Master of Science / Food Science Institute, Diagnostic Medicine Pathobiology / Justin J. Kastner / The Department of Homeland Security recognizes the Agriculture and Food Sector as a Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource—critical to the health and wealth of the United States. When food safety (i.e., unintentional) or food defense (i.e., intentional) issues arise, those in the Agriculture and Food Sector must quickly and efficiently make decisions to ensure the safety of consumers. Decision-making is an essential element in critical infrastructure protection and response. Naturalistic decision-making (NDM) explores how people make decisions in real- world settings. Eight factors characterize the task and setting in naturalistic environments and include the following: ill-structured problems; uncertain, dynamic environments; shifting, ill-defined, or competing goals; action/feedback loops; time constraints; outcome with high stakes; multiple players; and organizational goals and norms. This thesis explores whether or not food safety and food defense educational programs incorporate methods that help professionals make good decisions. To that end, this thesis first examines the decision-making environment in responding to incidents involving food safety and food defense. Four cases involving food safety and food defense reveal the presence of all eight factors. As these factors complicate the decision-making process, this thesis then evaluates whether or not prevailing educational programs and tools aimed at preparing for food safety and food defense issues (i.e., HACCP and CARVER plus Shock) directly address the eight factors characterizing NDM settings. This is explored by “following” a hypothetical student in a food safety and food defense course. The information presented to the student was analyzed and this analysis indicates that the eight factors characterizing NDM settings were addressed albeit to varying degrees. HACCP addresses action/feedback loops, time constraints, outcome with high stakes, and multiple players. CARVER plus Shock addresses action/feedback loops, outcome with high stakes, and multiple players. While HACCP somewhat addresses ill-structured problems and organizational goals and norms, it fails to address uncertain, dynamic environments and shifting, ill-defined, or competing goals. CARVER plus Shock somewhat addresses ill-structured problems; uncertain, dynamic environments; shifting, ill-defined, or competing goals; time constraints; and organizational goals and norms. In light of this, new approaches to training are needed to fully incorporate all eight factors.

CHDS State/Local / Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / As the United States improves its collective awareness and emergency preparedness in the face of increased terrorist activity, more efforts are being made to create and enhance community readiness for catastrophic events. There have been substantial efforts to improve the nation's bioterrorism preparedness. Better planning, equipment, training, surveillance, and pharmaceutical caches have elevated the nation's readiness for biological attacks. In order to effectively meet the challenges created by a bioterrorism attack, its first lines of defense, the first responders, must be rapidly prophylaxed to allow the continuance of their mission. Many states and localities have tackled the gigantic undertaking of mass prophylaxis plans to provide chemoprophylaxis to civilians should the need arise. Many cities have developed and tested their plans to provide general public mass prophylaxis. It is assumed, or briefly mentioned, that the mass prophylaxis of first responders will occur, but few plans have been developed. The primary objective of this research is to develop, test, and make recommendations for a straightforward, adaptable mass prophylaxis plan to meet the prophylactic requirements of local first responders in the event of a biological attack. / Paramedic and Disaster Coordinator, Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, CA

I contribute to research pertaining to young voters by comparing the 2016 agenda of young people (based on existing polling) with Republican and Democratic Party platforms. By analyzing party platforms in the context of Millennial voters, this thesis attempts to determine the effectiveness to which the Democratic and Republican platforms reflect young people’s interests on three key topics: education, terrorism and homeland security, and racism. I argue that the Democratic Party’s progressive platform offers more substantial solutions to Millennial concerns than the GOP. By catering to young voter’s progressive, pro-big government, anti-racist agenda, the Democratic Party may one day bolster a formidable coalition of support for future elections.

