Determining the impact of protozoan pathogens and strongyle worms on prime lamb production. This research will benefit wool and prime lamb industries nation-wide as sheep scouring is prevalent in high-rainfall areas across Australia. Data generated from the project will be used to educate farmers and reduce the financial burden of sheep scouring. This project will also enhance Australia's reputation in the disease management sector and will result in reduced risk to public health due to a better ....Determining the impact of protozoan pathogens and strongyle worms on prime lamb production. This research will benefit wool and prime lamb industries nation-wide as sheep scouring is prevalent in high-rainfall areas across Australia. Data generated from the project will be used to educate farmers and reduce the financial burden of sheep scouring. This project will also enhance Australia's reputation in the disease management sector and will result in reduced risk to public health due to a better understanding and management of zoonotic parasite and microbacterial contamination of carcasses and water catchments.Read moreRead less
Brain temperature regulation in mammals: mechanisms and consequences. Mammals detect increases in body temperature predominantly in the brain. Counterintuitively many mammals selectively cool the brain during heat stress, which appears to defeat the mechanism for inducing cooling responses. We intend to investigate this apparent anomaly which we believe is concerned with optimizing water use in hot conditions. We will further investigate the source of water for evaporative cooling by panting and ....Brain temperature regulation in mammals: mechanisms and consequences. Mammals detect increases in body temperature predominantly in the brain. Counterintuitively many mammals selectively cool the brain during heat stress, which appears to defeat the mechanism for inducing cooling responses. We intend to investigate this apparent anomaly which we believe is concerned with optimizing water use in hot conditions. We will further investigate the source of water for evaporative cooling by panting and discover if there has been convergent evolution in thermoregulatory strategies in the eutherian and marsupial lineages. The data we collect will be used to support a new model for thermoregulation in mammals.
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The critical role of kisspeptin/neurokinin/dynorphin (KNDy) neurons in gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) release. The brain controls fertility through the secretion of its primary stimulatory factor, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). Brain cells producing three key peptide hormones, kisspeptin, neurokin B and dynorphin (termed KNDy cells) are vital for the control of GnRH. This project will detail the role of KNDy cells in puberty and reproduction.
Modelling the structure of Australian wool auction prices. Australian wool auction ($3.5-4 billions per year) is an on-going process. The prices paid in this auction market are used by the Australian production and service sectors to identify the quality preferences the international retail markets and the intermediate processors. The proposed research will optimise the information that can be extracted and used by these sectors in the production and distribution of the raw wool clip. A two- ....Modelling the structure of Australian wool auction prices. Australian wool auction ($3.5-4 billions per year) is an on-going process. The prices paid in this auction market are used by the Australian production and service sectors to identify the quality preferences the international retail markets and the intermediate processors. The proposed research will optimise the information that can be extracted and used by these sectors in the production and distribution of the raw wool clip. A two-stages algorithm in tree-based regression will be developed. The project will provide a challenge environment to train a Ph.D. student in agriculture modelling and optimisation.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560987
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$156,697.00
Summary
Robust High Resolution Gene and Protein Expression Analysis Facilities in WA. Biological research is playing an increasingly important role in keeping agriculture internationally competitive and helping to unravel the basic mechanisms underpinning plant and animal health. This collaborative research equipment will greatly enhance and extend our existing functional genomic facilities in WA, allowing robust pre-fractionation of samples for directed proteomic analysis within complex systems and al ....Robust High Resolution Gene and Protein Expression Analysis Facilities in WA. Biological research is playing an increasingly important role in keeping agriculture internationally competitive and helping to unravel the basic mechanisms underpinning plant and animal health. This collaborative research equipment will greatly enhance and extend our existing functional genomic facilities in WA, allowing robust pre-fractionation of samples for directed proteomic analysis within complex systems and allowing accurate and sensitive measurement of gene expression. Both of these are critical for analysis of low abundance components involved in signalling and regulatory functions in biological samples.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453722
