Development Of A Computer-based Retinal Imaging Program For Identification Of People At Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$254,714.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and imposes an enormous financial and healthcare burden on the Australian community. This project will develop and deliver a novel clinical prediction tool, incorporating retinal vascular imaging and assessment, to improve identification of asymptomatic people who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease at an early stage, allowing implementation of preventative strategies and medical interventions to effectively prevent CV disease.
Measuring The Productive Efficiency Of Hospitals - A Comparison Of Parametric And Non-parametric Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$61,815.00
Summary
In the face of rising health service costs, an ageing population, and falling private health insurance rates, the efficient use of scarce health service resources has become a central theme in health system reform. Productive (or technical) efficiency is a key aspect of health system reform - that given health services are produced with the minimum feasible amount of resources. Despite the importance of technical efficiency there have been few published studies in Australia which measure technic ....In the face of rising health service costs, an ageing population, and falling private health insurance rates, the efficient use of scarce health service resources has become a central theme in health system reform. Productive (or technical) efficiency is a key aspect of health system reform - that given health services are produced with the minimum feasible amount of resources. Despite the importance of technical efficiency there have been few published studies in Australia which measure technical efficiency in the health sector. This study will develop theoretical and empirical approaches to measuring technical efficiency in the production of hospital services using data from Victoria. Measures of hospital technical efficiency will be developed using two quantitative modelling approaches: stochastic frontier modelling and data envelopment analysis. Results will be used to investigate the impact of patient and hospital characteristics on efficiency, and to identify economies of scale and scope in the provision of hospital services. The robustness of results to changes in variables, the sample of hospitals studied, and model assumptions will be tested, and two techniques will be compared to assess their appropriateness in the health services context which has not previously been done. Criteria for assessing the approaches include the degree to which: assumptions affect the robustness of results; the techniques capture the salient features of health services production; and the techniques produce similar rankings and estimates of inefficiency. The methods used will represent a significant contribution to international knowledge of hospital efficiency measurement, and the relationships between hospital characteristics, casemix, and efficiency. The study wil provide improved measures of hospital efficiency in Victoria, and will inform debate on hospital funding policy.Read moreRead less
Efficient Signal Transmission Techniques for Future Wireless Communications Systems. The project aims at developing efficient signal transmission techniques that enable advanced telecommunication services to achieve high quality and cover greater geographic areas with low cost and minimal infrastructure. The outcomes of the project will enable high performance, high data rate and cost-effective wireless communications in Australia. The outcomes can be directly applied to current and future wirel ....Efficient Signal Transmission Techniques for Future Wireless Communications Systems. The project aims at developing efficient signal transmission techniques that enable advanced telecommunication services to achieve high quality and cover greater geographic areas with low cost and minimal infrastructure. The outcomes of the project will enable high performance, high data rate and cost-effective wireless communications in Australia. The outcomes can be directly applied to current and future wireless LAN, cellular mobile networks, WiMax systems, WiFi and other wireless networks. In addition, it will support and enhance the social and economic benefit of wireless access to broadband networks in rural and regional Australia.Read moreRead less
Processing and Compression of Digital Video in Immersive Environments. This project will have significant economic and social benefits, both in terms of the technologies developed and the new applications in training and entertainment supported by them. This project supports the national research priority "Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries", supporting media and creative industries and assisting organisations to collaborate across large distances. These be ....Processing and Compression of Digital Video in Immersive Environments. This project will have significant economic and social benefits, both in terms of the technologies developed and the new applications in training and entertainment supported by them. This project supports the national research priority "Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries", supporting media and creative industries and assisting organisations to collaborate across large distances. These benefits will be realised in both urban and remote areas. The collaboration between the CIs and the iCinema Centre will lead to the application of advanced technology to real-world problems.Read moreRead less
Accurate Location Service for 3G Cellular Networks. The project aims to improve the accuracy of automatic location identification of GPS enabled handsets in third-generation cellular networks via a modified Differential GPS method. The proposed sub-metre location ability will be a value-added service of the network providers and will appeal to a wide sector of users. The challenge is to develop a cost effective solution by utilising existing network infrastructure. We propose to use the GPS timi ....Accurate Location Service for 3G Cellular Networks. The project aims to improve the accuracy of automatic location identification of GPS enabled handsets in third-generation cellular networks via a modified Differential GPS method. The proposed sub-metre location ability will be a value-added service of the network providers and will appeal to a wide sector of users. The challenge is to develop a cost effective solution by utilising existing network infrastructure. We propose to use the GPS timing units in 3G networks for deriving local GPS position corrections; and to transfer these corrections to the users via the 3G data bursts of the beacons or other user data broadcasts.Read moreRead less
Advanced Space-Time Coded Multiuser Wireless Communications via Test-bed Development. Meeting the global demand for mobile and wireless communications depends critically on reliable and high rate data transfer. Unfortunately, communications medium idiosyncrasies pose formidable challenges. Very recently, in combatting this, major breakthroughs have been achieved whereby the use of multiple antennas allows for drastic data-rate increases. These advances use sophisticated Space-Time coding metho ....Advanced Space-Time Coded Multiuser Wireless Communications via Test-bed Development. Meeting the global demand for mobile and wireless communications depends critically on reliable and high rate data transfer. Unfortunately, communications medium idiosyncrasies pose formidable challenges. Very recently, in combatting this, major breakthroughs have been achieved whereby the use of multiple antennas allows for drastic data-rate increases. These advances use sophisticated Space-Time coding methods, and while they are causing great excitement in terms of their simulation performance, it is not clear how they will perform in practice, or in fact how they are to be realistically implemented. This project will address this issue by building a world-first testbed that implements a high rate wireless communications system using Space-Time and other coding methods.Read moreRead less
