Omega-3 fatty acids, appetite and growth in farmed fish. Australia has very limited wild fish supplies, and with the increasing realization of human health benefits of fish (i.e. omega-3 fatty acid) there is a need to increase availability through aquaculture. However, feeds used in aquaculture contain costly fish oil with limited global supplies. Attempts made to substitute fish oil with vegetable sources in aquaculture feeds have been mixed. This international, comparative and multidisciplinar ....Omega-3 fatty acids, appetite and growth in farmed fish. Australia has very limited wild fish supplies, and with the increasing realization of human health benefits of fish (i.e. omega-3 fatty acid) there is a need to increase availability through aquaculture. However, feeds used in aquaculture contain costly fish oil with limited global supplies. Attempts made to substitute fish oil with vegetable sources in aquaculture feeds have been mixed. This international, comparative and multidisciplinary project aims to reduce the dependence on fish oils through investigation of basic fatty acid metabolism and endocrinology on farmed fish to ensure that human health promoting characteristics in the final product are retained.Read moreRead less
The effect of de-gassing on the dispersion and stability of emulsions and colloidal solutions. Although it is widely accepted that oil and water will not mix, the reverse has recently been found to occur (by the applicant) under the unusual conditions of complete de-gassing. This discovery has opened up new areas for investigation and for the development of new processes and products. Hydrocarbon oils and hydrophobic powders can now be readily dispersed in water without the use of additives. Ho ....The effect of de-gassing on the dispersion and stability of emulsions and colloidal solutions. Although it is widely accepted that oil and water will not mix, the reverse has recently been found to occur (by the applicant) under the unusual conditions of complete de-gassing. This discovery has opened up new areas for investigation and for the development of new processes and products. Hydrocarbon oils and hydrophobic powders can now be readily dispersed in water without the use of additives. However, the mechanisms involved have not yet been elucidated and it is the aim of this project to understand the process and develop potential commercial applications.Read moreRead less
Water at Hydrophobic Surfaces. The properties of water define the nature of life on this planet. When water encounters a hydrophobic surface - at the air/water interface, in contact with unreactive solids such as Teflon, or at an oil drop, our recent experiments indicate that the water dissociates more readily into protons and hydroxide ions - undergoes autolysis - than in bulk water. Furthermore, the hydroxide ions are preferentially adsorbed at the surface, giving it a negative charge. This pr ....Water at Hydrophobic Surfaces. The properties of water define the nature of life on this planet. When water encounters a hydrophobic surface - at the air/water interface, in contact with unreactive solids such as Teflon, or at an oil drop, our recent experiments indicate that the water dissociates more readily into protons and hydroxide ions - undergoes autolysis - than in bulk water. Furthermore, the hydroxide ions are preferentially adsorbed at the surface, giving it a negative charge. This project will test the generality and implications of this novel concept. The results will range across physics, chemistry, biology and their associated technologies, a consequence of the ubiquitous importance of water. Read moreRead less
Constrained Receding Horizon Control of Nonlinear Systems. Most real world control problems involve the design of strategies that
achieve performance goals in the presence of constraints on the system variables. Receding horizon control is a strategy that addresses this problem by directly optimising performance under the appropriate constraints. This project will address theoretical and computational issues associated with this methodology. The expected outcomes include:
* New finitely p ....Constrained Receding Horizon Control of Nonlinear Systems. Most real world control problems involve the design of strategies that
achieve performance goals in the presence of constraints on the system variables. Receding horizon control is a strategy that addresses this problem by directly optimising performance under the appropriate constraints. This project will address theoretical and computational issues associated with this methodology. The expected outcomes include:
* New finitely parameterised solutions for nonlinear systems.
* Implementations of reduced computational complexity.
* New insights into analytical properties of the methodology.
These outcomes are expected to add to Australian scientific recognition and to bring significant economic benefit to Australian industry.
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