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UQ Neuroscience Research |
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/anatomy/StaffInterests/bedi_ks.html
Research:
1. Axonal Regeneration in the CNS and PNS after injury. I am using transplant and tissue culture techniques to help determine the factors resposible for inhibiting axonal regeneration in the CNS (particularly the spinal cord) after injury.Teaching:2. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). I am studying the morphological and behavioural effects of alcohol injestion during early life on brain development. I am particularly interested in the hippocampus and spatial learning behaviours although I am also doing some work on the cerebellum and motor coordination as well as work on the visual system.
3. The effects of nutrition during early life on brain development. At present I am particularly interested in the effects of malnutrition during specific periods on the cell cycle and neuronal migration in the developing CNS. I am using Bromodeoxyuridine labelling techniques to do this work.
1. the whole neuro component in AN228. This is basic neuroanatomy.2. I also am the course coordinator and main tacher of AN315. This is a course in developmental neuroanatomy looked at from a research perspective.
3. In the past I have also been involved with teaching neuroanatomy to medical students.
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/anatomy/StaffInterests/giorgi_p.html
Research:
Morphological and molecular aspects of neuronal differentiation (olfactory system).
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/anatomy/StaffInterests/snow_p.html
Research:
Research:
I am interested in the peripheral and central nervous system control of social behaviour.Teaching:Specifically, my lab is investigating the role of biogenic amine signalling pathways in the control of behaviour of honey bees (Apis mellifera). We are currently isolating biogenic amine receptor and signal transduction genes from the bee. The expression patterns of these genes are being mapped by in situ transcript localisation in whole mount brains of worker bees. This Summer we will begin to measure quantitative changes in gene expression which correspond with the caste and task specialisation of individuals within the colony. In addition, we will look at the effects of sensory and social deprivation on receptor regulation.
We are also engaged in the pharmacological characterisation of the receptors to identify receptor-specific ligands for behavioural studies. We are extremely interested in identifying an industrial partner(s) interested in using our cloned receptors as targets for high-throughput chemical screening to identify lead compounds for pesticide development.
Lastly, we are collaborating with Bronwen Cribb (Entomology) to characterise a pheromone binding protein expressed in the bee antennae.
I lecture in the areas of signal transduction and gene regulation. We occasionally take our bees to local schools and discuss behavioural neurogenetics with the students.
Homepage: http://florey.biosci.uq.edu.au/Html/StaffInterests/RWS.html
Research:
Myelin formation and demyelination. mRNA and protein targeting in oligodendrocytes and other cells. Involvement of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) in cytoplasmic RNA transport. Transmembrane ion transport through peptide ion channels. Protein structure and function. NMR spectroscopic determination of protein 3D structures. Structure and function of the low-density lipoprotein receptor.Teaching:Techniques: NMR spectroscopy, CD spectroscopy, protein sequencing, peptide synthesis,
Undergraduate teaching to third year science and medical students. Graduate training in neurochemistry.
Homepage: http://florey.biosci.uq.edu.au/Html/StaffInterests/PAW.html
Research:
Molecular basis of alcohol dependence and associated brain damage: Changes in the glutamate receptor in dependence. Withdrawal-induced changes in transcription factor activity. Models of withdrawal-induced cell death. Fetal alcohol syndrome. Changes in gene expression after chronic ethanol exposure in animal and human brain.Teaching:Techniques: Behavioural analysis, expression analysis, EMSA, PCR differential display, immunohistochemistry.
Undergraduate teaching to third year science and medical students. Graduate training in Neurochemistry.
Homepage: http://www.uq.oz.au/~cmwroffm/cmr/general/staff/cmswilso.html
Homepage: CMR Staff
Phone: (++61 7) 336 53953
Office: Rm 207, Axon Building
Research:
Working with Tom Downs under a Large ARC grant, I am primarily interested in learning in brain-like systems such as neural nets. I've also done work on the evolution of cooperation.Neural computation:
For me, one of the key issues regarding learning is the formation of appropriate representations, ie. the extent to which an adaptive system can capture the structure underlying data it receives from the world. This is directly related to the system's ability to generalize to new data: if the representation/model of the world generating the data is flawed, the system will generalize poorly. I am particularly interested in unsupervised learning (finding representations which make subsequent learning easy), reinforcement learning, and constructive algorithms.
