Understanding recidivism and repeat incarceration among young male offenders: a biographical and longitudinal approach. The research focuses on the group of offenders who, as a cohort, annually commit the most crime within Australia. The production of longitudinal qualitative data about individual experiences of secure care, release, and imprisonment, will provide a foundation for empirically driven policies and debates in the area of youth crime and incarceration for each state and territory. A ....Understanding recidivism and repeat incarceration among young male offenders: a biographical and longitudinal approach. The research focuses on the group of offenders who, as a cohort, annually commit the most crime within Australia. The production of longitudinal qualitative data about individual experiences of secure care, release, and imprisonment, will provide a foundation for empirically driven policies and debates in the area of youth crime and incarceration for each state and territory. Accordingly, the community will benefit through the generation of new possibilities for intervening in cycles of persistent offending and repeat custodial sentences. This has major social, cultural and economic implications. Read moreRead less
3D analysis of facial features for proof of identity across Australia's ethnically diverse population. The forensic sciences concerned with establishing Human identity play a vital role in safeguarding Australia. Certainty in Human identification is required by police and intelligence agencies because knowing the identity of perpetrators (or potential perpetrators) of crime allows effective preventative intervention. This is particularly important during surveillance operations and in the contex ....3D analysis of facial features for proof of identity across Australia's ethnically diverse population. The forensic sciences concerned with establishing Human identity play a vital role in safeguarding Australia. Certainty in Human identification is required by police and intelligence agencies because knowing the identity of perpetrators (or potential perpetrators) of crime allows effective preventative intervention. This is particularly important during surveillance operations and in the context of border protection. When crime has already been committed, the identification of victims and perpetrators is important for the exoneration of the innocent and successful prosecution of the guilty. The full utilisation of 3D morphometric analysis of faces will provide criteria robust enough for legal proof of identity. Read moreRead less
Understanding the nature and characteristics of youth violence in Australia. This study addresses the important problem of violence in Australian youth and the need for early intervention/prevention to limit further reoccurrences and escalation of violence across the life span and its associated economic and health costs. For the first time we will have specific access to Australian data on violent offending patterns and risk in adolescents for use in service planning rather than attempting to a ....Understanding the nature and characteristics of youth violence in Australia. This study addresses the important problem of violence in Australian youth and the need for early intervention/prevention to limit further reoccurrences and escalation of violence across the life span and its associated economic and health costs. For the first time we will have specific access to Australian data on violent offending patterns and risk in adolescents for use in service planning rather than attempting to apply findings from North America and Europe to our unique population. Work in this field will help improve the characterisation and identification of at-risk individuals and should ultimately improve our ability to direct treatment interventions to the most needy and most high risk groups.Read moreRead less
Decoding regulatory RNA function in bacteria. All complex biological processes in bacterial cells appear to utilise regulatory small RNAs to control gene expression, but we lack a systems-level understanding of their functions and mechanisms of control. This proposal aims to address this fundamental knowledge gap using machine learning and cutting-edge, systems-level techniques to determine how small RNA sequence and structure determines function. Small RNAs have been found to control a broad ra ....Decoding regulatory RNA function in bacteria. All complex biological processes in bacterial cells appear to utilise regulatory small RNAs to control gene expression, but we lack a systems-level understanding of their functions and mechanisms of control. This proposal aims to address this fundamental knowledge gap using machine learning and cutting-edge, systems-level techniques to determine how small RNA sequence and structure determines function. Small RNAs have been found to control a broad range of traits including metabolism, biofilm formation, antibiotic tolerance, and virulence. The work proposed here will enhance our ability to predict and control bacterial gene expression with potential future impacts on bioproduction, synthetic biology, and veterinary and medical microbiology.Read moreRead less
The evolution of cybercrime: the monitoring of serious crime in cyberspace. The research ascertains future threats in cyberspace, in particular, the role of serious criminal networks. The evidence generated will benefit law enforcement, information security industries and policy makers in terms of resource assessment, law reform, and the development of effective mutual legal assistance regimes. The data enable the monitoring of cybercrime, and generate relevant metrics that inform public educati ....The evolution of cybercrime: the monitoring of serious crime in cyberspace. The research ascertains future threats in cyberspace, in particular, the role of serious criminal networks. The evidence generated will benefit law enforcement, information security industries and policy makers in terms of resource assessment, law reform, and the development of effective mutual legal assistance regimes. The data enable the monitoring of cybercrime, and generate relevant metrics that inform public education aimed to reduce risks to individuals and organizations targeted by cybercrime. The research enables law enforcement, lawmakers and other key stakeholders to better understand and manage new cybercrime threats and to develop rapid and innovative solutions to serious forms of cybercrime.Read moreRead less
