Industrial biotechnology for improved manufacture of medicinal alkaloids. Industrial biotechnology for improved manufacture of medicinal alkaloids. This project aims to develop a new semi-synthetic route for the manufacture of Codeine from Thebaine. Codeine is manufactured by the chemical conversion of poppy-derived Morphine, which is low yielding and environmentally unfriendly. This project will investigate and optimise two key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway to Codeine and develop an innov ....Industrial biotechnology for improved manufacture of medicinal alkaloids. Industrial biotechnology for improved manufacture of medicinal alkaloids. This project aims to develop a new semi-synthetic route for the manufacture of Codeine from Thebaine. Codeine is manufactured by the chemical conversion of poppy-derived Morphine, which is low yielding and environmentally unfriendly. This project will investigate and optimise two key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway to Codeine and develop an innovative bioreactor to achieve high yield. It will research industrial biotransformations, providing a greener and cheaper process for increased global access to Codeine. Australian opiate manufacturing is expected to benefit from value adding and increased flexibility introduced by a biotechnology approach.Read moreRead less
The use of in planta digestion for pretreatment of biofuel feedstock. This project will develop crop plants that overcome the current technical and economic impediments to the use of crop residues as biomass for large scale biofuel production. This innovation will position rural Australia at the forefront of global efforts to develop ligno-cellulose-based fuel ethanol industries and help meet mandatory renewable energy targets and the growing demand for alternative transport fuels. This project ....The use of in planta digestion for pretreatment of biofuel feedstock. This project will develop crop plants that overcome the current technical and economic impediments to the use of crop residues as biomass for large scale biofuel production. This innovation will position rural Australia at the forefront of global efforts to develop ligno-cellulose-based fuel ethanol industries and help meet mandatory renewable energy targets and the growing demand for alternative transport fuels. This project will also provide training and professional development for three early career researchers, exposing them to a suite of cutting edge technologies applied to a real world challenge - supplying renewable fuels in a sustainable and economically viable fashion.
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Plant Genes Conferring Resistance to Ultraviolet Radiation. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces DNA damage that can decrease plant growth and productivity. Our aim is to begin deciphering the mechanisms responsible for the UV resistance phenotype in plants by: 1) isolating genes that control processing of UV-induced DNA damage; 2) determining the influence of UV on gene activity; and 3) elucidating the functions and essential interactions of the gene products. The results of this study will help ....Plant Genes Conferring Resistance to Ultraviolet Radiation. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces DNA damage that can decrease plant growth and productivity. Our aim is to begin deciphering the mechanisms responsible for the UV resistance phenotype in plants by: 1) isolating genes that control processing of UV-induced DNA damage; 2) determining the influence of UV on gene activity; and 3) elucidating the functions and essential interactions of the gene products. The results of this study will help us understand how these genes operate to produce the UV resistance phenotype. This new knowledge will facilitate eventual engineering of plants to increase agricultural productivity by enhancing resistance to solar UV radiation.Read moreRead less
Industrial biotechnology for the manufacture of alkaloid pharmaceuticals. Drugs that treat opioid dependence and overdose are increasingly needed but their manufacture is difficult, inefficient and expensive. This project aims to develop enzymatic N-demethylation as a simpler and more sustainable approach to the manufacture and modification of opioid antagonists, alkaloids and other drug targets. It will increase our understanding of enzymatic N-demethylation and address engineering and biotechn ....Industrial biotechnology for the manufacture of alkaloid pharmaceuticals. Drugs that treat opioid dependence and overdose are increasingly needed but their manufacture is difficult, inefficient and expensive. This project aims to develop enzymatic N-demethylation as a simpler and more sustainable approach to the manufacture and modification of opioid antagonists, alkaloids and other drug targets. It will increase our understanding of enzymatic N-demethylation and address engineering and biotechnology challenges to improve yield and product isolation and concentration. Improvements in drug manufacturing processes will assist drug affected communities and industry will benefit from value adding, greater market share and flexibility, increased innovation and de-risked processes and new products. Read moreRead less
More than defence: primary roles for cyanogenic glucosides. The tropical crop, sorghum, produces toxic cyanide to avoid being eaten by herbivores, but this diverts resources away from growth and reproduction. Using non-toxic sorghum mutants, this project seeks to explain how cyanide production is regulated and enhance agricultural efficiency in the face of climate change.
