ABSTRACT
Biological signaling correlates with the interrelation between ion and nanofluidic transportation pathways. However, artificial embodies with reconfigurable ion-fluid transport interaction aspects remain largely elusive. Herein, we unveiled an intimate interplay between nanopore-driven advancing flow and ion carriage for the spontaneous imbibition of aqueous solutions at the nanoporous thin film level. Ionic factors dominate transport phenomena processing and integration (ions influence fluid motion, which in turn governs the self-regulated ion traveling). We show an ion-induced translation effect that finely converts a chemical input, the nature of ions, into a related fluidic output: modulation of the extent of imbibition. We further find complex imbibition dynamics induced by the ion type and population. We peculiarly pinpoint a stop-and-go effective transport process with a programmable delay time triggered by selective guest-host interactions. The ion-fluid transport interplay is captured by a simple model that considers the counterbalance between the capillary infiltration and solution concentration, owing to water loss at the nanoporous film-air interface. Our results demonstrate that nanopore networks present fresh scenarios for understanding and controlling autonomous macroscopic liquid locomotion and offer a distinctive working principle for smart ion operation.
ABSTRACT
The sensory-motor interaction is a hallmark of living systems. However, developing inanimate systems with "recognize and attack" abilities remains challenging. On the other hand, controlling the inter-droplet dynamics on surfaces is key in microengineering and biomedical applications. We show here that a pair of droplets can become intelligently interactive (chemospecific stimulus-response inter-droplet autonomous operation) when placed on a nanoporous thin film surface. We find an attacker-victim-like non-reciprocal interaction between spatially separated droplets leading to an only-in-one shape instability that triggers a drop projection to selectively couple, resembling cellular phenomenologies such as pseudopod emission and phagocytic-like functions. The nanopore-driven underlying communication and associated chemical activity are the main physical ingredients behind the observed behavior. Our results reveal that basic features found in many living cell types can emerge from a simple two-droplet framework. This work is a promising step towards the design of microfluidic smart robotics and for origin-of-life protocell models.
Subject(s)
Artificial Cells , Robotics , Cell Communication , Microfluidics/methods , Restraint, PhysicalABSTRACT
El aumento de la resistencia bacteriana a los antibióticos se ha vuelto un problema global de salud. Entre otros factores, incide la actitud del médico a la hora de indicar tratamiento antibacteriano y en qué medida se basa en la evidencia. Para conocer cómo efectúa sus indicaciones en la práctica diaria se analizaron las respuestas a un cuestionario anónimo formulado a 100 médicos. Se encontraron diferencias en el modo de prescripción entre los facultativos, inclusive tratar con antibióticos sin haber realizado estudio etiológico, así como distinta respuesta de clínicos y cirujanos. Esto pone en evidencia la necesidad de que cada institución de salud disponga de un protocolo para la administración de estos medicamentos (AU)
Recently there has been a dramatic global increase in bacterial resistance. Phisician´s attitude affects the indication of antibacterial treatment. In order to know how they make their indications in daily practice we analyzed the answers to an anonymous questionnaire to 100 MD. Differences were found in the way of prescribing among physicians. Some of them administered antibiotics without having carried out etiological studies. There was also different response from clinicians and surgeons. This highlights the need for each health institution to have a protocol for the administration of these drugs (AU)