Sino-Australian neurogenetics initiative. This project will undertake large population studies to identify genes that are associated with motor neuron disease, schizophrenia and intracranial haemorrhage. The project will determine genetic markers, aid development of diagnostic tools and identify new therapeutic targets for these common heritable neurological diseases.
Just spaces: security without prejudice in the wireless courtroom. How do jurors respond to seeing defendants in a glass cage, in a traditional wooden dock or at the Bar table? The project will examine how courtroom design shapes attitudes; and, bringing together court executives, architects and researchers, will show how flexible wireless courtrooms can meet both security and human rights standards.
Architecture and healthy ageing: an investigation into the relationship between aged care facility design, management and the well being of residents. Residential care for the future will need to meet expanding demands for aged care in a manner which responds to more discerning older people including those from non-English speaking backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with expected increases in the number of services required. To do so design processes must incorporate the need ....Architecture and healthy ageing: an investigation into the relationship between aged care facility design, management and the well being of residents. Residential care for the future will need to meet expanding demands for aged care in a manner which responds to more discerning older people including those from non-English speaking backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with expected increases in the number of services required. To do so design processes must incorporate the needs of those involved in residential care yet meet the requirements of statutory authorities standards for health care provision. This research will provide a comprehensive picture of the issues that impact on the design process and the effect on residential care facilities ability to provide residents and workers with the highest possible quality of life. It will inform accreditation and certification standards.Read moreRead less
Brides and Grandmothers: Challenges for Older Filipinos in Australia. This project investigates the settlement, acculturation experiences, and psychological wellbeing of older Filipino women who arrived in Australia under different circumstances. Some have migrated to Australia as young brides to marry Australian citizens and some as grandmothers to be reunited with family members. Five hundred older Filipino women, and a group of 100 men living in rural and urban areas, will participate in the ....Brides and Grandmothers: Challenges for Older Filipinos in Australia. This project investigates the settlement, acculturation experiences, and psychological wellbeing of older Filipino women who arrived in Australia under different circumstances. Some have migrated to Australia as young brides to marry Australian citizens and some as grandmothers to be reunited with family members. Five hundred older Filipino women, and a group of 100 men living in rural and urban areas, will participate in the project. The findings will enhance the understanding of the social and psychological needs of this special group of migrants and will assist in the planning of immigration policies and culturally appropriate health services for older migrants.Read moreRead less
Responding to the rural skills crisis: Modelling volunteer motivations and incentives to attract retired/semi-retired professionals to volunteer in rural areas. This project contributes directly to Promoting and Maintaining Good Health: Ageing well, ageing productively by placing a high value on the skills of older Australians and encouraging them to remain productive into retirement by sharing these skills. This project will also strengthen the social and economic fabric of rural communities by ....Responding to the rural skills crisis: Modelling volunteer motivations and incentives to attract retired/semi-retired professionals to volunteer in rural areas. This project contributes directly to Promoting and Maintaining Good Health: Ageing well, ageing productively by placing a high value on the skills of older Australians and encouraging them to remain productive into retirement by sharing these skills. This project will also strengthen the social and economic fabric of rural communities by addressing the identified national priority area of skills shortages in rural areas by providing rural councils with a means to access skilled professionals to assist them in enhancing their economic and social sustainability. Further, use of sound, well-tested psychological theories of individual decision making will enhance the validity and applicability of the model.Read moreRead less
Engagement in early childhood education in the context of disadvantage. This research responds to enduring inequalities in children’s participation in high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC). Contemporary families face precarious labour markets and a childcare system with stringent workforce participation requirements. This project will illuminate the affordances of everyday life for families most challenged by these emergent conditions and develop understandings of how to calibr ....Engagement in early childhood education in the context of disadvantage. This research responds to enduring inequalities in children’s participation in high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC). Contemporary families face precarious labour markets and a childcare system with stringent workforce participation requirements. This project will illuminate the affordances of everyday life for families most challenged by these emergent conditions and develop understandings of how to calibrate services accordingly. Findings will support universal ECEC access through knowledge translation about contemporary disadvantage to policy and practice forums. A strong Indigenous component contributes to researcher training and knowledge about effective practice for Indigenous children and their families.Read moreRead less
