There are still a large proportion of countries, especially in Africa, where there are no available data for human carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios. Although the interpretation of modern human carbon isotope ratios at the global scale is quite possible, and correlates with the latitude, the potential influences of extrinsic and/or intrinsic factors on human nitrogen isotope ratios have to be taken into consideration.

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We have measured differential cross sections for pp elastic scattering with internal fiber targets in the recirculating beam of the proton synchrotron COSY. Measurements were made continuously during acceleration for projectile kinetic energies between 0.23 and 2.59 GeV in the angular range 30 • ≤ θc.m. ≤ 90 • . Details of the apparatus and the data analysis are given and the resulting excitation functions and angular distributions presented. The precision of each data point is typically better than 4%, and a relative normalization uncertainty of only 2.5% within an excitation function has been reached. The impact on phase shift analysis as well as upper bounds on possible resonant contributions in lower partial waves are discussed.

Blow flies are important tools in forensic entomology, as they feed and develop on human bodies. This fact can be used to estimate the minimum post mortem interval (PMI), by classifying the age of the immature stages found on corpses. The capacity to also be able to classify the age of adult flies, or even empty puparia, could increase the timeframe for a PMI. However, the association of older developmental stages, such as adult flies or their empty cases, with a human cadaver may be challenged, as such specimens could stem from another food source. Analyzing the stable carbon (δC) and nitrogen (δN) isotopes in such specimens could be helpful here, as the isotope signatures reflect those of the food sources. We compared the δN and δC signatures of tissue from humans and 12 additional species by elemental analyzer-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA-IRMS). We did the same for adult flies and empty puparia of the blow fly Lucilia sericata, which were derived from juvenile stages developed on tissues from the mentioned species. The isotope signatures for the adult flies and their empty puparia linearly mirrored the isotope signatures for the respective tissues on which they developed as larvae. Results such as these are useful to indicate the flies' nutritional history, but they do not provide the same kind of evidence that a DNA analysis would. As individual dietary habits, global distribution and environmental effects can influence isotope ratios, we strongly recommend to analyzing entomological traces and muscle tissues of potential donors or for other food sources.

In this paper, the results of a pilot study on the profiling of the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist 5F-PB-22 (5F-QUPIC, pentylfluoro-1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid-8-quinolinyl ester) via isotope ratio mass spectrometry are presented. It focuses on δ C, δ N and δ H isotope ratios, which are determined using elemental analyser (EA) and high temperature elemental analyser (TC/EA) coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS). By means of a sample of pure material of 5F-PB-22, it is shown that the extraction of 5F-PB-22 from herbal material, a rapid clean-up procedure, or preparative column chromatography had no influence on the isotope ratios. Furthermore, 5F-PB-22 was extracted from 14 different herbal blend samples ("Spice products" from police seizures) and analysed via IRMS, yielding 3 clusters containing 7, 5, and 2 samples, distinguishable through their isotopic composition, respectively. It is assumed that herbal blends in each cluster have been manufactured from individual batches of 5F-PB-22.