Biomechanics of Needle Insertion. Needle insertion is one of the most common neurosurgical procedures. However, the biomechanics of this process is poorly understood. The unknown factors include brain tissue deformation under load imposed by the needle and needle deflection when penetrating brain tissue. We will develop computational models of needle insertion. They will include non-linear material properties of the brain tissue, large deformations, and needle-tissue contact model including fric ....Biomechanics of Needle Insertion. Needle insertion is one of the most common neurosurgical procedures. However, the biomechanics of this process is poorly understood. The unknown factors include brain tissue deformation under load imposed by the needle and needle deflection when penetrating brain tissue. We will develop computational models of needle insertion. They will include non-linear material properties of the brain tissue, large deformations, and needle-tissue contact model including friction. The Japanese group will develop testing methods to validate mathematical models. Experimental set-up includes bi-axial x-ray to measure deformation within the tissue and needle deflection, and a sensor measuring reaction force on needle tip and friction force on needle sides.Read moreRead less
Peripheral aberrations of the human eye. This project will benefit Australia from several perspectives. It will make an important contribution to understanding limitations to peripheral vision of the eye, particularly as a result of refractive surgical intervention. This is important because many Australians will require such surgery. Being able to better measure and correct peripheral aberrations will lead to improved imaging of the eye and thus contribute to improved detection and diagnosis of ....Peripheral aberrations of the human eye. This project will benefit Australia from several perspectives. It will make an important contribution to understanding limitations to peripheral vision of the eye, particularly as a result of refractive surgical intervention. This is important because many Australians will require such surgery. Being able to better measure and correct peripheral aberrations will lead to improved imaging of the eye and thus contribute to improved detection and diagnosis of ophthalmic disease. The study will benefit ophthalmologists, optometrists, and engineers involved in designing visual instruments. This project will provide training in adaptive optics for graduate students not available in any other Australian institution.Read moreRead less
Adaptive aberration compensation in high refractive index materials for next-generation active microphotonic devices. The method proposed in this project is a very promising and versatile method to compensate the strong aberration in a high refractive index material. The successful compensation of such aberration will allow people to fabricate microdevices directly inside high refractive index materials. This project will greatly advance optical fabrication techniques and expand the national kno ....Adaptive aberration compensation in high refractive index materials for next-generation active microphotonic devices. The method proposed in this project is a very promising and versatile method to compensate the strong aberration in a high refractive index material. The successful compensation of such aberration will allow people to fabricate microdevices directly inside high refractive index materials. This project will greatly advance optical fabrication techniques and expand the national knowledge in the area of nonlinear PhCs (photonic crystals) and related applications. It is expected that the project will provide many chances for postgraduate students to be involved. In future, nonlinear PhCs and related devices may be widely used in daily life and this project may provide some opportunities for industry.Read moreRead less
Multiphoton microscopy through tissue turbid media. The aim of this proposal is to conduct the collaborative project on multi-photon microscopic imaging through biological tissue, which has been recently initiated between Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It will integrate the special skills, two-photon fluorescence endoscopy and second-harmonic coherence tomography, investigated in the respective collaborating institutes, to develop a nove ....Multiphoton microscopy through tissue turbid media. The aim of this proposal is to conduct the collaborative project on multi-photon microscopic imaging through biological tissue, which has been recently initiated between Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It will integrate the special skills, two-photon fluorescence endoscopy and second-harmonic coherence tomography, investigated in the respective collaborating institutes, to develop a novel method for detecting/imaging cancer cells that are located at 1 mm below tissue surfaces, while they are still in the early stage to be cured. Consequently, a diagnostic method for early cancer detection particularly through skin tissue becomes possible.Read moreRead less
Advanced materials and structures for terahertz science and technology. Anthrax, explosives, water, cancer all have characteristic signatures in the terahertz (THz) part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Security, defence, agriculture, medicine are some of the fields where THz science and technology are booming. THz developments offer enhanced national security, prosperity and quality of life. The lack of strong sources of THz radiation is the main factor hampering wider application of THz metho ....Advanced materials and structures for terahertz science and technology. Anthrax, explosives, water, cancer all have characteristic signatures in the terahertz (THz) part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Security, defence, agriculture, medicine are some of the fields where THz science and technology are booming. THz developments offer enhanced national security, prosperity and quality of life. The lack of strong sources of THz radiation is the main factor hampering wider application of THz methods. In this project two university research teams come together to develop more efficient THz emitters. The Darmstadt team will prepare novel materials and structures and the Wollongong team will evaluate them and provide feedback for the next iteration.Read moreRead less
