This thesis features a full transcript of NLS Advocates MS. 35.4.4, The "Chronicle of Perth". The manuscript volume was edited and published by James Maidment in 1831 for the Maitland Club of Glasgow; however, Maidment's edition represents only a partial transcription of the original volume, and the editor provided few textual notes. I have written a substantial commentary to accompany the text; my work on the "Chronicle" is intended to improve upon and replace Maidment's edition. The manuscript volume was probably compiled between c. 1590 and c. 1668, and incorporates a variety of subject matter: copies of official correspondence, a register of deaths and, chiefly, a register of historical events of local and national significance in the 16th and 17th centuries. Editorial work in this thesis includes detailed analysis of the structure and provenance of the manuscript, a study of the veracity of the historical notices, and an assessment of its place in the local literary context. The "Chronicle" is an anonymous work; but suggestions concerning the identity of its authors have been made following handwriting analysis and a comparative study of the manuscript with other documents in the Perth Burgh Records. The "Chronicle" can be dated through internal evidence, and also by study of the manuscript paper. Numerous archaeological excavations have been carried out in Perth during recent years. The results of this work have substantially augmented the historical record of life in the medieval and early modern burgh, and archaeological evidence is certainly of considerable importance to historians of Perth. This thesis seeks to assess the value of historical records for archaeologists working in the burgh. This is essentially a theoretical exercise, but it should also have practical consequences for archaeological research in Perth. It is the contention of my approach that historical sources can be used in advance of archaeological investigation to pose archaeological questions, to provide guidelines for research, and indeed to provide archaeological information. In this thesis I have sought to demonstrate that the "Chronicle of Perth" contains useful archaeological material in its own right, and that the manuscript indicates areas in which archaeological study may develop our understanding of the 17th century environment, in both town and country. The archaeological themes which emerge from the text of the "Chronicle" are developed by reference to manuscripts in the Perth Burgh Records and existing archaeological information. This thesis examines the climatic history of the Perth region in the early modem period - with particular reference to damage caused by floods, harvest failures, and the spread of infectious diseases - and the built environment of the burgh. Attention is paid to major public buildings of the town, such as the tolbooth and St. John's Kirk, and to significant structures beyond the town walls such as Lowswork and the Brig of Earn. A pervasive theme of this research is an assessment of the burgh's complicated relationship with its rural hinterland. Features of this study include the structure of the market economy in 17th century Perthshire, and the influence of large estates within the landscape. The economy of the burgh of Perth was relatively weak in the 17th century, and the "Chronicle" directs particular attention to the disruption which was caused by the Covenanting crisis of the 1640s and Cromwellian occupation of the 1650s; this thesis considers the effects of those years upon Perth's economy. The thesis is intended to form a substantial reference source for historians and archaeologists working in Perth. At both theoretical and practical levels, this study considers the value of documentary sources for archaeological research. The "Chronicle of Perth" can be used as an introduction to the quality of life which was experienced within and without Perth in the early modern period; archaeological themes which can be extracted from the text of the "Chronicle" can be developed using the Perth Burgh Records to build up a portrait of the state of the built environment in town and country. An important consequence of this research has been to demonstrate the close association which exists between historical and archaeological information.

Landau (Pfalz), Univ., Diss--Koblenz, 2005.

No description available.

