Risk Management Options Research Articles

Climate Smart Agriculture Opportunities and Challenges in Afghanistan

Agriculture in dryland regions is directly affected by climate change. In Afghanistan, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) improves productivity resilience and reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). However, climate change, water shortage, population growth, and food insecurity are major challenges in developing countries such as Afghanistan. In the face of climate change, traditional agriculture methods need to be transformed into CSA that are capable of improving food production within the constraints of climate change. A review study was conducted to identify opportunities and challenges for CSA in Afghanistan. Among the many CSA technologies in Afghanistan, the review found, the use of drought resistance varieties, implementation of conservation agriculture, the use of Zai and Half-moon techniques for planting pits, moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting, watershed management, drip irrigation system, soil carbon sequestration, control erosion techniques, and climate forecast services are the best opportunities and as promising options for risk management and adaptation to climate change. Still, unfortunately, most of these options have not yet been implemented by Afghan farmers, just followed by researchers. In addition, CSA in Afghanistan faces several solvable challenges. Limited understanding of the CSA concept and framework, limited investment to develop and implement CSA technologies, inadequate communication between government, policymakers, farmers, climate change impacts, GHG, and traditional agriculture. The review recommended that CSA practices be suitable options for all stakeholders to increase income and ensure food security and sustainable agriculture by adaptation practices against climate change. This review provides new strategies and ideas for strengthening sustainable agriculture, food security, environmental protection, and mitigating the impact of climate change.

Using a behaviour-change approach to support uptake of population genomic screening and management options for breast or prostate cancer.

As the possibility of implementing population genomic screening programs for the risk of developing hereditary cancers in health systems increases, understanding how to support individuals who wish to have genomic screening is essential. This qualitative study aimed to link public perceived barriers to a) taking up the offer of population genomic screening for breast or prostate cancer risk and b) taking up risk-management options following their result, with possible theory-informed behaviour-change approaches that may support implementation. Ten focus groups were conducted with a total of 25 members of the Australian public to identify and then categorise barriers within the behaviour-change Capability, Opportunity, Motivation - Behaviour (COM-B) model. Ten COM-B categorised barriers were identified as perceived influences on an individual's intentions to take-up the offer, including Capability (e.g., low public awareness), Opportunity (e.g., inconvenient sample collection procedure) and Motivation (e.g., genomic screening not perceived as relevant to an individual). Ten barriers for taking up risk-management options included Motivation (e.g., concerns about adverse health impact) and Opportunity (e.g., social opportunity and cost incurred to the individual). Our findings demonstrate that a nuanced approach is required to support people to take-up the offer of population genomic screening and, where appropriate, to adopt risk-management options. Even amongst participants who were enthusiastic about a population genomic screening program, needs were varied, demanding a range of implementation strategies. Promulgating equitable uptake of genomic screening and management options for breast and prostate cancer risk will require a needs-based approach.

Abstract 4134345: Diastolic Dysfunction And The Risk Of Stroke And Major Bleeding

Background: Diastolic dysfunction (DD) is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes including atrial fibrillation. Whether DD is independently associated with incident ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) and with bleeding events is not well established. Aims: To examine the association of presence and severity of DD with the risk of incident ischemic stroke/TIA and major bleeding. Methods: A total of 219,667 patients who underwent at least one echocardiogram between 2010 and 2022 at a large academic institution and were followed for at least 3 months were included. Patients with prior history of stroke or TIA (n=21,505, 10%) were excluded. Smart key-phrase search was applied to echocardiographic reports to classify patients into 4 groups, based on the most severe DD assessment: Normal (n=113,265), grade I (n=21,981), grade II (n=7,215), and grade III (n=1,627). Patients in whom the presence of DD could not be determined (n=54,074) were excluded. The final study cohort (n=144,088) was followed to the endpoint of hospital admission for ischemic stroke/TIA or for major bleeding. Results: Over a median follow-up of 3.4 years, 3482 (2.4%) patients were hospitalized for stroke/TIA and 6994 (4.9%) for major bleeding. After adjusting for several confounding variables (Table), DD remained a strong predictor of incident stroke/TIA (hazard ratio (HR)=1.34 per grade increase in DD, p<0.001, Figure) and of major bleeding (HR=1.32 per grade increase in DD, p<0.001, Figure). These results were similar in patients with (n=11,508, 8%) or without prior history of atrial fibrillation. Conclusions: Patients with DD have a heightened risk of ischemic cerebrovascular accidents and major bleeding independent of the presence of atrial fibrillation. These risks escalate with the severity of DD. DD should be considered when counseling patients regarding their risk profile and management options.

