Exclusion-zone water inside and outside of plant xylem vessels.

The fourth phase of water has garnered increased attention within the scientific community due to its distinct properties that differentiate it from regular water. This unique state seems to arise potentially from a liquid crystalline structure, which has been observed near various hydrophilic surfaces to possess the capability of excluding microspheres. Consequently, it has been labeled as exclusion zone (EZ) water.

On the driver of blood circulation beyond the heart.

The heart is widely acknowledged as the unique driver of blood circulation. Recently, we discovered a flow-driving mechanism that can operate without imposed pressure, using infrared (IR) energy to propel flow. We considered the possibility that, by exploiting this mechanism, blood vessels, themselves, could propel flow.

Do aqueous solutions contain net charge?

Solutions with high pH values are sometimes thought to contain net negative charge because of an excess of OH- groups, while solutions with low pH values are thought opposite. To follow up on these speculations, we used a simple electrochemical cell to study three types of solution: electrolyzed waters with differing pH values; acids and bases with different pH values; and various salt solutions. When electrolyzed waters of various pH values were tested against water of pH 7, we found that acidic waters were indeed positively charged, while basic waters were negatively charged.

Magnetic fields induce exclusion zones in water.

Hydrophilic materials immersed in aqueous solutions show near-surface zones that exclude suspended colloids and dissolved molecules. These exclusion zones (EZs) can extend for tens to hundreds of micrometers from hydrophilic surfaces and show physicochemical properties that differ from bulk water. Here we report that exposure of standard aqueous microsphere suspensions to static magnetic fields creates similar microsphere-free zones adjacent to magnetic poles.

Low frequency weak electric fields can induce structural changes in water.

Low frequency electric fields were exposed to various water samples using platinum electrodes mounted near the water surface. Responses were monitored using a spectro-radiometer and a contact-angle goniometer. Treatment of DI (deionized), EZ (Exclusion Zone), and bulk water with certain electromagnetic frequencies resulted in a drop of radiance persisting for at least half an hour.

Cells in New Light: Ion Concentration, Voltage, and Pressure Gradients across a Hydrogel Membrane.

The ionic compositions of the intra- and extracellular environments are distinct from one another, with K being the main cation in the cytosol and Na being the most abundant cation outside of the cell. Specific ions can permeate into and out of the cell at different rates, bringing about uneven distribution of charges and development of negative electric potential inside the cell. Each healthy cell must maintain a specific ion concentration gradient and voltage.

Propolis-induced exclusion of colloids: Possible new mechanism of biological action.

Propolis is a natural product originating from life activity of honeybees. It exhibits wide range of biological properties applicable in medicine, the food industry, and cosmetics. Chemically, propolis is a complex and variable mixture with more than 300 identified biologically active components.

Surface-induced flow: A natural microscopic engine using infrared energy as fuel.

Fluid commonly flows in response to an external pressure gradient. However, when a tunnel-containing hydrogel is immersed in water, spontaneous flow occurs through the tunnel without any pressure gradient. We confirmed this flow in a wide range of plant- and animal-derived hydrogels.

Healthy fats and exclusion-zone size.

A fourth phase of water, labeled exclusion-zone or "EZ," extends from hydrophilic surfaces. Salient features include exclusion of colloidal and molecular solutes, and characteristic light absorbance at 270 nm. In cell systems, EZ water interfaces with membranes, macromolecules, and organelles, and its buildup appears to be vital for function.

Moving Water Droplets: The Role of Atmospheric CO and Incident Radiant Energy in Charge Separation at the Air-Water Interface.

One of the characteristics of aqueous interfaces is their negative charge, whose origin is still a subject of scientific debate. In this work, we provide spectroscopic evidence that bicarbonate anions, from dissolution of atmospheric CO, can be a source of negative charge at the air-water and/or solid-water interface. Also, interfacial charge separation, with a negatively charged droplet rim and positive charges gathering more toward the interior, makes water droplets receptive systems.

Interfacial water and its potential role in the function of sericin against biofouling.

Silk sericin is a globular protein whose resistance against fouling is important for applications in biomaterials and water-purification membranes. Here it is shown how sericin generates a water-exclusion zone that may facilitate antifouling behavior. Negatively charged microspheres were used to mimic the surface charge and hydrophobic domains in bacteria.

Effect of Health-Promoting Agents on Exclusion-Zone Size.

It is now well-confirmed that hydrophilic surfaces including those within the cell generate structural changes in water. This interfacial water is ordered and acquires features different from the bulk. Amongst those features is the exclusion of colloidal and molecular solutes from extensive regions next to the hydrophilic surface, thereby earning it the label of "exclusion zone" (EZ) water.

