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A vascular anastomosis is a critical surgical skill that involves connecting blood vessels. Traditional handsewn techniques can be challenging and resource intensive. To address these issues, we have developed a unique sutureless anastomotic device called Vaso-Lock. This intraluminal device connects free vascular ends using anchors to maintain traction and enable a rapid anastomosis. We tested the anastomotic capability of Vaso-Locks in a pig common carotid-internal jugular arteriovenous model. The use of Vaso-Lock allowed us to accomplish this procedure in less than 10 min, in contrast to the approximately 40 min required for a handsewn anastomosis. The Vaso-Lock effectively maintained patency for at least 6 weeks without causing significant tissue damage. Histological analysis revealed that the device was successfully incorporated into the arterial wall, promoting a natural healing process. Additionally, organ evaluations indicated no adverse effects from using the Vaso-Lock. Our findings support the safety and effectiveness of the Vaso-Lock for arteriovenous anastomosis in pigs, with potential applicability for translation to humans. Our novel sutureless device has the potential to advance surgical practice and improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is a key species in the marine ecosystem of the Southern Ocean, but is also the target of a commercial fishery, with an important fishing ground in the South Orkney Islands region. The potential for competition for krill between predators and the fishery requires risk management strategies for the fishery, underpinned by an understanding of the key physical and behavioural drivers of krill movement and retention in target areas. Here, we present the results of a regional modelling study, combining a high-resolution ocean-sea ice model and an individual-based model parameterised for krill, to elucidate the roles of oceanographic variability and krill behaviour on patterns of transport and retention on and around the South Orkney Plateau. Simulations suggest that oceanic transport from sources around the Antarctic Peninsula is restricted by the northward flowing Antarctic Slope Current. Around the South Orkney Plateau, anticyclonic flows associated with the Weddell Front and the shelf edge transport krill rapidly towards the main fishing grounds to the northwest of the plateau. Transport onto the shelf and subsequent retention are influenced by the strength and direction of regional winds; weaker on-shelf transport and shorter retention times are associated with stronger westerly and northerly winds. The incorporation of sea-ice associated behaviour, whereby krill are moved with sea ice when sea ice is present, significantly modifies the patterns from purely oceanic transport; it reduces the influence of strong regional oceanic flows and increases transport of krill to the South Orkneys region from the Antarctic Peninsula. The inclusion of diel vertical migration also modifies predicted patterns from oceanic transport, but to a lesser extent, and moderates the impact of including sea-ice associated behaviour. We highlight the importance of understanding the behaviour of krill, including age-dependent behavioural changes in response to sea ice conditions, for modelling and management of Antarctic krill populations. • Numerical modelling reveals drivers of krill transport and distribution variability. • Antarctic Slope Current restricts transport of krill from the Antarctic Peninsula. • Sea-ice associated behaviour significantly alters krill transport and retention. • Diel vertical migration impact on simulated krill transport and distribution is relatively weak. • Stronger westerly and northerly winds increase influx but reduce local retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The marine ecosystem on the shelf and open ocean adjacent to South Georgia is extraordinarily rich, with a history of commercial exploitation. Although much progress has been made, attempts at modelling (and hence better understanding) this system have consistently been hampered by the poor representation of key physical processes in global or regional ocean general circulation models. Here we present the development of a high-resolution 3D hydrodynamic model of the South Georgia shelf and the adjacent open ocean, including a novel method for prescribing freshwater fluxes. The ability of the model to reproduce the observed oceanography of the region is quantified by comparisons with data from tide gauges at South Georgia, with satellite-derived sea surface temperatures, and with an extensive CTD dataset collected during January–April 1995. Predicted cotidal charts for the diurnal tides O1 and K1 show a periodic amplification in both the current and elevation fields at the shelf edge, suggesting the presence of a diurnally forced continental shelf wave. This could have important implications for processes such as larval transport and retention. The comparison with CTD data reveals mean and root mean square errors in temperature (salinity) of –0.27°C (−0.07) and 0.64°C (0.23), respectively. Vertical profiles of potential temperature and salinity on the shelf agree acceptably well with observations, but there is a tendency for the model to under-predict the density contrast between surface and bottom waters. The main limitation on model accuracy is found to be the large-scale forcing. Releasing a passive tracer into the model, transport and retention pathways are identified, including a prevalence for tracer export from the shelf to the west of South Georgia, and a transport pathway linking South Georgia and Shag Rocks. Significantly, the model suggests this to be a unidirectional link, from South Georgia to Shag Rocks, with possible significance for fisheries management. The implications of these results in the context of the South Georgia ecosystem are discussed briefly, demonstrating the usefulness of this new tool for interdisciplinary studies of the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cough is the commonest symptom for which patients seek medical care and yet effective, well-tolerated cough medicines remain a significant unmet clinical need. The development of anti-tussive agents has probably been restricted by a number of factors; our understanding of the specific mechanisms evoking cough in different diseases and how this differs from the role of cough as a protective reflex is limited. Also well-validated tools for the assessment of cough have been lacking. These issues have not encouraged investment by the pharmaceutical industry and there have been no new licensed treatments for cough in more than 50 years. This article will use a mechanism-based approach to discuss the clinical evidence for the anti-tussive activity of currently available agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A travel plan is a package of measures implemented by an organisation to encourage people who travel to/from that organisation to do so by means other than driving alone by private car. This paper advances two principal arguments: firstly, that the planning system and maximum parking standards as part of it are the main factors leading to travel plan development in England today; and, secondly, that the difficulties of using the planning system in this