Trade Unions, Globalisation, and Networked Computers. This project undertakes a qualitative study of Australian unionists' usage of networked computers and their potential for increasing trade union membership and participation, and promoting productive diversity in workplaces. At a time of declining unionisation, these issues have become urgent and give rise to key research questions about email and the Internet in trade union organisation and communication with members. The project promises to ....Trade Unions, Globalisation, and Networked Computers. This project undertakes a qualitative study of Australian unionists' usage of networked computers and their potential for increasing trade union membership and participation, and promoting productive diversity in workplaces. At a time of declining unionisation, these issues have become urgent and give rise to key research questions about email and the Internet in trade union organisation and communication with members. The project promises to provide broader theoretical insights into union responses to deregulated labour markets and the globalisation of the economy. The results will be useful to other political and social organisations, as well as government policy makers.
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Big data: implications for competition, privacy and regulation. This project aims to provide economic analyses of the costs and benefits of business strategies driven by consumer data, while considering consumers’ privacy concerns. This is highly relevant and timely given the vast amount of consumer data collected, shared and used in the digital era. Expected outcomes include better understanding of how data may lead to market power and how to safeguard against abuse of market power and privacy ....Big data: implications for competition, privacy and regulation. This project aims to provide economic analyses of the costs and benefits of business strategies driven by consumer data, while considering consumers’ privacy concerns. This is highly relevant and timely given the vast amount of consumer data collected, shared and used in the digital era. Expected outcomes include better understanding of how data may lead to market power and how to safeguard against abuse of market power and privacy breach. This project should make significant contributions to the nascent academic research and policy discussions in this area. This should also place Australia at the forefront of international scientific community and policy circle on the regulation of data-driven business strategies and privacy regulation. Read moreRead less
Casual Employees and Trade Union Representation in Australia: An analysis of channels and barriers to effective trade union representation. This study aims to describe and explain the barriers and channels to effective representation of casual workers in Australian unions, using analysis of ABS data, a survey of casual workers, semi-structured interviews with union officials, and case-studies of union campaigns. The study offers an innovative multi-disciplinary framework for analysis of two of t ....Casual Employees and Trade Union Representation in Australia: An analysis of channels and barriers to effective trade union representation. This study aims to describe and explain the barriers and channels to effective representation of casual workers in Australian unions, using analysis of ABS data, a survey of casual workers, semi-structured interviews with union officials, and case-studies of union campaigns. The study offers an innovative multi-disciplinary framework for analysis of two of the most significant and interlocking trends affecting Australian workplaces: the growth of casual work and the decline of union influence. Outcomes will include published contributions to the international academic literature on labour restructuring and union renewal and a policy-oriented discussion paper for an Australian audience.Read moreRead less
Particle motion and particle-convective heat transfer near the walls of fluidized beds. Background: Fluidized bed technology has important industrial applications ranging from petrol production to mineral processing for metal production. Such processes take advantage of the high rates of heat transfer in gas-fluidized beds.
Objective of project: To improve understanding and modelling of heat transfer in gas fluidized beds through the application of state-of-the-art experimental (Positron Emiss ....Particle motion and particle-convective heat transfer near the walls of fluidized beds. Background: Fluidized bed technology has important industrial applications ranging from petrol production to mineral processing for metal production. Such processes take advantage of the high rates of heat transfer in gas-fluidized beds.
Objective of project: To improve understanding and modelling of heat transfer in gas fluidized beds through the application of state-of-the-art experimental (Positron Emission Particle Tracking) and modelling (Discrete Element Method simulation) techniques.
Expected outcomes of project: New knowledge of the mechanisms of fluidized bed heat transfer. Improved the prediction of heat transfer coefficients with consequent improvements in the design and operation of fluidized bed processes.
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Evolution of halophytes: a phyloinformatic approach to understanding and exploiting the traits underlying salt-tolerance in plants. Salinity is an increasing burden on the Australian economy & environment, with >2 million ha of salt-affected land, at an annual cost to agriculture over $187 million. One solution is to exploit naturally salt-tolerant plants to increase productive agricultural land and restore salt-affected environments. To do this, we must increase basic knowledge of the diversity ....Evolution of halophytes: a phyloinformatic approach to understanding and exploiting the traits underlying salt-tolerance in plants. Salinity is an increasing burden on the Australian economy & environment, with >2 million ha of salt-affected land, at an annual cost to agriculture over $187 million. One solution is to exploit naturally salt-tolerant plants to increase productive agricultural land and restore salt-affected environments. To do this, we must increase basic knowledge of the diversity & distribution of salt-tolerance. This project is the first to use DNA sequences from thousands of species to understand the evolution of salt-tolerance in order to provide the foundation for the development of new crop varieties, selection of species that can be developed for bioremediation, and identification of traits that will be profitable targets for breeding programs. Read moreRead less