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Field Anaesthesia for Platypuses: a proven method and the case for non-veterinarian accreditation pathways
No full textThis communication details the implementation of field-based anaesthesia for platypuses, applied by non-veterinarians to over 500 individuals across 9 years, with a focus on enhancing animal welfare while enabling the collection of critical scientific data. By utilising portable anaesthetic machines and tailored protocols, safe handling and minimising stress during procedures such as tagging, sample collection, and minor surgeries are ensured. Given the impracticality and high costs of having veterinarians in the field along with researchers, we advocate for accreditation pathways to empower ecologists to independently perform these important procedures, thereby improving the efficiency and sustainability of wildlife research
Stakeholders’ Awareness of the Benefits of Passive Retrofit in Nigeria’s Residential Building Sector
No full textThere is a growing global interest in making existing buildings more energy-efficient. However, stakeholders seem to have differing views on the matter, especially in developing countries, thus raising the issue of awareness amongst key stakeholders at the operational stage of existing buildings. This study aimed to examine stakeholders’ awareness of the benefits of passive retrofit in residential buildings using a convergent mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected from 118 property managers and 163 owners of residential buildings, and qualitative data were collected from six government officials in Lagos State, Nigeria. The quantitative data collected were analysed using fuzzy synthetic evaluation, which addresses the fuzziness in judgement-making on multi-criteria phenomena. The results revealed that property managers and owners had a moderately high level of awareness of the environmental, economic, and social benefits of the passive retrofitting of residential buildings. However, while property managers generally had a higher level of awareness than owners, a significant gap was found in their awareness of environmental benefits. Conversely, the qualitative analysis results showed that government officials demonstrated a strong awareness of environmental benefits (energy reduction, air quality, and natural lighting) and economic advantages (cost savings and lower implementation costs). In contrast, their awareness of social benefits was limited to health improvements. The findings have practical implications for policy development and awareness campaigns. Building agencies need to further reinforce their targeted awareness programmes for owners, who demonstrated fair awareness of environmental benefits while leveraging the intermediary role of property managers in promoting home retrofit practices. Economic benefits should also be an integral part of policy frameworks to drive wider adoption across all stakeholder groups
A Bicultural Perspective on Professional Service Providers’ Pro Bono Motivations
No full textThis research investigates the motivations behind service professionals’ pro bono work in two distinct cultural contexts—Australia and Vietnam, grounded in culture theory and self-construal theory. It examines how bicultural differences (individualism vs. collectivism) influence these motivations and their impact on pro bono satisfaction and behavioral intentions.
We first conducted in-depth interviews with professionals in Australia and Vietnam to refine our measures. We then administered surveys across service sectors among professionals in both countries—Australia, representing an individualistic culture, and Vietnam, a collectivist one—using comparable data collection procedures.
Our results indicate that Australian professionals place high value on personal recognition, while Vietnamese professionals are primarily motivated by philanthropic values and a sense of social responsibility. No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding perceived lack of appreciation and organizational expectations.
There is no cross-cultural evidence explaining why professionals donate their time and skills. Most existing studies focus on a single service industry within a specific cultural context, limiting the generalizability of their findings. This is the first study to examine bicultural differences in pro bono motivations and behavior among service professionals, contributing to the service literature on giving. Understanding these motivations can help multinational nonprofits develop targeted strategies to attract and retain service professionals
Modelling the Co-injection of Hydrogen and Biomass in Blast Furnaces for Ironmaking Decarbonisation
