Porous Mineral Formulations for Controlled-Release Applications. The controlled release of biologically active agents from host materials is a process that is used routinely in pharmaceuticals delivery but has received only limited attention in large-scale, low-cost areas such as the agrochemicals industry. Here we identify a number of rare tubular mineral phases as having great potential for low-cost controlled release. These little-studied minerals, for which high quality deposits exist in Aus ....Porous Mineral Formulations for Controlled-Release Applications. The controlled release of biologically active agents from host materials is a process that is used routinely in pharmaceuticals delivery but has received only limited attention in large-scale, low-cost areas such as the agrochemicals industry. Here we identify a number of rare tubular mineral phases as having great potential for low-cost controlled release. These little-studied minerals, for which high quality deposits exist in Australia, consist of hollow tubules of nanoscale dimension. This project involves the first ever studies of the kinetics of guest release from these fascinating hosts, and promises to generate important new technologies in agrochemical delivery.Read moreRead less
Development of environmentally-friendly bioinsecticides for control of Australian crop pests. Insect pests cause over $3 billion of damage each year to Australian crops. Current insecticides are becoming less effective, and they often have adverse environmental impacts. This project aims to develop a new generation of environmentally-friendly insecticides that can be used to control insect pests on farms and around the home and garden.
Defensive behaviours elicited by predator odours. Rats display a powerful anxiety responses when confronted with the odours of predators such as cats. This response may occur even though rats have never encountered an actual predator before. This project aims to investigate the nature of this anxiety and the nature of the stimuli that produce it. The outcomes should be a better understanding of the neural basis and pharmacology of anxiety states and the identification of novel chemicals that hav ....Defensive behaviours elicited by predator odours. Rats display a powerful anxiety responses when confronted with the odours of predators such as cats. This response may occur even though rats have never encountered an actual predator before. This project aims to investigate the nature of this anxiety and the nature of the stimuli that produce it. The outcomes should be a better understanding of the neural basis and pharmacology of anxiety states and the identification of novel chemicals that have powerful rodent repellent properties. Such chemicals may be of great use in domestic and agricultural contexts where rodents are pests.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0454050
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$312,205.00
Summary
Quarantine bioassay insectory. A climate-controlled, multi unit quarantine greenhouse to be located at the UWS Hawkesbury campus will support investigations into novel strategies for control of agricultural pests, particularly via bioassay. This world-class facility will enable researchers from Universities of Southern Cross, Sydney and Western Sydney to work with contained virulent/resistant strains of agricultural pests, and genetically modified organisms. It will enhance already existing coll ....Quarantine bioassay insectory. A climate-controlled, multi unit quarantine greenhouse to be located at the UWS Hawkesbury campus will support investigations into novel strategies for control of agricultural pests, particularly via bioassay. This world-class facility will enable researchers from Universities of Southern Cross, Sydney and Western Sydney to work with contained virulent/resistant strains of agricultural pests, and genetically modified organisms. It will enhance already existing collaboration between the institutions in the areas of: bioactives of biological origin, novel pesticide action, pesticide resistance management and new crop varieties, and will ensure better utilisation of existing excellent facilities within the consortium.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347262
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
Upgrading of Wind Tunnel Research Facility with Oxford Lasers VisiSizer. Bringing together expertise within five collaborating research Centres in two Universities, an Oxford Lasers VisiSizer will be used to study the atomisation of pesticide sprays and droplet behaviour in moving flow fields. This equipment, in conjunction with the construction of a new working section in a pesticide wind tunnel research facility, will enable the simultaneous measurement of particle size and droplet velocity. T ....Upgrading of Wind Tunnel Research Facility with Oxford Lasers VisiSizer. Bringing together expertise within five collaborating research Centres in two Universities, an Oxford Lasers VisiSizer will be used to study the atomisation of pesticide sprays and droplet behaviour in moving flow fields. This equipment, in conjunction with the construction of a new working section in a pesticide wind tunnel research facility, will enable the simultaneous measurement of particle size and droplet velocity. The VisiSizer will construct images of the atomisation process and enable the interaction of spray droplets and plant canopies to be studied. Data will support modelling of pesticide transport processes and accelerate leading Australian expertise in pesticide science.Read moreRead less
