Prospection inventaire n°388 Commune d'Aulus-les-Bains (Ariège)

La zone prospectée constitue un des trois sites ateliers du projet FODYNA. Elle présente des vestiges miniers connus ; des charbonnières et des zones humides (lacs, tourbières) étudiées ou en projet d’étude. Les mines des Argentières ont fait l’objet d’une prospection archéologique en 1991 dans le cadre du PCR « Mines, métallurgie et forêts dans les Pyrénées ariégeoises de l’Antiquité au Moyen Âge » (dir. C. Dubois et J.-P. Métailié)

Forest Cover Changes and Trajectories in an ancient Mining area of the Pyrenees from the Antiquity to the 19th c

International audienceThis study is a part of the project FODYNA which is focused on an ancient mining area of the Pyrenees, located in the Couserans

Minéralogie et signature isotopique du plomb des minerais auro-argentifères exploités durant l’époque romaine à Alburnus Maior (Rosia Montanà, Roumanie)

Alburnus Maior (Rosia Montanà, Roumanie), est un site minier important à l’époque romaine pour ses métaux précieux. Des études géologiques, gîtologiques et géochimiques ont été effectuées sur les corps de minerais exploités à l’époque romaine dans les chantiers miniers mis en évidence par l’archéologie minière. La démarche principale réside dans l’étude de minerais géo- et chrono- référencés par l’archéologie et la géologie pour identifier les sources des métaux précieux pendant l’antiquité romaine.Les études géologiques menées dans le massif de Cârnic, ont permis d’identifier quatre phases de minéralisation. Trois d’entre elles ont été exploitées par les Anciens. Chacune se traduit par un corpus d’associations minéralogiques en métaux précieux dont deux d’entre elles possèdent des minéraux rares à tellures et à germanium. Par ailleurs, les teneurs élémentaires des autres éléments chimiques étant très hétérogènes, l’isotopie du plomb (Pb) est l’outil idéal pour optimiser la caractérisation. Chaque phase de minéralisation possède sa propre signature en Pb. Malgré les différences isotopiques de Pb observées entre chacune d’elles, les signatures en Pb de Rosia Montanà (RM) constituent un champ isotopique très restreint. En comparaison avec d’autres districts miniers de Roumanie, le champ isotopique de RM est identifiable et affinera la filiation chimique à échelle régionale dans l’est de l’Europe.Alburnus Maior (Roşia Montană, Romania) was an important precious metals mining site during Roman times. Geological, ore deposit and geochemical studies have been carried out on the ore bodies exploited during the Roman period that have been discovered during archaeological excavations. The primary purpose of the present paper is to demonstrate the importance of the study of geologically and chronologically referenced ores by means of mining archaeology and geology for identifying the sources of precious metals from Roman Antiquity.The geological studies carried out in the Cârnic Massif allowed the identification of four mineralisation phases. Three of these four phases have been exploited by the ancient miners. Each mineralised phase is characterised by a specific precious metals mineral association, and two of them contain rare Te and Ge bearing minerals. As their elemental composition is heterogeneous, the use of lead isotopes represents a good methodology for refining their characterisation. Each mineralised phase has its own lead signature. In spite of some observed differences in terms of lead isotopes for each phase, the overall signature of Roşia Montană (RM) displays a well defined isotopic field. When compared to other mining districts in Romania, the isotopic field of RM is distinguishable, and this allows a better discrimination that can contribute to the provenance study of minerals from Eastern Europe

Géochimie isotopique du plomb en archéologie minière et métallurgique

La géochimie isotopique du plomb est un outil utilisé dans le domaine de l’archéologie minière et métallurgique. Dans le cadre d’une approche interdisciplinaire i.e. par l’implication active d’archéologues, historiens, géographes, palynologues et géologues, elle permet de (i) restituer la filiation mine – objet et l’histoire des activités minières et métallurgiques dans le paléo environnement et (ii) de quantifier et caractériser l’héritage minier dans l’environnement actuel. Ces études ont été menées sur le Mont-Lozère (Cévennes, France), dans le cadre du PCR « Plomb Ancien du Mont-Lozère » qui est un Projet Collectif de Recherche financé par le Ministère de la Culture.The geochemistry of lead isotopes is a tool basically used in mining and metallurgical archaeology. Combining with an active interdisciplinary approach i.e. archaeologists, historians, geographers, palynologists, geologists… it allows i) the restitution of mine – metal filiations and the restitution of mining and metallurgical activities in the paleo environment and (ii) the quantification and characterisation of mining heritage in the actual environment. Our study carried out on the Mont-Lozère massif (Cévennes, France), inside a project intituled “Plomb ancien du Mont-Lozère” (financed by the Ministry of Culture), constitutes a good example of interdisciplinary research

