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Compressible flow based image registration operates under the assumption that the mass of the imaged material is conserved from one image to the next. Depending on how the mass conservation assumption is modeled, the performance of existing compressible flow methods is limited by factors such as image quality, noise, large magnitude voxel displacements, and computational requirements. The Least Median of Squares Filtered Compressible Flow (LFC) method introduced here is based on a localized, nonlinear least squares, compressible flow model that describes the displacement of a single voxel that lends itself to a simple grid search (block matching) optimization strategy. Spatially inaccurate grid search point matches, corresponding to erroneous local minimizers of the nonlinear compressible flow model, are removed by a novel filtering approach based on least median of squares fitting and the forward search outlier detection method. The spatial accuracy of the method is measured using ten thoracic CT image sets and large samples of expert determined landmarks (available at www.dir-lab.com). The LFC method produces an average error within the intra-observer error on eight of the ten cases, indicating that the method is capable of achieving a high spatial accuracy for thoracic CT registration.
Deformable image registration (DIR) has many applications within the field of medical imaging, including (see [1] for a review) ventilation imaging [2,3], brain mapping [4], and cardiac motion estimation [5]. Regardless of the application, the goal of a DIR method is to produce an accurate spatial mapping that relates the position of the underlying anatomy represented by each voxel within a given reference image to its corresponding position within a target image. DIR methods were first developed for computer vision applications [6] where fluctuations in image intensities are primarily caused by lighting changes or shadows. As such, most DIR methods are based on the assumption that the imaged material will maintain its intensity throughout the deformation. For images depicting compressible fluid flow, or equivalently, a conserved mass deformation, the continuity (mass conservation) equation is a more appropriate model that allows for voxel intensity variations [5,7].
Within the context of thoracic CT registration, compressible flow DIR methods have been shown to produce spatially accurate deformations [7,8]. However, existing methods are limited by factors such as image quality, noise, large magnitude voxel displacements, and computational requirements. The compressible flow methods described in [5,7,9–12] are based on differential equation models that require approximations to spatial and temporal image derivatives. In the presence of image noise, the accuracy of spatial derivative approximations are known to suffer [13]. Moreover, temporal image derivatives, which are typically approximated by simply subtracting the reference image from the target image, are suspect in image pairs depicting large magnitude displacements. The methods described in [14,15] are based on a nonlinear compressible flow model that does not require temporal image derivatives. However, those approaches do require the application of a gradient-based optimization algorithm, such as Newton's Method, Steepest Descent, or Levenberg-Marquardt (see [16] for an over view), in order to obtain a numerical solution. Applying a gradient-based optimization algorithm to an image registration problem necessarily requires either finite difference approximations to spatial image derivatives, or a continuous (such as B-spline [17]) representation of the image data. Furthermore, each iteration of a gradient-based algorithm requires a large scale linear system solve (with exception of Steepest Descent). The compressible flow 4D trajectory modeling method introduced in [8] utilizes gradient based optimization. But, because of the trajectory formulation, does not require large scale linear system solves. However, the method still requires a B-spline representation of the image data. Optimal control-based registration methods have been shown to be effective on two dimensional image sets [18,19], but the computational cost associated with the 3D or 4D extensions of such methods would be prohibitively expensive.
The DIR method introduced here, referred to as Least Median of Squares Filtered Compressible Flow (LFC), is based on describing the motion of a single voxel with a locally defined, nonlinear least squares, compressible flow voxel motion model. The model easily lends itself to a simple grid search (block matching) optimization strategy, and therefore does not require the approximation of image derivatives to obtain a numerical solution. A well known drawback to this type of basic block matching search strategy is the possibility of computing an erroneous point match, corresponding to a spatially inaccurate local minimizer of the nonlinear voxel motion formulation. In order to provide robustness to the grid search solves, the method utilizes a novel point match filter, based on least median of squares fitting and the "forward search" [20–22] outlier detection method. A globally defined deformation map is generated from the filtered point matches using Moving Least Squares interpolation [23].
In accordance with the DIR validation framework presented in [24], the spatial accuracy of the LFC method is measured using ten thoracic CT inhale/exhale image pairs and large sets of expert-determined landmark point pairs. All validation data (including images and expert-determined landmarks) used in this study are publically available online at www.dir-lab.com.
The LFC method is composed of two main components: 1) a localized, nonlinear least squares, compressible flow voxel motion model, and 2) a point match filter based on least median of squares fitting and forward search outlier detection. After describing each component in section 2.1. and 2.2, we derive the full LFC method in section 2.3. Our numerical implementation of the method is discussed in section 2.4.
Assuming the image pair to be registered, P0(x) and P1(x), are snapshots of an unknown density function ρ(x(t),t), t [0,1], the compressible flow (mass conservation) continuity equation is defined in terms of the density function as:
where v represents the apparent velocity of the flow depicted in the images. Methods based on the differential equation model (1), such as those described in [5,7,9–12], are dependent on approximations to the partial derivatives of ρ. These approximations are typically computed by applying finite differences to the image data contained in P0(x) and P1(x). Consequently, most differential equation based methods are susceptible to poor image quality and noise. The integrated form of (1), derived in [14,15] for use in 2D image registration, does not require temporal image derivative information, and is defined as
where D(x) is the unknown displacement field. DIR methods based on (2) typically employ a gradient-based optimization routine to compute a numerical solution to a large-scale nonlinear optimization problem. Rather than utilize (2) within a standard global DIR framework, we propose adjusting the model to fit within the locally regularized DIR framework first introduced in [25] for standard optical flow.
Locally regularized DIR methods are based on using the image information contained in a local neighborhood to articulate a well-posed least squares problem describing the motion of a single voxel. A full DIR is recovered from the localized approach by either solving the least squares problem for every voxel in the image domain or by solving the problem for a subset of voxels and then interpolating the results to obtain a globally dense field. The nonlinear compressible flow voxel motion-intensity model can be adapted to fit within the localized DIR framework by first applying the natural log to formulation (2) and rearranging terms to obtain:
Compressible flow formulation (3) describes the motion of a single voxel x in terms of the unknown displacement vector d = D(x). However, formulation (3) only provides one equation for the three unknown components of d and can be viewed as an underdetermined system. An over-determined system can be obtained by incorporating the image information contained in a local voxel neighborhood Nε(x), centered on x with radius ε, into the model. The unknown displacement d is then described as a least squares fit:
The difficulty in solving the nonlinear least squares problem (4) is in computing the divergence of the displacement field D. Since D is unknown, a manner for approximating the divergence of D using only the image information contained in Nε(x) is required. Following the approach used in [7] for the differential equation form (1), the contribution of the div(D(x)) term can be approximated by an auxiliary variable ϕ:
In this way, both the displacement of x and the divergence of the displacement field evaluated at x are described as a nonlinear least squares fit over the image information contained in the voxel neighborhood Nε(x).
An examination of the objective function R for problem (5) reveals that for any fixed displacement value , there is unique value ϕ* such that:
This follows from the fact that (6) represents a simple linear least squares problem, the solution of which is given by (7). Thus, for any displacement vector , the optimal value of ϕ that yields the smallest value in R is given by (7). Substituting this result into (5) yields a localized nonlinear compressible flow formulation that only depends on the unknown displacement d:
Considering that image data is inherently discretized into a voxel grid, an exhaustive grid search optimization scheme is an appropriate strategy for computing a numerical solution to problem (8). Assuming the unknown displacement vector to be integer valued: d = (d1,d2,d3)T 3, the grid search solution is described as:
where B(s) = {d : −s ≤ di ≤ s}, represents a bounding box of length 2s centered at the origin. The solution to (9) is obtained by simply evaluating at each integer grid point contained in the bounding box. As such, the grid search approach does not require approximations to image derivatives or a continuous representation of the image data.
Within the context of DIR, grid search optimization applied to a locally defined least squares problem, such as (8), can be classified algorithmically as a block matching registration approach (see [13,26] for basic overviews). Block matching methods approximate the underlying deformation by computing point matches representing optimal (according to a given image similarity metric) corresponding regions in the reference image and target image. Though robust to image noise and large magnitude voxel displacements [13], block matching methods are still susceptible to the issues associated with nonlinear, nonconvex optimization; namely, convergence to erroneous local minima.
The grid search (block matching) optimization procedure is not guaranteed to find the most spatially accurate point match for two main reasons. First, the grid search result depends on the search window, which may or may not include the correct minimizer. Second, due to the nature of deformable transformations, there is no guarantee that the strongest numerical minimizer corresponds to the most spatially accurate point match. Consequently, existing block matching methods typically compute a full DIR from the generated point match data by employing an interpolation scheme designed to dampen the contributions of erroneous point matches (as in [27]). Other approaches for alleviating the effects of inaccurate point matches (often referred to as outliers) include parameter sensitivity [28] analysis and local thresholding [29] which are more heuristic in nature and also difficult to generalize. In the case of rigid registration, least squares trimming [30] has been shown to be effective for obtaining the transformation while remaining robust to outliers [31]. This strategy has been incorporated into an iterative deformable registration framework [27], but the method relies on a global regularization strategy to smooth out a series of local affine approximations, in addition to multiple block matching runs. Rather than simply dampen the effects of outliers or apply a heuristic thresholding, we propose utilizing two robust statistical tools known as "least median of squares" (LMS) and the "forward search method" to identify and remove potentially inaccurate point matches altogether.
LMS is a data fitting formulation that determines the fit function by minimizing the median of the absolute residuals, whereas standard least squares fitting minimizes the sum of squared residuals. Specifically, the LMS fit of a function f parameterized by the coefficient vector q for the data sets , is defined as:
The LMS formulation can robustly estimate q for data sets containing up to 50% outliers, as opposed to standard least squares fitting which can be severely affected by just a few points with large magnitude errors [32]. The fitting function f is typically chosen to be a polynomial of degree n, with the choice of n depending on the nature of the data set X,Y. In this case, the data set X represents a set of voxel locations within the reference image domain, and Y is obtained by solving problem (8) for each voxel location contained in X using grid search optimization.
The least median of squares filtering approach presented here is based on adapting the LMS framework to classify and remove potential outliers in the grid search computed point match data. The remaining "outlier-free" points can then be confidently interpolated to obtain a full DIR. Therefore, unlike the previous methods based on least squares trimming [27,31], our interest is not in the actual solution q to problem (10), but rather the data points that most contribute to it. The forward-search statistical tool can be used to determine precisely this type of information.
The forward-search method (see [20–22] for a more detailed description) is an iterative procedure for outlier detection that has been shown to be an effective technique for computing LMS fits [33]. The method begins by first finding an initial subset of m outlier-free point matches from the full data set X,Y. This subset, denoted X(m),Y(m), is easily generated by the random sampling method described in [32], and requires that the value of m be greater than or equal to the number of parameters required by the fitting model. The least squares fit to the data contained in X(m),Y(m) serves as the initial estimate q(m) of the LMS solution. After initialization, the method moves forward to a larger subset by applying the estimated solution q(m) to the full data set X,Y and finding the m+1 points with the smallest squared residuals. These m+1 points comprise the new subset X(m+1),Y(m+1), and their least squares fit represents the corresponding LMS solution estimate q(m+1). This process is repeated resulting in a sequence of point match subsets X(k),Y(k), k = m,m+1,m+2,…,M, each with a corresponding LMS estimate q(k).
The proposed forward search LMS filter determines a filtered subset of point matches from the original data set X,Y using the sequence of parameter estimates and subsets generated by the forward search iteration. The filtered set is defined as Xk*,Yk*, where:
Put simply, the forward search LMS filter takes the original point match data X,Y as input, and returns the forward search generated subset that produces the best LMS parameter estimate. As described in [20–22], the forward search iteration systematically ranks the points in the data set X,Y according to their consistency with the parameterized fit model. Thus, points fitting to the model poorly are included in the estimation subsets towards the end of the iteration. Since the forward search LMS point filter (11) returns the subset that minimizes the LMS objective function, the filter retains the point matches fitting best to the model. Consequently, potential outliers are removed.
Naturally, the filter's performance depends in part on the choice of the parameterized function space. Considering that a polynomial of degree n defined on 3 requires the identification of (n+1)(n+2)(n+3) / 6 parameters, the task of finding an outlier free data subset for initializing the forward search becomes increasingly difficult for higher-order fitting models. However, the goal of applying the filter is not to obtain an accurate approximation of the underlying deformation, but rather to determine the data points most consistent with one another. Thus, it is not necessary to incur the computational cost of filtering the entire input data set X,Y with a high order model suitable for a full DIR recovery. Instead, a strategy where the filter is applied to a series of smaller image subregions is a more practical alternative.
Under the mild assumption that the deformation field can be well approximated locally by a low order polynomial, the filter, utilizing a low order polynomial, can be applied to each subdomain contained in a decomposition of the full image domain. The union of the resulting filtered point sets obtained from each subdomain can then be interpolated confidently to recover the full DIR. This domain decomposition approach preserves the nonlinearity inherent to the underlying spatial transformation since the LMS filter only determines the points that are consistent with one another, leaving the data itself unaltered. Figures 1 and and22 illustrate the results of applying the filter to a data set of grid search computed point matches. The numerical implementation of the domain decomposition strategy is detailed in section 2.4.
