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Development of a Fault-Tolerant Vehicle Control for Crash-avoidance in Critical Scenarios for Over-actuated Vehicles
No full textThe concept of autonomous vehicles is mainly centered on reducing the number of accidents and fatalities by substituting the driver with intelligent control systems. The intelligent controller is responsible for maneuvering the vehicle continuously in any driving situation. In recent years, new vehicle concepts such as over-actuated are being investigated due to increased comfort, maneuverability, and stability. Therefore, as the complexity of the autonomous vehicle concept grows with the implementation of sensors and multiple actuators, it is necessary to ensure that the autonomous vehicle can still guarantee safe driving even when facing system faults. Therefore, developing and implementing fault vehicle dynamic controls dedicated to critical scenarios are crucial for increasing vehicle occupants' and road users' safety, particularly in evasive maneuvering. The intelligent controller must handle the vehicle up to handling limits and deal with faults to avoid crashes. Present control strategies consider handling limits, fault strategies, critical scenarios, crash avoidance, and driver discomfort. Nevertheless, they do not address the combination of these parameters for an over-actuated autonomous vehicle that faces a short time window for a crash. This study aims to develop and evaluate a new fault-tolerant control strategy for a maximum complexity over-actuated vehicle with 4-wheel independent steering, 4-wheel independent electric drive, and 4-wheel independent brake. The purpose is to adapt and optimize the vehicle actuators for crash avoidance in critical scenarios with up to two concurrent actuator faults. Critical scenarios that result in deaths and injuries are identified via literature research. The design of the intelligent vehicle controller starts by considering all the actuators fully functional when the vehicle faces an emergency maneuver. The vehicle actuators that might fail are classified according to their probability of occurrence and effects on vehicle behavior and crash avoidance. Later, the vehicle controller is further extended using machine learning techniques to consider up to two concurrent actuator faults for velocities up to 130 km/h, which is the maximum intended velocity for autonomous vehicles. The goal is to make the vehicle follow the desired trajectory and avoid a crash with fully functional actuators and in the presence of actuator faults, with safety prioritized over comfort. From the vehicle dynamics perspective, the goal is to keep the tires' forces within or close to saturation limits. State-of-the-art environmental simulation models are used to develop the intelligent vehicle controller. Testing, controller updates, and proof of concept occur in simulation and a scaled vehicle.</p
Metabolic Scales
No full textBackgroundThis research is informed by critical literature on extraction economies, geological temporality, and Indigenous knowledge systems. Kathryn Yusoff’s A Billion Black Anthropocenes or None (2018) critiques Western geological perspectives and the framing of minerals as passive resources, while Marcia Langton and Odette Mazel’s work on Indigenous communities and resource extraction highlights the socio-political impact of mining industries. These perspectives shape the project’s exploration of Australia’s role as a resource supplier and the entanglement of industrialisation, colonialism, and ecological transformation. ContributionMetabolic Scales engages with the deep-time formation of banded iron deposits and the Great Oxidation Event, situating resource extraction within planetary-scale transformations. The work examines Australia’s extractive industries as metabolic engines of industrialisation in other nations, with a focus on the Pilbara’s iron ore economy. It critiques dominant economic narratives by highlighting the dispossession of Indigenous communities and the environmental externalities of extraction. Drawing on Yusoff’s critique of geologic life, the project questions the perceived neutrality of minerals in global industrial histories. Through installation, video and text, Metabolic Scales recontextualises Australia’s role in global resource flows, offering an alternative perspective on economic and ecological entanglements. SignificanceMetabolic Scales was funded by Creative Australia and selected for exhibition in These Entanglements: Ecology After Nature, UQ Art Museum, curated by Anna Briers. The work is exhibited alongside prominent Australian and international artists and contributes to an exploration of molecular, geological, and biological entanglements of the anthropogenic climate crisis.</p
Trolling in social media: A deindividuation and contagion perspective
