practical contributions of dramaturgs to both the writer and the theatre industry in Australia. It investigates elements of the working relationship between dramaturgs and playwrights, looks at the chameleon-like nature of the theatre dramaturg and examines how Australian writers, directors and dramaturgs perceive the role/s of the dramaturg. The thesis is partly a reflective investigation of personal practice, partly an historical investigation of the emergence of Australian ideas about dramaturgy, and partly an active investigation into what can help to make a constructive playwright/dramaturg relationship. A major aim …