Safety-related Issues Research Articles

Access to Opioids in Palliative Care in Low-and Middle-Income Countries : The Case of Burkina-Faso -How Can Blockchain and Internet of Things Assist? –

Background: People requesting palliative care or suffering from pain are subjected to adhere to opioid-based treatment in order to alleviate their pain. Commonly, access to opioids is strictly controlled. Access to Healthcare delivery services remains challenging in Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). In Burkina-Faso (BF), a Sub-Saharan African (SSA) country, patients requiring palliative care (PC) are especially facing poor access to pain drugs such as morphine. Facing poor access to pain-alleviating medicine can severely impact the daily quality of life (QoL). On one hand, patients are experiencing poor opioids access. On another hand opioids abuse, leading to drug addiction is noticed. The question arising here is how can they face poor access and at the same time abuse the given drug? One plausible answer is the counterfeit chain, which provides illegal drugs. Beyond the counterfeit issues faced, the public health care system is also facing, amongst others, prescription falsification, fraud in the distribution, and stock shortage. Method & Design: Mixed-Method-Design was applied to this study. National stipulations, regulations, and the state-of-the-art in the field of palliative care in BF were investigated and analyzed. Based on the investigation‘s outcomes and following the paradigm of design science research, and information system based improvement solution is proposed to tackle the poor access to opioids, improve the supply and distribution chain as well as to efficiently monitor the consumption of opioids in BF, and prevent patients from any health issues, drug addiction, and death. Objectives: The main objectives are to fight against opioid addiction, counterfeits, a stock shortage, and prevent related health safety issues. The main aim is to enable the traceability of any opioids prescription, secure the supply and distribution, and thus early detect any fraud in the system. This editorial paper would, therefore, focus on investigating the reasons underlying the poor access to opioids in palliative care in BF and make suggestions for improvement. A blockchain (BC) and the Internet of Things (IoT) based system to secure and improve opioids supply, distribution, and prescription will be proposed. Results: The contribution analysis reveals the potential of the proposed model to assist in many ways to improve access to opioids and to secure this access. The model could contribute to preventing drug abuse, overprescription, supporting off-label-use of opioids and thus providing a knowledge database for off-label use of opioids. This model shows promise to deliver accurate data and information about the exact opioid’s needs and consumption atlas. This will assist to better distribute the product in the entire country. A proof-of-concept of the proposed model is required. This is ongoing and will be presented in a forthcoming paper. Conclusion: This editorial paper investigates access to opioids in Burkina Faso. It pointed out by analyzing out the computer science perspectives the different causes of the crisis. A contextualized model is provided. A test in situ needs to be performed.

Standardizing Safety Assessment and Reporting for Neonatal Clinical Trials

Standardizing Safety Assessment and Reporting for Neonatal Clinical Trials

Individual and Collaborative Behaviors of Rideshare Drivers in Protecting their Safety

The safety of passengers of rideshare apps has received attention from researchers, yet there is a lack of research on safety of rideshare drivers in the context of CSCW and HCI. As drivers are also an important user in the ecosystem of the ridesharing systems, we conducted interviews with drivers in the U.S. to understand how they, individually and collaboratively, address safety related issues they face conducting their job. We identified the factors that contributed to drivers' feelings of safety and the strategies they engaged in to protect themselves. We found that drivers relied on methods that were technical, social, and physical, to ensure their safety and engaged in informal collaborative and communicative activities with other drivers inside and outside of the ridesharing system. We discuss implications for future design for ridesharing apps and other location-based computer-supported collaborative systems that have potential safety hazards.

