Development of a Quantitative Model in Land Use Planning Using GIS: A Case Study of Zarrin Dasht County, Iran

Land evaluation methods are crucial for evaluating the potentials and constraints of land for intended land use. In the procedure, environmental criteria such as topography, soil, climate, hydrology, and socioeconomic parameters are evaluated. Different technical procedures are also used for land evaluation ranging from simple methods based on expert knowledge to more complex methods based on simulation models. The main goal of this research is to evaluate land use and natural resources for future sustainable land planning using Geographic Information System (GIS). So, in this study, the Iranian ecological evaluation model was used for the analysis of the ecological and resources maps of the study area. First, ecological capability maps of different land uses such as forestry, agriculture, range management, environmental conservation, ecotourism, and development of villages, urban and industrial areas were developed by overlaying geographical maps based on Boolean overlay method (as a Multi-Criteria Evaluation Method) in GIS for the Township. The final step of this research was the prioritization of land uses considering the ecological and socio-economic characteristics (by distributing questionnaires to 63 experts (of the study area using a quantitative model. The results showed that the maximum area of proposed uses is 78.31\%, which is related to rainfed agriculture, showing this land use has high potential and socio-economic demands in the study area. Meanwhile, minimum area of proposed uses is related to forest and ecotourism. One of the most important practical results of this study is that different or even modified methods should always be used in the same region to check the capability of land and the common method will not always be as best method

A new methodology for producing of risk maps of soil salinity, Case study: Payab Basin, Iran

The entire land of Southern Iran, south of the Zagros belt, faces problems arising out of land degradation. For this purpose the Payab basin that is lower reaches of Mond basin has been chosen for detailed study. The data for this study have been gathered from the records and reports published by the different departments of the Ministries of Agriculture and Energy and the Meteorological Organization of Iran. The present paper deals only with the intensities of hazards of soil salinity as a parameter for assessing the land degradation. The present paper examines to find a model for risk analysis of soil salinization for the studied area using the Geographical Information System (GIS). The GIS analysis of various indicators considered proved useful for dividing areas with actual risk from those with potential risk. Results show areas under actual risk are much more than areas under potential risk of soil salinity indicating presence of degraded lands at present. Also the areas under severe risk are more extensive class among the severity classes in the plains indicating the worse conditions in the studied area. The worse conditions and presence of degraded lands in the area related more natural causes like arid climate and geological formations such as salt domes

A new methodology for producing of risk maps of soil salinity, case study: Payab Basin, Iran

The entire land of Southern Iran, south of the Zagros belt, faces problems arising out of land degradation. For this purpose the Payab basin that is lower reaches of Mond basin has been chosen for detailed study. The data for this study have been gathered from the records and reports published by the different departments of the Ministries of Agriculture and Energy and the Meteorological Organization of Iran. The present paper deals only with the intensities of hazards of soil salinity as a parameter for assessing the land degradation. The present paper examines to find a model for risk analysis of soil salinization for the studied area using the Geographical Information System (GIS). The GIS analysis of various indicators considered proved useful for dividing areas with actual risk from those with potential risk. Results show areas under actual risk are much more than areas under potential risk of soil salinity indicating presence of degraded lands at present. Also the areas under severe risk are more extensive class among the severity classes in the plains indicating the worse conditions in the studied area. The worse conditions and presence of degraded lands in the area related more natural causes like arid climate and geological formations such as salt domes. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management Vol. 10 (3) 2006: 9-1

Evaluation of the effectiveness of nutritional education based on Health Belief Model on self-esteem and BMI of overweight and at risk of overweight adolescent girls

