Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scalable High-Performance Image Registration Framework by Unsupervised Deep Feature Representations Learning

Feature selection is a critical step in deformable image registration. In particular, selecting the most discriminative features that accurately and concisely describe complex morphological patterns in image patches improves correspondence detection, which in turn improves image registration accuracy. Furthermore, since more and more imaging modalities are being invented to better identify morphological changes in medical imaging data, the development of deformable image registration method that scales well to new image modalities or new image applications with little to no human intervention would have a significant impact on the medical image analysis community. To address these concerns, a learning-based image registration framework is proposed that uses deep learning to discover compact and highly discriminative features upon observed imaging data. Specifically, the proposed feature selection method uses a convolutional stacked autoencoder to identify intrinsic deep feature representations in image patches. Since deep learning is an unsupervised learning method, no ground truth label knowledge is required. This makes the proposed feature selection method more flexible to new imaging modalities since feature representations can be directly learned from the observed imaging data in a very short amount of time. Using the LONI and ADNI imaging datasets, image registration performance was compared to two existing state-of-the-art deformable image registration methods that use handcrafted features. To demonstrate the scalability of the proposed image registration framework, image registration experiments were conducted on 7.0-T brain MR images. In all experiments, the results showed that the new image registration framework consistently demonstrated more accurate registration results when compared to state of the art.
Canadian Public Opinion and Environmental Action: Evidence from British Columbia

Abstract Public opinion regarding environmental issues has attracted considerable scholarly attention during the 1990s. Less attention has been paid to links between environmentally friendly attitudes and “green” behaviour and the degree to which behaviour is context or value-driven, especially in Canada. Using survey data from British Columbia, this article analyzes these links, paying particular attention to differences between public perceptions of local versus global environment, and how these concerns influence behaviour. The analysis also demonstrates the importance of distinguishing between different types of behaviour. While the crucial role of postmaterial values for three kinds of environmentally friendly behaviour is confirmed, other factors, particularly left/right ideological differences and personal financial circumstances emerge as significant explanatory variables. “Green consumer behaviour” is largely determined by local context. Local concerns also drive “green political activity,” but value differences are crucial as well. Left/right differences and personal financial circumstances are especially important in explaining “green pocketbook behaviour” — willingness to incur costs, either personally or through taxes, for environmental protection and enhancement. Résumé Au cours de la dernière décennie, l'état de l'opinion publique à l'endroit des questions environnementales a soulevé beaucoup d'intérêt. Cependant, on a peu étudié les liens entre les attitudes et le comportement « vert », ainsi que dans quelle mesure ce comportement est influencé par le contexte ou les valeurs, particulièrement au Canada. En se basant sur les données d'une enquête réalisée en Colombie-Britannique, cet article analyse ces liens en tenant compte surtout des différences entre la perception publique de l'environnement local par rapport à l'environnement global et la façon dont ces attitudes influencent le comportement. Quoique le rôle critique des valeurs postmatérialistes portant sur trois sortes de comportement eco-ami soit confirmé, d'autres facteurs apparaissent comme variables significatives d'explication, surtout celles relatives aux différences idéologiques gauche/droite et aux circonstances économiques personnelles. Le « comportement de consommateur vert » est en grande partie déterminé par le contexte local. Des soucies locaux déterminent aussi le « comportement politique vert », mais les différences en tant que valeurs sont également décisives. Les différences gauche/droite et les circonstances économiques personnelles sont particulièrement importantes pour expliquer l'habitude « portefeuille-vert »—la volonté d'encourir des frais, directement ou à travers les taxes, en vue de protéger et d'améliorer l'environnement.
Dineserv: A Tool for Measuring Service Quality in Restaurants

Dining consumers determine which restaurants meet their quality and value standards. Restaurateurs who fail to measure up will soon see declining customer counts as guests switch to competing restaurants. “Dineserv” is proposed as a reliable, relatively simple tool for determining how consumers view a restaurant's quality. The 29-item Dineserv questionnaire comprises service-quality standards that fall into five categories: assurance, empathy, reliability, responsiveness, and tangibles. By administering the Dineserv questionnaire to guests, a restaurant operator can get a reading on how customers view the restaurant's quality, identify where problems are, and get an inkling of how to resolve them. Dineserv also provides restaurateurs with a quantified measure of what consumers expect in a restaurant. Those expectations are important, because unfulfilled expectations drive guests away.
Dynamic Verification for File Safety of Multithreaded Programs

