The title compound, C27H26.82BBr2.18N(+)·Br3 (-), is a cationic tri-aryl-borane isolated as its tribromide salt. The aryl substituents include a protonated 8-quinolyl group and two 3-bromo-mesityl ...groups. The mol-ecule was prepared on combination of 3:1 Br2 and dimesit-yl(quinolin-8-yl)borane in hexa-nes. The refinement of the structure indicated a degree of 'over-bromination' (beyond two bromine atoms) for the cation. There are two tribromide ions in the asymmetric unit, both completed by crystallographic inversion symmetry.
A wide range of techniques have been developed to separate X or Y- chromosome-bearing sperm. In particular, bovine semen sex-sorted by using flow cytometry based on differences in the amount of DNA ...between X and Y chromosome bearing sperm is used in dairy farms. The first piglets were produced using sex-sorted sperm 30 years ago. However, sexed sperm have not been commercially available in pigs because the flow cytometry technique is not capable of sorting the high number of sperm required for porcine artificial insemination (AI), and the prolonged exposure to an electrical filed might damage to the DNA in sperm. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a boar sperm sorting method based on magnetic nanoparticles. A flow cytometer assay verified the efficacy of the magnetic nanoparticles (> 90% of sex-sorted sperm). In addition, a duplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using sex chromosome specific genes including SRY (sex-determining region Y; male), ZFY (zinc finger protein Y-linked; male), and ZFX (zinc finger protein X-linked; female) showed that in vitro fertilized porcine embryos by X and Y-chromosome bearing sperm were 100% female (40/40) and 72% female (35/48), respectively, at 8-cell or morula stages, suggesting that the sex-sorted sperm were fertile. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the sex-sorted method based on magnetic nanoparticles can be utilized for porcine sex-sorted AI.
A novel three dimensional blood brain barrier (BBB) platform was developed by independently supplying different types of media to separate cell types within a single device. One channel (vascular ...channel, VC) is connected to the inner lumen of the vascular network while the other supplies media to the neural cells (neural channel, NC). Compared to co-cultures supplied with only one type of medium (or 1:1 mixture), best barrier properties and viability were obtained with culturing HUVECs with endothelial growth medium (EGM) and neural cells with neurobasal medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum (NBMFBS) independently. The measured vascular network permeability were comparable to reported in vivo values (20 kDa FITC-dextran, 0.45 ± 0.11 × 10
cm/s; 70 kDa FITC-dextran, 0.36 ± 0.05 × 10
cm/s) and a higher degree of neurovascular interfacing (astrocytic contact with the vascular network, GFAP-CD31 stain overlap) and presence of synapses (stained with synaptophysin). The BBB platform can dependably imitate the perivascular network morphology and synaptic structures characteristic of the NVU. This microfluidic BBB model can find applications in screening pharmaceuticals that target the brain for in neurodegenerative diseases.
The “Tumor microenvironment” (TME) is a complex, interacting system of the tumor and its surrounding environment. The TME has drawn more attention recently in attempts to overcome current drug ...resistance and the recurrence of cancer by understanding the cancer and its microenvironment systematically, beyond past reductionist approaches. However, a lack of experimental tools to dissect the intricate interactions has hampered in‐depth research into the TME. Here, a biomimetic TME model using a microfluidic platform is presented, which enables the interaction between TME constituents to be studied in a comprehensive manner. Paracrine interactions of cocultured tumor cell lines (SK‐OV‐3, MKN‐74, and SW620) with primary fibroblasts show marked morphological changes in the tumor cells, depending on the type of tumor cells, and, importantly, the composition of the extracellular matrix. Furthermore, this model allows direct observation of angiogenesis induced by the tumor–stroma interaction. Finally, reconstituting simultaneous angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis induced by the tumor‐stromal interaction with TME mimicking extrinsic factors is enabled. It is believed that the in vitro biomimetic model and the experimental concepts described will help to shed light on the complex biology of the TME.
A biomimetic tumor microenvironment model that mimics simultaneous angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis toward tumor mass is created in microfluidic platform. Tumor–stromal mixture induces natural morphogenesis of endothelial cells to migrate through 3D fibrin matrix and interacts directly with the tumor cells. This model can potentially be used not only in drug evaluation but also in studying complex tumor microenvironment systematically.