Diastolic Dysfunction and the Risk of Stroke and Major Bleeding.

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (DD) is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes including atrial fibrillation. Whether DD is independently associated with incident stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) and with bleeding events is not known. We performed this observational cohort analysis to examine the impact of DD on the risk of stroke/TIA and major bleeding. Patients who underwent at least 1 cardiac echocardiogram and were followed for at least 3 months were included in this study. Patients with a prior history of stroke, TIA, or major bleeding, as determined by International Classifications of Diseases codes, were excluded. Smart key-phrase search was applied to echocardiographic reports to classify patients into 4 groups based on the most severe DD assessment. Patients in whom the presence of DD could not be determined were excluded. The final study cohort was followed to the end point of hospital admission for stroke/TIA and major bleeding, and independent predictors of these events were evaluated using the multivariable Cox proportional hazards method. The final study cohort (age, 56±18 years; 56% women) had 96 702 patients with no DD and 18 164, 5881, and 1340 patients with DD grades I, II, and III, respectively. Over a median follow-up of 3.4 years, 2938 (2.4%) patients were hospitalized for stroke/TIA and 5567 (4.6%) for major bleeding. After adjusting for age, the CHA2DS2-VASc score, chronic kidney disease, use of antiplatelet agents, use of anticoagulation agents, the year of echocardiographic testing, household income, and history of atrial fibrillation, DD remained a strong predictor of incident stroke/TIA (hazard ratio, 1.22 per grade increase in DD [95% CI, 1.16-1.29]; P<0.001) and major bleeding (hazard ratio, 1.20 per grade increase in DD [95% CI, 1.16-1.25]; P<0.001). DD is independently associated with a higher risk of cerebrovascular accidents and major bleeding. DD should be considered when counseling patients regarding their risk profile and management options.

Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation: risk factors, targeted surveillance and management options

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a well-recognized indication for liver transplantation (LT), with improving graft and patient survival rates due to medical and surgical advancements over time. Despite the implementation of selection criteria to ensure the highest transplant benefit, post-LT recurrence of HCC is not uncommon and is often associated with poor outcomes. Therefore, a post-transplant surveillance strategy appears to be a cost-effective approach, particularly in the early post-surgery period when the recurrence rate is high. Although specific guidelines are still lacking, emerging strategies tailored to pre-transplant tumor history and explant pathology show promise. Moreover, new immunosuppressive therapy schemes and aggressive management of post-transplant medical complications can be implemented to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. Finally, multimodal oncological strategies are increasingly used to improve survival even after cancer recurrence. This paper reviews the evidence on HCC recurrence after LT, providing insights into risk factors, targeted surveillance, and management strategies.

Managing workplace AI risks and the future of work.

Artificial intelligence (AI)-the field of computer science that designs machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence-has seen rapid advances in the development of foundation systems such as large language models. In the workplace, the adoption of AI technologies can result in a broad range of hazards and risks to workers, as illustrated by the recent growth in industrial robotics and algorithmic management. Sources of risk from deployment of AI technologies across society and in the workplace have led to numerous government and private sector guidelines that propose principles governing the design and use of trustworthy and ethical AI. As AI capabilities become integrated in devices, machines, and systems across industry sectors, employers, workers, and occupational safety and health practitioners will be challenged to manage AI risks to worker health, safety, and well-being. Five risk management options are presented as ways to assure that only trustworthy and ethical AI enables workplace devices, machinery, and processes. AI technologies will play a significant role in the future of work. The occupational safety and health practice and research communities need to ensure that the promise of these new AI technologies results in benefit, not harm, to workers.

Cardiovascular Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Considerations on Assessment and Management.

In the context of holistic therapeutic practices, the cardiovascular risk of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) needs to be addressed as a major factor of compromised disease prognosis and increased mortality. The elevated prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by more than twofold in RA has been attributed, inter alia, to chronic inflammation exacerbating arterial stiffness, increased onset of hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes mellitus, sedentary lifestyle, and antirheumatic drug complications. CVD risk in RA can be currently assessed by practitioners through accessible adapted calculators, but it remains problematic as their diagnostic accuracy is not superior to calculators designed for the general population. Implementation of guideline-oriented personalised interventions remains the cornerstone for cardiovascular risk management in RA. Remarkably, there is lack of a consortium that brings together different health care providers engaged in the care of patients with RA (e.g., rheumatologists, cardiologists, general practitioners, etc), to guide cardiovascular risk assessment and management. This narrative review aims at providing an overview of current CVD risk assessment and management options, highlighting their pivotal role in the comprehensive treatment of RA patients.

