Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Model-independent cosmic acceleration and type Ia supernovae intrinsic luminosity redshift dependence

The $\Lambda$CDM model is the current standard model in cosmology thanks to its ability to reproduce the observations. Its first observational evidence appeared from the type Ia supernovae (SNIa) Hubble diagram. However, there has been some debate in the literature concerning the statistical treatment of SNIa. In this paper we relax the standard assumption that SNIa intrinsic luminosity is independent of the redshift, and we examine whether it may have an impact on the accelerated nature of the expansion of the Universe. In order to be as general as possible, we reconstruct the expansion rate of the Universe through a cubic spline interpolation fitting observations of different probes: SNIa, baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), and the high-redshift information from the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We show that when SNIa intrinsic luminosity is not allowed to vary as a function of the redshift, cosmic acceleration is definitely proven in a model-independent approach. However, allowing for a redshift dependence, a non-accelerated reconstruction of the expansion rate is able to fit, as well as $\Lambda$CDM, the combination of SNIa and BAO data, both treating the BAO standard ruler $r_d$ as a free parameter, or adding the recently published prior from CMB observations. We further extend the analysis by including the CMB data, and we show that a non-accelerated reconstruction is able to nicely fit this combination of low and high-redshift data. In this work we present a model-independent reconstruction of a non-accelerated expansion rate of the Universe that is able to nicely fit all the main background cosmological probes. However, the predicted value of $H_0$ is in tension with recent direct measurements. Our analysis points out that a final, reliable, and consensual value for $H_0$ would be critical to definitively prove the cosmic acceleration in a model-independent way. [Abridged]
Homophobia and heterosexism: Spanish physical education teachers’ perceptions

Abstract Physical education is traditionally a heteronormative environment, despite current studies highlighting the existence of positive changes in sport towards sexual diversity. In Spain, physical education teachers’ attitudes towards sexual minorities are an under-researched area. The current study identifies physical education teachers’ perceptions towards homophobia and heterosexism, raising questions as to whether societies are hostile or more tolerant in regard to gays and lesbians in sport. This research involved 170 physical education teachers from mixed schools, using a modified version of the questionnaire of homophobia and heterosexism perceptions. Results show heterosexist and homophobic behaviour is apparent in physical education lessons, with teachers aware of these behaviours. Furthermore, it is highlighted that students use homosexually themed language as an instrument to discriminate against gays and lesbians. This language use is not common amongst teachers, although when it is present, it is clearer and more frequent amongst male teachers.
Influence of plant growth regulators on axillary shoot multiplication and iron source on growth of Scrophularia takesimensis Nakai - a rare endemic medicinal plant

An efficient protocol for the in vitro propagation of Scrophularia takesimensis, a rare endemic medicinal plant, is described. Shoot multiplication was induced by culturing nodal explants on MS medium containing 3% (w/v) sucrose, 0.8% (w/v) agar, and different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators. The greatest percentage of shoot induction was achieved when nodal explants were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg l-1 BAP and 1.0 mg l-1 IAA with an average of 16 shoots per explant. The microshoots were separated from the multiple shoots and sub-cultured onto MS medium with 3% (w/v) sucrose and 0.8% (w/v) agar for further growth, and rooting. The plantlets growth was slow and often showed chlorosis on leaves. This problem was overcome by transferring microshoots to MS medium modified by increasing FeSO4 (55.6 mgL-1) and Na2EDTA (74.52 mgL-1) salts concentration. The iron concentration had a significant effect on chlorophyll content of the leaves. Chlorophyll content was increased by increasing FeSO4 and Na2EDTA salts concentration. Maximum rooting was obtained on modified MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l-1 IBA. The in vitro-grown plantlets were successfully established in the field with 96% of survival. This protocol could be utilized for conservation and clonal propagation of this economically important plant.
Clientele democracy: Political party funding and candidate selection in Nigeria*

