Cultural Icons and Marketing of Gambling

A number of different countries and states have or are in the process of developing formal or informal guidelines to govern gambling advertising and marketing of gambling. There is a growing consensus that gambling advertising should not mislead the public, be fair, provide information on the odds of wining and there should be provisions in place to protect vulnerable groups, such as, children. In the development of these guidelines by different countries or states there has been no real consideration of the need to engage with different indigenous and ethnic populations to ensure that they are protected as vulnerable populations. Further there is a need to engage with these populations within countries and across countries to ensure that indigenous and ethnic minority cultural icons, values, religious practices and music are not used without their permission or exploited in the business of promoting and marketing different forms of gambling products. New Zealand’s experience of marketing and advertising of gambling is discussed in this paper. It is outlined the development of casinos in New Zealand and how Maori were actively encouraged to participate in the opening of these establishments and therefore, legitimate their existence as a safe place for Maori, the indigenous population of New Zealand to frequent on a regular basis. Since then other ethnic minority populations have been targeted to engage in different forms of gambling by recognising their significant cultural events, importance of family events and celebrating and promoting the success of important sport role models. Gambling advertising can be direct or subtle, however, little research has focussed on the third person effect associated with gambling advertising. New Zealand has adopted a public health approach to reduce gambling related harm. One of the key strategies introduced to reduce gambling related harm has been the development and implementation of harm minimisation regulations. Research conducted in New Zealand regarding individuals’ attitudes and behaviour to gambling, highlights that Maori have a high recall of gambling advertisements alongside other ethnic populations. The paper suggests that as part of a public health approach to reduce gambling related harm that it is now timely in New Zealand, for consideration to be given as to how much exposure, if any, New Zealanders should be subjected to gambling advertising

Why People Gamble: A Qualitative Study of Four New Zealand Ethnic Groups

In multicultural countries such as New Zealand, it is particularly important that gambling research take into account possible cultural differences. Many New Zealanders come from cultures that do not have a history of gambling, including the Mäori (New Zealand indigenous people), Pacific Islanders, and recent migrants. Little research has examined the reasons why people start and continue to gamble, especially among different ethnic groups. This research project thus aimed to develop a framework to explain how environmental, cultural, and social factors interact with personal attributes to determine gambling behaviors. In a qualitative study, 131 people broadly representative of Mäori, Pacific, Asian, and Päkehä/New Zealand European groups residing in New Zealand were interviewed individually or in focus groups. They included social and problem gamblers, families of problem gamblers, and professionals. Different personal, socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural factors were identified, summarized in a developmental framework, and compared to factors found for ethnic groups in other countries. Public health policy issues were raised, including greater control of gambling promotion. © 2012 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 28 May 201

Is the Utility of the GLIM Criteria Used to Diagnose Malnutrition Suitable for Bicultural Populations? Findings from Life and Living in Advanced Age Cohort Study in New Zealand (LiLACS NZ).

OBJECTIVES: To investigate associations between nutrition risk (determined by SCREEN-II) and malnutrition (diagnosed by the GLIM criteria) with five-year mortality in Māori and non-Māori of advanced age. DESIGN: A longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: Bay of Plenty and Lakes regions of New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: 255 Māori; 400 non-Māori octogenarians. MEASUREMENTS: All participants were screened for nutrition risk using the Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition (SCREEN-II). Those at high nutrition risk (SCREEN-II score 0.05) but was for non-Māori. This association remained significant after adjustment for other predictors of death (OR (95% CI); 0.50 (0.29, 0.86), P< 0.05). Reduced food intake was the only GLIM criterion predictive of five-year mortality for Māori (HR (95% CI); 10.77 (4.76, 24.38), P <0.001). For non-Māori, both aetiologic and phenotypic GLIM criteria were associated with five-year mortality. CONCLUSION: Nutrition risk, but not malnutrition diagnosed by the GLIM criteria was significantly associated with mortality for Māori. Conversely, both nutrition risk and malnutrition were significantly associated with mortality for non-Māori. Appropriate phenotypic criteria for diverse populations are needed within the GLIM framework.Publishe

Extremely preterm infants receiving standard care receive very low levels of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids

Background & aims Adequate supply of arachidonic (ARA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids is essential for brain development, and extremely preterm infants may be at risk of deficiency. Current levels of ARA and DHA given to extremely preterm infants and the amounts available for accretion have not been established, although recent evidence suggests DHA intake is at a level likely to lead to severe deficits. This study quantified the omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intakes from all sources in the first six weeks of life of preterm infants in standard care. In addition, the relationship between blood levels of circulating cytokines and PUFAs was explored. Methods Single centre longitudinal study with omega-6 and omega-3 PUFA intake data analysed from all sources for 17 infants born <28 weeks gestation. At six weeks of age the infants' whole-blood fatty acid levels were measured along with a range of cytokines and chemokines analysed by Luminex® multiplex array. Results ARA intake was significantly below international recommendations in weeks 1–5 (all p < 0.05), and DHA intake was significantly below recommendations in week 1 (p < 0.0001). The amounts of ARA and DHA available for accretion were significantly below estimated accretion rates in all weeks (all p < 0.001). Mean ARA and DHA intakes were correlated with their respective blood levels (r = 0.568, p = 0.017 and r = 0.704, p = 0.002). There were significant relationships between MIP-1β and blood DHA levels (rs = 0.559, p = 0.02) and between RANTES and omega-6:omega-3 PUFA ratio (rs = −0.498, p = 0.042). Conclusions This study establishes that extremely preterm infants receive insufficient intakes of ARA and DHA. Moreover, blood fatty acid levels may provide a useful measure of intake, where establishing sufficient consumption could have clinical importance. There may also be important interactions between long-chain PUFA status and markers of inflammation, which requires further study