The Prisoner's Dilemma and evolution of cooperation:
Models of the evolution of altruism based on the 'Prisoners Dilemma' are cloaked in assumptions which make them overly idealistic - my work has involved stripping these away in search of the primordial Tit-for-tat...
Homepage: http://www.elec.uq.edu.au/~sugan/index.html
Research:
Homepage: http://www.elec.uq.edu.au/~td/index.html
Homepage: http://www.elec.uq.edu.au/~wyeth/index.html
Research:
Mobile Robots, Machine Vision, Artificial Neural Networks, Mechatronic Education.
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/english/staff/staff.htm#ingramj
Research:
I would not call myself a Neuroscientist. However, some of my teaching and research falls within Cognitive Neuroscience, where I am specifically interested in the neural bases of Speech and Language. In collaboration with colleagues in Psychiatry and Speech Pathology, I have written papers on aspects of Language disorder in Schizophrenia, Dsysarthria (neurological speech disorder), Foreign Accent Syndrome, and lexical retrieval and semantic disorders in Aphasia and Dementia.Teaching:
I convene a subject in the Cognitive Science Program (IC310) which considers, among other issues, questions of the modularity and localization of language functions and the question of species specific capabilities for speech perception.
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/entomology/bronwen.cribb.html
Research:
My neuroscience research is in the area of insect sensory receptors, specifically olfactory and mechanoreceptive sense organs. I study their anatomy (morphology and ultrastructure). Publications and research carried out by myself and my students include antennal sensilla of mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti), midges (Forcypomyia (Laseohelea) townsvillensis), beetles (a variety of canegrub species and the grain beetle, Rhyzopertha dominica), fruitflies (Bactrocera tryoni), and parasitoid wasps (Trichogramma australicum). We have electrophysiological recording equipment and software and have worked on the responses from canegrubs and beetles mentioned above.Teaching:Currently one of my students is undertaking an electrophysiological study of the Queensland fruitfly antennae to determine receptor types present.
I teach some insect sensory neurophysiology in ET306 (Behaviour of Insects) and ET 327 (Insect Semiochemicals).
Homepage: http://www.uq.oz.au/entomology/david.merritt.html
Research:
My main interests lie in the development and expression of neural identity in the fruitfly, Drosophila. I currently use two approaches: one is the genetic approach, whereby I search for new mutations in genes required for nervous system development, and second the cellular approach, in which I examine the development and growth of individual neurons and their axons. Techniques include intracellular injection of neurons with fluorescent dyes, fluorescence microscopy, time-lapse microscopy and immunostaining.
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/hms/ba.html
Research:
Motor Control.
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/hms/pa.html
Research:
Exercise Physiology and Exercise Management.
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/~hmrburge
Research:
Investigations of the role of perceptual and biomechanical constraints in the control and coordination of movement. Applied focus on Ergonomics and Human Factors.Teaching:
Undergraduate research design, motor control and biomechanics subjects, mainly to BSc & BSc(App) students.
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/hms/rc.html
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/hms/mmw.html
Research:
RESEARCH 'AREA': Cognitive/behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental Psychology.INTERESTS: Visual perception, control of movement (especially ocular), childhood development.
CURRENT WORK I am involved in work on the control and perception of ocular position; the extraretinal contribution to distance and direction perception; the role of visual and kineasthetic information in the control of movement; perception in developmental coordination disorders; the ocular-motor and perceptual consequences of virtual reality systems.
