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Second Skin
No full textResearch Background: Second Skin advances industrial design research into regenerative futures by exploring design-led digital fabrication. It draws on Neri Oxman’s Material Ecology (2020, MoMA) to position fabrication as ecological practice and Tony Fry’s Design Futuring (2018) to shift design away from defuturing systems. Current debates in Biotechnology Design and the Proceedings of the Design Society increasingly question how biomaterials and advanced manufacturing can support systemic wellbeing. The project addresses extractive norms in manufacturing by testing regenerative fibres and 3D technologies through on-demand fabrication of an everyday healthcare artefact. Research Contribution: Second Skin is a hospital scrub made from SeaCell® and organic cotton, 3D-knitted from digital body scans to improve fit and minimise waste while enhancing comfort, breathability, and biodegradability. Integrating regenerative fibres with automated production explores scalable, low-impact models of workwear manufacturing. This contributes to industrial design research by evidencing how material and digital processes can reorient production systems toward regenerative outcomes by using and adapting existing industrial capability. Research Significance: Funded by WorkSafe Victoria’s Mental Health Improvement Fund and commissioned by Peninsula Health, the work demonstrates excellence in applied research addressing social, cultural, and environmental wellbeing. Its inclusion in the National Gallery of Victoria’s Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday exhibition (2025), and Cotsaftis’ role as chair of the System Ready: Designing Materials for Impact at Scale session in the accompanying symposium, positions Second Skin as an institutionally recognised cultural artefact and a benchmark for how design research advances material innovation and digital production toward systemic, regenerative change.</p
Optimisation of the cultured ELISpot/Fluorospot technique for the selective investigation of SARS-CoV-2 reactive central memory T cells
No full textIntroduction: This study presents an optimised cultured ELISpot protocol for detecting central memory T-cell interferon gamma (IFNγ) responses against SARS-CoV-2 peptides following an initial priming with either peptides, or whole spike protein. Methods: Key variations optimised include the culture length, timing of exogenous survival signals (IL-2), and endpoint analysis modality and cell density to enhance assay sensitivity without compromising specificity for central memory T-cell IFNγ recall responses to cognate antigen. Results: We noted a culture duration of 10 days, combined with a delayed IL-2 administration on day 5 to enhance assay sensitivity while maintaining response specificity towards cognate antigen when compared with shorter culture periods or earlier exogenous survival signal provision. With regards to lower-frequency T-cell interactions, as we observed with our donor SARS-CoV-2 epitope responses, our findings suggest Fluorospot to be preferable to the chromogenic ELISpot modality, and an immediate cell washing after culture collection to better facilitate cognate antigen responses. Fluorospot enabled a higher cell density while minimising the generation of visual artefacts, meanwhile immediate cell washing was critical for improving endpoint assay sensitivity. CCR7+ cell depletion was used to demonstrate our optimised protocol to selectively demonstrate central memory T-cell responses. Lastly, we provide evidence for the capacity of our assay to delineate individual responding peptides following peptide pool priming, and to explore cross-reactivity between viral variant peptides. Conclusion: This work advances the methodology for investigating T-cell immunity, particularly in the context of SARS-CoV-2, and emphasises the balance between enhancing specific cognate central memory responses while limiting non-specific activation.</p
Ensuring accurate microclimate research: How to select representative meteorological data of local climate in microclimate studies
No full textMicroclimate research has seen significant growth in recent years, particularly in areas such as outdoor thermal comfort, urban ecology, and urban heat mitigation. However, the short-term nature of many studies in this field presents challenges in ensuring that the collected data accurately represents local climate conditions. This paper introduces a novel method to enhance the quality and applicability of microclimate research by quantifying the representativeness of short-term meteorological data. Our approach employs the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) statistic to compare daily meteorological data from nearby stations against long-term climate trends. Key findings demonstrate that this method effectively identifies representative data periods. This method allows researchers to evaluate the representativeness of each day's data according to their specific study objectives, whether focusing on typical or extreme weather conditions. By implementing this framework, researchers can: (a) Post-filter existing data to identify the most representative samples. (b) Quantify the climate representativeness of their findings, enhancing result interpretation and applicability. (c) More confidently generalize conclusions from short-term studies. The paper also provides simplified alternatives to the full method, making it accessible to a wider range of researchers. By adopting this approach, microclimate studies can achieve greater confidence in their data's representativeness, leading to more robust and generalizable conclusions. Our method addresses a key methodological challenge in microclimate research and provides a flexible data assessment framework. This framework enables researchers to systematically evaluate climate data representativeness, enhancing the reliability and applicability of their findings across various urban climate studies, from thermal comfort assessments to climate adaptation strategies.</p
