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Biomonitoring is a key solution for assessing the effects and risks of pollutants to preserve the most vulnerable ecosystems, including aquatic ecosystems. This study aims in establishing the gastropod Lymnaea stagnalis, as a sentinel species to assess the water quality of the El-Malah river in the Algerian North-West. Three sites were chosen along the river: upstream (US), midstream (MS), and downstream (DS). The responsiveness of the aquatic snails has been compared using physiological and biological markers: condition index (CI), volumetric condition index (VCI), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione s-transferase (GST), and catalase (CAT). Additionally, the occurrence of changes in biometric parameters of the specimens has also been treated: shell height (SH), shell thickness (ST) total weight (TW), and the ratio ST/SH. Snails from the site MS reacted in front to the water deterioration with low biometric values (ST 1.28 ± 0.17 cm; SH 1.83 ± 0.20 cm; TW 2.95 ± 0.69 cm), and condition indices values (CI 31.19 ± 3.58; VCI 2.09 ± 0.53 g.cm-3), thereby signaling smaller individuals compared to the population of site US. Whereas, no specimen was recorded in the site submitted to wastewaters discharge (DS). This indicates that the degradation of the water quality affected the growth and the viability of the snails. Furthermore, a significant induction in the GST activity (88.98 ± 10.72 nmol min-1mg-1), and a significant inhibition in the CAT activity (82.85 ± 9.49 μmol min-1mg-1) were recorded in the site MS, whereas no statistically significant variation was observed in AChE activity. L. stagnalis demonstrated biological and physiological variability between the studied contrasting sites of the El-Malah River. These results allow us to propose this species as a model in the ecotoxicology of western Algerian freshwaters.

The crab Ucides cordatus is an important feature of mangroves in the North and Northeast of Brazil. In 2002 a large mortality was reported on this species in the Jaguaribe River Estuary. In order to investigate the possible causes specimens were collected monthly between May 2002 and December 2003 at five sites: Fortim (E1), Fortim (E2), Cumbe (E3) Aracati (E4) and Guajiru (E5). The mangrove structure and environmental parameters (salinity, pH, temperature and DO) were also evaluated. Water was collected for suspended solids analysis, BOD and nutrient levels. Salinity decreased in the rainy season, with no significant variation of pH and temperature. Dissolved oxygen levels had a mean of 5.7 mg L-1. Suspended solids increased at site E4, with BOD varying at E1 and E2 during the dry season. The same was observed at sites E1, E2 and E3 during the rainy season. Ammonia levels at E1 and E2 and phosphorus in all seasons, increased with rain events. Four lines of investigation were adopted: biometry, histology, hematology, and bioassay. There was no significant difference between animals in biometrics and histology showed no cellular alterations. However, hematology showed a significant difference between the E1 and E3 sites due to depletion in the number of hemocytes in E1, probably in response to environmental impacts. This can lead to poor immunity, leading to opportunistic pathogen infections such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. The bioassay showing no abnormal behavior or mortality. The structure the of mangrove was developed in all areas, except in E5 which served as a control site, with significant environmental stress with high levels of herbivorous growth (> 50%) and a salinity of around 50 ‰. It is believed that the mortality of the crabs was an occasional occurrence, probably due to toxin production by some fungal organism.

Background: Refractive error is a complex interaction of the biometric parameters depending on both genetic and environmental factors. The amplitude of accommodation (AA) varies with refractive error, and hence, changes in biometric parameters on accommodation also vary with refractive status. Aims and Objectives: The objective of our study was to find out the relationship between various refractive errors and biometric parameters. We also compared the changes in the biometric parameters during accommodation in different refractive states. Materials and Methods: Our study included 126 patients of both the sexes. The patients included were between 12 and 35 years of age. The patients were categorized into three groups based on spherical equivalent refraction (SER). SER was calculated by adding spherical refraction and half of cylindrical refraction. Patients with SER ≤±0.5 D were categorized as emmetropia, with SER ≥+0.5 D were categorized as hypermetropia, and patients with SER ≥−0.5 D were categorized as myopia. Various biometric parameters were measured by Nidek echo scan US 800 A - scan biometer for both distant and near focus. Results: There were 51 myopic subjects: 37 emmetropes and 38 hypermetropes. The axial length and anterior chamber depth were found to be highest in myopes followed by emmetropes and lowest in hypermetropes. On accommodation, the changes in biometric parameters occurred maximally in myopes (P < 0.005), and minimal changes were documented in hypermetropes. Conclusion: We concluded that there exists a strong association between the status of refraction and biometric parameters. There also exists a positive correlation between AA and changes in biometric parameters. The axial elongation in myopes during near work suggests a possibility that near work can lead to development and progression of myopia. [Natl J Physiol Pharm Pharmacol 2016; 6(6.000): 550-553]

