Quantitative dynamics of functional magnetic resonance imaging. By modeling and verifying the dynamics of brain activity and blood flow that underlie functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this project will yield improved scientific outcomes and imaging sensitivity. The new data analysis techniques and technologies that result will yield potentially patentable intellectual property, and will increase the standing of Australia in this rapidly developing field, including via links being bu ....Quantitative dynamics of functional magnetic resonance imaging. By modeling and verifying the dynamics of brain activity and blood flow that underlie functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this project will yield improved scientific outcomes and imaging sensitivity. The new data analysis techniques and technologies that result will yield potentially patentable intellectual property, and will increase the standing of Australia in this rapidly developing field, including via links being built to leading international workers. The National Research Priority Goals of Frontier Technologies, Breakthrough Science, Smart Information Use, and Promoting an Innovation Economy will thus be advanced.Read moreRead less
Markov invariants and phylogenetic tree reconstruction. The project will assist Australia to progress as an innovator in the production phylogenetic tree reconstruction techniques.
Identifying species is a difficult task with environmental, social and economic benefits to Australia. DNA evidence and phylogenetic methods clearly achieve this task. Conservation of rare species depends upon identification and hence robust phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetically identifying fish species has econom ....Markov invariants and phylogenetic tree reconstruction. The project will assist Australia to progress as an innovator in the production phylogenetic tree reconstruction techniques.
Identifying species is a difficult task with environmental, social and economic benefits to Australia. DNA evidence and phylogenetic methods clearly achieve this task. Conservation of rare species depends upon identification and hence robust phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetically identifying fish species has economic importance as different fish species are all managed separately, having different catch limits, catch areas and market values. Using effective phylogenetic methods, epidemiologists can track the spread of a disease through a population. Read moreRead less
Mathematical modelling in developmental biology. Modern observational techniques in biology and medicine generate a wealth of genetic and molecular detail. Mathematical modelling integrates and synthesises this information to provide insight into how complex biological processes are coupled to produce experimentally observed behaviour. Mathematical modelling generates experimentally testable predictions that can be used to verify the validity of the models. This program is dedicated to exciting ....Mathematical modelling in developmental biology. Modern observational techniques in biology and medicine generate a wealth of genetic and molecular detail. Mathematical modelling integrates and synthesises this information to provide insight into how complex biological processes are coupled to produce experimentally observed behaviour. Mathematical modelling generates experimentally testable predictions that can be used to verify the validity of the models. This program is dedicated to exciting opportunities for advancing our knowledge of normal and abnormal developmental processes, especially in embryonic growth. Understanding these processes will lead to prediction and treatment of congenital disorders and contribute to a healthy start to life. Read moreRead less
Mathematical Methods for Next Generation Sequencing. The emergence of a new generation of high throughput genomic sequencing technologies is providing unprecedented opportunities for biological research. Hidden within the huge amounts of data generated by this technology is information about the expression and regulation of genes, and the complex functional purpose of non-coding, so called 'junk', DNA. Development of mathematical and statistical tools is essential to interpreting these data. The ....Mathematical Methods for Next Generation Sequencing. The emergence of a new generation of high throughput genomic sequencing technologies is providing unprecedented opportunities for biological research. Hidden within the huge amounts of data generated by this technology is information about the expression and regulation of genes, and the complex functional purpose of non-coding, so called 'junk', DNA. Development of mathematical and statistical tools is essential to interpreting these data. The proposed research will enhance Australia's reputation for developing novel quantitative techniques at the cutting edge of modern biology. The proposed project has a broad range of potential applications in biotechnology, particularly in the medical and agricultural industries.Read moreRead less
Neural spike variability: unifying conflicting views of neural dynamics. The project aims to improve our understanding of neural dynamics. The brain represents and processes information by means of neural voltage spikes, which show great variability in their timing. Understanding the origin of such variable neural dynamics is a long-standing problem in neuroscience. The aim of this project is to develop a novel account of variable neural dynamics, unravelling their computational principles in th ....Neural spike variability: unifying conflicting views of neural dynamics. The project aims to improve our understanding of neural dynamics. The brain represents and processes information by means of neural voltage spikes, which show great variability in their timing. Understanding the origin of such variable neural dynamics is a long-standing problem in neuroscience. The aim of this project is to develop a novel account of variable neural dynamics, unravelling their computational principles in the brain, and unifying current leading but conflicting theories. The model developed in this project would be used to explain a range of empirical observations, and the principles unravelled would be applied to understand spike-timing based neural coding. The new knowledge gained in this project may have profound implications for designing brain-like computing devices.Read moreRead less
Decision-making in social insects and nature-inspired optimisation algorithms. Insect societies are ideal for the study of complex systems. Contrary to other complex systems, insect colonies can be modified without destroying the system. Computer scientists have found a source of inspiration in the behaviour of social insects for solving optimisation problems. Here we will study the influence of information flow on decision-making in real insect societies using:
1) Experiments aimed at investig ....Decision-making in social insects and nature-inspired optimisation algorithms. Insect societies are ideal for the study of complex systems. Contrary to other complex systems, insect colonies can be modified without destroying the system. Computer scientists have found a source of inspiration in the behaviour of social insects for solving optimisation problems. Here we will study the influence of information flow on decision-making in real insect societies using:
1) Experiments aimed at investigating how storage and transfer of information affects individual decision-making within a honey bee colony (University of Sydney)
2) Design of a new class of 'bee' algorithms that incorporate direct information transfer and are aimed at solving dynamic multicriterion optimisation problems (University of Leipzig).
