Development of Australian model systems for speciation research. Our project will contribute to an understanding of the process of speciation, a fundamental biological problem, for which there are few well-developed model systems in the world. We will further our understanding of how Australia's extraordinary diversity of animal species have evolved, knowledge which is valuable for understanding the future impact of climatic and environmental changes on species. Our research will generate furthe ....Development of Australian model systems for speciation research. Our project will contribute to an understanding of the process of speciation, a fundamental biological problem, for which there are few well-developed model systems in the world. We will further our understanding of how Australia's extraordinary diversity of animal species have evolved, knowledge which is valuable for understanding the future impact of climatic and environmental changes on species. Our research will generate further knowledge of the diversity and biological significance of subterranean fauna in the arid zone of Australia, providing important background data for assessing the impacts of mining activities on groundwater-dependent-ecosystems and improved strategies for their sustainable management. Read moreRead less
Evolution of host relationships among the parasitic wasps inferred from morphology, DNA sequences and mitochondrial genome organisation. The parasitic Hymenoptera (wasps) are extensively used as biological control agents of agricultural and horticultural pests worldwide, but detailed information on their evolutionary relationships, how they have coevolved with major host groups, and the patterns of host relationships across various wasp families are lacking. This project will employ DNA sequence ....Evolution of host relationships among the parasitic wasps inferred from morphology, DNA sequences and mitochondrial genome organisation. The parasitic Hymenoptera (wasps) are extensively used as biological control agents of agricultural and horticultural pests worldwide, but detailed information on their evolutionary relationships, how they have coevolved with major host groups, and the patterns of host relationships across various wasp families are lacking. This project will employ DNA sequence data from 'new' genes, information on mitochondrial genome organisation, as well as morphology, to generate robust phylogenies for braconid and scelionid wasps that can be used to determine patterns of host utilisation and predict hosts for wasp groups where this information is currently unknown.Read moreRead less
A unified theory of performance in absolute identification tasks. The ability to identify stimuli is fundamentally important in human cognition and is studied in absolute identification tasks, where people must identify one out of a number of stimuli, varying on a single dimension, with an appropriate label. A remarkable finding is that people cannot reliably identify more than about seven different stimuli. This limit imposes severe practical restrictions on our ability to categorise stimuli an ....A unified theory of performance in absolute identification tasks. The ability to identify stimuli is fundamentally important in human cognition and is studied in absolute identification tasks, where people must identify one out of a number of stimuli, varying on a single dimension, with an appropriate label. A remarkable finding is that people cannot reliably identify more than about seven different stimuli. This limit imposes severe practical restrictions on our ability to categorise stimuli and constitutes a perplexing problem for cognitive theory. This project involves an international collaborative effort by five leading researchers in mathematical psychology to develop a comprehensive, integrative model of human performance in absolute identification tasks.
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New clean and green aqueous metathesis. The technique of olefin metathesis has already yielded new pharmaceuticals and materials for use in consumer products and ballistic protection. This project will help move metathesis into the realms of natures aqueous environment, a key advance if metathesis is to reveal its full potential in biological, polymeric, and pharmaceutical applications. We specifically aim to target treatments for cataract (and other conditions associated with an aging populatio ....New clean and green aqueous metathesis. The technique of olefin metathesis has already yielded new pharmaceuticals and materials for use in consumer products and ballistic protection. This project will help move metathesis into the realms of natures aqueous environment, a key advance if metathesis is to reveal its full potential in biological, polymeric, and pharmaceutical applications. We specifically aim to target treatments for cataract (and other conditions associated with an aging population) and also important new biopolymers for use in health technologies of the future.Read moreRead less
Collision data for lighting industry and plasma modeling. The project's primary aim is to progress the design of more efficient
and environmentally friendly light sources. Given the number of light
sources in use worldwide even a small improvement in the efficiency
could lead to enormous benefits to society via reduction of energy
consumption. Design of new mercury-free light sources will eliminate a
major neuro-toxin pollution source. Collaboration with research groups
at the OSRAM-SYLVA ....Collision data for lighting industry and plasma modeling. The project's primary aim is to progress the design of more efficient
and environmentally friendly light sources. Given the number of light
sources in use worldwide even a small improvement in the efficiency
could lead to enormous benefits to society via reduction of energy
consumption. Design of new mercury-free light sources will eliminate a
major neuro-toxin pollution source. Collaboration with research groups
at the OSRAM-SYLVANIA Corporation (USA) and Sheffield University (UK)
will herald the beginning of industrial application for our successful
atomic collisions research program. The previous substantial ARC
investment towards this fundamental science program has now enabled
practical application.Read moreRead less
