Good Practices for Transforming Education

Science.gov (United States)

Benavente, Ana; Panchaud, Christine

2008-01-01

This text is a guide to the reading and interpretation of the "good practices" that are developing in the countries participating in this project and elsewhere. A systematic approach to the factors making up a "good practice" has enabled us to share our analyses in a more structured manner and to reflect on their potential for…

Patterns and processes of nutrient transfers from land to water: a catchment approach to evaluate Good Agricultural Practice in Ireland

Science.gov (United States)

Mellander, P.-E.; Melland, A. R.; Shortle, G.; Wall, D.; Mechan, S.; Buckley, C.; Fealy, R.; Jordan, P.

2009-04-01

Eutrophication of fresh, transitional and coastal waters by excessive nutrient inputs is one of the most widespread water quality problems in developed countries. Sources of nutrient nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) can come from a multiplicity of sources and be dependent on numerous hydrological controls from catchments with both urban and agricultural landuses. Aquatic impacts are widely reported as a result of excessive nutrient transfers from land to water and include changes in ecological integrity and loss of amenity. In the European Union, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and associated Directives are the key structures with which member states must develop national and often trans-national polices to deal with issues of water resources management. The linked Nitrates Directive is particularly concerned with integrating sustainable agriculture and good water quality objectives and is written into national polices. In Ireland this policy is the Nitrates Directive National Action Programme (NAP), Statutory Instruction 378, Good Agricultural Practise regulation, and amongst other things, sets targets and limits on the use of organic and inorganic fertilisers, soil fertility and slurry/fertiliser spreading and cultivation times. To evaluate the effectiveness of this policy, Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, is undertaking a catchment scale audit on sources, sinks, and changes in nutrient use and export over several years. The Agricultural Catchments Programme is based on a science-stakeholder-management partnership to generate knowledge and specifically to protect water quality from nitrogen and phosphorus transfers within the constraints of the requirements of modern Irish agricultural practises. Eight catchments of 5-12 km2 have been selected for the programme to represent a range of agricultural intensities and vulnerabilities to nitrogen and phosphorus loss including catchments that are situated on permeable and impermeable

Rules for the certification of good practices in clinical laboratories. No regulation. 3-2009. Good Laboratory Practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

Regulation for Certification of Good Practices in clinical laboratories, hereinafter Regulation establishes the methodology and procedures for clinical laboratories to demonstrate their state of compliance with good practices, according to Regulation 3-2009, and that the CECMED can verify.

21 CFR 110.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 110.5 Section...) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE IN MANUFACTURING, PACKING, OR HOLDING HUMAN FOOD General Provisions § 110.5 Current good manufacturing practice. (a) The criteria and...

21 CFR 225.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 225.1 Section...) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR MEDICATED FEEDS General Provisions § 225.1 Current good manufacturing practice. (a) Section 501(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act...

21 CFR 226.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 226.1 Section...) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR TYPE A MEDICATED ARTICLES General Provisions § 226.1 Current good manufacturing practice. (a) The criteria in §§ 226.10 through 226.115, inclusive...

[Effects of agricultural practices on community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in agricultural ecosystem: a review].

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, Ping-Ping; Li, Min; Liu, Run-Jin

2011-06-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are rich in diversity in agricultural ecosystem, playing a vital role based on their unique community structure. Host plants and environmental factors have important effects on AM fungal community structure, so do the agricultural practices which deserve to pay attention to. This paper summarized the research advances in the effects of agricultural practices such as irrigation, fertilization, crop rotation, intercropping, tillage, and pesticide application on AM fungal community structure, analyzed the related possible mechanisms, discussed the possible ways in improving AM fungal community structure in agricultural ecosystem, and put forward a set of countermeasures, i.e., improving fertilization system and related integrated techniques, increasing plant diversity in agricultural ecosystem, and inoculating AM fungi, to enhance the AM fungal diversity in agricultural ecosystem. The existing problems in current agricultural practices and further research directions were also proposed.

Guide of good practices for methanization projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delatte, Constant; Orozco-Souel, Paola; Rouxel, Anaick; Tanneau, Patrick; Schreiber, Konrad; Jaubert, Jean Noel; Micone, Philippe; Dionne, Denis; Renner, Christophe; Ollivier, Denis

2011-12-01

This guide aims at providing project holders with guidance on factors which may influence social acceptability of methanization projects and with recommendations regarding communication and dialogue for a better project integration, with a technical support in order to guarantee project quality for a minimised environmental impact, and at convincing and reassuring local communities which plan to implement a methanization project, notably with respect to issues like odours, safety or landscape integration. The guide first outlines the importance of a serious and credible approach, and aims project holders at demonstrating an actual reasonable economic control of energy, environmental and social issues related to their project. The second part proposes technical solutions regarding the limitation of impact on air quality, preservation and restoration of soil quality and water resources, landscape integration, transport management and noise prevention. Feedbacks on experiences with different types of installations (agricultural, industrial, and so on) are also provided. A good practice charter is finally proposed

Water as an economic good in irrigated agriculture: theory and practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hellegers, P.J.G.J.; Perry, C.J.

2004-01-01

This report describes the results of the Water Valuation and Pricing project, which aims to provide insight into the relevance of economics to typical problems found in irrigated agriculture. It first considers the theoretical basis for the use of economic instruments, then considers their

Integrating Education: Parekhian Multiculturalism and Good Practice

Science.gov (United States)

McGlynn, Claire

2009-01-01

This paper explores the concept of good practice in integrating education in divided societies. Using Northern Ireland as a case study, the paper draws on data from eight schools (both integrated Catholic and Protestant, and separate) that are identified as exemplifying good practice in response to cultural diversity. Analysis is provided through…

Strategi Pengembangan Good Agricultural Practices (GAP di Kabupaten Bangka, Provinsi Kepulauan Bangka Belitung

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fournita Agustina

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to identify the problems faced by agricultural extension workers and to formulate alternative of extension strategies in realizing the application of horticultural GAP by farmers in Bangka Regency. This study was conducted in Bangka Regency of Bangka Belitung Province in February 2014. The data obtained in the field were analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis and SWOT analysis method. The results of this study indicate that: (1 The problems faced by agricultural extension workers in realizing the application of horticultural GAP by farmers in Kabupaten Bangka are low knowledge and skill about GAP horticulture, the existence of agricultural extension workers that have heavy work load, programme extension does not correspond to the need of farmer horticulture; (2 The strategy of agricultural extension workers in realizing the application of GAP horticulture by farmers in Bangka Regency is to increase the training and visit and demonstration plot (plots GAP horticulture, applying to the Food Security Agency of Bangka Regency related to the lack of education and learning tools horticulture, increasing knowledge and skills on horticultural GAP. Enhance interaction with universities and research institutions, knowledge and skills based on experience farming horticultural crops farmers as well as keeping exercise routines and visits to horticultural farmers

21 CFR 120.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 120.5 Section... Provisions § 120.5 Current good manufacturing practice. Part 110 of this chapter applies in determining whether the facilities, methods, practices, and controls used to process juice are safe, and whether the...

21 CFR 129.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 129.1 Section... Current good manufacturing practice. The applicable criteria in part 110 of this chapter, as well as the..., methods, practices, and controls used in the processing, bottling, holding, and shipping of bottled...

21 CFR 1271.150 - Current good tissue practice requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good tissue practice requirements. 1271... HUMAN CELLS, TISSUES, AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.150 Current good tissue practice requirements. (a) General. This subpart D and subpart C of this part set...

Good Laboratory Practice. Part 3. Implementing Good Laboratory Practice in the Analytical Lab

Science.gov (United States)

Wedlich, Richard C.; Pires, Amanda; Fazzino, Lisa; Fransen, Joseph M.

2013-01-01

Laboratories submitting experimental results to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in support of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) nonclinical laboratory studies must conduct such work in compliance with the GLP regulations. To consistently meet these requirements, lab managers employ a "divide…

21 CFR 113.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 113.5 Section... CONTAINERS General Provisions § 113.5 Current good manufacturing practice. The criteria in §§ 113.10, 113.40..., methods, practices, and controls used by the commercial processor in the manufacture, processing, or...

On-Farm Demonstrations with a Set of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs Proved Cost-Effective in Reducing Pre-Harvest Aflatoxin Contamination in Groundnut

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vijayaraju Parimi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Aflatoxin contamination in groundnut is an important qualitative issue posing a threat to food safety. In our present study, we have demonstrated the efficacy of certain good agricultural practices (GAPs in groundnut, such as farmyard manure (5 t/ha, gypsum (500 kg/ha, a protective irrigation at 90 days after sowing (DAS, drying of pods on tarpaulins after harvest in farmers’ fields. During 2013–2015, 89 on-farm demonstrations were conducted advocating GAPs, and compared with farmers’ practices (FP plots. Farmers’ awareness of GAPs, and knowledge on important aspects of groundnut cultivation, were also assessed during our experimentation in the selected villages under study. Pre-harvest kernel infection by Aspergillus flavus, aflatoxin contamination, and pod yields were compared in GAPs plots, vis-à-vis FP plots. The cost of cultivation in both the plots was calculated and compared, based on farmer’s opinion surveys. Results indicate kernel infections and aflatoxins were significantly lower, with 13–58% and 62–94% reduction, respectively, in GAPs plots over FP. Further, a net gain of around $23 per acre was realized through adoption of GAPs by farmers besides quality improvement of groundnuts. Based on our results, it can be concluded that on-farm demonstrations were the best educative tool to convince the farmers about the cost-effectiveness, and adoptability of aflatoxin management technologies.

International Good Practice on Practical Implementation of Characterisation in Decommissioning. Radiological Characterization in Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities: International Good Practice on Practical Implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsson, A.; Empdage, M.; Weber, I.; )

2017-01-01

Within the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD) operates under the umbrella of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC). The WPDD provides a focus for the analysis of decommissioning policy, strategy and regulation, including the related issues of waste management, release of buildings and sites from regulatory control and associated cost estimation and funding. WPDD also convenes task groups comprised of experts from the NEA member countries to review related topics such as characterisation techniques which support decommissioning and associated waste management. The Task Group on Radiological Characterisation and Decommissioning was established in 2011 to identify and present characterisation good practice at different stages of decommissioning and to identify areas that could, or should, be developed further through international cooperation and coordination. By the end of 2016 two phases of work will be complete. The first phase developed strategic guidance for decision makers on the selection and tailoring of strategies for radiological characterisation, which gives an overview of good practice for radiological characterisation at different phases of the life cycle of a nuclear installation. The second phase has focused on strategies for practical implementation of radiological characterisation from a waste and materials end-state perspective. This paper provides a summary of the phase 2 findings, covering: -) a major international survey (questionnaire) to elicit the views of characterisation experts regarding good practice; -) Learning drawn from recent international case studies; -) The collation and analysis of regulations, standards and guidance documents; -) Learning distilled from an international conference on characterisation co-organised by the task group; and -) Overall conclusions regarding characterisation good practice, recommendations and identified areas for further international

Evaluating the effects of agricultural practices on soil conservation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The main crops were maize, ginger, garden pea, cabbage and mulberry. The objective of the study was to contribute a simple method to evaluate the effect of different agricultural practices on the resistance of soil to erosion. Different agricultural practices were studied on similar relief and soil, and under similar weather ...

Good cell culture practices &in vitro toxicology.

Science.gov (United States)

Eskes, Chantra; Boström, Ann-Charlotte; Bowe, Gerhard; Coecke, Sandra; Hartung, Thomas; Hendriks, Giel; Pamies, David; Piton, Alain; Rovida, Costanza

2017-12-01

Good Cell Culture Practices (GCCP) is of high relevance to in vitro toxicology. The European Society of Toxicology In Vitro (ESTIV), the Center for Alternatives for Animal Testing (CAAT) and the In Vitro Toxicology Industrial Platform (IVTIP) joined forces to address by means of an ESTIV 2016 pre-congress session the different aspects and applications of GCCP. The covered aspects comprised the current status of the OECD guidance document on Good In Vitro Method Practices, the importance of quality assurance for new technological advances in in vitro toxicology including stem cells, and the optimized implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Laboratory Practices for regulatory testing purposes. General discussions raised the duality related to the difficulties in implementing GCCP in an academic innovative research framework on one hand, and on the other hand, the need for such GCCP principles in order to ensure reproducibility and robustness of in vitro test methods for toxicity testing. Indeed, if good cell culture principles are critical to take into consideration for all uses of in vitro test methods for toxicity testing, the level of application of such principles may depend on the stage of development of the test method as well as on the applications of the test methods, i.e., academic innovative research vs. regulatory standardized test method. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lessons From Watershed-Based Climate Smart Agricultural Practices In Jogo-Gudedo Watershed Ethiopia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abera Assefa

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Land degradation is the most chronic problem in the Ethiopia. Soil erosion and denudation of vegetation covers are tending to enlarge the area of degraded and west land in semi-arid watersheds. It is therefore watershed management is believed as a holistic approach to create a climate smart landscape that integrate forestry agriculture pasture and soil water management with an objective of sustainable management of natural resources to improve livelihood. This approach pursues to promote interactions among multiple stakeholders and their interests within and between the upstream and downstream locations of a watershed. Melkassa Agricultural Research Centre MARC has been implementing integrated watershed management research project in the Jogo-gudedo watershed from 2010-2014 and lessons from Jogo-gudedo watershed are presented in this research report. Participatory action research PAR was implemented on Soil and Water Conservation SWC area enclosure Agroforestry AF Conservation Tillage CT energy saving stove drought resistance crop varieties in the Jogo-gudedo watershed. Empirical research and action research at plot level and evaluation of introduced technologies with farmers through experimental learning approach and documentation were employed. The participatory evaluation and collective action of SWC and improved practices brought high degree of acceptance of the practices and technologies. This had been ratified by the implementation of comprehensive watershed management action research which in turn enabled to taste and exploit benefits of climate-smart agricultural practices. Eventually significant reduction on soil loss and fuel wood consumption improvements on vegetation cover and crop production were quantitatively recorded as a good indicator and success. Field visit meetings trainings and frequent dialogues between practitioners and communities at watershed level have had a help in promoting the climate smart agriculture

Good practices in early childhood education:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sanders, Lise; Gregoriadis, Athanasis; Zachopoulou, Evridiki

Good practices in early childhood education er en undersøgelse fortaget efter Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale - R (ECERS-R). I undersøgelsen deltog Akademikere, pædagoger og kommunalt personale fra de 6 partnerlande bestående af Grækenland, Portugal, Finland, Danmark, Rumænien og Cypern....... Undersøgelsen fokuserede på indsamling af Good practice inden for 5 specifikke kategorier af daglig praksis i børnehaver og børnehaveklasser. Plads og Inventar Personlige omsorgsrutiner Sprog - Tænkning Aktiviteter Interaktioner Struktur Projektet er støttet af Lifelong learning programme of the European Union...

Top 10 metrics for life science software good practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Artaza, Haydee; Chue Hong, Neil; Corpas, Manuel; Corpuz, Angel; Hooft, Rob; Jimenez, Rafael C; Leskošek, Brane; Olivier, Brett G; Stourac, Jan; Svobodová Vařeková, Radka; Van Parys, Thomas; Vaughan, Daniel

2016-01-01

Metrics for assessing adoption of good development practices are a useful way to ensure that software is sustainable, reusable and functional. Sustainability means that the software used today will be available - and continue to be improved and supported - in the future. We report here an initial set of metrics that measure good practices in software development. This initiative differs from previously developed efforts in being a community-driven grassroots approach where experts from different organisations propose good software practices that have reasonable potential to be adopted by the communities they represent. We not only focus our efforts on understanding and prioritising good practices, we assess their feasibility for implementation and publish them here.

21 CFR 123.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 123.5 Section...) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION FISH AND FISHERY PRODUCTS General Provisions § 123.5 Current good manufacturing practice. (a) Part 110 of this chapter applies in determining whether the facilities, methods...

Good manufacturing practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlyer, D.J.

2001-01-01

In this presentation author deals with the Implementation of good manufacturing practice for radiopharmaceuticals. The presentation is divided into next parts: Batch size; Expiration date; QC Testing; Environmental concerns; Personnel aspects; Radiation concerns; Theoretical yields; Sterilizing filters; Control and reconciliation of materials and components; Product strength; In process sampling and testing; Holding and distribution; Drug product inspection; Buildings and facilities; Renovations at BNL for GMP; Aseptic processing and sterility assurance; Process validation and control; Quality control and drug product stability; Documentation and other GMP topics; Building design considerations; Equipment; and Summary

[What everybody should know about good clinical practices].

Science.gov (United States)

Osorio, Lyda

2015-01-01

An increasing number of countries are adopting good clinical practices guidelines as part of the regulation of clinical studies to register pharmaceutical products and other health-related products. Consequently, all parties involved in the research and development of these products should know them, implement them and ensure their compliance. However, good clinical practices guidelines are just one of the initiatives seeking to achieve the highest ethical and scientific standards in health research and in other areas where humans are research subjects. This review defines such practices and their objectives presenting in a practical manner their legal framework in Colombia, and clarifying their application in studies where interventions use no medications or those that are not clinical trials. Finally, the work discusses the challenges to ensure that good clinical practices contribute to the protection of research participants, the education of trustworthy health professionals, and a culture of respect for human beings.

Good and bad practices in pv plants

OpenAIRE

Martinez Moreno, Francisco; Helleputte, F.; Tyutyundzhiev, N.; Rabal Echeverria, Daniel; Conlon, Michael; Fartaria, Tomás; Oteiza, David

2013-01-01

The PVCROPS project (PhotoVolta ic Cost r€duction, Reliability, Operational performance, Prediction and Simulation), cofinanced by European Commission in the frame of Seventh Framework Programme, has compiled in the “Good and bad practices: Manual to improve the quality and reduce the cost of PV systems” a collection of good and bad practices in actual PV plants . All the situations it collects represent the state-of-the-art of existing PV installations all around Europe. They show how ...

21 CFR 114.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 114.5 Section...) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION ACIDIFIED FOODS General Provisions § 114.5 Current good manufacturing practice. The criteria in §§ 114.10, 114.80, 114.83, 114.89, and 114.100, as well as the criteria in part...

Microbiological criteria for good manufacturing practice (GMP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farkas, J [Inst. of Preservation and Livestock Products Technology, Univ. of Horticulture and Food Industry, Budapest (Hungary); Zukal, E [Inst. of Preservation and Livestock Products Technology, Univ. of Horticulture and Food Industry, Budapest (Hungary)

1992-01-01

Good manufacturing practice (GMP) consist of an effective manufacturing operation and an effective application of food control. GMP is best supported by the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system (HACCP) of the preventive quality assurance, which requires that food irradiation as any food processing technology should be used only with foods of an acceptable quality and adequate handling and storage procedures should precede and follow the processing. The paper concentrates on the first element of the HACCP system for an irradiation plant: the incoming product control, i.e. whether GMP of foods to be irradiated can be assessed by establishing microbiological criteria for their previous good manufacturing practice. In this regard, it summarizes considerations and findings of a ''Consultation on Microbiological Criteria for Foods to be Further Processed Including by Irradiation'' held in 1989 by the International Consultative Group on Food irradiation at the Headquarters of the World Health Organization, Geneva. Difficulties in establishing reference values and defining good manufacturing practices will be pointed out. (orig.)

Microbiological criteria for good manufacturing practice (GMP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farkas, J.; Zukal, E.

