The effect of dielectric polarization of the electrode on anomalous temperature effects in the electrical double layer

Monte Carlo simulations and a modified Poisson–Boltzmann (MPB) theory are used to investigate the temperature dependence of the capacitance (around the potential of zero charge) of an electric double layer in the presence of surface polarization due to a dielectric boundary. Within the context of the restricted primitive model planar double layer, whose solvent dielectric constant is ε₂, the cases when the electrode is an insulator (ε₁ = 1), when the electrode and the electrolyte have the same permittivity (ε₁ = ε₂, no polarization), and when the electrode is a conductor (ε₁ → ∞) are studied for the case where the electrolyte concentration is 0.1 M. The simulations reveal a capacitance anomaly, that is, a positive temperature dependence of the capacitance at low temperatures for the former two situations. The MPB theory also shows this effect for these two situations and is in qualitative or better agreement with the simulation data. In these two cases, both the simulations and theory show a dramatic increase of the diffuse layer potential in the temperature regime where capacitance anomaly occurs. However, in the latter situation, where the electrode is metallic, the capacitance always has a negative temperature derivative for the MPB theory and probably also for the simulation data.     

Detection of cellular responses to toxicants by dielectrophoresis

The dielectrophoretic (DEP) crossover method has been applied to the detection of cell responses to toxicants. Time and dose responses of the human cultured leukemia (HL-60) line were measured for paraquat, styrene oxide (SO), N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU) and puromycin. These toxicants were chosen because of their different predominant mechanisms of action, namely membrane free radical attack, simultaneous membrane and nucleic acid attack, nucleic acid alkylation, and protein synthesis inhibition, respectively. For all treatments, the specific membrane capacitance (C_mem) of the cells decreased while the specific membrane conductance (G_mem) increased in dose- and time-dependent manners. The DEP responses correlated sensitively with alterations in cell surface morphology, especially folds, microvilli, and blebs, observed by scanning electron microscopy. The DEP method was more sensitive to agents that had a direct action on the membrane than to agents for which membrane alterations were secondary. The responses to paraquat and SO, which directly damaged the cell membrane, could be detected 15 min after exposure, while those for puromycin and NMU, which acted on intracellular targets, could be detected after 30 min. The detection times and dose sensitivity results showed that the DEP method is much faster and more sensitive than conventional cell and higher organism viability testing techniques. The feasibility of producing small instruments for toxicity detection and screening based on cellular dielectric responses is discussed.     

Analysis of electric and magnetic fields leaking from induction heaters

Results are presented of an investigation on electric and magnetic fields leaking from inductive (magnetic) heaters that are used for thermal processing of high-power electron tubes and lasers in an industrial plant. Measurements of electric and magnetic fields were done using both commercially available and laboratory-developed instrumentation. Isotropic H-field sensors were developed to allow quantitative evaluation of high-intensity magnetic fields. Ten induction heaters with nominal A.C. power ranging from 2.5 kW to 15 kW and operating at frequencies between 300 kHz and 790 kHz were surveyed. Electric field strengths up to 8 kV/m and magnetic field strengths up to 20 A/m were measured.     

Dielectric Spectroscopy: a Rapid Method for the Determination of Solvent Biocompatibility During Biotransformations

Dielectric spectroscopy provides a convenient means of determining the degree of intactness of biological cells. 4-terminal dielectric measurements of suspensions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 0.4 MHz show that, as with all other biological cells, these organisms possess a substantial β-dispersion. The additional of octanol to such suspensions causes a rapid decrease in the electrical capacitance of the suspension, which parallels the cellular viability as determined by methylene blue staining. The kinetics of cell death are determined in part by the rate of dissolution of the organic solvent in the aqueous phase. The toxicity of several organic solvents to S. cerevisiae is studied using this technique, and is found to be dependent upon the polarity of the solvent. The present method provides a simple and rapid means for assessing the biocompatibility of solvents used in biotransformations.     

