Emergence of robust, stable structures via computation within natural networks. An ever-increasing challenge for modern society is the sheer complexity of vast infrastructures. Unexpected, and sometimes catastrophic, behaviour often emerges from interactions between elements of large systems. As a result, highly complex systems such as the Internet, international finance markets, and power grids are highly susceptible to costly problems such as cascading failures, inefficiency, and critical sens ....Emergence of robust, stable structures via computation within natural networks. An ever-increasing challenge for modern society is the sheer complexity of vast infrastructures. Unexpected, and sometimes catastrophic, behaviour often emerges from interactions between elements of large systems. As a result, highly complex systems such as the Internet, international finance markets, and power grids are highly susceptible to costly problems such as cascading failures, inefficiency, and critical sensitivity. High-tech industries, such as biotechnology and information networking, also face problems in coordinating swarms of interacting agents. This project will contribute to solving such problems by identifying and adapting solutions from nature.Read moreRead less
Dual phase evolution in networks. A grand challenge for modern society is the sheer complexity of vast networks arising from organizations and infrastructures. Unexpected, sometimes catastrophic, behaviour often emerges from interactions within such systems. As a result, the Internet, financial markets, power grids and other vital infrastructures are susceptible to costly problems such as cascading failures, inefficiency, and unpredictability. High-tech industries, such as biotechnology and info ....Dual phase evolution in networks. A grand challenge for modern society is the sheer complexity of vast networks arising from organizations and infrastructures. Unexpected, sometimes catastrophic, behaviour often emerges from interactions within such systems. As a result, the Internet, financial markets, power grids and other vital infrastructures are susceptible to costly problems such as cascading failures, inefficiency, and unpredictability. High-tech industries, such as biotechnology and information networking, face problems in coordinating networks of interacting agents. This project will expand the horizon of complex systems by deriving the design principles underpinning stable and resilient network structures and validate these principles on real world networks.Read moreRead less
Automated bioinformatic analysis of vertical and lateral gene transmission among microbial genomes. Genetic information is transmitted "vertically" from parents to offspring within species. Biologists have long assumed that this mechanism, extrapolated far into the past, explains the distribution of genes among genomes, thus the potential properties of all phenomes. But genome sequences show that some, perhaps many, genes have been transmitted "laterally" between species. We are building a uniqu ....Automated bioinformatic analysis of vertical and lateral gene transmission among microbial genomes. Genetic information is transmitted "vertically" from parents to offspring within species. Biologists have long assumed that this mechanism, extrapolated far into the past, explains the distribution of genes among genomes, thus the potential properties of all phenomes. But genome sequences show that some, perhaps many, genes have been transmitted "laterally" between species. We are building a unique automated computer-based system to find all instances of lateral transmission in all microbial genomes, using rigorous methods. Our results will be important both fundamentally and practically, e.g. in explaining sets and dynamics of phenomic traits, and quantifying background levels of "natural genetic engineering".Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989334
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
An integrated high-performance computational platform powering systems biology investigation. Systems biology is the study of the organism as a whole and provides a deeper understanding of biological processes than is possible by studying components separately. Recognised as essential for biological research, we propose to establish an advanced computational platform to study these processes at a systems level. Its hardware and specialised software will allow Australian researchers to examine co ....An integrated high-performance computational platform powering systems biology investigation. Systems biology is the study of the organism as a whole and provides a deeper understanding of biological processes than is possible by studying components separately. Recognised as essential for biological research, we propose to establish an advanced computational platform to study these processes at a systems level. Its hardware and specialised software will allow Australian researchers to examine complex pathways involved in animal and human health and disease, as well as in biotechnology and environmental processes. It will provide unique capabilities not currently available in Australia, and help Australian researchers remain internationally competitive in breakthrough science and frontier technologies.Read moreRead less
The genomic programming of complex organisms. The project will have far-reaching consequences in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, engineering, information science and associated industries. It will provide a platform for the rationalization of genetic epidemiology and genetic improvement programs, the development of a wide range of new diagnostics and therapies, the development of new core technologies and practical approaches in genetics and genetic diversity, a framework for advanced gen ....The genomic programming of complex organisms. The project will have far-reaching consequences in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, engineering, information science and associated industries. It will provide a platform for the rationalization of genetic epidemiology and genetic improvement programs, the development of a wide range of new diagnostics and therapies, the development of new core technologies and practical approaches in genetics and genetic diversity, a framework for advanced genetic engineering, the development of new principles and systems for information storage and transmission, and the design of artificial systems capable of self-referential assembly in other environments.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354610
