Need For Strict Enforcement Research Articles

Are University Labs Criminally Dangerous?

The article reports on felony charges brought against University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) chemistry professor Patrick Harran over the 2008 accidental burning death of laboratory assistant Sheharbano Sangji on the grounds that Harran violated safety regulations. This incident, as well as an October 2011 report by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), highlighted the need for stricter enforcement of safety standards in academic laboratories.

Evolutionary Analysis of Inter-Farm Transmission Dynamics in a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Epidemic

Phylogenetic studies have largely contributed to better understand the emergence, spread and evolution of highly pathogenic avian influenza during epidemics, but sampling of genetic data has never been detailed enough to allow mapping of the spatiotemporal spread of avian influenza viruses during a single epidemic. Here, we present genetic data of H7N7 viruses produced from 72% of the poultry farms infected during the 2003 epidemic in the Netherlands. We use phylogenetic analyses to unravel the pathways of virus transmission between farms and between infected areas. In addition, we investigated the evolutionary processes shaping viral genetic diversity, and assess how they could have affected our phylogenetic analyses. Our results show that the H7N7 virus was characterized by a high level of genetic diversity driven mainly by a high neutral substitution rate, purifying selection and limited positive selection. We also identified potential reassortment in the three genes that we have tested, but they had only a limited effect on the resolution of the inter-farm transmission network. Clonal sequencing analyses performed on six farm samples showed that at least one farm sample presented very complex virus diversity and was probably at the origin of chronological anomalies in the transmission network. However, most virus sequences could be grouped within clearly defined and chronologically sound clusters of infection and some likely transmission events between farms located 0.8–13 Km apart were identified. In addition, three farms were found as most likely source of virus introduction in distantly located new areas. These long distance transmission events were likely facilitated by human-mediated transport, underlining the need for strict enforcement of biosafety measures during outbreaks. This study shows that in-depth genetic analysis of virus outbreaks at multiple scales can provide critical information on virus transmission dynamics and can be used to increase our capacity to efficiently control epidemics.

Competition Policy in Difficult Economic Conditions – Part of the Solution or Root of the Problem?

This project is to be an examination of the role competition law and enforcement has to play during times of economic difficulty, surveying the key areas of impact it has on the push for recovery and suggesting how best it should be adapted to contribute even more.The structure of my paper is to be as follows: In the first section I will explore the main causes of the current economic crisis from a competition point of view, and evaluate some of the most prominent responses from commentators as well as their inherent dangers. From there I will move on to examine how previous analogous crises were dealt with by competition authorities, and hopefully find some worthwhile lessons. In light of the current problems and previous experiences, I intend to examine and evaluate the practical approach taken by today’s authorities. In particular my paper will focus on the merger control regime, and whether it can be adapted or amended to make a fuller contribution to the recovery effort. Finally, I will conclude by discussing the overall balance struck between the need for strict enforcement and the need to adapt and change competition enforcement and policy to these difficult times.

Report: Biomedical waste management practices at Balrampur Hospital, Lucknow, India

Biomedical waste has become a serious health hazard in many countries, including India. Careless and indiscriminate disposal of this waste by healthcare establishments and research institutions can contribute to the spread of serious diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS (HIV) among those who handle it and also among the general public. The present study pertains to the biomedical waste management practices at Balrampur Hospital, a premier healthcare establishment in Lucknow, in North India. The study shows that infectious and non-infectious wastes are dumped together within the hospital premises, resulting in a mixing of the two, which are then disposed of with municipal waste at the dumping sites in the city. All types of wastes are collected in common bins placed outside the patients wards. For disposal of this waste the hospital depends on the generosity of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, whose employees generally collect it every 2 or 3 days. The hospital does not have any treatment facility for infectious waste. The laboratory waste materials, which are disposed of directly into the municipal sewer without proper disinfection of pathogens, ultimately reach the Gomti River. All disposable plastic items are segregated by the rag pickers from the hospital as well as municipal bins and dumps. The waste is deposited either inside the hospital grounds, or outside in the community bin for further transportation and disposal along with municipal solid waste. The open dumping of the waste makes it freely accessible to rag pickers who become exposed to serious health hazards due to injuries from sharps, needles and other types of material used when giving injections. The results of the study demonstrate the need for strict enforcement of legal provisions and a better environmental management system for the disposal of biomedical waste in the Balrampur Hospital, as well as other healthcare establishments in Lucknow.

The Fourth Amendment and Dormitory Searches: A New Truce

Commentators have noted that approximately fifteen years ago, a tentative truce existed on college and university campuses between administrative officials and campus police; administrative officials possessed discretion not to enforce regulations concerning activity viewed as relatively harmless and commonly and socially acceptable, and conducted privately and quietly.' Today, however, colleges and universities are recognizing a need for stricter enforcement of drug and alcohol regulations.2 Increasingly, they are turning to the use of dormitory searches to enforce such prohibitions. For example, in 1996, Appalachian State University (ASU) implemented a search policy authorizing campus officials, including campus police officers, to enter a student's room without a search warrant if they had reasonable cause to believe a regulation was being violated. Under the policy, evidence obtained could be used only in school disciplinary proceedings and not in criminal prosecutions unless a warrant or the student's consent had been obtained.3 Several factors prompted ASU to initiate its search policy: the national trend of increasing marijuana use since the 1980s, the sharp increase in the number of reported drug violations on ASU's campus, and the difficulty in obtaining search warrants in time to apprehend students who were violat-

The Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 - An Overview

The Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (HSE Act or the Act) is a legislative initiative designed to address the problems posed by the previous statutory regimes. In essence this can be reduced to three objectives: a shift in financial responsibility from government to employers, a need for stricter enforcement, and a centralisation of the law.

The Need for Strict Enforcement of the Law

The Need for Strict Enforcement of the Law