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ABSTRACT West Avalonia is a composite terrane that rifted from the supercontinent Gondwana in the Ordovician and accreted to Laurentia during the latest Silurian to Devonian Acadian orogeny. The nature and extent of West Avalonia are well constrained in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, Canada, by U-Pb detrital zircon data and/ or isotope geochemistry of (meta)sedimentary and igneous rocks. The southeastern New England Avalon terrane in eastern Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island has generally been interpreted as an along-strike continuance of West Avalonia in Canada, but the ages and origins of metasedimentary units along the western boundary of the Avalon terrane in Massachusetts and Connecticut remain poorly constrained. In this study, new detrital zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf laser-ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) data from three samples of metasedimentary units along the western boundary of the southeastern New England Avalon terrane in Connecticut and Massachusetts were compared with existing data to test whether these metasedimentary units can be correlated along strike. The data were also compared with existing detrital zircon U-Pb and εHf data in New England and Canada in order to constrain the extent and provenance of West Avalonia. The maximum depositional age of two of the three detrital zircon samples analyzed in this study, based on the youngest single grain in each sample (600 ± 28 Ma, n = 1; 617 ± 28 Ma, n = 1) and consistency with existing analyses elsewhere in the southeastern New England Avalon terrane, is Ediacaran, while that of the third sample is Tonian (959 ± 40 Ma, n = 4). Detrital zircon analyses of all three samples from this study showed similar substantial Mesoproterozoic and lesser Paleoproterozoic and Archean populations. Other existing detrital zircon U-Pb data from quartzites in the southeastern New England Avalon terrane show similar Tonian populations with or without Ediacaran grains or populations. Most published detrital zircon U-Pb data from (meta)sedimentary rocks in West Avalonia in Canada yielded Ediacaran youngest detrital zircon age populations, except for a quartzite unit within the Gamble Brook Formation in the Cobequid Highlands of Nova Scotia, which showed a Tonian maximum depositional age, and otherwise a nearly identical detrital zircon signature with rocks from the southeastern New England Avalon terrane. All samples compiled from the southeastern New England Avalon terrane and West Avalonia in Canada show main age populations between ca. 2.0 Ga and ca. 1.0 Ga, with major peaks at ca. 1.95, ca. 1.50, ca. 1.20, and ca. 1.00 Ga, and minor ca. 3.1–3.0 Ga and ca. 2.8–2.6 Ga populations. The εHf(t) values from the three samples yielded similar results to those from West Avalonia in Canada, suggesting that both regions were derived from the same cratonic sources. The εHf(t) values of all West Avalonian samples overlap with both Amazonia and Baltica, suggesting that there is a mixed signature between cratonic sources, possibly as a result of previous collision and transfer of basement fragments between these cratons during the formation of supercontinent Rodinia, or during subsequent arc collisions.

Abstract Estuaries receive daily inputs of chemical elements which can impact the quality of water and sediment, as well as the health of biota. In addition to the sediment, bivalve mollusks have been used in the chemical monitoring of these systems. This study investigated the presence and contents of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in superficial sediment and in bivalves (Crassostrea gasar, C. rhizophorae and Mytella guyanensis) from estuaries in the south / extreme south of Bahia State, northeast Brazil. The samples were evaluated with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES, Varian 710). Except for Cd, all other elements were found in the samples, being that Co was exclusive in the sediment. The estuaries equivalent to sampling stations #1 - Valença, #2 - Taperoá, #3 - Ilhéus and #4 - Belmonte showed levels of metals compatibles with those established by the Brazilian legislation, however, the #5 - Santa Cruz Cabrália, in addition to the presence of As, presented a high level of Pb and Cu in C. gasar, which was attributed to the impacts of nautical activities in that locality.

