Archive

This in vitro study reports that electric fields can control the velocity of microtubules gliding over a kinesin-coated surface. Assisting fields increased speed up to fivefold, while opposing fields slowed motion to zero, and sideways fields induced significant motion. The authors present a grab-and-release model to…

This experimental physics study examines how a static electric field affects the optical nonlinearity of methyl-red doped nematic liquid crystals. The authors report that low voltages below the Fredericks transition threshold can change the optical nonlinearity by orders of magnitude. They state that the data fit a…

This laboratory study experimentally examined aggregation of nonmagnetic particles in a magnetic fluid layer under a rotating magnetic field. Particles formed two-dimensional clusters that repeatedly aggregated into larger clusters, producing a broad distribution of cluster sizes. The dynamics were described as…

This engineering study reports spectroscopic determination of net electric field distribution in a dielectric barrier surface glow discharge in low-pressure air. Optical emission spectroscopy was used to infer electric field distribution from the intensity ratio of nitrogen spectral lines at 391.4 nm and 337.1 nm.…

This computational study investigates magnetic linear response properties of achiral and chiral carbon nanotubes using first-principles electronic structure methods. It computes magnetic shielding inside and outside nanotubes due to electronic currents induced by external magnetic fields applied parallel or…

This engineering-focused paper compares carbon nanotube growth in dense low-temperature plasma versus on a substrate surface using hybrid/Monte-Carlo simulations. It reports that plasma parameters strongly influence ion fluxes and nanotube growth kinetics, with large differences in growth rates and fluxes between…

This laboratory study examined whether a weak alternating magnetic field tuned to the cyclotron frequency of Ca2+ and K+ ions influences fusion of tobacco and soya protoplasts. The abstract reports a 2–3× increase in protoplast fusion frequency under exposure. It also reports involvement of calcium ions in induction…

This in vitro study examined whether astrocyte alignment induced by an applied electric field influences neurite outgrowth. Astrocytes were pre-aligned using a physiological-strength electric field (500 mV mm(-1)), and dorsal root ganglia cells were then seeded onto them. Neurite outgrowth at 24 and 48 hours was…