The nonlinear least squares compressible flow formulation (8) provides a means for computing the displacement of a given voxel using simple grid-search optimization. Though robust to image noise and large magnitude deformations, the approach is susceptible to the effects of spatially inaccurate local minima. As the name suggests, the Least Median of Squares Filtered Compressible Flow (LFC) method described here utilizes the forward search least median of squares filter (11) to weed out the potentially erroneous point matches obtained by solving problem (8) with the grid search procedure (9).
Given an image pair P0,P1, and a fitting function parameterized by the vector q, the LFC algorithm is as follows:
The LFC method is inherently point based, as such the first step of the algorithm simply determines the voxel locations in P0 on which to operate. For example, the set X might represent the voxels located on a coarse image grid. Our current implementation of the LFC method, as illustrated in Figure 3, generates the input source point set X using a simple dart throwing algorithm [34,35] applied to an input image mask. This approach ensures that X contains uniformly spaced voxel locations within a region of interest. However, despite the initial spatial structure placed on X, there is no a priori knowledge of which points will be filtered out by the forward search LMS filter. Consequently, the filtered source point set X* is not guaranteed to posses any spatial structure.
The filtered data X*,Y* represents an unstructured point cloud sampling of an underlying deformation. As such, interpolating the filtered sets X*,Y* to generate a full DIR requires an interpolation procedure that does not depend on structured input data. A similar problem arises in computer aided design where the goal is to recover closed shapes and surfaces from unstructured geometric point cloud data acquired by digital scanning devices. The moving least squares interpolation method is known to be robust and effective [23,36,37] for reconstructing surfaces from unorganized point clouds, and has also been shown to be effective for image registration applications [7,8,38]. Thus, the final step of the LFC method is to reconstruct a fully dense displacement field from the point cloud X*,Y* by applying moving least squares interpolation.
The bulk of the computational workload associated with the LFC method is represented by the second step of the algorithm, namely computing the grid-search solution for a given set of voxel locations. However, due to the decoupled nature of block matching DIR, the grid-search step easily lends itself to a parallel implementation. Similarly, the moving least squares interpolation procedure required by the final step of the algorithm is also inherently parallelizable. Our current implementation of both the grid search procedure and the moving least squares interpolation utilizes the parallel computing power of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The software is written in the Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) C programming language [39] for use with the NVIDIA Tesla 2070 GPU.
Our implementation of the forward-search LMS filter employs a simple affine function model:
and, as discussed in section 2.2, is designed to operate on small image subdomains where the low-order affine model is an acceptable approximation. The K-means clustering algorithm described in [40] is used to divide the input point set X into K subsets, representing a spatial decomposition of the image domain. Figure 4 illustrates the results of a K-means subdomain decomposition. The filter, utilizing the affine function model (12), is then applied to each subdomain independently. The final filtered point match data set X*,Y* is then taken to be the union of the filtered sets determined on each subdomain. The dart throwing algorithm, subdomain generation, and the forward search LMS filter are all implemented in C++. All experiments listed in the Section 3 were conducted on a Silicon Mechanics Hyperform HPCg R2504.v2 workstation with two Intel Xeon X5675 Six-Core 3.06GHz processor and an NVIDIA Tesla 2070 GPU.
Following the DIR validation framework presented in [24], the spatial accuracy of the LFC method is measured using large samples of expert-determined landmark point pairs and ten thoracic CT inhale/exhale image pairs obtained from the publically available database: http://www.dir-lab.com. A full treatment of the data acquisition, landmark generation, and statistical characterization of the reference feature pairs is detailed in our prior publications [8,24]. Tables 1 and and22 summarize the landmark data characteristics for all ten test cases. At each reference landmark position, the DIR spatial error is computed as the three-dimensional Euclidian distance (in millimeters) between the corresponding expert-determined target position and the estimated target position returned by the LFC method.
The LFC method requires the specification of four input parameters: 1) the radius ε of the local DIR neighborhood Nε(x), defined in formulation (5), 2) the bound for the grid search window s defined in (9), 3) the number of subdomains K used to decompose the input source locations (as described in 2.4 and illustrated in Figure 4), and finally the number of points M contained in the initial point cloud X resulting from the dart throwing algorithm. Tables 2 and and33 detail the results of applying the LFC method to test case 8 (the case containing the largest magnitude landmark displacements according to Table 1) using varying parameter values.
As demonstrated by the average millimeter errors reported in Table 2, the LFC method produces the best results when the value of K yields subdomains small enough for an affine function to adequately describe the underlying transformation on each subdomain. For instance, K=1 filters point matches based on an affine fit applied to the entire image domain. This produces the poorest spatially accurate result. However, the average error only fluctuates between 1.14 mm and 1.17 mm for K ≥16 (with the exception of the experiment where M=9704). Whereas for K ≤ 16, the fluctuations is more pronounced and the average error varies between 1.67 mm and 1.14 mm. Additionally, the computation time for the filter is sensitive to K. A larger value of K implies fewer points will be contained in each subdomain. Every iteration of the forward search method requires sorting the residuals obtained by applying the fit estimate from the previous iteration to all points matches in the subdomain. The sorting (our implementation utilizes the well know heap sort), becomes more expensive as the number of points in the subdomain increases. Thus, larger K (≥16 in this case) is beneficial for both accuracy and computational efficiency.
Table 2 also shows that the LFC results are not sensitive to size of the grid search bounding box, once the size is taken to be large enough to capture the displacement magnitude of the transformation. For test case 8, s = 7 is insufficient as evidenced by its associated high average error. This is because the voxel dimensions (as list on www.dir-lab.com) for the case 8 image data are 0.97×0.97×2.50, meaning that for s = 7 voxels, the grid search box can only capture displacements with a magnitude of 6.79 mm in the xy-plane and 17.5 mm in the z-direction. Considering that the average magnitude displacement for case 8 is 15.16 mm, the LFC method cannot accurately recover the transformation given s = 7. In comparison, the runs with s = 12,17, and 22 produce consistently accurate results.
Our implementation of the LFC method allow for anisotropic local neighborhoods to be used within the grid search. More specifically, the local DIR neighborhood Nε(x) is represented as a box of size l×l×w centered on x. We refer to this anisotropic local neighborhood as the match window. Table 3 also demonstrates the LFC's sensitivity to the match window dimensions. In general, too small a match window does not provide enough information to compute an accurate grid search point match. Larger match windows, though more robust, are more computationally expensive. Experimentation reveals that a match window of size 9×9×5 provides a compromise between computational expense and spatial accuracy as detailed by Table 3.
Though the bulk of the LFC method's computational workload is associated with the grid search, because of the GPU implementation, the majority of the method's actual run time is spent filtering the point matches. For comparison, we also implemented the grid search routine in C++ using the Open MP parallel library. Table 4 shows the runtimes for the grid search procedure using the GPU, a single CPU core, and 12 CPU cores in parallel. The GPU provides a speed up factor of approximately 300 over the single core run (with M=68312 and s = 17). Thus, without the GPU, the grid search time easily dominates the filtering time. In general, the LFC runtime depends on M and K. However, as demonstrated by Table 2, the spatial accuracy of the method does not greatly depend on either of these parameters. In fact, the average error achieved with M = 122657 and K =32 is only marginally better than the one achieved with M = 9704 and K = 32, despite the fact that the runtime for the former was 857.57 seconds, while the latter ran in 38.09 seconds.
The mean errors and corresponding standard deviations produced by the LFC method for each individual case are detailed in Table 5. In addition, the parameter sets used to achieve the results are also given. For comparison, the previously reported spatial errors determined from the same ten validation test cases for the combined compressible local-global (CCLG) method [7], the four-dimensional trajectory modeling method (4DLTM) [8], and the GPU implementation of Therion's Demons algorithm [44], are presented in Table 6. Since measurements were made for each algorithm using the same reference images and landmark feature pairs, comparison can be made among the average spatial registration errors. Note that across all cases, the LFC method produced the smallest average spatial error.
For each of the cases, the Wilcoxon rank sum test was performed to assess the statistical significance of differences between the LFC spatial accuracy and the intra-observer measurements, with p-values for each test shown in table 5. Under a null hypothesis that the distribution of LFC errors is equivalent to the pooled distribution of the observer errors, for a significance level of 0.05 the LFC errors are statistically equivalent to the observer errors for case 1,2,3 and 8 and statistically greater for the remaining cases. However, after applying the Bonferroni multiple-comparison correction to our significance level of 0.05 the significance level for each of the 10 cases becomes 0.005. Under this correction, the LFC errors are only statistically greater than the pooled observer errors in cases 6 and 9, with no significant statistical difference found between the two for any of the remaining cases.
The LFC method is designed to compute accurate DIR for compressible flow image pairs utilizing 1) a localized nonlinear voxel motion model derived from the mass conservation equation, and 2) a novel point match filter based on least median of squares fitting and the forward search outlier detection method. The simplicity of the localized compressible flow formulation allows for the use of derivative free grid-search optimization, an approach known to be robust to image noise and large magnitude deformations. Considering that grid search generated point matches are not guaranteed to always be spatially accurate, we apply a novel point match filter to weed out erroneous point matches. A full DIR is computed from the resulting filtered point set using moving least squares interpolation. Our implementation of the LFC method utilizes GPU computing to mitigate the substantial computational workload represented by the grid search procedure. Given the emergence and growing popularity of GPU computing within the medical imaging community [41–43], this requirement is not a prohibitive limitation.
Examination of the average error summaries provided in Table 6 reveals that in general, the poorest performing methods were the two partial differential equation based methods: CCLG and Demon's. Though the CCLG method incorporates a local least squares fitting into the model to provide robustness to image noise, as discussed in [7], the method's performance tends to drop off for image pairs depicting large magnitude deformations, as does the performance of the Demon's algorithm. This result is not surprising since large magnitude deformations lead to poor approximations of the temporal image derivatives required by both methods, which in turn degrade the quality of the computed DIR. In the case of Demon's method, robustness to large displacements can be incorporated by adopting a multi-resolution scheme, and in fact, the results reported in Table 6 (from [44]) were obtained using a multi-resolution strategy. As such, Demon's produces better results than CCLG but does not achieve the accuracy of LFC. In contrast to LFC, the Demon's algorithm is based on the incompressible flow motion model and also does not guard against spatially inaccurate local minimizers. However, to what degree these properties contribute to the spatial error of the Demon's method is not known.
A nonlinear voxel motion model based on mass conservation and trajectory modeling is employed by the 4DLTM method [8]. As a result, the method does not require temporal image derivative approximations. However, 4DLTM does require gradient based optimization of a nonlinear objective function. Consequently, the method is susceptible to the errors introduced by the optimization solver's convergence to spatially inaccurate local minima. The forward search least median of squares filter used by the LFC method guards against spatially inaccurate grid search point matches, a feature the 4DLTM lacks. Consequently, the average errors for the 4DLTM method are smaller than the differential equation based methods, but larger than those returned by the LFC method, as reported in Table 6.
The LFC framework is based on a general point processing approach and is similar in nature to the types of algorithms used for point cloud processing. Though primarily known as statistical tools for robust regression analysis, both least median of squares fitting and the forward search iteration have been shown to be effective tools for reconstructing discontinuous surfaces, such as edges or corners, from unstructured point cloud data [45]. Within the surface reconstruction procedure, the forward search is used to determine which points are located along a geometric discontinuity. Similarly, the LFC method utilizes the forward search method to determine which point matches are erroneous. Because erroneous point matches are discarded, applying the filter results in "holes" or gaps in the uniformity of the source point distribution. The moving least squares method is therefore ideal for interpolating the set of filtered point matches, since the method does not require any spatial structure in the data. Considering that moving least squares interpolation, forward search, and least median of squares fitting have all been previously used to compute surface reconstructions from unstructured point clouds, the LFC method can be viewed as an adaptation of a surface reconstruction methodology for use within a DIR framework. Moreover, the point filter methodology introduced in this work is general in that it can be applied to any point match dataset.
A method for computing compressible flow image registration using grid search determined point matches and a filtering scheme based on robust statistical tools is presented. The results of applying the method, referred to as Least Median of Squares Filtered Compressible Flow, to a validation data set consisting of ten thoracic CT image pairs and large sets of expert-determined landmark point pairs indicate that the method in general achieves a high spatial accuracy. Additionally, the LFC method produced spatial errors that are statistically indistinguishable from human observers on eight out of the ten test cases. An immediate area of future research is to apply the method to other more challenging CT and inter-modality data sets, and to compile new manual landmark validation sets for evaluating spatial accuracy.
This work was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health through a National Cancer Institute Grant R21CA141833 and through an NIH Director's New Innovator Award DP2OD007044. Richard Castillo was partially supported by an NIH Training Grant T32CA119930.
PubMed Central Canada is a service of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) working in partnership with the National Research Council's national science library in cooperation with the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine(NCBI/NLM). It includes content provided to the PubMed Central International archive by participating publishers.