Novel Algorithm for Enhancing Bitrate in MANET for Topology Based Routing Protocol

Mobile computing is rapidly growing due to powerful, cheaper and smaller devices in a smart environment. By creating smart devices with mobile communication abilities, the idea of being connected anytime, anywhere and anyhow has become reality. Group of smart devices creates a mobile network (Ad Hoc Network) while communicating directly and wirelessly. When mobile nodes move, the topology changes frequently and dynamically, at that time security or some network management mechanism is required. By reviewing the functional mechanism, advantages, and disadvantages of previous routing protocols, new routing protocols can be designed for MANET and performance evaluation of different protocols is very important for the designing of a new mechanism. Various routing protocols have been designed for MANETS but these are not sufficient for all the needed requirements in MANET environment. Comparisons analysis of different protocols have been conducted in these networks using different scenarios, however, they are still not sufficient to make decisions as to which protocol is better for a specific scenario, that's why lot of research is still being conducted, in the design implementation and enhancement of novel protocols in network. This paper presents various securities and safety-related issues of MANET systems, and also advocate the requirement of enhancing routing protocols. MANET protocol has been enhanced to increase the bitrate of active protocol in mobile network and performance comparison carried out between the existing and proposed approach.

62.4 SOCIAL MEDIA AND SUICIDE: A BRAVE NEW WORLD

The goals of this session are as follows: 1) to educate child and adolescent psychiatrists with a literature review on social media and its relationship with suicide risk; 2) to promote awareness about establishing media-specific history taking and its pivotal role in initial intake, risk assessment, and the overall treatment plan; and 3) to explore the ethical practices of monitoring social media posting habits for safety-related issues.

A rational usage of combined using of herbal medicines and synthetic medicines: A time interval window research

The combined use of herbal and traditional medicine with synthetic drugs is a common clinical issue in China, as well as in other countries around the world. The improper combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with synthetic drugs may increase the risk of severe adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In China, the combination of Shuanghuanglian (SHL) and Ribavirin injections (RB) is one such example that has led to a higher risk of pseudo-allergic ADRs, observed during post-marketing safety monitoring. Such combination-related ADRs may be associated with concurrent drug exposure concentrations in vivo . Thus, it is important to administer both formulations at acceptable intervals to prevent ADRs. In this study, we propose an appropriate time interval of administration to reduce ADR risk in combination drug use. SHL and RB combination was then tested in rats. This combination was tested at different administration intervals. Ear weight was chosen as the quantitative index to indicate tissue edema and intensity of pseudo-allergic reactions. Compared to the control group, rats that were simultaneously administered with SHL and RB intravenously, showed different behaviors and symptoms such as ear edema and increase in weight, swelling of limbs and huddling, which were similar to those seen in pseudo-allergic reactions. By contrast, rats administered solely with either RB or SHL did not exhibit obvious pseudo-allergic reactions. With respect to the combination groups at different administration intervals, there were two different types of responses. One of them was similar to the concurrent administration of drug pairs, which occurred in groups at intervals of 0, 1.5, 2, 3.5 and 4 h. The other type was similar to the sole use of RB or SHL, which occurred in groups with intervals of 6, 8, 12 and 24 h. We also determined serum concentrations of complement C5 (C5) and thrombomodulin (THBD), proteins that mediate the complement system and coagulation cascade-depended pseudo-allergic reactions. Results showed that there was significant increase in these two indices in combination groups, with intervals below or equal to 4 h and non-significant increase in combination groups with intervals above or equal to 6 h. These results indicate that a “safe window” of administration interval exists when using the drug pair: SHL and RB, thus reducing the risk of pseudo-allergic reactions. Moreover, we tested serum metabolomic profiles of each group. The principal component analysis revealed that there was an obvious distinction between the rat groups, of both clusters: One cluster included the normal control group where either SHL or RB group was administered and the combination groups that were administered both SHL and RB at intervals of over or equal to 6 h. The other cluster involved combination groups that were administered both drugs at intervals below or equal to 4 h. Thus, the metabolomic results also elucidated a “safe window” administration interval, when using such drug pairs. We then screened out metabolites that might be used to distinguish these two clusters of rat groups. The results of ROC curves showed that compounds of m / z 154.0592, m / z 433.2357, and m / z 331.0528 could distinguish rats where SHL was used after and before 6 h. These metabolites were identified as L-2-Amino-3-(1-pyrazolyl) propanoic acid, [2-hydroxy-1-(6-hydroxy-1-oxo-1H-isochromen-3-yl) butoxy] sulfonic acid and LysoPA (0:0/18:2 (9Z, 12Z)) according to their MS/MS spectrum, respectively. This study verified the hypothesis of the “safe window” of administration interval in combination drug use, including TCM and synthetic drugs. Administered at appropriate intervals, it can reduce ADR risk and prevent safety-related issues from occurring. This study thus provides a new perspective for improving safety, when using Chinese herbal medicines in combination with synthetic medicine.

