Metal-air batteries with improved rate capability and safety for hearing applications. Hearing impairment affects on average 20% of the adult population in western society, with the impact being as high as 50% in older adults. Effective hearing devices require a significant amount of power, supplied by a battery, to support their function. Current batteries require very frequent replacement and represent a significant impediment to advances in the technology. This project will develop improved ....Metal-air batteries with improved rate capability and safety for hearing applications. Hearing impairment affects on average 20% of the adult population in western society, with the impact being as high as 50% in older adults. Effective hearing devices require a significant amount of power, supplied by a battery, to support their function. Current batteries require very frequent replacement and represent a significant impediment to advances in the technology. This project will develop improved energy and power density batteries which will lead to immediate implementation of more powerful signal processing algorithms, making hearing aids much more effective and appealing to the user. This, in turn, will improve recipient compliance and thus the quality of life for those with severe hearing impairment. Read moreRead less
Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution model ....Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution modelling knowledge gaps and the lack of a multidisciplinary approach to stormwater pollution management is urgent. The anticipated outcome is a modelling tool which industry can use to manage stormwater pollution in changing cities through smarter and economic technology and policy.Read moreRead less
Synthetic Biology Derived Electroactive Whole Cell Microbial Biosensors. The aim of this project is to develop, using synthetic biology, electrically integrated microbial biosensors for the detection of heavy metals in the environment. Building on our existing technology, this project aims to produce novel ‘biobricks’ capable of electrically integrating electric microbes into real time environmental monitors for heavy metal contaminants. This expansion of synthetic biology, and integration of el ....Synthetic Biology Derived Electroactive Whole Cell Microbial Biosensors. The aim of this project is to develop, using synthetic biology, electrically integrated microbial biosensors for the detection of heavy metals in the environment. Building on our existing technology, this project aims to produce novel ‘biobricks’ capable of electrically integrating electric microbes into real time environmental monitors for heavy metal contaminants. This expansion of synthetic biology, and integration of electric bacteria into sensor systems, will result in a new platform technology that expands our abilities to protect the ecology, agriculture and health of terrestrial, marine and agricultural at risk areas from economic and environmental damage.Read moreRead less
Deeper and broader life cycle risk assessment - extending the frontier for hybrid methodologies. This project is about combining detailed and global perspectives of environmental health risk from different fields of planning practice. It aims to improve the depth and breadth of the types of information used by government regulators and the community in decisions about the development of capital works.
Mitigating the risk of cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater ponds. Cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater treatment plants impact on effluent quality and the utility of recycled water, posing a significant risk to the economy, the environment and public health. To understand the causes of cyanobacterial blooms in pond-based wastewater treatment plants and the risk they pose, this project will use the latest molecular techniques to examine how the microbial communities within these systems interact w ....Mitigating the risk of cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater ponds. Cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater treatment plants impact on effluent quality and the utility of recycled water, posing a significant risk to the economy, the environment and public health. To understand the causes of cyanobacterial blooms in pond-based wastewater treatment plants and the risk they pose, this project will use the latest molecular techniques to examine how the microbial communities within these systems interact with each other and their surrounding environment to form blooms and produce toxins and other harmful metabolites. Such knowledge will inform risk assessment and provide strategies for the mitigation of future bloom events, improving the security of our increasingly valuable recycled water resources.Read moreRead less
The transition from secondary school to adulthood: Experiences and life outcomes for youth with an intellectual disability and their families. This project seeks to explore the challenges faced and outcomes achieved by students with an intellectual disability as they move from secondary school into adult life. The study will investigate the factors at an individual, educational, family, and societal level which positively and adversely affect outcomes for young people with an intellectual disab ....The transition from secondary school to adulthood: Experiences and life outcomes for youth with an intellectual disability and their families. This project seeks to explore the challenges faced and outcomes achieved by students with an intellectual disability as they move from secondary school into adult life. The study will investigate the factors at an individual, educational, family, and societal level which positively and adversely affect outcomes for young people with an intellectual disability and their families. Family impacts can include significant loss of income as parents may have to cease employment to care for their young adult who has limited employment or day placement options. Gaining the knowledge to minimise the disruption to family life, which often occurs at this time of transition, will lead to strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric.Read moreRead less
