Use of Computer and Internet in Agricultural Extension as Perceived by Extension Workers

The purpose of this study was to determine computer and Internet use in agricultural extension by Extension Workers (EWs). This study used a descriptive-correlational design. Population for the study consisted of all extension workers (N = 320) in Isfahan Province, Iran. A stratified sampling technique and census was used to select EWs (n = 200). Overall, findings indicate that EWs have access to computers both at work and home. On average, they use computers approximately 6 – 8 hours per week and majority of them use the Internet on average of 1 – 4 hours per week. A majority of them reported “fair to high level” of skills in computer usage. For example, writing CDs, word processing, using computers for file management, and basic computer skills. However, extension agent’s report “no to a low level” of skills relative to using excel, installing software, power point and micro soft access, Photoshop, statistical software, were the skills that EWs did not have. It was proved necessary to conduct a systematic assessment of training needs relative to computer and Internet use. Systematic training should be conducted in the areas that Extension Workers perceived to be less skill

Encouraging and Discouraging Factors in Application of Information and Communication Technologies in Agricultural Extension in Isfahan Province of Iran

The benefits of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for agricultural extension purposes and activities are obvious. The main objective of this article is to identify encouraging and discouraging factors in application of ICTs in agricultural extension in Isfahan province of Iran. This study investigated areas of ICTs application by Extension Workers (EWs), too. The research design was a descriptive method. The population includes 320 Isfahan province EWs that 200 person were choose by census and stratified sampling methods. In our contribution we focused on finding. Face and content validity of the questionnaire was established using a panel of experts consisting of faculty members in the Departments of Agricultural Education and Extension, Tarbiat Modares University and extension officers in the Isfahan Province Agricultural Jihad Organization. Cronbach's Alpha to estimate the reliability of the instrument was among 82.6 - 87.8. On the ranking of principal areas of applying ICTs by EWs in extension “typing letters/report”, and “prepare and protect file on process basic agricultural and rural information”, and “access to the latest agricultural news and information”, had most usage. The main result of the study revealed that the EWs in the study approximately use ICT quite a bit. For EWs ICT Encouraging Items Principal FactorAnalysis extracted four factors which accounted for 76.24% of the total variance. And Factor analysis for EWs ICT discouraging Items extracted six factors which accounted for 62.84% of the total variance

Molecular characterization of bovine Cryptosporidium using Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein (COWP) gene

Cryptosporidium is a globally distributed protozoan parasite and one of the most common causes of infection and diarrhea in humans and cattle. The aim of the present study was to determine the species of Cryptosporidium among cattle with diarrhea by a nested PCR-RFLP technique at Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein (COWP). Fecal samples from 158 calves aged 1-20 weeks were collected from 10 dairy farms in Qazvin province, Iran. Initial identification of Cryptosporidium was carried out by Zeihl-Neelsen acid-fast staining method of stool samples. DNA was extracted from 26 (16.45 %) positive microscopically samples and Cryptosporidium genotypes were determined. Cryptosporidium parvum were identified in 80.8% of the positive samples and, Cryptosporidium andersoni in 19.2%. In conclusion the use of COWP primers could be sensitive enough to conduct a routine detection study. The nested PCR method using the COWP gene sequence can be an alternative diagnostic method to identify infected with Cryptosporidium and its genetic diversity

Risk Factors in Various Climates of Wheat Production in Western Iran: Experts’ Opinions

Agriculture is the origin of existence and survival in any society. However, this sector is always associated with risk and uncertainty, and farmers are faced with many challenges. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to explore the (production) risk factors of irrigated wheat production systems among farmers in Kermanshah province, Iran. The exploratory nature of this study on the one hand and the need for expert judgment on the other hand necessitated a Delphi research design. Thus, this study utilized a three-round Delphi technique. The population comprised of 10 subject-matter experts (SME) and 32 agricultural extension experts in two climates (warm and semi-arid and cold and moderate) in seven counties in Kermanshah province. A purposeful (complete) sample of 42 experts in the agricultural field participated in this study. Data were collected using a questionnaire designed on the basis of the Delphi technique. The findings indicated that, after three rounds of Delphi technique, the panel members reached a consensus on 75 factors which were categorized into biological, natural, managerial, and technological-structural groups for production risk. The results of this research provide useful insights for researchers, extension agents, and farmers

Encouraging and Discouraging Factors in Application of Information and Communication Technologies in Agricultural Extension in Isfahan Province of Iran

The benefits of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for agricultural extension purposes and activities are obvious. The main objective of this article is to identify en- couraging and discouraging factors in application of ICTs in agricultural extension in Isfahan province of Iran. This study investigated areas of ICTs application by Extension Workers (EWs), too. The research design was a descriptive method. The population includes 320 Isfahan province EWs that 200 person were choose by census and stratified sampling methods. In our contribution we focused on finding. Face and content validity of the questionnaire was established using a panel of experts consisting of faculty members in the Departments of Agricultural Education and Extension, Tarbiat Modares University and extension officers in the Isfahan Province Agricultural Jihad Organization. Cronbach's Alpha to estimate the reliability of the instrument was among 82.6 - 87.8. On the ranking of principal areas of applying ICTs by EWs in extension “typing letters/report”, and “prepare and protect file on process basic agricultural and rural information”, and “access to the latest agricultural news and information”, had most usage. The main result of the study revealed that the EWs in the study approxi- mately use ICT quite a bit. For EWs ICT Encouraging Items Principal Factor Analysis extracted four factors which accounted for 76.24% of the total variance. And Factor analysis for EWs ICT discouraging Items extracted six factors which accounted for 62.84% of the total variance