In this paper, we present a new semantics to check file safety of multithreaded programs. A file-safe program is one that reaches a final configuration under the proposed semantics. We extend the While language with file operations and multi-threading commands, and call the new language whilef. This paper shows that the file safety is an un-decidable property for whilef. The file safety becomes a decidable property in a special case shown in this paper. The case happens when users provide pointer information. If the file is safe we call it a strongly safe file program. We modify the syntax and the semantic of the language and called it SafeWhilef.
Guidelines for including the grey literature and conducting multivocal literature reviews in software engineering

Context: A Multivocal Literature Review (MLR) is a form of a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) which includes the grey literature (e.g., blog posts and white papers) in addition to the published (formal) literature (e.g., journal and conference papers). MLRs are useful for both researchers and practitioners since they provide summaries both the state-of-the art and -practice in a given area. Objective: There are several guidelines to conduct SLR studies in SE. However, given the facts that several phases of MLRs differ from those of traditional SLRs, for instance with respect to the search process and source quality assessment. Therefore, SLR guidelines are only partially useful for conducting MLR studies. Our goal in this paper is to present guidelines on how to conduct MLR studies in SE. Method: To develop the MLR guidelines, we benefit from three inputs: (1) existing SLR guidelines in SE, (2), a literature survey of MLR guidelines and experience papers in other fields, and (3) our own experiences in conducting several MLRs in SE. All derived guidelines are discussed in the context of three examples MLRs as running examples (two from SE and one MLR from the medical sciences). Results: The resulting guidelines cover all phases of conducting and reporting MLRs in SE from the planning phase, over conducting the review to the final reporting of the review. In particular, we believe that incorporating and adopting a vast set of recommendations from MLR guidelines and experience papers in other fields have enabled us to propose a set of guidelines with solid foundations. Conclusion: Having been developed on the basis of three types of solid experience and evidence, the provided MLR guidelines support researchers to effectively and efficiently conduct new MLRs in any area of SE.
Do Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors Herd in Taiwan's Securities Market?

This paper investigates whether and why qualified foreign institutional investors (QFIIs) in Taiwan herd when picking stocks. The evidence shows that QFIIs herd in Taiwan's securities market: They follow each other into and out of the same securities. We identify how the herding behavior forms and how it changes over time. The results suggest that there is an industry effect when QFIIs pick up stocks. They herd on securities classified in specific industries and also prefer stocks with high past returns as well as large firm size, supporting the argument that QFIIs are momentum traders. Characteristic herding and investigative herding explain QFIIs' trading behavior in Taiwan.
The nonprofit sector in the Netherlands

This paper aims to provide an analytical description of the nonprofit sector in the Netherlands. We will review its historical and legal background, examine its treatment and definition, and chart the sector's contributions to the Dutch economy and society. This working paper is the first version of the Dutch contribution to a final international comparative publication about the second phase of the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project (working title: 'Civil Society in the Advanced Democracies'). This publication may take a while and could require a more concise presentation of national results. For this reason SCP is publishing this text at the same time as the concluding Dutch publication 'Noch markt, noch staat'. This publication cannot be ordered, only downloaded.
Analogue Signalling by Phase Shifting

This paper presents a novel method for overlaying an analogue value on top of a digital signal. By adding a phase rotation and a signature sequence to a block of digitally modulated data symbols, this analogue value can be conveyed to a receiver without significant degradation to the underlying digital data. A near-ML estimator is derived which is non-data driven and hence independent of the digital data sequence. It is shown that this method of signalling a value is superior to quantising it and adding it to the digital data stream. We analyse the performance of the analogue and digital methods and also compare them using simulations.
Macroeconomic Vulnerability and Disagreement in Expectations

In this paper we discuss the role of the cross-sectional heterogeneity of beliefs in the context of understanding and assessing macroeconomic vulnerability. Emphasis lies on the potential of changing levels of disagreement in expectations to influence the propensity of the economy to switch between different regimes, a hypothesis that finds robust empirical support from a regime-switching model with endogenous transition probabilities for output growth and realized stock market volatility in the US. JEL Classification: C53, D8, E32
Gibrat’s Law and diversification

This article presents an analysis of the growth patterns of the worldwide top 200 firms in the pharmaceutical industry. A test of the Gibrat's Law of Proportionate Effect is performed and we find, in line with previous literature, a violation concerning the variance of growth. Using disaggregated data on sub-markets, we are however able to show that this violation can be completely accounted for by a diversification effect, namely a scale relation between the number of sub-markets in which a firm is active and its size. To interpret these findings, we propose a stochastic branching model of firm diversification consistent with a notion of cumulative corporate competences. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
All-optical Flip-flop Based on SOA and MZI switch

