The formation of an objectionable "swampy" odour in drinking water distribution systems in Perth, Western Australia, was first described by Wajon and co-authors in the mid-1980s (Wajon et al., 1985; Wajon et al., 1986; Wajon et al, 1988). These authors established that the odour, variously described as "swampy", "sewage" or "cooked vegetable" was caused by dimethyltrisulfide (DMTS) which has an odour threshold concentration of 10 nanograms per litre (ng/L). Investigations described in the present Thesis extend the work of Wajon and co-workers in attempting to establish the origin and cause of DMTS formation in Perth drinking water distribution systems.The DMTS problem appeared to be confined to water originating from a particular type of groundwater, specifically groundwater sourced from shallow, unconfined aquifers, which contain relatively high concentrations of sulfide, dissolved natural organic matter (NOM) and dissolved iron. DMTS was not present in the groundwater, but only formed in the distribution system, after treatment of groundwater via alum coagulation-filtration and oxidation processes. One objective of the present work was to determine the reasons for the observed association between DMTS formation and this specific groundwater type. A primary focus was to investigate the chemistry and biochemistry of sulfur species and NOM which might act as precursors to DMTS. The work was driven by the view that increased understanding of the problem might lead to more effective and acceptable treatment solutions than those presently in use.The observation that DMTS forms in distributed water that originates from groundwater, but not in water from surface sources has led to the hypothesis that groundwater NOM may contain precursor(s) to DMTS For example, it was proposed that methyl esters and ethers within humic substances might be a source of methyl groups that ++ / could participate in DMTS formation in distributed water (Wajon and Heitz, 1995; Wajon and Wilmot, 1992). Further, comparison of levels of reduced sulfur with levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in groundwaters feeding Wanneroo GWTP revealed that a positive correlation between these two parameters existed. This observation provided further impetus to examine the nature of NOM in these groundwater systems. In the present study (discussed in Chapter 3), NOM from two Perth drinking water sources was isolated and characterised, with the aim of identifying major differences in structure and/or functional groups that might influence DMTS formation. NOM was isolated from water samples using ultrafiltration, and characterised using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and offline- thermochemolysis/methylation (TCM). Pyrolysis of groundwater NOM yielded a high proportion of organosulfur compounds, primarily methyl thiophenes and sulfur gases, but did not yield detectable amounts of methoxy-aromatic compounds. Analysis by TCM yielded sulfur compounds tentatively identified as the methyl esters of methylthiopropanoate and methylthiobutanoate, compounds that may arise as degradation products of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), an algal odmoregulator Compounds such as DMPS could potentially undergo reactions to form DMTS in distributed water.The task of investigating the formation of nanogram-per-litre concentrations of DMTS demanded the development of new analytical procedures that could be used to determine similarly low concentrations of DMTS precursors. Evidence existed to suggest that inorganic polysulfides could be plausible precursor compounds, and since no technique existed to analyse and quantify individual polysulfide homologues a new technique needed to be developed and verified. The technique, first used in a semiquantitative manner by ++ / Wajon and Heitz (1995), utilizes methyl iodide to derivatise polysulfides in-situ. The technique was developed further and shown to be quantitative and specific for inorganic polysulfides. Further, a new procedure for the determination of d i methyl polysulfides (DMPSs; CH3SnCH3, where n = 2-5), based on purge and trap was developed. In this new procedure analytes were trapped on a "Grob" activated charcoal tube, which was integrated into a commercially available, automated purge and trap instrument. Perdeuterated analogues of the DMPS analytes were synthesized and used as internal standards. These modifications resulted in a more rapid and robust procedure than the previously used procedures, vii which were based on closed loop stripping analysis (CLSA). Validation of the precision, accuracy, linearity and robustness of the new procedures for both inorganic polysulfides and dimethylpolysulfides is described in Chapter 4.Previous authors (Wajon and Heitz, 1995; Wajon and Wilmot, 1992; Wilmot and Wajon, 1997) hypothesized that DMTS could arise in the distribution system from residual polysulfides or other reduced sulfur compounds originating from groundwater. The latter authors showed that a small proportion of sulfide