Insulin resistance (the inability of ordinarily insulin-sensitive tissues such as muscle and adipose tissue to respond to insulin) contributes to a number of diseases including diabetes and obesity. A key metabolic step in these tissues is the uptake of glucose from the blood stream. This step is accelerated by insulin thus allowing efficient clearance of glucose from the bloodstream after a meal. Our laboratory has played a major role in showing that insulin regulates glucose uptake into muscle ....Insulin resistance (the inability of ordinarily insulin-sensitive tissues such as muscle and adipose tissue to respond to insulin) contributes to a number of diseases including diabetes and obesity. A key metabolic step in these tissues is the uptake of glucose from the blood stream. This step is accelerated by insulin thus allowing efficient clearance of glucose from the bloodstream after a meal. Our laboratory has played a major role in showing that insulin regulates glucose uptake into muscle and adipose tissue by stimulating the movement of a glucose transport protein from inside the cell to the cell surface (see http:--www.imb.uq.edu.au-groups-james-glut4 for an animated description of this process). The purpose of this proposal is to dissect the molecular mechanisms by which this glucose transporter can be held inside the cell in the absence of insulin and then allowed to be released from this site moving to the surface in the presence of insulin. Our studies over the past 5 years have brought us much closer to understanding this process in detail. The identification of the molecules responsible for this regulatory step will not only aid our understanding of this process but it will also provide a valuable target for development of therapeutic agents that can be used to combat insulin resistance.Read moreRead less
Mechanism Of Action Of Sec1p-like Proteins In Membrane Trafficking
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$234,936.00
Summary
One of the most important evolutionary changes that has occurred is the development of intracellular compartments. All eukaryotic cells possess numerous membrane-encased structures which provide the basis for intracellular specialisation. For example, in order to degrade unwanted components cells have developed degradative enzymes. It is vital for the cell that these enzymes are sequestered away from other cellular components to avoid destruction of valuable molecules. In addition, the cell has ....One of the most important evolutionary changes that has occurred is the development of intracellular compartments. All eukaryotic cells possess numerous membrane-encased structures which provide the basis for intracellular specialisation. For example, in order to degrade unwanted components cells have developed degradative enzymes. It is vital for the cell that these enzymes are sequestered away from other cellular components to avoid destruction of valuable molecules. In addition, the cell has developed a complex assembly line of modifications that are added to proteins in a specific order as they travel to their final destination within the cell. This necessitates the accurate passage of molecules between compartments, a process known as vesicle transport. To orchestrate the complex network of vesicular transport steps between all of the various intracellular compartments it is necessary to employ complex machinery to guide and check that these steps occur with high fidelity. The goal of our research proposal is to define the function of one of the molecules involved in this control process, the so-called Sec1p proteins. The strength of our proposal lies in the diversity of our approach. We intend to explore the molecular advantages of a relatively simple eukaryotic organism, a yeast cell, and apply the findings obtained from this cell to a more complex but highly related vesicular transport process; that of the insulin-regulated movement of a glucose transporter in mammalian fat and muscle cells. While we intend to apply our findings to the treatment of patients with diabetes, it is our ultimate goal to be able to learn more about this fundamental cell biological process so that we can apply our knowledge to understanding many different disease states.Read moreRead less
Wave Climate in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Sea surface roughness has a major influence on global climate modelling. This project will provide a better understanding of the variability of sea waves in coastal waters. New technology of HF ocean radar can map wave fields over coastal waters and thus fill a gap between the open ocean satellite measurements and the point measurements from wave buoys. In this project we will improve the analysis of the radar echoes to produce sea wave spectra, a ....Wave Climate in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Sea surface roughness has a major influence on global climate modelling. This project will provide a better understanding of the variability of sea waves in coastal waters. New technology of HF ocean radar can map wave fields over coastal waters and thus fill a gap between the open ocean satellite measurements and the point measurements from wave buoys. In this project we will improve the analysis of the radar echoes to produce sea wave spectra, and evaluate focussing of waves by complex currents on the continental shelf to help improve wave forecasting in coastal waters. The HF radar will be used to experimentally test current theories of wind wave spreading.Read moreRead less
Funding on the line: public transport financing and property value capture. This project aims to develop property value capture schemes that would provide alternative funding for public transport infrastructure. It plans to model the timing and spatial patterns of property value uplift from recent investments in rail, busways and ferries in Queensland and New South Wales. It then intends to conduct a survey of Australian stakeholders and discrete choice modelling to determine willingness-to-pay. ....Funding on the line: public transport financing and property value capture. This project aims to develop property value capture schemes that would provide alternative funding for public transport infrastructure. It plans to model the timing and spatial patterns of property value uplift from recent investments in rail, busways and ferries in Queensland and New South Wales. It then intends to conduct a survey of Australian stakeholders and discrete choice modelling to determine willingness-to-pay. This data is then expected to be used to develop an institutionally, legally and politically feasible scheme for implementation in Australia, focused on cases including extension to the Gold Coast light rail network.Read moreRead less