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I have a real profile pic of my face so therefore I have a morbid fear that someone from real life or school will discover me on here and think I'm crazy! What are the chances though? And anyone else fear this?
- Yes I fear thisVote A
- No I don't fear thisVote B
- My identity is concealed so it doesn't matterVote C
Most Helpful Girl
Sometimes I fear it because on this site I talk about A LOT of private things. And I'd hope none of my friends would find it. It's like my secret life. My GAG life lol00|00|0
Thanks for MHG!:)

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Retired Brig. Gen. Stan Brown passed away Thursday evening at the age of 87. Our thoughts are with his family, and the many touched by his leadership and multitude of contributions to his community.
Brown, who enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950, rose through the ranks over the course of a 33-year career culminating in his serving as base commander and later wing commander at March Air Force Base in Riverside County. He retired in 1983 with military decorations including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star and the Vietnam Service Medal.
Brown played a vital role in lobbying for the Riverside National Cemetery, the third largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a nationally recognized cemetery for veterans.
Serving on the Veterans Administration's National Cemetery Advisory Committee and the Riverside National Cemetery's Memorials and Monuments Committee, he advocated for the establishment of national monuments at the cemetery, including the Medal of Honor Memorial and the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action National Memorial.
Still to be fulfilled is his work to establish a memorial at the cemetery honoring Native Americans who have served in the military, largely held up due to a lack of funding.
In addition to his work with the cemetery, Brown helped with the March Joint Powers Authority following the downsizing of the air force base and was active with the U.S. Vets facility in Moreno Valley, working with homeless veterans. His lifelong commitment to the military and honoring those who served will long be remembered.
Brown, named Riverside's Citizen of the Year by the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce in 2014, played an active role in other domains of civic life, serving as a member of the Riverside Planning Commission for nine years.
Survived by three sons, Brown has left an enduring legacy of public service and national pride in our region.
His decades of leadership and devotion to ensuring our local veterans live and rest with dignity should inspire all of us to get involved and work together for the betterment of our communities.