Defining domains within Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae surface proteins that interact with host extracellular matrix: efficacy testing of candidate vaccines in swine. Over 90% of Australian commercial pig production facilities are affected by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, the causative agent of swine enzootic pneumonia. This disease causes economic losses in Australia of over $20 million per annum and up to $1 billion per annum in major swine rearing countries worldwide. This project will determine the p ....Defining domains within Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae surface proteins that interact with host extracellular matrix: efficacy testing of candidate vaccines in swine. Over 90% of Australian commercial pig production facilities are affected by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, the causative agent of swine enzootic pneumonia. This disease causes economic losses in Australia of over $20 million per annum and up to $1 billion per annum in major swine rearing countries worldwide. This project will determine the protective efficacy of new generation vaccines against M. hyopneumoniae, which aim to block the colonisation process and prevent disease .Read moreRead less
Identification and characterisation of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae surface-molecules that interact with the host epithelium. Mycoplasma hyponeumoniae causes porcine enzootic pneumonia, a disease that significantly impacts swine production. Current vaccines are unable to prevent colonisation of the respiratory tract and are costly to produce and administer. The expression of microbial adhesins that mediate adherence to the extracellular matrix is considered the initial step in host colonisation for ....Identification and characterisation of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae surface-molecules that interact with the host epithelium. Mycoplasma hyponeumoniae causes porcine enzootic pneumonia, a disease that significantly impacts swine production. Current vaccines are unable to prevent colonisation of the respiratory tract and are costly to produce and administer. The expression of microbial adhesins that mediate adherence to the extracellular matrix is considered the initial step in host colonisation for many bacterial pathogens. We propose to identify M. hyopneumoniae cell surface moleculaes that interact with components of the extracellular matrix. Targetting these cell surface molecules will lead to therapeutics that prevent disease and block colonisation, eventually eradicating the host pathogen from pig production facilities.Read moreRead less
Integrated governance of water and coal seam gas. This project aims to evaluate the governance of the water effects on unconventional gas, to develop legal and policy principles for the integration of these effects in an effective, efficient and legitimate manner, and to investigate problems posed for integrated and polycentric governance, more generally. Australia must meet its unconventional gas needs without harming its water resources. The project is expected to deliver effective and legitim ....Integrated governance of water and coal seam gas. This project aims to evaluate the governance of the water effects on unconventional gas, to develop legal and policy principles for the integration of these effects in an effective, efficient and legitimate manner, and to investigate problems posed for integrated and polycentric governance, more generally. Australia must meet its unconventional gas needs without harming its water resources. The project is expected to deliver effective and legitimate outcomes for water, energy and potentially other social and environmental issues, aiming to establish Australia as a leader in sustainable water management.Read moreRead less
Attract and reward: a novel approach to enhancing biological control of crop pests. Pests cause serious damage to Australia's agricultural crops. Current control relies heavily on synthetic pesticides. This project will develop novel products based on natural plant compounds to attract beneficial insects into crops where they will be supported with nectar, pollen and shelter to maximise their lifespan, reproduction, residency. This use of Australia's beneficial insect biodiversity will provide ....Attract and reward: a novel approach to enhancing biological control of crop pests. Pests cause serious damage to Australia's agricultural crops. Current control relies heavily on synthetic pesticides. This project will develop novel products based on natural plant compounds to attract beneficial insects into crops where they will be supported with nectar, pollen and shelter to maximise their lifespan, reproduction, residency. This use of Australia's beneficial insect biodiversity will provide novel pest control options to help transform the vegetable and grape industries. The work will reduce reliance on conventional pesticides; thereby contributing towards Australia's environmental sustainability and providing healthier foodstuffs. Read moreRead less
Microeconomic effects of Australian natural disasters. This project aims to describe and identify the effects of Australian natural disasters – such as the Black Saturday bushfires and the Brisbane floods – on important microeconomic outcomes, including health, education and employment. Natural disasters have profound economic and social effects on individuals and communities. This project intends to bring evidence on how disasters affect individuals and how the effects can be lessened. The proj ....Microeconomic effects of Australian natural disasters. This project aims to describe and identify the effects of Australian natural disasters – such as the Black Saturday bushfires and the Brisbane floods – on important microeconomic outcomes, including health, education and employment. Natural disasters have profound economic and social effects on individuals and communities. This project intends to bring evidence on how disasters affect individuals and how the effects can be lessened. The project expects to inform policy-makers on these critical issues by analysing field, survey and administrative data on individuals before and after past disasters.Read moreRead less