Factors Influencing the Use of and Attitude of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Agricultural Extension, a Study in the Isfahan Province of Iran

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly influencing human beings and are changing our attitudes towards these technologies. The purpose of this article is to understand the factors influencing the use of ICTs in agricultural extension through a descriptive research method. The populations were 320 individuals of agricultural Extension Workers (EWs) of Isfahan province that 200 people selected as a research sample. The reliability of self-completion questionnaire according to pilot test and calculating Cronbach's alpha for four part of the instrument was 82.6 - 87.8. The results revealed that the EWs have a positive attitude toward using ICT. They mostly viewed it as a useful tool for extension, which can potentially save money and time and extension. On the ranking of principal areas of applying ICTs by EWs “typing letters/report”, “prepare and protect file on process basic agricultural and rural information”, had most usage. The main result of the study revealed that the EWs approximately use ICT quite a bit. Also, the EWs with high school diploma degree used ICT less than the EWs with MSc degree and the EWs with 5 years and less experience had higher ICT application than the EWs with 15-16 year experience

Use of Computer and Internet in Agricultural Extension as Perceived by Extension Workers

The purpose of this study was to determine computer and Internet use in agricultural extension by Extension Workers (EWs). This study used a descriptive-correlational design. Population for the study consisted of all extension workers (N = 320) in Isfahan Province, Iran. A stratified sampling technique and census was used to select EWs (n = 200). Overall, findings indicate that EWs have access to computers both at work and home. On average, they use computers approximately 6 – 8 hours per week and majority of them use the Internet on average of 1 – 4 hours per week. A majority of them reported “fair to high level” of skills in computer usage. For example, writing CDs, word processing, using computers for file management, and basic computer skills. However, extension agent’s report “no to a low level” of skills relative to using excel, installing software, power point and micro soft access, Photoshop, statistical software, were the skills that EWs did not have. It was proved necessary to conduct a systematic assessment of training needs relative to computer and Internet use. Systematic training should be conducted in the areas that Extension Workers perceived to be less skill

Insulin replacement prevents the acquisition but not the expression of morphine-induced conditioned place preference in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Insulin receptors have distributed in all brain regions, including the nucleus Accumbens (NAc), and where is implicated in the reward properties of drugs. It is well known that insulin signaling can regulate dopamine release. Therefore, in the present study, we tried to examine the effect of insulin replacement on the acquisition and expression of morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in diabetic rats. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were divided into two non-diabetic (Naïve) and diabetic groups rendered by a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ). These groups separately received insulin (10U/kg) or saline (1 ml/kg) one hour prior to morphine administration (5mg/kg;s.c.) during conditioning days (acquisition phase) or post-conditioning day (expression phase) in the CPP paradigm. In this paradigm, conditioning score (CS) and locomotion activity were recorded by Ethovision. The STZ-induced diabetic rats displayed higher CS compared to naïve rats (P<0.05). This effect was abolished in all diabetic rats that received insulin during conditioning days but not the expression phase. This study has provided evidence that insulin plays a modulatory role in morphine-induced CPP, and insulin replacement during the acquisition phase could reduce the rewarding properties of morphine in diabetes conditions through a possible modulating effect on dopamine release in the NAc region

Identification of Leishmania isolates from Varzaneh city, Isfahan province, Iran using nested polymerase chain reaction method

Background: Leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease, is caused by the Leishmania genus, a protozoan parasite transmitted by sand fly arthropods. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in old world is usually caused by L. major, L. tropica, and L. aethiopica complexes. One of the most important hyper endemic areas of CL in Iran is Isfahan province. Varzaneh is a city in the eastern part of Isfahan province. Due to different biological patterns of parasite strains which are distributed in the region, this study was design to identify Leishmania species from human victims using Kinetoplastid DNA as templates in a molecular PCR method. Materials and Methods: Among 186 suspected cases, 50 cases were confirmed positive by direct microscopy after Giemsa staining. Species characterization of the isolates was done using Nested- PCR as a very effective and sensitive tool to reproduce mini circle strands. Results: After Nested-PCR from all 50 cases, 560 bp bands were produced which according to products of reference strains indicate that the infection etiologic agent has been L. major. 22 (44%) of patients were females and 28 (56%) of them were males. Their age ranges were between 7 months and 60 years. Conclusion: According to the results of the study and the particular pattern of infection prevalent in the region, genetic studies and identification of Leishmania parasites are very important in the disease control and improvement of regional strategy of therapy protocols