Dynamics of a Fermi Gas Quenched to Unitarity.

We present an experimental study of a two component Fermi gas following an interaction quench into the superfluid phase. Starting with a weakly attractive gas in the normal phase, interactions are ramped to unitarity at a range of rates and we measure the subsequent dynamics as the gas approaches equilibrium. Both the formation and condensation of fermion pairs are mapped via measurements of the pair momentum distribution and can take place on very different timescales, depending on the adiabaticity of the quench. The contact parameter is seen to respond very quickly to changes in the interaction strength, indicating that short-range correlations, based on the occupation of high-momentum modes, evolve far more rapidly than the correlations in low-momentum modes necessary for pair condensation.

Anxiety and threat-related attentional biases in adolescents with fragile X syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a single-gene disorder highly associated with anxiety; however, measuring anxiety symptoms in FXS and other neurogenetic syndromes is challenged by common limitations in language, self-awareness and cognitive skills required for many traditional assessment tasks. Prior studies have documented group-level differences in threat-related attentional biases, assessed via eye tracking, in FXS and non-FXS groups. The present study built on this work to test whether attentional biases correspond to clinical features of anxiety among adolescents and young adults with FXS. METHODS: Participants included 21 male adolescents with FXS ages 15-20 years who completed an adapted eye-tracking task that measured attentional bias towards fearful faces of varied emotional intensity. RESULTS: Among participants without anxiety disorders, attentional bias towards fear increased across age, similar to non-FXS paediatric anxiety samples. In contrast, participants with anxiety disorders exhibited greater stability in fear-related attentional biases across age. Across analyses, subtle fear stimuli were more sensitive to within-group anxiety variability than full-intensity stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide novel evidence that although threat-related attentional biases may correspond with anxiety outcomes in FXS, these associations are complex and vary across developmental and task factors. Future studies are needed to characterise these associations in more robust longitudinal samples, informing whether and how eye-tracking tasks might be optimised to reliably predict and track anxiety in FXS.

Reusable High Aspect Ratio 3-D Nickel Shadow Mask.

Shadow Mask technology has been used over the years for resistless patterning and to pattern on unconventional surfaces, fragile substrate and biomaterial. In this work, we are presenting a novel method to fabricate high aspect ratio (15:1) three-dimensional (3D) Nickel (Ni) shadow mask with vertical pattern length and width of 1.2 mm and 40 µm respectively. The Ni shadow mask is 1.5 mm tall and 100 µm wide at the base. The aspect ratio of the shadow mask is 15. Ni shadow mask is mechanically robust and hence easy to handle. It is also reusable and used to pattern the sidewalls of unconventional and complex 3D geometries such as microneedles or neural electrodes (such as the Utah array). The standard Utah array has 100 active sites at the tip of the shaft. Using the proposed high aspect ratio Ni shadow mask, the Utah array can accommodate 300 active sites, 200 of which will be along and around the shaft. The robust Ni shadow mask is fabricated using laser patterning and electroplating techniques. The use of Ni 3D shadow mask will lower the fabrication cost, complexity and time for patterning out-of-plane structures.

Pregnancy after laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy: implications and outcomes.

AIM: Surgical management of rectal prolapse varies considerably. Most surgeons are reluctant to use ventral mesh rectopexy in young women until they have completed their family. The aim of the present study was to review outcomes of pregnancy following laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy from a tertiary referral centre over a 10-year period (2006-2016) and to review the impact on pelvic floor symptoms. METHOD: We undertook a retrospective review of a prospectively compiled database of patients who had undergone laparoscopic ventral rectopexy in a single centre over a 10-year period. Pelvic floor symptom scores (Vaizey for incontinence and Longo for obstructive defaecation) were collected at initial presentation (pre-intervention), post-intervention and after child birth. RESULTS: In all, 954 rectopexies were performed over this 10-year period. 225 (24%) patients were women and under 45 years of age (taken as an arbitrary cut-off for decreased likelihood of pregnancy). Eight (4%) of these patients became pregnant following rectopexy. The interval between rectopexy and delivery was 42 months (21-50). Six patients delivered live babies by elective lower segment caesarean section and two by spontaneous vaginal delivery. Six were first babies and two were second. No mesh related adverse outcome was reported. No difference in pelvic floor symptoms was demonstrated on comparison of post-rectopexy and post-delivery scores. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first description in the English language literature of safe delivery by elective lower segment caesarean section or spontaneous vaginal delivery following laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy. No adverse impact on pelvic floor related quality of life was detected.

Different methods to alter surface morphology of high aspect ratio structures.

