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Pluriactivity is a livelihood strategy in line with rural resilience. It is a phenomenon of farming in conjunction with other gainful activities. In pluriactivity, the desire and motivation of setting up an extra business and taking necessary actions are crucial. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to identify the underlying components of pluriactive paddy farmers’ motivation and also the factors affecting them. The study was implemented based on the quantitative data obtained from 182 pluriactive paddy farmers. The results of the exploratory factor analysis accentuated that there are three components in each of the pull and push typologies. The components related to pull motivation included personal aspirations and pursuit (C1), proper conditions and facilities (C2) and growth and service markets (C3). Likewise, the components related to push motivation included financial status and job creation improvement (C4), uncertainty and risk mitigation (C5) and paddy farming economic enhancement (C6). Also, it was revealed that two motivational components of personal aspirations and pursuits (C1) and financial status and job creation improvement (C4) are attributed to paddy farmer’s age of the pluriactivity initiation and also the farm size variables. It is imperative to consider both pull and push strategies in directing paddy farmers towards extension and development of pluriactivity in rural areas to enable farmers achieve sustainable livelihood in line with rural resilience.

Although GM food production is considered an important strategy to meet the growing food needs of the population around the world, a majority of the GM food consumers express doubts about purchasing and eating them. However, it can be argued that consumers have different opinions about GM foods and their influence on human health and the natural environment. GM food producer Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) may significantly affect such opinions, but the effect of this variable has been partially neglected in previous research studies. To address this gap, the present study investigates Iranian consumers’ concerns about GM foods, trust in these products, and perception of GM food producer CSR as determinants of attitudes towards GM food. Data were collected from Iranian consumers. A cross-sectional survey research with a multi-stage random sampling approach was employed to capture the responses of 372 Iranian consumers. The results showed that consumers have both negative and positive attitudes towards GM foods. Perceived social equity, trust, and health concerns were the most important determinants of attitude towards GM foods. According to the results, these variables could account for 52.9% (Cox and Snell R2) and up to 70.6% (Nagelkerke R2) of the variance of the dependent variable. Furthermore, results revealed statistically significant differences among the consumers with different educational levels in terms of perceived social equity, perceived environmental responsibility, and environmental concern. The research contributes to the body of knowledge in GM food consumption by evolving the CSR to assess attitudes of users concerning GM foods.

Fuzzy sets and soft sets are two different soft computing models for representing vagueness and uncertainty. On the other domination is a rapidly developing area of research in graph theory, and it...

We introduce and study forcing number for fuzzy graphs. Also, we compute zero forcing numbers for some classes of graphs and extend this concept to fuzzy graphs. In this regard we obtain upper bounds for zero forcing of some classes of fuzzy graphs. We will proceed to obtain a new algorithm to computing zero forcing set and finding a formula for zero forcing number, and by some examples we illustrate these notions. Finally, we introduce some applications of fuzzy zero forcing in medical treatments.

It is undeniable that there is a challenge of extensive and indiscriminate application of chemical pesticides and their adverse impacts on human health and environment. This fact accentuates major role of using personal protective equipment (PPE) as an essential component of safety behavior in reducing these impacts. Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge concerning drivers of farmers’ behavior in using PPE during handling pesticides; particularly, in developing nations such as Iran. Hence, this research focused on narrowing the gap by application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) of healthy extension including additional constructs of perceived susceptibility and severity in order to investigate the factors affecting Iranian farmers’ intention in using PPE. The theory was empirically tested using a cross-sectional survey. The data was collected from 322 wheat farmers in Zanjan County, Northwest Iran. Empirical findings of a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis showed that primary TPB adequately fitted the data and explained 43% of intention variance of using PPE. Three primary TPB constructs were as following: attitude, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and subjective norms (SN); in which they all had positive impacts on intention. Most importantly, the results confirmed that extended TPB had the efficiency to determine drivers of farmers’ intention in using PPE in which the inclusion of perceived susceptibility and perceived severity increased the explanatory ability of the model up to 10.6%. The findings of present study underlined the importance of the role of risk perceptions’ constructs (i.e., perceived susceptibility and perceived severity) as antecedents of farmers’ PPE behavior. These findings would be helpful for program planners and strategists to design and implement effective interventions through farmers’ safety behavior plans respecting pesticides application particularly in developing countries.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the role of social capital in Iranian agricultural students' acquisition of generic skills. For this purpose, the effect of various social capital dimensions on students' generic skills development was examined.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted among 190 third- and fourth-year undergraduate students in one of the colleges of agriculture and natural resources in Iran. The partial least square method was used to examine the relationships among various social capital dimensions (i.e. social values, social trust, social networks, social cohesion, social participation, social communications and information sharing) with students' generic skills.FindingsThe findings showed that social networks and social participation are effective factors in the generic skills development of students. A model designed for the development of students' generic skills based on their social capital level predicted up to 33% of generic skills' variances. Furthermore, the multi-group analysis showed that males and females vary on how various social capital dimensions affect their generic skills. In this respect, the social participation dimension had a significantly greater impact on female students' generic skills, whereas the generic skills of male students were influenced more by the social cohesion dimension.Practical implicationsDeveloping generic skills through social capital can be considered as an effective strategy in countries that do not have formal programs for developing students' generic skills. Additionally, higher education policymakers should present a more supportive approach for developing generic skills of female students through social participation in the campuses.Originality/valueSo far, no study has examined the relationships among various social capital dimensions and students' generic skills in Iran. The picture is even more unclear when it comes to the differences between male and female students. The results of this study confirmed the importance of social networks and social participation in the universities to support students and to improve their generic skills and, consequently, their employability competencies. Furthermore, it could be inferred that male and female students have similarities and also differences in terms of the effect of social capital on developing generic skills that can provide a path for future studies.