No full textTrolling on social media has a profound impact on its victims, yet existing literature offers a limited understanding of the factors driving this behavior. This study applies deindividuation and contagion theories to explore the phenomenon, surveying 337 Facebook users and 275 Instagram users and analyzing the data using SEM-PLS and fsQCA methods. The SEM results indicate that digital anonymity and dispersed collectivity both directly and indirectly impact trolling behavior, mediated by a loss of self-consciousness and a diffused sense of responsibility. The fsQCA analysis reveals four distinct equifinal configurations that predict trolling behavior, one for each platform, providing new insights into the research on trolling. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of trolling and offers practical implications for addressing this issue.</p
Phytochemical(s)-functionalized Molybdenum Oxide in Theranostics: Bio-Nanointerfaced System for Cellular Oxidative Stress Control and Inflammatory Biomarker Detection
No full textThe work presented in this thesis investigates the intricate relationship between oxidative stress and inflammation, two critical factors contributing to a wide range of chronic diseases. This investigation is particularly important due to the pervasive nature of these processes in different disease pathophysiology. The perpetual cycle between oxidative stress and inflammation is crucial in disease mechanisms. ROS can activate inflammatory pathways, and inflammatory cells produce additional ROS, exacerbating oxidative stress. This vicious cycle leads to sustained cellular damage and chronic disease progression. Detecting inflammatory biomarkers is vital for diagnosis and early treatment of diseases. Biomarkers like cytokines (e.g., interleukin-6 and prostaglandin E2) indicate the presence and extent of inflammation, helping in the assessment of disease activity and therapeutic responses. Despite advancements, challenges remain in effectively targeting oxidative stress and inflammation. Current therapeutic strategies often fall short due to the complexity of these processes and the need for precise, targeted interventions. The thesis addresses critical and potential issues in the development of theranostics using phytochemical-functionalized molybdenum oxide nanoparticles (MoOx NPs) and to explore them as a noval theranostics for managing oxidative stress and inflammation. This approach combines diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, aiming to improve the detection and management of oxidative stress and inflammation through advanced nano-theranostics. This research advances the understanding of the oxidative stress-inflammation nexus and proposes innovative solutions using MoOx NPs. To address these aims, four main objectives were drawn: • Synthesis of MoOx Nanostructures: Exploring different synthesis strategies to create molybdenum oxides with varying morphologies and functionalizing them with phytochemicals for theranostic applications. • Real-Time Responsiveness: Investigating the real-time behavior of these nanostructures under oxidative stress conditions at the bio-nanointerface. • Biocompatibility and ROS Scavenging: Assessing the biocompatibility and ROS scavenging properties of the prepared nanosystems, along with their anti-inflammatory properties. • Electro/Opto Chemical Biosensing: Demonstrating the biosensing performance of phyto-functionalized MoOx nanosystems for inflammation biomarkers. This thesis provides an overview of the link between cellular oxidative stress and inflammation, emphasizing the potential of nanotheranostics, particularly metal-polyphenol systems, in targeting these conditions (Chapter 1). Starting with prime objectives focuses on the synthesis of MoO3 nanoparticles hybridized with kaempferol. This chapter highlights the nanoparticles' capabilities in ROS scavenging and electrochemical immunosensing of interleukin-6 (IL-6), demonstrating their multifunctional theranostic potential (Chapter 2). Distinctly, these MoHK NPs exhibit a clinically significant antioxidant function and cytocompatibility with RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. Bioaffinity layer assisted monoclonal antibodies of IL-6 immobilized on MoHK electrode enable superior selectivity, electrochemical signal transduction. However, as the most of cellular assays performed are end-point detection of cellular state at time course. Thus, fingerprint the nano-bio interfaces behaviour in non-invasive environment for real-time monitoring has been established using Electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) system for understanding the biophysical and cellular state. This system helps in non-invasive monitoring of oxidative stress and evaluating the healing effects of nanoparticles (Chapter 3). Moving further, this thesis describes the development of MoO3 quantum dots functionalized with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin. These quantum dots are versatile nanoprobes for ROS detection, bioimaging, and ultra-sensitive detection of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which plays a crucial role in inflammation (Chapter 4). This thesis further investigates the role of oxidative stress in chronic inflammatory diseases like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and develops an electrochemical immunosensor for oxidative stress biomarkers. The sensor's