Generative optimization of building blocks for density, solar and structural performance

This study addresses the challenge of performance-informed building blocks generation by developing a generative design framework that simultaneously optimizes building massing, density distribution, and solar and structural performance. As energy consumption, carbon emissions, and material efficiency become increasingly critical in building engineering, there is a growing need for integrated methodologies that combine architectural form exploration with quantifiable performance objectives. The aim of this research is to formulate and validate a modular, cell-based algorithm that generates building configurations optimized for solar gain, thermal comfort, and structural efficiency. The methodology employs parametric design tools, including Grasshopper and Python, alongside simulation engines such as Ladybug for solar radiation analysis and Karamba for finite element structural evaluation. Multi-objective optimization is conducted using the Octopus application to identify Pareto-optimal solutions across competing criteria. The proposed approach is validated using a mid-rise residential block case in Tehran, demonstrating its effectiveness under real-world regulatory and climatic constraints. Findings show significant improvements in seasonal solar performance and reductions in structural deflection, with up to 248 % more winter solar gain and 4.6 % lower displacement compared to conventional designs. The key contribution of this research lies in its integration of environmental and structural simulation within an automated generative workflow that ensures both design adaptability and engineering feasibility. The novelty of the study is in bridging early-stage form generation with detailed performance feedback, providing a scalable method for sustainable and structurally sound building design. The proposed framework is adaptable to various site contexts and can inform future advances in computational building engineering.</p

Adaptive Façades for High-Rise Residential Buildings:A Qualitative Analysis of the Design Parameters and Methods

The design and construction of adaptive façades have garnered increasing attention as a means to enhance the energy performance and sustainability of high-rise residential buildings. Adaptive façades can dynamically respond to environmental conditions, reducing reliance on energy-intensive systems and improving occupant comfort. Despite their potential, research on adaptive façade systems in the context of high-rise residential buildings, particularly in Australia, remains limited. This study aims to bridge this gap by identifying the key design parameters, challenges, and optimisation methods for adaptive façades. Through a combination of a comprehensive literature review and 15 semi-structured interviews with industry experts, this research provides insights into the design and performance of adaptive façades. The key findings reveal that the successful implementation of adaptive façades depends on a range of factors, including material choices, shading system typologies, and advanced simulation tools for energy performance analysis. A significant outcome of the study is the development of a conceptual framework that incorporates these design elements with environmental factors and building energy simulation, offering a structured approach to optimise adaptive façade performance. The framework assists architects and engineers in creating energy-efficient, sustainable high-rise residential buildings tailored to the Australian context. Additionally, the study highlights critical challenges, such as financial barriers, regulatory gaps, and the need for improved maintenance strategies, which must be addressed to facilitate the broader adoption of adaptive façades in the residential sector.</p

Evaluating the therapeutic use of music to address anxiety for women undergoing gynaecological and fertility treatments

BACKGROUND: Music has been effectively used to address anxiety associated with medical treatments across broad applications. However, scant evidence exists about using music to reduce the significant anxiety experienced by women undergoing gynaecological procedures and fertility treatments. Such anxiety relates to the nature of procedures/examinations, invasiveness of the procedures, uncertainty around expectations, and intimate body part exposure, potentially affecting outcomes in triggering sympathetic nervous system responses. Music potentially contributes to anxiety management via known physiological and emotional effects. This funded collaborative project investigates therapeutic uses of music to address anxiety before and during gynaecology and fertility procedures, in order to assist participants with reducing their anxiety. METHODS: Participants attending office, day surgery and other hospital procedures (N = 41) completed validated self-report surveys before and after procedures, listening to specific music via a purpose-designed Music Star. Additional contextual and qualitative data was sought to understand the nature of the experience for the women. RESULTS: Results of this study indicated that the music intervention appeared to have a significant effect of reducing anxiety for women awaiting gynaecological and fertility procedures (p &lt; .001, r = .82). CONCLUSIONS: The use of music forms an acceptable intervention to decrease anxiety in this context and can enhance the experience of women during treatment. Such an increased use of music can provide anxiety management benefits to women undergoing gynaecological and fertility treatments, with these experiences suggesting potential educational benefits to support women through this extremely stressful and complex stage of their life.</p

The Relationship Between Microaggressions and Well-Being Among Those With Sexual Minority and Gender Minority Identities: The Role of Ingroup Identification

