Genetic Variation And Host-parasite Interactions Of Sarcoptes Scabiei
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$294,536.00
Summary
Scabies is a disease of skin caused by the burrowing of the 'itch' mite Sarcoptes scabiei. Although up to 45 different host species can be infested by this mite, this organism is currently classified as a single species existing as multiple strains or varieties. Previous studies have failed to identify any structural differences between host-associated populations, suggesting a single gene pool. Our recent molecular study of scabies in people and dogs, from Aboriginal communities in the Northern ....Scabies is a disease of skin caused by the burrowing of the 'itch' mite Sarcoptes scabiei. Although up to 45 different host species can be infested by this mite, this organism is currently classified as a single species existing as multiple strains or varieties. Previous studies have failed to identify any structural differences between host-associated populations, suggesting a single gene pool. Our recent molecular study of scabies in people and dogs, from Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory and the North and South Americas, using DNA fingerprinting techniques, suggested mites cluster by host species with no evidence of cross-transmission. However although this data seems to suggest that these sub-species deserve species status, another molecular study suggests Sarcoptes is a single species, presumably a result of interbreeding. Understanding interbreeding between populations is important in the control of the disease and in controlling resistance to acaricides. We wish to further characterise the genetic separation of different 'strains' or populations of mites by studying the evolutionary gene flow between host-associated populations. We will use a mitochondrial DNA marker that will clarify fine scale transmission processes and more clearly delineate the biological species status of S. scabiei. Recent in vitro data and clinical evidence in a patient with severe crusted scabies indicated resistance to ivermectin, the treatment of choice for these patients. We will investigate the role and genetic mechanisms of ivermectin resistance. This is important for future control programs, as acaricide resistance can spread rapidly in parasite populations.Read moreRead less
Call Out and Listen In: A New Way to Detect and Control Invasive Species. This project aims to use novel acoustic techniques to detect and capture invasive frog species to protect native species. Invasive frogs are an under-appreciated but serious ecological problem worldwide, because they are voracious predators and are often toxic to native species. Male frogs call to attract mates, and answer calls they hear. Using new acoustic technologies, these behaviours can be exploited to detect species ....Call Out and Listen In: A New Way to Detect and Control Invasive Species. This project aims to use novel acoustic techniques to detect and capture invasive frog species to protect native species. Invasive frogs are an under-appreciated but serious ecological problem worldwide, because they are voracious predators and are often toxic to native species. Male frogs call to attract mates, and answer calls they hear. Using new acoustic technologies, these behaviours can be exploited to detect species and attract gravid females for removal. This project aims to combine an early warning system (electronic listening) and trap (calling and catching), which can be customised to any invasive frog, and use it to detect and remove cane toads, especially in low density populations.Read moreRead less
Robust speech recognition in realistic hostile environments. Australia leads the world in the adoption of speech recognition technology but sadly lags in the development of the fundamental advances in the area. This research will help propel Australia to the forefront of new innovations in speech recognition technology and contributions to fundamental science. Our project will provide an excellent training ground for graduate students and researchers, with the real possibility of significant com ....Robust speech recognition in realistic hostile environments. Australia leads the world in the adoption of speech recognition technology but sadly lags in the development of the fundamental advances in the area. This research will help propel Australia to the forefront of new innovations in speech recognition technology and contributions to fundamental science. Our project will provide an excellent training ground for graduate students and researchers, with the real possibility of significant commercial benefit to the nation. The deployment of our system in the community will greatly enhance the defence and police forces ability for surveillance and security, and will provide new assistive aids to improve the quality of life and safety for the elderly and disabled.Read moreRead less
Enhanced Multilingual Speaker Recognition through the Incorporation of High-Level Features, Late Fusion and Discriminative Classification Methods. The development of robust multilingual speaker recognition systems will benefit the community through the elimination of fraud incurred by financial institutions and customers by enabling several person authentication applications such as: voice based signatures and document issuance; credit card verification by voice and secure over-the-phone financi ....Enhanced Multilingual Speaker Recognition through the Incorporation of High-Level Features, Late Fusion and Discriminative Classification Methods. The development of robust multilingual speaker recognition systems will benefit the community through the elimination of fraud incurred by financial institutions and customers by enabling several person authentication applications such as: voice based signatures and document issuance; credit card verification by voice and secure over-the-phone financial transactions. The technology will also assist in the protection of the community and safeguard Australia by enabling the implementation of the following: suspect identification using voice print; national security measures for combating terrorism by using voice to locate and track terrorists; preemptive criminal activity counter-measures; surveillance and secure building access by voice.Read moreRead less
