Main Morphological Parameters Research Articles

Morphofunctional characteristics of the liver after administration of ascorbic acid in a model of radiation hepatitis

Introduction: Radiation-induced hepatitis develops both with direct irradiation of malignant neoplasms of the liver and abdominal organs. An important task of modern radiobiology is the development of methods for the prevention of acute and chronic post-radiation complications, for example, the injections of protectors. Materials and methods: Wistar rats (n = 40) were divided into groups: I – control (n = 10); II (n = 10) – electron irradiation; III (n = 10) – injection of ascorbic acid before electron irradiation; IV (n = 10) – injection of ascorbic acid. A biochemical blood test, oxidative status analysis, morphological, morphometric and statistical studies were carried out. Results: In group III, a less pronounced change in the main morphological and morphometric parameters was noted compared to group II; indicators of biochemical analysis and oxidative status approached control values. Conclusions: According to the results of the study, it was revealed that local irradiation with electrons after a week leads to disruption of the histoarchitecture of the liver, and the injection of ascorbic acid reduces the depth and range of radiation-induced hepatitis.

Influence of real particle morphology on single particle crushing behavior of rockfill based on FDEM

Particle morphology is critical in affecting the crushing behavior of rockfill materials. In contrast, most current single particle simulations lack satisfactory morphology accuracy, and the resulting crushing modes deviate from observations to some extent. Therefore, we reconstruct the real particle morphology with the spherical harmonic (SH) method and employ the finite-discrete element method (FDEM) to simulate the one-dimensional (1D) compressive crushing process of basalt particles commonly used in rockfill. The influences of four main morphological parameters, i.e. sphericity, aspect ratio, roundness, and convexity, on the single particle strength and the crushing modes are discussed. The results show that with the SH degree set to 15 and a mesh number of 20,480, the FDEM models of reconstructed particles achieve sufficient morphology accuracy and high computational efficiency. Based on the model, the simulation results demonstrate that the aspect ratio has the most significant impact on single particle strength, followed by sphericity. In contrast, roundness and convexity have a weaker effect than the above two parameters. Also, it is revealed that single particle strength decreases with increasing aspect ratio and sphericity, while it increases with higher roundness and convexity. Furthermore, aspect ratio significantly changes the initial crushing position, sphericity dominates post-crushing fragment size and quantity, and roundness mainly affects post-crushing morphology. The model results have been employed in establishing a support vector regression (SVR)-based predicted model, exhibiting good predictive performance and advantages for the optimization of rockfill particles in engineering.

A novel in-situ micro-mechanical testing of paper fracture and its stochastic network model

Understanding and simulating the evolution of fracture in cellulose-based paper materials is vital for many eco-sustainable applications of packaging solutions. In this work, we conduct an integrated experimental-statistical mechanics analysis to elucidate how the microstructural mechanisms govern the fracture behavior of paper. We employ in-situ tensile tests combined with confocal microscopy to observe and analyze key microstructural phenomena, such as fibers’ activation and recruitment, and progressive tensile failure of unnotched paper samples under uniaxal loading. The developed stochastic mechanics critical cross-section model to treat the cellulose fiber network is able to decouple the stochastic morphological parameters from the constitutive model of the fibers. Notably, it robustly predicts the anisotropic properties of paper materials in the machine direction (MD) and cross-machine direction (CD) as a direct consequence of the different statistical distribution of fibers’ orientation, for the same fiber constitutive model. The proposed approach is finally employed to get an insight into the role of the main morphological parameters, local/non-local fibers’ strain redistribution, and finite elasticity of fibers on the whole mechanical behavior of paper.

