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Foundational principles of an applied cultural evolutionary science for natural resource management and conservation
No full textCulture, as the filter through which people view the world and a key determinant of human behaviour, is central to the practice of natural resource management and conservation. Conservation is intended to moderate the impacts of human cultural modification of the environment, exists as an endeavour because it is culturally valued, and acts largely through policies to encourage or discourage targeted human behaviours. However, culture is not static; as organisms and ecologies evolve, so too does culture exist as a dynamic, interconnected, coevolving element of the social–ecological systems in which management action is situated and implemented. Cultural evolution (CE) offers a valuable theoretical contribution to the scientific understanding of culture, cultural diversity and culture change and has the potential to be harnessed in the applied research and practice of conservation social science. We illustrate the essential principles necessary to grow an applied science of CE for natural resource management and conservation, and identify opportunities for CE to provide valuable information for science-based decision making and help conservation institutions and organizations adapt to the ongoing challenges posed by culture change. This transdisciplinary integration can contribute to improved outcomes across conservation objectives and build more resilient, sustainable social–ecological systems. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Transforming cultural evolution research and its application to global futures’.</p
Creative Writing Methods for Collective and Regenerative Thinking
No full textThis article asks how creative practice researchers — ordinarily working in disparate fields — might find common ground to speak across disciplines in addressing important issues and shared problems. It makes a case for the value of creative writing methods as tools to enable this shared space, and through which diverse scholars can explore the embodied and networked aspects of their “thinking” and “doing” as (creative practice) researchers. Specifically, we discuss a writing workshop that we ran in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, as well as the Listening chapbook that developed as a result (and which accompanies this article), as a case study for how these methods might be deployed. The chapbook, we believe, highlights the poetic and material aspects of language and writing, and explores how these can enable the expression of more than the “informational” aspects of reflective writing. We reflect on how the chapbook emerged as an extension of previous work by co-authors Jessica Wilkinson, David Carlin and Michelle Aung Thin in creative writing methods, specifically around essaying, collective writing and poetic inquiry. We hope that one of the contributions of this article is in the detail of its description of the process of this experiment which gave rise to the Listening chapbook.</p
Identifying and Understanding the Fatigue Characteristics of Laser Additive Repaired Ti-6Al-4V
No full textThis study investigates the feasibility of using directed energy deposition using Laser Beam of Metals (DED-LB/M) for structural repair of Ti-6Al-4V, a titanium alloy widely used in fatigue-critical aircraft components. Aircraft maintenance often incurs high costs and downtime due to frequent repairs or replacements of damaged parts, highlighting the need for cost-effective repair methods. Although additive manufacturing (AM) shows promise for aerospace applications, concerns regarding fatigue properties, specifically crack initiation and propagation, have hindered its adoption for load-bearing repairs. This research evaluates the fatigue behavior of Ti-6Al-4V coupons repaired via DED-LB/M with local shielding, identifying process-induced defects as the primary drivers of fatigue failure. Key findings reveal that insufficient inert gas shielding during repair led to spatter-derived inclusions, introducing oxygen/nitrogen-rich zones that caused localized embrittlement and accelerated crack initiation. Despite microstructural heterogeneity, fatigue crack growth rates in the deposited material deviated minimally from the substrate for cracks smaller than 500 μm. By establishing correlations between defect characteristics (e.g., size, chemistry) and fatigue life, this work enables predictive modeling for qualifying DED-LB/M repairs. These findings support the adoption of AM for reliable, structurally sound aerospace repairs, reducing lifecycle costs and downtime.</p
Cardiac Signal Analysis for the Detection of Major Depressive Disorder in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients
No full textObstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are commonly co-occurring conditions with overlapping symptoms, leading to underdiagnosis, especially in resource-limited settings. Traditional diagnostic approaches such as polysomnography and psychiatric interviews are resource-intensive and unsuitable for routine or large-scale screening. Despite growing awareness of their comorbidity, the dependence on specialized, high-cost diagnostic tools continues to limit timely identification, particularly in rural and underserved populations. Shared symptoms, such as fatigue, poor concentration, and mood disturbances, further complicate the accurate differentiation. To address this clinical gap, this thesis presents a non-invasive, wearable-compatible framework for detecting MDD within the OSA population using cardiac signals, ECG, and PPG, recorded during sleep. The research progresses through three stages: single-modality ECG-based screening, beat-to-beat PPG-based morphological analysis, and sleep-stage-specific multimodal