Developmental Pathways to Intimate Partner Homicide: Understanding Individual and Situational Dimensions. Intimate partner homicide is a serious public health and safety issue. This project will have several benefits. The findings will extend understanding of pathways leading to partner homicide. The findings will contribute to improved decision-making models by police and social welfare agencies. With more valid information about the changing characteristics leading to partner homicide, the fin ....Developmental Pathways to Intimate Partner Homicide: Understanding Individual and Situational Dimensions. Intimate partner homicide is a serious public health and safety issue. This project will have several benefits. The findings will extend understanding of pathways leading to partner homicide. The findings will contribute to improved decision-making models by police and social welfare agencies. With more valid information about the changing characteristics leading to partner homicide, the findings will foster more effective and efficient responses. Additionally, the findings will inform victims of partner violence of risks related to escalation toward fatal outcomes and should facilitate help seeking behaviour. Collectively, project findings should expand understanding, improve service delivery and save lives.
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Investigating the biogenesis and function of circular RNAs in the brain. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are e a novel class of RNA molecules produced in a wide spectrum of eukaryotic organisms, from yeast to humans. Their expression is particularly high in the nervous system in the fruit fly, mouse and humans. What mechanisms are responsible for the tissue-specific enrichment of circular RNA expression? What are the consequences of circular RNA production on gene expression? The overall goal of the pr ....Investigating the biogenesis and function of circular RNAs in the brain. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are e a novel class of RNA molecules produced in a wide spectrum of eukaryotic organisms, from yeast to humans. Their expression is particularly high in the nervous system in the fruit fly, mouse and humans. What mechanisms are responsible for the tissue-specific enrichment of circular RNA expression? What are the consequences of circular RNA production on gene expression? The overall goal of the proposed project is to elucidate these important aspects of circRNA biogenesis. Specifically, the project aims to (a) discover proteins that regulate circRNA expression, (b) elucidate how circRNA expression interacts with alternative splicing, and (c) identify circular RNAs that play regulatory roles in gene expression. Read moreRead less
The Stemformatics gene expression compendium: development of multivariate statistical approaches for cross platform analyses. Scientific data is gathered in many different forms, but there are significant gaps in our ability to analyse multiple datasets when generated on different pieces of equipment. This project will study three typical research questions in stem cell biology to develop new analytical approaches to help solve this major data gap.
Closed Circuit Television Surveillance, Security Networks and Australian Public Space. This project will make a significant contribution to our understandings of how visual surveillance systems impact upon the way public spaces are experienced and utilised. By examining the social impacts of surveillance this study will facilitate the development of security measures that facilitate greater inclusiveness and community cooperation. It will also assist the development of security measures cognizan ....Closed Circuit Television Surveillance, Security Networks and Australian Public Space. This project will make a significant contribution to our understandings of how visual surveillance systems impact upon the way public spaces are experienced and utilised. By examining the social impacts of surveillance this study will facilitate the development of security measures that facilitate greater inclusiveness and community cooperation. It will also assist the development of security measures cognizant of local variation and potential social consequences. Read moreRead less
International student safety from crime. International education currently generates $15.5 billion per annum in exports and involves 520,000 students in Australia. Safety from crime is a fundamental requirement of international students and source governments are insisting Australia needs to improve student safety. These demands must be met if Australia is to sustain its level of involvement in the industry. The project will assist this effort by helping develop solutions to student crime proble ....International student safety from crime. International education currently generates $15.5 billion per annum in exports and involves 520,000 students in Australia. Safety from crime is a fundamental requirement of international students and source governments are insisting Australia needs to improve student safety. These demands must be met if Australia is to sustain its level of involvement in the industry. The project will assist this effort by helping develop solutions to student crime problems that are tailored to Australia's unique circumstances. The project will help enrich Australia's international reputation and improve the safety of international students and Australian communities.Read moreRead less