Cultivating Capability: Explicating Critical Psychosocial Drivers of Educational Outcomes and Wellbeing for High-Ability Aboriginal Students. Despite emphasis worldwide on enabling high-ability students to realise their potential, little is known about drivers that seed success in educational outcomes and wellbeing for high ability Aboriginal students who underachieve, are under identified and are underrepresented in selective settings. Capitalising on interdisciplinary theory and research, a po ....Cultivating Capability: Explicating Critical Psychosocial Drivers of Educational Outcomes and Wellbeing for High-Ability Aboriginal Students. Despite emphasis worldwide on enabling high-ability students to realise their potential, little is known about drivers that seed success in educational outcomes and wellbeing for high ability Aboriginal students who underachieve, are under identified and are underrepresented in selective settings. Capitalising on interdisciplinary theory and research, a powerful multi-method design and state-of-the-art statistics, the project aims to explicate psychosocial determinants of high-ability Aboriginal students' educational outcomes and wellbeing and test the efficacy of novel research-derived interventions. This aims to advance knowledge, policy and practice to enhance the provision of education to high-ability Aboriginal students ensuring they realise their full potential.Read moreRead less
Surface engineering of biomaterials for optimal bone bonding characteristics. The ideal bone-implant material is hydroxyapatite. Chemically similar to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite is capable of inducing bone ongrowth. An ideal surface coating for metal hip implants, plasma spraying has been the preferred commercial hydroxyapatite coating technique. Until recently, it was always presumed that the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite resulted from its surface chemistry. However, a recent study has shown ....Surface engineering of biomaterials for optimal bone bonding characteristics. The ideal bone-implant material is hydroxyapatite. Chemically similar to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite is capable of inducing bone ongrowth. An ideal surface coating for metal hip implants, plasma spraying has been the preferred commercial hydroxyapatite coating technique. Until recently, it was always presumed that the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite resulted from its surface chemistry. However, a recent study has shown that the bioactivity of HAp coatings strongly correlates with surface roughness on the scale of bone cells. This project will explore cell-attachment behaviour for hydroxyapatite coatings prepared by plasma spraying compared with engineered surface morphology/chemistry by microlithography and vapour coating.Read moreRead less
Functionally graded fibre-polymer composites: a novel material for spinal disk prostheses. Chronic back pain affects a significant proportion of the population and is primarily caused by failure of the spinal disk. A strong social/economic imperative exists to develop engineering solutions to this problem. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucle ....Functionally graded fibre-polymer composites: a novel material for spinal disk prostheses. Chronic back pain affects a significant proportion of the population and is primarily caused by failure of the spinal disk. A strong social/economic imperative exists to develop engineering solutions to this problem. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucleus) and a tough fibrous periphery (annulus). The graded composite approach of this proposal represents a significant advance over spinal fusion, and over the alternative spinal disk protheses in clinical use or in the patent literature.Read moreRead less
Bayesian statistical methods for enhancing evidence-based practice in Australia's hospitals. This project addresses Australia's national research priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health with the goal of Preventative Healthcare. Through enhanced capability in combining information from diverse sources for improved evidence-based decisions and true sharing of university and medical expertise, the project will enhance Australia's medical research and practice, align professional and comm ....Bayesian statistical methods for enhancing evidence-based practice in Australia's hospitals. This project addresses Australia's national research priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health with the goal of Preventative Healthcare. Through enhanced capability in combining information from diverse sources for improved evidence-based decisions and true sharing of university and medical expertise, the project will enhance Australia's medical research and practice, align professional and community expectations, utilise local medical information, and address national demands for quality science underpinning health decisions.
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