Effectiveness of blood transfusion to cats suffering flea infestation

Donation and transfusion of whole blood and its components in cats are relevant issues in veterinary practice. Blood transfusion to cats helps effectively treat anemia of diverse causes or at least stabilize a patient for further examinatons and searh of solutions for particular pathologies. Measures ensuring blood matching of donor and recipient cats must be conducted with the utmost care and thoroughness possible. At the very least, the blood group A/B/AB of both cats should be checked, and ideally further cross-sampling should be performed so as to detect Mik antigenes and other incompatibilities. Unlike dogs, cats have natural antibodies. Donor cats must be clinically healthy, vaccinated, 2–8 years old, weigh over 4 kg, with hematocrit over 30% (preferably more than 35%). Also, a donor cat should be examined for blood-transmitted infections, including feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), and Mycoplasma haemofelis (pathogen of infectious feline anemia). The article presents clinical cases of using blood transfusion to treat feline anemia and results of the conducted laboratory studies, showing effectiveness of the performed medical procedures. After blood transfusion, the cats had positive dynamics in the general clinical state and increases in the main morphological blood parameters up to the norm or to values close to it. However, the issue of posthemorrhagic anemia requires more in-depth research in each separate case, particularly regarding the underlying case, since it can return the animal’s state and its main morphological blood parameters to the initial level, with no recovery, or at least long remission. It was found that whole-blood transfusion to the recipient animals with flea invasion increased the number of red blood cells, hemoglobin content, and hematocrit, which positively affected blood oxygenation and redox processes in the recipient animals, and accordingly their general clinical state.

Morphological features of microglial cells in a 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

BACKGROUND: Aging is an inevitable and irreversible process associated with increased risk of developing various neurodegenerative diseases, one of which is Alzheimer's disease. Currently, the role of glial cells, in particular microglia, in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is being actively studied. However, only a few studies have correlated the morphological features of microglia and their spatial arrangement in relation to β-amyloid plaques. AIM: Describe the main morphological parameters of microglia in the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease at a late stage of pathology development. METHODS: As the studied object, mice were chosen by the age of 15–16 months of the 5xFAD line, as a model of acceleid amyloidosis. The immunohistochemical staining of the study of the morphological diversity of microglia was carried out on the cuts of the cortex of the mouse brain. The obtained confocal images performed an immunogystological analysis of the cuts of the cerebral cortex when analyzed using the Imagej application using the plugins of Skeleton, AnalyzeSkeleton (2D/3D) and FracLac. RESULTS: During the study, 5xFAD mice were divided into two groups (n=3 each). Carriers of the app and psen1 transgenes were assigned to the “FAD” group, and wild-type mice were assigned to the “Wt” group (control). We analyzed 3–4 sagittal sections (50 µm) of the brain from each mouse. The results showed that microglial cells from mice with signs of Alzheimer's disease have smaller fractal dimension, lacunarity and branching. CONCLUSION: The presence of β-amyloid plaques contributes to the migration of microglia to the focus of inflammation, its proliferation and transition to the phagocytic and dystrophic subtype. According to fractal analysis, there is a significant (p ≤0.05) decrease in the average branching of microglial processes, a decrease in fractal dimension and lacunarity.

Assessment of the aortic tunica media histological changes in relation with the cause of death.

The authors set out to evaluate the correlations between three of the main morphological aortic parameters (elastic fibers - FE, collagen fibers - FCOL, and smooth muscle fibers - FM) and the cause of death. Study groups included 25 cases died of a vascular disease (V_P), 37 cases died of a non-vascular disease (NV_P) and 28 cases died of a violent/suspect non-pathological cause of death (V_Dth), the latter group representing also the control group. Four aortic cross-sections (base, arch, thoracic, and abdominal regions) were collected during autopsy from the selected cases, fixed in 10% buffered formalin and first of all photographed together with a calibrating ruler. Then, they were embedded in paraffin, sectioned off at 4 μm and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) and Orcein. The obtained histological slides were transformed into virtual slides. Fibrillary components amounts were using a custom-made software, developed in MATLAB (MathWorks, USA). Statistical tools used were Pearson's correlation test, t-test (two-sample assuming equal variances) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. The amounts of the three fibrillary components of the aortic tunica media had a synchronous variation in all aortic regions in each of the three groups, excepting FCOL in the group of patients died from vascular pathology, which presented only a trend of synchronous variation along the aorta. FE had their lowest values and FCOL had their highest values in patients died from vascular pathology. FCOL had always higher levels than FE in people died from any pathological condition, vascular or non-vascular. FM had always at least two times lower level than that of the other types of fibers, regardless of whether the person died due to a pathological condition or not. The different pathological conditions causing death are influencing the fibrillary composition of aortic tunica media. Further studies are required to reveal other changes in the morphology of aortic wall in particular and vascular wall in general that could be related with different pathological conditions affecting the entire organism.

