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Analysing the Representation of Queer Community in Indian Literature from the Standpoint of a Straight Reader
No full textThis thesis explores the pedagogical impact of queer literature on straight readers in informal
settings, analyzing two contemporary novels: My Father’s Garden (English) by Hansda Sowvendra
Shekhar and Pariyon ke Beech (Hindi) by Ruth Vanita. Through 22 reviews—spanning mainstream
media, personal blogs, and academic critiques—this study examines how these narratives shape
straight readers’ perceptions of homosexuality within North Indian society, where social and cultural
stigma persists.
In addition to analyzing reader responses, I conduct a scholarly review of these texts, assessing their
interpretation through Foucault’s Author-Function and Gerard Genette’s Transtextuality and Paratextuality. Set 200 years apart yet within the same geographical space, these novels offer a
comparative view of queer communities across historical contexts.
Grounded in literary theories, including Felski’s Modes of Engagement and Narrative Transportation,
and drawing on queer theorists such as Judith Butler, Gayatri Gopinath, and Heather Love, this
research investigates how straight readers engage with and interpret queer narratives. The findings
indicate that queer literature serves as an important tool for educating contemporary readers about
queer identities within their own traditions. Furthermore, it fosters empathy among straight readers,
though the extent of its impact varies based on prior understanding of homosexuality.
Situated at the intersection of identity politics and the temporality of queerness in Indian culture, this
thesis underscores literature’s role in education and reflection. In societies where direct interaction
between heterosexual and queer individuals is limited, fictional narratives bridge social divides and
promote understanding beyond formal learning spaces. This research contributes to the discourse on
queer literature in India, illustrating its power to foster inclusivity through reading practices
Nation-State Regulation as Social Media Governance: The Australian Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024
No full textThis article analyzes Australia's landmark Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, which restricts access to designated social media platforms for individuals under the age of 16. Prompted by rising concerns over youth mental health, ineffective platform self-regulation, and global regulatory shifts, the law mandates age restrictions on major platforms, despite legal, ethical, and technological challenges. We note that the Bill has broad political and public support but has faced criticism from academics and digital rights groups. It reflects a wider trend of nation-state intervention in digital governance and raises questions about the future interplay between government regulation, platform accountability, and children's rights in the evolving digital landscape
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge of marine and freshwater organisms and ecosystems on Sea Country: from past absences to future inclusion
No full textFor over 60,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia have developed an enduring knowledge of marine and freshwater organisms and ecosystems on Sea Country. However, it has taken more than 200 years since colonisation, and a biodiversity and habitat crisis for Australia, to begin to recognise and value Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK). This perspective piece builds on previous work to define IEK in the context of Sea Country research, particularly within Australia. It discusses reasons for the rarity of IEK in marine and freshwater literature, the loss of intergenerational transmission of IEK, the erosion of cultural heritage and the tensions between Western science and IEK, and strategies for change. The elevation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in national research priorities offers an opportunity to correct historical wrongs and develop effective strategies for the inclusion of IEK and Indigenous researchers. Together we need to protect what has been lost and restore and sustain marine and freshwater organisms and ecosystems on Sea Country
Research Paper for The Ethics Centre: The Ethics and Regulation of Artificial Intelligence
No full textThis paper examines the regulation of ethical artificial intelligence (AI), addressing key challenges in fairness, transparency, and data privacy as AI becomes increasingly embedded in healthcare, finance, and government. Through a comparative analysis of AI regulatory frameworks in the European Union, the United States, and China, the paper explores how cultural, political, and social factors shape different approaches to ethical AI governance. Based on these insights, it proposes regulatory recommendations for Australia, including mandatory risk assessments, the adoption of regulatory sandboxes, and legally binding ethical AI principles. These measures aim to balance innovation with the responsible deployment of AI technologies
Assessment of the Muscle Excitability Properties in Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy and Their Use as a Novel Disease Biomarker
No full textFacioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is a common genetic dystrophic condition. Despite the high prevalence of disease there are no disease modifying therapies available. One of the major limitations in the development of effective therapies is the natural history of the disease itself. Functional impairment is acquired over decades. The slow clinical progression makes it challenging to measure improvements over the timeframe that therapeutic clinical trials are typically performed. As a result, there is significant interest in developing biomarkers that more sensitively measure treatment response.
The aim of this thesis was to define the muscle excitability profile of FSHD and provide a preliminary assessment of muscle excitability techniques as a novel biomarker of disease severity. The more commonly studied tibialis anterior (TA) is spared in early FSHD. We first studied the trapezius in normal subjects, as a more targeted muscle for study in FSHD. The muscle excitability profiles of the trapezius and TA were similar, suggesting comparable sarcolemmal function.