in the groundwater was not completely oxidised to sulfate during the water treatment process and proposed that this residual reduced sulfur fraction, which they referred to as non-sulfide reduced sulfur (NSRS) could contain precursors to DMTS. In a review of the chemistry of sulfide oxidation (Chapter 2) it was shown that the most likely forms of sulfur comprising the NSRS that enters the Wanneroo distribution system are organosulfur compounds and elemental sulfur, probably associated with organic matter in the form of a sulfur sol.Analysis of inorganic polysulfides in treated water, using the newly described method in Chapter 4, revealed that small ++ / amounts of these compounds (20-80 ng/L) were occasionally present in some samples. However, it was concluded that, since inorganic polysulfides could not survive water treatment processes, these compounds probably arose from traces of biofilm or pipe sediment that may have entered the water during sampling. It was proposed that the presence of biofilm particulates in water samples probably also accounted for observations that DMTS appeared to form in some water samples during storage of the sample. These studies are discussed in Chapter 5.The primary method of control of DMTS formation in the distribution system has been to maintain free chlorine residuals. However, the mechanisms by which this occurs have not been studied; the effectiveness of DMTS oxidation by chlorine, or how chlorine affects microbial processes that might form DMTS is not known. These issues are addressed in the final section of Chapter 5. Experiments to determine the effectiveness of oxidation of dimethyldisulfide (DMDS) and DIVITS (5 mu g/L) by free chlorine (0.2 to 0.6 mg/L) in distributed water showed that these substances are rapidly and completely oxidised in water containing a chlorine residual of more than 0.4 mg/L. However, slow regeneration of traces of DMDS and DIVITS after dissipation of free chlorine to non-detectable levels showed that these compounds were incompletely oxidised at the lower chlorine concentrations~ This provides some rationale for field observations that DIVITS occurs even where low, but measurable, chlorine residuals appear to exist (<0.2 mg/L).As was established in a review of the chemistry of reduced sulfur compounds Chapter 2), reducing conditions not present in the oxic bulk water are required for DMTS to form and to persist. It was therefore proposed that microbial reduction processes could generate anoxic microniches in the distribution system, within which ++ / DMTS production could occur. This hypothesis was investigated in Chapter 6; the new methods for analysis of organic and inorganic polysulfides were applied to the study of biofilms and deposits of colloidal material found in distribution pipes and storage reservoirs. The study demonstrated that these materials contained concentrations of methylated and inorganic polysulfides four to six orders of magnitude higher than those ever found in the bulk water phase. The results indicated that reducing conditions most probably exist within the biofilms and pipewall deposits, where these polysulfides were formed. The iron-rich pipe slimes appeared to protect the sulfur compounds against the oxidative effects of chlorine and dissolved oxygen. It was concluded that the organic and inorganic polysulfides most probably arise through microbial sulfate reduction processes that occur in anoxic microenvironments within the slimes and deposits.Microbial processes that lead to the formation of polysulfides and dimethylpolysuifides under conditions approximately representative of those in distribution systems were investigated in work described in Chapter 7. The aim of this work was to investigate the role of biofilms in the formation of DMTS and to determine the nature of chemical precursors which might stimulate these processes. Biofilms, artificially generated on synthetic supports within chambers filled with water from Wanneroo GWTP, were exposed to compounds thought to be potential DMTS precursors. The response of the systems in terms of production of methylated sulfur compounds was monitored. Conclusions of the study were that, under the test conditions, production of DMDS and DMTS could occur via several mechanisms and that these dimethyloligosulfides could be formed even without the addition of compounds containing sulfur or methyl moieties. DMTS did not form in the absence of ++ / biofilms and it was therefore concluded that minimisation of biofilm activity was a key in preventing DMTS formation. Outcomes of the work imply that environments within distribution systems are complex and dynamic, as perhaps manifested by the intermittent nature of the DMTS problem.Finally, in Chapter 8 the conclusions to the present studies are summarised. It is shown how they underpin the rationale for proposed new treatment solutions aimed at preventing DMTS problems in the Wanneroo zone, primarily by minimising microbial activity and biofilm formation within distribution systems.

