Analysis and classification of malicious code. Malicious software such as viruses and worms directly attacks the security, privacy and integrity of Australian e-commerce, large databases and communication channels. The recent uptake of malicious software by organised crime has made finding effective countermeasures more urgent. Around 80% of the malicious code in circulation is disguised in some way. This significantly increases the difficulty of automated detection and delays analysis. Automate ....Analysis and classification of malicious code. Malicious software such as viruses and worms directly attacks the security, privacy and integrity of Australian e-commerce, large databases and communication channels. The recent uptake of malicious software by organised crime has made finding effective countermeasures more urgent. Around 80% of the malicious code in circulation is disguised in some way. This significantly increases the difficulty of automated detection and delays analysis. Automated classification and de-obfuscation technologies are a precondition to applying more sophisticated detection heuristics. The project will be instrumental in safeguarding Australia by protecting critical infrastructure and defending us from online organised crime and information warfare.Read moreRead less
Gigabit Wireless: Setting the Standard for Tomorrow's Broadband. This project will strengthen a long-term alliance between researchers at the University of Melbourne and NEC Australia, one of the few multinational research laboratories with significant R & D presence in Australia. Researchers at the University of Melbourne with expertise in communication theory fundamentals will collaborate with experienced research and design engineers at NEC, to produce fundamental research, and the resulting ....Gigabit Wireless: Setting the Standard for Tomorrow's Broadband. This project will strengthen a long-term alliance between researchers at the University of Melbourne and NEC Australia, one of the few multinational research laboratories with significant R & D presence in Australia. Researchers at the University of Melbourne with expertise in communication theory fundamentals will collaborate with experienced research and design engineers at NEC, to produce fundamental research, and the resulting design tools and intellectual property that will provide a new direction for wireless broadband access. The project will provide high-quality postgraduate and postdoctoral training in an area of great relevance to the Australian telecommunications industry.Read moreRead less
Advanced coding techniques for next generation NAND Flash memories. Advanced coding techniques for next generation NAND Flash memories. This project aims to design low-power consuming coding schemes that can achieve the maximum coding gain for NAND Flash memories in Solid State Drives. Although these devices are replacing hard drives in laptops and provide enormous benefits in access speed and weight, they become unreliable the more they are used. Advanced coding techniques are needed to solve p ....Advanced coding techniques for next generation NAND Flash memories. Advanced coding techniques for next generation NAND Flash memories. This project aims to design low-power consuming coding schemes that can achieve the maximum coding gain for NAND Flash memories in Solid State Drives. Although these devices are replacing hard drives in laptops and provide enormous benefits in access speed and weight, they become unreliable the more they are used. Advanced coding techniques are needed to solve problems caused by the very strict reliability/cost requirements of large storage systems. Allocating memory to coding redundant information can extend these devices’ lifetime. The design of codes and decoders with a low power consumption is expected to be the key enabling technology for next generation large storage devices.Read moreRead less
The early tectonic evolution of the Curnamona Province. This project aims to test the hypothesis that the Curnamona Province preserves evidence for an extension-related structural geology architecture. This will allow a comparison of the basin evolution, crustal architecture and mechanisms of basin development between the Curnamona Province and well-understood basins of the Mount Isa Inlier. The project is expected to add value to pre-existing databases, and deliver a plate tectonic and str ....The early tectonic evolution of the Curnamona Province. This project aims to test the hypothesis that the Curnamona Province preserves evidence for an extension-related structural geology architecture. This will allow a comparison of the basin evolution, crustal architecture and mechanisms of basin development between the Curnamona Province and well-understood basins of the Mount Isa Inlier. The project is expected to add value to pre-existing databases, and deliver a plate tectonic and structural framework to interpret basin evolution and constrain geochronology/geochemical analysis, and develop a three-dimesional crustal architecture. The results will provide new constraints on the evolution of the Australian plate, and how the Australian crust has evolved.Read moreRead less