Dielectric properties of human red blood cells in suspension at radio frequencies

Dielectric properties of human red blood cells (RBCs) in suspension (hematocrit 50%) from 243 healthy persons (120 males, 123 females) were measured at 25 °C in a frequency range of 1–500 MHz, with a coaxial transmission line reflection method (one-side measurement). The measuring system, controlled by an IBM-PC computer, was composed of a network analyzer (HP4195A), an impedance test adapter (HP41951-61001), a coaxial line sensor, and a temperature-controlling set. The data measured revealed a statistically significant age dependence, with a critical age of about 49 years, above which permittivity and conductivity of human RBCs in suspension decreased significantly. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Mouse polyomavirus mediated effects on the infected cell membrane studied by dielectric spectroscopy

The effect of polyomavirus on the infected cell has been investigated by dieclectric spectroscopy. This technique has a great potential in the study of the ion transport properties of the cell membrane. The results presented in this communication suggest a correlation between progression of the viral infection and dielectric features of the infected, cell plasma membrane.     

Computer simulation of antibody binding specificity

A Monte Carlo algorithm that searches for the optimal docking configuration of hen egg white lysozyme to an antibody is developed. Both the lysozyme and the antibody are kept rigid. Unlike the work of other authors, our algorithm does not attempt to explicitly maximize surface contact, but minimizes the energy computed using coarse-grained pair potentials. The final refinement of our best solutions using all-atom OPLS potentials (Jorgensen and Tirado-Rives⁸) consistently yields the native conformation as the preferred solution for three different antibodies. We find that the use of an exponential distance-dependent dielectric function is an improvement over the more commonly used linear form. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Dielectric probe of the electric-field-sensitive peptide alamethicin

Dielectric constant and loss of alamethicin in solvents of various degrees of lipophilicity (namely mixtures of n-octanol and dioxane) have been measured at frequencies from 5 kHz to 50 MHz. By means of a conventional Cole-Cole approach, dielectric properties were evaluated to obtain information about the structural and dipolar properties of the peptide in view of its function as a voltage-dependent pore former in membranes. The results for a pure octanol solvent (together with an apparent molecular weight determined by ultracentrifugation) indicate the existence of primarily monomeric particles of quite elongated shape and of comparatively high dipole moment. Adding dioxane was found to yield considerable aggregation and a decrease of polarity.     

Absence of radiofrequency heating from auditory implants during magnetic resonance imaging

The possibility of tissue heating due to an auditory brainstem implant (ABI) or a modified cochlear implant (CI) during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head was tested on a full-sized human phantom using a realistic phantom head consisting of simulated skull, brain, and muscle. Dielectric properties of the brain, muscle, and bone materials were similar to those of human tissues at 64 MHz. The body consisted of homogeneous phantom muscle enclosed in a human-shaped fiberglass shell. Thermographic and fiber-optic temperature measurements were conducted to reveal any heating. Thermograms of sagittal, frontal, and horizontal planes of the head with the ABI and CI electrodes were taken immediately before and after a 26 min MRI scan. The MRI sequence was set at 94 excitations and 25 ms echo time to induce maximum radiofrequency heating, as suggested by the General Electric Company. The difference of these two thermograms gives the heating results. In two uncut phantom heads, Teflon tubes were placed along the implanted ABI and CI, and temperature data were recorded via fiber-optic probes before, during, and after the MRI. Results showed no observable heating associated with the ABI and the modified CI during worst-case MRI of the head. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Molecular dynamics of human alpha-fetoprotein fragment LDSYQCT and its analogs at different dielectric constants

A comparative study of the conformation dynamics of the human alpha-fetoprotein fragment LDSYQCT and heptapeptides derived from it by point substitutions has revealed a significant influence of electrostatic interactions on the set of preferred conformations and dynamics of amino acid residues when the peptides with blocked termini are examined at ? = 1. Peptide flexibility rises when the termini are left free (charged). At ? = 10 or 80, the set of probable conformations for all residues expands to much the same extent, i.e., at higher permittivity of the medium the dynamic effects of amino acid changes are leveled off.