Background Refractive errors are one of the most common ocular conditions among children and adolescents, with myopia showing an increasing prevalence and early onset in this population. Recent studies have identified a correlation between refractive errors and ocular biometric parameters. Methods A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Medline from January 1, 2012, to May 1, 2023. Various ocular biometric parameters were summarized under different refractive states, including axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), corneal curvature (CC), Corneal curvature radius (CR),axial length-to-corneal radius ratio (AL/CR ratio), choroidal thickness (ChT), retinal thickness (RT), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL), and retinal blood density (VD). The differences in these parameters among different refractive states were analyzed using Stata software with fixed or random-effects models, taking into account the assessed heterogeneity level. Results This meta-analysis included a total of 69 studies involving 128,178 eyes, including 48,795 emmetropic eyes, 60,691 myopic eyes, 13,983 hyperopic eyes, 2,040 low myopic eyes, 1,201 moderate myopic eyes, and 1,468 high myopic eyes. The results of our study demonstrated that, compared to the control group (emmetropic group), the myopic group and low, moderate, and high myopic groups showed significant increases in AL, AL/CR ratio, and ACD, while the hyperopic group exhibited significant decreases. Compared to the control group, the myopic group had a significantly increase for CC, while CR, CCT, perifoveal RT, subfoveal ChT, foveal ChT, parafoveal ChT, perifoveal (except nasal) ChT, and pRNFL (except temporal) significantly decreased. Compared to the control group, the hyperopic group had a significantly increase for subfoveal ChT, foveal ChT, parafoveal ChT, perifoveal ChT, and nasal pRNFL. Compared to the control group, the low and moderate myopic groups had a significantly decreases for the CCT, parafoveal RT (except nasal), perifoveal RT (except nasal), and pRNFL (except superior and temporal). Compared to the control group, the high myopic group had a significantly increase for CR, while LT, perifoveal ChT (except nasal), parafoveal RT, perifoveal RT, and pRNFL (except temporal) had significant decreased. Conclusion The changes of ocular biometric parameters in children and adolescents are closely related to refractive errors. Ocular biometric parameters devices, as effective non-invasive techniques, provide objective biological markers for monitoring refractive errors such as myopia.

Plant quality and survival prediction tools are useful when applied in the field in different agricultural sectors. The objectives of this study were to conduct a review and bibliometric analysis of the Dickson Quality Index (DQI) as a key plant quality indicator and with respect to its scientific applications. A third objective was to identify the main morphological and physiological parameters used in plant production research. The methodology and findings of 289 scientific articles were analysed based on the morphological, physiological, and mathematical parameters used as plant quality indicators in research on forest, medicinal, horticultural, aromatic, and ornamental species. During the last 10 years, the number of publications that have used the DQI as a plant quality parameter has increased by 150%, and Brazilian researchers stand out as the most frequent users. Forestry is the discipline where quality parameters and their biometric relationships are most often used to facilitate intensive plant production. Use of the DQI increases the certainty of prediction, selection, and productivity in the plant production chain. The DQI is a robust tool with scientific application and great potential for use in the preselection of plants with high quality standards among a wide range of plant species.

Accurate estimation of tree structural and morphological parameters is essential in precision fruit farming, supporting optimised irrigation management, biomass estimation and carbon stock assessment. While traditional field-based measurements remain widely used, they are often time-consuming and subject to operator-induced errors. In recent years, Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and UAV-based photogrammetry have been successfully employed to generate high-resolution 3D reconstructions of plants; however, their cost and operational constraints limit their scalability in routine field applications. This study investigates the performances of a low-cost, consumer-grade device—the iPhone 13 Pro equipped with an integrated LiDAR sensor and RGB camera—for 3D scanning of fruit tree structures. Cylindrical targets with known geometric dimensions were scanned using both the LiDAR and photogrammetric (Photo) modes of the Polycam© application, with accuracy and precision assessed by comparing extracted measurements to reference values. Field applicability was also tested on hazelnut trees, assessing height, stem diameter and leaf area: the Photo mode delivered the highest accuracy (systematic error of 0.007 m and R2 = 0.99) and strong agreement with manual leaf measurements (R2 = 0.93). These results demonstrate that smartphone-based 3D scanning can provide a practical, low-cost approach for structural characterisation in fruit orchards, supporting more efficient crop monitoring.

