Conservation Biology of Butterflies in South Australia. This project will investigate the apparent significant recent decline in the diversity and abundance of butterflies in South Australia. The project will develop a protocol for deriving quantitative estimates of the diversity and abundance of butterflies in South Australia, so that the effects of current and future environmental changes on the biodiversity of butterflies can be rigorously assessed. The project will also incorporate a detaile ....Conservation Biology of Butterflies in South Australia. This project will investigate the apparent significant recent decline in the diversity and abundance of butterflies in South Australia. The project will develop a protocol for deriving quantitative estimates of the diversity and abundance of butterflies in South Australia, so that the effects of current and future environmental changes on the biodiversity of butterflies can be rigorously assessed. The project will also incorporate a detailed case study of the conservation biology of a vulnerable species of butterfly.Read moreRead less
Wireless microvalve for biomedical applications. This program will investigate and perform an in-laboratory proof-of-concept demonstration of a polymer microvalve that can operate by a remote control radio signal. This will be a wireless microvalve that does not require a battery power source. This advance in the technology and scientific knowledge will have important applications for humankind ranging from drug delivery devices to through to valves in chips that can perform microfluidic chemica ....Wireless microvalve for biomedical applications. This program will investigate and perform an in-laboratory proof-of-concept demonstration of a polymer microvalve that can operate by a remote control radio signal. This will be a wireless microvalve that does not require a battery power source. This advance in the technology and scientific knowledge will have important applications for humankind ranging from drug delivery devices to through to valves in chips that can perform microfluidic chemical analysis. A far reaching long-range vision is its use in electronically reversible male fertility control. The community benefit in terms of novel biomedical devices and the resulting large international commercial market is significant.Read moreRead less
Novel RF Controlled Electromechanical Microvalve. The significance of the proposed microvalve is its potential use in exciting biomedical applications such as in drug delivery and fertility control. For human body implantation, it must be batteryless, wireless and be made of a biofriendly-polymer. We propose to meet all three criteria, based on novel use of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) as the actuation mechanism in a polymer material. Energy for actuation will be supplied by a radio frequency ( ....Novel RF Controlled Electromechanical Microvalve. The significance of the proposed microvalve is its potential use in exciting biomedical applications such as in drug delivery and fertility control. For human body implantation, it must be batteryless, wireless and be made of a biofriendly-polymer. We propose to meet all three criteria, based on novel use of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) as the actuation mechanism in a polymer material. Energy for actuation will be supplied by a radio frequency (RF) signal. We propose to model, design and demonstrate the device in laboratory conditions. This will enable development of application specific designs in future programs, such as ARC linkage.Read moreRead less
Breaking The Wavelength Barrier: Near-Field T-ray Imaging. Australia will benefit from the interaction between engineering, physics, and biology to develop a new T-ray imaging system that will ultimately be able to probe microstructures, biological single cells or even neurons. The project will exploit a powerful new electrooptical technique for obtaining chemical 'fingerprints' at the cellular level. This breakthrough will be a fundamental step towards a system for probing disease states of sin ....Breaking The Wavelength Barrier: Near-Field T-ray Imaging. Australia will benefit from the interaction between engineering, physics, and biology to develop a new T-ray imaging system that will ultimately be able to probe microstructures, biological single cells or even neurons. The project will exploit a powerful new electrooptical technique for obtaining chemical 'fingerprints' at the cellular level. This breakthrough will be a fundamental step towards a system for probing disease states of single cells and will open up new lines of scientific enquiry. Ultimately, Australia will benefit from a new technology and new diagnostic biomedical techniques. This is potentially an enabling technology for future customised medicine, where rapid biochip sensing becomes foreseeable.Read moreRead less
Towards a miniaturised on-chip terahertz biosensing system. Terahertz (or T-ray) radiation is highly sensitive to minute changes in the molecular structure of many substances. Furthermore most packing materials are transparent to this new form of radiation. This implies enormous potential for T-rays in a range of applications from quality control via non-invasive contact-less chemical fingerprinting through to safety and security applications. A detailed study of the molecular vibrations that gi ....Towards a miniaturised on-chip terahertz biosensing system. Terahertz (or T-ray) radiation is highly sensitive to minute changes in the molecular structure of many substances. Furthermore most packing materials are transparent to this new form of radiation. This implies enormous potential for T-rays in a range of applications from quality control via non-invasive contact-less chemical fingerprinting through to safety and security applications. A detailed study of the molecular vibrations that give rise to these fingerprints will help chemists and biologists to learn more about the underlying molecular binding forces, impacting on wide applications for safe non-invasive sensing in the medical, security, chemical and food industries.Read moreRead less
