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Experimental Investigation and Analytical Modelling for Interfacial Behaviour of in End Fibre Anchored EB-FRP Systems Strengthening on RC Structures
No full textExternally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (EBFRP) systems are widely used to strengthen reinforced concrete (RC) structures, yet premature debonding limits their effectiveness. End-anchorage techniques enhance load transfer efficiency and mitigate interfacial bond failure by providing additional resistance against slip propagation. This study investigates the load-slip response and anchorage performance of single end-anchored EBFRP systems through experimental testing and analytical modeling. Twelve large-scale single-lap shear tests (1370 mm × 460 × 150 mm) were conducted to evaluate the effects of anchor dowel diameter, fan length, and concrete compressive strength on load transfer efficiency. Experimental results capture the transition from interfacial shear stress transfer to anchorage engagement, demonstrating how bond length influences stress redistribution and the progressive role of the anchored region in resisting slip and delaying debonding failure. An analytical model was developed to characterize load-slip behavior, incorporating a bond-slip constitutive relationship for the bonded region and a bilinear elastic-hardening framework for the end-anchored region. The model explicitly accounts for anchor deformation, force redistribution, and anchorage-dependent failure mechanisms. Strong agreement between analytical predictions and experimental results validates its capability for predicting anchorage engagement and load transfer mechanics. By integrating Mode II fracture-dominated load transfer with anchorage resistance, these findings contribute to the optimization of anchorage design strategies, improving the stability, durability, and efficiency of EBFRP strengthening applications in RC structures
Not all verbal labels grease the wheels of odor categories
No full textAbstract
Language is known to play a crucial role in influencing how humans perceive and categorize sensory stimuli, including odors. This study investigated the impact of linguistic labeling on odor categorization among bilingual participants proficient in Chinese (L1) and English (L2). We hypothesized that L1-like linguistic labels would more robustly propel the learning of new olfactory categories compared to a condition without language, and more familiar labels would better support odor category learning. The analysis focused on comparing learning trajectories and odor categorization performance of four groups, three in which odors were paired with different sets of verbal labels and a control group that categorized odors without any verbal labeling. Following four days of intensive training, the results showed that the groups with verbal labels numerically outperformed the control group, and that the less familiar the labels sounded the more successful categorization became. However, between-group differences did not reach statistical significance. These findings, while not conclusively supporting our hypotheses, provide insights into the complex relationship between linguistic familiarity and odor category formation. The results are nested within Ad Hoc Cognition, highlighting that variations in linguistic familiarity may not induce robust enough contextual changes to differentially affect how odor categories are formed.</jats:p
How do types of public goods mediate microbial cooperation
No full textThe influence of public goods on microbial interactions is ubiquitous in microbial communities. Since the functions of public goods leak within the community, and the microorganisms that produce these public goods typically incur substantial costs, it follows that microbes may sometimes lose the genes responsible for the production of public goods, thereby ceasing the production of the corresponding public goods. The Strong Black Queen hypothesis proposes that a division of labor may emerge within the community, where all members stop producing certain types of public goods and produce only the minimal types of public goods. However, public goods encompass a variety of major categories, such as intracellular enzymes, secreted metabolites, and secreted enzymes. When public goods exist in the form of secreted metabolites or secreted enzymes, little is known about the performance of their properties in the Strong Black Queen dynamics. In this work, I employed a bottom-up model to simulate microbial communities with secreted metabolites as public goods and those with secreted enzymes as public goods, respectively. And I tested the effects of various public goods properties, such as the diffusion capacity of public goods, the production cycle of public goods, and the decay rate of public goods, on the evolutionary trends and division of labor within the microbial communities. The results indicate that the following three public goods properties facilitate the formation of Strong Black Queen dynamics: (1) shorter production intervals of public goods, which create high-concentration regions of public goods within the community; (2) moderate decay rates, which prevent both excessive accumulation and premature depletion of public goods; and (3) shorter diffusion intervals, which alleviate regional shortages of public goods. In addition, although an increase in the cost of public goods accelerates the replacement of producers by mutants, it does not fundamentally alter the evolutionary endpoint of community structure. This study emphasizes that different characteristics of public goods are not isolated, but rather synergistically influence the formation of Strong Black Queen dynamics
On the structural and practical identifiability of multi-echo BBB-ASL tracer kinetic models
No full textPURPOSE: Tracer kinetic models are used in arterial spin labeling (ASL); however, deciding which model parameters to fix or fit is not always trivial. The identifiability of the resultant system of equations is useful to consider, since it will likely impact parameter uncertainty. Here, we analyze the identifiability of two-compartment models used in multi-echo (ME) blood-brain-barrier (BBB)-ASL and evaluate the reliability of the fitted water-transfer rate ( k w ). METHOD: The identifiability of two variants of a two-compartment model (referred to here as "series" and "parallel") were analyzed using sensitivity matrix and Monte-Carlo simulation methods, the latter including the effects of noise and fixed-parameter error. ME-ASL data were collected at 3T in 25 cognitively normal participants (57-85 y). In one volunteer, additional scans were acquired to estimate noise. Fits for whole-gray-matter k w were performed with a theoretically identifiable version of the model. RESULTS: All models needed one or more fixed parameters to be structurally identifiable, with different combinations required for each. Practical identifiability analysis yielded k w estimates with a median absolute error of 29% (parallel model) and 33% (series model). Fits to data yielded median k w values of 0 (parallel) and 96 min-1 (series). CONCLUSION: We used identifiability analysis to determine an appropriate BBB-ASL model for acquired data. Through simulations we showed that parameter estimates depend on model selection and the value of fixed parameters. We demonstrated that fixed-parameter value and errors significantly impact the reliability of k w values obtained from acquired ME-ASL images, even with structurally identifiable models
The parameters of consent: unbundling ‘bundled consent’ in primary healthcare
No full textConsent is one of the most studied concerns in biomedical ethics. However, some consent practices, such as bundled consent, have yet to be fully conceptualised and considered. In light of the limited literature, the distinction between consent and bundled consent can be difficult to distinguish.
