bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Simulation of borehole acoustic wavefields in fractured media by combining the spectral-element method and linear-slip model
Authors: Xu Jiaqi , Liu Qing Huo , Hu Hengshan , Zhong Yang 
Published: July 2021

We have used the spectral-element method (SEM) to simulate 3D acoustic wavefields in the fluid-filled borehole embedded in fractured media. The fractures are characterized by the linear-slip model (LSM), which is incorporated into the surface integral of the SEM weak form, avoiding meshing individual fractures, thus reducing the degrees of freedom of the fractures compared with meshing each fracture directly. For the fracture-free case, we validate SEM through the comparison with the real-axis integration method for monopole and dipole sources. For the case with a fracture, we compare the SEM-LSM solutions with the reference numerical solutions of a thin-layer model using the finite-difference method. Good agreement is achieved between the results from our method and the reference finite-difference solutions. We find that the acoustic wavefields excited by a dipole source are more sensitive to the fractures than those by a monopole source. To show the ability of the approach to handle complex problems, we simulate the cases with a tilted fracture and multiple fractures. Based on the simulated results, we investigate the influence of the fracture parameters (e.g., stiffness, tilt angle, azimuth, thickness, number, and spatial intervals of fractures) on the scattered wavefields. We find that the tilt angle has an obvious influence on the scattered waveforms and amplitudes. The results also demonstrate that the wavefields are quite sensitive to the number of fractures. The magnitudes of the horizontal components’ transmitted wavefields decrease linearly with the number of fractures. Through analyzing the synthetic data in the time and frequency domains, we discuss how to evaluate the properties of fractures intersected by a borehole.
Circulating Bile Acid Profiles: A Need for Further Examination
Authors: Qi Li , Tian Yu , Chen Yongsheng 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Context
Bile acids (BAs) are increasingly recognized as metabolic and chronobiologic integrators that synchronize the systemic metabolic response to nutrient availability. Alterations in the concentration and/or composition of circulating BAs are associated with a number of metabolic disorders, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), insulin resistance (IR), and metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). This review summarizes recent evidence that links abnormal circulating BA profiles to multiple metabolic disorders, and discusses the possible mechanisms underlying the connections to determine the role of BA profiling as a novel biomarker for these abnormalities.

Evidence Acquisition
The review is based on a collection of primary and review literature gathered from a PubMed search of BAs, T2DM, IR, and MAFLD, among other keywords.

Evidence Synthesis
Obese and IR subjects appear to have elevated fasting circulating BAs but lower postprandial increase when compared with controls. The possible underlying mechanisms are disruption in the synchronization between the feeding/fasting cycle and the properties of BA-regulated metabolic pathways. Whether BA alterations are associated per se with MAFLD remains inconclusive. However, increased fasting circulating BAs level was associated with higher risk of advanced fibrosis stage. Thus, for patients with MAFLD, dynamically monitoring the circulating BA profiles may be a promising tool for the stratification of MAFLD.

Conclusions
Alterations in the concentration, composition, and rhythm of circulating BAs are associated with adverse events in systemic metabolism. Subsequent investigations regarding these aspects of circulating BA kinetics may help predict future metabolic disorders and guide therapeutic interventions.
Association of HbA1c With All-cause Mortality Across Varying Degrees of Glycemic Variability in Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Lu Jingyi , Wang Chunfang , Cai Jinghao , Shen Yun , Chen Lei , Zhang Lei , Lu Wei , Zhu Wei , Hu Gang , Xia Tian , Zhou Jian 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Context
The interaction of glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and glycemic variability in relation to diabetes-related outcomes remains unknown.

Objective
To evaluate the relationship between HbA1c and all-cause mortality across varying degrees of glycemic variability in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Design, Setting, and Patients
This was a prospective study conducted in a single referral center. Data of 6090 hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes was analyzed. Glucose coefficient of variation [coefficient of variation (CV)] was obtained as the measure of glycemic variability by using continuous glucose monitoring for 3 days. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% CIs for all-cause mortality.