Mathematical and mechanical models in nano-engineering and nanomedicine. The major environmental problems generated from global warming and the major human health problems, like cancer and diabetes, if they are to be solved at all, will most likely be resolved making use of advances in nanobiotechnology. This proposal will position Australia as a leader in the modelling of nanodevices such as gigahertz oscillators, nano-electromagnets, nanosensors, nanosyringes and nanoporous media suitable for ....Mathematical and mechanical models in nano-engineering and nanomedicine. The major environmental problems generated from global warming and the major human health problems, like cancer and diabetes, if they are to be solved at all, will most likely be resolved making use of advances in nanobiotechnology. This proposal will position Australia as a leader in the modelling of nanodevices such as gigahertz oscillators, nano-electromagnets, nanosensors, nanosyringes and nanoporous media suitable for hydrogen storage and gas separation, which will lead to new technologies and commercial spin-offs that will be of major benefit to this country. The applicants will develop a range of topics in nano-engineering and nanomedicine, training a team that will provide the next generation of researchers in these vital areas.Read moreRead less
TeraHertz Cell Cluster Imaging. With this program, Australia will benefit from the interaction between physics, engineering, biology and medicine to develop a new TeraHertz imaging system. The project will identify the factors that contribute to TeraHertz contrast in soft tissue cell cultures, thereby developing a non-invasive imaging system to show contrast between diseased and healthy cells. This is a fundamental step towards a system for diagnosing disease states of skin cells, for example, t ....TeraHertz Cell Cluster Imaging. With this program, Australia will benefit from the interaction between physics, engineering, biology and medicine to develop a new TeraHertz imaging system. The project will identify the factors that contribute to TeraHertz contrast in soft tissue cell cultures, thereby developing a non-invasive imaging system to show contrast between diseased and healthy cells. This is a fundamental step towards a system for diagnosing disease states of skin cells, for example, the early detection of melanoma. Ultimately, Australia will benefit from a new technology, and new diagnostic biomedical techniques, for rapid, non-invasive and reliable skin cancer diagnosis.Read moreRead less
A modelling challenge: bridging the gap between molecular and neuronal networks. We will develop innovative frameworks, which unify small-scale molecular activity with electrical signals in branches of brain cells. This research aims to enhance our understanding how molecular scale phenomena influence brain disease, via studying the model dynamics using cutting-edge techniques on a supercomputer. The socio-economic benefits to Australia include: (i) Enhancing Australia's international reputation ....A modelling challenge: bridging the gap between molecular and neuronal networks. We will develop innovative frameworks, which unify small-scale molecular activity with electrical signals in branches of brain cells. This research aims to enhance our understanding how molecular scale phenomena influence brain disease, via studying the model dynamics using cutting-edge techniques on a supercomputer. The socio-economic benefits to Australia include: (i) Enhancing Australia's international reputation for cutting-edge multidisciplinary research; (ii) international collaborations will be strengthened; (iii) outcomes will potentially lead to commercialisation opportunities; (iv) results will ultimately lay the foundations to explore the cellular and molecular origin of brain disorders.Read moreRead less
Trafficking of DNA between chloroplast and nucleus in higher plants. Reliably high levels of diverse proteins can be produced in plant chloroplasts. Environmental risks are considered low for chloroplast genes because they are not transmitted by pollen. However, we recently discovered that DNA escapes from the tobacco chloroplast to the nucleus with unexpectedly high frequency. The associated environmental risks require immediate investigation. This project will determine the fate of chloroplast ....Trafficking of DNA between chloroplast and nucleus in higher plants. Reliably high levels of diverse proteins can be produced in plant chloroplasts. Environmental risks are considered low for chloroplast genes because they are not transmitted by pollen. However, we recently discovered that DNA escapes from the tobacco chloroplast to the nucleus with unexpectedly high frequency. The associated environmental risks require immediate investigation. This project will determine the fate of chloroplast DNA that has moved to the nuclear genome and gain insight into the evolutionary and environmental consequences of chloroplast DNA escape. The ubiquity of DNA escape also will be studied in an edible crop with a small genome, tomato.Read moreRead less
Analysis of interorganellar transposition of DNA. The movement of DNA between organelles is a major driving force in the eukaryotic evolution. In yeast about 75% of all nuclear genes may derive from protomitochondria. Though DNA transfer per se continues in all higher cells, including mammals, in most species the functional transfer of genes has stopped. It continues at a high rate in plants, giving them unique potential in evolutionary studies of the genome. We established experimentally that D ....Analysis of interorganellar transposition of DNA. The movement of DNA between organelles is a major driving force in the eukaryotic evolution. In yeast about 75% of all nuclear genes may derive from protomitochondria. Though DNA transfer per se continues in all higher cells, including mammals, in most species the functional transfer of genes has stopped. It continues at a high rate in plants, giving them unique potential in evolutionary studies of the genome. We established experimentally that DNA moves frequently from the plastid (chloroplast) to the nucleus. We now aim to measure the frequency of DNA transposition from the plastid to the mitochondrion. If transposition is sufficiently frequent, the approach can be used to transformation the mitochondrial genome.Read moreRead less