Development of biosensors and bioindicators for gold exploration and processing in Australia. In times of increasing demand for gold and shrinking rates of discovery in Australia, biosensor and bioindicator techniques deliver significant advantages to the Australian mining industry and allow it to retain its international competiveness. The new understanding of the biogeochemical behaviour of gold in soils and other weathered materials developed in a previous ARC Linkage Project enables the deve ....Development of biosensors and bioindicators for gold exploration and processing in Australia. In times of increasing demand for gold and shrinking rates of discovery in Australia, biosensor and bioindicator techniques deliver significant advantages to the Australian mining industry and allow it to retain its international competiveness. The new understanding of the biogeochemical behaviour of gold in soils and other weathered materials developed in a previous ARC Linkage Project enables the development of biosensor and bioindicator technology that will allow mineral explorers to differentiate mineralised from non-mineralised zones using specific (meta) genomic community responses. The new technology will provide cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable techniques for improving exploration success and optimising ore processing.Read moreRead less
Cooperative Mesh Networks for Municipal Wireless Access. Robust mobile broadband data communication is vital for public safety and emergency services applications. This project will improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of mesh networks, enabling new network architectures. Immediate benefits to Australia will be: Contribution to a growing knowledge base and fundamental capabilities wireless broadband communications; Education of future leading academic and industrial innovators; Raising ....Cooperative Mesh Networks for Municipal Wireless Access. Robust mobile broadband data communication is vital for public safety and emergency services applications. This project will improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of mesh networks, enabling new network architectures. Immediate benefits to Australia will be: Contribution to a growing knowledge base and fundamental capabilities wireless broadband communications; Education of future leading academic and industrial innovators; Raising the international profile of Australian research in information technology. The contribution of Information and Communications Technology to the National economy is widely recognized. ICT contributes to wealth creation, employment and exports, underpinning many innovation processes.Read moreRead less
Adaptive Modulation For OFDM Signals. The sub band Signal To Noise Ratio in an OFDM communications channel varies by as much as 30 dB. In order to optimise the bandwidth efficiency of OFDM signalling it is desirable to adapt the chosen modulation technique such as M-ary QAM to the SNR available in sub bands. In this way high quality channels transmit the highest bit rates, whilst low quality channels accommodate the lowest bit rates. The net result is that the capacity of the communications link ....Adaptive Modulation For OFDM Signals. The sub band Signal To Noise Ratio in an OFDM communications channel varies by as much as 30 dB. In order to optimise the bandwidth efficiency of OFDM signalling it is desirable to adapt the chosen modulation technique such as M-ary QAM to the SNR available in sub bands. In this way high quality channels transmit the highest bit rates, whilst low quality channels accommodate the lowest bit rates. The net result is that the capacity of the communications link does not have to be limited by designing for worst case conditions.Read moreRead less
Optimal Waveform Design and Compensation Techniques for Non Linear Communication Channels. Distortion effects in satellite amplifiers have a serious impact upon communication system performance, for example, by increasing the error rates.
The research study we are proposing involves analysing these distortion causing non linear effects and designing techniques to compensate for them. Although we are initially interested in the nonlinear satellite channel, we intend the results to be extended t ....Optimal Waveform Design and Compensation Techniques for Non Linear Communication Channels. Distortion effects in satellite amplifiers have a serious impact upon communication system performance, for example, by increasing the error rates.
The research study we are proposing involves analysing these distortion causing non linear effects and designing techniques to compensate for them. Although we are initially interested in the nonlinear satellite channel, we intend the results to be extended to other difficult nonlinear channels such as will be present in future 3G and 4G mobile communication systems.
The proposed research will place Australia at the forefront of cutting edge Information Technology and Communications research.