Sensory Evaluation, Biochemical, Bioactive and Antioxidant Properties in Fruits of Wild Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) Genotypes from Northeastern Türkiye

Wild edible fruits are an important source for agriculture worldwide suffering from genetic erosion due to a severe genetic diversity reduction and domestication hindrance. In Türkiye, underutilized Prunus spinosa fruits are increasingly being considered as genetic resources and are marginally used by small farmers constituting a real safety valve for the sustainability of the processing plum value chain. Fruits of those plum genotypes differ in their biometric, processing and functional quality attributes. In this study, fruits of eight wild grown blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) genotypes were sampled from the Ispir district of the Erzurum province and subjected to sensory, morphological, biochemical and antioxidant characterization. Aroma, taste and juiciness were used as the criteria for sensory analysis, and a trained panel of ten experts established and evaluated the sensory characteristics of the fruits of the blackthorn. Fruit weight, fruit skin and flesh color as L*, a* and b* values were the main morphological parameters. For biochemical and bioactive analysis, organic acids, SSC (Soluble Solid Content), vitamin C, total anthocyanins, total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity were determined. Antioxidant capacity was determined by FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assay. The results indicated significant differences among genotypes for most of the traits. The fruit weight was found between 2.78–3.67 g. The skin L*, a* and b* values were 13.11–16.12, 2.56–3.85 and 2.01–3.44, respectively. The flesh L*, a* and b* values were in the ranges of 17.45–20.37, 4.88–6.73 and 4.12–5.66, respectively. The SSC content ranged from 18.66% to 21.07%. The total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were between 372–504 mg GAE/100 g; 53–72 mg cy-3 g eq./100 g and 107–134 mmol Fe (II) eq./g, respectively. The dominant organic acid was malic acid for all genotypes and varied from 1.04 g/100 g to 1.52 g/100 g fresh weight base. The data showed that the analyzed blackthorns, particularly PS-5, PS-3 and PS-2 had bigger fruits indicate their suitability for fresh and dried consumption, PS-1 and PS-3 had higher juiciness, indicating their suitability for processing, and PS-4 and PS-6 had higher human health promoting compounds (higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity), making them suitable for future use as functional foods and as promising sources of natural antioxidants.

Fruit Quality and Primary and Secondary Metabolites Content in Eight Varieties of Blood Oranges

In Europe, the cultivation of blood oranges for fresh consumption is increasing due to their excellent organoleptic and nutraceutical properties, which give this fruit the status of functional food. Blood orange has a higher content of bioactive compounds, which confer additional benefits for human health. The main morphological and qualitative parameters were studied together with the content of primary metabolites by 1H NMR and secondary metabolites by HPLC-ESI-DAD-MSn from eight varieties of blood orange grafted on Citrus macrophylla. Tarocco Dalmuso was the variety with the highest values of weight (350.6 g), caliber (86.4 mm and 88.6 mm) and juice content (214.2 g). Tarocco Gallo obtained the most interesting qualitative parameters (13.95 °Brix; 22.75 MI). The most intense red juice was in Sanguinelli (a* = 9.45) and, in crust, it was in Tarocco Scirè (a* = 40.13). The most abundant primary metabolites were proline, aspartate and asparagine, citric acid and sucrose. The results showed that the juice of the Moro had the highest levels of total flavones and flavanones (90.07 and 592.88 mg L−1, respectively), and Sanguinelli in total anthocyanins (101.06 mg L−1). To conclude, Tarocco Dalmuso obtained the best values of agronomic parameters, and Moro and Sanguinelli in the content of phenolic compounds.

