Developmental Schizotypy In The General Population: Early Risk Factors And Predictive Utility.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$830,952.00
Summary
This study will determine early childhood risk factors for psychosis-proneness in children aged 11 years, and emerging signs and symptoms of mental health disorders of these children, using population data from the NSW Child Development Study. Determining risk for psychosis as early as possible in the life course will enable the provision of preventative interventions to children at critical points in development.
Ehanced Hydrodynamic Fractionation of Particles. The coal industry, which is a major contributor to the Australian economy, urgently needs a new washability method following its decision to abandon the existing laboratory standard. The existing method relies on the use of heavy organic liquids which are known to be toxic to human health. The 'water-based' approach proposed in this study overcomes the problem of risk to human health, thus benefiting Australian workers, the immediate industry, and ....Ehanced Hydrodynamic Fractionation of Particles. The coal industry, which is a major contributor to the Australian economy, urgently needs a new washability method following its decision to abandon the existing laboratory standard. The existing method relies on the use of heavy organic liquids which are known to be toxic to human health. The 'water-based' approach proposed in this study overcomes the problem of risk to human health, thus benefiting Australian workers, the immediate industry, and wider community. New separation technologies that could benefit the minerals industries and other key industries should follow. The project will also result in the education and training of two postgraduate students, and the advancement of two postdoctoral researchers in this area of industry. Read moreRead less
Hydrophobic particle recovery using permeable hydrophobic media. This project aims to solve an intractable problem in froth flotation. Bubbles will be replaced by permeable, hydrophobic media, minimising the viscous hydrodynamic resistance that limits ultrafine particle recovery. The project expects to generate new knowledge relating the efficacy of the novel media to its underlying physical structure, composition, geometry, and interfacial structure. Expected outcomes include a framework for de ....Hydrophobic particle recovery using permeable hydrophobic media. This project aims to solve an intractable problem in froth flotation. Bubbles will be replaced by permeable, hydrophobic media, minimising the viscous hydrodynamic resistance that limits ultrafine particle recovery. The project expects to generate new knowledge relating the efficacy of the novel media to its underlying physical structure, composition, geometry, and interfacial structure. Expected outcomes include a framework for developing alternative, highly permeable, hydrophobic media, and new high performance separation technologies. This is expected to benefit large scale, low-cost, ultrafast processing of particulate suspensions in mineral processing and waste water treatment.Read moreRead less
Surface characteristics and hydrodynamics in detachment of coarse particles. Froth flotation is widely used for separating coal and minerals from the gangue. The largest particles that can be floated in the industry are 10 times smaller than the particles that can be floated under quiescent conditions. This project aims to better understand and quantify the detachment of large particles from the bubble surface. It aims to develop innovative modelling and experimental approaches to examine the ef ....Surface characteristics and hydrodynamics in detachment of coarse particles. Froth flotation is widely used for separating coal and minerals from the gangue. The largest particles that can be floated in the industry are 10 times smaller than the particles that can be floated under quiescent conditions. This project aims to better understand and quantify the detachment of large particles from the bubble surface. It aims to develop innovative modelling and experimental approaches to examine the effect of particle surface characteristics and hydrodynamic conditions on coarse particle detachment and flotation. New ways to save energy by floating coarse composite particles are proposed to be developed. This research is at the forefront of flotation science and technology, and is expected to deliver significant outcomes to the mining industry.Read moreRead less
Streaming video media using semantic information. Delivering video over the Internet has posted a big problem. Video files are extremely big and need hours or even tens of hours to download. This is too long to wait for the content. Much research has been attempted over low-level structures such as coding, buffer, protocol, agent and server. These techniques are either not scalable or impractical. This project aims to collaborate with CyberView on developing a high-level scheme of streaming vide ....Streaming video media using semantic information. Delivering video over the Internet has posted a big problem. Video files are extremely big and need hours or even tens of hours to download. This is too long to wait for the content. Much research has been attempted over low-level structures such as coding, buffer, protocol, agent and server. These techniques are either not scalable or impractical. This project aims to collaborate with CyberView on developing a high-level scheme of streaming video using semantic information. It breaks videos into shots and allows semantic browsing of the content. It also introduces intelligent agents with various behaviours.Read moreRead less