classification. In the first phase, ECG recordings from individuals diagnosed with OSA, with and without comorbid MDD, were analyzed to extract features related to heart rate variability and signal morphology. A support vector machine classifier, trained on features selected using the ReliefF algorithm, achieved an accuracy of 78.18%, demonstrating the potential of ECG-based detection. However, the reliance on manual noise handling and the absence of healthy control subjects limited the model’s scalability and generalizability. To address these limitations and investigate an additional cardiac signal, the second phase introduced a PPG-based classification framework. This stage incorporated healthy controls, employed an automated artifact rejection pipeline, and extracted beat-to-beat entropy and complexity features derived from waveform skewness and kurtosis. The resulting model achieved 84% accuracy and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.91 for classifying controls versus OSA, and 76% accuracy with an AUC of 0.88 for distinguishing OSA-only from those OSA with MDD. This was the first study to evaluate the utility of PPG-derived features for detecting depressive symptoms in the context of OSA. The third and final phase integrated both ECG and PPG modalities within a sleep-stage specific classification framework. Deep sleep was identified as the most informative stage for distinguishing clinical groups. Features extracted from uninterrupted five-minute deep sleep segments enabled the model to achieve 100% accuracy for control versus OSA classification, and 89.29% accuracy with an AUC of 0.91 for differentiating OSA-only from OSA with MDD. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of combining modalities within a stage-aware analytical approach. Collectively, this thesis introduces a robust, scalable, and practical framework for sleep based mental health screening using cardiac signals. The findings support the practical feasibility of deploying such models through wearable technologies, enabling early and accessible detection of comorbid psychiatric conditions in sleep-disordered populations</p
Dataset for: "Space charge drives electromechanical conversion via a piezoelectric-like effect in ion implanted polymers"
No full textThis research data supports the publication of "Space charge drives electromechanical conversion via a piezoelectric-like effect in ion implanted polymers", which probes the mechanism of ion implantation-enhanced triboelectric nanogenerators. The research data consists of OriginPro files for analysis of electromechanical performance, water contact angle, and kelvin probe surface measurements, along with vamas files for XPS.</p
BridgeFinder: From Reverse Calculation Towards Methods With a Prediction Aspect Evolution Strategy Approach Using AI, SmilesMe and EvolutionShapeFunction for Advanced Mechanical Engineering and Large-Scale Structural Design
No full textThis thesis introduces BridgeFinder, a novel high-level design optimisation method tailored to large-scale construction projects. Unlike traditional reverse-calculation approaches in mechanical engineering, BridgeFinder adopts a forward-looking, predictive framework.BridgeFinder integrates SmilesMe, a newly devised notation and abstraction layer, with an evolutionary algorithm (biology inspired Algorithm AI and the Evolutionary Strategy Algorithm, by Rechenberg) leveraging the specially developed EvolutionShapeFunction for fitness assessment. The inspiration to develop BridgeFinder stems from MolFinder, a technique used in chemistry to forecast molecular structures.Current algorithm-based optimisation strategies primarily focus on the later stages of construction design, such as CAD/FEM. Alternatively, some methods lack definitive calculation guidance, leading to overly algorithm-driven outcomes that may not always align with the requirements of high-level design in large constructions (e.g., generative design techniques).BridgeFinder aims to bridge this gap, offering refined calculation guidance, thereby generating construction concepts more suited to the high-level phase of large-scale projects. I anticipate that the findings will illuminate new pathways for advancements in construction design methodologies.</p
Filmic Memorials: Films 12, 13, 17, 19-20
No full textResearch Background International developments in video art have reflected a questioning of the world through the language of memory and social device. While this research recognises the significance of such implications, the film study Filmic Memorials moves into a research question that interrogates how memory can be poetically used beyond this framework to visually represent reverie as a device through place in reflecting social narratives in art. Research Contribution The contributions are attested to four factors. First, demonstrate how a long term creative practice investigation can develop a methodology which engaged innovation in the way it defined digital cinematic practices in video art by using a topographical analysis of screen affect in its context and premise; second, contribute a broader international discussion about memory and screen places through current practice, especially since the narratives of the recent 2024 Venice Biennale exhibition ‘Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia’; third, contribute to a new way of thinking about memory and screen places through video art practice, and fourth, test how this premise of memory in screen places impacts on the design of the moving image through both practice to find a new reference point to understand the impact of reverie on the perception of the places we see on screen and challenges the barriers to visually experiencing the implications of memory through place to further our understanding of designed moving image visual narratives. Research Significance Significance is attested to four factors: first, the work was peer reviewed by the Melbourne Arts Precinct and the Digital Facade programmer and curator; second, the work was screened at Digital Facade, a high impact and high profile public screen venue in Melbourne with a projected 2 million visitors annually, third, the calibre and reputation of the venue is world class which attracts major events such as the Melbourne International Film Festival, Melbourne Music Week, and Rising Festival; fourth, the work was part of a peer-reviewed published paper ‘Filmic Memorials: a long-term study of place and domestic cinema’, in volume 9 of Screen Thought Journal.</p
