Development of a topical treatment to replace surgical mulesing in sheep. 10,800 farms in Australia are sheep farms and a further 30,000 have sheep. Exports of wool earn over $2 billion annually. The animal rights campaign to ban mulesing has forced the industry to outlaw mulesing by 2010. Mulesing is largely confined to Australian Merino sheep and requires Australian research. If practical alternatives are not found costs will rise compromising the economic viability of many sheep farms. C ....Development of a topical treatment to replace surgical mulesing in sheep. 10,800 farms in Australia are sheep farms and a further 30,000 have sheep. Exports of wool earn over $2 billion annually. The animal rights campaign to ban mulesing has forced the industry to outlaw mulesing by 2010. Mulesing is largely confined to Australian Merino sheep and requires Australian research. If practical alternatives are not found costs will rise compromising the economic viability of many sheep farms. Chemical use on the breech will increase causing environmental contamination. A simple topical alternative to mulesing will allow farmers to economically manage flies and satisfy welfare imperatives. This will support rural communities and sustain Australia's export income from wool.Read moreRead less
Development of a proto-type vaccine against gastrointestinal nematode larvae. Gastrointestinal parasites are the major cause of production losses in the Australian sheep and wool industries. Drug treatment is predominantly used to control infections but drug resistance has reached critical levels and is threatening the viability of sheep production in many rural areas. In collaboration with an international Animal Health company, we aim to develop vaccines against these parasites and provide a c ....Development of a proto-type vaccine against gastrointestinal nematode larvae. Gastrointestinal parasites are the major cause of production losses in the Australian sheep and wool industries. Drug treatment is predominantly used to control infections but drug resistance has reached critical levels and is threatening the viability of sheep production in many rural areas. In collaboration with an international Animal Health company, we aim to develop vaccines against these parasites and provide a clean, non-toxic alternative to drug treatment. The groundbreaking research involved in this project will also keep Australian animal scientists at the forefront of vaccine research and increase their capacity to attract further support from Industry.Read moreRead less
Intelligent and objective measurement of wool fibre diameter. More than a half million tones of wool produced in Australia per year are visually evaluated by human woolclassers. This fibre-classing process is subjective and heavily dependent on the experience of the classers. In this project, we will objectively measure wool fibre diameter by extracting features used by human woolclassers and by combining image processing and artificial intelligence. The fractal dimension calculated by fracta ....Intelligent and objective measurement of wool fibre diameter. More than a half million tones of wool produced in Australia per year are visually evaluated by human woolclassers. This fibre-classing process is subjective and heavily dependent on the experience of the classers. In this project, we will objectively measure wool fibre diameter by extracting features used by human woolclassers and by combining image processing and artificial intelligence. The fractal dimension calculated by fractal based texture analysis will be correlated to fibre diameter. This approach will provide an insight into an on farm and/or in shed objective measurement of wool fibre diameter.Read moreRead less
Advanced polymer fibres with multiple functionalities. This project will add value to the local polymer and fibre industries. Australia is a significant producer of synthetic polymers such as polypropylene and the largest producer of wool. There is also local production of nanoparticles such as zinc oxide. This project will add value to all these producers through innovative uses and applications of different types of material. Combining organic and inorganic particles in a polymer matrix has no ....Advanced polymer fibres with multiple functionalities. This project will add value to the local polymer and fibre industries. Australia is a significant producer of synthetic polymers such as polypropylene and the largest producer of wool. There is also local production of nanoparticles such as zinc oxide. This project will add value to all these producers through innovative uses and applications of different types of material. Combining organic and inorganic particles in a polymer matrix has not been reported. This innovation will strengthen our position in research into advanced materials, which is a national research priority.Read moreRead less
Topical and cryoanaesthesia for livestock husbandry. The livestock industries contribute $15billion annually to Australia's economy, playing a vital role in rural communities. However we must respond to changing demands of our customers, by complementing our competitive disease-free advantage with welfare-conscious production systems. This project will address the threat of growing international demands for improved animal welfare in farming. We will provide research and technical solutions, pro ....Topical and cryoanaesthesia for livestock husbandry. The livestock industries contribute $15billion annually to Australia's economy, playing a vital role in rural communities. However we must respond to changing demands of our customers, by complementing our competitive disease-free advantage with welfare-conscious production systems. This project will address the threat of growing international demands for improved animal welfare in farming. We will provide research and technical solutions, providing pain mangement products for on-farm use that will reduce animal suffering during routine husbandry interventions. The project offers significant benefits for producers by protecting their industries against the threats of a welfare embargo on our livestock products. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882948
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$440,000.00
Summary
