Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A WISE Survey of New Star Clusters in the Central Plane Region of the Milky Way

We present the discovery of new star clusters in the central plane region ( and ) of the Milky Way. In order to overcome the extinction problem and the spatial limit of previous surveys, we use the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data to find clusters. We also use other infrared survey data in the archive for additional analysis. We find 923 new clusters, of which 202 clusters are embedded clusters. These clusters are concentrated toward the Galactic plane and show a symmetric distribution with respect to the Galactic latitude. The embedded clusters show a stronger concentration to the Galactic plane than the nonembedded clusters. The new clusters are found more in the first Galactic quadrant, while previously known clusters are found more in the fourth Galactic quadrant. The spatial distribution of the combined sample of known clusters and new clusters is approximately symmetric with respect to the Galactic longitude. We estimate reddenings, distances, and relative ages of the 15 class A clusters using theoretical isochrones. Ten of them are relatively old (age >800 Myr) and five are young (age ≈4 Myr).
An Innovation Diffusion Approach to Examining the Adoption of Social Media by Small Businesses: an Australian Case Study

Whilst many studies have examined social media use from a consumer perspective, relatively few have examined its use by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), a group for whom it is becoming increasingly important. This study aims to provide a deeper understanding of an under-researched area, the experience of SMEs during the process of adopting social media, by identifying the factors that influence SMEs to either adopt social media or not and, if they adopt it, how they use it and evaluate its usefulness. The study involves analysis of in-depth interviews with 42 Australian businesses. Roger’s innovation decision process is used in an innovative manner to classify SMEs into five key stages of adoption of social media and identify the factors that influence the progression of SMEs across the various stages of adoption. The results show that the story of social media use is richer than just whether SMEs adopt it or not. Most participants used Facebook, suggesting it has become the de facto platform of choice to engage with social media. However, opinions of its perceived usefulness for SMEs varied widely across users. There was confusion surrounding the role of Twitter, its value, and concern about the amount of time needed to use it. YouTube was used by some SMEs to showcase their products or services. The study contributes to the literature by identifying key facilitators which appear critical to the decision by SMEs to continue use of social media – namely increased sales; brand development and a feeling of pressure that they ‘have to be there’. It also identifies some inhibitors to sustained use by SMEs, typically a lack of compatibility to industry sector; insufficient followership; and limited return on investment compared to effort required. Finally, the study shows how SMEs differentiate between social media platforms.
Exploiting ground-based measurements of the Global Positioning System for numerical weather prediction

Data assimilation provides an initial atmospheric state, called the analysis, for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). This analysis consists of pressure, temperature, wind, and humidity on a three-dimensional NWP model grid. Data assimilation blends meteorological observations with the NWP model in a statistically optimal way. The objective of this thesis is to describe methodological development carried out in order to allow data assimilation of ground-based measurements of the Global Positioning System (GPS) into the High Resolution Limited Area Model (HIRLAM) NWP system. Geodetic processing produces observations of tropospheric delay. These observations can be processed either for vertical columns at each GPS receiver station, or for the individual propagation paths of the microwave signals. These alternative processing methods result in Zenith Total Delay (ZTD) and Slant Delay (SD) observations, respectively. ZTD and SD observations are of use in the analysis of atmospheric humidity. A method is introduced for estimation of the horizontal error covariance of ZTD observations. The method makes use of observation minus model background (OmB) sequences of ZTD and conventional observations. It is demonstrated that the ZTD observation error covariance is relatively large in station separations shorter than 200 km, but non-zero covariances also appear at considerably larger station separations. The relatively low density of radiosonde observing stations limits the ability of the proposed estimation method to resolve the shortest length-scales of error covariance. SD observations are shown to contain a statistically significant signal on the asymmetry of the atmospheric humidity field. However, the asymmetric component of SD is found to be nearly always smaller than the standard deviation of the SD observation error. SD observation modelling is described in detail, and other issues relating to SD data assimilation are also discussed. These include the determination of error statistics, the tuning of observation quality control and allowing the taking into account of local observation error correlation. The experiments made show that the data assimilation system is able to retrieve the asymmetric information content of hypothetical SD observations at a single receiver station. Moreover, the impact of real SD observations on humidity analysis is comparable to that of other observing systems. Publishing unit Finnish Meteorological Institute, Meteorological Research Unit Classification (UDC)
Adaptivity and A Posteriori Error Estimation For DG Methods on Anisotropic Meshes

