Plasmonics Resonance Enhance Magneto-Optical Effects Through Metallic Sub-wavelength Grating with Bismuth Iron Garnet Slab

We theoretically investigated an enhancement of the magneto-optical Faraday rotations along with large transmittance in two multilayer structures. The shifts of the Faraday rotation peaks are more obvious than the transmittance peaks when the grating period is changed, which is beneficial to acquire the large Faraday rotation and transmittance. The Faraday rotation of tri-layer system is five times larger than the bilayer system, and the Faraday resonance peak can be mediated by changing the refractive index or thickness of the additional nonmagnetic dielectric layer (NDL) layer. These results are important for applications in highly integrated optoelectronic and magneto-optical devices.     

Behavioral study of selected microorganisms in an aqueous electrohydrodynamic liquid bridge

An aqueous electrohydrodynamic (EHD) floating liquid bridge is a unique environment for studying the influence of protonic currents (mA cm^?2) in strong DC electric fields (kV cm^?1) on the behavior of microorganisms. It forms in between two beakers filled with water when high-voltage is applied to these beakers. We recently discovered that exposure to this bridge has a stimulating effect on Escherichia coli.. In this work we show that the survival is due to a natural Faraday cage effect of the cell wall of these microorganisms using a simple 2D model. We further confirm this hypothesis by measuring and simulating the behavior of Bacillus subtilis subtilis, Neochloris oleoabundans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and THP-1 monocytes. Their behavior matches the predictions of the model: cells without a natural Faraday cage like algae and monocytes are mostly killed and weakened, whereas yeast and Bacillus subtilis subtilis survive. The effect of the natural Faraday cage is twofold: First, it diverts the current from passing through the cell (and thereby killing it); secondly, because it is protonic it maintains the osmotic pressure in the cell wall, thereby mitigating cytolysis which would normally occur due to the low osmotic pressure of the surrounding medium. The method presented provides the basis for selective disinfection of solutions containing different microorganisms.     

Magneto-optical Studies of Noble Metal-Magnetic Dielectric Systems

The extraordinary optical transmission and Faraday effects of the bilayer heterostructure consisting of a metallic film perforated with subwavelength hole arrays and a uniform dielectric film magnetized perpendicular to its plane were systematically studied by three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method. Results of the calculation found that for the magneto-plasmonic crystals under polarized incident light with transverse magnetic mode, the resonant transmittance reached 36.9%, the Faraday rotation acquired 1.216°, and the ellipticity got a positive value of 0.840. The value of Faraday rotation and ellipticity is respectively 15.2 and 93.3 times enhancement of the 0.08° and ?0.009 of the bare BIG film at the wavelength. In the transverse electric mode, the Faraday effects of the systems also had a large enhancement in contrast to the bare magnetic film. The magneto-optical effects of the systems could be manipulated by polarization mode of incident light, geometry of perforated subwavelength hole arrays, and thickness of metallic and magnetic films. Evolution of the magneto-optical properties on the structural parameters was also analyzed. Possible mechanisms underlying the extraordinary phenomena were profoundly discussed. All these results indicated that the systems could find potential applications in magneto-optical devices such as data storages, sensors, and telecommunications.     

Surface Plasmon Resonance Enhanced Faraday Rotation in Fe3O4/Ag Nanoparticles Doped Diamagnetic Glass

Diamagnetic TeO₂-PbO-B₂O₃ glasses were melt-quenching fabricated and characterized for Fe₃O₄/Ag nanoparticles doping through radio-frequency sputtering and thermal treatment techniques. The surface plasmon resonance influenced structure, composition, optical, and magneto optical properties of Fe₃O₄/Ag doped glasses were investigated through XRD, SEM, XPS analysis, and Faraday rotation measurement. The optimized sputtering and thermal conditions Fe₃O₄ and Ag nanoparticles were obtained. Under the optimized conditions, a great enhancement of Faraday rotation, thermal property, and big UV cutoff red-shift due to the excited surface plasma’s resonance effect was achieved in diamagnetic glass.

     

Modulated polarization microscopy: a promising new approach to visualizing cytoskeletal dynamics in living cells

In an effort to visualize cytoskeletal filaments in living cells, we have developed modulated polarization microscopy. Modulated polarization microscopy visualizes cytoskeletal filaments based on their birefringence but differs from the standard polarization microscopy by exploiting the angle dependence of birefringence. A prototype instrument has been developed using two Faraday rotators under computer control to change the angle of plane polarized light at a known rate. By placing one Faraday rotator before and one after the specimen, rotation produced by the first Faraday rotator is cancelled by the second. This allows the use of fixed polarizer and analyzer in a crossed configuration and continuous imaging of the specimen between crossed polarizers. The variation in polarization angle of light illuminating the specimen causes birefringent elements to oscillate in brightness. Images acquired as polarization angle is varied are then processed by a Fourier filter image-processing algorithm. The Fourier filtering algorithm isolates those signals that vary at the proper rate, whereas static or random signals are removed. Here we show that the modulated polarization microscope can reveal cytoskeletal elements including stress fibers and microtubules in living cells.     

