bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Follow-up of Newborns, Infants, and Children with Sepsis
Authors: Dahlem P. , Biggar P.
Published: July 2017

Mortality in newborn infants and children with sepsis is high with survival rates of generally more than 50% in recent studies. Longitudinal follow-up studies have the potential to reveal short-term and lifelong physical, mental, and psychological sequelae. Although no comprehensive follow-up research has yet been performed, a small number of follow-up studies have shown that there is a considerable impact on the patients' lives and their families after hospital discharge. Health-related quality of life also seems to be affected; however, it does not correlate with severity of sepsis or handicap per se. Prematurely born infants, who can develop sequelae directly attributable to prematurity and its consequences, suffer differently from sepsis-related lifelong sequelae compared with older children. Fortunately, time may heal some wounds due to the effect of growth in children. In future, large centers should establish structural follow-up programs for clinical and research purposes to learn more about the needs of affected children and their families.
Prenatal Maternal Hyperoxygenation Testing and Implications for Critical Care Delivery Planning among Fetuses with Congenital Heart Disease: Early Experience
Authors: Donofrio Mary , Schidlow David
Published: July 2017

Background Maternal hyperoxygenation (MH) during fetal ultrasound can characterize fetal pulmonary vasoreactivity (PVr) and its associations with postnatal physiology.

Objective We explored MH testing to facilitate perinatal risk stratification for fetuses with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Methods MH was performed in 12 fetuses: 2 with Ebstein anomaly, 2 with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC), 4 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with (a) restrictive atrial septum (RAS) or (b) intact atrial septum (IAS) with decompressing vertical vein (VV), and 4 with D-loop transposition of the great arteries (TGA). PVr and physiologic and anatomic changes with MH and outcomes were recorded.

Results Among Ebstein fetuses, pulmonary blood flow with MH mirrored postnatal findings. Among TAPVC fetuses, MH VV gradients correlated with postnatal gradients. One HLHS/IAS/VV fetus had no PVr and decreased pulmonary vein forward to reverse velocity time integral ratio with MH. Shortly after delivery, the infant experienced severe low cardiac output and required urgent atrial septoplasty. The remaining HLHS fetuses had PVr and underwent routine Stage 1 Norwood. Among TGA fetuses, septum primum position, foramen ovale flow, and the presence or absence of PVr with MH reflected postnatal findings.

Conclusion MH may help identify fetuses with CHD at risk for perinatal compromise. Additional study may yield insights into fetal PVr and elucidate predictors of perinatal outcomes.
Practice Guidelines in Neurorehabilitation
Authors: Platz Thomas
Published: July 2017

Practice guidelines are scientifically based practice recommendations. They can be consensus-based and provided by a single medical society (S1 guideline) or developed by a group of national medical societies with a structured consensus process (S2k guideline). S2k guidelines are a good opportunity to develop valid practice guidelines with a broad supporting base when health topics are either complex or when clinical evidence is limited. Evidence-based guidelines rest on a systematic search and critical appraisal of the available evidence and represent the highest quality level for guidelines; they can be developed by single medical societies (S2e guideline) or jointly by several national medical societies (S3 guideline). They reflect the state of the art and generate a high degree of confidence that their recommendations support optimal treatment. The German neurorehabilitation society (DGNR) provides evidence-based guidelines for motor rehabilitation after stroke (arm, mobility, spasticity).
Erwerbsstatus nach einer Bandscheibenoperation: Was bewirkt eine Anschlussrehabilitation?
Authors: Dannenmaier Julia , Ritter Sabrina , Jankowiak Silke , Kaluscha Rainer , Krischak Gert
Published: July 2017

Ziel Ziel der Studie ist der Vergleich der Behandlungsergebnisse von Bandscheibenoperierten, die eine Anschlussrehabilitation (AR) direkt im Anschluss an den Akutaufenthalt bzw. nach einer häuslichen Übergangszeit in Anspruch nahmen, mit Patienten, die keine AR durchführten.

Methode Die Grundlage der Analysen bildeten Routinedaten der AOK Baden-Württemberg sowie der Deutschen Rentenversicherungen Bund und Baden-Württemberg aus den Jahren 2004 bis 2011. Dabei werden die Behandlungsergebnisse nach einer Bandscheibenoperation anhand der quartalsweisen Arbeitsunfähigkeitsdauer (AU-Dauer) und dem Erwerbsstatus sowie Frühberentungen im Folgejahr des Eingriffs operationalisiert. Weiterhin wird die Inanspruchnahme von Leistungen zur Teilhabe am Arbeitsleben im Folgejahr der OP zwischen den Behandlungspfaden verglichen. Für die Vergleiche werden verallgemeinerte lineare Modelle (GLM) verwendet.

Ergebnisse Rehabilitanden waren im ersten Quartal nach der Operation länger arbeitsunfähig (inklusive Dauer der AR) als Nicht-Rehabilitanden, die AU-Dauer nahm jedoch in den Folgequartalen stärker ab. Rehabilitanden waren in den Folgequartalen der OP signifikant seltener arbeitslos. Des Weiteren wurden Leistungen zur Teilhabe am Arbeitsleben (LTA) häufiger von Rehabilitanden in Anspruch genommen. Direktverlegte Rehabilitanden wiesen ein höheres Frühberentungsrisiko auf.

