Organic agriculture in Iran: farmers' barriers to and factors influencing adoption

Organic agriculture is being promoted in Iran to address environmental problems resulting from the use of chemical materials in agriculture. Despite many advantages of organic agriculture, the results of several case studies show that its adoption rate is still very low among farmers. The purpose of this paper is to review previous studies that investigated the main factors influencing and challenging the adoption of organic agriculture. The review included journal articles and conference papers from 2007 to 2012. The results show that Iranian farmers have strong motives for the adoption, yet face challenges in certifying, marketing, and accessing reliable technical information and credits. Given the review of factors that govern farmers' adoption of organic agriculture, key mechanisms for promoting farmers' adoption are discussed. Further research is needed to learn how to bring these mechanisms into play in Iran

Biotyping and serotyping of Lactococcus garvieae isolates in affected farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in north Iran

The incidence of Lactococcosis caused by Lactococcus garvieae, in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum, 1792) farms is disquieting and increasing in recent years. Knowledge of biotypes and serotypes involved in disease incidence is essential to adopt disease prevention and control policies. Twelve isolates of L. garvieae from some rainbow trout farms were identified by phenotypic, biochemical, and molecular assays. Biotyping of the isolates was undertaken based on the acidification of carbohydrates including sucrose, tagatose, mannitol, and cyclodextrin as well as the presence of pyroglutamic acid arylamidase (Pyra) and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (β-Nag) enzymes. The Serotyping classification was carried out using slide agglutination assay. The obtained results showed that all isolates were identified as biotype II. Seven isolates (58.3%) were positive for capsule formation and were classified as KG- strain and 41.7 % were classified as KG+ strains (non-capsulated strains). Further works are required for a better understanding of the diversity of Lactococcus garvieae isolates in farmed rainbow trout in Iran

A Comparative Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Laboratory Findings of COVID-19 between Intensive Care Unit and Non-Intensive Care Unit Pediatric Patients: A Multicenter, Retrospective, Observational Study from Iranian Network for Research in Viral

Introduction: To date, little is known about the clinical features of pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Objective: Herein, we aimed to describe the differences in demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, clinical presentations, and outcomes of Iranian pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU versus those in non-ICU settings. Methods: This multicenter investigation involved 15 general and pediatrics hospitals and included cases with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection based on positive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) admitted to these centers between March and May 2020, during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. Results: Overall, 166 patients were included, 61 (36.7%) of whom required ICU admission. The highest number of admitted cases to ICU were in the age group of 1–5 years old. Malignancy and heart diseases were the most frequent underlying conditions. Dyspnea was the major symptom for ICU-admitted patients. There were significant decreases in PH, HCO3 and base excess, as well as increases in creatinine, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and potassium levels between ICU-admitted and non-ICU patients. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), shock, and acute cardiac injury were the most common features among ICU-admitted patients. The mortality rate in the ICU-admitted patients was substantially higher than non-ICU cases (45.9% vs. 1.9%, respectively; p<0.001). Conclusions: Underlying diseases were the major risk factors for the increased ICU admissions and mortality rates in pediatric COVID-19 patients. There were few paraclinical parameters that could differentiate between pediatrics in terms of prognosis and serious outcomes of COVID-19. Healthcare providers should consider children as a high-risk group, especially those with underlying medical conditions

The unfinished agenda of communicable diseases among children and adolescents before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Communicable disease control has long been a focus of global health policy. There have been substantial reductions in the burden and mortality of communicable diseases among children younger than 5 years, but we know less about this burden in older children and adolescents, and it is unclear whether current programmes and policies remain aligned with targets for intervention. This knowledge is especially important for policy and programmes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to use the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 to systematically characterise the burden of communicable diseases across childhood and adolescence. METHODS: In this systematic analysis of the GBD study from 1990 to 2019, all communicable diseases and their manifestations as modelled within GBD 2019 were included, categorised as 16 subgroups of common diseases or presentations. Data were reported for absolute count, prevalence, and incidence across measures of cause-specific mortality (deaths and years of life lost), disability (years lived with disability [YLDs]), and disease burden (disability-adjusted life-years [DALYs]) for children and adolescents aged 0-24 years. Data were reported across the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and across time (1990-2019), and for 204 countries and territories. For HIV, we reported the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) as a measure of health system performance. FINDINGS: In 2019, there were 3·0 million deaths and 30·0 million years of healthy life lost to disability (as measured by YLDs), corresponding to 288·4 million DALYs from communicable diseases among children and adolescents globally (57·3% of total communicable disease burden across all ages). Over time, there has been a shift in communicable disease burden from young children to older children and adolescents (largely driven by the considerable reductions in children younger than 5 years and slower progress elsewhere), although children younger than 5 years still accounted for most of the communicable disease burden in 2019. Disease burden and mortality were predominantly in low-SDI settings, with high and high-middle SDI settings also having an appreciable burden of communicable disease morbidity (4·0 million YLDs in 2019 alone). Three cause groups (enteric infections, lower-respiratory-tract infections, and malaria) accounted for 59·8% of the global communicable disease burden in children and adolescents, with tuberculosis and HIV both emerging as important causes during adolescence. HIV was the only cause for which disease burden increased over time, particularly in children and adolescents older than 5 years, and especially in females. Excess MIRs for HIV were observed for males aged 15-19 years in low-SDI settings. INTERPRETATION: Our analysis supports continued policy focus on enteric infections and lower-respiratory-tract infections, with orientation to children younger than 5 years in settings of low socioeconomic development. However, efforts should also be targeted to other conditions, particularly HIV, given its increased burden in older children and adolescents. Older children and adolescents also experience a large burden of communicable disease, further highlighting the need for efforts to extend beyond the first 5 years of life. Our analysis also identified substantial morbidity caused by communicable diseases affecting child and adolescent health across the world. FUNDING: The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence for Driving Investment in Global Adolescent Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Need for a Strong Public-Private Linkage in Agricultural Extension System (Case Study: Sari Township, Iran)