clinical applicability is validated using samples from IBD patients (Chapter 5). At last, this thesis focuses on targeting the pivotal marker involved in initiating the inflammation by developing MoO3 2D nanosheets decorated with tannic acid (Chapter 6). Ending the thesis with the summary of the findings, contextualization with existing literature, and discussing the beginning of future potential of the developed theranostics platform in managing inflammation (Chapter 7). The research presented in the thesis significantly advances the understanding of inflammation management using nano-theranostics, demonstrating their efficacy in ROS scavenging and inflammation sensing with a focus on key biomarkers. This work not only provides insights into the material science aspects but also highlights the practical implications in clinical settings.</p
Public Knowledge and Expertise under Authoritarian Siege: A defense of academic freedom from Digital Journalism Studies
No full textThis article addresses the growing global assault on academic freedom—cornerstones of democratic societies now under increasing threat from authoritarian regimes. It highlights a global decline in that freedom since its peak 20 years ago, focusing on the United States in 2025 to illustrate rapidly escalating academic silencing, even in a country with well-established democratic freedoms and institutions. Drawing on the collective expertise of international scholars in digital journalism studies (DJS)—a field situated at the crossroads of vulnerable institutions—and informed by anonymous reports from U.S.-based academics, this commentary examines the impact of political interference, censorship, and self-censorship in academia. It argues that DJS as a field must develop approaches that actively resist authoritarianism and uphold freedom of expression and inquiry. The commentary concludes with a normative framework suggesting how scholars should collectively do this. We propose a three-pronged approach to defending the larger field, the scholarship within it, and the wellbeing of individual scholars of digital journalism studies.</p
Multi-Structural View Knowledge Distillation for Node Influence Prediction in Complex Networks
No full textIdentifying influential nodes in complex networks is a fundamental problem with important applications in viral marketing, epidemic control, and social influence analysis. A key challenge in this domain is the scarcity of ground-truth labels: computing accurate influence scores typically requires repeated simulations using diffusion models, which is computationally expensive on large-scale graphs. Additionally, existing deep learning models, particularly those based on graph neural networks (GNNs), often incur high inference costs, limiting their practical deployment. To address these challenges, we propose DistillRWGCN, a knowledge distillation framework based on multi-structural views that captures both structural and local topological features for influence prediction. The framework integrates global and local views of the graph using breadth-first search and depth-first search strategies, fuses the resulting embeddings through an attention mechanism, and distills this knowledge into a lightweight TinyGCN student model via contrastive alignment. DistillRWGCN is trained using only a small subset of influence scores and employs a novel hybrid loss that combines pairwise ranking and Spearman correlation to enhance both prediction accuracy and ranking consistency. Extensive experiments on nine real-world datasets demonstrate that DistillRWGCN achieves up to 23.7 % lower error and 12.5 % higher ranking correlation than state-of-the-art baselines, while significantly reducing inference time. These results highlight the mode’s effectiveness in label-scarce and resource-constrained scenarios.</p
The Architect's Dream, The Sleep of Reason
No full textSet within the emerging disciplinary discourse on artificial intelligence in architecture, The Architect’s Dream explores the conceptual terrain between architectural intention and algorithmic interpretation. Drawing on theories of authorship, image-making, and architectural speculation, the work situates AI not merely as a representational tool, but as a provocateur capable of destabilising traditional design hierarchies. The project builds on the “Vibrant Matter” research series and critically engages with contemporary debates on intellectual property, creative agency, and the limits of vision.
This exhibition contributes a novel approach to architectural pedagogy and practice by positioning AI as a co-author in the design process. Unlike conventional uses of text-to-image generation, the project integrates advanced platforms such as Krea AI, Luma Genie, and Unreal Engine to simulate immersive spatial narratives and speculative ecologies. By treating architectural theory as a prompt for visual production, it reimagines how design intent can be translated, distorted, and reconfigured through machine logic. This hybrid condition, where human intentionality meets computational indeterminacy, unlocks new modes of legibility, spatial reasoning, and authorship.
