ARC Research Network in Spatially Integrated Social Science. The ARC Research Network in Spatially Integrated Social Science (SISS) builds Australia's capacity and capability for innovative, collaborative, cross-disciplinary effort to investigate the impacts of change on the behaviour and well-being of people and the fortunes of places. SISS theories and research tools permit the integration of diverse and complex databases, the generation of new synthetic datasets, the incorporation of spatial ....ARC Research Network in Spatially Integrated Social Science. The ARC Research Network in Spatially Integrated Social Science (SISS) builds Australia's capacity and capability for innovative, collaborative, cross-disciplinary effort to investigate the impacts of change on the behaviour and well-being of people and the fortunes of places. SISS theories and research tools permit the integration of diverse and complex databases, the generation of new synthetic datasets, the incorporation of spatial concepts into statistical analysis and modelling, powerful visualisation of information, and the building spatial decision support systems, to provide an improved evidence base and better informed decision-making to address the significant challenges facing Australia's people and its places.Read moreRead less
Analysing the protective role of platelets during malaria infection. Platelets protect the host during malarial infection. This project aims to study how platelets kill the malaria parasite by investigating the role of host molecules and their potential as novel antimalarial agents. The role of platelets in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria syndrome will also be investigated.
The drowned: cultural and political geographies. This project aims to reveal and critically analyse the geographies of drowning and the drowned. Drowning is the third most common cause of death worldwide, and a subject of universal interest that is relatively limited in specifically cultural and political geographical research, policy, and debate. The project will be significant by rectifying that gap and investigating shared concerns about drowning’s abiding, widespread, profound effects. The e ....The drowned: cultural and political geographies. This project aims to reveal and critically analyse the geographies of drowning and the drowned. Drowning is the third most common cause of death worldwide, and a subject of universal interest that is relatively limited in specifically cultural and political geographical research, policy, and debate. The project will be significant by rectifying that gap and investigating shared concerns about drowning’s abiding, widespread, profound effects. The expected outcomes will include public debate about drowning and its cultural and political reach and management generated from a book, articles, and blog. Benefits will include new fundamental knowledge and practical insights about how to rethink risks and disasters in rapidly changing environments.Read moreRead less
ARC Research Network in Enterprise Information Infrastructure. EII targets consolidated research towards the comprehensive development & establishment of advanced information infrastructures. Its prime purpose is to provide a forum for intellectual exchange by diverse yet complementary research groups, to address the fundamental research problems faced by scientific & business communities when dealing with deployment of information technology to globally distributed, and data intensive environme ....ARC Research Network in Enterprise Information Infrastructure. EII targets consolidated research towards the comprehensive development & establishment of advanced information infrastructures. Its prime purpose is to provide a forum for intellectual exchange by diverse yet complementary research groups, to address the fundamental research problems faced by scientific & business communities when dealing with deployment of information technology to globally distributed, and data intensive environments. EII will address 3 tightly coupled research themes: Ability to interoperate across existing heterogenous platforms & applications; Efficient processing of very large data sets; Technology adoption & impact. Generic results will be applicable to e-science and large business information systems installations.Read moreRead less
An efficient approach to the computation of bacterial evolutionary distance. This project aims to apply advanced mathematical tools to improve our understanding of bacterial evolution. Bacteria account for as much total Earth biomass as all plant species put together, and have an unparalleled ability to evolve quickly and adapt to changing environments. Unfortunately, the existing mathematical models used to model bacterial evolution are generally computationally intractable. This project will r ....An efficient approach to the computation of bacterial evolutionary distance. This project aims to apply advanced mathematical tools to improve our understanding of bacterial evolution. Bacteria account for as much total Earth biomass as all plant species put together, and have an unparalleled ability to evolve quickly and adapt to changing environments. Unfortunately, the existing mathematical models used to model bacterial evolution are generally computationally intractable. This project will rectify this situation by using representation theory to transform combinatorial group theory into linear algebra, allowing for the application of advanced methods of numeric approximation. This will provide a better understanding of how bacteria evolve and improve our ability to manage their impact.Read moreRead less