In this paper, a new all optical flip-flop structure based on semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is presented and demonstrated. Through carrying out a detailed analysis of SOA's NPR effect and the coupled SOA-MZI structure, we build up a theoretical SOA model with polarization dependent rate-equations and MZI model employing SOA cross-phase modulation in the scheme. We will implement four kinds of clocked flip-flop, including D-, SR-, T-, and JK-types. Each type has its own logic circuit and working principle. We demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed programs by showing the extinction ratio and state switching speed. The state switching speed includes the rising and falling edges triggering times. In the experiment, to facilitate analysis, the clock pulse repetition frequency is 1 GHz, the rising edge transition time can decrease to less than 50 ps and the extinction ratio is about 30 dB.
Complementary Relations and Their Concept Lattices in Relational Databases

The storage of data is a key issue of information systems, which is an important foundation for data query and data mining. Relational database model has been proven to be a very useful data-storage technique. As information is stored as data in relational databases, the induction of concepts from data is a pivotal topic in the data mining field. Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) turns out to be a perfect instrument for a meaningful and conceptual exploration of the stored data. In FCA, conceptual scaling provides a complete framework for transforming any many-valued context (i.e., relation/table) into a context (called a derived context), in which each many valued attribute is given a scale. The attributes in a scale basically describe meaningful features of the values of the initial attribute. From the logical point of view, complement operation plays a very important role in relational databases and data query systems. In this paper, we provide the connections between the concepts of binary relations and those of complementary binary relations, and propose an approach toward normalizing (complementary) scales, i.e., each (complementary)scale can be represented by a set of statements. One advantage of normalizing scales is to avoid generating huge derived relations, and hence this approach reduces storage cost. By the normalization, the concept lattice of the complement of a derived relation is reduced to a combination of the concept lattice of the derived relation and a set of statements.
The US monetary dominance in Europe: A structural VAR approach

In this study we compare the monetary policies of the American Federal Reserve System (FED) and the European Central Bank (ECB). We identify the effect of US monetary shocks on the decisions taken by the ECB. Using SVAR (structural vector autoregressive) methodology which showed excellent capacities to analyse macroeconomic fluctuations, estimates indicate that European monetary policies are strictly related to the FED’s decisions. Results show that the ECB changes its interest rate according to the decisions made by the FED. The other economic indicators of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) are also affected by US monetary shocks. Thus, we bring to light the role of the American monetary policies in the transmission of subprime crisis in Europe.
Rational Expectations is not Generally Valid for Econometric Models: Evidence from Stock Market Data

In applying the rational expectations hypothesis to generate expectations in an econometric model it is assumed that (1) the model itself is capable of generating reasonable forecasts of all required expectations variables included in the model, and that (2) the economic agents whose behavior is being modeled act as if they form their psychological expectations as conditional mathematical expectations generated by the model. Both assumptions can be invalid, as demonstrated by the historical data on Hong Kong stock prices and by the successful application of the adaptive expectations hypothesis to explain panel data of prices of individual stocks and aggregate time series data on stock price indices of the United States and of Hong Kong.
Optimal Sourcing and Lead‐Time Reduction under Evolutionary Demand Risk

We develop a real‐options model for optimizing production and sourcing choices under evolutionary supply‐chain risk. We model lead time as an endogenous decision and calculate the cost differential required to compensate for the risk exposure coming from lead time. The shape of the resulting cost‐differential frontier reveals the term structure of supply‐chain risk premiums and provides guidance as to the potential value of lead‐time reduction. Under constant demand volatility, the break‐even cost differential increases in volatility and lead time at a decreasing rate, making incremental lead‐time reduction less valuable than full lead‐time reduction. Stochastic demand volatility increases the relative value of incremental lead‐time reduction. When demand has a heavy right tail, the value of lead‐time reduction depends on how extreme values of demand are incorporated into the forecasting process. The cost‐differential frontier is invariant to discount rates, making the cost of capital irrelevant for choosing between lead times. We demonstrate the managerial implications of the model by applying it first to the classic Sport‐Obermeyer case and then to a supplier‐selection problem faced by a global manufacturer.
Performance Management in the Public Sector: Does It Decrease or Increase Innovation and Performance?

