Cell type-specific transgene expression to increase Fe content in cereal grains. The grains industry forms a vital part of the Australian economy and farm sector. Increased iron concentrations of wheat and other cereal grains would greatly increase their nutritional value for people worldwide, thereby increasing their market value and profitability for farmers. High iron wheat would also lower the production costs of many Australian wheat products by reducing or eliminating the need for iron for ....Cell type-specific transgene expression to increase Fe content in cereal grains. The grains industry forms a vital part of the Australian economy and farm sector. Increased iron concentrations of wheat and other cereal grains would greatly increase their nutritional value for people worldwide, thereby increasing their market value and profitability for farmers. High iron wheat would also lower the production costs of many Australian wheat products by reducing or eliminating the need for iron fortification of wheat flour. High iron cereals promote healthy development of young Australians and can improve preventative healthcare by reducing the incidence of iron deficiency anaemia and biochemical deficiency.Read moreRead less
Role of alanine aminotransferase in improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in cereals. The use of nitrogen-based fertilisers by crop plants is poor where efficiencies (nitrogen taken up to that applied) is often less than 40%. Nitrogen not used is often lost to the environment through leaching and or volatilisation. Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in agriculture will decrease overall nitrogen fertiliser use and minimise its environmental footprint. This project will characterise a nov ....Role of alanine aminotransferase in improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in cereals. The use of nitrogen-based fertilisers by crop plants is poor where efficiencies (nitrogen taken up to that applied) is often less than 40%. Nitrogen not used is often lost to the environment through leaching and or volatilisation. Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in agriculture will decrease overall nitrogen fertiliser use and minimise its environmental footprint. This project will characterise a novel NUE technology that when transferred to plants significantly improves NUE. We will define the phenotype at the molecular, biochemical and physiological levels to maximise its adoption to other agricultural crops such as wheat, barley and maize.Read moreRead less
Understanding, controlling and improving the flavour of almond kernels. Almond kernels may be sweet, semi-bitter or bitter, with the first two categories marketed as fresh nuts, while the latter are used in processed products such as marzipan. Semi-bitter kernels have a more interesting flavour than sweet kernels and we require tools to breed for this character. The bitter flavour is imparted by amygdalin via the cyanogenic pathway. This project will characterise the genetic control of sweet, ....Understanding, controlling and improving the flavour of almond kernels. Almond kernels may be sweet, semi-bitter or bitter, with the first two categories marketed as fresh nuts, while the latter are used in processed products such as marzipan. Semi-bitter kernels have a more interesting flavour than sweet kernels and we require tools to breed for this character. The bitter flavour is imparted by amygdalin via the cyanogenic pathway. This project will characterise the genetic control of sweet, semi-bitter and bitter flavour, amygdalin accumulation in developing kernels, and key enzymes in the cyanogenic pathway. Almond populations segregating for these traits will be used and the data will be integrated into the Australian almond meiotic map.Read moreRead less
Investigation of almond transformation for self-fertility and virus resistance. This project addresses the long-term goal of the Australian almond industry to produce cultivars that are self-fertile and resistant to Prunus necrotic ringspot and prune dwarf viruses. Both self-sterility and virus infection can result in unreliable and often low yields. Research will address the control of gene expression relating to self-sterility and the introduction of virus resistance, via sequencing of self- ....Investigation of almond transformation for self-fertility and virus resistance. This project addresses the long-term goal of the Australian almond industry to produce cultivars that are self-fertile and resistant to Prunus necrotic ringspot and prune dwarf viruses. Both self-sterility and virus infection can result in unreliable and often low yields. Research will address the control of gene expression relating to self-sterility and the introduction of virus resistance, via sequencing of self-fertility and self-sterility genes, construct development and improved regeneration of transformed almond in vitro without the use of antibiotics.Read moreRead less
Improved olive productivity and the use of molecular markers. Sales of olive oil on international markets are growing at 15% per year, and the Australian industry is expanding rapidly to win some of this trade. Varietal identity is a major problem, which has production implications and this project will verify trueness-to type via genetic fingerprinting. Many olive cultivars require cross pollination for optimal production, and the research will identify compatible cultivars for the major variet ....Improved olive productivity and the use of molecular markers. Sales of olive oil on international markets are growing at 15% per year, and the Australian industry is expanding rapidly to win some of this trade. Varietal identity is a major problem, which has production implications and this project will verify trueness-to type via genetic fingerprinting. Many olive cultivars require cross pollination for optimal production, and the research will identify compatible cultivars for the major varieties. Molecular markers will be developed to accelerate the selection of improved varieties with self-fertility, high oleic acid, low linolenic acid and tolerance to Peacock spot disease.Read moreRead less
The culture of implementing Freedom of Information in Australia. In partnership with three Australian Information Commissioners/Ombudsmen this project aims to map the culture of administering Freedom of Information (FOI) laws across a number of Australian jurisdictions. The study aspires to capture and analyse the attitudes among FOI practitioners, government agency managements and political leaders toward information access implementation. The project aims to provide the partner organisations w ....The culture of implementing Freedom of Information in Australia. In partnership with three Australian Information Commissioners/Ombudsmen this project aims to map the culture of administering Freedom of Information (FOI) laws across a number of Australian jurisdictions. The study aspires to capture and analyse the attitudes among FOI practitioners, government agency managements and political leaders toward information access implementation. The project aims to provide the partner organisations with an increased understanding of the culture of administering FOI to inform training/awareness programs and campaigns in order to increase the functionality of FOI. Well-functioning access to information systems is crucial both for good governance and Australia's participation in the digital economy.