Schlussfolgerung Rehabilitanden wiesen im Folgejahr der Bandscheibenoperation tendenziell bessere Behandlungsergebnisse auf.
Microstrip superconducting quantum interference device amplifier: Operation in higher-order modes
Authors: Mück Michael , Schmidt Bernd , Clarke John
Published: July 2017

DC Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) are widely used to amplify low-level, radio frequency (rf) electrical signals. SQUID amplifiers offer low noise, high gain, and low power dissipation. One method of implementing a SQUID rf amplifier for frequencies from a few hundred megahertz to several gigahertz is to operate the integrated input coil on top of the SQUID washer as a microstrip resonator. This is achieved by applying the input signal between one end of the coil and the SQUID washer, which acts as a groundplane; the other end of the coil is left open. Substantial levels of gain can be achieved from the microstrip SQUID amplifier for a signal frequency at the fundamental resonant frequency of the microstrip, at which the length of the microstrip is equal to one-half wavelength, λ/2. Since the length of the microstrip has to be made shorter for higher frequencies, however, the mutual inductance between a SQUID with a given geometry and the microstrip—and thus the gain—decreases with increasing frequency. We show that a significantly enhanced gain can be achieved by operating the microstrip resonator in higher-order modes, for example, with a microstrip length of 3λ/2 or 5λ/2, provided the winding sense of the microstrip for each consecutive λ/2 section is reversed. For a 4λ/2 resonator, we demonstrate a gain of 24 dB at 2.6 GHz, an increase in gain of about 10 dB compared to a λ/2 resonator on a SQUID of the same geometry and characteristics.
The second bosonization of the CKP hierarchy
Authors: Anguelova Iana I.
Published: July 2017

In this paper we discuss the second bosonization of the Hirota bilinear equation for the CKP hierarchy introduced in the work of Date et al. [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 50(11), 3813–3818 (1981)]. We show that there is a second, untwisted, Heisenberg action on the Fock space, in addition to the twisted Heisenberg action suggested by Date et al. [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 50(11), 3813–3818 (1981)] and studied in the work of van de Leur et al. [SIGMA 8, 28 (2012)]. We derive the decomposition of the Fock space into irreducible Heisenberg modules under this action. We show that the vector space spanned by the highest weight vectors of the irreducible Heisenberg modules has a structure of a super vertex algebra, specifically the symplectic fermion vertex algebra. We complete the second bosonization of the CKP Hirota equation by expressing the generating field via exponentiated boson vertex operators acting on a polynomial algebra with two infinite sets of variables.
Experimental demonstration of a compact epithermal neutron source based on a high power laser
Authors: Mirfayzi S. R. , Alejo A. , Ahmed H. , Raspino D. , Ansell S. , Wilson L. A. , Armstrong C. , Butler N. M. H. , Clarke R. J. , Higginson A. , Kelleher J. , Murphy C. D. , Notley M. , Rusby D. R. , Schooneveld E. , Borghesi M. , McKenna P. , Rhodes N. J. , Neely D. , Brenner C. M. , Kar S.
Published: July 2017

Epithermal neutrons from pulsed-spallation sources have revolutionised neutron science allowing scientists to acquire new insight into the structure and properties of matter. Here, we demonstrate that laser driven fast (∼MeV) neutrons can be efficiently moderated to epithermal energies with intrinsically short burst durations. In a proof-of-principle experiment using a 100 TW laser, a significant epithermal neutron flux of the order of 105 n/sr/pulse in the energy range of 0.5–300 eV was measured, produced by a compact moderator deployed downstream of the laser-driven fast neutron source. The moderator used in the campaign was specifically designed, by the help of MCNPX simulations, for an efficient and directional moderation of the fast neutron spectrum produced by a laser driven source.
Synthesis and superconductivity of In-doped SnTe nanostructures
Authors: Kumaravadivel Piranavan , Pan Grace A. , Zhou Yu , Xie Yujun , Liu Pengzi , Cha Judy J.
Published: July 2017

InxSn1−xTe is a time-reversal invariant candidate 3D topological superconductor derived from doping the topological crystalline insulator SnTe with indium. The ability to synthesize low-dimensional nanostructures of indium-doped SnTe is key for realizing the promise they hold in future spintronic and quantum information processing applications. But hitherto only bulk synthesized crystals and nanoplates have been used to study the superconducting properties. Here for the first time we synthesize InxSn1−xTe nanostructures including nanowires and nanoribbons, which show superconducting transitions. In some of the lower dimensional morphologies, we observe signs of more than one superconducting transition and the absence of complete superconductivity. We propose that material inhomogeneity, such as indium inhomogeneity and possible impurities from the metal catalyst, is amplified in the transport characteristics of the smaller nanostructures and is responsible for this mixed behavior. Our work represents the first demonstration of InxSn1−xTe nanowires with the onset of superconductivity, and points to the need for improving the material quality for future applications.
Generalized model for the diffusion of solvents in glassy polymers: From Fickian to Super Case II
Authors: Miao Jiayuan , Tsige Mesfin , Taylor Philip L.
Published: July 2017

