Positron Nano-Dosimetry: Fundamental Measurements of Positron Interactions and their use in State-of-the-Art Modelling of Positron Transport. This proposal will provide unique experimental and theoretical information on how positrons, the electron antiparticles, interact with matter, in particular with biologically important molecules. This data will be used in a unique set of modelling approaches which will provide, for the first time, an insight into how positrons are transported through gases ....Positron Nano-Dosimetry: Fundamental Measurements of Positron Interactions and their use in State-of-the-Art Modelling of Positron Transport. This proposal will provide unique experimental and theoretical information on how positrons, the electron antiparticles, interact with matter, in particular with biologically important molecules. This data will be used in a unique set of modelling approaches which will provide, for the first time, an insight into how positrons are transported through gases, liquids and ultimately, soft matter. It will thus have important ramifications for diagnostic tools such as Positron Emission Tomography. The fundamental research will also shed light on one of the key 'mysteries' of life - why the biological building blocks of life possess a definite " handedness", or chirality.Read moreRead less
Behavioural responses to transport congestion: peak spreading and the more efficient usage of transport infrastructure. Transport networks in cities such as Sydney are at or near capacity. It is no longer socially, environmentally or financially sustainable to continue supplying additional transport infrastructure to meet increased demand. An alternative is to make better use of existing infrastructure by spreading demand more evenly across the day. This project will test behavioural responses t ....Behavioural responses to transport congestion: peak spreading and the more efficient usage of transport infrastructure. Transport networks in cities such as Sydney are at or near capacity. It is no longer socially, environmentally or financially sustainable to continue supplying additional transport infrastructure to meet increased demand. An alternative is to make better use of existing infrastructure by spreading demand more evenly across the day. This project will test behavioural responses to increased congestion and quantify the phenomenon of peak spreading. It will assess economic costs and benefits of using congestion as a signal to encourage more efficient network usage, and examine other tools (e.g. time-based transport pricing) to encourage more efficient use of transport infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Multidimensional evaluation of the overall benefits of voluntary travel behaviour change programs. Voluntary Travel Behaviour Programs (VTBC) offer considerable promise for the management of traffic congestion and reduction in greenhouse gas and air quality emissions from road transport. Research to date has identified two outstanding issues: (1) measurement and evaluation of actual behaviour change and (2) identification of the full benefits and impacts of VTBC. Empirical studies indicate that ....Multidimensional evaluation of the overall benefits of voluntary travel behaviour change programs. Voluntary Travel Behaviour Programs (VTBC) offer considerable promise for the management of traffic congestion and reduction in greenhouse gas and air quality emissions from road transport. Research to date has identified two outstanding issues: (1) measurement and evaluation of actual behaviour change and (2) identification of the full benefits and impacts of VTBC. Empirical studies indicate that many of the benefits fall outside the transport area, including a wide range of socio-economic benefits to individuals and the community. This project will develop a survey tool for assessing benefits and impacts of VTBC within a properly designed and tested evaluation framework.Read moreRead less
A New Approach to the Structure of Atomic Nuclei. Starting at the quark level, we have derived a theory of nuclear structure, that in its initial application appears extremely successful. The aim of this project is to advance this revolutionary new approach to the theory of nuclear structure to the next level by exploring its predictions for a number of outstanding questions in modern nuclear physics. This includes the properties of superheavy nuclei, with atomic number beyond 100, including the ....A New Approach to the Structure of Atomic Nuclei. Starting at the quark level, we have derived a theory of nuclear structure, that in its initial application appears extremely successful. The aim of this project is to advance this revolutionary new approach to the theory of nuclear structure to the next level by exploring its predictions for a number of outstanding questions in modern nuclear physics. This includes the properties of superheavy nuclei, with atomic number beyond 100, including the potential existence of a new region of stability and complementing experimental searches underway internationally to discover the limits of stability with large neutron or proton excess, which is crucial to understanding the origin of the elements and may contribute new energy related technology.Read moreRead less
Dynamic vulnerability of urban road networks. Road transport networks are vital to the economic and social health of our society. Poorly performing networks lead to significant costs and adverse environmental and health impacts. This project will develop methods and tools to predict the effects of network failure through incident-related congestion at bottlenecks (e.g. congestion from accidents, vehicle breakdowns, road works, lane blockages and road closures) and to suggest remedial action plan ....Dynamic vulnerability of urban road networks. Road transport networks are vital to the economic and social health of our society. Poorly performing networks lead to significant costs and adverse environmental and health impacts. This project will develop methods and tools to predict the effects of network failure through incident-related congestion at bottlenecks (e.g. congestion from accidents, vehicle breakdowns, road works, lane blockages and road closures) and to suggest remedial action plans in the case of bottleneck formation. Incident related congestion is responsible for more than 50% of the ($9.4B p.a.) cost of congestion in Australia's major cities.Read moreRead less