No abstract was provided. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

[Truncated abstract] Background : Triage systems have evolved from battlefield casualty prioritisation tools to integral components of civilian emergency care systems over the last 50 years. There is significant variation in prehospital triage practices in Australia and little research has been undertaken to validate the triage systems used. There is considerable evidence to support the use of the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) for triage in the emergency department setting and the ATS is used ubiquitously for emergency department triage in Australasia ... Conclusions : The findings of this thesis support integrating prehospital ATS allocations with emergency department triage processes. It is concluded that Paramedics apply the ATS similarly to nurses ... Allocations to ATS 1, 2 and 3 and most ATS 4 allocations by paramedics are valid when compared to nurse ATS allocations. Australasian Triage Scale category 5 is used inappropriately by paramedics and should be used rarely, if at all, by paramedics. The reliability of paramedic and nurse ATS allocations is sufficient to warrant a trial of the omission of retriage of ambulance presentations at Perth metropolitan emergency departments. However, early nursing assessment of a small proportion of ATS 3 patients may be required to ensure timely assessment for some mistriaged bone fide ATS 2 patients. Paramedic ATS allocations appear sufficiently reliable and valid to warrant a trial of their use as part of a two-tier trauma team activation system ... The implementation of standardised training between paramedics and nurses based on current Australasian College for Emergency Medicine guidelines is recommended. The implementation of paramedic triage audit, including comparison of paramedic ATS allocations with nurse ATS allocations may improve reliability between paramedics and nurses, and particularly the reliability of ATS 4 and ATS 5 allocations. Prehospital ATS allocations may prove useful in prehospital casemix analysis, the evaluation of prehospital service delivery and for prehospital research. Research opportunities include actual trials of the integration of prehospital use of ATS with emergency department triage and trauma system activation, and the evaluation of the ATS as a prehospital casemix and performance evaluation tool. Research into alternative triage tools to the ATS for use in the prehospital environment and into the impact of standardised triage training is also suggested.

Australia is a suburban nation. Today, with increasing concern regarding the sustainability of cities, an appreciation of the complexities of Australian suburbia is critical to the debate about urban futures. As a built environment and a cultural phenomenon, the Australian suburbs have inspired considerable scholarly literature. Yet to date, such scholarly work has largely overlooked the changing environmental values and visions of those shaping and residing within suburban landscapes, and the practices through which such values and visions are materialised in the processes of suburban development. Focusing on the post-war suburban landscapes of Canberra and Perth, this thesis centralises the environmental, political and economic forces that have shaped human action to construct suburban spaces, paying particular attention to the extent to which individual understandings and visions of 'environment' have determined the shape and nature of suburban development. Specifically, it examines how those operating within Australia’s suburbs, including planners, developers, builders, landscape designers and residents have imagined the 'environment', and how such imaginaries have shifted in response to varying spatial, temporal and ideological contexts. Tracing the shifting nature of environmental concern throughout the mid-to-late twentieth century, it argues that despite the somewhat unsustainable nature of Australia's suburban landscapes, the planning and development of such landscapes has long been influenced by and has responded to differing understandings of 'environment', which themselves are the product of changing social, political and economic concerns. In doing so, this thesis challenges a number of perceptions concerning Australian suburbs, environmental awareness and sustainability. In particular, it contests the assumption that environmental concern for Australia's suburban development emerged with the urban consolidation debates of the 1980s and 1990s, and analyses a range of environmental sensibilities not often acknowledged in current histories of Australian environmentalism. By examining, for example, how the deterministic and economic concerns of differing planning bodies, along with the aesthetic and ecological concerns of various planners, are intertwined with the housing and domestic lifestyle preferences of suburban homeowners, this history brings to the fore the often conflicting environmental ideas and practices that arise in the course of suburban development, and provides a more nuanced history of the diversity of environmental sensibilities. In sum, this thesis enhances our understandings of the changing nature of environmental concern and illuminates the complex, still largely misunderstood, environmental ideas and practices that arise in the processes of suburban development.

The aim of this research is to advance the understanding of the impacts of the industrial revolution on urban space during the period 1850-1900. This was a period of great dynamism with high levels of social and economic change, political radicalism and urban growth that had profound effects on the urban landscape. In contrast to much previous research on Victorian urban space, the case study settlements used are Edinburgh and Perth, Scottish burghs with diverse economies not dominated by a heavy industrial sector. The analysis uses data from a variety of sources including the census, valuation rolls and the Register of Sasines. It also draws insights from structuration theory by examining the spatial outcome of various processes in terms of the reflexive relationship between structural factors such as class and capitalism and the residential movements of individuals (agents). Three scales of analysis are used. Thus, meso-scale socio-spatial change is seen as affected by both macro-scale structures and micro-scale actions of agents. By constructing a series of maps and measures of the distribution of social groups at various times over the half century, the thesis demonstrates that socio-spatial differentiation increased markedly over the period. The processes driving this socio-spatial change are identified as the operations of the housing market, structured feeling and mobility. The detailed roles of each is examined. Together, it is argued these are the modalities which link structures and agents and are thus the proximate determinants of socio-spatial change.