Muscle excitability techniques were then applied to the trapezius and TA in FSHD. This unveiled a pattern consistent with relative depolarisation of the muscle fibre membrane, a finding seen in a range of previously studied primary and secondary muscle diseases. These changes were more marked in the trapezius than the TA, suggesting that the trapezius may be a more sensitive target in conditions affecting the proximal musculature.
The excitability changes in FSHD were then correlated with validated clinical trial endpoints. Several correlations were identified, with the strongest and most reproducible seen for measures of lower limb function and balance. This suggests that muscle excitability parameters do provide a measure of disease severity in FSHD, but further research is required, with repeated longitudinal assessments, to determine their utility as a novel clinical trial biomarker
Advancing Adaptive and Generalizable Deep Learning for Reliable Medical Computer Vision
No full textBiomedical imaging represents a sophisticated and indispensable facet of modern healthcare and scientific research, which could offer an unparalleled insight into the human body’s internal architecture and dynamic processes. The interpretation and analysis of those intricate, non-linear, and high-dimensional measurements used to hugely depend on the specialized knowledge and skills of medical/physiological professionals. Recently, artificial intelligence (AI), is introduced to the healthcare sector and stands out as a revolutionary technique that could significantly enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and breadth of clinical diagnostics and fundamental biomedical research. Despite their transformative potential, these data-driven approaches are frequently criticized for their limited adaptability and generalizability. This deficiency in adaptive capacity can hinder their effectiveness across diverse imaging modalities or patient populations, resulting in variability in predictive outcomes. To tackle these challenges, in this thesis, we present a new framework that combines several novel methods towards building adaptive and generalizable AI systems for driving unbiased biomedical investigations and clinical decision-making based on molecular, pathological, and radiological inspections and measurements. Through extensive evaluations on a broad spectrum of cross-domain settings under miscellaneous data distribution shifts, the suggested method is demonstrated to outperform the state-of-the-art methods by a substantial margin
Topologies and Control of Single-Stage AC–DC and DC–AC Converters for Advanced Performance
No full textAC–DC and DC–AC converters are used in a wide range of applications. This thesis
investigates advanced topologies and control methods for single-phase, single-stage, isolated
AC–DC and DC–AC converters. The aim is to advance the performance of these systems in
terms of efficiency, cost effectiveness, and power density in the context of real-world
applications.
Firstly, for low-power applications, such as consumer electronics, a new solution - the active
power decoupling integrated active clamp flyback (iACF) converter - is investigated. The
topology features a low component count (i.e., two active switches and one transformer) and
reduced twice-line frequency power buffer volume (through an active-power decoupling control
method), leading to low-cost, high-density, and high-efficiency design. These features make the
iACF converter perfect for low-power applications, which are generally sensitive to cost and
size. Under the proposed control strategy on a 100-W laboratory iACF prototype, the converter
achieves a heavy-load (67 W–100 W) efficiency of approximately 93%, demonstrating its
superiority.
Secondly, to further improve the iACF converter’s light-load efficiency performance, a new
modulation method is proposed. The modulation method combines Continuous-Conduction-
Mode (CCM) and burst mode of operation, thereby effectively reducing the system’s operating
frequency and switching losses while maintaining all the best features of CCM iACF mentioned
above. The same iACF prototype is developed to verify the feasibility of the proposed light-load
modulation method, showcasing a four-point average efficiency of 91.9%, which is superior to
conventional two-stage solutions.
Thirdly, for medium-power applications, such as micro-inverters and bi-directional energy
routers, a real-time control method is investigated for the Dual-Bridge Series Resonant
Converter (DBSRC) that can dynamically maximize the system efficiency while keeping output
power regulated. Here, the DBSRC-based DC–AC converter is selected due to its simple
topology and potentially high efficiency at medium power level. Conventionally, real-time
control for a DBSRC-based DC–AC converter is challenging. This is mainly because
simultaneous optimisation for multiple control freedoms of a DBSRC-based DC–AC converter
is needed, and that the instantaneous operating states of the converter are varying. These factors
often require high computing power for optimal performance control. In this thesis, the optimal
control condition is obtained analytically and expressed in a simple closed form, allowing us to achieve real-time control of the DBSRC-based DC–AC converter. The effectiveness of the
proposed control strategy is validated through comparative analysis against Single-Phase-Shift
(SPS) control based on a DBSRC-based DC–AC converter prototype built in the lab,
demonstrating over 2% improvement in efficiency.
