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The Concentric Influences of Sol LeWitt: Core Artists (Part 1). Hong Kong; Ten Countries
No full textResearch Background: The Concentric Influences of Sol LeWitt: Core Artists Exhibitions interrogates how the influence of one of the twentieth century’s most significant artists persists and transforms across global contexts. With support from the LeWitt family and international universities, the project frames curating as research—knowledge generated through staging, design, and activation rather than replication or biography. Lippard (1973/1997) identified conceptual art as privileging idea over material; Areford (2020, 2021) examined LeWitt’s systemic and serial methods and a “plural LeWitt.” This project tests those propositions through curatorial practice. Research Question: How does LeWitt’s influence reconfigure when artists with direct or indirect ties are staged internationally, revealing influence as responsive, generative, and transnational? Research Significance: Global in scope and depth, The Concentric Influences of Sol LeWitt (Part 1: Core Artists; Part 2: Foundations, Pivots and Place) repositions LeWitt’s conceptual legacy within a living, intercultural framework. Through exhibitions, catalogues, and symposia it delivers verifiable institutional outcomes and sustains the rigour of advanced practice-led research. Each iteration functions as both archive and experiment, expanding curating as a mode of critical inquiry and translation. It situates RMIT as an international nexus for conceptual art discourse and affirms curatorial practice as an evolving site of knowledge production. Hong Kong.</p
Practice Beyond Boundaries
No full textThe Impact 12 Conference asked us to consider how print practitioners have been breaking boundaries through technological innovation and cross-disciplinary practice. What new territories have been unearthed through contesting the field and its proximal position to others? In our earliest conversations about these questions, we realised they were predicated on the assumption that breaking boundaries is good because it allows artists to pursue the new or unconventional. It also supposes that disciplinary progress will require an act of breaking, perhaps a rupture, transgression, or breaching. The notion of breaking boundaries also implies that we exist in a state of disciplinary limitations. Why is it that artists (including us at times) feel compelled to transgress boundaries and reshape the field? Finally, where do we locate the value of practice: Is it as they say ‘on the cutting edge’, or can value be oriented another way?
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have become preoccupied with the production and fortification of boundaries on a personal, community, and global scale. This paper was born from our realisation that the pandemic has amplified, redrafted, and problematised notions of the boundary in the collective imagination. This moment called us—two artists reaching across a disciplinary divide—to question the nature of boundaries and their implications. Our desire to critically assess the value of boundary-making and breaking led us to our thesis: Is there another way to approach disciplinarity without theorising boundaries, territories, and their rupture?</p
Rationalizing a prospective coupling effect of cannabinoids with the current pharmacotherapy for melanoma treatment
No full textMelanoma is one of the leading fatal forms of cancer, yet from a treatment perspective, we have minimal control over its reoccurrence and resistance to current pharmacotherapies. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has recently been accepted as a multifaceted homeostatic regulator, influencing various physiological processes across different biological compartments, including the skin. This review presents an overview of the pathophysiology of melanoma, current pharmacotherapy used for treatment, and the challenges associated with the different pharmacological approaches. Furthermore, it highlights the utility of cannabinoids as an additive remedy for melanoma by restoring the balance between downregulated immunomodulatory pathways and elevated inflammatory cytokines during chronic skin conditions as one of the suggested critical approaches in treating this immunogenic tumor. </p
A dual population collaborative harmony search algorithm with adaptive population size for the system reliability-redundancy allocation problems
No full textAiming at the problem that the diversity of the current double population algorithm with dynamic population size reduction cannot be guaranteed in real time in iteration and is easy to fall into local optimum, this study presents a dual population collaborative harmony search algorithm with adaptive population size (DPCHS). Firstly, we propose a dual population algorithm framework for improving the algorithm global search capability. Within this framework, the guidance selection strategy and information interaction mechanism are integrated to strengthen the competition and cooperation among populations, and achieving a good balance between exploration and exploitation. A population state assessment method is designed to monitor population changes in real-time for enhancing population real-time self-regulation. Additionally, population size adjustment approach is designed to adopted to effectively streamline population resources and improve population quality. Comprehensive experiment results demonstrate that DPCHS effectively addresses system reliability-redundancy allocation problems with superior performance and robust convergence compared with other HS variants and algorithms from different categories.</p
Advances in perovskite-based photovoltaics and photocatalysis: a journey fueled by ChemComm
No full textThis Historical Reflections article shows the impact a selection of key communications in ChemComm have had in moving the study of perovskite-based materials forward in the areas of photovoltaics and photocatalysis.</p
Using Machine Learning to Improve Fire Safety of Timber Structures
No full textFire safety and fire resistance studies are a vital part of construction. Most conventional fire safety analyses require a combination of computational and experimental methods, making them time-consuming, technically challenging, and financially expensive. By comparison, artificial intelligence-based methods can be computationally more straightforward and more time-efficient, with the added benefit of performing simulation-based tests. This paper focuses on the use of machine learning methods to enhance the understanding and analysis of timber structures in fire. Important works in the field of fire safety and fire resistance for timber structures using artificial intelligence methods are reviewed. The works presented emphasize the importance and accuracy of artificial intelligence and machine learning-based methods in this field.</p
