Observation of an exotic insulator to insulator transition upon electron doping the Mott insulator CeMnAsO.

A promising route to discover exotic electronic states in correlated electron systems is to vary the hole or electron doping away from a Mott insulating state. Important examples include quantum criticality and high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates. Here, we report the surprising discovery of a quantum insulating state upon electron doping the Mott insulator CeMnAsO, which emerges below a distinct critical transition temperature, TII. The insulator-insulator transition is accompanied by a significant reduction in electron mobility as well as a colossal Seebeck effect and slow dynamics due to decoupling of the electrons from the lattice phonons. The origin of the transition is tentatively interpreted in terms of many-body localization, which has not been observed previously in a solid-state material.

Knowledge of sexual consent as a protective factor against sexual violence perpetration among first-year college men: a moderation analysis.

This study examined whether knowledge of sexual consent buffers the relationship between risk factors for sexual violence (SV) and SV perpetration among first-year college men. The study data were drawn from a longitudinal study with 1144 first-year college men. A series of generalized linear models were conducted to examine whether knowledge of sexual consent moderated the relationship between SV risk factors and SV perpetration. Knowledge of sexual consent moderated the effect of hypermasculinity (P < 0.001), binge drinking (P < 0.001), rape-supportive social norms (P = 0.007) and peer support for SV (P < 0.001) such that there was a positive association between risk factors and SV perpetration among those with lower, but not higher, knowledge of sexual consent. Knowledge of sexual consent did not significantly moderate the relationship between SV perpetration and outcome expectancies for non-consensual sex (P = 0.387) and pornography use (P = 0.494). Knowledge of sexual consent may counteract risk factors for SV perpetration among young college men. The findings highlight the need for consent education to be incorporated in youth comprehensive sexual education to increase knowledge of sexual consent prior to college and campus-based SV prevention programming delivered to college students.

The largest prison outbreak of TB in Western Europe investigated using whole-genome sequencing.

BACKGROUND: In March 2011, the Department of Public Health East in Ireland were notified of two cases of TB in two prisoners sharing a cell. We define the resulting outbreak and highlight the role of public health and laboratory-based molecular epidemiology in mapping and control of a prison outbreak.METHODS: Cases were identified through clinical presentation, contact tracing, case-finding exercise or enhanced laboratory surveillance. Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were genotyped and underwent whole-genome sequencing (WGS).RESULTS: Of the 34 cases of TB linked to the outbreak, 27 were prisoners (79%), 4 prison officers (12%) and 3 community cases (9%). M. tuberculosis was isolated from 31 cases (culture positivity: 91%). A maximum of six single-nucleotide polymorphisms separated the isolates, with 22 being identical, suggestive of a highly infectious 'super-spreader´ within the prison. Isolates belonged to the Beijing sub-lineage, and were susceptible to first-line anti-TB agents. A case-finding exercise incidentally detected a prisoner with multidrug-resistant TB. Of the 143 prison officers screened, 52% had latent TB infection. Litigation costs exceeded five million euros.CONCLUSION: This constitutes the largest prison outbreak of TB in Western Europe investigated using WGS. A robust prison entry TB screening and education programme is required to effect better TB control, and prevent future outbreaks and attendant litigation.

Time of year, age class and body condition predict Hendra virus infection in Australian black flying foxes (Pteropus alecto).