Object-based Video Compression for Delay-Insensitive Services. Digital television is now big business worldwide. Techniques that can lead to improved compression of audiovisual services will always be of interest both to international standards bodies and to industry. The development of more efficient transmission techniques for audiovisual services will be of considerable benefit to all regions of Australia and in particular to remote regions. It can be expected that the development of this tec ....Object-based Video Compression for Delay-Insensitive Services. Digital television is now big business worldwide. Techniques that can lead to improved compression of audiovisual services will always be of interest both to international standards bodies and to industry. The development of more efficient transmission techniques for audiovisual services will be of considerable benefit to all regions of Australia and in particular to remote regions. It can be expected that the development of this technology will significantly improve service quality in these areas without the need for upgrading the existing telecommunications infrastructure. This will allow, for example, pay and free-to-air operators to provide additional services within their current bandwidth limitations.Read moreRead less
Cross-Correlated Security and Service Quality in Heterogeneous Mobile Communication Networks. Mobile telecommunication infrastructures constitute the vital elements of all developed countries and therefore their reliability and integrity has a profound role in a sustained national economy progress. This project will provide a uniquely practical and long-term solution to the Internet security threat even after introduction of new mobile applications and services. The project will put Australia on ....Cross-Correlated Security and Service Quality in Heterogeneous Mobile Communication Networks. Mobile telecommunication infrastructures constitute the vital elements of all developed countries and therefore their reliability and integrity has a profound role in a sustained national economy progress. This project will provide a uniquely practical and long-term solution to the Internet security threat even after introduction of new mobile applications and services. The project will put Australia on the frontbench of the extensive research activities worldwide in the field of mobile network security and quality of service. This project will protect the nation's most valuable data infrastructure from service interruption as a result of a sudden data traffic load increase.Read moreRead less
Miniaturised Adiabatic Light Processing Devices. The project will develop, model and analyse a range of miniaturised light-processing devices for optical communications applications that rely soley on their geometrical design for their optical functionality. Such devices are less complex than devices that rely on other physical phenomena for their operation, such as interference, resonance or grating phenomena. They have potential application to a wide range of applications including optical tel ....Miniaturised Adiabatic Light Processing Devices. The project will develop, model and analyse a range of miniaturised light-processing devices for optical communications applications that rely soley on their geometrical design for their optical functionality. Such devices are less complex than devices that rely on other physical phenomena for their operation, such as interference, resonance or grating phenomena. They have potential application to a wide range of applications including optical telecommunications, optical sensing and biophotonics. The major outcome will be a range of novel devices that are very compact, have very low optical power loss and process light signals in ways that either cannot be readily achieved by other approaches or are simpler than other approaches.Read moreRead less
Seafood CRC: Visiting Expert: Dr Standish Allen - Enhancement Of Tetraploid And Triploid Production In The Australian Pacific Oyster Industry
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$14,200.00
Summary
SCL’s overall goal with regard to tetraploid technology is to make it work as effectively as anywhere in the world. In some ways, SCL is ahead of the game already, with dedicated facilities and technicians to pursue this goal. The objective of this Visiting Expert project is to get SCL fully on this path and to continue the improvement of tetraploid technology in Australia, and by example, the world.
There is currently only a hand full of commercial operations producing natural trip ....SCL’s overall goal with regard to tetraploid technology is to make it work as effectively as anywhere in the world. In some ways, SCL is ahead of the game already, with dedicated facilities and technicians to pursue this goal. The objective of this Visiting Expert project is to get SCL fully on this path and to continue the improvement of tetraploid technology in Australia, and by example, the world.
There is currently only a hand full of commercial operations producing natural triploids and even fewer assessing breeding technologies required to enhance the breeding of tetraploid populations.
At SCL, commercial production of natural triploid oysters in Australia has been successful for a number of years. The regeneration of tetraploids through large mass populations of tetraploids are accomplished each year by SCL research staff. We also have the know-how for the production of both natural mass spawning of tetraploids and chemical induction of tetraploids.
The opportunity exists to enhance our tetraploid lines through the infusion of genetics from the industry owned breeding program (Australian Seafood Industries). This request from industry is based on the following two, and likely very distinct, traits. 1. Specific resistance to OsHV-1 µVar 2. Increase fitness in general oyster populations to combat mortalities in South Australia or Tasmania probably due to the high metabolism of triploids in food poor waters.
Objectives: 1. Evaluating tetraploid spawns, including single pair crosses, mass spawns, and/ or mass selected spawnings, for the development of breeding lines and long term breeding objectives 2. Production of a range of ASI triploids lines for progeny testing, both natural and chemical 3. Assessing the commercial application of producing selectively bred tetraploids utilising a method described by McCombie et al. 2009 4. Expert input to Penny Miller PhD with detail analysis of results to meet project objectives 5. Collaborate with CSIRO in the future enhancement of breeding plans for tetraploid pacific oysters using selectively bred lines from the ASI breeding program 6. Develop a long-term breeding and tetraploid maintenance plan to secure supplies of high quality tetraploids long into the future Read moreRead less