Listen and learn - statistical learning and the adapting auditory brain. This project aims to explore the link between rapid neural adaptation - a form of learning referred to as statistical learning - and human listening performance in noisy environments. The project aims to generate a new understanding of mechanisms that contribute to listeners' abilities to understand speech in noise, and to complex communication disorders such as dyslexia. Expected outcomes will include increased capacity to ....Listen and learn - statistical learning and the adapting auditory brain. This project aims to explore the link between rapid neural adaptation - a form of learning referred to as statistical learning - and human listening performance in noisy environments. The project aims to generate a new understanding of mechanisms that contribute to listeners' abilities to understand speech in noise, and to complex communication disorders such as dyslexia. Expected outcomes will include increased capacity to investigate a broad range of cognitive and communication functions. Benefits will include potential technologies and algorithms to assist listening (in devices such as hearing aids), language development and reading.Read moreRead less
AUSLearn: AUtomated Sample Learning for Object Recognition. This project aims to enable computers to learn how to effectively use training samples for object recognition. Training sample is the only source used by computers to learn recognising objects. This project creates a new research direction that will enable the first full exploration of the power of samples. The aims will be enabled by leveraging the recent advances in reinforcement learning, fast training algorithms, and by developing n ....AUSLearn: AUtomated Sample Learning for Object Recognition. This project aims to enable computers to learn how to effectively use training samples for object recognition. Training sample is the only source used by computers to learn recognising objects. This project creates a new research direction that will enable the first full exploration of the power of samples. The aims will be enabled by leveraging the recent advances in reinforcement learning, fast training algorithms, and by developing novel deep learning algorithms. The new algorithms will benefit a wide range of applications, e.g. to effectively use car crash training samples for accurately identifying potential road crashes in transport and to effectively use rare medical imaging training data for robustly diagnosing diseases in health.Read moreRead less
Ultra-low fouling active surfaces. This project aims to develop chemistries and fabrication approaches through innovative materials evaluation to develop ultra-low fouling active electrode surfaces. Development of ultra-low fouling surfaces will have significant impact in a range of applications where system or device failure is attributed to fouling. The growing field of bionics, where implantable electronic devices interface directly with the nervous system, is one such device. The expected ou ....Ultra-low fouling active surfaces. This project aims to develop chemistries and fabrication approaches through innovative materials evaluation to develop ultra-low fouling active electrode surfaces. Development of ultra-low fouling surfaces will have significant impact in a range of applications where system or device failure is attributed to fouling. The growing field of bionics, where implantable electronic devices interface directly with the nervous system, is one such device. The expected outcomes will be an understanding of the material requirements that lead to the elimination of protein and cell accumulation at surfaces that degrades the performance and lifetime of these implants. The findings will benefit any application where fouling is a problem.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100029
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
High Resolution PET-CT for Small Animal Molecular and Anatomical Imaging. This project will integrate a next generation small animal PET-CT instrument into the Sydney Imaging multi-modality imaging ecosystem. PET-CT enables the investigation of molecular function and anatomical structure in complex living organisms. This platform will enable research as diverse as the development and in-vivo characterisation of new chemical probes and nanoparticles that bind to specific protein targets in the bo ....High Resolution PET-CT for Small Animal Molecular and Anatomical Imaging. This project will integrate a next generation small animal PET-CT instrument into the Sydney Imaging multi-modality imaging ecosystem. PET-CT enables the investigation of molecular function and anatomical structure in complex living organisms. This platform will enable research as diverse as the development and in-vivo characterisation of new chemical probes and nanoparticles that bind to specific protein targets in the body, investigating mechanisms of brain plasticity in predictive learning, understanding the molecular pathways involved in neurodegeneration and cancer, developing novel methods for multi-modal image analysis, and developing and validating new radiation detectors for the next generation of imaging technology.Read moreRead less
Motion-adaptive PET technology for brain imaging of freely moving mice. This project aims to develop new brain imaging technology that adapts to and corrects for the motion of a responsive, freely moving mouse. Current technology requires the subject to be unconscious, precluding the use of imaging to study signalling pathways activated by external stimuli during cognitive and behavioural tasks. By harnessing new radiation detector, motion tracking and computational technologies, the project exp ....Motion-adaptive PET technology for brain imaging of freely moving mice. This project aims to develop new brain imaging technology that adapts to and corrects for the motion of a responsive, freely moving mouse. Current technology requires the subject to be unconscious, precluding the use of imaging to study signalling pathways activated by external stimuli during cognitive and behavioural tasks. By harnessing new radiation detector, motion tracking and computational technologies, the project expects to bridge this technology gap and provide significant technical and conceptual advances in the field. This will provide important benefits, such as equipping neuroscientists with new tools to answer fundamental questions about how the mammalian brain regulates behavioural adaptation to a changing environment.Read moreRead less
