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Edge AI Application and Optimization: FPGA-Accelerated Railway Damage Detection and Progressive Quantization Framework
No full textThe increasing demand for real-time, low-power artificial intelligence (AI) applications has driven the deployment of deep neural networks on resource-constrained edge devices, such as Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). This thesis focuses on developing an efficient railway damage detection system using FPGA-based hardware and proposes a novel quantization framework to address the limitations posed by hardware constraints. Chapter 1 presents the design and implementation of a railway track detection system, which comprises four main components: an enhanced railway damage image dataset, an FPGA integrated with a convolutional neural network (CNN), a host computer for interaction and visualization, and an intelligent vehicle platform. The intelligent vehicle captures real-time images of railway tracks using a gimbal-mounted camera and transmits them to the FPGA for damage detection. The detection results, including track status and precise damage location, are wirelessly sent to the host computer for visualization. Although the system achieves real-time performance and low power consumption, aggressive model quantization is required to fit the FPGA’s resource limitations, which results in a reduction in accuracy. To mitigate this issue, Chapter 2 introduces a progressive quantization framework that incrementally reduces the bit-width of weights and activations while preserving model accuracy. The framework incorporates advanced techniques, including the Straight-Through Estimator (STE), Arctangent Soft Round (ASR), Minimize Discretization Error (MDE), and a filtering mechanism. It is evaluated on six neural network architectures—ResNet18, ResNet20, VGG7, VGG16, MobileNetV2, and ShuffleNetV2—using CIFAR-10 and Tiny ImageNet datasets. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach significantly improves quantized model accuracy, achieving near-full-precision performance in most cases. Future research will focus on integrating the progressive quantization framework into the railway damage detection system, with the goal of balancing resource efficiency and high detection accuracy. This work provides a practical and scalable solution for deploying AI-based monitoring systems on edge platforms, contributing to real-time edge AI applications in critical infrastructure maintenance
Roxadustat improves diabetic myocardial injury by upregulating HIF-1α/UCP2 against oxidative stress
No full textBACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM), characterized by hyperglycemia, is intricately linked with cardiovascular complications. Hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress, compromising mitochondria energy metabolism disturbances, leading to cardiomyocyte hypoxia and dysregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), thereby exacerbating diabetic myocardial injury. Roxadustat (FG-4592), as an inhibitor of HIF-PHD, reduces HIF-1α degradation and regulates the transcription and function of downstream target genes. This study explores the protective effect of FG-4592 on the diabetic myocardium and further investigates the specific mechanisms responsible for this action. METHODS: We established diabetic myocardial injury mice and high glucose-induced rat cardiomyocyte models, administered FG-4592 pretreatment to clarify the protective effects and related mechanisms of FG-4592 on diabetic myocardial injury by detecting changes in oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and related pathways. RESULTS: FG-4592 demonstrated cardioprotective effects in diabetic mice by regulating mitochondrial structure and function, as well as maintaining oxidative stress balance in the myocardium. It stabilized HIF-1α, activated UCP2, and enhanced the PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 pathway, reducing mitochondrial superoxide production, improving mitochondrial respiratory potential, and modulating oxidative stress markers in high glucose-induced cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSIONS: FG-4592 exerts protective effects against diabetic myocardial injury by reducing oxidative stress. The mechanism is linked with the upregulation of HIF-1α and UCP2, which subsequently activate the PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 signaling pathway
Fine root production in Agathis australis-dominated forests affected by Phytophthora agathidicida
No full textAgathis australis (kauri) is a foundation conifer species endemic to northern New Zealand, currently threatened by the soilborne pathogen Phytophthora agathidicida (PA), which causes kauri dieback. Fine roots are critical to nutrient uptake, carbon cycling, and forest resilience, yet limited field data exist on how kauri root systems respond to pathogen stress and environmental conditions. This study quantified and compared fine root production and turnover between kauri and co-occurring angiosperm trees, and assessed the influence of soil properties and pathogen presence on kauri root production.
To address these objectives, ingrowth cores were installed beneath kauri and angiosperm trees across three forest sites (Piha, Huia, Cascades) and left in place for three years. Root biomass accumulation was used to calculate fine root production (mg cm⁻³ yr⁻¹). The pathogen status of Phytophthora agathidicida was assessed through soil sampling beneath kauri trees. Soil properties, such as pH, forest floor depth, and carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio, were also measured across the three study sites.
Fine root production differed significantly between root groups. Kauri roots averaged 1.8 mg cm⁻³ yr⁻¹, with a maximum of 88.5 mg cm⁻³ yr⁻¹ in a single Piha core, while non-kauri roots averaged 28.6 mg cm⁻³ yr⁻¹. In PA-detected kauri trees, mean production dropped to 1.5 mg cm⁻³ yr⁻¹ at Cascades and 0.9 mg cm⁻³ yr⁻¹ at Piha, compared to 2.2 and 88.5 mg cm⁻³ yr⁻¹ respectively in PA-not-detected kauri. Turnover was also lower in kauri trees (mean 0.75 yr⁻¹) compared to non-kauri roots (1.27 yr⁻¹), suggesting slower replacement consistent with conservative root strategies. Among soil variables, forest floor depth was the strongest predictor of production in non-kauri trees, while kauri root production showed weak sensitivity to pH and C:N ratio.
