A generic decision-making design environment to enable end users in rural industries to develop expert systems. Successful decision support systems developed by end-users has been limited: our proposed approach advances this capability. Using natural representations of industry knowledge, this project will specify a generic design environment in which industry end-users can develop relevant decision support systems. It extends expert systems technologies to overcome known limitations, increasin ....A generic decision-making design environment to enable end users in rural industries to develop expert systems. Successful decision support systems developed by end-users has been limited: our proposed approach advances this capability. Using natural representations of industry knowledge, this project will specify a generic design environment in which industry end-users can develop relevant decision support systems. It extends expert systems technologies to overcome known limitations, increasing context and relevance and encouraging user uptake. Key industry stakeholders will select relevant problems to identify decision categories, leading to specification of the generic design environment. This promises improved decision quality for dairy farmers in the recently deregulated dairy industry; the design environment will be transferable to other rural industries.Read moreRead less
Improving dairy cow fertility: targeting exosome-responsive cell pathways. . This project aims to assist the dairy industry to achieve its goal of increasing the six-week in-calf pregnancy rate in dairy cows by at least 10 per cent within five years via the identification of circulating exosomal biomarkers of improved fertility that will be used to develop superior breeding stock to deliver higher industry productivity. The impact of novel biomarkers will permit the Australian and New Zealand da ....Improving dairy cow fertility: targeting exosome-responsive cell pathways. . This project aims to assist the dairy industry to achieve its goal of increasing the six-week in-calf pregnancy rate in dairy cows by at least 10 per cent within five years via the identification of circulating exosomal biomarkers of improved fertility that will be used to develop superior breeding stock to deliver higher industry productivity. The impact of novel biomarkers will permit the Australian and New Zealand dairy industries to meet their targets and provide economic benefit to the respective industries, whilst ensuring availability of low cost milk to Australian citizens.Read moreRead less
Epigenetic and biomarker approaches to improving dairy cow fertility. The dairy industry will not deliver sustainable higher productivity unless the reproductive performance of dairy cows is significantly improved. This expected outcome will be achieved via the identification of epigenetic and protein biomarkers of improved fertility that will be used to develop superior breeding stock. Caruncular and intercaruncular tissues and blood have been obtained from both fertile (New Zealand Holstein-Fr ....Epigenetic and biomarker approaches to improving dairy cow fertility. The dairy industry will not deliver sustainable higher productivity unless the reproductive performance of dairy cows is significantly improved. This expected outcome will be achieved via the identification of epigenetic and protein biomarkers of improved fertility that will be used to develop superior breeding stock. Caruncular and intercaruncular tissues and blood have been obtained from both fertile (New Zealand Holstein-Friesian) and sub-fertile (North American Holstein-Friesian) cows within pasture-based dairying systems that include seasonal calving and subclinical uterine inflammation (associated with poor reproductive performance). Determinations will be conducted using deep parallel (next generation) sequencing and mass spectrometry.Read moreRead less
Genetic Basis of Variable Expression of Glycan Xeno-Autoantigens by Cattle. Meat and dairy products from cattle contain sugar structures (glycans) that are not made by humans. These structures can be recognised by the immune system and lead to allergic reactions, inflammation and potentially cancer. These non-human structures are called xeno-autoantigens or XAs. We have discovered individual cattle that do not produce one of these XAs. We will study the gene required to make XA in the XA-free ca ....Genetic Basis of Variable Expression of Glycan Xeno-Autoantigens by Cattle. Meat and dairy products from cattle contain sugar structures (glycans) that are not made by humans. These structures can be recognised by the immune system and lead to allergic reactions, inflammation and potentially cancer. These non-human structures are called xeno-autoantigens or XAs. We have discovered individual cattle that do not produce one of these XAs. We will study the gene required to make XA in the XA-free cattle to find the underlying mutation. The same approach will be used to look for natural XA-free individuals in other food species. This knowledge may enable us to create a test to facilitate the natural breeding of non-GMO, XA-free livestock to benefit Australian primary producers and provide safer food for consumers.Read moreRead less
Markers of milk quality in commercially produced UHT milks and milk powders. Efficient production of safe, wholesome food relies on the application of the best available knowledge of the food material and the processing technologies involved. This project applies proteomics, the most advanced protein analysis technique, to determine the changes that occur in milk during high heat treatment and subsequent storage of the heat-processed milk product. Armed with such knowledge, the dairy processin ....Markers of milk quality in commercially produced UHT milks and milk powders. Efficient production of safe, wholesome food relies on the application of the best available knowledge of the food material and the processing technologies involved. This project applies proteomics, the most advanced protein analysis technique, to determine the changes that occur in milk during high heat treatment and subsequent storage of the heat-processed milk product. Armed with such knowledge, the dairy processing industry will be able to make informed decisions about processing and storage conditions to ensure the final products provided to the consumer are of the highest possible quality. Read moreRead less
