V-C'S OFFICE

Researcher : Lee CF

Project Title:

Research and information centre for landslip prevention and land development

Investigator(s):

Lee CF, Law KT

Department:

Civil Engineering

Source(s) of Funding:

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust

Start Date:

10/1998

 

Abstract:

To provide Hong Kong with strong technical support and a comprehensive source of information for improving slope safety and developing land in Hong Kong; to promote the professional service capacity of Hong Kong and mainland China and gain world recognition in the area of slope safety.

 

Project Title:

Use of photogrammetry and 3D laser scanning technique for rock slope mapping and design

Investigator(s):

Lee CF, Kwong AKL, Tham LG

Department:

Civil Engineering

Source(s) of Funding:

Competitive Earmarked Research Grants (CERG)

Start Date:

11/2003

 

Abstract:

To develop a prototype system that combines the non-contact measurement technologies of photogrammetric imaging and 3D laser scanning to create dimensionally accurate and pictorially correct 3 dimensional models and orthoimages of a rock slope.

 

Project Title:

Land development by environmental vacuum preloading technique

Investigator(s):

Lee CF, Yue QZQ, Lee PKK, Yeung AT, Kwong AKL, Tham LG

Department:

Civil Engineering

Source(s) of Funding:

Central Allocation Vote - Group Research Project

Start Date:

06/2004

 

Abstract:

To develop a vacuum system that would increase the in-situ shear strength of the soft marine deposit in Hong Kong and to reduce its long-term settlement after reclamation.

 

Project Title:

Field instrumentation of soil nailed slope for better understanding of load development and economic design of soil nails

Investigator(s):

Lee CF, Lee PKK, Kwong AKL, Tham LG

Department:

Civil Engineering

Source(s) of Funding:

Competitive Earmarked Research Grants (CERG)

Start Date:

01/2005

 

Abstract:

To achieve significant savings in the cost of soil nail installation in the future by fully understanding the failure mechanism of a soil nailed slope and the actual load developed in the steel bars when the soil mass experiences large deformation.

 

Project Title:

Independent review of use of non-destructive testing in quality control in soil nailing works

Investigator(s):

Lee CF, Yeung AT, Tham LG

Department:

Civil Engineering

Source(s) of Funding:

Civil Engineering and Development Department - General Award

Start Date:

06/2006

 

Abstract:

To review and appraise the use of non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques to assess the quality of soil nailing works; to formulate a framework for application of NDT techniques for quality control of Landslip Preventive Measures (LPM) soil nailing works; to asess the suitability of Time Domain Reflectometry method and other NDT techniques for use under the framework and recommend how the techniques should be used.

 

 

Researcher : Malpas JG

Project Title:

Separation, identification and mineral structure of Ultra high pressure minerals from the Luobusa ophiolite, Tibet

Investigator(s):

Malpas JG

Department:

V-C's Office

Source(s) of Funding:

Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research

Start Date:

01/2006

 

Abstract:

The Luobusa ophiolite of Tibet appears to contain ultra high pressure minerals which may provide a window into mantle chemistry and structure. We wish to separate these minerals and determine their structures and compositions in great detail in order to determine their conditions of formation. This seed grant is applied for in order to obtain as far as possible a complete collection of UHP and other heavy minerals from the chromitite ores of the ophiolite and the surrounding mantle rocks. Subsequently, we will ascertain whether the minerals also occur in the harzburgitic country rocks as well as in the chromitites in which they have been found to date. This will allow us to test several different models that are envisaged for the formation and capture of the UHP minerals. Finally we will use the mineral properties to provide an overall picture of mantle structure from below the Transition Zone to shallow sub-crustal levels and therefore test models of deep lithosphere subduction and mantle convection.

 

Project Title:

Geological, petrological and geochemical studies of basaltic volcanism in NW Syria

Investigator(s):

Malpas JG

Department:

V-C's Office

Source(s) of Funding:

Small Project Funding

Start Date:

01/2007

 

Abstract:

