This proposal is designed to test the protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) in humans: the idea that the level of food consumption in humans, like other animals, is adjusted to maintain a target protein intake. As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases, with its attendant health problems, the need to identify which dietary components limit rather than exacerbate energy intake is imperative. According to the PLH, the consumption of a diet low in % protein and high in % fat and carbohydrat ....This proposal is designed to test the protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) in humans: the idea that the level of food consumption in humans, like other animals, is adjusted to maintain a target protein intake. As the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases, with its attendant health problems, the need to identify which dietary components limit rather than exacerbate energy intake is imperative. According to the PLH, the consumption of a diet low in % protein and high in % fat and carbohydrate, typical of many Western countries, inevitably requires the ingestion of additional energy to maintain protein intake constant, thus driving weight gain. Conversely, the consumption of a diet that is relatively high in % protein requires the ingestion of lower levels of energy, creating the potential for weight loss. Preliminary experimental and population-level nutritional survey data support the PLH, as does the finding that protein is more satiating than other macronutrients. If, as predicted, small changes in the proportion of protein in diets described in the current study are found to impact on total energy intake there will be significant implications for weight control strategies. Thus, if the PLH is confirmed, public health dietary recommendations and government policy settings for the food industry will need to change. Large-scale intervention studies aimed at demonstrating the longer term impact on body weight will also be required.Read moreRead less
The Effects Of The Western Diet On Cognition In Rats
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,326.00
Summary
An unhealthy diet can affect how we think. This project will identify mechanisms by which a western diet impairs cognition, and test ways of intervening to reduce the impact of diet on the brain. We will examine changes in inflammation, and markers of nerve growth in a critical brain region, the hippocampus, in response to different periods of diet. We will also test if the diet and our interventions affect the gut biota.
Transgenerational Effects Of Male Obesity - Mechanisms And Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$829,143.00
Summary
Childhood obesity is associated with obesity in either parent, and obese children tend to become obese adults, forming an intergenerational cycle that promotes obesity. We have identified paternal obesity as an important novel target for intervention to stop the progression of the obesity epidemic. This project investigates supplementation of obese fathers with folate to prevent the adverse impact of paternal obesity on subsequent generations.
New multi-scale seed dispersal models for improved regional weed management. This project will exploit recent advances in ecological and atmospheric modelling with the aim to build improved models of seed dispersal across landscapes to anticipate weed spread. Damaging invasive plants are rapidly transforming landscapes and altering ecosystem function worldwide. The speed and direction of weed spread determines the success or failure of costly containment and control actions, however we lack the ....New multi-scale seed dispersal models for improved regional weed management. This project will exploit recent advances in ecological and atmospheric modelling with the aim to build improved models of seed dispersal across landscapes to anticipate weed spread. Damaging invasive plants are rapidly transforming landscapes and altering ecosystem function worldwide. The speed and direction of weed spread determines the success or failure of costly containment and control actions, however we lack the ability to adequately predict spread. New models that combine micrometeorological measurements, within-canopy turbulence and topographic variation in wind flows will be designed to better predict where dispersal will occur. In this project, these improved predictions are planned to be combined with decision models to direct the management of invasive species across entire landscapes.Read moreRead less
Understanding snow gum dieback for effective and integrated management. The project leverages recent research and infrastructure investments and our determined and collaborative team as it aims to: 1) assess the future geography of snow gum dieback in the high country and identify priority locations for pro-active management, 2) quantify the impact of snow gums on high country water and carbon budgets and thus the socio- economic and biodiversity values, and 3) determine options for mitigation. ....Understanding snow gum dieback for effective and integrated management. The project leverages recent research and infrastructure investments and our determined and collaborative team as it aims to: 1) assess the future geography of snow gum dieback in the high country and identify priority locations for pro-active management, 2) quantify the impact of snow gums on high country water and carbon budgets and thus the socio- economic and biodiversity values, and 3) determine options for mitigation. Dieback of our iconic snow gum forests is diminishing the ecological, hydrological and cultural values of the Australian Alps and will impact state and national water-supply and power-generation systems. Our research will inform Alps-wide management efforts designed for long-term success.Read moreRead less
