Measuring pain in livestock: mechanisms, objective biomarkers and treatments. This project aims to create an objective blood test to measure pain in livestock, and to create a new drug treatment for persistent pain by targeting the immunology of the brain and spinal cord. This project expects to generate new knowledge of the involvement of the neuro-immune system in the creation and maintenance of persistent pain and how this can be quantified through the innovative use of peripheral blood tests ....Measuring pain in livestock: mechanisms, objective biomarkers and treatments. This project aims to create an objective blood test to measure pain in livestock, and to create a new drug treatment for persistent pain by targeting the immunology of the brain and spinal cord. This project expects to generate new knowledge of the involvement of the neuro-immune system in the creation and maintenance of persistent pain and how this can be quantified through the innovative use of peripheral blood tests. Expected outcomes of this project include a blood test capable of quantifying the extent of current pain experience, and a cumulative life measure of pain an animal has experienced. This should provide significant benefits to the Australian livestock industry by improving best practice.Read moreRead less
High-Performance Polymer Composites for Electrical Discharging. This project aims to address the problem of electrostatic discharge by developing new industry-compatible processing techniques and taking advantage of the synergy between graphene and carbon nanotubes and fibres. Electrostatic discharge due to accumulation of static electricity is a significant problem for lightweight polymer composites used in hazard environments, such as pumps for underground mining, oil and gas storage and satel ....High-Performance Polymer Composites for Electrical Discharging. This project aims to address the problem of electrostatic discharge by developing new industry-compatible processing techniques and taking advantage of the synergy between graphene and carbon nanotubes and fibres. Electrostatic discharge due to accumulation of static electricity is a significant problem for lightweight polymer composites used in hazard environments, such as pumps for underground mining, oil and gas storage and satellites. The outcomes will potentially transform the current manufacturing practice of anti-static composites for industry applications including mining, energy, space and agriculture. Read moreRead less
Tree-mediated methane fluxes: A new frontier in the global carbon cycle. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Recent evidence suggests that tree-mediated fluxes may be a significant, but overlooked source of methane to the atmosphere. This project aims to quantify the magnitude and drivers of tree-mediated methane fluxes from Australia’s dominant forest types. Innovatively, we will be using a novel combination of empirical field based measurements, gas tracer experiments, microbial ana ....Tree-mediated methane fluxes: A new frontier in the global carbon cycle. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Recent evidence suggests that tree-mediated fluxes may be a significant, but overlooked source of methane to the atmosphere. This project aims to quantify the magnitude and drivers of tree-mediated methane fluxes from Australia’s dominant forest types. Innovatively, we will be using a novel combination of empirical field based measurements, gas tracer experiments, microbial analysis and modelling methods. Expected outcomes are a mechanistic understanding of tree-mediated methane fluxes, helping to constrain regional, national and global methane budgets. The results of this study will help inform publicly funded greenhouse gas abatement strategies, ensuring a maximal return on investment.Read moreRead less
Plasma touches life: advancing plasma technologies for the life sciences. The aim of this project is to develop a mechanistic understanding of how electrically excited gas (plasma) jets deliver reactive oxygen and nitrogen species into tissue, ensuring safety and precision in their use to combat disease. Overcoming barriers in delivery is intended to help realise the full potential of plasma in the life sciences. The project is expected to generate new knowledge across physics, chemistry and bio ....Plasma touches life: advancing plasma technologies for the life sciences. The aim of this project is to develop a mechanistic understanding of how electrically excited gas (plasma) jets deliver reactive oxygen and nitrogen species into tissue, ensuring safety and precision in their use to combat disease. Overcoming barriers in delivery is intended to help realise the full potential of plasma in the life sciences. The project is expected to generate new knowledge across physics, chemistry and biology, leading to new approaches for the future development of plasma technologies. This should provide significant benefits by expanding the human capacity of research in plasma, and in growing the advanced manufacturing of plasma devices for future applications in engineering, biology and health.Read moreRead less
Predicting concentration-gradient-driven liquid transport in 2D membranes. This project aims to achieve a predictive understanding of liquid transport through two-dimensional (2D) membranes driven by concentration gradients by using a combination of novel theory and computation. Membranes made from 2D nanomaterials hold great promise for many applications from desalination to power generation to chemical sensing, but the concentration-gradient-driven transport processes that underlie these appli ....Predicting concentration-gradient-driven liquid transport in 2D membranes. This project aims to achieve a predictive understanding of liquid transport through two-dimensional (2D) membranes driven by concentration gradients by using a combination of novel theory and computation. Membranes made from 2D nanomaterials hold great promise for many applications from desalination to power generation to chemical sensing, but the concentration-gradient-driven transport processes that underlie these applications are not well understood. The expected outcome of this project is an unprecedented quantitative understanding of the parameters that control these transport processes. This will enable predictive optimisation of 2D membranes, which will reduce the time and cost of membrane development for diverse applications.
