Irregular Edges Research Articles

A prior knowledge-embedded deformable convolutional network for vision-based fabric defect detection

The vision-based defect detection of textile surface is an essential problem in evaluating the appearance quality. In previous studies on vision-based defect detection, the following two points were neglected: (1) The proportion of defects on fabric is small, resulting in a low signal-to-noise ratio of defect images and a lack of sampling features; (2) the irregular shape of defects can overlap in position, leading to localization difficulty. In this paper, we propose a prior knowledge-embedded deformable convolutional network (PKE-DCNet) based on deep learning to address these two issues. First, a feature extraction method with prior information is designed with a shape-matching deep clustering module and a region-biased sampling module for detecting defects with complex shape. Then, a defect boundary boxes adaptive generation method is proposed with an anchor-free search mechanism and irregular edge contour computation to detect the key points in the region. Extensive experiments with mixed fabric defect datasets demonstrated that PKE-DCNet reached an overall mAP of 95.36% for six types of defects within a detection speed of 322 FPS, which was better than state-of-the-art methods.

Screening And Identification Of Bacterial Isolate Producing Arbutin Glycoside And Improving Its Productivity By Mutagenesis

From three sources of Iraqi soil, 30 bacterial isolates were obtained. after performing the primary isolation process, 12 isolates could produce the glycoside arbutin as an indication of the reddish-brown precipitate. When secondary isolation was conducted, it was found that two isolates, A7 and C10, gave the highest production of arbutin as a function of the concentration of the resulting compound, as it reached a concentration of Arbutin 5.3 µg/ml and 8.5 µg/ml, respectively. The diagnosis process was carried out for isolate C10 based on cultural and microscopic characteristics, as the nature of growth on the liquid medium was that it floated on the surface, and the cells formed a thin membrane with each other. Pellice as for the nature of growth on a liquid media, the colonies were spread out and flat, with irregular edges, a cream color, and a wrinkled surface, while the microscopic characteristics of the bacterial isolate were that they were positive for Gram stain and the cells were rod-shaped of medium length. The biochemical tests Vitec 2 results showed that the bacterial isolate belonged to Bacillus subtilis with a probability of 98%. Upon genetic diagnosis at the 16SrRNA level, it was found that the isolate belonged to the genus Bacillus subtilis by 100% compared to what is available in the NCBI GenBank and that exposure for 30 minutes at a wavelength of 257 nanometers (20w) and at a distance of (20) cm from the dish to ultraviolet radiation resulted in to improve the production of arbutin twice as much as the wild strain.

Pedestal properties of negative triangularity discharges in ASDEX Upgrade

Abstract In this work, we explore the pedestal properties of negative triangularity discharges with upper triangularity of δ u ≈ − 0.35 and with both ion ∇ B drift directions. In all cases, the discharges undergo a transition to H-mode with accompanying edge-localized modes (ELMs) that are not explained by the peeling-ballooning stability analysis alone. A variation in the ion ∇ B drift direction is observed. A lower pressure gradient, shallower radial electric field well and increased temperature fluctuations are measured in the favorable case. In addition, irregular ELMs are present. This difference is more pronounced in electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) plasmas compared to plasmas with combined neutral beam injection and ECRH. A comparative analysis between two discharges, featuring similar plasma parameters but varied shaping, suggests that an interplay between other parameters, such as magnetic shear, the timing of the auxiliary heating and shaping, might play a strong role in low- to high-confinement transitions. While the low shaping discharge maintained L-mode, the high shaping discharge entered H-mode with ELMs, contrary to expectations.

Construction of the Aspergillus nidulans pmtC∆hogA∆yA∆ triple deletion strain by mating and benlate inducing

