Excessive sitting and population health: strengthening the science and the relevance to policy and practice. The majority of Australian adults spend most of their waking hours sitting; this increases the likelihood of developing diseases of inactivity, including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. New research will investigate what factors encourage excessive sitting and what the health benefits are for people who deliberately do less sitting.
Effects of maternal foraging success and oceanographic variation on offspring behaviour and survival in the southern elephant seal. Juvenile survival is the key determinant of mammalian population performance, but the proximate determinants of this have rarely been established in large, long-lived predators. Southern elephant seals, with their concentrated lactation effort and marked separation of energy acquisition (at-sea foraging) and expenditure (on-land lactation) provide an ideal model for ....Effects of maternal foraging success and oceanographic variation on offspring behaviour and survival in the southern elephant seal. Juvenile survival is the key determinant of mammalian population performance, but the proximate determinants of this have rarely been established in large, long-lived predators. Southern elephant seals, with their concentrated lactation effort and marked separation of energy acquisition (at-sea foraging) and expenditure (on-land lactation) provide an ideal model for investigating these factors. In this study, we investigate the partitioning of pre-partum performance (fat acquired in mothers) relative to spatial-temporal variation in ocean productivity and the effect of this expenditure on offspring condition and survival. Here, the final missing link of energy transfer and its effects on offspring will be a major outcome of this project.Read moreRead less
Ecological-epidemiological models of feral swamp buffalo control in northern Australia. This research is locally, nationally and internationally significant because it 1) improves the capacity of the Northern Territory and its traditional aboriginal owners to manage together this prevalent species in an effort to minimise disturbance to native flora and fauna and to understand the long-term implications of continued proliferation, 2) provides a nationally relevant system to monitor and project t ....Ecological-epidemiological models of feral swamp buffalo control in northern Australia. This research is locally, nationally and internationally significant because it 1) improves the capacity of the Northern Territory and its traditional aboriginal owners to manage together this prevalent species in an effort to minimise disturbance to native flora and fauna and to understand the long-term implications of continued proliferation, 2) provides a nationally relevant system to monitor and project the spread of disease through feral animal populations in Australia, and 3) combines quantitative data and robust analytical tools that can be used as a template for solving many broad-scale feral animal problems around the world.Read moreRead less
Threats to the water quality and ecosystem of Coffin Bay, South Australia. Coffin Bay (South Australia) is experiencing worsening environmental conditions despite its major economic and ecological importance. Research is needed to understand the cause of this decline, particularly in light of a recent bacterial outbreak that impacted the aquaculture industry. This multidisciplinary project aims to deliver world-leading scientific advice based on novel field techniques and innovative models of th ....Threats to the water quality and ecosystem of Coffin Bay, South Australia. Coffin Bay (South Australia) is experiencing worsening environmental conditions despite its major economic and ecological importance. Research is needed to understand the cause of this decline, particularly in light of a recent bacterial outbreak that impacted the aquaculture industry. This multidisciplinary project aims to deliver world-leading scientific advice based on novel field techniques and innovative models of this complex inverse estuary system and its surrounding catchment. The new understanding of the sources, fluxes and fate of nutrients within the bay and the surrounding catchment, arising from this project, is expected to benefit management decision-making and establish a new standard in estuarine water quality investigation.Read moreRead less
Bushfire smoke and the relationship between human and landscape health. A team of landscape ecologists, environmental chemists and public health specialists will determine the ecological causes and adverse health effects of different levels of bushfire smoke in Darwin. Darwin is an ideal setting for this research because the only source of air pollution is the high incidence of controlled and uncontrolled bushfires during the dry season causing variable air quality: a preliminary study found a ....Bushfire smoke and the relationship between human and landscape health. A team of landscape ecologists, environmental chemists and public health specialists will determine the ecological causes and adverse health effects of different levels of bushfire smoke in Darwin. Darwin is an ideal setting for this research because the only source of air pollution is the high incidence of controlled and uncontrolled bushfires during the dry season causing variable air quality: a preliminary study found a link between smoke pollution levels and asthma. The findings of the proposed research will contribute to improved fire management practices to reduce injurious smoke pollution events and contribute to setting appropriate national air quality standards.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100278
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,000.00
Summary