To analyze the incidence and progression rates of myopia among children aged 6–8 years in Chengdu, and to evaluate the influence of baseline parameters and dynamic changes in ocular biometric parameters on new-onset myopia risk. A total of 26,169 students aged 6–8 years from eight administrative districts in Chengdu were followed annually for 4 years. All students underwent uncorrected distance visual acuity testing, non-cycloplegic autorefraction, and ocular biometric parameters. Potential risk factors for myopia onset were screened through multivariate logistic regression analysis. The influence of each factor was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC). Results showed that the baseline prevalence of myopia was 17.8%. The cumulative incidence rates of myopia were 8.1–13.4% (2nd year), 8.6–12.2% (3rd year), and 11.5–16.2% (4th year) across different age groups, with higher rates in older children and females. The mean myopia progression rate was − 0.45 ± 0.32 D/year in the persistent myopia (PM) group. The annual growth rates of axial length(AL) and axial length/corneal radius (AL/CR) ratio in both the new-onset myopia (NOM) group and PM group were higher than those in the persistent non-myopia (PNM) group. The NOM showed significantly higher annual reduction rates in lens thickness and lens power(LP), and higher annual increase rate in anterior chamber depth compared to both PNM and PM. Both baseline parameters (e.g., AL, LP) and their changes 1–3 years before myopia onset significantly influenced the risk of myopia onset (all P  < 0.001). The model combining baseline values and annual changes demonstrated good performance with cross-validated AUC values of 0.853. The study demonstrates that baseline values and changes 1–3 years before myopia onset in ocular biometric parameters have important influence on myopia onset, suggesting their incorporation into comprehensive myopia prevention and control systems for children.

Plantation forests are crucial for landscape rehabilitation and carbon sequestration. However, the efficacy of these plantations in carbon sequestration in Ethiopia remains uncertain due to a lack of robust, species- and site-specific biomass estimation models. This study addresses this gap by developing and validating allometric models for estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) and carbon (C) stocks of plantation forests. Allometric models were developed using data from 69 harvested trees of three species: Eucalyptus globulus , Cupressus lusitanica , and Pinus patula . AGB was regressed against diameter at breast height (DBH) as the sole predictor, with stepwise inclusion of height (H), crown area and wood density. Model performance was evaluated using fit statistics, including Pseudo-R 2 and mean prediction error (MPE). The model that incorporated both DBH and H as predictors provided the best fit (Pseudo-R 2  > 0.90, p  < 0.001) and achieved the lowest MPE (1.47–5.67%) across all species. The findings indicated a mean C stock of 121.6 Mg C ha −1 in the plantations studied. Our models provide valuable insights for forest management and improve the accuracy of AGB and C stock estimations in the study area and similar ecosystems. The estimated C stocks can serve as a benchmark for assessing future C dynamics.

Microplastic pollution to the marine environment is a global issue. This study investigated microplastic pollution in ten species of different mollusks. Microplastic shape and size were determined under a microscope. Additionally, the polymer types were identified using Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (μ-FT-IR). The results showed that the microplastic abundance varied from 0.19 to 1.76 items/g (wet weight) and 4.3 to 36.6 items/individual. Four types of microplastics were observed, including fibers, fragments, films, and pellets. Fibers smaller than 500 μm were the most common. Cellophane (CP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were the main polymer types. The microplastic abundance in the buried bivalve Ruditapes philippinarum demonstrated the highest level of microplastic contamination assessed by wet weight (1.76 ± 0.95 items/g). Furthermore, the Spearman correlation test showed that there was a significant negative correlation between the microplastic abundance calculated by weight and the biometric parameters (shell length, shell height and soft tissue wet weight). Our results will provide valuable information for assessment of the potential health risks of microplastics in China’s seafood.

Purpose To observe the distribution characteristics of corneal higher-order aberrations (HOAs) in cataract patients, and analyze the relationship of HOAs with patients’ age and ocular biometric parameters. Methods This retrospective study reviews the patients with cataract in Wuhan Aier Eye Department from January to August 2022. Root mean square (RMS) of the total HOA (tHOA), spherical aberration (SA), coma and trefoil aberration of the anterior cornea at central 4 and 6 mm optic zone were measured by the Wavefront Aberrometer (OPD-Scan III; Nidek Inc, Tokyo, Japan). The biometric parameters including axial length (AL), keratometry (K), central corneal thickness (CCT) and lens thickness (LT) were measured by swept-source coherence laser interferometry (OA-2000; TOMEY Corp, Aichi, Japan). Subgroup analyses and multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine whether HOAs were associated with age and ocular biometric parameters. Results A total of 976 patients (976 eyes) were included, averagely aged 65 years. At central 4 and 6 mm optic zone, the mean RMS of tHOA were respectively 0.20 and 0.65 μm, the SA were 0.06 and 0.30 μm, the coma aberration were 0.11 and 0.35 μm, and the trefoil aberration were 0.12 and 0.30 μm. The tHOA decreased with age until 60 years and then started to increase afterwards. The tHOA, coma and trefoil aberration increased with corneal astigmatism. The tHOA, SA, and coma aberration differ among different AL groups, and emmetropes had the smallest tHOA, SA, and coma aberration. Conclusions With increasing age, the value of tHOA decrease first and started increasing at 60 years. The trends of corneal HOAs are consistent with corneal low-order aberrations. The values of tHOA, SA and coma aberration were the smallest in emmetropic eyes.