Background Due to significant increases in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents in developed countries, much attention has been focused on this issue. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of nutritional education based on Health Belief Model (HBM) on self-esteem and body mass index (BMI) of overweight and at risk of overweight adolescent girls. Materials and Methods: The study subjects consist of 140 female students recruited from two high schools, who were randomly allocated to the intervention (n=70) and control (n=70) groups. The data collection instrument included sections on socio-demographic status, transportation method, physical status, and knowledge and attitudes of the students towards nutrition, which was designed according to HBM. As the intervention, model-based educational program was implemented through six 60-minute sessions, focusing on the overweight and at-risk students. Results were compared in the beginning, and three months after the intervention to find the possible impacts. Results: Average score of model structures and self-esteem of students in both groups had no significant difference at baseline, but immediately after the intervention and 3 months after treatment, the mean component scores were significantly higher in intervention group than controls (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the control group between the mean scores of model structures and self-esteem at different times. There was a significant difference at different times in component scores in the experimental group (P<0.05). The mean score of BMI in the control group had no significant difference in different time. Significant difference in BMI scores was seen at different times in experimental group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The positive effect of this program was seen among the participants. Therefore such interventions in schools for developing effective long-term healthy behaviors have preventive and controlling effects on overweight

The effect of Orem based self-care program on physical quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients

چکیده: زمینه و هدف: بیماری مولتیپل اسکلروزیس یک بیماری مزمن و پیشرونده است که در حد زیادی کیفیت زندگی را تحت تاثیر قرار می‌دهد. این مطالعه با هدف تعیین تاثیر برنامه خودمراقبتی مبتنی بر الگوی اورم بر ابعاد جسمی کیفیت زندگی بیماران مبتلا به مولتیپل اسکلروزیس انجام گرفت. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه کارآزمایی بالینی، 70 بیمار مبتلا به مولتیپل اسکلروزیس عضو انجمن مولتیپل اسکلروزیس ایران (20 تا 40 ساله) به روش در دسترس انتخاب و بصورت تصادفی در دو گروه آزمون و شاهد (35 نفر آزمون و 35 نفر شاهد) قرار گرفتند. 8 جلسه برنامه آموزشی بر اساس نیازهای آموزشی بیماران و مبتنی بر الگوی اورم در طول سه ماه توسط بیماران گروه آزمون بکار گرفته شد. ابعاد جسمی کیفیت زندگی بیماران قبل و سه ماه بعد از اجرای برنامه با استفاده از مقیاس سنجش ابعاد جسمی کیفیت زندگی بیماران مولتیپل اسکلروزیس مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفت. داده‌ها با استفاده از آزمون‌های آماری کای دو، t و t زوجی مورد تجزیه و تحلیل قرار گرفت. یافته‌ها: مشخصات دموگرافیک ابعاد جسمی کیفیت زندگی در بیماران گروه آزمون و شاهد قبل از مداخله اختلاف معنی داری نداشت. میانگین کیفیت زندگی در ابعاد جسمی بعد از مداخله در گروه آزمون (8/41±5/66) و در گروه شاهد (79/12±24/43) بود (001/0

Trend assessment of climate changes in Iran

In this paper, according to the data of 40 stations in Iran during 1967-2014, the trend of climate changes and its severity are evaluated. A consistent correlation is highlighted for trends of De Martonne index as indicator of climate change and temperature rise in some stations. Based on the results of the temperature analysis, 70% of the country has become warmer, 3% has become colder and 27% has faced without significant changes. The precipitation in the 30.5% of the country has been decreased and 69.5% of the country didn’t show any significant changes. About the climate changes derived from climate index: 38.6 % of the area of the country has become drier and 61.4% of the area didn’t show any significant changes. A hazard classification for climate change was used showing 21% of the country under without or no change class, 22% under moderate class, 37.2% under severe class and 19.5% under very severe class. These results correspond to more desertification, frequency and intensity of droughts and observing lost lakes during the last decades in the study area

Burnout among nurses working in medical and educational centers in Shahrekord, Iran.

