Effects of supplementation of amino acids, lysine and methionine on growth performance and feed utilization of sobaity sea bream juveniles, Sparidentex hasta

This study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of lysine and methionine on growth and nutrient utilization of Sobaity sea bream, Sparidentex hasta.A total of 180 juvenile fish with an initial weight of 31.38 ±1.4 g were distributed randomly among eighteen tanks. Fish were fed to satiation three times per day (08:00, 13:00 and 18:00 hours) for 8 weeks with formulated diets containing six different levels of dietary methionine and/or lysine; Diet 1: a control diet without dietary amino acid supplementation; Diet 2: 100% methionine supplementation; Diet 3: 75% methionine and 25% lysine supplementation; Diet 4: 50% methionine and 50% lysine supplementation; Diet 5: 25% methionine and 75% lysine supplementation and Diet 6: 100% lysine supplementation. The results of this study showed that dietary lysine and methionine supplementation significantly affected (P<0.05) growth parameters and feed utilization. The fish fed with high level of methionine supplementation had significantly improved growth performance than the group fed the control diet and treatment 6. Highest feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio and protein retention were observed in diet 3. Though lysine and methionine supplementation showed positive effects on growth and feeding performance, our results suggested that Sobaity juveniles probably required more methionine than lysine

Impact of rural Family Physician programme on maternal and child health indicators in Iran: an interrupted time series analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The establishment of the Family Physician (FP) programme in the rural areas of Iran in 2005 has made health services accessible and affordable. This paper aims to assess the overall trends of maternal and child health (MCH) indicators in a 20-year period and possible effects of the FP programme (intervention) on these indicators in Iran. DESIGN AND SETTING: An interrupted time series analysis was conducted on 20 annual MCH-related data points from 1994 to 2013. The intervention time was at the 12th data point in 2005. OUTCOMES: MCH indicators were grouped into three categories: structure (mother's age, education, occupation and gravidity), process (number of antenatal care visits (ACVs), laboratory tests, ultrasounds and natural vaginal deliveries (NVDs)) and outcomes (maternal mortality ratio (MMR), neonatal mortality rate (NMR), birth weight (BW), history of abortion and/or stillbirth, and haemoglobin level (Hb)). RESULTS: The adjusted slope of the ACV trend decreased sharply after the intervention (b=-0.36, p<0.01), whereas it increased for the frequency of ultrasounds (b=0.2, p<0.01) and did not change for number of laboratory tests (b=-0.09, p=0.95). The intensification of the descending slope observed for NVD (b=-1.91, p=0.03) disappeared after the adjustment for structural confounders (b=1.33, p=0.26). There was no significant slope change for MMR (b=1.12, p=0.28) and NMR (b=0.67, p=0.07) after the intervention. The slope for the history of abortion trend was constant before and after the intervention, but it considerably intensified for the history of stillbirths after the intervention (b=1.72, p<0.01). The decreasing trend of BW turned into a constant mode after the intervention (b=33.2, p<0.01), but no change was observed for Hb (b=-0.02, p=0.78). CONCLUSION: Although the FP programme had a positive effect on the process and proximal outcome indicators (BW), no dramatic effect on mortality outcome indicators was distinguished. It shows that there should be determinants or mediators of mortality outcomes in this setting, other than accessibility and affordability of MCH services.Esmaeil Khedmati Morasae is part-funded by the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in AppliedHealth Research and Care, North West Coast (NIHR CLAHRC NWC)

Study of Nash equilibrium by increasing game parameters in 3-player quantum game

 Using the quantum game formalism in 3-player system, we calculate the Nash equilibrium in quantum Prisoners’ Dilemma by increasing parameters of unitary operator. Since, the entanglement plays an important role in quantum states of particles quantum game, actually its effect on the obtained results of Nash equilibrium is investigated. It is shown that increasing the parameters enhances the game payoff function

The Role of Meaning in Life, Mindfulness and Resilience in the Flourishing of Students

The purpose of the study was to evauate the role of meaning in life, mindfulness and resilience in the flourishing of students. Based on descriptive – analytic method, two hundred and forty students of Tabriz University were selected by convenience sampling.  Participants responded to Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ; Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ; Baer, R.‌A., Smith,‌G.‌T.,‌Hopkins,‌J.,‌Krietemeyer,‌J.,‌&‌ Toney) and Diener Flourishing Scale. The results were analyzed by structural equation modeling. The results showed that meaning in life and mindfulness had direct effects on the resilience. Resilience also had direct effects on the flourishing. Moreover the meaning in life and mindfulness showed indirect effect on flourishing by mediational effects of resilience. In general, hypothetical model showed good fit. These findings can be endorsed the importance of the positive role of meaning in life, mindfulness and resilience on the flourishing