Afferent stimulation-induced plasticity and its functional significance. Certain regions of the brain can reorganise (plasticity) during motor learning or when there is damage to peripheral nerves or muscles. There is a large body of evidence for these plastic changes in animals. Until recently data showing that similar changes occurred in humans was limited. However, we have recently demonstrated that certain patterns of peripheral stimulation can indeed induce similar changes in human subjects ....Afferent stimulation-induced plasticity and its functional significance. Certain regions of the brain can reorganise (plasticity) during motor learning or when there is damage to peripheral nerves or muscles. There is a large body of evidence for these plastic changes in animals. Until recently data showing that similar changes occurred in humans was limited. However, we have recently demonstrated that certain patterns of peripheral stimulation can indeed induce similar changes in human subjects. These findings are important for our understanding of the mechanisms of motor control and learning.Read moreRead less
Proteomic analysis of central nervous system inflammation in multiple sclerosis. This project aims to identify new therapeutic targets and diagnostics for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) the most common neurological disease in young adults. The estimated economic burden of this disease in Australia is around $2 billion per annum. There is also a large social cost to take into account. In spite of a great deal of research, current therapies are limited. We expect that this this research will: lead to n ....Proteomic analysis of central nervous system inflammation in multiple sclerosis. This project aims to identify new therapeutic targets and diagnostics for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) the most common neurological disease in young adults. The estimated economic burden of this disease in Australia is around $2 billion per annum. There is also a large social cost to take into account. In spite of a great deal of research, current therapies are limited. We expect that this this research will: lead to new therapies and better diagnostics, which will reduce the financial and human cost of this disease; generate IP with subsequent economic benefits and; expand proteomics technologies which will have flow on effects including economic benefits and benefits to a wide range of basic research. Read moreRead less
Neural mechanisms for visual target detection and attention in complex scenes. This project will study neurons in the insect brain that solve one of the biggest problems for computer vision systems - tracking the motion of tiny targets moving against strongly camouflaged backgrounds. The results will be used to develop a novel biologically inspired model for target tracking with applications for smart cameras and robotics.
Describing transition for people living with chronic illness. Our primary aim is to explore transition for people living with chronic illness. Understanding the nature of transition places health care professionals in an excellent position to assist the person living with chronic illness. This is important given that chronic illness has been acknowledged as the prime health concern of this era. We explore, how individuals living with chronic illness make sense of "becoming ordinary" rather than ....Describing transition for people living with chronic illness. Our primary aim is to explore transition for people living with chronic illness. Understanding the nature of transition places health care professionals in an excellent position to assist the person living with chronic illness. This is important given that chronic illness has been acknowledged as the prime health concern of this era. We explore, how individuals living with chronic illness make sense of "becoming ordinary" rather than "being ordinary", exploring how they give meaning to their sense of self and their sense of self capacity. As an interactive participatory action research program with 200 participants, we will validate the emerging transition thesis collaboratively. Resultant action has the potential to enhance participant's lives, foster collective community development, inform health care practice and advance theoretical debates.Read moreRead less
ARC Research Network for Advanced Materials. Materials science/engineering is decidedly interdisciplinary, covering all science and impacting on all manufacturing industry. This network will promote interactions that do not usually occur between materials researchers and students across Australia and internationally from diverse disciplines. The scope is broadly based on advanced materials production, processing and properties but focused in four areas, involving: i) innovative structural/functi ....ARC Research Network for Advanced Materials. Materials science/engineering is decidedly interdisciplinary, covering all science and impacting on all manufacturing industry. This network will promote interactions that do not usually occur between materials researchers and students across Australia and internationally from diverse disciplines. The scope is broadly based on advanced materials production, processing and properties but focused in four areas, involving: i) innovative structural/functional materials, ii) high-tech IT/communications/sensing materials, iii) materials solutions for manufacturing, iv) materials for a sustainable Australia, and v) emerging materials technologies. Key programs will promote interdisciplinary workshops and early career researcher interactions.Read moreRead less
