Lipid profiles, in vitro digestion and oxidative stability of mutton bird oil

The lipid profile, in vitro digestion and oxidative stability of mutton bird oil were investigated. Wax ester, triacylglycerol and sterol were the major lipids present as determined using capillary chromatography with flame ionisation detector (Iatroscan). Fatty acid analysis by gas chromatography (GC) showed that wax esters had a higher total omega-3 fatty acids content including EPA, DPA and DHA than TAGs (31 % and 24 %, respectively). In TAGs, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data showed that EPA was statistically positioned at sn-1,3 and sn-2, while DHA was preferentially at sn-2. In vitro digestion using porcine pancreatic lipase resulted in 75 % of TAG and 10 % wax ester hydrolysis in 120 min. As reflected in the measured conjugated dienes (CD) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values during accelerated oxidation at 60 °C for 5 days, the oil was relatively stable against oxidation considering its high omega-3 content.

Subtyping based on readiness and confidence: the identification of help-seeking profiles for gamblers accessing web-based counselling

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Problem gamblers are not a homogeneous group and recent data suggest that subtyping can improve treatment outcomes. This study administered three readiness rulers and aimed to identify subtypes of gamblers accessing a national web-based counselling service based on these rulers. METHODS: Participants were 1204 gamblers (99.4% problem gamblers) who accessed a single session of web-based counselling in Australia. Measures included three readiness rulers (importance, readiness and confidence to resist an urge to gamble), demographics and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). RESULTS: Gamblers reported high importance of change [mean = 9.2, standard deviation (SD) = 1.51] and readiness to change (mean = 8.86, SD = 1.84), but lower confidence to resist an urge to gamble (mean = 3.93, SD = 2.44) compared with importance and readiness. The statistical fit indices of a latent class analysis identified a four-class model. Subtype 1 was characterized by a very high readiness to change and very low confidence to resist an urge to gamble (n = 662, 55.0%) and subtype 2 reported high readiness and low confidence (n = 358, 29.7%). Subtype 3 reported moderate ratings on all three rulers (n = 139, 11.6%) and subtype 4 reported high importance of change but low readiness and confidence (n = 45, 3.7%). A multinomial logistic regression indicated that subtypes differed by gender (P < 0.001), age (P = 0.01), gambling activity (P < 0.05), preferred mode of gambling (P < 0.001) and PGSI score (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Problem gamblers in Australia who seek web-based counselling comprise four distinct subgroups based on self-reported levels of readiness to change, confidence to resist the urge to gamble and importance of change.

Does relative age distribution influence the physical and anthropometric profiles of drafted under 18 Australian footballers? An Investigation between the 2010 to 2013 seasons

This study examined if the relative birth distribution of drafted under 18 (U18) Australian football (AF) players influenced their physical and anthropometric profile. Birthdate, physical (vertical jump, agility, 20m sprint, 20m multistage fitness test) and anthropometric (standing height, body mass) data were obtained from U18 players drafted into the Australian Football League between 2010 to 2013 (n = 212). Birth distribution did not change across quartile (χ23 = 5.09, P > 0.05) or half year (χ21= 2.50, P > 0.05). Physical and anthropometric profiles did not differ according to quartile or half year (P > 0.05). Relative birth distribution did not appear to influence draft success or physical/anthropometric profile. This study provides insight into a phenomenon not always observed in team sport.

Learning entry profiles of children with autism from multivariate treatment information using restricted boltzmann machines

Entry profiles can be generated before children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) begin to traverse an intervention program. They can help evaluate the progress of each child on the dedicated syllabus in addition to enabling narrowing down the best intervention course over time. However, the traits of ASD are expressed in different ways in every individual affected. The resulting spectrum nature of the disorder makes it challenging to discover profiles of children with ASD. Using data from 491 children, traversing the syllabus of a comprehensive intervention program on iPad called TOBY Playpad, we learn the entry profiles of the children based on their age, sex and performance on their first skills of the syllabus. Mixed-variate restricted Boltzmann machines allow us to integrate the heterogeneous data into one model making it a suitable technique. The data based discovery of entry profiles may assist in developing systems that can automatically suggest best suitable paths through the syllabus by clustering the children based on the characteristics they present at the beginning of the program. This may open the pathway for personalised intervention.