Sensory impairments and driving: can older drivers cope with distracters? This research adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate the problems of older drivers, and drivers in general. The research will provide a clear understanding of how visual and auditory distracters impact upon the driving behaviour and safety of individuals with vision and hearing impairment and those experiencing age-related declines in cognitive skills. The research is highly significant in terms of improving o ....Sensory impairments and driving: can older drivers cope with distracters? This research adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate the problems of older drivers, and drivers in general. The research will provide a clear understanding of how visual and auditory distracters impact upon the driving behaviour and safety of individuals with vision and hearing impairment and those experiencing age-related declines in cognitive skills. The research is highly significant in terms of improving our understanding of how sensory impairment and age-related changes impact upon driving performance, the impact of an increasingly complex driving and in-vehicle environment and will provide tangible benefits for the road safety of the wider community.Read moreRead less
Optical defects of the eye and their relationship to visual performance. All of us will need ophthalmic correction (spectacles, contact lenses and/or refractive surgery) at some stage in our lives. This research is important to the whole Australian community as it will lead to improved equipment for measuring optics of the eye and their effects on spatial vision, better techniques for measuring vision, and obtaining a better understanding of the contribution of the optics to human vision. It wil ....Optical defects of the eye and their relationship to visual performance. All of us will need ophthalmic correction (spectacles, contact lenses and/or refractive surgery) at some stage in our lives. This research is important to the whole Australian community as it will lead to improved equipment for measuring optics of the eye and their effects on spatial vision, better techniques for measuring vision, and obtaining a better understanding of the contribution of the optics to human vision. It will provide information about how correcting optical defects through customized refractive surgery and how inducing optical defects (eg with progressive addition lenses) affect vision, and will thus guide developments in refractive surgery and spectacle lenses. Read moreRead less
The mechanism for defocus-driven ocular growth. 30 per cent of the Australian young adult population (with much higher percentages in Asia) suffer from myopia, and while we know the retina senses defocus, we do not know how. The knowledge gained through this project will help the development of pharmaceuticals to control myopia and of developmental practices that minimise the chances of children becoming myopic.
Describing transition for people living with chronic illness. Our primary aim is to explore transition for people living with chronic illness. Understanding the nature of transition places health care professionals in an excellent position to assist the person living with chronic illness. This is important given that chronic illness has been acknowledged as the prime health concern of this era. We explore, how individuals living with chronic illness make sense of "becoming ordinary" rather than ....Describing transition for people living with chronic illness. Our primary aim is to explore transition for people living with chronic illness. Understanding the nature of transition places health care professionals in an excellent position to assist the person living with chronic illness. This is important given that chronic illness has been acknowledged as the prime health concern of this era. We explore, how individuals living with chronic illness make sense of "becoming ordinary" rather than "being ordinary", exploring how they give meaning to their sense of self and their sense of self capacity. As an interactive participatory action research program with 200 participants, we will validate the emerging transition thesis collaboratively. Resultant action has the potential to enhance participant's lives, foster collective community development, inform health care practice and advance theoretical debates.Read moreRead less
Functionally characterizing mammalian microRNAs and mRNA interactions controlling cell division. This project addresses some of the most burning issues in molecular biology and genetic research, and the results will be widely applicable to a broad range of fields, including biotechnology, animal breeding, agricultural production, genetic engineering, medical science, and computational biology. By understanding the regulatory potential of microRNA molecules, we will understand more about species ....Functionally characterizing mammalian microRNAs and mRNA interactions controlling cell division. This project addresses some of the most burning issues in molecular biology and genetic research, and the results will be widely applicable to a broad range of fields, including biotechnology, animal breeding, agricultural production, genetic engineering, medical science, and computational biology. By understanding the regulatory potential of microRNA molecules, we will understand more about species diversity, regulatory networks, and plant and animal development. The early adoption of multi-gigabase next-generation sequencing technology in Australia provides rare and exciting opportunity to lead the world in genome-scale research, and to ensure that Australia has the necessary skill base to remain internationally competitive in this field.Read moreRead less
On being Australian: exploring the role of Anzac museum and heritage interpretive experiences in developing visitors' sense of national identity. This research explores the role of the Anzac story, as interpreted at museums and heritage sites, in helping new and established Australians to develop their sense of national identity. It will enable such sites to provide powerful and effective experiences, encouraging visitors to reflect on what it means to be Australian in a multicultural society.
Precision inertial sensing with cold atoms. Many advances in our technology-driven society rely on precision measurement. The project will provide the Australian industrial and government sectors with new and better inertial sensors to measure acceleration, rotation and gravity. The technology will find application in navigation, defence, mineral exploration, earth science and fundamental physics.
New words for new things: Formal and substantive aspects in the development of the Pitkern-Norf'k language. This project will help consolidate Australia's reputation as a leader in contact language research. It will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by involving a small remote community in research on their endangered language, thereby sustaining community cohesion and a sense of identity. The publications arising from the research will have direct applications to language reviva ....New words for new things: Formal and substantive aspects in the development of the Pitkern-Norf'k language. This project will help consolidate Australia's reputation as a leader in contact language research. It will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by involving a small remote community in research on their endangered language, thereby sustaining community cohesion and a sense of identity. The publications arising from the research will have direct applications to language revival, teaching, and cultural tourism as currently promoted by the Norfolk Island Assembly.Read moreRead less
Nano-machining of diamond-like carbon (DLC): Scientific basis and technical potential. Nanotechnology will be the basis for the next post-industrial revolution, and will be the main driver of future national economies. It is crucially important that at the very least Australia is a significant niche player in those developments. The project represents an effort to promote those goals.
Very thin, highly oriented and featured diamond films. The technology for making very thin diamond films, having sculpted surface features and fabricated from tiny and highly oriented individual diamond crystallites, would enable widespread potential applications, including eg surface acoustic wave devices, optical biosensors for ?lab-on-a-chip?, and field emitter arrays for paper thin, bright and wide angle flat panel displays, amongst others. Diamond is uniquely suited to these applications, ....Very thin, highly oriented and featured diamond films. The technology for making very thin diamond films, having sculpted surface features and fabricated from tiny and highly oriented individual diamond crystallites, would enable widespread potential applications, including eg surface acoustic wave devices, optical biosensors for ?lab-on-a-chip?, and field emitter arrays for paper thin, bright and wide angle flat panel displays, amongst others. Diamond is uniquely suited to these applications, and the capability to manipulate film properties and features which is the key requirement, is within grasp.Read moreRead less