Geographies of house and contents under-insurance. This project aims to analyse house and contents insurance to advance strategic disaster management. When natural disasters strike, house and contents insurance provides a safety net, but many households are under-insured or not insured at all. Governments and communities tend to bear the costs, but the geographies of inadequate insurance, including any crucial post-disaster effects, are unknown. This research is expected to strategically improve ....Geographies of house and contents under-insurance. This project aims to analyse house and contents insurance to advance strategic disaster management. When natural disasters strike, house and contents insurance provides a safety net, but many households are under-insured or not insured at all. Governments and communities tend to bear the costs, but the geographies of inadequate insurance, including any crucial post-disaster effects, are unknown. This research is expected to strategically improve disaster policy and practice, and reduce the financial and social costs of disasters to governments, communities and householders.Read moreRead less
Ring constructions and algorithms for enhancing performance of BCH codes. BCH codes form a major class of codes used in modern communication systems. The aim of this project is to enhance the efficiency of this class of codes by combining them in constructions enabling correction of deletion and insertion errors, and develop efficient implementations of encoding and decoding algorithms incorporating soft decision methods for enhanced error correction. Significance of the project is explained by ....Ring constructions and algorithms for enhancing performance of BCH codes. BCH codes form a major class of codes used in modern communication systems. The aim of this project is to enhance the efficiency of this class of codes by combining them in constructions enabling correction of deletion and insertion errors, and develop efficient implementations of encoding and decoding algorithms incorporating soft decision methods for enhanced error correction. Significance of the project is explained by the role of fast, secure and reliable communications in modern information and communication technology. Expected outcomes include new efficient algorithms and commercial modules available for symbolic computation systems with applications in telecommunications industry.
Read moreRead less
Antarctic cities and the global commons: Rethinking the gateways. Antarctic cities and the global commons: Rethinking the gateways. This project aims to investigate how the Antarctic gateway cities of Hobart, Christchurch and Punta Arenas might reimagine and intensify their relations to the continent and each other. As pressures on Antarctica increase, five 'gateway cities'—Hobart, Cape Town, Christchurch, Punta Arenas and Ushuaia—will become critical to its future. This research is expected to ....Antarctic cities and the global commons: Rethinking the gateways. Antarctic cities and the global commons: Rethinking the gateways. This project aims to investigate how the Antarctic gateway cities of Hobart, Christchurch and Punta Arenas might reimagine and intensify their relations to the continent and each other. As pressures on Antarctica increase, five 'gateway cities'—Hobart, Cape Town, Christchurch, Punta Arenas and Ushuaia—will become critical to its future. This research is expected to create a robust custodial network of partner organisations that helps these cities care for Antarctica.Read moreRead less
Investigating the molecular function of alpha-Haemoglobin stabilising protein. The research described in this proposal will provide new insights into haemoglobin regulation and redox chemistry in erythrocytes. Deregulation of these processes gives rise to a number of debilitating diseases, including varieties of anaemia and thalassaemia-in Australia it is estimated that 3% of the population could be carriers of b-thalassaemia mutations. Given the contribution of free aHb to the pathology of b-th ....Investigating the molecular function of alpha-Haemoglobin stabilising protein. The research described in this proposal will provide new insights into haemoglobin regulation and redox chemistry in erythrocytes. Deregulation of these processes gives rise to a number of debilitating diseases, including varieties of anaemia and thalassaemia-in Australia it is estimated that 3% of the population could be carriers of b-thalassaemia mutations. Given the contribution of free aHb to the pathology of b-thalassaemia, understanding the specific aHb-binding factor, AHSP is a goal of national significance. In the long term, manipulation of AHSP function through gene therapy may have a direct role in the treatment of thalassaemia.Read moreRead less
Caring for thoroughbreds: addressing social, economic and welfare issues in international horse racing. Horse racing is an economically valuable industry but visible welfare issues are challenging its future. This study addresses perceptions and the economic worth of these issues internationally. Research findings about values, and alternatives to jump racing and whipping horses, will help change the conduct of horse racing around the world.