Showing papers by "Abraham D. Stroock published in 2016"

Capillarity-driven flows at the continuum limit.

Abstract: We experimentally investigate the dynamics of capillary-driven flows at the nanoscale, using an original platform that combines nanoscale pores (⋍3 nm in diameter) and microfluidic features. In particular, we show that drying involves a fine coupling between thermodynamics and fluid mechanics that can be used to generate precisely controlled nanoflows driven by extreme stresses - up to 100 MPa of tension. We exploit these tunable flows to provide quantitative tests of continuum theories (e.g. Kelvin-Laplace equation and Poiseuille flow) across an unprecedented range and we isolate the breakdown of continuum as a negative slip length of molecular dimension. Our results show a coherent picture across multiple experiments including drying-induced permeation flows, imbibition and poroelastic transients.

Adipose-derived stem cells increase angiogenesis through matrix metalloproteinase-dependent collagen remodeling

Abstract: Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are key regulators of new blood vessel formation and widely investigated for their role in tissue regeneration and tumorigenesis. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which ASCs regulate angiogenesis are not well understood. Here, it was our goal to test the functional contribution of ASC-mediated extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling on endothelial cell invasion. To isolate the effect of ECM-remodeling, ASCs were embedded within 3-D collagen type I hydrogels and pre-cultured for 7 days; controls were not pre-cultured. A confluent monolayer of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was seeded on top and its invasion into the underlying hydrogel was analyzed. Without pre-culture, ASCs inhibited vascular sprouting by stabilizing the endothelium. In contrast, 7 day pre-culture of ASCs drastically increased invasion by HUVECs. This effect was largely mediated by proteolytic ECM degradation by ASC-derived matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) rather than vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), as our results indicated that blockade of MMPs, but not VEGF, inhibited endothelial sprouting. Collectively, these data suggest that the angiogenic capability of ASCs is modulated by their proteolytic remodeling of the ECM, opening new avenues for pro- and anti-angiogenic therapies.

Phloem loading through plasmodesmata: a biophysical analysis

Abstract: In many species, sucrose en route out of the leaf migrates from photosynthetically active mesophyll cells into the phloem down its concentration gradient via plasmodesmata, i.e., symplastically. In some of these plants the process is entirely passive, but in others phloem sucrose is actively converted into larger sugars, raffinose and stachyose, and segregated (trapped), thus raising total phloem sugar concentration to a level higher than in the mesophyll. Questions remain regarding the mechanisms and selective advantages conferred by both of these symplastic loading processes. Here we present an integrated model - including local and global transport and the kinetics of oligomerization - for passive and active symplastic loading. We also propose a physical model of transport through the plasmodesmata. With these models, we predict that: 1) relative to passive loading, oligomerization of sucrose in the phloem, even in the absence of segregation, lowers the sugar content in the leaf required to achieve a given export rate and accelerates export for a given concentration of sucrose in the mesophyll; and 2) segregation of oligomers and the inverted gradient of total sugar content can be achieved for physiologically reasonable parameter values, but even higher export rates can be accessed in scenarios in which polymers are allowed to diffuse back into the mesophyll. We discuss these predictions in relation to further studies aimed at the clarification of loading mechanisms, fitness of active and passive symplastic loading, and potential targets for engineering improved rates of export.

Imbibition triggered by capillary condensation in nanopores

Abstract: We study the spatio-temporal dynamics of water uptake by capillary condensation from unsaturated vapor in mesoporous silicon layers (pore radius $r_\mathrm{p} \simeq 2$ nm), taking advantage of the local changes in optical reflectance as a function of water saturation. Our experiments elucidate two qualitatively different regimes as a function of the imposed external vapor pressure: for low saturations, equilibration occurs via a diffusion-like process; for high saturations, an imbibition-like wetting front results in fast equilibration towards a fully saturated sample. We show that the imbibition dynamics can be described by a modified Lucas-Washburn equation that takes into account the liquid stresses implied by Kelvin equation.

Stability Limit of Water by Metastable Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium with Nanoporous Silicon Membranes.

Abstract: Liquid can sustain mechanical tension as its pressure drops below the vapor–liquid coexistence line and becomes less than zero, until it reaches the stability limit—the pressure at which cavitation inevitably occurs. For liquid water, its stability limit is still a subject of debate: the results obtained by researchers using a variety of techniques show discrepancies between the values of the stability limit and its temperature dependence as temperature approaches 0 °C. In this work, we present a study of the stability limit of water by the metastable vapor–liquid equilibrium (MVLE) method with nanoporous silicon membranes. We also report on an experimental system which enables tests of the temperature dependence of the stability limit with MVLE. The stability limit we found increases monotonically (larger tension) as temperature approaches 0 °C; this trend contradicts the centrifugal result of Briggs but agrees with the experiments by acoustic cavitation. This result confirms that a quasi-static method c...