Mapping the potential impact of synthetic biology on Australian foreign policy

Synthetic biology is an emerging technology that will impact on the future security and prosperity of Australia. As a discrete policy area synthetic biology has not been explored in relation to Australian foreign policy. To begin this process an understanding of Australia’s genetic endowment, Australia’s agricultural endowment and those security concerns novel to synthetic biology need to be developed. The convergence of the biological sciences and the information sciences is creating novel security concerns that impact on Australian sovereignty, both mainland and the Antarctic Territories, plant and animal health, and defence medical infrastructure. These concerns cross many traditional disciplinary and policy boundaries, an awareness of this is required and a nascent national practitioner community can develop this further. Drawing from work conducted by the US and UK synthetic biology practitioner communities, this article lays out the unique touch points synthetic biology has on Australian foreign policy.     

Ground‐Penetrating Radar Velocity Determination and Precision Estimates Using Common‐Midpoint (CMP) Collection with Hand‐Picking,Semblance Analysis and Cross‐Correlation Analysis: A Case Study and Tutorial for Archaeologists

The most crucial parameter to be determined in an archaeological ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) survey is the velocity of the subsurface material. Precision velocity estimates comprise the basis for depth estimation, topographic correction and migration, and can therefore be the difference between spurious interpretations and/or efficient GPR‐guided excavation with sound archaeological interpretation of the GPR results. Here, we examine the options available for determining the GPR velocity and for assessing the precision of velocity estimates from GPR data, using data collected at a small‐scale iron‐working site in Rhode Island, United States. In the case study, the initial velocity analysis of common‐offset GPR profile data, using the popular method of hyperbola fitting, produced some unexpectedly high subsurface signal velocity estimates, while analysis of common midpoint (CMP) GPR data yielded a more reasonable subsurface signal velocity estimate. Several reflection analysis procedures for CMP data, including hand and automated signal picking using cross‐correlation and semblance analysis, are used and discussed here in terms of efficiency of processing and yielded results. The case study demonstrates that CMP data may offer more accurate and precise velocity estimates than hyperbola fitting under certain field conditions, and that semblance analysis, though faster than hand‐picking or cross‐correlation, offers less precision.     

由经有数家、家有数说到括囊大典、贯通六艺——论郑玄通学的产生

郑玄通学的形成背景需要进一步探讨,晚清今文家关于两汉经学一直壁垒森严,到郑玄才被打破的说法影响还很大.其实汉代的经今古文学根本没有那么壁垒森严,"通"早已是一种大趋势,这一事实已有学者申说过,但其原因,笔者以为重要的是自王莽以后朝廷的导向,这是不容忽视的,经学作为政治统治学说,朝廷的引导往往在其中起着决定性的作用.     

Isolde Hausser (7. 12. 1889-5. 10. 1951), Technische Physikerin und Wissenschaftlerin am Kaiser-Wilhelm-/Max-Planck-Institut für Medizinische Forschung,Heidelberg

Historical sociobiographic accounts on members of the scientific and technical professions in the years of the Weimar Republic and after, are as yet scarce. This applies notably to women in the scientific community. Having formally been admitted to academic studies at German Universities only in 1908, their claims of wanting to apply their newly gained knowledge and to pursue academic careers were still not unquestioned by society. The social and cognitive integration of “the female” in male dominated science organisation, especially in the natural sciences and their kin fields in industry, remains problematic to-day. Isolde Hausser, daughter of the ambitious but little succesful inventor-entrepreneur Hermann Ganswindt, took her doctoral degree in physics at Berlin University in 1914, then worked as head of a group at a “Telefunken” laboratory for vacuum tubes till 1929, before she became research scientist at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg. There she worked on photoerythemaes and the formation of pigment and discovered the specific action of longwave ultraviolet. She contributed important results to our knowledge on the constitution and the behaviour of organic compounds by modern physical methods. She died of cancer on 5th October, 1951.     

花山岩画岩体开裂机理统计分析

岩体开裂是危害花山岩画最严重的病害,会对岩画造成毁灭性的破坏。为制定有效的灌浆加固措施,在对岩体开裂成因及影响因素分析和现场调查的基础上,做了统计分析。结果表明:1)岩画区共有418处开裂病害,开裂岩体以风化开裂体为主,占69%,且构造开裂体的厚度大于风化开裂体;2)构造开裂体的钙质、钙质与泥质共同充填比例为78%,高于风化开裂体的52%;3)构造裂隙和风化裂隙的张开度均以小于6mm为主,可知当张开度大于6mm时,开裂体将发生剥离掉块;4)风化开裂体的危险性I级、Ⅱ级所占的比例为57%和22%,小于构造开裂体的64%和27%,但风化开裂体多发育于岩画存在部位,易出现开裂和掉块,破坏更大;5)构造开裂体的厚度较大、裂隙连通性好、危险等级高,而风化开裂体厚度较薄、裂隙贯通性差、危险等级较高。本研究结果可为开裂岩画岩体灌浆加固及后期修复提供理论依据。     

The Measurement by Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) of Disturbance Within the Nasca World Heritage Site

In this paper we report on our use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) as a means of monitoring the Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana World Heritage Site in Peru, where the colossal ground drawings, popularly known as the Nasca Lines, are found. Our research to date indicates that the environment in which the Nasca geoglyphs are found, and the nature of the geoglyphs themselves, are suited perfectly for investigation by SAR. SAR also provides a new and valuable tool for understanding the human activities and natural processes that have damaged the geoglyphs and which, unchecked, will continue to do so in the future. Further, SAR can be used to categorize geoglyphs according to structural differences and similarities in ways that have heretofore not been possible, thereby serving as a basis for a geoglyph catalogue.     

