Development Of Diagnostic Tools To Characterise Predictors Of Therapeutic Outcome In Severe Constipation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$433,999.00
Summary
This project will use fibre-optic technology to create detailed high resolution maps of colonic motor patterns in both health and in patients with severe constipation. The data will be used in combination with actual patient symptoms to help identify specific markers of disease that can differentiate sub-types of constipation and ultimately guide and improve treatment in constipated patients
An In Depth Analysis Of Clinical And Virological Outcomes Of 2 Strategies For The Antiretroviral Salvage Of First-line Regimen Virological Failure For HIV-1 Infection Tested In An Australian-led Randomised, International, Multi-centre Clinical Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,747.00
Summary
The recently completed Australian-led SECOND-LINE trial is the first high quality study to provide reliable evidence for policy recommendations for the composition of anti-HIV drug cocktails after standard initial treatment has failed. This award will support the researcher in further refining our understanding of how to manage second-line therapy including proposals to test the use of low-cost technologies for application in resource-limited settings where the majority of people with HIV live.
Exploring Consumers' Switching and Loyalty Behaviours: Brand Relationship Dynamics. For marketers and academics, understanding the ways that consumers develop relationships with brands is of utmost importance. Brands may inspire loyalty, repeat purchases, continued use, and switching behaviour over time. Yet, continued brand usage and switching behaviours have not yet been studied systematically from a relationship perspective. Fournier's (1998) perspective on brand relationships is used to unde ....Exploring Consumers' Switching and Loyalty Behaviours: Brand Relationship Dynamics. For marketers and academics, understanding the ways that consumers develop relationships with brands is of utmost importance. Brands may inspire loyalty, repeat purchases, continued use, and switching behaviour over time. Yet, continued brand usage and switching behaviours have not yet been studied systematically from a relationship perspective. Fournier's (1998) perspective on brand relationships is used to understand changes in brand behaviours as changes in underlying consumer-brand relationships. This study, using qualitative semi-structured interviews and longitudinal brand diary keeping, will uncover the personal, social, and cultural meanings associated with brand-related changes, significantly advancing our understanding of brand relationship dynamics.
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Sharing values and the co-creation of brands: Towards a new consumer driven branding paradigm. The project proposes a paradigm shift from traditional image building towards a full understanding and integration of consumer values into a deliberate process of co-created brand meanings. Brands thus managed can become iconic and symbolic of consumers' existing subcultures or may even define micro-cultures of consumption of their own (as in the case of Harley Davidson).
Should managers understand t ....Sharing values and the co-creation of brands: Towards a new consumer driven branding paradigm. The project proposes a paradigm shift from traditional image building towards a full understanding and integration of consumer values into a deliberate process of co-created brand meanings. Brands thus managed can become iconic and symbolic of consumers' existing subcultures or may even define micro-cultures of consumption of their own (as in the case of Harley Davidson).
Should managers understand the process by which such co-created brands develop, more Australian brand success stories (eg. Rip Curl, Penfold's Grange) would evolve and be better placed to tap the increasingly diversified sub-cultural landscape that characterises the Australian marketplace and many of our major trading partners.