No full textThe iron and steel industry, one of the largest contributors to global CO2 emissions, is under increasing pressure to decarbonise to meet climate targets. Contributing over 2800 Mt of CO2 annually, the industry must reduce its emission intensity by 60% by 2050 to align with a 2°C warming scenario, even as global steel demand is projected to rise. This thesis addresses this challenge by investigating the co-injection of hydrogen and biochar (CoHB) as a promising pathway for reducing emissions in blast furnace (BF) operations while maintaining productivity and efficiency. This thesis first introduces the CoHB technology with a focus on fundamental combustion dynamics in the raceway. A three-dimensional (3-D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model incorporating improved submodels has been validated against experimental data. Results show a 6% improvement in biochar burnout during devolatilisation due to hydrogen combustion, though oxygen competition slightly hindered char oxidation. Key parameters such as hydrogen content, blast temperature, oxygen enrichment, biochar mean particle size and biochar injection rate are optimised using one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) and design of experiments (DoE) methodologies, achieving a maximum biochar burnout of 51.7%. Industrial-scale investigations utilising heat and mass balance (HMB) and CFD models are conducted to evaluate BF performance under various injection strategies. The findings demonstrate that the CoHB process achieves a 35.3% reduction in non-renewable carbon emissions compared to pulverised coal injection (PCI) and the pure hydrogen injection (HI) case which only gives a reduction of 17.5%. Hydrogen preheating and biochar type significantly influence combustion efficiency, with burnout improvements ranging from 49% to 75% depending on biochar volatility. Lance configurations, including single- and double-lance setups, are also studied, revealing that optimised oxygen enrichment and lance angles enhance combustion efficiency. The enlarged single-lance design achieves the highest biochar burnout of 49%. Finally, co-injection of hydrogen and biomass through bosh and shaft (CoHB-BS) strategy is investigated, showing emissions reductions of up to 36.6% under certain conditions while addressing issues like low flame temperature in bosh-injection operations. This strategy provides additional flexibility for sustainable BF operations. Overall, this thesis confirms the feasibility and benefits of CoHB as a near-term solution for transitioning the ironmaking industry towards low-carbon operations
From ‘living death’ to ‘becoming-with’: caring for dementia beyond the human
No full textThis essay provides a critical overview of historical and contemporary conceptualisations of selfhood in dementia. We explore the intersections of psychological and sociological research, as well as care practices, in dementia scholarship and how these have evolved in the years leading to and proceeding the start of the twenty-first century. Focusing on historical discourses of dementia and the metaphor of dementia as a ‘living death’, this essay maps the development of prominent conceptualisations of dementia in western cultures, from their roots in Cartesian philosophy to modernist values and existential anxieties. We firstly explore historical notions of selfhood in people living with dementia and the presumed erosion of the self that culminates in a so-called living death. Then, we discuss the radical shift in attitudes that arose around the start of the twenty-first century towards perseverance of selfhood in dementia and person-centred care. We finally consider whether our current understanding of selfhood in dementia could benefit from a posthuman approach, which requires a radical shift towards a more relational, multiple, and ultimately affirmative ways of caring for dementia
High-performance Super-capacitive Pressure Sensor with Both High Sensitivity and Wide Linear Sensing Range
No full textThe popularity of wearable electronics in healthcare industry and soft robotics offer enormous application opportunities for capacitive type sensors, due to its merits of high reliability, rapid response and low power consumption. However, the existence of challenges, such as low sensitivity, narrow linear sensing range, low pressure-resolution and non-well-defined structure inevitably confines the extensive application of the capacitive type of flexible sensors. A key challenge in pressure sensor design lies in the trade-off between achieving high sensitivity and maintaining a wide linear sensing range. While high sensitivity is essential for detecting small pressure changes with high resolution, a wide linear range simplifies sensor calibration and ensures consistent performance across a broad range of pressures.
To enhance the sensitivity of capacitive pressure sensors, the conventional dielectric layer was replaced with an electrolyte layer, resulting in a super-capacitive sensor. This design operates primarily through the electrical double layer (EDL) mechanism, which arises from the use of ionic materials. Since the EDL capacitance is typically 5–6 orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional parallel-plate capacitors, this thesis employs a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) elastomer as the electrolyte layer to enhance sensor sensitivity. The ionic conductivity of this material significantly amplifies the capacitive response. Moreover, its inherent flexibility and elasticity impart excellent mechanical compliance to the sensor, making it suitable for flexible and wearable applications.
Another key factor of the sensor, wider linear sensing range, was acquired by the strategy of structure design for the electrolyte layer. In this thesis, different structures were proposed for the electrolyte layer of the super-capacitive pressure sensor. To be specific, the height-grading dome structure was introduced and optimized for the electrolyte layer, to obtain super-capacitive pressure sensors with higher sensitivity. Moreover, another design, hierarchical hemisphere structure, was brought into the electrolyte layer, successfully extending the linear sensing range as well, accompanied by the added effect from the curvy-surface top electrode.