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Return to Engagements | Engagement Archive
|Allen, Baird to wed Dec. 6
The parents of Amber Allen and John Gregory Baird are pleased to announce their engagement and approaching marriage.
Amber is the daughter of Howard and Sheree Hammons Allen of Downsville. Her maternal grandparents are Mae Hammons and the late Dolan Buddy Hammons of Downsville. Her paternal grandparents are the late Mr. and Mrs. James Victor Allen of Downsville.
Amber is a graduate of Downsville High School and Louisiana Tech University with a degree in accounting. She lives in Downsville and is employed by Don M. McGehee in Ruston.
Greg is the son of Linda Young Baird of Downsville and Everett and Karen Baird of Monroe. His maternal grandparents are the late Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Young of Monroe. His paternal grandparents are the late Mr. and Mrs. John Baird of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Greg is a graduate of Downsville High School. He lives in Downsville and is a 798 pipeline welder.
The couple will exchange vows at the Downsville Baptist Church in Downsville on Saturday, December 6 at six in the evening.


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Bishop Eddie Long preached in a service earlier this week and addressed the allegations before him. While he didn't get into a whole lot of specifics, he did acknowledge he was engaging in spiritual warfare.
I encourage you to watch his entire message regardless of where you stand regarding the allegations that are before him. He delivers some very thoughtful points about dealing with difficult times. He also offers encouragement about trusting and believing in the plan that God has for your life.
There is an edited version of this message circulating throughout the media. That version does not do much justice to the complete message.
Continue to pray for ALL parties involved.


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The Colosseum is obviously a must-see for anyone who visits Rome. It is the largest amphitheater in the world and dates back to the first century. When we arrived, the line for tickets was very long. We decided to hop on a tour group so we could skip it. It cost us about $30 more but it was totally worth it. I learned so much about the Colosseum (and the rest of the Ancient Rome area) that I wouldn't have known otherwise. It made it easier to mentally put myself in the Colosseum in its prime and really appreciate the place. But instead of turning this blog post into a history lesson, I'll just share a few of my favorite pictures from our day…
|Here you can see the three layers of the Colosseum.
|Here's a picture from far away. It's kind of crazy how this ancient thing is just in the middle of a huge city.
|A view of one of the arches from the Colosseum. It was in the processed of being cleaned at the time. Bummer.
|Another view from the Colosseum.
After checking out the Colosseum we explored the rest of Ancient Rome (still with our tour). I'll share pictures from that later. Afterwards we ate at a delicious Italian restaurant near our hotel.


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(Literary Masterpieces, Critical Compilation)
The author of ten previous works of fiction, including the novels The Lover (1978), A Late Divorce (1984), and Five Seasons (1989), Israeli writer A. B. Yehoshua continues his interest in the ironic obsessions of his characters in Mr. Mani, in which he also focuses on a sense of home in a Jewish context. This is an interest related to the problematic aspects of Zionism he analyzes in his collection of essays, Between Right and Right (1981).
The structure of Mr. Mani is based on five "conversations" in which only one of two speakers is heard by the reader. In each case, this speaker has a tale to relate to the other concerning an important male character in a given generation of a Sephardic family, the Manis. The plot exposed by this structure, and the presentation of the conversations in reverse order (the most recent first, the first last), is circular—that is, each outcome reflects its predecessor, and each new outcome, in predating its predecessor, points to a future that already has been expressed.
Two factors seem to support the urgency of each tale. One is that the teller of the tale is a critical character in it, and the other is that the "Mr. Mani" that each tale features is the victim of an obsession. The only exception to this is the tale told by the only Gentile among the five speakers, the brutally insane German soldier/idealist, Egon Bruner, in the second "conversation."
The speaker in the first "conversation" is Hagar Shiloh, a young student at Tel Aviv Unviersity. Convinced she is pregnant by Efrayim Mani, her lover, she travels to Jerusalem to visit his father, Gavriel, a judge. Not only does the Old City in Jerusalem confuse her, but she is forced to fool Mr. Mani into letting her into his apartment, where he seems prepared to hang himself. The rest of Hagar's story pivots on her attempt to thwart his suicide.
This part of the novel has various happy outcomes that form a climax to the rest of it in advance. Hagar becomes intrigued with Jerusalem, which initiates her into the Mani ambience, into her role in its history; Hagar eventually becomes pregnant and gives birth to the next Mani in the line, Roni; and Gavriel Mani takes leave of his obsession with his mother's death and leaves Jerusalem for long visits with his grandson and the widow Shiloh, Hagar's mother.
Not so pleasant is the outcome of the second tale in the novel. The storyteller here, Egon Bruner, speaks in 1944 to his irascible stepmother, Andrea Sauchon. The irony of Egon's obsession is that it is insanely foolish: He thinks that Germany has mythic roots in Cretan culture that will purify it of its savagery, and that Jews are corrupt insects but will become worthy humans if they renounce being Jewish, which, according to Bruner, is only a state of mind.
As a paratrooper in the invasion of Crete, Bruner finds shelter in the ruins of Knossos, where he takes Yosef Mani hostage. Mani is a tour guide there, and he almost immediately dies. Mani's son Efrayim, his grandson Gavriel, and his son's wife become part of Bruner's obsession. He forces Efrayim Mani to cancel his Jewishness. Bruner, as a police officer, later arrests his friend Efrayim, not for being a Jew, but for helping unpurified Jews to elude capture.
Lieutenant Ivor Stephen Horowitz's identity as a Jew in the third "conversation" in Mr. Mani means less to him than his identity as a British subject and as a lawyer on the general staff of Sir Edmund Allenby in Palestine in 1918. He tells his story to Colonel Michael Woodhouse, the presiding military judge in a case Horowitz has been assigned to prosecute in Jerusalem. The accused is Yosef Mani, the cosmopolitan tour guide of the previous tale, and his crime is spying for the Turks. What comes to light in Horowitz's account, however, is Mani's obsession not only for the British for whom he works but for Arabs as well. His intense political eclecticism has impelled him to warn Arabs of Zionism's future power in Palestine. In order to do this, he acquires access to Turkish-held territory by stealing military documents from the British. The ironies apparent in this section of the novel include a Jew (Horowitz) prosecuting a Jew (Mani) for a treason unrelated to that for which a Jew might well condemn a Jew (supporting the Arabs), Mani's obsession for a justice for a people other than his own, and Woodhouse's sentence of exile for Mani, the cunning idealism of which unknowingly puts its victim and his family at the mercy of Germans in the future.
Related to Yosef Mani's hostility to Jewish provincialism and to Ivor Horowitz's implied embarrassment for his personal Jewishness is the off-handed attitude of Dr. Efrayim Shapiro, the narrator of the novel's fourth tale, toward Judaism. It is ironic that his story arises from his being surrounded by Zionists and confronted with the despairing sexual passion of an aging Sephardic obstetrician, Moshe Mani. Shapiro tells the story of his contact with these obsessive people to his impatient and easily fatigued father, Sholom, in 1899.
The heart of Shapiro's tale is Moshe Mani's desire for the young...
(The entire section is 2125 words.)


