Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775598
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,000,000.00
Summary
High-Resolution Transmission Electron Tomographic Facility for Nanoanalytical Characterisation in the Life and Material Sciences. The requested instrument will allow researchers in New South Wales to (i) visualize biological and physical samples in three-dimensions by electron tomography and modeling and (ii) image samples in a near-natural state and at high-resolution by cryogenic techniques. This essential research platform will provide novel information that faithfully presents both the surfa ....High-Resolution Transmission Electron Tomographic Facility for Nanoanalytical Characterisation in the Life and Material Sciences. The requested instrument will allow researchers in New South Wales to (i) visualize biological and physical samples in three-dimensions by electron tomography and modeling and (ii) image samples in a near-natural state and at high-resolution by cryogenic techniques. This essential research platform will provide novel information that faithfully presents both the surface and internal structure of samples down to the nanometre scale, enabling structural research to the highest scientific standards. The resulting knowledge is essential to diverse areas that range from development of cures to diabetes and cancer to creation of environmentally-friendly industrial catalysts to design of new nanoparticles and biosensors.Read moreRead less
Rare isotopes as tracers of prosthesis debris. The incidence of knee replacement surgery in Australia is 30,000 per year. Limited by wear debris, the lifespan of knee implants is only 10-15 years and can be much shorter. Due to increasing life expectancy, many patients need several surgical procedures. As a multi-disciplinary team of materials-, isotope-tracing- and medical-experts, we aim to understand and monitor wear debris in prostheses. Knee replacement surgery alone imposes a high burden o ....Rare isotopes as tracers of prosthesis debris. The incidence of knee replacement surgery in Australia is 30,000 per year. Limited by wear debris, the lifespan of knee implants is only 10-15 years and can be much shorter. Due to increasing life expectancy, many patients need several surgical procedures. As a multi-disciplinary team of materials-, isotope-tracing- and medical-experts, we aim to understand and monitor wear debris in prostheses. Knee replacement surgery alone imposes a high burden of annually half a billion dollars on the Australian health budget. Controlling and reducing wear debris in prosthesis joints would reduce these costs and improve patients' quality of life.Read moreRead less
The rise of empiricism and the attempt to produce a unified understanding of the world, 1680-1750. Empiricism is often regarded as the characterising feature of modern scientific method, and, in those approaches to psychology and the social and economic sciences that seek to model themselves on successful scientific practice in the physical and life sciences, it often acts as a model of good practice. The project examines the original form of empiricism and shows how it was able to directly enga ....The rise of empiricism and the attempt to produce a unified understanding of the world, 1680-1750. Empiricism is often regarded as the characterising feature of modern scientific method, and, in those approaches to psychology and the social and economic sciences that seek to model themselves on successful scientific practice in the physical and life sciences, it often acts as a model of good practice. The project examines the original form of empiricism and shows how it was able to directly engage questions of value in a novel and revealing way, and how its connection with 'hard' sciences was not merely to provide a methodological gloss on these, but went to the core of what scientific explanation consisted in.Read moreRead less
Isaac Newton's Temple of Solomon and his analysis of sacred architecture: An interpretation and discussion of Babson Manuscript 0434. Babson Manuscript is an important Newtonian manuscript that contains significant cross disciplinary ideas. It requires a multi-disciplinary understanding and skills for its detailed evaluation. Interpretation and analysis of this significant Newtonian manuscript will advance Newtonian scholarship and will be a valuable resource for researchers of architectural his ....Isaac Newton's Temple of Solomon and his analysis of sacred architecture: An interpretation and discussion of Babson Manuscript 0434. Babson Manuscript is an important Newtonian manuscript that contains significant cross disciplinary ideas. It requires a multi-disciplinary understanding and skills for its detailed evaluation. Interpretation and analysis of this significant Newtonian manuscript will advance Newtonian scholarship and will be a valuable resource for researchers of architectural history. This project has both academic and public outcomes. Recently there has been an increased interest in what is commonly perceived as 'ancient wisdom.' Solomon's Temple is one of the most revered ancient symbols. This project will make the history and ideas of this symbol more accessible to the publicRead moreRead less
John Locke, botany and natural kinds. This project will enhance the status of research into early modern science and philosophy in Australia. It is a project of major significance in Locke studies and in the history of botany and it will impinge on a number of current philosophical debates to which Australians are already making a major contribution: the nature of biological species; natural kinds; and scientific method. Those who work on early modern thought in Australia will also benefit from ....John Locke, botany and natural kinds. This project will enhance the status of research into early modern science and philosophy in Australia. It is a project of major significance in Locke studies and in the history of botany and it will impinge on a number of current philosophical debates to which Australians are already making a major contribution: the nature of biological species; natural kinds; and scientific method. Those who work on early modern thought in Australia will also benefit from the close relationship that will be established between the University of Sydney and Oxford University. The publications issuing from the project will be of international significance.Read moreRead less
