Development of an electrode for stimulation of a transplanted neosphincter. This project aims to develop a novel electrode as an integral component of a new treatment for severe stress urinary incontinence. Treatments for severe stress urinary incontinence are associated with complications and are not completely effective. The new electrode is designed to be activated by an implanted stimulator to control an innervated smooth muscle graft (the neosphincter) to regulate the flow of urine from the ....Development of an electrode for stimulation of a transplanted neosphincter. This project aims to develop a novel electrode as an integral component of a new treatment for severe stress urinary incontinence. Treatments for severe stress urinary incontinence are associated with complications and are not completely effective. The new electrode is designed to be activated by an implanted stimulator to control an innervated smooth muscle graft (the neosphincter) to regulate the flow of urine from the bladder. Project research into the design of the electrode will focus on providing safe, effective and efficient stimulation of the neosphincter, while ensuring minimal damage to the surrounding tissues and affording straightforward implantation at surgery.Read moreRead less
Development of an electrode assembly for the stimulation of a transplanted innervated smooth muscle sphincter. This project will design and assess a number of different electrode designs for use in a medical device being developed for the treatment of severe stress urinary incontinence. The project will identify an optimal electrode design, which will be used in future clinical trials of the device.
Improved seasonal rainfall prediction for grain growers using farm level data and novel modelling. Successful grain production, a key export commodity for Australia, depends heavily on reliable seasonal forecasts. However, the highly variable climate means that for Australia’s 25,000 grain growers current forecasts lack detail in space and time. Using a combination of fuzzy classification and artificial neural networks, this project will develop a locally detailed continuously updating data-driv ....Improved seasonal rainfall prediction for grain growers using farm level data and novel modelling. Successful grain production, a key export commodity for Australia, depends heavily on reliable seasonal forecasts. However, the highly variable climate means that for Australia’s 25,000 grain growers current forecasts lack detail in space and time. Using a combination of fuzzy classification and artificial neural networks, this project will develop a locally detailed continuously updating data-driven seasonal forecast system using high density climate data from the 17,000 Grain Growers Association members and climate drivers such as sea surface temperature from the Bureau of Meteorology. After validation against observed data, the forecasts will be delivered via a web-based portal to users.Read moreRead less
Remotely sensed forest water use in space and time. Remotely sensed forest water use in space and time. This project aims to develop and apply new methods to scale forest water use from plot to catchment-level, using relationships between plot-level annual evapotranspiration and biophysical and biochemical properties of stands detectable by unmanned aircraft systems and other remote sensing platforms. Australia's water security depends on understanding how changes in forests from disturbance and ....Remotely sensed forest water use in space and time. Remotely sensed forest water use in space and time. This project aims to develop and apply new methods to scale forest water use from plot to catchment-level, using relationships between plot-level annual evapotranspiration and biophysical and biochemical properties of stands detectable by unmanned aircraft systems and other remote sensing platforms. Australia's water security depends on understanding how changes in forests from disturbance and climate change influence catchment water yields. This project will estimate water yields over time and space in ungauged catchments with disturbed eucalypt forests. This research is expected to enable more effective risk mitigation and planning for augmentations; improved fire management strategies; and better water management of the Murray Darling Basin.Read moreRead less
New methods for mapping variation in forest water use in time and space. Disturbance of eucalypt forests can have dramatic impacts on catchment water yields. In partnership with Melbourne Water Corporation, this project will develop and test new methods for accurate mapping of variation in water use across forested water supply catchments and for accurately determining the effects of this on water supplies.
Impacts of groundwater extraction on ecophysiology of Australian trees. The aim of this project is to determine the response of trees to the extraction of shallow groundwater. Groundwater-dependent ecosystems rely on a supply of groundwater to maintain ecosystem health, structure and function, and excessive depletion of groundwater resources has a negative impact on these ecosystems. The project intends to combine a field-scale experimental depletion of groundwater resources simultaneously with ....Impacts of groundwater extraction on ecophysiology of Australian trees. The aim of this project is to determine the response of trees to the extraction of shallow groundwater. Groundwater-dependent ecosystems rely on a supply of groundwater to maintain ecosystem health, structure and function, and excessive depletion of groundwater resources has a negative impact on these ecosystems. The project intends to combine a field-scale experimental depletion of groundwater resources simultaneously with alterations in rainfall input and measurements of tree responses. The results of the project are intended to inform industry regulators and the water supply industry on how to improve management of both groundwater and vegetation resources.Read moreRead less
Optimisation of catchment management: stable isotope studies of water storage and yield. Focusing on the Cotter catchment, this project will establish how the water content of soils and tree stems regulates the amount of water used by trees in sub-catchments, and thus how much reaches streams and dams. Small areas supply most of the water yield and this project will help identify where managers should focus efforts to increase yield.
The effect of aerial spraying of two pesticides on semi-arid grasslands. The project will investigate how two pesticides, fipronil and metarrhizium, used to control locusts, affect semi-arid ecosystems by examining impacts on invertebrates, their predators, lizards and soil processes. The effects will be followed through time in a large scale experiment to determine recovery and compare each pesticide.
Blood pressure control by neural activation: underlying mechanisms of electric field stimulation and photostimulation of genetically targeted neurones. This project aims to understand how nerve stimulation can be used to treat drug-resistant high blood pressure. The project will lead to new benchmarks for interfacing novel technology with the nervous system and to development and enhancement of commercial devices similar to a cardiac pacemaker for patients with limited treatment options and poor ....Blood pressure control by neural activation: underlying mechanisms of electric field stimulation and photostimulation of genetically targeted neurones. This project aims to understand how nerve stimulation can be used to treat drug-resistant high blood pressure. The project will lead to new benchmarks for interfacing novel technology with the nervous system and to development and enhancement of commercial devices similar to a cardiac pacemaker for patients with limited treatment options and poor prognosis.Read moreRead less
Marine urban development: how can ecology inform the design of multifunctional artificial structures? This project aims to experimentally manipulate the design of artificial structures to achieve multipurpose ecological objectives. Artificial structures such as buildings and roads have featured in terrestrial urban landscapes for many years, but have only more recently begun encroaching on aquatic environments. Most marine artificial structures lack the innovative design solutions required to mi ....Marine urban development: how can ecology inform the design of multifunctional artificial structures? This project aims to experimentally manipulate the design of artificial structures to achieve multipurpose ecological objectives. Artificial structures such as buildings and roads have featured in terrestrial urban landscapes for many years, but have only more recently begun encroaching on aquatic environments. Most marine artificial structures lack the innovative design solutions required to mitigate their ecological impacts and provide essential ecosystem services such as pollution abatement. This project will investigate the efficacy of these designs with both classical measures of diversity and structure and novel measures of ecosystem function. The project aims to provide essential information to inform the design of future marine urban developments.Read moreRead less