Examination of unique tear lipids and their role in the tear film's structure and function. The tear film lipid layer covers the eye, stabilises the tears and prevents their evaporation. Yet its structure, function and composition are yet to be fully elucidated. The aim of this project is to fully characterise the unique lipids in this layer, the long-chain omega-hydroxy fatty acids (not found elsewhere in the body), and to determine their role in its structure and function. The project is signi ....Examination of unique tear lipids and their role in the tear film's structure and function. The tear film lipid layer covers the eye, stabilises the tears and prevents their evaporation. Yet its structure, function and composition are yet to be fully elucidated. The aim of this project is to fully characterise the unique lipids in this layer, the long-chain omega-hydroxy fatty acids (not found elsewhere in the body), and to determine their role in its structure and function. The project is significant because the unique combination of skills including synthetic chemistry, mass spectrometry, lipidomics, biochemistry, biophysics which aim to result in a major shift in the understanding of this layer.Read moreRead less
Developing next generation technologies for unmasking the lipidome. Recent discoveries suggest that the number and structural variety of lipids in nature may be far greater than previously imagined. This complexity arises from the presence of structurally similar, but functionally distinct, lipid isomers that are not readily distinguished using current lipidomics technologies. This project aims to develop unique instrumentation that combines ion mobility and mass spectrometry to enable the rapid ....Developing next generation technologies for unmasking the lipidome. Recent discoveries suggest that the number and structural variety of lipids in nature may be far greater than previously imagined. This complexity arises from the presence of structurally similar, but functionally distinct, lipid isomers that are not readily distinguished using current lipidomics technologies. This project aims to develop unique instrumentation that combines ion mobility and mass spectrometry to enable the rapid separation, identification and quantification of isomeric lipids. These next generation technologies will be deployed in the hope of unmasking the molecular diversity within the lipidomes of two important mammalian cell types, thus providing fundamental new insights into the structure and function of lipids within living systems.Read moreRead less
The photons take charge: Elucidating the structure and stability of distonic radical anions by mass spectrometry and photoelectron spectroscopy. Recent work has discovered that certain radical anions have electronic configurations that defy chemical convention and exhibit exceptional radical stability. Exploitation of this breakthrough first requires experimental elucidation of the intrinsic electronic structure of these compounds and how it relates to their remarkable properties. This project w ....The photons take charge: Elucidating the structure and stability of distonic radical anions by mass spectrometry and photoelectron spectroscopy. Recent work has discovered that certain radical anions have electronic configurations that defy chemical convention and exhibit exceptional radical stability. Exploitation of this breakthrough first requires experimental elucidation of the intrinsic electronic structure of these compounds and how it relates to their remarkable properties. This project will probe the fundamental structure and energetics of radical anions by modifying instrumentation to enable multi-step gas-phase ion synthesis to be efficiently coupled with anion photoelectron spectroscopy. These investigations are essential to revealing the scope of this phenomenon in free radical chemistry and biology and could inform future development of new catalysts for polymerisation.Read moreRead less
New laser and mass spectrometry-based tools for comprehensive structural elucidation of lipids and their biomolecular interactions. Lipid-related disorders such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease are reaching epidemic proportions. We propose the development of specialised instrumentation to identify and quantify lipids (fats) in tissue and culture samples thus providing Australian scientists with unique capabilities to investigate the mechanisms of disease.
Formation, photochemistry and fate of gas-phase peroxyl radicals. This project aims to understand how peroxyl radical reactions modulate the composition of air. The gas-phase chemical reactions of organic peroxyl radicals contribute to air quality in clean and polluted environments. However, experimental observations of these reaction intermediates and the complex mechanisms governing their formation and fate are limited. This project will use mass spectrometry and laser-based methods to interro ....Formation, photochemistry and fate of gas-phase peroxyl radicals. This project aims to understand how peroxyl radical reactions modulate the composition of air. The gas-phase chemical reactions of organic peroxyl radicals contribute to air quality in clean and polluted environments. However, experimental observations of these reaction intermediates and the complex mechanisms governing their formation and fate are limited. This project will use mass spectrometry and laser-based methods to interrogate the chemical and photochemical reactions of peroxyl radicals in the gas phase. This project expects to understand the composition and dynamics of the troposphere and inform strategies to improve air quality.Read moreRead less
Novel compounds as natural herbicides for weed management. The development by weeds of herbicide resistance has undermined these systems and limited prospect for development of new chemicals with different modes of actions through traditional methods. Such methods of searching for new herbicides are yielding diminishing returns and the associated costs are becoming prohibitive.
This project aims to develop herbicides by evaluating, isolating and identifying novel natural compounds present in a ....Novel compounds as natural herbicides for weed management. The development by weeds of herbicide resistance has undermined these systems and limited prospect for development of new chemicals with different modes of actions through traditional methods. Such methods of searching for new herbicides are yielding diminishing returns and the associated costs are becoming prohibitive.
This project aims to develop herbicides by evaluating, isolating and identifying novel natural compounds present in a range of weeds and crop plants.
The outcomes will be reduced herbicide inputs, and the development of a new group of natural herbicides to counteract the threat imposed by the development of herbicide resistance.
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Novel compounds as natural herbicides for weed management. The development by weeds of herbicide resistance has undermined minimum-tillage systems and heightened the limited prospects for development of new chemicals with different modes of actions through traditional methods. Such methods of searching for new herbicides are yielding diminishing returns and the associated costs are becoming prohibitive.
This project aims to develop herbicides by evaluating, isolating and identifying novel nat ....Novel compounds as natural herbicides for weed management. The development by weeds of herbicide resistance has undermined minimum-tillage systems and heightened the limited prospects for development of new chemicals with different modes of actions through traditional methods. Such methods of searching for new herbicides are yielding diminishing returns and the associated costs are becoming prohibitive.
This project aims to develop herbicides by evaluating, isolating and identifying novel natural compounds present in a range of weeds and crop plants.
The outcomes will be reduced herbicide inputs, and the development of a new group of natural herbicides to counteract the threat imposed by the development of herbicide resistance.Read moreRead less
In-field assessment and lifetime prediction of composite insulators in high voltage electricity transmission networks. New types of composite insulators are now used in extra-high voltage overhead lines in Australia's national electricity grid. Flashover of such insulators due to early ageing may lead to unavailability of vital lines causing power transmission disruptions costing the National Electricity Market tens of millions of dollars.
In this project research will be conducted into agei ....In-field assessment and lifetime prediction of composite insulators in high voltage electricity transmission networks. New types of composite insulators are now used in extra-high voltage overhead lines in Australia's national electricity grid. Flashover of such insulators due to early ageing may lead to unavailability of vital lines causing power transmission disruptions costing the National Electricity Market tens of millions of dollars.
In this project research will be conducted into ageing of elastomers to provide early warning of insulator end-of-life and into new techniques for extracting elastomer samples from live high voltage insulators. Transgrid will cooperate in the application of the technology to give improved understanding of insulator ageing in transmission networks.
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