m. baradaran

The faculty members of Universities experience significant level of job stress due to their multiple roles and responsibilities. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of organizational justice and work-family conflict in the job stress of academic staff members of Guilan University of Medical Sciences.

This is a cross-sectional and descriptive-correlational design study. The statistical population of this study comprised faculty members of Guilan University of Medical Sciences about 452. The participants were selected through convenience sampling, and 127 individuals were enrolled in the study. R. S. Eliot job stress (1994), Niehof & Moorman organizational justice (1993), and work-family conflict Carlson, Kacmar & Williams (2000) questionnaires were utilized for data collection. The data were analyzed via Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression analysis with IBM SPSS.  

 There was a significant negative correlation between job stress and organizational justice (r = -0.324, P = 0.001). Moreover, a significant positive correlation exists between job stress and work-family conflict (r=0.620, P=0.001). The results of multiple analyses implied that job stress is significantly explained by organizational justice (b= -0.066, P=0.039) and work-family conflict (b=0.310, P=0.001) (P<0.001).

Universities, as a systematic social structure, in line with their human resource management, can increase their staff performance by identifying factors which lead to improvement in understanding of organizational justice and reducing job stress, by this the organizational efficiency can be risen.

Many people believe that entrepreneurship is an innate trait and some people are born entrepreneurs from the beginning of the life, but some people consider it to a great extent, as an acquired ability that is the product of a complex psychological process and closely related to an individual’s motivation. The fact is that there is still no comprehensive and accurate knowledge of the factors that motivate people to become entrepreneurs. An important part of this issue goes back to the weaknesses of the theoretical foundation and scientific studies. Sociologists believe that the entrepreneurs’ driving force is their inner and personal motivations, which are strengthened during the life, via being influenced by the environment. Therefore, in order to gain knowledge about how an entrepreneurial behavior is formed, before anything else, it is better to examine people's motivations in this regard. The present study is an applied research in non-experimental research group, considering that it is seeking to investigate the rural women’s motivations for starting agriculture-based micro-enterprises in the provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran.131 rural women, owning agricultural micro- enterprises, in 17 cities of Gilan and Mazandaran provinces were studied and 23 motivational variables in business development were prioritized based on the coefficients of the changes obtained. Findings indicated that "achieving financial independence" with an average score of 4.50 out of five, was the strongest motivating variable for starting and running a business, and "increasing the power of control over one's own destiny", "helping to reduce some family expenses in certain areas, such as: providing processed agricultural products, etc.”, and "helping to improve financial situation and economic conditions of the family" ranked next, respectively. Thus, the rural women’s most main motivating factor in this study for starting an agricultural micro-business in the region has been to gain more control over life, via special economic orientation. Consequently, agricultural micro-businesses can make significant and considerable contribution to promoting the rural household economy, improving its welfare, and therefore, trying to develop such enterprises, as a valuable developmental strategy, can save the vulnerable strata of the rural society from the poverty.

This study aimed at analyzing the success rate of rural women's micro-credit funds by applying principles of project management assessment in Lorestan province of Iran. The statistical population included 750 members of the rural women's micro-credit funds, out of whom 257 individuals were selected as the sample size using the Krejcie and Morgan table. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using the mean, standard deviation, frequency and frequency percentage in the descriptive statistics section and applying correlation test, ANOVA and diagnostic analysis in the inferential analysis section. Grouping results of the discriminant analysis indicated that the audit function was able to group three types of good, average, and weak funds with a 79.4 percent degree of accuracy. The study results also showed that 76.4 percent of the members of the good funds, 88.5 percent of the members of the average funds, and 70.5 percent of the members of the weak funds were properly placed in their funds. In addition, according to the correlation test results, the members with better status in terms of income, period of membership, number of received loans and amount of received loans were more satisfied economically, socially, culturally and psychologically with the performance of Agriculture-Jahad Organization of the province in the course of funds’ activities.

Metacognition as an individual's knowledge about how to learn in agricultural higher education centers should be taken into consideration because the familiarity with metacognitive topics and its role in the process of teaching learning in agricultural higher education centers is an attempt on the part of the educators to take an effective step so that they can play an influential role in the effectiveness of the country's agricultural higher education system. The education that is based on metacognition leads to lifelong learning in the learners in a way that cultivating such a trait in agricultural students leads to curiosity, responsibility, and the flourishing of creativity in them. In fact, by using the right methods of learning and studying (metacognition), agricultural learners and students can learn the material that is related to their field of study better and more easily.

The present applied research was a kind of descriptive survey method. The statistical population of the study were the faculty members of Agriculture at Shahid Chamran University (N = 82) and the faculty members of Khuzestan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (N = 85) from which all the information was collected. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire that in the first stage of its design, due to consultation with the research team and based on the theoretical foundations, the most important components of higher education and agriculture were identified. After determining these components, the criteria for each componentwere identified based on the theoretical foundations. The markers were identified during three Delphi stages through conducting interviews with 15 metacognitive experts. The method of selecting experts was in the form of snowballs. In the first stage, based on a review of the theoretical foundations and the viewpoints of the experts (in the form of open-ended questions and interviews), the indicators were identified for the main components related to metacognition. In the second stage of Delphi, a new questionnaire was prepared based on the Likert scale of five sections. After collecting the second stage questionnaires and analyzing the answers, the items with an average of 3.33 and above that were confirmed. The approved items were used to design the third stage questionnaire and to indicate the agreement or the disagreement of the experts. Having done the date analysis, those indicators with which 66% and above were finally approved.