Results
During a median follow-up of 6.8 years, 815 patients died. In patients with the lowest and middle tertiles of glucose CV, HbA1c ≥ 8.0% was associated with 136% (95% CI 1.46-3.81) and 92% (95% CI 1.22-3.03) higher risks of all-cause mortality, respectively, as compared with HbA1c 6.0%-6.9%, after adjusting for confounders. However, a null association of HbA1c with mortality was found in patients with the highest tertile of glucose CV.

Conclusions
HbA1c may not be a robust marker of all-cause mortality in patients with high degree of glycemic variability. New metrics of glycemic control may be needed in these individuals to achieve better diabetes management.
Parental Rights and the Temporality of Attachment: Law, Kinship, and Child Welfare in Japan
Authors: Goldfarb Kathryn E. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThis article explores the legal norms and regulatory mechanisms in Japan that structure child welfare placement decisions, focusing specifically on the legal category of “parental rights.” It is suggested that the ways child welfare officers and caregivers understand the concept of “rights”—both those of the biological parent(s) and the child—construe kinship relationships as problems to be managed, but with a particular orientation toward what is called in the article the temporality of attachment. Child welfare caseworkers’ understandings of legal categories, processes, and forms of documentation (such as the Japanese family registry) produce particular forms of kinship that prioritize a child's possible future relationship with an absent parent, above and beyond the day-to-day relationships children might develop with alternative caregivers such as foster parents. Despite the fact that the author's Japanese interlocutors often described kinship as an immutable relationship of blood ties, the author shows how kinship is in fact produced through specific encounters between (mostly absent) parents and their children, child welfare caseworkers, and foster and institutional caregivers, scaffolded by their engagement with legal and bureaucratic regimes. The article explores what parenthood means within Japanese child welfare, both as a temporalized form of relationality and as a set of legally structured claims to the right to care.
Not Entirely Married: Resisting the Hegemonic Patrilineal Family in Japan's Household Registry
Authors: White Linda 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
The koseki 戸籍 (family or household registry) has long served as a material representation of the conceptual structure of Japanese family relations. Membership in a family has been stipulated and proved through registration in a koseki document defined through a shared surname and address. Evidence of family membership for purposes of legal transactions and social interactions has rested in the koseki document. However, during the past several decades some women have questioned the social pressure and legal requirement to change their names in marriage, choosing instead to maintain their surname by refusing to register their marriages to their “husbands.” Claiming themselves “married” but not legally registering their marriages, this growing group of name-change resisters defines their nonregistered marriages as jijitsukon 事実婚 (common-law or real marriage). Drawing on ethnographic research with women in jijitsukon marriages in Tokyo who refuse to share a koseki with their “husbands,” this article explores the implications of marital registration resistance in a marriage-centric society and the concurrent critique of the koseki system (the Koseki Law, koseki document, and the broader system of registration) and the legal marriage structure at the core of women's claims to be married when they do not meet Japan's legal criteria for marriage.
Lesbian and Gay Parents, Heterosexual Kinship, and Queer Dreams: Making Families in Twenty-First Century Taiwan
Authors: Brainer Amy 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