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Australian Bioinformatics Grid Network. OzBioGrid will be an open source, collaborative, bioinformatics environment supporting Australian biotechnology and life science researchers on the Grid. Researchers will be able to use distributed resources including databases, computational power and analytical tools, and to collaborate remotely, using customized work environments. With hubs in Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne, and nodes elsewhere, OzBioGrid will build on Australia's high performance co ....Australian Bioinformatics Grid Network. OzBioGrid will be an open source, collaborative, bioinformatics environment supporting Australian biotechnology and life science researchers on the Grid. Researchers will be able to use distributed resources including databases, computational power and analytical tools, and to collaborate remotely, using customized work environments. With hubs in Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne, and nodes elsewhere, OzBioGrid will build on Australia's high performance computing capacity. It will greatly enhance Australia's research capability by networking ARC and other centres of excellence, major national research facilities, independent researchers, biotechnology companies, bioinformatics research centres, public databases. It will be linked to bio-grid initiatives overseas. Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0566602
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$87,933.00
Summary
Development of a collaborative online environment and workbench for the investigation of protein folding. The investigation of protein folding – one the most important unsolved biological problems, is generating large amounts of complex data. This proposal aims to develop a highly collaborative content management system and interactive data mining tools that will allow the open exchange and analysis of protein folding data. A chief goal of this proposal is, by creating a rich informatics envir ....Development of a collaborative online environment and workbench for the investigation of protein folding. The investigation of protein folding – one the most important unsolved biological problems, is generating large amounts of complex data. This proposal aims to develop a highly collaborative content management system and interactive data mining tools that will allow the open exchange and analysis of protein folding data. A chief goal of this proposal is, by creating a rich informatics environment, to foster the exchange of ideas and rapid dissemination of new data across the international array of groups working in parallel on various aspects of the folding problem.Read moreRead less
Efficient Estimation of Statistical Models with Many Parameters. Statistical models are used extensively in business, engineering and the sciences to describe the behavior of systems subject to uncertainty. There are often many unknowns in such models and relatively little data to estimate them. The object of the research is to develop methods that make these statistical models practical to use. The research team will apply the methodology to solve problems in economics, finance, marketing and t ....Efficient Estimation of Statistical Models with Many Parameters. Statistical models are used extensively in business, engineering and the sciences to describe the behavior of systems subject to uncertainty. There are often many unknowns in such models and relatively little data to estimate them. The object of the research is to develop methods that make these statistical models practical to use. The research team will apply the methodology to solve problems in economics, finance, marketing and the analysis of gene expression data. The project will also train doctoral and postdoctoral students and enhance Australia's reputation for research excellence in the Statistical and Mathematical Sciences. Read moreRead less
Saddlepoint approximation, likelihood analysis and ancestral graphs for strong and weak natural selection, genetic drift and population subdivision. Building new research strength in theoretical population genetics and related statistical techniques will enhance Australia's capability in harnessing the power of post-genomic information. Sophisticated statistical techniques that make smart use of genetic data are being developed in this project. The extent to which natural selection and migrati ....Saddlepoint approximation, likelihood analysis and ancestral graphs for strong and weak natural selection, genetic drift and population subdivision. Building new research strength in theoretical population genetics and related statistical techniques will enhance Australia's capability in harnessing the power of post-genomic information. Sophisticated statistical techniques that make smart use of genetic data are being developed in this project. The extent to which natural selection and migration affect current genetic polymorphism on a population level can be quantified using these new methods. New modeling provides a rigorous foundation with which to construct inference techniques currently beyond computational approaches to the data. Assessing selective effects on genetic mutations associated with human disease will be a consequence of this new statistical methodology.Read moreRead less
What is the spatial and environmental distribution of phylogenetic diversity in the Australian biota? Almost nothing is known about the geographic distribution of phylogenetic relationships across Australia at fine resolutions of the order of tens of kilometres. The aim of this research is to map the spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity in the Australian biota and identify possible environmental controls over them. We will analyse five disparate groups at a spatial resolution that is ord ....What is the spatial and environmental distribution of phylogenetic diversity in the Australian biota? Almost nothing is known about the geographic distribution of phylogenetic relationships across Australia at fine resolutions of the order of tens of kilometres. The aim of this research is to map the spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity in the Australian biota and identify possible environmental controls over them. We will analyse five disparate groups at a spatial resolution that is orders of magnitude finer than previous research, analysing their relationship with possible environmental controls using advanced spatial analysis methods. The knowledge we will generate about the spatial distribution of these relationships is essential to understand and conserve Australia's unique biodiversity.Read moreRead less