Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fully Convolutional Geometric Features

Extracting geometric features from 3D scans or point clouds is the first step in applications such as registration, reconstruction, and tracking. State-of-the-art methods require computing low-level features as input or extracting patch-based features with limited receptive field. In this work, we present fully-convolutional geometric features, computed in a single pass by a 3D fully-convolutional network. We also present new metric learning losses that dramatically improve performance. Fully-convolutional geometric features are compact, capture broad spatial context, and scale to large scenes. We experimentally validate our approach on both indoor and outdoor datasets. Fully-convolutional geometric features achieve state-of-the-art accuracy without requiring prepossessing, are compact (32 dimensions), and are 290 times faster than the most accurate prior method.
Ju l 2 01 9 Computing covariant Lyapunov vectors in Hilbert spaces

Covariant Lyapunov vectors (CLVs) are intrinsic modes that describe long-term linear perturbations of solutions of dynamical systems. With recent advances in the context of semi-invertible multiplicative ergodic theorems, existence of CLVs has been proved for various infinite-dimensional scenarios. Possible applications include the derivation of coherent structures via transfer operators or the stability analysis of linear perturbations in models of increasingly higher resolutions. We generalize the concept of Ginelli’s algorithm to compute CLVs in Hilbert spaces. Our main result is a convergence theorem in the setting of [González-Tokman, C. and Quas, A. , A semi-invertible operator Oseledets theorem, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems, 34.4 (2014), pp. 12301272]. The theorem relates the speed of convergence to the spectral gap between Lyapunov exponents. While the theorem is restricted to the above setting, our proof requires only basic properties that are given in many other versions of the multiplicative ergodic theorem.
WAGES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL , ORGANIZATIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL CAPITAL

This paper examines the effect of personality traits and adjustable personal characteristics (jointly referred to as psychological capital), digital technologies and high performance work practices on private sector wages in the Italian economy. Although collective industry bargaining tends to fix wage levels according to job complexity rather than worker competencies, we demonstrate that a ‘distinctive’ level of flexible personal characteristics (including commitment and ‘generic’ or soft competencies) leads to a wage premium while rigid personality traits lead to a wage penalty. Flexible personal characteristics are modelled by the organizational design of both the workplace and the job. A second wage premium is associated with competencies expressed in using complex technological capital. The estimated wage equation controls for a wide array of covariates (firm size, sectors, occupations, working and contractual conditions, education, industrial relations), for selection bias and for heteroskedasticity. The endogeneity of personal characteristics is taken into account and the main results are validated with instrumental variables estimates using alternatively GMM and LIML estimators.
Image hiding technique using a pseudo hexagonal structure approach

ABSTRACT In this paper we proposed a method for image steganography in which the cover image represented using a pseudo hexagonal structure is used for hiding the secret image. As we know, the conventional method of representing a digital image is using square-shaped pixels. Using hexagonal-shaped pixels to represent a digital image is a new approach because of its various advantages like symmetry, higher angular resolution, consistent connectivity, and higher sampling efficiency. This paper describes a method for hiding an image using a pseudo hexagonal structure cover image. In this method the conventional square pixel secret image is embedded in a cover image with pseudo hexagonal structure. Using this method we can hide an image by preserving its quality and the experimental results show that the mean square error between the secret image and the image retrieved from the stego image is zero.
Informality , congestion and public capital efficiency : A case for optimal taxation and maintenance allocation

The informal sector is a typical feature of many developing countries. This sector comprises of unincorporated production units that do not fall under the ambit of tax administration. Although the sector provides income and employment to a large fraction of the labor force, it introduces new complexities into the economy. One such complexity stems from the fact that both formal and the informal sectors use public capital (like roads, railways, and power) in their production processes. But new investments in public capital and maintenance of existing public capital are financed by taxes levied only on the formal sector. This free rider problem has important implications on public capital efficiency. This paper sets up a two-sector endogenous growth model incorporating the informal sector, and examines the implications of efficiency of public capital on the optimal tax rate, and on the optimal allocation of tax revenues toward maintenance of public capital. Results show that in presence of the informal sector, the growth-maximizing tax rate in the decentralized economy is lower than Barro’s tax rate. The welfare-maximizing optimal share of maintenance expenditure is shown to be positively related to the informal to formal output ratio. Thus countries having large informal sectors would benefit by allocating a greater amount of resources toward maintenance of public capital.
Electoral Rules and Citizen-Elite Ideological Congruence ∗

