Pyrene-Based "Turn-Off" Probe with Broad Detection Range for Cu , Pb and Hg Ions.

Detection of metals in different environments with high selectivity and specificity is one of the prerequisites of the fight against environmental pollution with these elements. Pyrenes are well suited for the fluorescence sensing in different media. The applied sensing principle typically relies on the formation of intra- and intermolecular excimers, which is however limiting the sensitivity range due to masking of e.

Zwitterion-Functionalized Detonation Nanodiamond with Superior Protein Repulsion and Colloidal Stability in Physiological Media.

Nanodiamond (ND) is a versatile and promising material for bioapplications. Despite many efforts, agglomeration of nanodiamond and the nonspecific adsorption of proteins on the ND surface when exposed to biofluids remains a major obstacle for biomedical applications. Here, the functionalization of detonation nanodiamond with zwitterionic moieties in combination with tetraethylene glycol (TEG) moieties immobilized by click chemistry to improve the colloidal dispersion in physiological media with strong ion background and for the simultaneous prevention of nonspecific interactions with proteins is reported.

Capabilities of the Falcon III detector for single-particle structure determination.

Direct electron detectors are an essential asset for the resolution revolution in electron cryo microscopy of biological objects. The direct detectors provide two modes of data acquisition; the counting mode in which single electrons are counted, and the integrating mode in which the signal that arises from the incident electrons is integrated. While counting mode leads to far higher detective quantum efficiency at all spatial frequencies, the integrating mode enables faster data acquisition at higher exposure rates.