Color Staining Research Articles

Colour adaptive generative networks for stain normalisation of histopathology images.

Deep learning has shown its effectiveness in histopathology image analysis, such as pathology detection and classification. However, stain colour variation in Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained histopathology images poses challenges in effectively training deep learning-based algorithms. To alleviate this problem, stain normalisation methods have been proposed, with most of the recent methods utilising generative adversarial networks (GAN). However, these methods are either trained fully with paired images from the target domain (supervised) or with unpaired images (unsupervised), suffering from either large discrepancy between domains or risks of undertrained/overfitted models when only the target domain images are used for training. In this paper, we introduce a colour adaptive generative network (CAGAN) for stain normalisation which combines both supervised learning from target domain and unsupervised learning from source domain. Specifically, we propose a dual-decoder generator and force consistency between their outputs thus introducing extra supervision which benefits from extra training with source domain images. Moreover, our model is immutable to stain colour variations due to the use of stain colour augmentation. We further implement histogram loss to ensure the processed images are coloured with the target domain colours regardless of their content differences. Extensive experiments on four public histopathology image datasets including TCGA-IDH, CAMELYON16, CAMELYON17 and BreakHis demonstrate that our proposed method produces high quality stain normalised images which improve the performance of benchmark algorithms by 5% to 10% compared to baselines not using normalisation.

Effect of dye bath pH in dyeing of cotton knitted fabric with reactive dye (Remazol Yellow RR) in exhaust method: impact on color strength, chromatic values and fastness properties

The significance of textile coloration is inevitable as coloration is a critical process and it can be affected by several parameters i. e. time, temperature, pH, and liquor ratio (M:L). This research reveals the behavior of different dye bath pH (2 to 12) on the basis of spectrophotometric characteristics and colorfastness using the most useable brand of reactive dye in Bangladesh i. e. Remazol Yellow RR. Earlier researches were performed on the basis of other coloration controlling factors i. e. temperature, time and liquor ratio (M:L) where pH acts as the dependent variable. However in this study, pH was taken as an independent variable where lower pH (2, 4 and 6), medium pH (8 and 10) and higher pH (12) were taken into consideration for verifying the dyeing performance. Meanwhile, the mentioned pH was achieved by adding acetic acid, soda ash and caustic soda respectively. In this study, the impact of pH is analyzed on the basis of color strength, chromaticity, hue angle, CIELAB color space, spectrophotometric image, reflectance percentage and color fastness tests i. e color fastness to rubbing, color fastness to wash, color fastness to perspiration, color fastness to light. Gradually elevated pH boosts up the color strength and chromaticity, at the same time downgrades of hue angle results orangish tone in the dyed fabric. Even more, the lightness of dyed fabric decreases and redness rises with the increment of dyebath pH which results in orangish red darker tone of dyed fabric. Consequently, fabric dyed at acidic dye bath pH exhibits higher resistance in case of color change and color staining from the dyed fabric and multifiber fabric respectively and vice versa.

Deep learning-based fully automated intelligent and precise diagnosis for melanocytic lesions

Melanocytic lesions occur on the surface of the skin, in which the malignant type is melanoma with a high fatality rate, seriously endangering human health. The histopathological analysis is the gold standard for diagnosis of melanocytic lesions. In this study, a fully automated intelligent diagnosis method based on deep learning was proposed to classify the pathological whole slide images (WSI) of melanocytic lesions. Firstly, the color normalization based on CycleGAN neural network was performed on multi-center pathological WSI; Secondly, ResNet-152 neural network-based deep convolutional network prediction model was built using 745 WSI; Then, a decision fusion model was cascaded, which calculates the average prediction probability of each WSI; Finally, the diagnostic performance of the proposed method was verified by internal and external test sets containing 182 and 54 WSI, respectively. Experimental results showed that the overall diagnostic accuracy of the proposed method reached 94.12% in the internal test set and exceeded 90% in the external test set. Furthermore, the color normalization method adopted was superior to the traditional color statistics-based and staining separation-based methods in terms of structure preservation and artifact suppression. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve high precision and strong robustness in pathological WSI classification of melanocytic lesions, which has the potential in promoting the clinical application of computer-aided pathological diagnosis.

