Limits on the release of Rb isotopes from a zeolite based 83mKr calibration source for the XENON project

The isomer 83mKr with its half-life of 1.83 h is an ideal calibration source for a liquid noble gas dark matter experiment like the XENON project. However, the risk of contamination of the detector with traces of the much longer lived mother isotop 83Rb (86.2 d half-life) has to be ruled out. In this work the release of 83Rb atoms from a 1.8 MBq 83Rb source embedded in zeolite beads has been investigated. To do so, a cryogenic trap has been connected to the source for about 10 days, after which it was removed and probed for the strongest 83Rb gamma-rays with an ultra-sensitive Germanium detector. No signal has been found. The corresponding upper limit on the released 83Rb activity means that the investigated type of source can be used in the XENON project and similar low-background experiments as 83mKr generator without a significant risk of contaminating the detector. The measurements also allow to set upper limits on the possible release of the isotopes 84Rb and 86Rb, traces of which were created alongside the production of 83Rb at the Rez cyclotron.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Journal of Instrumentatio

Neutralizing antibodies against porcine circovirus type 2 in liquid pooled plasma contribute to the biosafety of commercially manufactured spray-dried porcine plasma

Neutralizing antibodies (NA) inherently present in pooled plasma collected at commercial abattoirs may provide some protection against potential porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infectivity of plasma. Moreover, these NA may also contribute to the biosafety of spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP). The objective of the study was to characterize and quantify the PCV2 antibody neutralizing capacity in pooled liquid porcine plasma and SDPP samples collected from industrial spray-drying facilities located in the Southeast and Midwest regions of the United States and the Northeast region of Spain. In the United States, PCV2 NA was determined in 1 sample of pooled liquid plasma from commercial spray-drying plants in the Southeast and 1 from the Midwest region. Obtained results were compared with those of a plasma sample from a PCV2 vaccinated sow and 1 from a PCV2 antibody negative sow. In Spain, 15 pooled liquid porcine plasma samples and 10 SDPP samples were collected at a commercial spray-drying plant total and NA against PCV2 were determined. Results with pooled liquid porcine plasma from commercial spray-drying facilities in the United States indicated that NA titers against PCV2 in these samples (log2 8.33 ± 0.41 and 9.0 ± 0.0) were similar or greater than the plasma from the PCV2-vaccinated sow (log2 6.33 ± 0.41). The analysis of U.S. samples indicated that liquid plasma diluted to 1:256 (10–2.41) was able to neutralize between 100 to 200 PCV2 virus particles or about 4 logs10 median tissue culture infective dose (TCID50) per milliliter. Similarly, samples from the Spanish pooled liquid plasma and the SDPP samples indicated an increased amount of NA activity against PCV2. Specifically, a dilution of 10–2.47 ± 0.33 of plasma was able to inactivate 100 PCV2 virus particles; therefore, the inactivation capacity of commercial liquid plasma was greater than 104 TCID50/mL. The calculated 90% reduction in infected cells because of NA in pooled plasma samples (log2 8.2 ± 0.38) was less (P < 0.05) than in its concentrate form of SDPP (mean, log2 10.2 ± 0.85). In conclusion, PCV2 NA contained in liquid pooled plasma from market pigs was detected at greater concentrations than that from a vaccinated sow and that after spray-drying biological neutralizing activity was conserved, which implies that the inherent NA in liquid plasma may have an important role in the biosafety of commercially produced SDPP.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio