Improving the accuracy of phylogenetic reconstruction by improving models of sequence divergence. Phylogenies describe the relationships among species and provide the essential framework for understanding evolutionary processes. They are an essential tool in the identification of functionally important regions in DNA sequences. An important aspect of identifying phylogenies is measuring how DNA sequences change in time. The proposed research will develop sophisticated, practical models of sequen ....Improving the accuracy of phylogenetic reconstruction by improving models of sequence divergence. Phylogenies describe the relationships among species and provide the essential framework for understanding evolutionary processes. They are an essential tool in the identification of functionally important regions in DNA sequences. An important aspect of identifying phylogenies is measuring how DNA sequences change in time. The proposed research will develop sophisticated, practical models of sequence divergence and make them freely available in open source software. The software and models will positively impact on studies seeking to understand Australian biological diversity. The proposed resolution of the eutherian mammal orders will further significantly impact on utilisation of rodents as a model organism for human biology.Read moreRead less
Predicting Roll Angular Motion. The roll angular motion, or RAM, of a ship denotes its oscillation about its longitudinal axis, primarily caused by wave motion. The ability to predict RAM is of significant practical utility. For example, in defence-related work it plays a role in determining accuracy of weapons systems. We suggest a technique for predicting RAM. Our method borrows from both parametric and nonparametric statistics, in that a sinusoidal model is fitted to data but only over a ....Predicting Roll Angular Motion. The roll angular motion, or RAM, of a ship denotes its oscillation about its longitudinal axis, primarily caused by wave motion. The ability to predict RAM is of significant practical utility. For example, in defence-related work it plays a role in determining accuracy of weapons systems. We suggest a technique for predicting RAM. Our method borrows from both parametric and nonparametric statistics, in that a sinusoidal model is fitted to data but only over a short time interval. We show how to both assess and correct error. In particular, we propose methods for attaching probabilities to the accuracy of predictions.Read moreRead less
Evolution and functional impact of gene silencing by hairpin derived RNAs. This project aims to study RNA-mediated gene silencing in genome evolution. RNA interference (RNAi) has been widely used as an experimental tool since its Nobel Prize-winning discovery in 1998, but little is known about endogenous RNAi or its evolution. This project uses bioinformatics, high-throughput sequencing and molecular approaches to study hpRNAs, a class of small interfering RNAs, their adaptive evolution across f ....Evolution and functional impact of gene silencing by hairpin derived RNAs. This project aims to study RNA-mediated gene silencing in genome evolution. RNA interference (RNAi) has been widely used as an experimental tool since its Nobel Prize-winning discovery in 1998, but little is known about endogenous RNAi or its evolution. This project uses bioinformatics, high-throughput sequencing and molecular approaches to study hpRNAs, a class of small interfering RNAs, their adaptive evolution across fly species and vertebrates, and their functional effect on testis morphogenesis and distortion of female/male sex-ratio. The project also studies splicing-dependent small RNAs and miRNA-target interaction. This research could have applications from animal development to human pathology.Read moreRead less