High Information Content Research Articles

The question of differential diagnosis of anemia in diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: High prevalence of anemia in diabetes mellitus (DM) determines the relevance of studying its pathogenetic aspects, the role of anemia in DM complications development and the issue of differential diagnosis between iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and anemia of chronic disease (ACD)).AIM: To establish the diagnostic value of classical parameters for diagnosing anemia in DM and propose an optimized algorithm for the differential diagnosis of ACD and IDA in DM type 1 and 2 using new markers.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The observational, single-centre, comparative, controlled, single-stage study. Patients underwent assessment of glycated hemoglobin, creatinine, microalbuminuria; indicators of iron metabolism — hematocrit, the number of erythrocytes, reticulocytes, hemoglobin, serum iron, transferrin, ferritin, the level of soluble transferrin receptors (sTfR), sTfR/logFerpitin index, and inflammation markers — erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), leukocyte count, high sensitive CRP and TNF-α. ROC-analysis was used to assess the differential diagnosis markers informative content.RESULTS: We examined 135 patients: 51 with DM 1 and 84 with DM 2. The patients were stratified into groups based on anemia type: 1) ACD 2) IDA 3) latent iron deficiency 4) without ferrokinetics disorders. According to the ROC-analysis in DM patients, the following parameters had high information content in ACD. ESR — sensitivity 92%, specificity 85%, diagnostic threshold 26.5 mm/h (area under the curve (AUC) 0.943; p<0.0001); leukocyte count — sensitivity 69%, specificity 64%, diagnostic threshold 7.50x109/l (AUC 0.727; p=0.007), microalbuminuria — sensitivity 71%, specificity 72%, diagnostic threshold 29.5 mg/l (AUC 0.744; p=0.003). In DM sTfR and the sTfR /logFerritin index had high information content in IDA at diagnostic thresholds different from those for general population. The sensitivity of sTfR 71%, the specificity 71%, diagnostic threshold 1.42 ng/mL (2.9 ng/mL for general population) (AUC 0.765; p=0.024). The sensitivity of sTfR/logFerritin index 100%, the specificity 97%, diagnostic threshold 1.48 (2.0 for general population) (AUC 0.983; p=0.024).CONCLUSION: In differential diagnosis of IDA and ACD in DM, ESR, leukocyte count, microalbuminuria, sTfR and sTfR/logFerritin index have a high diagnostic value. This allows proposing them as additional markers for differential diagnosis of anemia in DM.

Multi-sentence video captioning using spatial saliency of video frames and content-oriented beam search algorithm

Video captioning algorithms aim at expressing the information and activities contained in a video clip in the form of lingual sentences. Most existing video captioning approaches have used only one sentence to describe the semantic content of a video. However, one sentence cannot transfer all the semantic information of a video, especially in videos with high informative content. Although a few studies have been conducted for multi-sentence video captioning, such as paragraph and dense captioning, they produce several sentences by focusing on different activities, objects, or temporal parts of a video. However, a video clip with a single object or activity may include a lot of information from different perspectives that can not be described by a single sentence, effectively. To counter the problem, we propose a multi-sentence video captioning algorithm using the spatial saliency of video frames as well as a content-oriented beam search algorithm. In the proposed algorithm, the spatial saliency of video frames is employed during the encoding stage to generate informative sentences by focusing on different parts of video frames. Furthermore, a content-oriented beam search algorithm is employed during the decoding stage to generate informative sentences. A multi-stage filter is also employed to remove the sentences with incorrect structure or sentences that are less relevant to the semantic content of the video. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, two well-known video description databases were used, and the results showed a significant improvement in the evaluation metrics, especially in the best-1 sentences. We also tested the proposed algorithm with several real-life movies.

