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Introduction: Common zinnia (Zinnia elegans), canna (Canna sp.), petunia (Petunia hybrida), compacta (Dracaena Compacta), dahlia (Dahlia sp.), gazania (Gazania sp.), marigold (Tagetes sp.), rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora) and nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) are common ornamental plants in Ahwaz. The identification of fungi associated with these plants will contribute to improving the future management of their cultivation. Members of the genera Amesia and Chaetomium are widely distributed in soil, water, plants, animals and humans. In this study, 12 isolates from Chaetomium and Amesia genera, obtained from herbaceous ornamentals, were identified based on morphology and phylogenetic analysis. Materials and methods: During 2017-2018, 40 symptomatic plants, showing root rot, stem canker and leaf spot, were collected and their associated fungi were isolated. Among those, 12 chaetomiaceae-like isolates were obtained, which their morphological and molecular characterizations were surveyed. Mycelial biomass of the isolates, produced into potatodextrose- broth (PDB), was collected by passing through filter paper and freeze-dried. ITS and partial regions of the 28s-D1/D2 (for 4 isolates) and tub2 (for 9 isolates) were amplified using appropriate primers and sequenced. Results: The isolates under survey were compared with known strains using BLASTn search and phylogenetic analysis based on ITS, 28S and tub2 regions. Accordingly, the isolates under study were identified as follows: Amesia atrobrunnea, Chaetomium rectangulare, C. globosum, C. ascotrichoides and C. olivaceum. The morphological characteristics of these isolates were in accordance with the type strains of each species. Discussion and conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first record of C. ascotrichoides in Iran and the association of C. rectangulare on compacta, C. globosum on zinnia and canna, C. ascotrichoides on petunia, C. olivaceum on common zinnia, nasturtium and marigold in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: The possible effects on risky driving of young drivers such as age and gender cannot be changed, however, to know the interventions to reduce risky driving behaviors, young drivers, examining psychological variables can be helpful. Coping appraisal and threat appraisal variables from protection motivation theory can help to understand young drivers› decision-making for risky driving behavior. Materials and Methods: This research consists of two parts. The first part was to investigate the psychometric properties of risk perception scale in young drivers based on the theory of protection motivation. For instrument validity, content validity with the opinion of 11 experts, face validity, construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis) and convergent validity were used, and its reliability was checked by internal consistency method (Cronbach’s alpha). And the second part was conducted in the form of route analysis to investigate the decision-making model of young drivers to carry out risky driving behavior. The present sample consisted of 350 young drivers of Ahvaz city, who were selected by available and voluntary sampling method. Subjects responded to driving risk perception questionnaires based on protection motivation for 5 fatal factors, driving risk perception and risky driving behavior. The current questionnaire contains 30 items, which include two subscales: confrontational assessment and threat assessment. Results: After going through the validity and reliability stages of the questionnaire, from the initial 30 questions, 3 questions were removed in the form and content validity check stages, and finally 27 questions remained. Examining the results of construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis showed (RMSEA=0.07) and χ2/df=2.76 (p<0.001). The reliability of the instrument was obtained using internal consistency (0.92-0.95). In the second part of the research, using path analysis, the relationship between coping evaluation variables and threat evaluation with risky driving behavior of young drivers was modeled with the mediation of perceived risk in two models of inconsistent and protective decision making. Both maladaptive and protective models showed a good fit with the data (RMSEA=0.04 and RMSEA=0.06). The threat assessment model was able to explain about 50% of the variance of perceived risk and the general model about 30% of the variance of risky driving behavior. In addition, in this model, the path between perceived severity and perceived risk had the highest relationship value (β=0.56). In the second model, i.e. protective path, coping evaluation explained 14% of the variance of perceived risk and the overall model explained 34% of the variance of risky driving behaviors. Also, in the protective pathway model, the relationship between response costs and perceived risk was the highest (β=-0.55). An interesting result in this study was the mediation of perceived risk between reward and response costs with risky driving behavior. Conclusion: the scale of risk perception in young drivers based on the theory of protection motivation as a reliable and valid tool can be used together with other psychological investigations and high risk behaviors of drivers and our insight about the influencing factors on how young drivers make decisions to design interventions in to improve their driving safety. Also, examining the relationships between variables in the form of path analysis helps us understand the factors that encourage young drivers to engage in risky driving behaviors (threat-inconsistent path) and why young novice drivers may decide not to engage in risky driving (protective path) it helps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity and water scarcity are limiting factors for sustainable agricultural production. The cultivation of resistant plants to environmental stresses is one of the important management factors for sustainable production. The objective of this study was to determine the water requirement and plant response coefficients to water deficit stress (Ky) in different growth stages under the Khuzestan province climate. This study was performed on the quinoa cultivar Titicaca in Ahvaz City in 2019 in a randomized complete block design with 13 treatments and three replications. Treatments include full irrigation and application of three levels of water deficit stress (30, 50, and 70% of allowable soil moisture depletion) at four different stages of plant growth. The duration of the initial, developmental, middle, and late growth stages of quinoa was 24, 28, 32, and 18 days, respectively (total growth period=102 days). The highest quinoa yield was obtained in full irrigation treatment (3700 kg ha-1 ) with a water requirement of 312 mm. Plant response coefficient to water deficit stress in the initial, developmental, middle, and late stages were 0.8, 0.65, 0.74, and 0.47, respectively. Although quinoa is a drought-resistance plant, it should be noted that the water stress in the two initial and middle stages (quinoa sensitive growth stages to water stress) reduces the quinoa yield significantly that