Can parents teach their children to drink alcohol responsibly? Or, is one drop a drop too many? Parents typically supply alcohol to their children believing it is the best way to teach responsible drinking. Whether parents should provide alcohol is controversial and the evidence to inform this decision is unclear. This research will provide an in-depth understanding of the consequences of parents providing alcohol to their children and when, where and how this can be done to minimise harm. This ....Can parents teach their children to drink alcohol responsibly? Or, is one drop a drop too many? Parents typically supply alcohol to their children believing it is the best way to teach responsible drinking. Whether parents should provide alcohol is controversial and the evidence to inform this decision is unclear. This research will provide an in-depth understanding of the consequences of parents providing alcohol to their children and when, where and how this can be done to minimise harm. This is a national priority as alcohol abuse is a leading cause of injury and death among young Australians and developing the knowledge for preventive health care is essential. This research will provide parents with the information they need to give their children a healthier start to life.Read moreRead less
Multi-dimensional Temporal Abstraction to Support Neonatal Clinical Research. Each year, the death of a baby causes grief for thousands of Australian parents, contributes to depression and considerable anxiety in the population. In this work we propose procedures that will significantly reduce this unhappy scenario. The availability of a complex trend and pattern analysis will give Neonatologists access to predictive clinical analysis that has not previously been available locally or internation ....Multi-dimensional Temporal Abstraction to Support Neonatal Clinical Research. Each year, the death of a baby causes grief for thousands of Australian parents, contributes to depression and considerable anxiety in the population. In this work we propose procedures that will significantly reduce this unhappy scenario. The availability of a complex trend and pattern analysis will give Neonatologists access to predictive clinical analysis that has not previously been available locally or internationally. Thus, significant benefits in terms of lower mortality rates and lower long-term disability rates among babies requiring special care is possible. This research will provide the basis for future projects that will support regional hospitals.Read moreRead less
Fear, sadness and alcohol in adolescence: A test of innovative curriculum models to prevent adverse outcomes. Lack of mastery over fear, sadness and alcohol use are risk factors for the common forms of mental ill health. When fully developed, anxiety, depressive and substance use disorders account for three quarters of the disability attributed to mental disorders. While prevention strategies exist, none are universally feasible. Climate schools represents a utility that is acceptable, fits with ....Fear, sadness and alcohol in adolescence: A test of innovative curriculum models to prevent adverse outcomes. Lack of mastery over fear, sadness and alcohol use are risk factors for the common forms of mental ill health. When fully developed, anxiety, depressive and substance use disorders account for three quarters of the disability attributed to mental disorders. While prevention strategies exist, none are universally feasible. Climate schools represents a utility that is acceptable, fits within the school syllabus, is effective, and is scaleable to meet the needs of all schools in Australia. If it reduces the target risk factors by 10-20%, a minimal estimate based on the pilot work, then it will be a most cost effective contribution to promoting and maintaining the good health of the community.