Development of a Model Relating Aggregate Properties with Aggregation Conditions for Design and Control Purposes. The project aims to understand the role of shear and other important parameters in the aggregation of nano- and micron-sized particles through fundamental studies on different particulate systems and shear environments. The knowledge will be used to develop an engineering model relating the floc properties to system conditions, thus allowing the utilisation of experimental data to fu ....Development of a Model Relating Aggregate Properties with Aggregation Conditions for Design and Control Purposes. The project aims to understand the role of shear and other important parameters in the aggregation of nano- and micron-sized particles through fundamental studies on different particulate systems and shear environments. The knowledge will be used to develop an engineering model relating the floc properties to system conditions, thus allowing the utilisation of experimental data to full-scale operations without eschewing their relevance. Project outcomes include a comprehensive guideline to set optimum conditions required to generate flocs with desirable properties for control and design purposes, with applicability extending from solid-liquid separation to nano-material synthesis, and various processes involving particle aggregation.Read moreRead less
Flotation in high salt concentration: resolving critical knowledge gaps relating the ion effect on bubble production and behavior. Flotation separation of coal and mineral particles by attaching to rising air bubbles is significantly affected in high salt concentration but its exact mechanism still remains unclear. This project employs state-of-the-art surface sensitive spectroscopy and modeling tools to investigate how salt ions influence drainage and rupture of liquid films between two bubbles ....Flotation in high salt concentration: resolving critical knowledge gaps relating the ion effect on bubble production and behavior. Flotation separation of coal and mineral particles by attaching to rising air bubbles is significantly affected in high salt concentration but its exact mechanism still remains unclear. This project employs state-of-the-art surface sensitive spectroscopy and modeling tools to investigate how salt ions influence drainage and rupture of liquid films between two bubbles, and bubble production and behaviour relevant to the flotation processes. The research will develop better water use for coal and mineral flotation to reduce reagent usage and environmental impacts of water pollution. The project will contribute significantly to knowledge advancement in the coal and mineral industry.Read moreRead less
The role of floc structure in the formation of sediments and filter cakes. The project aims to understand at a fundamental level if and in what way the fractal structure of aggregates of fine particles is preserved when forming sediments and filter cakes. The effect of this structure on processes for separating solids and liquids is significant: each year, millions of dollars stand to be saved though more efficient filtration, and more efficient thickening of mineral slurries. Improved understan ....The role of floc structure in the formation of sediments and filter cakes. The project aims to understand at a fundamental level if and in what way the fractal structure of aggregates of fine particles is preserved when forming sediments and filter cakes. The effect of this structure on processes for separating solids and liquids is significant: each year, millions of dollars stand to be saved though more efficient filtration, and more efficient thickening of mineral slurries. Improved understanding allows intelligent design of flocculation systems to optimise the performance of downstream solid - liquid separation processes, maximising economic and environmental returns.Read moreRead less
Hydrodynamic enhancement and transformation of flotation. The purpose of this project is to address emerging challenges in coal and mineral processing associated with the steep decline in the quality of mining assets and the long term resource demands of China and India. A major advance in flotation technology is expected, leading to the highest possible product grade at a given recovery.
Use of Parallel Inclined Channels to Enhance Foam Drainage in Ion Flotation. This study is concerned with increasing the rates of foam drainage in flotation processes. The findings will have direct benefit in the field of ion flotation, and will be highly relevant to the flotation of high value minerals worth tens of billions of dollars annually. The Reflux Classifier, a device that employs the Boycott Effect to achieve a significant increase in the effective area of the vessel, will be used. Th ....Use of Parallel Inclined Channels to Enhance Foam Drainage in Ion Flotation. This study is concerned with increasing the rates of foam drainage in flotation processes. The findings will have direct benefit in the field of ion flotation, and will be highly relevant to the flotation of high value minerals worth tens of billions of dollars annually. The Reflux Classifier, a device that employs the Boycott Effect to achieve a significant increase in the effective area of the vessel, will be used. This device has already attracted three national awards in the area of gravity concentration in mineral processing. The study is ideal for training new researchers, especially at the PhD level, given the importance of the field to Australia. Read moreRead less