Effects of personality traits and sociocognitive determinants on risky riding behaviors among Chinese e-bikers

Objective: In the last few decades, the growing popularity of e-bikes in China has raised public concerns regarding an increasing number of fatalities and injuries involving e-bikes. Although previous studies have explored the impacts of personality on driving behaviors of automobile drivers and motorcyclists, little attention has been paid to safety-related issues involving e-bikers from the aspect of their personality traits and sociocognitive variables. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of personality on e-bikers’ risk-taking behaviors and test the effectiveness of the model proposed by Ulleberg and Rundmo (2003) among e-bikers.Methods: Four hundred and five Chinese e-bikers aged 16 to 61 completed a self-administrated questionnaire, which included questions investigating their demographics, personality traits (anger, altruism, sensation-seeking, normlessness), risk perceptions, safety attitudes, and risky riding behaviors. The reliability and validity of all scales were first examined through reliability analysis and principal component analysis, respectively, and a structural equation model was developed and fitted to test the relationships among e-bikers’ personality traits, risk perceptions, safety attitudes, and risky riding.Results: A satisfactory level of reliability and validity was reached for all variables. Anger, altruism, sensation-seeking, and normlessness were all significantly related to e-bikers’ risk perceptions and unsafe riding, and only altruism correlated significantly to safety attitude. For 2 sociocognitive variables, safety attitudes was directly and negatively related to respondents’ risky riding, and risk perception only exerted impacts on riding behaviors by affecting safety attitudes.Conclusions: Personality traits of e-bikers impacted their riding behaviors both directly and indirectly, and sociocognitive variables played an intermediate role in the personality–behavior relationship. The results revealed the importance of personality traits in influencing e-bikers’ risky riding and also verified the applicability of the personality–behavior model proposed by Ulleberg and Rundmo (2003) among e-bikers. The findings of this study may provide an empirical basis for evidence-based safety interventions for e-bikers in China.

Rapid Health Impact Assessment of a Proposed Poultry Processing Plant in Millsboro, Delaware.

In 2013, Allen Harim Foods purchased the former site of a Vlasic Pickle plant in Millsboro, Delaware, and proposed to convert the site into a poultry processing plant that would process approximately two million birds weekly. This generated concerns about the proposed plant’s potential to impact health and quality of life among residents. We conducted a rapid health impact assessment (HIA) of the proposed plant to assess baseline environmental health issues in the host community and projected impacts. The scoping and baseline assessment revealed social, economic, and health disparities in the region. We also determined that residents in the area were already underserved and overburdened with pollution from multiple environmental hazards near the proposed plant including two sites contaminated with hazardous wastes, a power plant, and another poultry processing plant. The projected size and amount of poultry to be processed at the plant would likely cause increased levels of air, soil and water pollution, additional odor issues, and increased traffic and related pollution and safety issues. The information generated from the HIA formed the basis of a campaign to raise awareness about potential problems associated with the new facility and to foster more engagement of impacted residents in local decision-making about the proposed plant. In the end, the HIA helped concerned residents oppose the new poultry processing plant. This case study provides an example of how HIAs can be used as a tool to educate residents, raise awareness about environmental justice issues, and enhance meaningful engagement in local environmental decision-making processes.

