Flexible Signal Generation Research Articles

Engineered tracrRNA for enabling versatile CRISPR-dCas9-based biosensing concepts

In recent years, CRISPR-Cas (stands for: clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats - CRISPR associated protein) based technologies have gained increasing attention in the biosensing field. Thanks to excellent sequence specificity, their use is of particular interest for detecting nucleic acid (NA) targets. In this context, signal generation and amplification can be realized by employing the cis-cleavage activity of the Cas9 protein, although other options involving the catalytically inactive dead Cas9 (dCas9) are increasingly explored. The latter are however mostly based on complex protein engineering processes and often lack efficient signal amplification. Here we showed for the first time that flexible signal generation and amplification properties can be integrated into the CRISPR-dCas9 complex based on a straightforward incorporation of a DNA sequence into the trans-activating CRISPR RNA (tracrRNA). The intrinsic nuclease activity of the engineered complex remained conserved, while the incorporated DNA stretch enabled two modes of amplified fluorescent signal generation: (1) as an RNA-cleaving DNA-based enzyme (DNAzyme) or (2) as hybridization site for biotinylated DNA probes, allowing subsequent enzyme labeling. Both signal generation strategies were demonstrated in solution as well as while coupled to a solid surface. Finally, in a proof of concept bioassay, we demonstrated the successful detection of single stranded DNA on magnetic microbeads using the engineered CRISPR-dCas9 complex. Thanks to the flexibility of incorporating different NA-based signal generation and amplification strategies, this novel NA engineering approach holds enormous promise for many new CRISPR-based biosensing applications.

Coded OFDM Waveforms for MIMO Radars

Emerging digital radar concepts such as orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) allow flexible signal generation. This opens up new opportunities in waveform design in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system such as introducing coding for signal multiplexing. In this article, coded MIMO OFDM waveforms are proposed and investigated that allow continuous and simultaneous wideband transmission for all transmitters of a multiple transmit and receive antenna array for spatial radar environment perception. Challenges for coded MIMO OFDM radar operation are derived, and three coded MIMO strategies are introduced and analyzed. Their potential is validated and compared to the standard subcarrier interleaving OFDM approach using simulations and measurements of an experimental 4 × <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ 4$</tex-math></inline-formula> MIMO OFDM radar at 77GHz.

All-Optical Signal Processing

Optical signal processing brings together various fields of optics and signal processing - namely, nonlinear devices and processes, analog and digital signals, and advanced data modulation formats - to achieve high-speed signal processing functions that can potentially operate at the line rate of fiber optic communications. Information can be encoded in amplitude, phase, wavelength, polarization and spatial features of an optical wave to achieve high-capacity transmission. We revisit advances in the key enabling technologies that led to recent research in optical signal processing for digital signals that are encoded in one or more of these dimensions. Various optical nonlinearities and chromatic dispersion have been shown to enable key sub-system applications such as wavelength conversion, multicasting, multiplexing, demultiplexing, and tunable optical delays. We review recent advances in high-speed optical signal processing applications in the areas of equalization, regeneration, flexible signal generation, and optical control information (optical logic and correlation).

A flexible approach for simulating physiological signals

Generating synthetic physiological signals using information extracted from real world physiological signals plays an important role in the field of medical device development and education. Most of the existing approaches are limited in the sense that they either focus on a particular physiological signal or lack flexibility in generating signals that mimic real world scenarios. In this paper, we present a cubic B-Spline interpolator-based flexible signal generator intended for simulating a variety of physiological signals. A simulated artifact generator (SAG) is also included in the proposed scheme to add artifacts to the physiological signals mimicking signal deviations associated with real world scenarios. In addition, the proposed method offers the ability to easily present a parametric representation to model a case-specific physiological signal. To demonstrate the ability of the proposed method, case studies on electromyogram (EMG), electro-oculogram (EOG), and electrocardiogram (ECG) during ventricular fibrillation are presented. Using a database of 20 ECG signals, the proposed approach was compared with an existing-model-based method and the results confirm the flexibility of our proposed approach as well as higher signal reproduction accuracy (a mean root mean square error improvement of 47.9% for waveform-based modeling and 4.3% for parametric-based modeling).

Handheld-Impedance-Measurement System With Seven-Decade Capability and Potentiostatic Function

This paper describes design and test of a new impedance-measurement system for nonlinear devices that exhibits a seven-decade range and works down to a frequency of 0.01 Hz. The system is specifically designed for electrochemical measurements, but the proposed architecture can be employed in many other fields where flexible signal generation and analysis are required. The system employs an unconventional signal generator based on two pulsewidth modulation (PWM) oscillators and an autocalibration system that allows uncertainties of less than 3% to be obtained over a range of 1 k/spl Omega/ to 100 G/spl Omega/. A synchronous demodulation processing allows the noise superimposed to the low-amplitude input signals to be made negligible.