Electoral rules play an important role in determining citizen-elite ideological congruence. This is because they influence each stage of the representation process as we move from citizen preferences to policy outcomes. Electoral rules directly affect ideological congruence due to the way they shape citizen preferences and the composition of party systems, legislatures, and governments. Electoral rules can also have an indirect effect on ideological congruence through the incentives they create for elite responsiveness and their impact on descriptive representation. In addition to reviewing the existing literature, we suggest new avenues for future research. In particular, we suggest that significant gains can be made by addressing ideological congruence and responsiveness in a unified theoretical framework and by having more interaction between scholars of ideological congruence and those interested in descriptive and substantive representation. ∗NOTE: We thank Charles Crabtree, Kostanca Dhima, and Sona N. Golder for their helpful comments on this chapter. †Corresponding Author: Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Pennsylvania State University, 306 Pond Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (mgolder@psu.edu). ‡Post-doctoral Scholar, Department of Political Science, Pennsylvania State University, 306 Pond Lab, University Park, PA 16802. (bferland@uottawa.ca)
Non-parametric method for fault diagnosis in electrical circuits

The paper is devoted to the problem of fault diagnosis in electrical circuits described by linear or nonlinear polynomial models. So-called non-parametric method for fault detection is considered. This method assumes that parameters of the circuit under consideration may be unknown. It does not use methods of identification and allows detecting whether or not parameters of some elements deviate considerably from their nominal values.
University of Southern Denmark Vitamin D 3 supplementation and treatment outcomes in patients with depression ( D 3-vit-dep )

Objective: To examine whether vitamin D supplementation in patients with depression would result in a reduction in Hamilton D-17 depression score (primary outcome) at 3 and 6 months compared to controls and to explore the correlations between serum vitamin D and symptoms of depression, wellbeing, systolic blood pressure, and waist circumference. In this outpatient multicentre study conducted between 2010 and 2013, patients, 18–65 years old, diagnosed with mild to severe depression were randomly assigned to receive D supplementation 70 micrograms daily or placebo on top of standard treatment. Participants, care givers and those assessing the outcomes were blinded to group assignment. Results: At baseline, 23 patients had a normal 25(OH)D level, 22 had insufficiency (< 25 nmol/L), and 17 had deficiency (25–50 nmol/L). No significant reduction in depression was seen after vitamin D supplementation compared to placebo at Hamilton (18.4–18.0; p = 0.73 at 12 weeks). Vitamin D supplementation did not provide a reduction in symptom score among patients with depression. Trial registration The trial was registered in the National Board of Health (EudraCT: 2011-002585-20) and in ClinicalTrials. Gov (NCT01390662).
Torsional Oscillations in Quark Stars presented

This thesis represents the results of work have done during my PhD studies at L’Aquila University and Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS). We investigated the role played by quark crust in providing new observable signatures that can attest to the presence of color superconductivity in the interior of compact stars; new results are found. The idea that strange quark matter (SQM) may be the ground state of strongly interacting dense matter, rather than normal atomic nuclei (Fe), was proposed already in the early 1970s. If correct, the SQM hypothesis would have implications of fundamental importance for our understanding of the early universe and the evolution of compact stars. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the possibility that SQM is present in compact stars, studying the possible observational consequences. As the observations of oscillations of ordinary stars can be used to determine their composition and structure, the oscillations of quark stars could potentially be used to determine the nature of the dense matter from which they are made. Compact stars are a very interesting laboratory to study phase of matter that cannot be made on earth. This thesis is composed of two main parts. In part 1 we introduce the reader into the field of research on quark stars, we describe the fundamental aspect of color superconductivity in compact stars and give some of the possible astrophysical signatures. In the third chapter we introduce the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkov (TOV) equations, the equations for hydrostatic equilibrium in General Relativity (GR), which govern a compact star structure. The first part is dedicated to the MIT bag model and the theoretical motivation for existence of strange stars. We discuss a recent equation of state (EoS) that is used for the background configuration and analyze its implications on the parameters of the model. In the part 2 in the first chapter we describe some aspects of crystalline color superconducting (CCSC), in particular, we study the electromagnetic emission of a bare strange star. In the second chapter we study the torsional oscillation for a bare strange star and for a quark star with ionic crust. We will show that strange stars with crusts could be potentially distinguished from neutron stars by their oscillation spectra. In particular, we study the possibility of breaking of the crust. My hope is that this thesis will serve to understand the potential applications offered by the study of quark stars oscillation.
Proximity Operators for Phase Retrieval