Haloquadratum walsbyi : Limited Diversity in a Global Pond

BACKGROUND: Haloquadratum walsbyi commonly dominates the microbial flora of hypersaline waters. Its cells are extremely fragile squares requiring >14%(w/v) salt for growth, properties that should limit its dispersal and promote geographical isolation and divergence. To assess this, the genome sequences of two isolates recovered from sites at near maximum distance on Earth, were compared. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Both chromosomes are 3.1 MB in size, and 84% of each sequence was highly similar to the other (98.6% identity), comprising the core sequence. ORFs of this shared sequence were completely synteneic (conserved in genomic orientation and order), without inversion or rearrangement. Strain-specific insertions/deletions could be precisely mapped, often allowing the genetic events to be inferred. Many inferred deletions were associated with short direct repeats (4-20 bp). Deletion-coupled insertions are frequent, producing different sequences at identical positions. In cases where the inserted and deleted sequences are homologous, this leads to variant genes in a common synteneic background (as already described by others). Cas/CRISPR systems are present in C23(T) but have been lost in HBSQ001 except for a few spacer remnants. Numerous types of mobile genetic elements occur in both strains, most of which appear to be active, and with some specifically targetting others. Strain C23(T) carries two ∼6 kb plasmids that show similarity to halovirus His1 and to sequences nearby halovirus/plasmid gene clusters commonly found in haloarchaea. CONCLUSIONS: Deletion-coupled insertions show that Hqr. walsbyi evolves by uptake and precise integration of foreign DNA, probably originating from close relatives. Change is also driven by mobile genetic elements but these do not by themselves explain the atypically low gene coding density found in this species. The remarkable genome conservation despite the presence of active systems for genome rearrangement implies both an efficient global dispersal system, and a high selective fitness for this species

Long‐Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Lipid Peroxidation Products in Donor Human Milk in the United Kingdom: Results From the LIMIT 2‐Centre Cross‐Sectional Study

Background: Donor human milk is increasingly used as alternative to mother’s own milk to feed preterm infants, however, it may provide less long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA), and more oxidised lipids, which may be detrimental for preterm infant health and development. Levels have not been reported for donor human milk in the U.K. Methods: Donor human milk (n=19) from two neonatal units, milk from preterm mothers from a neonatal unit (n=10), and term mothers from the community (n=11) were analysed for fatty acid, malondialdehyde, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, and hexanal content. Study registration: NCT03573531 Results: Donor human milk had significantly lower absolute LCPUFA content compared to term milk (P<0.001) and significantly lower omega-3 PUFAs than preterm milk (P<0.05), although relative LCPUFA composition did not differ. Exclusive donor human milk feeding leads to significantly lower fat (3.7 vs. 6.7 g/d) and LCPUFA (DHA: 10.6 vs. 16.8 mg/d; ARA: 17.4 vs. 25.2 mg/d) intake than recommended by ESPGHAN, and provides only 17.3% and 43.1% of the in utero accreted ARA and DHA. Donor human milk also had the highest proportion of lipid peroxidation. Conclusions: This study confirms that donor human milk in the U.K. has insufficient levels of LCPUFAs for preterm infants. It demonstrates for the first time that donor human milk has the highest level of lipid peroxidation, compared to preterm or term milk. This has important implications for preterm infant nutrition, as exclusive donor human milk feeding might not be suitable long-term, and may contribute to the development of major preterm neonatal morbidities

Social, Leisure and Everyday Activities That Occupy People Living in Advanced Age

•Aim of the Living to Advanced Age study •The purpose of this paper •Background to researching elders‟ social, leisure & everyday activities •The outcome measures used •The findings •What do they mean

The omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid accelerates disease progression in a model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive fatal neurodegenerative disease characterised by loss of motor neurons that currently has no cure. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), have many health benefits including neuroprotective and myoprotective potential. We tested the hypothesis that a high level of dietary EPA could exert beneficial effects in ALS. The dietary exposure to EPA (300 mg/kg/day) in a well-established mouse model of ALS expressing the G93A superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mutation was initiated at a pre-symptomatic or symptomatic stage, and the disease progression was monitored until the end stage. Daily dietary EPA exposure initiated at the disease onset did not significantly alter disease presentation and progression. In contrast, EPA treatment initiated at the pre-symptomatic stage induced a significantly shorter lifespan. In a separate group of animals sacrificed before the end stage, the tissue analysis showed that the vacuolisation detected in G93A-SOD1 mice was significantly increased by exposure to EPA. Although EPA did not alter motor neurone loss, EPA reversed the significant increase in activated microglia and the astrocytic activation seen in G93A-SOD1 mice. The microglia in the spinal cord of G93A-SOD1 mice treated with EPA showed a significant increase in 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal, a highly toxic aldehydic oxidation product of omega-3 fatty acids. These data show that dietary EPA supplementation in ALS has the potential to worsen the condition and accelerate the disease progression. This suggests that great caution should be exerted when considering dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplements in ALS patients

Towards High Performance Relativistic Electronic Structure Modelling: The EXP-T Program Package

Modern challenges arising in the fields of theoretical and experimental physics require new powerful tools for high-precision electronic structure modelling; one of the most perspective tools is the relativistic Fock space coupled cluster method (FS-RCC). Here we present a new extensible implementation of the FS-RCC method designed for modern parallel computers. The underlying theoretical model, algorithms and data structures are discussed. The performance and scaling features of the implementation are analyzed. The software developed allows to achieve a completely new level of accuracy for prediction of properties of atoms and molecules containing heavy and superheavy nuclei