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Drastically concerned about no longer continuation of instructors to use the computerized learning management system (CLMS) in the post COVID-19, the ministerial and academic authorities in Iran are inclined to figure out about the determinants of instructors’ continuation of making use of the CLMS and how to incorporate the CLMS into the face-to-face education. Therefore, the research aimed to analyze drivers of agricultural instructors’ continuation of Using CLMS. Called instructors’ learning patterns as a knowledge gap, the present causal study surveyed 102 faculty members of two universities in Northwest Iran. To establish a theoretical framework, theory of planned behavior (TPB), technology acceptance model (TAM), and the Vermunt’s theory of learning model (VTLS) were used, the items of the questionnaire were designed accordingly. The results make known that the model has a good fit with the data set, the perceived usefulness (PU) of the CLMS has an impact on the attitude towards the CLMS and intention to continue using the CLMS (BI). The application-oriented learning pattern (AOLP) affects PBC positively. Other predictor variables that directly impinge upon instructors’ behavioral intention (BI) to continue applying the CLMS include attitude, PU, AOLP, and perceived student readiness (PSR). The estimated multiple correlation coefficients for the PBC, attitude, and BI were 0.17, 0.51, and 0.46, respectively. The results of the research can be useful and effective for agricultural higher education decision makers in using and replacing CLMS in specific situations instead of face-to-face education.
 

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Aim: Level of physical activity as key determinant of healthy lifestyle is less than what is required in individuals particularly women. Applying theories of behavioral change about complex behaviors such as physical activity leads to identify effective factors and their relations. The aim of this study was to determine predictors of exercise behavior based on developed Theory of Planned Behavior with planning constructs in military personnel’s wives. Methods: We performed this cross-sectional study on 150 military personnel’s spouses residing in organizational houses, in Tehran, Iran in 2013. The participants were randomly selected with multi-stage cluster sampling. The validity and reliability of developed scale were evaluated before conducting the path analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS.16 and LISREL8.8. Finding: The developed model predicted 48, 11, 12 and 35 percent of the variance in intention, action planning, coping planning and behavior, respectively. Subjective norms (Beta=0.35, p<0.01) and perceived behavioral control (Beta=0.28, p<0.01) were the predictors of intention. Determinants of behavior included action planning (Beta=0.40, p<0.01), coping planning (Beta=0.39, p<0.01), intention (Beta=0.23, p<0.01) and subjective norms (Beta=0.08, p<0.01). Instrumental and affective attitude had no significant path coefficient to dependent variables. The path of perceived behavioral control to behavior was non-significant. The developed theory fitted to data better than the original theory. Conclusion: This research demonstrated relative weights and relationships of Theory of Planned Behavior constructs with action and coping planning in physical activity behavior of military staffs' spouses. It is essential to consider these effective factors in designing of health education programs.

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Soil characteristics is very important in water erosion processes. The present investigation was conducted in gully lands of Ardebil Province, Iran, to assess the role of soil texture and structure on aggregate stability using wet sieve method. To achieve the study purposes, mean weighted diameter of aggregates was calculated, and its relationships with lime and clay percentages, sodium absorption ratio and soil organic matter were then determined. The research results showed, in the first and second depth, the organic matter had the highest direct and positive effect on aggregate stability. In first depth, clay and lime had a direct and positive effect on aggregate stability. In both depths, sodium absorption ratio had the highest but negative effect on aggregate stability. Organic matter and clay had the highest direct and positive effect on aggregate stability in the second depth. The highest indirect effect of the parameters on aggregate stability was in second depth due to effect of clay and organic matter on each other. In second depth, lime had the direct and positive effect on aggregate stability. Sodium absorption ratio had a direct and negative effect on aggregate stability in both study depths.

