Environmental radionuclides as contaminants of HPGe gamma-ray spectrometers: Monte Carlo simulations for Modane underground laboratory.

The main limitation in the high-sensitive HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry has been the detector background, even for detectors placed deep underground. Environmental radionuclides such as K and decay products in the U and Th chains have been identified as the most important radioactive contaminants of construction parts of HPGe gamma-ray spectrometers. Monte Carlo simulations have shown that the massive inner and outer lead shields have been the main contributors to the HPGe-detector background, followed by aluminum cryostat, copper cold finger, detector holder and the lead ring with FET.

Search for Neutrinoless Quadruple-β Decay of ^{150}Nd with the NEMO-3 Detector.

We report the results of a first experimental search for lepton number violation by four units in the neutrinoless quadruple-β decay of ^{150}Nd using a total exposure of 0.19 kg yr recorded with the NEMO-3 detector at the Modane Underground Laboratory. We find no evidence of this decay and set lower limits on the half-life in the range T_{1/2}>(1.

ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT WHO/ISH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK GROUPS.

The objective of the study was to analyze association of echocardiographic TOD variables with the CVD risk groups defined by WHO/ISH. A cross-sectional study was conducted between (September 2008 - December 2010) Consecutive sample of 146 participants were enrolled in the study, 97 (66.4 %) women and (49) 33,6 % men, mean age.

The BiPo-3 detector.

The BiPo-3 detector is a low radioactive detector dedicated to measuring ultra-low natural contaminations of Tl and Bi in thin materials, initially developed to measure the radiopurity of the double β decay source foils of the SuperNEMO experiment at the μBq/kg level. The BiPo-3 technique consists in installing the foil of interest between two thin ultra-radiopure scintillators coupled to low radioactive photomultipliers. The design and performances of the detector are presented.

ASSOCIATION OF ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN ADULTS WITHOUT CLINICAL MANIFESTATION OF HEART FAILURE.

The objective the study was to assess the association between echocardiographic parameters and established cardiovascular risk factors in adults without clinical manifestation of heart failure (HF). A cross-sectional study was conducted between (September 2008 - December 2010) Consecutive sample of 177 participants were enrolled in the study. We performed routine Transthoracic Echocardiography and evaluated several well established cardiovascular risk factors.