Effect of diet, sex and age on fatty acid metabolism in broiler chickens : SFA and MUFA

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different dietary lipid sources, age and sex on the SFA and MUFA metabolism in broiler chickens using a whole body fatty acid balance method. Four dietary lipid sources (palm fat, Palm; soyabean oil, Soya; linseed oil, Lin; and fish oil, Fish) were added at 3% to a basal diet containing 5% Palm. Diets were fed to female and male chickens from day 1 to either day 21 or day 42 of age. The accumulation (percentage of net intake and ex novo production) of SFA and MUFA was significantly lower in broilers fed on Palm than in broilers fed on the other diets (85·7 v. 97·4 %). Conversely, β-oxidation was significantly higher in Palm-fed birds than the average of the other dietary treatments (14·3 v. 2·6 %). On average, 33·1% of total SFA and MUFA accumulated in the body were elongated, and 13·8% were Δ-9 desaturated to longer chain or more unsaturated metabolites, with lower proportions being elongated and desaturated for the Palm and Fish diets than for the Soya and Lin diets. Total in vivo apparent elongase activity decreased exponentially in relation to the net intake of SFA and MUFA, while it increased with age. Total in vivo apparent Δ-9 desaturase activity was not significantly affected by dietary treatment or age. Total ex novo production and β-oxidation of SFA and MUFA showed a negative and positive curvilinear relationship with net intake of SFA and MUFA, respectively. Sex had no effect on SFA and MUFA metabolism.

Examination of the consistency of interviewer performance across three distinct interview contexts

The current study examined the consistency of investigative interviewers' performance (n=31) across three distinct interview paradigms: (a) a mock interview where an adult actor played the role of a child recalling abuse, (b) a mock interview where a school child recalled an innocuous event that was staged at the child's school, and (c) a field interview where the interviewer elicited a statement of abuse from a child. Performance was measured by calculating the proportion of open-ended and leading questions, and by eliciting expert ratings of the presence of a range of problem behaviours commonly exhibited by interviewers. Overall, the performance of individual interviewers was relatively stable across the tasks. Heterogeneity in stability, however, differed according to the type of question and the nature of the event being examined. In particular, the mock interview paradigm where the adult acted the role of an alleged child abuse victim produced a measure of performance that was more similar to the field interview than the interview where a school child recalled an innocuous event. The implications of the findings for trainers, and directions for future research, are discussed.

Rethinking attachment : fostering positive relationships between infants, toddlers and their primary caregivers

This article provides a synthesis of current theory and research in relation to attachment between infants/toddlers and their caregivers. Worldwide statistics show that there are a significant number of women working in the global labour market. In Australia, recent research also found that over 300,000 children aged 0-5 years are currently attending long day child care, and a child can spend up to 12,500 hours in child care before starting school (based on attendance of 50 hours per week for five years). In order to understand the importance of developing secure relationships that build on the first transition from home to child-care centre, semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect views from parents and child-care staff. Results showed that most participants in the sample were in favour of using a primary caregiver approach. Implications for the implementation of this approach will be discussed.

Being and becoming : children as audiences

In this article, Katya Johanson and Hilary Glow examine the ways in which performing arts companies and arts policy institutions perceive the needs of children as audiences. Historically, children have been promoted as arts audiences. Some of these represent an attempt to fashion the adults of the future – as audiences, citizens of a nation, or members of a specific community. Other rationales focus on the needs or rights of the child, such as educational goals or the provision of an antidote to the perceived corrupting effect of electronic entertainment. Drawing on interviews with performing arts practitioners, the authors explore some of these themes through case studies of three children's theatre companies, identifying the development of policy rationales for the support of practices directed at children which are primarily based on pedagogical principles. The case studies reveal a shift away from educational goals for children's theatre, and identify a new emphasis on the importance of valuing children's aesthetic choices, examining how these trends are enacted within the case-study organizations, and the implications of these trends for company programming. Hilary Glow is Senior Lecturer and Director of the Arts Management Program at Deakin University, Victoria. She has published articles on cultural policy and the audience experience in various journals, and in a monograph on Australian political theatre (2007). Katya Johanson lectures and researches in the School of Communication and Creative Arts at Deakin University. She has published on Australian cultural policy and on the relationship between art, politics and national identity. With Glow she is the author of a monograph on Australian indigenous performing arts (2009).

