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A revised chronology and depositional history for the Outer Arumpo lunette, Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area, NSW
No full textQuaternary research within the Willandra has focused heavily on understanding the record of landscape change preserved within the Lake Mungo lunette. However, Mungo is just one of the 13 major lakes that comprise the Willandra and, unique among its neighbours, is not directly fed by inflow from the Willandra Creek. The outcome is a biased view of landscape change centred upon one, terminal lake within the system.
The stratigraphic record exposed within a deflationary hollow on the Outer Arumpo (OA) lunette, known as Top Hut 1, has been revisited as part on an ARC DECRA project. Here, Bayesian modelling of 52 new single-grain OSL ages, accompanied by a sediment micromorphological analyses, has been used to construct a chrono-stratigraphic framework for lunette development across 7 identified stratigraphic units. The OA basin filled ~80–56 ka ago (Unit 2), with high lake levels maintained until ~44 ka ago (Unit 3). Relative lake level declines ~43–41 ka ago (Unit 4), before fluctuating rapidly ~40–38 ka ago (Unit 5). None of the sediments sampled within the TH1 site date between this 38 ka age and ~150 years ago (Unit 6 and 7).
These findings demonstrate that Lakes OA and Mungo have distinct hydrologic histories. The alternating sedimentology of Unit 5 indicates that Lake OA was fluctuating rapidly while Lake Mungo was relatively full and stable ~40–38 ka ago. Critically, these Unit 5 sediments correlate to the ‘Arumpo Unit Type Section’ of Bowler (1998) located ~400 m south of TH1, making the Arumpo Type Section significantly older than the ‘Arumpo-aged’ deposits of the Lake Mungo lunette (~25–18 ka). This conclusion demonstrates that the stratigraphic scheme developed for Lake Mungo is not applicable to other lake basins in the system, given the unique hydrologic and depositional history of each basin.</p
A New 2-DOF Dual-Double Tendon-Driven Two-Finger Gripper Design, Analysis, and Performance Evaluation
No full textRobotic dexterity is critical for applications in prosthetics, assistive devices, and industrial automation. Conventional single-DOF grippers lack sufficient joint coordination for precise force distribution, motivating the development of a two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) tendon-driven design capable of more human-like articulation. A 2-DOF architecture enables coordinated multi-joint motion and controlled distribution of contact forces, extending functionality beyond the limitations of single-DOF mechanisms and addressing the broader challenge of dexterous manipulation in robotics.This thesis presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a dual double-tendon, two-finger gripper. A predictive force actuation framework is introduced, combining calibrated load measurements with waveform-derived force estimation to characterise tendon transmission behaviour. A layered control architecture links embedded firmware for real-time acquisition, Python middleware for synchronised logging, and a MATLAB toolchain for kinematic modelling, motion tracking, and fingertip position computation. The analytical mechanism model maps MCP and PIP joint inputs to fingertip coordinates, supporting theoretical validation and trajectory prediction.Mechanically, the gripper design incorporates press fit bearings, refined tendon routing, an improved four-bar linkage, and a re-engineered servo spool geometry to reduce frictional losses, backlash, and hysteresis. Free-body diagram analyses and closed-form kinematics yield fingertip force predictions that show strong alignment with experiments using calibrated loads. Position estimation is enhanced through MATLAB-based edge detection integrated with Kalman-filtered IMU data. Comparative benchmarking demonstrates improved fingertip force output relative to Unde et al. (2023) under matched test conditions.The research contributes a compact and efficient tendon-driven platform supported by systematic analytical, experimental, and comparative evaluation. Beyond establishing a validated design framework, this work highlights pathways for future development, including refined nonlinear models, adaptive closed-loop control, and perception-informed grasp planning through vision and machine learning integration.</p
Integrating a person-centered outcome measurement-based quality improvement program into palliative care: An implementation study in Mainland China
No full textBackground: Palliative care in Mainland China is in its early stages of development and lacks quality improvement programs, highlighting a significant gap in care. Person-centered Outcome Measures (PCOMs)-based quality improvement programs have been widely adopted and recognized for effectively supporting the management of care quality. The Australian Palliative Care Outcome Collaboration (PCOC) model, a proven PCOMs framework, has enhanced palliative care quality. We planned to adapt and implement the PCOC model to address this gap in Mainland China.Aims: The aims of this project were to adapt and implement the PCOC model in a hospital-based palliative care unit in Mainland China and to evaluate the implementation process. The specific objectives were:To cross-culturally adapt and validate the five PCOC assessment tools for Chinese palliative care clinical practice.To identify barriers and facilitators to implementing the PCOC in a hospital-based palliative care unit.To develop tailored strategies to support the PCOC implementation.To examine the possible mechanisms that explain the gap between the success achieved and