Pancreatic Differentiation of Cord Blood Stem Cells using Smart Surfaces. Cord blood cells obtained at the time of delivery of a baby are a valuable resource that have the potential to develop into many cell types. This Project entails attaching stem cells derived from cord blood to appropriate 3 dimensional smart surfaces, and examining the ability of such cells to develop into insulin-producing cells. An understanding of how to coax stem cells, seeded on to smart surfaces, to develop into ma ....Pancreatic Differentiation of Cord Blood Stem Cells using Smart Surfaces. Cord blood cells obtained at the time of delivery of a baby are a valuable resource that have the potential to develop into many cell types. This Project entails attaching stem cells derived from cord blood to appropriate 3 dimensional smart surfaces, and examining the ability of such cells to develop into insulin-producing cells. An understanding of how to coax stem cells, seeded on to smart surfaces, to develop into mature cells with different functions will enhance our ability to understand how cells develop. As well, it enhance the potential usefulness of cord blood for research purposes. Read moreRead less
Ageing wild vertebrates from their DNA: an investigation using Humpback Whales as an example. The aim of this project is to estimate the age of individually identified humpback whales and the age structure of humpback whale populations using non-lethal, innovative molecular techniques. Populations of humpback whales in the Southern Hemisphere are slowly recovering from intensive whaling during the 20th century. This project is significant because it will provide the first comparative information ....Ageing wild vertebrates from their DNA: an investigation using Humpback Whales as an example. The aim of this project is to estimate the age of individually identified humpback whales and the age structure of humpback whale populations using non-lethal, innovative molecular techniques. Populations of humpback whales in the Southern Hemisphere are slowly recovering from intensive whaling during the 20th century. This project is significant because it will provide the first comparative information on the age structure of these populations, resulting in improved estimation of recovery and population dynamics of long-lived vertebrates. The results of this project will revolutionise research on ageing in whales and dolphins, providing an important alternative to lethal scientific whaling.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100010
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$720,000.00
Summary
A 5-D Correlative Imaging Platform: Combining the strengths of light and electron microscopy. This will be Australia's first dedicated five-dimensional multiphoton-microscopy platform, allowing observation of dynamic structures across different length and time scales under controlled temperatures, followed by high-resolution electron microscopy studies on the same samples. This platform will provide a unique characterisation tool to Australia's top-flight investigators, and so contribute to the ....A 5-D Correlative Imaging Platform: Combining the strengths of light and electron microscopy. This will be Australia's first dedicated five-dimensional multiphoton-microscopy platform, allowing observation of dynamic structures across different length and time scales under controlled temperatures, followed by high-resolution electron microscopy studies on the same samples. This platform will provide a unique characterisation tool to Australia's top-flight investigators, and so contribute to the nation's research priorities. It will enable: fundamental studies of cancer, neural diseases and immune disorders; the development of frontier technologies, such as smart nanomaterials, biosensors and targeted drug delivery; and applied research to help plants and soils adapt to climate variability, and to increase sustainable use of water.Read moreRead less
Management of Complex Assets Using Smart Information Systems. The aim is to develop an integrative framework and a smart system for holistic asset management in order to manage and optimise asset decisions vis-a-vis shifts in customer and market needs. It will develop an advanced conceptual framework, a dedicated smart system that is capable of handling uncertainty often associated with decision making in large complex operations. The benefits of this research are: a more competitive indusry wit ....Management of Complex Assets Using Smart Information Systems. The aim is to develop an integrative framework and a smart system for holistic asset management in order to manage and optimise asset decisions vis-a-vis shifts in customer and market needs. It will develop an advanced conceptual framework, a dedicated smart system that is capable of handling uncertainty often associated with decision making in large complex operations. The benefits of this research are: a more competitive indusry with focus on markets; a smart system to demonstrate business-based decision making and generally a much more sophisticated approach to asset management.Read moreRead less
The rise of empiricism and the attempt to produce a unified understanding of the world, 1680-1750. Empiricism is often regarded as the characterising feature of modern scientific method, and, in those approaches to psychology and the social and economic sciences that seek to model themselves on successful scientific practice in the physical and life sciences, it often acts as a model of good practice. The project examines the original form of empiricism and shows how it was able to directly enga ....The rise of empiricism and the attempt to produce a unified understanding of the world, 1680-1750. Empiricism is often regarded as the characterising feature of modern scientific method, and, in those approaches to psychology and the social and economic sciences that seek to model themselves on successful scientific practice in the physical and life sciences, it often acts as a model of good practice. The project examines the original form of empiricism and shows how it was able to directly engage questions of value in a novel and revealing way, and how its connection with 'hard' sciences was not merely to provide a methodological gloss on these, but went to the core of what scientific explanation consisted in.Read moreRead less
Mathematics, the science of real structure: an Australian realist philosophy of mathematics. The project will strengthen the already strong Australian philosophical tradition of realism, extending it into philosophy of mathematics. It will develop a robust alternative to the nominalism, Platonism and idealism that dominate northern-hemisphere philosophizing about mathematics, an alternative that is in tune with how mathematicians really apply mathematics. Australian philosophy will thus be stren ....Mathematics, the science of real structure: an Australian realist philosophy of mathematics. The project will strengthen the already strong Australian philosophical tradition of realism, extending it into philosophy of mathematics. It will develop a robust alternative to the nominalism, Platonism and idealism that dominate northern-hemisphere philosophizing about mathematics, an alternative that is in tune with how mathematicians really apply mathematics. Australian philosophy will thus be strengthened in general, giving it a greater attractiveness to the many overseas visitors and students who already appreciate its unique strengths. The nature of the project will also lead to closer ties and interdisciplinary work between philosophers and mathematicians.
