Detection of visual defects on rotationally symmetric objects.

The paper describes a method using digital image processing in the detection of vaguely defined visual defects on objects symmetric with respect to a rotation axis. Automotive wheels and hubcaps, fans, turbines, symmetrical ceramic goods, merchandise, etc., are examples of such objects. The method uses the object's surface symmetry to identify areas that do not meet the requirement for the symmetry. The method is based on the brightness comparison of areas of the object's surface under test corresponding to each other with respect to the object's rotational symmetry. The area containing a defect is located through the difference between its brightness and average brightness of the all symmetric areas. The reliability of the method requires opaque and not too broken surfaces with solitary defects that do not overlap when the object is rotated. The method is advantageous for larger defects. Minimum defect size is limited by segmentation of the object and its production tolerances. Uniform illumination is another prerequisite for the reliable detection of the defects. This work focuses on testing the method and determination of the optimum brightness difference characterizing the defect. Next, limitations of the method are analyzed, especially the relationship between the uncertainty of the object shape, the camera resolution, and the minimum size of the detected defect.

Lack of ERG-antibody in Benign Mimickers of Prostate Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate carcinoma (PC) is the second most diagnosed cancer in men worldwide. Prostate tissue in needle biopsy expresses a wide variety of architectural patterns some of which are difficult to interpret. Immunohistochemical markers, such as AMACR, p63 and 34ßE12 that are currently used in diagnosing prostate cancer, are of great value, but often their interpretation is ambiguous. In 2005 Tomlins et al. identified an emerging marker, erythroblastosis E26 rearrangement gene (ERG), which is a member of the family of genes encoding erythroblast-transformation specific transcription factors (ETS) with frequent expression in PC. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of ERG in benign mimickers of PC in needle biopsies and its diagnostic value alone and in combination with AMACK and 34ßE12. RESULTS: Of the selected 46 biopsies, two were eventually diagnosed as PC Gleason score 6 as they were simultaneously ERG and AMACR-positive and 34ßE12-negative. One case was considered atypical. The remaining 43 biopsies were diagnosed as benign cases: simple atrophy in 13 cases, partial atrophy in 11, adenosis in 9, basal cell hyperplasia in 3, post-atrophic hyperplasia in 3, clear cell hyperplasia in 2 and sclerotic adenosis in 2 cases. None of the 43 benign cores showed evidence of ERG expression. CONCLUSION: ERG could be preferably used in diagnosing prostate needle biopsies, lesions that are hard to interpret and controversial expression of AMACR/34ßE12.

Hybrid Bladder Tumor: Urothelial Carcinoma With Squamous Cell Differentiation, Urothelial Sarcomatoid Carcinoma, and Concurrent Primary Mucinous Adenocarcinoma With Metastasis to the Penis.

The most common histological variants of bladder cancer include urothelial, squamous, and adenocarcinoma. In high-grade, invasive urothelial carcinoma, divergent differentiation can be observed, including glandular, squamous, trophoblastic, and small-cell types. Urothelial sarcomatoid carcinoma is characteristic of advanced carcinomas and is considered a possible common end route for all epithelial carcinomas. Adenocarcinoma of the bladder refers exclusively to true glandular carcinomas. Hybrid tumors are extremely rare and consist of more than one tumor type within the total tumor mass. Penile metastases are extremely uncommon, and there are no reported cases of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the bladder in the literature.

Aggressive juvenile mandibular fibromatosis.

Aggressive juvenile fibromatosis of the jawbones is a rare tumor presenting as infiltrative mass with unpredictable evolution. We report herein a 17-year-old student with a 6-month history of radiologically proven resorption of a part of the mandible, lingual displacement of tooth 34 and malocclusion. Alveolar ridge resorption and three dark-brown foci in the bone were seen after the tooth was extracted. Histological study showed the tumor tissue to have a bundle-like structure; immunohistochemically it was positive for vimentin, smooth muscle actin, beta-catenin, Ki-67 (5%), and negative for desmin and cytokeratin 34bE12. The golden standard in the diagnostics of desmoid fibromatoses is the nuclear or membrane expression of beta-catenin, which is found in 90% of the cases. Differential diagnosis include mandibular fibroma, well-differentiated fibrosarcoma, fibrosing histiocytoma, and infiltration from adjacent soft-tissue tumor. Aggressive juvenile fibromatosis should be managed by radical excision. Local recurrences are not rare, but metastases do not develop. In rare cases this type of fibromatosis has been known to regress spontaneously. Aggressive fibromatosis is a diagnostic challenge, since it remains in the grey zone between benign and malignant lesions of the oral cavity.

Effect of TiO2 on Pd/La2O3-CeO2-Al2O3 Systems during Catalytic Oxidation of Methane in the Presence of H2O and SO2.

New results on the effect of TiO2 on Pd/La2O3-CeO2-Al2O3 systems for catalytic oxidation of methane in the presence of H2O and SO2 have been received. Low-temperature N2-adsorption, XRD, SEM, HRTEM, XPS, EPR and FTIR techniques were used to characterize the catalyst. The presence of Ce3+ on the catalytic surface and in the volume near the lantana was revealed by EPR and XPS. After aging, the following changes are observed: (i) agglomeration of the Pd-clusters (from 8 nm to 12 nm); (ii) transformation of part of the TiO2 from anatase to larger particles of rutile; and (iii)-the increase in PdO/Pd-ratio above its optimum. The modification by Ti of the La2O3-CeO2-Al2O3 system leads to higher resistance towards the presence of SO2 most likely due to the prevailing formation of unstable surface sulfites instead of thermally stable sulfates. Based on kinetic model calculations, the reaction pathway over the Pd/La2O3-CeO2-TiO2-Al2O3 catalyst follows the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism. For evaluation of the possible practical application of the obtained material, a sample of Pd/La2O3-CeO2-TiO2-Al2O3, supported on rolled aluminum-containing stainless steel (Aluchrom VDM®), was prepared and tested. Methane oxidation in an industrial-scale monolithic reactor was simulated using a two-dimensional heterogeneous reactor model.

Giant fibroadenoma of the breast.

A case of giant fibroadenoma of the breast (size 23x20x13 cm and weight 2680 grams) in a 43-year-old woman with short stature and gracile body build is presented. Pericanalicular fibroadenoma was detected histologically. One year after mastectomy the patient is in good health, with no recurrences. The case is discussed in the light of the diagnostic difficulties, which lead to radical mastectomy. Giant fibroadenomas have to be differentiated from phylloid cystosarcoma by the lack of leaf-like structures and stromal cell atypia and from the breast hamartoma and asymmetric breast hypertrophy in girls by the lack of mammary lobules. Giant fibroadenoma should take its due place in the diagnostic algorithm of the breast tumors.