the challenges encountered regarding the PCOC integration.Methods: This pragmatic three-phase project was guided by the Knowledge to Action (KTA) Framework. Phase I (February-April 2023) employed a cross-sectional quantitative design to adapt and validate the five PCOC assessment tools (PCOC Symptom Assessment Scale (PCOC-SAS), Palliative Care Problem Severity Score (PCPSS), Palliative Care Phase, the Australia-modified Karnofsky Performance Status (AKPS), and the Resource Utilization Groups - Activities of Daily Living (RUG-ADL)) for use in China. Phase II (May 2023) adopted a qualitative design, to explore clinicians’ and hospital leaders’ perspectives on PCOC implementation through semi-structured focus groups and individual interviews, guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). A scoping review was also conducted to inform the development of implementation strategies. Phase III (June-December 2023) evaluated the PCOC implementation process using a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative component was guided by Normalization Process Theory (NPT) and focused on clinicians’ experiences of using the PCOC model, while the quantitative component involved a review of clinical documents to assess implementation outcomes.Results: The Chinese version of the PCOC SAS demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s a=0.85) and good discriminant validity (r=0.56–0.79, pBarriers and facilitators to implementing the PCOMs-based quality improvement program were similar to those in other countries. Uniquely, clinicians perceived their palliative care knowledge and self-efficacy as key factors influencing the PCOC implementation. Additional barriers needed to be addressed including determining optimal assessment frequency and addressing clinician work numbness.Implementation strategies included pre-implementation activities like Train and education, Adapt and tailor to context, Use evaluative and iterative strategies, Provide interactive assistance, Develop stakeholders interrelationships, Change infrastructure. During implementation, strategies shifted to Use evaluative and iterative strategies and Train, educate stakeholders and Support clinicians.After six months, outcomes showed strong adherence to the Chinese PCOC protocol, with all inpatients assessed (n=355, 100%) and 75% of clinicians (12 out of 16) using the PCOC model. Key themes within the NPT constructs help explain the underlying mechanisms of the program’s successes and challenges, including clinicians’ perceptions of the model’s value (Coherence), accurate assessment and effective use of results, along with PCOC quality reports (Collective Action), a supportive network incorporating clinicians’ feedback (Cognitive Participation), aligning the PCOC model with workflows, reducing redundant tools and streamlining documentation (Reflexive Monitoring).Conclusions: The Chinese version of the five PCOC assessment tools can be integrated into routine cancer care in China to evaluate patient needs in Chinese cancer care. The PCOC SAS requires clearer definition of distress, while PCPSS and Palliative Care Phase scoring reliability can benefit from clinician training. For AKPS and RUG-ADL, a focus on observational assessments and stronger clinician-patient communication is recommended.Successful PCOC implementation should involve tailored strategies, using a “top-down” approach followed by “bottom-up” adaptation. Long-term sustainability requires fitting the program into existing workflows without overburdening clinicians. In areas with limited palliative care resources, enhancing clinician knowledge, self-efficacy, and support for multidisciplinary collaboration is essential.</p
The Structural Determination of Nucleic Acid Binding Proteins by Cryogenic Electron Microscopy
No full textNucleic acids carry the genetic information essential for life and are among the most important biomolecules. The proteins that interact with nucleic acids constitute an incredibly complex and diverse network and are thus an intriguing subject for study. A strong relationship exists between the structure of such proteins and the functions they carry out. Structural determination of macromolecules therefore represents a key avenue for investigating and characterising these complexes, to shed light on their mechanisms. To this end, cryogenic electron microscopy has become an invaluable tool for investigating these structures, particularly since it is applicable to a variety of biological specimens which can be imaged in their near-native state.This thesis describes the characterisation of several proteins that bind and interact with nucleic acids. BALF2 is an essential single-stranded binding protein and annealase from Epstein-Barr virus. It recruits the viral replisome to replication compartments and through binding activity stabilises the replication fork. As an annealase, it is involved in single strand annealing homologous recombination, for genomic maintenance and to increase genetic diversity. ORF6, a homologue from Kaposi’s Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus, and Erf, an analogue from bacteriophage p22, are also investigated. PhoH2 is a toxin protein found in several bacteria and archaea, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The protein enables these organisms to enter a state of hibernation through the sequence-specific degradation of RNA, during which they show enhanced antibiotic resistance.The work presented details the structural determination of BALF2, captured as a filamentous annealing intermediate, with its DNA-binding properties characterised by negative-stain EM and gel-shift assays. The formation of analogous annealing intermediates by both ORF6 and Erf was also assessed. In addition, the structure of PhoH2 was determined as an ADP-bound toroid, and its oligomeric behaviour investigated, revealing a nucleotide-dependent transition to an active heptamer. Together, these findings provide structural and mechanistic insight into diverse nucleic acid binding proteins, their modes of assembly, and their roles in nucleic acid processing and regulation.</p
