A follow-up study of selected biomarkers of health in cod Gadus morhua L. collected from the southern Baltic off the Polish coast.

Selected biomarkers of health were examined in 50 post-spawning cod Gadus morhua collected in November 2015 from the southern Baltic. The biomarkers included condition factor (CF), macroscopic lesions, histopathology of spleen, liver and gonads, and morphometry of follicular atresia and hepatic and splenic melanomacrophage cells (MMC). All fish appeared in good body condition. One fish had a dermal ulcer, and in seven, macroscopic nematodes were noted within body cavity. Microscopic lesions in the liver included biliary myxozoanosis, microsporidial and necrocentric granulomas, parasitic hepatitis, multifocal necrosis, foci of cellular alterations, spongiosis, peliosis and cytoplasmic fibrillar inclusions. The spleen and gonads had microsporidial and/or necrocentric granulomas. Some of the biomarkers showed differences as compared to spawning cod collected in May from the same location in 2012, most importantly values an order of magnitude lower for splenic MMC in post-spawning fish. In post-spawning fish, there were statistically significant correlations between MMC, CF, follicular atresia, parasitic hepatitis and microsporidiosis. This is the first comparison of biomarkers of health in post-spawning and spawning Baltic cod. Future studies need to examine the relationships of biomarkers to levels of pollutants in the environment and in tissues of cod.

Magic nucleus 132Sn and its one-neutron-hole neighbor 131Sn.

Prompt and delayed gamma-ray cascades in doubly magic 132Sn and its neighbor 131Sn have been studied at Gammasphere using a 248Cm fission source. Isotopic assignments of unknown gamma rays were based on coincidences with known transitions in A = 112-116 Pd fission partners. The yrast level spectra of both tin nuclei are interpreted using empirical nucleon-nucleon interactions from the 132Sn and 208Pb regions. Results include identification of the (nuf(7/2)h(-1)(11/2))9(+) aligned state in 132Sn and of extensive (nuf(7/2)h(-2)(11/2)), (nuf(7/2)d(-1)(3/2)h(-1)(11/2)) and (nuh(-1)(11/2)x3(-)) multiplets in 131Sn. The previously reported beta(-) decay of an unusual 131In high-spin isomer to levels in 131Sn is also elucidated.

Phase transitions above the Yrast line in 154Dy.

Spectra of the E2 quasicontinuum gamma rays feeding different spin regions of the 154Dy yrast line have been extracted. These are compared with corresponding theoretical spectra obtained by numerical simulations based on temperature-dependent Hartree-Fock theory, with thermal shape fluctuations. In this manner, different regions of the spin-energy plane can be examined. The results support the predictions of a smeared-out phase transition at high spin above the yrast line.

A study of solvent polarity and hydrogen bonding effects on the nitrogen NMR shielding of isomeric tetrazoles and ab initio calculation of the nitrogen shielding of azole systems

High-precision nitrogen NMR shieldings, bulk susceptibility corrected, are reported for the N-methyl derivatives of the two existing isomeric tetrazoles (I, II) in a variety of solvents which represent a wide range of solvent properties from the point of view of polarity as well as hydrogen bond donor and acceptor strength. The observed range of solvent-induced nitrogen shielding variations of I and II is significant for the pyrrole-type nitrogens (N-Me), up to 9 ppm, and even more so for pyridine-type nitrogen atoms, where it can attain a value of 20 ppm. There is a clear distinction between the two types of nitrogen atoms in that the former exhibit a deshielding effect with increasing polarity of the medium while the latter experience an increase in the magnetic shielding of their nuclei. The latter effect is significantly augmented by solvent-to-solute hydrogen-bond formation where the pyridine-type nitrogens are involved directly. It is also quite diversified throughout the pyridine-type nitrogen atoms and seems to constitute a measure of relative basicity with respect to hydrogen-bond formation of the nitrogens concerned. This basicity seems to parallel that with respect to a full transfer of a proton, as can be reckoned from ab initio calculations of the relevant protonation energies reported in the present study. The experimental data for the tetrazoles in cyclohexane solutions are combined with those obtained in our earlier extensive studies on azole, diazole, and triazole ring systems, for a comparison with ab initio calculations of the nitrogen shieldings concerned. The latter were carried out using the coupled Hartree-Fock/GIAO/6-31++G** approach and geometry optimizations employing the same basis set; they show a good linear correlation with the experimental data and reproduce not only major changes but also most of the subtle variations in the experimental nitrogen shieldings of the azole systems as a whole. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

[Causes of disability related to occupational exposure to carbon disulfide]. / Przyczyny inwalidztwa wynikajace z zawodowego narazenia na dwusiarczek wegla.

The health condition of 615 disabled persons--in result of occupational CS2 poisoning--has been checked. The diseases yielding grounds for qualification into one of disability groups have been established. In all the disabled people one of the nervous system diseases was diagnosed, which gave grounds for disability certification. Most frequently diagnosed was encephalopathy, less frequently--pseudoneurotic syndrome, polyneuropathy and psychoorganic syndrome. In 75% of disabled persons at least one of the circulatory system diseases was diagnosed, the intensity of which affected also the psycho-physical status of those examined. Among the circulation organ diseases, clinical syndromes of arteriosclerosis were diagnosed, such as heart ischaemia and vascular diseases of the brain. At present, occupational CS2 poisoning is diagnosed when irreversible changes in the nervous system are found, accompanied by advanced changes in the circulatory system, thus--when the workers' health condition calls for disability qualification. It seems advisable to establish such diagnostic criteria for CS2 poisoning that a worker unable to work in exposure to neurotoxic substances (preventive elimination) can get compensation for health detriment when he can still work at other workplaces so that there is no need for disability qualification.

Rapid scan flash spectrophotometer with a flying-spot light source and magnetic storage.

The Warsaw flash spectrophotometer, intended for measuring and recording a long series of spectra of a sample irradiated by a single flash is described. A flying spot is used as a light source in an electronically controlled monochromator. The highest scanning speed achieved with this method is 80 microsec per scan with 100-microsec repetition period (10,000 scans per second). The spectral range covered is 15,000-33,000 cm(-1). A series of up to 200 spectra can be recorded within 20 msec and stored in a magnetic memory unit. Retrieval, reading, and evaluation of stored information, as well as the whole measurement, is highly automated. The spectrophotometer is intended for investigations of spectra and reaction kinetics of unstable photochemical intermediates and triplet states.