Methodology for assessing the vulnerability of multimodal transport networks and developing remedial measures to safeguard network performance. When transport networks fail, the effects on people and the economy can be devastating. The consequences for Hobart of the 1975 Tasman Bridge collapse provide a prime example. Failure may also result from extreme weather and natural disasters, traffic congestion and incidents, commercial failure, human error, or malevolence (such as sabotage). This proje ....Methodology for assessing the vulnerability of multimodal transport networks and developing remedial measures to safeguard network performance. When transport networks fail, the effects on people and the economy can be devastating. The consequences for Hobart of the 1975 Tasman Bridge collapse provide a prime example. Failure may also result from extreme weather and natural disasters, traffic congestion and incidents, commercial failure, human error, or malevolence (such as sabotage). This project will develop a methodology for auditing a transport network to identify where infrastructure failure will have the worst consequences for movement of people and goods. The research will provide tools for planners to determine critical network locations, and devise strategies and remedial measures to safeguard network performance.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the neutron lifetime puzzle with lattice quantum chromodynamics. This project will perform supercomputer simulations to confront one of the outstanding puzzles of nuclear and particle physics, the neutron lifetime. New knowledge will be generated through the development of novel theoretical and numerical techniques to increase the precision of the leading theoretical inputs required to predict the neutron lifetime. The outcomes will provide crucial theoretical guidance into understan ....Unravelling the neutron lifetime puzzle with lattice quantum chromodynamics. This project will perform supercomputer simulations to confront one of the outstanding puzzles of nuclear and particle physics, the neutron lifetime. New knowledge will be generated through the development of novel theoretical and numerical techniques to increase the precision of the leading theoretical inputs required to predict the neutron lifetime. The outcomes will provide crucial theoretical guidance into understanding the neutron; helping to guide the next-generation neutron experiments, from particle physics to applications in advanced materials science. The results will have immediate benefit by resolving the neutron lifetime puzzle, while enabling Australian scientists to take a leadership role in this area of fundamental science.Read moreRead less
The potential role of transit-oriented development in Australian cities: a critical assessment using a suburban rail corridor. Sustainability in urban development and a reduction in our dependence on the private car for mobility are key concerns in Australia and elsewhere. The results of this research will inform and lead world's best practice in the evaluation and adoption of sustainable transport solutions, especially those related to investment in urban public transport systems, and hence pro ....The potential role of transit-oriented development in Australian cities: a critical assessment using a suburban rail corridor. Sustainability in urban development and a reduction in our dependence on the private car for mobility are key concerns in Australia and elsewhere. The results of this research will inform and lead world's best practice in the evaluation and adoption of sustainable transport solutions, especially those related to investment in urban public transport systems, and hence provide options for planners and developers to minimise the impacts of developments on the environment. The benefits from the project will be in improved planning and design principles and planning tools for transit-oriented urban developments in both inner and outer suburbs in Australian cities.Read moreRead less
Imaging the spatial distribution of forces that bind quarks to a proton. This project will perform supercomputer simulations to resolve the distribution of forces acting on quarks inside the proton. New knowledge will be generated in the area of fundamental strong-interaction physics by developing innovative approaches to image novel features that have not been possible in the past. The outcomes will therefore open new research possibilities by expanding the capacity of the international communi ....Imaging the spatial distribution of forces that bind quarks to a proton. This project will perform supercomputer simulations to resolve the distribution of forces acting on quarks inside the proton. New knowledge will be generated in the area of fundamental strong-interaction physics by developing innovative approaches to image novel features that have not been possible in the past. The outcomes will therefore open new research possibilities by expanding the capacity of the international community to study strong interaction physics—including direct relevance to experimental research at the recently-upgraded Jefferson Lab in the US. In analogy to Rutherford's atomic model, the results will have benefit to future generations of humanity with a deeper understanding of the structure of matter.Read moreRead less
Supercomputing the tomography of the proton. This project aims to produce theoretical determinations of the quark and gluon distributions of the proton through advanced supercomputer simulations. The project will generate new knowledge in the area of fundamental strong-interaction physics by developing innovative approaches to image structures that have not been possible in the past. This project expects to expand the capacity of the international community to study strong interaction physics, i ....Supercomputing the tomography of the proton. This project aims to produce theoretical determinations of the quark and gluon distributions of the proton through advanced supercomputer simulations. The project will generate new knowledge in the area of fundamental strong-interaction physics by developing innovative approaches to image structures that have not been possible in the past. This project expects to expand the capacity of the international community to study strong interaction physics, including direct relevance to experimental research at the recently-upgraded Jefferson Lab in the US. In analogy to Rutherford's atomic model, the results will have benefit to future generations of humanity with a deeper understanding of the structure of matter.Read moreRead less