In Aspergillus nidulans, construction of double or triple deletion strain is widely carried out to investigate genetic coordination, relation, or interaction. In this study, a fungal mutant, in which pmtC, hogA, and yA are deleted, is constructed for a recent experimental purpose. The mutation strain is screened and isolated by auxotrophic mutations from progenies of a sexual mating between the two A. nidulans fungi, pmtC∆yA∆ deletion strain and hogA∆ deletion strain. The genotype of the strain obtained from the matting is confirmed by PCR indicating that the obtained strain contains deleted hogA, both wild-type pmtC and deleted pmtC deletion. Moreover, the obtained strain forms morphology with irregular edges, abnormal growth, and derived colony, which is like general morphology of diploid strains, suggesting that the mutant is a diploid strain. As benlate is a haploidization-inducer for the diploid strain, the spores of the diploid strain are spread on media with 0.05ppm of benlate. Forming colonies performing pmtC-like characteristics, such as poor development, impaired vegetation and limited conidiation, are considered as target haploid strains and confirmed by PCR. The PCR results show that, among four isolated strains, there is only one strain showing PCR band which is approximate to pmtC knock-out gene, indicating the strain carry pmtC deletion gene. As a result, the fungal strains, namely AnTLE36.HC, is a pmtC∆hogA∆yA∆ deletion strain.

23-year review of spheno-orbital meningioma: clinical, radiological, and pathological insights from 100 cases

BackgroundSpheno-orbital meningioma (SOM) represents a unique variant of sphenoid wing meningiomas, distinguished by its propensity for bone infiltration and cranio-orbital involvement. SOM exhibits a considerable incidence of misdiagnosis and recurrence.PurposesTo elucidate the clinical, radiological, and pathological characteristics of SOM.MethodsReview of electronic medical records, histopathology, radiological images and follow-up information of 100 SOM patients.ResultsOf the 100 patients (28 males, 72 females) with SOM, mean age was 46.8 ± 12.6 years and prevalent symptoms were proptosis (99%). All the CT scans showed hyperostosis with 89.3% of the hyperostosis having an irregular edge. In MRI scans, dural tail sign was observed across all patients and the cranio-orbital tumors often penetrated temporal muscle (74.1%), extraocular muscle (74.1%) and lacrimal gland (63%). All the 100 patients underwent surgical intervention, and among them, 62 individuals received postoperative radiotherapy. Grade I resections had a lower recurrence rate(16.7%), which further decreased with the addition of radiotherapy(13.9%). In contrast, all patients with grade II or higher grade resections without radiotherapy experienced recurrence, indicating a higher risk associated with less complete tumor removal. The pathological examination revealed that intraorbital sections exhibited comparable tumor density to intraorbital SOM tumors, along with increased fibrous density but decreased vascular distribution.ConclusionsRadiological characteristics of SOM included cranio-orbital tumors, hyperostosis of the sphenoid wing with an irregular edge, and dural tail sign. Combination of gross total resection and adjuvant radiotherapy was recommended to minimize recurrence rate. Intracranial SOM tumors tended to be softer and more bleed-prone than intraorbital sections, necessitating surgical precision.

Clinical features and prognostic analysis of colorectal extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma

Objective: To investigate the clinical manifestations, endoscopic characteristics, and prognostic factors of patients with colorectal extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma. Methods: The clinical data of 52 patients with colorectal extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Their clinical manifestations and endoscopic characteristics were summarized, and the prognostic factors were analyzed by Cox regression model. Results: Among the 52 patients with colorectal extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, there were 35 males and 17 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.06∶1. Among the general symptoms, abdominal pain was the most common (39 cases), and B symptoms occurred in 47 patients, among which fever was the most common lymphoma B symptom (42 cases), and gastrointestinal perforation was the most common complication (18 cases). Forty-three patients underwent colonoscopy, and the main manifestations under endoscopy were the ulceration type (24 cases). The ulcers were irregular at the edges and often covered with moss at the bottom. The median survival time was 4.3 months. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that hemocytic syndrome (HR=8.50,95% CI: 1.679-8.328,P=0.001), serum albumin (HR=3.59,95% CI: 1.017-6.551, P=0.048), and with or without chemotherapy (HR=0.31, 95% CI: 0.246-1.061, P=0.025) were independent factors influencing the overall survival of patients with colorectal extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma. Conclusions: Colorectal extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma is a rare disease with a very poor prognosis. When patients present with abdominal pain and lymphoma B symptoms, and when ulcers with irregular edges and moss covering the bottom are found under endoscopy, the disease should be considered, and endoscopic biopsy should be taken in time for pathological diagnosis. The prognosis of patients with hemophagocytic syndrome and hypoproteinemia is poor. This disease should be treated with chemotherapy and surgery, and on this basis, hemophagocytic syndrome and hypoproteinemia should be treated to improve the prognosis of patients.

