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The usefulness of the idea and concept of reconciliation for guiding Australian Indigenous higher education in the postcolonial, post-imperial world
No full textThis chapter examines the strengths and limitations of the idea of reconciliation and the concept of Reconciliation for guiding Australian Indigenous higher education into the 21st century. Drawing on research and discussions over the past 20 years and, in particular, the findings of a recent study by Goerke, we report on the views of prominent Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian political and educational leaders about universities in Australia and their engagement with the aspirations of the Indigenous peoples of Australia. We explore a particular concept known internationally as ‘Reconciliation’ and its policy lever that has been operationalised in some Australia universities to guide this work – the ‘Reconciliation Action Plans’ (RAPs)
Students as digital designers in Engineering
No full textThis chapter examines the integration of digital technologies in Engineering education contexts from primary to secondary school classrooms. It outlines a progression of learning experiences integrating digital tools, such as Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software, programming platforms, and data analysis applications, into Engineering education modules so that students can build their technological proficiency and creativity. The chapter emphasises using real-world scenarios, such as the design of a smart garden or bridge-building projects, to make engineering principles more tangible. It explores the role of signature pedagogies and the Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (STEL) in structuring curriculum and instructional strategies to foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. By aligning the use of digital technologies with students’ developmental stages, this chapter illustrates how hands-on experiences, iterative design processes, and strategic use of technology can cultivate a generation of learners who are not only technologically adept but also are better positioned to tackle the modern engineering challenges we face today
Forging New Paths for Language Teacher Agency: Concluding Remarks
No full textThe aim of this volume was to explore language teacher agency by examining how teachers assert agency amidst systemic socio-cultural and socio-political pressures to not only advocate for their students, but also innovate pedagogically and sustain their passion and commitment in complex and evolving educational landscapes. The volume has been structured around three interconnected themes of language teacher agency and identity, language teacher agency and practice, and language teacher agency and social justice. Chapters addressing teacher agency and identity have focused on how teachers’ sense of identity interacts with capacity for agency, presenting a dynamic imagining against a backdrop of institutional demands, personal aspirations, and cultural norms. The second theme for this volume has focused on agency and practice, exploring the multifaceted strategies employed by language teachers as they shape, adapt, and refine their practices to meet pedagogical challenges, both anticipated and unexpected. The third and final theme, focused on agency and social justice, illustrates language teaching as an intrinsically political act—one that can either perpetuate established hierarchies or inspire critical consciousness and transformative action. The narratives here traverse critical pedagogy, racial and linguistic identities, and educational equity, demonstrating both how language teachers are influenced by socio-economic and political milieus, but also how teachers can be supported to develop the agency to question and alter these realities
RVD: A Handheld Device-Based Fundus Video Dataset for Retinal Vessel Segmentation
No full textRetinal vessel segmentation is generally grounded in image-based datasets collected with bench-top devices. The static images naturally lose the dynamic characteristics of retina fluctuation, resulting in diminished dataset richness, and the usage of bench-top devices further restricts dataset scalability due to its limited accessibility. Considering these limitations, we introduce the first video-based retinal dataset by employing handheld devices for data acquisition. The dataset comprises 635 smartphone-based fundus videos collected from four different clinics, involving 415 patients from 50 to 75 years old. It delivers comprehensive and precise annotations of retinal structures in both spatial and temporal dimensions, aiming to advance the landscape of vasculature segmentation. Specifically, the dataset provides three levels of spatial annotations: binary vessel masks for overall retinal structure delineation, general vein-artery masks for distinguishing the vein and artery, and fine-grained vein-artery masks for further characterizing the granularities of each artery and vein. In addition, the dataset offers temporal annotations that capture the vessel pulsation characteristics, assisting in detecting ocular diseases that require fine-grained recognition of hemodynamic fluctuation. In application, our dataset exhibits a significant domain shift with respect to data captured by bench-top devices, thus posing great challenges to existing methods. Thanks to rich annotations and data scales, our dataset potentially paves the path for more advanced retinal analysis and accurate disease diagnosis. In the experiments, we provide evaluation metrics and benchmark results on our dataset, reflecting both the potential and challenges it offers for vessel segmentation tasks. We hope this challenging dataset would significantly contribute to the development of eye disease diagnosis and early prevention
Nanosecond laser induces proliferation and improved cellular health within the retinal pigment epithelium
No full textBackground: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in those over 60 years of age. Although there are limited interventions that may prevent the development or progression of disease, more efficacious treatments are required. Short-pulsed laser treatment shows promise in delaying progression of early disease. This work details how nanosecond laser influences the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the principal cell type implicated in AMD. Methods: C57BL/6J mice (3-month-old) underwent monocular nanosecond laser treatment to assess short-term RPE response, while 9-month-old C57BL/6J and ApoEnull mice were similarly treated and longer-term responses investigated after 3 months. Human tissue was also obtained after 2 nanosecond laser treatments (1 month apart). RPE proliferation was assessed using bromodeoxyuridine and RPE gene change explored using qPCR and RNAseq. Melanin and lipofuscin content were quantified using histological techniques. Results: Nanosecond laser induced RPE proliferation in treated and fellow mouse eyes, with monolayer repair occurring within 3 days. This was replicated in human tissue, albeit over a longer duration (1–4 weeks). Wildtype animals showed no overt change in RPE gene expression after short or longer posttreatment durations, while laser treated ApoEnull animals showed increased Mertk and Pedf expression, and a reduced number of dysregulated aging genes in treated and fellow eyes after 3 months. Furthermore, melanin and lipofuscin content were restored to wildtype levels in laser-treated ApoEnull RPE, while melanolipofuscin granules were reduced within treated regions of human RPE. Conclusion: This work shows nanosecond laser stimulates RPE proliferation and results in an improved cellular phenotype. These data provide a biological basis for the prophylactic use of nanosecond lasers in AMD
