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Feedback literacy for effective learning at university and beyond. This project aims to develop frameworks and strategies that help learners make the most of feedback across their studies and into their working lives. Using behaviour change techniques from the health and social sciences, the project expects to develop ways to support students and graduates to seek out and use feedback, and to manage their emotions throughout the feedback process. Expected outcomes of this project include evidenc ....Feedback literacy for effective learning at university and beyond. This project aims to develop frameworks and strategies that help learners make the most of feedback across their studies and into their working lives. Using behaviour change techniques from the health and social sciences, the project expects to develop ways to support students and graduates to seek out and use feedback, and to manage their emotions throughout the feedback process. Expected outcomes of this project include evidence-informed strategies that individuals and institutions can use to develop life-long capabilities to make the most of feedback. This should provide significant benefits across all sectors of Australian society, where productivity, learning and wellbeing depend on healthy and effective engagement with feedback.Read moreRead less
Epidemiology of pathogens in wildlife populations: significance for conservation, human health and livestock. Recent research shows that pathogens may play a central role in wildlife population dynamics. Emergent disease problems in humans and livestock may result from reservoir infections in wildlife. However, methods to determine the impact of pathogens on populations, as distinct from individuals within populations, are poorly developed, as are models necessary to evaluate alternative control ....Epidemiology of pathogens in wildlife populations: significance for conservation, human health and livestock. Recent research shows that pathogens may play a central role in wildlife population dynamics. Emergent disease problems in humans and livestock may result from reservoir infections in wildlife. However, methods to determine the impact of pathogens on populations, as distinct from individuals within populations, are poorly developed, as are models necessary to evaluate alternative control strategies for pathogens, particularly where reservoir hosts are involved. This project will develop these methods using four case studies: chyridiomycosis in frogs, Hendra virus in bats, Newcastle disease in wild birds and arboviruses in kangaroos and other macropods.Read moreRead less
Encephalitis lethargica in the 1920s (and afterwards): the forgotten epidemic. An unusually aggressive encephalitis epidemic swept the globe between 1915 and 1925. Two-thirds of victims survived the initial phase, but most developed severe neurological syndromes, especially parkinsonism, which crippled them for the remainder of their lives. The cause of this catastrophe, largely forgotten despite huge costs in both human and economic terms, has never been established, and its return cannot be ex ....Encephalitis lethargica in the 1920s (and afterwards): the forgotten epidemic. An unusually aggressive encephalitis epidemic swept the globe between 1915 and 1925. Two-thirds of victims survived the initial phase, but most developed severe neurological syndromes, especially parkinsonism, which crippled them for the remainder of their lives. The cause of this catastrophe, largely forgotten despite huge costs in both human and economic terms, has never been established, and its return cannot be excluded. Medicohistorical techniques, current neurological awareness and social analysis will be employed to produce the first history of the epidemic, whereby insights into both its nature and into parkinsonism, one of the most frequent neurological disorders in our ageing population, are expected.Read moreRead less
The genomics of adaptation in Wolbachia pipientis, an emerging biocontrol agent. Australians are increasingly exposed to insect-transmitted diseases such as dengue fever. Novel biocontrol methods using the bacterium Wolbachia aim to control insect populations to reduce disease transmission. Our research will be the first to investigate genomic variation and the process of adaptation to new insect hosts in Wolbachia. The novel data and understanding of evolutionary processes we generate will be c ....The genomics of adaptation in Wolbachia pipientis, an emerging biocontrol agent. Australians are increasingly exposed to insect-transmitted diseases such as dengue fever. Novel biocontrol methods using the bacterium Wolbachia aim to control insect populations to reduce disease transmission. Our research will be the first to investigate genomic variation and the process of adaptation to new insect hosts in Wolbachia. The novel data and understanding of evolutionary processes we generate will be critical for screening bacterial biocontrol candidates and designing biocontrol release strategies. It will also strengthen the position of Australian research as a world-leader in the fusion of post-genomics and applied microbiology. Read moreRead less
A comparative genomics approach to understanding host-endosymbiont interactions. Australia's unique ecosystems are vulnerable to invasion by exotic pests that threaten agriculture and human health. The bacterial symbiont Wolbachia is found in many major pests of agricultural and medical importance. Our results will give insights into how Wolbachia spreads into host populations and improve its use as a tool to impair insect transmission of disease, e.g. as an agent to carry genes into an insect p ....A comparative genomics approach to understanding host-endosymbiont interactions. Australia's unique ecosystems are vulnerable to invasion by exotic pests that threaten agriculture and human health. The bacterial symbiont Wolbachia is found in many major pests of agricultural and medical importance. Our results will give insights into how Wolbachia spreads into host populations and improve its use as a tool to impair insect transmission of disease, e.g. as an agent to carry genes into an insect population that limit disease transmission. Our results will also make fundamental contributions to understanding host-parasite evolution, host-parasite communication, and insect developmental processes, and will be of interest to a large international community of researchers in this field. Read moreRead less
