Creating 'saviour siblings' : the notion of harming by conceiving in the context of healthy children

Over the past decade there have been a number of families who have utilised assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) to create a tissue-matched child, with the purpose of using the child’s tissue to cure an existing sick child. This inevitably brings such families a sense of hope as the ultimate aim is to overcome a family health crisis. However, this specific use of reproductive technologies has been the subject of significant criticism, most of which is levelled against the potential harm to the ‘saviour’ child. In Australia, families seeking to access reproductive technologies in this context are therefore required to justify their motives to an ethics committee in order to establish, amongst other things, whether the child will suffer harm once born. This paper explores the concept of harm in the context of conception, focusing on whether it is possible to ‘harm’ a healthy child who has been conceived to save another. To achieve this, the paper will evaluate the impact of the ‘non-identity’ principle in the ‘saviour sibling’ context, and assess the existing body of literature which addresses ‘harm’ in the context of conception. As will be established, the majority of such literature has focused on ‘wrongful life’ cases which seek to address whether an existing child who has been born with a disability, has been harmed. Finally, this paper will distinguish the harm arguments in the ‘saviour sibling’ context based on the fact that the harm evaluation concerns the ‘future-life’ assessment of a healthy child.

Back to the future : prohibiting surrogacy for singles, same-sex and shorter-term heterosexual couples in Queensland

This article considers the regulatory position concerning altruistic surrogacy in Queensland, focusing on the intended changes to the current legal framework announced by the government in June 2012. The previous government had made significant progress by reforming surrogacy laws in 2010. However, that progress is at risk of being reversed. The proposed changes to the law would make it a criminal offence to enter into an altruistic surrogacy arrangement for certain individuals or couples. If enacted, the offence would only apply in altruistic surrogacy cases where the intended parent or parents are either single, in a same-sex relationship, or are in a heterosexual relationship of less than two years. Moreover, if enacted, the offence would apply extra-territorially. The authors argue that these changes represent a retrograde step for the law and urge the government to reconsider. This is based on the fact that they are out of step with current social attitudes, are contrary to the spirit of anti-discrimination laws, and that they are unjustified in terms of child welfare concerns.

Optimisation of bio-oil extraction process from Beauty Leaf (Calophyllum inophyllum) oil seed as a second generation biodiesel source

The Beauty Leaf tree (Calophyllum inophyllum) is a potential source of non-edible vegetable oil for producing future generation biodiesel because of its ability to grow in a wide range of climate conditions, easy cultivation, high fruit production rate, and the high oil content in the seed. This plant naturally occurs in the coastal areas of Queensland and the Northern Territory in Australia, and is also widespread in south-east Asia, India and Sri Lanka. Although Beauty Leaf is traditionally used as a source of timber and orientation plant, its potential as a source of second generation biodiesel is yet to be exploited. In this study, the extraction process from the Beauty Leaf oil seed has been optimised in terms of seed preparation, moisture content and oil extraction methods. The two methods that have been considered to extract oil from the seed kernel are mechanical oil extraction using an electric powered screw press, and chemical oil extraction using n-hexane as an oil solvent. The study found that seed preparation has a significant impact on oil yields, especially in the screw press extraction method. Kernels prepared to 15% moisture content provided the highest oil yields for both extraction methods. Mechanical extraction using the screw press can produce oil from correctly prepared product at a low cost, however overall this method is ineffective with relatively low oil yields. Chemical extraction was found to be a very effective method for oil extraction for its consistence performance and high oil yield, but cost of production was relatively higher due to the high cost of solvent. However, a solvent recycle system can be implemented to reduce the production cost of Beauty Leaf biodiesel. The findings of this study are expected to serve as the basis from which industrial scale biodiesel production from Beauty Leaf can be made.

Logan Basin Water Resource Plan : environmental assessment of the southern Moreton Bay islands. Technical Advisory Panel Report: Stage 1.

