Radioisotope x-ray fluorescence analysis of ancient pottery from Tel Kouzama site in Damascus, Syria

The radioisotope X-ray fluorescence method has been utilized in the analysis of thirty nine archaeological pottery fragment samples from Tel Kouzama site, Damascus city, Syria. The samples were irradiated by a 109Cd radioisotope source (-9 10(8) Bq) for 1000 s. 17 chemical elements were determined. These elemental concentrations have been processed using two multivariate statistical methods, cluster and factor analysis in order to determine similarities and correlation between the various samples. Factor analysis confirms that samples were correctly classified by cluster analysis. These two methods suggest that samples can be considered to be manufactured using four different sources of raw material.     

Substrate specificity analysis of protein kinase complex Dbf2-Mob1 by peptide library and proteome array screening

Background  

The mitotic exit network (MEN) is a group of proteins that form a signaling cascade that is essential for cells to exit mitosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The MEN has also been implicated in playing a role in cytokinesis. Two components of this signaling pathway are the protein kinase Dbf2 and its binding partner essential for its kinase activity, Mob1. The components of MEN that act upstream of Dbf2-Mob1 have been characterized, but physiological substrates for Dbf2-Mob1 have yet to be identified.     

Application of instrumental neutron activation analysis to study ceramic fragments from Damascus Castle site,Syria

Summary Thirty-three archaeological ceramic fragment samples from Damascus Castle archaeological site, Damascus city, Syria, were analyzed using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). 36 elements were determined. These elemental concentrations have been processed using two multivariate statistical methods, cluster and factor analysis in order to determine similarities and correlation between the various samples. Factor analysis confirms that 84.8% of the ceramics samples classified by cluster analysis are correctly classified by cluster analysis. The results provided persuasive evidence that Castle pottery used at least four different clay sources. Moreover, by means of systematic local analysis it will be clear whether these sources are local or not.     

Steady streaming around a spherical drop displaced from the velocity antinode in an acoustic levitation field

The steady (acoustic) streaming associated with a sphericaldrop displaced from the velocity antinode of a standing waveis studied. The ratio of the particle size to the acoustic wavelengthis treated as small but non-zero, and the solution is developedin the form of a two-term expansion in terms of the correspondingsmallness parameter. The drop viscosity is assumed to be muchhigher than that of the surrounding fluid, which is the casefor a drop in a gas medium. There are essentially three distinctregions where the steady streaming flow is analysed: insidethe drop (internal circulation), in the Stokes shear-wave layerat the surface on the gas side, and the gas outside the Stokeslayer (the outer streaming region). Solutions for the internalcirculation and the outer streaming are obtained in the limitof small Reynolds number. Despite the gas-to-liquid viscosity ratio being small, the outerstreaming may be dramatically affected by the fact that thesphere is liquid as opposed to solid. The parameter that measuresthe effect of liquidity is essentially the viscosity ratio dividedby the relative (to the particle size) thickness of the Stokeslayer. The case of a solid sphere is recovered by letting thisparameter go to zero.     

Dating and classification of Syrian excavated pottery from Tell Saka Site,by means of thermoluminescence analysis,and multivariate statistical methods,based on PIXE analysis

Thermoluminescence (TL) dating and Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) techniques have been utilized for the study of archaeological pottery fragment samples from Tell Saka Site, which is located at 25 km south east of Damascus city, Syria. Four samples were chosen randomly from the site, two from third level and two from fourth level for dating using TL technique and the results were in good agreement with the date assigned by archaeologists. Twenty-eight sherds were analyzed using PIXE technique in order to identify and characterize the elemental composition of pottery excavated from third and fourth levels, using 3 MV tandem accelerator in Damascus. The analysis provided almost 20 elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb). However, only 14 elements as follows: K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb were chosen for statistical analysis and have been processed using two multivariate statistical methods, Cluster and Factor analysis. The studied pottery were classify into two well defined groups.     

Ueber die Bestimmung des Cadmiums

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