Color Stains on Paper: Fungal Pigments, Synthetic Dyes and Their Hypothetical Removal by Enzymatic Approaches

Fungi are the main contaminants of books and archival documents. In addition to their degrading power, offered by various types of lignolytic and cellulolytic enzymes, they can also hue the surface of the paper through the production of pigments. The fungi on paper release various types of pigments belonging mostly to two chemical groups (polyketides and carotenoids), which cause unpleasant anaesthetic stains. The paper surface can also be hued with several synthetic colors, which are part, for example, of stamps and inks. These synthetic colors could be degraded by lignin-modifying enzymes (LMEs) and also by dye-decolorizing peroxidases (DyPs). Therefore, the mechanism of action of LEMs and DyPs is illustrated. Moreover, we have examined the potentiality of LEMs and DyPs to remove the synthetic stains and also their hypothetical application in order to clean the fungal hues from the paper surface. Our review article, using the enzymatic removal parallelism between fungal and synthetic pigments, would like to show prospective solutions to this arduous problem.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MULTIPARAMETRIC ULTRASOUND TECHNIQUES IN THE DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF THYROID CANCER

The aim of the study is to determine the value of multiparametric ultrasound examination in the differential diagnosis of thyroid cancer. The results of a multiparametric ultrasound examination performed in 219 patients with thyroid cancer at the stage of preoperative assessment are analyzed. There were 123 patients with papillary thyroid cancer, 96 patients with follicular thyroid cancer. All patients underwent multiparametric ultrasound examination in grey-scale mode, color Doppler mapping mode and elastography mode: compression elastography and shear wave elastography. In papillary thyroid cancer, two–color staining was found in 13.4% of cases, three–color staining – in 19.3%, four-color staining – in 28.7%, five-color staining – in 26.4%, six–color staining – in 12.2%. The pattern was dominated by "cold" tones. The velocity of the shear wave was 4.61±1.33 m/s (95% CI), Young's modulus was 63.3±14.7 kPa (95% CI), the elasticity index (strain ratio) was 4.89±1.65 (95% CI) c.u. The color scheme of follicular thyroid cancer was characterized by patchiness, the presence of both rigid and elastic areas. In 2 cases (14.3%) there was two-color staining, in 4 (28.6%) – three-color staining, in 8 (57.1%) – four-color and five-color staining. The velocity of the shear wave was 4,53±1,25 m/s (95% CI), Young's modulus was 62,1±12,1 kPa (95% CI), the elasticity index (strain ratio) was 3,76±0,76 (95% CI) c.u. Thus, the study showed that the complex use of multiparametric ultrasound examination techniques (B-mode, color Doppler mapping, compression elastography, shear wave elastography) is highly informative and should be used in the differential diagnosis of thyroid cancer in the preoperative assessment. Thus, the performed examination showed that the complex application of multiparametric ultrasound techniques (V, mode, CDM, CEG, ESP) is highly informative and should be used in the differential diagnosis of thyroid cancer in the preoperative period.

Effect of Carbon Source Variations on Growth, Physiological Stress, and Saponin Levels of <i>Talinum paniculatum</i> Gaertn. Adventitious Roots

Monosaccharide and disaccharide as carbon sources can affect the production of secondary metabolites. The study aims to determine the effect of variations in carbon sources on growth, physiological stress, and saponin levels of the adventitious roots of Talinum paniculatum Gaerthn. Adventitious roots are subculture in liquid MS medium treated with various sugars: 3% sucrose, 3% glucose, 3% fructose, 3% lactose, 3% maltose, 3% dextrose, sucrose + fructose (1.5% + 1.5%), sucrose + glucose (1.5% + 1.5%), glucose + fructose (1.5% + 1.5%), sucrose + dextrose (1.5% + 1.5%) for 6 weeks. The results of this study show that the 3% fructose treatment produces the highest fresh and dry biomass, which are 1.30 g and 0.23 g compared to the control. The morphology of adventitious roots in the treatment of carbon source variation is not different from the control treatment. The highest MDA (malondialdehyde) levels are found in the sucrose + fructose treatment (1.5% + 1.5%). Meanwhile, the highest proline levels are found in the 3% maltose treatment. Saponin levels analyzed using thin layer chromatography show the data in the form of color intensity and stain area based on ImageJ software analysis. The 3% fructose treatment shows the highest color intensity and stain area compared to the control. Variations in carbon sources affect physiological stress, biomass, and saponin levels of adventitious roots of T. paniculatum, but do not effect on root morphology.

