Navigating tipping points in complex dynamical systems. This project aims to use applied mathematics to investigate the onset of tipping points in dynamical systems. Working with clinicians and practicing engineers, the project aims to contribute to the development of new treatment regimes for dynamical diseases and develop improved management strategies for resource focussed engineering industries. This should provide significant benefit to many areas, including the personalised treatment of di ....Navigating tipping points in complex dynamical systems. This project aims to use applied mathematics to investigate the onset of tipping points in dynamical systems. Working with clinicians and practicing engineers, the project aims to contribute to the development of new treatment regimes for dynamical diseases and develop improved management strategies for resource focussed engineering industries. This should provide significant benefit to many areas, including the personalised treatment of disease.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354580
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Sustainable Futures through Understanding Past Human Responses to Environmental Change. This Network brings together researchers within archaeology and environmental sciences to develop cross-disciplinary and internationally comparative approaches to understanding past human responses to rapid environmental change. Integration of skills and perspectives from the Humanities and Sciences will create a generation of scholars able to work across different theoretical frameworks to formulate credible ....Sustainable Futures through Understanding Past Human Responses to Environmental Change. This Network brings together researchers within archaeology and environmental sciences to develop cross-disciplinary and internationally comparative approaches to understanding past human responses to rapid environmental change. Integration of skills and perspectives from the Humanities and Sciences will create a generation of scholars able to work across different theoretical frameworks to formulate credible responses to the challenge of creating sustainable societies in a changing world. Through a greater understanding of past societies' reactions to rapid environmental change, the Network will build on existing leading edge research and create a more informed guide to a sustainable future.Read moreRead less
Tracking 3000 years of agricultural adaptation to the resource poor, climate sensitive and remote Solomon Islands using biomarkers and palaeoecology. Establishing research programs with Pacific neighbours benefits Australia's relations with Pacific Island countries generally. This project applies novel research methods to understanding human adaptations to long-term environmental and climatic fluctuations. It will address the National Research Priority goal of responding to climate variability b ....Tracking 3000 years of agricultural adaptation to the resource poor, climate sensitive and remote Solomon Islands using biomarkers and palaeoecology. Establishing research programs with Pacific neighbours benefits Australia's relations with Pacific Island countries generally. This project applies novel research methods to understanding human adaptations to long-term environmental and climatic fluctuations. It will address the National Research Priority goal of responding to climate variability by advancing our understanding of recent climate change in the Australia/Pacific region. It will show that Australian researchers can play a significant role in understanding the spread of humans across the Pacific, and the environmental adaptations required by populations in resource depleted environments. It will increase collaboration between research institutions focusing on the Australia/Pacific region.Read moreRead less
Using fossil insects and plants to recognise past human impacts on Pacific island biodiversity. This project will enhance our ability to characterise human impact on island biodiversity. It will develop novel research methods that can be applied in the Australian context to understand changes in biodiversity that come with human impact. The contemporary emphasis on biosecurity in the protection of Australia's unique environment against human-introduced exotic pests and diseases can be better und ....Using fossil insects and plants to recognise past human impacts on Pacific island biodiversity. This project will enhance our ability to characterise human impact on island biodiversity. It will develop novel research methods that can be applied in the Australian context to understand changes in biodiversity that come with human impact. The contemporary emphasis on biosecurity in the protection of Australia's unique environment against human-introduced exotic pests and diseases can be better understood in the context of past introductions. Our project will demonstrate the role Australian archaeologists and natural scientists can play in understanding the spread of humans across the Pacific and the environmental consequences of colonisation. It will increase collaboration between research institutions in the Australia/Pacific region.Read moreRead less
Role Of SPPL2A On B Cell Survival And Antibody Production In Mice And Humans
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$592,989.00
Summary
B lymphocytes are a specialised type of blood cells that produce antibodies in response to a pathogen or a vaccine. We have recently discovered that all mature B cells depend for their survival on a previously unknown protein called SPPL2A. This application will investigate the molecular mechanism through which SPPL2A contributes to the survival of B cells. We will also investigate if humans with currently unexplained B cell deficiency have mutations in SPPL2A.