Plasmon Enhanced Faraday Rotation in Fe3O4/Ag Ferrofluids for Magneto Optical Sensing Applications

The magnetic/metallic nanocomposites are special intelligent materials and find many applications in photonics, magneto-optical devices, and biosensors. This paper introduces the synthesis and performance of Fe₃O₄/Ag ferrofluids using a facile one-step modified co-precipitation method. The nanocomposites were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, XPS, and Fourier transform infrared spectra for structure, morphology, and component investigation, respectively. The viscosity, stability, magnetic, and magneto-optical properties of the ferrofluids were measured through the vibrating sample magnetometer, Faraday rotation optical bench, and viscosity tester. Fe₃O₄/Ag-based ferrofluids demonstrated good stability (did not agglomerate for 120 h), big magnetic field-dependent-viscosity, surface plasmon resonance effect, superpagamagnetic nature, and improved Faraday effect; these characters are good for MO sensing application. The Verdet constant of ferrofluids at 633 nm increased from 5.66 to 8.53 × 10⁻² deg/G cm after Ag coating on Fe₃O₄.

     

Experimental evidence of a potentially increased thrombo-embolic disease risk by domestic electromagnetic field exposure

We have used the EaHy926 endothelial cell line, able to secrete both pro and anti-aggregant platelet agents, as a model for thrombo-embolic diseases. We experimentally established, by comparing these two secretions with or without a Faraday cage, that the environmental electromagnetic field significantly increases the thrombo-embolic risks in this endothelial cell line.     

Electronic structures of azulene-fused porphyrins as seen by magnetic circular dichroism and TD-DFT calculations

A combination of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), electronic absorption spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations has been used to investigate the electronic structure of azulene-fused pi-expanded porphyrins based primarily on the spectral properties of absorption bands in the near infrared region. From MCD experiments, it was suggested that in the case of a mono-azulene-fused porphyrin DeltaHOMO approximately equal DeltaLUMO (where DeltaHOMO is the magnitude of the energy gap between the HOMO and HOMO-1 and DeltaLUMO is the magnitude of the energy gap between the LUMO and LUMO+1), while in the case of an oppositely-di-azulene-fused porphyrin, DeltaHOMO相似文献   

Magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy of cobalt tetraphenyltetraacenaphthoporphyrin

The first MCD spectral data for an open shell first row transition metal complex of tetraphenyltetraacenaphthoporphyrin (TPTANP) are reported. The B (or Soret) band of cobalt tetraphenyltetraacenaphthoporphyrin (Co(II)TPTANP(-2)) exhibits an anomalous negative Faraday A(1) term as was reported previously in the case of ZnTPTANP, while a positive A(1) term is observed for the Q band. INDO/1 geometry optimizations predict that the TPTANP ligand is saddled due to steric hindrance at the ligand periphery to a slightly lesser extent than is the case with ZnTPTANP. The Q and B bands of CoTPTANP arising from the pi-system are blue shifted relative to those of ZnTPTANP, based on the "hypso" effect reported previously for planar porphyrin complexes of d(6-9) transition metals.     

Elimination of meteorotropic coagulation of gelatin films by means of a Faraday cage

At a Munich printing-works it was observed over a period of several years that the gelatin films used for preparing printing cylinders in fully air-conditioned rooms became unfit for use at random intervals due to coagulation. It was assumed that this damage was caused by electromagnetic environmental factors. The working area for sensitization of the gelatin films was therefore surrounded by a Faraday cage. Since then coagulation of the gelatin films has never occurred again.     

Antiferromagnetic exchange interaction in the two-iron-two-sulphur ferredoxin from the blue-green alga Spirulina maxima studied with a highly sensitive magnetic balance

1. A highly sensitive magnetic balance of the Faraday type is described. 2. The magnetic susceptibility of the oxidized and reduced forms of the two-iron-two-sulphur ferredoxin from the blue-green alga Spirulina maxima has been measured over a wide temperature range. 3. The results can be interpreted within a simple model involving antiferromagnetically coupled iron atoms at the active site. The coupling, expressed as --J, is estimated to be 182 +/- 20/cm and 98 +5/-10 /cm for the oxidized and reduced forms, respectively.     