Research suggests social groups can provide psychological resources for coping with discrimination. However, little research has investigated the protective quality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, asexual (LGBTQA)+ ingroup identification from microaggressions. Using the rejection identification modeland social identity approach to health as a framework, this study aimed to investigate the capacity of LGBTQA+ ingroup identification to protect well-being from microaggressions. Three hundred and twenty LGBTQA+ individuals from Australia completed a survey assessing experiences of perceived discrimination(PD), microaggressions, ingroup identification, and well-being. Structural equation modeling inclusive of microaggressions and PD indicated microaggressions predicted lower life satisfaction and higher depressivesymptoms, while PD did not. Neither PD nor microaggressions predicted ingroup identification. Ingroup identification was associated with improved life satisfaction but not reduced depressive symptoms.Further, PD had an indirect effect on life satisfaction via ingroup identification. Ingroup identification did not mediate microaggressions or PD on depressive symptoms. Lastly, results indicated sexual minority (SM) trans and/or gender-diverse participants were at particular risk of experiencing discrimination, microaggressions, and depressive symptoms but that the rejection identification modelwas invariant toSMcisgender and SM trans and/or gender-diverse groups. Results were discussed regarding the importance of distinguishingbetween microaggressions and other discrimination types, the implications of positive and negative measures of well-being, and considering intersections of sexual orientation and gender identity. Overall, this research indicated facilitating ingroup identification may offer efficient protection of life satisfaction, but further investigation of protective factors from microaggressions is needed

Paying for elections every three years is worth it

There’s an old joke about divorces. Do you know why they’re so expensive? Because they’re worth it. Elections are no different. Mr Albanese wants four-year fixed terms. Apparently, Mr Dutton used to want four-year terms but then he didn’t, and now he does again. Four-year terms might make their job easier. It might also save us some $60 billion in the next two decades. But do voters really want the federal government to have four years to mess with us? Or is it worth$3 billion each year to make our politicians work harder for us

Care experience and deportation: Exploring interactions between child protection, criminal justice and migration control

This paper explores the interactions between three government systems of ‘care and control’ – child protection, criminal justice and border protection. Strikingly, these systems target racialised populations for interventions that are experienced as (mostly) punitive. Through qualitative case studies drawn from a sample of mandatory visa cancellation cases in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, I explore how non-citizens with experience of Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) withstand the convergence of criminal and immigration law, known as ‘crimmigration’. I argue that care experience contours crimmigration for those entangled within these systems in three significant ways. First, the ‘flow on’ effects of the criminalisation of those with care experience has unique consequences for non-citizens, bringing them into the purview of s501 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), and the possibility of discretionary or mandatory visa cancellation. Second, non-citizens in child protection who face insecure visa status are prevented from accessing certain health supports ordinarily available to citizens, which enhances their vulnerability. Third, government failures to act as a ‘parent’ to secure the visa status of non-citizens in child protection denies them protection from deportation. This article shows how non-citizens with care experience face heightened exposure to crimmigration and deportation

Suicidality in Primary Care, Youth Mental Health Services:Prevalence, Risk Factors and Implications for Practice

Introduction: Youth suicide is a concern worldwide, and suicidality—the presence of suicidal ideation or intent—is a critical risk for youth mental health services. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of suicidality in primary care, youth mental health services, along with its correlates and the course of treatment offered to clients. Methods: Routinely collected data from Australia's headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation, which has over 160 centres across Australia providing mental health care to young people aged 12–25 years, were analysed for new clients who started and completed their first episode of care between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. This included 30 437 young people/episodes of care and 74 393 occasions of service. Results: Results showed that suicidality was evident in almost one-quarter of young people, although it was rarely reported as a primary presenting issue. When present, it was usually identified at first visit. Those most at risk were young people in unstable accommodation, who identified as LGBTIQA+ or who were indigenous. Conclusions: The findings show that suicidality should be anticipated in young people presenting to primary care mental health settings, and youth services need to be able to competently deal with suicide risk rather than using this as exclusion criteria.</p

Diagnostic radiography students’ neonatal mobile X-ray imaging infection prevention and control practices