An important discussion in the performance management literature is how performance contingent incentives affect goal attainment. Incentivizing management tools are typically implemented to improve performance, but due to motivation crowding they may decrease innovation and performance. This article focuses on public research institutions and uses both existing performance studies of publications and two new innovation studies of patents to investigate effects of both financial incentives and sanctions within and between universities. Our findings indicate that public managers can create an environment supportive of innovation and performance through the use of performance management tools, but that this is no automatic link.
Adsorption of phenanthrene, 2‐naphthol, and 1‐naphthylamine to colloidal oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes: Effects of humic acid and surfactant modification

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can exist in the form of colloidal suspension in aquatic environments, particularly in the presence of natural organic matter or surfactants, and may significantly affect the fate and transport of organic contaminants. In the present study, the authors examined the adsorption of phenanthrene, 2‐naphthol, and 1‐naphthylamine to three colloidal CNTs, including a stable suspension of oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (O‐MWNT), a humic acid (HA)‐modified colloidal O‐MWNT, and a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)‐modified colloidal O‐MWNT. All three colloidal O‐MWNTs exhibit strong adsorption affinities to the three test compounds (with KOC values orders of magnitude greater than those of natural organic matter), likely resulting from strong nonhydrophobic interactions such as π–π electron donor–acceptor interactions and Lewis acid–base interactions. When thoroughly mixed, HA (at ∼310 mg HA/g CNT) and SDS (at ∼750 mg SDS/g CNT) significantly affected the aggregation properties of O‐MWNT, causing individually dispersed tubes to form a loosely entangled network. The effects of HA or SDS modification on adsorption are twofold. Adsorption of HA/SDS significantly reduces surface areas of O‐MWNT; however, the entangled network allows adsorbate molecules to interact simultaneously with multiple tubes. An important implication is that humic substances and surfactant‐like materials not only facilitate the formation of colloidal carbon nanoparticles but also affect how these colloidal carbon nanoparticles adsorb organic contaminants. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013;32:493–500. © 2012 SETAC
Gene expression profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells during treatment with a gene‐modified allogeneic tumor cell vaccine in advanced renal cell cancer: Tumor‐induced immunosuppression and a possible role for NF‐κB

Tumor‐induced immunosuppression remains a major challenge for immunotherapy of cancer patients. To further elucidate why an allogeneic gene‐modified [interleukin‐7 (IL‐7)/CD80‐cotransfected] renal cell cancer (RCC) vaccine failed to induce clinically relevant TH‐1‐polarized immune responses, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from enrolled study patients were analyzed by gene expression profiling (GEP) both prior and after vaccination. At baseline before vaccination, a profound downregulation of gene signatures associated with antigen presentation, immune response/T cells, cytokines/chemokines and signaling/transcription factors was observed in RCC patients as compared to healthy controls. Vaccination led to a partial reversion of preexisting immunosuppression, however, GEP indicated that an appropriate TH‐1 polarization could not be achieved. Most interestingly, our results suggest that the nuclear factor‐kappa B signaling pathway might be involved in the impairment of immunological responsiveness and the observed TH‐2 deviation. In summary, our data suggest that GEP might be a powerful tool for the prediction of immunosuppression and the monitoring of immune responses within immunotherapy trials.
Morphological patterns of the postcentral sulcus in the human brain

The morphological structure of the postcentral sulcus and its variability were investigated in 40 structural magnetic resonance images of the human brain registered to the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) proportional stereotaxic space. This analysis showed that the postcentral sulcus is not a single sulcus, but rather a complex of sulcal segments separated by gyri, which merge their banks at distinct locations. Most of these gyri are submerged deep within the sulcus and can be observed only by examining the depth of the sulcus, although a small proportion may be observed from the surface of the brain. In the majority of the examined cerebral hemispheres (73.75%), the postcentral sulcus is separated into two or three segments or, less frequently, into four or five segments (12.5%), or it remains continuous (13.75%). Examination of the in‐depth relationship between the postcentral sulcus and the intraparietal sulcus revealed that these two sulci may appear to join on the surface of the brain but they are in fact always separated by a gyrus in the cortical depth. In 32.5% of the examined hemispheres, a dorsoventrally oriented sulcus, the transverse postcentral sulcus, is located anterior to the postcentral sulcus on the lower part of the postcentral gyrus. Systematic examination of the morphology of the postcentral sulcus in the proportional stereotaxic space that is used in functional neuroimaging studies is the first step toward the establishment of anatomical–functional correlations in the anterior parietal lobe. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:3701–3724, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.