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Brains frozen in time: vertebrate neural adaptations to invading land . The evolution of terrestrial animals from fish was one of the most significant events in our evolution, yet little is known about how the brain evolved during this transition. This project aims to investigate the major novelties acquired in the evolution of the early vertebrate brain in order to determine the functional reasons for such changes, as well as identifying the timing and environmental factors driving such changes ....Brains frozen in time: vertebrate neural adaptations to invading land . The evolution of terrestrial animals from fish was one of the most significant events in our evolution, yet little is known about how the brain evolved during this transition. This project aims to investigate the major novelties acquired in the evolution of the early vertebrate brain in order to determine the functional reasons for such changes, as well as identifying the timing and environmental factors driving such changes. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the anatomy of the vertebrate brain with improved methods for reconstructing fossil brains to better understand our own neurological evolution. Expected outcomes include enhanced institutional collaborations within Australia, and between Australia, Canada and the USA.Read moreRead less
Snake fangs: insights into evolution, palaeoclimate and biodesign . This project aims to generate unprecedented insights into the fangs of venomous snakes, focusing on elapids (taipans, tiger snakes etc). We will examine fang shape diversity, correlation with behavior and ecology, evolutionary history, and biomechanical properties. Data will be collected using cutting-edge micro-CT technology and analysed using 3D geometric morphometrics, computer simulations, and advanced phylogenetic techniqu ....Snake fangs: insights into evolution, palaeoclimate and biodesign . This project aims to generate unprecedented insights into the fangs of venomous snakes, focusing on elapids (taipans, tiger snakes etc). We will examine fang shape diversity, correlation with behavior and ecology, evolutionary history, and biomechanical properties. Data will be collected using cutting-edge micro-CT technology and analysed using 3D geometric morphometrics, computer simulations, and advanced phylogenetic techniques. This should greatly improve understanding of the evolution of venom fangs in all snakes. Other benefits include a large 3D reference database allowing identification of fossil fangs, with applications for studies of past climates, and a characterisation of fang biomechanics, relevant to biodesign and biomimicry.Read moreRead less
Adaptive Morphology and Evolution of Invasive Rabbits and Hares. This project aims to uncover the morphological variation that allows rapid adaptive evolution in two invasive species, the rabbit and hare. This project expects to generate new knowledge at the interface between invasion biology and evolutionary biology, using cutting-edge methods to phenotype widespread populations. This project will address key inter-related hypotheses of rapid adaptive evolution at temporal, spatial and phylogen ....Adaptive Morphology and Evolution of Invasive Rabbits and Hares. This project aims to uncover the morphological variation that allows rapid adaptive evolution in two invasive species, the rabbit and hare. This project expects to generate new knowledge at the interface between invasion biology and evolutionary biology, using cutting-edge methods to phenotype widespread populations. This project will address key inter-related hypotheses of rapid adaptive evolution at temporal, spatial and phylogenetic scales, particularly about changing morphologies involved role in locomotion and dispersal ability. Expected outcomes of this project include a comprehensive phenotypic database of these two species and identifying how these invasive species are adapting to the Australian landscape.Read moreRead less
Commercial scale production of biocrude by hydrothermal liquefaction. The project aims to develop new understanding and tools to support commercial-scale production of biocrude from microalgae or biosolids and enable a breakthrough in cost-effective production of sustainable fuels. A novel hydrothermal liquefaction reactor has been developed that has strong potential to overcome the limitations of Muradel's existing demonstration reactor which, while world-leading, is uneconomical at commercial ....Commercial scale production of biocrude by hydrothermal liquefaction. The project aims to develop new understanding and tools to support commercial-scale production of biocrude from microalgae or biosolids and enable a breakthrough in cost-effective production of sustainable fuels. A novel hydrothermal liquefaction reactor has been developed that has strong potential to overcome the limitations of Muradel's existing demonstration reactor which, while world-leading, is uneconomical at commercial scale. The project aims to develop design tools to optimise the new reactor, comprising a chemical model of the complex, multi-component hydrothermal liquefaction reactions, a computational model of the mixing and heat transfer within it and a network model of the energy and exergy flows.Read moreRead less