These results provide new insights into fine root production and turnover, across kauri and angiosperms, and pathogen status. This offers a valuable foundation for understanding below-ground responses in kauri dieback-affected forests
Light Shining in the Darkness: A Hermeneutic Literature Review of Religious Trauma
No full textTrauma may be understood as a wound crying out without words. While the sound of religious trauma can be heard in the academic literature in relation to spiritual abuse, affecting those in high-demand groups, and marginalised groups such as LGBTQ+ communities, much less is known about quieter experiences. To address this gap, this research sought to answer the question: What is the felt meaning of the experience of Christian religious trauma? The methodology involved a hermeneutic review of the literature, seeking understanding through an embodied process of dwelling with the phenomenon in conversation with texts. This, in turn, became a hermeneutics of self as the texts questioned the researcher. Findings revolved around a light shining in the darkness, a central symbol that illuminated the Divine as both the source of comfort and safety, and of threat. The study showed how a felt sense of judgment is kept hidden and invisible to the self through epistemic harm. However, slow-dawning recognition leads to ontological shock that shakes the foundations of meaning. The research explores how felt experiences relate to the wider world of power and belief and argues that religious trauma must be understood from within its world of meaning. This points counsellors beyond traditional trauma theories for working with these clients in practice
Carrying Learning into the Future through Stories of Noticing
No full textNarrator: Our intrepid adventurers, Holly and Michelle, embark on an epic journey to become Reading Recovery facilitators, knowing full well that they will likely never become Reading Recovery facilitators. Fending off feelings of futility, they chose to be future-focused and concentrate on transferable learnings they could take from their RR study experience and apply to as-yet-unknown literacy facilitation, teaching, and learning settings
Big Heroines and Double Entangled Feminine Ideals: Analyzing Cultural Representations and Gender Norms in the Postfeminist Era of China
No full textContemporary gender dynamics find potent and pervasive expression in media culture, which, as Karlyn (2010) notes, plays a pivotal role in shaping young women’s lived experiences and reconfiguring feminist engagement in the twenty-first century. This thesis argues that postfeminism provides a critical lens through which to interrogate this evolving landscape. Central to this framework are Angela McRobbie’s (2004, 2009) concept of double entanglement and Rosalind Gill’s (2007a, 2017) theorization of a postfeminist sensibility, both of which highlight a paradox: feminist values such as empowerment and choice are celebrated in popular culture, yet are simultaneously commodified, depoliticized, and undermined by structural inequalities. Focusing on the transnational circulation of postfeminist discourse, this study explores its manifestation within the specific socio-political context of China. Drawing on Dosekun’s (2015) transnational framework, it asks: how does postfeminism operate within the intersection of market forces, ideological control, and cultural specificity in contemporary China? The literature review outlines common postfeminist tropes—such as consumerism as empowerment, the valorization of self-management, and the re-inscription of traditional femininity (Tasker & Negra, 2005; Gill, 2007a; McRobbie, 2008). In the Chinese context, scholars like Liu (2014) and Peng (2019a) have observed similar patterns, where media texts often echo neoliberal feminist values. Yet, as Yang (2020) emphasizes, these representations remain shaped by China’s unique historical, political, and ideological terrain. This thesis builds on existing scholarship by analyzing how a Chinese version of postfeminism is articulated through contemporary television dramas featuring the “big heroine” trope—narratives that spotlight independent, ambitious urban women. Employing hybrid thematic analysis, the study examines how these dramas reinforce, complicate, or resist dominant postfeminist ideals. Findings reveal that postfeminism in China is not merely a Western import but a hybrid formation shaped by China’s state-led neoliberalism (Ong & Zhang, 2008), Confucian gender norms (Chen, 2014), and entrenched patriarchal structures (Liao, 2019; Yang, 2020). This thesis demonstrates how postfeminist discourse in China becomes a contested terrain where transnational feminism, consumer culture, and state ideology converge—reshaping contemporary gender identities and the meanings of female empowerment
Creative engagement and well-being: Older Chinese migrants in New Zealand
No full textObjectivesThis study explored the forms and motivations of older migrants' creative engagement in the host country in their daily context, and how the engagement influences older migrants in their postmigration life.MethodsA qualitative approach was used by conducting in-depth interviews and photo elicitation with 18 older Chinese migrants in New Zealand. Data were coded using a hybrid approach of deductive content analysis and inductive thematic analysis.ResultsFour types of creative engagement were identified: nature (gardening), art-making (e.g. making vlogs and painting), handcrafts (knitting and carpentry) and creative writing (journaling). Gardening, as the most popular activity, helped link participants' past to their current life. Some participants used digital tools (e.g. mobile phones) to develop their creative skills. Respondents reported that migration-related stress (e.g. language barriers and a limited social network) contributed to their having constrained lives, which meant that they had more spare time for creative pursuits. Participants' life histories influenced their choice of pursuits. Finally, participants indicated that creative activities helped alleviate stress and contributed to their adjustment to life in the host country and to sustaining their well-being. Those who did not engage in creative pursuits attributed it to their personal life histories (e.g. deprivation of education) and postmigration commitments (e.g. caregiving responsibilities).ConclusionsPostmigration challenges do not necessarily discourage older migrants from creative pursuits, but instead they may shape the type of pursuit chosen and the form of engagement. Previous life experiences also affected the choice of creative pursuits in later life. These creative engagements appear to help sustain older migrants' postmigration well-being