Finally, for high-power applications, such as electric vehicle (EV) onboard chargers, a novel
semi-single-stage bridgeless Star power-factor-correction (PFC) architecture is proposed. This
new architecture hybridizes the traditional two-stage converter architecture in such a way that it
operates alternatively between a single-stage converter and a traditional two-stage converter.
By intelligently 'borrowing' the inductor/transformer current from the second-stage DC–DC back- end, the converter achieves Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) conditions for all switches in the
PFC front end while maintaining CCM operation. This innovative approach minimizes both
conduction and switching losses - a paradox in traditional two-stage topologies. The merits of
the proposed architecture are validated through a scaled-down 240-W GaN-based laboratory
prototype, achieving a full-load efficiency of 96.1% and a power density of 50 W/in³ uncased.
Through these contributions, the thesis advances the topology and control of single-stage
AC–DC and DC–AC converters, providing solutions that improve efficiency, reduce
component size, and enhance performance across a wider range of operating conditions
Characterisation of a novel soluble di-iron monooxygenase from the soil organism Solimonas soli
No full textMonooxygenase enzymes are responsible for the oxidation of hydrocarbons and other compounds in
the carbon and nitrogen cycles, are important for the biodegradation of pollutants, and can act as
biocatalysts for chemical manufacturing. The soluble di-iron monooxygenases (SDIMOs) are of
interest due to their broad substrate range, high enantioselectivity, and ability to oxidise inert
substrates like methane. An unusual SDIMO was detected in an earlier study in the genome of the
soil organism Solimonas soli but was not characterised. This study has shown that the S. soli SDIMO
is part of a new SDIMO clade, which is defined as ‘Group 7’. The S. soli group 7 SDIMO genes
(named zmoABCD) was functionally expressed in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 and the
recombinants made epoxides from C2-C8 alkenes, preferring small linear alkenes (especially
propene). ZmoABCD also oxidised vinyl chloride (VC) and cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE). However,
the original host bacterium S. soli could not grow on any alkenes tested but grew well on phenol, noctane,
isoleucine, leucine, and Tween 80. ΔzmoABCD knockout strains of S. soli were also able to
grow using these substrates as sole carbon sources, suggesting that ZmoABCD is not the sole locus
responsible for growth on these molecules. The regulation of zmo expression was also studied using
a plasmid-borne bioreporter construct, where a gfp reporter gene was placed under the control of the
native zmo promoter to identify potential inducers of zmoABCD. It was demonstrated in S. soli that
Tween 80, butane, 1-butene, and 2-propanol induced the expression of zmoABCD while n-octane
and 1-octene repressed expression. This study has provided a substantial framework to narrow down
the substrate range of ZmoABCD. The characterisation of ZmoABCD will increase our understanding
of SDIMO evolutionary history and enable new applications of these enzymes for biocatalysis and
bioremediation
Coaching for Healthy AGEing (CHAnGE) dataset
No full textThis dataset includes 605 participants (aged 60+ years, 180 males /425 females) living in the community, recruited from metropolitan Sydney and regional Orange community (NSW), Australia) via direct contact with established community-based organisations for older people. Baseline data includes demographics, physical activity, fall history, health related quality of life, mobility, BMI, affect, dietary habits.
Follow-up data was collected at 3, 6 and 12 months and includes self-reported falls, wellbeing, mobility, health-related quality of life, BMI, dietary habits, falls efficacy, gait efficacy, risk taking behaviour, self-report physical activity and device-measured physical activity. The file type is .XLS
Mutual Fund Investments in Response to Local Declining Regulatory Climate Risk
No full textDonald Trump’s election in 2016 and the Republican Party’s resistance to climate regulatory reforms may have lowered investors’ expectations regarding national climate change policy progress. This study leverages this local political shift in climate policy to examine the response of U.S. mutual funds following the election of the Trump Administration. My findings indicate that institutional investors continued to reduce their holdings in high-pollution firms, despite the prospect of less stringent climate regulations under the Trump-led government. This evidence strongly supports the
market perception of climate change regulation as a long-term, global regulatory focus. The primary findings are robust across both ESG-oriented and non-ESG-oriented mutual funds. The continued divestment by mutual funds is more pronounced among those with high past fund flows and higher management fees. Finally, the mutual funds’ divestment from high-emission companies has real effects, with evidence of more intensive carbon emissions reduction among firms underweighted by mutual funds