Birth Weight, Adult Weight And Podocyte Depletion.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$796,252.00
Summary
A major role of our kidneys is to filter our blood. A key cell type in our kidney filters is an octopus-shaped cell known as the podocyte. If we are not born with enough podocytes, or if the filters grow too large after birth due for example to excessive weight gain, the podocytes cannot adequately filter the blood, and this can lead to kidney disease. We will measure podocyte endowment at birth, and assess the effects of weight gain and loss after birth on podocyte features and kidney health.
Environmental Influences In The Establishment Of The Epigenetic Landscape In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$695,097.00
Summary
The DNA in each of our cells does not exist alone, it is packaged into complex structures called chromosomes, through association with many different proteins. The distribution of these proteins varies along the length of a chromosome depending on the type of cell and this phenomenon is called 'epigenetics', literally meaning 'above the DNA'. Epigenetic analysis is the study of how proteins and other molecules can change the activity of a gene without changing the DNA sequence. All of our cells ....The DNA in each of our cells does not exist alone, it is packaged into complex structures called chromosomes, through association with many different proteins. The distribution of these proteins varies along the length of a chromosome depending on the type of cell and this phenomenon is called 'epigenetics', literally meaning 'above the DNA'. Epigenetic analysis is the study of how proteins and other molecules can change the activity of a gene without changing the DNA sequence. All of our cells use epigenetic changes to help control how they grow and develop. Evidence suggests a direct link between diet and environmental influences on our epigenetic profile. Recent research has traced the origins of many of the health problems of adult life back to the earliest periods of development _ to the time spent in the womb and the first few years of life. If we are born with a low birth weight, we are more likely to get sick later in life. Overwhelming evidence exists that the environment in the womb is critical for a healthy birth weight (and health in later life) and it is thought that epigenetics may be the missing link between this environment, low birth weight, and therefore health in later life. In addition, mounting evidence supports a general link between epigenetic de-regulation and predisposition to disease. However, the timing and the overall contribution of environmental- genetic influences to the establishment of faulty epigenetic markings remain largely unknown. Twins are the best model to study this link as they share similar (but not identical environments) and some share identical genetic makeup. Using twins, Dr Jeffrey Craig and his team will investigate the factors in the prenatal environment that modify specific cells, leading to low birth weight and increase disease risk later in life. They predict that this occurs via specific changes in gene activity caused by epigenetic disruption.Read moreRead less
The Transmission Of Perinatal Maternal Mental Health To Preschool Emotional Disorders: Examining Pathways And Intervention Points In The MPEWS Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$970,795.00
Summary
While it is known that depression, anxiety and stress in pregnancy increase the risk for poorer child mental health, what is unknown is the key pathways and intervention points to prevent this transmission of risk. This study will examine potential mechanisms and intervention points through a selected cohort study: Mercy Pregnancy and Emotional Wellbeing Study. This study follows 500 women and their children from first trimester in pregnancy until the children are 3 years of age.
Defining Genetic And Epigenetic Variation During Early Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$996,075.00
Summary
We all began life with a set of genes inherited from our parents. However, it's now known that from the time we were in the womb onwards that genes can be turned off and on by the environment or even completely lost or gained. Even what your mother ate or how she behaved while she was pregnant could have influenced your future health. Because people are so different, we are studying the subtle differences between twins to tease out the factors that may influence our genes and our health.
Finding concurrency bugs in multithreaded software. This project aims to develop sound and practical techniques for detecting and eliminating concurrency bugs for object-oriented languages like Java, enabled by a new model for concurrent effects. The expected outcome is a novel technology that will significantly improve the safety, productivity and efficiency of large-scale concurrent programming.