Accurate calibration and interpretation of airborne electromagnetic data. There is increasing interest in using airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data to explore structural features hidden beneath the earth's surface. At present, 2D images of these features can be built up using approximate 1D models that predict electrical conductivity. This research will develop 2D models that allow accurate imaging of 3D structures. Applications include mineral and diamond exploration, the mapping of leakage fro ....Accurate calibration and interpretation of airborne electromagnetic data. There is increasing interest in using airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data to explore structural features hidden beneath the earth's surface. At present, 2D images of these features can be built up using approximate 1D models that predict electrical conductivity. This research will develop 2D models that allow accurate imaging of 3D structures. Applications include mineral and diamond exploration, the mapping of leakage from tailings dams, and more precise mapping of dryland salinity. The project also aims to develop a method to calibrate AEM systems, leading to more accurate environmental mapping and significant long-term economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Improving the Continuous Copper Converting Process Using Ferrous Calcium Silicate Slags. Replacement of refractories due to slag attack is a major cost in the copper making process. Metallurgists need to find a better slag which retains the benefits of current slags but is less aggressive towards refractories. This project will assess the suitability of a newly proposed ferrous calcium silicate slag for continuous copper converting. The outcomes will be to: (1) provide fundamental knowledge of ....Improving the Continuous Copper Converting Process Using Ferrous Calcium Silicate Slags. Replacement of refractories due to slag attack is a major cost in the copper making process. Metallurgists need to find a better slag which retains the benefits of current slags but is less aggressive towards refractories. This project will assess the suitability of a newly proposed ferrous calcium silicate slag for continuous copper converting. The outcomes will be to: (1) provide fundamental knowledge of the properties of the SiO2-CaO-FeO slag system, (2) provide data on the rate and mechanism of refractory attack by this slag and (3) enable the copper smelting industry to assess the potential of this slag to reduce operating costs.Read moreRead less
Unearthing the Marginal Terranes of the South Australian Craton: Keystone of Proterozoic Australia. This project will investigate the buried geology of vast regions of northern South Australia that is likely to be compatible with rocks that host enormous mineral wealth including the giant Broken Hill and Olympic Dam deposits. We will access these buried rocks using a program of on-shore scientific drilling that will provide the ground truth for multi-million dollar federal and state government ....Unearthing the Marginal Terranes of the South Australian Craton: Keystone of Proterozoic Australia. This project will investigate the buried geology of vast regions of northern South Australia that is likely to be compatible with rocks that host enormous mineral wealth including the giant Broken Hill and Olympic Dam deposits. We will access these buried rocks using a program of on-shore scientific drilling that will provide the ground truth for multi-million dollar federal and state government funded geophysical data acquisition. Results will help identify prospective mineral belts and determine the processes responsible for their formation.Read moreRead less
Evolution of the Proterozoic lithosphere and its bearing of sediment hosted base metal mineralisation. This project aims to determine the aspects of lithospheric evolution that led to a concentration of giant base metal mineral deposits in the Early to Middle Proterozoic (ca 1.9-1.5 billion years ago). We propose to test three related hypotheses that, if validated, will fundamentally change our view of Proterozoic metallogenesis and the way the mineral industry approaches exploration for these ....Evolution of the Proterozoic lithosphere and its bearing of sediment hosted base metal mineralisation. This project aims to determine the aspects of lithospheric evolution that led to a concentration of giant base metal mineral deposits in the Early to Middle Proterozoic (ca 1.9-1.5 billion years ago). We propose to test three related hypotheses that, if validated, will fundamentally change our view of Proterozoic metallogenesis and the way the mineral industry approaches exploration for these deposits.Read moreRead less
A New Approach to the Collection of a Large Suite of Dinasour Specimens. Monash University and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, propose to cut of a tunnel in permafrost on the North Slope of Alaska during the early Spring. This is expected to lead to the acquisition of a new assembly of dinasour fossils. An important aspect of the project is its sponsorship by Big Island Pictures, Brisbane, who will produce a documentary about this unique experiment in palaeontological engineering. This no ....A New Approach to the Collection of a Large Suite of Dinasour Specimens. Monash University and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, propose to cut of a tunnel in permafrost on the North Slope of Alaska during the early Spring. This is expected to lead to the acquisition of a new assembly of dinasour fossils. An important aspect of the project is its sponsorship by Big Island Pictures, Brisbane, who will produce a documentary about this unique experiment in palaeontological engineering. This novel approach to recovering dinosaurs will lead to a new and perhaps more complete assemblage of specimens, whilst attracting a vast audience and conveying to the public how innovative science is done. The public interest is attested to by the consortium of sponsors that has been assembled by Big Island Pictures including major television stations in Australia, USA, England, France, and Germany and the Film Finance Corporation of Australia.Read moreRead less
A fast and effective automated insider threat detection and prediction system. Threats from insiders directly compromises the security, privacy and integrity of Australian e-commerce, large databases and communication channels. This project will provide an essential step in combating this criminal activity by developing methods to detect such threats and secure the public's information against exposure and identity theft.