Motion and Spatial Coding in Vision. The results of this project will have implications for the design and implementation of artificial visual systems. Completion of this project will depend upon international collaboration - forging links between a young Australian investigator and outstanding overseas scientists as well as providing excellent training opportunities. Subsequent publication of the research in top-ranking international journals will further promote Australian science abroad.
Detection and Quantification of General Fetal Movements from Accelerometer Measurements using Nonstationary Signal Processing Techniques. There are approximately 1,750 fetal deaths per year in Australian with about one-third occurring late in gestation and without an apparent cause. The development of an automated system capable of long-term monitoring of fetal health will result in accurate diagnoses and prediction of future outcome. This will, in turn, allow early intervention by the clinicia ....Detection and Quantification of General Fetal Movements from Accelerometer Measurements using Nonstationary Signal Processing Techniques. There are approximately 1,750 fetal deaths per year in Australian with about one-third occurring late in gestation and without an apparent cause. The development of an automated system capable of long-term monitoring of fetal health will result in accurate diagnoses and prediction of future outcome. This will, in turn, allow early intervention by the clinician to reduce fetal deaths and enhance the chances of good outcomes with resultant savings in social and financial costs to the community. The development of such equipment would spawn future research into intervention treatments and contribute to Australia's position as a world leader in computerised health monitoring systems.Read moreRead less
Neural mechanisms for human form perception. This project aims to determine if there is a single cortical mechanism underlying the human ability to discriminate and recognise objects. It has been speculated that different classes of objects, or forms require different processes. Demonstrating a single process would be a significant advance towards understanding the neural mechanisms giving rise to our ability to segment visual fields into meaningful objects and background. This research provides ....Neural mechanisms for human form perception. This project aims to determine if there is a single cortical mechanism underlying the human ability to discriminate and recognise objects. It has been speculated that different classes of objects, or forms require different processes. Demonstrating a single process would be a significant advance towards understanding the neural mechanisms giving rise to our ability to segment visual fields into meaningful objects and background. This research provides a means for testing models of the neural interactions thought to be generating human form perception and will help us discover how the visual cortex converts raw sensory input into object and form perception.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of Causal Knowledge. We operate in complex dynamic environments including highly sensitive and safety-critical situations such as medical emergencies, disaster management and air-traffic control systems. Our knowledge of what causes what plays a pivotal role in making correct decisions in such situations. To ensure robustness and sound behaviour of the underlying causal knowledge systems, their designs and implementations must be formally well grounded. This is an important but difficul ....Dynamics of Causal Knowledge. We operate in complex dynamic environments including highly sensitive and safety-critical situations such as medical emergencies, disaster management and air-traffic control systems. Our knowledge of what causes what plays a pivotal role in making correct decisions in such situations. To ensure robustness and sound behaviour of the underlying causal knowledge systems, their designs and implementations must be formally well grounded. This is an important but difficult challenge. This project aims to systematically develop a logic-based framework to adequately capture and reason about evolving causal knowledge. This research is expected to form the basis for smart decision making, and be evaluated on practical applications.Read moreRead less
Improved detection and characterisation of breast cancer using magnetic resonance imaging, and novel image analysis and pattern recognition techniques. Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in Australian women. With no clear cause, one mainstay of management has been early detection. Newer medical imaging technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging require complex analysis to achieve their full benefit. Should the computationally demanding analyses of these images provide more sensitive ....Improved detection and characterisation of breast cancer using magnetic resonance imaging, and novel image analysis and pattern recognition techniques. Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in Australian women. With no clear cause, one mainstay of management has been early detection. Newer medical imaging technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging require complex analysis to achieve their full benefit. Should the computationally demanding analyses of these images provide more sensitive and specific detection of early cancers, the potential reductions in morbidity and mortality from breast cancer will be of immense value. Successful implementation of the proposed project will further enhance Australia's position as a world leader in biomedical research and application of computational technologies to health problems.Read moreRead less