MALDI HiPLEX-IHC: multiomic and multimodal imaging of targeted intact proteins in tissues.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) is one of the most widely used methods for imaging the spatial distribution of unlabeled small molecules such as metabolites, lipids and drugs in tissues. Recent progress has enabled many improvements including the ability to achieve single cell spatial resolution, 3D-tissue image reconstruction, and the precise identification of different isomeric and isobaric molecules. However, MALDI-MSI of high molecular weight intact proteins in biospecimens has thus far been difficult to achieve. Conventional methods normally require in situ proteolysis and peptide mass fingerprinting, have low spatial resolution, and typically detect only the most highly abundant proteins in an untargeted manner. In addition, MSI-based multiomic and multimodal workflows are needed which can image both small molecules and intact proteins from the same tissue. Such a capability can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the vast complexity of biological systems at the organ, tissue, and cellular levels of both normal and pathological function. A recently introduced top-down spatial imaging approach known as MALDI HiPLEX-IHC (MALDI-IHC for short) provides a basis for achieving this high-information content imaging of tissues and even individual cells. Based on novel photocleavable mass-tags conjugated to antibody probes, high-plex, multimodal and multiomic MALDI-based workflows have been developed to image both small molecules and intact proteins on the same tissue sample. Dual-labeled antibody probes enable multimodal mass spectrometry and fluorescent imaging of targeted intact proteins. A similar approach using the same photocleavable mass-tags can be applied to lectin and other probes. We detail here several examples of MALDI-IHC workflows designed to enable high-plex, multiomic and multimodal imaging of tissues at a spatial resolution as low as 5µm. This approach is compared to other existing high-plex methods such as imaging mass cytometry, MIBI-TOF, GeoMx and CODEX. Finally, future applications of MALDI-IHC are discussed.

In Reply to the Letter to the Editor Regarding “Clinical Utility of Routine Postprocedural Computed Tomography of the Head Following Elective Neuroendovascular Interventions”

Video captioning algorithms aim at expressing the information and activities contained in a video clip in the form of lingual sentences. Most existing video captioning approaches have used only one sentence to describe the semantic content of a video. However, one sentence cannot transfer all the semantic information of a video, especially in videos with high informative content. Although a few studies have been conducted for multi-sentence video captioning, such as paragraph and dense captioning, they produce several sentences by focusing on different activities, objects, or temporal parts of a video. However, a video clip with a single object or activity may include a lot of information from different perspectives that can not be described by a single sentence, effectively. To counter the problem, we propose a multi-sentence video captioning algorithm using the spatial saliency of video frames as well as a content-oriented beam search algorithm. In the proposed algorithm, the spatial saliency of video frames is employed during the encoding stage to generate informative sentences by focusing on different parts of video frames. Furthermore, a content-oriented beam search algorithm is employed during the decoding stage to generate informative sentences. A multi-stage filter is also employed to remove the sentences with incorrect structure or sentences that are less relevant to the semantic content of the video. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, two well-known video description databases were used, and the results showed a significant improvement in the evaluation metrics, especially in the best-1 sentences. We also tested the proposed algorithm with several real-life movies.

Chemical process modelling using the extracted informative data sets based on attenuating excitation inputs

BackgroundOperation designs on rapid developed advanced chemical processes require proper models and parameter identification of these models needs input-output data sets with high information content. The optimal parameter identification experiment requires additional persistently exciting input to excite the chemical process for informative data sets, which ensure the process dynamic information. However, the optimal identification experiment with persistently exciting input is a time-consuming, high-cost task which may interfere with the process operation. As the requirement of low-cost identification, these experiments cannot be applied, some limited external excitations or extracted informative segments from historical data can support chemical process modeling. MethodsAttenuating excitation is a typical limited excitation can be used as identification experiment input. This paper proposed the identification experiments using informative data sets composed of attenuating excitation inputs, designed by users or extracted from historical process data. A goal-orientated hybrid algorithm based on Expectation - Maximization method and Exhaustive method is proposed to achieve rapid and effective informative segments selection and obtain required parameter estimates. This method also can be used to verify the theorical attenuating excitation inputs design. Significant findingsA numerical case and an ethylene distillation column process demonstrate the feasibility of identification with attenuating excitation inputs and the robustness of the proposed algorithm. The result is capable for attenuating excitation input design or historical informative data mining for chemical process modeling, which has less or no impact and cost on chemical normal operations, decreases the process information waste and improves the data utilization.

Identifying lipid particle sub-types in live Caenorhabditis elegans with two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging.

