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allowed the researchers to determine which of two approved antiviral drugs would be a better treatment option for the individual patient. The team engineered a dye molecule to emit red fluorescent light when it interacts with neuraminidase. Following validation of enzyme recognition, the scientists tested the dye with two antiviral drugs (neuraminidase inhibitors) used to treat influenza. Samples containing dye and neuraminidase were combined with each of the antivirals and were illuminated—red fluorescence indicated the enzyme was still active, meaning the antiviral failed to inhibit the virus in that patient; blue indicated the enzyme had been blocked, presenting an effective treatment option.
“Viral cultures are the gold standard for diagnosis of influenza but take several days to develop. By targeting an enzyme inherent to the virus and identifying its presence in a sample, we can make a rapid determination of the influenza in a patient for an efficient and immediate diagnostic that would improve
patient treatment and reduce overuse of antivirals,” said Bradley Smith, Emil T. Hofman Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Photonic Hypercrystals Manipulate Light and Matter
Photonic hypercrystals are able to control light– matter interaction in ways never before seen. According to Vinod M. Menon, professor of physics at Te City College of New York, these artificial materials could lead to the development of ultrafast LEDs for Li-Fi (wireless technology that transmits high-speed data using visible light communication), enhanced absorption in solar cells, and single-photon emitters for quantum information processing. Menon and his research team overcame the limitations of photonic crystals and metamaterials (noted for their ability to manipulate light)—that is, poor light emission and restricted bandwidth.
Te new photonic hypercrystals demonstrated a dramatic increase in light emission rate and intensity from nanomaterials embedded inside the hypercrystals.
New Input Method Increases Space From Smart Device to Back of the Hand
A novel input method expands the input space from a smart device screen to the back of the hand and the 3-D space above the back of the hand wearing the watch. Srinath Sridhar, a researcher in the Graphics, Vision and Video group at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen and Aalto University, developed the new input method, and call their prototype WatchSense. With WatchSense, the depth sensor is worn on the user’s forearm, about 20 cm from the watch. As a sort of 3-D camera, it captures the movements of the thumb and index finger, not only on the back of the hand, but also in the space over and above it. The software developed by the researchers recognizes the position and movement of the fingers within the 3-D image, allowing the user to control apps on smartphones or other devices. “The currently available depth sensors do not fit inside a smartwatch, but from the trend it’s clear that in the near future, smaller depth sensors will be integrated into smartwatches,” Sridhar said.
Challenges included handling the unevenness on the back of the hand and the fact that the fingers can occlude each other when they are moved. Te soſtware recognizes the exact positions of the thumb and index finger in the 3-D image from the depth sensor, because the researchers trained it to do this via machine learning. Tey tested their prototype in combination with several mobile devices and in various scenarios, as well as for tasks in virtual and augmented reality, in a map application, and to control a large external screen.
Science News continued on page 46 AMERICAN LABORATORY 8 JUNE/JULY 2017
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