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Political disapproval hits SGX bid for ASX
The Australian Share Market's share price dropped today as regulatory hurdles became clearer, and Greens leader Bob Brown claimed the ASX would be left to 'wither on the vine'.
Source: Lateline Business | Duration: 1min 6sec
Topics: takeovers, company-news, economic-trends, stockmarket, money-and-monetary-policy, federal-government, australia
TICKY FULLERTON, PRESENTER: Since the bid for the ASX by Singapore's Stock Exchange yesterday, the reaction has been mixed and somewhat colourful.
As we've heard, ASX shares plummeted 7 per cent as regulatory and political hurdles became clearer - enough for the Treasurer to feel the need to calm and clarify.
WAYNE SWAN, TREASURER: The ASX is an important part of our financial system's architecture.
So we will continue to consider all transactions with the objective of carefully and methodically building Australia's reputation as a financial services hub. And as always, we will do this in the national interest.
TICKY FULLERTON: But other politicians - including those who could wield the crucial balance of power - were mounting their own scare campaigns.
SENATOR BOB BROWN, GREENS LEADER: This is a state that tramples all over freedom of speech, democracy, the rights of oppositions, the ability for public discourse.
The proposal here is that the- effectively, the Australian Stock Exchange in Sydney be subjugated to Singapore and we'll see it wither on the vine.


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Where Inception Saves The Cat - and What Writers Can Learn From It
August 28, 2012 writing No commentsYes, of course there are spoilers.
I finally watched Inception. And yes, I thought it was very, very pretty. It was a pretty straightforward adventure story with a big wrinkle thrown in. It was a cool wrinkle, mind you (and a cool chart of the wrinkle is here), but each of the plot threads wasn't horribly complicated by itself... by itself.
There's two elements (aside from flashy effects) that make the movie worthwhile for writers to watch.
First, there's a meta-narrative on the level of The Sixth Sense going on. There are actually hints much, much earlier in the movie (especially with the kid's voices and how they haven't aged) that something simply is... off. Could it be that Ariadne is really Phillipa (the only two Greek names) and Eames is really James coming to help their father? Is it all a dream? Et cetera. That it leaves unanswered questions - all of which are equally plausible - is what helps it stick. Yes, it's like The Lady and the Tiger in that way - a relatively simple story that becomes complex through the reader projecting themselves into it.1
But that's not the most important part. I mean, it's nice intellectually, but there's reams of intellectually clever films that simply don't get that kind of attention. Why do we give a damn about anyone besides Ariadne in this film?
It's because they redeem Fischer. We have no reason to care about the other justifications for the mission. "Monopoly blah blah good for world blah." Right. Suuuure. And when your biggest rival is splintered, you'll totally ignore that power vacuum. "I want to see my children." Yes, and you're still a horrible person (and the logic doesn't hold anyway - you were framed for a suicide?). So why do we get emotionally involved in the mission's success at all?2
Fischer is portrayed essentially as an innocent. He's the mark - and additionally, he's the mark when his dad just died. We know from the get-go that things are jacked up between him and his dad. And he did nothing (as far as we know) to deserve either his father's scorn or being the target of an elaborate invasive con.
In the process of ratcheting the tension up to eleven and throwing some beautiful effects at us, we also learn exactly how wounded Fischer is. He's a kicked puppy. And then they save him by creating the space for him to truly access his buried love for his father. (It's not fake - remember Eames says "I wanted to find out what was in there".)
The special effects and "wow" factor carry us through the beginning of the film. The tension picks up in the third act. The meta-narrative lingers afterward.
But it's the very human story of disconnection between a child and parent that gives this film an emotional core that makes it all worthwhile.
That is something we writers can learn from Inception.
1 Which again is self-referential. As is the narrative of children and parents. As is the fact that the team essentially dumps Fischer through therapy rather quickly. Which, arguably, Ariadne (and perhaps Eames) is doing to Dom. And so on. But again, it's that emotional core which keeps it from being introverted wanking.
2 Note that bets are hedged here by putting the film's other innocent - Ariadne - in as much danger as the rest of the relatively horrible people around her.
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"They were like the cherubs of the anecdote"
by emilygray
These putti are the bottomless cherub boys Coleridge had in mind - Credit: Rubens; Martin Beek
The anecdote in question is recorded by Charles Lamb in his essay "Christ's Hospital Five and Thirty Years Ago". On learning that his former headmaster James Boyer, a man who certainly did not believe in sparing the rod, was on his deathbed, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge responded "Poor J.B. ! — may all his faults be forgiven; and may he be wafted to bliss by little cherub boys, all head and wings, with no bottoms to reproach his sublunary infirmities".
sublunary (literally, "below the moon") means "of or relating to the Earth"
Read Lamb's essay here.


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Tyneside conservation project launched by dolphin spotters
Tyneside children had a whale of a time aboard a DFDS ferry as they helped launch a new marine conservation project.
The pupils from Greenfields Community Primary School in Wideopen, North Tyneside, were invited aboard the DFDS King Seaways Tyne-Amsterdam ferry at North Shields to find out about the vast array of marine wildlife on their doorstep – and how they can play their part in ensuring its future.
The nine-11 year olds discovered why the North East's coastal waters are such a unique wildilife habitat – and how mankind is threatening this – at the official unveiling of the new Your Seas project run by whale and dolphin conservation charity ORCA in association with DFDS.
The initiative has been back with a £40,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Local Environmental Action Fund at the Community Foundation Tyne and Wear and Northumberland.
It is being led by ORCA's community outreach officer, Alison Lomax, who is based at the DFDS headquarters in North Shields. As part of her work she will visit schools to deliver workshops on whales, dolphins and porpoises that have made the North Sea their home and highlight the threats they face including accidental capture in fishing nets, marine litter and climate change.
The pupils from Greenfields were given the chance to hold and examine a dolphin skull as well as visit DFDS King Seaways' special wildlife observation deck which is kitted out with binoculars, comfortable seats and information on the types of wildlife passengers can expect to see on their voyages to and from North Shields.
The environment and marine conservation is on the curriculum at Greenfields. But all the children were amazed at just how wildlife rich the North Sea coast and its waters are.
Ben Raffle, 10, said: "I never knew so many animals lived in the North Sea and that there were dolphins and whales. Now I know a lot more about them and why we need to protect them."
Mitchell Tapner, nine, added: "I thought the North Sea was just full of fish, but now I know about dolphins and whales and how important they are. I would love to see a real life whale or dolphin."
Alison will also be working with schools at weekly sessions on board the DFDS ferry in its special ORCA information room on deck nine, when it is docked at North Shields.
She said: "We want to celebrate the fact that our coastal waters and the North Seas is a unique habitat. Few people are aware that whales and dolphins live right here on our doorstep in the North Sea.
"In fact, North East waters are rich and diverse and home to a staggering number or whale and dolphin species."
The wider community can get involved in the Your Seas project by training to become Marine Mammal surveyors and recording wildlife on DFDS Seaways' Newcastle to Amsterdam route from May to September 2012.
To do this, volunteers will need to complete the Marine Mammal Survey (MMS) training course run by ORCA. In return for becoming a survey volunteer, DFDS Seaways provides free travel on the route for the purpose of the study. Community and youth groups can also get involved by booking Alison to give a Dolphin Science talk for their members or by visiting one of the many events that Orca will be attending across the North East this year. Visit www.orcaweb.org.uk to find out more.
DFDS Seaways is funding the appointment of two Wildlife Officers on board cruise ferry King Seaways so customers can learn about the marine wildlife of the North Sea and participate in fun activities and deck watches.
Category: News


