Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration and its components. This project aims to demonstrate how temperate evergreen forests could buffer against climate change. Soil respiration returns around half the carbon taken up by forests to the atmosphere. This project will characterise and quantify how microbes and roots in soils depend on temperature and substrate supply, and so predict how rising temperatures and drought will affect forests as natural carbon sequestration sinks. This project will ....Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration and its components. This project aims to demonstrate how temperate evergreen forests could buffer against climate change. Soil respiration returns around half the carbon taken up by forests to the atmosphere. This project will characterise and quantify how microbes and roots in soils depend on temperature and substrate supply, and so predict how rising temperatures and drought will affect forests as natural carbon sequestration sinks. This project will resolve the roles of environmental drivers of soil respiration across forests; integrate mechanistic understanding of differing plant and microbial responses to temperature within a common modelling framework; and evaluate the implications of this knowledge in predictions of climatic impacts on terrestrial carbon cycling.Read moreRead less
Methane and nitrous oxide in agro-ecological systems: novel technologies and understandings to improve ecosystem management. Methane and nitrous oxide are critical greenhouse gases but globally we lack ecosystem scale analyses of the balance of emissions, including animal emissions, and soil oxidation. This project will quantify this balance for a range of agro-ecosystems, and explore and develop opportunities for improving soil-based Greenhouse Gas (GHG) mitigation measures.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100123
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,000.00
Summary
Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated CO2 free air research facility. Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated carbon dioxide-free air research facility: This project will provide infrastructure upgrades to the Australian Grains Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (AGFACE) facility, globally the only FACE facility in low rainfall, non-irrigated agri-ecosystems. Low rainfall, non-irrigated agriculture systems play a very significant role in global crop production and are predicted to ....Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated CO2 free air research facility. Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated carbon dioxide-free air research facility: This project will provide infrastructure upgrades to the Australian Grains Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (AGFACE) facility, globally the only FACE facility in low rainfall, non-irrigated agri-ecosystems. Low rainfall, non-irrigated agriculture systems play a very significant role in global crop production and are predicted to be negatively affected by climate changes. The requested infrastructure will enable direct, plot scale measurements of crop water balance and water status, including crucial influence factors such as root growth and architecture and crop canopy temperatures, and allow manipulation experiments to develop adaptation options to improve crop resource use efficiencies. Read moreRead less
Development of a new diet to improve insulin sensitivity and manage weight in healthy cats. This project will determine if a low carbohydrate, moderate fat, high protein diet improves insulin sensitivity and reduces weight gain in cats compared to a typical high-carbohydrate grocery line diet. It will identify risk factors for weight gain such as increased fasting insulin concentration and will also determine which simple assessment of insulin sensitivity best correlates with insulin sensitivity ....Development of a new diet to improve insulin sensitivity and manage weight in healthy cats. This project will determine if a low carbohydrate, moderate fat, high protein diet improves insulin sensitivity and reduces weight gain in cats compared to a typical high-carbohydrate grocery line diet. It will identify risk factors for weight gain such as increased fasting insulin concentration and will also determine which simple assessment of insulin sensitivity best correlates with insulin sensitivity measured by a gold standard. This project should lead to the formulation of a diet designed to improve insulin sensitivity and minimize weight gain in cats, and allow for earlier identification of cats at risk of obesity.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC150100026
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,732,019.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation. ARC Training Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation. This training centre aims to transform the way that horticulture industries combat invasive fruit flies that threaten Australian crops, which are valued at $9 billion per year. For generations, Australia has relied on insecticides to protect crops. Owing to environmental damage and concerns for consumer health, the most effective insecticides have recently been banned for use on ma ....ARC Training Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation. ARC Training Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation. This training centre aims to transform the way that horticulture industries combat invasive fruit flies that threaten Australian crops, which are valued at $9 billion per year. For generations, Australia has relied on insecticides to protect crops. Owing to environmental damage and concerns for consumer health, the most effective insecticides have recently been banned for use on many crops leaving no equivalent replacements. Horticulture industries are unprepared for this change, and are in desperate need of new sustainable practices to combat fruit flies. New researchers who are trained in both scientific approach and practical application will be well placed to deliver these new tools.Read moreRead less
