Solid-state NMR and computational investigation of solvent molecule arrangement and dynamics in isostructural solvates of droperidol

13C, 15N and 2H solid-state NMR spectroscopy have been used to rationalize arrangement and dynamics of solvent molecules in a set of isostructural solvates of droperidol. The solvent molecules are determined to be dynamically disordered in the methanol and ethanol solvates, while they are ordered in the acetonitrile and nitromethane solvates. 2H NMR spectra of deuterium-labelled samples allowed the characterization of the solvent molecule dynamics in the alcohol solvates and the non-stoichiometric hydrate. The likely motion of the alcohol molecules is rapid libration within a site, plus occasional exchange into an equivalent site related by the inversion symmetry, while the water molecules are more strongly disordered. DFT calculations strongly suggest that the differences in dynamics between the solvates are related to differences in the energetic penalty for reversing the orientation of a solvent molecule

Biofiltration System for Purification of Composting Waste Gases

The biofiltration technique for the purification of polluted air from composting facility volatile compounds was studied. Two different biowaste composting techniques were compared with regard to emission of NH3 and H2S. The ammonia removal was observed in aerobic phase of active composting period, respectively H2S in anaerobic phase. Biofiltration process was realized in modified solid- state fermentation system (SSF). The biodegradation of volatile compounds was investigated in one and two stage systems with inert packing material and hemoautotrofic microorganisms designed DN-1 (Pseudomonas sp.), DN-2 (Nitrisomonas sp.), DN-3 (Nitrobacter sp.) and DN-13 (Sarcina sp.) and Thiopharus-3. The observed concentration of volatile H2S in composting reactor not exceeded 120 mg/m3 and the biofilter can be used to control this gas emission. Since NH3 is a toxic compaund for biofilter at a concentrations 400 mg/m3, multi- stage biofilter system is recommended to control the pollution in aerobic compost reactor

New supersymmetric quartet of nuclei in the A=190 mass region

We present evidence for a new supersymmetric quartet in the A=190 region of the nuclear mass table. New experimental information on transfer and neutron capture reactions to the odd-odd nucleaus 194 Ir strongly suggests the existence of a new supersymmetric quartet, consisting of the 192,193 Os and 193,194 Ir nuclei. We make explicit predictions for the odd-neutron nucleus 193 Os, and suggest that its spectroscopic properties be measured in dedicated experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, updated figures and revised text, Physical Review C, Rapid Communication, in pres

Organic residue analysis shows sub-regional patterns in the use of pottery by Northern European hunter–gatherers

The introduction of pottery vessels to Europe has long been seen as closely linked with the spread of agriculture and pastoralism from the Near East. The adoption of pottery technology by hunter–gatherers in Northern and Eastern Europe does not fit this paradigm, and its role within these communities is so far unresolved. To investigate the motivations for hunter–gatherer pottery use, here, we present the systematic analysis of the contents of 528 early vessels from the Baltic Sea region, mostly dating to the late 6th–5th millennium cal BC, using molecular and isotopic characterization techniques. The results demonstrate clear sub-regional trends in the use of ceramics by hunter–gatherers; aquatic resources in the Eastern Baltic, non-ruminant animal fats in the Southeastern Baltic, and a more variable use, including ruminant animal products, in the Western Baltic, potentially including dairy. We found surprisingly little evidence for the use of ceramics for non-culinary activities, such as the production of resins. We attribute the emergence of these subregional cuisines to the diffusion of new culinary ideas afforded by the adoption of pottery, e.g. cooking and combining foods, but culturally contextualized and influenced by traditional practices

Setting a baseline for global urban virome surveillance in sewage

The rapid development of megacities, and their growing connectedness across the world is becoming a distinct driver for emerging disease outbreaks. Early detection of unusual disease emergence and spread should therefore include such cities as part of risk-based surveillance. A catch-all metagenomic sequencing approach of urban sewage could potentially provide an unbiased insight into the dynamics of viral pathogens circulating in a community irrespective of access to care, a potential which already has been proven for the surveillance of poliovirus. Here, we present a detailed characterization of sewage viromes from a snapshot of 81 high density urban areas across the globe, including in-depth assessment of potential biases, as a proof of concept for catch-all viral pathogen surveillance. We show the ability to detect a wide range of viruses and geographical and seasonal differences for specific viral groups. Our findings offer a cross-sectional baseline for further research in viral surveillance from urban sewage samples and place previous studies in a global perspective