Juvenile tench ( Tinca tinca L.) response to practical diets with different replacement levels of fish meal by pea protein concentrate supplemented with methionine

.The effects of methionine supplementation in diets with different replacement levels of fish meal (FM) by pea protein concentrate (PPC) on survival, growth performance and body composition of juvenile tench (0.39 g of initial weight) were studied in a 90-day experiment. Six practical diets (50% crude protein) differing in replacement level of FM by PPC were tested: 0% (control diet), 35%,45%, 60%, 75% or 85%, corresponding to 0, 285, 366, 487, 608 and 685.4 g PPC kg−1 diet respectively. To provide the same amount as in control diet, methionine was included from the 45% substitution level. Survival rates were high, between 93.7% and 100%, without differences among treatments. Juveniles fed 75% and 85% of replacement diets showed lower (p < 0.05) weight and specific growth rate, which cannot be attributed to methionine deficiency. In all treatments, percentages of fish with externally visible deformities were low (under 0.1%). The increase in PPC diet content resulted in a significant reduction of lipid content in whole-body juvenile. Minimum methionine requirements for juvenile tench could be estimated in 10 g kg−1 diet and supplementation over this amount would be not necessary. Juvenile tench exhibited a high tolerance to PPC dietary content, up to 487 g kg−1, without affecting growth performance, which make possible to consider this vegetal source of protein as a suitable substitute to FM.S

The promotion of local wellbeing: A primer for policymakers

There is growing interest among policymakers in the promotion of wellbeing as an objective of public policy. In particular, local authorities have been given powers to undertake action to promote wellbeing in their area. Recent advances in the academic literature on wellbeing are giving rise to an increasingly detailed picture of the factors that determine people’s subjective wellbeing (how they think and feel about their lives). However, the concept of subjective wellbeing is poorly understood within local government and much of the evidence base is extremely recent. I therefore review the literature on the definition, measurement, and determinants of wellbeing, and discuss some of its implications for local public policy

A hierarchy of happiness? Mokken scaling analysis of the Oxford Happiness Inventory

The items of the Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI, a self-report assessment of happiness, are subjected to an analysis for hierarchy among its items. By using Mokken scaling analyses we can assess whether items can reliably be ordered between persons as severity indicators on a latent trait; in this case, a latent trait of Happiness. OHI item-level data from 1024 participants were entered into the Mokken Scaling Procedure (MSP) seeking reliable scales with H > 0.30. 12 OHI items formed a reliable and statistically significant hierarchy. However, the MSP values indicate a 'weak' scale. The 'most difficult' (happiest) item on the scale is 'feeling energetic' and the 'least difficult' (least happy) is 'I have fun'. Items in the scale are consistent with what is already known about both happiness and low mood. The reduction in the OHI's items from 29 to 12 in the Mokken scale may have utility making it more accessible to participants as well as identifying items with reliably different levels of 'difficulty'. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Inner wellbeing: concept and validation of a new approach to subjective perceptions of wellbeing-India

© The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.This paper describes the conceptual development of a multi-domain, psychosocial model of 'Inner Wellbeing' (IWB) and assesses the construct validity of the scale designed to measure it. IWB expresses what people think and feel they are able to be and do. Drawing together scholarship in wellbeing and international development it is grounded in field research in marginalised, rural communities in the global South. Results from research in India at two points in time (2011 and 2013) are reported. At Time 1 (n = 287), we were unable to confirm an eight-factor, correlated model as distinct yet interrelated domains. However, at Time 2 (n = 335), we were able to confirm a revised, seven-factor correlated model with economic confidence, agency and participation, social connections, close relationships, physical and mental health, competence and self-worth, and values and meaning (five items per domain) as distinct yet interrelated domains. In particular, at Time 2, a seven-factor, correlated model provided a significantly better fit to the data than did a one-factor model.This work is supported by the Economic and Social Research Council/Department for International Development Joint Scheme for Research on International Development (Poverty Alleviation) grant number RES-167-25-0507 ES/H033769/1. Special thanks are due to Chaupal and Gangaram Paikra, Pritam Das, Usha Kujur, Kanti Minjh, Susanna Siddiqui, and Dinesh Tirkey

Imagination and narrative : young people's experiences

Imagery generation in dramatized audio drama is still poorly understood with the majority of work having been done from a radio advertising perspective. This study sought to understand audio drama imagery generation by using teenage listeners. The study demonstrated that teenagers can follow purely auditory narrative with ease and can generate unique and vivid imagery through aural dramatic stimulation. The study also showed that listening in the dark and as a group are appealing for audiences

Randomised Controlled Trial of Unsolicited Occupational Therapy in Community-Dwelling Elderly People: The LOTIS Trial

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this trial, the Leiden 85-Plus Occupational Therapy Intervention Study (LOTIS), was to assess whether unsolicited occupational therapy, as compared to no therapy, can decelerate the increase in disability in high-risk elderly people. DESIGN: This was a randomised controlled trial with 2-y follow-up. SETTING: The study took place in the municipality of Leiden in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: The participants were 402 community-dwelling 85-y-old people, with a Mini-Mental State Examination score of >18 points at baseline. INTERVENTIONS: Participants in the intervention group were visited by an occupational therapist who provided training and education about assistive devices that were already present and who gave recommendations and information about procedures, possibilities, and costs of assistive devices and community-based services. Control participants were not visited by an occupational therapist. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was the score achieved on the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale. Secondary outcome measures included self-evaluations of well-being and feelings of loneliness. RESULTS: The participants were evenly divided between the two groups: 202 participants were allocated to the intervention group and 200 participants to the control group. Of the 202 participants randomised to occupational therapy, 55 participants declined the proposed intervention. An occupational therapist indicated that of the remaining 147 participants, 66 (45%) needed an occupational therapy intervention. A total of 44 new assistive devices and five community-based services were implemented. During follow-up there was a progressive increase in disability in the intervention group (mean annual increase, 2.0 points; SE 0.2; p < 0.001) and control group (mean annual increase, 2.1 points; SE 0.2; p < 0.001). The increase in disability was not significantly different between study groups (0.08 points; 95% CI, −1.1–1.2; p = 0.75). There was also no difference between study groups for any of the secondary outcome measures. CONCLUSION: Unsolicited occupational therapy in high-risk elderly participants does not decelerate the increase in disability over time

A generation apart? Youth and political participation in Britain

Conventional wisdom holds that young people in Britain are alienated from politics, with some claiming that this reflects a wider crisis of legitimacy that should be met by initiatives to increase citizenship. This article addresses these areas, presenting both panel survey and focus group data from first-time voters. It concludes that, contrary to the findings from many predominantly quantitative studies of political participation, young people are interested in political matters, and do support the democratic process. However they feel a sense of anti-climax having voted for the first time, and are critical of those who have been elected to positions of political power. If they are a generation apart, this is less to do with apathy, and more to do with their engaged scepticism about ‘formal’ politics in Britain

Motives for the social sharing of an emotional experience

International audienc