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/hms/sr.html
Research:
Neural control of human movement; investigations into spinal and cortical mechanisms of the control of coordinated rhythmic movement using electrophysiological and transcranial magnetic stimulation techniques; muscle mechanics and musculo-skeletal constraints and their adaptablility in voluntary movement.Teaching:
undergraduate teaching in motor control; post-graduate supervision.
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/hms/jt.html
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/~pdgdunn/staff.htm#priest
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/~pdgdunn/staff.htm#hyde
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/adams_d.html
Research:
Molecular mechanisms of receptor and ion channel function in autonomic neurones and vascular endothelial cells.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/bourke_j.html
Research:
Thyroid Physiology and Pharmacology.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/cody_a.html or http://cody6.plpk.uq.edu.au
Research:
Cochlear physiology and biophysics.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/huxham_g.html
Research:
Thyroid Physiology and Pharmacology.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/keast_j.html
Research:
Innervation of the digestive, urinary and reproductive organs.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/lavidis_n.html
Research:
Molecular changes in nerve terminals which result in the development of tolerance and dependence on opiates and antihypertensives.
Research:
My neuroscience research interests are as follows:Teaching:1. Structure and function of ligand-activated ion channels. I am interested in understanding the relationship between molecular structure and function in two model ligand-gated ion channels. These channels are the glycine-gated chloride channel which mediates inhibitory synaptic neurotransmission in the spinal cord, and the olfactory cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel which mediates olfactory sensory detection. The techniques used to study the structure and function of these channels include: site-directed mutagenesis of ion channel cDNA; transfection of wildtype and mutated ion channel cDNAs into heterologous expression systems; patch-clamp electrophysiology.
2. Involvement of ion channels in olfactory transduction. I am interested in understanding how ion channels mediate the excitatory effects of odorants on mammalian olfactory receptor neurons. I am particularly interested in the mechanisms by which second messengers modulate the activitation of the olfactory cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel. This also involves patch-clamp electrophysiology.
I currently teach basic nerve, synapse and muscle lectures to first years. I also teach electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques to third year Sensory Neurobiology students.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/manley_s.html
Research:
Thyroid Physiology and Pharmacology.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/noakes_p.html
Research:
Our main research interest is to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of synapse formation and function. To achieve this we have focussed our studies on perhaps the best understood synapse in the nervous system the neuromuscular synapse. During the development of this synapse, there is a bi-directional exchange of information between muscle on motor nerves. Many molecules have been hypothesised to mediate these events.We have examined the role of three molecules beta 2-laminin, agrin and rapsyn. Beta 2-laminin is a located in the synaptic basal lamina between nerve and muscle. It is thought to mediate adhesion of the motor nerve terminal to the basal lamina. Agrin is a proteoglycan secreted by both nerve and muscle in different forms brought about by alternative splicing of it s gene. Neural agrin has been demonstrated to cause the clustering of acetylcholine receptors in the muscle's membrane. It is also expressed by many neurons in the brain but its function in this part of the nervous system remains to be elucidated. Rapsyn is a muscle cytoskeletal protein that co-localises with acetylcholine receptors, and in fibroblasts has been shown to stabilise these receptors into a large dense patch.
We have used gene targeting techniques to knockout the expression of these molecules in living mice. All three lines of mutant mice show specific neuromuscular defects. Beta 2-laminin mutant mice show predominantly pre-synaptic defects. Neural agrin mutant mice show both pre and postsynaptic defects and die just prior to birth. Rapsyn mutant mice show no clustering of acetylcholine receptors and die just after birth.
At present, we are characterising the neuromuscular synapses of these mutant mice both at a functional (electrophysiology) and molecular level. This is in collaboration with our collaborators Drs Lavidis and Phillips.
Research:
Clinical/Interests:Current Research:
- Head injury disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Effects of concussion in footballers
- Effects of frontal lobe lesions on attention and working memory
- Genetic determinants of information processing
Homepage: http://psy.uq.edu.au/~mav
Research:
Human episodic memory.