BACKGROUND Nursing burnout is the main characteristic of job stress that is a delayed reaction to chronic stressful situations in the workplace which could affect nurses who do not have sufficient emotional energy to cope and communicate with different types of patients. There is also sometimes this belief that they do not have the required capabilities for their jobs. The aim of this study was the evaluation of burnout among nurses working in medical and educational centers in Shahrekord. MATERIALS AND METHODS This descriptive study was performed on 340 nurses working in medical and educational centers in Shahrekord in 2009. Samples were selected using proportionate random sampling. Demographic information and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were filled in for all nurses. RESULTS Burnout was considerable among nurses. The results showed that 34.6, 28.8, and 95.7% of the nurses had emotional exhaustion (EE), high depersonalization (DP), and high reduced personal accomplishment (PA), respectively. The mean scores (± standard deviation) for EE, DP, and PA were 22.77 (12.44), 6.99 (6.23), and 32.20 (9.26), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that burnout was noticeable among nurses working in medical and educational centers in Shahrekord. Disproportionate relationship between the number of nurses, workload, and income was the most important factor affecting nursing burnout. Due to the importance of nursing in the health-care system, policy makers should adopt suitable strategies for increasing the satisfaction of nurses

Comparison of Different Irrigation Methods Based On the Parametric Evaluation Approach in Chikan and Mourzian Subbasin, Iran

Increasing world population has led to product more foods and crops, while agricultural lands have been decreased. Then, it is necessary to use the maximum potential of these lands which product maximum yield without any damage. To reach this objective, land suitability evaluation is the most important way that can reach-this objective. The main objective of this research was to compare different irrigation methods based on a parametric evaluation system in an area of 100 ha in the Chikan and Mourzian Subbasin of the Fars province, in the south of Iran. After preparing land unit map, 10 points were selected for sampling. Soil properties were evaluated and analyzed. Suitability maps for drop and gravity irrigation were generated using GIS technique. The result revealed land suitability of 71.9 ha (71.9%) of the case study was classified as permanently not suitable (N2) and 28.1 ha (28.1%) currently not suitable (N1) for gravity irrigation. On the other hand, land suitability of 47.3 ha (47.3%) of the case study was classified as permanently not suitability (N2), 28.5 ha (28.5%) currently not suitable (N1) and 24.3 ha (24.3%) marginally suitable (S3) for drop irrigation. The limiting factor for drop irrigation was slope and for gravity irrigation were slope and drainage

Evaluation of the Relationship between Assertiveness, Decision Making Styles and Organizational Learning of Health Managers in Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in 2018

Abstract: (95 Views) Background & Aim: Managers are always learning to make critical decisions, and learning organizations emphasize continuous learning to survive in the current competitive environment. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between assertiveness and decision making styles and organizational learning of health managers of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, analytical, and correlational study was performed on 200 health managers of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences selected by census sampling. Data were collected using three standard questionnaires of Scott and Bruce decision making style (1995), Gambler and Richie's standard assertiveness questionnaire (1957), and Niefe's standard learning questionnaire (2001). Data analysis was performed on SPSS version 16 using descriptive statistics, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient, independent t-test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, one-way ANOVA and regression analysis. Results: The mean score of assertiveness (88.24±14.5), decision making style (45.70±9.6), and learning (43.51±7.53) were at an average level. There was a relationship between the mean score of assertiveness with decision making styles and organizational learning (P<0.05). Morevoer, there is an association between the mean score of decision-making styles and organizational decision making, and decision-making styles could predict organizational learning (P<0.05). Furthremore, a relationship was observed between the mean score of assertiveness and organizational learning, and assertiveness could predict organizational learning (P<0.05). Finally, the results were indicative of a relationship between the mean score of assertiveness, decision making styles and organizational learning with some demographic variables (age, gender, type of contract, level of education, and occupational status) (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the level of organizational learning of health managers at Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences was related to their assertiveness. Therefore, effective steps could be taken toward the improvement of organizational decisios by familiarizing managers with different decision making styles Keywords: Assertiveness, Decision Making Styles, Organizational Learning, Manager