Safe and efficient eco-driving using connected and automated vehicles. This project aims to solve the paradox of trading off liveability for mobility by simultaneously reducing traffic congestion, vehicle energy consumption, and emission. This project is expected to generate fundamental knowledge and powerful tools on utilising connected and automated vehicles to help individuals become green drivers. Expected outcomes include ground-breaking models capable of holistically optimising traffic ef ....Safe and efficient eco-driving using connected and automated vehicles. This project aims to solve the paradox of trading off liveability for mobility by simultaneously reducing traffic congestion, vehicle energy consumption, and emission. This project is expected to generate fundamental knowledge and powerful tools on utilising connected and automated vehicles to help individuals become green drivers. Expected outcomes include ground-breaking models capable of holistically optimising traffic efficiency, energy consumption and emission, and innovative control strategies and policies that focus on energy efficiency and environment protection. This research will bring a wide range of substantial national benefits related to mobility, public health, environmental protection, and energy security.Read moreRead less
Fluid-thermal-structural interactions on high-speed aerospace vehicles. Sixteen years after the retirement of Concorde, high-speed commercial flight is once again on the rise with the development of new supersonic business jets and small airliners as well as hypersonic transport and reusable space launch systems. Robust and efficient designs for these light-weight vehicles must address the problem of aerodynamic heating and its effect on structural performance and lifing. This project will desig ....Fluid-thermal-structural interactions on high-speed aerospace vehicles. Sixteen years after the retirement of Concorde, high-speed commercial flight is once again on the rise with the development of new supersonic business jets and small airliners as well as hypersonic transport and reusable space launch systems. Robust and efficient designs for these light-weight vehicles must address the problem of aerodynamic heating and its effect on structural performance and lifing. This project will design and perform first-of-kind experiments that reproduce the complex fluid-thermal-structural interactions representative of those experienced by these aircraft and rockets. We will then use these measurements to assess, validate and improve the current state-of-the-art of simulation and modelling approaches for design.Read moreRead less
Fluid-structural interactions in high-speed flows. This project aims to perform experiments to measure fluid-structure interaction in hypersonic flows. The work will improve the accuracy of simulation tools that are urgently required to aid industry in the design of more structurally efficient and robust high-speed vehicles. These tools will in turn be used to reveal the underlying physics of the fluid-structure interactions and establish the relative significance of the driving parameters. Accu ....Fluid-structural interactions in high-speed flows. This project aims to perform experiments to measure fluid-structure interaction in hypersonic flows. The work will improve the accuracy of simulation tools that are urgently required to aid industry in the design of more structurally efficient and robust high-speed vehicles. These tools will in turn be used to reveal the underlying physics of the fluid-structure interactions and establish the relative significance of the driving parameters. Accurate prediction of the behaviour and lifetime of structural components subject to these fluid-structural interactions, in which the deformation of the structure induced by the local flow field, can in turn influence this flow field. This coupling can result in damage or even catastrophic structural failure and thus robust design tools must be developed to avoid this.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0233830
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
Intelligent Transport and Vehicle Systems Research Laboratory. This proposal seeks funding to establish a world class Intelligent Transport and Vehicle Systems Research Laboratory. The Laboratory is aimed at developing and evaluating advanced traffic management and advanced vehicle technologies to improve the safety and efficiency of existing transport systems. The laboratory will comprise high-end computing and traffic simulation workstations with live real-time connections to a test-bed. The l ....Intelligent Transport and Vehicle Systems Research Laboratory. This proposal seeks funding to establish a world class Intelligent Transport and Vehicle Systems Research Laboratory. The Laboratory is aimed at developing and evaluating advanced traffic management and advanced vehicle technologies to improve the safety and efficiency of existing transport systems. The laboratory will comprise high-end computing and traffic simulation workstations with live real-time connections to a test-bed. The live link to the test-bed is a unique feature of the proposed facility. It will provide researchers with access to field data from sensors, videos and detectors to test prototypes of systems and evaluate their performance under live traffic conditions.Read moreRead less
Predictive Analytics and Real-time Traffic Control for Urban Corridors. This project aims to develop predictive data analytics and real-time traffic control and safety models for multimodal management of urban corridors, serving two salient objectives: (1) optimising person-throughput of multimodal traffic; while (2) minimising safety risks for all modes. The outcome will be an automated, sensor-based platform to monitor traffic flows from all modes and make proactive and coordinated control dec ....Predictive Analytics and Real-time Traffic Control for Urban Corridors. This project aims to develop predictive data analytics and real-time traffic control and safety models for multimodal management of urban corridors, serving two salient objectives: (1) optimising person-throughput of multimodal traffic; while (2) minimising safety risks for all modes. The outcome will be an automated, sensor-based platform to monitor traffic flows from all modes and make proactive and coordinated control decisions in real-time. The expected benefits are profound; the developed algorithms and platform will significantly reduce traffic congestion, travel delays and safety risks for all modes of transport, especially for vulnerable road users (e.g. pedestrians and cyclists).Read moreRead less
iMATCH: Independent mobility, active travel and children's health. Policy interventions are used across Australia to improve children's independent mobility, to increase children's physical activity levels and social interaction, and to generate more sustainable travel behaviour, particularly for the journey to school. iMATCH provides a holistic and inter-disciplinary evaluation of policy interventions than is undertaken for most evaluations of school travel and children's travel behaviour polic ....iMATCH: Independent mobility, active travel and children's health. Policy interventions are used across Australia to improve children's independent mobility, to increase children's physical activity levels and social interaction, and to generate more sustainable travel behaviour, particularly for the journey to school. iMATCH provides a holistic and inter-disciplinary evaluation of policy interventions than is undertaken for most evaluations of school travel and children's travel behaviour policies and programs. By controlling for the influence of the built and social environment, the project will provide the necessary support to justify these policy interventions and to identify key improvements for their delivery, supporting more sustainable and healthy lifestyles for Australia's children.Read moreRead less