Investigation of surficial seabed heterogeneity and geoacoustic variability in the New England Mud Patcha).

Benthic biological processes influence seabed heterogeneity and contribute to variability in geoacoustic properties. To investigate these relationships, measurements were conducted to quantify spatial variability in the upper few decimeters of sediment near the water-seabed interface within a fine-grained sediment deposit on the New England continental shelf. At each measurement location, an acoustic multicorer was deployed to sample the seabed.

Interventions for pre-school children in foster care: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials of child-related outcomes.

Background: Children in foster care are at high risk of future mental health and developmental difficulties. A number of interventions may be helpful; however, the effectiveness of interventions specifically for pre-school children in foster care is not well established. This is an important omission, since infancy and early childhood may be the optimal period for interventions to prevent future problems.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide associations and polygenic risk prediction for atrial fibrillation in more than 180,000 cases.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm abnormality and is a leading cause of heart failure and stroke. This large-scale meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies increased the power to detect single-nucleotide variant associations and found more than 350 AF-associated genetic loci. We identified candidate genes related to muscle contractility, cardiac muscle development and cell-cell communication at 139 loci.

Contact with the National Health Service in the week after an acute medical paediatric admission.

Introduction: After a child is discharged home following an emergency admission to hospital, little is known about contact with emergency departments (ED) or out-of-hours (OOH) general practice. Here, we report the number of contacts with ED and OOH in the week after discharge from hospital in Scotland during 2015-2017, including the number of contacts which result in a readmission.

Methods: Databases containing routinely collected details from hospital admissions for an acute medical condition and subsequent presentation to ED or OOH were linked using a unique personal identifier and the date of discharge.

Genomic prediction of bone strength in laying hens using different sources of information.

Bone damage in laying hens remains a significant welfare concern in the egg industry. Breeding companies rely on selective cross-breeding of purebred birds to produce commercial hybrids, which farmers raise for table-egg production. Genomic prediction is a potential tool to improve bone quality in laying hens.