Engineering Electronic Structure of Stannous Sulfide by Amino‐Functionalized Carbon: Toward Efficient Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to Formate

Engineering electronic structure to enhance the binding energies of reaction intermediates in order to achieve a high partial current density can lead to increased yield of target products. Herein, amino‐functionalized carbon is used to regulate the electronic structure of tin‐based catalysts to enhance activity of CO₂ electroreduction. The hollow nanotubes composed of SnS (stannous sulfide) nanosheets are modified with amino‐functionalized carbon layers, achieving a highest formate Faraday efficiency of 92.6% and a remarkable formate partial current density of 41.1 mA cm^?2 (a total current density of 52.1 mA cm^?2) at a moderate overpotential of 0.9 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, as well as a good stability. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the superior activity is attributed to the synergistic effect among SnS and Aminated‐C in increasing the adsorption energies of the key intermediates and accelerating the charge transfer rate.     

Cell Sensitivity to Magnetic Fields

Attempts to establish extremely low-frequency (ELF) threshold sensitivity limits in biological systems are presently based on estimates of thermal noise in the cell membrane. The Weaver-Astumian (Science 247:459–462, 1990) threshold (8 × 10^?3 V/m) should in principle also apply to electric fields produced by Faraday induction. However, the 60-Hz magnetic field required to induce an electric field of 8 × 10^?3 V/m is improbably large and at variance with the experimental facts, implying either that Faraday induction is not the mode of weak ELF magnetic field biointeractions or that such interactions have nothing to do with the cell membrane, which constitutes only 1 % of the cell volume. We explore the possibility that magnetic field interactions are connected to the periodic changes in free calcium concentration associated with the cellular Ca²⁺ oscillator (CaO). Estimates of the free energy associated with the CaO reveal cyclic voltage changes of the order of 20 mV, suggesting that already existing electric fields within the cytoplasm may be capable of interacting with externally applied magnetic fields. We further hypothesize that CaO frequencies can be reinforced or driven into narrower passbands by weak external ELF signals acting on elements in the Ca²⁺ signaling pathway, e.g., via the calmodulin molecule.     

Der Einflu\ sinusförmiger Leuchtdichteänderungen auf die mittlere Pupillenweite und auf die subjektive Helligkeit

Summary The mean diameter of the human pupil was measured during stimulation of the eye with light of sinusoidally varying intensity and during stationary illumination with the corresponding average intensity. Continuous records of the pupil diameter were obtained using an electronic pupillometer. The light stimuli were electronically controlled by utilizing the Faraday effect and applied under open loop conditions. The pupil responded with a net contraction to modulation of the light intensity within a range of modulation frequencies up to 30 c/sec. The net contraction was maximal between 1 and 3 c/sec, but remained significant at high frequencies, which did not result in a periodic light reflex any more. The higher the modulation degree and the average intensity, the larger the net contraction. The dependence of the net contraction upon the modulation frequency is very similar to that of the subjective brightness (Brücke effect), although certain difficulties are encountered in attempting a direct comparison of the two phenomena.     

A study of flavin-protein and flavoprotein-ligand interactions. Binding aspects and spectral properties of D-amino acid oxidase and riboflavin binding protein.

To study flavin-protein and flavoprotein-ligand interaction, the absorption, CD and MCD spectra of riboflavin, FAD, roseoflavin, the complexes of riboflavin and roseoflavin with riboflavin binding protein(RBP),D-amino acid oxidase(D-AO) and its complexes with ligands were observed in the spectral region of 310-600 nm and the binding properties of D-AO with di-substituted benzoate derivatives and of RBP with roseoflavin were also measured. The dimer of D-amino acid oxidase has a higher affinity for di-substituted benzoate derivatives than the monomer. The change in the absorption of FAD in D-AO caused by the binding of the first ligand to the dimer, which can bind two ligands, was similar to that caused by the binding of the second ligand. Roseoflavin could bind to RBP in a 1 : 1 ratio and the dissociation constant was 3.8 x 10(-8)M. The protein fluorescence of RBP was quenched by about 86% due to complex formation with roseoflavin. The MCD spectra showed similar patterns for all molecular complexes of riboflavin and FAD, with two negative extrema of ellipticity which probably correspond to the Faraday B-term, but the Faraday A-term could not be observed, suggesting that there was no degeneracy in the excited state of flavins. It is also suggested, based on a comparison of the absorption, CD and MCD spectra, that the vibronic structure of flavin was modified differently by each flavin-protein or flavoprotein-ligand interaction. Comparison of the absorption, CD and MCD spectra(310-600 nm) for roseoflavin and the roseoflavin-RBP complex revealed that there were five spectral components around 320, 340, 400, 500, and 550 nm in roseoflavin.     

