Bridging The Gap Between Cartilage Biology And Osteoarthritis Risk Prediction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,256.00
Summary
Osteoarthritis is a painful and debilitating cartilage disease affecting just under 1 in 10 Australians and costs the Australian economy roughly $12 billion per year. This project will develop computational models of cartilage with the ability to incorporate genetic and environmental risk factors into a predictive model of cartilage disease.
Gene Mining For Novel Molecular Determinants Of The Skeleton
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$633,447.00
Summary
Musculoskeletal conditions affect over 6 million Australians and research has shown that genetic background strongly influences development of these disorders. This project will identify genes that have a role in controlling bone and joint architecture. Identification of these genes will assist in the development of treatments targeting bone disorders and allow screening for these genes to provide an opportunity for people to take preventative action to improve bone and joint health.
Osteoarthritis Compass: Predicting Personalized Disease Onset And Progression With Future Capacity For Clinical Use.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$860,231.00
Summary
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is common, painful, and costly. General guidelines for knee OA management exist but cannot be personalized to the patient. New computer modelling methods enable prediction of knee OA onset and progression on a patient by patient basis but need further testing. Our aims are to 1) apply these new computer modelling methods to legacy datasets acquired from patient groups at risk of, and with, knee OA, and 2) make these models simple and fast enough to be clinically useful.
Social, economic and health vulnerabilities in Indonesia. This project aims to study and provide ways to overcome vulnerability in Indonesia. Half the Indonesian population is still clustered around the poverty line, contributing to their vulnerability. This project will identify vulnerable groups and why they are vulnerable. Using a common framework of the life course in eight Indonesian field sites, this project will investigate whether social networks and welfare programs reduce vulnerability ....Social, economic and health vulnerabilities in Indonesia. This project aims to study and provide ways to overcome vulnerability in Indonesia. Half the Indonesian population is still clustered around the poverty line, contributing to their vulnerability. This project will identify vulnerable groups and why they are vulnerable. Using a common framework of the life course in eight Indonesian field sites, this project will investigate whether social networks and welfare programs reduce vulnerability, and pinpoint strategies for reducing vulnerabilities in the future. The project expects to show how vulnerable citizens in Indonesia can be made more secure, helping to build a more stable and prosperous region.Read moreRead less
Improving teacher assessment using exemplars and online moderation. This project aims to assess the dependability of teacher judgement using psychometric scaling and online moderation. The project will use an innovative approach to connect achievement standards and judgement-practice for middle-year students in Australian education system. Expected outcomes of the project include the development of scaled work samples exemplifying A-E standards of achievement, refined methods for the consistency ....Improving teacher assessment using exemplars and online moderation. This project aims to assess the dependability of teacher judgement using psychometric scaling and online moderation. The project will use an innovative approach to connect achievement standards and judgement-practice for middle-year students in Australian education system. Expected outcomes of the project include the development of scaled work samples exemplifying A-E standards of achievement, refined methods for the consistency and comparability of assessment decisions, and a new approach to moderating teacher judgements. This project should provide significant benefits in building teachers’ assessment capabilities, shaping policy and teacher preparation.Read moreRead less
Einsteinian Physics: A new paradigm for school science. This project aims to determine whether the early teaching of the modern Einsteinian paradigm of physics improves students' understanding of physics and attitudes to science. The project aims to investigate whether it is feasible to teach all students the physics that underpins modern technology. It is expected that by introducing students to the paradigm of Einsteinian physics before they learn the useful Newtonian approximations, their eng ....Einsteinian Physics: A new paradigm for school science. This project aims to determine whether the early teaching of the modern Einsteinian paradigm of physics improves students' understanding of physics and attitudes to science. The project aims to investigate whether it is feasible to teach all students the physics that underpins modern technology. It is expected that by introducing students to the paradigm of Einsteinian physics before they learn the useful Newtonian approximations, their engagement and understanding of physics is intended to improve. This is critical to Australia as enrolments in the hard sciences plummet.Read moreRead less
Roads to the Future: Infrastructure and the New Development in Africa. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of new road schemes in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (a region which sits at the intersection of several major global transport and development corridors), in order to understand their economic, socio-political, cultural and public health effects. As global road-building accelerates at an unprecedented rate, especially in the developing world, there is an urgent n ....Roads to the Future: Infrastructure and the New Development in Africa. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of new road schemes in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (a region which sits at the intersection of several major global transport and development corridors), in order to understand their economic, socio-political, cultural and public health effects. As global road-building accelerates at an unprecedented rate, especially in the developing world, there is an urgent need for new models for understanding roads' potential economic benefits, as well as their risks, including their environmental risks. This project is benefitting citizens, NGOs, donors and governments, by generating new knowledge about how we have in the past, do at present, and should in the future, engage with roads.Read moreRead less
Promoting scientific literacy of secondary science students through studying socioscientific issues and argumentation. This project will develop a model of professional development and effective classroom strategies to improve 12-16 year old school students' decision-making about socioscientific issues. Key outcomes will be improved scientific literacy and willingness by young people to use scientific evidence when making personal and community decisions.
Remaking the poor: poor people's responses to donors' market citizenship programs in Southeast Asia. Contemporary international aid attempts to help the poor participate in the market economy, with highly variable results. Often poor beneficiaries appear not to co-operate with these programs. This study investigates the factors driving the responses of poor people to donors' poverty reduction programs, to offer new models for donor interventions.
Survival and growth of children in rural East Timor: the influences of family structure, resources and local environment on child outcomes. Families can moderate or exacerbate ecological challenges to child survival and growth. Rural families must balance labour needs with consumption and are challenged by unexpected environmental changes. The project will assess the characteristics of rural East Timorese families that are associated with positive outcomes in child survival and growth.