Development of a Cost-Effective Organic-Inorganic Nanocomposite for High Quality Gravure Printing. Gravure printing is the printing process of choice for long runs and high quality. The conventional process involves the manufacture of copper-plated, chrome-coated cylinders into which the desired image is engraved. The cylinders have high manufacturing and operating costs. The chemicals used in the process are highly toxic and therefore pose major threats to humans and environment. This proposa ....Development of a Cost-Effective Organic-Inorganic Nanocomposite for High Quality Gravure Printing. Gravure printing is the printing process of choice for long runs and high quality. The conventional process involves the manufacture of copper-plated, chrome-coated cylinders into which the desired image is engraved. The cylinders have high manufacturing and operating costs. The chemicals used in the process are highly toxic and therefore pose major threats to humans and environment. This proposal outlines the first attempts to develop a new and innovative hybrid organic-inorganic nanocomposite material to replace the copper plating and chrome coating. The success of the project will offer high quality, affordable and environmentally friendly printing service to both local and international clientele.
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Advanced lanthanide-doped nanomaterials for new-generation security inks. Current security labelling technologies using pattern coding (“barcoding”) and/or UV-excited phosphorescent inks are relatively easily counterfeited. The project aims to identify optimal design, fabrication and surface treatment of infrared-excited lanthanide nanoparticles for use as pigments in UV-curable polymer inks. This is expected to result in a new-generation of jet-printable security inks with ultimate capability f ....Advanced lanthanide-doped nanomaterials for new-generation security inks. Current security labelling technologies using pattern coding (“barcoding”) and/or UV-excited phosphorescent inks are relatively easily counterfeited. The project aims to identify optimal design, fabrication and surface treatment of infrared-excited lanthanide nanoparticles for use as pigments in UV-curable polymer inks. This is expected to result in a new-generation of jet-printable security inks with ultimate capability for multidimensional coding (using multiple luminescence wavelengths and lifetimes) and robust readability. Expected outcomes are world leadership in codable inks for secure labelling against counterfeiting, greatly enhancing both global ink-product sales and the value of Australian exports subject to product substitution.Read moreRead less
Community Publishing in Regional Australia. This project aims to find new ways to support the increasing number of regional Australians, including regional Indigenous Australians, who use digital technologies to write and publish their own books. This project expects to create advanced knowledge of these community practices and their cultural and economic significance, shifting questions about the future of the book from multinational firms to regional communities. Expected outcomes include tool ....Community Publishing in Regional Australia. This project aims to find new ways to support the increasing number of regional Australians, including regional Indigenous Australians, who use digital technologies to write and publish their own books. This project expects to create advanced knowledge of these community practices and their cultural and economic significance, shifting questions about the future of the book from multinational firms to regional communities. Expected outcomes include toolkits to provide access and skills development for regional Australians, and market knowledge for industry. This should provide significant benefits including market development to ensure the Australian book industry’s sustainability and new methods to advance regional Australia’s culture.Read moreRead less
New-generation starch-based paper coatings. This project is to make a new hybrid biomaterial which encapsulates starch in a synthetic polymer latex for use in paper manufacture. A novel process has been devised for this by the parties. This project is the fundamental research and development needed to turn successful preliminary experiments into commercial reality; it involves a unique combination of cereal and polymer scientists and paper technologists. The product has the potential to set up a ....New-generation starch-based paper coatings. This project is to make a new hybrid biomaterial which encapsulates starch in a synthetic polymer latex for use in paper manufacture. A novel process has been devised for this by the parties. This project is the fundamental research and development needed to turn successful preliminary experiments into commercial reality; it involves a unique combination of cereal and polymer scientists and paper technologists. The product has the potential to set up a new industry to use starch from Australian cereal grains to replace imports and create new markets, as well as reducing environmental problems from paper manufacture.Read moreRead less
Reduced water usage in the Australian pulp and paper industry through novel process chemistry. Norske Skog Paper Mill operates two paper mills on major rivers in Australia. For these mills to reduce water consumption greater recycling of the process water is needed which results in a build-up of detrimental substances that will affect paper machine performance and efficiency. The knowledge gained from this project will help the paper mills to find strategies to control the build-up of the detr ....Reduced water usage in the Australian pulp and paper industry through novel process chemistry. Norske Skog Paper Mill operates two paper mills on major rivers in Australia. For these mills to reduce water consumption greater recycling of the process water is needed which results in a build-up of detrimental substances that will affect paper machine performance and efficiency. The knowledge gained from this project will help the paper mills to find strategies to control the build-up of the detrimental material and deal with it in such a way that the process water can be recycled and the paper mills can reduce water consumption.Read moreRead less
Colloid interactions and extraction in sustainable, water efficient paper manufacture. This project will investigate the causes of wood extractive deposits on modern high-speed printing surfaces. The project will also develop alternatives to prevent their deposition in an environmentally sustainable manner, and to remove them from the paper making process allowing their utilisation as valuable natural products.