Early life nutrition to improve feed efficiency in commercial dairy goats. This project aims to improve the productivity and welfare and reduce resource waste in commercial dairy goat kids. The Australian dairy goat industry is expanding (~20% per annum) yet there is little research to overcome hurdles to improving milk and meat production. There is also increased societal pressure to improve sustainability, reduce waste and maintain animal welfare. By investigating nutritional methods to improv ....Early life nutrition to improve feed efficiency in commercial dairy goats. This project aims to improve the productivity and welfare and reduce resource waste in commercial dairy goat kids. The Australian dairy goat industry is expanding (~20% per annum) yet there is little research to overcome hurdles to improving milk and meat production. There is also increased societal pressure to improve sustainability, reduce waste and maintain animal welfare. By investigating nutritional methods to improve productivity of male (for meat) and female (for milk) kids, this project will generate new knowledge relevant to Australian and international goat production systems. This project will assist goat producers to make decisions that maximise animal productivity with flow on benefits to manufacturers of goat products. Read moreRead less
Solving smoke taint: Overcoming the impacts of vineyard exposure to smoke. Vineyard exposure to bushfire smoke can taint grapes, causing significant revenue losses where smoky, ashy characters render wine unsaleable. Smoke taint therefore remains an ongoing threat to the viability of the wine industry. This project aims to safeguard grape and wine quality by building the wine industry’s capacity to predict, mitigate and respond to risk associated with vineyard smoke exposure. Expected outcomes i ....Solving smoke taint: Overcoming the impacts of vineyard exposure to smoke. Vineyard exposure to bushfire smoke can taint grapes, causing significant revenue losses where smoky, ashy characters render wine unsaleable. Smoke taint therefore remains an ongoing threat to the viability of the wine industry. This project aims to safeguard grape and wine quality by building the wine industry’s capacity to predict, mitigate and respond to risk associated with vineyard smoke exposure. Expected outcomes include establishing the mechanism by which smoke compounds are taken up by grapes and the factors that influence their sensory impact on wine. The development of innovative and interdisciplinary strategies for detecting and alleviating smoke taint will deliver important economic benefit to the Australian wine sector.Read moreRead less
How to make antibiotics in pig feed redundant, naturally. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major issue in human and veterinary medicine being partially caused by the use of in-feed antimicrobials in farm animals. This project aims to completely eliminate antimicrobials from piglet feeds. The key differential approach is based on helping the physiology of the animal rather than testing interventions against bacteria. The project will consist of developing a novel nutritional strategy of natu ....How to make antibiotics in pig feed redundant, naturally. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major issue in human and veterinary medicine being partially caused by the use of in-feed antimicrobials in farm animals. This project aims to completely eliminate antimicrobials from piglet feeds. The key differential approach is based on helping the physiology of the animal rather than testing interventions against bacteria. The project will consist of developing a novel nutritional strategy of naturally (through maternal conditioning) boosting the natural appetite and the capacity to digest in piglets early in life. The anticipated outcome is that the new peri-natal program will result in minimal bacterial proliferation and diarrhoea thus, negating the need for in-feed antimicrobials in piglets. Read moreRead less
Advancement Of A Personalised Approach To Minimising Infective Complications In Cancer Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$265,138.00
Summary
Managing infections in patients with cancer have become more difficult and unpredictable because of new generation cancer therapies. Measuring the response of the immune system (immune profiling) will allow us to predict which patients will develop infection so that action such as vaccination can be taken to reduce their risk. This program will refine immune profiling to personalise infection care for cancer patients and to introduce it into hospital practice.
Signaling Pathways To Enhance Potency Of AMPK-targeting Drugs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$661,966.00
Summary
Sedentary lifestyles and consumption of high energy foods has led to epidemics of obesity-related metabolic diseases that place enormous financial and medical burden on the Australian economy. An attractive drug target to treat these diseases is AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) which functions as both a cellular fuel gauge and co-ordinator of whole-body metabolism. Our goal is to improve AMPK drug potency by identifying novel processes that sensitize AMPK to drugs.