From insects to robots: how brains make predictions and ignore distractions. This project aims to address fundamental questions in neuroscience and to integrate this biological understanding with the development of leading-edge robotics. Whether a human catching a ball or a dragonfly feeding in a swarm, brains have the remarkable ability to predict the future location of moving targets. The brain predicts in the presence of distractions and even if the target disappears, for example, when hidden ....From insects to robots: how brains make predictions and ignore distractions. This project aims to address fundamental questions in neuroscience and to integrate this biological understanding with the development of leading-edge robotics. Whether a human catching a ball or a dragonfly feeding in a swarm, brains have the remarkable ability to predict the future location of moving targets. The brain predicts in the presence of distractions and even if the target disappears, for example, when hidden behind another object. This project will investigate how brains use both environmental and internal information to select a target and predict its future location. By implementing bio-inspired computations in hardware, this project aims to provide significant benefits such as improving autonomous systems for defence, health and transportation.Read moreRead less
Telematics: Research & Development of Mobile Link for Telemedicine. This project is aimed at producing a reliable mobile video link between ambulance and hospital. In an emergency situation, video footage greatly assists the medical team in accurate deployment of resources to save lives. Motorola will be the industrial partner and this mobile telemedicine project fits into their telematics core business area. Together with Motorola, we will investigate video coding schemes, protocols and network ....Telematics: Research & Development of Mobile Link for Telemedicine. This project is aimed at producing a reliable mobile video link between ambulance and hospital. In an emergency situation, video footage greatly assists the medical team in accurate deployment of resources to save lives. Motorola will be the industrial partner and this mobile telemedicine project fits into their telematics core business area. Together with Motorola, we will investigate video coding schemes, protocols and network issues, to produce a commercially viable software/hardware solution. The outcome will be a working testbed that can be trialed at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The IP generated will benefit Motorola's telematics directive and training will generate a potentially useful future employee.Read moreRead less
New words for new things: Formal and substantive aspects in the development of the Pitkern-Norf'k language. This project will help consolidate Australia's reputation as a leader in contact language research. It will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by involving a small remote community in research on their endangered language, thereby sustaining community cohesion and a sense of identity. The publications arising from the research will have direct applications to language reviva ....New words for new things: Formal and substantive aspects in the development of the Pitkern-Norf'k language. This project will help consolidate Australia's reputation as a leader in contact language research. It will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by involving a small remote community in research on their endangered language, thereby sustaining community cohesion and a sense of identity. The publications arising from the research will have direct applications to language revival, teaching, and cultural tourism as currently promoted by the Norfolk Island Assembly.Read moreRead less
Institutional abuse and organisational reform in the Australian defence force. This project aims to investigate institutional abuse within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) since 1969. It will collect survivor accounts of Defence abuse and the formal ADF institutional responses to abuse. The focus is to uncover the experiences of survivors of Defence abuse within the historical context of the military at the time. The research intends to analyse the processes of change to policies and practic ....Institutional abuse and organisational reform in the Australian defence force. This project aims to investigate institutional abuse within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) since 1969. It will collect survivor accounts of Defence abuse and the formal ADF institutional responses to abuse. The focus is to uncover the experiences of survivors of Defence abuse within the historical context of the military at the time. The research intends to analyse the processes of change to policies and practices, matched to wider cultural shifts influencing the ADF to diversify its workforce. It is intended the project outcomes will inform wider questions about how institutions respond to social change.Read moreRead less
Airborne ultrafine particles in Australian cities. There is an acute deficiency of knowledge in Australia on urban airborne ultrafine particles, originating from transport and other anthropogenic sources, which pose significant health and environmental risks. The aim of this project is to address this deficiency by an extensive multi-city, cross-disciplinary study using state of the art instrumentation and data analytic techniques. The outcome will be an in depth, quantitative insight into the c ....Airborne ultrafine particles in Australian cities. There is an acute deficiency of knowledge in Australia on urban airborne ultrafine particles, originating from transport and other anthropogenic sources, which pose significant health and environmental risks. The aim of this project is to address this deficiency by an extensive multi-city, cross-disciplinary study using state of the art instrumentation and data analytic techniques. The outcome will be an in depth, quantitative insight into the characteristics of the particles, their sources and spatial and temporal variation across different urban areas and time scales. Further, the impacts of changing fuels, vehicle technologies, and climate on future trends of the particles will be elucidated.Read moreRead less