IMPACT OF THE 2002 BIOTERRORISM ACT ON THE NEW JERSEY FOOD INDUSTRY

This paper provides an overview of the four key sections of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, with regard to Administrative Detention (Section 303), Facilities Registration (Section 305), Records and Maintenance (Section 306), and Prior Notice of Food Imports (Section 307). The potential impacts of the Bioterrorism Act on the food industry are examined through qualitative analysis of industry submissions to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) docket for each provision, and quantitatively through survey results, which were administered online by the Food Institute (FI) of Woodbridge, NJ and analyzed by Rutgers, Food Policy Institute (FPI). Of the four key sections from the Bioterrorism Act that most affect the food industry, stakeholders were surveyed on two sections, Prior notice of Food Imports and Facilities Registration. While survey responses reveal that many food firms are aware of pending Bioterrorism Act policies, few however, have taken action towards compliance. Facilities registration is touted as the least cumbersome in terms of compliance. Results indicate that 50 percent of food industry professionals surveyed were not aware that many food firms must register with the FDA by the 12 December 2003 deadline; and, 20 percent, while aware of the facilities registration deadline, have done nothing to prepare. Being unprepared for and subsequently complying with Bioterrorism Act rules is an overarching concern, which is apparent in both the survey results and docket summaries. Moreover, upon review of docket submissions to the FDA, it seems that food firms are generally sympathetic towards the need for increased food system security; however, the impact of the Bioterrorism Act can be both daunting and costly. Many perceive that significant changes to capitol costs will be required to meet FDA standards.Agribusiness,

ECONOMICS, HYSTERESIS AND AGROTERRORISM

Environmental Economics and Policy,

Consumers' Perception of Food-System Vulnerability to an Agroterrorist Attack

This paper uses results from a 2004 survey (N=1,010) on consumer attitudes toward agroterrorism and food-system security to investigate heterogeneous attributes affecting vulnerability including risk perceptions and fear. Using 15 separate multinomial PROBIT regressions we distinguish between vulnerability on a number of aspects of food-system security including food type and position in the food-supply chain. Vulnerability is not found to be common across food groups or respondents, and a variety of distinguishing characteristics can be used to investigate how individuals might perceive vulnerability.Agribusiness, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Genetic variability of tissue cultured Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench as revealed by morphological traits and simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers

To evaluate their performance for seedling traits at seedling stage (under hydroponics), plant water relations under water stress and ultimately grain yield, and to estimate the genetic variability of the regenerates, the parent plants of local sorghum cultivars in Kenya using simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers were analyzed. The research involved Seredo, El Gardam and Mtama 1 sorghum cultivars. The TC (Tissue culture) regenerates were produced through somatic embryogenesis in Linsmaier and Skoog (LS) media augmented with an osmoticum, NaCl (100 mM) in attempt to improve the parent plant for water stress tolerance. The genetic variability was investigated using five SSR markers and seven morphological traits associated with water stress tolerance. The amplified DNA fragments were screened by gel electrophoresis using 2% agarose. Cluster and principal component analysis (PCA) were done using NTSYS-pc version 2.2. The SSR detected 11 alleles with an average of 2.2 alleles per locus. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to three and the allelic polymorphism information content (PIC) value ranged from 0.344 for Xcup14 to 0.730 for Xgap72 with an average of 0.559. These results show that the cultivars differed for morphological and SSR markers. The average genetic similarity based on the morphological traits (0.922 with a range of 0.845 to 0.989) was higher than SSR markers (0.625 with a range of 0.306 to 0.944). The results also show that the classification of these sorghum cultivars may be useful to the breeders to plan crosses for preferred traits. The results also show that the sorghum microsatellites can be used to distinguish the cultivars and to estimate genetic diversity due to somaclonal variation. Overall, this study shows that tissue culture technique might not add value in producing somaclonal variation in sorghum.Key words: Cultivars, tissue culture regenerates, water stress tolerance, simple sequence repeats

Facilitating War-Affected Young Mothers’ Reintegration: Lessons from a Participatory Action Research Study in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.