Improving the efficiency of bovine oocyte maturation in vitro. For the dairy and beef industries, the hundreds of eggs (oocytes) in a high value cow's ovary that fail to produce a pregnancy are a wasted genetic resource. A key technology to unlocking this resource is in vitro maturation of oocytes, but the process is inefficient. One possible cause is that the current approaches to maturing oocytes in vitro do not adequately mimic the natural process in vivo. We will design new systems to matu ....Improving the efficiency of bovine oocyte maturation in vitro. For the dairy and beef industries, the hundreds of eggs (oocytes) in a high value cow's ovary that fail to produce a pregnancy are a wasted genetic resource. A key technology to unlocking this resource is in vitro maturation of oocytes, but the process is inefficient. One possible cause is that the current approaches to maturing oocytes in vitro do not adequately mimic the natural process in vivo. We will design new systems to mature cow oocytes in vitro by altering the chemical composition of maturation medium, thus improving the efficiency of laboratory embryo production and related technologies.Read moreRead less
The Molecular Mechanism of Protein Instability in Dairy Powder Systems. Dairy is the fourth largest rural industry sectors in Australia, directly involving more than 13,000 farms and a large number of dairy factories. Most of Australia's 10 billion litre milk flow is converted to powder form for exports, with an annual value exceeding $1billion. The anticipated improvements in the performance and shelf-life of the dried dairy powder systems to be investigated in this project have the potential ....The Molecular Mechanism of Protein Instability in Dairy Powder Systems. Dairy is the fourth largest rural industry sectors in Australia, directly involving more than 13,000 farms and a large number of dairy factories. Most of Australia's 10 billion litre milk flow is converted to powder form for exports, with an annual value exceeding $1billion. The anticipated improvements in the performance and shelf-life of the dried dairy powder systems to be investigated in this project have the potential to generate significant economic impacts in both the dairy production and processing sectors. This work will also benefit the wider scientific community in dairy- and food-related areas, particularly in relation to the novel multidisciplinary approach involving a combination of material science and protein chemistry.Read moreRead less
An integrated genomics approach to improve our understanding of the biology of genital campylobacteriosis in beef cattle. Beef is Australia's most valuable agricultural export estimated at $9.6B annually and this industry accounts for one-third of full time employment in regional communities. Currently, unknown causes of reproductive losses in cattle in Northern Australian cost producers approximately $15M per annum. Bovine genital campylobacteriosis is one of the major risk factors associated w ....An integrated genomics approach to improve our understanding of the biology of genital campylobacteriosis in beef cattle. Beef is Australia's most valuable agricultural export estimated at $9.6B annually and this industry accounts for one-third of full time employment in regional communities. Currently, unknown causes of reproductive losses in cattle in Northern Australian cost producers approximately $15M per annum. Bovine genital campylobacteriosis is one of the major risk factors associated with this high cost due to the inability to accurately diagnose the disease. This research will integrate genomics and bioinformatics with infection and vaccination models to improve our understanding of the biology of the disease to develop appropriate control strategies securing Australia's beef industry.Read moreRead less
DNA methylation in IVF and cloned embryos. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) and cloning are new assisted reproductive technologies that in time will revolutionise genetic improvement of Australia's economically important animals. IVF and cloning can be associated with aberrant growth that results from atypical gene expression. DNA methylation is central to gene regulation and determines which genes are expressed. In this project a new technique will be used to quantify DNA methylation in naturall ....DNA methylation in IVF and cloned embryos. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) and cloning are new assisted reproductive technologies that in time will revolutionise genetic improvement of Australia's economically important animals. IVF and cloning can be associated with aberrant growth that results from atypical gene expression. DNA methylation is central to gene regulation and determines which genes are expressed. In this project a new technique will be used to quantify DNA methylation in naturally conceived, IVF and cloned embryos. The information will be used to improve IVF and cloning so that these technologies can be applied with confidence to increase the international competitiveness of Australia's livestock industries.Read moreRead less
Cystine flux and hydrogen peroxide breakdown in reuteri group lactobacilli. We have discovered, and aim to fully dissect a novel function of reuteri group lactobacilli. These microbes inhabit the surfaces of the gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts of humans and are also used as probiotics, and in the dairy industry. This function mediates the production and breakdown of large amounts of hydrogen peroxide, cystine and thiols. These are highly bioactive and affect human cells and other bacter ....Cystine flux and hydrogen peroxide breakdown in reuteri group lactobacilli. We have discovered, and aim to fully dissect a novel function of reuteri group lactobacilli. These microbes inhabit the surfaces of the gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts of humans and are also used as probiotics, and in the dairy industry. This function mediates the production and breakdown of large amounts of hydrogen peroxide, cystine and thiols. These are highly bioactive and affect human cells and other bacteria at the surfaces of the gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts, and thiols are also flavourants in dairy products. Our research will inform the rational development of probiotics, the management and treatment of unpleasant conditions such as Crohn's disease and bacterial vaginosis, and innovation in dairy fermentations.Read moreRead less