Variations in fish body and scale shape among Aphanius dispar (Cyprinodontidae) populations: insights from a geometric morphometric analysis

Phenotypic variations in fish body and scale shape were investigated among the three populations of Aphanius dispar (Rüppell, 1829) in Southern Iran through the use of landmark-based geometric morphometric analyses.This species is widely distributed in the region, and therefore, considerable morphological variations exist among the geographically allopatric populations. Based on the Principle Component Analysis (PCA), variation in body shape of the females is prominently related to the dorsal fin region, while in the males it is related to the dorsal fin and caudal peduncle. Moreover, the shape variations in the scales are obviously linked to the tip of anterior portion of the scales, and the left and right boundaries between anterior and posterior regions of the scales. The lateral sides of the fish scales in site I are concave, while they are laterally convex in sites II and III. The observed variation seen in the fish body shape and scales among the three studied sites are probably caused by the different ecological conditions of their habitats particularly variation in water flow

Utility of Parental Mediation Model on Youth’s Problematic Online Gaming

The Parental Mediation Model PMM) was initially designed to regulate children’s attitudes towards the traditional media. In the present era, because of prevalent online media there is a need for similar regulative measures. Spending long hours on social media and playing online games increase the risks of exposure to the negative outcomes of online gaming. This paper initially applied the PMM developed by European Kids Online to (i) test the reliability and validity of this model and (ii) identify the effectiveness of this model in controlling problematic online gaming (POG). The data were collected from 592 participants comprising 296 parents and 296 students of four foreign universities, aged 16 to 22 years in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). The study found that the modified model of the five-factor PMM (Technical mediation, Monitoring mediation, Restrictive mediation, Active Mediation of Internet Safety, and Active mediation of Internet Use) functions as a predictor for mitigating POG. The findings suggest the existence of a positive relation between ‘monitoring’ and ‘restrictive’ mediation strategies and exposure to POG while Active Mediation of Internet Safety and Active mediation of Internet use were insignificant predictors. Results showed a higher utility of ‘technical’ strategies by the parents led to less POG. The findings of this study do not support the literature suggesting active mediation is more effective for reducing youth’s risky behaviour. Instead, parents need to apply more technical mediations with their children and adolescents’ Internet use to minimize the negative effects of online gaming

Investigating the status of public health in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Public health is an aspect of the health overall concept and is one of the most important factors in human evolution and improvement which relies on methods and strategies to prevent the development of mental illness and treatment and rehabilitation for them. This study was aimed at estimating the status of public health in Iran using the metaanalysis method. The search was conducted using keywords of health, mental health, general health, GHQ-28 and Iran in international databases including Pubmed, Scopus, ISI, Google Scholar, and national databases of Sid, Med lib, Iranmedex, Magiran. Data were analyzed using meta-analysis (random effects model) by STATA Ver.11 software. Heterogeneity of studies was assessed using I2 index. The GHQ-28 questionnaire was used in all studies. In 79 reviewed studies with a sample of 31765 people during the years 1999 to 2015, good general health in Iran was 50 (95 CI, 42-58), 40 of individuals had poor general health and 30 of individuals had fairly acceptable public health. Also, poor general health was 47 among women and 36 among men. A significant percentage of Iranians suffer from poor general health. Hence, noticing the state of public health and providing the basis for the realization of a dynamic and healthy life for community members seems essential

A new framework for morphological and morphometric study of fish species based on groupwise registration of otolith images.

Morphology of bones, teeth, and some particular structures are widely used for categorizing species and studying their evolution. In this paper, we used groupwise registration to provide a representative image from the set of the image samples that represents its typical morphology. We also provided perturbation map which indicates the deviation of each point through the morphology of structures in different species. The perturbation map can be further exploited for determining appropriate landmarks for morphometric analysis. Knowing the deformation between the prototype and each image sample from the species, the framework allows for automatic detection of corresponding points. Once the user puts a landmark on the prototype image, the corresponding points on all the image samples will be determined. This maximizes the accuracy in measuring the morphological indices by eliminating the human error due to uncertainty in locating landmarks

Abnormal otoliths in the marine fishes collected from the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman

Background. Although several researchers have examined otoliths of marine fishes from the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, none has reported abnormalities. A recent effort to identify stocks of marine fishes of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman revealed that several species have abnormal otoliths. This is the first study reporting and describing the occurrence of abnormal otoliths from the fishes collected from the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Materials and methods. A total of 225 fish specimens belong to 83 species and 33 families were randomly sampled from the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The standard lengths (SL) were measured to the nearest 0.5 mm. The otoliths were extracted, cleaned, and described following available literature. The specimens and their otoliths were deposited in the Zoological Museum at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman (ZM-SBUK). Results. Among the studied 83 species, we found six species having abnormal otoliths (4.8% of the studied specimens). They belong to six families; Carangidae, Chanidae, Chirocentridae, Leiognathidae, Paralichthyidae, and Sparidae. The number of specimens with abnormal otoliths only in one side (either right or left side) was six, and those with abnormal otoliths in both sides was five. The left otoliths presented more extreme changes than the right. The observed abnormalities can be classified into three types; asteriscus attached to sagittal (the most common); otoliths with a more translucent or crystalline appearance in surface or outlines; and those with an abnormality in their sulcus region. Conclusion. Ecologically, the Persian Gulf is an environment having various kinds of stresses such as salinity fluctuation, acidification, and the water temperature. Such stressors probably affect otolith formation during the larval stages of these fishes and are responsible for the observed abnormalities