This article analyzes ways that legal and social understandings of kinship intersect for Taiwanese queer parents and prospective parents. Parents in this research experience varying degrees of legal and cultural intelligibility within the existing household registration system and the familial contexts in which they reside and carry out their daily lives. Many are rearing children in multigenerational, extended family households and are juggling a variety of gendered family roles and responsibilities that shape their parenting practices. Their experiences highlight the limits of rights discourses that treat marriage and parenthood as largely class- and gender-neutral institutions and presuppose a nuclear family model. Such uncritical approaches to marriage and parenthood leave the normative power of these systems intact even as they provisionally open to greater numbers of people. The article foregrounds pathways to parenthood and struggles for legal recognition among queers in a variety of family arrangements, including those that do not fit within the conventional representation of a cohabiting and marriage-desiring same-sex couple with children.
The MEMIC is an ex vivo system to model the complexity of the tumor microenvironment
Authors: Janská Libuše , Anandi Libi , Kirchberger Nell C. , Marinkovic Zoran S. , Schachtner Logan T. , Guzelsoy Gizem , Carmona-Fontaine Carlos 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACT
There is an urgent need for accurate, scalable and cost-efficient models of the tumor microenvironment. Here, we detail how to fabricate and use the metabolic microenvironment chamber (MEMIC) – a 3D-printed ex vivo model of intratumoral heterogeneity. A major driver of the cellular and molecular diversity in tumors is accessibility to the blood stream. Whereas perivascular tumor cells have direct access to oxygen and nutrients, cells further from the vasculature must survive under progressively more ischemic environments. The MEMIC simulates this differential access to nutrients, allow co-culturing any number of cell types, and it is optimized for live imaging and other microscopy-based analyses. Owing to a modular design and full experimental control, the MEMIC provides insights into the tumor microenvironment that would be difficult to obtain via other methods. As proof of principle, we show that cells sense gradual changes in metabolite concentration leading to predictable molecular and cellular spatial patterns. We propose the MEMIC as a complement to standard in vitro and in vivo experiments, diversifying the tools available to accurately model, perturb and monitor the tumor microenvironment.
LFA-1 and kindlin-3 enable the collaborative transport of SLP-76 microclusters by myosin and dynein motors
Authors: Eidell Keith P. , Lovy Alenka , Sylvain Nicholas R. , Scangarello Frank A. , Muendlein Hayley I. , Ophir Michael J. , Nguyen Ken , Seminario Maria-Cristina , Bunnell Stephen C. 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACT
Integrin engagement within the immune synapse enhances T cell activation, but our understanding of this process is incomplete. In response to T cell receptor (TCR) ligation, SLP-76 (LCP2), ADAP (FYB1) and SKAP55 (SKAP1) are recruited into microclusters and activate integrins via the effectors talin-1 and kindlin-3 (FERMT3). We postulated that integrins influence the centripetal transport and signaling of SLP-76 microclusters via these linkages. We show that contractile myosin filaments surround and are co-transported with SLP-76 microclusters, and that TCR ligand density governs the centripetal movement of both structures. Centripetal transport requires formin activity, actomyosin contraction, microtubule integrity and dynein motor function. Although immobilized VLA-4 (α4β1 integrin) and LFA-1 (αLβ2 integrin) ligands arrest the centripetal movement of SLP-76 microclusters and myosin filaments, VLA-4 acts distally, while LFA-1 acts in the lamellum. Integrin β2, kindlin-3 and zyxin are required for complete centripetal transport, while integrin β1 and talin-1 are not. CD69 upregulation is similarly dependent on integrin β2, kindlin-3 and zyxin, but not talin-1. These findings highlight the integration of cytoskeletal systems within the immune synapse and reveal extracellular ligand-independent roles for LFA-1 and kindlin-3.
This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Long-Term Patient Satisfaction and Quality of Life After Breast-Conserving Therapy: A Prospective Study Using the BREAST-Q
Authors: Stolpner Ilona , Heil Jörg , Riedel Fabian , Wallwiener Markus , Schäfgen Benedikt , Feißt Manuel , Golatta Michael , Hennigs André 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Poor patient-reported satisfaction after breast-conserving therapy (BCT) has been associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and subsequent depression in retrospective analysis. This prospective cohort study aimed to assess the HRQOL of patients who have undergone BCT using the BREAST-Q, and to identify clinical risk factors for lower patient satisfaction.

