Frequently Asked Questions
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How many grams is each Imprint Aid? How many
grams are the Evaluation Aids?
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If all of the Evaluation Aids are placed
collectively together, will the whole have the same odor picture
as the Imprint Aid?
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What is the estimated set time for the aids?
-
Are there any special ways to store the Aids?
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Are there any special transportation
requirements for the Aids?
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Is set time affected by temperature?
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Does the product need to acclimate to ambient
temperature prior to use if stored by refrigeration?
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Is the odor (Evaluation aid or Imprint Aid)
transferable to objects, i.e., leaving trace residuals?
-
How is usable life of the aid calculated?
-
How are any of the aids affected by moisture,
if at all?
-
Will the imprint aids or the evaluation aids
cross contaminate if they contact each other or if they are
placed within close proximity of each other?
-
What else can we anticipate from your company
in the near future?
-
Do these products require any ATF or DEA
permit(s)?
-
Explain the different types of
available ScentLogix™ K9 products?
-
Is the surrogate scent a
pseudoscent?
-
Why do you sell each explosive
type separately and not have all the scents in the same kit?
-
What is so special about
ScentLogix K9 products, if any?
Q. How many grams is each
Imprint Aid? How many grams are the Evaluation Aids?
A. Each imprint sample weights about 20 gm and
each evaluation aid weights about 12 grams.
Q. If all of the Evaluation Aids are placed
collectively together, will the whole have the same odor picture
as the Imprint Aid? A. Each respective Evaluation Aid represents a
fragmented component of the broadband scent signature of the
explosive, as can be deduced using factors such as volatility and
scent quality, and as comprised within the Imprint Aid. However,
their combination does not represent the whole odor picture. The
picture will be accurate but not precise, and this is a difference
that matters to the olfaction process. Q.
What is the estimated set time for the aids?
A. The set time is depended on the circumstances within
which an Evaluation or Imprint Aid is being used. Set times will
be less for enclosed spaces and higher for open spaces. The set
time for enclosed spaces will be proportional to the volume of the
space within which scent should be dispersed. We recommend a set
time of 6 - 10 minutes for an aid within a 1Ft3 box, at normal
room temperature, pressure and humidity. For instances where one
might want a K9 to alert on some large spaces or objects such as
ship-cargo containers, there is a need to replicate a substantial
odor presence within the whole container and it is advisable to
evenly space multiple bags of the same aid at regular intervals.
The recommended set time for outdoor use is also be depended on
wind speed, temperature and humidity and the dynamics of where and
how the aid is concealed i.e., is it placed in a dustbin within a
park or it is placed under twigs on a flat open field. We hope
that ScentLogix™ users will employ the ScentLogix™ interactive
blog to share their experiences about the set times used within
their training locales worldwide. Q.
Are there any special ways to store the Aids
A. It is recommended that the aids are stored
in a cool dark place, preferably under refrigeration.
Q. Are there any special
transportation requirements for the Aids?
A. These aids are essentially "fragrances of
explosives and narcotics", and not "explosives and narcotics,"
thus they do not have the chemical or physiological capacity for
which the parent material is hazardous nor do they need to be
transported, handled or stored in matters accorded parent
materials. In fact, they can be handled as a normal article, but
keep in mind that, in this article itself is precious, as the
integrity of the scent of the article is its most important
aspect. This, means that you really do not want to it around as
this will release more scent and you do not want to leave it
exposed when not in use.
Q. Is set time affected by
temperature?
A. Yes it is! To generate the same intensity of
odor, the set time should be inversely proportional to operational
temperature. The calculation of temperature itself might be
multiphase as there are 2 different types of temperature-based
factors to consider. The first pertains to the macrosystem: room
(inside) or atmospheric (outside) temperature; while the second
pertains to the microsystem: temperature of the microenvironment
of the aids, for example, the temperature of objects or surfaces
in contact with the aids. Alongside temperature, set time is also
affected by the humidity of the environment and the atmospheric
pressure. Sometimes it is also affected by the direction and
strength of wind currents, and the presence of strong background
odors.
Q. Does the product need to
acclimate to ambient temperature prior to use if stored by
refrigeration?
A. No, due to the fabrication process, there is
no need for acclimatization if the product was stored in the
fridge. If stored in the freezer, you might want allow a 90 second
acclimation time before use. We anticipate that this and any other
time needed for acclimation will have been achieved while setting
the odors up for the training process and waiting for the teams to
commence training.
Q. Is the odor (Evaluation
aid or Imprint Aid) transferable to objects, i.e., leaving trace
residuals?
A. Although the nanotechnology-based methods
and ScentLoc® process used in the manufacture will ensure that the
Aids never smear objects they are placed upon, the vapor generated
by these Aids can permeate through porous materials. However,
since this transfer occurs only through the process of diffusion,
the continuous exposure of this object to air will aid in the
quick dissipation of the scent back into the atmosphere, leaving
no trace residue whatsoever on the object. One of the main
determinants of the impact of odor transfer to K9 detection is if
the odor is transferred is enough to be exuded at a rate that is
within the olfactory threshold of the K9, by the transferred
material. This will be difficult to achieve if the odor transfer
is simply by touching two materials together for brief amounts of
time. Even if achieved, it will not be long-lasting at all.
Q. How is usable life of
the aid calculated?
A. Its usage time is determined using the
standard accepted Law Enforcement/Military/SWGDOG training
requirement of 16 hours/ month (4 hrs./week). After the
recommended usable time, it is advisable to discard the aid as it
will start to loose some of the principal components of its
broadband odor signature – just like a real explosive - and
leaving breaks in the continuity of the spectrum of overlapping
scents pertinent for, for example, the multiscent detection
capability needed by K9's for the detection of large amounts of
explosives.
