Chemical and biological warfare agents (CBWA's) are diverse in nature; volatile acute low-molecular-weight toxic compounds, chemical warfare agents (CWA's, gaseous choking and blood agents, volatile nerve gases and blister agents, nonvolatile vomit agents and lacrymators), biological toxins (nonvolatile low-molecular-weight toxins, proteinous toxins) and microbes (bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae...

The old Japanese army developed several chemical warfare agents on Ohkuno Island in Seto inland sea, Hiroshima Japan, during the period between 1919 and 1944. These chemical agents including yperite (mustard; irritating agent), lewisite (irritating agent), diphenylchloroarsine (DA; vomiting agent), diphenylcyanoarsine (DC; vomiting agent) and other poisonous gases were manufactured to be used i...

Standoff detection measuring the fluorescence spectra of seven different biological agents excited by 294 nm as well as 355 nm wavelength laser pulses has been undertaken. The biological warfare agent simulants were released in a semi-closed aerosol chamber at 210 m standoff distance and excited by light at either of the two wavelengths using the same instrument. Significant differences in seve...

Fast, effective, antimicrobial and antisporicidal methods against biological warfare agents, which include the spores from Bacillus anthracis, are urgently required in the biological warfare agent neutralization arena. Metal nanoparticles, which have been previously shown to have antimicrobial effects against vegetative microbes, show great promise in having likewise efficacy against the more r...

This paper discusses a line of research targeted to investigate and introduce innovative solutions for efficient learning in smart environments through integrating AmI technology in the learning process. Following a discussion of current approaches to technology integration in the classroom, the overall concept of the Student-Centric “Intelligent” Classroom and the related software are describe...

This paper describes agent technology and the various ways in which it can be applied to command, control, communications and intelligence in general, and to network-centric warfare in particular. The paper provides a brief overview of agents, their properties, and their advantages. It covers the concept of the current military trend, network-centric warfare. Problems associated with agents are...

Editorial Staff Assistant Managing Editor: Dawn Bennett Senior Editors: Eleanore Butz, R. Brooks Hanson, Barbara Jasny, Katrina L. Kelner, David Lindley, Linda J. Miller, Phillip D. Szuromi, David F. Voss Associate Editors: Gilbert J. Chin, Pamela J. Hines, Paula A. Kiberstis, Suki Parks, L. Bryan Ray Letters: Christine Gilbert, Editor; Steven S. Lapham Book Reviews: Katherine Livingston, Edito...

in this study and in previous studies (1,8). The presence of a strong β-lactamase with resistance to ampicillin was also a marker in this study; epidemic C. jejuni and C. coli isolates were β-lactamase negative with susceptibility to ampicillin in previous outbreaks in MSM (1,8). Higher proportions of C. coli isolates are erythromycinand multidrug-resistant than are C. jejuni isolates (4,6). Wh...

T his is the second article in a series of papers addressing issues related to biological warfare and bioterrorism. As outlined in the historical review of biological warfare (1), smallpox is one of the most devastating diseases that could potentially be used as a biological weapon. In fact, smallpox was for many centuries devastating to mankind. However, the remarkable efforts of the World Hea...