Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354683
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Ocean Discovery Network. The ODN will focus research on Australia's vast marine jurisdiction by:
1. Providing a forum for developing coordinated marine research enterprises in the National Research Priority areas of biodiversity, exploitation of resources, seaway security and climate.
2. Developing innovative international research and providing a mechanism for involvement in international science programs
3. Advancing research capabilities between national and international ocean scientist ....Ocean Discovery Network. The ODN will focus research on Australia's vast marine jurisdiction by:
1. Providing a forum for developing coordinated marine research enterprises in the National Research Priority areas of biodiversity, exploitation of resources, seaway security and climate.
2. Developing innovative international research and providing a mechanism for involvement in international science programs
3. Advancing research capabilities between national and international ocean scientists with web-based data-exchange services and links to global databases
4. Facilitating the transfer of research skills to young investigators
5. Maximising multidisciplinary use of Australian ocean science capacity, particularly the National Facility Research Vessel and the RSV Aurora Australis
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Effects of river plumes on nearshore ecosystems: organic matter flows and food web consequences. River plumes may subsidize nearshore food webs by exporting land-derived material and by stimulating marine phytoplankton production via nutrient delivery. Whereas previous documentation of the biological responses to plumes has been mostly limited to large rivers and to primary production, this project targets small systems that discharge directly onto open coasts, and focuses on the fate of plume ....Effects of river plumes on nearshore ecosystems: organic matter flows and food web consequences. River plumes may subsidize nearshore food webs by exporting land-derived material and by stimulating marine phytoplankton production via nutrient delivery. Whereas previous documentation of the biological responses to plumes has been mostly limited to large rivers and to primary production, this project targets small systems that discharge directly onto open coasts, and focuses on the fate of plume material. Work on carbon pathways will centre on pelagic and benthic food chains associated with plumes, and will also test whether nearshore waters and sandy beaches are coupled via onshore advection of plume material.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100107
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Purchase of a multi-purpose Schottky field emission gun scanning electron microscope. Scanning electron microscopy is a basic analytical tool for imaging surfaces of natural and synthetic materials and identification of nanometre-scale features and their compositions. At the University of Tasmania, it supports four of our six designated priority research themes: Antarctic and Marine Studies, Environment, Frontier Technologies, and Sustainable Primary Production. Our research depending on this te ....Purchase of a multi-purpose Schottky field emission gun scanning electron microscope. Scanning electron microscopy is a basic analytical tool for imaging surfaces of natural and synthetic materials and identification of nanometre-scale features and their compositions. At the University of Tasmania, it supports four of our six designated priority research themes: Antarctic and Marine Studies, Environment, Frontier Technologies, and Sustainable Primary Production. Our research depending on this technique includes many fundamental and applied topics from a wide range of disciplines, such as developing portable detection devices for explosives, finding more efficient and sustainable ways to explore for ore, investigating the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems and improving salinity and drought tolerance of crops.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0883036
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Integrated Vibrational Spectroscopic Mapping for Archeological, Biological, Geological, Materials, and Medical Research. The expected benefits that will arise will include: green chemical processes with improved environmental and economic impacts; improved treatments and diagnoses of diseases; understanding of fundamental geological processes; identification of the earliest forms; studies of archaeological artefacts; evolution of life on Earth; the design of improved dental materials. Ultimatel ....Integrated Vibrational Spectroscopic Mapping for Archeological, Biological, Geological, Materials, and Medical Research. The expected benefits that will arise will include: green chemical processes with improved environmental and economic impacts; improved treatments and diagnoses of diseases; understanding of fundamental geological processes; identification of the earliest forms; studies of archaeological artefacts; evolution of life on Earth; the design of improved dental materials. Ultimately, this research will include economic and social benefits in; industrial processes; the mining industry; medicine; and dentistry. An understanding of the origin and early evolution of life on Earth also has many social implications.Read moreRead less
The fate of dietary selenium in vivo; a direct approach to linking chemical form with biological activity. Dietary selenium supplementation has great potential as a preventative treatment for a range of human health conditions, including cancer, that widely affect the Australian population. However, the adverse effects of such treatments are not fully recognised. This project will increase our knowledge of how selenium compounds are stored and utilised in the body and relate the information to c ....The fate of dietary selenium in vivo; a direct approach to linking chemical form with biological activity. Dietary selenium supplementation has great potential as a preventative treatment for a range of human health conditions, including cancer, that widely affect the Australian population. However, the adverse effects of such treatments are not fully recognised. This project will increase our knowledge of how selenium compounds are stored and utilised in the body and relate the information to clinical observations regarding dietary intake of selenium and other compounds. The new understanding generated will delineate the conditions for safe intake, so that the beneficial effects associated with selenium supplementation may be harnessed more effectively.Read moreRead less
