Use of particle counter system for the optimization of sampling ,identification and decontamination procedures for biological aerosols dispersion in confined environment

Abstract In a CBRNe (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and explosive) scenario, biological agents hardly allow efficient detection/identification because of the incubation time that provides a lag in symptoms outbreak following their dissemination. The detection of atmospheric dispersion of biological agents (i.e.: toxins, viruses, bacteria and so on) is a key issue for the safety of people and security of environment. Another fundamental aspect is related to the efficiency of the sampling method, which leads to the identification of the agent released, in fact an effective sampling method is needed either to identify the contamination and to check for the decontamination procedure. Environmental monitoring is one of the ways to improve fast detection of biological agents; for instance, particle counters with the ability of discriminating between biological and non-biological particles are used for a first warning when the amount of biological particles exceeds a particular threshold. Nevertheless, these systems are not able to distinguish between pathogen and non-pathogen organisms, thus, classical “laboratory” assays are still required to unambiguously identify the particle which triggered the warning signal. In this work, a combination of commercially available equipment for detection and identification of the atmospheric dispersion of biological agents was evaluated in partnership between the Italian Army, the Department of Industrial Engineering and the School of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. The aim of this work, whose results are presented here, was to conduce preliminary studies on the dynamics of biological aerosols fallout after its dispersion, to improve detection, sampling and identification techniques. This will help minimizing the impact of the release of biological agents, guarantee environmental, and people safety and securit

Observación de radio-estrellas con el círculo meridiano de San Juan

Se informa sobre el avance del programa de observación de radio-estrellas con el Círculo Meridiano instalado en el Observatorio Astronómico "Félix Aguilar".Asociación Argentina de Astronomí

EMERGENCY PLANNING IN CASE OF CBRN EVENTS: AN INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGY TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY KNOWLEDGE OF ADVISORS AND FIRST RESPONDERS BY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TABLE TOP EXERCISE.

ABSTRACT Nowadays Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Nuclear (CRBN) risks are one of the main safety concern. The radiological disasters of Fukushima and Chernobyl, the chemical events of Seveso or the release of Sarin in the Tokio Subway,and the biological emergencies such as the H1N1 flue represent few examples of a dreadful evidence: : CBRNe risks are a real and global threat around us. A CBRNe event can be either of an intentional and un-intentional nature and it is important to have highly specialized advisors that can support decision makers and first responders to face this threat. The University of Rome Tor Vergata, in collaboration with the most important Italian and International Bodies that work in the field of CBRN safety and security and supported by NATO and OPCW, organized two International Master Courses in Protection against CBRN events. In this context, a Table Top Exercise (TTX) was organized, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defence, taking into account that, in each country, the system response to CBRNe events strongly depends also on law and procedures, that enforce the advisors and first responders to rely with different skills and roles in function of the administration of origin. The organized TTX was aimed to test the level preparation of the Master students and experts working in Italy in the field of CBRN events and to test the emergency planning preparation. In particular, a radiological release was simulated in a Harbour facility in Urban Area. The students were divided in multidisciplinary groups with heterogeneous competences. Each group was supported by CBRNì experts and was stressed by the injects from a Command and Operative Centre. Responsiveness to the injects and to the stress together with the ability to organize and manage safety and security operations, but also to interpret each role in the team according to according to national laws, were evaluated for each group. The scenario, the logistic organization, on-going adjustments during the exercise and the outcomes will be presented and analyzed by the authors in this paper. PRELIMINARY INDEX 1. Abstract 2. Introduction 3. Table Top Exercise (TTX) 3.1 What is a TTX 3.2 How the TTX is organized 3.3 Scenario and injects 3.4 Organizational and technical solutions 4. Dat

Hb Foggia or alpha 117(GH5)Phe -> Ser: a new alpha 2 globin allele affecting the alpha Hb-AHSP interaction

We report a novel α2-globin gene allele with the mutation cod 117 TTC>TCC or α117(GH5)Phe>Ser detected in three carriers with α-thalassemia phenotype. The mutated mRNA was present in the reticulocytes in the same amount as the normal one, but no chain or hemoglobin variant were detected. Most likely the amino acid substitution impairs the interaction of the α-chain variant with the AHSP and prevents its stabilizing effect, thus leading to the α-chain pool reductio

Protein fingerprint by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry: characterization of normal and variant human haemoglobins.

A procedure using fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry was developed for mapping the proteolytic digest of proteins. The procedure was successfully applied to the tryptic peptides of the human β-globin chain. Almost all the expected peptides were identified by direct analysis of the peptide mixture on the mass spectrometer. Peptide recognition along the β-globin chain sequence was easily made on the basis of their molecular weight. The general applicability of this mapping procedure in the analysis of haemoglobinopathies was demonstrated by its use for the structural characterization of a variant β-globin chain

Application of Real Time PCR to identify residual bio-decontamination pf confined environments after hydrogen peroxide vapor treatment :preliminary results.

Abstract This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) to remove biological contamination in a confined environment. Decontamination after the dispersion of biological aerosol is a main issue from a civilian, public health and military perspective. Despite the effectiveness of aggressive substances, eco-friendly but still efficient methods for decontamination are a relevant demand. The hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) decontamination method is among the most recent technologies in the field. Microbiological and molecular biology techniques are commonly used to detect and identify biological contamination, but many of them are time consuming and requires advanced training for the operators who perform the analysis. In case of CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) event, detection,identification and removal of the hazardous agent is paramount;in this kind of scenario, civilian and military forces are the first actor involved and they are responsible for these actions. Thus, itis essential that these operations becomes as quick and easy as possible.In this work, a combination of commercially available equipment for detection, identification and decontamination, was evaluated in partnership between the Italian Army, the Department of Industrial Engineering and the School of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata with the aim of finding a preliminary setup to implement in case of Biological events. This work was focused on evaluating a) the effectiveness of HPV as bio-decontaminant in case of biological aerosol dispersion in a confined environment, and b) the usefulness of Real-Time PCR as a technique to identify residual bio-.contamination.Preliminary results for decontamination with HPV show that, despite the death of the microorganisms, nucleic acids are not completely degraded, suggesting the need for further efforts to identify a more efficient, eco-friendly method for biological decontamination

'G.A.T.E': Gap analysis for TTX evaluation

A Table Top Exercise (TTX) gap analysis tool was developed with the aim to provide a complete, systematic and objective evaluation of TTXs organized in safety and security fields. A TTX consists in a discussion-based emergency management exercise, organized in a simulated emergency scenario, involving groups of players who are subjected to a set of solicitations ('injects'), in order to evaluate their emergency response abilities. This kind of exercise is devoted to identify strengths and shortfalls and to propose potential and promising changes in the approach to a particular situation. In order to manage the TTX derived data collection and analysis, a gap analysis tool would be very useful and functional at identifying the 'gap' between them and specific areas and actions for improvement, consisting the gap analysis in a comparison between actual performances and optimal/expected ones. In this context, a TTX gap analysis tool was designed, with the objective to provide an evaluation of Team players' competences and performances and TTX organization and structure. The influence of both the players' expertise and the reaction time (difference between expected time and time necessary to actually complete the injects) on the final evaluation of the inject responses was also taken into account