Unraveling the Complexities of Uretero-Enteric Strictures: A Modern Review.

The purpose of this review article is to provide a contemporary overview of benign uretero-enteric anastomotic stricture (UAS) management and outcomes. In this article, we will review the most recent studies investigating UAS and evaluate etiology, potential risk factors, presentation, diagnosis, and management options, along with personal insight gained from our experience with managing this challenging reconstructive complication. Benign UAS is a relatively common long-term complication of intestinal urinary diversion, affecting approximately 1 in 10 patients. It is thought to be caused by ureteral tissue ischemia and fibrosis at the anastomotic site. Risk factors appear to include any that increase the likelihood of leak or ischemia; it is not clear if anastomotic approach impacts risk for stricture as well. Management options are varied and include endourologic, open, and robotic approaches. Endoscopic approaches may be less morbid but are considerably less effective than reconstruction performed after a period of ureteral rest.

Scenario-based assessment of fecal pathogen sources affecting bathing water quality: novel treatment options to reduce norovirus and Campylobacter infection risks.

Wastewater discharge and runoff waters are significant sources of human and animal fecal microbes in surface waters. Human-derived fecal contamination of water is generally estimated to pose a greater risk to human health than animal fecal contamination, but animals may serve as reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens. In this study, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) tools were used to evaluate the hygienic impact of sewage effluents and runoff water from municipalities and animal farms on surface and bathing waters. The human-specific microbial source tracking (MST) marker HF183 was used to evaluate the dilution of fecal pathogens originating from the sewage effluent discharge to the downstream watershed. As novel risk management options, the efficiency of UV-LED disinfection and wetland treatment as well as biochar filtration was tested on-site for the contamination sources. According to the dilution pattern of the MST marker HF183, microbes from wastewater were diluted (2.3-3.7 log10) in the receiving waters. The scenario-based QMRA revealed, that the health risks posed by exposure to human-specific norovirus GII and zoonotic Campylobacter jejuni during the bathing events were evaluated. The risk for gastroenteritis was found to be elevated during wastewater contamination events, where especially norovirus GII infection risk increased (1-15 cases per day among 50 bathers) compared with the business as usual (BAU) situation (1 case per day). The noted C. jejuni infection risk was associated with animal farm contamination (1 case per day, versus 0.2-0.6 cases during BAU). Tertiary treatment of wastewater with wetland treatment and UV-LED disinfection effectively reduced the waterborne gastroenteritis risks associated with bathing. Based on the experiences from this study, a QMRA-based approach for health risk evaluations at bathing sites can be useful and is recommended for bathing site risk assessments in the future. In case of low pathogen numbers at the exposure sites, the MST marker HF183 could be used as a pathogen dilution coefficient for the watershed under evaluation. The full-scale implementation of novel tertiary treatment options at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as well as on-site runoff water treatment options should be considered for infection risk management at locations where scenario-based QMRA implies elevated infection risks.

FACTORS CAUSING TIME DELAYS COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS(Case Study on Facilities Building Construction ProjectSports Stage 5 Construction of the East Stand)

Inaccuracy in planning project activities during project implementation greatly affects implementation delays in the field. The purpose of the study is to determine and analyze: (1) the causal factors that contribute to project completion delays, (2) the causal factors that contribute to the dominant delay in project completion, and (3) delay risk management. In the Sports facilities (Eastern Tribune Development) project. Cirebon Regency. This study is a type of quantitative descriptive study. Data collection was done through FGD, interviews and questionnaires distributed to 10 qualified respondents in the construction sector. The resources of this study are the cause of the delay in the completion of the projects. A House of Risk (HOR) approach was used to analyze the data. Research results show that (1) Cirebon Regency Sports Facilities Building (Eastern Tribune Development) project has 14 risk events and 17 identified risk causes that cause delays. (2) Control factors that cause delays in project completion include: material factors, contract document factors, project owner factors, and contractor and design consultant factors, and (3) delay risk management options, including: (a) good communication and coordination. with the owner; (b) apply a comprehensive planning approach to procurement of materials, (c) coordinate current project drawings between consultants and field workers, (d) contact consultants and supervisors.

