Below are some key LINKs to research story resources (including PHOTOs and VIDEO) as well as some recent research briefs:

Carbon and climate change - http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=6624 Food activism - http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewRelease.do?story=6573 Psycho-social effects of malignant wounds - http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=6503  Clay capping at council dumps - http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=6475  Avoiding problems with computer spyware - http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=6480 Algal toxins in drinking water supplies -http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=6437  How Indigenous Queenslanders are assessed with having impaired decision making capacity -http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=6443 Network-induced delays - http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=6384 Seeds of hope for motorists - http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=6100 Harnessing the sun to disinfect aquaculture ponds - http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=6180

Healthy people chew over the facts
Many people can avoid serious illness, including diabetes, cancer and cardio-vascular disease, if they look after their oral health. This can start with chewing gum and becoming aware how their teeth and gums can affect their overall health. The current gap in people's awareness of this link is at the core of psychologist Dr Markus Themessl-Huber's research. He seeks to improve understanding that a problem in one part of their body - in this case the mouth - can manifest itself somewhere else. He's leading the world in synthesising studies and data relating to the issue. Meanwhile, Dr Themessl-Huber is also gauging where society gets the best bang-for-buck in terms of the various health professions and interventions engaged with the primary care of people with a mental illness.

Fighting upper respiratory infection
Dr John McGrath and other researchers are conducting laboratory work to understand upper respiratory tract infections, including those in the middle ear. Developing new knowledge about how bacteria interact with human cells to promote infection and how infection is influenced by the presence of more than one bacterium, the work has potential worldwide benefit. CQUniversity is also evaluating related vaccines on behalf of global pharmaceutical companies.

Amphibian abnormalities arise                  
CQUniversity Research Fellow Dr Scott Wilson gained plenty of regional media attention in January on research which shows a relatively high rate of toad abnormalities (10%) in the Gladstone region....Toads are an early indicator of environmental issues and further research will strengthen his data and narrow the list of possible environmental triggers for the abnormalities.

Natural products and cardiovascular disease
In 2009 Dr Andrew Fenning began investigating the benefits of two of nature's products, Gogi Berry extract and the plant-based sweetener Stevia, on the cardiovascular system. With funding from a National Heart Foundation scholarship program, Dr Fenning hopes to understand how the products can lower blood pressure and improve heart and blood vessel function, particularly for patients suffering from cardiovascular disease. "We are particularly interested to see if the treatments can prevent potentially fatal arrhythmias in heart disease patients compared to standard pharmacological therapy."

Developing a gym in your phone
In November 2009  CQUniversity's Dr Corneel Vandelotte began a two-year project investigating the effectiveness of mobile physical activity bursts, personalised video clips sent to individual phones designed to prompt the receiver into some physical activity or exercise. Physical inactivity is one of the leading modifiable causes of morbidity and mortality in Australia, according to Vandelotte, so there's a need to develop and evaluate physical activity interventions which can be made available to large numbers of adults at low cost. This research on daily physical "e-interventions" builds on CQUniversity's leadership in health promotions research. 

Care taken with one age-old issue
People with dementia may be cared for at home for many years before moving into a residential aged care. There has not been much focus, however, on how carers adjust to the transition when their loved one is relocated to an aged care facility. CQUniversity researcher Dr Joella Storey, with Queensland Health and Eventide Nursing Home,  is examining this important issue as part of her research program in the field of ageing and aged care.

Cyber Superhero
As critical infrastructures rely increasingly on Internet operations, automated attacks threaten to overwhelm and destabilize computer networks. Developing new Internet security measures and active defense systems against large scale cyber attacks dominates Yang Xiang's research at CQUniversity. It's something he's been working on for several years and, thanks to a couple of ARC grants, he'll be able to continue the fight, through information correlation, against real internet attackers and to take an active approach to detect and defend against peer-to-peer botnets. "It is a very serious problem."

Warming up for climate challenge
Society is not only bracing for climate change but also the complex array of coping initiatives, so Dr Susan Kinnear's assistance will be valuable. Susan is gauging the preparedness of business and industry, forecasting trucking industry emissions and helping landholders embrace sustainable practices. Longer-term, she's advocating a ‘sustainable resource regions' focus and will continue reviewing water quality research and the potential for weed management.

Air injection improves water efficiency
Dr Surya Bhattarai is researching how drip and sub-surface drip irrigation systems can improve water use efficiency and minimise the impact of irrigation on the environment. Dr Bhattarai is a pioneer in a process known as oxygation which can optimise the use of existing and new irrigation systems through air injection into irrigation water stream. In a joint collaborative project between CQUniversity and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation in 2009, a monitoring system was developed for field applications. "For a long time we have realised the link between air and water in irrigation, and now we have a way of improving aeration of crop root zone during the irrigation process to increase water use efficiency and crop yield."

GPS monitors replace written surveys
For the past few years, Dr Mitch Duncan has been researching the physical activity levels of various cohorts of people. In 2009 developed an innovative way of surveying these groups. Rather than relying on people completing written surveys, Dr Duncan is using GPS monitors that show exactly where people have travelled over a given period. Matched with GIS (Geographic Information Systems) maps, he can now gauge whether people have encountered obstacles or disincentives to activity. "With surveys people are not always as accurate as they should be and that limits our ability to see how environments influence their activity." Dr Duncan now hopes to develop the concept further with a smaller, integrated monitor that could not only measure the paths people take, but the intensity of the activity as well.

Black comedy can reveal dark side
Dr Wendy Davis' interest in TV mockumentary may seem a funny sort of research topic but she says the ‘often black comedy' approach reveals otherwise hidden issues. "These shows are often critical of societal beliefs, values and events and provide a valuable insight," she says. Dr Davis was awarded an Early Career Research Fellowship for 2010-2012 and she is convening a special interest group on Cultural Studies and Education. "We hope to attract postgraduate students and connect with like-minded researchers within Australia and overseas.