This report is a technical assessment of the hydrological environment of the southern Moreton Bay islands and follows the terms of reference supplied by the then Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water. The terms of reference describe stage 1 as a condition assessment and stage 2 as an assessment of the implications of water planning scenarios on future condition. This report is the first stage of a two-stage investigation whose primary purpose is to identify and assess groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) and the groundwater flow regimes necessary to support them. Within this context, the groundwaters themselves are also considered and comment made on their condition. Information provided in this report will inform an amendment to the Logan Basin Water Resource Plan to incorporate the southern Moreton Bay islands. The study area is the water resource plan amendment area, which includes North and South Stradbroke islands and the smaller islands between these and the mainland, including the inhabited smaller rocky islands—namely, Macleay, Russell, Karragarra, Lamb and Coochiemudlo islands. This assessment is largely a desktop study based on existing information, but incorporates some field observations, input from experts in specific areas and community representatives, and the professional experience and knowledge of the authors. This report reviews existing research and information on the southern Moreton Bay area with an emphasis on North Stradbroke Island, as it represents the largest and most regionally significant groundwater resource in southern Moreton Bay. The report provides an assessment of key waterrelated environmental features, their condition and their degree of dependence on groundwater. This report also assesses the condition and status of ecosystems within this region. In addition, the report identifies information gaps, uncertainties and potential impacts; reviews groundwater models that have been developed for North Stradbroke Island; and makes recommendations on monitoring and research needs.

A proposed Australian industrial control system security curriculum

The security of industrial control systems in critical infrastructure is a concern for the Australian government and other nations. There is a need to provide local Australian training and education for both control system engineers and information technology professionals. This paper proposes a postgraduate curriculum of four courses to provide knowledge and skills to protect critical infrastructure industrial control systems. Our curriculum is unique in that it provides security awareness but also the advanced skills required for security specialists in this area. We are aware that in the Australian context there is a cultural gap between the thinking of control system engineers who are responsible for maintaining and designing critical infrastructure and information technology professionals who are responsible for protecting these systems from cyber attacks. Our curriculum aims to bridge this gap by providing theoretical and practical exercises that will raise the awareness and preparedness of both groups of professionals.

Prediction of age at menopause from assessment of ovarian reserve may be improved by using body mass index and smoking status

Objective: Menopause is the consequence of exhaustion of the ovarian follicular pool. AMH, an indirect hormonal marker of ovarian reserve, has been recently proposed as a predictor for age at menopause. Since BMI and smoking status are relevant independent factors associated with age at menopause we evaluated whether a model including all three of these variables could improve AMH-based prediction of age at menopause. Methods: In the present cohort study, participants were 375 eumenorrheic women aged 19–44 years and a sample of 2,635 Italian menopausal women. AMH values were obtained from the eumenorrheic women. Results: Regression analysis of the AMH data showed that a quadratic function of age provided a good description of these data plotted on a logarithmic scale, with a distribution of residual deviates that was not normal but showed significant leftskewness. Under the hypothesis that menopause can be predicted by AMH dropping below a critical threshold, a model predicting menopausal age was constructed from the AMH regression model and applied to the data on menopause. With the AMH threshold dependent on the covariates BMI and smoking status, the effects of these covariates were shown to be highly significant. Conclusions: In the present study we confirmed the good level of conformity between the distributions of observed and AMH-predicted ages at menopause, and showed that using BMI and smoking status as additional variables improves AMH-based prediction of age at menopause.

Groundwater visualisation system (GVS) : a software framework for integrated display and interrogation of conceptual hydrogeological models, data and time-series animation