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Republic Day Celebration In India 2017 | 26th January Importance, Quotes
Republic Day Celebration In India
Republic Day Celebration In India 2017: In India, 26th January is not only the date it is the symbol of true spirit for the independent India. Every year on 26th January Republic Day Celebration In India is organized by the Indian Government in the New Delhi at the Rajpath in the presence of the President of India. On 26th January 2017 we are going to enjoy the 68th Republic Day Celebration in India.
The importance of this day is that the Constitution of India as it came into force on the same day in the year 1950. On this day military parades, exhibiting military equipments, salute to the national flag by the Indian president and varieties of events are take place. Visitors may also read Patriotic Quotes related to Republic Day Celebration In India on this page.
This Page Includes:
- Republic Day Events
- Republic Day Quotes
- Republic Day Importance
- Republic Day Function
- Republic Day PM Modi Speech
Millions of people all around the world came to see grand military parade and performance made by Indian Army, Air Force, Navy and traditional dance group takes part in the parades. Visitors can go through this page to get complete details about this precious event Republic Day Celebration In India through this page which is created by the team of privatejobshub.in
Republic Day Chief Guest 2017:
Every year huge celebration is done on 26th of January in India and numerous people gathered in the New Delhi at the Rajpath to see this auspicious event. The auspicious event starts in the presence of President of India with the Indian National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, by the Army.
Every year India has been hosting head of state or government of another country as the state guest of honor for Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. This year Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be the chief guest of Republic Day parade 26th of January 2017.
Get Here: List of Important Days
Events on Republic Day Celebration In India:
Ø The Event starts with India's prime minister laying a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate, to remember soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country.
Ø President of India takes the military salute during the parade in New Delhi while state governors take the military salutes in state capitals.
Ø On Republic Day a foreign head of state is the president's chief guest.
Ø Awards and medals of bravery are given to the people from the armed forces and also to civilians.
Ø During the parade Indian Army helicopters fly on the parade area and shower the rose petals on the audience.
Ø School children also participate in the parade by dancing and singing patriotic songs.
Ø Armed Forces personnel also showcase motorcycle rides.
Ø The parade concludes with a "fly past" by the Indian Air Force, which involves fighter planes of flying past the dais, symbolically saluting the president.
Ø These leave trails of smoke in the colors of the Indian flag.
Ø There are many national and local cultural programs focusing on the history and culture of India.
Ø Children have a special place in these programs.
Ø Many children receive gifts of sweets or small toys. A
Ø Prime Minters rally also takes place around this time of the year, as well as the Lok Tarang – National Folk Dance Festival.
PM Narendra Modi Speech On 68th Republic Day:
On 26th January 2017, Republic Day Celebration will be made In Delhi, with great joy and organize many functions and shows as mentioned above. Numerous of People will gather in the parade ground in front of the Red Fort in Delhi. They line up the roads all leading to the fort and eagerly wait for the arrival of our Prime Minter Narendra Modi.
PM Narendra Modi Speech will be telecasted from DD National Television and some other news channels too. So it is easier to access his republic day speech from tv channels
Check Here: Latest Current News & Affairs
Republic Day Celebrations Across The Country:
Republic day celebration is a huge national event celebration in India especially for students in the schools, colleges and other educational institutions. Cultural programs presented by school children are also major fascination of the Republic Day celebration making it more exciting. Many people throughout India enjoy the nation's Republic Day
National Holiday on Republic Day:
There are three national holiday in India and 26th January is one of them. The rest two are Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti.
Also Read: National Current Affairs
Importance of Republic Day:
The Republic Day of India commemorates the date on which the Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India on 26 January 1950.[1] The date 26 January was chosen to honour the memory of the declaration of independence of 1930. It is one of the three national holidays in India, and while the main parade, Republic Day Parade takes place at the Rajpath, in the national capital New Delhi, where the President views the parade, state capitals also have their state celebrations.
Let Us Pray For
The Prosperity and Unity of Our Country
On this Republic Day
As We Remember Those Who Fought
to Give Us the Freedom
Vande Mataram!
May You Have Enough Happiness
To Make You Sweet,
Enough Trials To Make You Strong,
Enough Sorrow To Keep You Human And
Enough Hope To Bring Joy To Our Nation.
Happy Republic Day!
The Far We Have As A Nation,
The Endless Problems,
And The Struggle For Justice,
Freedom And Equal Rights
For Every Patriot Calls For Love,
Peace And Unity Among The Citizens Of This Nation.
Happy Republic Day!
Waking Up Every Day In A Peaceful Nation
Is Not As Easy As It May Seem To Be
We All Need To Be Proud Of
The Peaceful Atmosphere In Our Nation.
Happy Republic Nation!
Reunite On This Republic Day
To Celebrate the Victory of Our Freedom Fighters
and Rejoice in the Sacrifices
That Made It Possible On This Republic Day,
Let Us Unite In the Chant Vande Mataram
and Let the Glory of Our Land
and the Spirit of India Live Forever
You can visit the entire above page which is created by the team of privatejobshub.in for the required material. We wish you a very Happy Republic Day 2017


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New Market Study Published : China Jewel Bearings Industry
ACCESS REPORT @ New Market Study Published : China Jewel Bearings Industry
The China Jewel Bearings Industry 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Jewel Bearings industry.
The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Jewel Bearings market analysis is provided for the China markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status.
Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and Bill of Materials cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.
The report focuses on China major leading industry players providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The Jewel Bearings industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.
With 143 tables and figures the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.
ENQUIRE FOR DISCOUNT @ New Market Study Published : China Jewel Bearings Industry
Company Profile:
7 Analysis of Jewel Bearings Industry Key Manufacturers
7.1 Microlap Technologies
7.1.1 Company Profile
7.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications
188.8.131.52 Type I
184.108.40.206 Type II
22.214.171.124 Type III
7.1.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue
7.1.4 Contact Information
7.2 Swissjewel
7.2.1 Company Profile
7.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications
126.96.36.199 Type I
220.127.116.11 Type II
126.96.36.199 Type III
7.2.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue
7.2.4 Contact Information
7.3 Imetra
7.3.1 Company Profile
7.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications
22.214.171.124 Type I
184.108.40.206 Type II
126.96.36.199 Type III
7.3.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue
7.3.4 Contact Information
7.4 Namiki Precision Jewel
7.4.1 Company Profile
7.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications
126.96.36.199 Type I
126.96.36.199 Type II
220.127.116.11 Type III
7.4.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue
7.4.4 Contact Information
7.5 Industrial Jewels
7.5.1 Company Profile
7.5.2 Product Picture and Specifications
18.104.22.168 Type I
184.108.40.206 Type II
126.96.36.199 Type III
7.5.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue
7.5.4 Contact Information
7.6 Suzhou Hean Jewel Bearing
7.6.1 Company Profile
7.6.2 Product Picture and Specifications
220.127.116.11 Type I
220.127.116.11 Type II
126.96.36.199 Type III
7.6.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue
7.6.4 Contact Information
7.7 Suzhou Sujing Crystal Element
7.7.1 Company Profile
7.7.2 Product Picture and Specifications
126.96.36.199 Type I
126.96.36.199 Type II
184.108.40.206 Type III
7.7.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue
7.7.4 Contact Information
7.8 J&J precision parts
7.8.1 Company Profile
7.8.2 Product Picture and Specifications
220.127.116.11 Type I
184.108.40.206 Type II
184.108.40.206 Type III
7.8.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue
7.8.4 Contact Information
7.9 Bird Precision
7.9.1 Company Profile
7.9.2 Product Picture and Specifications
220.127.116.11 Type I
18.104.22.168 Type II
220.127.116.11 Type III
7.9.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue
7.9.4 Contact Information
7.10 Yantai Xinxing jewel crystal element
7.10.1 Company Profile
7.10.2 Product Picture and Specifications
188.8.131.52 Type I
188.8.131.52 Type II
220.127.116.11 Type III
7.10.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue
7.10.4 Contact Information
KNOW MORE WITH SAMPLE REPORT @ New Market Study Published : China Jewel Bearings Industry
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Disapproval Letter
The concept of disapproval means that any business organization or individual is disapproving a certain agreement or deal that has been in place. To make this disapproval official the business companies draft a disapproval letter. This letter is a document that is used to disapprove any past agreement or contract. it can also be used for rejection of a shipment or consignment of goods.
The purpose of writing a disapproval letter is that the writer wants to inform the recipient that the agreement between the two parties is no longer effective. Therefore the objective of the Disapproval letter is totally informational and informal. It is a great to inform the other party that you are not satisfied with their performance or provision of goods and services.
You may also want to see Approval letter template.
You can easily highlight the problems in the given letter to make them understand the scenario. The disapproval letter is an effective medium to remove any doubts or misunderstandings that may exist between different associates or business relations. It is very important that the letter is short and concise and does not leave any misconceptions or unclear points. No one appreciates a long format and irrelevant text.
Like all other official letters and communication documents the language of the disapproval letter should be polite and courteous. There should not be harsh language or inappropriate words used in it. If you are looking for a format for this letter you can search the internet and download an appropriate format template to meet your requirements. You can download and personalize this document with your name and other relevant information to deliver right from this page.
structured text preview.
To download this sample template: Click here


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Full titles read: "TORONTO"
Beauty contest at Police Games in Toronto, Canada. Various shots of numerous young girls walking in line smiling and wearing the latest fashions in bathing costumes. M/S and C/U of the winner nineteen year old Miss Nancy Morris smiling.
The man placing the winner's sash on Nancy Morris is Mayor Ralph C Day.