Homepage: Coming soon
Research:
Psychophysiology (Cognitive), Prefrontal Cortex (Systems).Following is a precis of my research:
I am investigating the involvement of several specific regions of the human brain in various memory and other cognitive processes. I am using electroencephalograph (EEG) recordings from 30 scalp electrdoes and averaging many brief (~2 second) epochs of these recordings to form event-related potentials (ERPs). When ERPs evoked during different conditions (remembering and forgetting, to use a simple example) are compared, they are found to differ in temrs of amplitude, latency, and/or scalp topography. ERPs provide excellent temporal resolution but relatively poor spatial resolution of neural activity; Thus ERP 'effects' are compared with evidence from other Cogntive Neuroscience studies employing positron-emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), neuropsychology (e.g. observations of memory deficits following localised brain damage) and intracranial recoridngs. Such comparisons are providing unprecedented insights into the neurocognitve functions of the human brain, and when such results converge the identity of the specific cortical regions reflected in ERP effects can be elucidated with confidence.
I am primarily interested in the 'episodic' memory system which involves the 'encoding' (learning/memorisation) and subsequent retrieval (remembering) of memories of personal experiences, of which the context of the initial experience is a critical component. A simple example of an episodic memory task is word recgonition: subjects study a list of words then are presented with a test list containing both words that were ('old') and were not ('new') experienced in a given epsiode/context (the study list), and are required to make an old/new decision for each test word. When ERPs evoked during correct 'old' and 'new' responses are compared, the former are more positive in amplitude during latencies of ~400-800 msec post-stimulus-onset. This 'old/new effect' is of greatest magnitude at left temporo-parietal electrodes, and converging cognitive neuroscience results indicate that it reflects increased activity in 'lexicon' language areas of left temporo-parietal cortex. Recent observations of ERPs evoked at these electrodes by forgotten words indicate a neurophysiolgical correlate of 'implicit' (unconscious) memory (Rugg et al., 1998).
When subjects' memories are further probed and additional information (regarding the encoding context) is required from memory, a second ERP old/new effect is observed which is strongest at right frontal electrodes. A review of PET literature indicates that a localised region of prefrontal cortex is consistently and preferentially activated across a range of episodic retrieval tasks (Buckner, 1996). Furthermore, recent ERP results (Wilding and Rugg, 1997; Rugg et al., 1998) indicate that right frontal ERPs are sensitive to the decisional outcome. Several anatomically- and functionally-distinct prefrontal regions (e.g. Petrides, 1995) could contribute to the right frontal ERP effect and I am further investigating this effect under a variety of conditions and considering other cognitive neuroscience (particularly PET and neuropsychological) observations in order to determine which prefrontal regions are specifically involved in episodic, as distinct from 'semantic' (general-knowledge) memory, and which are involved in strategic, decisional, or other cognitive processes.
Homepage: http://www.psy.uq.edu.au/people/Department/geffen.html
Research:
Visuospatial attention and working memory; asymmetry of functions between the cerebral hemispheres; communication between the cerebral hemispheres; effects of neurological disorders on cognitive functions.
Homepage: http://www.psy.uq.edu.au/people/Department/gsh/index.html
Research:
Conceptual complexity and processing capacity: Development of a metric based on relational complexity. Complexity is defined by "arity", or number of arguments of a relation, because an N-ary relation is a set of points in N-dimensional space. Techniques for assessing the complexity of relations that have to be processed in cognitive tasks have been developed. Applied to cognitive development, comparison of intelligence of higher animals, and assessment of neurological impairment.A test for complexity of relations that can be processed in parallel is being developed. It is expected to have applications in education, in cognitive development, and in assessment of deterioration due to ageing and brain damage.
Neural net model of analogical reasoning (the Structured Tensor Analogical Reasoning model). This is being applied to developing neural net models of higher cognitive processes generally, by exploring how explicit relations can be processed by neural nets.
Induction of relational schemas from relational instances. Instances of a relation are presented separately to study how a coherent schema that represents the structure of the task is acquired.