Reducing the Wallacean and the Haeckelian Deficits in Apobaetis Day, 1955 (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae).

During an ongoing project aiming to understand the dynamics of Ephemeroptera biodiversity in the Doce River Basin after the disaster, an unusual large number of Apobaetis Day, 1955 were analyzed. The occurrence of Apobaetis is quite relevant, since the combination of factors such as its small body size and its habitat preferences makes their collection difficult and its presence often neglected. For the first time in science, adults of Apobaetis irai De Lima, Massariol, Cruz & Hamada, 2022 and Apobaetis fiuzai Salles & Lugo-Ortiz, 2002 are described and diagnosed. Apobaetis irai can be easily distinguished, among other characteristics by turbinate portion of compound eyes touching each other along midline; abdominal terga II-III and V-VII with well-marked lines on lateral and posterior margins; posterior margin of subgenital plate with projection broadly rounded to slightly truncate. Apobaetis fiuzai are diagnosed by turbinate portion of compound eyes touching each other posteriorly; mesothorax brown, except for broad cream marks on anterior margin of PSp and SLS, SSLi tinged with white, posterior corner of SMS with a red spot; abdominal terga II-VI translucent orangish-brown, terga VII-X brown, terga II-III and VI with conspicuous red medial mark; posterior margin of subgenital plate with subtriangular projection, apex narrowly truncate; forceps base wider at base, inner irregular edges. The new records of A. irai and A. fiuzai extend the distribution of Apobaetis within Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo States, Brazil. Furthermore, it is reported for the first time cases of gynandromorphs for Apobaetis.

TBiSeg: A transformer-based network with bi-level routing attention for inland waterway segmentation

Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for inland waterways have recently attracted increasing attention in various fields. Accurate detection in navigable regions is crucial for ensuring USV safety in autonomous navigation. However, the complex and variable environment of inland waterways, such as confusable textures and irregular edge details, continues to pose some problems in existing methods. Therefore, to acquire navigable regions, this study proposed TBiSeg, a Vision Transformer-based efficient inland waterway segmentation network, for obtaining pixel-level results. Bi-level routing attention is used to improve the Transformer block, which enhances the understanding of inland water textures. Additionly, this study combined global and local attention through a hierarchical encoder–decoder architecture. To simulate inland waterway scenes as accurately as possible, this study used two representative public datasets for data integration and data augmentation, and conducted testing and cross-validating using multiple inland waterway datasets. Results demonstrated that the model performed better than current state-of-the-art models in segmentation accuracy and robustness in complex inland waterway environments while showing impressive generalization. The datasets and code used in this paper is available at https://github.com/dawnnazzz/TBiSeg.

An advance in the understanding the systematics of Echinochasmus Dietz, 1909 and Stephanoprora Odhner, 1902 (Digenea: Echinochasmidae), with the description of a new species of Echinochasmus from the Neotropical region of Mexico

Echinochasmids are a group of globally distributed digeneans, and the adults are found in the intestines of birds, mammals and reptiles. In the Neotropical region of Mexico, adult specimens were obtained from seven fish-eating bird species in six localities, whereas specimens of Stephanoprora aylacostoma were obtained experimentally in Argentina. Morphologically, the new specimens from the Neotropical region of Mexico were identified as Stephanoprora uruguayense and an undescribed species of Echinochasmus. Sequences for two nuclear (large subunit (28S) and internal transcribed spacer from DNA ribosomal (ITS1–5.8S–ITS2)) molecular markers were generated and analysed together with other sequences downloaded from GenBank. The phylogenies obtained with each molecular marker indicated that Echinochasmus is paraphyletic and agreed with previous phylogenetic studies. The first cluster included the type species (E. coaxatus, which has 24 head-collar spines) plus three congeneric species. The second cluster contained species of Echinochasmus plus Stephanoprora, including the species analysed herein, S. uruguayense, S. aylacostoma (with 22 head-collar spines) and Echinochasmus sp. (with 20 head-collar spines), which formed three independent subclades, allowing us to recognize a lineage that was described morphologically as a new species. Echinochasmus ostrowskiae n. sp. can be distinguished from its congeners by having a head collar with 20 spines in a single row, seven spines on each edge and three angle spines, and a pharynx with an irregular edge and by the body, egg and collar spine sizes. Additionally, new host and locality records for S. uruguayense are presented, expanding its geographical distribution range in the Americas.

