Controlled modification of the inorganic and organic bricks in an Al-based MOF by direct and post-synthetic synthesis routes

Four new porous CAU-1 derivatives CAU-1–NH2 ([Al4(OH)2(OCH3)4(BDC–NH2)3]·xH2O, BDC–NH22− = aminoterephthalate), CAU-1–NH2(OH) ([Al4(OH)6(BDC–NH2)3]·xH2O), CAU-1–NHCH3 ([Al4(OH)2(OCH3)4(BDC–NHCH3)3]·xH2O) and CAU-1–NHCOCH3 ([Al4(OH)2(OCH3)4(BDC–NHCOCH3)3]·xH2O) all containing an octameric [Al8(OH)4+y(OCH3)8−y]12+ cluster, with y = 0–8, have been obtained by MW-assisted synthesis and post-synthetic modification. The inorganic as well as the organic unit can be modified. Heteronuclear 1H–15N, 1H–13C and homonuclear 1H–1H connectivities determined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy prove the methylation of the NH2 groups when conventional heating is used. Varying reaction times and temperatures allow controlling the degree of methylation of the amino groups. Short reaction times lead to non-methylated CAU-1 (CAU-1–NH2), while longer reaction times result in CAU-1–NHCH3. CAU-1–NH2 can be modified chemically by using acetic anhydride, and the acetamide derivative CAU-1–NHCOCH3 is obtained. Thermal treatment permits us to change the composition of the Al-containing unit. Methoxy groups are gradually exchanged by hydroxy groups at 190 °C in air. Solid-state NMR spectra unequivocally demonstrate the presence of the amino groups, as well as the successful post-synthetic modification. Furthermore 1H–1H correlation spectra using homonuclear decoupling allow the orientation of the NHCOCH3 groups within the pores to be unravelled. The influence of time and temperature on the synthesis of CAU-1 was studied by X-ray powder diffraction, elemental analyses, and 1H liquid-state NMR and IR spectroscopy.

Respiration rate and breathing patterns from doppler radar measurements

This paper presents an evaluation of microwave Doppler radar used for capturing different types of breathing patterns in addition to the respiration rate. Finding therespiration rate is equally important as identifying abnormal breathing patterns which it could be used to gain a better insight into respiratory disorders. Various known breathing disorders were role played and captured using a non-contactmicrowave Doppler radar which further supports the feasibility of Doppler radar in obtaining an accurate detection of different types of breathing patterns. The results obtained for all the experiments were compared with a standard measurementapparatus, respiration strap, yielding a good correlations with the Doppler radar signals. In a nutshell, Doppler radar can be potentially used as an alternative approach, not only for finding the respiration rates, but also for identifying respiration patterns replacing the conventional contact methods.

Monitoring and analysis of respiratory patterns using microwave doppler radar

 Noncontact detection characteristic of Doppler radar provides an unobtrusive means of respiration detection and monitoring. This avoids additional preparations, such as physical sensor attachment or special clothing, which can be useful for certain healthcare applications. Furthermore, robustness of Doppler radar against environmental factors, such as light, ambient temperature, interference from other signals occupying the same bandwidth, fading effects, reduce environmental constraints and strengthens the possibility of employing Doppler radar in long-term respiration detection, and monitoring applications such as sleep studies. This paper presents an evaluation in the of use of microwave Doppler radar for capturing different dynamics of breathing patterns in addition to the respiration rate. Although finding the respiration rate is essential, identifying abnormal breathing patterns in real-time could be used to gain further insights into respiratory disorders and refine diagnostic procedures. Several known breathing disorders were professionally role played and captured in a real-time laboratory environment using a noncontact Doppler radar to evaluate the feasibility of this noncontact form of measurement in capturing breathing patterns under different conditions associated with certain breathing disorders. In addition to that, inhalation and exhalation flow patterns under different breathing scenarios were investigated to further support the feasibility of Doppler radar to accurately estimate the tidal volume. The results obtained for both experiments were compared with the gold standard measurement schemes, such as respiration belt and spirometry readings, yielding significant correlations with the Doppler radar-based information. In summary, Doppler radar is highlighted as an alternative approach not only for determining respiration rates, but also for identifying breathing patterns and tidal volumes as a preferred nonwearable alternative to the conventional - ontact sensing methods.

Detection of respiratory paradoxical movement via doppler radar measurements

 This paper presents an evaluation of microwave Doppler radar in capturing the respiration signal from the chest and abdomen simultaneously using two radar systems. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the feasibility of using Doppler radar in measuring respiration from both chest and abdomen simultaneously. Results obtained indicate that the respiration patterns from the radar were highly correlated with the reference respiration strap readings for normal breathing scenarios and also sensitive enough in capturing the paradoxical movement between the chest and the abdomen in the professionally role played experiments.

Towards localisation with Doppler radar

In this thesis the author introduces a novel method for Geo Localisation via Doppler Radar. The area of research is in the three dimensional space using amplitude and magnitude measurements. Geo Localisation in mobile applications is a useful technology that enables monitoring and gathering information about objects of interest.

Noncontact detection and analysis of respiratory function using microwave Doppler Radar

Real-time respiratory measurement with Doppler Radar has an important advantage in the monitoring of certain conditions such as sleep apnoea, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and many other general clinical uses requiring fast nonwearable and non-contact measurement of the respiratory function. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of using Doppler Radar in measuring the basic respiratory frequencies (via fast Fourier transform) for four different types of breathing scenarios: normal breathing, rapid breathing, slow inhalation-fast exhalation, and fast inhalation-slow exhalation conducted in a laboratory environment. A high correlation factor was achieved between the Doppler Radar-based measurements and the conventional measurement device, a respiration strap. We also extended this work from basic signal acquisition to extracting detailed features of breathing function (I: E ratio). This facilitated additional insights into breathing activity and is likely to trigger a number of new applications in respiratory medicine.

