Topological Approaches for Three Dimensional Graph Drawing. Human analysis of huge quantities of relational data in biotechnology, web engineering, social networks, and computer networks requires visualization. In recent years, three-dimensional visualisation has promised to give new insights into such abstract data. However the past ten years of visualization research has had very little impact on the industry; visualization software providers have not adopted visualization methods developed b ....Topological Approaches for Three Dimensional Graph Drawing. Human analysis of huge quantities of relational data in biotechnology, web engineering, social networks, and computer networks requires visualization. In recent years, three-dimensional visualisation has promised to give new insights into such abstract data. However the past ten years of visualization research has had very little impact on the industry; visualization software providers have not adopted visualization methods developed by academics. We hypothesise that current 3D relational visualization methods fail because they do not pay attention to the human perception of topology. In this project we will leverage mathematical topology to construct new methods for the 3D visualization of relational data.
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New Methods for Interactive Visualization of Large Microarray Data Sets. This project will investigate methods for visualising graphs produced by AI-based analysis of real-world biological data. These new visualisation methods will assist biologists to develop new DNA Microarray experiments, the source of raw data for visualisation. Data from new enhanced experiments, plus background knowledge from integrated public databases will produce richer data for visualisation, thus creating a positive f ....New Methods for Interactive Visualization of Large Microarray Data Sets. This project will investigate methods for visualising graphs produced by AI-based analysis of real-world biological data. These new visualisation methods will assist biologists to develop new DNA Microarray experiments, the source of raw data for visualisation. Data from new enhanced experiments, plus background knowledge from integrated public databases will produce richer data for visualisation, thus creating a positive feedback loop in the course of research into both topics.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre for Complex Systems. The Australian Centre for Complex Systems brings together leading researchers from several disciplines and institutions to conduct research on questions fundamental to understanding and managing complex systems. Its core research program, based on the theme of computation in and by networks of agents, has two interwoven strands. The science strand addresses questions about emergent properties, natural computation, and nonlinear dynamics. The engineering strand add ....ARC Centre for Complex Systems. The Australian Centre for Complex Systems brings together leading researchers from several disciplines and institutions to conduct research on questions fundamental to understanding and managing complex systems. Its core research program, based on the theme of computation in and by networks of agents, has two interwoven strands. The science strand addresses questions about emergent properties, natural computation, and nonlinear dynamics. The engineering strand addresses issues about methodology, modelling toolkits, and management and control. Practical applications are advanced via collaborative projects that address key issues in biology, environment, and socio-economics.Read moreRead less
Statistical and Mathematical Analyses of Sequence and Array Data. Development of mathematical and statistical methods and tools in bioinformation science will ensure that Australia is at the cutting-edge of modern biology. This will enhance Australia's reputation for dealing with the exponentially growing body of genomic data emerging from life sciences laboratories throughout the world. The proposed project has a broad range of potential applications in biotechnology, particularly in the medic ....Statistical and Mathematical Analyses of Sequence and Array Data. Development of mathematical and statistical methods and tools in bioinformation science will ensure that Australia is at the cutting-edge of modern biology. This will enhance Australia's reputation for dealing with the exponentially growing body of genomic data emerging from life sciences laboratories throughout the world. The proposed project has a broad range of potential applications in biotechnology, particularly in the medical and agricultural industries. Examples include improvements to livestock, in plant breeding such as drought resistance, and better genetic disease diagnosis, including earlier cancer diagnosis, and personalised treatment.Read moreRead less
From genotype to phenotype - systems biology bridging the gap. This project is basic research at the forefront of international science and deals with a fundamental question of modern biology: 'How do genes determine the makeup of an organism?' The main outcome will be a deeper understanding of the internal working mechanisms of a higher organism. The project combines some of the most advanced systems technologies - genomics, proteomics, metabonomics, fluxomics and computational biology in a nov ....From genotype to phenotype - systems biology bridging the gap. This project is basic research at the forefront of international science and deals with a fundamental question of modern biology: 'How do genes determine the makeup of an organism?' The main outcome will be a deeper understanding of the internal working mechanisms of a higher organism. The project combines some of the most advanced systems technologies - genomics, proteomics, metabonomics, fluxomics and computational biology in a novel and unique way. This combination is in itself a major advancement of scientific methods that will accelerate discovery in the field of systems biology. In this respect, the project is a premier example of the priority goal Breakthrough Science and of the national research priority Frontier Technologies.Read moreRead less
Comparative Biogeography of Australasian biota. Establishing an internationally recognised biogeographical research program will help scientists, policy makers and the public understand the past and future distribution patterns of the plants and animals of Australia. Discovering these patterns will help conservation biologists and government implement the right policies and practices to deal with biodiversity loss and climate change.