Multidisciplinary 'Environmental' Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope. The present proposal is for a high resolution electron microscope for use in the development of new materials for the automotive, textile and bio-medical sectors. The new generation of automotive materials will be lighter and more crash resistant. New textiles will be 'active' in providing warmth and cooling through their conducting properties. They will also provide enhanced dynamic protection against physical ha ....Multidisciplinary 'Environmental' Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope. The present proposal is for a high resolution electron microscope for use in the development of new materials for the automotive, textile and bio-medical sectors. The new generation of automotive materials will be lighter and more crash resistant. New textiles will be 'active' in providing warmth and cooling through their conducting properties. They will also provide enhanced dynamic protection against physical harm. The facility will support the development of new cellular scaffolds made from metals and polymers. These scaffolds will be used for tissue growth and engineering. The facility will also be used to support Deakin University's regional collaborators.Read moreRead less
Brain temperature regulation in mammals: mechanisms and consequences. Mammals detect increases in body temperature predominantly in the brain. Counterintuitively many mammals selectively cool the brain during heat stress, which appears to defeat the mechanism for inducing cooling responses. We intend to investigate this apparent anomaly which we believe is concerned with optimizing water use in hot conditions. We will further investigate the source of water for evaporative cooling by panting and ....Brain temperature regulation in mammals: mechanisms and consequences. Mammals detect increases in body temperature predominantly in the brain. Counterintuitively many mammals selectively cool the brain during heat stress, which appears to defeat the mechanism for inducing cooling responses. We intend to investigate this apparent anomaly which we believe is concerned with optimizing water use in hot conditions. We will further investigate the source of water for evaporative cooling by panting and discover if there has been convergent evolution in thermoregulatory strategies in the eutherian and marsupial lineages. The data we collect will be used to support a new model for thermoregulation in mammals.
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Reassessing the role of industry associations through an examination of Australian and New Zealand wool marketing, 1890-1960. This is a study of organisational innovation in an internationally-important industry. Wool industry associations built and maintained a marketing organization, regionally and then nationally, that sold more than a half of the world's wool. Our long-term study assesses whether associations along the supply chain could replenish their social capital and remain adaptive and ....Reassessing the role of industry associations through an examination of Australian and New Zealand wool marketing, 1890-1960. This is a study of organisational innovation in an internationally-important industry. Wool industry associations built and maintained a marketing organization, regionally and then nationally, that sold more than a half of the world's wool. Our long-term study assesses whether associations along the supply chain could replenish their social capital and remain adaptive and flexible organisations in the face of marked changes in the environment. The nature of the web of connections between associations in the wool market deserves further study. If their cooperation made possible the institutions governing wool selling then government agencies may need to take a more nuanced approach to regulating inter-organizational collaboration.Read moreRead less
Improving the wool product. Using mathematical modelling to improve the efficiency of wool scouring. Our aim is to improve the quality of scoured wool by improving the efficiency of wool scouring. Wool scouring is the process of washing greasy wool once it has been removed from the sheep's back. After being rinsed to remove sweat and salt the wool is passed through a scour bowl consisting of settling tanks from which dirty water is periodically expelled. Mathematical modelling will optimise us ....Improving the wool product. Using mathematical modelling to improve the efficiency of wool scouring. Our aim is to improve the quality of scoured wool by improving the efficiency of wool scouring. Wool scouring is the process of washing greasy wool once it has been removed from the sheep's back. After being rinsed to remove sweat and salt the wool is passed through a scour bowl consisting of settling tanks from which dirty water is periodically expelled. Mathematical modelling will optimise use of the scour bowl, reduce consumption of water, increase the recovery of wool grease and improve the quality and cleanliness of the wool.Read moreRead less
Bahavioural Determinants of the Adoption of Forward Market by Australian Wool Producers. It is estimated that 85% of Australian wool is sold in Auction, making it the dominant market system to sell wool. However, wool prices have fluctuated significantly in the auction system resulting in wool producers looking for alternative market systems. The Forward Market (selling wool in advance directly to the traders) is one such alternative market system which could offer guaranteed price to the wool p ....Bahavioural Determinants of the Adoption of Forward Market by Australian Wool Producers. It is estimated that 85% of Australian wool is sold in Auction, making it the dominant market system to sell wool. However, wool prices have fluctuated significantly in the auction system resulting in wool producers looking for alternative market systems. The Forward Market (selling wool in advance directly to the traders) is one such alternative market system which could offer guaranteed price to the wool producers. Despite its obvious advantages only 7% of wool producers sell wool through Forward Market system. This project investigates the behavioural determinants for the adoption of Forward Market system by the wool producers. We will develop a valid and reliable adoption model using Structural Equation Modelling approach through two rounds of data collection from the wool producers. The results will enhance wool industry's understanding of producers? response to the Forward Market system and thus help the policy makers to promote the alternative market system effectively. Read moreRead less