Options on temporary water allocation rights and their pricing

AbstractThis paper presents a methodology for defining the spot price of temporary water allocation rights for trading zones within the water market in the southern Murray–Darling Basin situated in Australia. The historical spot price is then used to calibrate a stochastic process depicting the dynamics of the water price, allowing the computation of prices of options on the underlying water price with the aim of producing reference prices to catalyse an options trading market. The most suitable stochastic model representing the water price dynamics is selected through comparing the option prices generated from four different models. Using the selected stochastic model, the most liquid trading zone in the Murray–Darling Basin water market (Zone 7) is used to demonstrate how the methodologies developed in the paper are used to calibrate the log‐mean stochastic model representing the stochastic spot price dynamics and compute prices for call and put options on the underlying water spot prices. Sensitivities of the water options prices to market input data can be calculated from the formulae provided in the paper. The results presented in this work can serve as a reference tool by industry practitioners and the farming community in using options for effective risk management of water resources.

ADOPTION OF SORGHUM NATIONAL INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS TECHNICAL PACKAGE BY RAINFED FARMERS, GEZIRA, SUDAN

The effect of climate change on African agriculture represents a major challenge to continental agricultural development including food security, nutrition and management. In Sudan, the yield of rainfed crops is characterized by high variability in the yield due to the high variability in seasonal rainfall and does not exceed two sacs/feddan because the rainfed farmers were adopted low input rainfed agriculture as a risk management option which led to reduce in the yield per unit of land and water. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has designed and financed a special programme for the traditional the rainfed sector of the country called Integrated Solutions Programme as the main adaptation strategy for the 2014/ 2020 growing seasons to diversify and increase production and productivity of crops cultivated in traditional rainfed areas in each State of the country such as sorghum, sesame, millet and sunflower. This programme was implemented by the Administration of Agricultural Extension and Technology Transfer in each State in collaboration with Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) and the Agricultural Bank of Sudan. Field survey was used to collect data from 50 rainfed farmers participated in the programme and an equal number from non- participant farmers from the study area were selected (for comparison) using the simple random sampling technique. A close ended questionnaire was constructed and the personal interview technique was used to administer the questionnaire. The collected data were coded, fed to computer and statistically analyzed using (SPSS), discussed interpreted using descriptive statistics and chi-square test. The results showed that the participant farmers adopted the programme components. The majority of chi-square test results revealed no significant association between farmer`s adoption of the programme components and participation in the programme and also no significant association between farmer`s adoption of the programme components and the selected socio-economic characteristics of the respondent farmers. From this study, it can be concluded that the NISP are very effective agricultural extension policy that can be applied in the rainfed sector of the country, which will help rainfed farmers to increase their income through their participation in various activities of the programme. The study recommends that NISP should become the main national policy specially designed for the agricultural rainfed sector of the country, the needed agricultural inputs should be available at a reasonable price, the curriculum of NISP should be updated and developed regularly to solve the constraints that might face the programme, in-service training should be organized for agricultural extension officers on various aspects related to the rainfed sector, various means for conduction the programme should be available, Further agricultural extension research should be conducted

Livestock Risks and Indemnity Insurance in the West Region, Cameroon

Several risks threaten poultry and pig farming in the West Region of Cameroon. Notwithstanding, the absence of insurance has limited farmers’ risk management options and prevented them from bouncing back rapidly from significant losses. This research explores poultry and pig farming risks and the implications for farming insurance schemes in the West Region of Cameroon. To achieve this, 430 poultry and pig farmers were sampled through a cluster and snowball sampling technique in the Mifi, Bamboutos, Upper-Plateau and Koung-Khi Divisions. The risks farmers faced were assessed as low, medium and high, depending on their likelihood of occurrence and potential impact. Farmers' experiences of livestock losses supported this information. Data on the risks farmers would like to get insurance for was analysed using descriptive statistics. Research results revealed that 75% of risks faced by poultry farmers are ranked low, while 25% are medium. For pig farmers, 64% of risks are low, 27% are medium, and 9 % are high. Diseases (epidemic and non-epidemic) and market/price risks are among the top three risks pig and poultry farmers face. Many farmers are willing to get insurance for epidemic diseases (31.5%) and non-epidemic diseases (26.6%). Most farmers in the Bamboutous Division are more willing to get insurance for non-epidemic diseases (54.5%) and epidemic diseases (32.8%). Comparatively, farmers in the Mifi Division are more willing to get insurance for epidemic diseases (46.7%) and less for non-epidemic diseases (1.5%). Insurance companies can start piloting a disease and market/price fall insurance scheme in the Mifi and Bamboutos Divisions. These companies can create awareness of the importance of livestock insurance through the Interprofessional Association of Pig Farmers and the Interprofessional Association for Poultry Farmers in the West Region.