Does word similarity across languages help or hinder bilingual speakers? This project aims to understand in more detail how bilinguals can accurately speak in both their languages. Speaking is a complex skill, particularly if you have two languages to choose from, which will be true for over half of Australia’s population by 2025. This project aims to investigate the factors that influence speech production in both monolinguals and bilinguals including those with language impairment, and develop ....Does word similarity across languages help or hinder bilingual speakers? This project aims to understand in more detail how bilinguals can accurately speak in both their languages. Speaking is a complex skill, particularly if you have two languages to choose from, which will be true for over half of Australia’s population by 2025. This project aims to investigate the factors that influence speech production in both monolinguals and bilinguals including those with language impairment, and develop a better bilingual theory. The benefit of this new theory will be to provide a clear basis for diagnosis and treatment for children in bilingual households who have problems learning to speak, and for bilingual people with language problems after a stroke or dementia.Read moreRead less
The neural bases of decision-making. The aim of this project is to understand the brain circuits controlling voluntary or goal-directed actions and particularly the memory processes that contribute to such actions. Goal-directed action is a fundamental capacity necessary for normal decision-making that is significantly attenuated by normal aging. This project aims to establish the neural circuits engaged in encoding new goal-directed actions, how this encoding is accomplished without interfering ....The neural bases of decision-making. The aim of this project is to understand the brain circuits controlling voluntary or goal-directed actions and particularly the memory processes that contribute to such actions. Goal-directed action is a fundamental capacity necessary for normal decision-making that is significantly attenuated by normal aging. This project aims to establish the neural circuits engaged in encoding new goal-directed actions, how this encoding is accomplished without interfering with pre-existing memories and how these memories are later retrieved to guide planning and performance. Understanding the determinants of such actions will enable the development of novel ways to treat ageing-related deficits in decision-making with significant economic benefits. Read moreRead less
Relationship of retinal directionality to human retinal anatomy variations. This project aims to improve measurement of retinal directionality, which is the reduction in brightness when a light beam’s entry into the human eye is shifted from the centre to the edge of the pupil. This influences retinal image quality and can be used to measure changes in shape of the peripheral eye. This project will apply advanced technologies in holography, and heads-up displays to explore how retinal directiona ....Relationship of retinal directionality to human retinal anatomy variations. This project aims to improve measurement of retinal directionality, which is the reduction in brightness when a light beam’s entry into the human eye is shifted from the centre to the edge of the pupil. This influences retinal image quality and can be used to measure changes in shape of the peripheral eye. This project will apply advanced technologies in holography, and heads-up displays to explore how retinal directionality changes during accommodation (focusing). The expected outcome is improved understanding of retinal stretching changes during focusing. The benefit is that the project will lead to advancements in retinal imaging.Read moreRead less
How brains become lateralised. This project aims to understand how the left and right sides of the brain become specialised for different cognitive functions, a phenomenon called lateralisation. Lateralisation is one of the least understood organisational principles of the brain, yet is crucial to the way we think and behave. Manifested most clearly as handedness, the brain is lateralised for many cognitive tasks such as language, reasoning, memory and emotion. However, the developmental origin ....How brains become lateralised. This project aims to understand how the left and right sides of the brain become specialised for different cognitive functions, a phenomenon called lateralisation. Lateralisation is one of the least understood organisational principles of the brain, yet is crucial to the way we think and behave. Manifested most clearly as handedness, the brain is lateralised for many cognitive tasks such as language, reasoning, memory and emotion. However, the developmental origin and anatomical substrate of most cognitive asymmetries are unknown. This project will use a chick model of brain lateralisation to quantify and localise to specific brain circuits the patterns of differential gene expression that give rise to anatomical and functional asymmetries.Read moreRead less
How do protein quality control mechanisms maintain neuronal ageing? This project aims to interrogate how mechanisms of protein quality control act in the brain - an organ that is particularly vulnerable to a high load of misfolded protein - to maintain normal physiology during ageing. This project expects to make advances in cellular biochemistry and neuroscience, using an innovative proximity labelling approach to identify quality control regulators in neurons that specifically engage with misf ....How do protein quality control mechanisms maintain neuronal ageing? This project aims to interrogate how mechanisms of protein quality control act in the brain - an organ that is particularly vulnerable to a high load of misfolded protein - to maintain normal physiology during ageing. This project expects to make advances in cellular biochemistry and neuroscience, using an innovative proximity labelling approach to identify quality control regulators in neurons that specifically engage with misfolded proteins during ageing, within the nervous system of a living animal. Expected outcomes of this project will generate new knowledge of brain physiology and ageing relevant to all animals. This should provide significant benefits, such as a greater understanding of long-term brain functions including memory.Read moreRead less