Electroosmotic Flow Hysteresis for Fluids with Dissimilar pH and Ionic Species

Counter-Intuitive Features of Particle Dynamics in Nanopores

Using the framework of a continuous diffusion model based on the Smoluchowski equation, we analyze particle dynamics in the confinement of a transmembrane nanopore. We briefly review existing analytical results to highlight consequences of interactions between the channel nanopore and the translocating particles. These interactions are described within a minimalistic approach by lumping together multiple physical forces acting on the particle in the pore into a one-dimensional potential of mean force. Such radical simplification allows us to obtain transparent analytical results, often in a simple algebraic form. While most of our findings are quite intuitive, some of them may seem unexpected and even surprising at first glance. The focus is on five examples: (i) attractive interactions between the particles and the nanopore create a potential well and thus cause the particles to spend more time in the pore but, nevertheless, increase their net flux; (ii) if the potential well-describing particle-pore interaction occupies only a part of the pore length, the mean translocation time is a non-monotonic function of the well length, first increasing and then decreasing with the length; (iii) when a rectangular potential well occupies the entire nanopore, the mean particle residence time in the pore is independent of the particle diffusivity inside the pore and depends only on its diffusivity in the bulk; (iv) although in the presence of a potential bias applied to the nanopore the "downhill" particle flux is higher than the "uphill" one, the mean translocation times and their distributions are identical, i.e., independent of the translocation direction; and (v) fast spontaneous gating affects nanopore selectivity when its characteristic time is comparable to that of the particle transport through the pore.

K+-Dependent Photocycle and Photocurrent Reveal the Uptake of K+ in Light-Driven Sodium Pump

Engineering light-controlled K+ pumps from Na+-pumping rhodopsins (NaR) greatly expands the scope of optogenetic applications. However, the limited knowledge regarding the kinetic and selective mechanism of K+ uptake has significantly impeded the modification and design of light-controlled K+ pumps, as well as their practical applications in various fields, including neuroscience. In this study, we presented K+-dependent photocycle kinetics and photocurrent of a light-driven Na+ pump called Nonlabens dokdonensis rhodopsin 2 (NdR2). As the concentration of K+ increased, we observed the accelerated decay of M intermediate in the wild type (WT) through flash photolysis. In 100 mM KCl, the lifetime of the M decay was approximately 1.0 s, which shortened to around 0.6 s in 1 M KCl. Additionally, the K+-dependent M decay kinetics were also observed in the G263W/N61P mutant, which transports K+. In 100 mM KCl, the lifetime of the M decay was approximately 2.5 s, which shortened to around 0.2 s in 1 M KCl. According to the competitive model, in high KCl, K+ may be taken up from the cytoplasmic surface, competing with Na+ or H+ during M decay. This was further confirmed by the K+-dependent photocurrent of WT liposome. As the concentration of K+ increased to 500 mM, the amplitude of peak current significantly dropped to approximately ~60%. Titration experiments revealed that the ratio of the rate constant of H+ uptake (kH) to that of K+ uptake (kK) is >108. Compared to the WT, the G263W/N61P mutant exhibited a decrease of approximately 40-fold in kH/kK. Previous studies focused on transforming NaR into K+ pumps have primarily targeted the intracellular ion uptake region of Krokinobacter eikastus rhodopsin 2 (KR2) to enhance K+ uptake. However, our results demonstrate that the naturally occurring WT NdR2 is capable of intracellular K+ uptake without requiring structural modifications on the intracellular region. This discovery provides diverse options for future K+ pump designs. Furthermore, we propose a novel photocurrent-based approach to evaluate K+ uptake, which can serve as a reference for similar studies on other ion pumps. In conclusion, our research not only provides new insights into the mechanism of K+ uptake but also offers a valuable point of reference for the development of optogenetic tools and other applications in this field.

