Conveners
Concurrent Sessions 1: Biological Systems
- Eva Pereiro (ALBA synchrotron light source)
Dr
Alistair Evans
(Monash University)
24/11/2016, 10:30
Biological Systems
Oral
The shape and structure of animals is fundamental to their survival, including how they move and feed: bone shape determines how forces are transmitted from muscles during running and flying, and the microstructure of a tooth dictates whether it will break when crushing food. Our ability to adequately capture the fine-scale 3D structure of biological materials has until recently been very...
Dr
Antony van der Ent
(The University of Queensland, Australia)
24/11/2016, 11:00
Biological Systems
Oral
Our team, together with international collaborators, has been studying plants that hyperaccumulator trace elements, especially nickel, from various ecosystems around the world. The aim of these investigations has been to advance our understanding of the ecophysiology of these unusual plants.
We have employed a range of micro-analytical methods to reveal the in situ distribution,...
Dr
Tamar Greaves
(RMIT University)
24/11/2016, 11:15
Biological Systems
Oral
Biological applications which utilise enzymes, or other proteins, require the tertiary structure of the protein to be retained. However, many proteins readily undergo aggregation or denaturation when outside their native environment, and/or over longer timescales. The stability of proteins in solvents other than water is usually considered unappealing due to an assumption that the protein will...
Dr
Christopher Garvey
(ANSTO)
24/11/2016, 11:30
Biological Systems
Oral
Èlastin is a highly elastic protein found in connective tissue of vertebrates. It has an important mechanical physiological function by virtue of its highly elastic nature, namely to provide recoil in tissue such as skin and vasculature. The structure is extremely stable being produced mainly early in life where it persists and is not replaced during a lifetime. The structure and mechanical...
Dr
Mark John Hackett
(Curtin Univeristy)
24/11/2016, 11:45
Biological Systems
Oral
The hippocampus is a key anatomical brain structure required for spatial learning and memory in all mammals. The structure of the hippocampus is highly conserved between mammalian species, which highlights a fundamental importance to higher order brain function. As such, the hippocampus is one of the most studied anatomical structures in the field of neuroscience. However, much remains unknown...
Dr
Bridget Ingham
(Callaghan Innovation)
24/11/2016, 12:00
Biological Systems
Oral
Most of the dietary calcium in milk is contained within casein micelles as so-called ‘colloidal calcium phosphate’ (CCP) nanoclusters around 2-3 nm in size. Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) have been used for several decades to study the internal structure of bovine casein micelles, but there is lingering controversy over the interpretation of the scattering data...
Dr
Malinda Salim
(Monash University)
24/11/2016, 12:15
Biological Systems
Oral
Milk provides an important source of energy for children, and is one of the staple foods for adults with Western diet. The World Health Organization and the Australian government have recommended exclusive human milk feeding for infants below 6 months, although commercial infant formulas (IF) can be used as human milk substitute in circumstances where human milk is not adequate.[1,2] IF is...