Risk-management decision-making data from a community-based sample of racially diverse women at high risk of breast cancer: rationale, methods, and sample characteristics of the Daughter Sister Mother Project survey

BackgroundTo understand the dynamics that limit use of risk-management options by women at high risk of breast cancer, there is a critical need for research that focuses on patient perspectives. Prior research has left important gaps: exclusion of high-risk women not in risk-related clinical care, exclusion of non-white populations, and lack of attention to the decision-making processes that underlie risk-management choices. Our objective was to create a more inclusive dataset to facilitate research to address disparities related to decision making for breast cancer risk management.MethodsThe Daughter Sister Mother Project survey collects comprehensive information about the experiences of women at high risk of breast cancer. We collected novel measures of feelings about and reactions to cancer screenings; knowledge, barriers, and facilitators of risk-management options; beliefs related to cancer risk and risk management; and involvement with loved ones who had cancer. Eligible individuals were non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic Black adult women who self-identified as having high risk of breast cancer and had no personal history of cancer. Between October 2018 and August 2019, 1053 respondents completed the online survey. Of these, 717 were confirmed through risk prediction modeling to have a lifetime breast cancer risk of ≥ 20%. Sociodemographic characteristics of this sample were compared to those of nationally representative samples of the US population: the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey and the Pew Research Center report: Jewish Americans in 2020.ResultsThe sample of 717 women at objectively high risk of breast cancer was largely (95%) recruited from non-clinical sources. Of these respondents, only 31% had seen a genetic counselor, 34% had had genetic testing specific to breast cancer risk, and 35% had seen at least one breast or cancer care specialist. The sample includes 35% Black respondents and 8% with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Although encompassing a substantial range of ages, incomes, and education levels, respondents are overall somewhat younger, higher-income, and more educated than the US population as a whole.ConclusionsThe DSM dataset offers comprehensive data from a community-based, diverse sample of women at high risk of breast cancer. The dataset includes substantial proportions of Black and Ashkenazi Jewish women and women who are not already in clinical care related to their breast cancer risk. This sample will facilitate future studies of risk-management behaviors among women who are and are not receiving high-risk care, and of variations in risk-management experiences across race and ethnicity.

Challenges and knowledge gaps in the management of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease in sub-Saharan African countries with a high tuberculosis burden: a scoping review

IntroductionIn sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries endemic for tuberculosis (TB), previous TB is a significant risk factor for non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD). The deployment of GeneXpert MTB/RIF in pulmonary TB...

Cyber Security Risk Assessment and Optimal Risk Management of a National Vulnerability Database

This research article focuses principally on a certain quantitative rather than qualitatively subjective and non-numerical cyber security risk assessment method, the Security Meter (SM) algorithm, to compute vital security indices in a national vulnerability database case study. The primary purpose will be followed up by a secondary, although critical, goal of managing an unfavorable risk percentage by optimally mitigating it to one selected acceptable level. This objective will be realized by an optimization method using the well-known Linear Programming (LP) technique via both SM and an alternate LP-feasible solution method, EXCEL (XL) Solver. Information and cyber security risks become essential to an organization’s or user’s daily operations in today’s IT-centric world. Vulnerabilities and threats can pose many challenges to the core security of any system, second only to the electric power grid that supplies the Internet. Without the vulnerability and associated threat-exposure management process, organizations remain blind and indifferent to those risks directly related to their IT infrastructure security. This advantage allows any organization or user (given they understand the security risks they face) to take well-advised decisions concerning remediating actions for managing the risks seriously with a cost-effective roadmap. Along with the rampant rise of the potential risks from unexpected cyber-attacks, damage due to uncountable breaches of cyber security is growing at an unprecedented rate and becoming a serious economic concern and peril to users, organizations, and nations. This research article proposes application-based quantitative analyses of commonly encountered security risks in a national vulnerability database, as initial steps toward the optimal security-centric technological investment-savvy evaluations and cost-effective decision-making processes to best manage and prioritize risk mitigation. The SM optimization results favorably compare with XL Solver solutions although SM’s cumulative percentage of countermeasure changes to achieve the mitigation target is demonstrated to be less than that of the XL Solver’s, and therefore, the more cost-optimal. As a major takeaway, the proposed quantitative algorithms are more competitive, practical, goal-oriented, functional, and cost-conscious than conventionally limited descriptive and categorical cyber security risk assessment and management options.

