Governance of Agricultural Water Management:How Does the EPSI Model Explain Iranian Farmers' Satisfaction? An Experience from Northwestern Iran

Farmers’ satisfaction with agricultural water management can be used as a measure of the fairness of water distribution and the performance of an irrigation scheme. Therefore, the assessment of farmers’ satisfaction in this respect could provide useful insights contributing to the sustainable governance of irrigation water. In this study, the population of interest consisted of residents in district of Lajan using the public irrigation network in Piranshahr Township, Iran. Using Krejcie and Morgan’s table and following a simple random sampling method, 110 individuals were selected as the research sample. Questionnaire [based on the European Performance Satisfaction Index (EPSI)] was the main tool for data gathering. The validity of the questionnaire was verified by a panel of experts. To assess its reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was calculated for the main scales of the questionnaire (α= 0.74 to 0.86). According to the obtained data, the main factors influencing farmers’ satisfaction included the perceived image of irrigation governance, expectations of farmers from irrigation governance, and the perceived quality and value of irrigation. According to the results, farmers believed that irrigation management by the government was a solution for reducing local conflicts in relation to agricultural water use and justice in the distribution of irrigation water. However, they were not satisfied with the irrigation scheme governance

Environmental values in the petrochemical industry: A Q-method study in South West Iran

Achieving sustainable development in different regional and cultural contexts is dependent, in part, upon an understanding of key actors’ underlying environmental, social and economic values. The social research technique called Q-methodology presents an effective means to explore such values as a matter of discourse: revealing the typologies of stakeholder perspectives within a given debate. Q-method involves factor analysis of participant rank-ordered preselected statements on a topic. The resultant factors are then reinterpreted as social discourses. In this study we use Q-methodology to explore the environmental values of Health Safety and Environmental (HSE) managers in petrochemical companies in Khuzestan province in southwest Iran. Khuzestan is a key region of petrochemical product development, with significant associated environmental pollution effects. Understanding HSE managers’ attitudes to environmental protection is of value in predicting broader environmental impacts to the region, given the relative importance of their role in regulating the environmental performance of this industry. Our results reveal four distinct and varied perspectives on environmental protection labelled: ‘Environmental stewardship’, ‘Environmental presentism’, ‘Technological optimism’ and ‘Enlightened anthropocentrism’. We then discuss how these four emergent perspectives correspond to broader environmental discourses as categorized by John Dryzek: i.e. green rationalism, economic rationalism, prometheanism and ecological modernization respectively

Readability of Patient Education Materials on the American Association for Surgery of Trauma Website

Background: Because the quality of information on the Internet is of dubious worth, many patients seek out reliable expert sources. As per the American Medical Association (AMA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommendations, readability of patient education materials should not exceed a sixth-grade reading level. The average reading skill of U.S. adults is at the eighth-grade level. Objectives: This study evaluates whether a recognized source of expert content, the American Association for Surgery of Trauma (AAST) website’s patient education materials, recommended readability guidelines for medical information. Materials and Methods: Using the well-validated Flesch-Kincaid formula to analyze grade level readability, we evaluated the readability of all 16 of the publicly-accessible entries within the patient education section of the AAST website. Results: Mean ± SD grade level readability was 10.9 ± 1.8 for all the articles. All but one of the articles had a readability score above the sixth-grade level. Readability of the articles exceeded the maximum recommended level by an average of 4.9 grade levels (95% confidence interval, 4.0-5.8; P < 0.0001). Readability of the articles exceeded the eighth-grade level by an average of 2.9 grade levels (95% confidence interval, 2.0-3.8; P < 0.0001). Only one of the articles had a readability score below the eighth-grade level. Conclusions: The AAST’s online patient education materials may be of limited utility to many patients, as the readability of the information exceeds the average reading skill level of adults in the U.S. Lack of patient comprehension represents a discrepancy that is not in accordance with the goals of the AAST’s objectives for its patient education efforts. Keywords: Patient Education Materials; Online Health Information; Readability; Comprehension, Flesch-Kincaid Formul

A cell-free SDKP-conjugated self-assembling peptide hydrogel sufficient for improvement of myocardial infarction

Biomaterials in conjunction with stem cell therapy have recently attracted attention as a new therapeutic approach for myocardial infarction (MI), with the aim to solve the delivery challenges that exist with transplanted cells. Self-assembling peptide (SAP) hydrogels comprise a promising class of synthetic biomaterials with cardiac-compatible properties such as mild gelation, injectability, rehealing ability, and potential for sequence modification. Herein, we developed an SAP hydrogel composed of a self-assembling gel-forming core sequence (RADA) modified with SDKP motif with pro-angiogenic and anti-fibrotic activity to be used as a cardioprotective scaffold. The RADA-SDKP hydrogel was intramyocardially injected into the infarct border zone of a rat model of MI induced by left anterior descending artery (LAD) ligation as a cell-free or a cell-delivering scaffold for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was markedly improved after transplantation of either free hydrogel or cell-laden hydrogel. This cardiac functional repair coincided very well with substantially lower fibrotic tissue formation, expanded microvasculature, and lower inflammatory response in the infarct area. Interestingly, BM-MSCs alone or in combination with hydrogel could not surpass the cardiac repair effects of the SDKP-modified SAP hydrogel. Taken together, we suggest that the RADA-SDKP hydrogel can be a promising cell-free construct that has the capability for functional restoration in the instances of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) that might minimize the safety concerns of cardiac cell therapy and facilitate clinical extrapolation. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Governance of Agricultural Water Management: How Does the EPSI Model Explain Iranian Farmers' Satisfaction? An Experience from Northwestern Iran