Integrating radar and laser-based remote sensing techniques for monitoring structural deformation of archaeological monuments

Ground-Based Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (GBInSAR) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) were purposely integrated to obtain 3D interferometric radar point clouds to facilitate the spatial interpretation of displacements affecting archaeological monuments. The paper describes the procedure to implement this integrated approach in the real-world situations of surveillance of archaeological and built heritage. Targeted tests were carried out on the case study of the Domus Tiberiana sited along the northern side of the Palatino Hill in the central archaeological area of Rome, Italy, and displacements of the monument were monitored over almost one year of acquisition. The GBInSAR – TLS integration provided updated information about the condition of the archaeological structures in relation to their history of instability mechanisms, and did not highlighted a general worsening for the stability of the entire monument. Point-wise and prompt detection of displacement anomalies and/or sudden changes in displacement trends proved the suitability of the method to support early warning procedures, also to evaluate effects on the masonry due to human activities.     

GPR and inductive electromagnetic surveys applied in three coastal sambaqui (shell mounds) archaeological sites in Santa Catarina state, South Brazil

In this article, GPR – Ground Penetrating Radar and inductive electromagnetic (EM38 equipment) results are presented for three archaeological sites of shell mounds located between Laguna and Jaguaruna cities, mid-southern coast of Santa Catarina state, Brazil. The Jabuticabeira II, Santa Marta IV, and Encantada III sites were studied. These sites consist of carbonate shell mounds built by societies that inhabited this region during the pre-colonial period (7.5–1.3 ky BP). Geophysical responses obtained in these archaeological sites had allowed the identification of anomalous regions related to archaeological point targets as well as continuous targets, correlated to the shell mound's structure and buried geologic features. GPR numerical modelling studies were done in order to evaluate the performance of the GPR method in relation to materials found in that environment, besides helping interpretations of real results. The synthetic GPR model was a good match with real data obtained in the field. So, the real and synthetic results serve as a reference guide to direct excavation activities in these archaeological and geological structures. In the Jabuticabeira II shell mound, lithic materials and burials were found amidst archaeological layers characterized by sediment rich in organic material, ferruginous concretions, and loose shells. In the Santa Marta IV archaeological site, a concentration of ceramic materials, burials and fireplaces were found. In the Encantada III site, a strong anomaly characterized by a hyperbolic reflection was related to the presence of a silicified tree root; a great example of ambiguity in shallow geophysics interpretation in archaeological applications. Results functioned as a guide to archaeological excavations, allowing cost and time reduction as well as contributing to improve the knowledge of these archaeological sites situated in southern Brazil.     

Nanozonation in Dense Cities: Testing a Combined Methodology in Barcelona City (Spain)

Microzonation is widely used in seismic risk evaluations to define the predominant period values, which are usually associated with extended areas of a few hundred meters. However, the representative values corresponding to these areas are obtained from few measurements in each area. Thereby, results are accurate only in the case of depth-dependent soils. However, not detected narrow and sharp lateral changes in soil are potentially the cause of imprecision and could be a source of specific errors. This article aims to present several tests conducted in order to emphasise the importance of accurate selection of points, to underscore the necessity of more precise and detailed evaluations, and to suggest a possible methodology to select the most appropriate data acquisition points. Results highlight the need to divide microzonation areas into smaller zones for a precise evaluation in locations where sudden changes in soil characteristics exist. Therefore, in such sites the requirement of nanozonation appears; defining zones with the same soil response. Distance between vibration measurements could be the main problem for nanozonation; data acquisition in areas with irregular geology can be time consuming when a precise analysis is required. In the most complicated environments or in dense cities, it could even be unfeasible. Consequently, it is necessary to establish a functional methodology to adequately distribute the measurement points throughout the area. On this occasion, three sites in Barcelona city were studied. This city is surrounded by mountains at NW, W, and S, and by the Mediterranean Sea at N and E. As a consequence, the shallow geology is characterized by many paleochannels and streams that are currently buried. These geological structures most likely affect the soil response. Several tests were carried out to determine this dependence. The tests were based on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys to define the paleochannels position and on vibration measurements in order to define properly the soil response. The results from both methods were compared to the known geology to accurately define the effect of the shallow geological structures in the predominant period and in the GPR images. Areas with the same geological unit but different materials were identified in the GPR images, allowing the selection of the most appropriate distance between vibration measurements in each place. As a final result, predominant periods that were measured over the same geological unit but over different material showed changes higher than the 40% in short distances. This procedure could improve the soil response maps, including nanozonation.     

Variability in Wood-Frame Building Damage using Broad-Band Synthetic Ground Motions: A Comparative Numerical Study with Recorded Motions

Earthquake damage to light-frame wood buildings is a major concern for North America because of the volume of this construction type. In order to estimate wood building damage using synthetic ground motions, we need to verify the ability of synthetically generated ground motions to simulate realistic damage for this structure type. Through a calibrated damage potential indicator, four different synthetic ground motion models are compared with the historically recorded ground motions at corresponding sites. We conclude that damage for sites farther from the fault (>20 km) is under-predicted on average and damage at closer sites is sometimes over-predicted.