Cooling of Pure Water at Room Temperature by Weak Electric Currents.

Flow of electrical current through water is expected to increase water temperature. We passed low-frequency alternating electric current through distilled, deionized water using platinum electrodes and found, instead, a diminution of temperature. The diminution was observed using both an infrared camera and a spectroradiometer, the latter allowing us to obtain spectral information.

Exclusion zone and heterogeneous water structure at ambient temperature.

Earlier studies have reported the formation of an exclusion zone devoid of microspheres at the interface of water with a hydrophilic surface such as Nafion® or the hydrophilic ceramic powder. We now report the formation of a 'three-dimensional cell-like structured exclusion zone' in water prepared by two different methods. In the first, the hydrophilic powder was agitated with deionized water and allowed to rest (contact method).

Why Hydrogels Don't Dribble Water.

Hydrogels contain ample amounts of water, with the water-to-solid ratio sometimes reaching tens of thousands of times. How can so much water remain securely lodged within the gel? New findings imply a simple mechanism. Next to hydrophilic surfaces, water transitions into an extensive gel-like phase in which molecules become ordered.

Ice-Melting Dynamics: The Role of Protons and Interfacial Geometry.

The surface of ice plays a significant role in melting. To better understand the role of the surface, we studied the melting of ice using infrared imaging and pH-sensitive dyes. Ice was allowed to melt in baths of water of varying depths.

Stay tuned: active amplification tunes tree cricket ears to track temperature-dependent song frequency.

Tree cricket males produce tonal songs, used for mate attraction and male-male interactions. Active mechanics tunes hearing to conspecific song frequency. However, tree cricket song frequency increases with temperature, presenting a problem for tuned listeners.

Effect of Local and General Anesthetics on Interfacial Water.

Background: Water undergoes structural change as it interfaces with hydrophilic surfaces, including the many hydrophilic surfaces within the cell. This interfacial water has become known as "Exclusion Zone (EZ) water" or "fourth-phase water" [1].

Methods: We tested the hypothesis that anesthetics diminish the amount of EZ water, and that this change may correlate with functional changes in anesthesia.

Particle Displacement in Aqueous Suspension Arising from Incident Radiant Energy.

Colloidal particles in aqueous suspension generally sediment uniformly. By contrast, we found that suspensions of latex microspheres in polystyrene Petri dishes deviated sharply from the expected pattern when various objects were positioned immediately outside those dishes. When small coin-like metal discs were positioned immediately beneath the Petri dish, the microspheres sedimented to a point just above those discs.

Effect of hyperbaric oxygen conditions on the ordering of interfacial water.

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) conditions are applied clinically to treat diverse conditions. There is a lack of a unifying consensus as to how HBO2 acts effectively against a broad range of medical conditions, and numerous differing biological explanations have been offered. The possibility of a mechanism dependent on the extensive ordering of interfacial water has not yet been investigated.

Neurobiology of acoustically mediated predator detection.

Ultrasound-driven avoidance responses have evolved repeatedly throughout the insecta as defenses against predation by echolocating bats. Although the auditory mechanics of ears and the properties of auditory receptor neurons have been studied in a number of groups, central neural processing of ultrasound stimuli has been examined in only a few cases. In this review, I summarize the neuronal basis for ultrasound detection and predator avoidance in crickets, tettigoniids, moths, and mantises, where central circuits have been studied most thoroughly.

High electrical permittivity of ultrapure water at the water-platinum interface.

The discharge of a platinum parallel-plate capacitor filled with ultrapure water has been measured. The observed discharge trend can be described by a Modified Poisson-Boltzmann Equation (MPB) only when the voltage is very low. Increasing the applied voltage creates an "exclusion zone," in which the MPB equation no longer fits, and the system capacitance shows a dependence on the spacing between the two platinum plates.

Contraction-Induced Changes in Hydrogen Bonding of Muscle Hydration Water.

Protein-water interaction plays a crucial role in protein dynamics and hence function. To study the chemical environment of water and proteins with high spatial resolution, synchrotron radiation-Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectromicroscopy was used to probe skeletal muscle myofibrils. Observing the OH stretch band showed that water inside of relaxed myofibrils is extensively hydrogen-bonded with little or no free OH.

Flow through horizontal tubes submerged in water in the absence of a pressure gradient: mechanistic considerations.

Self-driven flow was observed in Nafion and other hydrophilic tubes immersed in water. The intratubular flow was generated when water came in contact with the tube's hydrophilic surfaces. Flow characteristics were studied in tubes of varying size, exposed to light of different intensities and wavelengths.