The Australian Book Industry: Authors, publishers and readers in a time of change. The Australian book sector contributes over $2 billion annually to the economy and is one of our most important creative industries. But the rise of e-books and other developments in digital technologies are leading to paradigmatic change across the entire book supply chain. This project addresses the nature of responses to these changes at three principal points in the chain: authors, publishers and readers. The ....The Australian Book Industry: Authors, publishers and readers in a time of change. The Australian book sector contributes over $2 billion annually to the economy and is one of our most important creative industries. But the rise of e-books and other developments in digital technologies are leading to paradigmatic change across the entire book supply chain. This project addresses the nature of responses to these changes at three principal points in the chain: authors, publishers and readers. The project develops an innovative approach to analysing the contribution the book industry makes to the Australian economy and to our national cultural life. It will generate extensive new data and analyses to inform government and industry policy-making at this critical period in the industry’s history.Read moreRead less
The rise of mistrust: Digital platforms and trust in news media. This project aims to investigate how trust and mistrust in news changes audiences’ behaviours as they increasingly access news through digital platforms. Observing the global crisis of trust, the project will undertake a longitudinal analysis of trust and mistrust in news, a four-country experiment that links trust and audience responses, and an in-depth qualitative study that provides specific contexts of these choices. The resear ....The rise of mistrust: Digital platforms and trust in news media. This project aims to investigate how trust and mistrust in news changes audiences’ behaviours as they increasingly access news through digital platforms. Observing the global crisis of trust, the project will undertake a longitudinal analysis of trust and mistrust in news, a four-country experiment that links trust and audience responses, and an in-depth qualitative study that provides specific contexts of these choices. The research will directly benefit policy makers, as it addresses questions of how to better secure trustworthy news content in an age of increasing dominance of digital platforms that algorithmically sort the range of news available to the Australian public.
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Enhancing information credibility using mathematical prediction. The aim of this project is to develop theory, techniques, mathematical tools and practical algorithms for rumor detection and forecast in social media to enhance credibility of news, especially in time-sensitive situations and trending events. This project will significantly advance human knowledge of rumor formation, detection, and forecast, which will enable timely and efficient counter attacks. The outcomes from this project wil ....Enhancing information credibility using mathematical prediction. The aim of this project is to develop theory, techniques, mathematical tools and practical algorithms for rumor detection and forecast in social media to enhance credibility of news, especially in time-sensitive situations and trending events. This project will significantly advance human knowledge of rumor formation, detection, and forecast, which will enable timely and efficient counter attacks. The outcomes from this project will offer a reliable information environment for our society.Read moreRead less
The impact of location-specific urban digital social information networks and public displays on the City of Melbourne. The purpose of this project is to enhance the city as a vibrant destination by taking digital content and anchoring it in the physical world. The outcomes will be physical nodes of interaction in urban cultural hubs - e.g., museums, libraries, cafes - allowing users to post media, stories and events that are locally relevant for others to consume.