Vuk Vojisavljevic

Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation

There are a considerable number of peer-reviewed publications which show that electromagnetic EMR can result in physiologically beneficial in vivo, in vitro and in situ biological effects. These bioeffects are already used for therapeutic applications of nonthermal and non-ionizing EMR such as bone repair, nerve stimulation, wound healing, osteoarthritis treatment, electro-acupuncture, tissue regeneration, immune system stimulation, and neuroendocrine modulations.

The Relationship of the Resonant Recognition Model to Effects of Low-intensity Light on Cell Growth

The resonant recognition model (RRM) is a model of protein-protein and protein-DNA interaction based on a significant correlation between spectra of numerical presentation of the amino acid or nucleotide sequences and their biological activity. Having compared absorption characteristics of photosensitive proteins with their RRM spectral characteristics we obtained a linear correlation between the RRM frequency space and real frequency space, which determines a scaling factor between these two frequency spaces. On applying the RRM model to several groups of peptide growth factors, characteristic RRM frequencies were revealed and the corresponding real characteristic frequencies for these groups of growth factors were calculated using the scaling factor previously obtained. The real frequency characteristics of growth factors obtained in this way correspond with maxima in the action spectra of low-intensity light irradiation effects on cell proliferation.

Investigation in wireless power transmission for UAV charging

This paper proposes application of wireless power transfer for charging of electric-powered Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV)s. Multi-rotor systems, such as quadrotors, are light-weight and easy to operate. They are available in different sizes and with the wide range of capabilities. The main limitation of electric-powered UAVs is their range and endurance, due the limited battery capacity. Increasing battery system size is not a viable solution as its weight becomes a limiting factor. Supercapacitors are not an option, because of their low energy density. An alternative is to recharge UAV on the job, using wireless energy transfer (WET). WET was originally investigated by Nikola Tesla in the beginning of the 20th century. His patents are now common ground for any power transmission technology research, both wired and wireless. Investigations in resonance-based wireless energy transfer promise efficient wireless power transmission over several meters. This offers an ability to recharge moving vehicles, such as cars, trains and UAVs, wirelessly. For example, this technology can be applied to extend the range of UAVs used for the inspection of power transmission lines and towers. Presented project investigate capabilities and limitations of the wireless power transmission, for particular UAV application, i.e. for the infrastructure inspections.

Influence of Electromagnetic Radiation on Enzyme Kinetics

This study is focused on experimental validation of our hypothesis proposed within the Resonant Recognition Model (RRM) [7], [8] that protein function can be modified by an applied electromagnetic radiation of defined frequency in a range of infrared (IR), visible and ultraviolet (UV) light. This postulate is investigated here by applying the electromagnetic radiation (1140-1200 nm) to example of L-Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) protein and its biological activity is measured before and after the exposures. The presented methodology provides a possibility of enhancing the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries by amplifying drug potency via electromagnetic radiation.

Computational analysis of DNA photolyases using digital signal processing methods

Sun light energy is used by plants to trigger their growth and development. However, an increase of UV-B light may lead to DNA damage. DNA photolyases are enzymes that repair the cyclobutane pyridine dimer (CPD) and 6–4 photoproduct lesions formed through UV irradiation of DNA. Many aspects of the repair process are under intense scientific investigation but still poorly understood. Here we have computationally analysed DNA-photolyases using the resonant recognition model (RRM), a physico-mathematical approach based on digital signal processing methods. The RRM proposes that protein interactions represent the transfer of resonant electromagnetic energy between interacting molecules at the particular frequency. Within this study we have determined photolyases characteristic frequency, “hot spots” amino acids corresponding to the functional mutations and functional active/binding sites, and designed photolyase peptide analogous. A mutual relationship between photolyase and p53 tumour suppressor protein has also been investigated. The results obtained provide new insights into the structure–function relationships of photolyase protein family.

