Design of dynamic visual signals. Models of the design of visual signals depend heavily upon analyses of static ornaments. Nothing is known about dynamic visual signals. We will use an array of new techniques to tackle this problem for the first time. Motion analyses will define the task faced by the visual system. Sensory limitations will be measured to identify constraints on signal evolution. Digital video playback studies will assess recognition and explain aspects of signal design. Results ....Design of dynamic visual signals. Models of the design of visual signals depend heavily upon analyses of static ornaments. Nothing is known about dynamic visual signals. We will use an array of new techniques to tackle this problem for the first time. Motion analyses will define the task faced by the visual system. Sensory limitations will be measured to identify constraints on signal evolution. Digital video playback studies will assess recognition and explain aspects of signal design. Results will test the generality of principles that have been developed in studies of female mate choice and extend these ideas to address intra-sexual selection operating through opponent assessment.Read moreRead less
Extending fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic is good for dealing with uncertain data somewhat like people do, and this technique has been used in train braking systems, computer animation etc, but can be slow for problems with large or complex data especially if the data are changing with time. The project will design efficient fuzzy logic algorithms capable of dealing with complex real world problems.
User-task co-adaptation for effective interactive simulation environments. This project aims to deliver smart interactive simulation environments in which users and simulation tasks work together. This project aims to create novel adaptive algorithms to automatically discover those user and task features that vary together to smartly adapt users and simulation tasks to work together harmoniously, seamlessly and effectively. Interactive simulation environments are the backbone for evaluating conc ....User-task co-adaptation for effective interactive simulation environments. This project aims to deliver smart interactive simulation environments in which users and simulation tasks work together. This project aims to create novel adaptive algorithms to automatically discover those user and task features that vary together to smartly adapt users and simulation tasks to work together harmoniously, seamlessly and effectively. Interactive simulation environments are the backbone for evaluating concepts, designs, products and advanced training systems in industry and government organisations. By bringing the user naturally inside the simulation as a task's component, users can improve their experience while task performance is simultaneously optimised. Intended outcomes include novel dynamic user-task profiling algorithms and new adaptive algorithms for user-task co-adaptation. Practical outcomes may include robust and highly effective simulation environments.Read moreRead less
What is safe about “safe migration”? Migration management in the Mekong. The project seeks to examine the claims that new policy models make about assuring the safety of labour migrants. What is safe about safe migration? Regulation of labour migrants is a central policy concern in Asia, Australia and elsewhere. In an attempt to address anti-trafficking, several donors, United Nations agencies, nongovernment organisations and Governments have launched ‘safe migration’ programs which, rather than ....What is safe about “safe migration”? Migration management in the Mekong. The project seeks to examine the claims that new policy models make about assuring the safety of labour migrants. What is safe about safe migration? Regulation of labour migrants is a central policy concern in Asia, Australia and elsewhere. In an attempt to address anti-trafficking, several donors, United Nations agencies, nongovernment organisations and Governments have launched ‘safe migration’ programs which, rather than focusing solely on the legal status of migrants, seek to develop mechanisms (eg hotline numbers) to assure their safety. This research examines the claims of safety that this shift from anti-trafficking to safe migration has engendered, and whether and in what terms labour migrants might be consequently safer’. Project results may inform aid programs and government policies.Read moreRead less
Data Adaptive Geophysical Inversion. The goal of this project is to develop new techniques for extracting information about the interior structure of the Earth from large geophysical data sets. These methods will be adaptive so that they allow the definition of the physical model to be constrained by the character of the data. The project will utilize advances in computational geometry, nonlinear inversion and interactive computer visualisation to extract robust information from data sets with v ....Data Adaptive Geophysical Inversion. The goal of this project is to develop new techniques for extracting information about the interior structure of the Earth from large geophysical data sets. These methods will be adaptive so that they allow the definition of the physical model to be constrained by the character of the data. The project will utilize advances in computational geometry, nonlinear inversion and interactive computer visualisation to extract robust information from data sets with variable resolving power. The resulting algorithms will be applicable to a wide range of problems in the physical sciences.Read moreRead less