Microcharacterisation of rare-earth-doped optical fibres. Rare-earth-doped optical fibres continue to play a central role in optical telecommunication systems and are increasingly being used as elements in optical fibre sensing devices and as fibre lasers. The aim of this project is the application of new high spatial resolution techniques for determining the physical properties of such fibres. These methods will permit unprecedented knowledge of the precise distribution of rare-earth ions in th ....Microcharacterisation of rare-earth-doped optical fibres. Rare-earth-doped optical fibres continue to play a central role in optical telecommunication systems and are increasingly being used as elements in optical fibre sensing devices and as fibre lasers. The aim of this project is the application of new high spatial resolution techniques for determining the physical properties of such fibres. These methods will permit unprecedented knowledge of the precise distribution of rare-earth ions in the fibre and its relationship with the fibre's refractive index profile. This information is critical to understanding the performance of rare-earth-doped fibres in a variety of applications and the outcomes of this work will inform the design of fibres optimised for use in specific applications.Read moreRead less
The kinematics of the anterior eye deformation. This project has a potential to benefit Australia from a number of perspectives. The outcomes will provide ophthalmologists and optometrists with currently unavailable knowledge on dynamic behaviour of eye. In particular the research will identify aspects of corneal deformation that in turn will help improve the accuracy of refractive surgeries and aid in the management of glaucoma. Also, the knowledge generated through this project will be of valu ....The kinematics of the anterior eye deformation. This project has a potential to benefit Australia from a number of perspectives. The outcomes will provide ophthalmologists and optometrists with currently unavailable knowledge on dynamic behaviour of eye. In particular the research will identify aspects of corneal deformation that in turn will help improve the accuracy of refractive surgeries and aid in the management of glaucoma. Also, the knowledge generated through this project will be of value to engineers designing advanced clinical instrument for measuring eye parameters. Read moreRead less
Active polymer surfaces for control of fluid movement. The realisation of a diverse array of remote or portable chemical/biological monitoring systems depends on the development of low power fluid management protocols. The use of appropriate conducting polymer surfaces should enable this to occur. We envisage the integration of these fluid management platforms into portable, remote autonomous monitoring systems for environmental industrial and biomedical applications.
Techniques for probing biological media with holographic angular scattering spectroscopy. Huge effort in the biological and medical sciences is spent in using simple software to laboriously mark, count and measure cells and structures in microscope images of samples. We could replace this incredibly inefficient process in many instances with single-shot size-map images of unstained samples. If depth selectivity can be added, we could perform non-invasive measurements on animals, making a huge re ....Techniques for probing biological media with holographic angular scattering spectroscopy. Huge effort in the biological and medical sciences is spent in using simple software to laboriously mark, count and measure cells and structures in microscope images of samples. We could replace this incredibly inefficient process in many instances with single-shot size-map images of unstained samples. If depth selectivity can be added, we could perform non-invasive measurements on animals, making a huge reduction in their usage. We could assess thick tissues enabling early noninvasive diagnosis of malignancy in tumours in situ or muscle characterization for meat quality or muscular dystrophy. These benefits impact on research, animal ethics, and on health, and have commercial potential in life and medical sciences, and the meat industry.Read moreRead less
Computational biomechanics for image-guided neurosurgery. Our results will lead to significant improvements to the efficacy and efficiency of image-guided neurosurgery for brain tumours. Visualisation of the intra-operative configuration of the patient's brain, obtained by sparse intra-operative MRI, merged with high resolution pre-operative imaging data will become possible. In current practice, the neurosurgeon must mentally fuse the information from pre-operative fMRI and DTI by projecting it ....Computational biomechanics for image-guided neurosurgery. Our results will lead to significant improvements to the efficacy and efficiency of image-guided neurosurgery for brain tumours. Visualisation of the intra-operative configuration of the patient's brain, obtained by sparse intra-operative MRI, merged with high resolution pre-operative imaging data will become possible. In current practice, the neurosurgeon must mentally fuse the information from pre-operative fMRI and DTI by projecting it through the 3D spatial and temporal changes the patient's brain has undergone. We propose to replace this mental fusion with computations based on the biomechanical model that will allow visualisation of the transformed pre-operative data matched to the current shape of the patient's brain.Read moreRead less