Adolescence is a time of accelerated physical and sexual growth, and many students become sexually active before they finish secondary schooling. Unfortunately, many adolescents and young adults experience sexual coercion in their intimate relationships. Sexual coercion is defined broadly as verbal or physical pressure to engage in sexual activity. This study sought to examine sexual coercion experiences of Year 11-12 high school, male and female students in their peer dating and relationships. Before retrieving such information, a modified Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) questionnaire was designed. This was named the Adolescent Dating and Relationship Survey (ADRS) which, subsequently, was examined by experts in the area, and validated via a pilot study using 30 university students. Thirdly, the study administered the ADRS to 341, Year 11 and Year 12 students to examine how they responded to their sexually coercive experiences. The participants were actively engaging in relationship behaviours, with nearly 50% of the females and 70% of the males reporting a relationship with a partner of the same age. However, significantly more females dated older partners and, conversely, more male students were involved with younger partners. The female students tended to have longer relationships than the males, especially for relationships of 9 to 12 months or longer. Participants did not report sexual coercion experiences via threat or blackmail, nor were the males threatened with a weapon. The most frequently cited forms of coercion by both female and male students were: made to feel guilty, being plied with alcohol and/or other drugs, being pressured by begging and/or arguing, and being lied to. However, the female students reported being physically restrained significantly more than the males. As a group they responded to these sexually coercive acts via all forms 2 measured except the males, who did not resort to either fighting off or yelling. Talking about the experience later was the response commonly reported by the students. Further, female students responded to sexual coercion by saying either,

[Truncated abstract] The overall aim of the research reported in this thesis was to explore the viability and utility of the construct of psychopathy and aggression in children and adolescents. Specifically, by taking a developmentally informed approach it sought to develop new instrumentation which measured psychopathic-like-traits, and verbal proactive and reactive aggression in non-referred mainstream school children and adolescents. To achieve this, four separate yet interrelated studies were conducted. Study One comprised three phases relating to the development and validation of two new instruments. In Phase One the instruments currently used to measure psychopathy were reviewed and items relevant to young persons were selected for inclusion in a draft version of the new psychopathy screening instrument. Phase Two, which sought to further explore the construct of psychopathy in children and adolescents, comprised a series of interviews with school principals, deputy principals, psychologists, and education officers at the main juvenile detention centre in Perth, Western Australia. These interviews provided information relating to the behaviour and characteristics of children and adolescents who present with psychopathic-like-traits. As a consequence of the feedback from the Phase Two data, Phase Three reviewed the instrumentation currently used to measure aggression in children and adolescents. From this items were selected for possible inclusion in an aggression questionnaire. The data gathered over these three phases resulted in 117 psychopathy related items being generated for the new instrument, which were subsequently reduced to 56 when duplicated items were identified and the extant knowledge of the construct applied. The 56 items were retained in a draft version of the newly developed instrument, which was named the Child and Adolescent Psychopathy Screening Instrument (CAPSI). The Study One data revealed the instrumentation used to date provided few measures of physical and verbal aggression - a characteristic of psychopathic-like behaviour. Thus, a review of instrumentation together with the information from the interviews resulted in 63 aggression items being generated. ... Study Four utilised information from the CAPSI and the CASA in conjunction with in-depth interviews to generate case studies to further elucidate the characteristics of children and adolescents with psychopathic-like-traits and extreme aggression. Case studies were undertaken with seven male students ranging in age from 8 to 15 years who had been suspended from mainstream schools. All boys scored very highly on the new instruments. All presented with extreme aggression, with some exhibiting proactive or premeditated aggression combined with a superficially engaging personality, insincere charm, lack of remorse, and lack of empathy. The findings from all four research studies are discussed in the light of the literature reviewed and the aims of the research. Implications are then drawn for researchers and clinicians, and directions for further research are suggested.