Individual competencies in supply chain management from a human resource management perspective
No full textPurpose This paper aims to achieve two main objectives: (1) to categorise the existing literature on individual competencies in supply chain management and (2) to identify research gaps to inform future research on individual competencies in supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review methodology was applied to collect and analyse data. A total of 92 relevant articles on individual competencies in supply chain management, published between 1991 and 2024, were reviewed. Content analysis was conducted to categorise research streams, establish a conceptual framework and lay the groundwork for future investigations. Findings The review identified three primary research streams: (1) the types of individual competencies, (2) the impacts of individual competencies on supply chain performance and (3) the development of individual competencies through education and training. A comprehensive framework is presented, showcasing the influence of individual competency areas on other dimensions of supply chain management. Additionally, five key recommendations for future research are provided: (1) exploring relationships between various competency types within the supply chain, (2) developing strategies to build and enhance competency groups, (3) examining the interplay between individual and organisational competencies, (4) fostering the development of individual competencies among employees and (5) creating an assessment framework for evaluating individual competencies. Research limitations/implications In conducting this SLR, we recognise certain limitations inherent in our methodology. Our analysis focuses solely on individual competencies, excluding related topics such as organisational competencies within the supply chain domain. While our findings provide valuable insights, they would benefit from further validation and expansion by independent researchers. Future studies could diversify the publication sets, select larger and more varied samples, utilise alternative databases or adopt different methodologies, such as qualitative case studies or qualitative comparative analysis, to deepen our understanding and explore connections across diverse research areas. Practical implications From a practical standpoint, the framework presented (see Figure 5) and the identified competency groups offer valuable guidance for human resource departments in developing future competency strategies, potentially leading to a competitive advantage. By leveraging this framework and focusing on the key competency groups as strategic assets, organisations can cultivate a more adaptable, skilled and innovative workforce. This approach is likely to improve supply chain management, enhance the ability to meet customer needs and contribute to overall firm performance. Originality/value This paper offers a structured synthesis of existing literature on individual competencies in supply chain management. By introducing a comprehensive framework, it provides fresh insights to enrich the field and identifies actionable directions for advancing research. In addition, this study extends the scope of prior systematic literature reviews and offers supplementary insights.</p
Driftlight
No full textBackgroundDriftlight, a short film developed through an internally funded research grant, explores embodied relations between movement and the built environment. The project re-centres attention on the peripheral vision of a passenger undertaking journeys through Ho Chi Minh City. While the passenger focuses on direction and destination, they also experience sensory shifts in the spaces they traverse. By positioning the camera perpendicular to the direction of travel, the film foregrounds the peripheral experience of the city. This approach draws inspiration from Ed Ruscha’s Every Building on the Sunset Strip (1966), James Benning’s One Way Boogie Woogie (1977), and is informed by Sarah Pink’s sensory research, which contributes to revealing ambience and atmosphere in ethnographic and visual studies.ContributionThe broader proposition of these films is that the experience of riding a motorbike constitutes a form of intangible heritage. The relationship between Vietnamese communities and their motorbikes is longstanding and deeply embedded. Unlike cars, motorbike journeys offer an embodied urban experience defined by the exposed and immersive nature of travel. Movement, sound, events, and smell combine to form a distinctive sensory encounter. The filmed journeys, captured both day and night, not only document this experience but also serve as visual records of urban transformation—showing how spaces evolve and adapt in response to weather, redevelopment, and societal change.SignificanceBy recognising the cultural significance of the everyday, Driftlight highlights heritage values not centred on monuments or physical artefacts, but on a critical and ubiquitous mode of transport, business, and leisure in Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam. Filming these journeys reveals not only the experience of motion but also the relational dynamics between the passenger and the pavement spaces where city life unfolds. These films contribute to an understanding of intangible heritage that, because of its everyday nature, often goes unseen and underappreciated. Creative post-production techniques are employed to amplify and bring to the forefront the sensory dimensions of motorbike travel in HCMC.</p
