Near-infrared (NIR) luminescent CuInS 2 -ZnS alloyed nanocrystals (CIZS-NCs) for highly fluorescencebioimaging have received considerable interest in recent years. Owing, they became a desirable alternative to heavy-metal based-NCs and organic dyes with unique optical properties and low-toxicity for bioimaging and optoelectronic applications. In the present study, bright and robust CIZS-NCs have been synthesized within 5 min, as-high-as 230 °C without requiring any inert-gas atmosphere via microwave-solvothermal (MW-ST) method. Subsequently, the in vitro and in vivo nano-xenotoxicity and cellular uptake of the MUA-functionalized CIZS-NCs were investigated in L929, Vero, MCF7 cell lines and zebrafish-embryos. We observed minimal toxicity and acute teratogenic consequences upto 62.5 μg/ml of the CIZS-NCs in zebrafish-embryos. We also observed spontaneous uptake of the MUA-functionalized CIZS-NCs by 3 dpf older zebrafish-embryos that are evident through bright red fluorescence-emission at a low concentration of 7.8 μg/mL. Hence, we propose that the rapid, low-cost, large-scale "sustainable" MW-ST synthesis of CIZS-NCs, is an ideal bio-nanoprobe with good temporal and spatial resolution for rapid labeling, long-term in vivo tracking and intravital-fluorescence-bioimaging (IVBI).Indeed, intravital fluorescence bioimaging (IVBI) has become an essential research methodology for tracking biomolecules and biological processes in the living organism 1 . Unlike other imaging techniques, fluorescence imaging makes use of low excitation energy in the visible to near-infrared (NIR) spectrum, to visualize across the multi-spatial scale that includes cells, tissue and small animals with high detection sensitivity 2 . Precisely, emission wavelength of 650-900 nm, known as "biological-optical-window" is highly suitable for in vivo imaging due to its reduced absorption and scattering process within the living systems 3 . Therefore, IVBI is being widely used as a "workhorse" among the other imaging technologies in the biomedical research 2 . Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is one of the fast emerging, imperative, inexpensive animal model because of their genomic and physiological similarities to human beings 4,5 . In addition, they are highly suitable for in vivo toxicity and bioimaging studies because of their amenability to genetic manipulation and optical transparency 6,7 . The well-characterized embryonic development with small size and high permeability to small molecules have made them particularly suitable for rapid high-throughput biochemical screening and surrogates for in vivo protein expression, to visualize biological distribution of metabolites and nano-xenotoxicity studies particularly to investigate organ-specific toxicity 7-9 . On

Current implementations of structured illumination microscopy for depth-resolved (three-dimensional) imaging have limitations that restrict its use; specifically, they are not applicable to non-stationary objects imaged with relatively poor condenser optics and in non-fluorescent mode. This includes in-vivo retinal imaging. A novel implementation of structured illumination microscopy is presented that overcomes these issues. A threewavelength illumination technique is used to obtain the three sub-images required for structured illumination simultaneously rather than sequentially, enabling use on non-stationary objects. An illumination method is presented that produces an incoherent pattern through interference, bypassing the limitations imposed by the aberrations of the condenser lens and thus enabling axial sectioning in non-fluorescent imaging. The application to retinal imaging can lead to a device with similar sectioning capabilities to confocal microscopy without the optical complexity (and cost) required for scanning systems.

This is the unspecified version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Abstract: Structured illumination microscopy applied to in-vivo retinal imaging has the potential to provide a low-cost and powerful diagnostic tool for retinal disease. In this paper the key parameters that affect performance in structured illumination ophthalmoscopy are studied theoretically. These include the number of images that need to be acquired in order to generate a sectioned image, which is affected by the non-stationary nature of the retina during acquisition, the choice of spatial frequency of the illuminating sinusoid, the effect of typical ocular aberrations on axial resolution and the nature of the sinusoidal pattern produced by the illumination system. The results indicate that structured illumination ophthalmoscopy can be a robust technique for achieving axial sectioning in retinal imaging without the need for complex optical systems. Permanent repository link

In situreduction and microwave-assisted synthesis of Ag/C-dot and Au/C-dot nanohybrids using natural lemon extract for cancer cellular imaging applications.

Near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescent CuInS2–ZnS nanocrystals (CIZS NCs) are synthesized via an ultra‐fast, non‐injection microwave (MW)‐assisted nanoalloying process at 230 ºC within 5 min using 1‐dodecanethiol (DDT) as both the sulfur source and solvent under solvothermal (ST) condition. The structural and surface analyses reveal that DDT‐functionalized CIZS NCs exhibit quasi‐pyramids of tetragonal‐phase with well‐defined facets. The DDT‐functionalized CIZS NCs present a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 76% and a long‐lived fluorescence lifetime of ≈0.6 µs in organic‐phase. Subsequently, DDT‐functionalized CIZS NCs are phase‐transferred via ligand‐exchange using 11‐mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) into water‐soluble MUA–CIZS NCs that exhibit a substantial PLQY of 55%. In addition, the NIR‐fluorescent MUA‐functionalized CIZS NCs in conjugation with folic acid (FA), as a tumor‐targeting ligand, demonstrates enhanced tumor‐targeted imaging ability. The FA–MUA–CIZS NC conjugates exhibit a cell viability of ≈75% even at the highest concentration of 1 mg mL–1 and a labeling efficiency of 95.4%. The in vivo imaging results corroborate that FA–MUA–CIZS NCs conjugates are actively targeted to folate receptor‐positive B16F10 tumor‐bearing C57BL/6 mice in 2 h. The histopathological and hematological studies confirm no significant changes in tissue architecture and blood biochemical parameters. The confocal microscopy studies reveal deep penetration and uniform distribution of FA–MUA–CIZS NCs conjugates in subcutaneous melanoma.