Zero forcing and power domination are iterative processes on graphs where an initial set of vertices are observed, and additional vertices become observed based on some rules. In both cases, the goal is to eventually observe the entire graph using the fewest number of initial vertices. In this paper, we combine the study of zero forcing and power domination and compute upper bound for zero forcing for lexicographic product of two fuzzy soft graphs. Publisher's Version

In a glance, more than three billion people live in the rural areas of low and middle income countries. In most cases, rural households have many unmet energy needs including cooking, lighting, heating, transportation and telecommunication needs. The main goal of this study is Implementing Conceptual Model Using Renewable Energies in Rural Area of Iran. In this study, the Weibull and Angestrom distribution methods were used to assess the potential of wind and solar energy range in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province of Iran (The Case study). After determining the values calculated based on meteorological stations' data, the IDW interpolation method in GIS software was used for the entire geographic range of the province. After reviewing multiple regions and identifying potential classes, a village which has the potential to be enough sun and wind energy was selected (Kahkesh village) and then a field survey based on biomass resources was accomplished. The needs of rural residents and rural renewable energy potential was evaluated by study conceptual frameworks during one year. By dividing the value of frameworks energies the amount of energy saving can be calculated. Finally, it recommended that for utilizing the renewable energies in rural areas, as will be discussed in the present work and particularly using the conceptual frameworks, is performed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB). Seventy-six breeders were randomly selected from among 95 breeders who were working at the Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Karaj, Iran. Data were collected by a questionnaire as the main data collection instrument. The face and content validity of the questionnaire was approved by a panel of agricultural extension and plant breeding experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated and it turned out to be high, ranging from 0.83-0.92. The descriptive findings of the study suggested that the breeders had generally positive perception toward using PPB. The correlation analysis results showed that there is a positive and significant (p>0.01) correlation among the levels of familiarity with PPB, advantages, and breeders’ perception toward the use of PPB. In addition, there was a negative and significant (p>0.01) correlation between breeders' perception of the disadvantages faced by PPB and their perception of using participatory plant breeding. Finally, stepwise regression analysis indicated that the advantages and disadvantages of PPB explained about 58% of the variations in breeders’ perception toward using PPB.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the peripheral factors on reducing the consequences of the targeted subsidies from the view point of greenhouse owners of Semnan Province, Iran. The population of the study comprised greenhouse owners of Semnan Province. The sample size was calculated using Cochran formula and encompassed a number of 287 greenhouse owners. The main research tool used in this study was a questionnaire. SPSS v21was used to analyze the data obtained through the questionnaires. Based on hypotheses and theories, questions were designed, and after testing validity and reliability (based on the dependent variable Cronbach's alpha was calculated equal with 87.8) indices, modifications were performed. To examine the hypotheses of this research, the correlation coefficient was estimated, and a multiple regressions analysis was run. The results showed that current expenses, using the proper structures for constructing greenhouse, method of fuel use, the perfect place of heaters, and the use of skilled workers in the greenhouse had a key role in reducing the impact of targeted subsidies plan (dependent variable) on green- house owners. These variables explained 40.2 per cent of the variance in the dependent variable.

We study the problem of scheduling random energy demands within a fixed normalized time horizon. Each demand has to be serviced without interruption at a constant intensity, while its duration is bounded by a pair of malleability constraints. Such constraints are assumed to be characterized by an i.i.d random vector that follows a general distribution. At each time instance, the total power consumption is computed as the sum of the intensities of all demands being serviced at that moment. Our objective is to minimize both the maximum and the total convex cost of the power consumption of the grid. The problem is considered in the asymptotic regime. In this regime, the number of demands is assumed to be large, and their (random) energy requirements are inversely proportional to the number of demands. Such setting allows us to introduce a linear-time scheduling policy and shows its asymptotic optimality with respect to both cost criteria. We first study the optimization problem in the case where all demands are available a priori, i.e., before scheduling starts. Then we extend our approach for the case of demand scheduling in an arbitrary length time horizon, where the demands arrive randomly during this time interval.

The Wiener and detour indices of a molecular graph G are defined as the sum of the lengths of all shortest and longest paths between the vertices of G. In this paper the exact formulae for the Wiener and detour indices of a new type of nanostar dendrimers are given.

This study was designed to investigate changes in farming and to look at how farmers adapt to diverse changes in and around their farms in the province of Esfahan, Iran. It is part of a larger project aimed at developing a job competency profile for agricultural extension instructors (AEIs). One hundred and two farmers who had previously followed extension courses in the province of Esfahan were interviewed. The findings demonstrate that a large number of farmers in the target group who are older, married, have low education levels, are smallholders and lack adequate job diversity on their farms. The study revealed that these farmers have experienced sluggish internal and external agricultural change, and they are generally more positive about internal changes than external ones. Respondents designated 'extension courses', 'individual farm visits by official extension agents' and 'trial and error', respectively as their three main learning strategies (LS) to help them adapt to the various changes. The results also indicate that older and more poorly educated farmers have more problems in adopting different LS.

An alternative way to fight transnational terrorism is to undercut popular sympathy for its political goals. This approach calls for promoting reforms and basic human freedoms in countries in which terrorists reside. If war on ‘terror' eclipses the human rights agenda that characterized the 1990s, Western governments are likely to pay a prohibitively heavy price for business as usual — that is, supporting at any cost authoritarian, but pro-Western regimes. Many in the Muslim world see hope in a globalizing world. In this context, we must realize that Muslim women's power to participate meaningfully in the social, cultural, economic, and political affairs of their societies should not be underestimated. Their struggle is at the vanguard for human rights and broader security in Muslim societies. This essay argues that internal reforms provide a more reliable safeguard against terrorism than steps that deepen the roots of violence.