The Military in the Islamic Republic of Iran: an Assessment of the Sepah’s Role (IRGC) as a Political and Economic Actor

Abstract This thesis analyses the rise to power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami, also known as ‘the Sepah’, in post-Khomeini Iran, particularly after the election of Ahmadinejad to the presidency in 2005. It explains the manner in which the Sepah has become a powerful political force with a substantial stake in Iran’s economy and foreign policy. To understand the growing role of the Sepah as a political and economic actor, the thesis develops a theoretical framework by combining the literature on civil-military relations and institutionalist studies with an analysis of power relations in post-revolutionary Iran. Drawing on Laswell’s concept of the ‘garrison state’, the thesis explains the growth in power of the Sepah from the vantage point of its evolution from a pillar of the regime, referred to here as an ‘auxiliary guardian’, to a leading political and economic player in the IRI. The thesis demonstrates that this evolution has taken place gradually, within the context of Iran’s factionalised political process, and under conditions of perpetual domestic and international tension; moreover, it will show that while the Sepah was imbued with political and non-military functions owing to its role as the guardian of the revolution, the scope of its political involvement and its influence over Iran’s economy and foreign policy was the outgrowth of its responses to internal crisis and perceived external threats in the context of Iran’s ongoing elite struggle for power

Adult onset still disease associated with endogenous lipoid pneumonia

Cholesterol pneumonia or endogenous lipid pneumonia (ELP) is a rare disease that can occur in the context of a systemic diseaseor following a bronchial obstruction. It is characterized by a wide range of diverse symptoms and various disease course. Thepresent report introduces a young woman diagnosed with adult onset still disease three years ago, who has been referred withmacrophage activation syndrome (MAS). She underwent biopsy due to dyspnea and a crazy paving pattern in HRCT of the lungs,leading to the diagnosis of lipoid pneumonia based on the interstitial lymphocytic inflammation and cholesterol granulomas. Sofar, there has been no report indicating MAS associated with cholesterol pneumonia. This is the second case reporting ELP inthe adult onset still disease

Program development using intervention mapping in primary healthcare settings to address elder abuse: A randomized controlled pilot study

Background: Abuse of elderly women is of great concern and yet relatively little is known about interventions. Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and test a culturally informed treatment, based on Intervention Mapping (IM), for primary healthcare settings. The intervention targets family members of elderly women and seeks to reduce elder abuse. Methods: N = 80 family members of elderly women were randomized to intervention or control. Elderly women completed assessment prior to randomization. Elder abuse was measured by self-reported frequency of neglect, physical, psychological, and financial abuse in the last 2 months across 16 items. Intervention included 4 sessions, each under 1 hr. At 2-month follow-up, elderly women completed an assessment. Linear mixed modeling was used for analyses. Results: Significant reduction in frequency of psychological abuse and neglect was found in comparison to control, with trend effects for financial abuse (F = 127.12, p \u3c .005; F = 95.4; p \u3c .005; and F = 16.53, p \u3c .07, respectively). Physical abuse was infrequent. Conclusion: This culturally tailored intervention reduced elder abuse. Given its basis in IM, it is well-positioned for roll-out and testing in a larger randomized trial to study adoption, implementation, and sustainability in practice settings

Occupational Stress and Coping Behaviours Among Dentists in Kerman, Iran

Objectives: Recognising causes of stress can help prevent associated adverse effects. This study aimed to investigate causes of occupational stress and coping behaviours among general dentists in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from April to December 2014. A modified version of the Occupational Stress Indicator questionnaire was used to assess causes of stress and coping behaviours among 142 general dentists in Kerman, Iran. Results: A total of 93 dentists participated in the study (response rate: 65.5%). Of these, 58.9% reported often being stressed. The mean general stress score was 63.33 ± 19.99. The most common causes of stress were maintaining high levels of concentration while working (65.6%), time pressures (64.5%), concern over their ability to deliver dental services in future (60.2%) and rising costs (59.1%). No significant relationships between stress and gender, age, workplace or working hours per week were noted (P >0.05). However, there was a significant correlation between general stress scores and years of job experience (P = 0.05) and number of patients treated daily (P = 0.03). The most common methods for coping with stress were resting (71.0%), sports (45.2%) and entertainment (43.0%). Most dentists felt that stress management courses could help to reduce stress (89.7%). Conclusion: General dentists in Kerman were subject to many sources of stress in their workplaces, with significant relationships between stress scores and years of work experience and number of patients treated daily. Dentists should be encouraged to participate in stress management courses to help alleviate stress

Efficiency Assessment of Baseflow Separation Methods in Gol-Gol Catchment, Ilam

In this research, the baseflow at the Gol Gol station, as a part of the Ilam dam watershed from 1991 to 2015, was separated from the entire river flow. For this purpose, WETSPRO methods, one-parameter and two-parameter numerical filters for continuous flow with porous and rocky aquifers, and using flow index and WHAT software with different filtration coefficients were used. To compare the methods and to select the most appropriate method, BFI index was used as an observational baseflow. Based on the results obtained, the baseflow occupies a major part of the total flow. The mean of the total flow rate was 1.945 m3/s and the mean of the baseflow index was 1.445 m3/s, which indicates the permeability of the watershed. RMSE, MAE, and Nash-Sutcliffe criteria were used to evaluate the efficiency of the methods. The results showed that the Lyne and Hollick method based on WHAT software had the best result and then followed by Eckhart for continuous flow with a porous aquifer with a significance level of 0.742, mean 1.250 m3/s, with a confidence level of more than 95%. Therefore, the Eckhart method can be considered suitable for continuous flow with a porous aquifer with a filter coefficient of 0.990 due to the proximity of the mean baseflow in it to the mean of the baseflow index

Clarifying the criteria for reproductive health counselling for adolescent girls by service providers: A qualitative study

Background: Due to the worldwide priority of adolescent reproductive health and the importance of counselling in them, the purpose of this study was to determine counselling criteria regarding the reproductive health of adolescent girls from the point of view of service providers. Methods: This is a qualitative study using content analysis method, which was conducted in 2017. Sampling method was purposeful. To collect data, 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participation of midwives and family health care professionals working in health centers. Qualitative content analysis was done. First, the primary codes were extracted from typed interviews. Then the codes were given in the form of short and meaningful concepts. The same concepts were merged and given a general title. In this way, the reproductive health counselling criteria for adolescent girls were extracted. Results: Reproductive health counselling criteria for adolescent girls was classified in five categories: counselling with educational approach, attention to the effect of intrapersonal, interpersonal and social factors on counselling goals, attention to the relationship of counselling components, attention to referral and triage system, preferential service delivery centers for counselling girls. Conclusion: Health care providers have provided several criteria for counselling services for adolescents, where attention to the coordination among criteria is of paramount importance in planning for counselling. Additional studies are recommended, especially on referral and triage system in adolescent girls’ counselling. Keywords: Reproductive health, Adolescent, Counselling, Providers