The results showed that the agricultural higher education system of Khuzestan province is in an unsuitable level in terms of all components of metacognition except educational planning and educational environment. Examination of the current situation of agricultural higher education based on the identified indicators showed that in the components of the  curiculum, education management and inservice training courses, planning, evaluation, educational environment and teaching based on the amount of one-sample t-test, there is a significant difference between the real value and the assumed value. The course has two criteria of participation and justification that the value of the t-test showed that there is a significant difference between the two real and assumed values. The component of education management and in-service training courses has two criteria of empowerment and justification and the t- test shows a significant difference between the real and the assumed value. The evaluation component has two criteria of participation and performance that the value of the t-test showed that there is a significant difference between the two real and assumed values. The component of the educational environment also has two criteria of motivation, facilitation- interaction in a way that the value of the t-test in all these three criteria shows a significant difference between the amounts of the two real and assumed values. The teaching component has three criteria, namely before teaching, during teaching, and after teaching. The value of the t-test shows a significant difference between the two real and the assumed values. The results of the F-test show that there is a significant difference between at the level of 0.001 between the academic rank of the respondents at the level of 0.005 and between the field of study of the faculty members in terms of performing the tasks that are related to metacognition.

 Conclusion:

In the components of the curriculum, education management and inservice training courses, educational evaluation, instructor or teaching duties, educational planning and learning environment, the current situation is not at an appropriate level. This means that the various indicators of metacognition are not properly observed in these components. Given the importance of these components in agricultural higher education in order to achieve its macro goals and vision, the system should be reviewed and revised based on the indicators that are of significance and priority. It is necessary for the policymakers and planners of agricultural higher education to consider the indicators related to the main components of the system which have been identified in this research in planning and designing the educational programs. The Policymakers and planners are advised to change the educational system in a way that the dominant  atmosphere in the classrooms would be participatory and cooperative and the content of the books be adjusted in such a way that critical thinking as a strategy of deep learning can be facilitated.

Serious problems arising from unethical behaviors in agriculture have further highlighted the importance of institutionalizing ethical agriculture. Because farmers are the most important cause of unethical behaviors in agricultural activities, paying attention to their practices and educating them on how to achieve ethical farming have now become an important goal. There are several ways to reach agreement among all agricultural stakeholders to develop environmental protection programs in agriculture. However, one of the most applicable methods for this purpose is the responsive evaluation method. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a guideline for changing the information, insights, and skills of all relevant stakeholders in Talboume village in Khuzestan province. The farmers were from Talboume village of Bavi city and out of them 15 persons were selected using snowball sampling. The interveners were Bavi County Agricultural Jihad Management Experts and Bavi Central Provincial Personnel and from whom five samples were selected to participate in the research process. The results of the study identified the reduction of power differences among stakeholders, improved interaction, and fitness in action theories of stakeholder as the three main pillars for changing core beliefs and the implementation of Double loop Learning. The operational model of the study confirmed that both villagers and other interventionists undeniably need training and learning in order to achieve ethical behavior with the environment. In order to achieve this type of learning, farmers' field visits to production units adhering to the principles of ethical farming are recommended as the method of demonstrating results.

The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is increasing in industrial and developing countries. However, few studies have investingated the effect of psychological factors, especially personality factors as a risk factor in heart diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to compare irrational beliefs, social support and type A personality in patients with coronary heart disease and healthy people. Using convenience sampling, 100 patients were selected who referred to Heshmat Hospital of Rasht city from April to September 2010. Also, 100 healthy subjects were selected among the people who accompanied the patients. They were matched in terms of some demographic factors. They were completed irrational beliefs, social support and type A questionnaires. Result showed that there were significant differences between both groups interms of irrational beliefs (demand for approval, high self-expectation, blame proneness, frustration reactive, anxiety, helplessness for change), social support (family support) and type A personality. Hence, there is a close relationship between irrational beliefs, social support, and Type A personality and incidence and continuance of coronary heart disease. So, the application of psychological interventions seems to be necessary for controlling of the mentioned variables.

Headache is the most common type of pain syndrome. About 90% of the whole population has headache attack at least once a year. Severe disabling headache affects 40% of the population worldwide. This study was designed to evaluate the severity of headache and types of drugs requested by affected patients who visiting a day-and-night pharmacy, Babol, Iran.

This was a cross sectional study on 300 patients suffering from headache who visited a day-and-night pharmacy of Babol in 2008. For every patient two questionnaires were filled. The first questionnaire was about patient's demographic information and their opinions about the headache and the relevant drugs. The second questionnaire was a translated standard MIDAS questionnaire for headache severity assessment. This questionnaire is based on calculating the number of the days taking off work or having some restrictions during those working days during last 3 months and scored from 0 to 21 that divided into 4 groups of minimal disability (0-5), mild disability (6-10), moderate disability (11-20) and severe disability (above 21). The score was calculated for each question.

Hundred and seventy three patients (57.67%) were looking for over the counter (OTC) drugs and the rest 127 patients (42.33%) had visited physician and had prescriptions for their headache. The most common OTC drug requested by patients was ibuprofen (48.55%) and the most common drug among the prescribed drugs was dexamethasone (38.58%). Fifty (16.67%) patients had severe disability, 87 (29%) moderate, 117 (39%) mild and 46 (15.33%) patients had a minimal disability from headache.

Most patients who had prescriptions for their headaches had a higher MIDAS score (more disable) compared to OTC patients. Pharmacists play an important role in advising patients to visit a doctor and have prescription.