should be considered in the planning of deficit irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Object: One of the effective ways to involve and participate people in health behaviors, including physical activity behavior, is providing health messages. The purpose of this study is to Comparing gain- and loss-framed message on the level of physical activity of women employees of universities and higher education institutions in Ahvaz city. Materials and Methods: In this three-group intervention study, 105 female employees of universities and higher education institutions in Ahvaz city were randomly selected into three groups: recipients of gain -framed message, recipients of Loss-framed message and control groups were divided. The data collection tool in this study was the demographic information questionnaire and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Information was collected from the three groups in 3 times, pre interventional stage, immediately and 2 months after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS 26 software. Results: The age average of the Participants was 38.4 ± 5.3 years. Before the intervention, mean scores for physical activity was5436.66±3950.05 in the gainframed message group, in the loss-framed messages group was 5583.91±3922.25. Two months after the education, mean scores for physical activity in both the loss-framed messages and gain-framed messages groups showed a significant increase compared to the control group (P=0.004). Two months after the education, physical activity score in the gain-framed messages group was 8338.63±4395.07, in the loss-framed messages group was 6415.10±3909. It was also shown that this increase in the mean score of physical activity in gain message group is significantly more than the Loss message group (P=0/04). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that, designing and implementing educational programs based on message framing can improve and promote physical activity behavior in female employees. Also, gain-framed messages were more effective than loss-framed messages in relation to physical activity behavior [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Social mobilization and community partnerships are required for identification and solving health problems in the Corona epidemic. Community participation is a fundamental component of community health and development programs. A renewed emphasis on the importance of community participation improves global public health. The aim of the present study was to explore effect the community engagement component via educating the people for the people during the COVID-19 outbreak. Materials and Methods: In this qualitative study, data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews whit 18 participants including health system experts and involved in the field of public participation of Ahvaz city, who were selected through purposive sampling of the type of maximum variety. The content analysis approach was used to analyze the data. The analysis tool in this study was MAXQDA18 software. Contributors surveyed to ensure that the data were acceptable. Reviewers carried out confirmation of findings. The accuracy and robustness of the data were confirmed by Lincoln and Guba standards. Results: Data analysis resulted in the extraction of 336 primary codes, which were classified into six main subthemes: the concept of public knowledge sharing practices, the benefits of social participation in education, strategies to increase social participation, tactics for attracting social participation, problems and barriers to weakening social participation, and facilitators that influence social participation. Conclusion: The result of this study was the achievement of strategies and tactics to engage people in education, which can be used by decision-makers and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the performance of salespeople has attracted great attention from academics and professionals. The complexity of the service delivery process has created special challenges for creating marketing strategies, managing customer relationships, and ultimately creating a high share. Hence, Organizations must use salespeople that strengthen their relationships with customers in order to achieve higher performance and the success of this is when the principles and techniques of sales are implemented in a suitable way by the professional sales force. There is growing evidence that effective listening plays a vital role in successful communication and, ultimately, the development of healthy working relationships. In the age of sales associated with it, salesperson listening skills are increasingly important. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of salesperson’s listening skills force on sales force performance with the mediating role of adaptive sales behavior. The study is a descriptive research and the statistical population of the study is 74 employees of Alborz insurance company in Ahvaz city. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire which its validity and reliability were confirmed. The effect between variables has been used after the confirmation of the normality of the data using the PLS structural modeling technique to analyze the hypotheses. The results of the research showed that salesperson’s listening has a positive and significant impact on the variable of adaptive sales behavior as well as the performance of sales force. Also, adaptive sales behavior variable has a positive and significant impact on sales force performance. Additionally, the adaptive sales behavior has a minor mediating role in the impact between salesperson’s listening and salesperson’s performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic is increasing word-wide. Tuberculosis is the main cause of death and low quality of life in HIV infected patients. The prevalence of Tuberculosis in HIV infected patients varies in different areas according to socioeconomic, cultural and geographical situation. This study was done to asses the pulmonary Tuberculosis risk factors in hospitalized HIV positive patients in Ahvaz, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this data based study all medical files of admitted HIV positive patients in Razi hospital in Ahvaz in south west of Iran were reviewed during 2001-09. Demographic characteristics and HIV Tuberculosis related variables were analyzed using SPSS-16, Fisher's exact test and Odds Ratio. Results: Out of 123 HIV cases 99 (80.5%) were injecting drug user (IDU), sixty eight (55.3%) had imprisoment history. Eighty one patients (65.8%) had Tuberculosis, in which 46 had co-morbidities such as infective endocarditis or viral hepatitis, 79 cases were IDU, 61 cases had imprisonment history and 24 cases had CD4 count below 200. There was a significant association between Tuberculosis and IDU, imprisonment and CD4 count (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that the rate of Tuberculosis in HIV positive patients is higher than the rate in previous studies performed in Iran. Also exposure to Tuberculosis cases in prison, IDU and low CD4+ T- lymphocyte count are the main risk factors for Tuberculosis acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]