In various applications such as neural prostheses or solar cells, there is a need to alter the surface morphology of high aspect ratio structures so that the real surface area is greater than geometrical area. The change in surface morphology enhances the devices functionality. One of the applications of altering the surface morphology is of neural implants such as the Utah electrode array (UEA) that communicate with single neurons by charge injection induced stimulation or by recording electrical neural signals. For high selectivity between single cells of the nervous system, the electrode surface area is required to be as small as possible, while the impedance is required to be as low as possible for good signal to noise ratios (SNR) during neural recording. For stimulation, high charge injection and charge transfer capacities of the electrodes are required, which increase with the electrode surface. Traditionally, researchers have worked with either increasing the roughness of the existing metallization (Platinum grey, black) or other materials such as Iridium Oxide and PEDOT. All of these previously investigated methods lead to more complicated metal deposition processes that are difficult to control and often have a critical impact on the mechanical properties of the metal films. Therefore, a modification of the surface underneath the electrode's coating will increase its surface area while maintaining the standard and well controlled metal deposition process. In this work, the surfaces of the Silicon micro-needles were engineered by creating a defined microstructure on the electrodes surface using several methods such as Laser ablation, focused ion beam, sputter etching, reactive ion etching (RIE) and deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). The surface modification processes were optimized for the high aspect ratio Silicon structures of the UEA. The increase in real surface area while maintaining the geometrical surface area was verified using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The best results were obtained by DRIE induced surface morphology. Decreases in impedance values of electrodes up to 76 % indicate the successful surface engineering of the high aspect ratio Silicon structures.

Presence and absence of non-native fish species in the Wet Tropics region, Australia.

Distributional records of non-native fish species were identified in the Wet Tropics region, Far North Queensland, Australia, through a compilation of published records and expert knowledge. A total of 1106 records were identified comprising 346 presence and four uncertain records for at least 13 species, and 756 absence records. All current presence records consist of six species from the families Cichlidae and Poeciliidae with established self-sustaining populations in the region, probably affecting the highly diverse native fish fauna.

The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in obese children.

Childhood Obesity poses a public health problem in Ireland. Complications associated include metabolic disease and cardiovascular disease risk. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of obese Irish children. Assessments were performed on obese children attending weight management clinic. Pedometers and self report physical activity questionnaires were administered to each participant to determine physical activity levels. Fifty-nine children (21 prepubertal and 38 pubertal/post-pubertal) were metabolically profiled. Mean ± SD of z scores for BMI, Waist Circumference and Body Fat % were +3.29 ± 0.48, +3.98 ± 0.73 and +2.75 ± 0.50 respectively. 43% (n = 9) prepubertal and 68% (n = 26) pubertal/postpubertal children had at least one other cardiovascular risk factor in addition to obesity. Increased moderate-vigorous physical activity levels correlated with reduced incidence of cardiovascular risk factors. There is a significant prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among obese pre-pubertal children and pubertal/post-pubertal adolescents attending an Irish obesity clinic.

Unscheduled undergraduate teaching in surgery: a multi-institutional analysis.

A significant amount of valuable undergraduate medical teaching may be informal, unscheduled and delivered by non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs). 800 Questionnaires were distributed to consultants, NCHDs and medical students in Irish teaching hospitals. The aim was to quantify the level of unscheduled teaching carried out in these hospitals and the manner in which it was performed. The response rate was 46% (364/800). 71% of doctors who replied are independently teaching undergraduate medical students (77/109), including 71% of interns and senior house officers (48/68). Students tend to prefer small group teaching. Fifty-six percent of students suggest they would benefit from more surgical teaching time (144/255). No interns surveyed were scheduled to teach as part of a formal curriculum. A significant amount of unscheduled teaching by interns and senior house officers takes place in Irish hospitals. It may prove beneficial to incorporate interns into scheduled surgical teaching curricula.

Plan quality assessment of modern radiosurgery technologies in the treatment of multiple brain metastases.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) of multiple brain metastases has evolved over the last 40 years allowing centres to treat an increasing number of brain metastases in a single treatment fraction. HyperArcTMplanning optimisation technique is one such development that streamlines the treatment of multiple metastases with a single isocentre. Several studies have investigated the plan quality of HyperArc compared to CyberKnife or Gamma Knife, however there are limited number of studies that include all three modalities. It is the aim of this study to provide an assessment of plan quality between the three SRS platforms across ten patients with multiple brain metastases ranging from three to eight metastases per patient. Strict planning workflows were established to avoid bias towards any particular treatment platform. Plan quality was assessed through dose to organs at risk, Paddick conformity index (PCI), gradient index (GI), global efficiency index (Gη) and dose to normal brain tissue. Results from this study found mean PCI observed across Gamma Knife plans was significantly lower than HyperArc and CyberKnife. HyperArc plans observed significantly shorter beam-on times which were 10 to 20 times faster than CyberKnife and Gamma Knife plans. Gamma Knife and CyberKnife were found to produce plans with significantly superior GI, global efficiency index and the volume of healthy brain receiving greater than 12 Gy (V12Gy) when compared to HyperArc plans. Lesion volume was seen to influence the relative difference in dose metrics between systems. The study revealed that all three treatment modalities produced high quality plans for the SRS treatment of multiple brain metastases, each with respective benefits and limitations.

T staging esophageal tumors with x rays.