Bullous Cellulitis Due to Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus in Immunocompromised Patient

Introduction: Bullous Cellulitis is initially characterized by erythema and rapid development of bullae. This disease is most often caused by Beta-hemolytic streptococci and rarely by other bacteria such as Coagulase-Negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) type Staphylococcus haemolyticus. Immunocompromised state and history of malignancy are at high risk of infection with this bacterium. Local complications such as bullae can occur in obesity. Case Presentation: A 48-year-old woman with complaints of tensed and loose-walled blisters with a reddish base on the right thigh. The patient had a medical history of Thyroid Cancer, Acute Renal Failure, and Bulging Mass pelvic femur. On physical examination, the patient was unconscious with a ventilator. Dermatological examination of the dextra inferior extremity showed loose bullae with a positive Nikolsky sign and tensed bullae over the erythematous patches, ill-defined, irregular edges, and warm palpable. Laboratory results of leukocytosis, hypoalbumin, and CoNS bacteria from blood culture. An ALT-70 score obtained a total score of 5. Conclusion: Cases of bullous cellulitis are quite rare; cases like this usually occur in patients with an immunocompromised predisposition and obesity. CoNS is a commensal bacteria but, in some cases, could be a pathogen causing cellulitis. Poor prognosis that ends in death could occur in patients who have various complications.

Scanning electron microscopy and morphometric analysis of the hair in dromedaries with SEM-EDX in relation to age

BackgroundHair characterization is critical for determining animal individuality throughout life. This study aimed to assess the morphological features of dromedary camel hair in relation to age.Materials and methodsHair samples were obtained from the camel humps of 30 dromedary camels separated into three groups: G1 (n:10) aged one-year, G2 (n:10) aged 3–5 years, and G3 (n:10) at the age of 8–10 years. The hair was examined using light microscopy, SEM, and SEM-EDX.ResultsThe Maghrebi camel had varied medulla patterns and structures across the ages. In the G1 group 75% had continuous medulla patterns and amorphous medulla structures, compared to 70% in G2, and 90% in G3. The medulla index increased with age, rising from 0.3 to 0.77%. The shaft width grew in size from G1 to G2, then fell to approximately one-third of the G2 size at G3. The cortex and cuticle widths were also determined by age, and they increased in the G1 compared to G3 camels. The shape of the cuticle scales in G1 camels was wavy, like mountain tops with irregular edges, within G2 camels the scales were particularly long, oval-shaped scales with smooth, wavy borders. The scales of the older G3 camels were quite long and rectangular. SEM-EDX spectra recognized carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, calcium, aluminum, silicon, and potassium at the medulla and cortex. Sulfur levels were highest in the G2 samples but lowest in the G1 samples.ConclusionThe dromedary camel’s hair structure and mineral content, particularly carbon and nitrogen, differed as camels aged.

Improved YOLOv8-Seg Based on Multiscale Feature Fusion and Deformable Convolution for Weed Precision Segmentation

Laser-targeted weeding methods further enhance the sustainable development of green agriculture, with one key technology being the improvement of weed localization accuracy. Here, we propose an improved YOLOv8 instance segmentation based on bidirectional feature fusion and deformable convolution (BFFDC-YOLOv8-seg) to address the challenges of insufficient weed localization accuracy in complex environments with resource-limited laser weeding devices. Initially, by training on extensive datasets of plant images, the most appropriate model scale and training weights are determined, facilitating the development of a lightweight network. Subsequently, the introduction of the Bidirectional Feature Pyramid Network (BiFPN) during feature fusion effectively prevents the omission of weeds. Lastly, the use of Dynamic Snake Convolution (DSConv) to replace some convolutional kernels enhances flexibility, benefiting the segmentation of weeds with elongated stems and irregular edges. Experimental results indicate that the BFFDC-YOLOv8-seg model achieves a 4.9% increase in precision, an 8.1% increase in recall rate, and a 2.8% increase in mAP50 value to 98.8% on a vegetable weed dataset compared to the original model. It also shows improved mAP50 over other typical segmentation models such as Mask R-CNN, YOLOv5-seg, and YOLOv7-seg by 10.8%, 13.4%, and 1.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the model achieves a detection speed of 24.8 FPS on the Jetson Orin nano standalone device, with a model size of 6.8 MB that balances between size and accuracy. The model meets the requirements for real-time precise weed segmentation, and is suitable for complex vegetable field environments and resource-limited laser weeding devices.