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Quantum Generative Diffusion Models for Molecular Research. This project will devise quantum generative diffusion models to equip classical counterparts with the ability to harness quantum data that naturally arise in molecular research. Theoretical foundations for analysing fast sampling methods with the help of inductive bias regarding the input data and employed circuits will validate efficient quantum generative diffusion models that have training and sampling advantages over classical count ....Quantum Generative Diffusion Models for Molecular Research. This project will devise quantum generative diffusion models to equip classical counterparts with the ability to harness quantum data that naturally arise in molecular research. Theoretical foundations for analysing fast sampling methods with the help of inductive bias regarding the input data and employed circuits will validate efficient quantum generative diffusion models that have training and sampling advantages over classical counterparts. Outcomes include applications in molecular conformation generation, compound screening, and drug design. The innovative research will significantly benefit Australia’s science, industry and health, and will maintain Australia’s global leading role in quantum machine learning and molecular research.Read moreRead less
Paving the way for effective public health interventions for bulimic eating disorders: Understanding stigma and mental health literacy. This research contributes to promoting and maintaining good health. The burden of bulimic eating disorders in the community is high, frequently ignored and increasing. Our research will pave the way for improved understanding of eating disorders and a reduction of stigma in relation to these problems. In so doing, it will lead to reduced shame and suffering for ....Paving the way for effective public health interventions for bulimic eating disorders: Understanding stigma and mental health literacy. This research contributes to promoting and maintaining good health. The burden of bulimic eating disorders in the community is high, frequently ignored and increasing. Our research will pave the way for improved understanding of eating disorders and a reduction of stigma in relation to these problems. In so doing, it will lead to reduced shame and suffering for people with eating disorders and enhance appropriate treatment seeking and the quality of advice received from family, friends and health professionals. A public health intervention based on our findings will contribute to a more tolerant and understanding community.Read moreRead less
A formal foundation for security architecture. Security of computer systems is essential for the maintenance of privacy, confidentiality and integrity of personal, commercial and government data, and the trustworthiness of the computational devices that are embedded in critical societal infrastructure. However, current theoretical understanding of secure systems development is poor. The project will develop our understanding of an emerging approach to the design of secure systems and develop ver ....A formal foundation for security architecture. Security of computer systems is essential for the maintenance of privacy, confidentiality and integrity of personal, commercial and government data, and the trustworthiness of the computational devices that are embedded in critical societal infrastructure. However, current theoretical understanding of secure systems development is poor. The project will develop our understanding of an emerging approach to the design of secure systems and develop verification methods that may be applied to guarantee systems security. Its outcomes will contribute to processes for certifying systems at very high levels of security, a requirement in defence and government settings that will become increasingly significant in the commercial sector.Read moreRead less
Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment - Cost-Benefit Model Systems to Assist with Priority Setting. The key benefit of the proposal to develop linked chronic disease models that are able to account for comorbidities will be that a much more accurate picture of the health and financial implications of chronic diseases will be obtainable than with the traditional 'disease-by-disease' based studies. Such a global approach is particularly relevant to analysis of chronic disease prevention and/or ....Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment - Cost-Benefit Model Systems to Assist with Priority Setting. The key benefit of the proposal to develop linked chronic disease models that are able to account for comorbidities will be that a much more accurate picture of the health and financial implications of chronic diseases will be obtainable than with the traditional 'disease-by-disease' based studies. Such a global approach is particularly relevant to analysis of chronic disease prevention and/or treatment, because the lifestyle related risk factors are common to many such diseases. Overall, the linked models will be able to improve on current decision making processes, providing a more complete view of chronic disease costs and benefits - either today, or in future - under different prevention or treatment scenarios.Read moreRead less
Short sleep as a cause of obesity: a longitudinal examination of Australian children and adults. This project will examine whether short sleep durations predict weight gain and obesity in Australian children and adults. The findings will have potentially important implications for how obesity is treated and prevented in Australia.
Chemical and Biochemical Characterisation of Novel Iron Chelators with Therapeutic Potential. Iron is essential for life, but iron-overload is a potentially fatal condition. There is no natural mechanism to excrete iron in humans, so patients suffering from iron-overload disorders are treated with the chelator Desferal to enable iron excretion typically from an early age. Desferal is orally ineffective and must be given by subcutaneous infusion (12-24h, 5-6 days/week) resulting in poor patient c ....Chemical and Biochemical Characterisation of Novel Iron Chelators with Therapeutic Potential. Iron is essential for life, but iron-overload is a potentially fatal condition. There is no natural mechanism to excrete iron in humans, so patients suffering from iron-overload disorders are treated with the chelator Desferal to enable iron excretion typically from an early age. Desferal is orally ineffective and must be given by subcutaneous infusion (12-24h, 5-6 days/week) resulting in poor patient compliance. We will conduct critical chemical and biological experiments with a new series of potentially orally active iron chelators identified in our lab. The results from this project will be vital for the development of these compounds as pharmaceuticals.Read moreRead less
Mathematical modelling can provide vital information on the effectiveness and practical implementation of microbicides and vaccines against HIV. This project will produce mathematical models of the earliest stages of HIV infection suitable for investigation of the implementation of vaccines and microbicides. It will provide a framework to investigate why these interventions have performed poorly to date, and how these may be better implemented.