Analysing Iterative Machine Learning Algorithms with Information Geometric Methods. Online machine learning problems arise from situations where data is provided a point at a time. There are many classical algorithms for solving such problems based on the principle of stochastic gradient descent. Recent research by the CIs and others have thrown up interesting but diverse geometric connections that offer new insights. The proposed research aims to integrate the understanding of these algori ....Analysing Iterative Machine Learning Algorithms with Information Geometric Methods. Online machine learning problems arise from situations where data is provided a point at a time. There are many classical algorithms for solving such problems based on the principle of stochastic gradient descent. Recent research by the CIs and others have thrown up interesting but diverse geometric connections that offer new insights. The proposed research aims to integrate the understanding of these algorithms with the aim of designing algorithms better able to exploit prior knowledge, and to extend existing algorithms to new problem domains thus offering well principled and well understood algorithms for solving a variety of novel online problems.Read moreRead less
Probabilistic modeling of human responses in complex interaction. The project aims to develop computational ability to reliably detect and hence act on implicit user preferences. It aims to develop techniques combining advanced non-intrusive sensor measures of conscious and non-conscious behaviour during interaction tasks to enable very high-level computerised support for human goal-seeking in complex data and design environments. It plans to use a user’s physiology and preference evaluation to ....Probabilistic modeling of human responses in complex interaction. The project aims to develop computational ability to reliably detect and hence act on implicit user preferences. It aims to develop techniques combining advanced non-intrusive sensor measures of conscious and non-conscious behaviour during interaction tasks to enable very high-level computerised support for human goal-seeking in complex data and design environments. It plans to use a user’s physiology and preference evaluation to capture their complex interaction with the data they view, probability models to accumulate information to identify their underlying preferences and extract relationships to find possible ‘hidden variables’ which may help explain and leverage the user's choices.Read moreRead less
Kernel and Margin Based Machine Learning Algorithms. Certain machine learning algorithms, such as support vector machines, utilizing
the ideas of large margins and kernels have attracted much attention lately
because of their impressive performance on real world problems such as optical
character recognition. We plan to refine and extend such algorithms to a wide
range of different machine learning problems such as gene sequence analysis,
image processing and text classification. Expected ....Kernel and Margin Based Machine Learning Algorithms. Certain machine learning algorithms, such as support vector machines, utilizing
the ideas of large margins and kernels have attracted much attention lately
because of their impressive performance on real world problems such as optical
character recognition. We plan to refine and extend such algorithms to a wide
range of different machine learning problems such as gene sequence analysis,
image processing and text classification. Expected outcomes include the
development of software that allows the solution of hitherto unsolved machine
learning problems, and the ability to solve problems larger than those solvable
by the current generation of machine learning tools.Read moreRead less
Taming the intruders: the domestication of Tigger transposable elements in mammals. It has become apparent that most of the DNA that makes us what we are is actually comprised of the remnants of invading parasitic DNA acquired over time. A continual battle exists between host which tries to silence or remove this DNA, and the parasite that tries to multiply and spread. We are currently investigating an intriguing aspect of this process that involves host genomes 'domesticating' parasitic DNA to ....Taming the intruders: the domestication of Tigger transposable elements in mammals. It has become apparent that most of the DNA that makes us what we are is actually comprised of the remnants of invading parasitic DNA acquired over time. A continual battle exists between host which tries to silence or remove this DNA, and the parasite that tries to multiply and spread. We are currently investigating an intriguing aspect of this process that involves host genomes 'domesticating' parasitic DNA to provide novel functions, thereby facilitating the evolution of specific characteristics within species.Read moreRead less
Proteome Analysis of Plant Response Pathways to Microbial Signals in the Model Legume, Medicago truncatula. This project will investigate plant responses to soil microbes in the model legume, Medicago truncatula, to provide fundamental information needed to design crops with improved abilities to interact beneficially with soil microbes. Plant development and performance are significantly influenced by soil microbes, but it is largely unknown how the information contained in microbial signalling ....Proteome Analysis of Plant Response Pathways to Microbial Signals in the Model Legume, Medicago truncatula. This project will investigate plant responses to soil microbes in the model legume, Medicago truncatula, to provide fundamental information needed to design crops with improved abilities to interact beneficially with soil microbes. Plant development and performance are significantly influenced by soil microbes, but it is largely unknown how the information contained in microbial signalling molecules is relayed to plants. Proteome analysis and immunocytochemistry will be combined to identify and localise differentially expressed proteins in roots treated with specific microbial signal molecules. Annotated Proteome databases will be generated to strengthen and complement an international project on M. truncatula genome analysis.Read moreRead less