Differential evolutionary optimization fuzzy entropy for gland segmentation based on breast mammography imaging

ObjectiveThe integration of fuzzy entropy into image segmentation techniques has proven effective in addressing issues related to ambiguous boundaries and uncertainties in complex image structures. This study aims to improve breast mammography image segmentation by optimizing minimum fuzzy entropy. The primary challenges identified are the presence of glandular burrs and irregular edges, as well as premature convergence and local optima in entropy optimization. MethodsWe propose an enhanced differential evolution algorithm combined with fuzzy entropy to address these challenges. This algorithm specifically targets glandular burrs, irregular edges, premature convergence, and local optimal entropy issues. The algorithm's performance was evaluated using breast mammography images representing four types of glands and benchmarked against five state-of-the-art algorithms. ResultsExperimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly improves segmentation accuracy compared to the other advanced algorithms. It effectively resolves issues related to glandular burrs, irregular edges, premature convergence, and local optimal entropy, leading to superior segmentation outcomes. ConclusionThe proposed algorithm, which combines an improved differential evolution approach with fuzzy entropy, delivers the best segmentation results for breast gland segmentation. It successfully overcomes the challenges of glandular burrs, irregular edges, premature convergence, and local optimal entropy, thus enhancing breast mammography image segmentation.

Skin Metastases from Breast Cancer: Case Report

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in women. Skin metastases result from infiltration of the skin due to cell proliferation. The incidence of cutaneous metastases varies from 0.6-10.4%. We present a 52-year-old woman diagnosed with infiltrating ductal carcinoma triple-negative, who presented with a localized dermatosis that affects the chest with a erythematous plaque, nodular and ulcerated in appearance, with irregular and well-defined edges. Breast carcinoma can present metastases in skin, recognizing the diversity of clinical presentations in a timely manner, is the key to a timely diagnosis and reducing mortality.

Atypical manifestation of syphilis

A 32-year-old heterosexual male, engaging in sexual risk behaviors, presented to the emergency department with a painful lesion in the sacrococcygeal region. Initially diagnosed as a pilonidal abscess, it was drained, but the condition showed poor evolution. Subsequent referral to the coloproctology clinic revealed a lesion with irregular edges, nodular characteristics, and a central crater, a biopsy confirmed the presence of Treponema pallidum. Due to its capacity to mimic other dermatological conditions and deviate from typical clinical patterns, atypical manifestations of syphilis can result in diagnostic errors and subsequent delays in receiving appropriate treatment.

Effects of MAL gene knockout on lung tissue morphology and on E-cad and α-SMA expression in asthma mouse models

Objectives To investigate the effects of myelin- and lymphocyte-associated protein (MAL) gene knockout on the morphological structure of lung tissue and the expression of E-cadherin (E-cad) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in an asthmatic mouse model. Methods Twenty-four specific pathogen-free (SPF) C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups: the wild-type normal (WT/SAL), wild-type asthmatic (WT/OVA), gene knockout normal (MAL-/-/SAL), and gene knockout asthmatic (MAL-/-/OVA) groups. The establishment of the asthma mouse models was confirmed by evaluating behavioral symptoms and histopathological H&E and Masson staining. Western blotting and RT–qPCR were used to measure E-cad and α-SMA expression levels in lung tissues. Results H&E staining of mouse lung tissues from WT/OVA, MAL-/-/SAL, and MAL-/-/OVA groups revealed a thickened bronchial wall, irregular lumen edge, locally fallen mucosal epithelium, and inflammatory cell infiltration compared with those of the WT/SAL group. In the WT and MAL-/- groups, the proportion of Masson-stained tissues in the OVA group was greater than that in the SAL group (p < 0.05). Compared with those in the WT/SAL group, the expression levels of α-SMA mRNA and protein were increased, while those of E-cad were decreased in the WT/OVA group (p < 0.01). Similarly, compared with those in the MAL-/-/SAL group, the expression levels of E-cad mRNA and protein were increased, while those of α-SMA were decreased in the MAL-/-/OVA group (p < 0.01). All these differences were statistically significant (p < 0.01). Conclusions The MAL gene contributes to EMT inhibition and the stability of the airway barrier under normal physiological conditions by regulating E-cad and α-SMA expression.

