Population Monitoring, Egg Parasitoids, and Genetic Structure of the Invasive Litchi Stink Bug, in Taiwan.

Here we assessed population dynamics, natural enemy fauna (with emphasis on egg parasitoid), and population genetic structure (based on mitochondrial DNA) of the invasive litchi stink bug (LSB), in Taiwan. Our major findings include: (1) fluctuations of LSB in numbers of adults, mating pairs, and egg masses over a 2-year period in Taiwan generally resemble those in the native populations; (2) and are among the most dominant LSB egg parasitoids, with the former consistently outnumbering the latter throughout Taiwan; (3) the presence of two genetically distinct clades suggests LSB in Taiwan most likely derived from multiple invasions. All these data practically improve our understanding of this invasive insect pest, particularly its ecological and genetic characteristics in the introduced area, which represents critical baseline information for the design of future integrated pest management strategies.

Design of a Computer-Assisted System to Automatically Detect Cell Types Using ANA IIF Images for the Diagnosis of Autoimmune Diseases.

Indirect immunofluorescence technique applied on HEp-2 cell substrates provides the major screening method to detect ANA patterns in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. Currently, the ANA patterns are mostly inspected by experienced physicians to identify abnormal cell patterns. The objective of this study is to design a computer-assisted system to automatically detect cell patterns of IIF images for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases in the clinical setting.

An automatic segmentation and classification framework for anti-nuclear antibody images.

Autoimmune disease is a disorder of immune system due to the over-reaction of lymphocytes against one's own body tissues. Anti-Nuclear Antibody (ANA) is an autoantibody produced by the immune system directed against the self body tissues or cells, which plays an important role in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. Indirect ImmunoFluorescence (IIF) method with HEp-2 cells provides the major screening method to detect ANA for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases.

Semi-automatic segmentation and classification of Pap smear cells.

Cytologic screening has been widely used for detecting the cervical cancers. In this study, a semiautomatic PC-based cellular image analysis system was developed for segmenting nuclear and cytoplasmic contours and for computing morphometric and textual features to train support vector machine (SVM) classifiers to classify four different types of cells and to discriminate dysplastic from normal cells. A software program incorporating function, including image reviewing and standardized denomination of file names, was also designed to facilitate and standardize the workflow of cell analyses.