Novel Algorithm for Enhancing MANET Protocol in Smart Environment

Future smart environment will consist of smart devices (objects) that will form an autonomous and distributed ad-hoc network near the user end. This network needs efficient, cooperative and effective protocols for the changing network. So it requires a flexible and unified framework for wireless intelligent devices communication that will permit secure and adaptive routing to fulfill ad-hoc networking requirements. It is important to propose effective protocols and to identify good architecture for the future internet. Active routing protocols update the table of information on a regular basis and keep the mobility factor in control. The result of routing optimization with an efficient and effective scheme to mobility control and energy consumption in MANET-IoT system shows the main solution of Smart Network. Combination of IoT and MANET routing mechanism enhances the lifetime of nodes in the overall smart environment. This combination helps in the provision of services and accessibility for a longer period of time over the future smart environment. This paper presents various securities and safety-related issues of MANET-IoT system, and also advocate the requirement of enhancing routing protocols in a smart environment. In this paper, a new algorithm has been developed to reduce the delay factor of MANET protocol in a smart environment and performance is evaluated between the existing and proposed approach on the active protocol.

Epicardial Conduction Speed, Electrogram Abnormality, and ComputedTomography Attenuation Associations in Arrhythmogenic RightVentricular Cardiomyopathy.

This study sought to evaluate the association between contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (CE-MDCT) attenuation and local epicardial conduction speed (ECS) and electrographic abnormalities in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) and ventricular tachycardia (VT). CE-MDCT is a widely available and fast imaging technology with high spatial resolution that is less prone to defibrillator generator-related safety issues and image artifacts. However, the association between hypoattenuation on MDCT and VT substrates in ARVC remains unknown. Patients with ARVC who underwent CE-MDCT followed by endocardial (n=30) and epicardial (n=21) electroanatomical mapping (EAM) and VT ablation were prospectively enrolled. Right ventricular (RV) mid-myocardial attenuation was calculated from 3-dimensional MDCT images and registered to EAM. Local ECS was calculated by averaging the ECS between each point and 5 adjacent points with concordant wave front direction. A total of 17,311 epicardial and 5,204 endocardial points were included. In multivariable regression analysis clustered by patient, RV myocardial attenuation was associated with epicardial bipolar voltage amplitude (2.5% decrease in amplitude per 10 HU decrease in attenuation; p<0.001), with endocardial unipolar voltage amplitude (0.9% decrease in amplitude per 10 HU decrease in attenuation; p<0.001), and with ECS (0.4% decrease in ECS per 10 HU decrease in attenuation; p=0.001). CE-MDCT attenuation distribution is associated with regional ECS and electrographic amplitude in ARVC. Regions with low attenuation likely reflect fibro-fatty involvement in the RV and may serve as important VT substrates in patients with ARVC who are undergoing VT ablation.

Cyclists injured in traffic crashes in Hong Kong: A call for action.

BackgroundPerceived as a minor transportation mode mainly for recreation, cycling and its related safety issues have not been treated as a citywide concern in Hong Kong and have thus received inadequate research efforts. Our study aimed to illuminate the safety challenges faced by cyclists in Hong Kong.MethodsWe examined the police crash records from 1998 to 2017 and developed a Bayesian Poisson state space model to evaluate the longitudinal change in traffic injuries to cyclists. We then used quasi-induced exposure to measure the annual relative risk of crash involvement for cycling. Based on an officially published travel characteristics survey, we further measured the risk of injury for cycling per minutes cycled.ResultsBetween 1998 and 2017, Hong Kong witnessed a more than twofold increase in the number of cyclist injuries, with an average annual increase rate of 5.18% (95% CI: 0.53%–12.77%). By 2017, cyclists were 2.21 (1.82–2.69) times more likely to be involved in traffic crashes than in 1998. Per 10 million minutes, the injury rates for cycling were 28.64 (27.43–29.70) and 42.54 (41.07–44.02) on weekdays during 2001–2003 and 2010–2012. After adjusting for sex and age groups, cyclists were 1.95 (1.43–2.61) times more likely to be injured in 2010–2012 than in 2001–2003. Per minutes traveled, cyclists also sustained significantly higher risks of fatality and injury than pedestrians, private car drivers and passengers, taxi passengers, public bus passengers, and minibus passengers. A comparison of Hong Kong with other regions suggests that Hong Kong is among the most dangerous areas for cycling in terms of fatality rate per minutes cycled.ConclusionsCyclist injuries have become a substantial public health burden in Hong Kong. A range of countermeasures with proven effectiveness should be promptly implemented to improve the safety of these vulnerable road users.

