18397 research outputs found
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Children’s Imaginaries of Ecological Civilizations: Mapping Theories and Ethics for a Transformative Ecological Education
No full textThis paper argues for a transformative ecological educational paradigm that could be aligned with supporting an emerging philosophy to support ecological civilizations. It does this by exploring how reimagining of education through ecological and ethical lenses can support learning with and as the environment, where children are co-constituted learners and teachers supporting a liveable future. It maps a reimagining of education through recent turns in theoretical thinking in deep ecology, ecofeminism, posthumanism, new materialism, and Indigenous approaches and by assembling a community of theorists including Rosi Braidotti, Donna Haraway, Val Plumwood, Arne Naess, Rachel Carson, Jane Bennett, Margaret Cavendish, Spinoza, Vicki Kirby, Pauliina Rautio, Riikka Hohti, Robyn Wall Kimmerer, Nathan Snaza, and Michael Paulsen to dialogue with. Then through the stories gathered by posthuman educator Karen Malone of child-nature relations ranging from child-animal and child-virus interactions to Indigenous future imaginaries and multispecies connections, these theories will be put to work. Through this philosophical analysis and cartography, this essay maintains that an ecological approach to education drawing on these theoretical frames can cultivate new relational ontologies, pedagogies, and understandings, enhancing ethics, matters of care and respect, resilience, hope, and enchantment for a future world.</p
Advancing material optimisation for structural architecture: continuous composite spatial 3D printing
No full textThis thesis presents an integrative material-based framework for designing and manufacturing lightweight architectural structures using advanced 3D printing technologies. The research explores design methodologies to create and manufacture efficient, freeform and structurally optimised architectural elements that significantly reduce material usage by utilising continuous fibre-reinforced composite materials. The developed methods allow architects and engineers to produce complex building elements that are strong yet lightweight. The research contributes to establishing a design for manufacturing culture as a standard practice in architecture, engineering, and construction, which could lead to safer, more sustainable, and economically viable buildings.</p
Fast Convergent Sliding Mode Control for Two-Degree-of-Freedom Robots
No full textThis research involves the precise control of robotic manipulators. It has broad applications across various fields, including aerospace engineering, medical surgeries, robotics, energy and mining, agriculture, automation and advanced manufacturing. In these areas, precise control of the manipulator position for tasks such as drilling and cutting is required. Mainly, this research focuses on fast convergence, stabilisation, and improved tracking performance of robotic manipulators in uncertain environments. For example, in case of any aerial vehicle launch, during landing or take off, stabilisation is required, or robot assisted surgery where numerous robotic hands have to be at a certain angel for surgery.</p
Mindfulness Treatment for Anxiety in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
No full textAs individuals with autism approach their teenage years, they become more vulnerable to developing mental health issues, with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression being more prevalent among teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to those without. Worldwide prevalence figures indicate that adolescents and adults with ASD are especially prone to developing anxiety and depression at some point in their lives. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is presently the gold-standard treatment for anxiety and is the predominant psychotherapy treatment delivered by clinicians in Singapore for this population. However, with the increased adoption of mindfulness elements into therapeutic treatments by clinicians worldwide and in Singapore, it is of interest to explore how mindfulness-based cognitive therapy may be adapted for the local ASD population. Given this population is at greater risk of developing at least one mental health condition in their lifetime, research on this problem is important because local knowledge is currently lacking about anxiety in ASD youth and the range of effective treatment options for this population.</p
An Exploration of Systems Thinking as a Catalyst for Holistic Supply Chain Management: Practitioner Perspectives on Navigating Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity
No full textThis research explores how the Management of the Supply Chain can be assisted through the application of Systems Thinking, expanding the perspective beyond the firm to the wider System of the Supply Chain, by regarding the Supply Chain as an interconnected, interdependent, and interrelated System of Organisations, rather than an array of isolated parts. Society requires practitioners to straddle a spectrum of positions, from the fundamental elements of delivering goods to the realisation of ecological goals. This research advocates expanding the paradigmatic perspective that Supply Chain practitioners adopt, namely, seeing the whole and reflecting a worldview that goes beyond oneself.</p
Determining the Density of Primordial Black Holes as Dark Matter via Microlensing
No full textIn light of the null results of dark matter direct detection experiments, the Primordial Black Hole (PBH) has experienced a resurgence as a plausible dark matter candidate. Although four decades of experiments have tightly constrained PBH dark matter in most mass ranges, the asteroid-mass gap (10−16 − 10−11M⊙) remains largely unconstrained, where PBHs with asteroid masses may still account for all dark matter. This thesis introduces the Asteroid-Mass Primordial black hole Microlensing (AMPM) survey, a microlensing project to detect low-mass PBHs towards the Large Magellanic Cloud and place limits on PBHs as dark matter in the Milky Way.</p
The Role of Cross-Sector Collaboration in Supporting Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs)
No full textThis research examines cross-sector collaboration as a strategy for scaling the impact of Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) in Australia. The study focuses on a range of ecosystem strategies led by WISEs to address organisational and systems barriers to scale and to facilitate both peer and cross-sector collaboration. It also explores enabling conditions for WISEs to broker collaborations and achieve their collective vision of a more inclusive employment system. Practical implications are discussed to help partners such as philanthropy, business and government identify the optimum role they can play to support the scaling of the WISE sector.</p
Domestic and Family Violence in Victoria: The Role of Gender and Power in Policy
No full textThis thesis critically examines the Andrews Government's response to the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence. Using interpretive policy analysis, it explores the discursive politics of the 'problem' of family violence, examining the gap between the gendered rhetoric and material reform. Despite a world-leading $2.1 billion investment (2016 -2018), the government failed to fundamentally shift the policy landscape. The findings suggest that due to the pernicious influence of patriarchy and covert masculinism, family violence was residualised into a problem best managed through administrative and individual-level reform, rather than systemic change.</p
Environmental assessment of urban freight decarbonisation interventions using an integrated life cycle assessment and simulation modelling approach
No full textThis thesis uses life cycle assessment, traffic simulation, and truck operator surveys to study how vehicle technology, energy sources, automation, and policy influence urban freight emissions. It compares diesel, electric, and hydrogen trucks in different energy mix scenarios to find which options best reduce environmental impact over time. The research also looks at how on-board artificial intelligence changes emissions, driving performance, and energy use. The results offer practical guidance for governments and the freight industry to choose technologies and energy strategies that lower emissions while maintaining efficient deliveries.</p
Expert System for the Evaluation of Surface Scans of Tape Layups
No full textThis Expert System evaluates surface scans of tape layups for defects, such as gaps and overlaps. It combines the "image projection" and the "sigmoid approximation" algorithms to create an image segmentation.This publication contains the software as a Jupiter notebook and example data to test it. It was created as part of the PhD project "Data-Driven Quality Assurance of the Dry Fibre Tape Laying Process".</p