Genetic variation of transcriptional control. Genetic variation is a key cause phenotype differences in humans, animals, and plants and so of great economic importance. Despite its proven importance to human diseases, ?quantitative? variation in the amount of gene expression rather than ?qualitative? protein sequence changes, has not been systematically studied. We have developed a powerful method to identify genetic causes of quantitative variation using crosses of inbred mice in conjunction wi ....Genetic variation of transcriptional control. Genetic variation is a key cause phenotype differences in humans, animals, and plants and so of great economic importance. Despite its proven importance to human diseases, ?quantitative? variation in the amount of gene expression rather than ?qualitative? protein sequence changes, has not been systematically studied. We have developed a powerful method to identify genetic causes of quantitative variation using crosses of inbred mice in conjunction with microarray techniques to analyse expression of thousands of genes simultaneously. These studies will be extended to humans and be significant to wide areas of biological and commercial activity.Read moreRead less
Wireless microvalve for biomedical applications. This program will investigate and perform an in-laboratory proof-of-concept demonstration of a polymer microvalve that can operate by a remote control radio signal. This will be a wireless microvalve that does not require a battery power source. This advance in the technology and scientific knowledge will have important applications for humankind ranging from drug delivery devices to through to valves in chips that can perform microfluidic chemica ....Wireless microvalve for biomedical applications. This program will investigate and perform an in-laboratory proof-of-concept demonstration of a polymer microvalve that can operate by a remote control radio signal. This will be a wireless microvalve that does not require a battery power source. This advance in the technology and scientific knowledge will have important applications for humankind ranging from drug delivery devices to through to valves in chips that can perform microfluidic chemical analysis. A far reaching long-range vision is its use in electronically reversible male fertility control. The community benefit in terms of novel biomedical devices and the resulting large international commercial market is significant.Read moreRead less
Behaviour of large networks of neurons in a functioning organ: a realistic computer-based model of the enteric nervous system. The organisation of the gut nervous system is well understood, but how nerve cells cooperate to control gut movements and secretions are matters of conjecture. We will test these conjectures by simulating the behaviour of the gut nervous system using an anatomically and physiologically realistic computer model to predict the way the gut responds to specific stimuli and t ....Behaviour of large networks of neurons in a functioning organ: a realistic computer-based model of the enteric nervous system. The organisation of the gut nervous system is well understood, but how nerve cells cooperate to control gut movements and secretions are matters of conjecture. We will test these conjectures by simulating the behaviour of the gut nervous system using an anatomically and physiologically realistic computer model to predict the way the gut responds to specific stimuli and test these predictions using novel methods for recording gut movements and nervous activity. This will provide the first complete description of how a mammalian nervous system generates complex behaviours and will provide substantial pointers to how other nervous systems achieve similar tasks.Read moreRead less
Functionally characterizing mammalian microRNAs and mRNA interactions controlling cell division. This project addresses some of the most burning issues in molecular biology and genetic research, and the results will be widely applicable to a broad range of fields, including biotechnology, animal breeding, agricultural production, genetic engineering, medical science, and computational biology. By understanding the regulatory potential of microRNA molecules, we will understand more about species ....Functionally characterizing mammalian microRNAs and mRNA interactions controlling cell division. This project addresses some of the most burning issues in molecular biology and genetic research, and the results will be widely applicable to a broad range of fields, including biotechnology, animal breeding, agricultural production, genetic engineering, medical science, and computational biology. By understanding the regulatory potential of microRNA molecules, we will understand more about species diversity, regulatory networks, and plant and animal development. The early adoption of multi-gigabase next-generation sequencing technology in Australia provides rare and exciting opportunity to lead the world in genome-scale research, and to ensure that Australia has the necessary skill base to remain internationally competitive in this field.Read moreRead less