Young women and girls formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups face multiple challenges. Many become pregnant or have children while they are associated and face stigma and marginalization upon reintegration into civilian communities. This article describes a multi-year participatory action research study that took place in twenty communities in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and northern Uganda from 2006 – 2009 and included more than 650 young mother participants. We find that this community-based approach to reintegration improved the wellbeing of young mother participants and their children. We discuss the challenges and limitations of conducting participatory action research with war-affected young people and make recommendations for future reintegration programming

A census-weighted, spatially-stratified household sampling strategy for urban malaria epidemiology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Urban malaria is likely to become increasingly important as a consequence of the growing proportion of Africans living in cities. A novel sampling strategy was developed for urban areas to generate a sample simultaneously representative of population and inhabited environments. Such a strategy should facilitate analysis of important epidemiological relationships in this ecological context.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Census maps and summary data for Kisumu, Kenya, were used to create a pseudo-sampling frame using the geographic coordinates of census-sampled structures. For every enumeration area (EA) designated as urban by the census (n = 535), a sample of structures equal to one-tenth the number of households was selected. In EAs designated as rural (n = 32), a geographically random sample totalling one-tenth the number of households was selected from a grid of points at 100 m intervals. The selected samples were cross-referenced to a geographic information system, and coordinates transferred to handheld global positioning units. Interviewers found the closest eligible household to the sampling point and interviewed the caregiver of a child aged < 10 years. The demographics of the selected sample were compared with results from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey to assess sample validity. Results were also compared among urban and rural EAs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>4,336 interviews were completed in 473 of the 567 study area EAs from June 2002 through February 2003. EAs without completed interviews were randomly distributed, and non-response was approximately 2%. Mean distance from the assigned sampling point to the completed interview was 74.6 m, and was significantly less in urban than rural EAs, even when controlling for number of households. The selected sample had significantly more children and females of childbearing age than the general population, and fewer older individuals.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This method selected a sample that was simultaneously population-representative and inclusive of important environmental variation. The use of a pseudo-sampling frame and pre-programmed handheld GPS units is more efficient and may yield a more complete sample than traditional methods, and is less expensive than complete population enumeration.</p

Nitrogen budgets and nitrogen use efficiency as agricultural performance indicators in Lake Victoria basin

Open Access JournalToo little nitrogen (N) is a threat to crop productivity and soil fertility in subSaharan Africa (SSA). Nitrogen budgets (NB) and nitrogen use e ciency (NUE) are critical tools for assessing N dynamics in agriculture and have received little or no attention in the region. Data were collected from smallholder farmers clustered into two categories, farmers applying and farmers not applying N fertilizers. NB were calculated using the Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS) model approach for field and farm spatial scales. The results showed spatial variabilities in NB and NUE at the field level (maize and rice) across all the catchments. At the field level, N balances were negative for the two crops in all the catchments. Similarly, at the farm gate, a deficit of −78.37 kg N ha−1 was observed, an indicator of soil N mining. NUE values at the field scale varied across the catchments for both crops, with values for maize grown without N ranging from 25.76 to 140.18%. Even with the application of mineral N at higher levels in rice fields compared to maize fields, NUE values ranged between 81.92 and 224.6%. Our study revealed that the Lake Victoria region suers from ine cient N cycling due to depleted soil N pools and low synchrony between N input and N removal. Therefore, a challenge lies in exploiting more sustainable N sources for farmers in the region for sustainable farming systems. The NB and NUE provide critical information to agriculture stakeholders to develop environmental, agronomic, and economically viable N management solutions

Assessment of the 2006 Abuja fertilizer declaration with emphasis on nitrogen use efficiency to reduce yield gaps in maize production

Open Access Journal; Published online: 01 Feb 2022The Abuja Fertilizer Declaration in 2006 recommended the increase of fertilizer use from the current practice for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to achieve food sufficiency and improve soil fertility status. However, the current recommended rates of fertilizer have not been evaluated for specific crops on their potential to reduce the yield gap and optimize nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). In this study, with nitrogen (N) being a significant yield-determinant nutrient, four N use scenarios were drawn from existing recommendations and were evaluated under field conditions for maize crops in two catchments of the Lake Victoria basin. The scenarios included Business as Usual (BAU, 0 kg N ha−1), 25% of the Abuja declaration (ADS 12.5 kg N ha−1), 50% of the Abuja declaration (ADS 25 kg N ha−1), and Abuja declaration–Abuja scenario (ADS, 50 kg N ha−1). The results revealed that increasing N input levels significantly influenced the growth and yield of maize crops. The ADS scenario recorded the highest grain yield increase (167.39%) in Nyando and 103.25% in Rangwe catchments compared to the BAU scenario. N deficits were observed in all the N use scenarios with a range of −66.6 to −125.7 kg N ha−1 in Nyando and −62.5 to −105.4 kg N ha−1 in Rangwe catchments with the 50% ADS scenario having the highest deficits. The deficits imply that the added N input is insufficient to create an N balance for optimal NUE with consequent high risks of soil N mining. In both catchments, all N use scenarios were within the recommended agro-physiological N efficiency (APEN) level of between 40 and 60 kg kg−1 N. The partial N balance obtained at Nyando (1.56–3.11) and Rangwe (1.10–4.64) was higher than the optimal values, a sign of insufficiency of N inputs and possible risk of soil N depletion in all the scenarios. Our findings conclude that the proposed N rates in the region are still very low for food sufficiency and optimized NUE. Therefore, there is a need to explore other sources of N such as biological N fixation and organic manure and inform policy- and decision-makers to recommend higher rates beyond the “Abuja declaration” with the prospect of reaching target yield and optimizing NUE values based on specific crop recommendations

