Analysis of neurite directionality

Práca je zameraná na navrhnutie vhodnej metódy analýzy smerovosti neuritov. Využité boli snímky neurónov z fluorescenčnej mikroskopie. Pred samotnou segmentáciou bolo potrebné snímky predspracovať, pričom sa postupne využila úprava kontrastu, ostrenie a adaptívna filtrácia pomocou Weinerovského filtru. Jednotlivé návrhy metód segmentácie pozostávali z prostého prahovania, narastaním oblastí a využitím morfologických operácií. Následná analýza smerovosti využívala smer gradientov v obraze. Navrhnutá metóda bola využitá aj ako klasifikátor, ktorý dokázal rozdeliť jednotlivé snímky do skupín podľa smeru rastu.The thesis is focused on the design of a suitable method for analyzing the directionality of neurites. Fluorescence microscopy images of neurons were used. Prior to segmentation, the images had to be preprocessed, using contrast adjustment, sharpening, and adaptive filtering using a Weiner filter.The individual proposals of segmentation methods consisted of simple thresholding, area growth and the use of morphological operations. Subsequent directionality analysis used the direction of the gradients in the image. The proposed method was also used as a classifier, which was able to segregate the respective images into classes according to the direction of the growth.

Novel cancer biomarkers derived from quantitative phase imaging of biopsy cells

Hlavným cieľom tejto práce je vývoj nových nádorových biomarkerov využiteľných v perzonalizovaných liečbach. Pre pochopenie, prečo je táto problematika dôležitá, slúži stručný popis rakoviny obsahujúcej aj štatistické výsledky za uplynulé roky. Práca taktiež popisuje jednotlivé metódy sveteľnej mikroskopie využiteľné pri analýze buniek a aj následné spracovanie obrazov pozostávajúce zo segmentácie, trackingu, extrakcie príznakov a klasifikácie. V tejto práci sú prezentované príznaky hlavných vlastností buniek, ako je rýchlosť a tvar bunky. Práve tieto príznaky môžu byť potenciálne biomarkery pri liečbe rakoviny.The main objective of this work is the development of novel cancer biomarkers usable in personalized treatments. To understand why this issue is important, a brief description of cancer, including statistical results over the past years, is provided. The work also describes individual methods of light microscopy that can be used in cell analysis and subsequent image processing consisting of segmentation, tracking, feature extraction and classification. In this work, the main cell features, such as cell motility and shape, are presented. These features can be potential biomarkers in the treatment of cancer.

Practical Spheres of the Rusyn Language in Slovakia

The Rusyn language in Slovakia was codified in 1995 on the basis of the country’s two most prevalent Rusyn dialects: East Zemplín and West Zemplín. From this perspective Rusyn is a relatively young Slavic language, and this despite its centuries-long history, which is marked by many conflicts concerning the question of a literary norm; the disputes concerning Rusyn have taken place on the territory of today’s Slovak Republic, as well as throughout all of historical Carpathian Rus. Any solutions concerning a Rusyn literary language were always connected to the question of the Rusyn minority’s ethnic identity [i.e. are they (Great) Russian, Ukrainian, or do they form a separate Slavic nationality?], and these issues were not possible to resolve until after 1989, when society began to enjoy new pluralistic conditions. Thus, the late twentieth-century codification of Rusyn on the basis of local dialects was the natural result of an expression of free will on the part of Rusyns, and a response to the dilemma of their ethnic identity. The codification of Rusyn became the basis for introducing the literary language into various public spheres in Slovakia – publishing and media, religious life, stage and theatre productions, and of course the literary world –, which had until 1995 used various forms of Rusyn dialects without applying standardized rules. The expansion of Rusyn into these spheres of life – especially into the educational system and government administration – required the existence of a standardized literary language. Thus, the implementation of literary Rusyn (in its written and spoken form) into the above-named spheres of life is an important step to guaranteeing the language’s further development