Publications by authors named "Nels A Olson"

Aims: To test the efficacy of 222 nm Far UV-C for surface disinfection of SARS-CoV-2 on inanimate surfaces from airplane cabins.

Methods And Results: Two far ultraviolet (UV-C) irradiation light systems were evaluated for disinfection of SARS-CoV-2. Materials used for carriers (test surfaces) included polished stainless steel and used airplane materials including seatbelt latches, window dust covers, sidewall laminates, and tray tables.

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To characterize the transport of respiratory pathogens during commercial air travel, Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations were performed to track particles expelled by coughing by a passenger assigned to different seats on a Boeing 737 aircraft. Simulation data were post-processed to calculate the amounts of particles inhaled by nearby passengers. Different airflow rates were used, as well as different initial conditions to account for random fluctuations of the flow field.

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Background: As an emerging virus, SARS-CoV-2 and the risk of transmission during air travel is of high interest. This paper is a retrospective estimate of the probability of an infectious passenger in the air travel system transmitting the SARS-CoV-2 virus to a fellow passenger.

Methods: Literature was reviewed from May-September 2020 to identify COVID-19 cases related to air travel.

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Increasing need for large-scale DNA profiling necessitated the development of automated electrophoresis based methods enabling rapid, high performance analysis of nucleic acids in a wide molecular-mass range. In this paper, we report on the adaptation of a commercial 96-capillary array electrophoresis (CAE) instrument for high-throughput DNA fragment analysis and the evaluation of the effects of different non-covalent DNA staining dyes on separation efficiency. The applicability of different color internal fluorescent standards is shown with mathematical spectral overlap correction algorithms.

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Automated 96-capillary array electrophoresis (CAE) methodology described in the first part of the present work offered large-scale high-performance profiling of oligo- and monosaccharides to fulfill the needs of bioindustrial laboratories. Sensitivity at low nanomolar concentration, good resolving power and reliability achieved in the experiments is invaluable for monitoring reaction products from enzymatic polysaccharide digestion with numerous applications in agricultural, chemical and food industries. In addition to optimization of mono- and oligosaccharide separations in CAE system and necessary operational protocol modifications, capillary-to-capillary and run-to-run variation in migration time and signal intensity necessitated development of data normalization tools.

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A 96-capillary array electrophoresis (CAE) instrument has been adapted for large-scale mono- and oligosaccharide analysis and characterization. Operational protocols and data processing tools have been developed to optimize the CAE system for this application. Effects of different additives to the running buffer on efficiency and capillary-to-capillary performance reproducibility have been studied.

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