Management of groundwater systems requires realistic conceptual hydrogeological models as a framework for numerical simulation modelling, but also for system understanding and communicating this to stakeholders and the broader community. To help overcome these challenges we developed GVS (Groundwater Visualisation System), a stand-alone desktop software package that uses interactive 3D visualisation and animation techniques. The goal was a user-friendly groundwater management tool that could support a range of existing real-world and pre-processed data, both surface and subsurface, including geology and various types of temporal hydrological information. GVS allows these data to be integrated into a single conceptual hydrogeological model. In addition, 3D geological models produced externally using other software packages, can readily be imported into GVS models, as can outputs of simulations (e.g. piezometric surfaces) produced by software such as MODFLOW or FEFLOW. Boreholes can be integrated, showing any down-hole data and properties, including screen information, intersected geology, water level data and water chemistry. Animation is used to display spatial and temporal changes, with time-series data such as rainfall, standing water levels and electrical conductivity, displaying dynamic processes. Time and space variations can be presented using a range of contouring and colour mapping techniques, in addition to interactive plots of time-series parameters. Other types of data, for example, demographics and cultural information, can also be readily incorporated. The GVS software can execute on a standard Windows or Linux-based PC with a minimum of 2 GB RAM, and the model output is easy and inexpensive to distribute, by download or via USB/DVD/CD. Example models are described here for three groundwater systems in Queensland, northeastern Australia: two unconfined alluvial groundwater systems with intensive irrigation, the Lockyer Valley and the upper Condamine Valley, and the Surat Basin, a large sedimentary basin of confined artesian aquifers. This latter example required more detail in the hydrostratigraphy, correlation of formations with drillholes and visualisation of simulation piezometric surfaces. Both alluvial system GVS models were developed during drought conditions to support government strategies to implement groundwater management. The Surat Basin model was industry sponsored research, for coal seam gas groundwater management and community information and consultation. The “virtual” groundwater systems in these 3D GVS models can be interactively interrogated by standard functions, plus production of 2D cross-sections, data selection from the 3D scene, rear end database and plot displays. A unique feature is that GVS allows investigation of time-series data across different display modes, both 2D and 3D. GVS has been used successfully as a tool to enhance community/stakeholder understanding and knowledge of groundwater systems and is of value for training and educational purposes. Projects completed confirm that GVS provides a powerful support to management and decision making, and as a tool for interpretation of groundwater system hydrological processes. A highly effective visualisation output is the production of short videos (e.g. 2–5 min) based on sequences of camera ‘fly-throughs’ and screen images. Further work involves developing support for multi-screen displays and touch-screen technologies, distributed rendering, gestural interaction systems. To highlight the visualisation and animation capability of the GVS software, links to related multimedia hosted online sites are included in the references.

On the effective hydraulic conductivity and macrodispersivity for density-dependent groundwater flow

In this paper, semi-analytical expressions of the effective hydraulic conductivity ( KE) and macrodispersivity ( αE) for 3D steady-state density-dependent groundwater flow are derived using a stationary spectral method. Based on the derived expressions, we present the dependence of KE and αE on the density of fluid under different dispersivity and spatial correlation scale of hydraulic conductivity. The results show that the horizontal KE and αE are not affected by density-induced flow. However, due to gravitational instability of the fluid induced by density contrasts, both vertical KE and αE are found to be reduced slightly when the density factor ( γ ) is less than 0.01, whereas significant decreases occur when γ exceeds 0.01. Of note, the variation of KE and αE is more significant when local dispersivity is small and the correlation scale of hydraulic conductivity is large.

Permeability estimation conditioned to geophysical downhole log data in sandstones of the northern Galilee Basin, Queensland : methods and application

This study uses borehole geophysical log data of sonic velocity and electrical resistivity to estimate permeability in sandstones in the northern Galilee Basin, Queensland. The prior estimates of permeability are calculated according to the deterministic log–log linear empirical correlations between electrical resistivity and measured permeability. Both negative and positive relationships are influenced by the clay content. The prior estimates of permeability are updated in a Bayesian framework for three boreholes using both the cokriging (CK) method and a normal linear regression (NLR) approach to infer the likelihood function. The results show that the mean permeability estimated from the CK-based Bayesian method is in better agreement with the measured permeability when a fairly apparent linear relationship exists between the logarithm of permeability and sonic velocity. In contrast, the NLR-based Bayesian approach gives better estimates of permeability for boreholes where no linear relationship exists between logarithm permeability and sonic velocity.

Hydrogeological Features of the Lockyer Valley

The Lockyer Valley is situated 80 km west of Brisbane and is bounded on the sou th and west by the Great Dividing Range. The valley is a major western sub - catchment of the larger Brisbane River drainage system and is drained by the Lockyer Creek. The Lockyer catchment forms approximately 20% of the total Brisbane River catchment and has an area of around 2900 km2. The Lockyer Creek is an ephemeral drainage system, and the stream and associated alluvium are the main source for irrigation water supply in the Lockyer Valley. The catchment is comprised of a number of well -defined, elongate tributaries in the south, and others in the north, which are more meandering in nature.