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Proximity Operators for Phase Retrieval Ferréol Soulez, Éric Thiébaut, Antony Schutz, André Ferrari, Frédéric Courbin, Michael Unser
Myopia in Partnership Formations between Established and Startup Firms : The Role of R & D Successes and Failures

Research in organization theory and strategy has documented the tendency of organizations to be myopic, that is, to favor predictable routines and familiar knowledge paths in their technological searches. At the same time, researchers have documented that established firms increasingly cross organizational boundaries and partner with smaller startup firms to gain access to emerging and novel technological solutions. In this paper, we demonstrate ongoing myopia despite firms’ increasing orientation toward solutions outside of the organization. Further, we reveal that prior failures and successes in solving R&D problems may affect myopia in partnership formations in different ways. This is because successes and failures differ in the extent to which they challenge firms’ conventional ways of solving problems and in the degree to which they allow firms to balance longand short-term organizational demands. We test our predictions with a sample of large, established bio-pharmaceutical firms exposed to partnering opportunities from nascent biotechnology startups and find broad support for myopia in partnership formations. We further find that myopia in partnership formation can be both attenuated and magnified by prior failures and successes in R&D. The study argues for the value of integrating perspectives on myopia with studies examining failures and successes in the context of technological search. Version: November, 2017
Interactive Digital Photography at Scale

Interactive editing and manipulation of digital media is a fundamental component in digital content creation. One media in particular, digital imagery, has seen a recent increase in popularity of its large or even massive image formats. Unfortunately, current systems and techniques are rarely concerned with scalability or usability with these large images. Moreover, processing massive (or even large) imagery is assumed to be an off-line, automatic process, although many problems associated with these datasets require human intervention for high quality results. This dissertation details how to design interactive image techniques that scale. In particular, massive imagery is typically constructed as a seamless mosaic of many smaller images. The focus of this work is the creation of new technologies to enable user interaction in the formation of these large mosaics. While an interactive system for all stages of the mosaic creation pipeline is a long-term research goal, this dissertation concentrates on the last phase of the mosaic creation pipeline -- the composition of registered images into a seamless composite. The work detailed in this dissertation provides the technologies to fully realize interactive editing in mosaic composition on image collections ranging from the very small to massive in scale.
Learning Mechanisms from Digital Innovation Projects

Today, organisations in multiple industries are faced with challenges connected to digitalisation. The construction industry is one of the sectors in Sweden that are struggling most to digitalise, despite their efforts. The construction industry consists of project-based organisations, which literature have proven to have difficulties with managing complexity. Furthermore, there is a lack of experience with innovation projects and digitalisation knowledge. The purpose of this study is to investigate how large-size construction companies utilise learning mechanisms to capture the knowledge obtained from digital innovation projects and retain it as an organisational memory. By increasing the focus on managing learning mechanisms with a suitable knowledge management strategy, it is possible to improve the organisational performance in relation to digital innovation. The theoretical approach of interproject learning is used to analyse the Swedish construction industry by doing a case-study of four large-size construction companies which are operating in Sweden. The data is gathered through semi-structured interviews of two different hierarchic members in each case company and through investigations of their webpages, annual reports and existing written materials. Additionally, interviews with experts and interest organisations are included in the data gathering. The investigation presents that digitalisation and digital innovation in the construction industry are connected to digital tools, such as BIM. We also see a shift in attention, where digital tools originally were supposed to solve concrete tasks, whereas they now have a more processoriented focus with changes in the organisations to smoother digital implementations. Creating
Assessing Residential Building Energy Efficiency in the Caribbean Environment : A Case Study of Trinidad and Tobago