A Programming Model of Object Validity for Secure and Efficient Concurrency. To provide improved performance and security for software applications, Australia's ICT industry must adapt to the complex programming demands of modern multicore processors. The programming model developed in the project represents a breakthrough solution. A seamless integration of concurrency and object orientation leads to a simple yet powerful programming style that is compatible with today's premier approach to bui ....A Programming Model of Object Validity for Secure and Efficient Concurrency. To provide improved performance and security for software applications, Australia's ICT industry must adapt to the complex programming demands of modern multicore processors. The programming model developed in the project represents a breakthrough solution. A seamless integration of concurrency and object orientation leads to a simple yet powerful programming style that is compatible with today's premier approach to building large-scale software systems with significantly improved performance and security. The product will reduce development time for compute-intensive applications in many industry sectors, including health care (e.g. patient monitoring), finance, defence, environment, mining, manufacturing and computer games.Read moreRead less
Analysis and Optimisation of Incomplete Object-Oriented Programs. This project will push Australia to the forefront of OO technologies and will increase the profile of advanced programming language design and implementation research in Australia. The completed framework will
likely be commercially viable as Australia industries such as banks and
insurance companies and government organisations hosting large
OO software systems may benefit (in terms of performance and
code security) from the ....Analysis and Optimisation of Incomplete Object-Oriented Programs. This project will push Australia to the forefront of OO technologies and will increase the profile of advanced programming language design and implementation research in Australia. The completed framework will
likely be commercially viable as Australia industries such as banks and
insurance companies and government organisations hosting large
OO software systems may benefit (in terms of performance and
code security) from the technology developed as a result of this research. The completed framework will also provide an excellent platform for researchers in Australia and elsewhere to do research in OO technologies, helping in producing quality students for the Australian IT industry.Read moreRead less
Scratchpad-based Memory Allocation Techniques for Embedded Software. This research aims at developing automatic memory allocation algorithms to maximise the effective utilisation of scratchpad memories, which will lead to significantly improved performance and energy usage in embedded applications. The outcomes of this project will provide generic solutions to many Australia-based industries, including telecommunication, network management, sensor networks, automotive and instrumentation/measure ....Scratchpad-based Memory Allocation Techniques for Embedded Software. This research aims at developing automatic memory allocation algorithms to maximise the effective utilisation of scratchpad memories, which will lead to significantly improved performance and energy usage in embedded applications. The outcomes of this project will provide generic solutions to many Australia-based industries, including telecommunication, network management, sensor networks, automotive and instrumentation/measurement, where embedded systems are ubiquitously used. Therefore, this project will significantly contribute to the Priority Area (Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries), hence fits into its Priority Goal: Frontier Technologies.Read moreRead less
Compiler-Directed Code Tiling for Higher Program Performance and Predictability on Multi-Level Memory Hierarchies. Programming languages invariably induce a perception of memory as being flat, whereas actual computers are being equipped increasingly with deep memory hierarchies to overcome the ever-widening performance gap between processors and memories. This mismatch can result in low locality of reference and poor performance. This project will develop a new array layout transformation, calle ....Compiler-Directed Code Tiling for Higher Program Performance and Predictability on Multi-Level Memory Hierarchies. Programming languages invariably induce a perception of memory as being flat, whereas actual computers are being equipped increasingly with deep memory hierarchies to overcome the ever-widening performance gap between processors and memories. This mismatch can result in low locality of reference and poor performance. This project will develop a new array layout transformation, called data tiling, used in tandem with loop tiling to achieve significantly improved performance gains (and predictability) for array-dominated applications on multi-level memory hierarchies. We will explore this joint restructuring to obtain higher performance and predictability for whole programs, kernel libraries, iterative stencil codes and embedded applications.
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A safe and efficient multi-language component framework based on dynamic compilation. Components are a versatile mechanism for the construction of extendible systems and for improved code reusability. Emerging environments like Microsoft's .NET support the interaction of components written in different programming languages. To date, such systems do not adequately isolate components which therefore must trust each other. This is unacceptable for components loaded across the Internet. We will dev ....A safe and efficient multi-language component framework based on dynamic compilation. Components are a versatile mechanism for the construction of extendible systems and for improved code reusability. Emerging environments like Microsoft's .NET support the interaction of components written in different programming languages. To date, such systems do not adequately isolate components which therefore must trust each other. This is unacceptable for components loaded across the Internet. We will develop a framework for secure execution of component software, based on hardware-enforced protection domains. To minimize the resulting runtime overheads we will provide a component model with lightweight context switching. A novel typed intermediate language and dynamic compilation techniques will offer complementary optimisations.
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