Early life nutrition to improve feed efficiency in commercial dairy goats. This project aims to improve the productivity and welfare and reduce resource waste in commercial dairy goat kids. The Australian dairy goat industry is expanding (~20% per annum) yet there is little research to overcome hurdles to improving milk and meat production. There is also increased societal pressure to improve sustainability, reduce waste and maintain animal welfare. By investigating nutritional methods to improv ....Early life nutrition to improve feed efficiency in commercial dairy goats. This project aims to improve the productivity and welfare and reduce resource waste in commercial dairy goat kids. The Australian dairy goat industry is expanding (~20% per annum) yet there is little research to overcome hurdles to improving milk and meat production. There is also increased societal pressure to improve sustainability, reduce waste and maintain animal welfare. By investigating nutritional methods to improve productivity of male (for meat) and female (for milk) kids, this project will generate new knowledge relevant to Australian and international goat production systems. This project will assist goat producers to make decisions that maximise animal productivity with flow on benefits to manufacturers of goat products. Read moreRead less
Elucidation of the hierarchy of stem, progenitor and mature cells in the mouse mammary gland. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in women in Australia. Although the treatments have improved over the last 30 years, many women still die from the disease. It is therefore important to identify new targets for breast cancer treatment. There is growing interest in the concept that a cancer-initiating cell may arise from a stem cell or progenitor cell in the mammary gland. O ....Elucidation of the hierarchy of stem, progenitor and mature cells in the mouse mammary gland. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in women in Australia. Although the treatments have improved over the last 30 years, many women still die from the disease. It is therefore important to identify new targets for breast cancer treatment. There is growing interest in the concept that a cancer-initiating cell may arise from a stem cell or progenitor cell in the mammary gland. Our goal is to identify those cells and to determine which genes are involved in transforming a normal cell to a cancerous cell.Read moreRead less
Endogenous and environmental regulation of energy expenditure in skeletal muscle. Circadian and seasonal cycles impact on body weight; night shift workers have disrupted light-dark cycles and are predisposed to obesity. The project will investigate effects of both short and long term changes in day length on energy expenditure in skeletal muscle. Furthermore, the project will investigate mechanisms that control energy expenditure in muscle.
The great divergence, long-run growth and unified theories of economic growth. This project investigates why income has been close to subsistence levels for most of human history, and in particular, the factors that were responsible for take-off in Europe two centuries ago and then later in other countries. It is expected that both major and minor technological innovations have played a critical role in take-off.
Growth, IQ, diseases, and the great demographic transition. This project investigates firstly whether poor health and malnutrition among young children was a cause of severe cognitive impairment in the pre-industrialised West and in developing countries today, and secondly whether this has been a major factor behind the large disparities in income and growth over the 150 years since industrialisation.
Investigation of the biochemical and physiological functions of the negative regulator of cytokine signalling SOCS-2. Cytokines exert their effects by binding and signalling through specific cell surface receptors to elicit their biological action, and if left unchecked, this signalling can cause significant tissue damage and toxicity. Our aim is to characterise a novel regulator of cytokine signalling, SOCS-2. SOCS-2 is strongly implicated in the regulation of post-natal growth as SOCS-2 defici ....Investigation of the biochemical and physiological functions of the negative regulator of cytokine signalling SOCS-2. Cytokines exert their effects by binding and signalling through specific cell surface receptors to elicit their biological action, and if left unchecked, this signalling can cause significant tissue damage and toxicity. Our aim is to characterise a novel regulator of cytokine signalling, SOCS-2. SOCS-2 is strongly implicated in the regulation of post-natal growth as SOCS-2 deficient animals are 40 percent larger than normal. Consequently, we wish to determine how SOCS-2 acts to limit the size of an animal and whether this involves regulation of growth hormone action.Read moreRead less
Supporting pacific development. The research looks at the extent to which twenty-two of the world's richest countries support development in the Pacific Islands region through their efforts with respect to aid, trade, migration, private investment, security, technology and environmental sustainability. It will develop an index that will rank these countries on the basis of these efforts.
Inequality and economic growth. This project aims to identify forces driving inequality. Piketty’s influential book, Capital in the 21st Century, stimulated research on inequality to address the increased public concern about inequality and its side-effects such as reduced growth. Piketty proposes three laws that explain and predict inequality paths over time, but there is no empirical evidence or theoretical foundations for these laws. This project will examine Piketty’s laws and investigate fa ....Inequality and economic growth. This project aims to identify forces driving inequality. Piketty’s influential book, Capital in the 21st Century, stimulated research on inequality to address the increased public concern about inequality and its side-effects such as reduced growth. Piketty proposes three laws that explain and predict inequality paths over time, but there is no empirical evidence or theoretical foundations for these laws. This project will examine Piketty’s laws and investigate factors that shape inequality and its relation to growth. This knowledge should enable Australian governments to reduce inequality and benefit economic growth, thereby reducing disadvantage and building stronger, more resilient communities.Read moreRead less
Novel Methods For Promoting Organ Development And Growth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,203.00
Summary
A revolutionary new therapy for treatment of growth restricted fetuses and premature babies is being developed through the administration of Colony Stimulating Factor (CSF-1). We have evidence that CSF-1 therapy can promote kidneys and lungs to continue development and maturation after birth. This exciting new finding allows for the application of CSF-1 therapy for both the treatment of premature babies and unborn babies with kidney defects.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101106
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Economic rise and decline - as seen from space. This research evaluates the accuracy of night-light based measures of local economic change. Satellite images of night-light cover the entire inhabited regions of the world, thus establishing whether these data can be used to supplement traditional measures of economic activity in countries with weak statistical systems would be a global public good.