A large outbreak of COVID-19 in a UK prison, October 2020 to April 2021.

Prisons are susceptible to outbreaks. Control measures focusing on isolation and cohorting negatively affect wellbeing. We present an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a large male prison in Wales, UK, October 2020 to April 2021, and discuss control measures.We gathered case-information, including demographics, staff-residence postcode, resident cell number, work areas/dates, test results, staff interview dates/notes and resident prison-transfer dates. Epidemiological curves were mapped by prison location. Control measures included isolation (exclusion from work or cell-isolation), cohorting (new admissions and work-area groups), asymptomatic testing (case-finding), removal of communal dining and movement restrictions. Facemask use and enhanced hygiene were already in place. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and interviews determined the genetic relationship between cases plausibility of transmission.Of 453 cases, 53% (n = 242) were staff, most aged 25-34 years (11.5% females, 27.15% males) and symptomatic (64%). Crude attack-rate was higher in staff (29%, 95% CI 26-64%) than in residents (12%, 95% CI 9-15%).Whole-genome sequencing can help differentiate multiple introductions from person-to-person transmission in prisons. It should be introduced alongside asymptomatic testing as soon as possible to control prison outbreaks. Timely epidemiological investigation, including data visualisation, allowed dynamic risk assessment and proportionate control measures, minimising the reduction in resident welfare.

Structure of ZnCl2 Melt. Part II: Fragile-to-Strong Transition in a Tetrahedral Liquid.

The fraction of edge- and corner-sharing tetrahedra in liquid ZnCl2 is quantified as a function of temperature using Raman spectroscopy and ab initio molecular dynamic simulations. Two distinct regimes are found in the temperature dependence of the change in these structural units. This behavior is consistent with the existence of a fragile-to-strong transition in liquid ZnCl2 as suggested by calorimetric and viscosity measurements. The structural origin of this transition is rationalized in terms of a constraint counting formalism. It is suggested that the ratio of edge- to corner-sharing tetrahedra controls the configurational entropy and in turn the viscosity of the melt. The temperature dependence of this ratio above the melting point is also found to be qualitatively consistent with neutron diffraction data. The observation of a similar fragile-to-strong transition in the isostructural GeSe2 melt indicates that it may be a common feature of tetrahedral liquids.

Structure of ZnCl2 Melt. Part I: Raman Spectroscopy Analysis Driven by Ab Initio Methods.

The structure of molten ZnCl2 is investigated using a combination of computer simulation and experimental methods. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) is used to model the structure of ZnCl2 at 600 K. The structure factors and pair distribution functions derived from AIMD show a good match with those previously measured by neutron diffraction (ND). In addition, Raman spectroscopy is used to investigate the structure of liquid ZnCl2 and identify the relative fractions of constituent structural units. To ascertain the assignment of each Raman mode, a series of ZnCl2 crystalline prototypes are modeled and the corresponding Raman modes are derived by first-principles calculations. Curve fitting of experimental Raman spectra using these mode assignments shows excellent agreement with both AIMD and ND. These results confirm the presence of significant fractions of edge-sharing tetrahedra in liquid ZnCl2. The presence of these structural motifs has significant impact on the fragility of this tetrahedral glass-forming liquid. The assignment of Raman bands present in molten ZnCl2 is revised and discussed in view of these results.