Hendra virus (HeV) continues to cause fatal infection in horses and threaten infection in close-contact humans in eastern Australia. Species of Pteropus bats (flying-foxes) are the natural reservoir of the virus. We caught and sampled flying-foxes from a multispecies roost in southeast Queensland, Australia on eight occasions between June 2013 and June 2014. The effects of sample date, species, sex, age class, body condition score (BCS), pregnancy and lactation on HeV antibody prevalence, log-transformed median fluorescent intensity (lnMFI) values and HeV RNA status were assessed using unbalanced generalised linear models. A total of 1968 flying-foxes were sampled, comprising 1012 Pteropus alecto, 742 P. poliocephalus and 214 P. scapulatus. Sample date, species and age class were each statistically associated with HeV RNA status, antibody status and lnMFI values; BCS was statistically associated with HeV RNA status and antibody status. The findings support immunologically naïve sub-adult P. alecto playing an important role in maintaining HeV infection at a population level. The biological significance of the association between BCS and HeV RNA status, and BCS and HeV antibody status, is less clear and warrants further investigation. Contrary to previous studies, we found no direct association between HeV infection and pregnancy or lactation. The findings in P. poliocephalus suggest that HeV exposure in this species may not result in systemic infection and virus excretion, or alternatively, may reflect assay cross-reactivity with another (unidentified) henipavirus.

The effect of a surgical safety checklist on complication rates associated with permanent transvenous pacemaker implantation in dogs.

INTRODUCTION: To determine whether use of a surgical safety checklist (SSC) would reduce the rate of major complications after permanent transvenous pacemaker implantation in dogs. ANIMALS: The study included one hundred ninety-nine dogs undergoing pacemaker implantation for bradyarrhythmias at an academic teaching hospital. METHODS: A service-specific SSC was developed and implemented for cardiac catheterization procedures in 2015. Medical records were reviewed to extract relevant clinical and procedural data for cases with (SSC [+]) and without (SSC [-]) a checklist. Owners or referring veterinarians were contacted for outcome and survival data. RESULTS: Major complications occurred in 25/199 (12.6%) dogs. Incidence of major complications was significantly lower in SSC [+] dogs compared with SSC [-] dogs (1/45 procedures vs 24/144 procedures; p = 0.019). Dogs with SSCs were more likely to receive antibiotics within 5 min of the first incision (p = 0.0082) and to receive antibiotics every 90 min throughout the procedure as prescribed (p = 0.001) compared with dogs without SSCs. Incidence of cardiac death was lower in SSC [+] dogs compared with SSC [-] dogs (p = 0.0012), but checklist use was not associated with increased survival time (all-cause or cardiac). On average, 91% of checklist components were completed for each SSC; minor changes in record-keeping protocols could increase compliance. CONCLUSIONS: Use of an SSC was associated with a decrease in the major complication rate and an increase in compliance with antibiotic protocols during pacemaker implantation. Results of this study support the use of an SSC in veterinary cardiology procedures.

The suppression of CMR in Nd(Mn1-xCox)AsO0.95F0.05.

The colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) observed in the oxypnictide NdMnAsO1-xFx has been further investigated. The magnetotransport is dominated by magnetopolarons. Magnetoresistance measurements of the series Nd(Mn1-xCox)AsO0.95F0.05 show that doping with cobalt on the manganese site pins the magnetopolarons and suppresses the CMR, which is completely destroyed by x = 0.047. The chemical doping results in non-stoichiometric samples, with both As and O vacancies. The relationship between the non-stoichiometry, magnetic order, electron doping and CMR is explored. The Nd antiferromagnetic transition and simultaneous reorientation of the Mn spins into the basal plane at 23 K (TSR) is not effected by Co doping. However, there is a significant decrease in TN(Mn) as the antiferromagnetic transition is suppressed from 360 K to 300 K as x increases from 0-0.047. The manganese moment at 10 K is also reduced from 3.86(2)µB to 3.21(2)µB over the same doping range. This reduction in the in-plane Mn moment decreases the electron-electron correlations below TSR and acts to further diminish the magnetoresistance.