Modelling surface and shallow groundwater interactions in an ungauged subtropical coastal catchment using the SWAT model, Elimbah Creek, southeast Queensland, Australia

The study presented here applies the highly parameterised semi-distributed U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to an Australian subtropical catchment. SWAT has been applied to numerous catchments worldwide and is considered to be a useful tool that is under ongoing development with contributions coming from different research groups in different parts of the world. In a preliminary run the SWAT model application for the Elimbah Creek catchment has estimated water yield for the catchment and has quantified the different sources. For the modelling period of April 1999 to September 2009 the results show that the main sources of water in Elimbah Creek are total surface runoff and lateral flow (65%). Base-flow contributes 36% to the total runoff. On a seasonal basis modelling results show a shift in the source of water contributing to Elimbah Creek from surface runoff and lateral flow during intense summer storms to base-flow conditions during dry months. Further calibration and validation of these results will confirm that SWAT provides an alternative to Australian water balance models.

Assessing the potential of mathematics textbooks to promote deep learning

Curriculum documents for mathematics emphasise the importance of promoting depth of knowledge rather than shallow coverage of the curriculum. In this paper, we report on a study that explored the analysis of junior secondary mathematics textbooks to assess their potential to assist in teaching and learning aimed at building and applying deep mathematical knowledge. The method of analysis involved the establishment of a set of specific curriculum goals and associated indicators, based on research into the teaching and learning of a particular field within the mathematics curriculum, namely proportion and proportional reasoning. Topic selection was due to its pervasive nature throughout the school mathematics curriculum at this level. As a result of this study, it was found that the five textbook series examined provided limited support for the development of multiplicative structures required for proportional reasoning, and hence would not serve well the development of deep learning of mathematics. The study demonstrated a method that could be applied to the analysis of junior secondary mathematics in many parts of the world.

Image-based flow visualisation (IBFV) to enhance interpretation of complex flow patterns within a shallow tidal barrier estuary

We applied a texture-based flow visualisation technique to a numerical hydrodynamic model of the Pumicestone Passage in southeast Queensland, Australia. The quality of the visualisations using our flow visualisation tool, are compared with animations generated using more traditional drogue release plot and velocity contour and vector techniques. The texture-based method is found to be far more effective in visualising advective flow within the model domain. In some instances, it also makes it easier for the researcher to identify specific hydrodynamic features within the complex flow regimes of this shallow tidal barrier estuary as compared with the direct and geometric based methods.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 : restrictions on the creation of “saviour siblings” and the relevance of the harm principle

This paper provides an overview of the regulatory developments in the UK which impact on the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo screening techniques for the creation of “saviour siblings.” Prior to the changes implemented under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008, this specific use of IVF was not addressed by the legislative framework and regulated only by way of policy issued by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). Following the implementation of the statutory reforms, a number of restrictive conditions are now imposed on the face of the legislation. This paper considers whether there is any justification for restricting access to IVF and pre-implantation tissue typing for the creation of “saviour siblings.” The analysis is undertaken by examining the normative factors that have guided the development of the UK regulatory approach prior to the 2008 legislative reforms. The approach adopted in relation to the “saviour sibling” issue is compared to more general HFEA policy, which has prioritized the notion of reproductive choice and determined that restrictions on access are only justified on the basis of harm considerations.

Preventing the selection of “deaf embryos” under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 : problematizing disability?

Section 14(4) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 imposes – within the general licensing conditions listed in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 – a prohibition to prevent the selection and implantation of embryos for the purpose of creating a child who will be born with a “serious disability.” This article offers a perspective that demonstrates the problematic nature of the consultation, review, and legislative reform process surrounding s 14(4). The term “serious disability” is not defined within the legislation, but we highlight the fact that s 14(4) was passed with the case of selecting deaf children in mind. We consider some of the literature on the topic of disability and deafness, which, we think, casts some doubt on the view that deafness is a “serious disability.” The main position we advance is that the lack of serious engagement with alternative viewpoints during the legislative process was unsatisfactory. We argue that the contested nature of deafness necessitates a more robust consultation process and a clearer explanation and defence of the normative position that underpins s 14(4).