[Truncated abstract] Perth is the capital city of Western Australia (WA) and the home of more than three quarters of the population in the state. It is located in the southwest WA (SWWA), a low to moderate seismic region but the seismically most active region in Australia. The 1968 ML6.9 Meckering earthquake, which was about 130 km from the Perth Metropolitan Area (PMA), caused only minor to moderate damage in PMA. With the rapid increase in population in PMA, compared to 1968, many new structures including some high-rise buildings have been constructed in PMA. Moreover, increased seismic activities and a few strong ground motions have been recorded in the SWWA. Therefore it is necessary to evaluate the seismic risk of PMA under the current conditions. This thesis presents results from a comprehensive study of seismic risk of PMA. This includes development of ground motion attenuation relations, ground motion time history simulation, site characterization and response analysis, and structural response analysis. As only a very limited number of earthquake strong ground motion records are available in SWWA, it is difficult to derive a reliable and unbiased strong ground motion attenuation model based on these data. To overcome this, in this study a combined approach is used to simulate ground motions. First, the stochastic approach is used to simulate ground motion time histories at various epicentral distances from small earthquake events. Then, the Green's function method, with the stochastically simulated time histories as input, is used to generate large event ground motion time histories. Comparing the Fourier spectra of the simulated motions with the recorded motions of a ML6.2 event in Cadoux in June 1979 and a ML5.5 event in Meckering in January 1990, provides good evidence in support of this method. This approach is then used to simulate a series of ground motion time histories from earthquakes of varying magnitudes and distances. ... The responses of three typical Perth structures, namely a masonry house, a middle-rise reinforced concrete frame structure, and a high-rise building of reinforced concrete frame with core wall on various soil sites subjected to the predicted earthquake ground motions of different return periods are calculated. Numerical results indicate that the one-storey unreinforced masonry wall (UMW) building is unlikely to be damaged when subjected to the 475-year return period earthquake ground motion. However, it will suffer slight damage during the 2475-return period earthquake ground motion at some sites. The six-storey RC frame with masonry infill wall is also safe under the 475-year return period ground motion. However, the infill masonry wall will suffer severe damage under the 2475-year return period earthquake ground motion at some sites. The 34-storey RC frame with core wall will not experience any damage to the 475-year return period ground motion. The building will, however, suffer light to moderate damage during the 2475-year return period ground motion, but it might not be life threatening.

Thesis submitted to the Division of Science and Engineering. Bibliography: leaves 307-322.

The aim of this research is to talk to a sample of exhibitionists who are currently under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) in Perth, Western Australia in order to ascertain whether current treatment approaches used within the MOJ are the most effective and appropriate for this group of sex offenders. It was considered that the most effective research method would be a qualitative approach in order to gain insight into the offender's understanding of their offending behaviour and to attempt to identify their areas of treatment need. Through personal observations in working with exhibitionists and supported by the literature, an interview schedule was developed to combine a detailed social history with questions on communication, childhood issues, father issues and stress. Twenty voluntary participants were interviewed, having been accessed through the correctional community and prison environments. The objectives were (1) To identify any categories of exhibitionists and therefore better utilise treatment resources, (2) To identify the role of stress and communication deficits in offending behaviour of exhibitionists, (3) To determine whether exhibitionists would be more effectively treated within their own discrete population or with other types of sex offenders and (4) To identify a more appropriate treatment model. Another area of interest which was not specifically focussed on was whether findings would emerge which could predict which exhibitionists would progress to more serious sexual offending.The study found 3 categories of exhibitionist (1) Adolescent Onset Career Exhibitionists, (2) Adult Onset Career Exhibitionists and (3) Situational Response Exhibitionists. Whilst the first 2 categories contained participants whose offending was entrenched once commenced, either in early adolescence or adulthood, the latter group appeared to offend as a ++ / specific response to a life crisis. Further, findings indicated that there were 3 levels of communication deficits ranging from poor communication (65% of participants) to an inability to express negatively perceived emotions such as sadness or fear. All but one participant experienced high levels of stress and had difficulty coping with their symptoms. Again, all but one participant expressed unsatisfactory relationships with their fathers ranging from abandonment to emotional distance and 50% of the participants experienced physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse.A model of treatment was recommended which allowed for increased flexibility, allowing resources to be focussed on those offenders with the highest need. Further recommendations included increased liaison with the courts and Community Corrections in order to facilitate a more integrated approach to the client. It was also considered that exhibitionists should continue working within groups which contained other types of sex offenders.