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks redefined the federal approach to disaster planning. Prior to 9/11, disaster and emergency management meant preparedness for and response to natural and man-made emergencies such as floods, hurricanes, fires, and civil discord. The post-9/11 paradigm shift, a multi-pronged approach called "homeland security" strategy, now incorporates a multitude of man- and nature-made disasters to include border and transportation security; emergency preparedness, response and recovery against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats; as well as information analysis and infrastructure protection. These new priorities were communicated to the state and local governments. The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional study is two-fold: to analyze the post-9/11 federal homeland security (FHS) priorities' acceptance among the Virginia's local public emergency-management practitioners; and, explore the factors that explain the degree of adoption. The degree to which Virginia localities have adopted the FHS priorities is investigated through an opinion survey of Virginia's local practitioners. The survey is designed to shed light upon two key research questions: (1) Have the priorities of the new federal homeland security strategy been accepted as the local priorities? (2) Is population a factor whether or not the federal HS priorities were accepted? It is hypothesized that (1) localities have paralleled the federal government in expanding their approach to disaster management; and, that (2) larger localities (population greater than 50,000) have done so to a greater extent than the small ones (population up to 50,000). Each research hypothesis is tested through operationalization of five federal HS priorities. This study's survey instrument replicates California's August 2002 survey questionnaire, administered less than a year from the terrorist attacks. While California findings show local practitioner's acceptance of the federal priorities in general, crime and economic concerns reported to be the officials' top two concerns over the homeland security-related threats. This study also explores the probable theoretical explanation of the overall FHS priorities acceptance or lack thereof, by analyzing the two likely explanatory concepts: path dependence and bureaucratic management. It is hoped that operationalization of these explanatory models will facilitate the development of future surveys to allow for a greater understanding of local responses.The questionnaire was mailed to Virginia's all 141 local practitioners to collect their perceptions regarding the FHS strategy's five priorities: (1) homeland security as the primary mission for local emergency management; (2) increased level of HS-related planning and preparedness; (3) increased intergovernmental cooperation; (4) increased citizen participation; and, (5) increase in HS-related spending. The findings were used in evaluating: (a) the localities' acceptance of the federal priorities; and (b) localities' comparison based on the two populations groups: small (up to 50,000) and large (over 50,000). Because California's survey instrument was replicated to determine Virginia officials' perceptions, a comparison of Virginia and California officials' opinions was conducted to compare similarities and differences between the two states over a three-year gap. The overall findings of this study will help expand the existing knowledge concerning localities and homeland security. They will also help with policy decisions at state and local levels, particularly in matching homeland security needs with scarce federal resources. While the evolution of homeland security and emergency management policies before and after 9/11 suggest that path dependence and bureaucratic management played a critical role in persuading the localities to follow federal policies and guidelines, the survey questions do not directly answer why the new FHS priorities were accepted. Future researchers may benefit by modifying the existing survey instrument by adding a couple of questions to get at the "why" question more effectively. For example, practitioners may be asked the degree of their compliance to federal requirements.

This thesis makes an assessment of the factors influencing the involvement of the Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) in homeland security roles since 11 September 2001 (9/11). This is approached on a largely empirical basis, using document analysis and case studies supported with interviews with key individuals and experts. The thesis commences with an Introduction that provides brief context for the thesis and specifies its central question as ???what factors have shaped the role of the ADO in Australia's response to the homeland security environment that has emerged since 11 September 2001.??? Chapter One provides an historical and theoretical context for the key concepts of homeland security and the challenges confronting Western governments in the homeland security arena. Chapter Two explores the implications of those challenges for Australia, before outlining the research method and providing a literature review. Chapter Three is an historical exposition of homeland security in Australia from British settlement in 1788 until 2001. The Chapter examines events in increasing detail in the 30 years immediately prior to 2001, including a detailed case study of ADO support to the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games, before drawing some broad conclusions on the Australian experience of the involvement of its Defence Organisation in homeland security pre-9/11. Chapter Four establishes the pre-9/11 status quo in relation to the ADO???s involvement in homeland security role before analysing the general pattern of those roles. Chapter Five analyses and draws conclusions about the reasons for the ADO???s pre-9/11 involvement in homeland security roles, introducing an hypothetical construct to explain causal factors. Chapter Six examines the ADO???s involvement in homeland security roles post-9/11, including cases studies of ADO support to the conduct of the 2002 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. Chapter Seven analyses and identifies the factors led to the ADO???s pattern of involvement in homeland security post-9/11, further developing the hypothetical construct introduced in Chapter 5. Chapter Seven also contains supporting case studies on the ADO???s contribution to Australia???s national chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response capability and on the state of New South Wales??? homeland security capabilities. Chapter Eight draws overall conclusions, including recommendations for Australian policy development and areas for further research. The essential conclusion reached is that the ADO???s involvement in homeland security roles, both before and since 9/11, has been shaped mostly by pragmatic political and managerial considerations of governments. Developments have normally occurred in an episodic and incremental fashion in response to ???trigger events,??? although 9/11 altered this pattern somewhat by acting as a ???threshold??? event that re-calibrated demands and expectations for ADO involvement. Supporting Appendices provide detail on the Australian Government???s strategic guidance on ADO involvement in homeland security since 1973; on Australia???s policy for Defence Assistance to the Civilian Community and Defence Force Aid to the Civil Authorities; and on the involvement of former Department of Defence employees in non-Defence homeland-security related roles. A Bibliography provides details of sources used.