counter-sites
No full textGroup show curated by Karl Halliday and Madeleine Sherburn that brings together the work of seven artists whose practices dismantle, dissect and disrupt the complex connection between photography and place, image and site. Looking inwards to the properties of the medium itself, and outwards to the politics of vision, the exhibition extends and confuses the traditional-spatial experience of image through critical, archival and expanded approaches to photography.</p
Validation of the trait emotional intelligence questionnaire – Adolescent short form (TEIQue-ASF) among adolescents in Vietnam
No full textEmotional Intelligence (EI) is the knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes an individual has about their own and other people’s emotions. EI is considered as a protector against mental illness and potentially increase mental health. Petrides’ Trait Emotional
Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) is validated among adults globally. However, there is little data yet about its use among Asian countries. This study aims to translate and culturally verify the Trait Emotional Intelligence Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue-ASF)
and investigate content validity, construct validity, and reliability targeting answering the research question that whether TEIQue-ASF can be used to measure EI among Vietnamese high school adolescents. Content of the TEIQue-ASF was translated (English to Vietnamese) and back-translated (Vietnamese to English) in consultation with bilingual and bicultural health researchers and pilot tested among 51 potential respondents. Phraseology and wording were then adjusted, and the final version is named the VN-TEIQue-ASF. The VN-TEIQue-ASF’s properties were investigated in a cross-sectional self-report survey among high school students in Central Vietnam. In total, 1,593/1,686 (94.5%) eligible students (age range 15 to 18) from nine high schools in rural, urban, and coastline areas completed the survey. Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA) with Oblimin rotation yielded a four-factor solution with all factor
loadings above .30. Some facets loaded differently compared to the original version. The differences in cultural values between Vietnam and Western countries might lead to this partial duplication. The Cronbach’s alpha of the global score for the TEIQue-
ASF-VN was .77. The TEIQue-ASF-VN is comprehensible and has good content and construct validity and reliability among adolescents in Vietnam. This study contributes to the broader understanding of applicability and reliability of EI measures across diverse cultural settings. It recommends the use of TEIQue-ASF Vietnamese version in school and professional study in education, psychology, and public health to investigate trait EI in Vietnam.</p
A Multifunctional Shield for an Earth Satellite
No full textEnvironmental hazards including the growing population of space debris and the transient flux of ionizing particles present a significant challenge to the structural integrity and functionality of satellites in low Earth orbit. Composite-stuffed aluminium foam sandwich panels (AFSPs) have been identified as one of several structures that may afford a low-mass means to provide protection to sensitive satellite interior components against hypervelocity impacts (HVIs) with a satellite's outer wall. Furthermore, composites of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) have been identified as a material that may afford both improved HVI and ionizing particle protection simultaneously. This work explores whether UHMWPE-stuffed AFSPs can perform as a multifunctional satellite shield by mitigating damage to satellite interior components due to both HVI, and damage from ionizing particles. Also explored is whether the HVI performance of the UHMWPE composite degrades as ionizing particles change its chemistry over time.
To assess these materials, several experiments were conducted. A HVI testing campaign was performed at the Fraunhofer Ernst Mach Institut 2-stage Light Gas Gun to bound the ballistic limit of an UHMWPE-stuffed AFSP, which was compared to a baseline aramid-stuffed AFSP. Further samples including the UHMWPE composite alone and the UHMWPE-stuffed AFSP were characterised in terms of their ionizing particle absorptivity by exposure to protons of varied energies at the ANU Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF).
These test activities were used to validate computational models which further explore the performance of UHMWPE-stuffed AFSPs and compare against the baseline aramid-stuffed AFSP. HVI performance was characterised in detail by a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) finite element model including a non-linear orthotropic material model to describe the composites. This model was validated against the conducted HVI experiments and data reported in literature for both the UHMWPE- and aramid-stuffed AFSPs. The SPH model was also found to quantify the stochasticity of HVI event outcomes imposed by aluminium foam, which had been observed but not quantified in literature. The composite-stuffed AFSPs were found to have improved mean HVI performance relative to other baseline satellite walls, with the UHMWPE-stuffed AFSP outperforming the aramid-stuffed AFSP. However, the stochasticity in the HVI outcomes introduced by the aluminium foam was found to be significant, which may pose functional challenges for employing shields incorporating aluminium foam in orbit.