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Dacia Toll
no news in this list.
At Achievement First, closing the achievement gap is fun, inspiring and meaningful for all involved. The Chalkboard is a place to see and hear our culture in action as we create an environment where teachers are platinum and scholars know it is cool to be smart as they climb the mountain to college.
no news in this list.


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Koudougou High School, Burkina Faso
HeidelbergCement's subsidiary Cimburkina has donated 200 tonnes of cement for the construction of a modern high school in Koudougou, around 120 km west of the capital Ouagadougou.
The high school "Lycée Schorge de Koudougou" was opened on 13 February 2016 and will take on 350 pupils, both girls and boys. It features seven fully equipped classrooms, administrative offices, a library and a medical care room, as well as a school garden and athletic field. Water comes from a nearby well, and electricity is solar generated. Every class has 50 pupils, half of which are girls.
The school provides needed education to young women and men who will be the driving force for development in their home towns and throughout the country. To make this vision a reality, a group of outstanding teachers has been brought together on the faculty.
Construction of the school building was financed in part by German NGO "The Stern Stewart Institute". Architect Francis Diébédo Kéré, from Burkina Faso, who is known for his innovative and ecologically harmonious structures, designed the school to use natural aeration and shades and local building materials, such as clay bricks, to keep the classrooms cool.
"We are very proud to be involved in this very important project," says Eric Goulignac, General Director of Cimburkina. "The school is more than just the architecture and ecological construction: It is a modern place of learning, where young people receive the education they need to lead the way into the future."


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2014 Performances
Sun Apr 27
Lui Fong
Casino Rama
A Lui Fong setlist is a compilation of all the songs Lui Fong has played live in concert. Many Lui Fong concerts have the same setlist, and sometimes Lui Fong setlists will vary from night to night. We've gathered together 2018 Lui Fong tour setlists as well as past Lui Fong setlists to give you a better idea of what you can expect at your local Lui Fong show. If you have a Lui Fong song list you would like to upload, please check back as that functionality will be added soon, as well as setlists for Lui Fong.


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Jul 13
RUSH: Okay. So what happens is that Obama says it was last Tuesday that the employer mandate is gone, for a year. But then on Friday there was another announcement. You know what that announcement was? That since the employer mandate has gone vamanos, essentially anybody can show up at an exchange and say, "I qualify." It's the honor system. And all that happened and I had people over the weekend say, "Boy, Rush, it's really great, Obamacare, falling apart, isn't it great?" It's not falling apart, folks!
It's not falling apart. Obamacare is whatever Obama wants it be to from day to day, from hour to hour. Let me tell you something. I'm gonna cut to the chase real quick on this. And then I'm gonna spend some time later on, because we're loaded here today, but I want to make sure you understand this right off the bat. The personal mandate stands. You still have to have insurance or pay the fine, dude. Hee-hee. There is no outta that. The boss doesn't have to cover you next year or this year or what have you. The boss is totally out, but you still have to be covered.
Read Full Transcript @ RushLimbaugh.com


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Blog Archive
Media Coverage
LA Times - "James Cahill dies at 87; scholar of Chinese art"
New York Times - "James Cahill, Influential Authority on Chinese Art, Dies at 87"
The Daily Californian - "Professor Emeritus James Cahill, Chinese art expert, dies at 87"
LANDsds Sustainable Voice News - "Loss of Guru Voice James Cahill Leader in Chinese Art"
SFGate - "James Cahill, Asian art expert at UC Berkeley, dies"
Mr. Sakaki, Galileo, and Me: A Blog of Threes
Mr. Sakaki, Galileo, and Me: A Blog of Threes
That's a strange trio in my title: How can I possibly follow it up, bring those three long- and far-separated people together? Answer: Read on and find out.
My Lecture On Hyakusen. On Sunday the 3rd of March, at 3 PM (you can remember it by: 3rd of 3rd month at 3--three threes), I will lecture at the Berkeley Art Museum on the early Nanga artist Sakaki Hyakusen (1697-1752), about whom I wrote, years ago, a book-length study that was the first monograph on him. The lecture, titled "Mr. Sakaki and Me: Two Frustrated Sinophiles," is occasioned by our acquisition of a pair of landscape screens by Hyakusen--they are on view in Gallery C, along with a few other paintings by him and his followers Taiga and Buson (three artists). Come if you are in the East Bay area and have the time free. The English version of my writing on Hyakusen is out of print, but the "Conclusion" from it, summing up my findings, will be printed soon on this website (under "Illustrated Writings") for the benefit mainly of those who hear my lecture and want to read this "Conclusion" in full--I will only summarize it there.
Galileo and Me. Does that sound like a pretty unlikely pairing, even more unlikely than the one with Mr. Sakaki? Indeed it is, and yet... In the article by Adam Gopnik titled "The Moon Man: What Galileo Saw," in The New Yorker for Feb. 11 and 18, I read a passage in a philosophical allegory that Galileo wrote about the differences in thinking between himself and the orthodox Catholic churchmen of his time that sounded a responsive and congenial chord in my head. "'What can you trust?' asks the character Salviati (representing Galileo himself), 'only some fluid sense impression and strong argument. Therefore, Simplicius, come . . . with arguments and demonstrations . . . and bring us no more Texts and authorities, for our disputes are about the Sensible World, and not one of Paper.'
Translate that into my world of Chinese paintings and the visual/verbal controversy over how to look at those paintings and write about them, and we have: What can we trust? Only the sense impressions we receive from looking at the paintings, and the intellectual formulations and convictions raised by looking at them. Bring us no more [old Chinese] Texts and authorities, for our disputes should be about the Sensible World [of the paintings themselves], and not one of Paper--the paper on which those old texts are printed and preserved.
Galileo narrowly escaped torture and death by recanting what in fact he knew to be true: that the earth moves around the sun. The Chinese texts on painting tell us that it was the scholar-amateur artists who did the finest paintings, the ones we should pay attention to, because of those men's superior cultural refinements, and that we should judge the paintings by their individualistic and expressive brushwork, not by any technical or representational excellence. Will Cahill, who doesn't believe those items of Orthodox dogma to be entirely true, ever recant? Don't hold your breath. Will he be burned at the stake? Only metaphorically, thank the [figurative] lord.
P.S. My daughter Sarah, whose knowledge and abilities and energy seem inexhaustible, read the above when I emailed it to her earlier tonight, enjoyed it, and emailed me this:
"Hi Dad- Your Galileo and Me is marvelous, and the parallels certainly ring true.
Another one might be that you both turned down University Professorships at Harvard, except that I just googled that fact to try to get more information, and instead got the Snopes website, a collection of false rumors and urban myths:
"So maybe that one isn't true after all, but it's not completely known, apparently."
True or not, it's an appropriate addition to my blog, so I append it here, with credits to Sarah, as another parallel: Galileo preferred to stay at the U. of Pisa (where he had the Leaning Tower to use in his experiments), I preferred to stay at U.C. Berkeley, in the shadow of the Campanile. Objection: "But the Campanile doesn't lean!" Response: "Well, maybe only slightly." Or, better: "Nu, so it doesn't lean!" (The latter is an esoteric allusion to the ending of my favorite Jewish joke "Nu, so it doesn't whistle!"--see under Reminiscences no. 85, "My Stock of Old Jokes," in which this is the first item.)
From March 6th until the 26th I will have three (there it is again!) house-guests, Professor Zhang Jian who is Librarian of the Art History Dept. at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou and his two assistants. They will be listing (for Chinese Customs) and arranging to ship most of my library, several (three?) thousand books, which I'm presenting to them. This Cahill Library will join the Ernst Gombrich Library already there, which that great art historian directed should go to them on his death. (About Gombrich, my knowing him, and his association with the China Academy, see Reminiscence no. 76.) I will write more about this large project in future blogs.
One of the distinguished company of extraordinary students whom I had the honor of teaching during my long years at U.C. Berkeley (mostly women--as I've noted before, the men tended to go where the money is, and that wasn't U.C. Berkeley) was Jane Debevoise.
Fig 1.
I could--and should--write a long account of her during her years in Berkeley and afterwards-about how she went first to Princeton with a full four-year fellowship, and there was given some of my writings to read, and decided she'd rather get it "from the horse's mouth," giving up the fellowship and coming to Berkeley to join my mostly-unfunded group. Or about how, later, when the big Chinese art show at the Guggenheim was foundering because of Sherman Lee's stroke, they had the good sense to call in Jane, who was then living in New York (Brooklyn), and she took charge, enlisting help mainly from former Cahill students and organizing the whole operation with such impressive success that they appointed her a Vice-Director of the Guggenheim, a position she could have continued in. But Jane had other, loftier goals that didn't involve sloping spiral ramps where you have to stand leaning (like the Tower of Pisa) to look at the art. She later took her doctorate at the University of Hong Kong, and is now about to publish a book titled "Between State and Market: Chinese Contemporary Art in the Post-Mao Era." I read an earlier version of this, at her request, and made suggestions for supplementing it, some of which she presumably adopted. I'll write more about the book after I've read some of it. Meanwhile, here is a photograph of Jane lecturing (Fig. 1) and another that she sent me of herself beside Mae Anna Pang, taken in Canberra (Fig. 2). (I could add a lovely photo I received recently on a Chinese New Year's card, showing Jane's four children standing together: right after she and her husband had adopted a Chinese girl baby, Jane found herself pregnant with--you guessed it--triplets!)
Fig. 2
Mae Anna Pang (the third of the three women who are featured in this blog) was one of that remarkable seminar group of eight women who produced the "Restless Landscape" exhibition of late Ming painting and its catalog. She was also my first Ph.D., finishing her dissertation after she had moved to Melbourne with her husband, who went there to take a job. I have told, elsewhere, the story of how Mae Anna managed, all at once while in the hospital, to carry out a large-scale and excellent purchase of Chinese paintings for her museum from C.C.Wang, to finish her dissertation, and to have the boy baby that her husband's family was demanding. A triple achievement: there we are again!
How blessed I have been in my students! On that upbeat and entirely true thought I end this blog, finished in the early morning of this 23nd day of February, 2013 (don't miss those threes!). as written by JAMES CAHILL
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This is very cool. The remote sensing work to confirm the hypothesis is elegant.
I wonder, if the hypothesis is actually proven, or do we only call it proven when one of our machines or a human takes a physical sample and confirms water and perchlorate salts.
This makes me wonder if future explorers could, as part of a water production facility, use the extracted salts as a component for fuel for the return trip to Earth. I suppose it would depend on the source of the water (underground versus atmospheric) the exact composition of the salts and how easily they can be extracted.
This discovery gives me hope that we will go to Mars, and that someday we'll have self sustaining colonies there.
This is progress and perhaps this discovery will spark a whole new generation of scientists.
Yes, I'm a geek, I love science and NASA!
I also learned something else during this morning's announcement.
Under no circumstances should you monitor the Twitter #askNASA hashtag during the announcement of a discovery.
You're suddenly exposed to a planet full of (paraphrasing Marvin here) "depressingly stupid people."
Honestly, some of the questions were so stupid as to actually cause brain damage, which is a mercy since the damage occurs in the hippocampus and effectively erases the memory of the question instantly.
The effect leaves a trace of revulsion and disgust, which I suspect is the brain's way of preventing further assault,without having to process the stupidity again.
In my case I shut down Twitter and the feeling passed immediately.
What was it The Keeper of Talos IV said? "Punishment and Reward, you'll find it's an effective combination."
Reward your favorite Scientist with a hug or compliment today.