Fat metabolism is an important modifier of aging and longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Given the anatomy and hermaphroditic nature of C. elegans, a major challenge is to distinguish fats that serve the energetic needs of the parent from those that are allocated to the progeny. Broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (BCARS) microscopy has revealed that the composition and dynamics of lipid particles are heterogeneous both within and between different tissues of this organism. Using BCARS, we have previously succeeded in distinguishing lipid-rich particles that serve as energetic reservoirs of the parent from those that are destined for the progeny. While BCARS microscopy produces high-resolution images with very high information content, it is not yet a widely available platform. Here we report a new approach combining the lipophilic vital dye Nile Red and two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (2p-FLIM) for the in vivo discrimination of lipid particle sub-types. While it is widely accepted that Nile Red staining yields unreliable results for detecting lipid structures in live C. elegans due to strong interference of autofluorescence and non-specific staining signals, our results show that simple FLIM phasor analysis can effectively separate those signals and is capable of differentiating the non-polar lipid-dominant (lipid-storage), polar lipid-dominant (yolk lipoprotein) particles, and the intermediates that have been observed using BCARS microscopy. An advantage of this approach is that images can be acquired using common, commercially available 2p-FLIM systems within about 10% of the time required to generate a BCARS image. Our work provides a novel, broadly accessible approach for analyzing lipid-containing structures in a complex, live whole organism context.

Features of the Foveal Avascular Zone in Children with Active Retinopathy of Prematurity According to Optical Coherence Tomography in Angio Mode

The purpose — to study the features of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) in children with active retinopathy of prematurity according to the data of optical coherence tomography in angio-mode.Patients and methods. OCT-A was performed on 37 premature infants (37 eyes) with active ROP: at stages 1–2 — in 14 eyes (8 — with a favorable current type, 6 — with an unfavorable current), at stage 3 — in 16 eyes (6 — with a favorable type, 10 — with unfavorable), with aggressive posterior ROP — in 7 eyes (4 — at the stage of early clinical manifestations, 3 — at the stage of manifestation). Patients with stages 1 and 2 of active ROP were combined into one group due to similar findings. The control was the data of OCT-A performed on 10 premature infants without signs of ROP.Results. At 1–2 stages with a favorable type in children with a somatic state of moderate severity in the FAZ area, statistically significant differences in comparison with the control parameters were not determined. In children with a severe condition, FAZ was significantly expanded, which was accompanied by a significant decrease in the density of capillaries in the fovea. With an unfavorable type, a significant decrease in the size of the FAZ was noted, as well as a slight decrease in the density of the capillaries of the superficial plexus in the fovea. At stage 3 with a favorable type, an expansion of the FAZ, a decrease in the density of capillaries in the fovea in the superficial and deep plexus were recorded, and the values of the density of capillaries in the parafovea were slightly increased. At 3 stages with an unfavorable course in children born at a gestational age of 29–32 weeks, the FAZ was expanded. In children born at a gestational age of 25–28 weeks, a significant decrease in the size of the FAZ was recorded in comparison with children with a long gestation period, as well as those with a favorable course of stage 3. At the stage of early clinical manifestations of the posterior aggressive ROP, the FAZ was absent; vessels grew into it, which formed shunts and zones of intraretinal neovascularization in the form of “tangles”. At the stage of manifestation of the posterior aggressive ROP, a gross violation of the architectonics of the microvasculature was determined. As at the stage of early clinical manifestations, FAZ was absent; shunt vessels grew into it.Conclusion. The OCT method in angio-mode has showed high information content in studying the features of the foveal avascular zone in children with various forms, stages and types of active ROP. The characteristics of FAZ with an unfavorable type of the disease are of the greatest value for clinical practice. Their identification at the early stages of the pathological process will make it possible to timely determine the correct tactics and carry out the necessary treatment.

Control of industrial products by microfocus radiography

X-ray methods in comparison with other control methods are characterized by high information content, clarity and efficiency. The paper presents the results of the use of microfbcus radiography in the control and diagnostics of industrial products. A distinctive feature of the microfbcus radiography method is the use of an X-ray source with a focal spot of micron sizes and a survey geometry with a direct geometric increase in the object of study. The minimum dimensions of the rendered structures in this case are not limited by the pixel size of the image receiver and can be significantly smaller. It is shown that the use of the microfbcus radiography method makes it possible to increase the information content of the resulting radiographs by at least an order of magnitude, due to an increase in spatial resolution. At the same time, the technical means for implementing the described method can be small-sized, designed for use in non-stationary and non-specialized conditions. The results obtained can be used in scientific research and industrial control in the following areas: electronics, additive technologies, instrumentation and others.