Почвенный покров-фундамент агротехнологий будущего Оценка современного состояния Erythroni um caucasic um woronow в природе и культуре

Monitoring of Erythronium caucasicum Woronow (Caucasian kandyk), family Liliaceae on the territory of the Stavropol upland has been carried out since 2010. The Caucasian Kandyk is a glacial relic, listed in the Red Books of the Russian Federation, Stavropol Territory and other regions. In our region, this is an endangered species, status 1 (E), having point ranges (protection category III). The research work was carried out on the dynamics of the Russkiy Les Protected Area and Stavropol Botanical Garden: in artificially created forest formations and on the exposition site Rare and Endangered Species. Observation points for the condition of the Caucasian kandyk are located in one (III) natural-climatic zone of insufficient moisture. The aim of the research work is to determine the current state of the Caucasian kandyk under different ecological and biological conditions. The research work was carried out on stationary sites (1 m²) and during the route survey. The age structure, the renewal index, and the main morphological parameters of plants (height, leaf length and width, flower diameter, etc.) were used to evaluate the state of populations. As a result of the observations carried out in 2010–2022, the population with of 10 ha was found to be growing in natural habitats. The exception was 2021: we assume that unfavorable weather conditions of previous years (drought 2018–2020) and terrain (slope of Stavropol Mountain) affected the absence of plants throughout the territory. In 2022, the population has recovered. In the lower part of the Russkiy Les, on an area of four hectares, the population is stable; on an area of three hectares, it is declining. On the territory of the Stavropol Botanical Garden in the oak-hornbeam-ash forest, the area occupied by kandyk has increased in comparison with 2013, the plants are blooming and fruiting, the advantage of young, pregenerative individuals was noted. In the ornamental group, where the composition of tree and shrub species does not correspond to that of broad-leaved forests, there are no juveniles in its natural habitats, and a low renewal index is noted. On small plot beds, the species is insufficiently stable, there is no fruiting, the plants are in a depressed state.

On the presence of Cephalanthera caucasica (Orchidaceae) in Russia: rediscovery of a threatened orchid in the Republic of Dagestan

Cephalanthera caucasica had been reported previously from the Samur Forest in Dagestan (Russia), but that report was considered doubtful: a possible misidentification of supposed hybrids between C. damasonium and C. longifolia as C. caucasica was speculated. Moreover, this species was recently reduced to a synonym of C. kotschyana in the «Plants of the World Online» database. In the present study, we did not confirm the presence of C. caucasica in the Samur Forest, but it was revealed in a few localities in remnants of beech (Fagus orientalis) forests in Kaytagskiy district and Tabasaranskiy district in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. Living plants were studied in the vicinity of the village Tatil where 40 flowering individuals were counted. A morphological study suggested that these plants belonged to typical C. caucasica, not to any hybrid. The synonymy of this species with C. kotschyana has also been rejected, because it contradicted to the «International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants» and, besides, was not properly reasoned. The lectotype of C. caucasica is designated in the present paper. The description of the species is provided with measurements of the main morphological parameters. Differences of C. caucasica and the related taxa are discussed. A key to the species of the genus Cephalanthera from the North Caucasus is provided. Cephalanthera caucasica is highly threatened in Russia, being estimated as Endangered taxon (EN B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)), according to the IUCN categories and criteria. It should be included to the next editions of both national and regional Red Data Books.

Size effect of steel fiber–reinforced concrete cylinders under compressive fatigue loading: Influence of the mesostructure

This study deals with the influence of the fiber concrete mesostructure on the size effect under compressive fatigue loading. For this purpose, three series of cylindrical specimens of steel fiber–reinforced concrete were fabricated. Before fatigue testing, all the cylinders were scanned and the main morphological, orientation, and distribution parameters of the pores and fibers were checked. The images reveal that, near the cylinders’ walls, the porosity is lower than that in the cores and is even lower for large sizes. Additionally, larger specimens are more vulnerable to compressive fatigue loading, resulting in a reduction in fatigue life.

Remodeling of the aortic wall layers with ageing.