Methods
Patients with primary breast cancer undergoing BCT were asked to complete the BREAST-Q preoperatively (T1) for baseline evaluation, then 3 to 4 weeks postoperatively (T2), and finally 1 year after surgery (T3). Clinicopathologic data were extracted from the patients’ charts. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine significant differences in mean satisfaction and well-being levels among the test intervals. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate risk factors for lower satisfaction.

Results
The study enrolled 250 patients. The lowest baseline BREAST-Q score was reported for “satisfaction with breast” (mean, 61 ± 19), but this increased postoperatively (mean, 66 ± 18) and was maintained at the 1 year follow-up evaluation (mean, 67 ± 21). “Physical well-being” decreased from T1 (mean, 82 ± 17) to T2 (mean, 28 ± 13) and did not recover much by T3 (mean, 33 ± 13), being the lowest BREAST-Q score postoperatively and in the 1-year follow-up evaluation. In multiple regression, baseline psychosocial well-being, body mass index (BMI), and type of incision were risk factors for lower “satisfaction with breasts.”

Conclusion
Both the aesthetic/surgery-related and psychological aspects are equally important with regard to “satisfaction with breasts” after BCT. The data could serve as the benchmark for future studies.
Structurally Strained Cyclic Xanthene Dimers: A Model for the Rigid Crown Ether Moiety in the Reduced Graphene Oxide Framework
Authors: Kishimoto Keita , Oda Kasane , Nishida Jun-ichi , Kitamura Chitoshi , Kawase Takeshi 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Highly strained cyclic xanthene dimers, which serve as models for reduced graphene oxide (RGO), were synthesized by Ni(0) mediated homo-coupling reactions. The dimers are obtained as highly stable colorless solids. X-ray crystallographic analysis of a tetra-tert-butyl derivative demonstrates that it possesses a highly strained structure with an extremely short non-bonded O⋯O distance (2.5662(44) Å). The results of variable temperature NMR experiments show that no signal broadening occurs even at 398 K, indicating that conformational flipping requires considerably high energy.
Structure and Unique Functions of Anisotropic Hydrogels Comprising Uniaxially Aligned Lamellar Bilayers
Authors: Yue Youfeng , Gong Jian Ping 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
In this account, we provide an overview of unique anisotropic hydrogels comprising uniaxially aligned lamellar bilayers embedded in amorphous gel matrix. Owing to their unique structures, the lamellar gels exhibit many unique functions that cannot be obtained from conventional hydrogels featuring amorphous and isotropic structures. For example, the periodical multilayer structure having interlayer spacing of several hundreds of nanometers imparts beautiful structural colors to the gel that respond sensitively to mechanical and chemical stimuli, the water-impermeable nature of the bilayers imparts one-dimensional swelling and diffusion, and the hydrophobic association of the bilayers serves as sacrificial bonds to impart high mechanical strength and toughness during deformation. This work demonstrates the significant potential of hydrogel materials fabricated by introducing anisotropic ordered structures.
Interpreting estimates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine efficacy and effectiveness to inform simulation studies of vaccine impact: a systematic review
Authors: Imai Natsuko , Hogan Alexandra B. , Williams Lucy , Cori Anne , Mangal Tara D. , Winskill Peter , Whittles Lilith K. , Watson Oliver J. , Knock Edward S. , Baguelin Marc , Perez-Guzman Pablo N. , Gaythorpe Katy A.M. , Sonabend Raphael , Ghani Azra C. , Ferguson Neil M. 
Published: July 2021

Background: The multiple efficacious vaccines authorised for emergency use worldwide represent the first preventative intervention against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that does not rely on social distancing measures. The speed at which data are emerging and the heterogeneities in study design, target populations, and implementation make it challenging to interpret and assess the likely impact of vaccine campaigns on local epidemics. We reviewed available vaccine efficacy and effectiveness studies to generate working estimates that can be used to parameterise simulation studies of vaccine impact. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, the World Health Organization’s Institutional Repository for Information Sharing, medRxiv, and vaccine manufacturer websites for studies that evaluated the emerging data on COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and effectiveness. Studies providing an estimate of the efficacy or effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine using disaggregated data against SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptomatic disease, severe disease, death, or transmission were included. We extracted information on study population, variants of concern (VOC), vaccine platform, dose schedule, study endpoints, and measures of impact. We applied an evidence synthesis approach to capture a range of plausible and consistent parameters for vaccine efficacy and effectiveness that can be used to inform and explore a variety of vaccination strategies as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves. Results: Of the 602 articles and reports identified, 53 were included in the analysis. The availability of vaccine efficacy and effectiveness estimates varied by vaccine and were limited for VOCs. Estimates for non-primary endpoints such as effectiveness against infection and onward transmission were sparse. Synthesised estimates were relatively consistent for the same vaccine platform for wild-type, but was more variable for VOCs. Conclusions: Assessment of efficacy and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines is complex. Simulation studies must acknowledge and capture the uncertainty in vaccine effectiveness to robustly explore and inform vaccination policies and policy around the lifting of non-pharmaceutical interventions.
Vertebrates visiting natural waterholes in a tropical seasonal habitat in central México
Authors: López-Téllez Concepción , Pérez-Irineo Gabriela , Mandujano Salvador , Ramírez-Carmona Geovanny , Hernández-Gómez Carlos A. , Flores-Ramírez Diana E. 
Published: July 2021