In many application areas involving the mathematical modeling of convection, diusion, and reaction processes, diusion can be small (compared to the convection and the reaction coecients), degenerate, or even identically equal to zero in subregions of the computational domain. This multi-scale behavior between convection and diusion creates various challenges in the endeavor of computing accurate numerical approximations to PDE problems of this type in an ecien t manner. In particular, computationally demanding features may appear in the analytical solutions of such problems; these include boundary/interior layers or even discontinuities in the subregions where the problem is of hyperbolic type. When structures such as layers or discontinuities are present in the solution, the use of anisotropically rened meshes, which aim to provide the necessary mesh resolution in the directions along these structures, is essential in order to reduce the number of degrees of freedom required to accurately resolve these sharp features. Discontinuous Galerkin nite element methods (DGFEMs) exhibit attractive properties in the numerical approximation of problems of hyperbolic or nearly{hyperbolic type. Indeed, DGFEMs are, by construction, locally conservative, and moreover exhibit enhanced stability properties in the vicinity of boundary/interior layers and discontinuities present in the analytical solution. Additionally, DGFEMs oer advantages in the context of hp-adaptivity, such as increased exibilit y in the mesh design (irregular grids are admissible) and the freedom of choosing the elemental polynomial degrees without the need to enforce any conformity requirements. Thereby, the combination of DGFEMs, that produce stable approximations even in unresolved regions of the computational domain, and anisotropic mesh renemen t, which aims to provide the desired grid resolution in appropriate spatial directions, is an appealing technique for the numerical approximation of these types of problems. In this work, we consider the a priori and a posteriori error analysis of discontinuous Galerkin interior penalty methods for second{order partial dieren tial equations with nonnegative characteristic form on anisotropically rened computational meshes. In particular, we discuss the question of error estimation for linear target functionals, such as the outo w ux and the local average of the solution. The a priori error estimation is based on exploiting the analysis developed in the article [9], which assumed that the underlying computational mesh is shape{ regular, together with an extension of the techniques developed in [4] which precisely describe the anisotropy of the mesh; for related anisotropic approximation results, we refer to [1, 16, 15, 3], for example. More specically , we employ tools from tensor analysis, along with local singular-value
Lifestyle Based Segmentation of Rural Consumers of Central Gujarat: An Empirical Study with Special Reference To Gender And Age

Consumer lifestyle analysis has become popular tool in the case of marketing decision making. The present study attempts to segment rural consumers of Central region of Gujarat on the basis of their perceived lifestyles. Ainstrumentinvolving Activities, Interests, Opinions, Values and Attitudes has been used for the purpose of study. Initially, an effort is made to unearth the perceptions of rural consumers in both the regions, and then the same were factor analyzed so as to form homogenous groups of such consumers which would help marketers to ensure success in market targeting. This study providesgenerous insights to marketing managers in Gujarat with valuable visions for marketing segmentation, value creation, product positioning/re-positioning, and promotional decisions. With change in lifestyle paradigms of rural consumers, it has become significantly important for a marketer to know rural consumer behavior and the dynamics of it. Lifestyle orientation being one of the most related and effective tool in gauging such behavior, this study will prove of a great help to marketers in designing customized marketing strategies specially for targeting the rural consumers.
Nonlinear interferometric vibrational imaging for applications in the study and diagnosis of breast cancer

This thesis deals with the problem of developing a microscopy imaging technique with fast acquisition rates and label-free chemical selectivity for the study of tumor formation and its diagnosis in early stages of development. Spontaneous Raman scattering microscopy studies on human breast pathologies have led to models that characterize normal and cancerous breast tissue. This technique, however, is weak and requires long integration times, making it problematic as a clinical imaging tool. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy can improve the speed of acquisition and is more suitable for imaging, but at the cost of losing spectral information and generating unwanted background. As an advance, this thesis describes the technology of Nonlinear Interferometric Vibrational Imaging (NIVI), a CARS-based technique that uses two engineered femtosecond optical pulses and interferometric detection to retrieve broadband Raman signatures free of background. The performance of this technique is shown in the acquisition of spatial-spectral maps in material samples and mammary tissue. Results were validated by comparison with spontaneous Raman microscopy and bright field images of stained sections of the same tissues.
Running head: CONDUCT DISORDER RESILIENCE 1 In press in ‘Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma’ Conduct Disorder Symptoms in Pre-School Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: Gender Differences in Risk and Resilience

This study utilized data involving 7,743 children (51.6% boys) aged four from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort. Children were crosscategorized into four groups: Resilient, Non-resilient, Vulnerable and Competent. Maternal depression and life events, parenting, attachment, social development and temperament were analyzed as dependent variables, and were examined as predictors of group membership. Results showed that resilient boys were less emotional, less active, and more shy and had higher-educated mothers than the non-resilient boys. Resilient girls were less emotional, less active, more shy, less socially developmentally advanced, had more secure attachment to their mothers, and their mothers were better educated and reported more positive parenting strategies than non-resilient girls. Different approaches to intervention may be needed for IPV-exposed preschool boys and girls.
Aquatic ecology, economy and society: the place of aquatic ecology in the sustainabilty agenda