The diffusion of small solvent molecules in glassy polymers may take on a variety of different forms. Fickian, anomalous, Case II and Super Case II diffusion have all been observed, and theoretical models exist that describe each specific type of behavior. Here we present a single generalized kinetic model capable of yielding all these different types of diffusion on the basis of just two parameters. The principal determinant of the type of diffusion is observed to be a dimensionless parameter, γ, that describes the influence of solvent-induced swelling in lowering the potential barriers separating available solvent sites. A second parameter, η, which characterizes the effect of the solvent in reducing the potential energy of a solvent molecule when at rest at an available site, only influences the type of diffusion to a lesser extent. The theoretical analysis does not include any effects that are explicitly non-local in time, an example of which is the inclusion of polymer viscosity in the Thomas-Windle model; it thus represents a variant of Fick’s second law utilizing a concentration-dependent diffusivity when η is small. To check the significance of time-delayed swelling, a simulation of a modified model was performed that contained a history-dependent term. The results were found to be very similar to those in the time-local model.
Flow characteristics and scaling past highly porous wall-mounted fences
Authors: Rodríguez-López Eduardo , Bruce Paul J. K. , Buxton Oliver R. H.
Published: July 2017

An extensive characterization of the flow past wall-mounted highly porous fences based on single- and multi-scale geometries has been performed using hot-wire anemometry in a low-speed wind tunnel. Whilst drag properties (estimated from the time-averaged momentum equation) seem to be mostly dependent on the grids’ blockage ratio; wakes of different size and orientation bars seem to generate distinct behaviours regarding turbulence properties. Far from the near-grid region, the flow is dominated by the presence of two well-differentiated layers: one close to the wall dominated by the near-wall behaviour and another one corresponding to the grid’s wake and shear layer, originating from between this and the freestream. It is proposed that the effective thickness of the wall layer can be inferred from the wall-normal profile of root-mean-square streamwise velocity or, alternatively, from the wall-normal profile of streamwise velocity correlation. Using these definitions of wall-layer thickness enables us to collapse different trends of the turbulence behaviour inside this layer. In particular, the root-mean-square level of the wall shear stress fluctuations, longitudinal integral length scale, and spanwise turbulent structure is shown to display a satisfactory scaling with this thickness rather than with the whole thickness of the grid’s wake. Moreover, it is shown that certain grids destroy the spanwise arrangement of large turbulence structures in the logarithmic region, which are then re-formed after a particular streamwise extent. It is finally shown that for fences subject to a boundary layer of thickness comparable to their height, the effective thickness of the wall layer scales with the incoming boundary layer thickness. Analogously, it is hypothesized that the growth rate of the internal layer is also partly dependent on the incoming boundary layer thickness.
On the effect of discreteness in the modulation instability for the Salerno model
Authors: Ndzana Fabien II , Mohamadou Alidou
Published: July 2017

A Salerno model with first-and second-neighbor couplings is derived for the nonlinear transmission lines. We revisit the problem of modulation instability in the Salerno model. We derive the expression for the modulation instability gain and use them to explore the role of discreteness. We show that discreteness has an impact on the mechanism by which wave trains of soliton type can be generated in the Salerno model. We also show that second-neighbor couplings have an effect on the signal voltage.
Efficient steady-state solver for hierarchical quantum master equations
Authors: Zhang Hou-Dao , Qiao Qin , Xu Rui-Xue , Zheng Xiao , Yan YiJing
Published: July 2017

Steady states play pivotal roles in many equilibrium and non-equilibrium open system studies. Their accurate evaluations call for exact theories with rigorous treatment of system-bath interactions. Therein, the hierarchical equations-of-motion (HEOM) formalism is a nonperturbative and non-Markovian quantum dissipation theory, which can faithfully describe the dissipative dynamics and nonlinear response of open systems. Nevertheless, solving the steady states of open quantum systems via HEOM is often a challenging task, due to the vast number of dynamical quantities involved. In this work, we propose a self-consistent iteration approach that quickly solves the HEOM steady states. We demonstrate its high efficiency with accurate and fast evaluations of low-temperature thermal equilibrium of a model Fenna–Matthews–Olson pigment-protein complex. Numerically exact evaluation of thermal equilibrium Rényi entropies and stationary emission line shapes is presented with detailed discussion.
Higher-order modes boost amplification capabilities of quantum detectors
Authors: Kim Meeri
Published: July 2017

Inventors of the microstrip SQUID amplifier implement a modification to the device that allows for greater gain at higher signal frequencies.
Monte Carlo method for studies of spin relaxation in degenerate electron gas: Application to monolayer graphene
Authors: Borowik Piotr , Thobel Jean-Luc , Adamowicz Leszek
Published: July 2017