We have developed a lot of techniques for manipulating complexity of relations that have to be processed while holding other factors constant. These techniques are potentially applicable to neural imaging studies.
Research:
My research interests center broadly on human memory and especially on the memory access process. More specifically I am interested in the relationship between recognition and recall, the role of context in human memory, the similarities and differences between direct and indirect memory tests, lexical access, and the use of cues and codes in short-term memory. My recent work has centered on the construction of a general theory or overview of human memory utilizing ideas from connectionist models and some ideas from neuroanatomy. In an effort to provide converging evidence on theoretical constructs I am preparing to use neuroimaging techniques including functional magnetic resonance imaging.I am also interested in applying the knowledge of human memory that has been gained in laboratory settings to other situations. The most successful effort along this line has been my work with William Revelle on the effects of arousal on human memory and performance. I have also looked at memory differences in learning disabled children. More recently, I have tried to relate my memory theory to the effects of brain damage.
Homepage: http://www.psy.uq.edu.au/people/Department/lipp.html
Research:
My research investigates the attentional and emotional processes involved in simple learning as seen in habituation and Pavlovian conditioning. Most of my research utilises physiological responses (skin conductance, heart rate, blink startle EMG) as dependent measures. Results from our basic research are used in investigations of individual differences and in investigations of psychopathologies like anxiety disorders or schizophrenia.Teaching:
I coordinate and teach Human associative learning (PY269) and Psychophysiology: Methods and Applications (PY368). The latter course might be most relevant to Neuroscience.
Research:
Tian Oei teaches in the post-graduate clinical psychology program. His interests in research are 1. Psychopharmacology 2. interface between biological and psychological factors in psychopathology , in particular in Anxiety and Mood disorders and substance use disorders.Key papers:
Free M. and Oei TPS. Biological and Psychological processes in the treatment and maintenance of depression. Clinical Psychology Review, 9,653-688, 1989
Oei TPS and Baldwin A Expectancy theory: A two processes of alcohol use and abuse Journan of studies on Alcohol, 55,525-534, 1994
Dingle, G. and Oei, TPS Is alcohol a co-factor of HIV and AIDS?: evidence from immunological and behavioral studies.Psychological Bulletin, 122,56-71,1997
Homepage: http://www.psy.uq.edu.au/people/Department/slaughter.html
Research:
My current research questions all focus on how young children understand people. In my infant lab at U.Q., I am doing research on early social understanding, in particular, I am investigating whether or not 12-month-olds understand that people are thinking, feeling beings. In my work with older children, I am studying what children know about the mind and how that knowledge develops, and I am also continuing to explore children's biological concepts, including the concepts of life and death. Together with John McLean, I am also developing a line of research investigating aspects of cross-cultural psychology
Homepage: http://psy.uq.edu.au/~janet/home.html
The Queensland Centre for Schizophrenia Research (QCSR) is a group of over 40 scientists and health professional from many disciplines, engaged in projects related to schizophrenia. We receive funding from Queensland Health, and from traditional competitive granting bodies. Our research involves three main programs:(1) Brain structure and function.
Current projects involve working memory (using a delayed response task). This project is in collaboration with Dr Margie Wright (QIMR) and Professor Laurie and Gina Geffen.
Dr Greg Price has developed interactive techniques for evoked response potentials. These techniques will be applied to schizophrenia in future projects.
In collaboration with Associate Professor Alan Mackay-Sim, School of Science and Technology, Griffith University, Dr Francois Feron, and Dr Chris Perry (Department of Surgery) we are culturing olfactory neuroepithelium from nasal biopsy. As well as refining the technical aspects of collecting and culturing this tissue (which undergoes proliferation into adult life), we will compare cultures from individuals with schizophrenia versus well controls.
(2) Genetics and epidemiology
Dr Bryan Mowry is the head of large group examining the genetics of schizophrenia. In collaboration with Dr Nick Hayward, QIMR, and senior investigators in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Fiji and the USA, this group has a range of projects underway. There are several exciting discoveries in this field, and genetic factors are the strongest known risk factor for psychoses.
