Long-term natural ecological consequences of disturbance on coral reefs: the benthic foraminifera perspective. The tropical coastline of Australia encompasses world-renowned coral reefs (Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Marine Park). Even these reefs are not pristine and are increasingly susceptible to disturbance from human impact. The long-term ecological effects of disturbance on reef communities cannot be experimentally determined; but natural experiments from the fossil record provide mech ....Long-term natural ecological consequences of disturbance on coral reefs: the benthic foraminifera perspective. The tropical coastline of Australia encompasses world-renowned coral reefs (Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Marine Park). Even these reefs are not pristine and are increasingly susceptible to disturbance from human impact. The long-term ecological effects of disturbance on reef communities cannot be experimentally determined; but natural experiments from the fossil record provide mechanisms to ensure that managers of Australia's reefs have critical information on how past disturbance frequency and intensity has affected coral reef communities. This information will help ensure the continuation of ecosystem goods and services from Australia's high diversity coral reefs.Read moreRead less
Evolution of host relationships among the parasitic wasps inferred from morphology, DNA sequences and mitochondrial genome organisation. The parasitic Hymenoptera (wasps) are extensively used as biological control agents of agricultural and horticultural pests worldwide, but detailed information on their evolutionary relationships, how they have coevolved with major host groups, and the patterns of host relationships across various wasp families are lacking. This project will employ DNA sequence ....Evolution of host relationships among the parasitic wasps inferred from morphology, DNA sequences and mitochondrial genome organisation. The parasitic Hymenoptera (wasps) are extensively used as biological control agents of agricultural and horticultural pests worldwide, but detailed information on their evolutionary relationships, how they have coevolved with major host groups, and the patterns of host relationships across various wasp families are lacking. This project will employ DNA sequence data from 'new' genes, information on mitochondrial genome organisation, as well as morphology, to generate robust phylogenies for braconid and scelionid wasps that can be used to determine patterns of host utilisation and predict hosts for wasp groups where this information is currently unknown.Read moreRead less
A high-through-put method for unlocking the mitochondrial genomes of significant pathogens. The national/community benefits of this research are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to ....A high-through-put method for unlocking the mitochondrial genomes of significant pathogens. The national/community benefits of this research are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to develop excellence in research by promoting collaborative research, resulting in a more efficient use of resources in a national and international context; (4) to enhance the skills-base in biology and biotechnology; and (5) to substantially increase global visibility through quality research, leading to an increased investment in Australian science.Read moreRead less
Adaptive evolution of mutual mate preferences in nature. Working at the interface of evolution, genetics and the environment, our research combines top scientists from Australia and abroad to seek a comprehensive understanding of the origins of biodiversity, and the evolution of new species. Such knowledge is essential if we wish to predict, and hopefully minimise, the loss of biodiversity through human-mediated environmental change. Using a native Australian insect, we are investigating the evo ....Adaptive evolution of mutual mate preferences in nature. Working at the interface of evolution, genetics and the environment, our research combines top scientists from Australia and abroad to seek a comprehensive understanding of the origins of biodiversity, and the evolution of new species. Such knowledge is essential if we wish to predict, and hopefully minimise, the loss of biodiversity through human-mediated environmental change. Using a native Australian insect, we are investigating the evolutionary consequences of the choice individuals make when selecting a mate. In addition to its role in the origin and maintenance of biodiversity, these choices can have fundamental effects on adaptation to changing environments and the long-term persistence of endangered populations.Read moreRead less
Evolution of the biofabrication of mineralized structures in animals. Shells and skeletons are produced by a wide range of animals. These highly-order crystalline structures are genetically-encoded and produce high-performance composite materials that exceed present capabilities in human engineering. This international collaboration will elucidate the molecular mechanisms controlling the fabrication of these architectures. This knowledge will contribute significantly to the development of materi ....Evolution of the biofabrication of mineralized structures in animals. Shells and skeletons are produced by a wide range of animals. These highly-order crystalline structures are genetically-encoded and produce high-performance composite materials that exceed present capabilities in human engineering. This international collaboration will elucidate the molecular mechanisms controlling the fabrication of these architectures. This knowledge will contribute significantly to the development of materials for advanced electronics and energy transducers, human bone therapeutics and marine-based products such as pearls and cements, through the identification of genes underlying biofabrication networks and the development of in vitro bioproduction systems.