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Engineers at Cornell are building a handheld pathogen detector that will help health care workers around the world test for pathogens such as tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and HIV and get results in as little as 30 minutes, instead of waiting days.

Single strands of DNA link up in the presence of a pathogen to form large chains and clusters, whose larger masses and charges are quickly detectable by the new chip.

(Credit:
Luo Lab/Cornell)

Dan Luo, professor of biological and environmental engineering, has been using synthetic DNA to amplify tiny samples of pathogen DNA, RNA, or proteins. Because of $25 million in funding from the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenge to 12 teams developing point-of-care diagnostics, Luo will be combining forces with Edwin Kan, a Cornell professor of electrical and computer engineering, who has built a computer chip that can respond quickly to those amplified samples.

The engineers describe their novel device as something akin to a molecular-level Lego builder. Because single strands of DNA pair up with others that have complementary genetic codes, the engineers can synthesize strands that will match others–even matching over only specific parts of their lengths–thereby assembling specific and even odd shapes.

Luo and Kan’s pathogen detector uses a “Y” shape, with a DNA strand or antibody attached to the base of the Y designed to lock onto a pathogen, and a molecule attached to one of the upper arms that will chain up with similar molecules (polymerize) in the presence of ultraviolet light.

This means that by exposing a sample that includes this Y-DNA and a pathogen (such as tuberculosis) to UV light, the molecules at the upper arms will link up, forming long chains of Ys should the pathogen be present, which then group together into even larger masses. (This process is called a polymer chain reaction, or PCR for short.)

The chip, then, measures the sample’s mass and charge. With a pathogen present, the resulting chain reaction is easily detected via its greater mass and charge; lower masses and charges indicate no chain reaction, and thus the absence of a pathogen.

The chip could conceivably be controlled by a cell phone. Once fast and affordable detection is possible, the task at hand is for the engineers to design a kit for the developing world that can function in extreme weather conditions.

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The Nikon D700, introduced in 2008.

(Credit:
Nikon USA)

It looks like Nikon’s highly anticipated D800, a large-sensor SLR that supplants the three-year-old D700, will cater to photographers who want to leave behind that mixed blessing of digital photography, the antialiasing filter.

The job of that filter is to remove moire artifacts–wavy lines and other visual distractions that can occur when an image sensor’s grid of pixels captures an image with repeating elements such as fabric patterns. The antialiasing filter works by slightly blurring the image, which is convenient when moire is a problem but which degrades sharpness in the many situations where it’s not.

Chausseur d’Images, a French photo magazine, said that will Nikon sell both the regular D800 and a D800E model with no antialiasing filter. The French price will be less than 3,000 euros for the regular D800, and the D800E will cost 300 to 500 euros more, the magazine said.

Nikon launched the D700 in 2008, an SLR for professionals and enthusiasts who wanted the image quality of a large full-frame sensor without all the expense and bulk of a top-end camera body. Nikon’s D700 sequel will compete chiefly with whatever Canon offers to replace its three-year old 5D Mark II.

D800 specifications have been leaking for months from Nikon Rumors and others. Among those specs have been a 36-megapixel sensor with extended-range sensitivity reaching ISO 25,600; 1080p video at 24, 25, or 30 frames per second; an option for uncompressed HDMI video output; dual CompactFlash an SD card memory slots; and USB 3.0 support. To that, Chausseur d’Images added that the sensor is an Exmor model made by Sony.

Nikon Rumors also reported the D800E name on Saturday. It seems likely the camera will be announced tomorrow.

Moire patterns can be removed with software–indeed, Adobe Systems’ Lightroom 4 beta adds an adjustment brush specifically for the task. But it’s no surprise camera makers generally would err on the side of convenience.

The purported D800E won’t be the first camera lacking an antialiasing filter, also called a low-pass filter. Medium-format camera products from Phase One, Pentax, and Hasselblad don’t use them, because they’re geared for professionals who know how to handle moire in software if necessary. Some unusual cameras such as the Pentax Q and the Leica M9 also forsake the filter. And some companies offer antialiasing removal services for converting ordinary cameras.

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One day we could have high-tech walls made of touch-sensitive architectural display glass.

(Credit:
Corning)

“Gorilla Glass” could one day become a household phrase, but Corning has even larger ideas.

“A Day Made of Glass 2″ is a montage of “how highly engineered glass, with companion technologies, will help shape our world,” according to Corning. It is mind-blowing to imagine everyday objects suddenly having rich, interactive displays and multiple functionalities.

After watching the video, I began to think about how intelligent glass, installed on a broad scale, could change the world. There are two key integrations: in the education and medical fields.

Education: the final frontier.

(Credit:
Corning)

In the video, kids sit in rows of workstations in a classroom with a large, interactive touch-screen display and a teacher. Computers show only what is on the main display with no distractions. The menu system and interactive features, combined with a teacher’s expertise, compel the kids to pay attention and learn. I certainly feel this is what education could be, and should be. Just seeing the purported UI reminds me of how it is sad that we’ll see something like this in a mobile device before we see it integrated into our schools.

Full-scale wall projections could change the way we look at glass.

(Credit:
Corning)

There’s also a portrayal of a hospital full to the brim with fancy futuristic Corning glass setups. Aside from the expected
tablets for carrying around information and vital stats, there’s a suggestion for an all-glass room. The clip shows a doctor video-conferencing with another doctor thousands of miles away. It’s surreal to see them work together on charts through a massive, ultracrisp glass touch screen. Will we really have wall displays that show another room perfectly?

Sign me up, but please don’t show me the bandwidth bill.

The psychics at Corning also suggest that hospital rooms in the future could be made entirely of high-tech specialty glass that could offer antimicrobial qualities that “inhibit the growth of microorganisms.”

There are many more examples that we could speak about from this video. Which one is your favorite? If you want more, check out the PR-heavy expanded version.

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