The energy performance of building is closely linked to the energy performance of the building envelope. Buildings in the Caribbean countries are experiencing high heat, humidity, rainfall, and extreme weather events. Compared with “Temperate Regions”, humid tropical climates can affect buildings through higher rates of deterioration and uncomfortable conditions for the occupants. The transfer of building technology and policies developed in temperate regions that are sometimes irrelevant and often inappropriate for hot and humid regions, therefore there is acute need to initiate rigorous models in order to develop typical sustainable buildings for warm humid regions such as in the Caribbean countries. As such, the current research was undertaking to investigate and recommend effective passive strategy for achieving sustainable building energy efficiency in warm humid regions. In order to achieve this aim, an investigation was conducted on the impact of building envelope systems such as roof and wall design solutions on the building energy efficiency through experimental approach using three building physical models attached with air-conditioning system each. Subsequently, the performance of the building envelope physical models in terms of energy consumption, cooling load, indoor temperature, indoor relative and humidity was monitored through Lascar EasyLog USB-2-LCD data logger sensors and Multifunctional Mini Ammeter. The findings derived from this study have proved that, the short term strategies could be applied for achieving sustainable building energy efficiency for humid warm climatic zones. Specifically, it was found that, the insulated galvanised and standing seam roofing systems are more energy efficient and cost effective, while in the longer terms, flat slab concrete roofing system is more energy efficient and cost effective.
Dynamic ion-ion and water-ion interactions in ion channels

The dynamic interactions among ions and water molecules in ion channels are treated based on an assumption that ions at binding sites can be knocked off by both transient entering ions and local water molecules. The theory, when applied to a single-site model K+ channel, provides solutions for superand subsaturations, flux-ratio exponent (n') > 1, osmotic streaming current, activity-dependent reversal potentials, and anomalous mole-fraction behavior. The analysis predicts that: (a) the saturation may but, in general, does not follow the Michaelis-Menten relation; (b) streaming current results from imbalanced water-ion knock-off interactions; (c) n' > 1 even for single-site channels, but it is unlikely to exceed 1.4 unless the pore is occupied by one or more ion(s); (d) in the calculation involving two permeant ion species with similar radii, the heavier ions show higher affinity; the ion-ion knock-off dissociation from the site is more effective when two interacting ions are identical. Therefore, the 'multi-ion behaviors" found in most ion channels are the consequences of dynamic ion-ion and water-ion interactions. The presence of these interactions does not require two or more binding sites in channels.
1 NONLINEAR OBLIQUE INTERACTION OF LARGE AMPLITUDE INTERNAL SOLITARY WAVES

Solitary waves are typical nonlinear long waves in the ocean. The two-dimensional interaction of solitary waves has been shown to be essentially different from the one-dimensional case and can be related to generation of large amplitude waves (including ‘freak waves’). Concerning surface-water waves, Miles (1977) theoretically analyzed interaction of three solitary waves, which is called “resonant interaction” because of the relation among parameters of each wave. Weakly-nonlinear numerical study (Funakoshi, 1980) and fully-nonlinear one (Tanaka, 1993) both clarified the formation of large amplitude wave due to the interaction (“stem” wave) at the wall and its dependency of incident angle. For the case of internal waves, analyses using weakly nonlinear model equations (e.g. Tsuji and Oikawa, 2006) suggest also qualitatively similar results. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the strongly nonlinear interaction of internal solitary waves; especially whether the resonant behavior is found or not. As a result, it is found that the amplified internal wave amplitude becomes about three times as much as the original amplitude. In contrast, a “stem” is not found to occur when the incident wave angle is more than the critical angle, which has been demonstrated in the previous studies.
The Real E↵ects of Credit Default Swaps

Copyright and reuse: The Warwick Research Archive Portal (WRAP) makes this work by researchers of the University of Warwick available open access under the following conditions. Copyright © and all moral rights to the version of the paper presented here belong to the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. To the extent reasonable and practicable the material made available in WRAP has been checked for eligibility before being made available.
A Simple ImageJ-Based Method to Measure Cardiac Rhythm in Zebrafish Embryos

Zebrafish has an advantage of optical clarity within the body during its early developmental stage. Therefore, organs, including the heart, can be observed and analyzed in a non-invasive manner. Previously, heart rate measurement was analyzed by a complicated system, programming language, fluorescence transgenic zebrafish, or expensive setup that was not feasible and practical. In this study, we established a simple dissecting microscope with Charge-coupled Device (CCD) to capture the signal of heartbeat, and used ImageJ software as an open source platform to analyze cardiac rhythm for the atrium and the ventricle. We subjected astemizole to zebrafish embryos, and applied our apparatus to precisely detect heart arrhythmia (Atrium–Ventricle block) induction. In other words, we provided a simple, economical, and reliable method to measure cardiac rhythm in zebrafish embryos, which is able to evaluate whether cardiac rhythm is affected by chemical compounds.