This article explores aspects of sustainability and the importance of sustainable development, including the place of the crucially important resource of fresh water and of freshwater ecosystems. It examines the treatment of natural resources by the economic system that underpins global business, outlines some progress towards more sustainable approaches to business, and recommends steps to re-establish science as the driver of wise policies that contribute to sustainable development.
Exploring Indigenous Knowledge and Production Constraints of Taro (Colocasia esculenta L. (SCHOTT)) Cultivars Grown at Dalbo Watershed, Wolaita Zone of South Ethiopia

The maintenance and utilization of crop is important to ensure food security. To this effect a survey was conducted at Dalbo Watershed, Soddo district of Wolaita Zone, to describe and analyze the indigenous production methods. The survey was conducted in the selected villages of Dalbo Watershed namely; Dalbo Atwaro and Dalbo Wogene during the months of July, August and September 2006, thirty households from the two villages, among those who own taro crop were selected. A purposive systematic sampling technique is used. Method of data collection included individual interviews using structured questionnaire. Results of the study showed that taro farming at Dalbo Watershed was characterized by smallholdings with average family size of 6.96 people per household, average total farm size of 0.771 ha, and with an average farm size under taro production of 0.42 ha. A total of eight named taro cultivars were recorded on-farm. The number of cultivars maintained on individual farms ranged from one to eight (mean 3.08) and farmers decision regarding land use and number of taro cultivars to plant was influenced by the size of farm land, labour/household size, maturity, yield, taste and palatability of a particular cultivar. Local farmers recognized two categories of taro based on the ‘sex’ of the cultivars: “male” and “female” taro. Female taro mature early, are less vigorous, provide tasty and palatable corms as opposed to male taro. Most of the farmers had grown taro for more than ten years as a backyard crop, both for consumption and sale. Land preparation begins in November and most farmers plant taro in January. Harvesting usually begin ten months after planting, with majority of farmers harvest the yield between December to January. Farmers cited land shortage, shortage of capital, lack of oxen and improved farm implements and few others as the main constraints for taro production in the study area.
The audio Uncanny Valley Sound, fear and the horror game

The 1970 proposition that there is an Uncanny Valley which man-made characters inhabit as their human-likeness (both appearance and movement) increases has been a growing topic of debate in the fields of robotics, animation and computer games particularly since the turn of the century. However, what the theory and subsequent related writings do not account for is the role of sound in creating perceptions of uncanniness and fear, a particularly useful attribute in computer game genres such as survival horror. This paper has a dual purpose: to explore diverse writings on the uncanny as they relate to sound and to prepare the groundwork for future work investigating the possible relationship between sound and the Uncanny Valley. The paper comprises, in large part, a survey of selected works on the uncanny and the Uncanny Valley from a variety of disciplines. It emphasizes the link between uncanniness and negative emotions, such as fear and apprehension, and discusses the genesis of the term uncanny in early psychoanalytical writings, relating this to more modern theories on human emotion. Writings on the uncanny, or related emotional states, from psychoacoustics, textiles research, films and computer games are assessed as to their validity and potential application to the fostering of an aural climate of fear in computer games and, where such writings do not explicitly deal with sound, attempts are made to apply the ideas contained within to sound as it exists within computer games. In dealing with the theory of the Uncanny Valley, the paper points out the theory’s focus on appearanc e and movement to the exclusion of sound and suggests that there is an uncanny in sound that might, in future, be used to modify the Uncanny Valley theory. Throughout, there is the suggestion that the uncanny (and any future theory of an audio or audiovisual Uncanny Valley) can be harnassed to the design of horror computer games.
DISTRACTING EFFECTS OF AUDITORY WARNINGS ON EXPERIENCED DRIVERS

A range of In-Vehicle Information Systems are currently developed and implemented in trucks to warn drivers about road dangers and vehicle failures. Systems often make use of conventional repetitive auditory warnings to catch attention. In a critical driving situation it might be tempting to use signals that express very high levels of urgency. However, previous studies have shown that more urgent alerts can have a negative impact on the listeners’ affective state. A simulator experiment was conducted to examine how urgent warnings could impact the affective state of experienced truck drivers, and their response performance to an unpredictable situation. As predicted, the more urgent warning was rated more annoying and startling. The drivers who received an urgent warning braked significantly harder to the unpredictable event (a bus pulling out in front of the truck). The drivers also tended to brake later after the urgent warning, but no significant effect on response time or time to collision was found. A concluding recommendation for future research is to investigate distracting effects of urgent auditory warnings on less experienced drivers.
Comparison between three implementations of automatic identification algorithms for the quantification and characterization of mesoscale eddies in the South Atlantic Ocean