Effect of some operating variables on citrate recovery from model solutions by electrodialysis

The effect of pH and temperature (straight theta) on the overall performance indicators (i.e., solute recovery, rho, and Faraday, eta, efficiencies; specific energy consumption, epsilon, solute, JS, and water, JW, fluxes) of batch electrodialytic recovery of citric acid from model solutions was assessed at different values of feed solute concentration (cSf) and electric current density (j). Regardless of the initial feed concentration used, rho and JS were found to be independent of straight theta; eta and JW exhibited a positive trend with respect to straight theta, while epsilon a negative one. At the maximum temperature tested (33 degrees C), as the pH of the feed solution was varied from 3 to 7, rho increased from 0.90 +/- 0.08 to 0.97 +/- 0.02, eta grew from 0.09 +/- 0.02 to 0.50 +/- 0.01, JS practically doubled, epsilon reduced about 8 times, but JW increased from 3 to 4 times. So, the optimal conditions for this technique are to be determined by balancing the savings in the investment and maintenance costs against the energy costs. Copyright John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Ethno-ecological evidence for Hydnora abyssinica occurring in Johannesburg and Durban traditional medicine markets

Large quantities of plants are traded annually in South Africa's traditional medicine or ‘muthi’ markets. A resource in high demand in the Faraday (Johannesburg) and Warwick (Durban) markets is uMavumbuka, a root holoparasite usually identified as either Hydnora africana Thunb. or Sarcophyte sanguinea Sparrm. subsp. sanguinea. However, rhizomes regularly observed in Faraday between 1994 and 2008 did not resemble either species, thereby suggesting that a third, and undocumented, species was being harvested. This was confirmed when the rhizomes were identified as H. abyssinica A.Br. by an American parasitic plant expert. An ethno-ecological study was initiated to verify its occurrence in selected muthi markets. The study further aimed to investigate the distribution of H. abyssinica through trader interviews, host species localities and some previously misidentified herbarium specimens. The study revealed that H. abyssinica was the only uMavumbuka species present in Faraday and Warwick in 2009. Furthermore, the rhizomes were being harvested in KwaZulu-Natal—an area not previously known to be part of its distribution range. Re-evaluated herbarium vouchers and recent photographs taken in the Kruger National Park have confirmed that H. abyssinica occurs in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Swaziland and hence eastern southern Africa. Fragments of Acacia xanthophloea Benth. roots were identified on 93% of the samples that had host roots attached, and we suspect that H. abyssinica follows the distribution of A. xanthophloea in suitable habitats north from KwaZulu-Natal and adjoining the South African border with Swaziland and Mozambique. Acacia karroo Hayne and A. grandicornuta Gerstner have also been positively identified as host species in South Africa from herbarium records. Plant harvesters in the markets cited the common names of several other species that uMavumbuka “grows under” that may be identified as hosts to H. abyssinica in the future. The collection of specimens in areas identified by the harvesters and in areas of suitable habitat is important to verify the occurrence, distribution and habitat of H. abyssinica in eastern southern Africa.     

A method to explore the possibility of nonlocal correlations between brain electrical activities of two spatially separated animal subjects

It now appears possible to design an experiment which might reveal whether nonlocal correlations exist between brain electrical activities of spatially separated animal subjects, with initial emphasis on primates and dolphins. This would have the advantage of being based upon research presently being conducted at the University of Washington-Bastyr University and the University of Freiburg, which appears to reveal that a visual evoked potential elicited in the brain of one human subject via patterned photostimulation, can induce a nonlocal transferred potential in the brain of a second human subject, without any apparent classical neural or electromagnetic intervention, since both subjects are in Faraday chambers. An observation of nonlocality may also make it possible to investigate if consciousness or mental experiences exist in various nonhuman animal subjects.     

Growth and certain chemical constituents of tobacco plants exposed to air ions

Controlled experiments were performed in Faraday cages on the effects of positive and negative air ions on flue-cured tobacco plants. Continuous exposures for 15 days to air ions showed no significant differences in any plant growth characteristic between the treated and control plants. Standard errors in the measurement of the growth parameters for ion exposed plants were, however, consistently higher than those of control plants. Spatial variation in concentration gradients of air ions produced by corona discharge might have contributed to masking of the relatively small effects of air ions on biological organisms observed in previous experiments in this laboratory. No significant difference was observed between the experimental and control plants in nicotine, total alkaloid, and reducing sugar contents. Total nitrogen content was slightly higher for treated than control plants.     

Cerebral metabolism in brain tumor of mice studied by in vivo 31P-NMR spectroscopy

We now report a mouse model system of brain tumor for 31P-NMR spectroscopic study of in vivo cerebral metabolism. In vivo 31P-NMR (109 MHz) spectra were taken on the 9th day by the Faraday shield method of the brain of mice (3-week-old) transplanted intracerebrally with mKS X A tumor cells. In tumor-bearing mice, the amount of creatine phosphate decreased markedly and that of inorganic phosphate plus sugar phosphate increased accordingly. Furthermore, the broadening and splitting of individual signals were also noted with tumor-bearing mice; this is interpreted as indicating a variety of changes in chemical shift occurring in the brain of the animals due to heterogeneous distribution of pH. Binding or detaching of divalent cations to and from phosphometabolites may also be responsible for these changes.