This thesis explored whether primary healthcare enrolment (enrolment) is an example of bundled consent. General practice enrolment forms require individuals to have ‘read and understood the Health Information Sheet’ (H.I.S) which outlines that their health information (including patient notes, laboratory results and imaging) will be collected and shared with other agencies and individual, including researchers. It appears, prima facie, that consent for primary healthcare and consent for secondary data use are bundled, which may make it difficult for patients to opt-out of their data being (re)used if they wish to access primary healthcare.
A mixed-method approach was used to explore how consent is embodied in contemporary enrolment practice, and whether and how it might constitute ‘bundled consent’ instead. A document analysis of publicly available enrolment forms and H.I.Ss was conducted to assess how closely these documents reflected Ministry of Health (2018a) sample enrolment documents. Study 2 comprised of semi-structured interviews with eight people with expertise in primary healthcare, data, and/or ethics about their experiences with enrolment and understanding of data sharing. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was used to transcribe and analyse the interviews, identifying three overarching themes – “power and priorities affect practice”, “a lack of cohesion across the system” and “consent as passive and untethered”.
The results from these studies confirm that enrolment is an example of bundled consent and illustrates how this it is at play in the current primary healthcare context. The use of bundled consent in enrolment raises ethical issues about the (re)use of patient information for which free, prior and informed consent has not been obtained. In our increasingly datafied society, the role of consent within enrolment practice needs to be critically reviewed. It is crucial that people working in decolonial, data justice and Māori Data Sovereignty are meaningfully involved in this review from the start
“I think it's a coordinated, collective responsibility. Yeah, it’s everyone’s responsibility” – Challenges and opportunities to enhance Pacific cultural competency and safety development in Aotearoa’s training clinical psychologists: A social justice perspective
No full textAddressing Pacific mental health needs calls for a workforce equipped to provide culturally responsive clinical care. Despite research emphasising the importance of supporting Pacific cultural competencies development in the workforce, there is a paucity of research investigating how clinical training programmes are preparing non-Pasifika clinical students to develop Pacific competencies. To address this issue, I conducted semi- structured interviews with (n=15) non-Pacific clinical psychology students across Aotearoa, exploring their perceptions through a social constructionist lens. Through reflexive thematic analysis I developed five overarching themes through a social justice framework to articulate participant perspectives of clinical training. Participants expressed that clinical training did not prepare them to develop Pacific competencies (Theme 1) due to
institutional systems and structures privileging Western knowledge as the ‘correct’ way to practice clinical psychology (Theme 2). Participants framed this as a disconnect between clinical training and professional responsibilities (Theme 3) and emphasised that Pacific competencies are a collective responsibility, highlighting the cultural tax experienced by Pasifika (Theme 4). Through this research, participants are advocating for transformative change in clinical training in Aotearoa to be responsive to Pacific communities (Theme 5). Drawing inspiration from participants who had positive experiences with Pacific expertise, I present recommendations for reimagining clinical psychology training that embeds Pacific perspectives and equips non-Pacific trainees with the skills, resources, and cultural knowledge to support Pacific communities. By co-holding social justice principles in clinical psychology training programmes, Aotearoa can meet demands for a culturally competent and safe mental health workforce to meet Pacific needs
To Leave or Stay? Influences on Early Exit and Completion in a New Zealand Residential Drug Rehabilitation Service
No full textResearch indicates a positive correlation between residential treatment duration and residents’ positive outcomes. Between 2015 and 2019, a New Zealand residential drug rehabilitation service noted a rise in premature program exits, leading to an in-depth investigation into the individual and therapeutic community factors that impact residents’ completion of the 18-week program. The aim of the study was to understand how to enhance support mechanisms that promote longer treatment stays with the view to improving well-being outcomes. The authors conducted a two-phase, mixed-methods study. They applied quantitative secondary data analysis to data collected between 2015 and 2019 from 796 participants and did follow-up qualitative data collection in 2023, where 15 former residents participated in focus groups. Six were then randomly selected to participate in an in-depth interview. This article reports findings from the interviews of that study. The aims of this article are threefold. The authors introduce data from a New Zealand drug rehabilitation service as a case for using ChatGPT to support AI-assisted thematic narrative analysis. Steps in the analysis are detailed through a reproducible prompting process. Second, the authors present findings highlighting factors influencing residents to leave treatment and those that influenced them to stay. The authors position AI as a complementary tool for qualitative data analysis that enhances methodological rigor and practical applications in addiction research.</jats:p