Isolation and characterization of indigenous copper resistant bacteria from Yogyakarta tannery factory waste

The leather tanning industry is one of the industries that causes environmental damage because one of the processes uses copper to produce products such as bags, jackets, and shoes. Copper bioremediation using indigenous bacteria is an effective solution to the problem of pollution because it utilizes bacteria isolated from the polluted environment. This study aims to isolate and characterize copper-resistant bacteria from the waste of the Yogyakarta Tannery Industry. The medium used was Luria Bertani Agar with the addition of 3 mM CuSO4. The characterization carried out included the characterization of colony and cell morphology such as color, edges, optical appearance, cell shape, and Gram staining. The isolation results obtained eight isolates of copper-resistant bacteria, namely Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5, Y6, Y7, and Y8. Isolates Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5, and Y8 were Gram positive bacteria while isolates Y5 and Y6 were Gram negative bacteria. Colonies of isolates Y1, Y3, Y4, Y8 greenish color indicates the accumulation of copper in the cells as a mechanism of resistance. The discovery of isolates of copper-resistant bacteria from samples of the tannery industry waste is a useful study as an initial study to obtain isolates of Indonesian indigenous copper-resistant bacteria to be further developed as a copper bioremediation agent in the treatment of copper waste in the leather tanning industry.

Printing Effects of Different Natural Colourants on Cotton Fabric

Natural colourants were widely employed in the ancient world to colour cotton garments. With the revolution of synthetic dyes, natural dyes have lost their position in respect of some performance. However, nowadays the demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products is increasing worldwide due to the awareness of ecological balance. The purpose of this study is to utilize natural colourants in printing on cotton fabric. In this regard, the colourants were extracted from myrobalan fruit, pomegranate peel and catechu, which were eventually applied to the fabric by screen printing technique. The print paste was prepared with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a natural thickener and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a synthetic thickener. The stability of the print paste was studied with respect to time elapse by viscosity measurement. The depth of shade and colour fastness of the printed fabric were measured. K/S value was evaluated with respect to the stability of print paste. The viscosity was changed slightly in both the CMC and PVA thickener with respect to the stability of the print paste. The washing fastness grades for colour staining wash ranged from 4 to 5, rubbing fastness grades of dry rubbing also ranged from 4 to 5, wet rubbing fastness was 3/4 to 4/5 as well as perspiration fastness grades in alkaline, and in acidic it was 3/4 to 5. Thus, myrobalan fruit, pomegranate peel and catechu have shown excellent performance in printing on cotton textiles, which could be an alternative to the synthetic counterpart.

Evaluating Three Histochemical Stains (Solochrome Azurine Stain (Asa), Walton Stain, and Modified Hematoxylin) used in Tissue Aluminium Detection.

Aluminium in recent times has been considered a possible risk factor in some diseases in humans, animals and plants, and exposure to aluminium may pose a health hazard. Studies have pointed to the fact that increasing acidification of the environment has made aluminium more bio-available and therefore, able to cause disturbances in the function of human and animal organisms. More importantly also, is the use of aluminium as based adjuvants in human vaccinations, and its fate being unclear. Our study aimed to evaluate histochemical stains currently used to detect Al in tissue samples for their sensitivity using agar blocks as a preliminary study to validate the Walton histological stain use in detecting aluminium toxicity in fish. Visual estimation (colour change and staining intensity) of aluminium-stained sections using the Solochrome Azurine stain (ASA), Walton stain, and the modified haematoxylin were carried out. All three stains indicated the presence or absence of aluminium through colour changes, but the ASA gave more distinct dose- response intensity in staining.

THE GENETIC NATURE OF MUTATIONAL CHANGES ARISING IN THE FORM-FORMATION PROCESS OF WHEAT

Increasing the yield of wheat by improving its genotype is one of the most pressing problems of agriculture and the economy. Currently, the usage of traditional breeding methods and the results of genetic investigations, such as conduction of saturating crosses, remote hybridization and experimental mutagenesis, increases the efficiency of producing genetically modified and enriched forms of wheat. In field and under controlled laboratory conditions, the effect of a surfactant on the heritable characteristics of 10 varieties of spring soft wheat was studied. After processing of wheat seeds with an aqueous surfactant solution (0.1%), we could observe the inherited changes, which are manifested in the appearance in M1, M2, F2 and BC1 of tall, potent plants with productive bushiness and various morphological characteristics that differ from the original varieties. The effect of surfactants is manifested on the morphological features of plants: bushiness, crankiness of the stem, anthocyanin stain color. During the process of meiosis, the spindle of the division of the metaphase plate, the coalescence of chr omosomes in MI, and the presence of empty (sterile) cells in AI and AII meiosis were observed. The signs of altered forms are stably transmitted in the M2 generation.