1992-01-01

Good manufacturing practice (GMP) consist of an effective manufacturing operation and an effective application of food control. GMP is best supported by the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system (HACCP) of the preventive quality assurance, which requires that food irradiation as any food processing technology should be used only with foods of an acceptable quality and adequate handling and storage procedures should precede and follow the processing. The paper concentrates on the first element of the HACCP system for an irradiation plant: the incoming product control, i.e. whether GMP of foods to be irradiated can be assessed by establishing microbiological criteria for their previous good manufacturing practice. In this regard, it summarizes considerations and findings of a ''Consultation on Microbiological Criteria for Foods to be Further Processed Including by Irradiation'' held in 1989 by the International Consultative Group on Food irradiation at the Headquarters of the World Health Organization, Geneva. Difficulties in establishing reference values and defining good manufacturing practices will be pointed out. (orig.) [de

Good practices for outage management in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-09-01

As a follow-up to an earlier Technical Document on Good Practices for Improved Nuclear Power Plant Performance (IAEA-TECDOC-498), the Agency has produced a more focused technical report on good practices associated with nuclear power plant outage planning and execution. As with the earlier document, the overall aim is that by identifying good practices in the key aspects of outage management, overall world nuclear performance will improve and the gap between excellent performers and operators with developing programmes will be narrowed. This document has been produced through the contribution of numerous operators and government agencies. It aims at minimizing text and focusing on actual good practices in use which can be found in the annexes. While the specific methods used to achieve excellence in maintenance/refuelling outages may differ, the fundamental requirements of outage management are discussed

Urban Agriculture: Search for Agricultural Practice in Urbanized Rural Areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celile Özçiçek Dölekoğlu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Rapid urbanization in developing countries involves unplanned migration, unemployment and poverty. The steady shrinking of rural areas and the use of agricultural land for other purposes are progressively increasing the pressure on natural resources. This development on the one hand increases the risk to food security, and on the other triggers climate change. The rural population who migrate to the cities or who are absorbed into urban areas continue their agricultural activities in the urban in order to provide themselves with an income or to maintain their food security. In the big cities of the developed world, contact with nature is kept by means of hobby gardens, recreational areas and urban and suburban plant and animal farming, and creative ideas such as roof gardens can be found. This development, known as urban agriculture, is practiced by 800 million people in the world. Urban agriculture has many economic, social and environmental benefits, but it may also have risks and adverse effects. In this study, the developments in this area in Turkey and the world are presented, and all aspects of its effects and outcomes are discussed.

HONESTY AND GOOD PRACTICE IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jože Trontelj

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In the field of science, we see cases of misconduct ranging from relatively minor departurefrom good manners and practice to more severe dishonesty and even criminal behaviour.Unethical experiments on human beings are among the worst abuses in scientific researchin medicine. Unethical research is usually also worthless from the scientific point of view.The commonest types of offence, however, include mismanagement of data, conscious misinterpretation,wrongful authorship, biased citation of work by others, plagiarism, misquotationor suppression of findings for the interests or upon the request of the sponsor or In the field of science, we see cases of misconduct ranging from relatively minor departurefrom good manners and practice to more severe dishonesty and even criminal behaviour.Unethical experiments on human beings are among the worst abuses in scientific researchin medicine. Unethical research is usually also worthless from the scientific point of view.The commonest types of offence, however, include mismanagement of data, conscious misinterpretation,wrongful authorship, biased citation of work by others, plagiarism, misquotationor suppression of findings for the interests or upon the request of the sponsor or In the field of science, we see cases of misconduct ranging from relatively minor departurefrom good manners and practice to more severe dishonesty and even criminal behaviour.Unethical experiments on human beings are among the worst abuses in scientific researchin medicine. Unethical research is usually also worthless from the scientific point of view.The commonest types of offence, however, include mismanagement of data, conscious misinterpretation,wrongful authorship, biased citation of work by others, plagiarism, misquotationor suppression of findings for the interests or upon the request of the sponsor or even a senior scientist in the team. Every case of misconduct and fraud may causedamage: it may undermine confidence of the

BIODYNAMIC AGRICULTURE - ECO-FRIENDLY AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veselka Vlahova

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Biodynamic agriculture is undoubtedly the oldest organized agricultural movement in the world. It is considered as an organic agricultural farming approach and determined as the oldest organized alternative agricultural movement in the world. In 1924 Rudolf Steiner – an Austrian natural scientist and philosopher, carried out a series of eight lectures in Koberwitz, currently Kobierzyce- Poland, where he formulated his visions on changes in agriculture and revealed his spiritual and scientific concepts about the connection between nature and agriculture by determining the important role of agriculture for the future of humanity and thus he became known as “the father of anthroposophy”. The great ecological effect of the application of the biodynamic agriculture is expressed in soil preservation and preservation of the living organisms in the soil, as well as maintenance of the natural balance in the vegetable and animal kingdom.

Do Smallholder, Mixed Crop-Livestock Livelihoods Encourage Sustainable Agricultural Practices? A Meta-Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas K. Rudel

2016-02-01

Full Text Available As calls for bolstering ecosystem services from croplands have grown more insistent during the past two decades, the search for ways to foster these agriculture-sustaining services has become more urgent. In this context we examine by means of a meta-analysis the argument, proposed by Robert McC. Netting, that small-scale, mixed crop-livestock farming, a common livelihood among poor rural peoples, leads to environmentally sustainable agricultural practices. As predicted, mixed crop-livestock farms exhibit more sustainable practices, but, contrary to predictions, a small scale of operation does not predict sustainability. Many smallholders on mixed crop-livestock farms use sustainable practices, but other smallholders practice a degrading, input-scarce agriculture. Some large farm operators use soil-conserving, minimum-tillage techniques while other large operators ignore soil-conserving techniques and practice an industrialized, high chemical input agriculture. The strength and pervasiveness of the link in the data between mixed crop-livestock farming and sustainable agricultural practices argues for agricultural policies that promote mixed crop-livestock livelihoods.

Microbiological criteria for good manufacturing practice (GMP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farkas, J. (Inst. of Preservation and Livestock Products Technology, Univ. of Horticulture and Food Industry, Budapest (Hungary)); Zukal, E. (Inst. of Preservation and Livestock Products Technology, Univ. of Horticulture and Food Industry, Budapest (Hungary))

1992-01-01

Good manufacturing practice (GMP) consist of an effective manufacturing operation and an effective application of food control. GMP is best supported by the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system (HACCP) of the preventive quality assurance, which requires that food irradiation as any food processing technology should be used only with foods of an acceptable quality and adequate handling and storage procedures should precede and follow the processing. The paper concentrates on the first element of the HACCP system for an irradiation plant: the incoming product control, i.e. whether GMP of foods to be irradiated can be assessed by establishing microbiological criteria for their previous good manufacturing practice. In this regard, it summarizes considerations and findings of a ''Consultation on Microbiological Criteria for Foods to be Further Processed Including by Irradiation'' held in 1989 by the International Consultative Group on Food irradiation at the Headquarters of the World Health Organization, Geneva. Difficulties in establishing reference values and defining good manufacturing practices will be pointed out. (orig.)

78 FR 4307 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice Requirements for Combination Products

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-22

...-2009-N-0435] Current Good Manufacturing Practice Requirements for Combination Products AGENCY: Food and...) is issuing this regulation on the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) requirements applicable... this subpart? (Sec. 4.2) D. What current good manufacturing practice requirements apply to my...

Transition to Sustainable Fertilisation in Agriculture, A Practices Approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huttunen, Suvi; Oosterveer, Peter

2017-01-01

It is argued that sustainability transition in agriculture requires a shift from a regime oriented towards increasing agricultural productivity to a regime in which the environmental and social effects of production are regarded as central. Practice theories represent an emerging perspective on

Wetlands and agriculture - Relevance of good agricultural practice and wetland management guidelines for harmonizing the wise use of wetlands and agriculture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, J.; Hengsdijk, H.; Zingstra, H.L.

2009-01-01

The Conference of Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention meeting in 2002 in Valencia adopted Resolution VIII calling for guidelines to enhance the interaction between agriculture, wetlands and water resources management. Resolution VIII.34 requests among others to establish a framework for

75 FR 80011 - Good Laboratory Practice for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-21

.... FDA-2010-N-0548] Good Laboratory Practice for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies AGENCY: Food and Drug... (FDA) is seeking comment on whether to amend the regulations governing good laboratory practices (GLPs..., 1978 (43 FR 60013). As stated in its scope (Sec. 58.1), this regulation prescribes good laboratory...

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE New practices bring lasting food ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2010-11-16

Nov 16, 2010 ... Since 1970, IDRC-supported research has introduced sustainable agricultural practices to farmers and communities across the developing world. The result: higher productivity, less poverty, greater food security, and a healthier environment.

Good practices in Local Government - A first overview of Portuguese reality

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalhosa, P.; Portela, F.; Machado, J.; Santos, M. F.; Abelha, A.

2017-03-01

Good practices in eGov are being increasingly used by Local Governments being that it is considered by them as an advantage. The main goal is providing to the town hall a differentiation point and approximate their services to the citizens. For this, it is necessary to define and apply innovative strategies in order to increase the use of services by the citizens. This paper is framed in a research work and it presents a first overview of the existing good practices in eGov, taking in consideration the Portuguese’s reality. The good practices identified were distinguished with many awards and with a positive response from the target audience. The use of digital marketing strategies aims to increase their membership and coming closer the municipalities of its citizens through the dissemination of the good practices. At this moment the data collected are almost exclusively of good practice in Portugal, however some international practices were also identified. As a result of this study the community has a list of good practices that can be applied in their municipalities.

Emerging Good Practices for Transforming Value Assessment: Patients' Voices, Patients' Values.

Science.gov (United States)

Perfetto, Eleanor M; Harris, Jason; Mullins, C Daniel; dosReis, Susan

2018-04-01

Patient engagement is a transformative strategy for improving value assessment. US value framework developers have increased engagement activities, but more needs to be learned about how to best achieve meaningful patient engagement in value assessment. The objective was to glean good practices in patient engagement emerging from patient community experiences, to be used in value assessment. The National Health Council Value Workgroup conducted a survey and held a focus group with its member advocacy organizations to gather experiences with value framework developers and views on emerging good practices. Ten of 13 organizations completed the survey; reporting 13 interactions with four framework developers. Most rated experiences as "good" to "very good." Emerging good practices included (1) engage early; (2) engage a range of patients; (3) leverage patient-provided information, data resources, and outreach mechanisms; (4) be transparent; and (5) appreciate and accommodate resource constraints. Twelve of 13 organizations participated in the focus group, and this produced 30 emerging good practices in four areas: (1) timing; (2) methodology and data; (3) partnering; and (4) characterizing engagement. Patient engagement was limited in early development of value frameworks but has increased in the past few years. Patient groups report positive experiences that can serve as emerging good practices. These groups also reported experienced challenges in their interactions and recommended good practices to mitigate those challenges. The growing pool of patient engagement experiences can be translated into good practices to advance a patient-centered, value-driven health care ecosystem. Lessons learned from these early experiences can help establish recommend emerging good practices that can eventually result in best practices and standards in the field. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc

75 FR 16345 - Administrative Practices and Procedures; Good Guidance Practices; Technical Amendment

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

.... FDA-1999-N-3539] (formerly Docket No. 1999N-4783) Administrative Practices and Procedures; Good Guidance Practices; Technical Amendment AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Final rule... Subjects in 21 CFR Part 10 Administrative practice and procedure, News media. 0 Therefore, under the...

Agricultural practice and social change in Berastagi area

Science.gov (United States)

Sembiring, Sri Alem Br

2018-03-01

This paper discusses how agricultural practices build social change in the Berastagi highlands. Agricultural products from this area are the vegetable supplier base for Medan City and other surrounding cities. The supply involves a network of trades involving many actors with many interests, as well as generating migration from other areas around and coming from different ethnicities. The migrants’ settlements are concentrated in certain areas of the region around Berastgai. This paper will illustrate the interaction between these aspects to bring about social change in Berastagi. This research uses qualitative method. Primary data were obtained through in-depth interview techniques and participant observation. Secondary data accessed from relevant agencies. This discussion shows how the pattern of social relationships changed due to changes in the goals of agricultural practices that not only oriented local markets but also exports. Competition, secrecy, and money orientation have become part of their planting activities. On the other hand, trade networks also construct them to work together in a particular context. This paper shows that agricultural activities and all things related to it reflect a broader context to see the development of small towns that also affect the development of the surrounding villages.

Bovine cysticercosis in slaughtered cattle as an indicator of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and epidemiological risk factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, Gabriel Augusto Marques; Hoppe, Estevam Guilherme Lux; Mathias, Luis Antonio; Martins, Ana Maria Centola Vidal; Mussi, Leila Aparecida; Prata, Luiz Francisco

2015-03-01

This study focused on estimating the economic losses resulting from cysticercosis at beef cattle farms that supply an export slaughterhouse located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and to identify the epidemiological risks factors involved in the disease to ascertain if these farms adopt Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). To this, we used data recorded in 2012 by Brazil's Federal Inspection Service (SIF) on the daily occurrence of the disease, according to the farm from which the animals originated. In addition, the associated risk factors were determined based on a case-control study at 48 farms. Cysticercosis was detected in 2.26% (95% CI 2.2-2.33) of the 190,903 bovines supplied by 556 farms in the following four states: 2.92% (95% CI 2.83-3.03) in São Paulo, 1.81% (95% CI 1.71-1.93) in Minas Gerais, 0.71% (95% CI 0.6-0.82) in Goiás and 1.11% (95% CI 0.79-1.57) in Mato Grosso do Sul, with significant differences in the epidemiological indices of these states. Cysticercosis was detected at 58.45% (95% CI 54.36-62.55) of the farms of this study, representing estimated economic losses of US$312,194.52 for the farmers. Lower prevalence of this disease were found at the farms qualified for exports to the European Union, indicating a statistically significant difference from those not qualified to export to Europe. The access of cattle to non-controlled water sources, as well as sport fishing activities near the farms, was identified as risk factors. Cysticercosis causes considerable losses in Brazil's beef supply chain, with lower prevalence appearing only at farms qualified to export to the European Union. As for the access of cattle to non-controlled water sources, this is an indication that GAP are not implemented by some farms, demonstrating the violation of international agreements by the industry and the farms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identifying Best Practices for Engaging Faculty in International Agricultural Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexa J. Lamm

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Universities are being called upon to internationalize curriculum as the need for a globally competent workforce increases. Without globally-competent faculty, international integration within higher education cannot occur. Literature indicates that participation in short-term international agricultural education experiences is important to increasing agricultural faculty members’ cultural awareness. However, the best way to design and implement such experiences for faculty is uncharted. The purpose of the study was to identify best practices for facilitating a short-term international education experience for faculty in the agricultural and life sciences that encouraged learning, discussion, and reflection leading faculty to further integrate international perspectives in their agricultural courses in the U.S. Through a qualitative research design, reflective observations and statements from a planning team conducting short-term international agricultural education experience in Ecuador were used to provide a thick, rich description of the successes/challenges faced while designing and implementing the experience. The results provided a list of best practices future planning team members can use to emphasize learning before, during, and after a short-term international agricultural education experience for faculty.

THE NEED TO IMPROVE PRACTICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM IN AGRICULTURE AND SPECIALIZED INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romeo Cătălin CREŢU

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In Romania, the establishment of the market economy has required the elaboration and implementation of agricultural, alimentary and nutritional policies, based on scientific criteria, to ensure that the structure of Romanian agriculture would come close to that of the European Union agriculture. Agricultural policy needs to be coherent, flexible and directed towards the economic, social and environmental protection performance. Worldwide practice shows that empiric experience of economic agents does not suffice, but requires plenty of scientific knowledge. The hereby study undertakes to carry out a radiography of the production potential of agricultural operations in Romania and to demonstrate the need for improving practical information systems in agriculture and specialized industry.

Health physics manual of good practices for tritium facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blauvelt, R.K.; Deaton, M.R.; Gill, J.T. [and others

1991-12-01

The purpose of this document is to provide written guidance defining the generally accepted good practices in use at Department of Energy (DOE) tritium facilities. A {open_quotes}good practice{close_quotes} is an action, policy, or procedure that enhances the radiation protection program at a DOE site. The information selected for inclusion in this document should help readers achieve an understanding of the key radiation protection issues at tritium facilities and provide guidance as to what characterizes excellence from a radiation protection point of view. The ALARA (As Low as Reasonable Achievable) program at DOE sites should be based, in part, on following the good practices that apply to their operations.

Guide to good practice in radiation protection training

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, N.; Schenley, C.; Smith, A.; Weseman, M.

1988-10-01

This set of guidelines applies to radiation protection training programs for all Department of Energy (DOE) contractors, subcontractors, and visitors to DOE contractor facilities. It is to be used as a self-evaluation tool by DOE contractors as they develop and evaluate their training programs. This document is based on good practice guidelines used by a variety of different facilities both within and outside of the DOE contractor system. Good practices are not requirements; they are guidelines that contractors should use as they develop and conduct training programs. The applicability of the contents of the Guide to Good Practice in Radiation Protection Training depends upon each DOE facility's scope and need for radiation safety training. Although the focus of this document is radiation protection training, it is important that the process by which training is developed and implemented be discussed. Therefore, the first section presents guidelines for performance-based training and ideas to be considered regarding the structure and documentation of the training function

Influence of agricultural practices on fusarium infection of cereals and subsequent contamination of grain by trichothecene mycotoxins.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Simon G

2004-10-10

Fusarium head blight (FHB) of small grain cereals and ear rot in maize are significant diseases across the world. Infection can not only result in reduced yield as a result of shrunken grains but also result in reduced milling and malting quality and the contamination of grains with mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are hazardous to animal and human health. Therefore, guidelines and legislation are in place, or under consideration, in most countries to protect consumers and animal welfare. As fusarium mycotoxins are produced within the growing crop, it is important to understand how agricultural practices affect mycotoxin contamination of grain. Such information could then be used to determine guidelines on "Good Agricultural Practice" (GAP) to minimise the mycotoxin contamination of cereal products. Evidence is provided to show the importance of choice of cultivar, crop rotation, soil cultivation, fertiliser and the chemical and biological control of insects, weeds and fungi.

The good laboratory practice and good clinical practice requirements for the production of radiopharmaceuticals in clinical research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Vos, FJ; De Decker, M; Dierckx, RA

Radiopharmaceuticals account for more than 95% of the group of sterile pharmaceutical products and should therefore be handled and produced with care. Since the introduction of the European directive, all pharmaceuticals used in clinical studies must be prepared under good manufacturing practice

An assessment of alternative agricultural management practice impacts on soil carbon in the corn belt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barnwell, T.O. Jr.; Jackson, R.B.; Mulkey, L.A. [Environmental Research Laboratory, Athens, GA (United States)

1993-12-31

This impact of alternative management practices on agricultural soil C is estimated by a soil C mass balance modeling study that incorporates policy considerations in the analysis. A literature review of soil C modeling and impacts of management practices has been completed. The models selected for use and/or modification to meet the needs of representing soil C cycles in agroecosystems and impacts of management practices are CENTURY and DNDC. These models share a common ability to examine the impacts of alternative management practices on soil organic C, and are readily accessible. An important aspect of this effort is the development of the modeling framework and methodology that define the agricultural production systems and scenarios (i.e., crop-soil-climate combinations) to be assessed in terms of national policy, the integration of the model needs with available databases, and the operational mechanics of evaluating C sequestration potential with the integrated model/database system. We are working closely with EPA`s Office of Policy and Program Evaluation to define a reasonable set of policy alternatives for this assessment focusing on policy that might be affected through a revised Farm Bill, such as incentives to selectively promote conservation tillage, crop rotations, and/or good stewardship of the conservation reserve. Policy alternatives are translated into basic data for use in soil C models through economic models. These data, including such elements as agricultural practices, fertilization rates, and production levels are used in the soil C models to produce net carbon changes on a per unit area basis. The unit-area emissions are combined with areal-extent data in a GIS to produce an estimate of total carbon and nitrogen changes and thus estimate greenhouse benefits.