Innovating urban governance through ‘Challenges’
No full textIn recent years, urban “Challenges”—competitions that solicit and reward novel solutions to urban policy problems—have become embedded within a wider program of governance innovations presented to city governments as effective means to solve complex urban problems. This paper offers an overview and critical evaluation of the uses of Challenges in contemporary urban governance innovation, based on an extensive analysis of existing Challenges and related practitioner and promotional literature. Situating Challenges within the increasingly prominent urban governance innovation trends, we suggest a fourfold categorization for understanding the diverse positionings, motivations and objectives at play in the application of Challenges. We present a critique of the prominent logics of projectification, technological solutionism and competition associated with Challenges and conclude by offering coordinates for more intensive and contextually-specific analyses of the Challenge phenomenon.</p
BLOOMBERG'S GLOBAL MAYORALTY: Philanthropy and the ‘Crisis of Capacity’ in City Government
No full textBloomberg Philanthropies—the philanthropic organization of multibillionaire, CEO and former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg—has become a palpably influential node in global networks of urban policy knowledge generation and mobility. This article examines the formative conditions, scope and operations of Bloomberg's philanthropically funded complex of urban policy influence. It begins by outlining Bloomberg Philanthropies' ecosystem of urban initiatives, which offer funding, technical support and entry into communities of practice for city government partners. It then traces the styling of Bloomberg's New York City mayoralty into a symbol-turned-model of effective administration and its alignment with Bloomberg Philanthropies' efforts to address the ‘crisis of capacity’ in city government. From there, the article analyses the formation of partnerships between Bloomberg Philanthropies and city governments. We show how Bloomberg Philanthropies occupies a powerful meta-governmental position: as a city-administration-at-large, it orchestrates a global-institutional field that promotes and resources the implementation of technocratic, superficially pre-political ‘best process’. But its relevance depends on harmonizing its agenda with the current desires and practical possibilities of city government. We argue that these asymmetric but interdependent relationships are important for understanding Bloomberg's global mayoralty and the general practice of philanthropic meta-governance it exemplifies.</p
Greater Inclusion of People with Disability in Australian Workplaces: A Social Marketing Approach
No full textPeople with disability represent the largest minority group globally, yet their participation in the workforce is significantly lower than that of people without disability. A persistent obstacle to the inclusion people with disability in the workforce is the reluctance of employers to hire them, which is often due to negative attitudes and stereotypes about disability. Australia, like many other countries, has faced challenges in increasing workforce participation rates of people with disability. Despite various policies and initiatives aimed at promoting inclusion, significant barriers remain. The present research emerged in response to this problem, with the particular aim of examining factors associated with employer willingness to hire people with disability. It does so by investigating the possibility of systematic heterogeneity amongst employers that explain their willingness to hire. The resulting insights are then used to recommend customised and targeted social marketing strategies that address the specific barriers preventing different sub-groups of employers from hiring people with disability.Most countries in modern society consider genuine inclusion across society for all people to be a desirable ideal. Yet, hitherto, this and many other such societal aspirations have failed to translate to actual behavioural change or genuine inclusion for minority groups. Social desirability bias occurs when people publicly express support for inclusive practices because they think that is what others want to hear, but their attitudes and actual behaviours are incongruous with this. Social marketing has a key role to play in designing strategies that effectively influence attitudes, intention and actual behaviour related to social inclusion. A critical theoretical gap, however, is understanding which social marketing strategies are most effective in increasing intention to perform a socially desirable behaviour, including the role of beliefs on intention in behaviour change contexts where social desirability bias exists. Furthermore, there is limited understanding of whether heterogeneity among decision makers influences intention in behaviour change contexts where there is strong social desirability bias.This program of research comprises three separate studies. Three theoretical frameworks informed the research design: the social programme, implementation, evaluation and sustainability social marketing framework (CSD-IES), theory of planned behaviour and the social model of disability.</p