Introduction: Neonates represent a unique population with complex medical needs. Diagnostic medical imaging is crucial for diagnosing and treating their conditions, often utilising mobile imaging equip- ment. A key aspect of providing mobile X-ray imaging for neonates is infection prevention and control (IPC). This study investigated the IPC practices of diagnostic radiography students conducting mobile X-ray imaging in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Method: This quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study employed purposive sampling and used an online questionnaire to collect data from diagnostic radiography students at a higher education institution in Gauteng, South Africa. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The survey had a response rate of 51.1% (n = 141, N = 276), primarily from the second-year cohort (44.7%). Most participants (n = 132; 93.6%) had access to dedicated NICU and IPC policies, but only 63.1% (n = 89) were familiar with the IPC protocols. The major- ity of participants (n = 134; 95%) recognised the importance of lim- iting cross-contamination in the NICU. Participants rated their IPC practices as average (n = 60; 49.6%) and high (n = 64; 45.4%). More reported cleaning the mobile X-ray machine (n = 89; 63%) and wash- ing hands (n = 114; 81%) before examinations rather than after, with image receptors (n = 106; 75%) mostly cleaned after the examination. Conclusion: The IPC practices of diagnostic radiography students during mobile X-ray imaging in the NICU were inconsistent. Most students understood the importance of IPC; however, inconsistencies in cleaning mobile X-ray machines, image receptors and radiographic markers were reported. It is necessary to explore the reasons for these divergent IPC practices to develop strategies to enhance IPC practice compliance

Adapting the group traumatic episode protocol approach as a paraprofessional-led early intervention for law enforcement personnel

BACKGROUND: Law enforcement personnel experience high levels of occupational stress and frequent exposure to potentially traumatic events, requiring effective early interventions. The Modified Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (mGTEP) is an adaptation of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) designed to help individuals process traumatic experiences in a group setting. This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of a paraprofessional-led mGTEP within the law enforcement population.METHODS: Police officers and staff, with peer support background, were trained as paraprofessionals to facilitate mGTEP as early mental health support for their colleagues. Their role bridges the gap between informal peer support and professional mental health services. Psychological distress (single-item scale), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and trauma-related stress (PCL-5) were assessed at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and follow-up (T3). Multilevel statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate changes over time. A sample of 40 law enforcement personnel participated in online mGTEP sessions. The sample consisted of mostly males (54 %), ranging from age 28 to 53 with an average of 14 years working in the police. Multilevel modelling was applied to the repeated measures design to analyse changes across three time points, combining both random (e.g., participant) and fixed (e.g., time) effects.RESULTS: Significant reductions were observed from T1 to T2 in distress (d = 0.69, large), anxiety (d = 0.65, large), and trauma-related stress (d = 0.48, medium), with sustained improvements in depression (d = 0.26, small) and trauma-related stress (d = 0.48, medium) at follow-up. Anxiety scores slightly increased between T2 and T3 (d = 0.36, small). Similarly, distress scores did not continue to decline beyond T2. These results potentially reflect the ongoing demands of policing and continued exposure to trauma.CONCLUSION: This study highlights the feasibility of mGTEP as a paraprofessional-led early intervention for law enforcement personnel, demonstrating significant symptom reductions. While improvements in depression and trauma-related stress persisted, fluctuations in anxiety and distress levels suggest the need for continued support post-intervention. Given the cumulative nature of occupational stress in policing, regular implementation may be necessary to sustain benefits. Integrating mGTEP into existing mental health programs could enhance accessibility, allowing it to complement other psychological support initiatives.</p

Does walking for transport contribute to the longitudinal association between neighbourhood walkability and body mass index among mid-to older-aged Australian adults?

Introduction: Studies examining the associations between neighbourhood walkability and adult body weight, as well as the potential mediating role of walking for transport (WfT), are mainly cross-sectional, and longitudinal evidence is lacking. This study investigated the longitudinal association between walkability and body mass index (BMI) and assessed the contribution of WfT to this association. Methods: Data from the HABITAT multilevel longitudinal (2007–16) study of 11,035 middle-aged adult residents of 200 neighbourhoods in Brisbane, Australia, were used. Neighbourhood walkability within a 1 km network buffer around residents’ homes was objectively measured using land use mix, street connectivity, and residential density, and BMI was measured using self-reported height and weight. At each wave (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2016), respondents estimated the duration (minutes) of WfT in the previous 7 days, which was modelled as both a binary and continuous measure. Mixed-effects regression models were used to examine whether any WfT (yes/no) contributed to the association between walkability and BMI, and generalised structural equation modelling was used to estimate the mediating effect of minutes WfT on this relationship. The models were adjusted for age, sex, education, occupation, household income, neighbourhood disadvantage, survey year, and residential self-selection. Results: Living in a walkable neighbourhood was significantly associated with greater odds of engaging in any WfT and more minutes of walking, and each measure of walking was associated with a lower BMI. Any WfT made no apparent contribution to the association between walkability and BMI, whereas minutes spent walking explained approximately 7.8 % of this relationship. Conclusions: Walkable neighbourhoods may help reduce BMI at the population and individual levels by promoting WfT. Creating walkable communities to support WfT holds the potential for maintaining a healthy body weight and preventing the onset of weight-related chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.</p