Performance Analysis of Enhanced Ad-Hoc on-Demand Distance Vector Routing Protocol in Smart Environment

MANETs have specific features that can satisfy the mobility and heterogeneous requirement of the smart environment. Smart applications need high Mobility, Bandwidth, Reliability and less Packet Loss and Delays; therefore, it is important to provide good Quality of Service (QoS) in such applications. So there is a dire need of identifying and exploring the relevant protocols that may be adapted for IoT enabled the smart environment. The routing protocols in smart environments are accountable for connectivity among nodes, fairness, quality of service, etc. Protocol &amp; path selection is the main strategies to design any mobile network. The chosen protocol must have the best in term of data integrity and data delivery. Hence the analysis of the protocols become an essential step. This paper presents various securities and safety-related issues of MANET-IoT system, and also advocate the requirement of enhancing routing protocols in a smart environment. In this research, a new enhanced cache update technique is introduced in MANET protocol to make it enable for the upcoming smart environment. The enhanced algorithm helps to detect the malicious node and remove the stale route present in the network, no matter which traffic mode is used and in which direction nodes are moving. Cache is upgraded in such manner that all nodes in the way are notified about the misbehaving node and its adjacent neighbors’ nodes will not use misbehaving node while searching for the route. Here the analysis has been done taking a various number of nodes. Packet Delivery and Packet Lost are two key parameters taken for analysis purpose.

Influence of initial temperature and pressure on the explosion behavior of n-dodecane/air mixtures

There is an increasing industrial interest towards long-chain hydrocarbons, also due to the fact that they can be obtained from renewable organic materials. These substances are flammable and, under certain conditions, can explode. Nevertheless, very few experimental data are available on their thermal and kinetic characteristics and, more specifically, on their flammability and explosion behavior under various process conditions.In the work presented in this paper, the explosion behavior of n-dodecane has been investigated through experiments performed in a closed 5-l cylindrical vessel by varying the concentration of (vaporized) fuel in air at different initial temperatures - 130 °C and 160 °C - and pressures - 1, 2 and 3 bar. From the recorded pressure-time histories, the most important parameters for the assessment of process hazards and the safe design of process equipment - maximum pressure, maximum rate of pressure rise, and deflagration index - have been quantified. It has been found that, prior to feeding air and igniting the fuel/air mixture, the n-dodecane injected into the explosion vessel undergoes pyrolysis phenomena that interfere with combustion, thus affecting the performed measurements. On the basis of these results, it can be expected that pyrolysis also affects the flammability and explosion behavior of long-chain hydrocarbons others than n-dodecane involved in industrial processes at high temperature and, thus, it should be taken into consideration when addressing safety-related issues.

A conductive-dielectric gradient framework for stable lithium metal anode

Lithium (Li) metal is one of the most promising anode materials for future high-energy-density rechargeable batteries. However, the uncontrollable growth of dendrites and the related safety issue hindered its practical application. Involving three-dimensional (3D) frameworks for hosting Li metal can provide large electrochemically active surface area and thus endow more homogeneous deposition and delay dendrite formation. But a more ideal situation for ultimately safe and high-performance Li metal based battery is to enable a gradient Li deposition/dissolution process, with the merit of effective utilization of spatial dimension to stabilize Li metal anode to achieve superior electrochemical performance. Here, we report a conductive-dielectric gradient framework which can guide a “bottom-up” Li deposition and “top-down” Li dissolution within this structure, rendering controllable and stable Li metal deposition/dissolution process. As a result, in a symmetric cell such anode can deliver stable Li metal deposition/dissolution for 780 h with a low overpotential (<20 mV) at 1 mA cm−2, and maintain superior cycle stability with a Coulombic efficiency over 95.6% even at a high current density of 8 mA cm−2. This conductive-dielectric gradient structure design paves a new avenue to stabilize Li metal anode and improve the safety level of metal anode based batteries.