Relationship between public and private sector is becoming an increasingly important issue in management of agricultural extension services. The need for a strong linkage could be identified as the gap between desirable and current situation. In this research, the differences among current and desirable situation in six diverse dimensions was calculated. The current and desirable situation was evaluated from the overview of two groups of experts in public (n=36) and private (n=59) sector in Sari township. The research instrument was a questionnaire which was filled during interviews. Reliability and validity of questionnaire was verified using Chronbach’s alpha test and views of panel of experts respectively. Results showed that there is a need to reinforce the link between public and private extension, especially in case of organizational structure system. This study showed that, the linkage between decision making and planning system of extension system is inappropriate and should be improved

The Need for a Strong Public-Private Linkage in Agricultural Extension System (Case Study: Sari Township, Iran)

Relationship between public and private sector is becoming an increasingly important issue in management of agricultural extension services. The need for a strong linkage could be identified as the gap between desirable and current situation. In this research, the differences among current and desirable situation in six diverse dimensions was calculated. The current and desirable situation was evaluated from the overview of two groups of experts in public (n=36) and private (n=59) sector in Sari township. The research instrument was a questionnaire which was filled during interviews. Reliability and validity of questionnaire was verified using Chronbach’s alpha test and views of panel of experts respectively. Results showed that there is a need to reinforce the link between public and private extension, especially in case of organizational structure system. This study showed that, the linkage between decision making and planning system of extension system is inappropriate and should be improved

The Impact of Age and Sex on the Refusal Strategies Used by Iranian EFL Learners

One major problem for non-native speakers is using refusals and because of this, second language teachers and others who communicate in that language should have the cultural differences in mind. When the interlocutors say “no” to a request or invitation, either directly or indirectly, they use speech act of refusal.  Refusal is considered a face threatening act, as there exists a kind of contradiction in it and is always realized indirectly. Thus, a high level of pragmatic competence is needed to realize it. The aim of this study is to find out whether the age and sex of Iranian learners have any effect on their used refusal strategies and if the existence of such an effect was demonstrated which group is more native like in terms of content and form of used strategies. To achieve this end, graduated students (male/female) of different age, sex and different fields of study were selected. Three groups of participants participated in this study. The first group includes 30 American English Speakers (A.E.S). The second group consists of participants whose ages were between 22-29 and the third group was a group of 30 participants of both sexes who speak English as a second language (sex is the only variable under study in this group). Using a Discourse Completion Test (DCT), a number of refusal situations were collected, responded by participants and analyzed. The results revealed that the age and sex of EFL learners does not have any significant effect on using refusal strategies. 

Factors Affecting the Rural Women Micro Credit Program Success in Ghaem-shahr

The purpose of this descriptive- analytical research was to assess the success of Micro Finance Program (MFP) of rural women. The research instrument used was a questionnaire that its validity was established by a panel of experts and its reliability was confirmed by a pilot-test. Cronbach alpha coefficient gained was (0.84). The target population were rural women in Ghaem-shahr Township who were members of micro-credit funds (N=225). A stratified sampling technique was used through Krejcie and Morgan’s Table to determine the sample size (n=114).The descriptive result of research indicated that the success of these funds was satisfactory as perceived by the respondents' viewpoints. The inferential statistics results showed that there was a positive significant relationship between social, educational, cultural, and personality characteristics of respondents and the success of micro-credit funds. The findings of the bivariate regression revealed that 50.1 percent of variations in the dependent variable were by social, cultural, and personality characteristics of respondents.  Having training programs for members and motivating participants to participate in developing and delivery educational programs were among main suggestions provided in this research