The linkage between sustainable agriculture, poverty and agricultural extension efforts and their impacts on rural centers in Behbahan Shahrestan has been discussed in this paper. Data were collected from 200 farmers in 40 villages of this Shahrestan. A multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used for selecting villages and farmers. The findings of path analysis in three different causal models provide the complexity of relationships between variables and environmental degradation so that there is a causal relationship between poverty and unsustainability. Lack of direct causal effect of use of technology and extension efforts on sustainability in three models indicated the structural and institutional limitations of extension in diffusion of appropriate technologies. Finally, recommendations regarding regional planning with respect to socio-economic characteristics and changing from TOT approach to other alternatives and revising the education programs of extension agents are provided.

Objective(s): To evaluate the direct and indirect effects of different factors on fertility using the path analysis.Methods: Data were obtained from the research project ''Evaluating the effective elements on the tempo and quantum of fertility in Mazandaran Province in year 2000'', and by a questionnaire containing three sections (demographics, fertility data and family planning). This was a descriptive-analytic study and sampling was performed by a two-stage random procedure. A total of 1343 families were initially included in the study. The research targeted married women aged 10-54 years. We used path analysis to calculate the effect size and 95% confidence intervals for the following set of factors: mothers' age, mothers' education, duration of marriage, age at marriage, and mothers' age at her first pregnancy.Results: In total 1137 women participated in the study. The duration of marriage showed the strongest positive direct effect on fertility (r=0.428); the second strongest positive effect belonged to mothers' age (r=0.203). Mothers' education had the most powerful negative direct effect (r=-0.182). Mothers' age also had the strongest indirect effect (r=0.437), while mothers' education showed the greatest negative indirect effect (r=-0.153). All of the calculated effects were statistically significant (P-Value <0.001).Conclusion: This research illustrated the powerful effect of mothers' education on fertility. There is a potential for effective birth control through modification of factors that have a strong influence on fertility. It is difficult to change all of the factors at once, thus as a first step it might be better to concentrate on duration of marriage and mothers' education.

This experiment was conducted in experimental field at Arsanjan Islamic Azad University during 2007-2008 growing season. In this study a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications was used. Four levels of density (200, 300, 400 and 500 plants per square meter) and five varieties (Darab, Niknezhad, Marvdasht, Chamran and Shiraz) were used. Densities and five varieties showed significant differences for grain yield but their interaction was not significant. 500 plant per m2 had the highest grain yield among different densities (5678 kgh-1) and also Marvdasht had the highest grain yield among different cultivars (4976 kgh-1).Simple correlations between grain yield and its components (number of grains per spike, number of spikes per square meter and TKW) were calculated at 500 plant per m2 density. Number of spikes per square meter and number of grains per spike had significant positive correlation with grain yield, but TKW had negative correlation with grain yield. Simple correlations were divided to direct and indirect effects using Dewey and Lu method. path analysis showed that TKW had a positive direct effect on grain yield, but it had negative indirect effects via number of grains per spike and number of spikes per square meter, which caused a negative simple correlation between TKW and grain yield.According to the results of this study, in breeding bread wheat programs, in order to improve grain yield it is better to pay more attention to the number of grains per spike, and number of spikes per m2 than TKW.

Progressive collapse studies generally assess the performance of the structure under gravity and blast loads, while earthquakes may also lead to the progressive collapse of a damaged structure. In this study, the progressive collapse response of concentrically braced dual systems with steel moment-resisting frames was assessed under seismic loads through pushover analysis using triangular and uniform lateral load patterns. Two different bracing types (X and inverted V braces) were considered, and their performances were compared under different lateral load patterns using the nonlinear static alternate path method recommended in the Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) guideline. Eventually, the seismic progressive collapse resistance of models was compared to their progressive collapse response under gravity loads. These studies showed that models under the seismic progressive collapse loads satisfied UFC acceptance criteria and limited rehabilitation objective. The structures had better performance under seismic progressive collapse than models under gravity loads because of more resistance, ductility, suitable load redistribution, and more structural elements that participated in load redistribution. Furthermore, despite studies on progressive collapse under gravity loads, the dual system with X braces showed better progressive collapse performance (more resistance, residual reserve strength ratio and ductility) under seismic loads than the model with inverted V braces.

Soil infiltration characteristics affect the design, evaluation and management of furrow irrigation over a field. On the other hand, different variables influence furrow infiltration, making infiltration modeling for a field a complex process. This study was conducted to investigate the direct and indirect effects of all variables affecting furrow infiltration. The blocked furrow method was used to measure furrow infiltration for a field with soil of sandy loam. Results showed that infiltration time was the most effective variable affecting cumulative infiltration by directly and significantly affecting furrow infiltration. The relative contribution of the filtration time to the furrow infiltration was seven times more than the contribution of the wetted perimeter and 2.5 times that of the flow section area. An additive and nonlinear model was proposed to describe field-wide cumulative infiltration using the observed data. The proposed model described approximately 89% of the variation in field-wide cumulative infiltration.

In order to assessment of relationship among grain yield and different traits and determination of the best indirect selection criteria for genetic improvement of grain yield in canola a randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted using 17 cultivars. Correlation coefficient analysis of grain yield showed positive and significant relationship between selected trait with traits days to shooting, days from planting to full flowering, plant height, number of grain/pod, 1000 grains weight, biological yield, harvest index, grain oil percent and oil yiel. Step-wise regression of grain yield as dependent variable and the other traits as independent variables revealed that 98.9% of variation exists in grain yield accounted for by the traits biological yield, harvest index, days to flowering initiation and number of grain/pod. path analysis for grain yield based on traits that correlated positively and significantly with this trait designed high efficiency of traits 1000 seeds weight, biological yield, harvest index, days to shooting and number of grain/pod as indirect selection criteria for genetic improvement of this trait in canola cultivars especially in early generations of breeding programs.

The will of development in Turkey has started since the formation of the Republic and today this process is ongoing. But the dynamics of development in Turkey only had a successful trend from 80’s until 2015. The aim of this article is to show the process and the path of economic and political development in Turkey. The present study, by adopting the theoretical framework of Ajmaoglu-Robinson institutionalist political economy, pursues the question of how Turkish political and economic institutions have influenced the development process of this country? The data of this article was collected by documentary method and the analysis method of the article is process tracing. The research findings indicate that the movement of Turkey's political-economic institutions towards greater inclusiveness has strengthened the development process in Turkey,In such a way that by stabilizing the property rights, increasing the role of the private sector, the independence of the judicial system, reducing the power of the military, more political openness and the expansion of civil society, Turkey has moved towards institutional inclusion, which results in expansion of the motivations for the activity and economic participation of citizens, and eventually economic prosperity.