Metaphotonics and metasurfaces for disruptive sensing technologies. This project aims to address a big challenge in nanophotonics by developing revolutionary methods for efficient chiral sensing of molecules without the need for spectrometry, frequency scanning, or moving mechanical parts, and to enhance chiroptical signals a hundredfold with the help of metasurface structures. Resonant metasurfaces are arrays of engineered dielectric nanoparticles with extraordinary characteristics, and they wo ....Metaphotonics and metasurfaces for disruptive sensing technologies. This project aims to address a big challenge in nanophotonics by developing revolutionary methods for efficient chiral sensing of molecules without the need for spectrometry, frequency scanning, or moving mechanical parts, and to enhance chiroptical signals a hundredfold with the help of metasurface structures. Resonant metasurfaces are arrays of engineered dielectric nanoparticles with extraordinary characteristics, and they would allow to overcome current limitations of chiral sensing analytical tools. Detecting chiral molecules in low concentrations is crucially important to many fields of biology, chemistry, and pharmacy, as well as to the food and cosmetics industries, constituting a market of tens of billions of dollars.Read moreRead less
Indian Textile Technology as archaeological evidence for population movements in Early Southeast Asia. This project uses archaeological textiles to investigate population movements in the late prehistoric period of Southeast Asia. It involves collaborative links between researchers from the Institute of Archaeology in Vietnam, the Centre for Southeast Asian Prehistory in Ho Chi Minh City, the Fine Arts Department of Thailand and museums and archaeological institutions in South India. It not only ....Indian Textile Technology as archaeological evidence for population movements in Early Southeast Asia. This project uses archaeological textiles to investigate population movements in the late prehistoric period of Southeast Asia. It involves collaborative links between researchers from the Institute of Archaeology in Vietnam, the Centre for Southeast Asian Prehistory in Ho Chi Minh City, the Fine Arts Department of Thailand and museums and archaeological institutions in South India. It not only profiles Australian expertise in Southeast Asia but facilitates high levels of communication and the exchange of ideas. Read moreRead less
Discovering sex determining genes in a reptile with genetic and environmental sex determination. Reptile sex determination is particularly fascinating because it is triggered either by genes on sex chromosomes or by the nest temperature. This project will identify and characterise candidate sex determining genes in a model reptile to understand how genes control sexual differentiation and how they interact with temperature.
Was an ancient bird-like sex chromosome system ancestral to reptiles and mammals? Recent discoveries reveal amazing similarity in the sex chromosomes of distantly related animals. This project will use advanced DNA technology to explore diverse sex chromosomes in reptiles to discover whether this signifies ancient and unsuspected common ancestry, or the convergent redeployment of genes and chromosomes predisposed to determine sex.
DNA methylation in insect social evolution. This project will investigate the evolutionary relationship between DNA methylation and the advanced sociality displayed by bees, ants and wasps. The project will map DNA methylation across the social insects and test whether it has coevolved with sociality. It will also determine how a vital social cue, the queen pheromone, influences the worker methylome. Finally, it will apply quantitative genetic and methylomic methods to wild insects, revealing pa ....DNA methylation in insect social evolution. This project will investigate the evolutionary relationship between DNA methylation and the advanced sociality displayed by bees, ants and wasps. The project will map DNA methylation across the social insects and test whether it has coevolved with sociality. It will also determine how a vital social cue, the queen pheromone, influences the worker methylome. Finally, it will apply quantitative genetic and methylomic methods to wild insects, revealing patterns of selection and inheritance in epigenetic and phenotypic traits. By combining genomic and evolutionary methods, the project will advance the ongoing debate about the importance of methylation to sociality and extreme phenotypic plasticity. It will contribute to a quantum leap in our understanding of DNA methylation and sociobiology and mark the first application of quantitative genetics to wild insects.Read moreRead less