The Effectiveness of Job Stress Management on Improving Mental Health and Self-Efficacy of Training the Teachers

Background: Job stress is one of the most important problems in the modern world and have created many concerns for many organizations. The aim of present study was to determine the effectiveness of job stress management on improving mental health and self-efficacy of training the teachers.Methods: Forty teachers(21 women, and 19 men) were selected by simple random sampling assigned into the experimental and control groups. With a pre-test and post-test-control group design, subjects in the experimental group, undergone sessions of stress management training both groups were evaluated using Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale(TSES) and mental health inventory(MHI) in pre-test and post-test. Data analyzed by descriptive statistics and Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: Findings show that there were not significant differences between two groups in pretest, but stress management training, significantly increases psychological well-being and teaching self-efficacy scores in experimental group.Conclusion: The stress management training, could be intervention program in target groups and counseling centers, and with enhancing psychological well-being and senses of teaching self-efficacy of teachers, increase education to productivity of schools

بستر جغرافیایی نهضت قرامطه و تأثیر آن بر معادلات سیاسی در مناطق اسلامی

Background and Aim: Political and Social Movements, Whatever their Purpose and Motive, Are Rooted in the Real Developments of that Society, Including its Territorial and Geographical Conditions. For This Reason, The Existence of Facilitating Conditions or Obstacles Can be a Factor in the Spread or Non-Spread of the Ideas of any Movement or Social Movement. Materials and Methods: The Method Used in This Research is Descriptive-Analytical, Which Has Examined its Development as Well as its Political and Social Effects by Using Historical Sources, Documents and Libraries of Available Information About its Boundaries, Coordinates and Geographical Area. Findings: The Qaramata Movement Occupied Important and Strategic Areas of the Islamic World at the Time of the Spread of Shiite Ideas; And Was an Important Threat to the Abbasid Caliphate. the Movement's Leaders' Reliance on the Unjust Political and Social Conditions Against the Shiites and their Attention to Areas Where the Public Has Been More Inclined to Establish Justice and Oppression Are the Hallmarks of the Qaramata Movement. The Members and Leaders of the Qaramata Movement Developed their Political Ideas in Different Lands, Taking Into Account Their Geographical Advantages. Conclusion: From the Point of View of Political Geography, The Qarmatians Were Able to Challenge the Authority of the Abbasid Caliphate in a Wide Range of their Areas of Activity, Such as Iran, Shamat, and Iraq; However, in Some Other Areas of the Islamic World, they Enjoyed More Favorable Opportunities to Increase Their Power and Achieve Their Goals. Like Bahrain, Where the Government of the Qarmatians Was Formed and They Were Able to Take Advantage of the Conditions and Geographical Factors of These Regions. For This Reason, Qaramata is One of the Pioneers of Geopolitical Thought in the Islamic World Due to the Choice of Bahrain as a Place to Spread His Thought.   Please cite this article as: Ashoori M, Shadpour H, Ashrafi A. The Geographical Context of the Qaramata Movement and its Impact on Political Equations in Islamic Regions. Med Hist J, Special Issue on the History of Islam and Iran 2020; 43-55.زمینه و هدف: نهضت‌های سیاسی و اجتماعی با هر هدف و انگیزه‌ای که تأسیس شوند، ریشه در تحولات واقعی آن جامعه از جمله شرایط سرزمینی و جغرافیایی آن دارند. به همین دلیل وجود شرایط تسهیل‌کننده و یا موانع می‌تواند عاملی برای گسترش و یا عدم گسترش اندیشه‌های هر نهضت و یا جنبش اجتماعی باشد. مواد و روش‌ها: روش مورد استفاده در این پژوهش توصیفی ـ تحلیلی است که با بهره‌گیری از منابع تاریخی، اسنادی و کتابخانه‌ای اطلاعات موجود درباره قرامطه، مختصات و حیطه جغرافیایی گسترش آن و همچنین آثار سیاسی و اجتماعی آن را مورد بررسی قرار داده است. یافته‌ها: نهضت قرامطه در زمان گسترش اندیشه‌های شیعی، مناطق مهم و استراتژیک جهان اسلام را در دست گرفته بود؛ و خطر مهمی برای خلافت عباسی محسوب می‌شد. تکیه رهبران نهضت بر شرایط ناعادلانه سیاسی و اجتماعی بر علیه شیعیان و توجه به مناطقی که اقبال عمومی در آنان برای برقراری عدالت و ظلم‌ستیزی بیشتر بوده است، مختصات نهضت قرامطه را تشکیل می‌دهند. اعضا و رهبران نهضت قرامطه با در نظر گرفتن مزیت‌های جغرافیایی، اندیشه‌های سیاسی خود را در سرزمین‌های مختلف بسط می‌دادند.   نتیجه‌گیری: از منظر جغرافیای سیاسی، قرمطیان در گستره وسیعی از مناطق فعالیت خود مانندِ ایران، شامات، عراق، توانستند اقتدار خلافت عباسیان را به چالش بکشانند؛ لیکن، در برخی دیگر از نواحی بلاد اسلامی، از فرصت‌های مساعدتری برای افزایش قدرت و تحقق اهداف خود بهره‌مند بودند، مانند بحرین که دولت مورد نظر قرمطیان هم تشکیل شد و توانستند از شرایط و عوامل جغرافیایی این مناطق به نفع خود بهره ببرند. از این جهت، قرامطه به دلیل انتخاب بحرین به عنوان مکان گسترش اندیشه خویش، از پیشگامان اندیشه ژئوپولوتیکی در جهان اسلام به شمار می‌رود