Monte Carlo method allowing to account for the effect of Pauli Exclusion Principle in the case of spin polarized electron gas is demonstrated. Modeling requires calculation of electron states occupancy accounting for the direction of the spin of the scattered electron. As an example of application, calculations for the case of spin and energy relaxation of initially polarized electrons in monolayer graphene have been performed. Model includes D'yakonov-Perel' and Elliot-Yafet relaxation mechanisms. It is demonstrated that electron distribution function and energy relaxation follow the spin polarization relaxation and they are mainly governed by spin related scattering processes.
Harmonicity and anharmonicity of phonon and surface phonon-polariton in high symmetry directions in wurtzite AlN
Authors: Karakachian H. , Kazan M.
Published: July 2017

We report on the potential of self-nucleated AlN single crystals as tunable near-field infrared sources. A self-nucleated AlN crystal was grown with appropriate care to ensure minimal contact with crucible walls or other crystals. The grown crystal exhibits natural AlN growth characteristics with several well-developed facets of different orientations. The characteristics of surface-phonon-polariton (SPhP) modes on the developed crystal facets have been investigated. Reflectivity spectra were recorded from five facets of different orientations. The measured spectra were analyzed by a model taking into account the dependence of harmonicity and anharmonicity of the excited zone center optical phonons on the surface orientation. Consequently, the dielectric properties that determine the condition of existence, dispersion relations, and lifetimes of the SPhP modes were accurately retrieved. The dielectric functions were determined as a function of the angle of incidence and used to compute the characteristics of the SPhP modes on each of the measured facets. We found that facets of different orientations exhibit SPhP modes of different frequencies and lifetimes, which makes the investigated self-nucleated crystal potential candidates for tunable near-field infrared sources.
Nanosecond polarization modulation in vanadium dioxide thin films
Authors: Son T. V. , Truong V. V. , Bisson J.-F. , Haché A.
Published: July 2017

The polarization state of light beams reflecting off thin layers of vanadium dioxide is measured as the material undergoes an insulator-metal phase transition by optical excitation. Under certain conditions, films as thin as 50 nm are shown to rotate linear polarization by 90° in reflection on the nanosecond and potentially shorter timescales. Possible applications for high-contrast optical modulation over a wide spectral range and high bandwidths are discussed.
Elastic metamaterial-based seismic shield for both Lamb and surface waves
Authors: Du Qiujiao , Zeng Yi , Huang Guoliang , Yang Hongwu
Published: July 2017

Controlling the propagation of seismic waves to protect critical infrastructure via metamaterial is of new topical interest. This approach can be implemented by remote shielding of incoming waves rather than with vibration isolating structures. In this paper, a two-dimensional elastic metamaterial with periodically square concrete-filled steel piles embedded in soil is proposed to achieve a seismic shield for guided Lamb waves and surface waves. Its properties are numerically investigated using the finite element method. For Lamb waves, we first identify complete bandgaps appearing in a periodic composite with cylindrical piles. By comparison, it is found that if the shape of the pile is replaced with the square shape, the bandgaps become wider and shift to the lower frequencies, which is more suitable for practical applications. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that a complete low frequency bandgap also exists for surface waves. The vibration modes for both types of waves at the bandgap edges are computed and analyzed to clarify the mechanism of the bandgap generation. The study focuses on realistic structures that can be effective in the frequency ranges for seismic waves. Although we have focused on the geophysical setting, elastic waves are also very important in applications involving acoustic wave devices.
SIK3–HDAC4 signaling regulates
Drosophila
circadian male sex drive rhythm via modulating the DN1 clock neurons
Authors: Fujii Shinsuke , Emery Patrick , Amrein Hubert
Published: July 2017

Significance

Physiology and behavior are subject to daily cycles. In
Drosophila melanogaster
, two clusters of clock neurons—morning (M cells) and evening (E cells) oscillators—are largely responsible for activity bursts at dawn and dusk. In contrast, male–female pairs of flies follow a distinct pattern: low activity at dusk, followed by male courtship activity during the night, referred to as “male sex drive rhythm” (MSDR). Here we report that males lacking Salt-inducible kinase 3 (SIK3) expression in M cells exhibit a short period of MSDR but a long period of single-fly locomotor rhythm (SLR) because circadian nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of Histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) is disrupted. We conclude that SIK3–HDAC4 signaling in M cells regulates MSDR by regulating the molecular oscillation in DN1 neurons.
On the question of fractal packing structure in metallic glasses
Authors: Ding Jun , Asta Mark , Ritchie Robert O.
Published: July 2017

Significance

Our work clearly demonstrates a lack of fractal structure in metallic glasses, considering the packing of all atoms or solute-centered clusters. This finding clarifies the long-standing debate over the packing structure of metallic glasses from the perspective of fractal models; it is thus of significance for the community of researchers working with amorphous solids. Moreover, our percolation analysis of metallic glasses, revealing their cluster structure and percolation threshold, provides an important and powerful theoretical framework to describe the properties of amorphous alloys, such as the glass transition and mechanical deformation.
Spatial gene drives and pushed genetic waves
Authors: Tanaka Hidenori , Stone Howard A. , Nelson David R.
Published: July 2017