The upsurge of democracy during the third and fourth waves democratic epochs has led to a “proliferation of alternative conceptual forms…involving democracy ‘with adjectives’” (Collier and Levitsky, 1997:430). Clientele democracy, though similar with neopatrimonial democracy, is distinguished in both concept and substance. At the heart of the development of different democracy are the nature and character of political parties. The character of political parties in turn is highly influenced by the pattern of party funding, which accordingly determines the system of candidate selection and nomination and the overall organisation of political parties. This paper argues that political parties as conditio sine qua non to modern democracy significantly contribute to the development of “clientele” democracy in Nigeria. This is evident in the nature of political party funding and candidate selection (both for party offices and general elections). In this context, this paper examines the various aspects of political party funding and strategies for candidate selection in Nigeria. The paper contends that the system of party funding and candidates’ selection in the country are re-constructing a new form of democracy that can arguably be called “clientele” democracy, in which godfatherism is the defining political technique of political party activities. The godfathers, in addition to serving as major party funders, also fully control their political terrain, through which they control both parties and the electorates. The paper argues that this practice is undermining political party institutionalisation in Nigeria. Key words: Clientelism, democracy, political parties, party funding, candidate selection.
Productivity of maize-bean intercropping in a semi-arid region of South Africa

Food shortage is known to have been caused by overpopulation, natural disasters and poor food distribution. In areas facing food insecurity, such as Africa, peasants or small-scale farmers have practised intercropping since old times. In this study, an investigation was carried out to determine whether intercropping increased production for small-scale farming in a semi-arid region (Free State, South Africa). Crop productivity of maize and bean intercropping systems was evaluated in terms of crop yield and growth. The effect of radiation and water utilisation by these systems was measured to determine their productivity. Field trials were carried out during three summer crop growing seasons (plant densities, row orientation and sowing date trials. In all growing seasons, rainfall was below normal, and air temperatures were normal. The total land equivalent ratios for yield and growth ranged between 1.06 to 1.58 and 1.38 to 1.86 respectively, showing yield and growth advantage of intercropping. Concerning radiation and water use, the intercropping of maize and beans had both radiation and water use efficiencies (RUE and WUE, respectively) as high as maize sole cropping, and intercropping RUE and WUE were greater than bean sole cropping. From these results, it has been concluded that maize-bean intercropping can be recommended to small-scale farmers in this semi-arid region.
Women Empowerment for a Holistic Development in Nigeria

Women empowerment as a concept has been related to development, democracy and all kinds of social wellbeing. Nigeria like most African countries is a patriarchal society, where men holds sway and lays down the rules. This paper affirms the need for women empowerment for a holistic development in Nigeria. The paper took off identifying the duality and complementarity in nature . The paper reveals the origin of creation of both man and woman which by pronouncement of the creator, God, was essentially on the basis of complementing each other, which means that the man and woman supposed to be seen as equal. Apart from the theory and counter theory of gender as elaborated in the paper, the physical differences between the masculine and feminine gender, the paper highlights the activities of the famous feminist radical activists of the early 60’s and their ideologies. The various struggles for liberation of the feminine gender from the masculine domination are discussed. This paper compares the Nigerian woman of pre-colonial era and the present day Nigerian woman in franchise, financial responsibility etc. A figurative evaluation and analysis of the rights and privileges enjoyed by the Nigerian woman in the early post colonial era up to the present day situation is also mentioned. Finally, this paper emphasized the role of the media in women empowerment for a holistic development in Nigeria. In its role in empowerment the media has a hegemonic function and it is in addition seen as an agent of socialization.
Spatial patterns and trends in abundance of larval sandeels in the North Sea: 1950 - 2005

Early recruitment indices based on larval fish data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) have the potential to inform stock assessments of Ammodytes marinus in the North Sea. We evaluate whether the CPR data are reliable for sandeel larvae. Spatially, CPR larval data were comparable with catches by dedicated larval samplers (Gulf and bongo nets) during ICES coordinated surveys in 2004 and 2009. ICES data are also used to explore environmental influences on sandeel distributions. Temporally, CPR data correlate with larval data from plankton surveys off Stonehaven (1999–2005), with sandeel 0-group trawl data at the east Fair Isle ground (since 1984), and with recruitment data (since 1983) for the Dogger Banks stock assessment area. Therefore, CPR data may provide an early recruit index of relative abundance for the Dogger Banks assessment area, where the majority of the commercial catch of A. marinus is taken, and the Wee Bankie area that is particularly important for seabird foraging. While warm conditions may stimulate the production of sandeel larvae, their natural mortality is typically greater, in the Dogger Banks and Wadden Sea areas, when the larvae are hatched in warm years and/or with abundant 1-year-old sandeel that are likely to be cannibalistic.
Further considerations regarding PANAS: Contributions from four studies with different Argentinean samples

