The objectives of this feasibility project are : To modify a novel open path gas sensing platform previously developed for a security application and capable of continuous operation in harsh environment to monitor methane from unconventional gas extraction sites. To take data from these sensors and use a suite of adapted data inversion algorithms to pin-point the locations of emissions. To deployed and assess these systems on a number of satellite well-heads of unconventional gas sites to monitor methane gas. Overall the project aims to address the high-level challenge of developing, safe, reliable and cost-effective technologies for the emerging shale gas market. Enabled by this project it is anticipated that this suite of technologies (sensor network + algorithms) will lead to its adoption as best available technique by regulators and unconventional gas site operators . Furthermore, if proven valuable in that speciific sector it may be an attractive proposition in the more traditional oil and gas industry.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

The realisation of high performance quantum cascade laser (QCL) sources at the short wavelength end of the 3-5 micron atmospheric transmission window is of major interest for a wide range of technological applications. Many of these are potentially of great significance for healthcare, security and the environment. However, conventional QCL materials systems such as InGaAs-AlInAs are fundamentally unsuitable for such short wavelength devices, as they do not have sufficiently deep quantum wells to support the high energy intersubband transitions required. Consequently, in recent years, attention has turned to alternative QCL materials systems based on III-V antimonides. At Sheffield we have established considerable expertise in the InGaAs-AlAsSb materials system. In addition to very deep quantum wells (~1.6 eV), this system provides lattice matched compatibility with InP-based waveguide and device fabrication technology. In this project we will develop short wavelength InGaAs-AlAsSb QCLs that will redefine the state of the art for semiconductor lasers in the 3-4 micron region, and provide unprecedented levels of performance and functionality for trace gas sensing and countermeasures applications. We will also exploit the potential of such deep QW devices for new developments in intersubband non-linear optics, in particular the demonstration of QCL operation at telecommunications wavelengths via intracavity second harmonic generation.

Medical diagnostics is moving from laboratory to bedside. There is a strong trend for complex laboratory analyses to be supplemented, or even replaced, by tests that can be performed at the point-of-care (PoC) by personnel with little or no specialist training. An important feature of PoC tests is their short time-to-result. Provision of diagnostic information at or near real-time supports clinical decisionmaking by enabling rapid and targeted intervention, which improves patient outcome and promotes efficient use of limited healthcare resources. To this end, development of novel instrumentation capable of rapid and accurate measurement of chemical indicators of disease (biomarkers) is a strategic priority. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an example of an unmet clinical need for PoC diagnostics and is the main focus of this study. CDI is a hospital-acquired infection which produces catastrophic diarrhoea, prolongs hospital stays and can prove fatal in vulnerable individuals. It is highly contagious - current UK NHS intervention policy requires that patients with unexplained diarrhoea must be isolated and treated for the disease before a positive diagnosis is available. Current tests for CDI use traditional laboratory "wet chemistry" enzymatic and nucleic acid assays, with limited diagnostic performance and a lead time measured in hours. Misdiagnosis can lead to patients being unnecessarily isolated from wards or treated unnecessarily with antibiotics, which contributes to the development of antimicrobial resistance. Variation in the levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from a range of human samples (e.g. breath, blood, urine) are known to be associated with metabolic status and have been linked to particular diseases. The gastrointestinal tract offers a particularly rich source of information, since many disease states are associated with changes in the bacterial population of the gut (the microbiome) resulting in changes to the VOCs produced, which can be measured using optical spectroscopy. Our vision is to develop a novel approach based on optical measurement of these volatile biomarkers in the gas phase. By measuring the level of specific biomarker chemicals produced by samples of patients' faeces, we aim to provide early warning of the development of gastric disease. Important benefits of this approach are: - Samples of faeces are taken using standard clinical procedures, as is normal practice today when symptoms develop. - Volatile markers may be measured using laser spectroscopy, with a short time-to-result (1-2 minutes). The measurement is highly selective to individual VOCs, which importantly will allow identification of biomarkers against a complex background matrix of over 300 species. - The method requires minimal sample preparation, avoiding the use of reagents and making it suitable for point-of-care diagnosis. - Because the measurement system is not in physical contact with the sample, there is no interference or fouling of the sensor. - It is clinically non-invasive, so is suitable for repeated use in disease monitoring, unlike techniques such as colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy which are widely used in chronic disease diagnosis but cannot be used on a daily basis. - The method will allow active disease to be distinguished from mere carriage of Clostridium difficile (the latter being present in a significant percentage of the UK population without ill effect). We will develop a flexible diagnostic platform targeted at diagnosis of CDI. Disturbances in the gut microbiome are also associated with a range of other gastrointestinal conditions including inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer, and with other diseases such as diabetes. This technique therefore has wide potential application for medical diagnosis and monitoring of a range of diseases at point of care.

Molecular robotics represents the ultimate in the miniaturisation of machinery. We shall design and make the smallest machines possible and use them to perform tasks. Applications of molecular robotics systems could help reduce demand for materials, accelerate and improve drug discovery, reduce power requirements, facilitate recycling, reduce life-cycle costs and increase miniaturisation. In doing so it will help address the needs of society and contribute to competitiveness and sustainable development objectives, public health, employment, energy, transport and security. Perhaps the best way to appreciate the technological potential of molecular robotics is to recognise that molecular machines lie at the heart of every significant biological process. Over billions of years of evolution Nature has not repeatedly chosen this solution for achieving complex task performance without good reason. When we learn how to build artificial structures that can control and exploit molecular level motion, and interface their effects directly with other molecular-level substructures and the outside world, it will potentially impact on every aspect of functional molecule and materials design. An improved understanding of physics and biology will surely follow.