Assessment of hygrothermal performance and mould growth risk in roofs of post-retrofitted non-dormer and dormer attic rooms with reduced ventilation
No full textBuilding insulation upgrades focusing on energy conservation must also consider the hygrothermal performance of materials and the indoor environment. Previous research has shown that deep insulation retrofit may inadvertently reduce ventilation and increase relative humidity, increasing the risk of mould growth. This study used traditional housing in Ireland with pitched roofs as the case study to examine changes in the hygrothermal environment following the energy retrofit of a dormer-style attic room. The study compared the mould growth index (MGI) of roof rafters under different energy retrofit scenarios to understand the effect of adding a habitable dormer-style attic room on the house's mould growth risk. The results show that adding an occupied dormer room can increase the MGI of spruce rafters from below 1 to around 5.2 at 0.2 air changes per hour (ACH) of infiltration. In most scenarios, a ventilation rate lower than 1 ACH cannot prevent the MGI of rafters from reaching the critical threshold of 3, unless a 1 mm vapour barrier is added. A ventilation rate over 5 ACH is adequate to limit the mould growth risk, but mechanical ventilation may be required to achieve this level of attic ventilation. This study enhances understanding of the relationship between attic roof ventilation rate and the risk of mould growth during the energy upgrade of dormer style attic rooms, a common housing type across Northern Europe and further afield.</p
Rapid Development of A Spatial Digital Twins Using Open-source Solutions
No full textCity-model spatial Digital Twins are a three-dimensional virtual self-updating twin of a city which is updated by real-time data. This paper explores the effectiveness of open-source data and tools that can generate a Digital Twin to be hosted on a distributed system. A spatial Digital Twin was successfully generated from a city-model made from open-source spatial data with access to real-time data. The Digital Twin application was hosted on a three-tier systems architecture. The exception to the open-source data was a Digital Surface Model (DSM) obtained from a private source. However, the DSM was an optional component. The output only met the minimum requirements of a Digital Twin while the visualization was basic where the live data was limited to global weather data rather than city-specific data. The investigation indicated that even with little data, generating a 3D city scene with an automated live data flow meets the spatial Digital Twin’s minimum requirements according to Piroumian (2023). The main contribution of the study is highlighting methods for generating and hosting a spatial Digital Twin and its associated data onto the web through using a three-tier architecture to store, host and display the Twin onto the web. The areas identified for further research include investigating variations in the distributed systems for hosting and publishing a spatial Digital Twin onto the web. A secondary subject of investigation is exploring methodologies for improving the detail of the spatial Digital Twin’s data for areas that do not receive much live data.</p
Using deep learning to automate the detection of bird scaring lines on fishing vessels
No full textBird-scaring lines (BSLs) are an essential on-vessel bycatch mitigation device to reduce seabird interactions with fishing gear, such as the baited hooks of longline vessels. To ensure compliance with the behaviours required to operate successful BSLs, Electronic Monitoring (EM) cameras installed on fishing vessels can facilitate monitoring of commercial fishing activities. This study proposes an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AIML) framework based on a state-of-the-art deep learning computer vision approach called Faster RCNN to detect BSLs using vessel Electronic Monitoring (EM) video footage. The experiments include comprehensive analysis for detecting BSLs during daytime and night-time using footage from tuna longline vessels, under various weather conditions. Results show that a detection precision of 0.87 can be achieved. This valuable AIML tool can significantly reduce the time and costs associated with reviewing human EM footage, expand coverage, and automatically identify events for compliance checks and endangered species monitoring.</p
Representing the Experiences of University Student Engagement and Wellbeing in Australia: A Culturally Meaningful Model
No full textThe wellbeing of university students is paramount in their flourishing. In Australia, the shift to encompass blended learning post-pandemic has attracted students from various cultural backgrounds, due to increased accessibility and flexible learning modes. Current models of tertiary student wellbeing cater towards the majority, where culturally underrepresented students and their needs remain absent from standard university practices. Consequently, student perspectives are required to guide how university practices can best support student engagement and wellbeing in a culturally meaningful way. A mixed-methods approach included a quantitative study (Chapter 5; Study 1) that developed a general model of student wellbeing. Following, a separate qualitative study (Chapter 6; Study 2) sought the perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Asian international students from various institutes and year levels, regarding their perceptions of wellbeing and engagement. Study 1 encompassed 384 university students across Australia from multiple degrees, universities and year levels, who responded to an online anonymous survey including Likert scales and open-ended questions. Scales were representative of transformational teaching, sense of belonging, motivation, wellbeing, distress and engagement, defined in Chapter 1, 2 and 3. Open ended questions were included to provide students the opportunity to define wellbeing and engagement from their own perspectives, analysed by latent content analysis. Combined structural equation modelling and latent content analysis findings from Study 1 proposed that transformational