way means that there is a risk that many of these travel plans are unlikely to have a great deal of influence on travel patterns, making it more unlikely that they will achieve the predicted impact on travel behaviour change, as contained in the important study and report “Smarter Choices” (). This paper presents results from a survey of planning and transport authorities in England, which obtained a 62% response rate from the 139 authorities contacted. It also uses the results of 18 interviews with local authority and Highways Agency staff involved in securing travel plans through the planning process. The survey found that the planning process (as opposed to voluntary efforts) is indeed the main means by which travel plans are now secured. In addition, maximum parking standards were shown to have a major influence on travel plan formation for organisations going through the planning process. There are however reasons to doubt that all of the travel plans secured through the planning process are effective. This is because: [•] Many local authorities use only planning conditions and not the more flexible (but complex) obligations which would allow more complex travel plans to be secured. [•] There is a lack of monitoring of travel plans in many authorities. [•] There is evidence that in many authority areas there are travel plans in breach of legal agreements, but these breaches are not enforced, reportedly due to a lack of monitoring, resources, and other organisational issues. The paper discusses the reasons for these findings and also makes a number of suggestions as to how the planning system could be improved as a means of securing travel plans. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: During late December 2004 and early January 2005 the plankton community to the south and west of South Georgia was investigated. Satellite imagery had shown the surface expression of a bloom over the southern shelf 1 month prior to the cruise, although by the time of sampling a well-defined sub-surface chl-a maximum was evident at 26 of the 57 stations located mainly at the western end of the southern shelf (and the bloom was declining). Nonetheless, integrated chl-a was still greater over the shelf than elsewhere (18–362mgm−2). Macronutrient distributions essentially mirrored the distribution of chl-a biomass, with depletion greatest in the on-shelf waters at the western end of South Georgia, where the most intense surface bloom had occurred during the preceding November. Nearest neighbour clustering of microplankton and mesozooplankton data revealed the presence of two major station groups within each analysis with broadly congruent distributions. Within the microplankton analysis a southern and western shelf grouping of 18 stations was dominated by Corethron spp., Eucampia antarctica and Thalassiothrix spp. This group corresponded spatially to a shelf zooplankton grouping (12 of the 18 stations in both groups in common) in which mesozooplankton abundance was greatest. Here small copepods such as Oithona spp. and the neritic clausocalaniid Drepanopus forcipatus dominated, along with the thecate pteropod Limacina helicina, appendicularians and calanoid copepod naupliar stages. Acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements indicated that water flow over the shelf was low and variable (<15cms−1). In contrast the largest station groups in both ordinations were distributed along the southern shelf-break and further off-shelf in water flowing rapidly (up to 55cms−1) to the southeast. Nitzschia spp., Pseudonitzschia spp., and Fragilariopsis kerguelensis were abundant here, and the zooplankton, in addition to Oithona spp., was characterized by Metridia spp., Ctenocalanus spp., Oncaea spp., and the polychaete Pelagobia longicirrata. A third group of 13 stations disclosed by the mesoplankton ordination was confined to the north and west and generally comprised outer shelf stations in deeper waters. Here zooplankton abundance was less than in the adjacent major station groupings, although Calanus simillimus was considerably more abundant than in other groups. Relationships of both micro- and zooplankton ordinations with environmental variables were modest (Spearman rank correlation, ρw=0.49–0.59), albeit complex, with interactions likely to have occurred over different timescales. High levels of ammonium over the shelf, probably resulting from microbial breakdown and zooplankton excretion, contributed most to explaining both ordinations, along with the Si(OH)4:NO3 deficit ratio, a measure of past nutrient use. Model output from Ocean Circulation and Climate Advanced Modelling (OCCAM) supported ADCP-derived flow measurements. Specifically, release of particles along a transect to the southwest suggested there was an extended residence time (in excess of 3 months) over the southern shelf and a slow but significant northwards transport into the Georgia Basin. The spatial extent of the shelf and the current speed and direction implied that in situ production was locally important and had the potential to contribute significantly to downstream ecosystems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Technology-based interventions provide an attractive option for improving service provision for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), for example, widening access to interventions, objective assessment, and monitoring; however, it is unclear whether there is sufficient evidence to support their use in clinical settings. This review provides an evidence map describing how technology is implemented in the assessment/diagnosis and monitoring/ treatment of NDD (Prospero CRD42018091156). Using predefined search terms in six databases, 7982 articles were identified, 808 full-texts were screened, resulting in 47 included papers. These studies were appraised and synthesised according to the following outcomes of interest: effectiveness (clinical effectiveness/ service delivery efficiencies), economic impact, and user impact (acceptability/ feasibility). The findings describe how technology is currently being utilised clinically, highlights gaps in knowledge, and discusses future research needs. Technology has been used to facilitate assessment and treatment across multiple NDD, especially Autism Spectrum (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) disorders. Technologies include mobile apps/tablets, robots, gaming, computerised tests, videos, and virtual reality. The outcomes presented largely focus on the clinical effectiveness of the technology, with approximately half the papers demonstrating some degree of effectiveness, however, the methodological quality of many studies is limited. Further research should focus on randomised controlled trial designs with longer follow-up periods, incorporating an economic evaluation, as well as qualitative studies including process evaluations and user impact. • Technology has been used clinically across multiple neurodevelopmental disorders. • Many studies show clinical effectiveness, but some have poor quality ratings. • Both healthcare and service users hold largely positive views about technology. • More research on service delivery efficiencies and cost-savings is required. • More collaboration between clinicians, academics, patients and industry is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]