Sensitivity analysis of a PLC-based DSSS anti-islanding system in power distribution grids

As smart grid applications, distributed generation, and microgrid technologies have become more widespread, new safety-related issues have arisen. Unintentional islanding is an example of a grid fault that may result in damage to electrical equipment and severe personal injuries. In this paper, an anti-islanding system employing power line communication (PLC) and direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) modulation implemented with software-defined radios for continuous signaling is tested in a laboratory test setup. A concept of a fault detection algorithm is evaluated. A DSSS sensitivity analysis is carried out to investigate system’s performance against variation of a signal-to-noise ratio, and define optimal DSSS settings. The results of the analysis are interpreted, and conclusions are drawn. A transformer bypassing scheme allowing to increase the fault detection speed and throughput is introduced and tested, and the conditions of applicability are described. As a result of the study, recommendations for the system development are presented.

Career readiness: Finding a place for health and safety education.

Studies have identified gaps in health and safety knowledge and work practices of vocational students in the United States and abroad. Little is known about what, how, when, or if health and safety are taught and if the teaching that takes place is effective. Faculty skilled in their technical area may lack knowledge related to health and safety and pedagogy. This knowledge gap is compounded by a deficiency or absence of high-quality safety and health resources for vocational and technical college faculty, the use of outdated and often inaccurate information, and lack of any standardized assessment of knowledge and skills. To identify these knowledge gaps, we conducted group interviews with auto body collision technology and machine tool technology faculty at two colleges. Most instructors reported a rapid transition from technical trade worker or business owner into their faculty role, with little support or education related to teaching. No instructor used a defined health and safety curriculum and materials or could describe the breadth safety skills required for their profession. Instructors tested and evaluated health- and safety-related skills on an ad hoc basis and said that workers and employers were ultimately responsible for job health and safety. Standardized health and safety training is needed nationally and should be progressive and integrated with career-specific educational programs. It should ensure that students obtain knowledge and understanding of how to apply the principles of safety and health and communicate with employers about health- and safety-related issues.

Systems approach to underground safety

The safety of underground traffic infrastructures can be considered from several viewpoints as a fairly mature field. Common minimum requirements for road tunnel safety were developed for all European countries in 2004. Furthermore, safety is codified in a detailed (at times even too detailed) manner, such as for road tunnels in several countries. Safety design can at times be extremely rigid and difficult for adapting to specific conditions, which in some cases may need to be more demanding than a “standard” tunnel.Other types of underground infrastructure, particularly, rail tunnels and underground industrial facilities, share a number of common safety-related issues with road tunnels, but are generally much less regulated. For example, there is no common regulation for the ventilation of rail tunnels in Europe. Various metro systems have different safety standards, in spite of having similar requirements.The present study illustrates selected aspects of a holistic approach required for achieving a high and sustainable safety level in underground infrastructure. Common aspects and differences between the various types of “conventional” and “emerging” underground infrastructure are outlined and the consequences are discussed, such as the different types of threats, widely differing probabilities of occurrence, and widely differing number of persons exposed. Different facilities require different safety systems; however, they can rely on common thinking and philosophies.It is essential for all stakeholders, ranging from operators and safety officers to fire services and administrative authorities, to grasp commonalities and differences to adapt requirements, regulations, and approaches to their specific needs.

Understanding the Factors and the Corresponding Interactions That Influence Construction Worker Safety Performance from a Competency-Model-Based Perspective: Evidence from Scaffolders in China.

Purpose: Construction workers’ reactions to safety-related issues during operation vary from person to person due to their different occupational levels, which can be attributed to various influencing factors and their correspondingly complicated interactions. This research aims to propose an integrated framework to combine the concepts of these factors and provide a holistic interpretation of the interrelationship among them. Methods: Based on items that were mainly extracted from competency theory, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to identify the critical factors from the data collected from 243 scaffolders on Wuhan Metro construction sites. The interactions among the identified factors were then analyzed, and the safety competency model was thus established with the use of structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: A total of 17 items were identified as critical to workers’ safety competency, and these were further tested and attributed to four factors: (1) individual character and inclination; (2) self-adjustment and adaptability; (3) working attitudes; (4) safety-related operation qualification. Subsequent analysis showed that all the factors significantly contributed to one’s safety competency, and individual character and inclination contributed most to the formation of one’s ability, while the intermediating effects of self-adjustment and adaptability should not be neglected both in theoretical and practical terms. The resultant safety competency model consisting of these four factors was revealed to share a hierarchical structure with the classical competency model. Significance: This study provided an integrated theoretical framework and a set of modeling approaches to combine the related concepts and facilitate a greater understanding of construction safety in terms of workers’ characteristics and behaviors. Practical implications: This study presented a tentative approach for assessing construction workers’ safety competency, as well as emphasized to the managers and professionals the necessity of developing training systems to ensure workers are integrated into a crew in an appropriate and smooth manner. Limitations and Future Work: The volume and the scope of samples impeded the study from achieving a more generalized result and a more cost-efficient data collection approach is in need of development for a comprehensive and in-depth investigation.