Several QCSR staff are involved in using large databases (eg. Mental Health Registers) to search for risk factors for schizophrenia (eg. season of birth, prenatal exposure to influenza epidemics etc). Our group is involved in the first National Mental Health Survey.
(3) Effective interventions for schizophrenia In collaboration with senior staff from the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, UQ, and collaborators interstate, we have been examining the mechanisms of the side effects of medication (especially haloperidol). QCSR is involved in evidence-based psychiatry, via the Cochrane Collaboration.
Other projects involve service evaluation (the measurement of outcomes, the needs of parents with serious mental illness, the role of general practice in caring for individuals with schizophrenia etc).
Our group is very keen to engage Brisbane neuroscience in the complex group of brain disorders that we call "schizophrenia". We have very close links with consumer and caregiver organisations, who are also energetic in their support for neuroscience-related schizophrenia research.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/barnett_n.html
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/clarey_j.html
Research:
The role of inhibition in the primary auditory cortex.
Homepage: http:/www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/coles_r.html
Research:
My main focus of interest is in determining cellular properties that facilitate the different forms of processing characteristic of neurones in different cortical areas (visual and cognitive). The traditional viewpoint is that functional characteristics of neurones are primarily determined by the number and diversity of inputs, however, my research is revealing spectacular differences in the ability of single neurones, in the different areas, to integrate inputs even within a single sensory modality such as vision. These findings have ramifications on the present models of cortical processing, including hierarchies, parallel processing, feedforward and feedback pathways. The differences found in visual cortex are even greater when comparing, for example, neurones in prefrontal areas (involved in head, hand and eye coordination) or frontal areas (associated with cognition) with those in the occipital lobe (involved in "first order" visual processing).The second thrust of my work is related to structural mechanisms (at the cellular level) that facilitate cortical plasticity. Many individuals experience some form of peripheral sensory denervation, e.g., amputation or detached retina, which result in a degree of functional reorganization of the cortical sensory map (somatosensory and visual, respectively). A recent study of cellular structure in the cerebral cortex following sensory denervation revealed the possibility of structural changes in accordance with the change of sensory inputs.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/gynther_b.html
Research:
In the last several years, I was mainly engaged in using extracellular recording and histology methods to investigate the auditory development in the tammar wallaby, mainly concentrated on i) the relationship between the auditory brainstem responses (ABR) and the focal responses recorded from brainstem; ii) developmental characteristics of the inferior colliculus and superior olive; and iii) computer-based experimental control.Currently, I am involved in a program studying visual responses of mammalian visual cortex, mainly on V1 and V2 areas. After comparing responses to different types of visual stimuli, I am going to use the optimal stimulus to intensively investigate the physiological indication of the optically recorded signal. I am also interested in image processing, such as different approaches for extracting useful information from the images which are contaminated with random noise or blood vessel frames. Correlation and convolution have been approved to be promising methods for both signal and image processing. I am comparing images in response to different conditions using cross correlation. I am also working on the application of different convolution masks to images recorded at different conditions, in order to obtain high quality images which are suitable for different processing purposes.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/marshall_j.html
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/o'dowd_b.html
Homepage: http://www.uq.edu.au/nuq/jack/jack.html
Research:
Neuroethology of eye movements and sensory systems: Attentional switching between hemispheres; comparative physiology of binocular vision; optical imaging of visual cortical organisation.Teaching:
Undergraduate teaching to veterinary, dentistry, pharmacy and science students in neurophysiology; graduate training in neuroethology.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/pickles_j.html
Research:
Cochlear development and pathology, with special reference to hair cell mechanotransduction, development, pathology, repair, and replacement. Currently looking at eph-class receptor tyrosine kinase expression in hair cells and their innervation.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/vaney_d.html
Research:
Retinal neurobiology.
Homepage: http://www.plpk.uq.edu.au/staff/s_pages/wildsoet_c.html