Automating the smart home: an investigation of automated cooling practices. Home automation technologies are expected to achieve reductions in household energy costs and consumption. However, there has been no systematic investigation of the ways in which they are being incorporated into everyday life. The project aims to address this critical gap in relation to home cooling. It will investigate how automated cooling technologies are being incorporated into household practices in Australia, and ....Automating the smart home: an investigation of automated cooling practices. Home automation technologies are expected to achieve reductions in household energy costs and consumption. However, there has been no systematic investigation of the ways in which they are being incorporated into everyday life. The project aims to address this critical gap in relation to home cooling. It will investigate how automated cooling technologies are being incorporated into household practices in Australia, and the expectations they promote, sustain and transform. The project also aims to produce important new knowledge about how to study and understand the effects of ambient and automated technologies in everyday life and their potential impact on energy consumption.Read moreRead less
About time; a new biology for the mineralocorticoid receptor . Temporal control of cell function aligns biological pathways with environmental cues and is critical for optimal heath in mammals. This project will shed light on how a hormone receptor, the MR, modulates time keeping of biological clock time in cells. We will bring together cutting edge genetic modals and bioinformatic approaches with a unique set of research models to define the interaction between the MR and the circadian clock a ....About time; a new biology for the mineralocorticoid receptor . Temporal control of cell function aligns biological pathways with environmental cues and is critical for optimal heath in mammals. This project will shed light on how a hormone receptor, the MR, modulates time keeping of biological clock time in cells. We will bring together cutting edge genetic modals and bioinformatic approaches with a unique set of research models to define the interaction between the MR and the circadian clock and its role in the normal biology of the heart. New data will significantly enhance our understanding of the biology of MR and cortisol for the circadian time keeping function in peripheral tissues, and gain a clearer understand how our heart cells adapt to environmental circadian disruptors such as shift work. Read moreRead less
Yarning with our mob about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake. This project aims to identify a range of modifiable factors that affect the participation of Indigenous adolescents in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination school programs. The project expects to generate new knowledge by combining Indigenous methodologies and a socioecological model to explore policy, community, interpersonal and intrapersonal factors impacting HPV vaccination uptake for this population. Expected outcom ....Yarning with our mob about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake. This project aims to identify a range of modifiable factors that affect the participation of Indigenous adolescents in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination school programs. The project expects to generate new knowledge by combining Indigenous methodologies and a socioecological model to explore policy, community, interpersonal and intrapersonal factors impacting HPV vaccination uptake for this population. Expected outcomes include a more comprehensive understanding of the factors behind the low rates of HPV vaccination among Indigenous adolescents. This information should provide significant benefits including the identification of modifiable factors to increase HPV vaccination rates for Indigenous adolescents.Read moreRead less
Estimating fishing-related mortality and designing sustainable management protocols for shark fisheries in Northern Australia. Sharks are extremely valuable economically, with the landed catch in the NT alone exceeding $10 million in 2004. The increasing world demand for high-quality protein will necessitate appropriate management so that over-exploitation does not occur as it has in most other shark fisheries worldwide. The proposed project will provide key information that will direct careful ....Estimating fishing-related mortality and designing sustainable management protocols for shark fisheries in Northern Australia. Sharks are extremely valuable economically, with the landed catch in the NT alone exceeding $10 million in 2004. The increasing world demand for high-quality protein will necessitate appropriate management so that over-exploitation does not occur as it has in most other shark fisheries worldwide. The proposed project will provide key information that will direct careful and informed management decisions well into the future. The added benefit of collecting information on the rarer and more susceptible non-target species caught in this fishery will ensure that any negative impacts are reduced. The project will also provide information on the potential impact of illegal fishing by neighbouring countries to our north.Read moreRead less
Enhancing linkage and exchange in a national research partnership to improve primary health care performance and outcomes for Indigenous peoples. This project will enhance current efforts to make high-quality primary health care services accessible to all Indigenous Australians. The work will result in widespread application of systematic and cutting-edge methods to enable health service staff and managers to review and continually work to improve the quality of their service.