Envisaging Citizenship: Australian Histories and Global Connections. This project aims to investigate the ways that visual images have defined, contested and advanced ideas of Australian citizenship and rights from European settlement to the present. Responding to the lack of a shared mainstream understanding of Australian citizenship, it looks beyond legal definitions to explore cultural and especially visual views of citizenship over time. Through collaboration with museum, media and education ....Envisaging Citizenship: Australian Histories and Global Connections. This project aims to investigate the ways that visual images have defined, contested and advanced ideas of Australian citizenship and rights from European settlement to the present. Responding to the lack of a shared mainstream understanding of Australian citizenship, it looks beyond legal definitions to explore cultural and especially visual views of citizenship over time. Through collaboration with museum, media and education sectors, it will provide a forward-looking and accessible public history, and utilise the potential of images to broaden contemporary debates about citizenship. Expected outcomes include a better public understanding of the pathways to citizenship, and enhanced engagement with Australian values and identity.Read moreRead less
Using modelling to optimise the structure and function of crop root systems for dryland agriculture. The crop root systems are poorly suited to harsh conditions in Australian agriculture, especially as climate is getting drier. Poor water-use efficiency lowers crop yields below the potential yield; moreover, unutilised water and nutrients contribute to environmental problems, eg salinity and eutrophication. This project will use our simulation model to develop computer-aided design of 3-D root s ....Using modelling to optimise the structure and function of crop root systems for dryland agriculture. The crop root systems are poorly suited to harsh conditions in Australian agriculture, especially as climate is getting drier. Poor water-use efficiency lowers crop yields below the potential yield; moreover, unutilised water and nutrients contribute to environmental problems, eg salinity and eutrophication. This project will use our simulation model to develop computer-aided design of 3-D root structure and function (water and nutrient uptake) tailored to particular environments. Modelling will also link suitable root traits to genetic markers in well-characterised lupin germplasm. The blueprint developed here will be adaptable to other crops. The project will enhance breeding for increased water- and nutrient-use efficiency.Read moreRead less
Role of intracellular calcium homeostasis and aluminium transport across the plasma membrane in aluminium toxicity to plants. Aluminium is the most important yield-limiting factor in acid soils throughout the world. The problem of aluminium toxicity is aggravated by continuous acidification of arable land. Mechanisms of aluminium toxicity in plant cells are poorly understood. The present project seeks to elucidate the molecular basis of the interaction between intracellular calcium homeostasis, ....Role of intracellular calcium homeostasis and aluminium transport across the plasma membrane in aluminium toxicity to plants. Aluminium is the most important yield-limiting factor in acid soils throughout the world. The problem of aluminium toxicity is aggravated by continuous acidification of arable land. Mechanisms of aluminium toxicity in plant cells are poorly understood. The present project seeks to elucidate the molecular basis of the interaction between intracellular calcium homeostasis, cytosolic pH and aluminium uptake across the plasma membrane in aluminium toxicity to plants. Knowledge of primary triggers of aluminium toxicity will pay off in a breeding programme aimed at selecting crop genotypes with increased resistance to aluminium toxicity.Read moreRead less
Aluminium uptake across the root-cell plasma membrane. Aluminium toxicity limits crop growth in acid soils that occupy about 24 million hectares of agricultural land in Australia. Liming can increase pH of the surface soil, but is frequently too expensive in the low-input Australian agriculture. Surface-applied lime is poorly effective in ameliorating subsoil acidity, and incorporating lime deep into the profile is prohibitively expensive and technically difficult. Hence, Al-resistant crop culti ....Aluminium uptake across the root-cell plasma membrane. Aluminium toxicity limits crop growth in acid soils that occupy about 24 million hectares of agricultural land in Australia. Liming can increase pH of the surface soil, but is frequently too expensive in the low-input Australian agriculture. Surface-applied lime is poorly effective in ameliorating subsoil acidity, and incorporating lime deep into the profile is prohibitively expensive and technically difficult. Hence, Al-resistant crop cultivars are important part of sustainable farming in Australia. This project will characterise early triggers of Al toxicity in plants, providing a foundation for increasing Al resistance in crop cultivars. Understanding the physiological basis of Al toxicity will lead to improved crop breeding strategies.Read moreRead less
Advances in Conformal Field Theory with Extended Symmetry. This project aims to develop novel methods to formulate conformal field theories with extended symmetry that are important in variety of applications ranging from pure mathematics to phenomenology of elementary particles. The project expects to advance our knowledge in the most challenging areas of modern theoretical physics - Quantum Gravity and physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Its expected outcomes will include co ....Advances in Conformal Field Theory with Extended Symmetry. This project aims to develop novel methods to formulate conformal field theories with extended symmetry that are important in variety of applications ranging from pure mathematics to phenomenology of elementary particles. The project expects to advance our knowledge in the most challenging areas of modern theoretical physics - Quantum Gravity and physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Its expected outcomes will include conceptual results of major significance for modern theoretical and mathematical physics, thus placing Australia at the forefront of this research. A rich intellectual environment will be provided for training Australian PhD students by internationally recognised experts.