Response of the human choroid to short-term changes in eyelid and periocular temperature
No full textClinical relevanceChoroidal thickness measurement is gaining popularity in clinical practice and research as an early indicator of myopia progression. Understanding the influence of temperature on choroidal thickness changes will improve the reliability of the measures.BackgroundIt has been suggested that environmental temperature may affect choroidal thickness and blood flow, with potential implications for ocular disease and refractive development. This study investigates the effect of changes in eyelid/ocular adnexa temperature on choroidal thickness.MethodsIn a paired-eye study, 20 young, healthy subjects received a warm stimulus (heat pack) over one closed eye and simultaneously a cold stimulus (ice pack) over the other for 10 min. Eyelid temperatures were monitored with thermal probes, and optical coherence tomography scans of the retina and choroid were taken before and after heating and cooling, and then every 5 min during a 15-min recovery period. Retinal and choroidal thicknesses were measured across the macular region (6 mm), including the subfoveal (1 mm), parafoveal (1-3 mm), and perifoveal (3-5 mm) regions, and compared between the cooled and warmed eyes.ResultsWhen the thermal stimuli were applied, eyelid surface temperatures changed predictably and remained significantly different (by approximately 10-15°C) between the eyes after 2 min (p p = .004). This choroidal thickening response occurred in the subfoveal, parafoveal, and perifoveal regions (all p p = .641).ConclusionCooling the anterior eye by application of a cold stimulus directly onto the closed eyelid caused a small but significant increase in choroidal thickness relative to warming the anterior eye, demonstrating that the choroid can modulate its thickness rapidly and transiently in response to local temperature changes
Predicting House Sale Prices in Newly Developed Suburbs Without Historical Sales
No full textThere is a recent trend of housing developers designing masterplan suburbs based
on new urbanist principles to solve the housing crisis all around the world. The aim
of this study is to anticipate the value of housing features in recently developed suburbs
using a Bayesian approach, and investigate the price premiums of masterplan
suburbs in the Auckland housing market. We present the Standard House Configuration
Model, where housing feature impacts are analyzed relative to the configuration
of a standard house for easy interpretation. The benefit of using a Bayesian approach
is that we describe housing feature impacts using highest density intervals,
which more closely resemble the intuitive understanding of probability intervals than
statistical confidence intervals. Our case study on the newly developed suburbs of
Fairview Heights, Oteha, Stonefields, Long Bay, Flat Bush, Silverdale, and Hobsonville
in Auckland, New Zealand, demonstrates that the posterior distributions
from our model effectively capture the complex relationship between housing features
and sale price (R2 value of 91.5%). From analyzing the seven newly developed
suburbs in Auckland, New Zealand, we find evidence that masterplan suburbs have
higher price premiums than traditional suburbs. Our model estimates that masterplan
suburbs offer a 17.47% to 20.16% price premium compared to non-masterplan
suburbs. The proposed model is cross-validated on four recently developed suburbs
in Auckland. For comparable suburbs, our model is able to make reasonably accurate
price predictions without using any historical sale records from the target suburb.
This indicates that the insights into housing feature impacts are applicable to other
new suburbs still in the planning stage and, therefore, have the potential to support
future suburb developments
Challenges for Theology in Settler Colonial Contexts
No full textThis article reflects on some challenges for Christian theology in New Zealand and similar settler colonial contexts. In particular, it explores ways in which Christians can begin acknowledging and addressing the entanglements of Christianity with settler colonialism and its violence. The first section briefly outlines the project of settler colonialism, drawing on key insights from settler colonial studies. The second section examines ways in which Christian theology has actively contributed to this project. The third section indicates some typical strategies that Christians employ to avoid acknowledging this situation. Finally, the article suggests how practices of repentance can assist with the work of repair