Flight altitude of trans-Sahara migrants in autumn: a comparison of radar observations with predictions from meteorological conditions and water and energy balance models

Radar observations on the altitude of bird migration and altitudinal profiles of meteorological conditions over the Sahara desert are presented for the autumn migratory period. Migratory birds fly at an average altitude of 1016 m (a.s.l.) during the day and 571 m during the night. Weather data served to calculate flight range using two models: an energy model (EM) and an energy-and-water model (EWM). The EM assumes that fuel supply limits flight range whereas the EWM assumes that both fuel and water may limit flight range. Flight ranges estimated with the EM were generally longer than those with the EWM. This indicates that trans-Sahara migrants might have more problems balancing their water than their energy budget. However, if we assume fuel stores to consist of 70% instead of 100% fat (the remainder consisting of 9% protein and 21% water), predicted flight ranges of the EM and EWM largely overlap. Increased oxygen extraction, reduced flight costs, reduced exhaled air temperature, reduced cutaneous water loss and increased tolerance to water loss are potential physiological adaptations that would improve the water budget in migrants. Both the EM and EWM predict optimal flight altitudes in agreement with radar observations in autumn. Optimal flight altitudes are differently predicted by the EM and EWM for nocturnal spring migration. During spring, the EWM predicts moderately higher and the EM substantially higher flight altitudes than during autumn. EWM predictions are therefore in better agreement with radar observations on flight altitude of migrants over the Negev desert in spring than EM predictions.

Synthetic biology based metabolic engineering of saccharomyces cerevisiae for omega 6 and 3 PUFA production

Metabolic engineering of PUFA biosynthesis pathway using codon optimized DGA1 (Diacylglycerol acyltransferase), FAA3 (Acyl-CoA synthetase), desaturase genes named D9D, D12D, D5D, D6D, D17D and D6E elongase gene was studied in S. cerevisiae. Engineered yeast strains successfully demonstrated increase in lipid accumulation, and heterologous biosynthesis of linoleic, γ-linolenic, dihomo γ-linolenic, arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acid.

Separation of Doppler radar-based respiratory signatures

Respiration detection using microwave Doppler radar has attracted significant interest primarily due to its unobtrusive form of measurement. With less preparation in comparison with attaching physical sensors on the body or wearing special clothing, Doppler radar for respiration detection and monitoring is particularly useful for long-term monitoring applications such as sleep studies (i.e. sleep apnoea, SIDS). However, motion artefacts and interference from multiple sources limit the widespread use and the scope of potential applications of this technique. Utilising the recent advances in independent component analysis (ICA) and multiple antenna configuration schemes, this work investigates the feasibility of decomposing respiratory signatures into each subject from the Doppler-based measurements. Experimental results demonstrated that FastICA is capable of separating two distinct respiratory signatures from two subjects adjacent to each other even in the presence of apnoea. In each test scenario, the separated respiratory patterns correlate closely to the reference respiration strap readings. The effectiveness of FastICA in dealing with the mixed Doppler radar respiration signals confirms its applicability in healthcare applications, especially in long-term home-based monitoring as it usually involves at least two people in the same environment (i.e. two people sleeping next to each other). Further, the use of FastICA to separate involuntary movements such as the arm swing from the respiratory signatures of a single subject was explored in a multiple antenna environment. The separated respiratory signal indeed demonstrated a high correlation with the measurements made by a respiratory strap used currently in clinical settings.

Sequence-dependent structure/function relationships of catalytic peptide-enabled gold nanoparticles generated under ambient synthetic conditions

Peptide-enabled nanoparticle (NP) synthesis routes can create and/or assemble functional nanomaterials under environmentally friendly conditions, with properties dictated by complex interactions at the biotic/abiotic interface. Manipulation of this interface through sequence modification can provide the capability for material properties to be tailored to create enhanced materials for energy, catalysis, and sensing applications. Fully realizing the potential of these materials requires a comprehensive understanding of sequence-dependent structure/function relationships that is presently lacking. In this work, the atomic-scale structures of a series of peptide-capped Au NPs are determined using a combination of atomic pair distribution function analysis of high-energy X-ray diffraction data and advanced molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The Au NPs produced with different peptide sequences exhibit varying degrees of catalytic activity for the exemplar reaction 4-nitrophenol reduction. The experimentally derived atomic-scale NP configurations reveal sequence-dependent differences in structural order at the NP surface. Replica exchange with solute-tempering MD simulations are then used to predict the morphology of the peptide overlayer on these Au NPs and identify factors determining the structure/catalytic properties relationship. We show that the amount of exposed Au surface, the underlying surface structural disorder, and the interaction strength of the peptide with the Au surface all influence catalytic performance. A simplified computational prediction of catalytic performance is developed that can potentially serve as a screening tool for future studies. Our approach provides a platform for broadening the analysis of catalytic peptide-enabled metallic NP systems, potentially allowing for the development of rational design rules for property enhancement.

Detection and analysis of human respiration using microwave Doppler radar

 Non-contact detection characteristic of Doppler radar provides an unobtrusive means of respiration detection and monitoring. This avoids additional preparations such as physical sensor attachment or special clothing. Furthermore, robustness of Doppler radar against environmental factors reduce environmental constraints and strengthens the possibility of employing Doppler radar as a practical biomedical devices in the future particularly in long term monitoring applications such as in sleep studies.