The present thesis examines the themes of ‘shared history,' ‘place-making,' and ‘reconciliation' to assess how these come together in the establishment of an Aboriginal identity in Perth, Western Australia. Focusing on individuals who do not represent the common stereotypes associated with Aboriginal Australians, it will be demonstrated that these individuals are forced into an in-between place where they have to continually negotiate what Aboriginality means in the twenty-first century. Taking on this responsibility they become mediators, stressing a ‘shared history' in order to create a place for themselves in the non-Aboriginal landscape and to advance reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australia by fighting the dominant discourse from within. Beginning with the State and Government's Native Title appeal premiss that Nyungar never existed, this thesis will examine this claim by first presenting an account of the history of southwest Western Australia to establish the place Aboriginal people have been forced into by the colonists during early settlement, and the processes of which extend into the present day. From there on in the focus will be on individual Aboriginal people and their careers and businesses, examining how they attempt to redefine what is perceived and accepted as Aboriginality through different interaction and mediation ‘tactics' with non-Aboriginal Australians. Finally, this thesis will take a closer look at the reconciliation movement in Australia and the people involved in it. It will determine different approaches to reconciliation and assess their possibility and meaning for the construction of a twenty-first century Aboriginal identity. The thesis will conclude that although Nyungar are forced into the dominant discourse, their resistance from within credits a new kind of Aboriginality that is just as valid as the ‘traditional' and ‘authentic' Aboriginality imagined by non-Aboriginal Australia.

[Truncated abstract] This thesis examines informational efficiency and price discovery processes within the Perth housing market for the period 1988-2000 by utilising a rich source of Western Australian Valuer General’s Office (VGO) data. Fama’s (1970) classification of market efficiency as potentially weak form, semi-strong, or strong form has been a dominant paradigm in tests of market efficiency in many asset markets. While there are some parallels, the results of tests in this thesis suggest there are also limitations in applying this paradigm to housing markets. The institutional structure of housing markets dictates that a deeper recognition of important housing market characteristics is required. Efficiency in housing markets is desirable in that if prices provide accurate signals for purchase or disposition of real estate assets this will facilitate the correct allocation of scarce financial resources for housing services. The theory of efficient markets suggests that it is desirable for information diffusion processes in a large aggregate housing market to facilitate price corrections. In an efficient housing market, these processes can be observed and will enable housing units to be exchanged with an absence of market failure in all price and location segments. Throughout this thesis there is an emphasis on disaggregation of the Perth housing market both by price and location criteria. Results indicate that the Perth housing market is characterised by varying levels of informational inefficiency in both price and location segments and there are some important pricing-size influences.

[Truncated abstract] Within the State of Western Australia, from its early years, education has been provided not only by the State, but also by religious denominations, particularly the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church and other Christian groups. This thesis is concerned with Anglican education in the State from the years 1917-92. The particular focus is on the structures established for the provision of Anglican education in the Diocese of Perth throughout the period. The central argument of the thesis is as follows. During the period 1917-92, the structures established for the provision of Anglican education in the Diocese of Perth changed across four subperiods: 1917-50, 1951-60, 1961-80 and 1981-92. During the first subperiod, provision was made under structures which allow for the schools which existed to be classified according to three ‘types’: ‘religious-order schools’, ‘parish schools’, and ‘schools of the Council for Church of England Schools’. The first two types continued during the second subperiod and were joined by two new types, namely, ‘Perth Diocesan Trustees’ schools’ and ‘synod schools’, while ‘schools of the Council for Church of England Schools’ceased as a type. During the third subperiod ‘synod schools’ continued as a type, but the other three types ceased to exist. At the same time, one new type emerged, namely, ‘schools of the Church of England Schools’ Trust’. During the fourth subperiod there were also two types of schools within the Diocese, but the situation was not the same as in the previous subperiod because while ‘synod schools’ continued as a type, ‘Perth Diocesan Trustees’ schools’ ceased to exist. Furthermore, a new type was established, namely ‘schools of the Anglican Schools Commission’. This two-type structure for provision which was established during the sub-period 1981-92, is still that which exists to the present day for the provision of Anglican education within the Diocese of Perth.