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,

The Impact of an Innovative Human Resource Function on Firm Performance: the Moderating Role of Financing Strategy

The current study examined the impact of the human resource function and financing strategyon the financial performance of 104 UK manufacturing firms. Hypotheses are drawn from aresource-based perspective on human resource management and a financial theoryperspective on capital structure. Results show that an innovative HR function is significantlyrelated to economic performance. However, the relationship between an innovative HRfunction and economic performance was moderated by the firm¿s financing strategy. Firmsobtained higher returns from an innovative HR function when pursuing a low leveraging(debt) financing strategy, a finding consistent with modern finance theory notions that firmspecificstrategic assets provide greatest value when financed primarily through equity asopposed to debt.human resource function, manufacturing, firm performance, asset characteristics

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,

Deep MOS Spectroscopy of NGC 1316 Globular Clusters

The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1316 is the brightest galaxy in the Fornax cluster, and displays a number of morphological features that might be interpreted as an intermediate age merger remanent ($\sim$3 Gyr). Based on the idea that globular clusters systems (GCS) constitute genuine tracers of the formation and evolution of their host galaxies, we conducted a spectroscopic study of approximately 40 globular clusters (GCs) candidates associated with this interesting galaxy. We determined ages, metallicities, and $\alpha$-element abundances for each GC present in the sample, through the measurement of different Lick indices and their subsequent comparison with simple stellar populations models (SSPs).Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Assessing the effectiveness of public awareness-raising initiatives for the Hainan gibbon Nomascus hainanus

Many protected areas conduct awareness-raising activities to increase local knowledge and support conservation programmes, but the effectiveness of such activities is rarely assessed. Public awareness-raising has been carried out since the early 2000s around Bawangling National Nature Reserve, Hainan, China, to improve conservation knowledge about the Critically Endangered Hainan gibbon Nomascus hainanus, one of the rarest mammals. We conducted 207 interviews in 25 villages around Bawangling National Nature Reserve to evaluate the outcome of previous conservation education, through comparison of variation in local respondent knowledge and attitudes, and specific enquiries about sources of knowledge acquisition. Likelihood of accurate responses to most of our questions regarding the species was positively correlated with local exposure to gibbon-themed billboards and murals, and respondents exhibited greater knowledge about several key conservation indices for gibbons compared to their knowledge about sympatrically occurring rhesus macaques Macaca mulatta. Many respondents specifically reported they knew about local existence, population size, conservation status, and threats to gibbons from past awareness-raising activities, with village education sessions and billboards widely identified as key sources of information. However, other known awareness-raising approaches have had little detectable effect on shaping local conservation awareness. Although educational activities have improved awareness about gibbons and their conservation requirements in relative terms, overall levels of knowledge remain low in many important areas and ongoing improvement of local awareness is still needed, in particular around poorly-understood topics such as gibbon conservation status, rarity and threats, and for socio-demographic groups possessing less conservation knowledge

A Decade of Veteran Voices: Examining Patient Portal Enhancements Through the Lens of User-Centered Design

BACKGROUND: Health care systems have entered a new era focused on patient engagement. Patient portals linked to electronic health records are recognized as a promising multifaceted tool to help achieve patient engagement goals. Achieving significant growth in adoption and use requires agile evaluation methods to complement periodic formal research efforts. OBJECTIVE: This paper describes one of the implementation strategies that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has used to foster the adoption and sustained use of its patient portal, My HealtheVet, over the last decade: an ongoing focus on user-centered design (UCD). This strategy entails understanding the users and their tasks and goals and optimizing portal design and functionality accordingly. Using a case study approach, we present a comparison of early user demographics and preferences with more recent data and several examples to illustrate how a UCD can serve as an effective implementation strategy for a patient portal within a large integrated health care system. METHODS: VA has employed a customer experience analytics (CXA) survey on its patient portal since 2007 to enable ongoing direct user feedback. In a continuous cycle, a random sample of site visitors is invited to participate in the Web-based survey. CXA model questions are used to track and trend satisfaction, while custom questions collect data about users\u27 characteristics, needs, and preferences. In this case study, we performed analyses of descriptive statistics comparing user characteristics and preferences from FY2008 (wherein FY means fiscal year ) to FY2017 and user trends regarding satisfaction with and utilization of specific portal functions over the last decade, as well as qualitative content analysis of user\u27s open-ended survey comments. RESULTS: User feedback has guided the development of enhancements to core components of the My HealtheVet portal including available features, content, interface design, prospective functional design, and related policies. Ten-year data regarding user characteristics and portal utilization demonstrate trends toward greater patient engagement and satisfaction. Administration of a continuous voluntary Web-based survey is an efficient and effective way to capture veterans\u27 voices about who they are, how they use the patient portal, needed system improvements, and desired additional services. CONCLUSIONS: Leveraging voice-of-the-customer techniques as part of patient portal implementation can ensure that such systems meet users\u27 needs in ways that are agile and most effective. Through this strategy, VA has fostered significant adoption and use of My HealtheVet to engage patients in managing their health

Dynamic self-referencing approach to whispering gallery mode biosensing and its application to measurement within undiluted serum

Biosensing within complex biological samples requires a sensor that can compensate for fluctuations in the signal due to changing environmental conditions and nonspecific binding events. To achieve this, we developed a novel self-referenced biosensor consisting of two almost identically sized dye-doped polystyrene microspheres placed on adjacent holes at the tip of a microstructured optical fiber (MOF). Here self-referenced biosensing is demonstrated with the detection of Neutravidin in undiluted, immunoglobulin-deprived human serum samples. The MOF allows remote excitation and collection of the whispering gallery modes (WGMs) of the microspheres while also providing a robust and easy to manipulate dip-sensing platform. By taking advantage of surface functionalization techniques, one microsphere acts as a dynamic reference, compensating for nonspecific binding events and changes in the environment (such as refractive index and temperature), while the other microsphere is functionalized to detect a specific interaction. The almost identical size allows the two spheres to have virtually identical refractive index sensitivity and surface area, while still having discernible WGM spectra. This ensures their responses to nonspecific binding and environmental changes are almost identical, whereby any specific changes, such as binding events, can be monitored via the relative movement between the two sets of WGM peaks.Tess Reynolds, Alexandre Franc, ois, Nicolas Riesen, Michelle E. Turvey, Stephen J. Nicholls, Peter Hoffmann, and Tanya M. Monr