Analysis of motor performance in Parkinson's disease through LTI dynamical systems

Motor performance in Parkinson's disease is marked by a variety of impairments, and is indicative of faulty feedback mechanisms in the brain that arise due to a lack of dopamine. Quantifying motor performance as well as investigating the correlation of motor behaviour and clinical measures has been sought as in important avenue to study disease pathophysiology. We propose the use of linear dynamical systems to finely characterize motor performance, and for possible interpretations of neurological phenomena, such as compensatory mechanisms that can be cast in the framework of control theory. While coarse measurements of motor performance exist (e.g., maximum velocity, mean velocity, root mean square error), they often cannot distinguish between qualitatively different types of movement. (Consider for example, the wide variety of step response behaviors possible in second order systems which may have the same settling time, but a wide range of damping ratios.) In contrast, LTI models provide a dynamical mapping of the sensorimotor transformation required in tracking tasks. Model parameters of linear dynamical systems (such as damping ratio, and natural frequency) can more readily describe qualitatively similar motor phenomenon than existing coarse measurements. From time-series data of various manual tracking experiments, we first perform a set of preprocessing techniques dependent on the particular experimental setup. The pre-processing techniques have been carefully evaluated to appropriately address possible noise, nonlinearities, and other data irregularities. We then apply existing tools for system identification (e.g., ARX, ARMAX, subspace methods) to identify numerically robust second-order LTI system models. The choice of system identification method (as well as choice of pre-processing techniques) is critical in determining the variability in the resulting model parameters. We identify parameters of the LTI models which are amenable to comparison across subjects (and across groups), and evaluate their statistical significance. The main contributions of this thesis are: - Selection of pre-processing and system identification techniques for three experimental setups for manual tracking experiments - Control theoretic framework for tremor as a compensatory mechanism that is advantageous in some tracking tasks - Sensor-based assessment of rigidity via decay rate - Assessment of cognitive inflexibility through mode detection and delayApplied Science, Faculty ofElectrical and Computer Engineering, Department ofGraduat

Breeding success of Black-crowned Night Heron ('Nycticorax nycticorax'), Little Egret ('Egretta garzetta') and Cattle Egret ('Bubulcus ibis') (Aves: Ardeidae) in relation to nest height in the South Caspian Sea