Sufficient of Rhyme
No full textThis book accompanied my solo show 'Bright the Below', in Á Space, Hanoi.In Greek mythology, Orpheus was a troubadour from Thrace who charmed even the animals. His songs diverted his attention from his wife Eurydice. Death took her away from him. He descended to the netherworld, and used his charm to win permission to return with Eurydice to the world of the living on the condition that he never look at her. But he looked at her and was torn away from her by the Bacchantes. Where does our story take place… and when? A legend is entitled to be beyond time and place.In common understanding, Orpheus is the demigod of failure: guilty of not following clear instructions, guilty of lack of foresight, guilty of hubris.But I would say that his biggest failure was in allowing the dead to shade his life. Thought is true that the function of the dead is to haunt us, we have no obligation to play along. I offer a different Orpheus. One who learns that the dead live inside us and that we are their master.</p
All These Other Rooms
No full textBackground Art Historian David Joselit asks – where is painting? AI/Val’s answer is that “Painting’s ‘location’ is now shaped by how it circulates, is exhibited, and interacts with various systems—making its meaning inseparable from its context and movement.” For this research the physical context is a hotel room used as an exhibition space in an art fair. Additional context is that the painter (me) must argue that the paintings are ‘research’. Both contexts – the hotel room in an art fair, and this research framework, have financial contexts, both channel capital – the art fair sells art, my wages pay for my research – thereby creating a circulatory system that shapes Painting’s discourse ContributionThrough 60 paintings the research examines the process of creating exhibitions and artworks that challenge conventional separations between 'art' and 'research'. It functions as a site holding oppositional forces, marking differentiation between these modes while resisting clear definition. The methodology is partly categorised and contained through written documentation yet remains aware of its myriad readings: while this written account situates the work as 'research', its real-life encounter is as 'art'. This reveals inherent ambiguities and tensions in such categorisations. The work asks how creative practice operates across institutional frameworks and how context can determine meaning and reception. Significance Significance is demonstrated via multiple forms of peer validation: an accompanying essay by Sarah Walker, coverage in The Guardian by Nova Weetman, mentions in Lowbrow publication and a RRR radio review. Two works are being acquired by the Australian Catholic University Collection, with a forthcoming essay by Kelly Gellatly on alchemy and painting for an ACU publication. These accumulated reviews constitute equivalent peer recognition, demonstrating the work's contribution to contemporary painting discourse and its capacity to operate meaningfully across both art world and research contexts.</p
First in Family (after Munari)
No full textBackground This photographic series comprises 14 prints that reimagine Bruno Munari's 1944 work "Seeking Comfort in an Uncomfortable Chair." Munari's original series critiqued the tension between aesthetics and functionality in furniture design, using the metaphor of coming home tired to find an uncomfortable chair. Transforming this metaphor into a commentary on first-generation university students' educational experiences, Bolatagici draws upon lived experience to examine how students—particularly those from Black, Indigenous, and racialised backgrounds—navigate institutional systems not designed to accommodate their needs or epistemologies, constantly seeking comfort within fundamentally inhospitable spaces where their embodied knowledge is systematically devalued within a western institutional framework. Research Significance Bolatagici's work makes visible the often-invisible labour and discomfort experienced by first-generation students from racialised backgrounds navigating higher education. By problematising resilience narratives, she shifts focus from individual adaptation to institutional responsibility, asking not "how can students better fit the system?" but "how must the system change to genuinely support diverse ways of knowing and being?" Originally conceived as part of the Black Tourmaline Project (2019), presented by The Community Reading Room at Testing Grounds, Melbourne, the work was supported by Creative Victoria and the Carstairs Prize (2018). The series was subsequently presented in the 2025 exhibition 'de-centre re-centre' at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, University of Western Australia. Research Contribution This work sits within Bolatagici's larger practice exploring transcultural notions of value and the movement of racialised bodies. Through The Community Reading Room (founded 2013), Bolatagici has developed an ongoing discursive project generating discussion about archives, value, and how institutions privilege particular epistemologies, directly confronting educational inequity through collaborative, participatory practice.</p