Prevalence of thyroid disorders in antenatal patients and its feto-maternal outcome

Background: Thyroid disorders are common in pregnancy and most common disorder is subclinical hypothyroidism. Due to the complex hormonal changes during pregnancy, it is important to remember that thyroxine requirements are higher in pregnancy. Maternal hypothyroidism is an easily treatable condition that has been associated with increased risk of low birth weight, fetal distress and impaired neuropsychological development. Hyperthyroidism in pregnancy is less common as conception is a problem. Majority of them are due to Graves’ disease, though gestational hyperthyroidism is to be excluded. Early and effective treatment of thyroid disorder ensures a safe pregnancy with minimal maternal and neonatal complications.Methods: One hundred pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in first trimester were registered. Apart from routine basic and obstetrical investigations, TSH, FT3 and FT4 level estimation was done. L-thyroxine was given for hypothyroidism, this dosing was based on a study by Abalovich et al according to the body weight to maintain serum TSH near normal. For hyperthyroidism, given carbimazole if serum TSH level <1 MIU/l. Serum TSH estimation was repeated at regular interval. All the patients followed till the end of pregnancy. The normal patients served as controls. Pregnancy outcome studied statistically.Results: Around 68.8% of the inadequately treated patients developed complications like GDM, pre-eclampsia, oligohydramnios and preterm deliveries. Whereas only 32% of the control group developed these mentioned complications, this implied a significant association between inadequately treated thyroid disorders and poor pregnancy outcomes as evidenced by the p value of 0.002 which was very significant.Conclusions: Adequate treatment of thyroid disorders in pregnancy significantly reduces complications like miscarriages, pre-eclampsia, IUGR, oligohydramnios, glucose intolerance, preterm labour, low birth weight babies, abruptio placentae and stillbirth

Meter-scale spark X-ray spectrumstatistics

X-ray emission by sparks implies bremsstrahlung from a population of energetic electrons, but the details of this process remain a mystery. We present detailed statistical analysis of X-ray spectra detected by multiple detectors during sparks produced by 1 MV negative high-voltage pulses with 1 $\mu$s risetime. With over 900 shots, we statistically analyze the signals, assuming that the distribution of spark X-ray fluence behaves as a power law and that the energy spectrum of X-rays detectable after traversing $\sim$2 m of air and a thin aluminum shield is exponential. We then determine the parameters of those distributions by fitting cumulative distribution functions to the observations. The fit results match the observations very well if the mean of the exponential X-ray energy distribution is 86 $\pm$ 7 keV and the spark X-ray fluence power law distribution has index -1.29 $\pm$ 0.04 and spans at least 3 orders of magnitude in fluence

A new investigation of half-lives for the decay modes of 50^{50}V

A new search for the decay modes of the 4-fold forbidden non-unique decay of $^{50}$V has been performed at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory (LNGS). In total an exposure of 197 kg $\times$ d has been accumulated. The half-life for the electron capture into the first excited state of $^{50}$Ti has been measured with the highest precision to date as $2.67_{-0.18}^{+0.16} \times 10^{17}$ yr (68% C.I.) in which systematics uncertainties dominate. The search for the $\beta$-decay into the first excited state of $^{50}$Cr resulted in a lower limit of ${1.9} \times 10^{19}$ yr (90% C.I.), which is an improvement of almost one order of magnitude compared to existing results. The sensitivity of the new measurement is now in the region of theoretical predictions

Relativistic electrons from sparks in the laboratory

Discharge experiments were carried out at the Eindhoven University of Technology in 2013. The experimental setup was designed to search for electrons produced in meter-scale sparks using a 1 MV Marx generator. Negative voltage was applied to the high voltage (HV) electrode. Five thin (1 mm) plastic detectors (5 $\rm cm^2$ each) were distributed in various configurations close to the spark gap. Earlier studies have shown (for HV negative) that X-rays are produced when a cloud of streamers is developed 30-60 cm from the negative electrode. This indicates that the electrons producing the X-rays are also accelerated at this location, that could be in the strong electric field from counterstreamers of opposite polarity. Comparing our measurements with modeling results, we find that $\sim$300 keV electrons produced about 30-60 cm from the negative electrode are the most likely source of our measurements. A statistical analysis of expected detection of photon bursts by these fiber detectors indicates that only 20%-45% of the detected bursts could be from soft ($\sim$10 keV) photons, which further supports that the majority of detected bursts are produced by relativistic electrons