Use of a Semi-field System to Evaluate the Efficacy of Topical Repellents under user Conditions Provides a Disease Exposure free Technique Comparable with Field Data.

Before topical repellents can be employed as interventions against arthropod bites, their efficacy must be established. Currently, laboratory or field tests, using human volunteers, are the main methods used for assessing the efficacy of topical repellents. However, laboratory tests are not representative of real life conditions under which repellents are used and field-testing potentially exposes human volunteers to disease. There is, therefore, a need to develop methods to test efficacy of repellents under real life conditions while minimizing volunteer exposure to disease. A lotion-based, 15% N, N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) repellent and 15% DEET in ethanol were compared to a placebo lotion in a 200 sq m (10 m x 20 m) semi-field system (SFS) against laboratory-reared Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes and in full field settings against wild malaria vectors and nuisance-biting mosquitoes. The average percentage protection against biting mosquitoes over four hours in the SFS and field setting was determined. A Poisson regression model was then used to determine relative risk of being bitten when wearing either of these repellents compared to the placebo. Average percentage protection of the lotion-based 15% DEET repellent after four hours of mosquito collection was 82.13% (95% CI 75.94-88.82) in the semi-field experiments and 85.10% (95% CI 78.97-91.70) in the field experiments. Average percentage protection of 15% DEET in ethanol after four hours was 71.29% (CI 61.77-82.28) in the semi-field system and 88.24% (84.45-92.20) in the field. Semi-field evaluation results were comparable to full-field evaluations, indicating that such systems could be satisfactorily used in measuring efficacy of topically applied mosquito repellents, thereby avoiding risks of exposure to mosquito-borne pathogens, associated with field testing

Horizontal transmission of the symbiont Microsporidia MB in Anopheles arabiensis

&lt;jats:p&gt;The recently discovered &lt;jats:italic&gt;Anopheles&lt;/jats:italic&gt; symbiont, &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt;, has a strong malaria transmission-blocking phenotype in &lt;jats:italic&gt;Anopheles arabiensis&lt;/jats:italic&gt;, the predominant &lt;jats:italic&gt;Anopheles gambiae&lt;/jats:italic&gt; species complex member in many active transmission areas in eastern Africa. The ability of &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt; to block &lt;jats:italic&gt;Plasmodium&lt;/jats:italic&gt; transmission together with vertical transmission and avirulence makes it a candidate for the development of a symbiont-based malaria transmission blocking strategy. We investigate the characteristics and efficiencies of &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt; transmission between &lt;jats:italic&gt;An. arabiensis&lt;/jats:italic&gt; mosquitoes. We show that &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt; is not transmitted between larvae but is effectively transmitted horizontally between adult mosquitoes. Notably, &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt; was only found to be transmitted between male and female &lt;jats:italic&gt;An. arabiensis&lt;/jats:italic&gt;, suggesting sexual horizontal transmission. In addition, &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt; cells were observed infecting the &lt;jats:italic&gt;An. arabiensis&lt;/jats:italic&gt; ejaculatory duct. Female &lt;jats:italic&gt;An. arabiensis&lt;/jats:italic&gt; that acquire &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt; horizontally are able to transmit the symbiont vertically to their offspring. We also investigate the possibility that &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt; can infect alternate hosts that live in the same habitats as their &lt;jats:italic&gt;An. arabiensis&lt;/jats:italic&gt; hosts, but find no other non-anopheline hosts. Notably, &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt; infections were found in another primary malaria African vector, &lt;jats:italic&gt;Anopheles funestus s.s&lt;/jats:italic&gt;. The finding that &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt; can be transmitted horizontally is relevant for the development of dissemination strategies to control malaria that are based on the targeted release of &lt;jats:italic&gt;Microsporidia MB&lt;/jats:italic&gt; infected &lt;jats:italic&gt;Anopheles&lt;/jats:italic&gt; mosquitoes.&lt;/jats:p&gt