Significance

Gene constructs introduced into natural environments have been proposed to solve various ecological problems. The CRISPR-Cas9 technology greatly facilitates construction of gene drives that allow desired traits to rapidly replace wild types, even if these convey a selective growth rate disadvantage
s
> 0. However, accidental release of a gene drive could damage ecosystems irreversibly. We have modeled the spatial spread of gene drives and find a preferred range of selective disadvantages, 0.5 <
s
< 0.697. In this regime, gene drives spread but only when a nucleus exceeds a critical size and intensity. By making gene drives uniquely susceptible to a compound, their advance can be stopped in two dimensions by finite-width barriers, even when interrupted by gaps.
Right-wing populism in Europe & USA
Authors: Wodak Ruth , Krzyżanowski Michał
Published: July 2017

In recent years and months, new information about the rise of right-wing populist parties (RWPs) in Europe and the USA has dominated the news and caused an election scare among mainstream institutions and politicians. The unpredictable successes of populists (e.g. Donald Trump in the USA in 2016) have by now transformed anxieties into legitimate apprehension and fear. This Special Issue addresses the recent sudden upsurge of right-wing populism. It responds to many recent challenges and a variety of 'discursive shifts' and wider dynamics of media and public discourses that have taken place as a result of the upswing of right-wing populism (RWP) across Europe and beyond. We examine not only the nature or the state-of-the-art of contemporary RWP but also point to its ontology within and beyond the field of politics and argue that the rise and success of RWP is certainly not a recent or a momentary phenomenon.
Discourse markers as guides to understanding spontaneous humor and irony
Authors: Shilikhina Ksenia
Published: July 2017

The paper addresses the issue of categorizing and interpreting utterances as either serious or non-serious in spontaneous discourse. The research is based on real-life dialogues and samples of computer-mediated interactions in which discourse participants need to discuss the mode of communication due to unexpected insincerity, use of jokes, humorous or ironic remarks in otherwise earnest and sincere interactions. In this context, the aim of the paper is twofold: firstly, it shows how the mode of communication can be negotiated with the help of discourse markers and, secondly, it demonstrates multiple functions of these markers in dialogue. By explicating the speaker’s intention, these phrases guide the process of understanding and indicate how the meaning of the utterance can be integrated in discourse. Discourse markers can also function as signals of social meaning, for example, as signals of implicit conflict or competition.
Critical assessment 29: TRIP-aided bainitic ferrite steels
Authors: Sugimoto Koh-ichi , Hojo Tomohiko , Kobayashi Junya
Published: July 2017

Transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP)-aided bainitic ferrite steels developed for automotive applications have attractive mechanical properties such as ductility, formability, toughness, fatigue strength and delayed fracture strength. These mechanical properties are principally associated with a ductile lath-structure matrix and the strain-induced transformation of the metastable-retained austenite films of 3–20 vol.%. In this paper, data on the microstructural and mechanical properties of the low-carbon TRIP-aided bainitic ferrite steels are critically assessed, as well as their deformation mechanism.
A biallelic mutation in IL6ST encoding the GP130 co-receptor causes immunodeficiency and craniosynostosis
Authors: Schwerd Tobias , Twigg Stephen R.F. , Aschenbrenner Dominik , Manrique Santiago , Miller Kerry A. , Taylor Indira B. , Capitani Melania , McGowan Simon J. , Sweeney Elizabeth , Weber Astrid , Chen Liye , Bowness Paul , Riordan Andrew , Cant Andrew , Freeman Alexandra F. , Milner Joshua D. , Holland Steven M. , Frede Natalie , Müller Miryam , Schmidt-Arras Dirk , Grimbacher Bodo , Wall Steven A. , Jones E. Yvonne , Wilkie Andrew O.M. , Uhlig Holm H.
Published: July 2017

Multiple cytokines, including interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-11, IL-27, oncostatin M (OSM), and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), signal via the common GP130 cytokine receptor subunit. In this study, we describe a patient with a homozygous mutation of IL6ST (encoding GP130 p.N404Y) who presented with recurrent infections, eczema, bronchiectasis, high IgE, eosinophilia, defective B cell memory, and an impaired acute-phase response, as well as skeletal abnormalities including craniosynostosis. The p.N404Y missense substitution is associated with loss of IL-6, IL-11, IL-27, and OSM signaling but a largely intact LIF response. This study identifies a novel immunodeficiency with phenotypic similarities to STAT3 hyper-IgE syndrome caused by loss of function of GP130.
pgRNAFinder: a web-based tool to design distance independent paired-gRNA
Authors: Xiong Yuanyan , Xie Xiaowei , Wang Yanzhi , Ma Wenbing , Liang Puping , Songyang Zhou , Dai Zhiming
Published: July 2017

The CRISPR/Cas System has been shown to be an efficient and accurate genome-editing technique. There exist a number of tools to design the guide RNA sequences and predict potential off-target sites. However, most of the existing computational tools on gRNA design are restricted to small deletions. To address this issue, we present pgRNAFinder, with an easy-to-use web interface, which enables researchers to design single or distance-free paired-gRNA sequences. The web interface of pgRNAFinder contains both gRNA search and scoring system. After users input query sequences, it searches gRNA by 3' protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM), and possible off-targets, and scores the conservation of the deleted sequences rapidly. Filters can be applied to identify high-quality CRISPR sites. PgRNAFinder offers gRNA design functionality for 8 vertebrate genomes. Furthermore, to keep pgRNAFinder open, extensible to any organism, we provide the source package for local use.