College Students' View of Biotechnology Products and Practices in Sustainable Agriculture Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, William A.

2008-01-01

Sustainable agriculture implies the use of products and practices that sustain production, protect the environment, ensure economic viability, and maintain rural community viability. Disagreement exists as to whether or not the products and practices of modern biotechnological support agricultural sustainability. The purpose of this study was to…

Protection of people and environment from radiation risk through good regulatory practice

Science.gov (United States)

Jais, Azlina Mohammad; Hassan, Najwa

2017-01-01

The term "good regulatory practice" has seen growing frequency of usage worldwide, especially since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident. However, the term appears quite ambiguous as it may mean differently to different people. This leads us to the first important question: what does "good regulatory practice" actually mean? When used in conjunction with the Fukushima incident, do we imply that there is an absence of "good regulatory practice" in the Japanese' Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency (NISA)? This is quite troubling. It is clear that the term should be defined formally so that our understanding of "good regulatory practice" can be standardized. There is still another important question beyond agreeing on what "good regulatory practice" is: is "good regulatory practice" specific to a region, or is it global? And is it applicable only to nuclear regulators, or to all types of regulators per se? This paper aims to deliberate on the above mentioned questions. Specifically, we hope to discuss the "good regulatory practice" for atomic energy activities in order to protect the people and the environment from radiation risk of such activities. By understanding what "good regulatory practice" truly means, a newcomer country such as Malaysia can quickly learn and adopt these practices so as to assure a competent national nuclear regulatory authority who will be responsible in ensuring the safety, security and safeguards of peaceful atomic energy activities in the country including nuclear liability. In understanding this concept, a holistic approach will be taken by looking into example of advanced and newcomer countries of various nuclear regulatory authorities all around the world. Then the paper will focus on the challenges that the current nuclear regulatory authority in Malaysia which is Atomic Energy Licensing Board has, its challenges to follow the concept of "good regulatory practice" and its ways to overcome it. This study explore the initiatives could be

Practical Significance of Basin Water Market Construction on Agricultural Production

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2011-01-01

On the basis of introducing the concept of water market and the water market research in cluding both domestic market and foreign market,the system design features of water market are analyzed.The features include the prior distribution of agricultural water right,the close construction of market structure,reasonable price of water obtaining right and water pollution-discharge right and scientific stipulation of total volume of water use and total volume of pollution drainage.The practical significances of basin water market construction on Chinese agricultural production are revealed,which clover safeguarding the safety of agricultural water;effectively alleviating agricultural drought;saving the agricultural production water and improving the quality of agricultural products.

Understanding Graduate School Aspirations: The Effect of Good Teaching Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Jana M.; Paulsen, Michael B.; Pascarella, Ernest T.

2016-01-01

This study examined the effects of good teaching practices on post-baccalaureate degree aspirations using logistic regression techniques on a multi-institutional, longitudinal sample of students at 4-year colleges and universities in the USA. We examined whether eight good teaching practices (non-classroom interactions with faculty, prompt…

Exposure of Senior School Students to Practical Work in Agriculture ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Practical work facilitates the process of acquisition of basic knowledge and practical skills that prepare students for occupation in Agriculture. The West African Examination Council's policy with respect to Science Subjects stipulates that practical work should form the basis of teaching their syllabus (WAEC Syllabus, ...

Clinical audit: Development of the criteria of good practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soimakallio, S.; Alanen, A.; Jaervinen, H.; Ahonen, A.; Ceder, K.; Lyyra-Laitinen, T.; Paunio, M.; Sinervo, T.; Wigren, T.

2011-01-01

Clinical audit is a systematic review of the procedures in order to improve the quality and the outcome of patient care, whereby the procedures are examined against agreed standards for good medical Radiological procedures. The criteria of good procedures (i.e. the good practice) are thus the cornerstones for development of clinical audits: these should be the basis of assessments regardless of the type of the audit-external, internal, comprehensive or partial. A lot of criteria for good practices are available through the recommendations and publications by international and national professional societies and other relevant organisations. For practical use in clinical audits, the criteria need to be compiled, sorted out and agreed on for the particular aims of an audit (comprehensive or partial, external or internal). The national professional and scientific societies can provide valuable contribution to this development. For examination-or treatment-specific criteria- preliminary consensus needs to be obtained with the help of clinical experts, while clinical audits can be useful as a benchmarking tool to improve the criteria. (authors)

Evaluation Instruments and Good Practices in Online Education

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, Sally J.; Trespalacios, Jesús

2017-01-01

Chickering and Gamson's (1987) "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" offers extensively researched and validated tenets for best practices in higher education. After a review of the literature, twenty-eight evaluation instruments currently used to design and review online courses in higher education institutions…

Health physics manual of good practices for tritium facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blauvelt, R.K.; Deaton, M.R.; Gill, J.T.

1991-12-01

The purpose of this document is to provide written guidance defining the generally accepted good practices in use at Department of Energy (DOE) tritium facilities. A open-quotes good practiceclose quotes is an action, policy, or procedure that enhances the radiation protection program at a DOE site. The information selected for inclusion in this document should help readers achieve an understanding of the key radiation protection issues at tritium facilities and provide guidance as to what characterizes excellence from a radiation protection point of view. The ALARA (As Low as Reasonable Achievable) program at DOE sites should be based, in part, on following the good practices that apply to their operations

Behavioral Patterns in Special Education. Good Teaching Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Dorta, Manuela; Borges, África

2017-01-01

Providing quality education means to respond to the diversity in the classroom. The teacher is a key figure in responding to the various educational needs presented by students. Specifically, special education professionals are of great importance as they are the ones who lend their support to regular classroom teachers and offer specialized educational assistance to students who require it. Therefore, special education is different from what takes place in the regular classroom, demanding greater commitment by the teacher. There are certain behaviors, considered good teaching practices, which teachers have always been connected with to achieve good teaching and good learning. To ensure that these teachers are carrying out their educational work properly it is necessary to evaluate. This means having appropriate instruments. The Observational Protocol for Teaching Functions in Primary School and Special Education (PROFUNDO-EPE, v.3., in Spanish) allows to capture behaviors from these professionals and behavioral patterns that correspond to good teaching practices. This study evaluates the behavior of two special education teachers who work with students from different educational stages and educational needs. It reveals that the analyzed teachers adapt their behavior according the needs and characteristics of their students to the students responding more adequately to the needs presented by the students and showing good teaching practices. The patterns obtained indicate that they offer support, help and clear guidelines to perform the tasks. They motivate them toward learning by providing positive feedback and they check that students have properly assimilated the contents through questions or non-verbal supervision. Also, they provide a safe and reliable climate for learning.

Pharmacokinetic studies of neuromuscular blocking agents: Good Clinical Research Practice (GCRP)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Viby-Mogensen, J.; Østergaard, D.; Donati, F.

2000-01-01

Good Clinical Research Practice (GCRP), neuromuscular blocking agents, pharmacokinetics, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling, population pharmacokinetics, statistics, study design......Good Clinical Research Practice (GCRP), neuromuscular blocking agents, pharmacokinetics, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling, population pharmacokinetics, statistics, study design...

The Highest Good and the Practical Regulative Knowledge in Kant’s Critique of Practical Reason

OpenAIRE

Joel Thiago Klein

2016-01-01

In this paper I defend three different points: first, that the concept of highest good is derived from an a priori but subjective argument, namely a maxim of pure practical reason; secondly, that the theory regarding the highest good has the validity of a practical regulative knowledge; and thirdly, that the practical regulative knowledge can be understood as the same “holding something to be true” as Kant attributes to hope and believe.

Effects of intense agricultural practices on heterotrophic processes in streams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piscart, Christophe [Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1 - Laboratoire d' Ecologie des Hydrosystemes Fluviaux - UMR CNRS 5023 - Campus Doua, 43 Bd du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex (France); Universite de Rennes 1 - UMR CNRS ECOBIO 6553 - Campus Beaulieu, 263 Av. du General Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex (France)], E-mail: christophe.piscart@univ-lyon1.fr; Genoel, Romuald [Universite de Rennes 1 - UMR CNRS ECOBIO 6553 - Campus Beaulieu, 263 Av. du General Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex (France); Doledec, Sylvain [Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1 - Laboratoire d' Ecologie des Hydrosystemes Fluviaux - UMR CNRS 5023 - Campus Doua, 43 Bd du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex (France); Chauvet, Eric [Universite Paul Sabatier de Toulouse - Laboratoire EcoLab - UMR CNRS 5245, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, 31055 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France); Marmonier, Pierre [Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1 - Laboratoire d' Ecologie des Hydrosystemes Fluviaux - UMR CNRS 5023 - Campus Doua, 43 Bd du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex (France); Universite de Rennes 1 - UMR CNRS ECOBIO 6553 - Campus Beaulieu, 263 Av. du General Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex (France)

2009-03-15

In developed countries, changes in agriculture practices have greatly accelerated the degradation of the landscape and the functioning of adjacent aquatic ecosystems. Such alteration can in turn impair the services provided by aquatic ecosystems, namely the decomposition of organic matter, a key process in most small streams. To study this alteration, we recorded three measures of heterotrophic activity corresponding to microbial hydrolasic activity (FDA hydrolysis) and leaf litter breakdown rates with (k{sub c}) and without invertebrates (k{sub f}) along a gradient of contrasted agricultural pressures. Hydrolasic activity and k{sub f} reflect local/microhabitat conditions (i.e. nutrient concentrations and organic matter content of the sediment) but not land use while k{sub c} reflects land-use conditions. k{sub c}, which is positively correlated with the biomass of Gammaridae, significantly decreased with increasing agricultural pressure, contrary to the taxonomic richness and biomass of Trichoptera and Plecoptera. Gammaridae may thus be considered a key species for organic matter recycling in agriculture-impacted streams. - This study highlights the consequences of intensive agricultural practices on heterotrophic processes in streams along a strong gradient of perturbation.

Good Practices in Free-energy Calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Pohorille, Andrew; Jarzynski, Christopher; Chipot, Christopher

2013-01-01

As access to computational resources continues to increase, free-energy calculations have emerged as a powerful tool that can play a predictive role in drug design. Yet, in a number of instances, the reliability of these calculations can be improved significantly if a number of precepts, or good practices are followed. For the most part, the theory upon which these good practices rely has been known for many years, but often overlooked, or simply ignored. In other cases, the theoretical developments are too recent for their potential to be fully grasped and merged into popular platforms for the computation of free-energy differences. The current best practices for carrying out free-energy calculations will be reviewed demonstrating that, at little to no additional cost, free-energy estimates could be markedly improved and bounded by meaningful error estimates. In energy perturbation and nonequilibrium work methods, monitoring the probability distributions that underlie the transformation between the states of interest, performing the calculation bidirectionally, stratifying the reaction pathway and choosing the most appropriate paradigms and algorithms for transforming between states offer significant gains in both accuracy and precision. In thermodynamic integration and probability distribution (histogramming) methods, properly designed adaptive techniques yield nearly uniform sampling of the relevant degrees of freedom and, by doing so, could markedly improve efficiency and accuracy of free energy calculations without incurring any additional computational expense.

European good practice in composite floor construction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brekelmans, J.W.P.M.; Daniels, B.J.; Stark, J.W.B.; Darwin, David; Buckner, C.D.

1992-01-01

Previous European experience, research and design for composite slabs with profiled steel decking are discussed. Present efforts to harmonize composite slab design and good construction practice are presented. Future European developments, for the next five years, are postulated.

The Influence of Perceptions of Practice Characteristics: An Examination of Agricultural Best Management Practice Adoption in Two Indiana Watersheds

Science.gov (United States)

Reimer, Adam P.; Weinkauf, Denise Klotthor; Prokopy, Linda Stalker

2012-01-01

Agricultural best management practices (BMPs), or conservation practices, can help reduce nonpoint source pollution from agricultural lands, as well as provide valuable wildlife habitat. There is a large literature exploring factors that lead to a producer's voluntary adoption of BMPs, but there have been inconsistent findings. Generally, this…

Regional effects of agricultural conservation practices on nutrient transport

Science.gov (United States)

Anna Maria Garcia; Richard B. Alexander; Jeffrey G. Arnold; Lee Norfleet; Mike White; Dale M. Robertson; Gregory Schwarz

2016-01-01

The Conservation Effects Assessment Program (CEAP), initiated by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), has the goal of quantifying the environmental benefits of agricultural conservation practices. As part of this effort, detailed farmer surveyswere compiled to document the adoption of conservation practices. Survey data showed that up to 38...

Good Practice Standards – a Regulation Tool

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Marie Jull

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to identify the considerations weighed in regulation with good practice standards. In this article, potential due process problems with regulation via legal standards are identified and compared to other considerations, which this regulation technique meets....

Wind Farms Community Engagement Good Practice Review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aitken, Mhairi; Haggett, Claire; Rudolph, David Philipp

2014-01-01

This report sets out the findings of a review of community engagement for wind farm developments. We focus in particular on the engagement carried out by developers with communities. The aims of the study were to evaluate current good practice for engaging people in decision making about on......- and offshore wind farms in different European countries; to evaluate the effect that different practices have on public opinion and acceptance; and to make relevant recommendations for Scottish policy and planning....

Transformation and sustainability in agriculture : connecting practice with social theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vellema, S.

2011-01-01

Public pressure and societal changes induce interventions and policies, which aim to transform agriculture and food provision. This book shows that for upscaling novel practices and organizational models it is important to include meso-level regime aspects in analysis and practice. The argument

127 Field Practical Training Programme of Faculties of Agriculture in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

Keywords: Practical training, students of agriculture faculty ... fertility, agronomy and horticultural practices, crop protection activities, ... and Frick (2004) submitted that companies of today want graduates with ... The State accounts for 2.3% of Nigeria's total population. ..... Carrying out appropriate husbandry measures for.

21 CFR 212.2 - What is current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

..., holding, or distribution of PET drugs intended for human use. Current good manufacturing practice is... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is current good manufacturing practice for... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR POSITRON EMISSION...

Sociocultural Transformation & Development. Good Practices or Successful Actions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oriol Ríos

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The most disadvantadged neighborhoods in Europe have received funds from State Administration to eradicate social exclusion and overcome processes of urban ghettoization. These processes are being implemented in several social areas such as housing, employment, and education. Actions, defined as "good practices", are usually valued by the quantity and type and not by the quality and final outcomes they achieve. For example, when they improve the living conditions of the populations in these areas. The INCLUD-ED project shows positive results by replacing these "good practices" by "successful actions". They are grounded on scientific evidence in order to respond to the aims set by the neighbours of these disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Alternative Pathways to Apprenticeships. Good Practice Guide

Science.gov (United States)

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2015

2015-01-01

Apprenticeships are changing. The increasing proportions of people entering apprenticeships at various levels of ability and backgrounds are stimulating demand for alternative pathways to completions. This good practice guide assembles the key findings for education practitioners and workplace supervisors from three related research reports on…

Influences of agricultural management practices on Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungal symbioses in Kenyan agro-ecosystems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Muriithi-Muchane, M.N.

2013-01-01

Conservation agriculture (CA) and integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) practices are receiving increased attention as pathways to sustainable high-production agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. However, little is known about the effects of these practices on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

The eco-evolutionary impacts of domestication and agricultural practices on wild species.

Science.gov (United States)

Turcotte, Martin M; Araki, Hitoshi; Karp, Daniel S; Poveda, Katja; Whitehead, Susan R

2017-01-19

Agriculture is a dominant evolutionary force that drives the evolution of both domesticated and wild species. However, the various mechanisms of agriculture-induced evolution and their socio-ecological consequences are not often synthetically discussed. Here, we explore how agricultural practices and evolutionary changes in domesticated species cause evolution in wild species. We do so by examining three processes by which agriculture drives evolution. First, differences in the traits of domesticated species, compared with their wild ancestors, alter the selective environment and create opportunities for wild species to specialize. Second, selection caused by agricultural practices, including both those meant to maximize productivity and those meant to control pest species, can lead to pest adaptation. Third, agriculture can cause non-selective changes in patterns of gene flow in wild species. We review evidence for these processes and then discuss their ecological and sociological impacts. We finish by identifying important knowledge gaps and future directions related to the eco-evolutionary impacts of agriculture including their extent, how to prevent the detrimental evolution of wild species, and finally, how to use evolution to minimize the ecological impacts of agriculture.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human influences on evolution, and the ecological and societal consequences'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) / Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) Review and Applicability for Chemical Security Enhancements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iveson, Steven W. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). International Chemical Security Threat Reduction

2014-11-01

Global chemical security has been enhanced through the determined use and integration of both voluntary and legislated standards. Many popular standards contain components that specifically detail requirements for the security of materials, facilities and other vital assets. In this document we examine the roll of quality management standards and how they affect the security culture within the institutions that adopt these standards in order to conduct business within the international market place. Good manufacturing practices and good laboratory practices are two of a number of quality management systems that have been adopted as law in many nations. These standards are designed to protect the quality of drugs, medicines, foods and analytical test results in order to provide the world-wide consumer with safe and affective products for consumption. These standards provide no established security protocols and yet manage to increase the security of chemicals, materials, facilities and the supply chain via the effective and complete control over the manufacturing, the global supply chains and testing processes. We discuss the means through which these systems enhance security and how nations can further improve these systems with additional regulations that deal specifically with security in the realm of these management systems. We conclude with a discussion of new technologies that may cause disruption within the industries covered by these standards and how these issues might be addressed in order to maintain or increase the level of security within the industries and nations that have adopted these standards.

Agriculture and stream water quality: A biological evaluation of erosion control practices

Science.gov (United States)

Lenat, David R.

1984-07-01

Agricultural runoff affects many streams in North Carolina. However, there is is little information about either its effect on stream biota or any potential mitigation by erosion control practices. In this study, benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled in three different geographic areas of North Carolina, comparing control watersheds with well-managed and poorly managed watersheds. Agricultural streams were characterized by lower taxa richness (especially for intolerant groups) and low stability. These effects were most evident at the poorly managed sites. Sedimentation was the apparent major problem, but some changes at agricultural sites implied water quality problems. The groups most intolerant of agricultural runoff were Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera. Tolerant species were usually filter-feeders or algal grazers, suggesting a modification of the food web by addition of particulate organic matter and nutrients. This study clearly indicates that agricultural runoff can severely impact stream biota. However, this impact can be greatly mitigated by currently recommended erosion control practices.

Climate sensitivity of DSSAT under different agriculture practice scenarios in China

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, L.; Robock, A.