It has been shown that neutrons emitted from the same 252Cf fission event are preferentially detected within small angles of each other and at angles around 180 degrees. The distribution of this angular anisotropy is dependent upon the nuclide emitting the neutrons. Coincident neutrons can be detected from a shielded source, so a study of the angular anisotropy between coincident neutrons is useful for this context. This could allow for the dynamic determination of the ratio of the rate of (alpha,n) neutron production to the spontaneous fission neutron production (designated alpha) used in neutron coincidence counting for safeguards. This could also be used to identify neutron emitting isotopes in a homeland security application. An angular frequency distribution for coincident neutrons was produced via experiments using an array of cylindrical liquid scintillators and a 252Cf source. It was found, in accordance with previous experiments, that the angular frequency distribution peaks at small angles and at angles around 180 degrees. A Monte Carlo, physics-based simulation program was created to simulate the distribution of angles between neutrons from the same fission event from 252Cf and 240Pu sources. The resulting distributions were clearly distinguishable from each other. The code was benchmarked to measured results from a 252Cf source at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Knowledge of the unique angular distributions of coincident neutrons from various fissioning sources is useful for identification and verification purposes. Another practical application of angular anisotropy information for coincident neutrons from a given source is determining the ratio of the (alpha,n) to spontaneous fission rates for a source undergoing neutron coincidence counting. The utility of this was verified by using measurements made by faculty and students of the University of Michigan Nuclear Engineering Department for a MOX fuel pin at the Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy. Good agreement between the predicted and declared values for alpha was found.

The purpose of this dissertation is to synthesize a methodology to prescribe a strategic design of a surveillance system to provide the required level of surveillance for ports and waterways. The method of approach to this problem is to formulate a linear integer programming model to prescribe a strategic surveillance system design (SSD) for ports or waterways, to devise branch-and-price decomposition (B

A diez años de los atentados terroristas ocurridos en Nueva York y Washington (11-S) resulta necesario hacer una lectura ética y política de los efectos globales que ha tenido dicho acontecimiento en áreas tan diversas como la seguridad nacional, la política exterior, la vigilancia, el discurso de los medios de comunicación, los ordenamientos jurídicos y las relaciones humanas en general. La mayoría de estos efectos deben leerse en clave securitaria ya que fueron justificados desde la Administración Bush para hacer frente a la amenaza de un nuevo enemigo: el terrorismo internacional de corte islámico fundamentalista. Aunque el epicentro de los cambios se encuentre en los Estados Unidos de América, éstos no tardaron mucho en ser exportados y aprovechados por otros Estados para avanzar en sus agendas políticas. Las consecuencias de esta cruzada global antiterrorista se han sentido sobre todo en el campo de los Derechos Humanos y las libertades civiles. / Passats deu anys dels atemptat terroristes que van tenir lloc a Nova York i Washington (11-S) resulta necessari fer una lectura ètica i política dels efectes globals que ha tingut aquest esdeveniment en àrees tant diverses com la seguritat nacional, la política exterior, la vigilància, el discurs dels mitjans de comunicació, els ordenaments jurídics i les relacions humanes en general. La majoria d’aquests efectes s’han de llegir en clau de seguretat, ja que van ser justificats des de l’Administració Bush per encarar l’amenaça d’un nou enemic: el terrorisme internacional de tipus islàmic fonamentalista. Tot i que l’epicentre dels canvis es trobi en els Estats Units d’Amèrica, aquests no van trigar gaire a ser exportats i aprofitats per altres estats per avançar en les seves agendes polítiques. Les conseqüències d’aquesta creuada global antiterrorista s’han deixat sentir sobre tot en el camp dels Drets Humans i les llibertats civils. / Ten years after the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. (9-11) it is necessary to make an ethical-political evaluation of the global effects 9-11 has had on areas like national security, international politics, surveillance, mainstream media discourse, penal law and human relations in general. Most of these effects should be examined from a securitarian point of view because they have been justified by the Bush Administration to face the threat of a new enemy: international fundamentalist and Islamic terrorism. Even though the United States of America are the epicenter of these changes, most of them have been exported and exploited by other States. Most of the consequences of this global crusade against terrorism have been felt in the field of human rights and civil liberties.