First Report of Pseudopestalotiopsis ixorae Causing Leaf Spot of Photinia × fraseri in China.

Photinia × fraseri is a well-known ornamental shrub in southern China. In December 2021, we observed leaf spots that were circular to irregular, gray with dark red margins and violet brown with brownish violet edges on the leaves of Photinia × fraseri shrubs in the scenic area of Shenlongtan (28°46'10″N, 115°42'93″E), Jiangxi Province, China. Almost 15% of the leaves in the 1300 m2 Photinia × fraseri planting area were symptomatic. Thirty symptomatic leaves were randomly collected from different plants, and sectioned into 5-mm2 pieces, which were surface-sterilized using 1% NaOCl for 30 s. After rinsing thrice in sterile distilled water and drying, the pieces were transferred onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 28 ℃ for 5-7 days. A total of sixteen morphologically similar isolates were obtained. After incubation on PDA for 20 days, the fungi had irregular edges, were white to pale brown, and had spare aerial mycelium on the surface with irregularly distributed black, gregarious conidiomata. Conidia were fusoid, subcylindrical, straight to slightly curved, 4-septated, slightly constricted at the septa, and 23 to 36 × 6 to 10 μm (mean: 27.6 × 7.7 μm). The morphological characteristics were consistent with the features of Pseudopestalotiopsis species (Maharachchikumbura et al. 2014). The genomic DNA of two representative isolates (JFRL032 and JFRL033) was extracted for further identification. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, translation elongation factor 1-ɑ (tef1-ɑ) and β-tubulin (tub2) genes were amplified and sequenced using primers ITS5/ITS4, EF1-526F/EF1-1567R, and Bt2A/Bt2B, respectively (Maharachchikumbura et al. 2012). The sequences of the two representative isolates were 100% identical to each other. These nucleotide sequences were deposited in GenBank with accession numbers, ON342794 and ON342795 (ITS); ON375851 and ON375852 (tef1-ɑ); ON375853 and ON375854 (tub2). BLASTn searches of the obtained sequences revealed 99%-100% to ITS (MG816316, 478/478 nucleotides), tef1-ɑ (MG816336, 924/926 nucleotides), tub2 (MG816326, 441/442 nucleotides) sequences of the ex-type strain of Pseudopestalotiopsis ixorae (NTUCC17-001.1). Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using the concatenation of multiple sequences (ITS, tef1-ɑ and tub2) with the Maximum likelihood statistics in PhyloSuite v1.2.2 (Zhang et al.2020). The phylogenetic tree showed the two isolates clustered with P. ixorae in a clade with 100% bootstrap support. The isolates were identified as P. ixorae based on morphological and molecular data. To confirm pathogenicity, eight healthy leaves of 3-year-old Photinia × fraseri were surface sterilized, scratched with a pair of sterilized tweezers, and ten µl of conidial suspension (106 conidia/ml) was sprayed on the injured leaves and the control was sprayed with sterile distilled water. Then, All plants were potted in a climate chamber at 25℃ and 85% relative humidity. After 3 days, leaf spot symptoms similar to those described above were observed on inoculated leaves, while the non-inoculated leaves remained symptomless. The pathogen was reisolated from the inoculated leaves to fulfill Koch's postulates and confirmed as P. ixorae by morphological and molecular analysis. It has been reported that P. ixorae can infect the Ixora plant (Tsai et al., 2018). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. ixorae causing leaf spot on Photinia × fraseri in China. The study provides valuable information for identifying and controlling the leaf spot on Photinia × fraseri.