This research was developed to investigate the potential environmental impacts of poor air quality in Perth. This involved improving existing vegetation maps (through satellite image analysis techniques) for biogenic or forest emissions as a precursor to smog in Perth. Further, to visualise potential environmental impacts associated with poor air quality, a four- dimensional (volumetric over time) animation was created which clearly shows the path and extent of smog in Perth throughout an entire day.Computer mapping of vegetation using Landsat TM data was performed to create an updated inventory of forest types in Perth as input into a photochemical smog model. By improving the inventory of forest cover, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in Perth can calculate up to date biogenic emission estimates for the photochemical smog model.Outputs from the DEP's photochemical smog model were integrated into a Geographical Information System (GIS) and subsequently visualised to show plume movement and potential environmental impact. Two datasets (nitrogen oxides and ozone) were provided to investigate the volumetric and dynamic temporal movement of photochemical smog in Perth on one day, March 16, 1994.Nitrogen oxide sources can range from industry and petroleum refining to motor vehicle exhaust emissions, and are a major precursor to photochemical smog (ozone) formation in Perth. Natural emission sources (forest or biogenic emissions) can also be an important contributing factor to the photochemical smog mix in Perth. Biogenic emissions are comprised of Reactive Organic Chemicals (ROC) or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) which act as a catalyst to aid the nitrogen oxide conversion to ozone.Three-dimensional and four-dimensional GIS techniques were used to highlight both plume movement and environmental impact. These two sets of visualisations have differing ++ / chemical levels (higher and lower, respectively) to show movement and interaction effectively. Visualisation of the chemicals allows for a greater understanding of the mostly invisible chemical movement over the course of a day and its potential impact to humans and vegetation.The spatial and temporal interaction of the plumes was investigated by creating a series of animations that can be viewed over the Internet. By using multimedia capabilities, these results can be easily distributed to a wide range of decision makers and people generally interested in smog in Perth.

[Truncated abstract] Mediterranean southwest Australia, a global biodiversity hotspot, has nutrient deficient soils, exacting climatic conditions and is species rich with 7380 native vascular plant species, of which 49% are endemic. The region is expected to experience one of the world's highest degrees of biodiversity loss and change in the coming decades, with introduced species presenting a major threat. Limited knowledge is available on the mechanisms of ecosystem change associated with invasion and fire in this biodiversity hotspot region. Banksia woodland, an iconic complex species-rich natural ecosystem is one of the major vegetation types of the coastal sandplain, extending from 15 to 90 km inland and 400 kms along the west coast. The following hypothesis was tested to explore the ecological impacts of invasion: Is invasion of Banksia woodland by the introduced species Ehrharta calycina and Pelargonium capitatum accompanied by an alteration in ecosystem properties and processes, whereby the degree of change is related to fire frequency and abundance of introduced species? Different vegetation conditions, i.e. Good Condition (GC), Medium Condition (MC), Poor Condition invaded by Ehrharta calycina (PCe) and Poor Condition invaded by Pelargonium capitatum (PCp) were utilized for field assessments. ... In the soil seed bank, species numbers and germinant density decreased significantly for native and seeder (fire sensitive) species between GC sites and invaded sites. Surprisingly 52% of germinants at GC sites were from introduced species, with much of the introduced soil seed bank being persistent. Native species were dominated by perennial shrubs, herbs and sedges, while introduced species were dominated by perennial and annual grasses and herbs. Invasion by introduced species, associated with frequency of fire, altered the ecosystem, thus disadvantaging native species and improving conditions for even greater invasion within the Banksia woodland. Significantly higher soil phosphorus P (total) and P (HCO3) were found at PCe and PCp sites compared to GC sites. Leaf nutrient concentrations of phosphorus were significantly higher, and potassium and copper significantly lower in PCe and PCp sites, with introduced species having significantly greater concentrations than native species (except Manganese). This study demonstrated the key role of phosphorus in the Banksia woodland, in contrast to other research which identified nitrogen as the major nutrient affected by invasion. Higher levels of soil and leaf phosphorus, loss of species diversity and function, changes in fire ecology and canopy cover and a limited native soil seed bank make restoration of a structural and functional Banksia woodland from the soil seed bank alone unlikely. Without management intervention, continuing future fire is likely to result in a transition of vegetation states from GC to MC and MC to PC. The knowledge gained from this study provides a better ecological understanding of the invasive process. This enhanced understanding will enable the development of adaptive management strategies to improve conservation practices within a biodiversity hotspot and reduce the impact of the key threatening process of invasion.

