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Date submitted2024-03-30
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Date accepted2024-06-13
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Date published2024-07-04
Organotin pollutants in emerging coastal-marine sediments of the Kaliningrad shelf, Baltic Sea
Based on two years of monitoring of modern bottom sediments of two sections of the Kaliningrad shelf of the Baltic Sea – “Curonian Spit” and “Northern Sambian” – an assessment of the sources of pollution with organotin compounds (OTs) and heavy metals was carried out. The content of individual organotin compounds and OTCs spectra obtained by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry of relatively coarse-grained bottom sediments indicate the presence of organotins in significant quantities – the total OTs content (ΣOTs) is from 0.6 to 8.3 ng/g. However, the content of tributyltin (TBT), the main component of anti-fouling systems for marine vessels and the most dangerous endocrine-disrupting compound among the hazardous substances for marine ecosystems, is at a low level (0-2.3 ng/g) in all studied samples and has not increased over the two-year observation period (biodegradation index 1.7-12.4). At the same time, the presence of abnormally high concentrations of mono-, triphenyl- and tricyclohexyltin in the sediments of the ”Northern Sambian” site (up to 30, 7 and 6.4 ng/g, respectively) indicates an additional source of pollution of coastal waters and shelf sediments (for example, plastic litter and agricultural runoff). The absence of significant shipping in the study areas ensures a consistently low level of pollution with tributyltin and its derivatives (less than 0.3 and 2.3 ng/g of TBT in 2017 and less than 0.1 and 1.3 ng/g in 2018 for the sites “Curonian Spit” and “Northern Sambian”, respectively), which indicates the activity of the processes of TBT transformation and self-cleaning of sandy sediments. However, the identified trends and their predictive accuracy require long-term observation and monitoring of the sediment environment using data on the deep-water part of the shelf, enriched in clay and humus components.
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Date submitted2020-06-11
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Date accepted2021-03-30
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Date published2021-06-24
Crystal morphology of spherical viruses
- Authors:
- Yury L. Voytekhovsky
The article discusses modern views on the structure of spherical virus capsids, which have the shape of icosahedrons (icosahedral viruses). Each face of icosahedron is composed of a single-layer closest packing of protein globules, which can have different orientation relative to the edges of icosahedron. If the lines of globules are parallel to the edges of icosahedron, then the capsid has a point symmetry group I h (with symmetry planes), if they are not parallel – the symmetry group I (without planes). From a mathematical point of view, in both symmetry groups there are series that unite equally (up to similarity) arranged capsids. They are connected pairwise by transitions to dual forms (homologous series). A hypothesis is formulated that the largest spherical viruses can have even more diverse and complex capsid structures. Along with icosahedron, their basic forms can be any simple shapes, allowed in I h and I symmetry groups (8 in total). A suggestion is made that transitions within similarity series and between homologous series have a phylogenetic significance. There are known spherical viruses of both symmetry groups. For example, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has a symmetry group I h and belongs to a well-known series. The crystallographic approach allows to construct a strict morphological classification of spherical viruses. This is important for their early recognition and separate examination. The article demonstrates practical application of crystal morphology in the study of viral systems – an urgent problem of geoecology and life protection.