Toluidine blue staining in the localisation of the resected root fragments during the third molar surgery

Aim: To evaluate the efficiency of Toluidine blue in the staining of the resected root fragments during third molar surgery. Materials And Methods: A sample containing the root and attached bone fragment was used. 0.2 percent of the toluidine blue was used for staining the sample. The stain was washed off from the sample and the intensity of stain colour on the root and bone fragments were observed with a naked eye under daylight . Results: The bone fragment stained in light blue colour whereas the root stained in a dark blue colour Conclusion: In this in vitro study, we conclude that toluidine blue can be used in the localisation of the resected root fragments. However, its safety when used intraorally in proximity to the bone needs to be further evaluated.

Abstract 2040: Invisible chromogens expand brightfield multiplexing and enable combined protein expression and morphological analysis

Abstract Anatomical pathology relies upon visual evaluation of clinical specimens using brightfield microscopy. This necessarily utilizes histological stains and immunohistochemical (IHC) chromogens that absorb visible light, between 430 and 690 nm. To complement the visible stains, we developed chromogens for use in IHC that absorb light outside the visible range, and imaging methods for detecting dyes absorbing from the ultraviolet (UV) through the near infrared (NIR). Invisible chromogens partnered with conventional visible stains on the same slide provides complementary information, enabling pathologists to gain deeper insights from a patient’s tissue. Methods: Invisible IHC was performed using conventional antibodies and antibody-enzyme conjugates utilizing covalently deposited chromogens absorbing in the UV and NIR. This was combined with IHC using visible chromogens or histological stains. Resulting stained specimens were evaluated interactively in real-time using a dual-camera microscope system comprising color and monochrome cameras, or by recording single microscope fields using multispectral imaging and the monochrome camera. Results: Multiplex IHC was performed with different combinations of visible and invisible chromogens, with the highest level of multiplexing - 7 biomarkers + hematoxylin counterstain (5 visible IHC chromogens plus a UV and an NIR chromogen) - demonstrated on a formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) prostate tumor. Images of each stain were recorded using multispectral imaging, and staining patterns were concordant with single stain DAB analysis on serial sections. In addition to increased IHC multiplexing capacity, multiplexing of IHC with histological stain was demonstrated by combining an NIR absorbing chromogen, identifying MART-1 expression, with H&E staining on FFPE melanoma specimens. The dual-camera microscope presented video of the visible H&E staining (color) next to the NIR IHC staining (monochrome) on the computer monitor as the specimen was manually scanned. Archiving was afforded by multispectral imaging which also enabled quantitative analysis. An additional advantage of the NIR chromogen was the suppression of melanin pigment, the absorbance of which was significantly reduced in the NIR. Other conventional stains multiplexed with invisible IHC on colon, lung, pancreas, and tonsil FFPE tissues also showed good separation of conventional and IHC staining. Conclusion: Taking advantage of invisible chromogens, IHC multiplexing capacity can be increased and conventional histological stains can be combined with IHC on a single slide. Clinical benefits include saving precious specimen, enabling differentiation of cell populations by simultaneous expression of multiple biomarkers, and providing biomarker expression within the cellular and morphological context of conventional stains. Citation Format: Larry E. Morrison, Mark R. Lefever, Lauren J. Behman, Monesh J. Kapadia, Daniel R. Bauer. Invisible chromogens expand brightfield multiplexing and enable combined protein expression and morphological analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2040.

Investigation on fastness properties of plated interlock knitted fabrics

A study was conducted on eri silk/micro denier polyester/bamboo and eri silk/micro denier polyester/tencel plated interlock knitted fabrics with disperse and reactive dyes and also to test the color fastness properties of these selected eri silk plated knitted fabrics. All dyed samples were subjected to wash fastness, light fastness, perspiration, rubbing; dry cleaning, chlorine and non chlorine bleach and hot pressing tests. Results indicated very good and excellent wash fastness to color change and color staining. The values showed that eri silk/micro denier polyester/bamboo and eri silk/micro denier polyester/tencel plated knitted fabrics were better in case of samples dyed with required disperse and reactive dyes. It can be concluded that the eri silk/micro denier polyester/bamboo and eri silk/micro denier polyester/tencel plated interlock fabrics have excellent color fastness properties.

Sepsis Encephalopathy Is Partly Mediated by miR370-3p-Induced Mitochondrial Injury but Attenuated by BAM15 in Cecal Ligation and Puncture Sepsis Male Mice.