Optimal management of a goose flyway : migrant management at minimum cost

1. We adopt a ‘whole flyway’ approach to modelling scenarios for protecting migratory birds, aiming at efficient and cost-effective conservation of flyway habitat.

2. We developed a model to minimize flyway management costs while safeguarding a migrating bird population. The model assumes that the intensity of the birds’ use of sites can be manipulated by varying management regimes (with concomitant costs) and that the birds make optimal use of the conditions created along their flyway.

3. We used dynamic programming to find the sequence of migratory decisions that maximizes the fitness of the migrants given a range of management scenarios, followed by a management cost estimate of all these scenarios and selection of those scenarios yielding an optimal solution from both an economic and the migrants’ perspective.

4. Using the population of pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus that breed in Svalbard as an example, we calculated that the cheapest management scenario given current compensation payment rates at the various goose stopover sites yielded a 35% cost saving over current management. This cheapest scenario provides a migration itinerary that is very similar to the current itinerary used by the geese. This is fortuitous since changing environmental conditions may put the migrants at risk.

5. Synthesis and application. Given the global threats to migratory birds, developing a framework for efficient and effective conservation of flyway habitat is an urgent need. Such a framework may likewise be used to assist in controlling migrants causing conflict with agriculture, such as several goose species, in an economic and responsible fashion. Our suggested exemplified framework identified large unexplainable differences in management costs between regions. Differences in management costs between staging sites for birds make big differences to the optimal management of a flyway. Hence, to achieve efficient and effective management of migratory birds, we firstly need an objective assessment of the cost of management in different locations, followed by a modelling approach as here advocated, and followed up by a collaborative action of managers along the entire flyway.

Individual factors associated with investigative interviewers' use of non-leading open-ended questions

This thesis represents one of the first research papers to examine individual factors and their association with best-practice investigative interviewing. Findings indicate that adherence to open-ended questioning (arguably one of the most important skills in child abuse interviewing) is largely the by-product of good training rather than personal attributes or job experience per se. maximising interviewer performance is crucial if the quality of evidence obtained from child witnesses is to improve on a global level.

Predation of a small passerine by the Purple-winged Roller Coracias temminckii, an endemic species of Sulawesi

The usual diet of the Purple-winged Roller, a species endemic to Sulawesi, is grasshoppers, locusts, beetles and small lizards. This note describes an observation of this species preying on an adult Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus. The presence of birds in the diet of other roller species is discussed.

Small home ranges and high site fidelity in red knots (Calidris c. canutus) wintering on the Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania

Using automated and manual radio-telemetry and resightings of individual colour-ringed birds, we assessed the daily use of space of red knots Calidris canutus canutus at a tropical wintering area along the Sahara coast, the Banc d Arguin in Mauritania. Confirming earlier suggestions, we found that birds were very faithful to their roosts and that the daily foraging range was small; in the course of several winter months birds used an area of only 2 16 km2 of intertidal area. We found no differences between their movements in daylight and at night. Additionally, individuals seem to return to exactly the same locations in subsequent winters. This pattern is very different from red knots wintering in the temperate Wadden Sea. Here, they readily change roost sites and easily cover areas of about 800 km2 in the course of weeks but, just as in Mauritania, no differences between day and night are apparent. In northern Patagonia and north-western Australia, red knots have range sizes closer to those on the Banc d Arguin, but here they do show differences in space use between day and night. Ecological explanations for these contrasting patterns require further comparative data based on in-depth studies on the predictability of the food base and the presence of diurnal and nocturnal predators.