Effects of Non-thermal Microwave Exposures on the Proliferation Rate of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Yeast

This study evaluates the effect of non-thermal weak radiofrequency microwave (RF/MW) radiation on the proliferation response of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S. cerevisiae strains type II (Sigma) were exposed to the microwaves at 900MHz and the selected powers of 13dBm, 3dBm and -7dBm using the Transverse Electro-Magnetic (TEM) cell. The average specific absorption rate (SAR) for a single cell was 0.12 W/kg. SAR was calculated by averaging the individual parameters of the cell components in accordance with their volume fraction in live cells.

Investigation of the Mechanisms of Electromagnetic Field Interaction with Proteins

In our earlier work we have proposed that protein activation is electromagnetic in its nature. This prediction is based on the resonant recognition model (RRM) where proteins are analyzed using digital signal processing (DSP) methods applied to the distribution of free electron energies along the protein sequence. This postulate is investigated here by applying the electromagnetic radiation to example of L-lactate dehydrogenase protein and its biological activity is measured before and after the exposures. The concepts presented would lead to the new insights into proteins susceptibility to perturbation by exposure to electromagnetic fields and possibility to program, predict, design and modify proteins and their bioactivity

Effects of low power microwaves at 1.8, 2.1, and 2.3 GHz on l-Lactic dehydrogenase and Glutathione peroxidase enzymes

Radiofrequency/microwave (RF/MW) radiation has been integrated in almost every aspect of today’s modern life and applied in radar, telecommunication systems, health/medical devices, and food sterilization technology. However, the increasing rate of exposures to RF/MW radiation, especially exposures from mobile phones, has raised health concerns and stimulated much research into biological and health effects of low power MWs. The heating effect of the MWs is already well known and documented; however, a doubt remains on the existence of non-thermal biological effects. This study evaluates the effects of low power MWs on kinetics of l-Lactic dehydrogenase and Glutathione peroxidase enzymes irradiated at the frequencies of 1.8, 2.1, and 2.3 GHz and power of 10 dBm using the commercial Transverse Electro-Magnetic cell. The selected frequencies are used frequently in G4 and G5 mobile networks. The findings reveal that MWs at the studied parameters induce changes in the enzymes’ kinetics, which lead to modulation of rate of change in corresponding reactions these enzymes catalyze.

An XML based middleware for ECG format conversion

With the rapid development of information and communication technologies, various e-health solutions have been proposed. The digitized medical images as well as the mono-dimension medical signals are two major forms of medical information that are stored and manipulated within an electronic medical environment. Though a variety of industrial and international standards such as DICOM and HL7 have been proposed, many proprietary formats are still pervasively used by many Hospital Information System (HIS) and Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) vendors. Those proprietary formats are the big hurdle to form a nationwide or even worldwide e-health network. Thus there is an imperative need to solve the medical data integration problem. Moreover, many small clinics, many hospitals in developing countries and some regional hospitals in developed countries, which have limited budget, have been shunned from embracing the latest medical information technologies due to their high costs. In this paper, we propose an XML based middleware which acts as a translation engine to seamlessly integrate clinical ECG data from a variety of proprietary data formats. Furthermore, this ECG translation engine is designed in a way that it can be integrated into an existing PACS to provide a low cost medical information integration and storage solution.

Ataxin active site determination using spectral distribution of electron ion interaction potentials of amino acids

Ataxia is a genetic neurological disorder characterised by a neurodegenerative process affecting a motor cortex responsible for balance and coordination. Recently several genes that cause autosomal dominant ataxia development were identified. These abnormal genes share a common ability to produce abnormal ataxin proteins that can affect nerve cells in the cerebellum and spinal cord. Here, using the Resonant Recognition Model (RRM) based on signal processing, we analysed ataxin proteins and identified the characteristic features corresponding to their biological activities. The RRM is a physico-mathematical model developed for analysis of protein interactions. By incorporating Smoothed Pseudo Wigner–Ville distribution (SPWV) in the RRM, we can define the active regions along the protein molecule. The results showed that our computational predictions correspond closely with the experimentally identified locations of the active/binding sites for ataxin-1 and ataxin-3 protein groups. The results obtained provide a valuable insight into the functional performance of ataxin proteins.