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Novel Conformal Techniques in Quantum Field Theory, Gravity and Supergravity. Conformal symmetry is the maximal spacetime symmetry in relativistic quantum theory. This project will explore the dynamics of those quantum field theories and matter-coupled gravity theories that possess conformal symmetry and have recently been the focus of enormous interest worldwide. Its scientific outcomes will include a deeper understanding of Wilson loops in Yang-Mills theories, scattering amplitudes in conforma ....Novel Conformal Techniques in Quantum Field Theory, Gravity and Supergravity. Conformal symmetry is the maximal spacetime symmetry in relativistic quantum theory. This project will explore the dynamics of those quantum field theories and matter-coupled gravity theories that possess conformal symmetry and have recently been the focus of enormous interest worldwide. Its scientific outcomes will include a deeper understanding of Wilson loops in Yang-Mills theories, scattering amplitudes in conformal gravity and supergravity as well as other conceptual results of major importance to modern mathematical physics, thus placing Australia at the forefront of this research. A rich intellectual environment will be provided for training of Australian PhD students by internationally recognised experts. Read moreRead less
Conformal Field Theories with Higher Spin Symmetry and Duality Invariance. This project aims to develop novel methods to study conformal field theories with higher spin symmetry and duality invarianvce that are important in variety of applications ranging from cosmology to phenomenology of elementary particles. The project expects to advance our knowledge in one of the most challenging areas of modern theoretical physics - Quantum Gravity and physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics ....Conformal Field Theories with Higher Spin Symmetry and Duality Invariance. This project aims to develop novel methods to study conformal field theories with higher spin symmetry and duality invarianvce that are important in variety of applications ranging from cosmology to phenomenology of elementary particles. The project expects to advance our knowledge in one of the most challenging areas of modern theoretical physics - Quantum Gravity and physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Its expected outcomes will be new conceptual results of major significance for modern theoretical and mathematical physics, thus placing Australia at the forefront of this research. Benefits will include a rich intellectual environment for training Australian PhD students by internationally recognised experts.
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Advances in HIgher Spin Gauge Theory. This project aims to explore the dynamical and geometrical aspects of higher spin gauge theory that have recently become the focus of enormous interest worldwide. Higher spin gauge theory is a unique generalisation of Einstein’s gravitation theory, which possesses maximal gauge symmetry and is a novel candidate for quantum gravity. Expected project outcomes include a better understanding of higher-spin interaction vertices, correlation functions, and other c ....Advances in HIgher Spin Gauge Theory. This project aims to explore the dynamical and geometrical aspects of higher spin gauge theory that have recently become the focus of enormous interest worldwide. Higher spin gauge theory is a unique generalisation of Einstein’s gravitation theory, which possesses maximal gauge symmetry and is a novel candidate for quantum gravity. Expected project outcomes include a better understanding of higher-spin interaction vertices, correlation functions, and other conceptual results of major importance to mathematical physics.Read moreRead less
Does plant phosphorus economy determine ecological status in biodiverse Australian communities? The phosphorus (P)-impoverished nature of the soils of south-western Australia has allowed the evolution of many plant species that are amazingly efficient at acquiring and utilising P. Among the most P efficient are species of the Proteaceae, which produce cluster roots. We will explore why less efficient species can co-occur with the very efficient Proteaceae. A deep and thorough understanding of th ....Does plant phosphorus economy determine ecological status in biodiverse Australian communities? The phosphorus (P)-impoverished nature of the soils of south-western Australia has allowed the evolution of many plant species that are amazingly efficient at acquiring and utilising P. Among the most P efficient are species of the Proteaceae, which produce cluster roots. We will explore why less efficient species can co-occur with the very efficient Proteaceae. A deep and thorough understanding of the mechanism determining P efficiency of these species will contribute significantly to our basic understanding of P nutrition in plants and to our understanding of the P-impoverished ecosystems of the southwest. It will also assist in developing crops that are more efficient at acquiring and/or utilising P.Read moreRead less
Carboxylate exudation and phosphate nutrition in Hakea prostrata (Proteaecea). Nonmycorrhizal Proteaceae are very successful in acquiring phosphate from nutrient-impoverished soils; their cluster roots account for this. They are also extremely sensitive to phosphate toxicity. We will elucidate aspects of production and release of carboxylates that are associated with functioning of cluster roots, using Hakea prostrata (Proteaceae) as a model. Types and rates of exudation by cluster roots, as in ....Carboxylate exudation and phosphate nutrition in Hakea prostrata (Proteaecea). Nonmycorrhizal Proteaceae are very successful in acquiring phosphate from nutrient-impoverished soils; their cluster roots account for this. They are also extremely sensitive to phosphate toxicity. We will elucidate aspects of production and release of carboxylates that are associated with functioning of cluster roots, using Hakea prostrata (Proteaceae) as a model. Types and rates of exudation by cluster roots, as influenced by development and environmental signals, will be assessed. Our findings will provide key information on adaptive mechanisms associated with both phosphate acquisition from phosphate-fixing soils and phosphate toxicity.Read moreRead less