Availability and implementation

The pgRNAFinder is freely available at http://songyanglab.sysu.edu.cn/wangwebs/pgRNAFinder/, and the source code and user manual can be obtained from https://github.com/xiexiaowei/pgRNAFinder.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Ebola Virus Ribonucleic Acid Detection in Semen More Than Two Years After Resolution of Acute Ebola Virus Infection
Authors: Fischer William A , Brown Jerry , Wohl David Alain , Loftis Amy James , Tozay Sam , Reeves Edwina , Pewu Korto , Gorvego Galapaki , Quellie Saturday , Cunningham Coleen K , Merenbloom Carson , Napravnik Sonia , Dube Karine , Adjasoo David , Jones Erin , Bonarwolo Korlia , Hoover David
Published: July 2017

Among 149 men who survived Ebola virus disease (EVD) and donated semen 260–1016 days after EVD onset, Ebola virus (EBOV) ribonucleic acid (RNA) was detected in 13 (9%). Of 137 men who donated semen 2 years after EVD onset, 11 (8%) had an EBOV RNA-positive specimen. The mechanism underlying the persistence of EBOV RNA in semen is unclear, and it is unclear whether the detection of viral RNA represents the presence of infectious virus.
Child sexual abuse
Authors: Hayward Dana , Cheit Ross E.
Published: July 2017

Child sexual abuse is a significant moral, legal, and social problem. Approximately 5 to 8 per cent of adult men and 15 to 20 per cent of adult women in the United States experienced sexual abuse during childhood or adolescence. This essay provides an overview of major issues and debates concerning child sexual abuse, focusing primarily on the United States. It covers the prevalence of child sexual abuse, its effects on victims, why some individuals are more resilient than others, when and how victims of CSA disclose their abuse, the phenomenon of recantation and what it says about the credibility of abused children, how the judicial system deals with child sexual abuse, and how child sexual abuse can be prevented. The essay concludes by reflecting on the important relationship between scholarship and policy in the field of child sexual abuse research.
The policing of sexual activity
Authors: Thomas Terry
Published: July 2017

This essay starts by discussing the initial police involvement with newly reported sexual offences, covering local policing, problems with reporting to the police, police attitudes to complainants, and the role of sexual assault referral centres. The next section reviews police investigations of sexual offences, evidence gathering, and the role of forensic science and preparation for prosecution decisions. The author then explores the new role given to the police in their public protection role. This requires the police to take on supervisory activities, including administering the sex offender registry, applying for preventive civil orders, and disseminating information on sex offenders. The essay concludes by looking at the national and international policing of sexual offenders, including the policing of ‘sex tourism’.
Sentencing high-risk sex offenders
Authors: Harrison Karen
Published: July 2017

This essay considers sex offender legislation in a number of countries, including England and Wales, Germany, and the United States, and details sex offender sentencing provisions in various systems. It evaluates the policies behind these laws. The essay deals with some key contemporary questions in relation to high-risk sex offending. Are policies being driven by populist punitiveness and an agenda based on public protection and preventive detention? Or are more welfare-driven goals taken into account? Particular sentences such as mandatory life and other forms of indeterminate sentencing, such as civil commitment, are evaluated and their use and efficacy considered. Whether such policies are lawful and also ethically acceptable is also evaluated.
Exploring the methods behind sexual violence estimates
Authors: Fisher Bonnie S. , Scherer Heidi L.
Published: July 2017

This essay documents the innovations that have been made to improve measuring the scope and dimensions of sexual violence over the last four decades. How sexual violence has been defined and operationalized and methodological factors (e.g., context, two-stage measurement process, question wording, reference period, and mode of administration) are compared and contrasted for several national-level victimization data sources. This essay explores the development of a number of national and international surveys designed to estimate the scope and dimensions of different types of sexual violence. This essay also includes a cross-national examination of sexual violence rates focusing on both differences and similarities across countries, concluding with a discussion of unresolved measurement issues. It also provides thoughts on future directions in measuring sexual violence.
Informal social control of sex offenders
Authors: Kras Kimberly R.
Published: July 2017

