Developmental regulation of plant mitochondrial genome structure and copy number. Recombination is a major driving force behind mitochondrial DNA evolution and is responsible for the occurrence of cytoplasmic male sterile plants that are used by plant breeders to obtain high yield hybrids. A better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie mitochondrial and chloroplast genome maintenance and segregation will be a major fundamental scientific advance that will permit an integrated picture of ....Developmental regulation of plant mitochondrial genome structure and copy number. Recombination is a major driving force behind mitochondrial DNA evolution and is responsible for the occurrence of cytoplasmic male sterile plants that are used by plant breeders to obtain high yield hybrids. A better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie mitochondrial and chloroplast genome maintenance and segregation will be a major fundamental scientific advance that will permit an integrated picture of the interactions between the three plant genomes (nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplastic). It is also a pre-requisite for the future manipulation of the cytoplasmic genomes leading to new ways to develop varieties with modified cytoplasms.Read moreRead less
A high-through-put method for unlocking the mitochondrial genomes of significant pathogens. The national/community benefits of this research are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to ....A high-through-put method for unlocking the mitochondrial genomes of significant pathogens. The national/community benefits of this research are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to develop excellence in research by promoting collaborative research, resulting in a more efficient use of resources in a national and international context; (4) to enhance the skills-base in biology and biotechnology; and (5) to substantially increase global visibility through quality research, leading to an increased investment in Australian science.Read moreRead less
MitoGenomics of Key Pathogens - An International Research Co-operative. The national/community benefits are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to develop excellence in research by pr ....MitoGenomics of Key Pathogens - An International Research Co-operative. The national/community benefits are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to develop excellence in research by promoting collaborative research, resulting in a more efficient use of resources in a national and international context; (4) to enhance the skills-base in biology and biotechnology; (5) to substantially increase global visibility through quality research, leading to an increased investment in Australian science.Read moreRead less
University of Queensland/Arizona State University partnership to design industrially suitable zeolite membranes for desalination. For desalination, the highest costs are organic-based membrane replacement (lasting ~1 year) and energy requirement. Functionalised zeolitic membranes are low-cost, high performing, chemically tolerant and thermally stable. New zeolite membranes in principle could perform the separation outlasting their organic counterparts, while at the same time offering major energ ....University of Queensland/Arizona State University partnership to design industrially suitable zeolite membranes for desalination. For desalination, the highest costs are organic-based membrane replacement (lasting ~1 year) and energy requirement. Functionalised zeolitic membranes are low-cost, high performing, chemically tolerant and thermally stable. New zeolite membranes in principle could perform the separation outlasting their organic counterparts, while at the same time offering major energy reductions from higher fluxes. Current zeolite membrane research for desalination however is lacking. The proposed team offers experience in bringing highly significant lab scale technologies to industrial scales. The outcomes will address mutual priorities between Australia and USA for reliable low cost supply of fresh water.Read moreRead less
Comparing racism in Australian and Canada. Surveys of racist attitudes in Australia and Canada present a unique opportunity for comparative analysis. This project will demonstrate the central influence of place and context to attitudes to and experiences of racism. International comparative assessments of racism are rare. Comparable key concepts will be agreed, e.g.: attitudes towards cultural diversity and national identity; extent and experience of racism; multicultural policies. Overall findi ....Comparing racism in Australian and Canada. Surveys of racist attitudes in Australia and Canada present a unique opportunity for comparative analysis. This project will demonstrate the central influence of place and context to attitudes to and experiences of racism. International comparative assessments of racism are rare. Comparable key concepts will be agreed, e.g.: attitudes towards cultural diversity and national identity; extent and experience of racism; multicultural policies. Overall findings and spatial variations will be compared, aiming at publication in international journals. It will strengthen a significant relationship between geographers in Sydney and Vancouver. International recognition of the Sydney-based research cluster on racism will be enhanced.Read moreRead less