2014-12-01

Crop yields are sensitive to both agricultural practice and climate changes. Under different agricultural practice scenarios, crop yield may have different climate sensitivities. Since it is important to understand how future climate changes affect agriculture productivity and what the potential adaptation strategies would be to compensate for possible negative impacts on crop production, we performed experiments to study climate sensitivity under different agricultural practice scenarios for rice, maize and wheat in the top four production provinces in China using the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) crop model. The agricultural practice scenarios include four categories: different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer or no nitrogen stress; irrigation turned on or off, or no water stress; all possible seeds in the DSSAT cultivar data base; and different planting dates. For the climate sensitivity test, the control climate is from 1998 to 2007, and we individually modify four climate variables: daily maximum and minimum temperature by +2 °C and -2 °C, daily precipitation by +20% and -20%, and daily solar radiation by + 20% and -20%. With more nitrogen fertilizer applied, crops are more sensitive to temperature changes as well as precipitation changes because of their release from nitrogen limitation. With irrigation turned on, crop yield sensitivity to temperature decreases in most of the regions depending on the amount of the local precipitation, since more water is available and soil temperature varies less with higher soil moisture. Those results indicate that there could be possible agriculture adaptation strategies under certain future climate scenarios. For example, increasing nitrogen fertilizer usage by a certain amount might compensate for the negative impact on crop yield from climate changes. However, since crops are more sensitive to climate changes when there is more nitrogen fertilizer applied, if the climate changes are

Good practice guide for ESP-r developers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hensen, J.L.M.

1991-01-01

This report sets out to be a ‘good practice guide’ for researchers involved in the development of the ESP-r building and plant simulation environment, as this is currently under development at various research centres throughout Europe. After an introduction to the background for this work, the

Good manufacturing practice - quality assurance programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masefield, John; Thompson, Steven

1986-01-01

The concept of good manufacturing practice (GMP) in the medical device industry requires the use of controlled methods and equipment in performing each step in the device manufacturing process. Quality assurance programs are used to maintain compliance with GMP requirements by prescribing the operating and control procedures to be used. The specific elements of a quality assurance program for the radiation sterilization of medical devices are described. (author)

Health physics manual of good practices for accelerator facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casey, W.R.; Miller, A.J.; McCaslin, J.B.; Coulson, L.V.

1988-04-01

It is hoped that this manual will serve both as a teaching aid as well as a useful adjunct for program development. In the context of application, this manual addresses good practices that should be observed by management, staff, and designers since the achievement of a good radiation program indeed involves a combined effort. Ultimately, radiation safety and good work practices become the personal responsibility of the individual. The practices presented in this manual are not to be construed as mandatory rather they are to be used as appropriate for the specific case in the interest of radiation safety. As experience is accrued and new data obtained in the application of this document, ONS will update the guidance to assure that at any given time the guidance reflects optimum performance consistent with current technology and practice.The intent of this guide therefore is to: define common health physics problems at accelerators; recommend suitable methods of identifying, evaluating, and managing accelerator health physics problems; set out the established safety practices at DOE accelerators that have been arrived at by consensus and, where consensus has not yet been reached, give examples of safe practices; introduce the technical literature in the accelerator health physics field; and supplement the regulatory documents listed in Appendix D. Many accelerator health physics problems are no different than those at other kinds of facilities, e.g., ALARA philosophy, instrument calibration, etc. These problems are touched on very lightly or not at all. Similarly, this document does not cover other hazards such as electrical shock, toxic materials, etc. This does not in any way imply that these problems are not serious. 160 refs

Good enough practices in scientific computing.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Greg; Bryan, Jennifer; Cranston, Karen; Kitzes, Justin; Nederbragt, Lex; Teal, Tracy K

2017-06-01

Computers are now essential in all branches of science, but most researchers are never taught the equivalent of basic lab skills for research computing. As a result, data can get lost, analyses can take much longer than necessary, and researchers are limited in how effectively they can work with software and data. Computing workflows need to follow the same practices as lab projects and notebooks, with organized data, documented steps, and the project structured for reproducibility, but researchers new to computing often don't know where to start. This paper presents a set of good computing practices that every researcher can adopt, regardless of their current level of computational skill. These practices, which encompass data management, programming, collaborating with colleagues, organizing projects, tracking work, and writing manuscripts, are drawn from a wide variety of published sources from our daily lives and from our work with volunteer organizations that have delivered workshops to over 11,000 people since 2010.

Ammonia Emissions from the Agriculture Sector of Argentina in a Context of Changing Technologies and Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Dawidowski, L. E.

2015-12-01

Agriculture is a key sector of the Argentinean economy, accounting for 6 to 8 5% of the GDP in the last ten years. Argentina switched in the 90´s from an articulated co-evolution between extensive livestock and crop farming, with annual rotation of crops and livestock, to intensive decoupled practices. Under these new production schemes, ecosystems were supplied with more nutrients, generating increasing levels of wastes. Other changes have also occurred, associated with the shift of the agricultural frontier and the consequent reduction in the cattle stock. In addition, changes related to climate through the strong increase in rainfall in the 80s and 90s in the west Pampas, helped to boost agricultural development. The agriculture sector accounts for practically all NH3 emissions in Argentina, however no inventory has been thus far available. To bridge this gap and particularly to have accurate input information to run coupled atmospheric chemistry models for secondary inorganic aerosols, we estimated 2000-2012 NH3 emissions, both at national and spatially disaggregated levels. Of particular interest for us was also temporal disaggregation as crops growing and temperature exhibit strong seasonal variability. As no NH3 inventory was available we also estimated related N2O emissions to verify our estimates with those of national GHG emission inventory (NEI). National NH3 emissions in 2012 amounted to 309.9 Gg, use of fertilizers accounted for 43.6%, manure management 18,9%, manure in pasture 36,0% and agricultural waste burning 1.5%. Our N2O estimates are in good agreement with the GHG-NEI. NH3 estimates in the EDGAR database for 2008 are 84.0% higher than ours for this year, and exhibit more significant differences per category, namely 113,6% higher for use of fertilizers and about 500% higher for agricultural waste burning. Urea dominates national NH3 emissions, accounting for 32,8% of the total and its use for wheat and corn crops dominates the trend.

Tourism. Leonardo da Vinci Series: Good Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

This brochure, part of a series about good practices in vocational training in the European Union, describes 10 projects that have promoted investment in human resources through training in the tourism sector to promote sustainable, or responsible, tourism. The projects and their countries of origin are as follows: (1) BEEFT, training of mobility…

Implementation status and barriers of good manufacturing practice ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Removal of implementation barriers could be considered, including strengthening personnel competence, improving the quality management system and enhancing the international communication with advanced GMP regulators. Keywords: good manufacturing practice, GMP, Chinese patent medicine, traditional Chinese ...

78 FR 12068 - Device Good Manufacturing Practice Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2013-N-0001] Device Good Manufacturing Practice Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Food and Drug... Committee: Device Good Manufacturing Practice Advisory Committee. General Function of the Committee: To...

Good Policy, Good Practice II. Improving Outcomes and Productivity in Higher Education: A Guide for Policymakers

Science.gov (United States)

Brenneman, Meghan Wilson; Callan, Patrick M.; Ewell, Peter T.; Finney, Joni E.; Jones, Dennis P.; Zis, Stacey

2010-01-01

This new edition of "Good Policy, Good Practice II" revises and updates the authors' 2007 publication. Like the earlier edition, it responds to one of the questions that is raised most frequently in the authors' work with public policy and education leaders as they begin to address the national and state imperatives to increase the proportion of…

[Identification of Good-Practice Projects in Promoting Physical Activity - Methods, Pitfalls and Sampled Outcomes].

Science.gov (United States)

Henn, Annette; Karger, Claudia; Wöhlken, Katrin; Meier, Diana; Ungerer-Röhrich, Ulrike; Graf, Christine; Woll, Alexander

2017-03-01

The aim of this paper is to identify and show examples of good practice of public health promotion. For this, uniform quality criteria were worked out under consideration of national and international scientific literature.For the identification of examples of good practice, a comparison of different quality criteria was carried out and combined with each other in a first step. In the following step, examples of good practice were identified after a comprehensive search. The choice of the "good-practice" projects is exemplary and lays no claim to completeness.6 main quality criteria (QC) of programs promoting physical activity could be identified in the national and international context. The analysis showed altogether 10 projects which can exemplarily be classified as examples of good practice of the target groups of children and teenagers, adults, older people and people with pre-existing illnesses. These projects, however, show major differences in their (methodological) quality.The analysis reports a lack of "Good-Practice" examples. Deficits lie mainly in documentation and sustainability. Because of incomplete documentation, an assessment as a "Good-Practice" example is only possible to a limited extent; a lot of information, particularly in the evaluation, is missing. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Principles of Good Practice in SoTL

Science.gov (United States)

Felten, Peter

2013-01-01

For the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) to be understood as significant intellectual work in the academy, SoTL practitioners need to identify shared principles of good practice. While honoring the diversity of SoTL in its many forms across the globe, such principles can serve as a heuristic for assessing work in our field. These…

The online good practice guide on job finding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levinsen, Karin Tweddell; Ørngreen, Rikke; Andreasen, Lars Birch

2010-01-01

The Online Good Practice Guide on Job Finding is a result of the project L@JOST, 'Learn about finding jobs through digital storytelling', with the purpose of enhancing the employability possibilities of graduated students through the use of e-portfolio and digital storytelling....

Investigating School-Wide Antecedents of Good Practice Dissemination from Individual Subject Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Christophersen, Knut-Andreas; Elstad, Eyvind; Turmo, Are

2012-01-01

Good practice dissemination is an unsolved problem in education. This article describes how clear and "soft" leadership and perceptions of social and economic exchange operate in the bottom-up processes of school reforms and examines the relative impact of these factors on school-wide good practice dissemination and discusses how…

The Conditional Nature of High Impact/Good Practices on Student Learning Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Seifert, Tricia A.; Gillig, Benjamin; Hanson, Jana M.; Pascarella, Ernest T.; Blaich, Charles F.

2014-01-01

Using a multi-institutional sample of undergraduate students, this study found that the relationships between engaging in high impact/good practices and liberal arts outcomes differ based on students' precollege and background characteristics. Findings suggest that high impact/good practices are not a panacea and require a greater degree of…

Management Documentation: Indicators & Good Practice at Cultural Heritage Places

Science.gov (United States)

Eppich, R.; Garcia Grinda, J. L.

2015-08-01

Documentation for cultural heritage places usually refers to describing the physical attributes, surrounding context, condition or environment; most of the time with images, graphics, maps or digital 3D models in their various forms with supporting textural information. Just as important as this type of information is the documentation of managerial attributes. How do managers of cultural heritage places collect information related to financial or economic well-being? How are data collected over time measured, and what are significant indicators for improvement? What quality of indicator is good enough? Good management of cultural heritage places is essential for conservation longevity, preservation of values and enjoyment by the public. But how is management documented? The paper will describe the research methodology, selection and description of attributes or indicators related to good management practice. It will describe the criteria for indicator selection and why they are important, how and when they are collected, by whom, and the difficulties in obtaining this information. As importantly it will describe how this type of documentation directly contributes to improving conservation practice. Good practice summaries will be presented that highlight this type of documentation including Pamplona and Ávila, Spain and Valletta, Malta. Conclusions are drawn with preliminary recommendations for improvement of this important aspect of documentation. Documentation of this nature is not typical and presents a unique challenge to collect, measure and communicate easily. However, it is an essential category that is often ignored yet absolutely essential in order to conserve cultural heritage places.

78 FR 53151 - The Applicability of Good Laboratory Practice in Premarket Device Submissions: Questions and...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-28

...] The Applicability of Good Laboratory Practice in Premarket Device Submissions: Questions and Answers... availability of the draft guidance entitled ``The Applicability of Good Laboratory Practice in Premarket Device... applicability of good laboratory practice (GLP) to nonclinical laboratory studies conducted in support of...

77 FR 16158 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Processing, Packing, or Holding of Drugs...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-20

.... FDA-1997-N-0518] (formerly 97N-0300) Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Processing... labeling control provisions of the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for human and... GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR FINISHED PHARMACEUTICALS 0 1. The authority citation for 21 CFR part...

Social and Individual Influences on Tractor Operating Practices of Young Adult Agricultural Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudolphi, Josie M; Campo, Shelly; Gerr, Fred; Rohlman, Diane S

2018-05-01

Tractor-related incidents are the leading cause of agricultural-related fatalities in the United States. Injuries from rollovers can be prevented by equipping tractors with rollover protective structures (ROPS, an engineering approach) and by using seatbelts (a behavior-based approach). While adult farmers report low seatbelt use and frequent use of tractors without ROPS, it is unknown whether the young adult population has adopted similar tractor driving practices. This study was designed to identify tractor operating practices among young adult agricultural workers and the influence of supervisors, peers, and parents on their safety behaviors. An online survey was conducted among college students enrolled in agricultural science classes in four Midwestern colleges and universities. Participants answered questions about their tractor operating practices, the influence of supervisors, peers, parents, and individual risk taking tendencies on their workplace practices. A tractor operation safety score was estimated from participants' responses. Linear regression was used to examine the association of these influences and the tractor operation safety score. Of the 193 respondents, most (78.8%) reported that they never or rarely wear a seatbelt when operating a tractor with a ROPS. Supervisory influences, such as being negatively evaluated by a supervisor, were found to be more strongly associated with tractor operating behaviors than peer or parent influence. Young adult agricultural workers frequently reported unsafe tractor operating behaviors. Supervisors were found to have the most influence over reported behaviors of young adult agricultural workers. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Connected Cities : Guide to good practice underground space

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Hoeven, F.D.; Hobma, W.

2007-01-01

This guide to good practice underground space is developed within the framework of the EU-funded INTERREG IIIC project ‘Connected Cities’. It focuses on how a strategic use of underground space can facilitate sustainable modes of transportation and mobility in urban and rural areas. Twelve strategic

Greenhouse gas emissions related to agriculture and land-use practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burke, L.M.; Lashof, D.A.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on the effects of increasing trace gas concentrations and concomitant climate change on agriculture which are likely to be substantial. With cropland and pasture now covering 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O. Land clearing for agriculture and other purposes is responsible for 10 to 30% of total net CO 2 emissions; the rest is due to fossil fuel combustion. In addition, intentional burning of agricultural wastes, grasslands, and forests makes a significant contribution to global emissions of CO, CH 4 , NO x and N 2 O. Methane emissions from anaerobic respiration in rice (Oryza sativa L.) paddies and domestic animal remains account for 30 to 50% of the global total, making agriculture the dominant anthropogenic source of this gas. The amount of N 2 O emitted as a result of N fertilizer applications is highly uncertain, but may be on the order of 10% of total N 2 O emissions. Future agricultural greenhouse gas emissions will be affected by population growth, economic development, and agricultural practices. Greenhouse gas emissions are likely to increase substantially in the future unless steps are taken to control them. Investigating potential approaches to reducing these emissions while expanding production presents a major challenge to the agricultural research community

"Inclusive Working Life" in Norway--experience from "Models of Good Practice" enterprises.

Science.gov (United States)

Lie, Arve

2008-08-01

To determine whether enterprises belonging to the Bank of Models of Good Practice were more successful than average Norwegian enterprises in the reduction of sickness absence, promotion of early return to work, and prevention of early retirement. In 2004 we selected 86 enterprises with a total of approximately 90000 employees from the Inclusive Working Life (IWL) Bank of Models of Good Practice. One representative of workers and one of management from each enterprise received a questionnaire on the aims, organization, and the results of the IWL program by mail. Data on sickness absence, use of early retirement, and disability retirement in the 2000-2004 period were collected from the National Insurance Registry. Data on comparable enterprises were obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics. The response rate was 65%. Although the IWL campaign was directed at reducing sickness absence, preventing early retirement, and promoting employment of the functionally impaired, most attention was paid to reducing sickness absence. Sickness absence rate in Models of Good Practice enterprises (8.2%) was higher than in comparable enterprises that were not part of the Models of Good Practice (6.9%). Implementation of many IWL activities, empowerment and involvement of employees, and good cooperation with the occupational health service were associated with a lower rate of sickness absence. On average, 0.7% new employees per year received disability pension, which is a significantly lower percentage than expected on the basis of the rate of 1.3% per year in comparable enterprises. Frequent use of disability pensioning was associated with high rate of sickness absence and having many employees older than 50 years. On average, 0.4% employees per year received early retirement compensation, which was expected on the basis of national estimates. Frequent use of early retirement was associated with having many employees older than 50 years. Models of Good Practice enterprises had

Good practices for quantitative bias analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lash, Timothy L; Fox, Matthew P; MacLehose, Richard F; Maldonado, George; McCandless, Lawrence C; Greenland, Sander

2014-12-01

Quantitative bias analysis serves several objectives in epidemiological research. First, it provides a quantitative estimate of the direction, magnitude and uncertainty arising from systematic errors. Second, the acts of identifying sources of systematic error, writing down models to quantify them, assigning values to the bias parameters and interpreting the results combat the human tendency towards overconfidence in research results, syntheses and critiques and the inferences that rest upon them. Finally, by suggesting aspects that dominate uncertainty in a particular research result or topic area, bias analysis can guide efficient allocation of sparse research resources. The fundamental methods of bias analyses have been known for decades, and there have been calls for more widespread use for nearly as long. There was a time when some believed that bias analyses were rarely undertaken because the methods were not widely known and because automated computing tools were not readily available to implement the methods. These shortcomings have been largely resolved. We must, therefore, contemplate other barriers to implementation. One possibility is that practitioners avoid the analyses because they lack confidence in the practice of bias analysis. The purpose of this paper is therefore to describe what we view as good practices for applying quantitative bias analysis to epidemiological data, directed towards those familiar with the methods. We focus on answering questions often posed to those of us who advocate incorporation of bias analysis methods into teaching and research. These include the following. When is bias analysis practical and productive? How does one select the biases that ought to be addressed? How does one select a method to model biases? How does one assign values to the parameters of a bias model? How does one present and interpret a bias analysis?. We hope that our guide to good practices for conducting and presenting bias analyses will encourage

Top 10 metrics for life science software good practices [version 1; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haydee Artaza

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Metrics for assessing adoption of good development practices are a useful way to ensure that software is sustainable, reusable and functional. Sustainability means that the software used today will be available - and continue to be improved and supported - in the future. We report here an initial set of metrics that measure good practices in software development. This initiative differs from previously developed efforts in being a community-driven grassroots approach where experts from different organisations propose good software practices that have reasonable potential to be adopted by the communities they represent. We not only focus our efforts on understanding and prioritising good practices, we assess their feasibility for implementation and publish them here.

Relative importance of Farmers’ Characteristics in Predicting their Knowledge about Indigenous Agricultural Practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Sakeer Husain

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted to identify the farmers’ characteristics that act as factors in influencing their knowledge on indigenous agricultural practices. The study was conducted in the state of Kerala among 40 farmers each of ten selected horticultural crops. Step wise regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were employed to identify the influencing factors. The study revealed that age, farm power status, innovativeness, rational orientation, communication status, and social participation status positively influence knowledge of farmers on indigenous agricultural practices whereas material status, educational status, and family status were the important characteristics of farmers negatively influencing the knowledge of indigenous practices.

Guide to good practices for on-the-job training

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-07-01

The purpose of the Department of Energy (DOE) Guide to Good Practices for On-the-Job Training (OJT) is to provide DOE contractor organizations with information that can be used to modify existing programs or to develop new programs. This guide replaces the Guide to Good Practices for On-the-Job Training that was distributed to DOE and DOE contractors in 1987. DOE contractors should not feel obligated to adopt all parts of this guide. Rather, they can use the information in this guide to develop programs that apply to their facility. This guide can be used as an aid in the design and development of a facility's OJT programs and to assist the instructors who conduct OJT and performance tests in the areas of facility operations, maintenance, and technical supports.