Fellowship for on site German-Australian collaboration to research the everyday music practices of marginalised youth as pathways to socio-economic inclusion. This project aims to deepen our successful multi-sited collaborative project, DP0345917. Humboldt's Institut fur Sozialwissenschaften has already begun a formal M.O.U. process with The Hawke Research Institute, University of South Australia. Cohen's expertise and sustained onsite co-fieldwork with the Australian CIs will augment this link, ....Fellowship for on site German-Australian collaboration to research the everyday music practices of marginalised youth as pathways to socio-economic inclusion. This project aims to deepen our successful multi-sited collaborative project, DP0345917. Humboldt's Institut fur Sozialwissenschaften has already begun a formal M.O.U. process with The Hawke Research Institute, University of South Australia. Cohen's expertise and sustained onsite co-fieldwork with the Australian CIs will augment this link, the fellowship further ensuring reciprocal understandings of the specificity of each research site, collaborative publications and consistency of methodological approaches. Adherence to common research aims and objectives and cross-cultural benchmarking will significantly enhance Australian leadership in international best practice in youth policy implementations and development programs.Read moreRead less
The Australian-Netherlands project on work and stress research. Rapid changes in the nature of work globally require critical surveillance for effects on worker well-being and productivity. Occupational health policy trends in Australia and The Netherlands support continuous monitoring of the work environment. This project therefore provides a timely opportunity structure for intellectual exchange and capacity building for Australian and Dutch work and organisational psychologists, specifically ....The Australian-Netherlands project on work and stress research. Rapid changes in the nature of work globally require critical surveillance for effects on worker well-being and productivity. Occupational health policy trends in Australia and The Netherlands support continuous monitoring of the work environment. This project therefore provides a timely opportunity structure for intellectual exchange and capacity building for Australian and Dutch work and organisational psychologists, specifically in work stress and unemployment research. Highly experienced and emerging researchers together will develop and implement projects transnationally. Outcomes will include: joint doctoral-post doctoral supervision; joint publications and grants; advanced knowledge and applications, with international policy implications for improving working life and productivity.Read moreRead less
Redefining bullying and adjustment to school: Japanese and Australian. School violence is an all too prevalent physically, socially, and psychologically damaging aspect of the everyday life of a significant portion of school students around the world. The aim of this collaborative Linkage Award is to compare Australian and Japanese school students's understanding of bullying, its stability over time and its association with school adjustment. This comparative research breaks new ground in inve ....Redefining bullying and adjustment to school: Japanese and Australian. School violence is an all too prevalent physically, socially, and psychologically damaging aspect of the everyday life of a significant portion of school students around the world. The aim of this collaborative Linkage Award is to compare Australian and Japanese school students's understanding of bullying, its stability over time and its association with school adjustment. This comparative research breaks new ground in investigating the particularly damaging form of bullying known as indirect/relational bullying. The research is part of a larger international consortium including China, Canada and Korea. The outcomes from this research will be reported back to the consortium, presented at international conferences , published and used to inform school intervention programsRead moreRead less
Environmental and Technological Applications of Electron-Driven Processes. We plan to use state-of-the-art experimental techniques and methodologies for the measurement of collision cross sections and reaction rates for low energy electron-driven process in molecules and molecular radicals. These processes are fundamental to our understanding of our environment and many devices used in the technology of today and of the future. In particular we will provide accurate cross sections for NOx and SO ....Environmental and Technological Applications of Electron-Driven Processes. We plan to use state-of-the-art experimental techniques and methodologies for the measurement of collision cross sections and reaction rates for low energy electron-driven process in molecules and molecular radicals. These processes are fundamental to our understanding of our environment and many devices used in the technology of today and of the future. In particular we will provide accurate cross sections for NOx and SOx pollutants and H2O, as well for molecules such as C4F8, and its radicals such as CF2, which are used extensively in plasma processing technologies.Read moreRead less
The role of biological and chemical interactions in the rhizosphere in sustainable intercropping systems. Intercropping can result in large yield increases compared to mono-cropped systems. It is used extensively in China and could be an option for sustainable land-use in Australia. Belowground interactions between intercropped crop species may be important for the yield increase, but they are poorly understood, especially with regard to nutrient availability and soil biology. We will combine th ....The role of biological and chemical interactions in the rhizosphere in sustainable intercropping systems. Intercropping can result in large yield increases compared to mono-cropped systems. It is used extensively in China and could be an option for sustainable land-use in Australia. Belowground interactions between intercropped crop species may be important for the yield increase, but they are poorly understood, especially with regard to nutrient availability and soil biology. We will combine the field experience in intercropping systems of the Chinese scientists with the expertise of the Australian scientists in plant nutrition and rhizosphere ecology to characterise chemical and biological interactions in the rhizosphere governing nutrient availability and the competitive ability of intercropped species.Read moreRead less