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So far, the effect of fenofibrate on the performance, quantitative and qualitative characteristics of broilers have not been investigated. For this reason, this study was performed to evaluate the effects of different levels of fenofibrate on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of broilers in a completely randomised design with three treatments, four replicates and 10 one-day-old male Ross 308 strain chicks per replicate for 42 d. Experimental treatments included three levels of fenofibrate (0, 50 and 100 mgkg−1), which were used in combination with the basal diet. Results showed that 100 mgkg−1 fenofibrate in the diet increased the weight gain and European production efficiency factor (EPEF) and reduced feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of the whole period compared to the control (p <.05). The effect of experimental treatments on blood serum and immune system parameters other than spleen and bursal weights was not significant (p >.05). The number of E. coli, coliform and clostridium bacteria in the caecum decreased with the use of fenofibrate in comparison with the control group (p <.05), but fenofibrate increased the lactobacilli population in the caecum (p <.05). According to the results, the use of 100 mgkg−1 fenofibrate in the diet is recommended to improve some quantitative and qualitative characteristics of broilers. The accumulation of fat in the body of chickens is an undesirable trait for producers and consumers. Fenofibrate is a derivative of fibric acid and a blood fat-lowering chemical used to lower cholesterol levels in cardiovascular patients. The results of this study showed that the use of fenofibrate is effective in improving performance, and reducing the population of harmful bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared students with specific learning disorders (SLDs) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) based on the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS). Thirty students with SLDs, 30 students with ADHD, and 30 students without SLDs/ADHD in Babol (Iran) completed the Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT) assessment. Findings revealed: (1) a significant difference between the SLD and non-SLD/ADHD groups in all elements, except for logic and rotation, (2) a significant difference between the ADHD and non-SLD/ADHD groups in all 14 elements of the scale. The inter-rater scoring correlation was significant and high in 14 elements of the scale, except for realism and person. Accordingly, the PPAT shows potential for application in preliminary identification and on-going evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological revolution in the field of agriculture has tremendously generated huge quantities of waste causing environmental pollution. The agriculture wastes can be categorised into different categories, such as crop waste and residues; cereal by-products; sugar beet pulp, starch and confectionary industry by-products; oil cereal industry by-products; grain and legumes by-products. It was found that the agro-co-products could be recommended in the poultry diet with low-cost advantages alternative to conventional ingredients. Despite of the high fibre content and low nutrient availability that limit the utilisation of these by-products by poultry, the source of by-product, processing method/enzyme supplementation and animal factors found affect the utilisation of agro-industrial by-products by poultry. If we could produce valuable products from agriculture wastes by-products through new technological and scientific applications, these by-products could be converted into products with a higher nutritive value than the main feedstuffs. Therefore, the present paper provides a brief discussion on the utilisation of some agro-processing wastes as a source of nutrients in poultry diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the orientations and concentrations of the Stone–Wales (SW) defects on the thermal conductivity of zigzag and armchair graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) is explored using the reverse non-equilibrium molecular dynamics method. The results show that the thermal conductivity of GNRs with two different chirality cases reaches the minimum in the range of 0.1–0.7% defect concentration. Beyond a critical value of the SW defect concentration, the thermal conductivity increases with the increase in SW concentration for both zigzag and armchair GNRs. It is shown that at high concentrations of the SW defects, the thermal conductivity of zigzag GNRs with Type II defects is larger than the GNRs with Type I defects. Finally, the dependence of the SW defect concentration and orientation on the power spectra overlaps have also been explored. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Supply chain management (SCM) is one of the most important competitive strategies employed by the modern enterprises. The main aim of SCM is to integrate different suppliers to gratify market demand. Meanwhile, supplier selection and evaluation play an important role in establishing an efficient supply chain. Supplier selection as an essential component of SCM is usually a multi-criteria decision problem in which actual business contexts may be solved in the absence of precise information. Three objective functions are minimization of costs, maximization of presented units as well as maximization of on time delivery, respectively. In order to solve the problem, a compensatory fuzzy model was proposed to satisfy the decision-maker’s aspirations for fuzzy goals. The proposed approach could be efficiently applied to obtain non-dominated solutions. A numerical example was given to demonstrate how the approach was employed. So, for solving the problem, Lingo software was used. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Focuses on a study that compared the sexual, child rearing and family attitudes of Iranian immigrants in the United States and Iranians in Iran. Participants of the study; Method; Results and discussion.