Top-quarks as a portal to new physics at the Large Hadron Collider. This project aims to use data from a Large Hadron Collider experiment, ATLAS, to investigate basic questions in physics. The project expects to use innovative analysis techniques to test the current model of fundamental particles and interactions. While the model, now completed by the Higgs boson discovery, agrees well with observations it cannot be Nature's ultimate description. Expected outcomes include a sensitive investigati ....Top-quarks as a portal to new physics at the Large Hadron Collider. This project aims to use data from a Large Hadron Collider experiment, ATLAS, to investigate basic questions in physics. The project expects to use innovative analysis techniques to test the current model of fundamental particles and interactions. While the model, now completed by the Higgs boson discovery, agrees well with observations it cannot be Nature's ultimate description. Expected outcomes include a sensitive investigation of whether the highest energy particle collisions ever recorded hold evidence for a deeper theory. Significant benefits will be an advancement of fundamental knowledge, cutting-edge training of young scientists, strengthening of Australian participation in international science, and public engagement with science.Read moreRead less
Building resilient alpine environments with less snow. In this project, we aim to build resilience into alpine National Parks and Alpine Resorts to counter the effects of ongoing declines in snow. Alpine environments depend on snow to regulate water flows, insulate vegetation, control soil erosion and promote proper ecosystem functioning. How these processes will operate in a snow-free future is unknown. We will determine how and where snow characteristics drive soil water availability for plant ....Building resilient alpine environments with less snow. In this project, we aim to build resilience into alpine National Parks and Alpine Resorts to counter the effects of ongoing declines in snow. Alpine environments depend on snow to regulate water flows, insulate vegetation, control soil erosion and promote proper ecosystem functioning. How these processes will operate in a snow-free future is unknown. We will determine how and where snow characteristics drive soil water availability for plants and which plant species have the best adaptation and regeneration potential under extreme conditions such as heat, frost and drought. Benefits of the project include innovative land management and rehabilitation solutions, to safeguard Australia's alpine areas under changing environmental conditions.Read moreRead less
The Effects Of Tonic Muscle Pain On The Sympathetic And Somatic Motor Systems In Human Subjects
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$462,948.00
Summary
The main objective of this proposal is to reveal the effects of nociceptive reflexes in humans, and thus identify their functional and clinical implications. By performing invasive recordings from the nerves that control blood vessels and muscles in healthy volunteers subjected to long-lasting (~1 hour) experimental pain, this work will increase our understanding of the adaptive changes that pain induces and improve treatments to prevent pain from becoming chronic.
The Dawn of Extreme Gamma Ray Astronomy. This project aims to reveal the highest energy cosmic-ray particles in our galaxy, produced in extreme and still unknown astrophysical processes. Their interaction with nuclei in space produces the highest energy gamma ray light. Our project will make use of this extreme gamma ray light with upgraded and next-generation gamma-ray telescope arrays. With accompanying data from Australian radio telescopes, and computer models of the cosmic ray interactions, ....The Dawn of Extreme Gamma Ray Astronomy. This project aims to reveal the highest energy cosmic-ray particles in our galaxy, produced in extreme and still unknown astrophysical processes. Their interaction with nuclei in space produces the highest energy gamma ray light. Our project will make use of this extreme gamma ray light with upgraded and next-generation gamma-ray telescope arrays. With accompanying data from Australian radio telescopes, and computer models of the cosmic ray interactions, our project can finally determine from where these cosmic rays originate, yielding insight into our galaxy's evolution. Complex machine learning methods will be needed in a project that provides a world-leading student training ground, motivated by a century old mystery in astronomy.Read moreRead less