Following World War Two, land use and transport policy and practice in most major Australian cities was modelled on the US experience. As such, these cities have become characterised by urban sprawl (indicated by segregated zoning and low development densities) and car dependence. In Perth, Western Australia, these characteristics are particularly evident despite, or perhaps because, the city has a strong regional planning system unlike most American cities. Car dependence and sprawl are in turn linked to dependence on fossil fuels for transport energy. Increasingly, too, links are being found between conventional planning outcomes and public health. For example, research has linked car dependence with a variety of health conditions including respiratory illness, overweight and obesity. Moreover, research is increasingly linking sprawl and car dependence with social justice issues because people on limited income and with decreased mobility struggle to undertake their life’s work. In response to these concerns the Western Australian planning system introduced Liveable Neighbourhoods, a new design code, which was meant to reduce car dependence and sprawl. This code has its roots in New Urbanism and appears to have been taken up more rapidly in Perth than elsewhere. No large-scale evaluation of New Urbanism has previously been conducted anywhere. This thesis reports on an extensive literature review, travel survey (n=211), perceptual study (n=992) and environmental study, which together sought to evaluate whether the Liveable Neighbourhoods (LN) design code is contributing to a sustainable transport agenda. In total, 46 neighbourhoods (11 LNs and 35 CNs) were compared. The research found that despite residents of Liveable Neighbourhoods driving less and walking more than residents of conventional neighbourhoods (CNs) (a switch of 9% with some associated health advantages), there was little else to indicate that LN is achieving its goals as transport VKT and fuel use was identical due to regional transport requirements diminishing any local walkability advantages. There was strong supportive evidence that LNs were not significantly different to CNs. For example, there were few differences in perception of opportunity for more sustainable travel and residents of CNs actually had better access, on average, to key destinations, including shops (i.e. the average distance to key destinations was 2.2 kilometres compared with 2.5 kilometres in LNs). Also, residential lot densities were well below what were intended by LN and in both LNs and CNs the time for public transport to get people to work was over 90 minutes compared with around 30 minutes by car. The results reveal that there must be significant revisions to the LN code and how it is applied, because there is no evidence that new neighbourhoods are improving regional transport sustainability. In particular, residential densities and land use mix appear to be too low to encourage community self-sufficiency, indicated by few neighbourhoods being anchored by key destinations. These matters are not mandated in the LN guidelines making them powerless to bring significant change. More generally, the thesis questions the extent to which New Urbanism can promote a sustainable transport agenda wherever it is applied unless it mandates real changes in land use and transit not just local walkability.

Forensic Palynology has helped to solve crimes ranging from fraud to murder. Pollen is ubiquitous, almost indestructible and microscopic in size. It is often sticky and easily carried, undetected, from one place to another. As pollen is unique to a plant species, combinations of pollen types (pollen assemblages) present in soil or other samples can identify the type of environment, and often the exact location, from which a sample originated. Although Forensic Palynology has been used routinely in New Zealand for over 25 years, is commonly used in the United Kingdom and has been used in several cases in Australia in the past ten years, little research has been done in this field. In Australia, police require an initial broad palynological analysis of samples from a crime scene prior to approving a more detailed analysis. This project investigates palynological samples from two superficially similar environments that could potentially be a crime scene and alibi location, in order to determine if they can be broadly distinguished from each other. Two Perth metropolitan wetlands, Herdsman Lake and Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary, were chosen for study as potential sites for assaults and clandestine burials. Four sites within each wetland, with correspondingly similar vegetation communities, were sampled at surface level in different seasons. At three sites, 50 cm cores were taken and sampled at seven levels to simulate shallow grave profiles. Samples were prepared and analysed using standard palynological techniques. Surface and core (grave profile) pollen assemblages were compared site by site within each wetland, and with the corresponding site of the other wetland. The grave profile assemblages for each core were combined and averaged to represent mixed 'burial assemblages', and similarly compared across and within wetlands. Palynological analysis established that the surface soil samples were characteristic of wetland environments. The different vegetation sites in each wetland, and the corresponding vegetation site in the other wetland, were broadly palynologically distinct. The season in which samples were collected was difficult to determine. Grave profile assemblages generally differed from surface samples at each site, and broadly differed across and between the two wetlands, but the differences in the 'burial assemblages' were less marked. The findings of this study confirm that broad palynological analysis can differentiate between two wetlands at surface level and downhole, and that samples at different depths in a grave should be separately analysed. Collection of control samples from similar and possible alibi environments is essential. Caution should be taken when palynologically interpreting the season in which a crime was committed.