ABSTRACT In this study, we determined the timing of burial and subsequent exhumation of Barrovian metamorphic rocks from the Chloride Cliff area of the Funeral Mountains in southeastern California by constraining the ages of different portions of a pressure-temperature (P-T) path. Using a split-stream laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) system, we analyzed 192 domains from 35 grains of monazite within five samples with a spot size of 8 µm to determine U-Pb ages and trace-element abundances from the same samples (same polished sections) that were analyzed to produce the P-T paths. Changes that took place within individual monazite grains reflect localized equilibrium and captured the changes in heavy rare earth element (HREE) abundances in the matrix reservoir that occurred as garnet grew, resorbed, and then regrew, thus constraining ages on different portions of the P-T path. The results show that garnet began growing ca. 168 Ma, began resorbing ca. 160 Ma, began retrograde regrowth ca. 157 Ma, and continued to regrow at least through ca. 143 Ma. The early garnet growth corresponds to a period of pressure increase along the P-T path. The subsequent partial resorption corresponds to the prograde crossing of a garnet-consuming reaction during decompression, and the retrograde garnet regrowth occurred when this same reaction was recrossed in the retrograde sense during further decompression. These results are consistent with previously determined ages, which include a Lu-Hf garnet age of 167.3 ± 0.72 Ma for the early pressure-increase portion of the P-T path, and 40Ar/39Ar muscovite cooling ages of 153 and 146 Ma in the lower-grade Indian Pass area 10 km southeast of Chloride Cliff. The 40Ar/39Ar muscovite ages document cooling at the same time as retrograde garnet regrowth was taking place at Chloride Cliff. The oldest monazite age obtained in this study, 176 ± 5 Ma, suggests that southeast-directed thrusting within the Jurassic retroarc was ongoing by this time along the California portion of the western North American plate margin, as a consequence of east-dipping subduction and/or arc collision. The Funeral Mountains were likely located on the east side of the northern Sierra Nevada range in the Jurassic, taking into account dextral strike-slip displacement along the Cretaceous Mojave–Snow Lake fault. The Late Jurassic timing of burial in the Funeral Mountains and its Jurassic location suggest burial was associated with the East Sierran thrust system. The timing of prograde garnet resorption during exhumation (160–157 Ma) corresponds to a change from regional dextral transpression to sinistral transtension along the Jurassic plate margin inferred to have occurred ca. 157 Ma. The recorded exhumation was concurrent with intrusion of the 148 Ma Independence dike swarm in the eastern Sierra Nevada and Mojave regions, which developed within a regime of northeast-southwest extension.

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most commonly recognized endocrinopathies in women. The literature lacks clear data that allow any meaningful conclusions to be drawn about the influence of trace elements in erythrocytes on the biochemical parameters of PCOS. Materials and methods: This study was conducted among 47 women meeting the Rotterdam criteria for the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. The research groups included women with PCOS with different BMI values (body mass index): obese women with PCOS (PCOS with BMI ≥ 30, mean BMI index 35.4 ± 4.4 kg/m2), nonobese PCOS women (PCOS with BMI < 30, mean BMI index 25.2 ± 2.8 kg/m2), and healthy control group (CG) with a mean BMI of 23.57 ± 0.9 kg/m2. The contents of trace elements in erythrocytes were determined with an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer. Results: The only trace element showing significant differences in concentration between the studied groups was nickel (Ni). The level of nickel in the obese women with PCOS (BMI ≥ 30) was significantly higher than in nonobese women (BMI < 30). The content of other trace elements in erythrocytes did not differ significantly between the studied groups. Several significant correlations were found within each of the studied PCOS groups: in the group of obese women, the content of zinc (Zn) in erythrocytes positively correlated with prolactin, the content of magnesium (Mg) positively correlated with testosterone, and the content of manganese (Mn) negatively correlated with thyroid-stimulating hormone. In the group of nonobese women, Zn content correlated positively with testosterone, Ni with luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol, and Mg negatively correlated with estradiol. Conclusions: The relationship between the level of trace elements and the level of hormones suggests that, in obese women with PCOS, nickel may play a role in inhibiting the processes of folliculogenesis and ovulation. Research on trace elements and their relationship to ovulatory cycles and the development of PCOS may contribute to reducing the consequences of PCOS and, therefore, should be extended.

Background: Thyroid benign nodules (TBNs) are the most common diseases of this endocrine gland and are common worldwide. Among TBNs the colloid goiter (CG) and thyroid adenoma (TA) are very frequentdiseases. Evaluation of variant of TBNs is clinically important for subsequent therapeutic interventions, as well as for a clearer understanding the etiology of these disorders. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine differences in the content offifty trace elements (TE) in CG and TA tissues. Methods: Thyroid tissue levels of TE have prospectively evaluated in 46 patients with CG and 19 patients with TA. Measurements have performed using a combination of non-destructive and destructive methods: instrumental neutron activation analysis with high resolution spectrometry of long-lived radionuclides (INAA-LLR) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), respectively. Tissue samples were divided into two portions. One was used for morphological study while the other was intended for TE analysis. Results: It was observed that in both CG and TA tissues the contents of Ag, Al, Cr, Hg, Mn, Th, and Zn increased, whereas the levels of Au, Be, Cs, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sc, Th, Yb, and Zr were unchanged in comparison with normal thyroid tissue. No differences were found between the TE contents of CG and TA. Conclusions: From results obtained, it was possible to conclude that the common characteristics of CG and TA tissue samples were of a high level of Ag, Al, Cr, Hg, Mn, Th, and Zn in comparison with normal thyroid and, therefore, these TE could be involved in etiology and pathogenesis of thyroid disorders such as CG and TA.                    Peer Review History: Received: 12 November 2021; Revised: 15 December; Accepted: 31 December, Available online: 15 January 2022 Academic Editor: Ahmad Najib, Universitas Muslim Indonesia,  Indonesia, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency.  Received file:                Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.5/10 Reviewers: Prof. Dr. Hassan A.H. Al-Shamahy, Sana'a University, Yemen, [email protected] Rima Benatoui, Laboratory of Applied Neuroendocrinology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Badji Mokhtar University Annaba, BP12 E L Hadjar–Algeria, [email protected] Similar Articles: COMPARISON OF LEVELS OF TWENTY CHEMICAL ELEMENTS IN NORMAL THYROID TISSUE AND HYPERTROPHIC THYROID TISSUE