In this research we analyzed the psychometric properties of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in samples coming from four independent studies: university students (Study 1, n = 392; Study 2, n = 395), general adult population (Study 3, n = 316), and athletes (Study 4, n = 533). Through confirmatory analyses we evaluated the following models: (a) two-factor model (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988), (b) three-factor model by Mehrabian (1997), (c) three-factor model by Gaudreau, Sánchez and Blondin (2006) and (d) bi-factor model (Leue & Beauducel, 2011), all of them in their oblique and orthogonal variants. Several models presented an acceptable fit, but only after allowing correlated errors and excluding the items alert and excited. While orthogonal solutions of the three models showed the best fit in Studies 2, 3 and 4, oblique solutions presented the best fit in Study 1. Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability and omega indexes oscillated between . 55 and . 89. Considering the original theoretical model and the practical utility of the PANAS, we favor the model of two orthogonal factors, excluding the aforementioned items.
Young Consumers and their Brand Love

Although consumersâ€™ emotional attachments to brands have been measured and written about in several contexts, little is known about where a â€œloveâ€ type consumer-brand relationship is rooted and what meaning the consumer gives to such deep experience. The current study aims to extend the discussion of the brand experience dimensions and to form the brand love, focusing on the members of the youngest consumer segment. Based on the introspective written narratives using an international sample of young consumers, this qualitative study offers a holistic view of forming brand love. The findings underscore the relevance of a first encounter with a brand. Adapting the ecological systems theory, the authors identified three social systems from where the informants got impulses to reach their loved brands.
Globalization, artificial intelligence, social networks and political polarization: New challenges for community psychologists

The aim of this paper is to explore how some macro changes brought about by globalization have created new opportunities, but also difficult problems for community psychologists. (a) Economic changes, which have created new jobs in different areas of the world and promoted the emergence of a “sharing economy”, but also fostered huge disparities both within and across countries. (b) Political changes, such as increased polarization and the growth of nationalist and populist parties, which amplify divisiveness but go along with a transformation of the notion of citizenship and identity. (c) Technological changes brought about by the artificial intelligence revolution, which opens up both opportunities and dangers for job prospects, and by the diffusion of social networks, able of both promoting political participation and increasing political polarization. Finally, aims that community psychologists could pursue to help develop the opportunities and reduce the problems that emerge from these changes are discussed.
Influence of plant growth regulators on biochemical changes of mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek)

The present investigation entitled “Influence of plant growth regulators on biochemical changes of mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek)” was conducted during kharif season, 2015 at the Instructional Farm of Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad (U.P.), India in randomized block design with ten treatments, three replications and variety Narendra mung-1. The treatments were comprised of foliar spray of two plant growth regulators (PGRs) of different concentrations viz., Salicylic acid (50, 100, 150 and 200 ppm) and GA3 (50, 100, 150 and 200 ppm) along with untreated control (distilled water spray) & spraying was done at 25 DAS. The observations were taken on biochemical parameters like chlorophyll, nitrate reductase, protein and nitrogen content. All the PGRs viz., salicylic acid and GA3induced positive influence on chlorophyll, nitrate reeducates, protein and nitrogen content in plants but the foliar spraying of SA 150 ppm at 25 DAS was found more profound among all treatments. On the basis of above investigation it may be concluded that foliar spray of PGRs at 25 DAS may be used as a potential tool to improve growth and yield of mungbean.
Size, shape and spatial arrangement of mega‐scale glacial lineations from a large and diverse dataset

Mega‐scale glacial lineations (MSGLs) are a characteristic landform on ice stream beds. Solving the puzzle of their formation is key to understanding how ice interacts with its bed and how this, in turn, influences the dynamics of ice streams. However, a comprehensive and detailed characterization of this landform's size, shape and spatial arrangement, which might serve to test and refine formational theories, is largely lacking. This paper presents a detailed morphometric analysis and comparison of 4043 MSGLs from eight palaeo‐ice stream settings: three offshore (Norway and Antarctica), four onshore (Canada), and one from under a modern ice stream in West Antarctica. The length of MSGLs is lower than previously suggested (mode 1000–2000 m; median 2892 m), and they initiate and terminate at various locations on an ice stream bed. Their spatial arrangement reveals a pattern that is characterized by an exceptional parallel conformity (80% of all mapped MSGLs have an azimuth within 5° from the mean values), and a fairly constant lateral spacing (mode 200–300 m; median 330 m), which we interpret as an indication that MSGLs are a spatially self‐organized phenomenon. Results show that size, shape and spatial arrangement of MSGLs are consistent both within and also generally between different ice stream beds. We suggest this results from a common mechanism of formation, which is largely insensitive to local factors. Although the elongation of MSGLs (mode 6–8; median 12.2) is typically higher than features described as drumlins, these values and those of their width (mode 100–200 m; median 268 m) overlap, which suggests the two landforms are part of a morphological continuum and may share a similar origin. We compare their morphometry with explicit predictions made by the groove‐ploughing and rilling instability theories of MSGL formation. Although the latter was most compatible, neither is fully supported by observations. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
THE DIFFICULTIES OF IDENTIFYING FLYING SQUIRRELS (SCIURIDAE: PTEROMYINI) IN THE FOSSIL RECORD