The authors aimed to evaluate the correlations between the variation of two of the main morphological parameters of the aortic wall (intima and media thicknesses) and ageing. Aortic cross sections (base region, cross region, thoracic region, and abdominal region) were collected from 90 cases of all ages died and autopsied in the hospital. Tissue samples were processed using the classical histopathological technique (formalin fixation and paraffin embedding) and stained with Orcein and Goldner's trichrome. The obtained histological slides were transformed into virtual slides. Intima and media thicknesses were determined on virtual slides using a custom-made software, developed in MATLAB (MathWorks, USA). The intima layer underwent an obvious and continuous process of thickening both from the aortic base region to its terminal (abdominal) region and from young ages to old age. The processes were similar in men and women but almost always more pronounced in men than in women. The media layer underwent a thickness reduction process from the aortic base to the terminal (abdominal) region whereas with age, the thickness of the layer increased. This divergent profile of evolution was similar in both men and women but with some variations depending on either topography or ageing. Each of the main layers of the aortic wall revealed dynamic individual evolutionary profiles related to age, gender and topography along the aortic path. Studies must be continued in a more detailed, standardized and integrated way.

Morphometric Analysis of Scoria Cones to Define the ‘Volcano-Type’ of the Campo de Calatrava Volcanic Region (Central Spain)

The Campo de Calatrava Volcanic Region is the largest volcanic field in the Iberian Peninsula and presents a complex volcanic history, with more than 360 monogenetic basaltic volcanoes developed in effusive, Strombolian, and hydromagmatic eruptions. The large number of scoria cones, compared to the other existing types of volcanic morphologies, indicates that these landforms represent the most common eruptive events that occurred during Calatrava’s geological past. In this work, a morphometric analysis of the scoria cones was carried out, based on statistical analysis of the main morphological parameters of these volcanoes (height, cone width, crater width, crater depth, slope, area, etc.). The results were used to identify the most frequent scoria cone by means of statistical analysis of its main morphological features. To do this, a methodology based on statistical correlations of the morphological and morphometric parameters that best define the morphology of these volcanoes was applied. The number of cones and their distribution correspond to platform volcanic fields. The most frequent identified monogenetic volcano corresponds to a scoria cone developed in Strombolian dynamics with lava flows, with mean dimensions of 36.54 m height, 0.008113 km3 volume and an area of 0.454 km2.

Salt‐marsh retreat on different time scales: Issues and prospects from a 5‐year monitoring campaign in the Venice Lagoon

AbstractLateral edge erosion is one of the main mechanisms leading to loss volume of salt marshes. Given the relatively large number of field measurements of eroding salt marshes reported in the literature, and the different ways they were performed, some natural questions arise. (i) What is the relationship between wave climate and erosion rate at different time scales? (ii) How can the surveys based on a single meteorological event support large‐scale monitoring campaigns? (iii) What are the main meteorological and morphological parameters correlated to the erosion process? (iv) Why do only some marshes show cantilever profiles? (v) What are the most common issues to deal with in monitoring campaigns? Most of the previous studies considered large spatial and temporal scales only, providing an estimation of the overall behaviour of the system without identifying the specific role of each event. In this study, we attempted to answer these questions by investigating the lateral evolution of salt marsh margins located in the Venice Lagoon at different time scales, combining marsh retreat measurements, remote sensing data and numerical modelling. Field data were collected monthly for 5 years (2014–2018), covering 26 storms. A linear relation linking erosion rate to wave power is confirmed at different time scales, with a decreasing slope at higher elevation of the marsh bank that explains the occurrence of cantilever profiles. Mass failures can occur over long‐period cycles, related to the geomorphic characteristics of the area. Finally, the major issues affecting the in‐situ monitoring campaigns have been highlighted.

The specifics of the manifestation of morphometric parameters of seeds in varietal populations of vegetable fennel (Foeniculum vulgare ssp. vulgare (Miller) Thell.)