The ecological dynamics of secreted bacteriocins and the evolution of multiple bacteriocin production in Escherichia coli. Bacteria produce compounds known as bacteriocins that are toxic to other microorganisms. The success of bacteria as bio-control agents and in probiotic formulations for the control microbial pathogens is, in part, due to bacteriocins. Bacteriocins may also have a role as replacements for traditional antibiotics and as natural food preservatives. The potential usefulness of b ....The ecological dynamics of secreted bacteriocins and the evolution of multiple bacteriocin production in Escherichia coli. Bacteria produce compounds known as bacteriocins that are toxic to other microorganisms. The success of bacteria as bio-control agents and in probiotic formulations for the control microbial pathogens is, in part, due to bacteriocins. Bacteriocins may also have a role as replacements for traditional antibiotics and as natural food preservatives. The potential usefulness of bacteriocins as the active agent in bio-control agents, as antibiotic replacements, as food preservatives, and as part of the repertoire of traits in probiotic formulations requires a sound understanding of the eco-evolutionary dynamics of bacteriocins. Understanding the ecology and evolution of bacteriocins is the goal of the proposed research.Read moreRead less
From shape to function: how structured RNA defines insect flaviviruses. The goal of this project is to obtain an understanding of how insect-specific flaviviruses (ISFs) utilise viral noncoding RNAs to enable their replication in mosquitoes. These viruses only replicate in mosquitoes, and not in humans or animals. They can be employed as the biocontrol agents for mosquito-borne diseases as they make mosquitoes incapable of disease transmission. However, it is currently unknown how exactly insect ....From shape to function: how structured RNA defines insect flaviviruses. The goal of this project is to obtain an understanding of how insect-specific flaviviruses (ISFs) utilise viral noncoding RNAs to enable their replication in mosquitoes. These viruses only replicate in mosquitoes, and not in humans or animals. They can be employed as the biocontrol agents for mosquito-borne diseases as they make mosquitoes incapable of disease transmission. However, it is currently unknown how exactly insect-specific flaviviruses affect mosquitoes and this information is vital for informed design of ISF-based interventions. The project will generate new knowledge on functions of noncoding RNAs in ISFs that are hypothesised to have immunomodulatory role in mosquitoes. It will also train students and ECRs.Read moreRead less
Using AI to reveal the true extent & context of alcohol exposure in videos. This project aims to extend an artificial intelligence algorithm to automatically identify and quantify alcohol prevalence in videos. The project is expected to generate significant new knowledge about alcohol’s exposure in these videos’ social, emotional, and environmental contexts. The expected outcomes include a more efficient and automated method of revealing alcohol pervasiveness and its context in the 1000 most wat ....Using AI to reveal the true extent & context of alcohol exposure in videos. This project aims to extend an artificial intelligence algorithm to automatically identify and quantify alcohol prevalence in videos. The project is expected to generate significant new knowledge about alcohol’s exposure in these videos’ social, emotional, and environmental contexts. The expected outcomes include a more efficient and automated method of revealing alcohol pervasiveness and its context in the 1000 most watched videos in Australia, making costly manual coding redundant. Anticipated benefits include enabling governments to better monitor compliance to alcohol product placement guidelines and increased public awareness of the frequency and harmful effects of being exposed to alcohol in videos.Read moreRead less
Phylogeography, evolution and taxonomy of humanity's greatest pest, Rattus rattus: Epidemiological, archaeological and conservation implications. This project will characterise a major threat to Australian biosecurity and health, and identify the range of likely disease risks associated with introductions of different 'strains' of black rat. It will provide critical data for management efforts around the world, especially for strategic partners in neighbouring Southeast Asian nations, as well as ....Phylogeography, evolution and taxonomy of humanity's greatest pest, Rattus rattus: Epidemiological, archaeological and conservation implications. This project will characterise a major threat to Australian biosecurity and health, and identify the range of likely disease risks associated with introductions of different 'strains' of black rat. It will provide critical data for management efforts around the world, especially for strategic partners in neighbouring Southeast Asian nations, as well as for conservation efforts within Australia. The data will also provide novel means to track the timing and routes of human prehistoric movements throughout the area. It will establish strategic research collaborations between researchers in zoological, medical, epidemiological, genetics, and conservation fields in a unique multi-disciplinary study.Read moreRead less
Peptidic spider toxins: a novel paradigm for control of insect pests. Many insects are serious pests of Australian crops, livestock, and pets. Australian farmers spend about $300 million per annum on insecticides and acaricides, while Australian consumers spend more than $100 million annually on insecticides for use around the home and garden, and on pets. Viruses disseminated by insects are also responsible for diseases such as dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and Ross River fever. Unfortunately, ....Peptidic spider toxins: a novel paradigm for control of insect pests. Many insects are serious pests of Australian crops, livestock, and pets. Australian farmers spend about $300 million per annum on insecticides and acaricides, while Australian consumers spend more than $100 million annually on insecticides for use around the home and garden, and on pets. Viruses disseminated by insects are also responsible for diseases such as dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and Ross River fever. Unfortunately, many of these insect pests have developed resistance to chemical insecticides. The aim of this research program is to develop a new generation of environmentally-friendly natural products and insect-resistant crops that can be used to control insect pests on farms and around the home and garden.Read moreRead less