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Engineering improved technology for nanoparticle-based adjuvant manufacture. Over the next decade nanotechnology will redefine vaccines for animal and human health. Nanoparticle adjuvants will boost engineered vaccines that use minimal antigens such as recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides. This project aims to develop a platform technology for making and controlling the properties of inulin nanoparticles by optimising the engineering and manufacturing aspects of inulin nanoparticles to fu ....Engineering improved technology for nanoparticle-based adjuvant manufacture. Over the next decade nanotechnology will redefine vaccines for animal and human health. Nanoparticle adjuvants will boost engineered vaccines that use minimal antigens such as recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides. This project aims to develop a platform technology for making and controlling the properties of inulin nanoparticles by optimising the engineering and manufacturing aspects of inulin nanoparticles to fundamentally understand the relationship between physical-chemical properties and efficacy. Completion of this project aims to produce potent nanoparticle-based adjuvants underpinned by novel manufacturing technology, to ultimately facilitate the development of more effective and protective vaccines for animals and humans.Read moreRead less
Control points in nitrogen uptake: enhancing the response of cereals to nitrogen supply and demand. Vast amounts of nitrogen fertiliser are applied to cereal crops to maintain yields. By uncovering what limits nitrogen uptake in cereals, this project will provide the scientific basis for improving nitrogen use efficiency and decreasing fertiliser use, with significant economic and environmental benefits.
Physiology and genetics of barley grain germination in the malting and brewing industries. An international research team will provide new scientific information on barley grain germination. This detailed basic knowledge will be immediately applied in breeding programs that are aimed at improving malting and brewing quality in a commercial context. At the same time, the industry's carbon footprint will be significantly reduced.
Exploring genetic diversity to identify new heat tolerance genes in wheat. This project aims to improve the selection and development of heat-tolerant wheat varieties. Heatwaves seriously reduce wheat yields worldwide, and the situation will worsen with climate variation. This project aims to apply a broad genetic scan to identify the main chromosome regions controlling heat tolerance at the sensitive flowering stage in Australian and European wheat varieties. It is expected that this knowledge ....Exploring genetic diversity to identify new heat tolerance genes in wheat. This project aims to improve the selection and development of heat-tolerant wheat varieties. Heatwaves seriously reduce wheat yields worldwide, and the situation will worsen with climate variation. This project aims to apply a broad genetic scan to identify the main chromosome regions controlling heat tolerance at the sensitive flowering stage in Australian and European wheat varieties. It is expected that this knowledge will deliver crucial breeders’ tools to select heat-tolerant varieties. The project also aims to identify genes most likely to control tolerance at these chromosome locations using gene expression profiling data, trait associations and knowledge of heat-tolerance genes from other species. It is expected that these genes will reveal molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance and create new opportunities to engineer superior levels of tolerance in cereals.Read moreRead less
Developing an integrated device for on-farm detection of sugarcane diseases. Pathogenic organisms cause yield losses of more than $150M pa to the Australian sugarcane industry and many millions more worldwide. Partnering with Sugar Research Australia, this project aims to develop a novel on-farm diagnostic device, comprising new nanotechnology and magnetism-induced microfluidics with naked eye observation and electrochemical detection. This device is expected to enable improved disease managemen ....Developing an integrated device for on-farm detection of sugarcane diseases. Pathogenic organisms cause yield losses of more than $150M pa to the Australian sugarcane industry and many millions more worldwide. Partnering with Sugar Research Australia, this project aims to develop a novel on-farm diagnostic device, comprising new nanotechnology and magnetism-induced microfluidics with naked eye observation and electrochemical detection. This device is expected to enable improved disease management strategies through the prediction of potential risks and rapid and effective actions to mitigate impending yield loss. In turn productivity and sustainability of Australia’s sugar industry will be enhanced. The new platform device has great potential for improved disease management in other crops in Australia and globally.Read moreRead less
Satellite Data Communications for Remote Sensing and Broadband Connectivity. The remote, distributed location of many of Australia's primary industries preclude the use of consumer-oriented terrestrial wireless broadband services. In many instances, satellite communications provides the only feasible means of connectivity for telemetry, supervisory control and data acquisition, tracking and fleet management. Meteorology, remote sensing, irrigation, mining, oil and gas exploration, and fisheries ....Satellite Data Communications for Remote Sensing and Broadband Connectivity. The remote, distributed location of many of Australia's primary industries preclude the use of consumer-oriented terrestrial wireless broadband services. In many instances, satellite communications provides the only feasible means of connectivity for telemetry, supervisory control and data acquisition, tracking and fleet management. Meteorology, remote sensing, irrigation, mining, oil and gas exploration, and fisheries are just a few examples of high-value applications of particular significance to Australia. This project will develop bandwidth efficient satellite communications technologies that greatly reduce cost and pave the way toward new market opportunities for broadband access and telemetry applications. Read moreRead less