Seven accessions of vegetable fennel selection of the Federal Scientific Vegetable Center for Ecology were studied, in which significant differences were found in the degree of expression of the main morphological parameters (the length of the seed, endosperm and embryo). The length of each seed, endosperm (on a longitudinal section), and embryo (after isolation) were analyzed sequentially. The experiment was repeated four times, in each repetition at least 30 seeds. The indices IE/S, IZ/E, IZ/S were calculated as the corresponding ratios of the length of the seed, endosperm, and embryo.Results. A group of vegetable fennel samples showed significant differences in the length of the seed, endosperm and embryo and their ratios. The variety Udalets used as a standard had a seed length of 6.85±0.164 mm, an endosperm length of 5.30±0.118 mm, and an embryo length of 2.35±0.093 mm. Population No. 17 of the FSVC and variety Corvette of the VNIIO selection and collection sample vr. 161 local populations from India significantly (by 18.5 and 17.5%) exceeded the average value of the standard for seed length at a 1% significance level, and the minimum value of the parameter (5.65±0.109) was noted in population No. 10 of the FSVC. The minimum endosperm length was noted in samples No. 10 (4.16±0.094) and No. 11 (5.11±0.167), which is 21.5 and 4.5% lower than the standard. The largest endosperm was possessed by the seeds of the Korvet variety (6.18±0.169 mm) and sample No. 17 of the FSVC (6.09±0.158 mm), which exceeds the standard by 16.6 and 14.9%. The remaining samples exceeded the standard in this indicator, but to a lesser extent. The length of the embryo only in the Corvette variety (2.38±0.097 mm) was at the level of the standard, and even slightly exceeded it. For the rest of the specimens, this indicator varied from 1.44±0.065 mm for No. 10 to 2.25±0.165 mm for No. 10, which is significantly 4.2–38.7 below the standard. Depending on the sample, the coefficient of variation of indicators changed for the length of the embryo (17.7-32.8%), the length of the endosperm (9.6-12.2%) and the length of the seed (8.6-12.8%). A close relationship was noted only between the length of the seed and the length of the endosperm, the correlation coefficient varied from 0.595 (No. 11 FSVC) to 0.837 (Udalets St). All values of the correlation coefficient had a positive value. According to the value of the Ie/z index, the seeds of accessions No. 15 of the FSVC and vr. 161 India. Seeds of accessions No. 17, No. 10 and varieties Corvette with an index from 0.30 to 0.39 are assigned to the third class. The fourth class includes seeds of the variety Udalets (St) and selection sample No. 11 of the FSVC.

The effect of mycotoxins of feed on the main morphological parameters of pigs of different age groups

To date, there has been a significant increase in industrial pork production in Russia. Improving the survival and safety of piggies of different age groups is the most important task of veterinary medicine. However, despite the sufficient amount of antimicrobial drugs and specific therapy and prevention, the proportion of pig diseases is still quite high [8, 10, 11]. At the same time, multiple literary sources [1, 2, 3] say that the situation with contamination of feed and food raw materials with mycotoxins in Russia and in most countries is unsatisfactory.Hence, the aim of the work was to determine the presence of mycotoxins in the feed supplied to pig farms and to study the effect of even insignificant concentrations of mycotoxins in feed on the morphological parameters of the blood of pigs of different age groups: the level of erythrocytes, leukocytes, hemoglobin, the percentage of lymphocytes and monocytes, the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation.The research was carried out at one of the large pig farms in the North-Western region of Russia and at the Department of Pathophysiology of the St. Petersburg State Medical University.As a result of the studies, the following effect of toxic feeds on the morphological parameters of suckling piglets, piglets on rearing and fattening piglets was established: erythrocytopenia, hypochromemia, leukopenia, a decrease in the percentage of lymphocytes, monocytes.