La distribución espacial y temporal de la disponibilidad de agua impacta el comportamiento de las especies. Particularmente en hábitats áridos, los pozos de agua son fuentes de agua para muchas especies. Presentamos registros interesantes de vertebrados que visitaron pozos de agua naturales mediante cámaras-trampa durante la estación seca en un bosque tropical seco del centro de México. Durante la estación seca (diciembre de 2015, mayo de 2016 y abril-mayo de 2019), colocamos siete cámaras-trampa durante 135 días en siete pozos de agua. Este método utilizado fue parte de las actividades de monitoreo y conservación, implementadas dentro de una amplia unidad de manejo de vida silvestre en el centro de México. Registramos 20 especies de vertebrados visitando los pozos de agua: 15 mamíferos, cuatro aves, y un reptil. La co-ocurrencia entre especies sin interacciones negativas, y algunos registros de conducta incluyeron: eventos de juego, acicalamiento y frotamiento contra piedras; se observó a algunas especies esperando su turno para beber. Pudimos identificar al menos cuatro individuos de Mephitis macroura. Nuestro estudio también enfatiza un aspecto básico, pero quizás subestimado en los últimos años producto del uso de cámaras-trampa: la observación cualitativa de animales a través de fotografías. Estas observaciones pueden revelar aspectos básicos e interesantes de la historia natural de las especies que permiten mejorar el conocimiento sobre la coexistencia en un mismo lugar.
Three-dimensional polymer mode (de)multiplexer with cascaded tapered couplers for on-board optical interconnects
Authors: Shang Yuling , Guo Wenjie , He Xiang , Zhou Jinzhuo , Yan Yaya , Liu Zhengwei , Li Chunquan 
Published: July 2021

A three-dimensional polymer mode (de)multiplexer based on mode evolution is proposed. The proposed configuration is mainly composed of cascaded two tapered couplers where waveguides with different heights are inversely tapered to achieve mode conversions of the

E

11

,

E

21

, and

E

31

modes. The dimensional parameters and characteristics are analyzed by the beam propagation method. This mode (de)multiplexer exhibits the coupling ratio greater than 0.97, excess loss lower than 0.15 dB and extinction ratio higher than 20 dB for TE and TM polarizations over the wavelength range

1530

∼

1625

n
m

(the

C

+

L

band). This design has weak wavelength dependence and polarization dependence, which is promising to be applied to broadband on-board mode multiplexing.
High-performance terahertz refractive index sensor based on a hybrid graphene Tamm structure
Authors: Hu Jinlei , Li Menghan , Wang Zexiang , Hu Zhengda , Wang Jicheng , Khakhomov Sergei , Semchenko Igor 
Published: July 2021

In recent years, the research on tunable and high-performance terahertz devices has attracted widespread attention. In this paper, we propose a novel refractive index sensor consisting of monolayer graphene and multilayer photonic crystal with a defect layer. It is found that Tamm plasmon polaritons can be excited at the top graphene interface, which can strongly interact with the defect mode in this coupled structure. The results of numerical simulation demonstrate that the coupling can be either tuned by adjusting the geometric parameters or actively controlled by the chemical potential in graphene as well as the incident angle of light, allowing for tunable dual-band perfect absorption with strong interaction. Moreover, the resonance frequency of the defect mode is sensitive to the changes of the ambient refractive index. The sensitivity and figure of merit of this device as a sensor can reach 1.01 THz per refractive index unit (THz/RIU) and

631.2

R
I
U

−
1

, respectively. In addition to high performance, the sensor does not require phase- or polarization-matching devices, paving the way for the research of optical devices.