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New Theory and Algorithms for Nonsmooth Optimisation with Application to Integer Programming. Mathematical optimisation plays a key role in a wide variety of applications in business, industry, engineering and science. For example, airlines cannot fly and radiation treatment for cancer cannot be delivered without solving (a series of) optimisation problems. Some classes of optimisation problem are very well solved, with clear mathematical foundations, efficient algorithms, and reliable software ....New Theory and Algorithms for Nonsmooth Optimisation with Application to Integer Programming. Mathematical optimisation plays a key role in a wide variety of applications in business, industry, engineering and science. For example, airlines cannot fly and radiation treatment for cancer cannot be delivered without solving (a series of) optimisation problems. Some classes of optimisation problem are very well solved, with clear mathematical foundations, efficient algorithms, and reliable software implementations. Both nonsmooth and integer optimisation problems have a good mathematical basis, but there are "gaps"; existing methods cannot always solve real industrial problems. This project will deliver better methods, built on better theory, and so will yield better solutions for important applications.Read moreRead less
Personalised Medicine Markers Of Anti-EGFR Antibody Therapy In Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Accelerating Clinical Translation With Collaborative Meta-analyses Based On Individual-participant Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,953.00
Summary
When selecting cancer therapy we take into account ‘biomarkers’, biological cancer characteristics that predict treatment success. We will work with an international group, the Advanced Colorectal Cancer Database, to analyse individual patient clinical trial data. We intend to validate biomarkers used to select treatment with cetuximab or panitumumab. Cancer genes called KRAS, NRAS, PTEN, PIK3CA, EREG and BRAF will be examined. Our study will provide best evidence for personalised treatment.
How viewers learn about new TV programs: the influence of TV promotions and Word-of-mouth. Television viewing is one of the major pastimes of Australians. Improving the quality of programming and reducing ineffective promotional efforts will enhance the life of most of our population. Keeping and building audiences will improve the long-term viability of free-to-view television model, which allows quality television to be accessible to all. More efficiently marketing local programs improves ....How viewers learn about new TV programs: the influence of TV promotions and Word-of-mouth. Television viewing is one of the major pastimes of Australians. Improving the quality of programming and reducing ineffective promotional efforts will enhance the life of most of our population. Keeping and building audiences will improve the long-term viability of free-to-view television model, which allows quality television to be accessible to all. More efficiently marketing local programs improves return on investment and export potential, as Australian ratings signal to overseas buyers the likely success of the program in their markets. Finally, program promotions provide a valued social purpose as they are used by viewers to choose what to watch. This research seeks to improve the utility of this service.Read moreRead less
Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits. There is a growing consensus that children's involvement in social research is important, but considerable uncertainty remains around children's inclusion in research on 'sensitive' issues, reflecting concerns about how to balance children's protection with their participation. Key to this are deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs about children and childhood, especially concerning notions of capacity, agency, vulnerabili ....Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits. There is a growing consensus that children's involvement in social research is important, but considerable uncertainty remains around children's inclusion in research on 'sensitive' issues, reflecting concerns about how to balance children's protection with their participation. Key to this are deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs about children and childhood, especially concerning notions of capacity, agency, vulnerability, dependency and the like. This project aims to better understand and address the tensions between the protection of children and their participation in research, and to explore how ethics committees, parents, other gatekeepers and children themselves manage and navigate these tensions.Read moreRead less
Which Heart Failure Intervention Is Most Cost Effective In Reducing Hospital Care (WHICH? II) Trial: A Multicentre, Randomised Trial Of Standard Versus Intensified Management Of Metropolitan And Regional-dwelling Patients With Heart Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,891,210.00
Summary
Chronic heart failure (CHF) management programs are now the gold-standard to cost-effectively care for thousands of Australians hospitalised with CHF each year. We’ve shown that home-based management is most cost-effective in reducing hospital stay in CHF. The Which Intervention is most Cost-effective in reducing Hospital care (WHICH? II) Trial, a multicentre, randomised study, will determine if more intensive care (via home visits and remote care contacts) further improves poor outcomes in CHF.
To Improve The Quality And Access To Dialysis Treatments By Indigenous Australians From Remote Areas By Using A Patient-centred Approach To Determine The Cost-effectiveness Of Treatment Models That Include The Health, Social And Economic Impact
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,195,023.00
Summary
Compared to other Australians, Indigenous people from remote areas suffer disproportionately from kidney disease. In order to access treatment they must often relocate, sometimes permanently to urban areas. Communities advocate for services closer to home but most health providers see remote area delivery as prohibitively costly. The study will assess the relative cost-benefits of more patient-centered models of care that are inclusive of impacts on patients, families and communities.