Robust speaker recognition with reduced utterance duration and intersession variability. The development of robust and accurate speaker recognition systems will enable secure person authentication in over-the-phone financial transactions and benefit the community through the elimination of identity fraud incurred by customers and financial institutions. The technology will also assist in safeguarding Australia by enabling the implementation of suspect identification using voice and security meas ....Robust speaker recognition with reduced utterance duration and intersession variability. The development of robust and accurate speaker recognition systems will enable secure person authentication in over-the-phone financial transactions and benefit the community through the elimination of identity fraud incurred by customers and financial institutions. The technology will also assist in safeguarding Australia by enabling the implementation of suspect identification using voice and security measures for combating terrorism by using voice to locate and track terrorists. Our research at QUT Speech Research Lab is at the forefront of development in this field and will provide Australia with a technological advantage in the rapidly evolving global market for speaker recognition technology for person authentication applications.Read moreRead less
Robust Automatic Speaker Diarisation of Audio Documents by Exploiting Prior Sources of Information. Speaker Diarisation, the task of determining who spoke when, is a technology fundamental in deriving intelligent information from audio and multimedia resources. The requirement for efficient and accurate Speaker Diarisation systems, portable across different domains is heightened by the explosive growth of audio and multimedia archives online and throughout the world. This research will provide t ....Robust Automatic Speaker Diarisation of Audio Documents by Exploiting Prior Sources of Information. Speaker Diarisation, the task of determining who spoke when, is a technology fundamental in deriving intelligent information from audio and multimedia resources. The requirement for efficient and accurate Speaker Diarisation systems, portable across different domains is heightened by the explosive growth of audio and multimedia archives online and throughout the world. This research will provide the foundation for a commercial service of automatic Speaker Diarisation to be developed, growing Australia's impact on the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. The outcome of this research will also assist in the tracking of terrorist and unlawful activity by enabling effective intelligence gathering from different audio sources.Read moreRead less
Mitigating Threatened Species Bycatch In Gillnet Fisheries
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
Mitigating the bycatch of threatened species in Australian gillnet fisheries is a major management challenge. Australian prawn trawl gear is a well-documented example of how the testing and implementation of bycatch reduction devices has resulted in the significant reduction in the bycatch of non-target species including threatened species. However, devices or modifications to reduce bycatch in gillnets are far less well studied. Where the deployment of gillnets overlaps with the habitat of thre ....Mitigating the bycatch of threatened species in Australian gillnet fisheries is a major management challenge. Australian prawn trawl gear is a well-documented example of how the testing and implementation of bycatch reduction devices has resulted in the significant reduction in the bycatch of non-target species including threatened species. However, devices or modifications to reduce bycatch in gillnets are far less well studied. Where the deployment of gillnets overlaps with the habitat of threatened species, bycatch of these species can occur, creating a significant management issue. Within northern Australian gillnet fisheries, bycatch of threatened/migratory sawfishes, river sharks, and devil rays listed under the EPBC Act is an on-going issue requiring evidence-based interventions. Northern Australia holds the most significant remaining populations of sawfishes and river sharks globally, but these important species form the most numerous threatened species bycatch in local gillnet fisheries. Within these fisheries, the target bony fish are harvested at sustainable levels with high-quality seafood product providing important economic contributions locally and nationally. Mitigating the on-going bycatch of non-target threatened species is arguably the most significant challenge facing these fisheries.
This project will test novel mitigation devices (static green LED lights and an electric deterrent (SharkGuard)) and assess alternative gears to gillnets to reduce bycatch of EPBC Act listed sharks and rays. In partnership with industry, trials will assess the effectiveness of devices to elicit a response in bycatch species, their ability to reduce bycatch levels, and their impact on target species. An assessment of alternative gear types will consider the feasibility of transitioning the commercial sector of the NT Barramundi Fishery to fishing gear with lower bycatch levels in the future. Trial outcomes will provide industry and managers with proven options to assist implementation of threatened species mitigation strategies in northern gillnet fisheries.
This project will give industry and managers confidence in tested bycatch mitigation technologies. Only by comprehensively testing static green LED lights and the SharkGuard electric deterrent through aquarium and field trials under varied local conditions can a scientifically robust evaluation of bycatch reduction be undertaken. Successful demonstration overseas of the devices to be trialled provides the starting knowledge that they can deter sharks and rays and reduce their bycatch levels by up to 95%. To our knowledge, these bycatch mitigation devices have not been tested in Australian gillnet fisheries. If demonstrated and applied in northern Australian gillnet fisheries, these devices may have the ability to significantly reduce the bycatch of eight EPBC Act listed threatened and/or migratory sharks and rays, as well as other sharks of conservation concern (notably, hammerhead sharks). Furthermore, there may be flow-on benefits to other EPBC Act listed species groups, particularly marine turtles. LED lights were initially applied as a bycatch reduction measure for turtles, and they have been demonstrated to reduce turtle bycatch (turtle bycatch is at a low level in NT and WA gillnet fisheries making direct experimental/field evaluation of bycatch reduction difficult in the NT/WA). Objectives: 1. Comprehensively test two novel mitigation devices (deterrents) to provide industry and managers with scientifically robust tested measures with the potential to be implemented throughout a wide variety of gillnet fisheries. 2. Assess alternative gears to gillnet within the NT Barramundi Fishery. Investigating alternative gear is aimed at assessing if there are ways to achieve sustainable catches of target species while reducing or even eliminating bycatch of focal threatened species. Read moreRead less
Systematic Revision Of The Australian Fishes Of The Family Pomadasyidae
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Study the fishes of the family Pomadasyidae in the scientific collection of the Australian Museum Sydney & the National Museum Melbourne