In addition to high sensitivity and wide sensing range, the super-capacitive sensors exhibit excellent repeatability, durability, and mechanical stability. These attributes enable reliable detection and monitoring of physiological signals from the human body. Furthermore, the sensors have been demonstrated as effective biomimetic electronic skin (e-skin) for soft robotics, highlighting their versatility in flexible and wearable pressure sensing applications
Joint-Input-State Kalman Filter for Drive-by Bridge Inspection
No full textIn recent years, the indirect bridge health monitoring (IBHM) has gained increasing application in bridge inspection field due to the convenience of not requiring sensors to be placed on the bridge. This method relies on extracting bridge features from vehicle responses, making use of the vehicle-bridge interaction (VBI) dynamic. The current research in IBHM mostly focuses on identifying the bridge modal features, which can only provide a subsidiary characterization of bridge condition. Since structural damage is often associated with a reduction in stiffness, it follows that accurately identifying the stiffness of bridge is critical for bridge condition assessment. This process can be formulated as a system identification problem for the VBI system. Nevertheless, few studies have attempted to identify the VBI system from the vehicle response.
Following the introduction and literature review, one of the main challenges in bridge stiffness identification is that the process is an ill-posed inverse problem. To address this issue, the third chapter of the thesis proposes a framework for VBI system identification. It uses the frequency spectrum of bridge acceleration at the contact point (CP) between the vehicle and bridge. The bridge stiffness is identified by applying the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The identification process is formulated as an optimization problem, where bridge stiffness is treated as the design variable. The objective function is defined by comparing the CP acceleration frequency spectrum obtained from measurements with the corresponding response generated by a finite element model (FEM). The findings show that the proposed method can successfully identify bridge stiffness under ideal conditions, but road roughness significantly reduces its performance. This demonstrates the importance of prior information for road roughness profile and the need for a more noise-resistant identification approach.
Given the importance of prior road roughness information, existing estimation methods struggle to fully decouple the road roughness profile and the bridge CP response. Therefore, a novel framework based on the joint input-state kalman filter (JISKF) is proposed in the fourth chapter, which treats road roughness as an input to the VBI system. Specifically, as the sensing vehicle travels across the bridge, the road roughness at each contact point is estimated based on the state-space representation of VBI system and vehicle measurements. The findings demonstrate that this approach is capable of effectively estimating road roughness and serves as a reliable foundation for VBI system identification.
Building on the proposed JISKF framework, the fifth chapter develops two novel strategies to combine road roughness estimation with the VBI system identification. The first strategy is a cooperative identification method involving lightweight and heavyweight sensing vehicles. In this approach, the lightweight sensing vehicle provides the initial estimation using a state-space model that includes only the vehicle dynamics. The heavyweight vehicle, following the same trajectory as the lightweight sensing vehicle, adopts a state-space representation incorporating the complete VBI system. The PSO algorithm is applied to minimize the discrepancy between the road roughness profiles estimated by the lightweight and heavyweight sensing vehicles and subsequently to identify the stiffness of the bridge. In the second strategy, the road roughness profile is modelled as a combination of a rigid bump with known geometric parameters at mid-span and stochastic road roughness elsewhere on the bridge. The objective function is constructed by comparing the differences between the estimated properties of the bump and its actual geometric characteristics. The findings confirm that these two strategies achieve reliable results in VBI system identification.
Overall, this thesis provides a new perspective on identifying the bridge properties in drive-by inspection and establishes a novel framework to gain initial estimation for road roughness profile. It provides a solid foundation for further assessment of bridge condition in the future
A lyophilizable LNP vaccine enables STING-reinforced postoperational adjuvant immunotherapy
No full textImmune checkpoint blockade therapy (iCBT) has revolutionized cancer treatment, however, there is a low response rate, especially in treating postsurgical reoccurring tumors. Vaccine based immunotherapy can sensitize iCBT, but its development was largely hindered by inefficient delivery and high requirements of storage. In this study, the vaccine loaded with immunostimulant was employed to improve iCBT-based adjuvant postsurgical therapy. A lyophilized, antigen E7 peptide and manganese ion (Mn2+) co-delivered tumor vaccine was developed based on lipid nanoparticles (EM@LNP). The vaccination efficacy was examined in both prophylactic and therapeutic schemes in murine subcutaneous models, the synergetic effect of vaccination combined with anti-PD-1 therapy was further investigated in post-operative tumor model. EM@LNP vaccination elicited effective CD8+T cell response through modulating tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment and conferring immune memory, demonstrating potent immunization in both preventive and therapeutic schemes. What’s more, EM@LNP vaccination orchestrated with iCBT, efficiently repressing tumor recurrence. Further mechanism studies using inhibitor for cells invitro and the investigation using STING−/− mice confirmed that the cGAS-STING signaling pathway activated by Mn2+ is indispensable for LNP vaccination and the coordination with iCBT-based adjuvant immunotherapy. In summary, this study shows a lyophilized LNP vaccine could significantly amplify iCBT efficiency, providing a translational strategy of adjuvant immunotherapy for treating postsurgical tumor recurrence
