Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes for Organic Solvent Separation. Directly addressing the pressing challenge of organic solvent separation faced by numerous industries, the project aims to develop molecular sieve membranes with outstanding selectivity and solvent tolerance by constructing zeolite-carbon mixed matrix membrane via incorporating zeolite nanosheets into carbon materials. The project expects to generate advanced knowledge of nanosheet synthesis, membrane fabrication and selective mole ....Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes for Organic Solvent Separation. Directly addressing the pressing challenge of organic solvent separation faced by numerous industries, the project aims to develop molecular sieve membranes with outstanding selectivity and solvent tolerance by constructing zeolite-carbon mixed matrix membrane via incorporating zeolite nanosheets into carbon materials. The project expects to generate advanced knowledge of nanosheet synthesis, membrane fabrication and selective molecule transport. The membranes developed in the project have great potentials for improving the production capacity and sustainability of Australian industries, e.g., pharmaceutical manufacturing, bioethanol production and petroleum refining, providing significant economic and environmental benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
Understanding influences on physical activity and sedentary behaviour from preschool to preadolescence. While promotion of optimal levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviours during childhood is important for health, much remains unknown in this field. This study will extend an existing cohort of children, recruited at ages three to five years and followed up at six to eight years by reassessing these children at nine to eleven years. Novel additions to the cohort include long term foll ....Understanding influences on physical activity and sedentary behaviour from preschool to preadolescence. While promotion of optimal levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviours during childhood is important for health, much remains unknown in this field. This study will extend an existing cohort of children, recruited at ages three to five years and followed up at six to eight years by reassessing these children at nine to eleven years. Novel additions to the cohort include long term follow-up spanning preschool to preadolescence, application of an ecological framework, and collection of objective neighbourhood data using a Geographical Information System. Findings will provide important information for policy and interventions focused at the individual, family and neighbourhood level, to improve physical activity and sedentary behaviour levels across childhood.Read moreRead less
Demonstrating the feasibility of designing sustainable buildings using evolutionary systems. The design approach proposed in this research will result in two key areas of national benefit. First, the research will enable Australian built environment design professions to become more competitive in both domestic and international markets. There is a growing demand for environmentally-friendly buildings and the proposed design approach will enable Australian firms to be at the cutting edge of sust ....Demonstrating the feasibility of designing sustainable buildings using evolutionary systems. The design approach proposed in this research will result in two key areas of national benefit. First, the research will enable Australian built environment design professions to become more competitive in both domestic and international markets. There is a growing demand for environmentally-friendly buildings and the proposed design approach will enable Australian firms to be at the cutting edge of sustainable design. Second, the research will enable the Australian built environment to become more sustainable. The proposed approach will enable buildings to be designed that perform well, that are cost effective and that minimise their environmental impact. Read moreRead less
The Impact of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence on the Dynamics of Conflict. This project aims to understand the impact of sexual and gender-based violence on the dynamics of conflict. With an innovative mixed method design it will study all reported incidences of sexual and gender-based violence in 41 conflict-affected countries between 1998 and 2018. It will generate new knowledge establishing how and when crimes of sexual and gender-based violence affect the onset and intensity of conflict. Th ....The Impact of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence on the Dynamics of Conflict. This project aims to understand the impact of sexual and gender-based violence on the dynamics of conflict. With an innovative mixed method design it will study all reported incidences of sexual and gender-based violence in 41 conflict-affected countries between 1998 and 2018. It will generate new knowledge establishing how and when crimes of sexual and gender-based violence affect the onset and intensity of conflict. The expected outcomes of this project include the identification of the most high-risk situations, the phases of violence, and the improvement of risk assessments for such violence. The project will significantly benefit the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict-affected situations globally.Read moreRead less
Preventing Mass Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Conflict and Non-Conflict Affected Countries. Widespread and systematic Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) has been recognised by the United Nations Security Council since 2000 as a matter of international peace and security. Under the 1998 Rome Statute it is a crime against humanity, a war crime and an act of genocide. There are two explanations for mass SGBV: the presence of armed conflict and the existence of extreme gender inequality a ....Preventing Mass Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Conflict and Non-Conflict Affected Countries. Widespread and systematic Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) has been recognised by the United Nations Security Council since 2000 as a matter of international peace and security. Under the 1998 Rome Statute it is a crime against humanity, a war crime and an act of genocide. There are two explanations for mass SGBV: the presence of armed conflict and the existence of extreme gender inequality and oppression prior to onset of conflict. Yet, to date, there is little knowledge of how variations in the type of conflict and gender inequality contribute to SGBV crimes. This project will test and refine the two dominant and competing explanations for SGBV crimes to inform strategies for the prevention of SGBV where risk is high.Read moreRead less