Healthy eating and obesity prevention for preschoolers : data collected from a randomised controlled trial

This data offers insights into child eating habits and daily dietary intake, duration of daily child physical and sedentary activities, parental knowledge of nutrition, child and parent Body Mass Index (BMI), parental behaviours and cognitions pertaining to feeding, eating and physical activity, parental concern for child weight, and child food neophobia.It includes survey data and physical measurements (height and weight) of participants.

Assessment of community reintegration planning for sex offenders

Poor planning for reintegrating child molesters from prison to the community is a likely risk factor for sexual recidivism. The quality of reintegration planning was retrospectively measured for groups of recidivist (n = 30) and nonrecidivist (n = 30) child molesters who were individually matched on static risk level and time since release. Recidivists had significantly poorer reintegration planning scores than nonrecidivists, consistent with a previous study by the authors. Data from both studies were combined (total N = 141), and survival analyses showed that poor reintegration planning predicted an increased rate of recidivism. Accommodation, employment, and social support planning combined to predict recidivism, with predictive validity comparable to static risk models (area under the curve = .71). Summing these items yielded a scale of reintegration planning quality that differentiated well between recidivists and nonrecidivists and may have practical utility for risk assessment as an adjunct to static models.

A puzzling migratory detour : are fueling conditions in Alaska driving the movement of juvenile sharp-tailed sandpipers?

Making a detour can be advantageous to a migrating bird if fuel-deposition rates at stopover sites along the detour are considerably higher than at stopover sites along a more direct route. One example of an extensive migratory detour is that of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata), of which large numbers of juveniles are found during fall migration in western Alaska. These birds take a detour of 1500-3400 km from the most direct route between their natal range in northeastern Siberia and nonbreeding areas in Australia. We studied the autumnal fueling rates and fuel loads of 357 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers captured in western Alaska. In early September the birds increased in mass at a rate of only 0.5% of lean body mass day^-1. Later in September, the rate of mass increase was about 6% of lean body mass day^-1, among the highest values found among similar-sized shorebirds around the world. Some individuals more than doubled their body mass because of fuel deposition, allowing nonstop flight of between 7100 and 9800 km, presumably including a trans-oceanic flight to the southern hemisphere. Our observations indicated that predator attacks were rare in our study area, adding another potential benefit of the detour. We conclude that the most likely reason for the Alaskan detour is that it allows juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpipers to put on large fuel stores at exceptionally high rates.

Reliability and validity of psychosocial and environmental correlates measures of physical activity and screen-based behaviors among Chinese children in Hong Kong

Background : Insufficient participation in physical activity and excessive screen time have been observed among Chinese children. The role of social and environmental factors in shaping physical activity and sedentary behaviors among Chinese children is under-investigated. The purpose of the present study was to assess the reliability and validity of a questionnaire to measure child- and parent-reported psychosocial and environmental correlates of physical activity and screen-based behaviors among Chinese children in Hong Kong.

Methods : A total of 303 schoolchildren aged 9-14 years and their parents volunteered to participate in this study and 160 of them completed the questionnaire twice within an interval of 10 days. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), kappa statistics, and percent agreement were performed to evaluate test-retest reliability of the continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were conducted to assess convergent validity of the emergent scales. Cronbach's alpha and ICCs were performed to assess internal and test-retest reliability of the emergent scales. Criterion validity was assessed by correlating psychosocial and environmental measures with self-reported physical activity and screen-based behaviors, measured by a validated questionnaire.

Results : Reliability statistics for both child- and parent-reported continuous variables showed acceptable consistency for all of the ICC values greater than 0.70. Kappa statistics showed fair to perfect test-retest reliability for the categorical items. Adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability were observed in most of the emergent scales. Criterion validity assessed by correlating psychosocial and environmental measures with child-reported physical activity found associations with physical activity in the self-efficacy scale (r = 0.25, P < 0.05), the peer support for physical activity scale (r = 0.25, P < 0.05) and home physical activity environmental (r = 0.14, P < 0.05). Children's screen-based behaviors were associated with the family support for physical activity scale (r = -0.22, P < 0.05) and parental role modeling of TV (r = 0.12, P = 0.053).