Nanoprobe and Microprobe Spectroscopic Techniques in Drug Design, Probing Mechanisms of Diseases, and Bioinorganic Chemistry. Nanoprobe and microprobe spectroscopic techniques offer unparalleled opportunities to probe the structures and distributions of drugs, carcinogens, and biomolecules in cultured cells and tissues. Such techniques represent new frontiers in understanding in vivo metabolic processes at the molecular level, as well as providing unprecedented information on the metabolism and ....Nanoprobe and Microprobe Spectroscopic Techniques in Drug Design, Probing Mechanisms of Diseases, and Bioinorganic Chemistry. Nanoprobe and microprobe spectroscopic techniques offer unparalleled opportunities to probe the structures and distributions of drugs, carcinogens, and biomolecules in cultured cells and tissues. Such techniques represent new frontiers in understanding in vivo metabolic processes at the molecular level, as well as providing unprecedented information on the metabolism and distributions of pharmaceuticals and toxins involved in the treatment and cause of diseases, such as cancer. This project is aimed at pushing the boundaries of nanoprobe and microprobe (X-ray absorption, SRIXE, PIXE, Raman and two-photon fluorescence) techniques for such applications.Read moreRead less
DNA Dynamics is Shear and Extensional Flows: Simulation and Single Molecule Experiments. The proposal seeks to establish a collaboration between Monash University and Stanford University in order to combine several recent experimental and theoretical advances that have been made by the individual groups in single molecule experimental techniques, extensional rheometry, and molecular rheology, to obtain new insights into the structure and dynamics of biopolymers. The central aim is to make a sign ....DNA Dynamics is Shear and Extensional Flows: Simulation and Single Molecule Experiments. The proposal seeks to establish a collaboration between Monash University and Stanford University in order to combine several recent experimental and theoretical advances that have been made by the individual groups in single molecule experimental techniques, extensional rheometry, and molecular rheology, to obtain new insights into the structure and dynamics of biopolymers. The central aim is to make a significant contribution towards bringing state-of-the-art techniques used for the characterization of polymeric systems to bear on the nature and origin of the elastic properties of biopolymers.Read moreRead less
The flow properties of proteins and other biopolymers. The living cell is an extraordinary organization with a vast variety of biomacromolecules carrying out myriads of functions with great specificity and accuracy. The key issue in cell biology is to unravel the structures of biopolymers and the deep connection that exists between structure and function. This interdisciplinary research program combines recent advances in experimental and theoretical rheology, with advances in protein science, t ....The flow properties of proteins and other biopolymers. The living cell is an extraordinary organization with a vast variety of biomacromolecules carrying out myriads of functions with great specificity and accuracy. The key issue in cell biology is to unravel the structures of biopolymers and the deep connection that exists between structure and function. This interdisciplinary research program combines recent advances in experimental and theoretical rheology, with advances in protein science, to investigate the response of biopolymers to deformation. This approach will lead to insights into the problem of protein folding, the interaction of biopolymers with surfaces, and the physical basis for the mechanical properties of biopolymers.Read moreRead less
Ocean currents and genetic connectedness in a complex archipelago. To what extent are marine coastal communities ?open?, i.e. how often do the oceans carry larvae far from their point of spawning, and what influence does such ocean transport have on the spread of genetic information? These are some of the most fundamental questions of biological oceanography; the project will provide new answers by using an extremely detailed genetic data set from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands off Western Austra ....Ocean currents and genetic connectedness in a complex archipelago. To what extent are marine coastal communities ?open?, i.e. how often do the oceans carry larvae far from their point of spawning, and what influence does such ocean transport have on the spread of genetic information? These are some of the most fundamental questions of biological oceanography; the project will provide new answers by using an extremely detailed genetic data set from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands off Western Australian together with an advanced numerical ocean model especially suited to that environment and developed in Australia.Read moreRead less
Elucidating the Mode of Action of Nicotinic Receptor Ligands. Changes in brain function can cause human diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. To develop new medicines to treat these conditions we need to study how drugs act in the brain. This project will use new methods of chemistry to make drugs, which will then be tested for biological activity at important brain receptors. This will tell us which compounds are most effective as potential drugs and also exactly whe ....Elucidating the Mode of Action of Nicotinic Receptor Ligands. Changes in brain function can cause human diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. To develop new medicines to treat these conditions we need to study how drugs act in the brain. This project will use new methods of chemistry to make drugs, which will then be tested for biological activity at important brain receptors. This will tell us which compounds are most effective as potential drugs and also exactly where they act in the brain. Read moreRead less