The causes and consequences of attentional rescaling. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms that underlie people’s capacity to rescale the focus of their visual attention. Such rescalings are important because they are linked with people’s capacity to perform specific tasks. Using an innovative approach within cognitive psychology that integrates individual differences, experimental, and training frameworks, this project expects to generate new theoretical knowledge about attentional ....The causes and consequences of attentional rescaling. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms that underlie people’s capacity to rescale the focus of their visual attention. Such rescalings are important because they are linked with people’s capacity to perform specific tasks. Using an innovative approach within cognitive psychology that integrates individual differences, experimental, and training frameworks, this project expects to generate new theoretical knowledge about attentional re-scaling and its possible improvement. The expected outcomes include selection and training programs for specific contexts such as training athletes and flight attendants. Economic benefits can be expected through the identification of those who will benefit most from training (reducing waste) and developing cost-effective forms of training which improve task performance.Read moreRead less
Plant immunity to fungal and bacterial pathogens. Since 2003, the Australian wheat crop has been threatened by a continuing stripe rust epidemic, which has required an additional production expense of at least $100 million per annum in fungicides. This Australian National University (ANU) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) joint proposal aims to exploit the next-generation genome sequencing and associated bioinformatic and proteomic methods which are poised to ....Plant immunity to fungal and bacterial pathogens. Since 2003, the Australian wheat crop has been threatened by a continuing stripe rust epidemic, which has required an additional production expense of at least $100 million per annum in fungicides. This Australian National University (ANU) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) joint proposal aims to exploit the next-generation genome sequencing and associated bioinformatic and proteomic methods which are poised to revolutionise biology to investigate the wheat-fungus interaction. We will develop new effective approaches for environmentally benign stripe rust control based on new knowledge about how this fungus causes disease and avoids the wheat's immune surveillance system.Read moreRead less
Genetic control of tissue growth in animals. This project aims to understand how the animal body grows. This project expects to generate new knowledge and understanding of the genetic programs that govern the size and shape of animal tissues, through use of cutting-edge genome editing approaches in laboratory animals. Expected outcomes of this project include the production of genetically engineered animals with altered tissue growth, development of new theories for how tissue growth is normal ....Genetic control of tissue growth in animals. This project aims to understand how the animal body grows. This project expects to generate new knowledge and understanding of the genetic programs that govern the size and shape of animal tissues, through use of cutting-edge genome editing approaches in laboratory animals. Expected outcomes of this project include the production of genetically engineered animals with altered tissue growth, development of new theories for how tissue growth is normally controlled and how it can be manipulated industrially. This should provide significant benefits, impacting stem cell biology (improving stem cell production), tissue engineering (improving growth of artificial tissues), veterinary science and agriculture (improving productivity).Read moreRead less
Neuronal and behavioural correlates of sensory adaptation. Sensory systems adapt to the statistics of their environment, and the consequences of this adaptation are evident in neuronal activity and in animal’s behaviour. This project will employ a novel paradigm to characterise how adaptation changes the response properties of individual sensory neurons to improve efficiency of information transmission.