Data-driven power system security assessment using high content database during the COVID-19 pandemic

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) broke out in late 2019, the electricity sector was significantly impacted. Hence, the effects of the pandemic and restricting measures in power system operation are investigated during pandemic circumstances. The secure operation of the power system is a fundamental requirement. Appropriate procedures should be taken to mitigate these effects and ensure the power system's security. Accordingly, in this study, the authors determine that the COVID-19 pandemic can change the system's operating conditions in the first stage. Since data-driven security assessment methods require the training database to learn about Security constraints, this paper proposes an efficient database generation strategy respecting the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak. The proposed strategy provides a training set with high information content compatible with the operating conditions. To this end, the method consists of a characteristics extraction approach and updating scheme. The characteristics should be extracted to represent the operating conditions of the system.Further, the similarity of intervals is compared using characteristics in updating scheme. The copula-based sampling approach is provided to generate the random samples. The proposed strategy generates a database for data-driven methods. Therefore, it can be utilized in various applications of security assessment. Real-world data is mapped to the IEEE 39-bus system to illustrate the framework efficiency. The outcomes indicate that a classification using the proposed strategy outperforms conventional methods in terms of evaluation metrics.© 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pulmonary ultrasound: Diagnostic possibilities for interstitial lung disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis

Interstitial lung disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA-ILD) is one of the systemic manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) associated with high mortality. According to the latest data, the prevalence of RA-ILD is 3–4%. 26% of patients with RA-ILD develop a progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD) phenotype. To date, for the diagnosis of ILD, including in RA, the ultrasound method of research is being intensively introduced. Ultrasonography of the lungs is a useful adjunct to high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and an affordable aid for frequent use. The advantages of lung ultrasound are high information content, reproducibility, ease of use, speed of execution, prognostic value, absence of ionizing radiation. Identification of B-lines in various variants, an uneven, thickened, discontinuous pleural line, and/or delimited cortical consolidations in the form of hypoechoic small areas during ultrasound of the lungs in RA patients can help to promptly suspect ILD and send them to HRCT. The simple and uncomplicated research technology makes it attractive for monitoring the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. The use of ultrasound is necessary, in particular, in the presence of a progressive ILD phenotype, confirmed by HRCT, for conducting serial studies in order to monitor the progression of the disease.

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the greenest of them all?” the impact of green advertising cues on generational cohorts

Global warming is one of the top environmental concerns in the U.S, yet little is known about the effects of green advertising on different generational cohorts – Gen-Z, Gen-Y, Gen-X, and Baby Boomers. Specifically, environmental values (egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric) were assessed for differentially impacting ad attitudes and behavioral intentions across the four cohorts. Study-1 (n = 613) found the biospheric ad (plants and animals) to be more persuasive for Gen-Z and Gen-Y, with no preference shown for Gen-X and Baby Boomers, and no differences between the self (egoistic) and community (altruistic) focused ads. Based on these findings, Study 2 (n = 634) merged the four cohorts into two, Gen-ZY and Gen-XB, focused only on egoistic and biospheric, while introducing informativeness and task difficulty to better understand messaging preferences on attitudes and intentions to act. The findings revealed that Gen-ZY preferred to donate money for a biospheric ad with low information, while being motivated to volunteer their time when presented with a high information biospheric ad. Irrespective of ad appeal (egoistic or biospheric), Gen-XB had stronger intentions to donate for an advertisement with high information content (vs. low). Theoretical and advertiser implications are discussed along with future research avenues.

Estimating seabed properties with a residual convolutional network

Deep learning can assist in characterizing seabeds using sources of opportunity such as shipping noise. While previous work focused on seabed classification, this study uses a residual convolutional neural network to find individual seabed properties. The training data were labeled with sound speed, density, attenuation, and thickness of the layer values of the top sediment layer. A comparison was made between predictive capabilities of ResNet-18 networks when trained to learn a single parameter and those trained to simultaneously learn multiple parameters. For stiff parameters—those with high information content in the data—learning an individual parameter performed better. These single parameter predictions are fundamentally different from a geoacoustic inversion for one parameter. In geoacoustic inversion, all other parameters are held at a fixed value. In deep learning, variability in all other parameters is contained in the training data, but the network focuses on features in the data related to a single property. The trained networks are applied to ship noise measured during the 2017 Seabed Characterization Experiment. [Work supported by the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation’s REU program.]