The Logical Theories of Robert Kilwardby. The project is to produce a monograph on the logical theories of Robert Kilwardby (d. 1279) as they are expounded in his commentary on Aristotle's Prior Analytics, analyzing them from the perspective of modern logic. Kilwardby's commentary - which has not been critically edited, translated, or extensively studied - is remarkable for its fidelity to Aristotle's text, and its innovations in logical theory. This forms part of a larger project jointly with D ....The Logical Theories of Robert Kilwardby. The project is to produce a monograph on the logical theories of Robert Kilwardby (d. 1279) as they are expounded in his commentary on Aristotle's Prior Analytics, analyzing them from the perspective of modern logic. Kilwardby's commentary - which has not been critically edited, translated, or extensively studied - is remarkable for its fidelity to Aristotle's text, and its innovations in logical theory. This forms part of a larger project jointly with Dr Henrik Lagerlund (Uppsala University), to do a critical edition, historical introduction, and English translation of Kilwardby's commentary, together with the present logical analysis.Read moreRead less
Personal Identity, Consciousness and Agency. If I lose my memory, am I the same person I used to be? If much of my body or brain is replaced, do I remain the same person? What if my beliefs and attitudes are altered: does this affect who I am? These are questions of personal identity, and they have enormous bearing on questions of public ethics, especially in the light of biomedical changes. Our inter-disciplinary solutions will add both nuance and insight to the difficult decisions the communit ....Personal Identity, Consciousness and Agency. If I lose my memory, am I the same person I used to be? If much of my body or brain is replaced, do I remain the same person? What if my beliefs and attitudes are altered: does this affect who I am? These are questions of personal identity, and they have enormous bearing on questions of public ethics, especially in the light of biomedical changes. Our inter-disciplinary solutions will add both nuance and insight to the difficult decisions the community will face in this area. The project brings to Australia two leading young researchers from the United States, thus substantially enhancing Australia's skill base and international profile.Read moreRead less
Idealism, Pragmatism, and the Historical Norms of Rationality. This project engages critically with the remarkable "normative pragmatics" of Robert Brandom, essentially the first analytic philosopher in a century to defend Hegel's "logic" from a modern logical perspective. It develops Brandom's suggested "inferentialist" interpretation of Hegel, but shows how a presupposition distorts both Brandom's reading of Hegel and his substantive account of the norms of reason. A corrective is developed on ....Idealism, Pragmatism, and the Historical Norms of Rationality. This project engages critically with the remarkable "normative pragmatics" of Robert Brandom, essentially the first analytic philosopher in a century to defend Hegel's "logic" from a modern logical perspective. It develops Brandom's suggested "inferentialist" interpretation of Hegel, but shows how a presupposition distorts both Brandom's reading of Hegel and his substantive account of the norms of reason. A corrective is developed on the basis of the later work of Brandom's mentor, Wilfrid Sellars. The corrected account shows how the norms of thought need not be eternal to be rational, but rather, are rational because of the way they are historical.Read moreRead less
The Emergence of a Scientific Culture in Early Modern Europe. The shaping of cognitive values around scientific ones was one of the most lasting and radical effects of the Scientific Revolution, and it is one of the most distinctive features of modernity in the West. This dominance of scientific values is absent from other scientific cultures (e.g. from Greek, medieval or Chinese science) and there is nothing intrinsic to the kinds of theories and results we find in the Scientific Revolution tha ....The Emergence of a Scientific Culture in Early Modern Europe. The shaping of cognitive values around scientific ones was one of the most lasting and radical effects of the Scientific Revolution, and it is one of the most distinctive features of modernity in the West. This dominance of scientific values is absent from other scientific cultures (e.g. from Greek, medieval or Chinese science) and there is nothing intrinsic to the kinds of theories and results we find in the Scientific Revolution that would explain this development. The project looks at the particular legitimatory problems that science faced in the 17th and 18th centuries, and investigates how this reshaping came about.Read moreRead less
Bowers of Bliss: Literary and Cultural Representations of Luxury in Early Modern England, 1580-1630. Luxury consumption is now commonplace in western societies including our own. It is also the subject of intense moral and ethical debate and part of an international discussion about human well-being. Our desire to consume has a long and complex history which is elucidated by early modern representations of luxury and by their recourse to enduring myths, symbols and rituals, still associated with ....Bowers of Bliss: Literary and Cultural Representations of Luxury in Early Modern England, 1580-1630. Luxury consumption is now commonplace in western societies including our own. It is also the subject of intense moral and ethical debate and part of an international discussion about human well-being. Our desire to consume has a long and complex history which is elucidated by early modern representations of luxury and by their recourse to enduring myths, symbols and rituals, still associated with luxury today. As a credit-based society addicted to luxury consumption, Australia is part of an ongoing global discussion about consumption, morality and society: this project will expand our contribution to that debate, while also furthering our own understanding of a concept whcih continues to evoke both fear and fascination.Read moreRead less