Modellizzazione delle variazioni composizionali delle specie dell’azoto (NH4 +, NO2 -, NO3 -) nelle acque di falda del Comune di Arezzo (Toscana)♦

Gli elementi chimici disciolti nelle acque continentali provengono dall’alterazione della crosta terrestre. L’acqua erode e dissolve i minerali delle rocce attraverso l’alterazione chimica avvalendosi del contributo dei gas presenti in atmosfera o nel sottosuolo. Il nitrato, una delle sostanze responsabili delle più gravi forme di inquinamento delle acque nei paesi in via di sviluppo, è un nutriente essenziale per la crescita delle piante e rappresenta un anello fondamentale del ciclo biogeochimico dell'azoto, in quanto viene prodotto dai batteri a partire dall'azoto atmosferico. In quantità eccessive il nitrato può essere dannoso per gli uomini e per gli animali. Elevati livelli di nitrato nell'acqua sono causati in larga misura dall'uso di fertilizzanti ricchi di nitrato e dal letame. In questo contesto, le condizioni redox delle acque naturali, che controllano la speciazione dei composti dell’azoto, sono altamente variabili perché controllate prevalentemente dall’attività biologica. In particolare, il bilancio fra i due processi dell’attività biologica, la fotosintesi e la respirazione (o decomposizione della sostanza organica), determina la presenza nel sistema di condizioni ossidanti o riducenti. I composti dell’azoto possono quindi essere considerati utili indicatori dello stato di salute di un acquifero superficiale. In questo lavoro sono analizzati i dati relativi ai tenori delle specie dell’azoto NH4 +, NO2 - e NO3 - relativi ad acque di falda campionate nell’area aretina nel corso della realizzazione dell’Atlante Geochimico delle Acque di Falda e di Scorrimento Superficiale del Comune di Arezzo. I dati sono analizzati proponendo nuove metodologie grafiche e numeriche per visualizzare lo stato del territorio nei confronti della pressione antropica come rilevata dal comportamento spaziale e temporale delle specie suddette

Updated and novel limits on double beta decay and dark matter-induced processes in platinum

A 510 day long-term measurement of a 45.3 g platinum foil acting as the sample and high voltage contact in an ultra-low-background high purity germanium detector was performed at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy). The data was used for a detailed study of double beta decay modes in natural platinum isotopes. Limits are produced in the range $\mathcal{O}(10^{14} - 10^{17})$ a for double beta decay to excited states (90% C.L.) confirming, and partially extending existing limits. The highest sensitivity, greater than $10^{17}$ a, was achieved for the $2\nu$ and resonant $0\nu$ modes of double electron capture involving KL shell electrons. Additionally, novel limits for inelastic dark matter scattering on $^{195}$Pt are placed up to mass splittings of approximately 500 keV. We analyze several techniques to extend the sensitivity and propose a few approaches for future medium-scale experiments with platinum-group elements.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure

Sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical features of late quaternary sediment profiles from the Southern Tuscany Hg Mercury District (Italy): Evidence for the presence of pre-industrial mercury and arsenic concentrations

