Ratiometric sandwich-type assays for RNAs with a point mutation using benzo[a]pyrene-modified probes.

Benzo[a]pyrene-modified oligonucleotides were developed for the detection of RNAs with a point mutation. The probes produced two distinct fluorescence signals in response to single nucleotide differences in the RNA sequences, allowing for discrimination between the matched and single base mismatched RNA sequences in colorimetric and ratiometric manners.

Structural Phase Transitions of a Molecular Metal Oxide.

The structural phase of a metal oxide changes with temperature and pressure. During phase transitions, component ions move in multidimensional metal-oxygen networks. Such macroscopic structural events are robust to changes in particle size, even at scales of around 10 nm, and size effects limiting these transitions are particularly important in, for example, high-density memory applications of ferroelectrics.