Sulphur isotope evidence for freshwater fish consumption: a case study from the Danube Gorges, SE Europe

To explore the use of sulphur Isotopes as an indicator of the consumption of freshwater fish, we undertook sulphur isotope analysis on bone collagen extracted from humans and animals from five archaeological sites from the Danube Gorges region dating from the Mesolithic to the middle Neolithic periods. The results show a difference in the sulphur isotope values between freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems of 8.7 parts per thousand, To reconstruct human diets, bone collagen from 24 individuals was analysed for carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotopic values The nitrogen isotope ratios ranged from 10.3 to 16.5 parts per thousand and the carbon Isotope ratios ranged from -20.8 to -18.3 parts per thousand. Low nitrogen isotope values were found for individuals with low sulphur isotope ratios reflecting the low sulphur isotopic values of the terrestrial animals. The highest human nitrogen isotope values coincided with higher sulphur isotope ratios, which are related to the higher sulphur isotope values of the freshwater fish. Intermediate human sulphur isotopic ratios between these two extremes showed mixed diets of both terrestrial and freshwater resources

Analytical performance analysis of the M2M wireless link with an antenna selection system over interference limited dissimilar composite fading environments

This paper considers direct mobile-to-mobile (M2M) communications with a dual antenna selection (AS) system at a destination mobile node (DMN) in interference limited, dissimilar composite fading environments. In particular, we model dissimilar interference limited signals at the inputs of the dual branch AS system as (i) the ratio of two Nakagami-m (N) random variables (RVs) at the first branch and (ii) the ratio of two Rice RVs at the second branch, in order to account for non line-of-sight (NLOS) and line-of-sight (LOS) communications, respectively. Moreover, we assume variable powers of the desired as well as interference signals at the output of the DMN in order to account for the impact of shadowing. For the proposed model, we derive probability density functions, cumulative distribution functions, outage probabilities and average level crossing rates. The derived statistical results are evaluated for all the statistical measures considered and are graphically presented in order to provide insight into the impact of composite fading severities and LOS factors for the desired signal, as well as for the interference, on the system performances

Study on protolytic equilibria of lorazepam and oxazepam by UV and NMR spectroscopy

Protolytic equilibria in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems of lorazepam and oxazepam, which are sparingly soluble ampholytes from the class of 1,4-benzodiazepines, were studied at 25 degreesC and ionic strength of 0.1 M. Acidity constants and equilibrium constants in a heterogeneous system were determined. On the basis of the analysis of the corresponding C-13- and H-1-NMR spectra, deprotonation site in the molecules of the investigated compounds was predicted. Finally, the correlation between chemical shifts in the H-1-NMR spectra and the acidity of the amide proton of 1,4-benzodiazepines was established

Immobilization of horseradish peroxidase onto kaolin

Kaolin showed as a very perspective carrier for the enzyme immobilization and it was used for the adsorption of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The effects of the enzyme concentration and pH on the immobilization efficiency were studied in the reaction with pyrogallol and anthraquinone dye C.I. Acid Violet 109 (AV 109). In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and analysis by Brunauer-EmmettTeller were performed for kaolin, thermally activated kaolin and the immobilized enzyme. It has been shown that 0.1 IU of HRP-kaolin decolorized 87 % of dye solution, under the optimal conditions (pH 5.0, temperature 24 degrees C, dye concentration 40 mg/L and 0.2 mM of H2O2) within 40 min. The immobilized HRP decolorization follows the Ping Pong Bi-Bi mechanism with dead-end inhibition by the dye. The biocatalyst retained 35 +/- 0.9 % of the initial activity after seven cycles of reuse in the decolorization reaction of AV 109 under optimal conditions in a batch reactor. The obtained kinetic parameters and reusability study confirmed improvement in performances of k-HRP compared to free, indicating that k-HRP has a great potential for environmental purposes