Abstract Two problems are examined in this paper: (1) the identification of flying squirrels in the fossil record by means of their teeth; and (2) the identification of features of the limbs that indicate that the animals were gliders. Dental features vary widely among flying squirrels and among other squirrels, and a thorough survey demonstrates that most features that have been used to distinguish fossil flying squirrels are also found in some tree squirrels. A review of the descriptions of fossil flying squirrels reveals few convincing arguments that these animals actually belong to the Pteromyini and none to support the hypothesis that they were gliding animals. Recent flying squirrels exhibit a number of distinguishing morphological features in their carpal and tarsal bones and at the proximal and distal ends of their long bones. Some of these morphological structures are obligatory features required for gliding locomotion in squirrels and hence are diagnostic of flying squirrels.
The Role of Emotional Content in the Control 
of Eye Movements

The anti-saccade paradigm has been a favourite among researchers of attention and the control of eye movements. Most pro/anti-saccade studies have utilized meaningless stimuli, though stimulus meaning is known to have an impact on looking behaviour in free viewing conditions. Here, we explore the role of content in the control of pro/antisaccades by contrasting two alternative views on the impact of emotional stimuli. One view supports an "informativeness" hypothesis, where visual processing is directed towards threatening stimuli, suggesting that RT should be particularly large for negative, high arousal pictures in an antisaccade task. An alternative view emphasizes approach and withdrawal behaviours. Here negative images are thought to encourage avoidance behaviours, causing faster RTs for antisaccades; whereas positive pictures encourage approach behaviours, causing faster RTs for prosaccades. Participants performed an antisaccade task in which they were presented with an image to the left or right visual field and instructed to look at or away from the image. The experimental design included five groups of images, with a factorial combination of valence (positive or negative) and arousal (high or low), and a neutral condition. In Experiments one and two the instruction was given 200 ms before the picture was presented and did not produce any effects of emotional content. Thus, if participants are given advanced notice of the upcoming saccade, the initiation of that saccade is not influenced by the emotional content of the target image. In experiments three and four, the cue was presented 200 ms after the onset of the target image. This change of SOA provided an effect of emotional content was observed in experiments three and four which was illustrated by slowed RTs for both pro- and anti-saccades. However erotic images appeared to slow down latencies across both saccades which were accompanied by high error rates.
Justification, Legitimization and Naturalization of Mergers and Acquisitions: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Media Texts

This article concentrates on the discursive construction of mergers and acquisitions in the media. Drawing on critical discourse analysis, the article focuses on justification, legitimization and naturalization processes in three historically significant cases in the Finnish media. The analysis reveals four distinctive discourse types- `rationalistic', `cultural', `societal' and `individualistic'-and elaborates their structural characteristics. The analysis shows that rationalistic discourses typically dominate discussion, while the other discourses are subordinated to the rationalistic discursive practices. This usually means justification of particular merger or acquisition deals and legitimization of specific actions taken by management. In the longer run, this is likely to lead to naturalization of specific management practices in the mergers and acquisitions context.
PERSONNEL COSTS IN THE CZECH CONSTRUCTION SECTOR: INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF COMPANY SIZE

Managing personnel costs is important in all companies, especially in those whose production is labor intensive. The construction sector therefore qualifies as a suitable area for analyzing issues associated with these costs. The aim of this study is to find out whether company size affects personnel cost management under various circumstances. Four research hypotheses focus on the relationships among and the relative importance of personnel costs, use of standards, range of employee benefits offered, and economic actions taken when faced with an economic crisis. The evaluation of hypotheses is supported by using the chi-square test of independence with the aim of confirming or rejecting the statistical significance of relationships between the examined categorical variables. Results have confirmed a significant effect of company size. Several research implications and suggested future research directions are also presented in the conclusion of this paper.