Searching for near-exact protein models. This project aims to develop novel and efficient heuristic-based algorithms leading to near accurate protein tertiary structure models. Knowledge about protein structures is fundamental to our understanding of living systems. The progress on experimental determination of these structures has been extremely limited and remains an open challenge in molecular biology. Computational prediction of protein structures from sequences is emerging as a promising ap ....Searching for near-exact protein models. This project aims to develop novel and efficient heuristic-based algorithms leading to near accurate protein tertiary structure models. Knowledge about protein structures is fundamental to our understanding of living systems. The progress on experimental determination of these structures has been extremely limited and remains an open challenge in molecular biology. Computational prediction of protein structures from sequences is emerging as a promising approach, but its accuracy is far from satisfactory. The software systems developed in this project will be used in structural identification of target proteins in drug design. This will make drug design process more efficient, saving time and cost, potentially saving lives.Read moreRead less
Low-cost Sensing Methods and Hybrid Learning Models. This project aims to revolutionise the theory and practice of sensing and monitoring by developing novel Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things technologies. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of Artificial Intelligence of Things by combining sensing, machine learning, and big data analytics. Expected outcomes of this project include novel low-cost sensing methods and new hybrid machine learning models for predi ....Low-cost Sensing Methods and Hybrid Learning Models. This project aims to revolutionise the theory and practice of sensing and monitoring by developing novel Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things technologies. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of Artificial Intelligence of Things by combining sensing, machine learning, and big data analytics. Expected outcomes of this project include novel low-cost sensing methods and new hybrid machine learning models for predictive sensory data analytics. This should provide significant benefits, such as substantially reduced operating and service costs and improved accuracy for real-time monitoring in the fields where cheap-to-implement and easy-to-service monitoring systems over large geographical areas are imperative.Read moreRead less
Beyond the Beach: What it means to be Australian - A critical analysis of national, transgenerational, multicultural and self perspectives. The question ?What does it mean to be Australian?? raises issues of deep significance about our values, goals, loyalties, behaviours, and international image. Identity conceptions are fundamental to diverse national interest issues (e.g., social cohesion, multiculturalism, defence, promoting industry, social action/reform, immigration) and imagining our futu ....Beyond the Beach: What it means to be Australian - A critical analysis of national, transgenerational, multicultural and self perspectives. The question ?What does it mean to be Australian?? raises issues of deep significance about our values, goals, loyalties, behaviours, and international image. Identity conceptions are fundamental to diverse national interest issues (e.g., social cohesion, multiculturalism, defence, promoting industry, social action/reform, immigration) and imagining our future. This study will characterise: national identity; personal, ethnic, generational, regional and gender commonalities and variations; preferred futures; and moderating influences on identifying as Australian. Outcomes include new knowledge about contemporary national identity, multi-identity constructions, and processes underpinning identity formation; and advances in identity theory/research that will inform social, economic, and educational policy and practice.Read moreRead less
Automated analysis of multi-modal medical data using deep belief networks. This project will develop an improved breast cancer computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system that incorporates mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. This system will be based on recently developed deep learning techniques, which have the capacity to process multi-modal data in a unified and optimal manner. The advantage of this technique is that it is able to automatically learn both the relevant features t ....Automated analysis of multi-modal medical data using deep belief networks. This project will develop an improved breast cancer computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system that incorporates mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. This system will be based on recently developed deep learning techniques, which have the capacity to process multi-modal data in a unified and optimal manner. The advantage of this technique is that it is able to automatically learn both the relevant features to analyse in each modality and the hidden relationships between them. The use of deep belief networks has produced promising results in several fields, such as speech recognition, and so this project believes that our approach has the potential to improve both the sensitivity and specificity of breast cancer detection.Read moreRead less
Intelligent Image Processing Techniques for Novel Biomarker Discovery. This project will make an impact on Australia's international research profile by seeking a solution to a worldwide challenging problem in biomarker discovery for the detection of diseases at an early stage which requires the incorporation of the skills and knowledge from biology, medicine, engineering, computer science, and information technology. The successful outcomes of this research will make an impact on Australia's e ....Intelligent Image Processing Techniques for Novel Biomarker Discovery. This project will make an impact on Australia's international research profile by seeking a solution to a worldwide challenging problem in biomarker discovery for the detection of diseases at an early stage which requires the incorporation of the skills and knowledge from biology, medicine, engineering, computer science, and information technology. The successful outcomes of this research will make an impact on Australia's engagement in using advanced image analysis and intelligent methods for the emerging research and development of targeted drug discovery. Read moreRead less