BAM15 (a mitochondrial uncoupling agent) was tested on cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) sepsis mice with in vitro experiments. BAM15 attenuated sepsis as indicated by survival, organ histology (kidneys and livers), spleen apoptosis (activated caspase 3), brain injury (SHIRPA score, serum s100β, serum miR370-3p, brain miR370-3p, brain TNF-α, and apoptosis), systemic inflammation (cytokines, cell-free DNA, endotoxemia, and bacteremia), and blood–brain barrier (BBB) damage (Evan’s blue dye and the presence of green fluorescent E. coli in brain after an oral administration). In parallel, brain miR arrays demonstrated miR370-3p at 24 h but not 120 h post-CLP, which was correlated with metabolic pathways. Either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or TNF-α upregulated miR370-3p in PC12 (neuron cells). An activation by sepsis factors (LPS, TNF-α, or miR370-3p transfection) damaged mitochondria (fluorescent color staining) and reduced cell ATP, possibly through profound mitochondrial activity (extracellular flux analysis) that was attenuated by BAM15. In bone-marrow-derived macrophages, LPS caused mitochondrial injury, decreased cell ATP, enhanced glycolysis activity (extracellular flux analysis), and induced pro-inflammatory macrophages (iNOS and IL-1β) which were neutralized by BAM15. In conclusion, BAM15 attenuated sepsis through decreased mitochondrial damage, reduced neuronal miR370-3p upregulation, and induced anti-inflammatory macrophages. BAM15 is proposed to be used as an adjuvant therapy against sepsis hyperinflammation.

Novel synthesis of reactive disperse dyes for dyeing and antibacterial finishing of cotton fabric under scCO2

In this work, four series of azo thiazole dye derivatives (4a to 4d) have been effectively synthesized using readily available starting materials and applied to color and polish cotton fabrics under supercritical carbon dioxide fluid. The new dyes have been analyzed using elemental analysis and standard spectroscopy methods. They are evaluated for hostility to pseudomonas, Escherichia coli, bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus using the cup plate strategy at different DMSO concentrations. Remarkable results were obtained for antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus (G+ bacteria), and pseudomonas, Escherichia coli (G− bacteria) compared with selected antibiotics as a reference standard. Five process variables were investigated: pressure, temperature, dye concentration, time, and organic electrolyte concentration. All four dyes demonstrated excellent washing, rubbing, and perspiration fastness (color change and staining grade of 5). Outstanding different color hues and excellent leveling properties were shown on cotton fabric.

Innovative Plant-Based Mordants and Colorants for Application on Cotton Fabric

ABSTRACT Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promote the utilization of renewable materials and processing methodologies for achieving circularity in the fashion industry production. Hence, the research was initiated to investigate the innovative and renewable plant-based sources of mordants and colorants for textiles that benefit the environment and human health alike. The research examinations established mugwort herb, rue herb, black cherry stems, and hops flower as a sustainable and innovative source of mordants and colorants on cotton fabrics. The Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) analysis of 6% stock herbal infusions identified the highest levels of copper and ferrous content in hops flower, and black cherry stems of 6.5 mg/l and 11 mg/l respectively as a prospective renewable and innovative source of mordants and colorants. Their applications on textiles would prevent the fatal mining and depletion of mineral ores of copper and ferrous elements, and metal toxicity to the ecosystem would be combated. Very good rub fastness and wash fastness to color staining, on the other hand, fair lightfastness ratings were gained. The cotton fabrics pre-treated with black cherry stems and colored with hops flowers exhibited the minimum transmittance percentage in the UVB region at 12.98% therefore practically appropriate for summer wear. Evaluation of ecological parameters, ATR-FTIR study of herbs and their treated fabrics, and Life Cycle Analysis is recommended for future work.

Bayesian K-SVD for H and E blind color deconvolution. Applications to stain normalization, data augmentation and cancer classification.

Stain variation between images is a main issue in the analysis of histological images. These color variations, produced by different staining protocols and scanners in each laboratory, hamper the performance of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems that are usually unable to generalize to unseen color distributions. Blind color deconvolution techniques separate multi-stained images into single stained bands that can then be used to reduce the generalization error of CAD systems through stain color normalization and/or stain color augmentation. In this work, we present a Bayesian modeling and inference blind color deconvolution framework based on the K-Singular Value Decomposition algorithm. Two possible inference procedures, variational and empirical Bayes are presented. Both provide the automatic estimation of the stain color matrix, stain concentrations and all model parameters. The proposed framework is tested on stain separation, image normalization, stain color augmentation, and classification problems.