Agriculture: Agriculture and Air Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Information on air emissions from agricultural practices, types of agricultural burning, air programs that may apply to agriculture, reporting requirements, and links to state and other federal air-quality information.

ASSESSMENT OF GOOD PRACTICES IN HOSPITAL FOOD SERVICE BY COMPARING EVALUATION TOOLS.

Science.gov (United States)

Macedo Gonçalves, Juliana; Lameiro Rodrigues, Kelly; Santiago Almeida, Ângela Teresinha; Pereira, Giselda Maria; Duarte Buchweitz, Márcia Rúbia

2015-10-01

since food service in hospitals complements medical treatment, it should be produced in proper hygienic and sanitary conditions. It is a well-known fact that food-transmitted illnesses affect with greater severity hospitalized and immunosuppressed patients. good practices in hospital food service are evaluated by comparing assessment instruments. good practices were evaluated by a verification list following Resolution of Collegiate Directory n. 216 of the Brazilian Agency for Sanitary Vigilance. Interpretation of listed items followed parameters of RCD 216 and the Brazilian Association of Collective Meals Enterprises (BACME). Fisher's exact test was applied to detect whether there were statistically significant differences. Analysis of data grouping was undertaken with Unweighted Pair-group using Arithmetic Averages, coupled to a correlation study between dissimilarity matrixes to verify disagreement between the two methods. Good Practice was classified with mean total rates above 75% by the two methods. There were statistically significant differences between services and food evaluated by BACME instrument. Hospital Food Services have proved to show conditions of acceptable good practices. the comparison of interpretation tools based on RCD n. 216 and BACME provided similar results for the two classifications. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Accounting in Agriculture: Measurement practices of listed firms

OpenAIRE

Rute Gonçalves; Patrícia Lopes

2015-01-01

Based on the International Accounting Standard (IAS) 41 – Agriculture, this paper examines measurement practices of biological assets and their drivers, under accounting choice theory, given data from 2012. Taking into consideration 324 listed firms worldwide that have adopted International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) until 2011, the empirical evidence supports that while a large number of firms measures biological assets at fair value, there are others that refute the presumption of...

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD PRACTICES IN HOSPITAL-BASED HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT UNITS.

Science.gov (United States)

Sampietro-Colom, Laura; Lach, Krzysztof; Pasternack, Iris; Wasserfallen, Jean-Blaise; Cicchetti, Americo; Marchetti, Marco; Kidholm, Kristian; Arentz-Hansen, Helene; Rosenmöller, Magdalene; Wild, Claudia; Kahveci, Rabia; Ulst, Margus

2015-01-01

Health technology assessment (HTA) carried out for policy decision making has well-established principles unlike hospital-based HTA (HB-HTA), which differs from the former in the context characteristics and ways of operation. This study proposes principles for good practices in HB-HTA units. A framework for good practice criteria was built inspired by the EFQM excellence business model and information from six literature reviews, 107 face-to-face interviews, forty case studies, large-scale survey, focus group, Delphi survey, as well as local and international validation. In total, 385 people from twenty countries have participated in defining the principles for good practices in HB-HTA units. Fifteen guiding principles for good practices in HB-HTA units are grouped in four dimensions. Dimension 1 deals with principles of the assessment process aimed at providing contextualized information for hospital decision makers. Dimension 2 describes leadership, strategy and partnerships of HB-HTA units which govern and facilitate the assessment process. Dimension 3 focuses on adequate resources that ensure the operation of HB-HTA units. Dimension 4 deals with measuring the short- and long-term impact of the overall performance of HB-HTA units. Finally, nine core guiding principles were selected as essential requirements for HB-HTA units based on the expertise of the HB-HTA units participating in the project. Guiding principles for good practices set up a benchmark for HB-HTA because they represent the ideal performance of HB-HTA units; nevertheless, when performing HTA at hospital level, context also matters; therefore, they should be adapted to ensure their applicability in the local context.

Good practices for improved nuclear power plant performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-04-01

This report provides an overview of operational principles, practice and improvements which have contributed to good performance of eight selected world nuclear power stations. The IAEA Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) was used to identify a population of good performers. It is recognized that there are many other good performing nuclear power stations not included in this report. Specific criteria described in the introduction were used in selecting these eight stations. The information contained in this report was obtained by the staff from IAEA, Division of Nuclear Power. This was accomplished by visits to the stations and visits to a number of utility support groups and three independent organizations which provide support to more than one utility. The information in this report is intended as an aid for operating organizations to identify possible improvement initiatives to enhance plant performance. Figs and tabs

78 FR 11611 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-19

... related to the proposed rule on ``Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based... . All comments should be identified with the title ``Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard... rulemaking to modernize the regulation for ``Current Good Manufacturing Practice In Manufacturing, Packing...

Tools to share good chairside teaching practice: a clinical scenario and appreciative questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Sweet, J; Wilson, J; Pugsley, L; Schofield, M

2008-12-13

This article provides a scenario for analysis of good chairside teaching practice to serve as a starting point for continued discussion in this complex field. Documented issues of good chairside teaching practice are cross-referenced to a clinical scenario with explanations in the form of a commentary. This provided the context for generating a set of questions that are provided as tools to support good chairside practice. These tools are designed to be used with 'Appreciative Inquiry', which claims that there is much to be gained by discovering where excellence is possible and elaborating upon this. Although this process can be carried out in single units or departments, it is proposed that collaboration between institutions would allow sharing of valuable innovations and greater understanding of educational training, production of good practice guidance and professional development of staff. This article is the third in a series of three and provides a scaffold for a scenario and questions to encourage collaboration in evolving and sharing good chairside teaching practice. The first article investigated the perceptions of stakeholders in chairside teaching at a single dental school and the second evaluated chairside teaching on a UK wide scale. A further accompanying article reviews some of the educational methodology and innovations in teaching and learning that may be applied to dentistry.

78 FR 48636 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-09

... collection related to the proposed rule, ``Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk... period. These two proposals are related to the proposed rule ``Current Good Manufacturing Practice and... final extension of the comment period for the ``Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis...

Distance Learning. Leonardo da Vinci Series: Good Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

This brochure, part of a series about good practices in vocational training in the European Union, describes 12 projects that use distance learning to promote lifelong learning in adults. The projects and their countries of origin are as follows: (1) 3D Project, training in the use of IT tools for 3D simulation and animation and practical…

Investment Decision Making: A Guide to Good Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Higher Education Funding Council for England, Bristol.

This "good practice" guide is aimed at anyone in higher education in England who is involved in making decisions on investments. It focuses on the principles to be followed, rather than the techniques of appraisal. The guide outlines the steps for developing an outline business case and then refining it into a full business case for the…

OSART good practices: 1986-1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-05-01

The IAEA Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) programme provides advice and assistance to Member States for enhancing the operational safety of nuclear power plants (NPP). OSART teams started to identify good practices (GP), as examples of excellence in NPP operation, in 1986. This report is the first of its kind and summarizes GP for the period January 1986 to June 1989. The information in the report is presented in three different ways to facilitate access: The table of contents which present the GP at the NPP visited by OSART teams in the order of visits; the listing of the GP according to the eight standard areas of review, giving the NPP concerned and the relevant report page; the permutated index of the titles of the GP. 1 tab

Sustainability of current agriculture practices, community perception, and implications for ecosystem health: an Indian study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkar, Atanu; Patil, Shantagouda; Hugar, Lingappa B; vanLoon, Gary

2011-12-01

In order to support agribusiness and to attain food security for ever-increasing populations, most countries in the world have embraced modern agricultural technologies. Ecological consequences of the technocentric approaches, and their sustainability and impacts on human health have, however, not received adequate attention particularly in developing countries. India is one country that has undergone a rapid transformation in the field of agriculture by adopting strategies of the Green Revolution. This article provides a comparative analysis of the effects of older and newer paradigms of agricultural practices on ecosystem and human health within the larger context of sustainability. The study was conducted in three closely situated areas where different agricultural practices were followed: (a) the head-end of a modern canal-irrigated area, (b) an adjacent dryland, and (c) an area (the ancient area) that has been provided with irrigation for some 800 years. Data were collected by in-depth interviews of individual farmers, focus-group discussions, participatory observations, and from secondary sources. The dryland, receiving limited rainfall, continues to practice diverse cropping centered to a large extent on traditional coarse cereals and uses only small amounts of chemical inputs. On the other hand, modern agriculture in the head-end emphasizes continuous cropping of rice supported by extensive and indiscriminate use of agrochemicals. Market forces have, to a significant degree, influenced the ancient area to abandon much of its early practices of organic farming and to take up aspects of modern agricultural practice. Rice cultivation in the irrigated parts has changed the local landscape and vegetation and has augmented the mosquito population, which is a potential vector for malaria, Japanese encephalitis and other diseases. Nevertheless, despite these problems, perceptions of adverse environmental effects are lowest in the heavily irrigated area.

Implementation Of The Precision Agriculture Using LEACH Protocol Of Wireless Sensor Network

OpenAIRE

Than Htike Aung; Su Su Yi Mon; Chaw Myat Nwe; Zaw Min Naing; HLa Myo Tun

2015-01-01

The evolution of wireless sensor network technology leads to develop advanced systems for real-time monitoring. Wireless sensor network WSN is a major technology that drives the development of precision agriculture.By forming wireless sensor networkagricultural practicescan be made good monitoring systems.Various agricultural parameters like soil moisture temperature and humidity are monitored by monitoring units.The paper explains about how to utilize thesensors in agricultural practices and...

Good Practices In Instructional Process Among Current Educational Programs For Basic Education In Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurens Kaluge

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Comparing the good practices in the area of teaching learning improvement, several points are raised here. The five programs covering teaching learning improvement component are MBE, CLCC, NTT-PEP, SEQIP, and CTL. Through a survey in seven provinces, data were collected from various bureaucrats, school practitioners, students, and their parents. Within the component of the teaching learning improvement there are several elements which are commonly available among the projects. Those elements are preparation of good teachers, provision and development of resources, and practice teaching learning activities are considered to be good practices.

CHRODIS criteria applied to the MASK (MACVIA-ARIA Sentinel NetworK) Good Practice in allergic rhinitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bousquet, J; Onorato, G L; Bachert, C

2017-01-01

A Good Practice is a practice that works well, produces good results, and is recommended as a model. MACVIA-ARIA Sentinel Network (MASK), the new Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) initiative, is an example of a Good Practice focusing on the implementation of multi-sectoral care pa...

Protection, monitoring, management and evaluation on the practice following the nuclear agriculture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Juncheng; Chen Jingjian; Zhu Yongyi; Liu Lihong; Liu Xuelian

1996-02-01

Following the development and application of atomic energy for peaceful purposes in the past 30 years, a cross scientific course called nuclear agriculture has been established in China. On the basis of national laws of radiation protection, the management and monitoring results of radiation practice at the Institute for Application of Atomic Energy, CAAS for 1964∼1994 have been summarized and analyzed. It is shown that there is no affection to the environment by the practice of nuclear agriculture under normal conditions. The results will provide an important scientific base for the evaluation on the radiation safety of the environment and promote the prosperity of the course. (4 refs., 7 tabs.)

One foot in the furrow: linkages between agriculture, plant pathology, and public health.

Science.gov (United States)

Scholthof, Karen-Beth G

2003-01-01

Plant pathology is a field of biology that focuses on understanding the nature of disease in plants as well as on more practical aspects of preventing and controlling plant diseases in crop plants that are important to agriculture. Throughout history, plant diseases have had significant effects on human health and welfare. Several examples, in both historical and contemporary contexts, are presented in this review to show how plant pathogens, biotechnology, and farming practices have affected public health. Specific topics illustrating clear linkages between agriculture and human health include allergens in the environment, food-safety and agricultural practices, mycotoxigenic fungi, agrobioterrorism, and the biological control of plant diseases. The further argument is made that in order to monitor and ensure that good health and safety practices are maintained from "farm to fork," public health specialists may benefit from the resources and expertise of agricultural scientists.

Using agricultural practices information for multiscale environmental assessment of phosphorus risk

Science.gov (United States)

Matos Moreira, Mariana; Lemercier, Blandine; Michot, Didier; Dupas, Rémi; Gascuel-Odoux, Chantal

2015-04-01

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for plant growth. In intensively farmed areas, excessive applications of animal manure and mineral P fertilizers to soils have raised both economic and ecological concerns. P accumulation in agricultural soils leads to increased P losses to surface waterbodies contributing to eutrophication. Increasing soil P content over time in agricultural soils is often correlated with agricultural practices; in Brittany (NW France), an intensive livestock farming region, soil P content is well correlated with animal density (Lemercier et al.,2008). Thus, a better understanding of the factors controlling P distribution is required to enable environmental assessment of P risk. The aim of this study was to understand spatial distribution of extractable (Olsen method) and total P contents and its controlling factors at the catchment scale in order to predict P contents at regional scale (Brittany). Data on soil morphology, soil tests (including P status, particles size, organic carbon…) for 198 punctual positions, crops succession since 20 years, agricultural systems, field and animal manure management were obtained on a well-characterized catchment (ORE Agrhys, 10 km²). A multivariate analysis with mixed quantitative variables and factors and a digital soil mapping approach were performed to identify variables playing a significant role in soil total and extractable P contents and distribution. Spatial analysis was performed by means of the Cubist model, a decision tree-based algorithm. Different scenarios were assessed, considering various panels of predictive variables: soil data, terrain attributes derived from digital elevation model, gamma-ray spectrometry (from airborne geophysical survey) and agricultural practices information. In the research catchment, mean extractable and total P content were 140.0 ± 63.4 mg/kg and 2862.7 ± 773.0 mg/kg, respectively. Organic and mineral P inputs, P balance, soil pH, and Al contents were

Altering the use of agricultural into construction land: Practice and trends

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Počuča Milan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Preservation of agricultural land as an imperative of prosperity of agriculture of the Republic of Serbia needs to be observed through causal questions as well, such as change of purpose of agricultural land into construction land, which is necessarily followed by conversion, a decade-long problem. Insufficiently resolved current questions of the aforementioned within legislative framework open up the possibility for improper use and exploitation of agricultural land. It is necessary to regulate the issue of conversion of construction land by legislative regulations i.e. altering use rights into property rights on construction land, and by doing so, open the way to investments in the Republic of Serbia. With the analysis of the effects of conversion and the adoption of a special law on this issue, construction activity would further prosper. The aim of this paper is to assess adequately the current problems of consumption, preservation and actual implementation of transferring agricultural land to construction land, with a view of the facts, practices and tendencies.

Cohabitation with farm animals in urban households with and without occupational farm work: associations between participation in educational activities and good hygiene practices in at-risk households cohabiting with farm animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Somphou, Phoupasong; Takano, Takehito; Nakamura, Keiko

2008-11-01

This study was performed to investigate patterns of cohabitation with farm animals in urban households in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic, with regard to animal-to-human disease transmission. We also investigated the association between participation in hygiene-related educational activities and good hygiene practices in households with or without cohabitation with animals. A survey regarding cohabitation with animals, socioeconomic characteristics and participation in educational activities was conducted among 1,497 households randomly sampled from urban districts of Vientiane in 2001. Rates of satisfactory performance of recommended good hygiene practices according to a program commencing in 1996 were compared among households cohabiting with animals with or without participation in educational activities (reference group). Even among households not engaged in agriculture as a major source of income, 54.4, 34.9, 7.9, 3.1 and 35.7% cohabited with chickens, ducks, cattle, buffaloes and dogs, respectively. The percentage of households fulfilling the recommendations for good hygiene practices was 56.7%. The rates of satisfactory hygiene practices among households participating in health education and cohabitating with chickens, ducks or cattle were greater than those in the reference group (OR = 1.7, 95%CI = 1.2, 2.3; OR = 2.0, 95%CI = 1.3, 3.0; OR = 2.3, 95%CI = 1.0, 4.9) regardless of socioeconomic factors. Households cohabiting with animals showed poorer rates of satisfactory hygiene practices than those without animals. Cohabitation with farm animals is common in urban Vientiane regardless of household involvement in agriculture. Further effort is required to improve hygiene conditions, despite some positive effects of health education even in households cohabiting with animals.

Best Management Practices for sediment control in a Mediterranean agricultural watershed

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelwahab, Ossama M. M.; Bingner, Ronald L.; Milillo, Fabio; Gentile, Francesco

2015-04-01

Soil erosion can lead to severe destruction of agricultural sustainability that affects not only productivity, but the entire ecosystem in the neighboring areas. Sediments transported together with the associated nutrients and chemicals can significantly impact downstream water bodies. Various conservation and management practices implemented individually or integrated together as a system can be used to reduce the negative impacts on agricultural watersheds from soil erosion. Hydrological models are useful tools for decision makers when selecting the most effective combination of management practices to reduce pollutant loads within a watershed system. The Annualized Agricultural Non-point Source (AnnAGNPS) pollutant loading management model can be used to analyze the effectiveness of diverse management and conservation practices that can control or reduce the impact of soil erosion processes and subsequent sediment loads in agricultural watersheds. A 506 km2 Mediterranean medium-size watershed (Carapelle) located in Apulia, Southern Italy was used as a case study to evaluate the model and best management practices (BMPs) for sediment load control. A monitoring station located at the Ordona bridge has been instrumented to continuously monitor stream flow and suspended sediment loads. The station has been equipped with an ultrasound stage meter and a stage recorder to monitor stream flow. An infrared optic probe was used to measure suspended sediment concentrations (Gentile et al., 2010 ). The model was calibrated and validated in the Carapelle watershed on an event basis (Bisantino et al., 2013), and the validated model was used to evaluate the effectiveness of BMPs on sediment reduction. Various management practices were investigated including evaluating the impact on sediment load of: (1) converting all cropland areas into forest and grass covered conditions; (2) converting the highest eroding cropland areas to forest or grass covered conditions; and (3

Prakriti-based research: Good reporting practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhalerao, Supriya; Patwardhan, Kishor

2016-03-01

The recent advances in the fields of genomics, personalized medicine, and Ayurveda have motivated many researchers to look at the relationship between Prakriti (phenotype-based Ayurveda constitution) and various objective biological parameters. As a result, a number of studies reporting such a relationship have made their way into mainstream scholarly journals. However, when it comes to the protocols that these workers follow to identify one's Prakriti, there are several issues that are yet to be resolved. In this communication, we propose a few reporting practices that such workers are required to be encouraged to follow, while submitting their work on Prakriti to scholarly journals. We have arranged this proposal under the following domains that may serve as a preliminary checklist in this context: The textual references, validation process, assessment of characters, scoring pattern, weightage assignment, criterion for expressing the final Prakriti type, and a need to publish the complete Prakriti-determination tool. We advocate that only if the workers in the field adhere to these good reporting practices, one will be able to draw meaningful, generalizable, and applicable interpretations out of such studies. We also suggest that the editors of relevant scholarly journals may recommend these reporting practices while considering such reports for publication. Copyright © 2016 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Management Characteristics and Adoption Index of Indigenous Agricultural Practices by Rice Farmers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Jayakumar

2016-07-01

was a positive and significant relationship with regard to self-confidence and self-reliance of the farmers with the extent of adoption of Indigenous Agricultural Practices. Risk orientation had a negative but significant relationship with extent of adoption. Training the farmers to improve their management skills could lead to better adoption of the indigenous practices.