Considering deformations when specifying roof support
No full textSupport elements can be loaded on installation (pre tensioned) or are subsequently loaded by movements in the rock mass. In the immediate vicinity of excavations in coal measures the movements are along either bedding or fractures induced by brittle failure. At mining depths less than about 300 m, movements applied to the support elements are associated with the deformation of jointed rock beams and are relatively small (less than about 5 mm) and a reinforcement strategy is appropriate. At greater depths and at the maingate corner, brittle failure of the rock mass can develop, and the associated movements are much greater. Horizontal closure of the failure zone leads to vertical dilation and also shear movements that may be in excess of the capacity of grouted tendon systems. In such cases a hold and retain support strategy is required that seeks to maximise the deformation capacity of the system. There is a possibility that the required deformation capacity is beyond the elongation of current cable systems: an alternative approach is suggested but will require a major rethink of how we approach roof support in laminated rock masses. Compression of the tailgate pillar can lead to a relaxation of the confinement in tailgate roofs and a hold and retain strategy may be required if the pillar is designed to yield at the tailgate corner.</p
Lean Supply Chain for Modular Construction in Practice: A Roadmap for Implementation
No full textThe construction industry, a critical economic sector in many countries, including Australia, has experienced a concerning decline in productivity growth over the last decade. This decline stands in contrast to other manufacturing industries. This decline is attributed, in part, to the poor supply chain integration within the sector. The overarching research objective of this study aimed to understand and demonstrate how lean manufacturing principles can be adapted to strengthen supply chain integration, boost productivity, and foster innovation in the construction sector. This will be shown to enhance productivity and overall performance in the construction industry, particularly through off-site construction and supply chain alternatives.The study extends systems theory to the construction industry by implementing Mouly's system engineering principles and adapting the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM), incorporating operational FORRIDGE principles, rules, and associated tactics as the primary framework. These tactics, categorised as techniques and tools, including off-site construction, have been updated in this research. The implementation in real projects demonstrates significant potential in enhancing mid-rise construction productivity and playing a crucial role in the reconfiguration of construction offsite ecosystems. This adaptation has led to the creation of a novel Cold Formed Steel construction solution and the Design for Manufacturing and Assembly and Building (DfMA&B) methodology and guidelines for practitioners.The research involved three novel in-depth case studies. The first study investigated nine real mid-rise Australian construction projects to establish the current industry landscape, while the second study developed a comparison between a Cold Formed Steel solution and traditional construction methods for midrise buildings for the first time in Australia, resulting in an exemplar solution. The third study implemented these solutions in a unique longitudinal case study of three real projects in Spain, developing the Design for Manufacturing and Assembly and Building methodology and guidelines for construction offsite supply chains reconfigurations.This approach combines quantitative and qualitative methods, digital simulations, comparisons, simulations, and triangulation of data from experts, practitioners, and academics to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. Interviews and interactions with over 20 companies across Australia, Spain, and the UK enriched the data collection process.This thesis demonstrates the iterative implementation of this framework through a longitudinal study encompassing three real projects across diverse construction segments in Spain. It provided a proof of concept for the construction system in the first project, streamlined the system in the second, and optimised the solution in the third, while fully developing the methodology and guidelines for comprehensive implementation. The construction system and methodology received industry recognition in 2020 and 2022 for construction system innovation in Malaga and novel methodology in Madrid, underscoring their significance. The implemented DfMA&B methodology achieved an average lead time compression of 40% compared to traditional methods, while maintaining cost parity between traditional and construction offsite approaches in Spain. It highlights the practical translation of research impact when the systems concept is meaningfully applied in practice. A broader implementation of the developed methodology holds the potential to transform the mid-rise apartment construction market globally. This research lays the foundation for upcoming studies on platform supply chain strategies and collaborative approaches within the construction industry, aligning with the trajectory of earlier investigations in this research line. Such initiatives are instrumental in nurturing the sustainable growth and development of the construction sector.</p
Motivating and supporting medication adherence behaviour for chronic conditions: Persuasive design of a mHealth app
No full textThe abstract for this item has not been populated.</p