Farmers’ satisfaction with agricultural water management can be used as a measure of the fairness of water distribution and the performance of an irrigation scheme. Therefore, the assessment of farmers’ satisfaction in this respect could provide useful insights contributing to the sustainable governance of irrigation water. In this study, the population of interest consisted of residents in district of Lajan using the public irrigation network in Piranshahr Township, Iran. Using Krejcie and Morgan’s table and following a simple random sampling method, 110 individuals were selected as the research sample. Questionnaire [based on the European Performance Satisfaction Index (EPSI)] was the main tool for data gathering. The validity of the questionnaire was verified by a panel of experts. To assess its reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was calculated for the main scales of the questionnaire (α= 0.74 to 0.86). According to the obtained data, the main factors influencing farmers’ satisfaction included the perceived image of irrigation governance, expectations of farmers from irrigation governance, and the perceived quality and value of irrigation. According to the results, farmers believed that irrigation management by the government was a solution for reducing local conflicts in relation to agricultural water use and justice in the distribution of irrigation water. However, they were not satisfied with the irrigation scheme governance

Examining the Attitude and Tendency of Farmers toward Participation in the Establishment of WUAs in Dehloran Township

One of the reasons for the failure of established WUAs is the lack of attention the social context and the set of actions that must be taken before the start of the establishment of WUAs. Regarding this issue, the purpose of this study was to explain the attitude and intention of farmers to participate in the establishment of WUAs. The statistical population of this study included all farmers in the central district of Dehloran Township, which any WUAs has not been established in this region until now and a sample selected using completely random sampling method and Cochran formula among them. A researcher-made questionnaire, which its validity and reliability confirmed, used to collect data.  The data were analyzed using SPSS V20 software. The results of the study showed that there was a positive attitude among the beneficiaries of the region. The findings also showed that large farmers with integrated lands, tend to be less inclined to participate in establishing WUAs. In addition, the results showed a positive and significant relationship between attitude and willingness to participate of the beneficiaries. Finally, some suggestions provided for facilitating the decision-making process towards the establishment of sustainable and successful cooperatives in the future

An application of European Performance Satisfaction Index toward rural tourism: The case of western Iran. Tourism Management Perspectives

Iran is endowed with numerous historic and cultural attractions spanning more than 7000 years of continuous civilization, affording it much tourism potential. However, the country currently ranks 70th worldwide in tourists&apos; arrivals and 77th in revenues generated by tourism. Though tourism potential does not always lead to its development, an assessment of resident attitudes towards tourism as an economic development strategy is a needed precursor to an integrated management approach so that once the impediments are lifted, the industry can develop in an appropriate and sustainable way. To achieve this end, this study operationalized the European Performance Satisfaction Index to assess resident attitudes and commitment towards tourism in Oraman County in Iran&apos;s Kurdistan province. Yielded from the survey data was a causal chain of factors influencing commitment towards tourism among those known in the community to have experience in current tourism offerings and upon whom future tourism development would likely depend

Optical imaging of mitochondrial redox state in rodent models with 3-iodothyronamine.

This study used an optical technique to measure the effects of treating low (10 mg/kg) and high (25 mg/kg) doses of 3-iodothyronamine (T1AM) on the metabolism in the kidney and heart of mice. The ratio of two intrinsic fluorophores in tissue, (NADH/FAD), called the NADH redox ratio (NADH RR), is a marker of the metabolic state of the tissue. A cryofluorescence imaging instrument was used to provide a quantitative assessment of NADH RR in both kidneys and hearts in mice treated with 3-iodothyronamine. We compared those results to corresponding tissues in control mice. In the kidneys of mice treated with a high dose T1AM, the mean values of the maximum projection of NADH RR were 2.6 ± 0.6 compared to 3.20 ± 0.03 in control mice, indicating a 19% ( ± 0.4) significant increase in oxidative stress (OS) in the high dose-treated kidneys (P = 0.047). However, kidneys treated with a low dose of T1AM showed no difference in NADH RR compared to the kidneys of control mice. Furthermore, low versus high dose treatment of T1AM showed different responses in the heart than in the kidneys. The mean value of the maximum projection of NADH RR in the heart changed from 3.0 ± 0.3 to 3.2 ± 0.6 for the low dose and the high dose T1AM-treated mice, respectively, as compared to 2.8 ± 0.7 in control mice. These values correspond to a 9% (±0.5) (P = 0.045) and 14% (±0.5) (P = 0.008) significant increase in NADH RR in the T1AM-treated hearts, indicating that the high dose T1AM-treated tissues have reduced OS compared to the low dose-treated tissues or the control tissues. These results suggest that while T1AM at a high dose increases oxidative response in kidneys, it has a protective effect in the heart and may exert its effect through alternative pathways at different doses and at tissue specific levels