A further numerical model was developed employing the SRIM-2013 software tool to predict damage to radiation-hardened and commercial-off-the-shelf representative microchips reported in literature. Damage was measured for both chips in terms of the environmentally induced soft error rate (SER), and total ionising dose (TID) applied over a notional satellite mission. Both of these properties were calculated considering a representative sun-synchronous orbital environment characterised by the SPENVIS software tool. This model was validated against the ANU-HIAF proton absorptivity experiments, showing excellent agreement for UHMWPE alone, and acceptable agreement for the UHMWPE-stuffed AFSP. The model incorporated material and structure dimensions, and chemical composition to demonstrate that UHMWPE-stuffed AFSPs lessen TID but not SER relative to other baseline satellite walls.
The HVI performance of UHMWPE-stuffed AFSPs as the material properties of the UHMWPE degrade under imparted TID was also studied. UHMWPE tensile samples that had been irradiated to different environmentally representative doses via proton exposure at the ANU-HIAF were subjected to capstan tensile testing with optical strain measurement. The change in ultimate tensile stress (UTS) was measured by the tensile testing of several UHWMPE samples with a varied applied proton dose. The samples were observed to have decreased UTS with increasing proton dose, and the impact of the change on HVI performance was captured by appropriately changing the material properties in the SPH numerical model. No operationally significant change in HVI performance was noted.
The reason for the observed change in UTS in UHMWPE composites due to proton exposure was further studied by the attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) technique. This allowed for the investigation of change in UHMWPE chemical structure induced by the proton exposure. Notable chemical changes were observed which provided evidence to support the hypothesis that proton exposure was serving to sever carbon-carbon bonds that provide the mechanical strength of the UHMWPE composite.
The results collectively show that UHMWPE-stuffed AFSPs outperform comparable satellite outer walls in both HVI shielding and lessening TID applied to internal satellite components, while retaining desirable mechanical properties for structural applications. However, this work finds that there are functional challenges in using AFSPs in HVI shields. The use of aluminium foam introduces stochasticity in HVI event outcomes, numerically quantified in this work, which introduces significant uncertainty in the operational HVI performance of composite-stuffed AFSPs in situ.</p
Quantifying the advantage of photon correlation microscopy using arrays of single-photon detectors
No full textCorrelation microscopy is an emerging technique for improving optical resolution. By taking advantage of the photon statistics from single-photon fluorophores, more information about the emitters (including number and location) is obtained compared with classical microscopy. Although it is known that the resolution can be improved by increasing detector numbers, as well as using photon correlations, the quantitative relationship between these two approaches is not immediately clear. Here we explore widefield photon correlation microscopy using arrays of single-photon detectors. We explicitly compare the use of N detectors used in photon counting mode vs N/2 detectors used to measure photon correlations. i.e., where there are N/2 Hanbury Brown and Twiss systems, using the same N detectors, on randomly generated two-emitter systems and triangular three-emitter systems. We find regimes where N/2 Hanbury Brown and Twiss detectors provide improved localisation compared to N photon counting detectors, as a function of emitter position and number of photons sampled.</p
Impact of low frequency ultrasound on physicochemical and structural properties of protein-lactose systems with varying caseins, whey proteins and calcium
No full textThis study examines the impact of low-frequency ultrasound on the physicochemical attributes of milk proteins, focusing on various casein-to-whey protein ratios and their interactions with lactose and calcium. Milk systems with varying casein-to-whey protein ratios (0:100, 50:50, 60:40, 80:20), lactose, and various calcium chloride (CaCl2) concentrations (0–30 mM), were exposed to 20 kHz ultrasound for different durations (0, 1, 5, 10 min). A range of physicochemical factors, including particle size, zeta potential, calcium ion activity, pH, and water-holding capacity, were examined. The results revealed that calcium concentration and pH significantly (P </p