Diet influences the selective advantage of mitochondrial DNA mutations. This project aims to examine critical mechanisms that affect mitochondrial DNA variation within species. It aims to test the hypothesis that mitochondrial DNA haplotypes have the potential to be under nutritionally induced balancing selection as a consequence of cellular signalling and/or Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by mitochondria. Diet can vary both seasonally and geographically and is a key environmental param ....Diet influences the selective advantage of mitochondrial DNA mutations. This project aims to examine critical mechanisms that affect mitochondrial DNA variation within species. It aims to test the hypothesis that mitochondrial DNA haplotypes have the potential to be under nutritionally induced balancing selection as a consequence of cellular signalling and/or Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by mitochondria. Diet can vary both seasonally and geographically and is a key environmental parameter that influences the ability of a species to colonise new habitats. The project plans to characterise the functional links between specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, mitochondrial functions and organismal traits. The expected outcome is a more precise grasp of the processes influencing genetic variation within and among species, which would inform current issues in ecology and genetics.Read moreRead less
Workplace Interventions To Reduce The Cost Of Neck Problems In Office Personnel
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$660,834.00
Summary
Neck pain in office workers is a major burden in industry in terms of lost productivity and personal suffering. This research will evaluate a novel intervention for the prevention and management of neck pain in computer users. The impact and value of neck specific exercises and best practice office ergonomics will be evaluated from the employers (productivity loss) and workers perspective (severity of neck pain). The findings will directly benefit future management of this significant health iss ....Neck pain in office workers is a major burden in industry in terms of lost productivity and personal suffering. This research will evaluate a novel intervention for the prevention and management of neck pain in computer users. The impact and value of neck specific exercises and best practice office ergonomics will be evaluated from the employers (productivity loss) and workers perspective (severity of neck pain). The findings will directly benefit future management of this significant health issue.Read moreRead less
Establishing Pathways To Implement And Sustain Evidence Based Fall Prevention In Primary Care: The ISOLVE Project
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,156,546.00
Summary
Researchers in allied health and primary care are partnering with Northern Sydney Medicare Local and the NSW State Falls Program (Clinical Excellence Commission) to establish a multi-disciplinary pathway model for fall prevention. The aim is to establish integrated processes and pathways at the levels of practitioner, practice, and program to identify older people at risk of falls and engage a whole of primary care approach to fall prevention. This project will employ multi-methodologies.
Mapping the connectome that controls blood pressure. The connections that an individual brain cell receives from other cells ultimately determines its behaviour. Using a revolutionary new technique, the project will create a map of the brain cells that control blood pressure.
What Cost-effective Built Environment Interventions Would Create Healthy, Liveable And Equitable Communities In Australia, And What Would Facilitate These Being Translated Into Policy And Practice?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,658,832.00
Summary
This CRE involves collaboration between a multi-disciplinary research team across Australia working with policy-makers covering planning, urban design, transport planning and health. It will identify the most cost-effective built environment interventions required to create healthy, liveable, and equitable communities. Factors that influence research findings being translated into urban planning policy and practice will be examined and tools to assist changes to policy and practice developed.
Revealing the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of avian influenza virus. This project aims to understand how avian influenza virus (AIV) emerges, evolves and spreads in wild birds. AIV has the potential to devastate the poultry industry and cause human pandemics, but the factors that shape the genetic diversity of AIV in its wild bird reservoir are poorly understood. The project plans to combine genomic, ecological and phylogenetic approaches to reveal key aspects of AIV evolution, as well a ....Revealing the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of avian influenza virus. This project aims to understand how avian influenza virus (AIV) emerges, evolves and spreads in wild birds. AIV has the potential to devastate the poultry industry and cause human pandemics, but the factors that shape the genetic diversity of AIV in its wild bird reservoir are poorly understood. The project plans to combine genomic, ecological and phylogenetic approaches to reveal key aspects of AIV evolution, as well as the risk for future viral emergence. Using sampling sites in Australia and Antarctica, it plans to investigate AIV diversity, the evolutionary dynamics of AIV in wild birds and poultry, and the role played by environmental transmission in AIV ecology.Read moreRead less
A stitch in time: evidence-based strategy to keep platypus from extinction. This project aims to assess the status of the iconic platypus, identified as ‘near-threatened’ in 2014. The project’s multidisciplinary approach plans to compare regulated and unregulated rivers to investigate metapopulation structure (via physical and genetic tagging), current condition and future adaptability of the species, as well as other threats and habitat quality. The project also links vulnerability of platypus ....A stitch in time: evidence-based strategy to keep platypus from extinction. This project aims to assess the status of the iconic platypus, identified as ‘near-threatened’ in 2014. The project’s multidisciplinary approach plans to compare regulated and unregulated rivers to investigate metapopulation structure (via physical and genetic tagging), current condition and future adaptability of the species, as well as other threats and habitat quality. The project also links vulnerability of platypus populations to conservation actions that reduce extinction risk, through rigorous decision analyses. It is anticipated that the project will deliver implementable conservation actions at relevant scales.Read moreRead less
Reducing health disparities for older LGBTI Australians. Reducing health disparities for older LGBTI Australians. This project aims to optimise health and aged care services throughout Australia, by bringing together researchers and key organisations in the health, aged, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) sectors to build a much-needed evidence base. Older LGBTI Australians have vastly poorer health outcomes than the broader population. This project will provide detaile ....Reducing health disparities for older LGBTI Australians. Reducing health disparities for older LGBTI Australians. This project aims to optimise health and aged care services throughout Australia, by bringing together researchers and key organisations in the health, aged, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) sectors to build a much-needed evidence base. Older LGBTI Australians have vastly poorer health outcomes than the broader population. This project will provide detailed quantitative and qualitative data on the challenges and needs of older LGBTI Australians and service providers, and develop essential resources so policymakers and service providers can reduce older LGBTI Australians’ health disparities.Read moreRead less
Phylogeography, Conservation Genetics and Stocking Management of Perches and Basses. This project will use DNA data to address fundamental questions about the origin and maintenance of biodiversity in a popular and widely distributed fish group. From a conservation perspective, the project will produce a benchmark about management of fish resources. We will investigate questions related to important conservation issues (including the recovery plan of a nationally threatened species) and the mana ....Phylogeography, Conservation Genetics and Stocking Management of Perches and Basses. This project will use DNA data to address fundamental questions about the origin and maintenance of biodiversity in a popular and widely distributed fish group. From a conservation perspective, the project will produce a benchmark about management of fish resources. We will investigate questions related to important conservation issues (including the recovery plan of a nationally threatened species) and the management of stocking activities in recreational fisheries of coastal and inland waters. The latter is particularly relevant to rural communities since they provide both social and economic benefits to rural people.Read moreRead less
Superbugs and veterinary drugs: are multidrug-resistant zoonotic pathogens residing in Australian animals? Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem affecting human health that is now emerging in animals and veterinary hospitals. This project will integrate surveillance with novel treatments and preventatives to develop effective strategies to limit the impact of resistant bacteria to animal health and prevent transfer between humans and animals.