The Dead Sea Fault System (DSFS) in the western Middle East (Jordan-Israel-Lebanon-Syria-Turkey) is a prime example of a continental transform fault system, marking the juxtaposition of two lithospheric plates. However, it is of particular interest because of its complexity, length, and the occurrence of long lived volcanism on both sides of the fault, unlike other examples such as the San Andreas Fault of California. Why does this volcanism occur and what are the sources of the volcanic rocks? Although there have been a number of studies undertaken, particularly geophysical, geochronological and structural analyses, the geology of the northern segment of the DSFS, especially in terms of petrology and geochemistry of the volcanic rocks, is little understood. In this area, the northwest margin of Arabia, the suture between Arabia and Eurasia is one of the most tectonically active zones in the world, with convergence ongoing at a rate of approximately 18+ 2mm/year in a NNW direction. Extensive alkaline intraplate magmatism of two ages, Mesozoic and Late Cenozoic, has been identified in the region. The Cenozoic magmatism appears to be associated with bends in the DSFS, i.e. perhaps contiguous with transtensional structures and may in fact be of two phases possibly associated with the staggered opening of the Red Sea and the northward propagation of the fault system, firstly in pre-Miocene/Early Miocene time and later in post-Miocene time. One interesting feature is that the total post-Miocene slip in the northern segment of the DSFS is reported as less than 25km, far less than the 45-60 km measured in the south. A possible interpretation is that the folding and thrusting events in the Palmyride Fold Zone in central Syria have accommodated the extra 25-odd km, the resulting structures of which are essential to the accumulation of petroleum resources. The cause of the magmatism is itself debatable. One reason could be that it is related to the rifting of the Red Sea (a slab-pull hypothesis), which presumably started in the south. Another could be that there is mantle plume activity in the area, with the plume head located somewhat to the south, but magmatic activity extending far north along a “leaky” fault zone, and concentrated by transtensional sections of the system . Indeed, to the south, isotopic signatures of the volcanic rocks support plume activity, but such data are not yet available for the rocks to the north of the system. If plume activity is the reason for volcanism, then the questions are, “was (is) this a single long-lived plume or two separate events”, and “is this the same plume as that operating far south in the Afar region or another plume altogether”? Within the Syrian border, carbonates have been recorded either in outcrop or in well logs throughout most of the geological past, indicating that NW Syria has repeatedly shifted between shallow and deep sea environments since the breakup of Gondwana and the opening of Paleo-Tethys, although for the past 100 Ma has steadily shifted from deep sea to continental margin environments, as evidenced by the intercalation of Mesozoic basalts with deep water pelagic limestones, and the eruption of Late Cenozoic basalts on top of shallow water limestones. This change in eruptive environment probably occurred because of tectonic events and isostatic rebound resulting from lithosphere shortening and thickening on collision, as observed in the comprehensive folding and faulting of rocks of the Arabian continental margin. The question then is “have all the basalts been derived in a similar fashion from Late Mesozoic to Recent”? The overall objective of this research project therefore is to build on the preliminary field work using laboratory studies to reveal the petrogenesis of the basalts and their associated nodules. Major emphasis will be placed on the origin of the Pliocene-Holocene basalts and their inclusions, and the Late Mesozoic basalts will be examined for comparison and to examine changes in the nature of volcanism throughout the history of the DSFS. Through a study of the ultramafic inclusions found in the basalts it should be possible to disclose the evolution of the upper mantle (changes in source regions) from the Late Mesozoic to the Late Cenozoic. The problems addressed by this research project are: • the genesis of basaltic rocks along this continental transform fault system • the tectonic evolution of this part of the Eastern Mediterranean in Late Cenozoic time • the condition of the upper mantle in the NW corner of the Arabian lithosphere plate in Late Cenozoic time • the geological evolution of the region from Late Mesozoic to Late Cenozoic, particularly the staged (?) motion along the DSFS

 

 

Researcher : Tsui LC

Project Title:

To construct a haplotype map (HapMap) of 2% of the human genome

Investigator(s):

Tsui LC, Tam PKH, Mak WW, Song Y

Department:

Genome Research Centre

Source(s) of Funding:

Innovation and Technology Support Programme

Start Date:

12/2003

 

Abstract:

To define and understand the common ancestral patterns of genetic variations among racial, ethnic, or geographic groups by the construction and delineation of the Haplotype Map (HapMap); to define the halotype blocks by determining the single nucleotide changes (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, SNP) using current, sophisticated, and high-throughput technologies, on samples that are collected and distributed by the internatioal Human Haplotype Map Consortium.

 

Project Title:

To construct a haplotype map (HapMap) of 2% of the human genome

Investigator(s):

Tsui LC, Tam PKH, Mak WW, Song Y

Department:

Genome Research Centre

Source(s) of Funding:

University Grants Committee - Other Funding Scheme

Start Date:

12/2003

 

Abstract:

To define and understand the common ancestral patterns of genetic variations among racial, ethnic, or geographic groups by the construction and delineation of the Haplotype Map (HapMap); to define the halotype blocks by determining the single nucleotide changes (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, SNP) using current, sophisticated, and high-throughput technologies, on samples that are collected and distributed by the internatioal Human Haplotype Map Consortium.

 

List of Research Outputs

 

Sabeti P.C., Varilly P., Fry B., Lohmueller J., The International HapMap Consortium -., Tsui L.C., Mak W.W., Song Y. and Tam P.K.H., Genome-wide detection and characterization of positive selection in human populations (Co-PI of Hong Kong Centre which responsible 2.5% of genome), Nature. 2007, 449(7164): 913-918.

 

The International HapMap Consortium -., Tsui L.C., Mak W.W., Song Y. and Tam P.K.H., A second generation human haplotype map of over 3.1 million SNPs (Co-PI of Hong Kong Centre which responsible 2.5% of genome), Nature. 2007, 449(7164): 851-861.

 

Researcher : Wong RYC

Project Title:

Institute of economics and business strategy

Investigator(s):

Wong RYC

Department:

V-C's Office

Source(s) of Funding:

Areas of Excellence Scheme

Start Date:

11/1999

 

Abstract:

To study economic and business issues of strategic significance, to advance the frontiers of both theoretical and applied knowledge in this area and to have an impact on policy decisions and business practices through research, education and public information.

 




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