Q. How are any of the aids
affected by moisture, if at all?
A. The aids are not affected by moisture. Let
moistened bags dry out naturally during the training process.
Dispose of bags that are complete drenched in water, or call
ScentLogix™ for technical advice. Do not attempt to dry aids by
exposing to heat as this will only result in accelerated and/or
complete loss of scent material. Do not puncture bag and release
contents.
Q. Will the imprint aids
or the evaluation aids cross contaminate if they contact each
other or if they are placed within close proximity of each other?
A. No they will not. Please see question #7 for
a further explanation as to why.
Q. What else can we
anticipate from your company in the near future?
A. We are currently developing cocaine, heroin
and PETN imprint and evaluation aids for K9 detection, and
ScentLogix™ Inose versions to enhance the calibration and
sensitivity of pre-existing detector instrumentation programmed to
detect these hazards. Q. Do
these products require any ATF or DEA permit(s)?
A. No, they do not.
Q. Explain the
different types of available ScentLogix™ K9 products?
A. ScentLogix™ K9 scent kits are developed to
provide three different training and evaluation aid choices. These
choices are as follows:
(i) a de-energized explosive scentkit with aids fabricated using
our patent pending ScentCapture™ technique, which provides the
full spectrum of odors of an explosive material that has been
stripped of its energetic properties. This method of "de-energization"
can be applied to all explosives; however, since we are more
interested in the odoriferous properties of an explosive than its
physical properties, this process is only deemed necessary for the
fabrication of scentkits for low-vapor pressure, shock sensitive
explosives, such as the entropy burst group of explosives and as
represented by TATP. These scentkits are appropriate for both K9
and Machine (VDM) detection programs.
(ii) a composite odor scentkit that comprises aids that exude odor
components of the headspace scent signature of an explosive
material deemed necessary for its detection. Using our patent
pending ScentCapture™ technique, these scentkits are appropriate
for both K9 and Machine (VDM) detection programs, with the
ScentLogix™ K9 scentkits providing those odors that are more tuned
to biological detection and the ScentLogix™ VDM being more tuned
towards machine detection.
(iii) a surrogate odor scentkit that comprises of aids that exude
odors that are so odoriferously indistinguishable to the odors of
the volatile components of an explosive material they cannot be
differentiated by a K9. This inability to resolve such scents is
due to limitations of the olfactory system of a canine (i.e., the
resolution of the K9 nose), and not the fault of the canine. It
can however be taken advantage of, and used to provide training
scents of lethal vapors or extremely dangerous explosives such as
TATP. Surrogate scentkits are also not appropriate for straight
forward machine calibration and detection processes, but for
advanced developmental programs involving these machines. They are
also invaluable for use within R&D efforts at the interface of
mammalian olfaction.
Q. Is the
surrogate scent a pseudoscent? A. "pseudoscent" is a word that is very much
used in a qualitative way, and most products defined as
pseudoscents are made as such. For example, in the perfume
industry a lot of pseudoscents are classified solely by the use of
a "human nose." Uses of such qualitative methods to define scents
have also been applied to the production of training-aid scents
for the K9 industry. However, these scents have proven to be so
ineffective in K9 detention and training that most K9 trainers and
handlers now shudder at the word "pseudo".
Unlike these qualitatively qualified scents, ScentLogix™ surrogate
odor scents are the true odoriferous equivalents of the explosives
that they represent. This equivalence has have been scientifically
determined using our cutting edge advancements in the prediction
of structure-odor relationships. Our scientific determinations
embrace quantitative studies that take into consideration additive
factors stemming from the olfactory mechanisms of a canine, its
limitations, and the final perception of the scent by the canine
itself, to provide a surrogate scent with an odor quality that is
no different from that of the explosive that it mimics. Remember,
we are more interested in the odoriferous properties of an
explosive and not its physical properties. These surrogate scents
are particularly useful in the formulation of safe training aids
of those explosive scents whose parent odors are still explosive
by nature, such as dynamite, and for researches in the sciences
who desire scent simulants for their R&D pursuits in elucidating
mechanisms that pertain to scent olfaction and perception.
Q. Why do you
sell each explosive type separately and not have all the scents in
the same kit? A. We are aware that some vendors sell their K9
detection training aids all in the same box. But remember, The
ScentLogix ScentKits are not just a suite of scents, but
scientifically developed and purpose built to provide you with the
best research-grade scents, scent logics, and procedural tools for
your training programs. The significance of each explosive being
independently addressed, in conjunction with the recommended
evaluation program, cannot be underemphasized. Some of the reasons
that prevented us from unifying all the explosives into one kit
are as follows:
1. Individualizing the kit scents prevents such cross
contamination of the product that may be caused by the leakage of
vapors from different explosive types into the same enclosed
headspace and their permeation of the whole kit headspace, causing
subsequent vapor based reactions and the formation (and
condensation) of new contaminating odors within the kit.
2. When different explosive types are contained withi a single
kit, the probability of unintentional product and kit
contamination due to handing errors becomes non-negligible. For
example, a propensity for mistakes involving putting scents into
the correct package or placing scents onto shared surfaces
increases during nighttime use. Such an error will lead to the
contaminatory loss of the whole kit. If only one kit is available,
this leads to an interruption of the whole training program and,
if the K9 trainer disregards the contamination, it leads to the
production of inefficient K9's trained on contaminated aids. The
consequence derived from the cross contamination of odors from the
same explosive type is less of a that from the cross contamination
of odors from different explosive types. Alas, how can there be
cross contamination within the same explosive kit since all the
scents really belong to a single scent signature? So, the issue of
cross contamination, including its statistical probability, is
negated within ScentLogix™ kits. |