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New computational methods study on protein function prediction. The proposed research aims to develop new computational methods to solve one of the most important bioinformatics problems in the post-genome era. This project will expand the knowledge on protein sequence-structure-function relationship, provide new analysis methods and predict the functions of novel proteins. This project will strengthen Australia's reputation for research excellence.
How calcium makes the heart grow. This project aims to develop a mathematical model of calcium signalling in heart cells to understand how calcium makes the heart grow. Our hearts grow to adapt to long-term changes, such as during development and in pregnancy or heart disease. Biochemical reactions involving calcium control the growth of heart cells and heart cells also use calcium signalling to trigger contraction with each beat. How calcium controls the heartbeat and regulates cell growth is u ....How calcium makes the heart grow. This project aims to develop a mathematical model of calcium signalling in heart cells to understand how calcium makes the heart grow. Our hearts grow to adapt to long-term changes, such as during development and in pregnancy or heart disease. Biochemical reactions involving calcium control the growth of heart cells and heart cells also use calcium signalling to trigger contraction with each beat. How calcium controls the heartbeat and regulates cell growth is unknown. This project will develop a new mathematical model of calcium signalling in heart cells to understand important cellular adaption processes. This knowledge will lead to the ability to independently control cellular pathways mediated by calcium, opening new avenues in biotechnology and biomedicine.Read moreRead less
Mathematical models and bioinformatic analyses of bacterial genome evolution. Bacteria are vital agents in earth's biosphere, breaking down and synthesising a wide variety of compounds. Some bacteria cause disease; others are exploited for a range of biotechnological applications. Bacteria have a remarkable ability to survive and thrive in changing conditions. For example, pathogenic bacteria confronted by antibiotics easily evolve resistance to them. With the reality of climate change, we expec ....Mathematical models and bioinformatic analyses of bacterial genome evolution. Bacteria are vital agents in earth's biosphere, breaking down and synthesising a wide variety of compounds. Some bacteria cause disease; others are exploited for a range of biotechnological applications. Bacteria have a remarkable ability to survive and thrive in changing conditions. For example, pathogenic bacteria confronted by antibiotics easily evolve resistance to them. With the reality of climate change, we expect more rapid shifts in the structure of bacterial communities, possibly leading to the emergence of new pathogens. The benefits of this project are to discover how the genetic structure of bacteria confer this flexibility, and to help keep Australia at the forefront of research in bioinformatics and mathematical biology.
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Building macroscale models from microscale probabilistic models. Spatial patterns arise in biological and physical processes. Understanding how local individual-based functions, such as movement and interactions between individuals, give rise to global spatial distributions and patterns in populations of individuals is generating much interest. Probabilistic agent-based models provide information about the movement of individuals, whereas continuum models provide information about the global pro ....Building macroscale models from microscale probabilistic models. Spatial patterns arise in biological and physical processes. Understanding how local individual-based functions, such as movement and interactions between individuals, give rise to global spatial distributions and patterns in populations of individuals is generating much interest. Probabilistic agent-based models provide information about the movement of individuals, whereas continuum models provide information about the global properties, such as spread of populations. This project will provide tools for determining the connection between the two types of models, thereby linking the behaviour on microscopic and macroscopic scales.Read moreRead less