Changes in soil microbial community structure influenced by agricultural management practices in a mediterranean agro-ecosystem.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Orenes, Fuensanta; Morugán-Coronado, Alicia; Zornoza, Raul; Cerdà, Artemi; Scow, Kate

2013-01-01

Agricultural practices have proven to be unsuitable in many cases, causing considerable reductions in soil quality. Land management practices can provide solutions to this problem and contribute to get a sustainable agriculture model. The main objective of this work was to assess the effect of different agricultural management practices on soil microbial community structure (evaluated as abundance of phospholipid fatty acids, PLFA). Five different treatments were selected, based on the most common practices used by farmers in the study area (eastern Spain): residual herbicides, tillage, tillage with oats and oats straw mulching; these agricultural practices were evaluated against an abandoned land after farming and an adjacent long term wild forest coverage. The results showed a substantial level of differentiation in the microbial community structure, in terms of management practices, which was highly associated with soil organic matter content. Addition of oats straw led to a microbial community structure closer to wild forest coverage soil, associated with increases in organic carbon, microbial biomass and fungal abundances. The microbial community composition of the abandoned agricultural soil was characterised by increases in both fungal abundances and the metabolic quotient (soil respiration per unit of microbial biomass), suggesting an increase in the stability of organic carbon. The ratio of bacteria:fungi was higher in wild forest coverage and land abandoned systems, as well as in the soil treated with oat straw. The most intensively managed soils showed higher abundances of bacteria and actinobacteria. Thus, the application of organic matter, such as oats straw, appears to be a sustainable management practice that enhances organic carbon, microbial biomass and activity and fungal abundances, thereby changing the microbial community structure to one more similar to those observed in soils under wild forest coverage.

Guide of good practices for occupational radiological protection in plutonium facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-06-01

This Technical Standard (TS) does not contain any new requirements. Its purpose is to provide guides to good practice, update existing reference material, and discuss practical lessons learned relevant to the safe handling of plutonium. the technical rationale is given to allow US Department of Energy (DOE) health physicists to adapt the recommendations to similar situations throughout the DOE complex. Generally, DOE contractor health physicists will be responsible to implement radiation protection activities at DOE facilities and DOE health physicists will be responsible for oversight of those activities. This guidance is meant to be useful for both efforts. This TS replaces PNL-6534, Health Physics Manual of Good Practices for Plutonium Facilities, by providing more complete and current information and by emphasizing the situations that are typical of DOE`s current plutonium operations; safe storage, decontamination, and decommissioning (environmental restoration); and weapons disassembly.

[Identifying indicators of good practice in clinical and healthcare management].

Science.gov (United States)

Bermúdez Tamayo, C; Olry de Labry Lima, A; García Mochón, L

2018-03-06

To identify good practices in order to develop and implement indicators of health outcomes for clinical and healthcare management, as well as the characteristics for an indicator to be considered adequate. A scoping review was performed, with the following phases: 1) Search and identification of bibliography. 2) Selection of relevant documents. Including those studies that discussed issues related to good practices for the use of health indicators in the management field. Those published in a language other than English or Spanish or before 2006 were excluded. 3) Analysis and extraction of information. 4) Consultation with stakeholders, using a qualitative methodology through Concept Mapping, with the participation of 40 experts (decision-makers, scientific societies, and health professionals). The data collection process included an inductive and structured procedure, with prioritisation of ideas grouped into clusters, according to feasibility and importance criteria (0-10 scale). Good practices identified 2 levels: 1) macro-management: Define a framework for the evaluation of indicators and establish a benchmark of indicators. 2) meso-management: Establish indicators according to evidence and expert consensus, taking into account priority areas and topics, testing before final use, and communicate results adequately. The characteristics of a suitable indicator are: 1) Approach of an important issue, 2) Scientific validity, 3) Possibility of measurement with reliable data, 4) Meaning of useful and applicable measurement, and 5) Wide scope. The best practices for the use of indicators in clinical and healthcare management can make it easier to monitor performance and accountability, as well as to support the decision-making addressed at the development of initiatives for quality improvement. Copyright © 2018 SECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

VET Providers Planning to Deliver Degrees: Good Practice Guide

Science.gov (United States)

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2015

2015-01-01

This good practice guide is intended to assist public and private registered training organisations (RTOs) planning to commence higher education (HE) delivery. The guide is based on research undertaken by Victor Callan and Kaye Bowman, who completed case studies with six providers currently delivering higher education qualifications in addition to…

Guide to good practices at plutonium facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faust, L.G.; Brackenbush, L.W.; Carter, L.A.; Endres, G.W.R.; Glenn, R.D.; Jech, J.J.; Selby, J.M.; Smith, R.C.; Waite, D.A.; Walsh, W.P.

1977-09-01

This manual establishes guidelines and principles for use in setting up a sound radiation protection program for work with plutonium. The guidance presented is based on the experiences of Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) contractors and those portions of private industry concerned with the operation of plutonium facilities, specifically with the fabrication of mixed oxide reactor fuel. The manual is directed primarily to those facilities which have as their sole purpose the handling of large quantities of plutonium for military or industrial uses. It is not intended for use by facilities engaged in reactor or chemical separation operations nor for partial or occasional use by analytical laboratories; while these facilities would find the manual beneficial, it would be incomplete for their needs. The manual addresses good practices that should be observed by management, staff and designers, since the benefits of a good radiation protection program are the result of their joint efforts. Methods for the diagnostic evaluation of internally deposited Pu are included

Charter of good practices in industrial radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

This document describes good practices in the field of industrial radiography. After having presented the main prevention and radiation protection principles, the actors inside and outside of the company, and actors intervening during an operation subcontracting in industrial radiography, this report analyzes the activity: prerequisites for work preparation, prevention coordination, work preparation, transportation, work achievement, return on experience. It addresses personnel training and information, and the dosimetric and medical monitoring of technicians in industrial radiography. Some aspects are addressed in appendix: principles (justification, optimization, and limitation), regulations, intervention form, exposure form, and so on

ASPECTS OF THE FUTURE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo GAJO

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The paper aimed to present the main CAP reforms imposed by the actual situation of agriculture development in the EU. The Common Agriculture Policy is focused on decoupling, modulation and cross-compliance. The single payment scheme will assure aids only for farms where production complies with environment, food safety, animal and plant health, animal welfare, and agricultural land maintenance in good condition. The new legislation provides the introduction of "green payments" related to the adoption of agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and the environment. The demographic growth imposes more production and a better distribution of food in the world. The EU has to be prepared to produce more because of the mass emigration to the rich countries from the region where food demand can not be covered.

Defending the four principles approach as a good basis for good medical practice and therefore for good medical ethics.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillon, Raanan

2015-01-01

This paper argues that the four prima facie principles-beneficence, non-maleficence, respect for autonomy and justice-afford a good and widely acceptable basis for 'doing good medical ethics'. It confronts objections that the approach is simplistic, incompatible with a virtue-based approach to medicine, that it requires respect for autonomy always to have priority when the principles clash at the expense of clinical obligations to benefit patients and global justice. It agrees that the approach does not provide universalisable methods either for resolving such moral dilemmas arising from conflict between the principles or their derivatives, or universalisable methods for resolving disagreements about the scope of these principles-long acknowledged lacunae but arguably to be found, in practice, with all other approaches to medical ethics. The value of the approach, when properly understood, is to provide a universalisable though prima facie set of moral commitments which all doctors can accept, a basic moral language and a basic moral analytic framework. These can underpin an intercultural 'moral mission statement' for the goals and practice of medicine. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Agricultural conservation practices can help mitigate the impact of climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagena, Moges B; Easton, Zachary M

2018-09-01

Agricultural conservation practices (CPs) are commonly implemented to reduce diffuse nutrient pollution. Climate change can complicate the development, implementation, and efficiency of agricultural CPs by altering hydrology, nutrient cycling, and erosion. This research quantifies the impact of climate change on hydrology, nutrient cycling, erosion, and the effectiveness of agricultural CP in the Susquehanna River Basin in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA. We develop, calibrate, and test the Soil and Water Assessment Tool-Variable Source Area (SWAT-VSA) model and select four CPs; buffer strips, strip-cropping, no-till, and tile drainage, to test their effectiveness in reducing climate change impacts on water quality. We force the model with six downscaled global climate models (GCMs) for a historic period (1990-2014) and two future scenario periods (2041-2065 and 2075-2099) and quantify the impact of climate change on hydrology, nitrate-N (NO 3 -N), total N (TN), dissolved phosphorus (DP), total phosphorus (TP), and sediment export with and without CPs. We also test prioritizing CP installation on the 30% of agricultural lands that generate the most runoff (e.g., critical source areas-CSAs). Compared against the historical baseline and with no CPs, the ensemble model predictions indicate that climate change results in annual increases in flow (4.5±7.3%), surface runoff (3.5±6.1%), sediment export (28.5±18.2%) and TN export (9.5±5.1%), but decreases in NO 3 -N (12±12.8%), DP (14±11.5), and TP (2.5±7.4%) export. When agricultural CPs are simulated most do not appreciably change the water balance, however, tile drainage and strip-cropping decrease surface runoff, sediment export, and DP/TP, while buffer strips reduce N export. Installing CPs on CSAs results in nearly the same level of performance for most practices and most pollutants. These results suggest that climate change will influence the performance of agricultural CPs and that targeting agricultural

The importance of good time management in supporting succesful dental practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mita Juliawati

2016-06-01

Full Text Available n the globalization and Asean Economic Community (MEA era, especially in the era of  competition and modern dentistry, dentists need increasing services in order to maintain and increase patient visits. Especially in patient’s complain about dental services that caused by unmanaged time, such as late dentist, long queue of patients and time inefficiency in dental practice. The objective of this review is to discuss the importance of good time management ’in supporting successful dental pratice. Time management is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase  effectiveness, efficiency or productivity. Implementation in dental practice are as follow: planning, scheduling and time organizing to avoid wasted time. Proper time management resulted in greater efficiency and productivity, professional reputation,reduces stress and improves the image of dental practices. Routine evaluation is needed to increase time management quality. Efficient time management in dental practice requires organizing  individual tasks, analizing daily task, scheduling main projects, establishing deadlines and organizing workflow. The implementation in dental practice like organizing patients, medical and non medical employee daily schedule, managing the patient’s queue to get the minimum waiting time and avoiding doctors being late in giving services to patient. Setting good time management will make the dentist's work 'smarter not harder' to get more results with limited time. In principle all medical and non-medical personnel should support the implementation of service excellence in the health care services especially dental practice. The final objective in realizing good time management in dental clinic is concerning in quality service and aims to achieve patient satisfaction (customer satisfaction that the end goal is a loyal patient, customer loyalty and

Implementation Of The Precision Agriculture Using LEACH Protocol Of Wireless Sensor Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Than Htike Aung

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The evolution of wireless sensor network technology leads to develop advanced systems for real-time monitoring. Wireless sensor network WSN is a major technology that drives the development of precision agriculture.By forming wireless sensor networkagricultural practicescan be made good monitoring systems.Various agricultural parameters like soil moisture temperature and humidity are monitored by monitoring units.The paper explains about how to utilize thesensors in agricultural practices and explains about routing protocols of wireless sensor network. In this paper agricultural parameter of temperature will monitor with the use of LEACH protocol.

On the choice of farm management practices after the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2003.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmid, Erwin; Sinabell, Franz

2007-02-01

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was fundamentally reformed in 2003. From 2005, farmers will receive decoupled income support payments instead of production premiums if basic standards for environment, food safety, animal health and welfare are met. Farmers are likely to adjust production and management practices to the new policy framework. We describe how this reform fits into the EU strategy of making agricultural production more environmentally friendly by concentrating on the financial aspects of the reforms. Using an agricultural sector model for Austria, we show that the reform will further decrease agricultural outputs, reduce farm inputs, lessen nitrogen surpluses and make environmentally friendly management practices more attractive for farmers.

Promoting good health research practice in low- and middle-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahendradhata, Yodi; Nabieva, Jamila; Ahmad, Riris Andono; Henley, Patricia; Launois, Pascal; Merle, Corinne; Maure, Christine; Horstick, Olaf; Elango, Varalakshmi

2016-01-01

Good clinical practice (GCP) guidelines have been the source of improvement in the quality of clinical trials; however, there are limitations to the application of GCP in the conduct of health research beyond industry-sponsored clinical trials. The UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Disease is promoting good practice in all health research involving human through the Good Health Research Practice (GHRP) training program initiative. To report the results of piloting the GHRP training program and formulate further steps to harness GHRP for promoting good practices in all health research involving human, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The objective of this training is to impart knowledge and skills for the application of ethical and quality principles to the design, conduct, recording, and reporting of health research involving human participants based on the level of risk, to ensure a fit-for-purpose quality system. This has been formulated into five sequential modules to be delivered in a 4-day course. Four courses have been organized in the pilot phase (2014-2015). The courses have been evaluated and assessed based on course feedback (quantitative and qualitative data) collected during course implementation and qualitative email-based pre- and post-course evaluation. Participants were highly satisfied with the course content and its organization. The relevance and applicability of the course content resulted in positive feedback and an articulated willingness to adapt and disseminate the course. Action points to strengthen the training program have been identified, and showed the imminent need to develop a consensus with a broader range of key stakeholders on the final set of GHRP standards and means for implementation. There is an urgent need to harness the momentum to promote high-quality and ethical health research in LMICs through scaling up GHRP training and further development of GHRP

Good Publication Practice for Communicating Company-Sponsored Medical Research: GPP3.

Science.gov (United States)

Battisti, Wendy P; Wager, Elizabeth; Baltzer, Lise; Bridges, Dan; Cairns, Angela; Carswell, Christopher I; Citrome, Leslie; Gurr, James A; Mooney, LaVerne A; Moore, B Jane; Peña, Teresa; Sanes-Miller, Carol H; Veitch, Keith; Woolley, Karen L; Yarker, Yvonne E

2015-09-15

This updated Good Publication Practice (GPP) guideline, known as GPP3, builds on earlier versions and provides recommendations for individuals and organizations that contribute to the publication of research results sponsored or supported by pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, and biotechnology companies. The recommendations are designed to help individuals and organizations maintain ethical and transparent publication practices and comply with legal and regulatory requirements. These recommendations cover publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations (oral or poster) at scientific congresses. The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals invited more than 3000 professionals worldwide to apply for a position on the steering committee, or as a reviewer, for this guideline. The GPP2 authors reviewed all applications (n = 241) and assembled an 18-member steering committee that represented 7 countries and a diversity of publication professions and institutions. From the 174 selected reviewers, 94 sent comments on the second draft, which steering committee members incorporated after discussion and consensus. The resulting guideline includes new sections (Principles of Good Publication Practice for Company-Sponsored Medical Research, Data Sharing, Studies That Should Be Published, and Plagiarism), expands guidance on the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' authorship criteria and common authorship issues, improves clarity on appropriate author payment and reimbursement, and expands information on the role of medical writers. By following good publication practices (including GPP3), individuals and organizations will show integrity; accountability; and responsibility for accurate, complete, and transparent reporting in their publications and presentations.

Helping Displaced Older Workers Get Back into Employment: Good Practice Guide

Science.gov (United States)

Callahan, Victor J.; Bowman, Kaye

2015-01-01

This good practice guide is based on the report "Industry Restructuring and Job Loss: Helping Older Workers Get Back into Employment" by Victor J. Callan and Kaye Bowman. The aim of the research was to identify evidence-based practices that led to successful skills transfer, re-skilling, training and the attainment of new jobs for older…

7 CFR 28.421 - Good Middling Spotted Color.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good Middling Spotted Color. 28.421 Section 28.421 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards... Color. Good Middling Spotted Color is color which is better than Strict Middling Spotted Color. ...

Malaria knowledge and agricultural practices that promote mosquito breeding in two rural farming communities in Oyo State, Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oshiname Frederick O

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Agricultural practices such as the use of irrigation during rice cultivation, the use of ponds for fish farming and the storage of water in tanks for livestock provide suitable breeding grounds for anthropophylic mosquitoes. The most common anthropophylic mosquito in Nigeria which causes much of the morbidity and mortality associated with malaria is the anopheles mosquito. Farmers are therefore at high risk of malaria - a disease which seriously impacts on agricultural productivity. Unfortunately information relating to agricultural practices and farmers' behavioural antecedent factors that could assist malaria programmers plan and implement interventions to reduce risk of infections among farmers is scanty. Farmers' knowledge about malaria and agricultural practices which favour the breeding of mosquitoes in Fashola and Soku, two rural farming communities in Oyo State were therefore assessed in two rural farming communities in Oyo State. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study involved the collection of data through the use of eight Focus Group Discussions (FGDs and the interview of 403 randomly selected farmers using semi-structured questionnaires. These sets of information were supplemented with observations of agricultural practices made in 40 randomly selected farms. The FGD data were recorded on audio-tapes, transcribed and subjected to content analysis while the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results Most respondents in the two communities had low level of knowledge of malaria causation as only 12.4% stated that mosquito bite could transmit the disease. Less than half (46.7% correctly mentioned the signs and symptoms of malaria as high body temperature, body pains, headache, body weakness and cold/fever. The reported main methods for preventing mosquito bites in the farming communities included removal of heaps of cassava tuber peelings (62.3%, bush burning

Guide to good practices for equipment and piping labeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-01

This Guide to Good Practices is written to enhance understanding of, and provide direction for, Equipment and Piping Labeling, Chapter XVIII of Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5480.19, Conduct of Operations Requirements for DOE Facilities. The practices in this guide should be considered when planning or reviewing labeling programs. Contractors are advised to adopt procedures that meet the intent of DOE Order 5480.19. Equipment and Piping Labeling is an element of an effective Conduct of Operations program. The complexity and array of activities performed in DOE facilities dictate the necessity for a coordinated labeling program to promote safe and efficient operations.

78 FR 64425 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-29

..., 507, and 579 [Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0922] Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and... requirements for current good manufacturing practice and hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls for..., packing, or holding of animal food in two ways. First, it would create new current good manufacturing...

78 FR 69604 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-20

... Federal Register of January 16, 2013 (78 FR 3646), entitled ``Current Good Manufacturing Practice and... a proposed rule entitled ``Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based..., 114, 117, 120, 123, 129, 179, and 211 [Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0920] RIN 0910-AG36 Current Good...

9 CFR 147.26 - Procedures for establishing isolation and maintaining sanitation and good management practices...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... and maintaining sanitation and good management practices for the control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma... Sanitation Procedures § 147.26 Procedures for establishing isolation and maintaining sanitation and good management practices for the control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma infections. (a) The following procedures...

Radiopharmaceuticals good practices handbook: ARCAL XV radiopharmaceuticals control and production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verdera Presto, Silvia

1998-01-01

A safety practice of the therapeutics diagnostic proceeding in nuclear medicine require a permanent provide high quality radiopharmaceuticals manufacture. This work treat to give a guide for all radio pharmacies laboratories that produce,control, fraction and or dispense radiopharmaceuticals products, with attention hospitable radiopharmacy laboratory. Three chapters with recommendations in manufacture good practice in Hospital radiopharmacy, industrial centralized, bibliography and three annexe's about clean area classification,standards work in laminar flux bell, and guarantee and cleaning areas

7 CFR 51.1011 - Good green color.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good green color. 51.1011 Section 51.1011 Agriculture... Standards for Persian (Tahiti) Limes Definitions § 51.1011 Good green color. Good green color means that the skin of the lime is of a good green color characteristic of the Persian variety. ...