Back to the basics of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry of bio-related samples. I. Instrumentation and data collection.

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is used widely throughout industrial and academic research due to the high information content of the chemically specific data it produces. Modern ToF-SIMS instruments can generate high mass resolution data that can be displayed as spectra and images (2D and 3D). This enables determining the distribution of molecules across and into a surface and provides access to information not obtainable from other methods. With this detailed chemical information comes a steep learning curve in how to properly acquire and interpret the data. This Tutorial is aimed at helping ToF-SIMS users to plan for and collect ToF-SIMS data. The second Tutorial in this series will cover how to process, display, and interpret ToF-SIMS data.

Advances in the Synthesis and Analysis of Biologically Active Phosphometabolites.

Phosphorus-containing metabolites cover a large molecular diversity and represent an important domain of small molecules which are highly relevant for life and represent essential interfaces between biology and chemistry, between the biological and abiotic world. The large but not unlimited amount of phosphate minerals on our planet is a key resource for living organisms on our planet, while the accumulation of phosphorus-containing waste is associated with negative effects on ecosystems. Therefore, resource-efficient and circular processes receive increasing attention from different perspectives, from local and regional levels to national and global levels. The molecular and sustainability aspects of a global phosphorus cycle have become of much interest for addressing the phosphorus biochemical flow as a high-risk planetary boundary. Knowledge of balancing the natural phosphorus cycle and the further elucidation of metabolic pathways involving phosphorus is crucial. This requires not only the development of effective new methods for practical discovery, identification, and high-information content analysis, but also for practical synthesis of phosphorus-containing metabolites, for example as standards, as substrates or products of enzymatic reactions, or for discovering novel biological functions. The purpose of this article is to review the advances which have been achieved in the synthesis and analysis of phosphorus-containing metabolites which are biologically active.

Assessment of genetic diversity in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) genotypes by using RAPD markers

The present study was carried out at the department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agricultural Biotechnology Latur, which aimed to study or assess the genetic diversity in eight different Cowpea genotypes by using the RAPD markers. This is important for cowpea genetic improvement and for the overall management of cowpea germplasm. Eight Cowpea genotypes namely GDVC-2, GC-3, GC-4, GC-6, Gangotri, Pusa Komal, Arka Garima, and VU-5 were assessed by using two RAPD markers (RPI-07 and RPI-08). In RAPD analysis, total of 20 amplicons were generated, among them 19 were polymorphic with 88.8% average polymorphism. RPI-7 and RPI-8 showed 88.8% and 100% polymorphism respectively. The similarity coefficient values ranged from 0.350% to 0.950% indicating high degree of genetic variation. The highest genetic similarity i.e. 0.857% was recorded between Pusa Komal and GC-6 and least genetic similarity i.e. 0.125% was observed in between VU-5 and GC-4. Two screened primers are found to be polymorphic (94.4%) with high polymorphic information content (PIC) which efficiently discriminating the varieties at molecular level.

Assimilation of FY-4A GIIRS radiance observations in the forecast of Typhoon Bavi

We assimilated radiance observations from the Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS) onboard the FengYun-4A geostationary satellite to evaluate their impact on the forecast of Typhoon Bavi using WRFDA. The temperature channels with high information content, representing 90% of the information content of all temperature channels, were selected for assimilation. All radiance observations above the cloud-top were assimilated by comparing the channel height to the cloud-top height coming from the product of the Advanced Geosynchronous Radiation Imager (AGRI). The assimilation of the GIIRS observations decreased the root-mean-square error of the temperature by 2% and improved the precipitation forecast. The rain band in southeast China was reproduced well, thus showing that infrared hyperspectral radiance observations have added value in improving the circulation around typhoons and, therefore, provide better forecasts. The increased relative humidity in the upper layer and stronger typhoon outflow were found to related to the intensify of typhoon in the analysis compared with the control experiment.

Management of genetic erosion: The (successful) case study of the pear (Pyrus communis L.) germplasm of the Lazio region (Italy).