Electronic Properties of h‐BCN–Blue Phosphorene van der Waals Heterostructures
No full textVan der Waals heterostructures, a new class of materials made of a vertically selective assembly of various 2D monolayers held together by van der Waals forces, have attracted a great deal of attention due to their promise to deliver novel electronic and optoelectronic properties that are not achievable by using individual 2D crystals. Using density functional theory (DFT), it is revealed that van der Waals heterostructures composed of monolayers of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and the latest P allotrope blue phosphorus (blue phosphorene, BlueP) forms a straddling type I band offset for which the band edges exclusively belong to BlueP. This feature enables h-BN to act as a protective coating material to resolve the air instability of BlueP. Furthermore, substitutional doping of C into h-BN (h-BCN) at a suitable concentration induces h-BCN–BlueP into staggered type II band offset. The type II band alignment triggered by the intensified built-in electric field across the sheets implies improved carrier mobility and the suppressed recombination of photogenerated hole pairs. These major benefits can pave the way for the potential functionality of h-BCN–BlueP to be exploited for efficient photovoltaic devices
The Effect of Electrolyte Properties on Ionic Transport through Solid-State Nanopores: Experiment and Simulation
No full textNanopore membranes enable versatile technologies that are employed in many different applications, ranging from clean energy generation to filtration and sensing. Improving the performance can be achieved by conducting numerical simulations of the system, for example, by studying how the nanopore geometry or surface properties change the ionic transport behavior or fluid dynamics of the system. A widely employed tool for numerical simulations is finite element analysis (FEA) using software, such as COMSOL Multiphysics. We found that the prevalent method of implementing the electrolyte in the FEA can diverge significantly from physically accurate values. It is often assumed that salt molecules fully dissociate, and the effect of the temperature is neglected. Furthermore, values for the diffusion coefficients of the ions, as well as permittivity, density, and viscosity of the fluid, are assumed to be their bulk values at infinite dilution. By performing conductometry experiments with an amorphous SiO2 nanopore membrane with conical pores and simulating the pore system with FEA, it is shown that the common assumptions do not hold for different mono- and divalent chlorides (LiCl, NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2) at concentrations above 100 mM. Instead, a procedure is presented where all parameters are implemented based on the type of salt and concentration. This modification to the common approach improves the accuracy of the numerical simulations and thus provides a more comprehensive insight into ion transport in nanopores that is otherwise lacking
The role of the P2X7 receptor in the retina: cell signalling and dysfunction
No full textAdenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) acts as a signalling molecule within the retina. It can be released like a traditional neurotransmitter via exocytosis, but non-classical mechanisms for release have also been demonstrated. ATP and its breakdown products act at a range of purine receptor subclasses, P1, P2X and P2Y, which are expressed by all cell types of the retina. The P2X-receptors are ligand-gated ion channels and seven subclasses (P2X1-7) have been identified. In particular, the P2X7 receptor subclass is unique; it is relatively insensitive to ATP and it has a long intracellular C-terminus, which is not only critical for ion channel function, but also allows the formation of a pore in the plasma membrane following prolonged stimulation with ATP, which is permeable to molecules up to 900 kDa. This unique activity means the P2X7 receptor has been found to be involved in a range of physiological and pathological roles. In the retina, the receptor is expressed by neurons, macroglia and microglia. This review focuses on the role of the P2X7 receptor in these retinal tissues under physiological conditions and during disease
Nyctalopin Expression in Retinal Bipolar Cells Restores Visual Function in a Mouse Model of Complete X-Linked Congenital Stationary Night Blindness
No full textMutations in the NYX gene that encodes the protein nyctalopin cause congenital stationary night blindness type 1. In no b-wave (nob) mice, a mutation in Nyx results in a functional phenotype that includes the absence of the electroretinogram b-wave and abnormal spontaneous and lightevoked activity in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). In contrast, there is no morphological abnormality in the retina at either the light or electron microscopic levels. These functional deficits suggest that nyctalopin is required for normal synaptic transmission between retinal photoreceptors and depolarizing bipolar cells (DBCs). However, the synaptic etiology and, specifically, the exact location and function of nyctalopin, remain uncertain. We show that nob DBCs fail to respond to exogenous application of the photoreceptor neurotransmitter, glutamate, thus demonstrating a postsynaptic deficit in photoreceptor to bipolar cell communication. To determine if postsynaptic expression of nyctalopin is necessary and sufficient to rescue the nob phenotype, we constructed transgenic mice that expressed an EYFP-nyctalopin fusion protein on the dendritic tips of the DBCs. Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies verified that fusion protein expression was limited to the DBC dendritic tips. Fusion gene expression in nob mice restored normal outer and inner visual function as determined by the electroretinogram and RGC spontaneous and evoked responses. Together, our data show that nyctalopin expression on DBC dendrites is required for normal function of the murine retina