A cost-effective and practical polybenzanthrone-based fluorescent sensor for efficient determination of palladium (II) ion and its application in agricultural crops and environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Ge [Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013 (China); Wen, Yangping [Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Physiology, Ecology and Cultivation of Double Cropping Rice, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045 (China); Guo, Chaoqun [Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013 (China); Xu, Jingkun, E-mail: xujingkun@tsinghua.org.cn [Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013 (China); Lu, Baoyang; Duan, Xuemin [Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013 (China); He, Haohua; Yang, Jun [Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Physiology, Ecology and Cultivation of Double Cropping Rice, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045 (China)

2013-12-17

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •PBA was facilely electrosynthesized in the binary solvent system containing of acetonitrile and boron trifluoride diethyl etherate. •“On–off” type fluorescent sensor based on this polymer for highly selective, sensitive, and practical detection of Pd{sup 2+} was designed. •The possible mechanism between Pd{sup 2+} and PBA has been discussed and TEM preliminary proved the proposed mechanism. •This fluorescent CP-based sensor has been used to practically detect Pd{sup 2+} in agricultural crops and environment samples with satisfactory results. -- Abstract: A highly selective and sensitive fluorescent chemosensor suitable for practical measurement of palladium ion (Pd{sup 2+}) in agricultural crops and environment samples has been successfully fabricated using polybenzanthrone (PBA). PBA was facilely electrosynthesized in the mixed electrolyte of acetonitrile and boron trifluoride diethyl etherate. The fluorescence intensity of PBA showed a linear response to Pd{sup 2+} in the concentration range of 5 nM–0.12 mM with a detection limit of 0.277 nM and quantification limit of 0.925 nM. Different compounds existing in agricultural crops and environment such as common metal ions, anions, natural amino acids, carbohydrates, and organic acids were used to examine the selectivity of the as-fabricated sensor, and no obvious fluorescence change could be observed in these interferents and their mixtures. A possible mechanism was proposed that the coordination of PBA and Pd{sup 2+} enhance the aggregation of polymer chains, which led to a significant quenching of PBA emission, and this was further confirmed by absorption spectra monitoring and transmission electron microscopy. The excellent performance of the proposed sensor and satisfactory results of the Pd{sup 2+} determination in practical samples suggested that the PBA-based fluorescent sensor for the determination of Pd{sup 2+} will be a good candidate for application in

Implementation of the Good Practices of Manufacture of PET Radiopharmaceuticals in INOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinconegui Gómez, Belkys; Quesada Cepero, Waldo; González González, Joaquín J.; Calderón Marín, Carlos F.; Varela Corona, Consuelo; Figueroa, Roberto

2016-01-01

The growing advance of new technologies in Nuclear Medicine such as positron emission tomography (PET) allows visualizing biological processes in vivo and provides more sensitive results in the diagnosis of oncological processes in asymptomatic stages of the disease and contribute significantly to improve cancer management. It is significant to note that these technologies include radiopharmaceuticals marked with 90 Y and 177 Lu for the therapy of patients already diagnosed by the PET technique that contribute to a significant improvement in the quality of life of patients with cancer. Our country, taking into account the importance of this technology for Health, has developed in INOR a project for the obtaining, dispensing and quality control of PET radiopharmaceuticals marked with 68 Ga for diagnosis and its therapeutic analogues marked with 177 Lu and 90Y in Conditions of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The objective of the present work is to present our experiences in the implementation of the Good Practices of Manufacture of PET Radiopharmaceuticals according to regulation 16-2012 GUIDELINES ON GOOD PRACTICES OF MANUFACTURE OF PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS, issued by the State Control Center for Medicines, Equipment and Devices Doctors (CECMED), a Cuban regulatory body. The implementation of the regulation considers from the preparation of personnel involved in the activity, moving through the facilities and equipment to the validation and quality control. A system for the quality assurance of the production of PET radiopharmaceuticals was implemented in accordance with Annex 5 of Regulation 16-2012 of the CECMED. This is the first experience in Cuba of the implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices of PET Radiopharmaceuticals in Hospital Radiopharmacy. The acquired experiences will be extended to the practices for the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals for the conventional Nuclear Medicine in the INOR.

7 CFR 51.481 - Very good internal quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Very good internal quality. 51.481 Section 51.481 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards... quality. Very good internal quality means that the combined juice from the edible portion of a sample of...

A Good Practice Guide on Critical Infor-mation Infrastructure Protection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luiijf, H.A.M.; Schie, T.C.C. van

2017-01-01

Early 2016, the Meridian Process and the GFCE tasked the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research TNO to develop a Good Practice Guide on Critical Information Infrastructure Protection (CIIP) for governmental policy-makers [1]. The guide primarily aims at governmental policy-makers,

Certified Organic Agriculture in Mexico: Market Connections and Certification Practices in Large and Small Producers

Science.gov (United States)

Tovar, Laura Gomez; Martin, Lauren; Cruz, Manuel Angel Gomez; Mutersbaugh, Tad

2005-01-01

Certification within organic agriculture exhibits flexibility with respect to practices used to demonstrate that a product meets published quality standards. This case study of Mexican certified-organic agriculture finds two forms. Indigenous smallholders of southern Mexico undertake a low-input, process-oriented organic farming in which…

International Continence Society Good Urodynamic Practices and Terms 2016

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosier, Peter F W M; Schaefer, Werner; Lose, Gunnar

2017-01-01

AIMS: The working group initiated by the ICS Standardisation Steering Committee has updated the International Continence Society Standard "Good Urodynamic Practice" published in 2002. METHODS: On the basis of the manuscript: "ICS standard to develop evidence-based standards," a new ICS Standard......). RESULTS: This evidence-based ICS-GUP2016 has newly or more precisely defined more than 30 terms and provides standards for the practice, quality control, interpretation, and reporting of urodynamics; cystometry and pressure-flow analysis. Furthermore, the working group has included recommendations for pre......-testing information and for patient information and preparation. On the basis of earlier ICS standardisations and updating according to available evidence, the practice of uroflowmetry, cystometry, and pressure-flow studies are further detailed. CONCLUSION: ICS-GUP2016 updates and adds on to ICS-GUP2002 to improve...

Sustainable agriculture and protection of the environment

Science.gov (United States)

Siemianowska, Ewa; Wesołowski, Andrzej; Skibniewska, Krystyna A.; Tyburski, Józef; Gurzyński, Marcin

2017-10-01

The economic, environmental and social development should not degrade the environment but it should leave it for the next generations in the state that it is presently or even better. The principle of sustainable agriculture is to cover the human needs for food without damage to the environment. The aim of the article was to research the farmers' awareness of the principle of sustainable agriculture and balanced fertilization and their influence on the environment. Among 100 farmers of the Tczew district (Poland) there was done questionnaire research on the determination rates of nitrogen fertilizers and on the regulation of fertilizers usage in Poland. Most of farmers declared a good knowledge of good agricultural practices and of balanced fertilization and the awareness of threats issuing from their activities. At the same time in Poland since the announcement of the Nitrate Directive of the former European Common Market (1992) up till now (2013) the application of nitrogen fertilizers doubled and the yield of wheat increased only by 15%, which means the increase of environmental burden with this chemical element.

Sustainable agriculture and protection of the environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siemianowska Ewa

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The economic, environmental and social development should not degrade the environment but it should leave it for the next generations in the state that it is presently or even better. The principle of sustainable agriculture is to cover the human needs for food without damage to the environment. The aim of the article was to research the farmers’ awareness of the principle of sustainable agriculture and balanced fertilization and their influence on the environment. Among 100 farmers of the Tczew district (Poland there was done questionnaire research on the determination rates of nitrogen fertilizers and on the regulation of fertilizers usage in Poland. Most of farmers declared a good knowledge of good agricultural practices and of balanced fertilization and the awareness of threats issuing from their activities. At the same time in Poland since the announcement of the Nitrate Directive of the former European Common Market (1992 up till now (2013 the application of nitrogen fertilizers doubled and the yield of wheat increased only by 15%, which means the increase of environmental burden with this chemical element.

Good control practices underlined by an on-line fuzzy control database

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alonso, M. V.

1994-04-01

Full Text Available In the olive oil trade, control systems that automate extraction processes, cutting production costs and increasing processing capacity without losing quality, are always desirable. The database structure of an on-line fuzzy control of centrifugation systems and the algorithms used to attain the best control conditions are analysed. Good control practices are suggested to obtain virgin olive oil of prime quality.

In the olive oil trade, control systems that automate extraction processes, cutting production costs and increasing processing capacity without losing quality, are always desirable. The database structure of an on-line fuzzy control of centrifugation systems and the algorithms used to attain the best control conditions are analysed. Good control practices are suggested to obtain virgin olive oil of prime quality.

Namibia specific climate smart agricultural land use practices: Challenges and opportunities for enhancing ecosystem services

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhn, Nikolaus J.; Talamondjila Naanda, Martha; Bloemertz, Lena

2015-04-01

Agriculture is a backbone for many African economies, with an estimated 70% of Africans active in agricultural production. The sector often does not only directly contribute to, but sustains food security and poverty reduction efforts. Sustaining this productivity poses many challenges, particularly to small scale subsistence farmers (SSF) in dry land areas and semi-arid countries like Namibia. SSF in northern central Namibia mix crop and livestock production on degraded semi-arid lands and nutrient-poor sandy soils. They are fully dependent on agricultural production with limited alternative sources of income. Mostly, their agricultural harvests and outputs are low, not meeting their livelihood needs. At the same time, the land use is often not sustainable, leading to degradation. The Namibia case reveals that addressing underlying economic, social and environmental challenges requires a combination of farm level-soil management practices with a shift towards integrated landscape management. This forms the basis for SSF to adopt sustainable land management practices while building institutional foundations, like establishing SSF cooperatives. One way in which this has been tested is through the concept of incentive-based motivation, i.e. payment for ecosystem services (PES), in which some of the beneficiaries pay, for instance for farmers or land users, who provide the services. The farmers provide these services by substituting their unsustainable land and soil management and adopting new (climate smart agricultural) land use practices. Climate Smart Agricultural land use practices (CSA-LUP) are one way of providing ecosystem services, which could be fundamental to long-term sustainable soil and land management solutions in Africa. There are few PES cases which have been systematically studied from an institutional development structure perspective. This study presents lessons evolving from the notion that direct participation and involvement of local people

Assessing the impacts of sustainable agricultural practices for water quality improvements in the Vouga catchment (Portugal) using the SWAT model.

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, João; Roebeling, Peter; Rial-Rivas, María Ermitas

2015-12-01

The extensive use of fertilizers has become one of the most challenging environmental issues in agricultural catchment areas. In order to reduce the negative impacts from agricultural activities and to accomplish the objectives of the European Water Framework Directive we must consider the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. In this study, we assess sustainable agricultural practices based on reductions in N-fertilizer application rates (from 100% to 0%) and N-application methods (single, split and slow-release) across key agricultural land use classes in the Vouga catchment, Portugal. The SWAT model was used to relate sustainable agricultural practices, agricultural yields and N-NO3 water pollution deliveries. Results show that crop yields as well as N-NO3 exportation rates decrease with reductions in N-application rates and single N-application methods lead to lower crop yields and higher N-NO3 exportation rates as compared to split and slow-release N-application methods. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Guide to good practices for developing learning objectives. DOE Handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1992-07-01

This guide to good practices provides information and guidance on the types of and development of learning objectives in a systematic approach to training program. This document can serve as a reference during the development of new learning objectives or refinement of existing ones.

Behaviour of cesium in contaminated soils with and without agricultural practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arapis, G.; Martinez, A.; Millan, R.; Gutierrez, J.

1992-01-01

The migration of cesium into affected agricultural soils, five years after the Chernobyl accident, is examined in this study. Samples of soil were taken from an undisturbed non-cultivated rural area in the north of Greece, where an important contamination has been detected. The migration of 137 Cs into these soils was measured by γ spectrometry. Slight movement of 137 Cs was observed during the five year period following the accident. The agricultural practices, used in this area from 1986 up to now, have diluted the contamination into the 0-40 cm horizon and thus only low concentration of cesium in the cultivated soils was detected. (orig.)

Good Practice Guide Waste Minimization/Pollution Prevention

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J Dorsey

1999-10-14

This Good Practice Guide provides tools, information, and examples for promoting the implementation of pollution prevention during the design phases of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects. It is one of several Guides for implementing DOE Order 430.1, Life-cycle Asset Management. DOE Order 430.1 provides requirements for DOE, in partnership with its contractors, to plan, acquire, operate, maintain, and dispose of physical assets. The goals of designing for pollution prevention are to minimize raw material consumption, energy consumption, waste generation, health and safety impacts, and ecological degradation over the entire life of the facility (EPA 1993a). Users of this Guide will learn to translate national policy and regulatory requirements for pollution prevention into action at the project level. The Guide was written to be applicable to all DOE projects, regardless of project size or design phase. Users are expected to interpret the Guide for their individual project's circumstances, applying a graded approach so that the effort is consistent with the anticipated waste generation and resource consumption of the physical asset. This Guide employs a combination of pollution prevention opportunity assessment (PPOA) methods and design for environment (DfE) philosophies. The PPOA process was primarily developed for existing products, processes, and facilities. The PPOA process has been modified in this Guide to address the circumstances of the DOE design process as delineated in DOE Order 430.1 and its associated Good Practice Guides. This modified form of the PPOA is termed the Pollution Prevention Design Assessment (P2DA). Information on current nationwide methods and successes in designing for the environment also have been reviewed and are integrated into this guidance.

Trade-off between water pollution prevention, agriculture profit, and farmer practice--an optimization methodology for discussion on land-use adjustment in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jianchang; Zhang, Luoping; Zhang, Yuzhen; Deng, Hongbing

2015-01-01

Agricultural decision-making to control nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution may not be efficiently implemented, if there is no appropriate cost-benefit analysis on agricultural management practices. This paper presents an interval-fuzzy linear programming (IFLP) model to deal with the trade-off between agricultural revenue, NPS pollution control, and alternative practices through land adjustment for Wuchuan catchment, a typical agricultural area in Jiulong River watershed, Fujian Province of China. From the results, the lower combination of practice 1, practice 2, practice 3, and practice 7 with the land area of 12.6, 5.2, 145.2, and 85.3 hm(2), respectively, could reduce NPS pollution load by 10%. The combination yields an income of 98,580 Chinese Yuan/a. If the pollution reduction is 15%, the higher combination need practice 1, practice 2, practice 3, practice 5, and practice 7 with the land area of 54.4, 23.6, 18.0, 6.3, and 85.3 hm(2), respectively. The income of this combination is 915,170 Chinese Yuan/a. The sensitivity analysis of IFLP indicates that the cost-effective practices are ranked as follows: practice 7 > practice 2 > practice 1 > practice 5 > practice 3 > practice 6 > practice 4. In addition, the uncertainties in the agriculture NPS pollution control system could be effectively quantified by the IFLP model. Furthermore, to accomplish a reasonable and applicable project of land-use adjustment, decision-makers could also integrate above solutions with their own experience and other information.

Promoting good health research practice in low- and middle-income countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yodi Mahendradhata

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Good clinical practice (GCP guidelines have been the source of improvement in the quality of clinical trials; however, there are limitations to the application of GCP in the conduct of health research beyond industry-sponsored clinical trials. The UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Disease is promoting good practice in all health research involving human through the Good Health Research Practice (GHRP training program initiative. Objective: To report the results of piloting the GHRP training program and formulate further steps to harness GHRP for promoting good practices in all health research involving human, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs. Design: The objective of this training is to impart knowledge and skills for the application of ethical and quality principles to the design, conduct, recording, and reporting of health research involving human participants based on the level of risk, to ensure a fit-for-purpose quality system. This has been formulated into five sequential modules to be delivered in a 4-day course. Four courses have been organized in the pilot phase (2014–2015. The courses have been evaluated and assessed based on course feedback (quantitative and qualitative data collected during course implementation and qualitative email-based pre- and post-course evaluation. Results: Participants were highly satisfied with the course content and its organization. The relevance and applicability of the course content resulted in positive feedback and an articulated willingness to adapt and disseminate the course. Action points to strengthen the training program have been identified, and showed the imminent need to develop a consensus with a broader range of key stakeholders on the final set of GHRP standards and means for implementation. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to harness the momentum to promote high-quality and ethical health research in

Guide of good practices in medical physics - French Society of Medical Physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenwald, Jean-Claude; Aventin, Christophe; Coste, Frederic; Francois, Pascal; Ginestet, Chantal; Perrin, Benedicte; Salvat, Cecile; Caselles, Olivier; Dedieu, Veronique; Dejean, Catherine; Batalla, Alain; Guillaume, Bonniaud; Le Du, Dominique; Lisbona, Albert; Marchesi, Vincent; Sarrazin, Thierry; Mazeron, Jean-Jacques; Lipinski, Francis; Vera, Pierre; Vermandel, Maximilien; Ducou le Pointe, Hubert; Vidal, Vincent; Henry, Cecile; Mazeau-Woynar, Valerie; Prot, Camille; Valero, Marc; Aubert, Bernard; Etard, Cecile; Jimonet, Christine; Roue, Amelie; Sage, Julie; Bardies, Manuel; Beauvais, Helene; Bey, Pierre; Costa, Andre; Desblancs, Claire; Eudaldo, Teresa; Farman, Bardia; Ferrand, Regis; Garcia, Robin; Giraud, Jean-Yves; Husson, Francois; Koulibaly, Malick; Carlan, Loic de; Manens, Jean-Pierre; Naudy, Suzanne; Noel, Alain; Pilette, Pierre; Verdun, Francis; Bouette, Aurelien; Breen, Stephen; Bridier, Andre; Chauvenet, Bruno; Chavaudra, Jean; Gardin, Isabelle; Herlevin, Karine

2012-01-01

After a presentation of the methodological approach used to write this book, the first chapter addresses the profession of medical physicist: medical physics in France (history, evolution of the profession, of the education and of regulation), legal framework (related to the medical use of ionizing radiations, legal texts directly concerning medical physics, regulations impacting the professional practice of medical physicists), scopes of intervention of the medical physicist (context, missions, dose management, image quality, quality management and safety, relationship with the patient, education, training and research, relationships with industry, cost management), operating conditions, and good professional practices. The second chapter addresses the principles of management of quality and safety: quality management in medical physics, safety management, quality and safety in health care facilities. The third part addresses good practices in medical physics: general principles of working methods, equipment management, participation to clinic activities

Practice-based Research Network Research Good Practices (PRGPs): Summary of Recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolor, Rowena J; Campbell-Voytal, Kimberly; Daly, Jeanette; Nagykaldi, Zsolt J; O'Beirne, Maeve; Sterling, Pamela; Fagnan, Lyle J; Levy, Barcey; Michaels, LeAnn; Louks, Hannah A; Smith, Paul; Aspy, Cheryl B; Patterson, V Beth; Kano, Miria; Sussman, Andrew L; Williams, Robert; Neale, Anne Victoria

2015-12-01

Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) conduct research in community settings, which poses quality control challenges to the integrity of research, such as study implementation and data collection. A foundation for improving research processes within PBRNs is needed to ensure research integrity. Network directors and coordinators from seven U.S.-based PBRNs worked with a professional team facilitator during semiannual in-person meetings and monthly conference calls to produce content for a compendium of recommended research practices specific to the context of PBRNs. Participants were assigned to contribute content congruent with their expertise. Feedback on the draft document was obtained from attendees at the preconference workshop at the annual PBRN meeting in 2013. A revised document was circulated to additional PBRN peers prior to finalization. The PBRN Research Good Practices (PRGPs) document is organized into four chapters: (1) Building PBRN Infrastructure; (2) Study Development and Implementation; (3) Data Management, and (4) Dissemination Policies. Each chapter contains an introduction, detailed procedures for each section, and example resources with information links. The PRGPs is a PBRN-specific resource to facilitate PBRN management and staff training, to promote adherence to study protocols, and to increase validity and generalizability of study findings. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Guide to good practices for on-the-job training. DOE guideline

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-07-01

The purpose of the Department of Energy (DOE) Guide to Good Practices for On-the-Job Training (OJT) is to provide DOE contractor organizations with information that can be used to modify existing programs or to develop new programs. This guide replaces the Guide to Good Practices for On-the-Job Training that was distributed to DOE and DOE contractors in 1987. DOE contractors should not feel obligated to adopt all parts of this guide. Rather, they can use the information in this guide to develop programs that apply to their facility. This guide can be used as an aid in the design and development of a facility`s OJT programs and to assist the instructors who conduct OJT and performance tests in the areas of facility operations, maintenance, and technical supports.