Civilian Protection and the Use of Force in UN Peacekeeping Operations. This project seeks to evaluate the use of force to protect civilians in United Nations peacekeeping. United Nations peacekeepers are on the frontline of efforts to protect civilians from violence. More than 100 were killed in 2014. Hundreds of thousands of civilians depend on peacekeepers for their safety. To date, however, there has been little systematic evaluation of the impact of the use of force for civilian protection ....Civilian Protection and the Use of Force in UN Peacekeeping Operations. This project seeks to evaluate the use of force to protect civilians in United Nations peacekeeping. United Nations peacekeepers are on the frontline of efforts to protect civilians from violence. More than 100 were killed in 2014. Hundreds of thousands of civilians depend on peacekeepers for their safety. To date, however, there has been little systematic evaluation of the impact of the use of force for civilian protection mandates on both immediate protection goals and the wider goals of peacekeeping. This project aims to assess the impact of the implementation of mandates to use force to protect civilians. Through a focused comparison of six missions, it plans to identify what works, what doesn't, and the factors which determine these outcomes in order to identify ways of improving performance in the future.Read moreRead less
Primary classroom teacher-student interactions, cultural learning environments and their relationships with students' attitudes and understanding of science concepts. This project examines associations between teacher-student interactions and primary students' perceptions of cultural factors of learning environments with students' attitudes towards science and their understanding of science concepts. In the tradition of classroom environment research, the study will use interviews and questionna ....Primary classroom teacher-student interactions, cultural learning environments and their relationships with students' attitudes and understanding of science concepts. This project examines associations between teacher-student interactions and primary students' perceptions of cultural factors of learning environments with students' attitudes towards science and their understanding of science concepts. In the tradition of classroom environment research, the study will use interviews and questionnaires to obtain students' perceptions of their primary classrooms. In-depth studies will then be made of particular classrooms with the aim of enhancing the description of primary school science teaching. The project will lead to a systematic understanding of what is happening in primary school science and a direction for teachers to implement desirable changes in their teaching.Read moreRead less
Using visual science to reduce the dangers of night driving. This project aims to develop novel tests of visual function relevant to the modern night driving environment. Night driving is challenging for all drivers and has been linked to poor visibility under low light conditions. This project will characterise the visual challenges of the modern night driving environment, develop visual tests that incorporate the dynamic light levels typical of night-time roads and assess the association of th ....Using visual science to reduce the dangers of night driving. This project aims to develop novel tests of visual function relevant to the modern night driving environment. Night driving is challenging for all drivers and has been linked to poor visibility under low light conditions. This project will characterise the visual challenges of the modern night driving environment, develop visual tests that incorporate the dynamic light levels typical of night-time roads and assess the association of these tests with night driving performance. The outcomes will contribute new knowledge regarding dynamic visual processing and the ageing visual system and will inform vision testing, potential interventions to improve visual function for night driving and reduce the dangers of night driving.Read moreRead less
The roles of stress and immunocompetence in biological invasions. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity worldwide; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Building on recent studies that reveal weakened immune systems in invasion-front toads, this project will provide a comprehensive understanding of immune responses in cane toads and native frogs, with the aim of exploiting the toads' immunocompromised state to develop new and more ....The roles of stress and immunocompetence in biological invasions. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity worldwide; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Building on recent studies that reveal weakened immune systems in invasion-front toads, this project will provide a comprehensive understanding of immune responses in cane toads and native frogs, with the aim of exploiting the toads' immunocompromised state to develop new and more effective control measures. The project will develop a new paradigm about the roles of stress and immunity in biological invasion, applicable to the control of other invasive species and to understanding processes at work when environmental changes force species to shift their ranges.Read moreRead less
Frontiers of Australian science popularisation. This project details Australia's role in science popularisation in the 1960s and 1970s, when the boundary between science fiction and science fact was often blurred. The project will explore how popular science of that era framed today's crucial issues of climate change, overpopulation and space exploration.