Regulation of lung immune-epithelial networks sensing environmental change. This study aims to uncover how lung epithelial cells engage with immune cells and determine their cellular and molecular wiring to ensure homeostatic maintenance and essential repair processes of lung tissues. Maintenance of lung epithelial-immune networks is essential to maintain normal lung tissue structure and function, and to induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges or inhaled potentially toxic ....Regulation of lung immune-epithelial networks sensing environmental change. This study aims to uncover how lung epithelial cells engage with immune cells and determine their cellular and molecular wiring to ensure homeostatic maintenance and essential repair processes of lung tissues. Maintenance of lung epithelial-immune networks is essential to maintain normal lung tissue structure and function, and to induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges or inhaled potentially toxic substances. Understanding this molecular program of epithelial-immune cell-mediated sensing/repair will be essential to understand how tissue-repair processes can be driven in the lung, an organ critical for respiration and thus life.Read moreRead less
Evaluative learning: do all roads lead to Rome? This project aims to enhance understanding of how likes and dislikes are acquired and changed across a range of different settings. Evaluative learning, the acquisition and change of likes and dislikes, is ubiquitous and occurs in situations that range from trivial to traumatic. However, it is unknown whether evaluative learning in these different situations is mediated by a single or distinct learning mechanisms. Answering this question is critica ....Evaluative learning: do all roads lead to Rome? This project aims to enhance understanding of how likes and dislikes are acquired and changed across a range of different settings. Evaluative learning, the acquisition and change of likes and dislikes, is ubiquitous and occurs in situations that range from trivial to traumatic. However, it is unknown whether evaluative learning in these different situations is mediated by a single or distinct learning mechanisms. Answering this question is critically important for emotion science and the design of effective interventions for anxiety disorders and public health campaigns. The expected outcomes from this project will provide significant benefits, such as creating new knowledge to assist in applied areas ranging from the design of public health messages to the treatment for anxiety.Read moreRead less
The production, use and effect of social work research. This project aims to reform social work research to improve the quality and effectiveness of human services. The human services industry is vital to many people’s quality of life, but lacks innovation and struggles to demonstrate its effectiveness. Crucially for social work, research expands thinking about how to respond to social disadvantage. This project intends to examine the scope and quality of Australian social work research in child ....The production, use and effect of social work research. This project aims to reform social work research to improve the quality and effectiveness of human services. The human services industry is vital to many people’s quality of life, but lacks innovation and struggles to demonstrate its effectiveness. Crucially for social work, research expands thinking about how to respond to social disadvantage. This project intends to examine the scope and quality of Australian social work research in child protection, disability services, and aged care; assess the use of this research to the human services sector and its effect on generating innovation; and develop strategies to advance the production, uptake, and effect of social work research.Read moreRead less
A theoretical framework for elder abuse to guide social work practice. This project aims to develop a theoretical framework to assist health social workers to effectively assess and intervene in elder abuse. Social workers have responsibility in health settings to respond when abuse is noticed. Elder abuse damages trust, increases health costs and hastens death. Improving practice to assist older people who are abused relies on the knowledge, experiences and wishes of older people, social worker ....A theoretical framework for elder abuse to guide social work practice. This project aims to develop a theoretical framework to assist health social workers to effectively assess and intervene in elder abuse. Social workers have responsibility in health settings to respond when abuse is noticed. Elder abuse damages trust, increases health costs and hastens death. Improving practice to assist older people who are abused relies on the knowledge, experiences and wishes of older people, social workers and international experts to provide an effective and efficient theoretical model to address elder abuse.
