Efficient learning from multiple brain imaging data sets. Brain imaging data analysis methods have proven to be very effective in the study of brain functions and the identification of brain disorders because they minimise the modelling assumptions on the underlying structure of the problem. Analysis of multiple brain imaging data sets, either of the same modality as in multitask or multisubject data sets or from different modalities as in the case of data fusion, is a challenging problem in bi ....Efficient learning from multiple brain imaging data sets. Brain imaging data analysis methods have proven to be very effective in the study of brain functions and the identification of brain disorders because they minimise the modelling assumptions on the underlying structure of the problem. Analysis of multiple brain imaging data sets, either of the same modality as in multitask or multisubject data sets or from different modalities as in the case of data fusion, is a challenging problem in biomedical image analysis. This project will lead to fundamental contributions as well as techniques that address both problems: extraction of relevant features information from multisubject brain imaging data sets of the same modality or from fusion of brain imaging data sets collected from multimodalities.Read moreRead less
Ultrahigh-speed optical transport for sustaining the internet growth. Our society has entered an information era centred around the Internet. This project aims to study novel transport technologies to construct optical backbone networks supporting the Internet traffic. The project will keep Australia at the leading edge of exciting Terabit technologies as well as create commercial opportunities in Australia.
Explicit methods in number theory: Computation, theory and application. This project aims to use explicit estimates to unify three problems in number theory: primitive roots, Diophantine quintuples, and linear independence of zeroes of the Riemann zeta-function. It will use computational and analytic number theory to reduce the quintuples problem to a soluble level. Pursuing relations between the zeta zeroes will overhaul many current results. This project will apply its findings about primitive ....Explicit methods in number theory: Computation, theory and application. This project aims to use explicit estimates to unify three problems in number theory: primitive roots, Diophantine quintuples, and linear independence of zeroes of the Riemann zeta-function. It will use computational and analytic number theory to reduce the quintuples problem to a soluble level. Pursuing relations between the zeta zeroes will overhaul many current results. This project will apply its findings about primitive roots to signal processing, cryptography and cybersecurity.Read moreRead less
Real-Time Searches for Gravitational Waves and Identification of Their Radio and Optical Counterparts. The proposed project will directly address the national research priority in development of frontier technologies, directly involve Australians in frontier work in gravitational wave astronomy that will result in break-through sciences and improve the chance of the international Square-Kilometer-Array project being sited at Australia. In addition, it will foster a close collaboration of top int ....Real-Time Searches for Gravitational Waves and Identification of Their Radio and Optical Counterparts. The proposed project will directly address the national research priority in development of frontier technologies, directly involve Australians in frontier work in gravitational wave astronomy that will result in break-through sciences and improve the chance of the international Square-Kilometer-Array project being sited at Australia. In addition, it will foster a close collaboration of top international researchers with an Australian team. The research at The University of Western Australia will attract students from around the world and serve to educate and inspire young people in Australia.Read moreRead less
Improved decoding of human brain activity using advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging at ultra-high field strength. Using advanced MRI methods at ultra-high field, this project aims to enable the decoding and reconstruction of visual stimuli, as well as imagined ones from small functional units (layers and columns) in the human brain in vivo. This will be made possible by the use of a new functional MRI method, concurrent high temporal and spatial resolution and whole brain coverage as ....Improved decoding of human brain activity using advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging at ultra-high field strength. Using advanced MRI methods at ultra-high field, this project aims to enable the decoding and reconstruction of visual stimuli, as well as imagined ones from small functional units (layers and columns) in the human brain in vivo. This will be made possible by the use of a new functional MRI method, concurrent high temporal and spatial resolution and whole brain coverage as well as high sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, it will advance the development of functional connectomics and the aid the parcellation of the human cortex.Read moreRead less
The role of human single-stranded binding protein (hSSB1) in DNA damage repair and tumorogenesis. Cancer is a leading cause of disease related death world wide, accounting for over 13% of all deaths in 2007. Approximately 38,000 people died in Australia from cancer in 2005. Cancer results from a single cell losing a vital part of its genetic information, this results in the cell losing its normal programming and initiates a process of rapid growth and multiplication. This research project aims t ....The role of human single-stranded binding protein (hSSB1) in DNA damage repair and tumorogenesis. Cancer is a leading cause of disease related death world wide, accounting for over 13% of all deaths in 2007. Approximately 38,000 people died in Australia from cancer in 2005. Cancer results from a single cell losing a vital part of its genetic information, this results in the cell losing its normal programming and initiates a process of rapid growth and multiplication. This research project aims to look at the mechanisms that exist to prevent this initial loss of genetic material within an individual cell. It further aims to translate theses discoveries into the clinic, providing new tools for diagnosis and prognosis of specific cancers and to establish links with major pharmaceutical companies to develop novel anticancer therapies.Read moreRead less
Engineering Artificial Intelligence: A Spatial Representation and Reasoning Perspective. Spatial information is important in areas of national interest such as mining and exploration, environmental monitoring and planning, emergency response, and defence. Mission control centres, for instance, receive different forms of spatial data from satellites, radar, or people on the ground. They have to process the input data and make intelligent decisions in a very limited time. Intelligent systems that ....Engineering Artificial Intelligence: A Spatial Representation and Reasoning Perspective. Spatial information is important in areas of national interest such as mining and exploration, environmental monitoring and planning, emergency response, and defence. Mission control centres, for instance, receive different forms of spatial data from satellites, radar, or people on the ground. They have to process the input data and make intelligent decisions in a very limited time. Intelligent systems that are able to assist with processing different forms of spatial data efficiently and that offer reliable decision support are essential for improving the quality and reliability of such applications. This research enables future intelligent systems with these capabilities. This will directly benefit applications in areas of national interest.Read moreRead less
Activation of invasion in Toxoplasma. Host cell invasion is critical for the establishment and maintenance of infection by the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of Toxoplasmosis. This project will use the latest molecular techniques to understand how invasion is activated and will define a new set of drug targets to treat Toxoplasmosis and related diseases.
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
Molecular Mechanisms of NOD signalling. Alterations in NOD1 and NOD2 (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 1 and 2) signalling have been implicated in various human inflammatory diseases. Therefore, a clear understanding of the molecular signalling pathways is important to gain further insights into potential drug targets for the treatment of these diseases. Using novel experimental approaches, this project aims to identify new members of the NOD signalling pathway. It will test ....Molecular Mechanisms of NOD signalling. Alterations in NOD1 and NOD2 (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 1 and 2) signalling have been implicated in various human inflammatory diseases. Therefore, a clear understanding of the molecular signalling pathways is important to gain further insights into potential drug targets for the treatment of these diseases. Using novel experimental approaches, this project aims to identify new members of the NOD signalling pathway. It will test the effect of pharmacological inhibition of established molecules such as RIPK2 or IAPs in NOD dependent models for human diseases. Outcomes of this study will be of the utmost interest for the treatment of NOD driven diseases such as Crohn's disease, Blau syndrome or asthma.Read moreRead less