Uncovering the processes underlying human category learning. There is a pervasive belief that complex tasks can somehow be learned via a 'smart' implicit or procedural learning mechanism, which operates independently of memory and attention. This idea has important implications for our understanding of cognition. If true, there seems little point in providing explicit instruction in such tasks, and efforts to do so are, at best, wasted time and, at worst, detrimental to the learning process. Th ....Uncovering the processes underlying human category learning. There is a pervasive belief that complex tasks can somehow be learned via a 'smart' implicit or procedural learning mechanism, which operates independently of memory and attention. This idea has important implications for our understanding of cognition. If true, there seems little point in providing explicit instruction in such tasks, and efforts to do so are, at best, wasted time and, at worst, detrimental to the learning process. This project will provide much-needed scrutiny of this idea and will help not only to re-orient our understanding of how we deal with complex information, but will also highlight issues about data interpretation that are fundamental for the research and wider communities.Read moreRead less
The Psychology of Misinformation—Towards A Theory-driven Understanding. The project aims to develop a psychological theory of misinformation effects. Misinformation influences people’s memory, reasoning and decision-making even after corrections – it thus poses a significant challenge for science and society. Through the combination of systematic experimentation with theory-driven computational modelling, the project will strive to concurrently consider individual-level cognition and the impact ....The Psychology of Misinformation—Towards A Theory-driven Understanding. The project aims to develop a psychological theory of misinformation effects. Misinformation influences people’s memory, reasoning and decision-making even after corrections – it thus poses a significant challenge for science and society. Through the combination of systematic experimentation with theory-driven computational modelling, the project will strive to concurrently consider individual-level cognition and the impact of sociocultural context. It is anticipated that this novel integrative approach will substantially expand our understanding of misinformation effects, and that this theoretical progress will result in the formulation of specific communication strategies to reduce the impact of misinformation on society.Read moreRead less
Executive functioning, gender, age and medication as predictors of developmental well-being among students with ADHD. This study constructs social-cognitive phenotypes of ADHD, evaluates mental health and investigates ADHD student perceptions of classroom environment and achievement in science as functions of executive functioning, gender, age and medication. The effect of standard psychostimulant intervention and a novel nonpsychostimulant option on executive function, developmental and educati ....Executive functioning, gender, age and medication as predictors of developmental well-being among students with ADHD. This study constructs social-cognitive phenotypes of ADHD, evaluates mental health and investigates ADHD student perceptions of classroom environment and achievement in science as functions of executive functioning, gender, age and medication. The effect of standard psychostimulant intervention and a novel nonpsychostimulant option on executive function, developmental and educational outcomes will be investigated. The expected outcomes will inform more effective teacher professional development, and reduce school problems associated with psychostimulant medication and its illicit distribution by students. The linkage of health and education partners meets a nationally identified need for more effective collaboration to improve education outcomes for ADHD students.Read moreRead less
Diseases caused by the pneumococcus represent the largest cause of vaccine preventable death in the world today, mainly pneumonia and meningitis. In 2011, 16 developing countries will introduce pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, none in east Asia. Lack of research has been a major barrier to their use in the region. We have established an international centre of excellence in the field and we seek support to extend the capacity of this group and to transfer the technology to Vietnam.