Radon and Progeny Detection Using Tensioned Metastable Fluid Detectors.

Radon and other alpha-emitting nuclides in air can be a significant risk for health hazards in the workplace and in dwellings. Radon gas in US homes causes over 21,000 deaths from lung cancer annually, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Alpha-emitting radionuclides from airborne contamination in the nuclear industry also constitute a known safety and security-safeguards related issue. Purdue University, along with Sagamore Adams Laboratories LLC, have developed the tensioned metastable fluid detector (TMFD) sensor technology for general-purpose alpha-neutron-fission. For radon detection, radon gas in air is sparged through the TMFD detection fluid, after which this radon-bearing fluid is placed into a tensioned metastable state. In this metastable state, an audible-visible cavitation (alpha radiation) detection event is created and electronically recorded. Tailoring the level of tension enables spectroscopic information through energy discrimination of radon and its progeny; This is also applicable to other alpha emitting isotopes (Pu, Cm, U…). TMFDs boast high intrinsic detection efficiencies (>95%) for alpha spectroscopy while remaining blind to background beta and gamma radiation even in ~10 R h fields. The immunity to beta and gammas allows for reusability of the detection fluid through immunity to beta buildup from thoron and radon progeny. TMFD technology was used to measure the concentration of radon and radon progeny in air for concentrations from 74 Bq m to 740 Bq m. The system measures radon concentration between these levels within 24 h with an intrinsic relative error (IRE) of ± 15% according to the standards set forth by the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technicians-National Radon Proficiency Program (AARST-NRPP) Device Evaluation Program (DEP). Precision evaluation defined using the relative standard deviation set by the AARST-NRPP measured a deviation of <5%, which exceeds the requirement of <25%. Temperature effects from 10°C and 27°C were assessed and corrected for dynamically. A radon decay correction method was introduced to correct for the radon activity decrease in the detection fluid over the counting period due to the ~3.8 d half-life. Blind testing was also successfully performed* with standards from the ; within 6 h, the TMFD-based technology accurately measured the concentration of radon to within 20% of the reference standards. Non-condensing relative humidity levels up to 95% per AARST-NRPP were assessed for and were found to have no impact on radon detection. This work improves upon the previous work by splitting the calibration curve into two distinct regions and adds additional information pertaining to the effects of relative humidity on the system.

Achieving therapeutic efficacy with a high performance, electroporation-based cellular engineering technology

Background & Aim Advances in cell-based therapies for treating cancer and other diseases have created a demand for rapid and flexible manufacturing processes. While virus-based delivery methods have provided the foundation for the cell therapy revolution, the costs of manufacturing viral vectors and related safety issues have created an urgent need for non-viral approaches to cellular engineering that can be implemented at scale in a GMP environment. In this poster, we present data on a GMP-compliant, scalable electroporation-based technology for engineering primary human cells, stem cells and cell lines with high efficiency while maintaining high cell viability. Methods, Results & Conclusion Examples include introducing precise genomic modifications into primary T cells and hematopoietic stem cells via transfection of mRNA and RNPs encoding zinc finger nucleases and CRISPR/Cas9 components as well as single nucleotide editing for correction of disease causing genetic mutations including X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) and sickle cell disease (SCD). We also include data on redirecting the specificity of T cells and NK cells by expressing recombinant receptors. Finally, we provide examples of cellular engineering with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and other types of progenitor cells.