Pyrus communis L. is an important temperate fruit with high nutritional and economic value. Italy, as the largest pear producer in the EU and second in the world, has a particularly rich germplasm characterized by hundreds of local varieties. The Lazio Region was the first Italian region to start programs focused on safeguarding varieties at risk of extinction and has started a massive census of fruit varieties by combining molecular data and productive-territorial information. In this study, 311 pear accessions collected from the five provinces of the Lazio region were genetically characterized by the means of nine simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, eight of which were recommended by the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR). The SSR analysis revealed 250 unique genotypes and 14 cases of synonymies, namely, accessions with different names but identical molecular profiles (100% genetic similarity). The microsatellite set showed a high polymorphism information content (PIC; mean PIC=0.77) and an exceptionally high discrimination power (DP = 0.99), making it particularly efficient both for the study of genetic diversity and for the prediction of the degree of ploidy. Notably, 20% of the accessions displayed triallelic profiles (i.e., accessions having ≥2 loci with a third allele), while the remaining accessions were diploids. These results were further confirmed by flow cytometry data analysis. Standardization of the molecular analyses at the national and international levels and harmonization of the SSR sets used for germplasm characterization are of paramount importance for producing molecular profiles useful for registration and variety maintenance.

Источниковая база изучения детской повседневности пореформенного Оренбурга на рубеже XIX–XX вв.

The article presents an analysis of the sources applicable to study of children's everyday life in the post-reform period on the example of the city of Orenburg. The relevance of the study lies in increased attention on the part of state and society to the creation of a comfortable environment for life and health of children. The past experience can help in solving contemporary problems of childhood. The novelty of the study is explained by the fact that at present there are no historical works containing a comprehensive analysis of the sources’ potential for studying children’s everyday life. The work is to systematize and analyze the available sources on children’s everyday life at the turn of the 20th century on the example of post-reform Orenburg. Its methodological base is comparative method for comparative analysis of the sources and their data and critical method for determination of the data reliability. The article provides a brief historiographical review of studying the problem. The author divides all sources on children's everyday life into written and material ones. Written sources are represented by unpublished materials (parish registers) and published materials (regulatory documents, statistical data, periodicals, and educational literature). A group of material sources is represented by photographs and portraits depicting children. The article details the value of parish registers as a source for studying children’s everyday life. Along with high information content, parish registers have a number of disadvantages. The article presents an analysis of the normative provision on situation of children in the 19th – 20th centuries; conclusions are drawn about degree of freedom of children and limits of parental authority. The article details research potential of statistical materials and highlights their shortcomings. It explains what a good textbook is and what its mission is. It formulates the peculiarity of periodicals as a source on children’s everyday life. The author gives a comparative description of portrait and photography as historical sources. The author concludes that each source reveals a certain aspect of children’s everyday life. Therefore, in order to create a comprehensive picture of everyday life of children at the turn of the 20th century, the researcher should consider all sources as a complex.

POSSIBILITIES OF CYTOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS OF LUNG CANCER. REVIEW

Lung cancer (LC) occupies a leading place in the structure of morbidity and mortality among patients with cancer worldwide, which determines LC as an important medical and social problem for health systems. LC is detected in more than two thirds of patients at a late stage, which determines the low success of therapy and low survival rates, and also actualizes the need to use effective methods (including morphological) for the diagnosis of LC in the early stages. Due to the development of the minimally invasive vector of morphological diagnostics in recent decades, cytological examination of the material from the bronchopulmonary system is of leading importance, since it is characterized not only by low traumatism in obtaining cellular material, but also by high information content, cost-effectiveness, accessibility and speed of obtaining results. The effectiveness of cytological examination for the diagnosis of precancerous lesions and LC has been proven in numerous studies, and the importance and necessity of its use are reflected in the new edition of the WHO classification of tumors of thoracic localization (2021) and the WHO reporting system for lungs Cytopathology (2022).

The plant collections of James Franklin Maxwell from Thailand

James Franklin Maxwell ranks among the best collectors of Thai plants. His specimens are all high quality, rich in flowers and/or fruits and carefully prepared with many duplicates and mostly with labels that contain much information. The total number of collections can only be estimated but likely exceeds 32,000. An overview is provided of the evolution in the labels, from simple to the complex ones produced during Maxwell’s third stay in Thailand, covering his work while at Prince of Songkhla University and Chiang Mai University. Problems with the labels are discussed, that are partly due to the use of a typewriter and carbon paper, partly caused by his phonetic way of dealing with the Thai language, and sometimes also by the high information content with regards to habitat/vegetation types and the colour patterns of the plants.