A rare case malignant granular cell tumor of the thigh with radiological imaging likely rhabdomyosarcoma: A case report

Granular cell tumors (GCTs) are uncommon soft tissue tumors characterized by the cytoplasmic granular appearance of the neoplastic cells. Malignant GCTs are rare neural tumors, intensely aggressive. Both the rare occurrence of malignant GCTs and its similarities in features with their benign lesions make the diagnosis of this malignancy difficult. Malignant GCTs comprise less than 2% of GCTs and are mostly found in the subcutaneous soft tissues of the lower extremities, especially the thighs. This article presents a case of a large malignant GCTs in the left thigh of a 46-year-old woman. Plain radiograph of the left thigh demonstrated a soft tissue mass without bone involvement. MRI images showed a malignant solid mass 7.8 x 5.2 x 21.6 cm, with ill-defined border, irregular edges, and suspected rhabdomyosarcoma. Incisional biopsy of the mass lesion revealed mixed epithelioid and spindle tumors, suspected malignant GCTs. Histological examination performed by a musculoskeletal pathologist, demonstrated nests and sheets of epithelioid to polygonal cells with hyperchromatic, intensely eosinophilic granular cytoplasm, prominent nucleoli, increased mitotic activity, necrosis, areas of spindling with significant atypia, and positive for S100 by immunohistochemistry. In conclusion, this patient with malignant soft tissue tumor demonstrated polygonal and spindle cells with eosinophilic granular cytoplasm, which need to be considered diagnosed as Malignant GCTs. This case stresses the importance of thorough histological examination in the diagnosis of malignant GCTs.

Irregular adaptive refinement network for semantic segmentation of high-resolution remote sensing images

The semantic segmentation of high-resolution remote sensing images has broad application prospects in land cover classification, road extraction, urban planning and other fields. To alleviate the influence of the large data volume and complex background of high-resolution remote sensing images, the usual approach is to downsample them or cut them into small pieces for separate processing. Even if combining the two methods can improve the segmentation efficiency, it ignores the differences between the middle and the edge regions. Therefore, we consider the characteristics of large and irregular region in high-resolution remote sensing images, and then propose an irregular adaptive refinement network to locate the irregular edge region, which will be refined adaptively. Specifically, on the basis of effectively preserving the global and local information, the prediction confidence is calculated to locate pixel points that are poorly segmented, so as to form irregular regions requiring further refinement, avoiding to ‘over-refine’ intermediate region with good segmentation. At the same time, considering the difference in the refinement degree of different pixels, we propose to adaptively integrate the local segmentation results to refine the coarse segmentation results. In addition, in order to bridge the gap between the two extreme ends of the scale space, we introduce a multi-scale framework. Finally, we conducted experiments on the Deepglobe dataset showing that the proposed method performed 0.37% to 0.87% better than the previous state-of-the-art methods in terms of mean Intersection over Union (mIoU).

The Effect of Yeast Antagonist Isolated from the Fermentation of Cocoa Beans (Theobroma cacao) from Lampung, Indonesia, on the Growth of Aspergillus flavus UNJCC F-55

Mold is one of the microorganisms that causes damage to cocoa fruit because it produces mycotoxins as secondary metabolites that can decrease the crop yield. One type of pathogenic mold that destroys cocoa fruit is Aspergillus flavus. A. flavus produces aflatoxin B1 which is the most potent hepatotoxin and carcinogen to humans. Amongst the most effective ways to avoid alpha-toxin contamination in cocoa beans is to inhibit the growth of A. flavus in the beans. However, the use of pesticides and fungicides can increase the development of resistant strains of fungi and have a negative impact on the environment and human health. Therefore, we need other alternatives such as bio-control agents using antagonistic microorganisms, including yeasts. Thus, this study aims to characterize yeasts isolated from the fermented cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao) from Lampung, Indonesia, and evaluate their ability to inhibit the growth of Aspergillus flavus UNJCCF-55. The methods used were yeast screening, dual culture technique for antagonistic test, and morphological characterization. The 37ºC-growth screening gave 89 out of 98 yeast isolates. The subsequent antagonist test resulted in 13 isolates with the highest inhibition zone against A. flavus UNJCCF-55. These yeast isolates were macroscopically of smooth surface, butyrous texture, milky white color, irregular edges, and convex elevation. Microscopic observation showed that the isolates have oval cell shape, asexual reproduction of budding, and non-hyphae structure.&#x0D; Keywords: yeast antagonist, cocoa fermentation, aspergillus flavus