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Compass Testing Information
ALL students who are degree seeking or full-time at Western Wyoming Community College must take the COMPASS test. The test is designed to determine the student's level of ability. The College's aim is to place the student in the course best suited to meet his/her particular skills. COMPASS can help in determining your strengths and challenges in the areas of writing, reading and math. These are not graded exams and will not keep you out of Western. The results simply aid in identifying starting courses that will best suit your abilities.
COMPASS is a completely computerized test. The test is adaptive, meaning that it administers questions based on your answers. If you answer easy questions correctly, then the computer will move on to questions that are more difficult.
The test is divided into three parts:
Mathematics: This can consist of questions ranging from numerical skills to trigonometry. The questions based on previous questions until it can determine the appropriate math placement.
Writing: This consists of several passages that must be revised. The passages contain errors of usage and mechanics or rhetorical skills.
Reading: This provides a passage for the student to read, after which, you will answer questions about material directly stated in the passage. You will also be asked questions that you must infer the appropriate answer from the given information.
WWCC English, Reading, and Math Placement Chart
Math Associate of Arts Degree Flowcharts
To register to take the Compass Placement Exam call (307) 382-1600 and schedule a time.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at: firstname.lastname@example.com.


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How Are You Affecting The World?
"We are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we are so deeply interconnected with one another." — Ram Dass
Did you ever stop to think that everything you do, say, feel, think is affecting the entire universe? And, all people from all ages everywhere and everywhen likewise have and will affect the whole.
We hear the words – we are one. We all exist in the same field – and, that field has existed since the beginning – whenever that was. The vibration of the field or the character of the field is determined by our states of mind, our actions, our feelings. It is a composite of the energy of all beings across all times. A sort of repository. If I am angry – the vibration in the field is altered – minutely – altered. If I am filled with love – the vibration is also altered.
There have been many scientific studies showing when a new skill is learned by an animal on one side of the globe, the skill will spontaneously be expressed by animals on the other side of the world. Scientists believe this may happen due to organizing fields that have an inherent memory. This idea – morphic fields – was first proposed several years ago. It is theorized there may be some sort of collective memory specific to each species. Sound familiar?
Carl Jung put forth the theory of the collective unconscious. The theory, in part, states we may have some communion with some divine or world mind. The collective unconscious may be a body of unconscious energy that lives forever.
Edgar Cayce, a modern prophet, spoke of the one mind. He said there is one mind and we all share it. Our individual, personal conscious mind is a part of the one mind. Today we might say the transpersonal mind – the mind has a life beyond what appears in individual persons. It is a reality in itself.
Air is transpersonal. You have your air and I have mine. And yet, air is everywhere. One large body of air we all share. Air quality these days is a big topic of discussion. There is only one air – there is only one mind. Energy quality in the mind may be comparable to air quality?
Rupert Sheldrake has developed a theory of morphic resonance. He presents a vision of transpersonal reality of mind similar to Cayce's perspective. The more people that are able to conceive of an idea – the easier it becomes for others to have the same idea. Data collected from 1918 to 1989 showed that IQ scores in the US have been rising for decades by 30% or more. Scientists have put forth many ideas about why this is happening. Maybe it's the field – the one mind – morphic fields?
Imagine your brain as a TV set. Imagine the broadcast airwaves to be the one mind or energy in the morphic field. Ideas are vibrational patterns in those waves. Your brain tunes into ideas that are in the air. The one mind is a reality in itself independent of your brain or body.
Now, mainstream science still doesn't get it. That doesn't mean the new theories are wrong. They simply haven't gained enough energy in the field quite yet. You see? We each change the field every second.
Do you want world peace, as I do? Ask yourself whether your actions, words, feelings and thoughts are peaceful or not? What energy or information are you adding to the field every day? How are you affecting the world?


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This was a great experience. The staff was accomodating, funny and nice. The breakfast was actually real, hot, and good. We will be back. I wish all hotels met their standards. Way to go holiday inn! Coming back soon.
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For many years the best choice to travel abroad was to hire an operator established in your own country, the reason?, the confidence you have in people like your own and of course it is easier to complain and probably ask your money back from companies that are under the same country laws rather than trying to get honest response from some unknown guys from a third world country.
The truth is that some international travel agencies have enough contacts with drivers and porters to organize their own trips, but besides accomplishing the planned itinerary, foreign guides and tour leaders cannot provide a deep inside into the local culture &, history.
Bolivia has recently experienced a surge in Adventure Travel. There are dozens if not hundreds of new agencies popping up everywhere in the country. As the tourist population arises, problems grow and more unattended complaints have been reported to the "Tourism Police". While the prices spiral down and casualties grow in numbers, we have maintained our professional level of service as we have done since 1992. In this industry you really "get what you pay for". It is not worth to gamble with your safety by settling for the lowest price. Not to mention, it won't be as fun.
We are professionals, and we do not just operate "tours" because of the money; we do it because we love nature, the adventure and are proud of our job. We can guarantee, without any doubt, that you will not be able to find a better adventure service in the area, not only because of the good standard of our services, but also because of the experience and knowledge you will get from our local guides.
For many years we have been known for being the best mountaineering service in the region. We still are, but now we offer a wider variety of trips and in several countries of South America (Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Argentina). The early mountaineering years have shaped our spirit and defined our style. That is why safety is our main concern. As we operate in isolated areas, we do not take any risks and always play it safe. All of our staff and not only guides take part of the training on safety matters. On mountaineering trips we only work with UIAGM/IFMGA professional Mountain Guides.
As we do not like crowds, and we know most of our clients don't either, we usually operate off the beaten path. Every year we look for new destinations and design new itineraries exploring different tracks and roads to get there. Of course we also travel to some destinations that have become well known and are worth the visit.
When traveling with us, our guides will not only lead you along the Pre-Colonial Trails, through the jungle or across the glaciers; they will take you on a trip inside the local life. You will learn about the history, the culture, the politics, and the daily life and to top it all you will have a taste of the local cuisine.
If you want to have a second opinion, please have a look to the Testimonial's page in our website or ask for References to some of our clients.