This essay discusses the role of informal social control for sex offenders who are reentering the community after imprisonment. The essay begins by reviewing the reintegration of sex offenders into communities, noting that they might reintegrate differently than other offenders. Considering how informal social control occurs across the life course for sex offenders may offer insight into specific mechanisms of desistance. The essay discusses the role in reentry of relationships, such as family, friends, and intimate partners, as well as the support function of social networks and community-oriented informal controls, such as school, employment, and other forms of civic engagement. The role of the community for sex offenders is tenuous, considering the legal and social policies that govern their movement and involvement in certain activities. The emerging role of the therapeutic community and the treatment group is examined. Controversies in the role of social support for sex offenders are also reviewed.
The media response to sex crimes
Authors: Klein Jennifer L.
Published: July 2017

This essay focuses on the media’s response to sex crimes, how news reporting can affect people’s perceptions of sex offenders, and how all of these issues are connected to the development of law. The rate of sex crimes has been steadily declining for the past 20 years, and official rates of recidivism for sex offenders are actually low compared to other types of offenders, but the media tend to ignore these facts. Many people become oversaturated by the news, and continuous reporting can cause panic in viewers. The type of information that the media report increases people’s concern that they, or a close family member, might become a victim of a sex offense. With the fear increased—making the topic relevant in our culture—media outlets then spend more time reporting on such issues because people are interested and the stories will sell.
The paedophile in popular culture
Authors: Kohm Steven
Published: July 2017

This essay examines fictional representations of sex crime, focusing on the construction of the paedophile in contemporary popular culture. Representations of sex crime and criminals in film and television have tended to mirror broader societal and social scientific assumptions about the nature of the crime, the consequences for victims, and appropriate reactions to offending behavior. Moreover, cinematic explorations of child sexual abuse can offer metaphorical sites to critique contemporary understandings of the causes, consequence, and reactions to the behavior. This essay situates the representation of sex crime and criminals within broader historical, cinematic, and criminological developments over the past century. The author argues that fictional representations of the paedophile constitute a type of popular criminology that can enrich and extend the boundaries of mainstream academic discourse and provide a complex understanding of the philosophical, moral, and cultural meanings of sexual offending at particular moments and places in history.
The criminalization of sexuality
Authors: Hawkes Gail , Mallet Xanthé
Published: July 2017

‘Sexuality’ is a fluid concept that has varied significantly across time and place. It is an aspect of social identity that means many different things to different people. The criminality of so-called deviant sexual behaviour is also socially constructed. The result is dissonance between the modern democratic notions of freedom of expression and current social sensibilities. This essay summarizes views toward acceptable sexual conduct throughout the Anglophone West, focusing on changes in British social attitudes and laws. It discusses the association of sex and sin that lay at the foundations of Western sexual morality. It follows the transformation of this connection through the secularization process associated with modernity and demonstrates the role of medical knowledge and practice in this regard. Changes to legislation over time will be used as evidence of shifting social attitudes, such as laws regarding the sexualized child, homosexual relationships, and rape within marriage.
Sex trafficking and control
Authors: Lee Maggy
Published: July 2017

This essay examines the key characteristics and contradictions of the global problem of sex trafficking and the attendant policy approaches of trafficking control and protection. By drawing on examples from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia, the essay examines the competing assumptions of sex work and the problem of sex trafficking. The author interrogates the ways in which the dominant discourse has facilitated and justified the pursuit of particular counter-trafficking policies and paternalistic interventions by state and non-state agencies in the global North and South. The essay highlights some of the gendered and exclusionary consequences of contemporary sex trafficking control. The author also explores the human costs of the violent logic of global trafficking control.
Sexual offenders and human rights
Authors: Birgden Astrid , Ward Tony
Published: July 2017

Sex offenders have enforceable human rights protected by international law and codes. Therefore, they should be accorded the same rights as all human beings rather than being treated as means to an end by, for example, ineffective “tough on crime” prevention policies in order to garner public support. This essay argues that it is in the community’s best interests that the rights of sex offenders are viewed as equal, not subordinate, to those of victims. Offenders are rights-violators who have infringed upon the rights of others when offending. They are also rights-holders who need to be supported in order to function with dignity and duty-bearers who should be able to pursue their own life goals as long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others.
Sexual homicide and violent offenders
Authors: Beauregard Eric
Published: July 2017

This essay explores whether the sexual murderer is a unique type of sex offender. Two competing hypotheses of sexual homicide are outlined: the unique type hypothesis and the situational hypothesis. The essay discusses the heterogeneity of sexual murderers and reviews the different typologies of sexual homicide and the most common types. Differences and similarities between sexual murderers and non-homicidal sex offenders are reviewed, focusing on offender characteristics, criminal career, situational factors, and modus operandi/crime characteristics. The essay examines the factors leading to a lethal outcome in sexual assaults by looking at the most important factors, and the combinations of factors, leading to the death of the victim. Misconceptions about the modus operandi of sexual murderers are discussed along with the main behaviors they use to commit their crime. Finally the essay explores the differences between serial and non-serial sexual murderers.
Multilevel Antecedents of Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Review and Recommendations for Future Research
Authors: Podsakoff Nathan P. , Podsakoff Philip M. , Mackenzie Scott B. , Maynes Timothy D. , Whiting Steven W. , Spoelma Trevor M.
Published: July 2017

