http://hdl.handle.net/10453/35206 2026-05-20T06:28:35Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195064 Title: Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations and disaster response Authors: Ewenson, L; Corby, C; Hickey, V; Spencer, W; MacGillivray, P; McCausland, R Abstract: Relevant international frameworks, government policy and academic discourse about disaster response and recovery claim that it should be community-centred. Walgett, New South Wales, has recently endured a number of disasters including floods, COVID-19, and water and food security concerns. The experience of recent disasters in Walgett revealed that the Walgett Aboriginal community is disproportionately negatively impacted at times of such crises. Changes to disaster governance arrangements are required and adequate resources are needed for the Aboriginal community within the town and surrounding areas to support appropriate disaster response and recovery, and to strengthen long-term community wellbeing overall. 2025-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195043 Title: Fractals of Nature: An embodied journey through creative collaboration and deferring judgement Authors: Larocca, P Abstract: Fractals of Nature (Fractals) was an immersive non-traditional research output (NTRO) and the culmination of my transdisciplinary doctoral research into dance and somatic practice, framed through the lens of deferring judgement – understood as a deliberate attunement to possibilities. The research approached transdisciplinarity as a way of being and knowing and redefined choreography as a somatic practice of sensory engagement and collaborative making. Fractals embodied this approach as an immersive event structured through multisensory making stations, which served as the site of inquiry and generated conditions for creative collaboration, ethical attunement and more-than-human connection. These qualities emphasize sensing through the body, relating with the environment and making together to cultivate attentiveness, relational awareness that extends beyond the human. They connect with somatic traditions of embodied perception, ecological reciprocity and correspondence through making. The event demonstrates how immersive choreographic design can function as a somatic method in its own right, cultivating presence, relationality and more-than-human awareness. 2025-12-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195037 Title: The Transdisciplinary Informing Model: Bridging Epistemologies for Breakthrough Innovation Authors: Larocca, P Abstract: Aim/Purpose This paper addresses the need for more holistic informing frameworks that bridge cognitive-centric approaches with embodied, relational, and imaginative modes of knowledge transfer, especially within complex transdisciplinary contexts where conventional informing processes often fail to facilitate deep understanding. Background Current Informing Science frameworks primarily focus on cognitive processing and linear data flow, leaving significant gaps in understanding how knowledge can be effectively transferred through non-cognitive pathways. This paper extends Informing Science by integrating diverse epistemologies, including non-Western and phenomenological perspectives, into a cohesive visual model. Methodology Using practice-led research methodology, this study developed and tested the Transdisciplinary Informing Model (TIM) through the creation and implementation of an immersive sensory experience (Fractals of Nature). Approximately 150 participants, including art students, alumni, community members, and change-makers, engaged with three sensory stations, generating creative artifacts that were analyzed for evidence of relational knowledge creation. Contribution This paper contributes to Informing Science by visualizing and operationalizing Montuori’s principles of transdisciplinary inquiry and extending Cohen’s three-environment model to include embodied, sensory, and imaginative dimensions of knowledge transfer. The hexagonal model structure illustrates previously unseen interdependencies between principles, creating a practical framework for cross-epistemological synthesis. Findings Evidence from the Fractals of Nature case study demonstrates that TIM effectively facilitates: (1) relational knowledge creation that bridges individual perspectives with ecological awareness; (2) cross-paradigmatic synthesis across scientific, cultural, and imaginative domains; and (3) embodied knowledge processing through multisensory engagement, enabling deeper, more integrated understanding than cognitive processing alone. Recommendations for Practitioners Practitioners should consider incorporating sensory, relational, and imaginative elements into informing processes, particularly in educational, organizational, and sustainability contexts where complex, systemic understanding is essential. TIM provides a structured yet flexible framework for designing transdisciplinary experiences that engage multiple ways of knowing. Recommendations for Researchers Future research should explore TIM’s applications across diverse cultural contexts, develop metrics for evaluating its impact on knowledge transfer, and investigate the long-term effects of embodied informing approaches. Researchers should also consider combining TIM with other informing frameworks to create hybrid approaches that leverage multiple models’ strengths. Impact on Society TIM’s approach to knowledge transfer has significant implications for addressing complex societal challenges that require integrated understanding across disciplines, cultures, and knowledge systems. By fostering embodied, relational understanding of interconnectedness, TIM could enhance public engagement with systemic issues like climate change, social inequality, and technological transformation. The framework’s emphasis on ethical relationality provides a foundation for more inclusive decision-making processes that honor diverse epistemologies, potentially contributing to more equitable and sustainable social systems that bridge intellectual understanding with embodied, collective wisdom. Future Research Building on this paper’s findings, future research should: (1) investigate TIM’s effectiveness in digital and virtual environments where sensory engagement takes different forms; (2) explore applications in cross-cultural collaborations where diverse epistemologies must be bridged; (3) develop quantitative and qualitative metrics to assess the depth and retention of knowledge gained through embodied informing processes; (4) examine how TIM might enhance informing processes in complex fields like healthcare, environmental management, and technology ethics where siloed knowledge creates barriers to holistic understanding; and (5) investigate the relationship between embodied informing and behavior change, particularly in sustainability contexts where knowledge alone often fails to motivate action. http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195036 Title: Targeting PTPN2 enhances human CAR T cell efficacy and the development of long-term memory in mouse xenograft models. Authors: Du, X; Goh, PK; Ma, C; Coughlan, E; Greatorex, S; Porter, LH; Russ, B; Cummins, KD; Sek, K; Slaney, CY; Scott, AM; Oliaro, J; Neeson, PJ; Risbridger, GP; Taylor, RA; Trapani, JA; Turner, SJ; Darcy, PK; Wiede, F; Tiganis, T Abstract: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have been ineffective against solid tumors, where the hostile tumor microenvironment limits CAR T cell function and persistence. Protein tyrosine phosphatase N2 (PTPN2) attenuates T cell receptor and cytokine signaling to maintain T cell tolerance. Here, we used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing or an inhibitor to target PTPN2 in human CAR T cells specific for the Lewis Y (LeY) neoantigen, which is expressed in most epithelial tumors. Targeting PTPN2 increased CAR and cytokine signaling, including interferon signaling, and enhanced the antigen-induced expansion, activation, and cytotoxicity of anti-LeY CAR T cells in vitro and in vivo. The deletion of PTPN2 in CAR T cells repressed the growth of human tumor and patient-derived xenografts in mice, when compared with unedited CAR T cells, and prolonged mouse survival. The administration of inhibitor also enhanced the ability of α-LeY CAR T cells to repress tumor growth. Cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing analysis of splenic PTPN2-deficient CD8+ CAR T cells in tumor-bearing mice revealed that PTPN2 deficiency favored the generation of CD45RA+ CAR T cells expressing markers of long-lived stem cell memory (SCM) CAR T cells. Flow cytometric analysis reaffirmed that the deletion or inhibition of PTPN2 promoted the intratumoral accumulation of SCM CD8+ CAR T cells and the overall persistence of CD8+ CAR T cells. These data support the use of gene editing or small-molecule inhibitors targeting PTPN2 in human CAR T cells to treat solid tumors. 2025-10-29T00:00:00Z