•Satellite-based DO model based on multiple regression analysis.•Strong correlation between water temperature and dissolved oxygen was found.•Spatio-temporal structures of coastal surface DO in high ...resolution.•DO change between 2003 and 2012 possibly due to dike construction.•Potential capability of satellite remote sensing in estimating in situ DO.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) is one of the critical parameters representing water quality in coastal environments. However, it is labor- and cost-intensive to maintain monitoring systems of DO since in situ measurements of DO are needed in high spatial and temporal resolution to establish proper management plans of coastal regions. In this study, we applied statistical analyses between long-term monitoring datasets and satellite remote sensing datasets in the eastern coastal region of the Yellow Sea. Pearson correlation analysis of long-term water quality monitoring datasets shows that water temperature and DO are highly correlated. Stepwise multiple regression analysis among DO and satellite-derived environmental variables shows that the in situ DO can be estimated by the combination of the present sea surface temperature (SST), the chlorophyll-a, and the SST in the month prior. The high skill score of our proposed model to derive DO is validated by two error measures, the Absolute Relative Error, 1-ARE (89.2%), and Index of Agreement, IOA (78.6%). By applying the developed model to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) products, spatial and temporal changes in satellite-derived DO can be observed in Saemangeum offshore in the Yellow Sea. The analysis results show that there is a significant decrease in estimated DO between summer of 2003 versus 2012 indicating summer coastal deoxygenation due probably to the Saemangeum reclamation. This study shows the potential capability of satellite remote sensing in monitoring in situ DO in both high temporal and spatial resolution, which will be beneficial for effective and efficient management of coastal environments.
Currently, it is a norm to design a semiconductor fab using building information models (BIMs), which refer to a digital representation of a building's physical and functional characteristics. The ...comprehensive data provided by BIMs include 3D geometric models. This paper presents a 3D model-based camera tracking method, which is targeted at navigating a fab's wide indoor environment. The key observation made in designing the method is that there are a number of fixed objects in such an indoor environment. The columns are the representative among them. Our method extracts the columns from the input image and matches them to their BIMs to estimate the camera pose. The estimation accuracy is significantly increased by adopting an instance segmentation network. It is trained with a dataset, which is extracted from the target indoor environment and processed by our own data engine. The test results show that our tracking method is drift-free, accurate and robust. We envision that it can be used in many applications such as AR-based visual inspection.
In this research, a new drought monitoring approach with an adaptive index—Vector Projection Analysis (VPA) and Vector Projection Index of Drought (VPID)— was developed that considers multiple ...drought indicators in various climate zones across the Contiguous United States (CONUS) and East Asia. A major advantage of VPA is that it uses multiple dependent variables (i.e., surface-based drought indices) and multiple independent variables (i.e., satellite-derived drought factors) to capture varied climate and environmental characteristics. Therefore, the VPA-based indices can be adopted for different drought types (i.e., meteorological, agricultural and hydrological droughts) depending on the user's selection of drought factors and indices. In VPA, the weights of each drought factor are generated through correlations (r) between each dependent variable and a satellite-derived drought factor that is obtained from the new generation sensor systems, Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and Global Precipitation Mission (GPM). Three schemes of VPID with different combinations of variables focused on integrated-, short-, and long-term drought (VPIDinte, VPIDshort, and VPIDlong, respectively) were evaluated over the CONUS and East Asia. All three schemes showed good agreement with surface-based drought indices resulting in averaged r (from 0.42 to 0.68) across both study areas. While VPIDshort or VPIDlong were more correlated with short (1–3 months) or long (9–12 months) term surface-based drought indices, VPIDinte provided a more generalized (i.e., integrated from 1 to 12 months) index that is suitable for varied drought conditions. The spatial distributions of drought from VPIDs agreed with United States Drought Monitor (USDM) data and Emergency Events Database across East Asia for both extreme drought and normal conditions. In particular, the drought areas of VPIDinte corresponded with the USDM results with r = 0.83 and root mean square error = 9.4%. Crop yield trends were also consistent with the VPIDs results in most years for both study areas. The proposed approach, VPA and VPID, can be adopted for any region with different combinations of surface-based drought indices and satellite-derived drought factors.
•A new drought monitoring approach (VPA) and indices (VPIDs) were proposed.•Ground-based drought indices and satellite-derived drought factors were integrated.•The proposed VPA and VPIDs were evaluated over the CONUS and East Asia.•VPA can capture the general trends of complex drought conditions over wide areas.•VPIDs agreed well with reference data by drought type at multiple time scales.
While the overall level of food insecurity in the United States has remained stable during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain individuals and regions have fared worse than others. This study examines ...state-level variables affecting individual- and household-level food insecurity during the recent two years of the pandemic beginning in 2020 by utilizing the Household Pulse Survey, a new nationally representative dataset developed by the United States Census Bureau. The results of this study suggest a set of statewide factors, such as pandemic-driven market conditions, COVID-19 prevalence, and the implementation of federal programs, are associated with the level of food insecurity that individuals have experienced during the pandemic over the past two years. The associations varied by household income levels, indicating a strong relationship between higher-income households and market conditions, as well as the importance of federal programs and state policies in alleviating food insecurity among lower-income households. The food insecurity indices also overlapped with different socioeconomic and health hardships caused by the pandemic, such as employment income loss, housing instability, and mental health problems. The findings of this study highlight state-level contexts, particularly the role of state governments, in responding to pandemic-related food insecurity.
•Food insecurity in the U.S has primarily remained unchanged during the COVID-19 pandemic•Higher-income households had stronger connections with food market conditions than lower-income households•Food assistance programs played an important role in alleviating food insecurity among lower-income households•Food insecurity substantially overlapped with other socioeconomic and health hardships•Statewide context plays a pivotal role in explaining the prevalence of food insecurity during the pandemic
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