Thermodynamic Multi-Field Coupling Optimization of Microsystem Based on Artificial Intelligence

An efficient multi-objective optimization method of temperature and stress for a microsystem based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) was established, which is used to map the relationship between through-silicon via (TSV) structural design parameters and performance objectives in the microsystem, and complete optimization temperature, stress and thermal expansion deformation efficiently. The relationship between the design and performance parameters is obtained by a finite element method (FEM) simulation model. The neural network is built and trained in order to understand the mapping relationship. Then, the design parameters are iteratively optimized using the PSO algorithm, and the FEM results are used to verify the efficiency and reliability of the optimization methods. When the optimization target of peak temperature, bump temperature, TSV temperature, maximum stress and maximum thermal deformation are set as 100 °C, 55 °C, 35 °C, 180 Mpa and 12 μm, the optimization results are as follows: the peak temperature is 97.90 °C, the bump temperature is 56.01 °C, the TSV temperature is 31.52 °C, the maximum stress is 247.4 Mpa and the maximum expansion deformation is 11.14 μm. The corresponding TSV structure design parameters are as follows: the radius of TSV is 10.28 μm, the pitch is 65 μm and the thickness of SiO₂ is 0.83 μm. The error between the optimization result and the target temperature is 2.1%, 1.8%, 9.9%, 37.4% and 7.2% respectively. The PSO method has been verified by regression analysis, and the difference between the temperature and deformation optimization results of the FEM method is not more than 3%. The stress error has been analyzed, and the reliability of the developed method has been verified. While ensuring the accuracy of the results, the proposed optimization method reduces the time consumption of a single simulation from 2 h to 70 s, saves a lot of time and human resources, greatly improves the efficiency of the optimization design of microsystems, and has great significance for the development of microsystems.

A Review on Stimuli-Actuated 3D Micro/Nanostructures for Tissue Engineering and the Potential of Laser-Direct Writing via Two-Photon Polymerization for Structure Fabrication

In this review, we present the most recent and relevant research that has been done regarding the fabrication of 3D micro/nanostructures for tissue engineering applications. First, we make an overview of 3D micro/nanostructures that act as backbone constructs where the seeded cells can attach, proliferate and differentiate towards the formation of new tissue. Then, we describe the fabrication of 3D micro/nanostructures that are able to control the cellular processes leading to faster tissue regeneration, by actuation using topographical, mechanical, chemical, electric or magnetic stimuli. An in-depth analysis of the actuation of the 3D micro/nanostructures using each of the above-mentioned stimuli for controlling the behavior of the seeded cells is provided. For each type of stimulus, a particular recent application is presented and discussed, such as controlling the cell proliferation and avoiding the formation of a necrotic core (topographic stimulation), controlling the cell adhesion (nanostructuring), supporting the cell differentiation via nuclei deformation (mechanical stimulation), improving the osteogenesis (chemical and magnetic stimulation), controlled drug-delivery systems (electric stimulation) and fastening tissue formation (magnetic stimulation). The existing techniques used for the fabrication of such stimuli-actuated 3D micro/nanostructures, are briefly summarized. Special attention is dedicated to structures' fabrication using laser-assisted technologies. The performances of stimuli-actuated 3D micro/nanostructures fabricated by laser-direct writing via two-photon polymerization are particularly emphasized.

An Axisymmetric Problem of Suspension Filtering with Formation of Elastic–Plastic Cake Layer

The paper considers an axisymmetric problem of filtering suspensions with the formation of a cake on the filter surface. It is supposed that the cake has elastic–plastic properties. Using the mass conservation equation and Darcy’s law, the suspension filtration equations at the elastic–plastic regime are derived, which characterize the partial irreversibility of the filtration characteristics when the system is unloaded after loading. An equation is also derived that describes the increase in the thickness of the cake. Problems of suspension filtering for the derived equations are posed and numerically solved. The role of partial irreversibility of deformation on the filtration characteristics is estimated. Distributions of compression pressure, the concentration of solid particles in the cake, relative permeability in the mode of primary and secondary loading of the system, as well as in the mode of unloading after the first loading are obtained. The growth dynamics of the cake thickness are also established. The parameters of plasticity in terms of particle concentration and permeability mainly affect the corresponding indicators, i.e., on the particle concentration distribution and on the relative permeability of the cake. It is shown, that depending on the change in the model parameters characterizing the elastic–plastic properties of the cake, the filtration characteristics change significantly. This indicates a significant effect of the elastic–plastic deformation of the cake on the suspension filtration characteristics.