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This study was designed to investigate the genetic diversity and relationships between yield and related traits in oily sunflower lines. 152 sunflower lines collected from different parts of the world were investigated at completely randomized design with nine replications on Urmia University in 1391 under pot conditions. 14 agro-morphological traits including plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, head diameter, 100 seed weight, head dry weight, , seed yield per plant, number of days from planting to flowering, and number of days from planting to maturity, dehulled kernel to whole kernel and harvest index were measured. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among genotypes for all studied traits. Among the traits, the highest coefficient of phenotypic variation was observed for seed yield per plant (56.30), harvest index (44.4) and head dry weight (35.44). The results of correlation analysis showed that there is significant and positive correlation between seed yield per plant with most of the studied traits. Results of sequential path analysis revealed that the variables such as number of leaves, dehulled kernel to whole kernel, head diameter, and plant height were arranged as the first-order variables. Cluster analysis subdivided the genotypes into 4 groups. The maximum distance were observed between the genotype from groups 3 and 4 (28.30).

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Today, due to the ever-increasing competition between organizations and uncertain environments that have been created by many changes in customer needs, using an efficient supply chain can be considered as a competitive advantage for any organization. In this regard, one solution is lean approach. Lean approach helps to eliminate waste in the supply chain. On the other hand, based on the state of Iran and the abundance of oil and gas resources, the implementation of lean approach in the supply chain of the organizations operating in this field is very important.
In order to conduct this study that has been carried out in one of the largest companies operating in the offshore sector and the aim of this research is to provide a lean supply chain model in offshore oil and gas industry and accordingly, executive solutions can be presented.  First, by reviewing the literature and opinion poll at the experts, the 11 factors that lead to lean supply chain were identified. Then, using fuzzy analytical heararchy process and interpretive structural modeling approach, the research model was developed and based on it, the factor: “leadership and management”, “information sharing”, ‘financing” and “supplier contact” identified as the most influential and “minimizing the delivery time” was identified as the most influential factor. In the next step, the model was validated in quantitative and statistical analyzes as well as qualitative. Finally, some suggestions were made to achieve lean procurement process in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry.
 

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Investigation of the interrelationships between yield and its components will improve the efficiency of a breeding program with appropriate selection criteria. In this study, the relationship among yield components and their direct and indirect influences on the total yield of melon were investigated. The study was based on evaluation of 49 entries gener-ated from a 7×7 diallel involving Iranian melon landraces under two conditions of cultiva-tion, pruning and non-pruning. A sequential path model was used for ordering the vari-ous variables in first and second-order paths based on their maximum direct effect and minimal colinearity. Two first-order variables, namely the number of fruits per plant and average weight of fruits per plant accounted for 91% and 83% of total variation in total weight per plant under the pruning and non-pruning conditions, respectively. The direct effects of these two variables on total weight per plant under non-pruning conditions were nearly equal, but the direct effect of average weight of fruits per plant in the pruning data set was much higher than the number of fruits per plant (1.14 vs. 0.73). All direct effects were found to be significant as indicated by bootstrap analysis. The results indicated the utility of the sequential path model for determining the interrelationships between yield and related traits in melon.

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Aims: Access paths to natural attractions in protected areas must be designed and developed considering their impacts on the environment. Visitors' movement in the areas where are highly sensitive to soil erosion may cause destructive impacts on trails such as widening, increasing susceptibility to erosion, and damaging surrounding vegetation. This research aims to suggest a sustainable trail network (off-road vehicles and hiking trails) in Sarigol National Park and Protected Area,
Methods:  The study has been carried out based on the least-cost path algorithm, and comparing the results with existing recreation trails. The required field information including the width of 431 trails and 15 environmental factors affecting the trail width was obtained through the study area. Analysis of Covariance has been used for estimating the potential of pathwidth expansion. The accuracy of the model was assessed by root mean square error which is 29cm for hiking trails and 126cm for off-road vehicles trails.
Findings: One optimized off-road vehicles trail and one optimized hiking trails in the study are were suggested using degradation map and least cost patch model. The findings of the present study indicated that existing paths are located in areas with high susceptibility to widening because of crowding.