Effect of finishing protocols and staining solutions on color stability of dental resin composites.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of finishing protocol and exposure to staining solutions on color stability of dental resin composites.Materials and MethodsA nanofill and microhybrid composite, three finishing protocols (mylar, Soflex disc, and white polishing stone) and four staining solutions (tea, red wine, khat extract—two concentrations, control—distilled water) were evaluated. A digital spectrophotometer was used for color change (ΔE) measurements employing the CIE‐Lab‐color system. Paired/independent‐sample t test and two‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's honestly significant difference posthoc test were used for inferential statistics at α = .05.Results Soflex finish was associated with least staining and comparable color stability for the two materials in tea and red wine. In Khat 2, microhybrid composite had statistically significant better color stability than nanofill for Soflex finish (14 days t = 3.270, p = .011). For microhybrid composite, mylar resulted in highest mean ΔE, whereas Soflex recorded the least in all staining solutions. For nanofill composite, white stone resulted in highest mean ΔE, whereas Soflex demonstrated the least mean ΔE in all staining solutions, except red wine where mylar demonstrated the least mean ΔE. For mylar finish, nanofill demonstrated statistically significant better color stability than microhybrid in both red wine (14 days t = 4.902, p = .001) and Khat 1 (14 days t = 3.252, p = .012). For stone finish, microhybrid demonstrated statistically significant better color stability than nanofill in all staining solutions (14 days t ≥ 4.785, p ≤ .001). Two‐way ANOVA showed a statistically significant difference in mean ΔE between and within specimens (F = 42.658, p < .001). All staining solutions caused clinically unacceptable discoloration for mylar and white stone finish. For Soflex finish, red wine produced clinically unacceptable color difference beyond 48 h.ConclusionThere was a difference in color stability of resin composites depending on filler type, further influenced by finishing protocol. Soflex disc finish results in better color stability than mylar and white stone in both microhybrid and nanofill composites.Clinical significanceEsthetic dental restorations such as resin composites are routine in contemporary restorative practice. Color stability of composites may be influenced by surface finish, dependent on the filler type, and consumption of chromogenic substances such as khat. To prolong their service, selection of suitable finishing protocols is an important consideration.

FUNCTIONAL TREATMENTS ON WORSTED WOOL FABRIC: SELF-CLEANING AND MICROCAPSULE FIXATION

In the current climate, more and more functional textiles have been studied in order to meet the requirements of customer tastes, preferences, and behaviors since the sharp expansion of the fashion industry, and wool is not an exception. Wool possesses various ideal properties for high-end fashion designs, however, such material also has posed significant challenges in commodity purposes, e.g. washing, odor control. Besides, wool is a bright candidate for cosmetic finishing as cosmetotextiles. This study presented two aspects of the functional finishing method (self-cleaning and microcapsule fixation) to improve the added value for worsted wool fabrics. The nano TiO2/SiO2 mixtures and microcapsules were finished on wool by the padding method. The functional effectiveness was analyzed by the reduction of the stain's color intensity of commercial wine, coffee, and tea on wool when exposing to sunlight, washing, and odor test. The sample with a microcapsule concentration of 60 g/L - 12 dipping hours had the highest effectiveness for capsule distribution, odor control and remained stable under a 5-time washing impact. Furthermore, TiO2/SiO2 molar ratio of 70/30 yielded the best self-cleaning effectiveness for coffee and tea stains. Briefly, our study created the functional add-valued properties on wool fabrics such as self-cleaning and scent creation for enormous potential in the high-end fashion of wool.

Histological image color normalization using a skewed normal distribution mixed model.

Color variation between histological images may influence the performance of computer-aided histological image analysis. Therefore, among the most essential and challenging tasks in histological image analysis are the reduction of the color variation between images and the preservation of the histological information contained in the images. In recent years, many methods have been introduced with respect to the color normalization of histological images. In this study, we introduce a new clustering method referred to as the skewed normal distribution mixed model clustering algorithm. Realizing that the color distribution of hue values approximates the combination of several skewed normal distributions, we propose to use the skewed normal distribution mixture model to analyze the hue distribution. The proposed skewed normal distribution mixture model clustering algorithm includes saturation-weighted hue histograms because it takes into account the saturation and hue information of a particular histogram image, which can diminish the influence of achromatic pixels. Finally, we conducted extensive experiments based on three data sets and compared them with commonly used color normalization methods. The experiments show that the proposed algorithm has better performance in stain separation and color normalization compared to other methods.