RePHILL: protocol for a randomised controlled trial of pre-hospital blood product resuscitation for trauma.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the 'Resuscitation with Pre-HospItaL bLood products' trial (RePHILL) - a multi-centre randomised controlled trial of pre-hospital blood product (PHBP) administration vs standard care for traumatic haemorrhage. BACKGROUND: PHBP are increasingly used for pre-hospital trauma resuscitation despite a lack of robust evidence demonstrating superiority over crystalloids. Provision of PHBP carries additional logistical and regulatory implications, and requires a sustainable supply of universal blood components. METHODS: RePHILL is a multi-centre, two-arm, parallel group, open-label, phase III randomised controlled trial currently underway in the UK. Patients attended by a pre-hospital emergency medical team, with traumatic injury and hypotension (systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg or absent radial pulse) believed to be due to traumatic haemorrhage are eligible. Exclusion criteria include age <16 years, blood product receipt on scene prior to randomisation, Advanced Medical Directive forbidding blood product administration, pregnancy, isolated head injury and prisoners. A total of 490 patients will be recruited in a 1 : 1 ratio to receive either the intervention (up to two units of red blood cells and two units of lyophilised plasma) or the control (up to four boluses of 250 mL 0.9% saline). The primary outcome measure is a composite of failure to achieve lactate clearance of ≥20%/h over the first 2 hours after randomisation and all-cause mortality between recruitment and discharge from the primary receiving facility to non-acute care. Secondary outcomes include pre-hospital time, coagulation indices, in-hospital transfusion requirements and morbidity. RESULTS: Pilot study recruitment began in December 2016. Approval to proceed to the main trial was received in June 2017. Recruitment is expected to continue until 2020. CONCLUSIONS: RePHILL will provide high-quality evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of PHBP resuscitation for trauma.

Molecular epidemiology of multi- and extensively-drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Ireland, 2001-2014.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this work was to examine the acquisition and spread of multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) in Ireland. METHODS: All available Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates (n = 42), from MDR-TB cases diagnosed in Ireland between 2001 and 2014, were analysed using phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing, Mycobacterial-Interspersed-Repetitive-Units Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat (MIRU-VNTR) genotyping, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). RESULTS: The lineage distribution of the MDR-TB isolates comprised 54.7% Euro-American, 33.3% East Asian, 7.2% East African Indian, and 4.8% Indo-Oceanic. A significant association was identified between the East Asian Beijing sub-lineage and the relative risk of an isolate being MDR. Over 75% of MDR-TB cases were confirmed in non-Irish born individuals and 7 MIRU-VNTR genotypes were identical to clusters in other European countries indicating cross-border spread of MDR-TB to Ireland. WGS data provided the first evidence in Ireland of in vivo microevolution of MTBC isolates from drug-susceptible to MDR, and from MDR to extensively-drug resistant (XDR). In addition, they found that the katG S315T isoniazid and rpoB S450L rifampicin resistance mutations were dominant across the different MTBC lineages. CONCLUSIONS: Our molecular epidemiological analyses identified the spread of MDR-TB to Ireland from other jurisdictions and its potential to evolve to XDR-TB.

Corticolimbic hyper-response to emotion and glutamatergic function in people with high schizotypy: a multimodal fMRI-MRS study.

Animal models and human neuroimaging studies suggest that altered levels of glutamatergic metabolites within a corticolimbic circuit have a major role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Rodent models propose that prefrontal glutamate dysfunction could lead to amygdala hyper-response to environmental stress and underlie hippocampal overdrive in schizophrenia. Here we determine whether changes in brain glutamate are present in individuals with high schizotypy (HS), which refers to the presence of schizophrenia-like characteristics in healthy individuals, and whether glutamate levels are related to altered corticolimbic response to emotion. Twenty-one healthy HS subjects and 22 healthy subjects with low schizotypy (LS) were selected based on their Oxford and Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences rating. Glutamate levels were measured in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, followed by a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan to measure corticolimbic response during emotional processing. fMRI results and fMRI × glutamate interactions were considered significant after voxel-wise P<0.05 family-wise error correction. While viewing emotional pictures, HS individuals showed greater activation than did subjects with LS in the caudate, and marginally in the ACC, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and putamen. Although no between-group differences were found in glutamate concentrations, within the HS group ACC glutamate was negatively correlated with striatal activation (left: z=4.30, P=0.004 and right: z=4.12 P=0.008 caudate; left putamen: z=3.89, P=0.018) and marginally with MPFC (z=3.55, P=0.052) and amygdala (left: z=2.88, P=0.062; right: z=2.79, P=0.079), correlations that were not present in LS subjects. These findings provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence that brain glutamate levels are associated with hyper-responsivity in brain regions thought to be critical in the pathophysiology of psychosis.

Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease: characteristics and treatment in an Irish patient cohort.

The prevalence of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) pulmonary disease is increasing globally. However, reliable national and international data relating to its epidemiology and management is lacking. During the period 2003-2014, MAC was isolated from the pulmonary samples of 75 patients at the Irish Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory (IMRL). Most patients (42, 56%) had underlying pulmonary disease, and 37 (49%) had clinical/radiographic characteristics consistent with MAC pulmonary disease. However, only 18 patients (24%) fulfilled internationally accepted criteria for diagnosis/treatment of this disease. Treatment was started in 13 (72%) of these cases, which is similar to internationally published treatment rates. The diagnosis of significant MAC pulmonary disease can be difficult, and treatment is not always warranted even when diagnostic criteria are met.

Twenty years of Hendra virus: laboratory submission trends and risk factors for infection in horses.

Hendra virus (HeV) was first described in 1994 in an outbreak of acute and highly lethal disease in horses and humans in Australia. Equine cases continue to be diagnosed periodically, yet the predisposing factors for infection remain unclear. We undertook an analysis of equine submissions tested for HeV by the Queensland government veterinary reference laboratory over a 20-year period to identify and investigate any patterns. We found a marked increase in testing from July 2008, primarily reflecting a broadening of the HeV clinical case definition. Peaks in submissions for testing, and visitations to the Government HeV website, were associated with reported equine incidents. Significantly differing between-year HeV detection rates in north and south Queensland suggest a fundamental difference in risk exposure between the two regions. The statistical association between HeV detection and stockhorse type may suggest that husbandry is a more important risk determinant than breed per se. The detection of HeV in horses with neither neurological nor respiratory signs poses a risk management challenge for attending veterinarians and laboratory staff, reinforcing animal health authority recommendations that appropriate risk management strategies be employed for all sick horses, and by anyone handling sick horses or associated biological samples.

Inoculation site leprosy in a tattoo as a paradoxical reaction following tuberculosis treatment.

We present a patient who developed inoculation site leprosy in a tattoo, which was confirmed by Mycobacterium leprae DNA sequencing of a polymerase chain reaction product from a skin biopsy. His leprosy became manifest as a paradoxical reaction only after 8 weeks of treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis.

A Variable Temperature Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction Study of Colossal Magnetoresistant NdMnAsO0.95F0.05.

The recent discovery of high temperature superconductivity in Fe arsenides has invigorated research into transition metal pnictides. Colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) has recently been reported for NdMnAsO1-xFx for x = 0.05-0.08, with a maximum magnetoresistance achieved at low temperature (MR9T(3 K)) = -95%). This appears to be a novel mechanism of CMR, which is as a result of a second order phase transition in field from an insulating antiferromagnet to a semiconducting paramagnet. Here we report a variable temperature synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction study of the CMR oxypnictide NdMnAsO0.95F0.05 between 4 K-290 K. An excellent fit to the tetragonal unit cell with space group P4/nmm is obtained over the entire temperature range, with no change in crystal structure detected down to 4 K. A coupling of the lattice and magnetic order is observed, where subtle discontinuities in the temperature variation of a and the c/a ratio are apparent as the Nd spins order antiferromagnetically and the Mn moments reorient into the basal plane at TSR. The results suggest that very small changes in lattice parameters effect the coupling between lattice, electronic and magnetic degrees of freedom.