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Aims: Drought limits plant growth and productivity throughout the world. Narrow-leaved plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) is widely used to treat some human diseases and reduce antibiotic nutrition. This study aimed to examine the response of four local ecotypes of P. lanceolata to different drought stress levels in a field experiment.
Materials & Methods: A split-plot design was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at the farm of Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Karaj, Iran, 2018. The main factor was drought stress at three levels (D1= normal irrigation, D2= drought stress after the flowering stage with supplemental irrigation at the filling stage, and D3= stop irrigation after flowering. The second factor contained four ecotypes: G1-Arak, G2-Khoramabad, G3-Meshkinshahr1, and G4-Meshkinshar2. Data were collected and statistically analyzed for grain yield and yield components.
Findings: Results showed a significant effect of drought stress and ecotype on all traits except root lengths (p<0.05). The ecotype × drought stress interaction effects were significant for spike number per plant, leaf number per plant, leaf width, and plant height (p<0.05). The mean values of grain yield in D1, D2, and D3 were 729.41, 660.81, and 595.95 kg.h^-1, respectively.
Conclusion: The highest grain yield of 670.92 kg.h^-1 was obtained from G1-Arak. This ecotype produced higher grain yields under mild and severe stress than the other ecotypes and was recommended for breeding improved varieties.
 

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Internationally, employability has recently become an increasingly controversial issue in higher education. The emergence of knowledge-based economies, accompanied by the by-products of globalization, has forced agricultural higher education systems all around the world to think twice about the quantity and quality of their courses. On one hand, there has been a surplus of highly educated graduates seeking a career, while on the other hand, potential employers complain of a skill-mismatch phenomenon. Employability is defined as the perceived ability of conquering sustainable employment appropriate to one’s qualification(s). This study evaluates factors influencing the employability of senior agricultural students at the level of Bachelor of Science (BSc) using a descriptive-correlation survey methodology. A sample of 274 out of 979 senior agricultural students was selected from agricultural faculties of five universities located in the western provinces of Iran through a stratified random sampling technique. Students showed moderate employability levels, which were significantly different depending on their field of study. The path analysis technique revealed that social class, university obligations, mastery in generic competencies, and agricultural background were the most important factors affecting students’ perceived employability, respectively.

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This paper explores the distributive impacts of subsidy removal in agricultural sectors and related industry in Iran, using a social accounting matrix (SAM)-based price model. The structural path analysis approach is used to decompose the overall influences into direct, global, and total effects. The simulation results reveal that a shock therapy strategy, which involves the removal of all subsidies from all food producing sectors at once, amplifies the adverse effects of this policy option, especially on the low income households. Also, results indicate that removing subsidy from food producing sectors has distributional consequences for the Iranian households. The rural low income group is the most adversely affected group while the urban high income group is the least affected among the Iranian households. In addition, reducing subsidy in food industry sector has the largest impact on the households’ welfare. Based on the results of the path decomposition of the households’ expenditure, it is expected that less than 50 percent of the overall effects of subsidy removal appear almost immediately after implementing this policy.

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Spatial patterns are useful descriptors of the horizontal structure in a plant population and may change over time as the individual components of the population grow or die out. But, whether this is the case for desert woody annuals is largely unknown. In the present investigation, the variations in spatial patterns of Tribulus terrestris during different pulse events in semi-arid area of the Thar Desert, India, was quantified. Further ordination technique and path analysis were utilized to link the pattern and process of spatial distribution of T. terrestris. Dispersal indices like index of dispersal (I_D), index of clumping (I_C), Green’s Index, Lloyd’s mean crowding and Morisita’s index of dispersion (I_δ) revealed uniform distribution pattern during non-pulse events, showing intense competition among plants for limited resources. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s test of sphericity indicated the appropriate use of factor analysis and the significant relationships between variables. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) exhibited the significant correlation of the index of dispersion with the index of clumping and with the Lloyd index, while the Lloyd index correlated with the index of clumping and with the Morisita index. Path analysis suggested the association of soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and C/N ratio with the transition from clumped to uniform pattern. Further, lower soil phosphorus also supported the uniform distribution of this plant. Diversity indices like evenness and Simpson index are associated with uniform and clumped distribution patterns. Higher and intermediate level of percent cover and seed out-put of T. terrestris were also related to uniform and clumped patterns. Path analysis also indicated that salinity tolerance capacity of the species could be utilized for reclamation programme.

