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Employees form an image of an organization's support and as results, attention to organizational goals and their realization. Their psychological empowerment allows organizations to be more flexible and responsive to changes. On the other hand, organizations need employees who are willing to step beyond the formal requirements of a job. Due to importance of these factors, this study examines the relationship between psychological empow­erment on job performance, with organizational citizenship behavior as a mediator. Statistical population is employees of Alborz Insurance Branches in Tehran that are a total of 270. The simple random sampling used and according to Cochran formula a sample of 159 were selected. To collect required data, a standard ques­tionnaire of Chiang and Hsieh (2012) was used. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling based on Lisrel was used to assess the structural mo­del. Results of testing hypotheses suggest that OCB mediate the relationship betw­een psychological empowerment and job performance and perceived organi­zational support has effect on job performance, but this effect was not accepted on OCB. Also, psychological empowerment has effect on job performance and OCB, and OCB has effect on job performance. 

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In this study, we try to evaluate the effect of ionic strength, pH and temperature of washing solutions on nitrate percentage in many leafy and root vegetable. For this purpose three edible solutions including NaCl as high ionic strength solution, baking soda (NaHCO₃) as basic solution and vinegar as acidic solution selected as nitrate losing agents for leafy vegetables (mint, basil, savory, tarragon, parsley, coriander, cress, radish and chives) and the effect of temperature evaluated using warm water (70 -100 ˚C) on nitrate percentage in root vegetables (potato and onion). Nitrate percentage in vegetables changed with different patterns. High ionic strength increased leafy vegetable nitrate percentage in wide rang (20.25 - 85 %(w/w)), pH increasing by baking soda solution increased nitrate percentage of group 1(Mint & Basil) leafy vegetables (33 %(w/w)) and decreased it in other groups partially (0.22 - 6.2 %(w/w)). However, pH decreasing by vinegar solution decreased nitrate percentage in all cases (14.6 - 41 %(w/w)). Optimum concentration of vinegar solution and treatment time in this solution, for maximum nitrate losing were 20 % (w/w) and 10 minutes, respectively. In the second part of this study, effect of solution temperature on nitrate percentage of root vegetables (potato and onion) was evaluated. Results show by this pretreatment nitrate percentage decreased 68.6 %(w/w) about potato and 26.6% (w/w) about onion. The important advantage of this study is vegetables nitrate percentage decrease, while the freshness and safety of these products preserved.  

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Modern agriculture is searching for new biotechnologies that would allow for a reduction in the use of chemical inputs without negatively affecting crop yield or farmers' income. Seaweed extract and humic acid are used as nutrient supplements, biostimulants, or biofertilizers in agriculture and horticulture to increase plant growth and yield. To investigate the effects of SeaWeed Extract (SWE), humic acid, and chemical fertilizers on the growth, physiological and biochemical characteristics of Trigonella foenum-graecum L., a greenhouse experiment was conducted in 2016. Results showed that foliar applications of seaweed extract enhanced growth parameters. Among the different treatments, the plants that received SWE showed maximum shoot lengths, fresh and dry weights, number of pods per plant, chlorophyll “a”, chlorophyll “b”, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids. Also, application of SWE increased the amount of total phenolic and flavonoid contents in fenugreek. All fertilizer treatments increased significantly 2,2-DiPhenyl-1-PicrylHhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of the plants in comparison to the control. Plants treated with SWE showed stronger activity against α-glucosidase with IC₅₀ value of 171.37 μg mL^-1 in comparison with acarbose (IC₅₀= 19.7 μg mL^-1) as the reference α-glucosidase inhibitor. The data generated by this study revealed that SWE could be used as foliar spray to maximize the quality and quantity of fenugreek.
 

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In order to assess the effect of water-deficit stress on the activity of antioxidant enzymes and agro-physiological attributes of maize, a split-plot field experiment was conducted with three replications based on the randomized complete block design. Three levels of irrigation (well-watered, intermediate and severe water-deficit stress) and four maize families including 10 genotypes were considered as the main and sub factors, respectively. Post treatment, the electrophoretic analysis of three enzymes in maize leaves including SuperOxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT) and Peroxidase (POX) was carried out on 8% horizontal acrylamide gel. Moreover, agro-physiological attributes such as MalonDiAldehyde (MDA), H₂O₂, chlorophyll index (SPAD), Relative Water Content (RWC), and grain yield were measured. Concomitantly with increasing intensity of water-deficit stress, the activity of most isozymes and the contents of MDA and H₂O₂ increased while POX2 activity, chlorophyll index, RWC, and grain yield decreased. Under intermediate stress, POX1 isozyme in Lia0688 line (233%) and, under severe stress, POX2 isozyme in AR68 hybrid (201%) showed higher increase compared with the well-watered treatment. Overall, POX1, SOD2, CAT isozymes and MDA, chlorophyll index, and RWC were identified as suitable traits. Based on enzyme activity and agro-physiological attributes, SC706 and TWC647 hybrids were superior to the other genotypes and expressed higher tolerance to water deficit stress. Moreover, among parental lines, MO17, B73 and Lia0688 were promising, although Lia0688 and MO17 were more tolerant lines and showed better performance compared with the line B73 and other lines under well-watered and stress conditions.
 

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Biofertilizer has been recognized as an alternative to chemical fertilizer to improve soil fertility and crop production in sustainable agriculture. The objective of this field study was to evaluate the effects of bio and chemical fertilizer on qualitative and quantitative characteristics of Thymus kotschyanus Bioss. & Hohen. The experiment was conducted during 2019 at Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran, and treatments included control (no fertilizer), chemical fertilizer (NPK), and four types of microorganisms including Funneliformis mosseae (AMF), Azotobacter chroococcum strain 5, Pseudomonas stutzeri strain P-16, and Pseudomonas putida strain 41. The results showed that AMF and NPK positively affected plant height, number of branches per plant, and photosynthesis pigments contents compared to other treatments. However, maximum plants’ fresh and dry weight, proline, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, DPPH inhibition, essential oil percentage, and carvacrol quantity were obtained from plants that were inoculated with AMF. Also, the activities of Catalase (CAT) and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) were increased by the application of AMF. According to the obtained results, there were no significant differences in P concentration between plants treated with P. stutzeri, Pseudomonas putida, AMF, and NPK. Maximum N amount in T. kotschyanus leaf was obtained in plants treated with AMF, NPK and Azotobacter chroccucum. Plants inoculated with AMF had higher Ca uptake compared to the other treatments, and the maximum total K accumulation in T. kotschyanus were obtained in plants inoculated with AMF and NPK. Hence, the use of organic and biological inputs instead of chemical fertilizer for improving crop efficiency and quality with the aim of alleviating pollution and accomplishing sustainable agriculture is highly encouraging.