Abstract. Three methods for automatic detection of mesoscale coherent structures are applied to Sea Level Anomaly (SLA) fields in the South Atlantic. The first method is based on the wavelet packet decomposition of the SLA data, the second on the estimation of the Okubo-Weiss parameter and the third on a geometric criterion using the winding-angle approach. The results provide a comprehensive picture of the mesoscale eddies over the South Atlantic Ocean, emphasizing their main characteristics: amplitude, diameter, duration and propagation velocity. Five areas of particular eddy dynamics were selected: the Brazil Current, the Agulhas eddies propagation corridor, the Agulhas Current retroflexion, the Brazil-Malvinas confluence zone and the northern branch of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). For these areas, mean propagation velocities and amplitudes were calculated. Two regions with long duration eddies were observed, corresponding to the propagation of Agulhas and ACC eddies. Through the comparison between the identification methods, their main advantages and shortcomings were detailed. The geometric criterion presents the best performance, mainly in terms of number of detections, duration of the eddies and propagation velocities. The results are particularly good for the Agulhas Rings, which have the longest lifetimes of all South Atlantic eddies.
Shape adaptation through soft-matter extended phenotype enhances robots' functionality

Shape adaptation is important for robots carrying out tasks in hazard environments or extraterrestrial planets. In these environments task conditions cannot be anticipated, and a robot with a fixed shape may find physical constraints. If a robotic system can change its shape, it will be more self-sufficient to function in unanticipated task environments. Early work on shape adaptation relied on passive conformation between soft grippers and rigid objects. In the last 20 years, research has shown that the shape of a robotic system can be actively changed through self-reconfiguration of robotic modules or controlled deformation of soft matter. However, challenges exist due to inflexible connection between modules, and the lack of variability and quality in shapes. As a result, superior functions over conventional robots have merely been demonstrated. To tackle the challenges, the dissertation proposes a conceptual framework of “SoftMatter Extended Phenotype”, which resembles animals’ behaviour of constructing and using structures. In the framework, a robotic system includes soft matter, passively or actively forms structures out of the soft matter, integrates the structures, and uses them for different task environments. It is hypothesized that the concept will help enhancing robots’ functionality, because of intrinsic plasticity and adhesion of soft matter as well as the fact that shape adaptation can be realized by construction behaviour of the robot. The contributions of the dissertation are threefold. Firstly, it identifies three design principles for Soft-Matter Extended Phenotype, which are: (1) Phase transition is important for formation of extended phenotype; (2) Tradeoff between adhesion and modulus of soft matter needs to be considered depending on tasks; and (3) material handling tools need to be simple and compact. Secondly, it presents hardware for robotic locomotion and manipulation based on a type of soft matter i.e. thermoplastic adhesive (TPA) or hot-melt adhesive (HMA). The hardware includes: (1) climbing robots with extended footpads for complex vertical environments; (2) a dragline-forming mobile robot for the use in an open space; and (3) robot manipulators with extended end-effectors for pick-and-place of liquid and solid objects. Thirdly, it analyzes the behaviour of TPA-based Extended Phenotype in robotic locomotion and manipulation. Analysis focuses on the process of formation and physical task execution. For example, duration of the formation process is analyzed with the dragline-forming robot and the robot manipulator, where results from real-world experiments are compared to thermodynamics models; and pick-and-place behaviour with extended end-effectors is analyzed using solid mechanics models.
Collective Wage Agreements and Adjustments in German Services Firms

There is a growing concern about collective wage agreement and employment dynamics in Germany. In this paper, evidence is provided on the way collective wage agreements affect the adjustment of working hours, employment and other production factors when firms from the service sector are faced with demand shocks. The estimation results indicate that collective wage agreements significantly influence firms' employment policies. Enrolments and the employment of free-lance collaborators are negatively affected while the probability of using short-term employment contracts as a reaction to demand shocks is positively influenced. No significant effect on the probability of dismissing workers has been found.
Friction Coefficient Mapping of 2D Materials via Friction-Induced Topographic Artifact in Atomic Force Microscopy

This work explores an atomic force microscopy artifact that yields different topographic data depending on the scanning direction in contact mode. Such artifact is associated with differences in friction coefficients across the sample, which leads to up to 500% difference in topographic data of 2D materials. An analytical theory is used to explain quantitatively this artifact. Nevertheless, on the bright side, such artifact also yields a straightforward methodology, which effectively maps friction coefficients across any 2D material without the need of cantilever spring constant calibration.