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The implementation of any economic policy that has expansionary effects requires relatively stable economic conditions. Under such conditions it is expected that potential predictable effects of such policy implementation on welfare of households, especially low income households could be evaluated. The economic context of poverty in the Iranian economy and the ineffectiveness of supportive institutions in particular circumstances make the effects of economic policies on low-income households widespread. In some cases, these effects are so broad that policy-makers are forced to leave or select the opposite course of that policy. Under these conditions, analyzes that illustrate the effectiveness path of policy help the policy-maker to have a clearer picture of the probable consequences of a policy. The main aim of this article is to analyze quantitatively the effects of the recent subsidy targeting policy on the welfare index (cost of living index) in different deciles of urban and rural households using social accounting matrix (SAM) approach. For this purpose two updated social accounting matrices for the years 2009 and 2011 have been used. Both matrices include 40 economic sectors. Comparing the cost of living index, we find that welfare vulnerability of households has decreased in general, however the magnitude of welfare reduction differs between rural and urban households among income deciles. Our findings reveal that the cost of living index of rural households is more than the corresponding urban households. The vulnerability in the natural gas distribution sector has tripled in urban areas in 2011and in rural areas it is nearly four times higher than 2009 level. We also find that every 100-unit increase in cost of electricity will potentially increase welfare index of urban and rural household by 34 and 46 units, respectively. From the distribution viewpoint, the welfare loss is lower for high-income deciles. In addition, our findings show that the degree of vulnerability in middle income groups in majority of sectors is less than the other income groups. The structural path of changes shows that subsidy targeting has created wide complexity and entanglement in the path of the effectiveness of fuel price changes on price indices, especially on the household living cost index. Accordingly, before implementing subsidy targeting scheme, the increase in fuel prices was influencing the household cost index in five ways, while after targeting the increase in fuel prices affected it through the twenty different paths. 

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The research type is descriptive - correlation research which is done through survey method. Statistical population of research is family business in Tehran that at least two members of the family are involved in the ownership or management of the organization. Based on available information, Statistical population has been 600 companies and the sample size was 235 companies. In this research main tool for data collecting is a questionnaire that it`s validity and reliability has been measured. According to previous studies, questionnaires and interviews with family business owners, variables that influenced on the apathy of people to participate in the family business, are: micro scale collected Perspective, micro scale Structure and micro scale Interaction. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify latent variables. The relationship between these factors and the main factor was measured by confirmatory factor analysis. It was shown that lack collected perspective has greatest impact on the apathy and incoherent structure, meanwhile fitting the model. The identified factors were highly correlated with the main factor. Therefore, we can conclude that three marked factors influenced on the apathy to family business

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For years, researchers and managers have been popular with Balanced Scorecard and during the time, several edits have been developed from this base model. “Strategy map” is a topic that have been invented by researchers of the Balanced Scorecard to ease the understanding of issues that related to the strategic objectives set. The organization's strategic plan to achieve organizational goals, there are several ways that researchers have developed models to analyze these pathways. Bayesian networks, probabilistic networks have many applications in various sciences have provided. In this study, path analysis in Bayesian networks has been the strategy map. In this study, a model is presented by which one can achieve the ultimate goals of risk below the risk-based goals (in lower amounts) can be calculated and appropriate solution to mitigate risks identified organizational goals In this study, an investment firm is studied and the model is implemented and the results have been analyzed.

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Selection based on the traits affecting grain yield is used for its indirect improvement. The objective of the present study was to determine the quantity and mechanism of effects of agro-morphological and physiological traits on grain yield of bread wheat under terminal drought conditions. Thirty six advanced lines of wheat were evaluated in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications during three sequential growing seasons 2010-2013 under rainfed conditions. Stepwise regression, path analysis, and canonical correlation analysis were conducted. All three components of yield had a significant positive effect on grain yield. The first canonical variable of predictive traits (U₁) and yield components (V₁) were studied. In general, selection for shorter vegetative stage and longer grain filling period is recommended to improve wheat grain yield per plant under rainfed conditions. Also, the desirable lines were those that had high amounts of biomass, average plant height and spike length, and low amount of canopy temperature. These types of lines are expected to produce higher numbers of grain per plant (not per spike) and 1000-grain weight, simultaneously, and thus higher grain yield per plant.