A new framework will allow practitioners to assist vulnerable older people and improve the quality of their lives. Further, this information will assist the government to address elder abuse in Australia.Read moreRead less
The Material Science of Biomimetic Soft Network Composites. Nature combines stiff and strong collagen fibres intertwined within a weak polymer matrix of proteoglycans into soft tissues with outstanding mechanical durability and biological properties. We converge a biomimetic design strategy inspired in the architecture of natural soft tissues and a novel additive manufacturing technology termed melt electrowriting (MEW) to manufacture advanced biomimetic soft network composites (BSNC). The SNCs ....The Material Science of Biomimetic Soft Network Composites. Nature combines stiff and strong collagen fibres intertwined within a weak polymer matrix of proteoglycans into soft tissues with outstanding mechanical durability and biological properties. We converge a biomimetic design strategy inspired in the architecture of natural soft tissues and a novel additive manufacturing technology termed melt electrowriting (MEW) to manufacture advanced biomimetic soft network composites (BSNC). The SNCs are composed of a weak polymer matrix and a MEW reinforcing fibrous phase printed at the nanometre scale, containing patterns mimicking the natural tissue architectures. Advanced computational tools are applied for the rational design of the SNC while reducing costs and times associated to experimental work.Read moreRead less
Understanding bone structure evolution using machine learning. Bone remodeling is the ancient process of bone resorption and formation that optimises material properties and has led to evolution of terrestrial vertebrates. To date it is not understood how remodeling achieves tuning of bone material. This proposal aims to develop a machine learning based approach, linking computational modeling and imaging to address this problem. Intended outcomes are development of a multiscale model of remodel ....Understanding bone structure evolution using machine learning. Bone remodeling is the ancient process of bone resorption and formation that optimises material properties and has led to evolution of terrestrial vertebrates. To date it is not understood how remodeling achieves tuning of bone material. This proposal aims to develop a machine learning based approach, linking computational modeling and imaging to address this problem. Intended outcomes are development of a multiscale model of remodeling and machine learning algorithms for image analysis. This approach will help establish a structural-functional link between remodeling and bone material optimisation which ultimately provides significant benefits for bone tissue engineering, fracture healing and improved therapies for osteoporosis. Read moreRead less
Tissue Bio-physicochemical Quantification Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This project aims to develop novel magnetic resonance imaging methods to investigate tissue structure and function. Current MRI technologies use standard water-based contrast mechanisms to generate images with limited tissue information. In contrast, this project expects to provide a non-invasive, ultra-high-resolution MRI technology that measures the electrical, magnetic, and chemical signals generated from the human bo ....Tissue Bio-physicochemical Quantification Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This project aims to develop novel magnetic resonance imaging methods to investigate tissue structure and function. Current MRI technologies use standard water-based contrast mechanisms to generate images with limited tissue information. In contrast, this project expects to provide a non-invasive, ultra-high-resolution MRI technology that measures the electrical, magnetic, and chemical signals generated from the human body. Thus, the new imaging methods can probe deeper biological functionality while examining tissue structure. The potential benefits include: expanding the scope and capabilities of current MRI, facilitating a wide range of imaging-based research and applications, and accelerating knowledge expansion in life science.Read moreRead less
Mapping the learning mechanisms linking adversity with maladjustment. Exposure to adversity, such as violence, neglect and natural disasters, is common and a powerful risk factor for emotional maladjustment. Yet knowledge of the underlying mechanisms linking adversity with emotional maladjustment is remarkably limited. By drawing from theories of adversity and learning and utilising novel experimental methodology, this project aims to map how adverse experiences have different negative effects o ....Mapping the learning mechanisms linking adversity with maladjustment. Exposure to adversity, such as violence, neglect and natural disasters, is common and a powerful risk factor for emotional maladjustment. Yet knowledge of the underlying mechanisms linking adversity with emotional maladjustment is remarkably limited. By drawing from theories of adversity and learning and utilising novel experimental methodology, this project aims to map how adverse experiences have different negative effects on daily emotional wellbeing by disrupting the mechanisms underlying how people learn to acquire and reduce reactivity to new threats. Expected benefits include new knowledge about the pathways linking adversity with psychopathology as well as the vital evidence-base for clear targets for behavioural interventions. Read moreRead less
A Biologically Responsive and Anatomically Authentic Human Nasal Model. As respiratory conditions caused by pollutants and viruses become more prevalent, human nasal models to study infection/protection mechanisms and nasal drug/vaccine delivery are increasingly important. This project aims to develop a world-first human nasal model to mimic both anatomical and biological aspects of the nasal cavity and predict the distribution and deposition of fine particles and the resultant biological respon ....A Biologically Responsive and Anatomically Authentic Human Nasal Model. As respiratory conditions caused by pollutants and viruses become more prevalent, human nasal models to study infection/protection mechanisms and nasal drug/vaccine delivery are increasingly important. This project aims to develop a world-first human nasal model to mimic both anatomical and biological aspects of the nasal cavity and predict the distribution and deposition of fine particles and the resultant biological response from the nasal mucosa. The aim is to overcome a key fabrication challenge - to 3D print an anatomically accurate nasal construct with a porous wall on which to grow and mature functional nasal tissue that lines a nasal cavity wall. The benefit would be enabling faster development of more targeted drugs and vaccines.Read moreRead less
Every Day Matters: Reducing School Non-Attendance in Autistic Students. Autistic children miss one day a week of school, three times more than their peers. This significantly impacts their learning, wellbeing and later, their vocational outcomes. This project aims to identify the factors that put autistic children at increased risk of missing school and map the supports and interventions used to reduce school non-attendance. Expected outcomes include an autism-specific model of the how and why s ....Every Day Matters: Reducing School Non-Attendance in Autistic Students. Autistic children miss one day a week of school, three times more than their peers. This significantly impacts their learning, wellbeing and later, their vocational outcomes. This project aims to identify the factors that put autistic children at increased risk of missing school and map the supports and interventions used to reduce school non-attendance. Expected outcomes include an autism-specific model of the how and why school non-attendance is elevated for autistic students. It is anticipated that this model make the important step of enabling teachers and professionals to identify which autistic children are most at risk of absenteeism and select the best strategies to support a positive and beneficial return to school.Read moreRead less