Investigating The Cellular Response To Iron-Depletion: The Trilogy Of ASK1, Thioredoxin And Ribonucleotide Reductase
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$552,572.00
Summary
Iron is crucial for many essential biological processes. Recently, we demonstrated that iron-depletion can affects important signalling pathways (e.g., JNK and p38) that play important roles in growth arrest and apoptosis. This study is designed to investigate the cellular and molecular effects of iron depletion which currently remains unclear. The research is crucial for understanding: (1) the effects of iron deficiency and (2) for understanding the effects of iron chelators that are used for t ....Iron is crucial for many essential biological processes. Recently, we demonstrated that iron-depletion can affects important signalling pathways (e.g., JNK and p38) that play important roles in growth arrest and apoptosis. This study is designed to investigate the cellular and molecular effects of iron depletion which currently remains unclear. The research is crucial for understanding: (1) the effects of iron deficiency and (2) for understanding the effects of iron chelators that are used for treating various diseases.Read moreRead less
Is transport of miRNAs essential for plant development? This project will provide knowledge of how a new class of biologically active molecule (micro RNA) regulates expression of genes at sites in the plant that are critical for growth and development. MicroRNAs are believed to influence the size and shape of plants, how rapidly they grow and how well they produce and fill seeds. These molecules are part of a group of bioactive signals that move throughout the plant, functioning like hormones bu ....Is transport of miRNAs essential for plant development? This project will provide knowledge of how a new class of biologically active molecule (micro RNA) regulates expression of genes at sites in the plant that are critical for growth and development. MicroRNAs are believed to influence the size and shape of plants, how rapidly they grow and how well they produce and fill seeds. These molecules are part of a group of bioactive signals that move throughout the plant, functioning like hormones but directly influencing how well critical genes work. Their exploitation holds great promise for manipulating plant performance and enhancing crop yields. Read moreRead less
Combating Misinformation – Designing a Toolkit to Address a Global Problem. Misinformation impairs people’s cognition – their memory, reasoning and judgements – even if credible corrections are issued; it therefore poses a significant threat to evidence-based practice and policy. This project aims to develop novel psychological interventions to reduce the impact of misinformation, based on an experimental research program designed to systematically assess the effects of various types of misinfor ....Combating Misinformation – Designing a Toolkit to Address a Global Problem. Misinformation impairs people’s cognition – their memory, reasoning and judgements – even if credible corrections are issued; it therefore poses a significant threat to evidence-based practice and policy. This project aims to develop novel psychological interventions to reduce the impact of misinformation, based on an experimental research program designed to systematically assess the effects of various types of misinformation on cognition and behaviour. The expected outcome is the development of new knowledge regarding misinformation processing and communication and its translation into a toolkit for practical application. This promises to improve individual and public decision making and foster a culture of accurate information exchange.Read moreRead less
Genome Approaches to Investigate Metabolic Coordination in Plant Cells. Metabolism of C and N in legume nodules requires interaction between the symbiotic bacteria and plant organelles, particularly metabolism in plastids and mitochondria. Fixed N is assimilated through the de novo synthesis of purines in both plastids and mitochondria. However, each of the nine pathway enzymes is encoded by a single gene, indicating each protein is targeted to both organelles. Purine metabolism will provide ....Genome Approaches to Investigate Metabolic Coordination in Plant Cells. Metabolism of C and N in legume nodules requires interaction between the symbiotic bacteria and plant organelles, particularly metabolism in plastids and mitochondria. Fixed N is assimilated through the de novo synthesis of purines in both plastids and mitochondria. However, each of the nine pathway enzymes is encoded by a single gene, indicating each protein is targeted to both organelles. Purine metabolism will provide a model to assess the more general occurrence of dual-targeted proteins in plants. The aim is to identify and eventually exploit the signalling mechanism(s) that mediate communication between plastids and mitochondria.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100125
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Oxidative stress bioanalytical facility. The primary national benefit of this application is that it will provide a currently unavailable, state-of-the-art facility for Australian scientists to define precisely how changes in cellular redox state contribute to biological processes relevant to health and diseases. The facility will uniquely complement, and in many cases integrate with existing facilities in this area of research in Australia. It will act as a platform for major national and inter ....Oxidative stress bioanalytical facility. The primary national benefit of this application is that it will provide a currently unavailable, state-of-the-art facility for Australian scientists to define precisely how changes in cellular redox state contribute to biological processes relevant to health and diseases. The facility will uniquely complement, and in many cases integrate with existing facilities in this area of research in Australia. It will act as a platform for major national and international research collaborations, develop cutting-edge technology and unique local skills, and contribute to Australia maintaining a leading position in redox-related research in biology and medicine. In doing so, the facility will increase the likelihood of gaining future, value-adding funding.Read moreRead less