New metrics to measure and track fauna community condition in Australia. This project aims to improve how biodiversity is measured by developing a system to describe the condition of animal communities, analogous to those used for plant communities. It develops and tests the system for Australia’s birds, then extends the approach to other animal groups. The project expects to develop a data-driven typology of bird communities, accompanying community condition metrics that are scalable from site ....New metrics to measure and track fauna community condition in Australia. This project aims to improve how biodiversity is measured by developing a system to describe the condition of animal communities, analogous to those used for plant communities. It develops and tests the system for Australia’s birds, then extends the approach to other animal groups. The project expects to develop a data-driven typology of bird communities, accompanying community condition metrics that are scalable from site to national levels, and guidance for using these metrics in practice. These metrics will enable holistic and relevant measures of the biodiversity value of sites, improve evaluation of restoration actions, reveal trends in community condition, and inform monitoring and evaluation tools for emerging biodiversity markets.Read moreRead less
Efficacy of strategies to increase participation rates in disease management programs. The aim of this project is to determine the most effective strategies for maximising recruitment and retention of at-risk adults into evidence-based disease- and risk-management programs, as well as completion of health risk assessments. It is evident from the literature on risk factor modification, and on the economic and social costs of chronic diseases, that increasing participation in these programs will ....Efficacy of strategies to increase participation rates in disease management programs. The aim of this project is to determine the most effective strategies for maximising recruitment and retention of at-risk adults into evidence-based disease- and risk-management programs, as well as completion of health risk assessments. It is evident from the literature on risk factor modification, and on the economic and social costs of chronic diseases, that increasing participation in these programs will lead to reduced health costs and reduced morbidity and mortality among the target population. The primary outcome of this project will be evidence-based guidelines on the best strategies for recruitment to, and retention in, disease and risk management programs.Read moreRead less
NDIS: Rhetoric versus Reality? This project aims to explore the realities of living with intellectual disability in Australia, and the impact of individualised funding arising from the introduction of the NDIS. The study will examine, within this era of disability reform, how people with intellectual disability are having their needs met, and the extent to which they are involved in decision-making about their lives. The study will be conducted over three years using a mixed method design. It wi ....NDIS: Rhetoric versus Reality? This project aims to explore the realities of living with intellectual disability in Australia, and the impact of individualised funding arising from the introduction of the NDIS. The study will examine, within this era of disability reform, how people with intellectual disability are having their needs met, and the extent to which they are involved in decision-making about their lives. The study will be conducted over three years using a mixed method design. It will specifically examine the relationship between self-directed individualised funding and its effect on personal well-being, self-esteem and voice, choice and control. People with intellectual disability will act as co-researchers within the study.Read moreRead less
A SENTINEL STUDY OF TRENDS IN CORONARY HEART DISEASE RISK FACTORS IN AUSTRALIA. This project will use data collected by the Sydney Adventist Hospital from the managerial workforce during the past 25 years to examine the relationships of food consumption, smoking and lifestyle habits to risk of heart disease, obesity and mature onset diabetes. The lifestyles of different groups of people will be compared and related to disease risk. The effectiveness of hospital based health promotion in reducing ....A SENTINEL STUDY OF TRENDS IN CORONARY HEART DISEASE RISK FACTORS IN AUSTRALIA. This project will use data collected by the Sydney Adventist Hospital from the managerial workforce during the past 25 years to examine the relationships of food consumption, smoking and lifestyle habits to risk of heart disease, obesity and mature onset diabetes. The lifestyles of different groups of people will be compared and related to disease risk. The effectiveness of hospital based health promotion in reducing these disease risk factors will be assessed. Likely outcomes include better understanding of the causes of heart disease, obesity and diabetes; more effective hospital based health promotion strategies, and new disease surveillance systemsRead moreRead less