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The airborne route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed by the World Health Organization in April 2021. There is an urge to establish standardized protocols for assessing the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in air samples to support risk assessment, especially in indoor environments. Debates on the airborne transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 have been complicated because, among the studies testing the presence of the virus in the air, the percentage of positive samples has often been very low. In the present study, we report preliminary results on a study for the evaluation of parameters that can influence SARS-CoV-2 RNA recovery from quartz fiber filters spotted either by standard single-stranded SARS-CoV-2 RNA or by inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virions. The analytes were spiked on filters and underwent an active or passive sampling; then, they were preserved at −80 °C for different numbers of days (0 to 54) before extraction and analysis. We found a mean recovery of 2.43%, except for the sample not preserved (0 days) that showed a recovery of 13.51%. We found a relationship between the number of days and the recovery percentage. The results presented show a possible issue that relates to the quartz matrix and SARS-CoV-2 RNA recovery. The results are in accordance with the already published studies that described similar methods for SARS-CoV-2 RNA field sampling and that reported non-detectable concentrations of RNA. These outcomes could be false negatives due to sample preservation conditions. Thus, until further investigation, we suggest, as possible alternatives, to keep the filters: (i) in a sealed container for preservation at 4 °C; and (ii) in a viral transport medium for preservation at a temperature below 0 °C. This research was funded by University of Trieste Atheneum Fund for scientific research (2021) and IRCCS Burlo Garofolo (RC47/20).

Aim This study aimed to synthesize the findings of studies evaluating educational programs providing curricular transcultural nursing education. Backgrounds Nursing care education about cultural diversity and experience with taking care of patients from different cultures and special populations are significant factors that could likely influence cultural competence. The effect of transcultural nursing education given to nursing students has been investigated by different researchers and different methods. Addressing the effects of transcultural nursing education on nursing students’ cultural awareness, knowledge and attitudes can contribute to future transcultural nursing education activities and the creation of training content. Design This study was a methodological systematic review study. Methods Methodological quality was assessed following the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Science Direct, APA PsycArticles, OVID, EBSCO, and Web of Science databases were searched from 2010 to 2020. The following keywords were used: “Transcultural nursing”, “education”, “curriculum”, “course”, “effectiveness”, “cultural competence”, “knowledge”, “skills”, “attitudes”, and “nursing students”. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals in English using both experimental and quasi-experimental designs were included. Results Total of 11 research papers, (n = 1375) nursing students’ outputs were included in this review. Cultural competence interventions/programs were provided as part of the core theoretical courses or as elective courses. Different durations and types of teaching methods included debates, discussions, case scenarios, practicums, simulation, international learning projects, experiential learning, storytelling, and traditional teaching lectures. In ten studies, an increase in the level of culture-related competences was reported as statistically significant (p Conclusions Limited studies have generally proven the effectiveness of transcultural nursing education provided to nursing students. Education content, training methods and training periods were not standard in the literature. More comprehensive, valid and reliable measurement tools are needed to evaluate the education provided for nursing students.

Regional air quality assessment and modeling of dynamics of gaseous and aerosol compounds can greatly benefit from experimental studies at sampling sites positioned in relative distance from intense sources of pollution; this is particularly valid in complex areas as the Karst, the limestone borderline plateau region extending in southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy, at some tens of kilometers from Trieste, a city of 210.000 inhabitants with an harbour, from the industrial town of Monfalcone with its 976 MW power plant and close to the Northern Adriatic Sea. A sampling site for aerosol and organic gases was established in Spring 2012 in close proximity to the entrance of the cave called Grotta Gigante, where also a meteorological station is working since 1967. The site lays in a submediterranean deciduous forest classified as Ostryo-Quercetum pubescentis. A day-night campaign was conducted in late June 2012 where ions, OC/EC and secundary organic compounds were measured, showing that the site is adequate to study BSOA formation from terpenes and isoprene precursors. Contrasts between summer and winter were studied with a series of four days samples, where ions, OC/EC, n-alkanes and PAHs were detected; markers from biomass burning as well as MSA, signing marine biogenic contribution, highlight the plurality of sources contributing at formation of aereosols. Recent XRF powder analysis contribute to mass closure, with information about inorganic composition. Experimental data are also compared with estimates from MEGAN model of emission of gas and aerosol from nature. Chemistry of wet and dry depositions has also started to be studied, aiming at characterizing inorganic inputs to soils.

1. Introduction Anomalies in concentration of outdoor benzene were detected during 2010 and 2011 by the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional environmental agency [1,2] in the framework of a monitoring programme of fugitive emissions from coke oven batteries of a steel plant in Trieste. 2. Material and Methods We report about an observational study on the presence of benzene and toluene in samples from outdoor and indoor air collected in proximity of houses far up to one km from the coke oven. The air sampling is performed with cheap and accurate [3] radial symmetry diffusive samplers, that were analyzed by thermal desorption and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry [4]. Six dwellings are considered for sampling outdoor air, each being at different distances from the coking plant, a potentially relevant source of benzene emissions; five of these houses belonged to non-smokers citizens are considered for indoor sampling. The samples were collected weekly for one year starting from May 2012, and each sampler was exposed to air for 4-6 days, with duration and temperature accurately recorded. A rural background site is also considered for sake of comparison. 3. Results and discussions Summer samples showed a clear gradient of benzene concentrations decreasing from houses close to the industrial plant laying by the sea, towards inland; during winter the gradient was less evident, due to (a) the lack of sea breezes bringing emissions towards the residential area, (b) the presence of another diffuse less intense source of benzene, biomass burning; (c) reduction of the industrial activities due to the crysis. Seasonal relationships between outdoor and indoor benzene are presented. Further spatial heterogeneity is shown for wet and dry depositions where PAHs are also measured. Morover the regional environmental agency recently highlighted compatible gradients for outdoor air PAHs, by means of interpolation of data collected at three sites where PM10 is sampled. 4.Conclusions The study shows the relevance of using available analytical information, identifying proper monitoring stations and the need to assess exposure of most critical sub-populations: in some pollution studies knowing the “average” condition may be poorly informative. Bibliography [1] Dip. Provinciale di Trieste, CRMA-ARPA FVG “Qualitá dell’aria della cittá di Trieste anno 2010 - redatta sulla base dei riscontri analitici forniti dalla rete di monitoraggio” Trieste 21/10/2011 [2] Dip. Provinciale di Trieste, CRMA-ARPA FVG “Qualitá dell’aria della cittá di Trieste anno 2011 - redatta sulla base dei riscontri analitici forniti dalla rete di monitoraggio” Trieste 21/10/2011 [3] P. Bruno, M. Caputi, M. Caselli, G. de Gennaro, M. de Rienzo “Reliability of a BTEX radial diffusive sampler for thermal desorption: field measurements” Atmospheric Environment Volume 39, Issue 7, March 2005, Pages 1347–1355 [4] EN 14662-4:2005 Ambient Air Quality –Standard method for the measurement of benzene concentrations – Part 4: Diffusive sampling followed by thermal desorption and gas chromatography

The monitoring of some micro-pollutants is routinary because of their potential toxic activity and of normative regulation, but focusing only on some targeted compounds can divert analysts and researchers from identifying pollution macro-events associated to untargeted compounds. Routine analysis of micro-pollutants, as PAHs, in fast scan GC-MS produces Single Ion Monitoring (SIM) chromatograms used for quantitative determination of target compounds but also a Total Ion Current (TIC) signal which can potentially contain interesting unrevealed information. This is specially true when thermal desorption from solid samples as air particulate matter filters is used as pretreatment method; TD/GC-MS transfers analytes to the separation column without discarding some/part of the compounds. The aim of this study is to report the setup of an experimental and data analysis procedure adequate for disclosing interesting data from raw GCMS data collections acquired during routine monitoring. In this communication we present a 3 month daily PAHs routine monitoring near an incinerator in a Friuli Venezia Giulia chair production district in which we collected 120 samples of PM10 by quartz filter sampling accordingly to EN12341. A series of raw data (retention time, peak area, peak height, peak width, MW, CAS number) were acquired directly from the data analysis software (meanwhile quantifying PAHs) using the “autointegration” and “MS library search” functions. These data were handled within R free statistical computing environment (http://cran.rproject. org), using a home-made script to filter and intercomparing chromatograms by peak properties. In this way we were able, starting from over 5000 peaks to discriminate, beyond PAHs, 21 relevant peaks present in a great number of samples. Using MS library search reports we were able to identify three molecules with high correspondence to the MS database, which can be related to activities in the sampling site: a plasticizer, a phtalate and an erbicide. These compounds were quantified using corresponding commercial standards.

Urban vegetation plays a role in the interception and degradation of air pollutants in cities (1). Trees, shrubs and plants can improve the quality of the air we breathe. Dense screens of trees and shrubs can be used efficiently to provide quieter areas in city parks where people can relax away from the constant background noise of city life. In addition, the foliage of vegetation can trap certain air pollutants, especially air-borne particulates (PM10), removing them from the urban atmosphere (2). We report about a study on the concentration of PAHs and metals in the leaves of evergreen shrubs exposed to PM10. Analyses were performed on adult specimens of the evergreen Viburnum lucidum, Photinia x fraserii, Laurus nobilis, Ligustrum japonicum, Ilex aquifolium and Elaeagnus x ebbingei, transplanted in November 2009 and sampled in several seasons. Data interpretation can benefit from ultrastructural analysis of foliar surface by SEM. (1) F. De Nicola, C. Lancellotti, M.V. Prati, G. Maisto, A. Alfani, Atmospheric Environment, 45 (2011) 1428-1433 (2) M. Ottelé, H.D. van Bohemen; A.L.A. Fraaij, Ecological Engineering, 36 (2010) 154- 162