Urban greening to protect vulnerable people and promote thermal equity. This project aims to create, test and apply new knowledge to promote thermal equity in Australian cities. Climate change is increasing heatwave frequency and intensity as our cities are becoming denser and their populations growing older. Many older people have heightened vulnerability to extreme heat due to income constraints, medical conditions, physical frailty, and reduced mobility. Outputs will include a heat vulnerabil ....Urban greening to protect vulnerable people and promote thermal equity. This project aims to create, test and apply new knowledge to promote thermal equity in Australian cities. Climate change is increasing heatwave frequency and intensity as our cities are becoming denser and their populations growing older. Many older people have heightened vulnerability to extreme heat due to income constraints, medical conditions, physical frailty, and reduced mobility. Outputs will include a heat vulnerability assessment index for identifying at-risk places and vulnerable people, urban tree canopy maps, urban planning policy guidelines for creating cooler cities, and a toolkit for identifying appropriate green infrastructure treatments. Benefits include avoidance of heat-related deaths and improved liveability in cities.Read moreRead less
Epidemiologic and economic approaches to reduce the burden of depression and related chronic diseases in the workforce. Employers and governments alike are increasingly recognising that mental health impacts productivity, but many employers remain uninformed about the magnitude of the productivity consequences and what they can do about it. The ongoing individual and economic burden from depressive and anxiety disorders among working adults necessitates multi-disciplinary solutions. This series ....Epidemiologic and economic approaches to reduce the burden of depression and related chronic diseases in the workforce. Employers and governments alike are increasingly recognising that mental health impacts productivity, but many employers remain uninformed about the magnitude of the productivity consequences and what they can do about it. The ongoing individual and economic burden from depressive and anxiety disorders among working adults necessitates multi-disciplinary solutions. This series of studies will provide nationally and internationally significant new data to both inform understanding of the magnitude of the problem, and to provide cost-effective solutions to addressing it. Findings will directly inform workplace mental health promotion and prevention activities and be usable by employers, clinicians, and governments.Read moreRead less
Translational research in osteoarthritis: from epidemiological studies to clinical interventions. Currently the only treatment for osteoarthritis is to relieve pain. However, there are some factors that may affect the progression of this disease. This project will examine these factors including inflammation, metabolism, and physical inactivity, and find potential modifying therapies such as vitamin D supplementation for osteoarthritis.
From risk factor analysis to translation: multiple sclerosis and vitamin D deficiency. This research on multiple sclerosis will focus on its causes and lifestyle factors that affect it and will trial vitamin D supplementation as a treatment. Studies on vitamin D deficiency in healthy populations aim to develop new public health recommendations on sun exposure and vitamin D that balance risk of skin cancer against vitamin D deficiency.
Psyllids as biosecurity threats to plantation and native eucalypts in Australia and internationally. Psyllids are tiny cicada-like insects that are economic pests of forestry and horticulture because the saliva injected when feeding causes leaf death and some vector plant diseases. Advanced technologies and procedures will be used to determine what makes plants susceptible to psyllids and to improve Australian preparedness ahead of an incursion.
High performance chromatography based on nanostructured monolithic polymers. The proposed project will generate highly significant, fundamental advances in separation science by developing new stationary phases and separation technologies suitable for the analysis of very complex samples which cannot be addressed by current methods. These technologies will be applied in a wide range of areas of national importance including pharmaceutical analysis and drug discovery; environmental, clinical, and ....High performance chromatography based on nanostructured monolithic polymers. The proposed project will generate highly significant, fundamental advances in separation science by developing new stationary phases and separation technologies suitable for the analysis of very complex samples which cannot be addressed by current methods. These technologies will be applied in a wide range of areas of national importance including pharmaceutical analysis and drug discovery; environmental, clinical, and forensic analysis; energy generation and foods. The project will also lead to very significant new intellectual property having extremely high commercial potential worldwide, and thereby generates the promise of considerable direct financial returns to Australia.Read moreRead less
Bridging the land–sea divide to ensure food security under climate change. This project aims to comprehensively evaluate ocean-based food solutions to meet food security needs under climate change. It will resolve a critical blind spot in current plans that isolate land and sea food systems and neglect their interdependencies. Combining global models and data, it will assess the constraints of ocean-based food solutions by anticipating and accounting for land-sea links including: agricultural ru ....Bridging the land–sea divide to ensure food security under climate change. This project aims to comprehensively evaluate ocean-based food solutions to meet food security needs under climate change. It will resolve a critical blind spot in current plans that isolate land and sea food systems and neglect their interdependencies. Combining global models and data, it will assess the constraints of ocean-based food solutions by anticipating and accounting for land-sea links including: agricultural runoff, shared feed resources for farmed animals, and trade-offs for biodiversity and climate mitigation. It will deliver a major leap in our capacity to undertake holistic ecosystem assessment of future food production pathways. Benefits will include integrated food–biodiversity–climate policies for Australia and the world.Read moreRead less
Upgrading of light gas-to-liquid products to fuels and chemicals. The conversion of natural gas to liquid fuels (gasoline and diesel) is seen as an important alternative to crude oil refining in Australia, and a new industry based around this is likely to emerge in the coming years. This project aims to develop methods by which some of the less valuable by-products can be upgraded to fuels and chemicals.
Can Tasmanian Devils survive by adapting to devil facial tumour disease? This research will examine whether or not Tasmanian Devils are capable of adapting fast enough to survive the disease epidemic caused by a new contagious cancer, devil facial tumour disease, and evade extinction. Outcomes will determine long-term management responses to the disease and will set a benchmark for managing wildlife diseases worldwide.
Highly integrated miniaturised total analysis systems for pharmaceuticals in biological and environmental samples. This project will develop three unique chemical approaches that will each overcome a challenge to the creation of advanced miniaturised analytical devices with sample-in/answer-out capability. This will provide substantial improvements in speed, cost, portability, and operational simplicity and safety. New technology for analysing drugs in body fluids will be critical to enabling pe ....Highly integrated miniaturised total analysis systems for pharmaceuticals in biological and environmental samples. This project will develop three unique chemical approaches that will each overcome a challenge to the creation of advanced miniaturised analytical devices with sample-in/answer-out capability. This will provide substantial improvements in speed, cost, portability, and operational simplicity and safety. New technology for analysing drugs in body fluids will be critical to enabling people to closely match their pharmaceutical consumption with their individual requirements. The advance will have implications for all patients, particularly those in remote and rural Australian populations. The same technology is likely to find applications in environmental monitoring of emerging pharmaceutical pollutants. Read moreRead less