Conclusions : The findings provide psychometric support for using this questionnaire for examining psychosocial and environmental correlates of physical activity and screen-based behaviors among Chinese children in Hong Kong. Further research is needed to develop more robust measures based on the current questionnaire, especially for peer influence on physical activity and parental rules on screen-based behaviors.

Hierarchical hidden Markov models with general state hierarchy

The hierarchical hidden Markov model (HHMM) is an extension of the hidden Markov model to include a hierarchy of the hidden states. This form of hierarchical modeling has been found useful in applications such as handwritten character recognition, behavior recognition, video indexing, and text retrieval. Nevertheless, the state hierarchy in the original HHMM is restricted to a tree structure. This prohibits two different states from having the same child, and thus does not allow for sharing of common substructures in the model. In this paper, we present a general HHMM in which the state hierarchy can be a lattice allowing arbitrary sharing of substructures. Furthermore, we provide a method for numerical scaling to avoid underflow, an important issue in dealing with long observation sequences. We demonstrate the working of our method in a simulated environment where a hierarchical behavioral model is automatically learned and later used for recognition.

The association between parental personality patterns and internalising and externalising behaviour problems in children and adolescents

Background:  This study investigated the relationship between parental personality patterns and internalising and externalising behaviour problems in a clinically referred sample of children (aged 4–8) and adolescents (aged 12–18).

Methods:  Data from families involved in two clinical trials in Victoria, Australia were analysed (n = 59). Families were administered the Millons Clinical Multiaxial Inventory—III (MCMI-III) which reports personality patterns consistent with Axis II disorder and an Achenbach measure of mental health as appropriate to child's age (Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Youth Self-Report (YSR), or Adult Self-Report (ASR)). Relationships between internalising and externalising behaviour problems, and parental personality patterns were examined via correlation and regression analyses.

Results:  The study found a positive correlation between parental borderline, paranoid, and avoidant personality patterns, and child and adolescent externalising behaviour problems. The relationships were generally stronger for adolescents than for children. However, no relationship was observed between parental personality patterns and internalising behaviour problems.

Conclusions:  These findings underline the importance of clinical assessment of the family ecology as a whole—including the interaction between parental personality patterns and child and adolescent behaviour and emotional problems. These findings contribute to the understanding of developmental risk factors for child and adolescent mental health and the transmission of psychopathology across generations.

Preventing mental health problems in children : the families in mind population-based cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background

Externalising and internalising problems affect one in seven school-aged children and are the single strongest predictor of mental health problems into early adolescence. As the burden of mental health problems persists globally, childhood prevention of mental health problems is paramount. Prevention can be offered to all children (universal) or to children at risk of developing mental health problems (targeted). The relative effectiveness and costs of a targeted only versus combined universal and targeted approach are unknown. This study aims to the effectiveness, costs and uptake of two approaches to early childhood prevention of mental health problems ie: a Combined universal-targeted approach, versus a Targeted only approach, in comparison to current primary care services (Usual care).
Design

Three armed, population-level cluster randomised trial (2010-2014) within the universal, well child Maternal Child Health system, attended by more than 80% of families in Victoria, Australia at infant age eight months. Participants: Families of eight month old children from nine participating local government areas. Randomised to one of three groups: Combined, Targeted or Usual care. Intervention: (a) the Combined universal and targeted program where all families are offered the universal Toddlers Without Tears group parenting program followed by the targeted Family Check-Up one-on-one program or (b) the Targeted Family Check-Up program. The Family Check-Up program is only offered to children at risk of behavioural problems. Analysis: Participants will be analysed according to the trial arm to which they were randomised, using logistic and linear regression models to compare primary and secondary outcomes. An economic evaluation (cost consequences analysis) will compare incremental costs to all incremental outcomes from a societal perspective.
Discussion

This trial will inform public health policy by making recommendations about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these early prevention programs. If effective prevention programs can be implemented at the population level, the growing burden of mental health problems could be curbed.