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Governance for Environmental Sustainability: The Case of Public- Private Partnerships. The research will add to our knowledge of the structures, policies and processes required to control and coordinate partnerships formed to enable environmental sustainability whilst promoting creative problem solving and business profitability. Outcomes will advise Australian policy makers on design, development and implementation of the next generation of collaborative partnerships for sustainability between ....Governance for Environmental Sustainability: The Case of Public- Private Partnerships. The research will add to our knowledge of the structures, policies and processes required to control and coordinate partnerships formed to enable environmental sustainability whilst promoting creative problem solving and business profitability. Outcomes will advise Australian policy makers on design, development and implementation of the next generation of collaborative partnerships for sustainability between government and business. With such interorganisational partnerships becoming ever more prevalent and complex, the study will provide invaluable information that will help facilitate the long-term success of Australian businesses and promote Australia's economic development without compromising its environmental sustainabilityRead moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989759
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Australian Access to and Operation of Advanced Synchrotron Radiation Facilities at the Photon Factory. The primary national benefit of this application will be continued access by peer review for Australian scientists to the advanced synchrotron-radiation capabilities of the Australian National Beamline Facility and other complementary beamlines at the Photon Factory, Japan. This proposal is consistent with the National Research Priorities of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, Promoting a ....Australian Access to and Operation of Advanced Synchrotron Radiation Facilities at the Photon Factory. The primary national benefit of this application will be continued access by peer review for Australian scientists to the advanced synchrotron-radiation capabilities of the Australian National Beamline Facility and other complementary beamlines at the Photon Factory, Japan. This proposal is consistent with the National Research Priorities of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries and will generate science to support and stimulate domestic industry, enhance the domestic knowledge base and international research profile, train students and future synchrotron scientists and foster domestic and international collaborations.Read moreRead less
Teaching Software Agents to Play. This project is fundamental to computational intelligence and human brain science. Both strongly impact on the community and the nation. They form the backbone of contemporary information science and are key to our National Research Priorities. This research is of great community benefit. Our results will enable everyone to rapidly search, analyse and interpret vast amounts of information that is irretrievable by current methods. They will also enliven interacti ....Teaching Software Agents to Play. This project is fundamental to computational intelligence and human brain science. Both strongly impact on the community and the nation. They form the backbone of contemporary information science and are key to our National Research Priorities. This research is of great community benefit. Our results will enable everyone to rapidly search, analyse and interpret vast amounts of information that is irretrievable by current methods. They will also enliven interactive entertainment by spontaneously creating unique, tailor-made music. In sum, we are making a leap forward in the crucial area of collaborative intelligence.Read moreRead less
The God of Hegel's Post-Kantian Idealism. Recently both philosophical and popular debates over the role of religion in modern society have, like earlier debates from the 18th century, been marked by a commitment to philosophical realism. In the largely neglected "idealist" tradition of the nineteenth century, such disputes were cast in a different light. By developing an idealist conception of God, using contemporary philosophical resources, this project aims to offer a way of thinking about the ....The God of Hegel's Post-Kantian Idealism. Recently both philosophical and popular debates over the role of religion in modern society have, like earlier debates from the 18th century, been marked by a commitment to philosophical realism. In the largely neglected "idealist" tradition of the nineteenth century, such disputes were cast in a different light. By developing an idealist conception of God, using contemporary philosophical resources, this project aims to offer a way of thinking about the role of religion in human life that avoids the primacy of the question of belief in God as well as antagonistic conceptions of religious differences.Read moreRead less