Southern Tuscany (Italy) is an important metallogenic district that hosts relevant S-polymetallic deposits that have intensely been exploited for centuries. Consequently, potential toxic elements, such as Hg and As, are widely distributed in the surrounding environment. In this paper, an extensive sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical study of two Late Quaternary sediment profiles, partially outcropping along the coast of southern Tuscany (Ansedonia area), was carried out to evaluate the contents and mobility of Hg and As with the aims to contribute to the definition of the geochemical baseline of southern Tuscany before the human intervention and evaluate the potential dispersion of these harmful elements. The sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical (major elements) features revealed that the studied profiles are mostly related to the local geological characteristics and the Quaternary geological history of the area. The concentrations and the normalized patterns of trace and rare earth elements highlighted the absence of any anthropogenic activity. This implies that the studied samples are to be regarded as good proxies for evaluating the geochemical baseline of southern Tuscany before the intense mining activity. The enrichment factors (EF) of most trace elements were indeed lower or close to 2, indicating a variability close to the average concentration of the Upper Continental Crust (UCC), while other elements slightly enriched, such as Pb, were in agreement with the natural baseline reported for southern Tuscany. Mercury and As displayed EF values &gt;40 when compared to the average contents of UCC, although they decrease down to 4 when compared to the suggested baseline for southern Tuscany. The higher Hg and As contents detected in this study, inferred to natural sources, evidenced (i) the great natural variability occurring in largely mineralized areas and (ii) the importance of estimating reference environmental parameters in order to avoid misleading interpretations of the detected anomalies. Moreover, the results of leaching test on sediment samples denoted a relatively low mobility of Hg and As, suggesting that these elements are preferentially mobilized by transport of clastic sediments and such anomalies may be preserved for relatively long times in Quaternary sediments. However, leachable Hg (0.6-9.7 μg/L) and As (2.1-42.2 μg/L) concentrations are significantly high when compared to those of the Italian limit for groundwater (1 μg/L for Hg and 10 μg/L for As). Quaternary sediments from southern Tuscany could then be a potential, though natural, source of Hg and As to groundwater systems

Real-time measurements of Hg0 in volcanic, geothermal and anthropogenic systems: a multi-methodological approach using Lumex® instrumentation

Mercury represents a pollutant of global concern and strong environmental impact since is highly toxic. Hg is present in air in the oxidation states of 0 and +2, the former being the dominant species with a residence time of 1-2 years due to its high volatility, relatively low solubility and chemical inertness. Both volcanic/geothermal and anthropogenic systems are crucial contributor to the release of Hg0 in the atmosphere. In this work, a Lumex® (RA-915M) was used to evaluate the environmental impact in air of Hg0 from: i) the abandoned Hg mining site and geothermal areas from Mt. Amiata (Siena, Central Italy) and ii) selected Mediterranean volcanic and geothermal systems. The Lumex® instrumentation, based on atomic absorption spectrometric technique with Zeeman effect, allows to measure Hg0 at high frequency, in real-time and at a wide range of concentrations (from 2 to 50,000 ng/m3). Hg0 measurements were coupled with those of other pollutants, such as CO2 H2S, and SO2. Carbon dioxide was measured using a Multi-GAS instrument manufactured by INGV-Palermo, whereas H2S and SO2 using Thermo Scientific® Model 450i analyzer. GPS and meteorological parameters were continuously recorded, too. The data acquisition was carried out along transects at an approximately constant speed or at selected fixed points. Wherever possible, the analytical data were then converted into a spatial interpolation providing a qualitative model for the areal dispersion of the contaminants. The Lumex® device was also applied to measure Hg0 concentrations in interstitial soil gases collected from a probe inserted into the soil at 70 cm depth, in order to produce Hg0 maximum concentration maps in Hg-polluted areas (e.g. Abbadia San Salvatore Hg mining area, Mt. Amiata). Diffuse Hg0 soil fluxes were measured using a chamber positioned above the soil from which, at periodic time intervals, gases were extracted and injected into the Lumex® device. This instrument was also applied to measure Hg0 concentrations along vertical profiles in thermal wells at Santorini (Greece) and Vulcano (Italy) by using a Rilsan® tube lowered into the wells at pre-defined depths. With this approach, a significant stratification of the air masses in terms of Hg0, strictly dependent on water temperature, air pressure and well depth, was observed. The efficiency of Lumex® for these different approaches demonstrated the reliability of this instrument to produce Hg0 data that can be used to identify gaseous Hg-emitters in natural and anthropogenic environments, especially when coupled with other physical and chemical parameters