teaching, a student-centered approach designed to promote mastery of course content and meaningful changes in students’ attitudes, beliefs, and learning skills (Slavich & Zimbardo, 2012), could foster students' sense of belonging in feeling they were an accepted and valued member of a group or environment (Allen et al., 2021), which in turn, affected their emotional, behavioural and cognitive engagement, their internal drive to engage in academic learning for its own sake out of genuine interest or enjoyment (intrinsic motivation) rather than for external rewards or pressures (Ryan & Deci, 2000). These factors were proposed to influence their wellbeing, where to flourish in the context of student wellbeing, included functioning optimally in terms of psychological, emotional, and social health, experiencing positive relationships, engagement, meaning, and accomplishment (Kern et al., 2015). Further, in combination with the latent content analysis and the statistical model, amotivation, the absence of motivation to act, marked by a lack of intention and perceived control over outcomes (Deci & Ryan, 2000), was predictive of student distress; the experience of significant psychological discomfort, such as anxiety or depression, during university studies (Sharp & Theiler, 2018). Latent content analysis of open-ended questions revealed a significant contribution to existing literature (Kahu & Nelson, 2018) that students defined engagement as both studying, and a novel conception of social engagement. Social engagement comprised the ability to establish social connections with others during class and academic activities. The implications of Study 1 proposed a conceptual model encompassing content analysis, which suggested that transformational teaching in blended learning may foster a sense of belonging in student communities by increasing social engagement, which can increase a student’s intrinsic motivation and improve their wellbeing. Findings from Study 1 indicate the importance of sociocultural factors that contribute to general university student engagement and wellbeing. However, a key limitation included collecting data at one timepoint, where future research would benefit from exploring various timepoints across the semester, to capture variations in wellbeing and engagement. Furthermore, a majority of the sample included those who identified as Western, indicating the need for more culturally nuanced perspectives. For example, existing measures of wellbeing and engagement such as those used in Study 1, Chapter 4, may need to be re-examined and updated with direct student input, as relying solely on Western-based tools or outdated policies could overlook key aspects of student experiences (Falkenberg, 2014; Burke et al., 2022). Currently, higher education in Australia still requires culturally representative perspectives, as dominant Western values shape universities and marginalise the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students; their experiences need to be included alongside those of local Western students in conceptual models of student wellbeing and engagement (Trudgett & Franklin, 2011; Dudgeon, 2011; Roddy et al., 2017). Consequently, in Study 2, Chapter 5, it was important to determine how students from underrepresented cultural backgrounds defined their own experiences to develop a culturally meaningful conceptual model, whereby culturally meaningful refers to something that holds significance, relevance, or value within the context of a particular culture’s beliefs, traditions, and social norms (Trudgett & Franklin, 2011). Using interviews, a separate, independent qualitative study (Study 2) sought to understand how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and separately, international students, experienced wellbeing at university. Modified, constructivist grounded-theory established key themes independently for each group, finding a shared common theme between the two groups, that of sense of place. Therefore, findings indicated that overall, a sense of place was most important for the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Asian international students, in varying ways. Sense of place is the emotional and symbolic attachment people develop toward a specific location, shaped by personal experiences, cultural meanings, and social interactions within that environment (Scannell & Gifford, 2010). It was concluded that teachers could ‘create’ a sense of place through a teaching approach which encompassed mentoring, productive connectiveness and pedagogical care, discussed in Chapter 5. Barriers to placemaking included the contextual, broader systemic institutional racism that may perpetuate colonial norms and unintentionally displace students by othering, and propagating cultural load. Institutional action from a top-down and bottom-up approach was suggested to support placemaking, especially from the perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, where pedagogical care was recognised as a valid aspect of teaching duties, to ensure staff have the resources to curate inclusive, transformational places of student belonging. Future research should incorporate international students with varied backgrounds, such as European or African, to address the limitation of the international sample background being those whose backgrounds may reflect cultural nuances from a specific region; Asia. In Chapter 6, the combined findings of both studies were integrated to represent of sense of place, identified by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Asian international students in Study 2, with the conceptual model built by latent content analysis and some structural equation modelling in Study 1. The integrated findings of both Study 1 and Study 2 presented in Chapter 6 suggest that transformational teaching could support students' sense of belonging, and therefore place, by creating a community classroom environment where students feel socially engaged and mentored. Implications include the necessity of student-staff connections and student collaborations within transformative, blended classrooms to establish a sense of place. Despite significant practical limitations, it is possible that with structural support, place-making initiatives could help address the needs of various university students in a more culturally meaningful way. If a sense of place is where students and transformational teachers have means to socially engage and feel they belong, then the wellbeing and engagement of higher education students in Australia can flourish.</p