Since their introduction into the literature over 30 years ago, the interest paid to organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) has dramatically increased. One reason for this is the relatively recent focus placed by researchers on identifying unit-level antecedents of individual-level OCBs. Unfortunately, our understanding of this growing area of research has been limited by the absence of strong and consistent conceptual foundations, and the lack of sufficient attention to appropriate methods for gathering and analyzing multilevel data. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to (a) provide a summary of research examining how unit-level factors influence individual-level OCBs, with particular attention to the mediators and moderators of these effects; (b) offer recommendations designed to provide stronger conceptual grounding for identifying antecedents, mediators, and moderators in this domain; and (c) suggest improvements to the methods and analytical techniques used for testing hypotheses regarding multilevel antecedents of OCB.
Network Analysis for Psychological Situations
Authors: Constantini Giulio , Perugini Marco
Published: July 2017

Network analysis has been recently applied to model several psychological phenomena, including psychopathology and personality psychology, and has offered novel insights in these fields. However, the characteristics of psychological situations have never been systematically included in these networks. This chapter, introduces the most relevant concepts of network analysis and reviews some of its most important applications to personality and psychopathology. It discusses how network analysis can be applied also to the study of situations. The chapter presents an example of application of network analysis for comparing the structural organization of the situational experience across different countries, using state-of-the-art methods.
Trust Experiments, Trust Games, and Surveys
Authors: Wilson Rick K.
Published: July 2017

Trust has traditionally been measured in surveys. However, economists, psychologists, and many political scientists have been using trust games in laboratory experiments to measure trust-as-cooperative-behavior in games. Do trust experiments lead to similar or different conclusions as to what trust means? A general review of the literature indicates there is a mismatch between survey-based items and laboratory experimental measures. Using original data from Russia, this article compares a battery of survey-based attitudinal items about trust with laboratory experiments. The study has the same respondents participate in both the survey and the experiment. Sadly, this research concludes that we are far from having a single, coherent, measure of trust.
Social Trust and Economic Growth
Authors: Bjørnskov Christian
Published: July 2017

This chapter provides a selective survey of the literature on the association between social trust and economic growth. The chapter is divided into two main sections. The first section outlines the main theoretical arguments for how social trust could affect the long-run growth rate and economic performance of an economy. These theoretical mechanisms can work both directly or indirectly by affecting institutions, factor accumulation, and the elasticity of substitution. An overview of a set of relevant theoretical mechanisms also reveals that some only affect growth under specific conditions. The second section is devoted to reviewing the evidence of an empirical association. While the literature clearly supports a causal effect of trust on growth, the empirical section as well as the conclusions suggest a number of ways in which the field may move forward.
From the Faroes to the World Stage
Authors: Green Joshua
Published: July 2017

This chapter explores music in the context of evolving transnational dynamics in the Faroe Islands, focusing on the tourism boom and on connections with the global music industry. Similar to the situation in Iceland a decade earlier, music became part of an evolving tourism economy in the early 2010s, shaped by exotic views of the North Atlantic. Drawing from Urry’s concept of the tourist gaze, the chapter shows how Faroese bands work as producers of difference, within an international system of industry and institutions, including the Nordic Council. The analytical focus is on transnational mobility and industry networks of popular music and its performers. The chapter shows that Faroese bands engage with these transnational flows and with exoticism in the international marketing of their music. The core case study is the doom metal band Hamferð, whose career evolved to participation in international events, particularly festivals and competitions.
Signalling Theory and Durable Symbolic Expression
Authors: Bird Douglas W. , Bliege Bird Rebecca
Published: July 2017

This chapter develops links between theoretical frameworks in social and biological sciences about the origins and maintenance of durable stylistic traditions of graphic representation, exploring the role that symbolic performance plays in facilitating cooperation and collective action. The foundations of human propensities for coordinating complex social interactions lie in our ability for shared intentionality: we can represent to ourselves the interior lives and intentional states of others. This empathic capacity likely emerged in novel rearing environments of cooperative breeding, where infant survival required discerning and trusting the intent of many different possible caretakers. Trust in many arenas of interaction is ensured primarily through symbolic signalling, whereby communication of underlying qualities and motivations is made honest through costly performance. The authors draw on traditions in street art and rock art to illustrate how graphic representations serve as an important type of signalling system whose design serves to coordinate complex social interaction.
Intellectual Property Law
Authors: Dreyfuss Rochelle , Pila Justine
Published: July 2017

This chapter introduces the law of intellectual property (IP) and its treatment in the Handbook. It begins by considering the different ways and traditions of thinking about IP, the range of subject matter that IP rights protect, and the nature and scope of those rights themselves, including the variety of third-party exceptions to them. It then outlines the domestic, regional, and international laws that comprise the modern IP field, the diverse social and economic forces that motivate those laws, and the variety of actors and institutions involved in shaping them. Finally, it introduces the structure of the Handbook and summarizes each of its individual contributions. The result is an accessible overview of one of the most rich, complex, and important fields of law today, including its social and normative foundations, its emergence and development in different jurisdictions and regions, its substantive rules and principles, and its political economy.