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of eigenvalue/eigenspace algorithms with applications to signal processing. Many problems in signal and systems lead naturally to an eigenvalue/eigenspace determination and tracking problem; for example (acoustic) echo-cancellation, crosstalk suppression in ADSL modems, direction of arrival determination with an array of sensors, linear system identification etc. Exploiting methods from global analysis and dynamical systems theory we will study the available algorithms for eigenspace de ....Dynamics of eigenvalue/eigenspace algorithms with applications to signal processing. Many problems in signal and systems lead naturally to an eigenvalue/eigenspace determination and tracking problem; for example (acoustic) echo-cancellation, crosstalk suppression in ADSL modems, direction of arrival determination with an array of sensors, linear system identification etc. Exploiting methods from global analysis and dynamical systems theory we will study the available algorithms for eigenspace determination to characterise their computational efficiency, accuracy and effectiveness in various data scenarios. The analysis will lead to improved designs for eigenvalue/eigenspace algorithms, as well as design tools to engineer algorithms to specific situations.Read moreRead less
The genetic and diagnostic relationship between motor control and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often have comorbid Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). This project will utilise the expertise of leading researchers in Australia and the Netherlands to investigate the genetic and diagnostic relationship between these two disorders utilising a large sample of twins and their siblings. We will examine the neuropsych ....The genetic and diagnostic relationship between motor control and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often have comorbid Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). This project will utilise the expertise of leading researchers in Australia and the Netherlands to investigate the genetic and diagnostic relationship between these two disorders utilising a large sample of twins and their siblings. We will examine the neuropsychological functioning in these groups of children in order to gain a better understanding of their genetic relationship. These findings will provide insight into the current DSM-IV classification of these disorders compared with other models used to investigate the relationship between poor motor coordination and ADHD.Read moreRead less
The differential impact of performance-based and size-based funding of university research in Australia and Germany. The project will significantly increase knowledge about organisational and individual responses to systems of financing university research. A comparison of University research in Australia to a 'ground state' of research that has not been affected by evaluation-based funding will assist Australian policy makers to better manage the use of tax payer dollars to fund research. The ....The differential impact of performance-based and size-based funding of university research in Australia and Germany. The project will significantly increase knowledge about organisational and individual responses to systems of financing university research. A comparison of University research in Australia to a 'ground state' of research that has not been affected by evaluation-based funding will assist Australian policy makers to better manage the use of tax payer dollars to fund research. The project will identify adaptive behaviour, and will thus support the discussion about possible consequences of the upcoming new Research Quality Framework in Australia. German science policy will benefit from insights into the long-term effects of formula-based funding that cannot as yet be observed in Germany.Read moreRead less
User-Driven Composition of Web Services. Web service composition technology promises to revolutionise the way in which organisations interact over the Web. However existing environments for the composition of Web services are too complex to use and are usually intended for experienced application developers as they rely either on scripting languages, or on a process-modelling notations intended to be used by IT experts. However, the need for customised composition of Web services is likely to em ....User-Driven Composition of Web Services. Web service composition technology promises to revolutionise the way in which organisations interact over the Web. However existing environments for the composition of Web services are too complex to use and are usually intended for experienced application developers as they rely either on scripting languages, or on a process-modelling notations intended to be used by IT experts. However, the need for customised composition of Web services is likely to emanate from non IT-experts.
The project aims at designing, implementing, and evaluating an environment for the specification and execution of composite Web services by non-expert.Read moreRead less
Privacy-preserving Web Services Composition. Web services composition is emerging as a promising technology for the
effective automation of business-to-business collaborations. It allows
organizations to form alliances by connecting their applications and systems, in order to offer ``one-stops shops'' for their customers. However, several important issues (e.g., security and privacy) need to be properly addressed before Web services technology meets the requirements of critical applications s ....Privacy-preserving Web Services Composition. Web services composition is emerging as a promising technology for the
effective automation of business-to-business collaborations. It allows
organizations to form alliances by connecting their applications and systems, in order to offer ``one-stops shops'' for their customers. However, several important issues (e.g., security and privacy) need to be properly addressed before Web services technology meets the requirements of critical applications such as e-goverment. This project aims at providing privacy preserving Web services composition techniques. The anticipated outcome of this project is a service composition framework that provides seamless interoperability between different Web services without violiating citizens and organisations privacy.Read moreRead less