Exploring The Impact of Children’s Trip to School on Parents Wellbeing
No full textParenthood is a crucial life stage that brings both challenges and rewards, profoundly affecting parents' wellbeing and childbearing decision. The evolving challenges of parenthood are reflected in declining birth rates across developed countries, with Australia experiencing a 50% drop in fertility over the past fifty years. The effect of child-related responsibilities on parents' wellbeing is not sufficiently studied. The unequal share of child-related responsibilities between partners can adversely affect parents' wellbeing. Some responsibilities, like childbirth, cannot be shared and disproportionately affect women, worsening gender inequality. This often leads women to struggle with work-life balance, which can lead to leaving the workforce, reducing work hours or choosing jobs with shorter commutes, ultimately exacerbating gender inequality in labour market participation (LMP) and commute time. Disruptions like pandemics can worsen these imbalances, as one parent may take on additional duties, such as children homeschooling. Furthermore, child-related responsibilities not only impact parents' wellbeing but also their travel behaviour. As children grow, their needs evolve, which in turn influences parents' travel behaviour, from work-related mobility to school travel mode choice. School travel, in particular, is one of the most frequent responsibilities for parents, significantly impacting their mobility and wellbeing. This thesis explores the impact of children on parents' travel behaviour and wellbeing, focusing on two key stages of childbirth and the transition to school.
Commencing with a broad perspective, I examine the benefits and costs of parenthood. Given the unequal share of childbirth responsibilities on women, I examine the temporal effect of childbirth on women’s commute time and LMP. Subsequently, I focus on school travel responsibility and propose a framework based on psychological theories to examine the effect of school travel on parents' wellbeing. Then, considering the potential extra responsibilities for parents following disruptions, such as pandemics, I examine how homeschooling demands differentially impact parents' commute time, worsening the gender gap. Lastly, since school travel mode choice significantly affect parents’ wellbeing, I explore the decision-making process for joint parent-child school trips, focusing on the contribution of each parent's perceptions
Spatiotemporal Profiling of Inner Ear Sensory Neuron Subpopulations
No full textThe diversity of neuronal populations in the inner ear allows the precise signal encoding of hearing and balance. The creation of transgenic models supports investigation of the link between genetic regulation and inner ear primary afferent population function. Peripherin (PRPH) is a type III intermediate filament protein that functions in neuronal outgrowth, primarily in the peripheral nervous system and notably within the inner ear, where it is selectively expressed by type II auditory afferents (spiral ganglion neurons; SGN) and boutontype vestibular afferents (vestibular ganglion neurons; VGN). To extend knowledge of inner ear primary afferent diversity in relation to establishment of the type II afferent neuron population, we developed a Prph promotor - driven transgenic reporter mouse model (PrphpmCherry). Referenced to the Prphp-mCherry reporter profile in the inner ear, this model enabled for the first time, the visualization and quantification of the molecular profile of entire SGN and VGN populations, allowing continuous evaluation of proteomic and transcriptomic microenvironments in the context of inner ear development.
In situ visualization of mCherry +ve primary afferent populations was achieved through a clearing, 3D Lightsheet imaging and analysis pipeline developed for this study, spanning the inner ear, central and peripheral nervous systems across postnatal development. mCherry +ve neurons were pronounced in the basal (high frequency-encoding) region of the cochlea, and in small diameter VGN. While there was extensive co-labeling of PRPH and mCherry immunofluorescence, a mismatch was identified indicating the mCherry reporter was expressed in broader classes of inner ear afferents. We interrogated the integration site of the PrphpmCherry transgene with whole genome Nanopore sequencing and found it to be located within the reading frame of Grm8 (metabotropic glutamate receptor 8). Grm8 is known to be expressed in the type 1c SGN subpopulation. The visualization and quantification of the molecular profile of SGN and VGN populations alongside Prphp-mCherry has been achieved in situ for the first time in this study, allowing continuous spatiotemporal evaluation of the inner ear proteome and transcriptome. A significant subpopulation of the mCherry +ve SGN had a distinct transcriptomic profile from the currently recognized subtype classifications, supporting delineation of a novel class of high frequency encoding primary afferents. Interrogation of the Prphp-mCherry mouse model has enabled the visualization of unique and previously undefined populations of inner ear primary afferents. In particular, this study advances the molecular profiling of the cochlear primary auditory neurons, emphasizing the richness of diversity in a tonotopically defined context