This thesis makes an assessment of the factors influencing the involvement of the Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) in homeland security roles since 11 September 2001 (9/11). This is approached on a largely empirical basis, using document analysis and case studies supported with interviews with key individuals and experts. The thesis commences with an Introduction that provides brief context for the thesis and specifies its central question as ???what factors have shaped the role of the ADO in Australia's response to the homeland security environment that has emerged since 11 September 2001.??? Chapter One provides an historical and theoretical context for the key concepts of homeland security and the challenges confronting Western governments in the homeland security arena. Chapter Two explores the implications of those challenges for Australia, before outlining the research method and providing a literature review. Chapter Three is an historical exposition of homeland security in Australia from British settlement in 1788 until 2001. The Chapter examines events in increasing detail in the 30 years immediately prior to 2001, including a detailed case study of ADO support to the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games, before drawing some broad conclusions on the Australian experience of the involvement of its Defence Organisation in homeland security pre-9/11. Chapter Four establishes the pre-9/11 status quo in relation to the ADO???s involvement in homeland security role before analysing the general pattern of those roles. Chapter Five analyses and draws conclusions about the reasons for the ADO???s pre-9/11 involvement in homeland security roles, introducing an hypothetical construct to explain causal factors. Chapter Six examines the ADO???s involvement in homeland security roles post-9/11, including cases studies of ADO support to the conduct of the 2002 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. Chapter Seven analyses and identifies the factors led to the ADO???s pattern of involvement in homeland security post-9/11, further developing the hypothetical construct introduced in Chapter 5. Chapter Seven also contains supporting case studies on the ADO???s contribution to Australia???s national chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response capability and on the state of New South Wales??? homeland security capabilities. Chapter Eight draws overall conclusions, including recommendations for Australian policy development and areas for further research. The essential conclusion reached is that the ADO???s involvement in homeland security roles, both before and since 9/11, has been shaped mostly by pragmatic political and managerial considerations of governments. Developments have normally occurred in an episodic and incremental fashion in response to ???trigger events,??? although 9/11 altered this pattern somewhat by acting as a ???threshold??? event that re-calibrated demands and expectations for ADO involvement. Supporting Appendices provide detail on the Australian Government???s strategic guidance on ADO involvement in homeland security since 1973; on Australia???s policy for Defence Assistance to the Civilian Community and Defence Force Aid to the Civil Authorities; and on the involvement of former Department of Defence employees in non-Defence homeland-security related roles. A Bibliography provides details of sources used.

Comparison of knowledge of the general and professional public on the protection of the population in the selected region. sufficient knowledge of public, no matter if general public or professionals in area of homeland security are required for preservation of secure environment for living. To process this thesis was first necessary to set goals. The goals of the study were stated as follows: - To define terms related to the protection of the population carried out in the Czech Republic. - To list conditions which the population must be protected from. - To list activities leading to improve homeland security and duties of responsible people. - To identify differences in knowledge of general and professional public on this issue - To compare the level of knowledge of specialists in homeland security and of general population based on proving or disproving the hypotheses about the level of knowledge. Firstly, to achieve the fundamental goal of this thesis was to create a structured overview of exceptional events that endanger life, health and property of population. Then were defined organisational and technical measures that have to prevent life loss, to mitigate the consequences that negatively affect health of population and minimize property damage. Based on the definition of all relevant aspects of homeland security was, under the supervision of a specialist in homeland security area, created a structured questionnaire which was subsequently applied by both the general and professional public. The form has been sent out to the group of 50 specialists and 50 unspecialized people. The existence of normal division of knowledge was verified among general population, while Poisson distribution was tested among specialists. During the measurement was also tested the difference between the knowledge of specialists and common people. To achieve the basic goal of the thesis were set three hypotheses, of which verification was based on descriptive and mathematical statistic methods. Hypotheses were set as follows: H1: The knowledge of homeland security area is spread by Poisson distribution function among specialists H2: The knowledge of homeland security area is spread by normal (Gaussian) distribution function among general population. H3: The level of knowledge of homeland security area of specialists is higher than general population's knowledge. The first hypothesis H1 was proved by 2 test and on its results was hypothesis H1 disproved. According to the statistic calculation the distribution of knowledge among specialists did not correspond to Poisson distribution, but theoretically is closer to Gaussian distribution. As for the second hypothesis, the distribution of the results of statistical measuring was compared to Gaussian distribution and by 2 test H2 was proved. The distribution of knowledge of the general public corresponds to Gaussian distribution. The third hypothesis was tested via a double-choose t-test method and based on its results it was found that there is a statistically significant difference between homeland security knowledge of specialists and general public. Hypothesis H3 was thus proved. The answers of respondents were presented by comparison bar charts of right answers of general and professional public, evaluated in discussion. At some of questions with big different results were described possible causes and offered changes for knowledge expansion. In the meaning of knowledge expansion there was created a feedback, sent backwards to respondents of statistic research. Attached to feedback is this diploma thesis.