To burn or not to burn: governance of wildfires in Australia.

Globally, wildfires are increasing in extent, frequency, and severity. Although global climate change is a major driver and large-scale governance interventions are essential, focusing on governance at smaller scales is of great importance for fostering resilience to wildfires. Inherent tensions in managing wildfire risk are evident at such scales, as objectives and mandates may conflict, and trade-offs and impacts vary across ecosystems and communities. Our study feeds into debates about how to manage wildfire risk to life and property in a way that does not undermine biodiversity and amenity values in social-ecological systems. Here, we describe a case study where features of adaptive governance emerged organically from a dedicated planning process for wildfire governance in Australia. We found that a governance process that is context specific, allows for dialogue about risk, benefits, and trade-offs, and allows for responsibility and risk to be distributed amongst many different actors, can provide the conditions needed to break down rigidity traps that constrain adaptation. The process enabled actors to question whether the default risk management option (in this case, prescribed burning) is aligned with place-based risks and values so they could make an informed choice, built from their participation in the governance process. Ultimately, the community supported a move away from prescribed burning in favor of other wildfire risk management strategies. We found that the emergent governance system has many features of adaptive governance, even though higher level governance has remained resistant to change. Our study offers positive insights for other governments around the world interested in pursuing alternative strategies to confronting wildfire risk.

Targeted review of maximum residue levels (MRLs) for profenofos.

In accordance with Article 43 of Regulation (EC) 396/2005, EFSA received a request from the European Commission to review the existing maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the non-approved active substance profenofos in view of the possible lowering of the MRL. EFSA investigated the origin of the current EU MRLs. Existing EU MRLs are based on Codex Maximum Residue Limits still in place or reflect temporary MRLs set from monitoring data. EFSA performed an indicative chronic and acute dietary risk assessment for the list of MRLs to allow risk managers to take the appropriate decisions. For some commodities, further risk management discussions are required to decide which of the risk management options proposed by EFSA should be implemented in the EU MRL legislation.

Targeted review of maximum residue levels (MRLs) for chlorfenapyr.

In accordance with Article 43 of Regulation (EC) 396/2005, EFSA received a request from the European Commission to review the existing maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the non-approved active substance chlorfenapyr in view of the possible lowering of the MRL set for tea. This current EU MRL is based on an import tolerance established in 2007. EFSA reviewed the toxicological data assessed by other scientific bodies, proposing toxicological reference values to be used for an indicative risk assessment, noting that the values are affected by additional, non-standard uncertainties. According to the indicative chronic and acute dietary risk assessment the existing MRL for tea does not pose an unacceptable risk for consumers. Further risk management discussions are required to decide which of the risk management options proposed by EFSA should be implemented in the EU MRL legislation.

TIERED ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA FOR SECONDARY ANALYSIS.

Research data have expanded in their gradation of the risks associated with both re-identification and harm, which has created a need for multiple levels of access controls beyond public and restricted access. Public-access data have typically been available for download from websites while restricted-access data usually require an application and formal authorization process. The old paradigm of classifying data as public-access or restricted-access is no longer sufficient. Access to research data requires more nuance to ensure the protection of human subjects. In this paper, we describe seven tiers of access to research data. Each tier adds requirements that are necessary to mitigate disclosure risk and confirm appropriate management of the data. Improper handling of the data includes attempting to find a specific individual or household or failing to follow disclosure protection rules for data and output included in papers and presentations. By establishing a ladder of access conditions, each higher tier meets and exceeds the requirements of the lower tiers. While the highest tier meets all requirements, this tier will impede legitimate research for most data. The challenge for repositories is to provide access in a manner that promotes research while specifying security that provides appropriate protections against the risks of re-identification and harm.