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,240.00
Summary
Collaborative Genomics, Proteomics and Metabolomics Facility for Western Australia. Plant and animal agriculture in Western Australia contributes $6billion per annum to the nation. Biotechnology is playing an increasingly important role in keeping agriculture internationally competitive, and requires investment in platform technologies to underpin basic and applied research. This collaborative project will provide state-of-the-art equipment and extend existing joint facilities that will enable ....Collaborative Genomics, Proteomics and Metabolomics Facility for Western Australia. Plant and animal agriculture in Western Australia contributes $6billion per annum to the nation. Biotechnology is playing an increasingly important role in keeping agriculture internationally competitive, and requires investment in platform technologies to underpin basic and applied research. This collaborative project will provide state-of-the-art equipment and extend existing joint facilities that will enable WA researchers to carry out high quality research on genomics, proteomics and the metabolic functioning of plants and animals. This will generate new knowledge, provide advanced training and help ensure that Australian R&D in agricultural biotechnology stays at the forefront and benefits the nation.Read moreRead less
Stimulation of the mammalian reproductive system by olfactory pathways. This project answers fundamental questions about mammalian reproductive biology but, because we work with the sheep model, our findings can be applied to two of Australia's biggest export industries, wool and sheepmeat. Understanding the reproductive responses of our production animals to exteroceptive factors such as socio-sexual signals, photoperiod and nutrition is an important first step towards refining the management ....Stimulation of the mammalian reproductive system by olfactory pathways. This project answers fundamental questions about mammalian reproductive biology but, because we work with the sheep model, our findings can be applied to two of Australia's biggest export industries, wool and sheepmeat. Understanding the reproductive responses of our production animals to exteroceptive factors such as socio-sexual signals, photoperiod and nutrition is an important first step towards refining the management of breeding programs. It has been argued that this approach will also minimise, and perhaps even remove the need for, exogenous hormones and drugs for controlling the reproductive process.Read moreRead less
Brain Regulation of Reproduction: Challenging the ‘KNDy’ Hypothesis. The brain switches reproduction on and off by changing the frequency of pulses of gonadotrophin releasing hormone. The processes that produce the pulses have been a puzzle for decades but, recently, brain cells that produce three peptides (kisspeptin, neurokinin B, dynorphin), known as ‘KNDy cells’, have been heralded as the ‘missing link’, or even the ‘pulse generator’. Using sheep, this project will challenge the KNDy hypothe ....Brain Regulation of Reproduction: Challenging the ‘KNDy’ Hypothesis. The brain switches reproduction on and off by changing the frequency of pulses of gonadotrophin releasing hormone. The processes that produce the pulses have been a puzzle for decades but, recently, brain cells that produce three peptides (kisspeptin, neurokinin B, dynorphin), known as ‘KNDy cells’, have been heralded as the ‘missing link’, or even the ‘pulse generator’. Using sheep, this project will challenge the KNDy hypothesis with pheromones and with acute increases in nutrition, two factors that rapidly increase the frequency of gonadotrophin releasing hormone pulses. The outcomes of this research are directly relevant to the optimisation of reproductive management in farm animals, wildlife and humans.Read moreRead less
Bahavioural Determinants of the Adoption of Forward Market by Australian Wool Producers. It is estimated that 85% of Australian wool is sold in Auction, making it the dominant market system to sell wool. However, wool prices have fluctuated significantly in the auction system resulting in wool producers looking for alternative market systems. The Forward Market (selling wool in advance directly to the traders) is one such alternative market system which could offer guaranteed price to the wool p ....Bahavioural Determinants of the Adoption of Forward Market by Australian Wool Producers. It is estimated that 85% of Australian wool is sold in Auction, making it the dominant market system to sell wool. However, wool prices have fluctuated significantly in the auction system resulting in wool producers looking for alternative market systems. The Forward Market (selling wool in advance directly to the traders) is one such alternative market system which could offer guaranteed price to the wool producers. Despite its obvious advantages only 7% of wool producers sell wool through Forward Market system. This project investigates the behavioural determinants for the adoption of Forward Market system by the wool producers. We will develop a valid and reliable adoption model using Structural Equation Modelling approach through two rounds of data collection from the wool producers. The results will enhance wool industry's understanding of producers? response to the Forward Market system and thus help the policy makers to promote the alternative market system effectively. Read moreRead less