Human milk from healthy women contains numerous nutrients such as antioxidants which are necessary for newborns. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and free radical scavenging activity in human milk during the first six month period of lactation and also its relationship to maternal plasma. A total of 505 milk samples (colostrum, transitional and mature milks) collected from 115 healthy women with full term newborns. Blood plasma was obtained from 58 women at 3 months postpartum. The TAC of samples were measured by Ferric Reducing/Antioxidant Power assay and free radical scavenging activity were evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. TAC was obviously higher in colostrums than transitional and mature milks. Similar results were observed for DPPH radical scavenging activity of the samples. There was a high significant correlation between the results of these two methods. The relationship between the antioxidant content of human milk and maternal plasma was also significant. These data suggest that using colostrum, with high antioxidant potential during the first days of life is vital; moreover, reduction in total TAC during the course of lactation may needs more attention about nutritional status.

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BackgroundChildhood overweight and obesity have increased progressively in developing countries and nowadays they are considered as a global epidemic.The aim of the present study was to determine prevalence of overweight and obesity in 2–5 year-old children in kindergartens of Birjand in 2008.FindingsThis cross- sectional and descriptive- analytical study was conducted on 500 children, who were 2–5 years-old, in kindergartens of Birjand selected through census. It was found that prevalence of overweight was 10.6% (11.7% in females and 9.6% in males) and obesity 7.6% (6.3% in females and 9.6% in males). Prevalence of overweight and obesity were statistically significant regarding birth weight, mother's occupation and father's level of education.ConclusionPrevalence of overweight and obesity in pre-schoolchildren is more than that of 7–18 year-old group in Birjand, but it is less than the result of similar studies in Tehran and most studies in other countries. Further studies are recommended to identify risk factors in obese children. Periodic studies are necessary to compare the changes in prevalence of obesity in children in future.

PurposeThis paper investigated the relationships among workaholism, work–family enrichment (work–life enrichment), and workplace incivility.Design/methodology/approachData on workaholism, incivility, and work–family enrichment were collected through the administration of a survey on 414 employees of a public bank in Iran.FindingsWorkaholism and life–work enrichment were positively and negatively related to uncivil behaviors, respectively, and workaholism was positively associated with work–family enrichment. Overall, work–family enrichment did not act as a mediator variable between workaholism and uncivil behaviors.Research limitations/implicationsFuture researchers should consider public or private organizations and assess the different instigators of incivility considering the mediator or moderating role of gender.Practical implicationsManagers should focus on reducing workaholism and developing life–work enrichment in order to decrease uncivil behaviors.Social implicationsGiven the hard economic and complex political conditions in Iran and increasing likelihood of uncivil behaviors, the results of the present study offer ways to minimize workplace incivility in employees.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the research on uncivil behavior by improving the understanding of organizational and personal factors (workaholism and work–life enrichment) that can influence workplace incivility among employees working in public organizations. It also addresses the usefulness of examining work–life enrichment disposition in understanding the relationship between workaholism and workplace incivility.

Purpose Over the past decade, social media have significantly changed the way people communicate and interact with one another, which might result in positive or negative consequences. Every day, people use these technologies to share knowledge in the form of short messages, articles, images, videos and voice. Universities use social media to better connect the learners and educational communities. Previous studies have reported the positive impact of using social media by students to share knowledge. Despite the significance of social media usage in educational activities, there still remain limitations. Few studies have empirically investigated drivers related to knowledge sharing behavior in social media, and there are some inconsistent findings concerning effective factors. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to empirically examine the effect of personality traits on knowledge sharing behavior in social media among students by the mediating role of trust and subjective well-being (SWB). Design/methodology/approach To obtain this aim, cross-sectional survey was conducted. Convenience sampling technique was used to select the sample of 527 Iranian students, out of which 425 were used in the final analysis. Regression analysis and bootstrap method were used to test the research hypotheses. Findings The research findings revealed that the big five personality traits are associated with SWB, perceived trust and knowledge sharing behavior among students. With the exception of conscientiousness trait, all the traits used in this study lead to a significant change of the knowledge sharing behavior among students. Practical implications The findings offer further understanding about the mechanisms by which personality traits lead to knowledge sharing behavior through trust and SWB. They suggest the students to enhance personality profile and improve SWB for the benefit of these new educational platforms. Also, policymakers are encouraged to create trustworthy social media platforms to increase perceived trust and eventually knowledge sharing behavior among students. Originality/value Little is known about the effect of personality traits, as well as trust and SWB on knowledge sharing behavior among students. The study contributes to the related literature through empirically indicating how personality traits influence knowledge sharing behavior by the mediating role of trust and SWB.

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Purpose E-learning is one area of strategic application of information technology (IT) in the educational field. In the past, massive investments in e-learning systems have neither been necessarily effective nor created value for e-learners. As a result, e-learning systems’ evaluation has become critical. Although many researchers have studied e-learning’s performance evaluation, there is little research on e-learning assessment, which uses pedagogical principles and organizational issues along with information systems (ISs) assessment measures. Thus, the purpose of this study is to consolidate multi-dimensional aspects of e-learning evaluation by applying balanced scorecard (BSC) as a strategic performance measurement method. This study further seeks a solution for designing a systematic approach, in which three equally important considerations must be balanced: organization, pedagogy and technology. Design/methodology/approach This paper introduces a framework for assessing e-learning systems by using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and BSC. Owing to the growing use of BSC in strategic management, this study applies its four perspectives as a base for performance evaluation. To identify measures of each perspective, a comprehensive literature review has been conducted. Modifying the list of measures is completed in two phases: first by using a focus group consisting of six e-learning experts, and second, by using a survey analysis conducted among 256 Iranian e-learners. FAHP is applied to weigh and determine the rank-order of the measures. Findings The results propose integrating pedagogical, organizational and technical measures based on the BSC framework for evaluating e-learning systems. In the proposed framework, effective BSC perspectives and their rank-orders and weights are presented as a guideline for assessing e-learning systems in Iran. Research implications In e-learning initiatives, organizational issues must be considered along with technological and pedagogical factors simultaneously. The proposed framework can assist educational institutions and organizations to identify weaknesses and strengths of e-learning projects and guide them to select appropriate strategies for progress. Originality/value A review of the e-learning literature shows that there are few substantive theoretical accounts, which adequately integrate multiple dimensions of e-learning evaluation; yet, most researchers view e-learning evaluation as the most difficult part in the e-learning implementation process. This study proposes a new conceptual framework to evaluate e-learning initiatives systematically. The main contribution of this study is to develop a new systematic approach for e-learning systems’ evaluation that integrates two well-established managerial methodologies (BSC and FAHP), and considers pedagogical, organizational and technological aspects synchronously.