High energy neutrino astrophysics together with accretion flows into black holes. Neutrinos are very weakly interacting elementary particles that are opening a new view on astrophysical objects such as supernovae and active galactic nuclei (neutrino astronomy). Studies of astrophysical neutrino production, propagation and terrestrial detection will be made. This will shed light on the astrophysics of the sources as well as probing propagation effects such as neutrino oscillations. A distinct pro ....High energy neutrino astrophysics together with accretion flows into black holes. Neutrinos are very weakly interacting elementary particles that are opening a new view on astrophysical objects such as supernovae and active galactic nuclei (neutrino astronomy). Studies of astrophysical neutrino production, propagation and terrestrial detection will be made. This will shed light on the astrophysics of the sources as well as probing propagation effects such as neutrino oscillations. A distinct programme will study a large discrepancy in the energy balance for matter accreting into a black hole. Previous work of Buzzi and Hines will be extended to investigate whether plasma wave energy carried into the black hole can explain the discrepancy. Read moreRead less
The Chemistry of the Milky Way: From Micro- to Macro-Physics. The physics of galaxy formation in the early Universe is driving the development of billion-dollar investments such as the Next Generation Space Telescope and the Square Kilometre Array. Our team is undertaking a complementary `near-field cosmology' approach, systematically deconstructing the one galaxy in the Universe for which exquisite chemical and kinematical `fingerprints' of its formation remain observable on an individual star ....The Chemistry of the Milky Way: From Micro- to Macro-Physics. The physics of galaxy formation in the early Universe is driving the development of billion-dollar investments such as the Next Generation Space Telescope and the Square Kilometre Array. Our team is undertaking a complementary `near-field cosmology' approach, systematically deconstructing the one galaxy in the Universe for which exquisite chemical and kinematical `fingerprints' of its formation remain observable on an individual star-by-star basis - our own Milky Way. The unique synergy between computational cosmology, galaxy evolution, and stellar nucleosynthesis, intrinsic to our team, allows Australia to be at the forefront of theoretical galaxy formation research, in addition to the leadership role the observational community already enjoys.Read moreRead less
A unified theory of performance in absolute identification tasks. The ability to identify stimuli is fundamentally important in human cognition and is studied in absolute identification tasks, where people must identify one out of a number of stimuli, varying on a single dimension, with an appropriate label. A remarkable finding is that people cannot reliably identify more than about seven different stimuli. This limit imposes severe practical restrictions on our ability to categorise stimuli an ....A unified theory of performance in absolute identification tasks. The ability to identify stimuli is fundamentally important in human cognition and is studied in absolute identification tasks, where people must identify one out of a number of stimuli, varying on a single dimension, with an appropriate label. A remarkable finding is that people cannot reliably identify more than about seven different stimuli. This limit imposes severe practical restrictions on our ability to categorise stimuli and constitutes a perplexing problem for cognitive theory. This project involves an international collaborative effort by five leading researchers in mathematical psychology to develop a comprehensive, integrative model of human performance in absolute identification tasks.
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Transitions to adulthood among young people in migrant families in Australia and Canada: A comparative study. Canada and Australia have had the world's highest immigration rates in recent decades. Central to the success of an immigration programme is the level of integration on immigrants themselves but, more importantly, their children. Australian research has led the world in this field. However, there is much to be gained for the mutual benefit of both countries through comparative research u ....Transitions to adulthood among young people in migrant families in Australia and Canada: A comparative study. Canada and Australia have had the world's highest immigration rates in recent decades. Central to the success of an immigration programme is the level of integration on immigrants themselves but, more importantly, their children. Australian research has led the world in this field. However, there is much to be gained for the mutual benefit of both countries through comparative research using a common framework. More broadly, as demography takes on much greater significance with population aging, there is much to be gained through international cooperation between ANU Demography and Canada's leading centre for demography, the University of Montreal.Read moreRead less
Increasing the effectiveness of quantitative verification. The ability to analyse the performance of complex systems and protocols is a vital part of the development of large-scale computer applications. Methods that improve the effectiveness of the analysis task would increase the competitiveness of the software industry, and would attract future development work (in complex systems) to Australia. The results of this project will have a direct influence on currently available design tools; the ....Increasing the effectiveness of quantitative verification. The ability to analyse the performance of complex systems and protocols is a vital part of the development of large-scale computer applications. Methods that improve the effectiveness of the analysis task would increase the competitiveness of the software industry, and would attract future development work (in complex systems) to Australia. The results of this project will have a direct influence on currently available design tools; the fact that Australian institutions will be (in part) responsible for key theoretical results in this growing field will strengthen Australia's position worldwide as an international centre for computer science.Read moreRead less