Metals, metallic compounds, and, recently, metallic nanoparticles appear in textiles due to impurities from raw materials, contamination during the manufacturing process, and/or their deliberate addition. However, the presence of lead, cadmium, chromium (VI), arsenic, mercury, and dioctyltin in textile products is regulated in Europe (Regulation 1907/2006). Metal determination in fabrics was performed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after microwave-assisted acid digestion. The ICP-MS procedure has been successfully validated; relative standard deviations were up to 3% and analytical recoveries were within the 90–107% range. The developed method was applied to several commercial textiles, and special attention has been focused on textiles with nanofinishing (fabrics prepared with metallic nanoparticles for providing certain functionalities). Arsenic content (in textile T4) and lead content (in subsamples T1-1, T1-2, and T3-3) were found to exceed the maximum limits established by the European Regulation 1907/2006. Although impregnation of yarns with mercury compounds is not allowed, mercury was quantified in fabrics T1-2, T5, and T6. Further speciation studies for determining hexavalent chromium species in sample T9 are necessary (hexavalent chromium is the only species of chromium regulated). Some textile products commercialised in Europe included in this study do not comply with European regulation 1907/2006.

AbstractThis study aimed to assess the characteristics, including morphology, physicochemical properties, and antibacterial properties, of silver nanocolloids obtained by D-glucose reduction. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized in accordance with the principles of green chemistry using D-glucose as a reductor. The obtained nanostructures were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Stability tests performed after 1 month of storage revealed that the colloids prepared with and without polyvinylpyrrolidone as a stabilizer had the same properties. Distribution of the nanoparticles was tested using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry by doping the silver colloids into a natural soap mass. The antibacterial activity of the soap containing silver nanoparticles was tested on dirty hands. The antibacterial activity test demonstrated that the novel green soap materials improved with D-glucose-reduced silver nanoparticles possessed better antibacterial properties than a pure soap, and thus, they could be recommended for quotidian use by dermatological patients.

Abstract Trace elements (TE) concentrations of subsoil and the underlying parent rocks of Labunwa – Odele area were determined in other to ascertain the enrichment level, distribution and sources of these TEs in the subsoil in the study area. Twenty-one (21) subsoil (at depth of 30 -100 cm) and thirteen (13) rock samples were collected, pulverised and digested using aqua regia for soil samples and near total digestion of HClO4, HF, HCl and HNO3of different proportions for the rocks. The samples were analysed using Inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectrometry, (ICP-MS). The mean TE concentrations in ppm for subsoil showed Cu (40.0), Pb, (24.2), Zn (56.3), As (0.9) and U (2.7) among other elements as against the mean concentrations of granite gneiss (GGN) with Cu (22.9), Pb (61.4), Zn (64.6), As (1.0), U (2.6) and Pegmatite, (PGM) Cu(128.4), Pb(17.0), Zn(108.8), As (1.1), U (1.3) among other TEs. The relatively low concentrations of the TEs in the subsoil compared to the underlying parent rocks suggests that TEs in the subsoil may have been influenced by geogenic factors, such as weathering of the underlying rocks. TEs source apportionments in the subsoil using Bivariant plots, correlation coefficient, Bi-polar and dendogram analyses showed that these TEs are essentially from the underlying GGN and PGM in the area. Pollution status indices, I-geo, Contamination factor and PLI showed that the study area is practically unpolluted. This suggests that locations with relatively higher concentrations of some TEs are probably due to mineralisation and since most of the subsoil TEs are significantly lower in concentrations compared to the underlying bedrock, the area is safe for agricultural activities.