Presented at Melbourne Design Week 2025, the exhibition showcased the work of over 70 students across UniSA and RMIT, evidencing impact across both academic and public spheres. It has advanced critical discourse on AI's role in architectural futures and has directly shaped pedagogical models for engaging with emerging technologies. Through its speculative provocations, The Architect's Dream invited ongoing dialogue on the ethics, aesthetics, and epistemologies of design in an age of machine learning, influencing both curriculum development and the broader cultural imaginary of architectural practice.</p
Axiomatic Urbanism: Probabilistic and stochastic cities of the extreme present
No full textCities are paradoxical entities, embodying both order and
chaos, certainty and uncertainty, necessity and contingency. More than
physical spaces, they are dynamic expressions of socio-political and
economic forces, continually reshaped by intersecting micro-decisions
and macro-policies. Rather than viewing cities as deterministic systems,
this paper proposes understanding them as probabilistic environments -
ecosystems or quantum fields - where every element exists in a state of
flux, embodying multiple potential outcomes simultaneously.
Traditional urban planning often imposes singular, fixed visions upon
cities. In contrast, the algorithmic modelling invites a new perspective:
cities as probabilistic matrices that are shaped by stochastic processes.
In this model, blueprints are replaced by algorithms that generate a
range of possible futures, influenced by variables and adaptive rule sets.
The central inquiry contends with urban complexity and the possibility
to better understood complexity through probabilistic approaches. It
extends to reflect on how randomness might yield more equitable and
innovative outcomes than rigid planning. This paper explores these
ideas through the development of a bespoke computational tool, ‘The
Probable Cities Application’ testing urban policies within a
probabilistic framework. Through incorporating randomness into
planning processes, the tool examines how non-deterministic
methodologies can produce adaptable, responsive, and equitable urban
designs.</p
Painterly Behaviours: Real-time interactive mesh based multi-agent system
No full textPainterly Behaviours proposes a generative workflow that allows designers to sculpt and control mesh based multi-agent processes. This approach enables designers to engage with the mesh topologies in an intuitive and gestural manner whilst providing opportunities to interact with algorithmic procedures in real-time. Embedding real-time controls is typically at odds with the computational requirements of large n-body simulations. This paper introduces a novel asynchronous process to circumvent the prohibitively slow computation times by using a set of heuristics to concurrently interpret recorded user input and process multi-agent behaviours. The multi-agent behavioural and analysis methods are highly parallelised with inbuilt flexibility to run on a combination of GPU and CPU configurations to maintain high framerates. The system's design emphasises direct interaction through a painting mechanism, enabling users to define active areas on the mesh that guide deformation and behaviour. This methodology intends to extend the capabilities of existing mesh manipulation tools by incorporating a multi-agent system associated with the vertices of the geometry.</p
The role of proximity principle in driving circular economy in built environment
No full textWith the significant volume of construction and demolition (C&D) waste produced by the global building and construction sector, there are calls for action to enable more circular practices in the sector. Local collaboration has emerged as a practical approach for local stakeholders to work together and utilise waste resources that are generated, recycled, and supplied within a certain region. While there is extensive research on the proximity principle and its benefits on the environment and economy, limited case study examples are modelling circular economy practices through the use of products with recycled content (PwRC) and local collaboration. The study aims to identify the key challenges and drivers for using PwRC in construction projects, drawing on a local collaboration case study from Perth, Australia. The study identified 13 key challenges that can be categorised under ‘physical characteristics of the project’, ‘project management’, ‘supply chain’ and ‘policies and regulations’. Furthermore, four driving forces for optimal use of PwRC through local collaboration were found to be ‘government sustainability commitment and demonstration’, ‘sustainability recognition at the project level’ and ‘policies and regulations’. The lessons learned through this demonstration case study provide insights for practitioners and decision-makers in the sector to move away from the traditional “take-make-dispose” paradigm. It also helps stakeholders deepen their understanding of best waste management practices, improve planning for future projects, align with global efforts to advance circular economy principles, and contribute to achieving broader sustainability goals. Lastly, the case project is a good example of the practical application of the urban mining concept in the waste management context.</p