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Delivering guaranteed quality of service over IP networks. The next revolution in the Internet will be to offer end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees, in the form of maximum delay, delay variation and probability of packet loss, or minimum throughput. There are no existing techniques capable of delivering end-to-end QoS guarantees. This project will develop credit-based controls, instead of the usual rate-based controls, that can deliver these required QoS guarantees. These QoS guarante ....Delivering guaranteed quality of service over IP networks. The next revolution in the Internet will be to offer end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees, in the form of maximum delay, delay variation and probability of packet loss, or minimum throughput. There are no existing techniques capable of delivering end-to-end QoS guarantees. This project will develop credit-based controls, instead of the usual rate-based controls, that can deliver these required QoS guarantees. These QoS guarantees will enable the development and deployment of entirely new services on the Internet. This project will give Australian industry the opportunity to create the next generation Internet. Therefore this project represents a Frontier Technology.Read moreRead less
Real-time scheduling of trains to control peak electricity demand. This project aims to develop new scheduling and control methods that will enable railways to reduce their demand for electricity during peak demand periods, without undue disruption to the timetable.
These new methods and systems will integrate with—and expand the capabilities of—an Australian train control system that is used by railways around the world. This will enable better management of electricity within a region and be ....Real-time scheduling of trains to control peak electricity demand. This project aims to develop new scheduling and control methods that will enable railways to reduce their demand for electricity during peak demand periods, without undue disruption to the timetable.
These new methods and systems will integrate with—and expand the capabilities of—an Australian train control system that is used by railways around the world. This will enable better management of electricity within a region and better use of renewable energy sources, with significant cost savings for railways and the wider community.Read moreRead less
A graphical simulation package for optimal management and risk assessment in urban stormwater harvesting systems. We will develop a Scalar Vector Graphics (SVG) simulation tool for optimal management and risk assessment in urban stormwater harvesting and utilisation schemes. The generic model will be applied to existing and proposed schemes within the City of Salisbury (CoS) and will include a capture dam, one or more storage dams and an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) facility. The discret ....A graphical simulation package for optimal management and risk assessment in urban stormwater harvesting systems. We will develop a Scalar Vector Graphics (SVG) simulation tool for optimal management and risk assessment in urban stormwater harvesting and utilisation schemes. The generic model will be applied to existing and proposed schemes within the City of Salisbury (CoS) and will include a capture dam, one or more storage dams and an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) facility. The discrete state vector will be the content of each storage unit and the daily transition will be driven by a new stochastic rainfall model (SRM). The objective will be to find a practical management policy that minimises Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR).Read moreRead less
Unlocking the Grid: the future of the electricity distribution network. This project applies to the National Research Priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. A critical challenge for the development of power systems will be to transform them from their current dependence on conventional centralised generation to a situation where more diversified, more volatile and less controllable generation sources contribute a significant percentage of the energy. Coupled with this is a change ....Unlocking the Grid: the future of the electricity distribution network. This project applies to the National Research Priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. A critical challenge for the development of power systems will be to transform them from their current dependence on conventional centralised generation to a situation where more diversified, more volatile and less controllable generation sources contribute a significant percentage of the energy. Coupled with this is a change in demand patterns due to both demographic and socio-economic variables as well as climate change. Careful analysis is required in the design of the future grid architecture to ensure the security of supply.Read moreRead less