Proteoliza sardina i inćuna u slanim otopinama pomoću komercijalnih enzima

Fish sauce production is a very long process and there is a great interest in shortening it. Among the different strategies to speed up this process, the addition of external proteases could be a solution. This study focuses on the eff ect of two commercial enzymes (Protamex and Protex 51FP) on the proteolysis of two fish species traditionally converted into fish sauce: sardine and anchovy, by comparison with classical autolysis. Hydrolysis reactions were conducted with fresh fish at a temperature of 30 °C and under different saline conditions (from 0 to 30 % NaCl). Hydrolysis degree and liquefaction of the raw material were used to follow the process. As expected, the proteolysis decreased with increasing amount of salt. Regarding the fi sh species, higher rate of liquefaction and higher hydrolysis degree were obtained with anchovy. Between the two proteases, Protex 51FP gave better results with both fi sh types. This study demonstrates that the addition of commercial proteases could be helpful for the liquefaction of fi sh and cleavage of peptide bonds that occur during fi sh sauce production and thus speed up the production process.Postoji veliki interes za skraćivanjem procesa proizvodnje ribljeg umaka. Jedno je od mogućih rješenja ubrzavanja tog postupka dodatak proteaza. U ovom je radu ispitan učinak dvaju komercijalnih enzima (Protamex i Protex 51FP) na proteolizu dvije vrste riba koje se tradicionalno koriste za proizvodnju ribljeg umaka, i to sardina i inćuna, te su rezultati uspoređeni s onima dobivenim autolizom proteina. Hidroliza svježih riba provedena je na temperaturi od 30 °C i pri različitim udjelima soli (od 0 do 30 %). Tijekom postupka praćeni su stupanj hidrolize i likvefakcija sirovine. Prema očekivanjima, pri većim je udjelima soli stupanj hidrolize bio manji. Veća likvefakcija uzorka te veći stupanj hidrolize dobiveni su proteolizom inćuna. Primjenom enzima Protex 51FP postignuti su bolji rezultati s obje vrste riba. Rezultati rada pokazuju da dodatak komercijalnih proteaza može povoljno djelovati na likvefakciju ribe i kidanje peptidnih veza tijekom proizvodnje ribljeg umaka, te na taj način ubrzati proces proizvodnje

Environmental impact of early palaeometallurgy: pollen and geochemical analysis

International audienceInterdisciplinary research was carried out in mid-level mountain areas in France with the aim of documenting historical mining and smelting activities by means of pollen and geochemical analyses. These investigations were made on cores collected in French peatlands in the Morvan (northern Massif Central), at Mont Lozère (southern Massif Central) and in the Basque Country (Pyrénées). Different periods of mining were recognised from Prehistory to modern times through the presence of anthropogenic lead in peat. Some of these were already known from archaeological dates or historical archives, especially for mediaeval and modern periods. However prehistoric ancient mining activities, as early as the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1700 b.c.), were also discovered. They had all led to modifications in plant cover, probably related in part to forest clearance necessary to supply energy for mining and smelting

The treatment response of chronically hepatitis C virus-infected patients depends on interferon concentration but not on interferon gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

International audienceThe current treatment of chronic hepatitis C is based on pegylated alpha interferon (PEG-IFN-α) and ribavirin. The aim of this study was to identify biological and clinical variables related to IFN therapy that could predict patient outcome. The study enrolled 47 patients treated with PEG-IFN and ribavirin combined therapy. The interferon concentration was measured in serum by a bioassay. The expression of 93 interferon-regulated genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was quantified by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) before and after 1 month of treatment. The interferon concentration in the serum was significantly lower in nonresponders than in sustained virological responders. Moreover, a significant correlation was identified between interferon concentration and interferon exposition as well as body weight. The analysis of interferon-inducible genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells among the genes tested did not permit the prediction of treatment outcome. In conclusion, the better option seems to be to treat patients with weight-adjusted PEG-IFN doses, particularly for patients with high weight who are treated with PEG-IFN-α2a. Although the peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples are the easiest to obtain, the measurement of interferon-inducible genes seems not be the best strategy to predict treatment outcome

Recent climatic and anthropogenic imprints on lacustrine systems in the Pyrenean Mountains inferred from minerogenic and organic clastic supply (Vicdessos valley, Pyrenees, France)

High-resolution seismic profiling has been combined with geochemical analyses of both watershed samples and five lacustrine cores retrieved from two natural lacustrine basins of glacial origin: Lake Majeur and Lake Sigriou (1630 m a.s.l. and 1995 m a.s.l., respectively, Eastern French Pyrenees). Identifying specific minerogenic and organic markers of autochthonous and allochthonous supply, data allow documenting past climatic and anthropogenic pressures. Over the past century, the lacustrine sediment of Lake Majeur has been essentially composed of algae, drastically contrasting with the natural sedimentary infill of the basin, mainly resulting from soil erosion from the mid–late Holocene. Since ad 1907, the Lake Majeur has been used for hydroelectricity production. Human-induced lake-level regulations, affecting up to 37% of the lacustrine surface, have increased by fourfold the accumulation rate of the lake and favoured water enrichment. Rubidium abundance within the lacustrine sediments of the two lakes reflects the mid–late Holocene palaeohydrology. After dam construction in ad 1907, greater quantities of rubidium found in Lake Majeur sedimentary infills indicate drier climatic periods, such as from ad 1975 to ad 1982, during which water reservoirs were particularly in demand. Inversely, before the dam was built, rubidium fluctuations were correlated with wetter conditions and hydrological events were recorded as sandy layers deposited by canyon reactivation, synchronous with European climatic deterioration phases. We notably document that the Mediaeval Climate Anomaly was interrupted by some humid periods dated c. ad 940, ad 1080, ad 1100 and ad 1250. We also date the onset of the ‘Little Ice Age’ c. ad 1360 and identify that this period was wetter after c. ad 1500

Comment on : “A novel approach to peatlands as archives of total cumulative spatial pollution loads from atmospheric deposition of airborne elements complementary to EMEP data: Priority pollutants (Pb, Cd, Hg)” by Ewa Miszczak, Sebastian Stefaniak, Adam Michczyński, Eiliv Steinnes and Irena Twardowska

Acknowledgements We are thankful to P.G. Appleby, R. Bindler, J. Sonke, B. Smieja-Krol and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.Peer reviewedPostprin