Surf and Swash Dynamics on Low Tide Terrace Beaches

Low tide terrace (LLT) beaches are characterised by a moderately steep beach face and a flat shallow terrace influencing the local hydro-morphodynamics during low tide. The upper beachface slope (β) and the terrace width (Lt) are the main morphological parameters that define the shape of LTT cross-shore beach profiles. This work aims at better understanding the behaviour of β and Lt and their link with the incoming wave forcing. For this purpose, our results are based on 3.5 years times series of daily beach profiles and wave conditions surveys at two different microtidal LTT beaches with similar sediments size but different wave climate, one at Nha Trang (Vietnam) and the other one at Grand Popo (Benin). While they look similar, two contrasting behaviour were linked to two sub-types of LTT regimes: the first one is surf regulated beaches (SRB) where the swash zone is highly regulated by the surf zone wave energy dissipation on the terrace, and the second is swash regulated beaches (SwRB) acting in more reflective regime where the terrace is not active and the energy dissipation is mainly produced in the swash zone, the terrace becomes a consequences of the high dynamics in the swash zone. Finally, extending the common view of an equilibrium beach profile as a power law of the cross-shore distance, the ability of a simple parametrized cubic function model with the Dean number as unique control parameters is proposed and discussed. This simple model can be used for the understanding of LLT environments but it can not be extended to the whole beach spectrum.

Plant Agronomic Features Can Predict Quality and Field Performance: A Bibliometric Analysis

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.

Anatomical remodeling of the aortic wall in relation with the cause of death.

Aim: The authors set out to evaluate the correlations between three of the main morphological aortic parameters (aortic diameter, intima, and media thickness) and the cause of death. Materials and Methods: Study group included 28 people died of a cardiovascular (CV) disease and 62 people died of a noncardiovascular (NCV) disease. Four aortic cross-sections (base, cross, thoracic, abdominal) were collected during autopsy from the selected cases, fixed in 10% buffered formalin and photographed together with a calibrating ruler. Then, they were processed using the classical histopathological (HP) technique (formalin fixation and paraffin embedding), stained with Hematoxylin–Eosin (HE) and Orcein, and the obtained histological slides were transformed into virtual slides. Aortic diameters were determined on calibrated photos using a custom-made software, developed in MATLAB (MathWorks, USA). Intima and media thicknesses were determined on virtual slides using a dedicated image analysis software. Results and Discussions: The most frequent CV causes of death were the ischemic heart diseases and the most frequent NCV causes of death were the inflammatory diseases. Aortic diameter decreased from the aortic origin till the aortic end, with larger values in women than in men and in CV diseases than in NCV diseases. The difference in the remodeling of the aortic diameter between the two groups is smaller towards the abdominal region. Intima thickness increased from the aortic origin till the aortic end and was larger especially in women died of CV diseases, whereas in men there were some shifts at the extremities of the aorta. The difference in the remodeling of the intimal thickness between the two groups is extremely variable. Media was thicker in almost all of its segments in CV group than in NCV. It was a divergent evolution of the correlation degree trends in the two groups. Conclusions: The three morphological parameters of the aorta (diameter, intima, and media thicknesses) are more or less influenced by the pathological status that caused patient’s death by the patient’s sex and by the topographic region where the measurement was made.

Validation of a quantitative image analysis methodology for the assessment of the morphology and structure of aerobic granular sludge in the presence of pharmaceutically active compounds

Aerobic granular sludge is considered a promising technology for biological wastewater treatment, since it is more compact and resistant to shock and toxic loads than activated sludge systems. Furthermore, the monitoring of the aerobic granules structure, size and morphology has been growing in importance, proving to be suitable for operational and process control purposes. In this work, a sampling methodology is validated for the assessment of the ensemble granular and floccular biomass, by quantitative image analysis, in the presence of pharmaceutically active compounds, including 17 β -estradiol and 17 α -ethinylestradiol and the sulfamethoxazole. The employed sampling volumes were found to be adequate in obtaining a representative number of granules for all samples. Indeed, it was always obtained a variation lower than 5% in the average and standard deviation criterion of the main size, morphological and structural parameters. Moreover, it was also assessed the performance of the sieving process in successfully separating the granular and floccular biomass fractions and established a lower bound fraction size cut-off for the employed sieve. In addition, the continuity of the performed methodology and the image acquisition triplicates approach could also be validated. The ability of the proposed QIA procedure to monitor the studied AGS system was corroborated by the fact that 95% of the samples were able to be classified in the correct group (proof of concept).