Breeding success was investigated in a mixed colony of three species of Ardeidae (Black-crowned Night Heron, 'Nycticorax nycticorax'; Little Egret, 'Egretta garzetta'; and Cattle Egret, 'Bubulcus ibis') in the Karfestan colony, south Caspian Sea, during the 2006 breeding season. Black-crowned Night Herons occupied higher locations for nesting (4.39 ± 1.44 m) than both Little Egrets (3.07 ± 1 m) and Cattle Egrets (2.8 ± 0.84 m). Clutch size appeared to be independent of the height of the nest from the ground in all species. Mean breeding success was 0.82 ± 0.24, 0.80 ± 0.16 and 0.77 ± 0.17 in the Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Egret and Cattle Egret respectively. Overall breeding success did not vary significantly among the three species. Fledging success and overall breeding success were associated with nest height in the Black-crowned Night Heron, with a tendency for the higher nests to be more successful. Nest height was also correlated with fledging success in the Cattle Egret but had no effect on breeding success in the Little Egret

Riboflavin in human health : a review of current evidences

Riboflavin is a water-soluble vitamin, which was initially isolated from milk. There are two coenzyme forms of riboflavin, flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide, in which riboflavin plays important roles in the enzymatic reactions. Riboflavin is found in a wide variety of animal and plant foods. Meat and dairy products are the major contributors of riboflavin dietary intake. In this chapter, the latest evidence on the relationship between riboflavin status and specific health risks will be reviewed. Also, some of the mechanisms by which riboflavin exerts its roles will be discussed. The evidence accrued suggests that riboflavin is an antioxidant nutrient which may prevent lipid peroxidation and reperfusion oxidative injury. Moreover, riboflavin deficiency may increase the risk of some cancers. Riboflavin may also exert a neuroprotective effects in some neurological disorders (e.g., Parkinson disease, migraine, and multiple sclerosis) through its role in some pathways that are hypothesized to be impaired in neurological disorders such as antioxidation, myelin formation, mitochondrial function, and iron metabolism

An examination of soil and water conservation practices in the paddy fields of Guilan province, Iran

ABSTRACT This study examined the use of soil and water conservation (SWC) practices among rice farmers in Iran. A random sample of 400 rice paddy farmers in the Foumanat plain of Guilan province, who use SWC measures, was drawn from a population of 52 thousand farmers. A two-part questionnaire was used to examine the level of utilization of SWC practices and to profile paddy farmers. Internal consistency was demonstrated with a coefficient alpha of 0.76, and the content and face validity of the instrument was confirmed by a panel of soil and water experts. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze the data. Results of ANOVA indicated that the mean levels of SWC practices vary considerably at the 0.01 level of significance by groups of age, education, non-agricultural income, production costs, yield, cultivated paddies and distance from home to the farm or to the main road. Similarly, significant differences were observed by groups of family size, rice production, ownership of livestock and profits from rice production at 0.05 level. The levels of experience in agriculture and ownership of poultry were found to have no significant effects on SWC practices

The Relationship between Spiritual Intelligence / Quotient (SQ) and Teaching Competency in Medical Faculty Members

Introduction: Finding and applying all factors affecting the teachers’ ability, is the key to improving the quality of higher education. Recently, promotion of SQ has been introduced as a factor in improving the quality of performance in employees. Therefore, in order to investigate this issue more carefully, this study basically aimed to determine the relationship between SQ and teaching competency in Mashhad medical faculty members. Methods: This research is a descriptive, cross-sectional study on 160 medical faculty members as subjects (32 basic science faculty members, 128 clinical science faculty members) using stratified random sampling in medical faculty. King’s SQ questionnaire and teaching competency self-assessment instrument of Alabama University were used. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analytical tests such as spearman correlation, T student, two- way ANOVA, Mann-Withney, Kruskal-wallis, Friedman, and Chi-square. Results: The mean score of SQ was 63.0±1.2, which was moderate the median score of teaching competency was 92.0 with the minimum score of 39.0 and maximum score of 112.0 There was a significant correlation (p<0.001) between SQ and teaching competency (rs=0.31). Conclusion: Faculty members’ spiritual intelligence was assessed moderately. There is a positive relationship between spiritual intelligence and teaching competency more studies exploring the nature of this relationship are suggested. Also further studies are needed to be done on factors that affecting SQ and teaching competency