In this paper a new approach for non-rigid image registration using mutual information is introduced. A fast parametric method for non-rigid registration is developed by adjusting divergence and curl of an intermediate vector field from which the deformation field is computed using finite-central difference method. Mutual information is newly employed as the similarity measure in the gradientbased cost minimization (or mutual information maximization) of the existing registration framework. The huge amount of data associated with MRI is handled by a fully automated multi-resolution scheme. The adaptive grid system naturally distributes more grids to deprived areas. The positive monitor function disallows grid folding and provides a mean to control the ratio of the areas between the original and transformed domain. The flexibility of the adaptive grid allocation could dramatically reduce processing time with quality preserved. Mutual information facilitates robust registration between different image modalities. Different types of joint histogram estimation are compared and integrated with the system. This scheme is applied on dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MRI, which requires the registration algorithm to be non-rigid, contrastenhanced features preserving. Preliminary experiments show promising results and great potential for future extension.

Purpose In terms of service hospitality, recent discussions of value-in-use from the perspective of service-dominant logic have focused on the customer’s determination of value and control of the value creation process. The purpose of this paper is to extend these discussions by exploring the value creation process in the Western-style restaurant in Taiwan, which is developed value-in-eat creation for restaurants. In Taiwan, Western-style restaurants are as popular as Chinese restaurants because of globalization and cultural integration. However, to local restaurateurs and managers, managing a Western-style restaurant in terms of localization and hospitality on value-in-eat creation presents both academic and practical issues. Thus, this paper aims to investigate Western-style restaurant hospitality management alternatives on the value-in-eat creation process in Taiwan using a data mining approach. Design/methodology/approach Based on a market survey, a total of 1,187 questionnaires was incorporated into a database. The questionnaire design is divided into 7 parts with 35 items. All questions are designed as nominal and ordinal (not the Likert scale) scales. Data mining approach, including cluster analysis and association rules, cluster analysis is investigated possible customer profiles and association rules is implemented to explore customer preference patterns and rules on the value-in-eat creation process. Findings Data mining results show two patterns including Pattern 1: meal patterns and customer preferences for restaurant hospitality management and Pattern 2: customer relationship management (CRM) for restaurant hospitality management that customer profiles and preferences on meal patterns, service patterns and CRM are engaged to suggest effective Western restaurant hospitality management alternatives, such as proper bundles for restaurant types, meals, exotic atmosphere and services of hospitalities in terms of a value-in-eat creation process. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first study to investigate consumers’ behaviors in Western-style restaurants using the measurement of nominal and ordinal scale for questionnaire development and further to implement a data mining approach on selected data samples. In addition, this study illustrates the patterns/rules of Taiwan customer preferences that best explain the knowledge of how to manage Western-style restaurants from the perspective of customer hospitality using data mining.

High penetration of green energy has driven conventional utility grids into smart grids to accommodate dc appliances and various types of dc equipment, increasing effectiveness, efficiency, and resilience. In a smart grid, ac is harmonized with dc, and therefore, a multi-function converter is required to transfer power between ac and dc grids. This paper presents system configuration, operational principle and control of multi-function high-power converters for smart-grid applications. Simulated and experimental results from a 350 kVA converter are used to verify the feasibility of the proposed system configuration and control.

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