A new screening method for flunitrazepam in colourless alcoholic beverages based on a spectroscopic technique is proposed. Absorption and steady-state fluorescence of flunitrazepam and its protonated form with various acids were investigated. The redshift of the wavelength of maximum absorption was distinctively observed in protonated flunitrazepam. An emissive fluorescence at 472 nm was detected in colourless spirits (vodka and tequila) at room temperature. 2-M perchloric acid was the most appropriated proton source. By using electron ionization mass spectrometry and time-dependent density functional theory calculations, the possible structure of protonated flunitrazepam was identified to be 2-nitro-N-methylacridone, an acridone derivative as opposed to 2-methylamino-5-nitro-2'-fluorobenzophenone, a benzophenone derivative. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ever since their introduction two decades ago, single-molecule (SM) fluorescence methods have matured and branched out to address numerous biological questions, which were inaccessible via ensemble measurements. Among the current arsenal, SM fluorescence techniques have capabilities of probing the dynamic interactions of nucleic acids and proteins via Förster (fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET), tracking single particles over microns of distances, and deciphering the rotational motion of multisubunit systems. In this exciting era of transitioning from in vitro to in vivo and in situ conditions, it is anticipated that SM fluorescence methodology will become a common tool of molecular biology. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Biochemistry Volume 77 is June 02, 2008. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/catalog/pubdates.aspx for revised estimates.

A spinning disk confocal attachment is added to a full-field real-time frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime-resolved imaging microscope (FLIM). This provides confocal 3-D imaging while retaining all the characteristics of the normal 2-D FLIM. The spinning disk arrangement allows us to retain the speed of the normal 2-D full field FLIM while gaining true 3-D resolution. We also introduce the use of wavelet image transformations into the FLIM analysis. Wavelets prove useful for selecting objects according to their morphology, denoising and background subtraction. The performance of the instrument and the analysis routines are tested with quantitative physical samples and examples are presented with complex biological samples.

We constructed a DNA-based nanomechanical device called the nanometronome. Our device is made by introducing complementary single-stranded overhangs at the two arms of the DNA four-way junction. The ticking rates of this stochastic metronome depend on ion concentrations and can be changed by a set of DNA-based switches to deactivate/reactivate the sticky end. Since the device displays clearly distinguishable responses even with a single base pair difference, it may lead to a single molecule sensor of minute sequence differences of a target DNA.