With histopathology results typically taking several days, the ability to stage tumors during interventions could provide a step change in various cancer interventions. X-ray technology has advanced significantly in recent years with the introduction of phase-based imaging methods. These have been adapted for use in standard labs rather than specialized facilities such as synchrotrons, and approaches that enable fast 3D scans with conventional x-ray sources have been developed. This opens the possibility to produce 3D images with enhanced soft tissue contrast at a level of detail comparable to histopathology, in times sufficiently short to be compatible with use during surgical interventions. In this paper we discuss the application of one such approach to human esophagi obtained from esophagectomy interventions. We demonstrate that the image quality is sufficiently high to enable tumor T staging based on the x-ray datasets alone. Alongside detection of involved margins with potentially life-saving implications, staging tumors intra-operatively has the potential to change patient pathways, facilitating optimization of therapeutic interventions during the procedure itself. Besides a prospective intra-operative use, the availability of high-quality 3D images of entire esophageal tumors can support histopathological characterization, from enabling "right slice first time" approaches to understanding the histopathology in the full 3D context of the surrounding tumor environment.

Changes in human dendritic cell number and function in severe obesity may contribute to increased susceptibility to viral infection.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are key immune sentinels linking the innate and adaptive immune systems. DCs recognise danger signals and initiate T-cell tolerance, memory and polarisation. They are critical cells in responding to a viral illness. Obese individuals have been shown to have an impaired response to vaccinations against virally mediated conditions and to have an increased susceptibility to multi-organ failure in response to viral illness. We investigated if DCs are altered in an obese cohort (mean body mass index 51.7±7.3 kg m(-2)), ultimately resulting in differential T-cell responses. Circulating DCs were found to be significantly decreased in the obese compared with the lean cohort (0.82% vs 2.53%). Following Toll-like receptor stimulation, compared with lean controls, DCs generated from the obese cohort upregulated significantly less CD83 (40% vs 17% mean fluorescence intensity), a molecule implicated in the elicitation of T-cell responses, particularly viral responses. Obese DCs produced twofold more of the immunosuppressive cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 than lean controls, and in turn stimulated fourfold more IL-4-production from allogenic naive T cells. We conclude that obesity negatively impacts the ability of DCs to mature and elicit appropriate T-cell responses to a general stimulus. This may contribute to the increased susceptibility to viral infection observed in severe obesity.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue therapy for psoriasis patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes and obesity are more prevalent amongst psoriasis patients as is disturbance of the innate immune system. GLP-1 analogue therapy considerably improves weight and glycaemic control in people with type 2 diabetes and its receptor is present on innate immune cells. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the effect of liraglutide, a GLP-1 analogue, on psoriasis severity. METHODS: Before and after 10 weeks of liraglutide therapy (1.2 mg subcutaneously daily) we determined the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and the dermatology life quality index (DLQI) in seven people with both psoriasis and diabetes (median age 48 years, median body mass index 48.2 kg/m(2) ). We also evaluated the immunomodulatory properties of liraglutide by measuring circulating lymphocyte subset numbers and monocyte cytokine production. RESULTS: Liraglutide therapy decreased the median PASI from 4.8 to 3.0 (P = 0.03) and the median DLQI from 6.0 to 2.0 (P = 0.03). Weight and glycaemic control improved significantly. Circulating invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells increased from 0.13% of T lymphocytes to 0.40% (P = 0.03). Liraglutide therapy also effected a non-significant 54% decrease in the proportion of circulating monocytes that produced tumour necrosis factor alpha (P = 0.07). CONCLUSION: GLP-1 analogue therapy improves psoriasis severity, increases circulating iNKT cell number and modulates monocyte cytokine secretion. These effects may result from improvements in weight and glycaemic control as well as from direct immune effects of GLP-1 receptor activation. Prospective controlled trials of GLP-1 therapies are warranted, across all weight groups, in psoriasis patients with and without type 2 diabetes.

The impact of changes in work practice and service delivery on surgical infection rates in a general surgical unit.

Ring-fencing of elective orthopaedic beds has been shown to significantly reduce surgical site infection (SSI) rates. There are fewer studies in general surgical practice. Comparison of overall surgical workload in 2007 and 2011 was performed. Data pertaining to SSI were collected and analysis of this prospectively maintained database was performed on all SSI diagnosed in 2007 and 2011. There was a significant reduction in the crude SSI rate from 117 cases in 2007 (8%) to 42 cases in 2011 (3.5%). A statistically significant reduction in SSI rate for elective surgery was observed, 7.6% vs. 2.5% (p<0.001 Chi-square test). Apart from the introduction of ring fencing, all other contributory variables remained unchanged. Ring-fencing of inpatient general surgical beds has been associated with a significant reduction in SSI rates. These data provide timely supportive evidence that ring-fencing of inpatient beds is an appropriate patient-orientated strategy.

Charge-orbital density wave and superconductivity in the strong spin-orbit coupled IrTe2:Pd.

Using transmission electron microscopy, the anomalies in resistivity and magnetic susceptibility at ~262 K in IrTe2 are found to accompany the superlattice peaks with q[over q=(1/5,0,-1/5). The wave vector is consistent with our theoretical calculation for the Fermi surface nesting vector, indicating that the ~262 K transition is of the charge-orbital density wave (DW) type. We also discovered that both Pd intercalation and substitution induce bulk superconductivity with T(c) up to ~3 K, which competes with DW in a quantum critical pointlike manner.