Coffee&Capital brings an investor to Quorum to meet with a small group of entrepreneurs over coffee and a light breakfast for an informal Q&A session about funding and pitching. Coffee&Capital is sponsored by the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation and is limited to 25 entrepreneurs.

To register, click here.

This year’s conference, entitled “Mapping the Global Economy in 2012” will include a panel discussion with leading economists on the future of the global economy and leading market trends, an update on free trade agreements and the practical implications for U.S. businesses, and a presentation on international sales strategies from successful small- and medium-sized businesses. In addition, senior trade policy experts will provide the latest information regarding national policy updates that may affect regional businesses. Read more

Alison DiFlorio, PHR is co-founder and president of the HR Division, exude Inc, a Philadelphia based HR consulting practice. Her group provides expertise in the areas of recruitment and selection, policy and procedure, employee relations, payroll and benefits, employee communication and training and development.

Over the past year, Alison has focused a great deal of her time educating employers on the impact of social media in the workplace and assisting with the roll out of social media policies and processes.

Click here for more information.

The fabric would be implemented into all hospital related clothing to drastically reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections.

Approximately 13 percent of high-risk adult patients develop healthcare-acquired infections (HAI) each year and HAI are estimated to cost the U.S. between $28 and $34 billion per year, as the infections increase hospital stay by between 6 and 10 days. Currently hospital-acquired infections are being combated using three major active techniques: checklists, physical surface cleaning and barrier nursing. Physical surface cleaning includes mopping of floors with quaternary soap compounds and frequent hand washing with soaps and washes containing antimicrobial chemicals. Hand-washing compliance is an issue with a recent multicenter trial suggesting that prior to monitoring and feedback healthcare personnel washed their hands between 26 and 36% of the times they were required to and that this only increased to between 37 and 51% after consistent reinforcement.  The second active technique of barrier nursing, which involves usage and changing of disposable gloves, white coats and hospital scrubs is only effective when used properly. Rather than being disposed of, white coats and scrubs are laundered, which has proven an ineffective preventative measure. Within 8 hours, a freshly laundered white coat is similarly contaminated as one that is infrequently laundered. Hospital staffs are busy responding to emergencies. Thus, prevention methods requiring active participation are likely to remain ineffective, due to human nature. Preventing infection will require a passive method.

Usage of a passive system that immediately kills bacteria would provide much greater efficacy than changing practices. A new bacteria-resistant fabric has been developed that integrates an antibacterial agent into the network of cotton and synthetic fibers at a molecular level. This ecofriendly biocide has a broad-spectrum efficacy which kills bacteria and fungi as well as recalcitrant bacterial spores. Thus its usage in lab coats, scrubs and gowns would both eliminate passive transfer of these microbes and also decrease their bioavailability in the hospital environment. This group has previously coupled this agent to natural fabrics, effectively killing important airborne hospital-acquired bacteria, and aims to achieve the same effect using synthetic blended fabrics. Then they will begin using this bioactive textile in white lab coats to show its antibacterial effectiveness in use and its durability upon laundering.