"Something good can grow here": chicago urban agriculture food projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Hatchett, Lena; Brown, Loretta; Hopkins, Joan; Larsen, Kelly; Fournier, Eliza

2015-01-01

Food security is a challenge facing many African-American low-income communities nationally. Community and university partners have established urban agriculture programs to improve access to high quality affordable fruits and vegetables by growing, distributing, and selling food in urban neighborhoods. While the challenge of food security is within communities of color, few studies have described these urban agriculture programs and documented their impact on the crew members who work in the programs and live in the low-income communities. More information is needed on the program impact for crew and community health promotion. Using a survey and focus group discussion from the crew and staff we describe the program and activities of four Chicago Urban Agriculture programs. We summarized the impact these programs have on crew members' perception of urban agriculture, health habits, community engagement, and community health promotion in low-income African-American neighborhoods.

Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis for Health Care Decision Making--Emerging Good Practices: Report 2 of the ISPOR MCDA Emerging Good Practices Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, Kevin; IJzerman, Maarten; Thokala, Praveen; Baltussen, Rob; Boysen, Meindert; Kaló, Zoltán; Lönngren, Thomas; Mussen, Filip; Peacock, Stuart; Watkins, John; Devlin, Nancy

2016-01-01

Health care decisions are complex and involve confronting trade-offs between multiple, often conflicting objectives. Using structured, explicit approaches to decisions involving multiple criteria can improve the quality of decision making. A set of techniques, known under the collective heading, multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA), are useful for this purpose. In 2014, ISPOR established an Emerging Good Practices Task Force. The task force's first report defined MCDA, provided examples of its use in health care, described the key steps, and provided an overview of the principal methods of MCDA. This second task force report provides emerging good-practice guidance on the implementation of MCDA to support health care decisions. The report includes: a checklist to support the design, implementation and review of an MCDA; guidance to support the implementation of the checklist; the order in which the steps should be implemented; illustrates how to incorporate budget constraints into an MCDA; provides an overview of the skills and resources, including available software, required to implement MCDA; and future research directions. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Challenges for Sustainable Land Management through Climate-Smart Agriculture

Science.gov (United States)

Dougill, Andrew; Stringer, Lindsay

2017-04-01

There are increasing pushes for agricultural land management to be both sustainable and climate-smart (in terms of increasing productivity, building resilience to climate change and enhancing carbon storage). Climate-smart agriculture initiatives include conservation agriculture, based on minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and crop rotation, and agroforestry. Such efforts address key international goals of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), but as yet have not seen widespread uptake. Based on analyses of different project interventions from across a range of southern African countries, we outline the inter-related challenges that are preventing adoption of climate-smart agriculture initiatives. We then identify routes to building multi-stakeholder partnerships and empowering communities through participatory monitoring with the aim of increasing uptake of such sustainable land management practices. Good practice examples remain largely restricted to local-level project interventions with significant donor (or private-sector) support, aligned to short-term community priorities relating to access to inputs or reduced labour requirements. Scaling-up to district- and national-level initiatives is yet to be widely successful due to problems of: limited policy coherence; a lack of communication between stakeholders at different levels; and limited understanding of long-term benefits associated with changes in agricultural practices. We outline opportunities associated with improved communication of climate information, empowerment of district-level adaptation planning and diversification of agricultural livelihood strategies as key routes to guide farmers towards more sustainable, and climate-smart, land management practices. Recent experiences in Malawi, which has experienced significant floods and an El Niño drought year in the last two years, are used to

Utilizing reliability concepts in the development of IEEE recommended good practices for nuclear plant maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gradin, L.P.

1986-01-01

This paper presents information describing the concern for nuclear power plant electrical equipment maintenance and the IEEE Nuclear Power Engineering Committee's method to address that concern. That method includes the creation of Working Group 3.3, ''Maintenance Good Practices'' which is developing specific maintenance good practice documents, supporting technical information exchange, and providing a vehicle to promote practices which can reduce cost and enhance plant safety. The foundation for that effort is the utilization of Reliability concepts

Adoption of Agricultural Conservation Practices in the Ignacio Agramonte Cooperative of Credits and Services (CCS, Nuevitas, Camaguey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arelys Valido Tomé

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The adoption of sustainable technologies, like Agriculture Conservation Practices in drought-stricken suburban areas is a must for land sustainable management. In order to contribute with the inclusion of this technology at the Ignacio Agramonte CCS, in El Carmen, municipality of Nuevitas, Camaguey, Agricultural Extension tools were used, like systemic diagnostic and participatory orientation. The SWOT matrix was created after three workshops, where agricultural conservation practices were identified for adoption, based on actual conditions at the CCS. As a result, five key problems were identified: lack of water for irrigation, saline waters, saline soils, use of inappropriate management technologies, deforestation and poor training in agriculture. The most critical impact found in the matrix was in Weaknesses - Threats (81.3%. Furthermore, local farmers, inhabitants and public officials agreed on the use of agricultural extension tools to provide positive elements and an effective way to help increase motivation and knowledge about agricultural conservation technology, as an alternative to mitigate the degradation state of lands at the CCS.

Good Laboratory Practice. Part 2. Recording and Retaining Raw Data

Science.gov (United States)

Wedlich, Richard C.; Libera, Agata E.; Pires, Amanda; Tellarini, Cassandra

2013-01-01

A clear understanding of how "raw data" is defined, recorded, and retained in the laboratory record is essential to the chemist employed in the laboratory compliant with the Good Laboratory Practices regulations. This article is intended to provide an understanding by drawing upon examples taken from the modern pharmaceutical analysis…

7 CFR 28.407 - Good Ordinary Color.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good Ordinary Color. 28.407 Section 28.407 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.407 Good Ordinary Color. Good Ordinary Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.401 - Good Middling Color.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good Middling Color. 28.401 Section 28.401 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.401 Good Middling Color. Good Middling Color is color which is within the range...

7 CFR 28.426 - Strict Good Ordinary Spotted Color.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Strict Good Ordinary Spotted Color. 28.426 Section 28.426 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards... Spotted Color. Strict Good Ordinary Spotted Color is color which is within the range represented by a set...

Managing the drinking water catchment areas: the French agricultural cooperatives feed back.

Science.gov (United States)

Charrière, Séverine; Aumond, Claire

2016-06-01

The quality of raw water is problematic in France, largely polluted by nitrates and pesticides (Mueller and Helsel, Nutrients in the nation's waters-too much of a good thing? Geological Survey (U.S.), 1996; European Environment Agency, European waters-assessment of status and pressures, 2012).This type of pollution, even though not always due to agriculture (example of the catchment of Ambleville, county 95, France where the nitrate pollution is mainly due to sewers (2012)), has been largely related to the agricultural practices (Sci Total Environ 407:6034-6043, 2009).Taking note of this observation, and instead of letting it paralyze their actions, the agricultural cooperatives decided with Agrosolutions to act directly on the field with their subscribers to change the agricultural practices impacting the water and the environment.This article shows how the French agricultural cooperatives transformed the awareness of the raw water quality problem into an opportunity for the development and implementation of more precise and responsible practices, to protect their environment. They measure in order to pilot, co-construct and build the best action plans possible according to the three pillars of environment, economy and agronomy.

Science cultivating practice : a history of agricultural science in the Netherlands and its colonies 1863-1986

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maat, H.

2001-01-01

The central argument of this thesis is that science and practice, as articulated in agricultural science in the Netherlands and its colonies, gradually broke apart. This process is visible in the organisation of agricultural research and education, as well as in the development of three

Good practices in LIBS analysis: Review and advices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El Haddad, J.; Canioni, L.; Bousquet, B., E-mail: bruno.bousquet@u-bordeaux.fr

2014-11-01

This paper presents a review on the analytical results obtained by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In the first part, results on identification and classification of samples are presented including the risk of misclassification, and in the second part, results on concentration measurement based on calibration are accompanied with significant figures of merit including the concept of accuracy. Both univariate and multivariate approaches are discussed with special emphasis on the methodology, the way of presenting the results and the assessment of the methods. Finally, good practices are proposed for both classification and concentration measurement.

Good practices in LIBS analysis: Review and advices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Haddad, J.; Canioni, L.; Bousquet, B.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a review on the analytical results obtained by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In the first part, results on identification and classification of samples are presented including the risk of misclassification, and in the second part, results on concentration measurement based on calibration are accompanied with significant figures of merit including the concept of accuracy. Both univariate and multivariate approaches are discussed with special emphasis on the methodology, the way of presenting the results and the assessment of the methods. Finally, good practices are proposed for both classification and concentration measurement

[Health technology assessment for decision-making in Latin America: good practice principles].

Science.gov (United States)

Pichon-Riviere, Andrés; Soto, Natalie C; Augustovski, Federico Ariel; García Martí, Sebastián; Sampietro-Colom, Laura

2018-02-19

Identify the most relevant, applicable, and priority good practice principles in health technology assessment (HTA) in Latin America, and potential barriers to implementing them in the region. HTA good practice principles postulated worldwide were identified and then explored through a deliberative process in a forum of evaluators, funders, and technology producers. Forty-two representatives from ten Latin American countries participated in the forum. The good practice principles postulated at the international level were considered valid and potentially applicable in Latin America. Five principles were identified as priorities and as having greater potential to be expanded at this time: transparency in carrying out HTA; involvement of stakeholders in the HTA process; existence of mechanisms to appeal decisions; existence of clear mechanisms for HTA priority-setting; and existence of a clear link between assessment and decision-making. The main challenge identified was to find a balance between application of these principles and available resources, to prevent the planned improvements from jeopardizing report production times and failing to meet decision-makers' needs. The main recommendation was to gradually advance in improving HTA and its link to decision-making by developing appropriate processes for each country, without attempting to impose, in the short term, standards taken from examples at the international level without adequate adaptation to the local context.

Good learning practices in the field of science and technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatriz Amante García

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The European Higher Education Area (EHEA scenario offers a new framework in which the role of universities can be rethought, regardless of the field of new degrees and postgraduate Studies involved. Therefore, the roles of teachers and students might differ significantly as the student would be obliged to request teacher’s guidance in order to acquire not only knowledge, which could be easily obtained elsewhere (books, internet etc. , but also personal skills and, especially, those related to their future professional career.By the term “Good learning practices” we refer to those activities asociated with professorship itself  ,such as those of facilitating and guiding the student learning process, or rather, those activities which are aimed at the student´s thorough learning of specific  (related to the field of study and generic skills.It is now a common occurrence to describe the students of a given classroom as being little motivated and as having great interest in passing but not in actually learning. This fact is quite concerning, as it suggests that the student sees the university as a mere transaction by which they can obtain a degree, certifying that they are apt for the professional world,  where they consider the “real” learning will take place.A good classroom environment is essential for the generation of teaching-learning processes.  It is precisely because of this that we are able to raise the issue of effective practices among teachers who foster a suitable classroom dynamics facilitating, then, the targeted learning experience.  Within this context, there are some authors who discuss good practices by professors especially concerned on how to perform assessment and feedback to enhance student’s learning activity. Thus,  providing them with a deep and lasting impact. Generally speaking, the activities in question are those which enable the student to execute a learning process that will continue throughout

The garden dying: Commoditization of agriculture and changes in practices of self-consumption among rural families of southern gaucho

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flávio Sacco dos Anjos

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The article is based on qualitative research carried out in the southern extreme of the Rio Grande do Sul state and explores the transformations on the practices of self-consumption production in the context of familiar agriculture, essentially, under the impacts of the process of commoditization of agriculture and the rural life. The self-consumption practices present a cultural matrix among rural families, in spite of the symbolic value attributed to products generated within the very rural establishment, as compared to the ones which are acquired externally in usual commerce or from other units of production. The field-work was performed within thirty family agricultural establishments whose main commercial activity lies on the milk, peach and tobacco production. The authors discuss the impacts of the commoditization of agriculture on the practical of self-consumption production.

Good manufacturing practices of artisanal products in Northeastern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Medeiros, J.M.S.D

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This review provides an overview of the importance of good manufacturing practices in the elaboration of artisanal products, aiming to generate a discussion about this subject. The elaboration of artisanal food has been gaining prominence in several countries of the world since these products carry the identity and culture of a place. The traditional and artisanal way of manufacturing provides the food with a variation in its characteristics, which makes it peculiar in comparison to its similar, pleasing the most diverse demands of consumers. In addition, they are considered healthier and natural foods. In the Northeast of Brazil, these products are highlighted by the significant commercialization, being sources of income generation for the region. Among the most prominent products are the coalho and butter types cheeses, bottled butter and carne de sol. Despite the economic and cultural importance of these products, the traditional way of manufacturing, without proper hygiene care, can be a limiting factor for the formal commercialization of these products. Therefore, adopting good manufacturing practices at artisanal food processing places may be the first step towards the production of higher quality products that meet the requirements of the legislation but retain their artisanal manufacturing characteristics.

Agriculture and Water Quality. Issues in Agricultural Policy. Agriculture Information Bulletin Number 548.

Science.gov (United States)

Crowder, Bradley M.; And Others

Agriculture generates byproducts that may contribute to the contamination of the United States' water supply. Any effective regulations to ban or restrict agricultural chemical or land use practices in order to improve water quality will affect the farm economy. Some farmers will benefit; some will not. Most agricultural pollutants reach surface…

Occupational Safety and Health: A View of Current Practices in Agricultural Education

Science.gov (United States)

Threeton, Mark D.; Ewing, John C.; Evanoski, Danielle C.

2015-01-01

Providing safe and secure teaching and learning environments within schools is an ongoing process which requires a significant amount of attention. Therefore, this study sought to: 1) explore safety and health practices within secondary Agricultural Mechanics Education; and 2) identify the perceived obstacles which appear to hinder implementation…

CHRODIS criteria applied to the MASK (MACVIA-ARIA Sentinel NetworK) Good Practice in allergic rhinitis: a SUNFRAIL report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bousquet, J.; Onorato, G. L.; Bachert, C.; Barbolini, M.; Bedbrook, A.; Bjermer, L.; de Sousa, J. Correia; Chavannes, N. H.; Cruz, A. A.; de Manuel Keenoy, E.; Devillier, P.; Fonseca, J.; Hun, S.; Kostka, T.; Hellings, P. W.; Illario, M.; Ivancevich, J. C.; Larenas-Linnemann, D.; Millot-Keurinck, J.; Ryan, D.; Samolinski, B.; Sheikh, A.; Yorgancioglu, A.; Agache, I.; Arnavielhe, S.; Bewick, M.; Annesi-Maesano, I.; Anto, J. M.; Bergmann, K. C.; Bindslev-Jensen, C.; Bosnic-Anticevich, S.; Bouchard, J.; Caimmi, D. P.; Camargos, P.; Canonica, G. W.; Cardona, V.; Carriazo, A. M.; Cingi, C.; Colgan, E.; Custovic, A.; Dahl, R.; Demoly, P.; de Vries, G.; Fokkens, W. J.; Fontaine, J. F.; Gemicioğlu, B.; Guldemond, N.; Gutter, Z.; Haahtela, T.; Hellqvist-Dahl, B.; Jares, E.; Joos, G.; Just, J.; Khaltaev, N.; Keil, T.; Klimek, L.; Kowalski, M. L.; Kull, I.; Kuna, P.; Kvedariene, V.; Laune, D.; Louis, R.; Magnan, A.; Malva, J.; Mathieu-Dupas, E.; Melén, E.; Menditto, E.; Morais-Almeida, M.; Mösges, R.; Mullol, J.; Murray, R.; Neffen, H.; O'Hehir, R.; Palkonen, S.; Papadopoulos, N. G.; Passalacqua, G.; Pépin, J. L.; Portejoie, F.; Price, D.; Pugin, B.; Raciborski, F.; Simons, F. E. R.; Sova, M.; Spranger, O.; Stellato, C.; Todo Bom, A.; Tomazic, P. V.; Triggiani, M.; Valero, A.; Valovirta, E.; Vandenplas, O.; Valiulis, A.; van Eerd, M.; Ventura, M. T.; Wickman, M.; Young, I.; Zuberbier, T.; Zurkuhlen, A.; Senn, A.

2017-01-01

A Good Practice is a practice that works well, produces good results, and is recommended as a model. MACVIA-ARIA Sentinel Network (MASK), the new Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) initiative, is an example of a Good Practice focusing on the implementation of multi-sectoral care

Establishing Good Laboratory Practice at Small Colleges and Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan Meryl Bornstein-Forst

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Good Laboratory Practice (GLP and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs provide guidelines for proper operation of equipment, maintenance and sanitation, reporting structures, and related activities. These practices are routinely employed at large academic and research-based institutions. However, they are often overlooked or omitted at smaller colleges and universities where staff and resources are limited. Incorrect assumptions and presumed responsibilities can lead to safety hazards, damage to equipment, loss of infrastructure, and confusion regarding operations and oversight. This report addresses the development of the “who, what, when, how, and where” policies and SOPs that constitute GLP. Once established and utilized by all departmental members, these structures ensure that academic and research-related activities are conducted safely and efficiently.

Influence of cultivar and of conventional and organic agricultural practices on phenolic and sensory profile of blackberries (Rubus fruticosus).

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto, Teresa; Vilela, Alice; Pinto, Andreia; Nunes, Fernando M; Cosme, Fernanda; Anjos, Rosário

2018-03-06

Consumer demand for organic products is increasing because of their claimed health benefits. Blackberries are a rich source of polyphenols, with high antioxidant activity; nevertheless, the impact of organic versus conventional agricultural practices on its phytochemical composition is unknown. 'Loch Ness' and 'Chester Thornless' were selected as blackberry cultivars for this study because of their desired sensory and technological properties, which make them more suitable for export. 'Loch Ness' variety presented a higher amounts of polyphenols and higher antioxidant activity when compared to the 'Chester Thornless' variety. The impact of agricultural practices on the phytochemical composition of the two varieties was contradictory. Under organic agricultural practices, levels of polyphenols increased for 'Loch Ness' and decreased for 'Chester Thornless', whereas the soluble solids content increased in both varieties. These changes in composition were correlated with changes observed in the blackberries' sensory profile. The effect of agricultural practices on the blackberries' chemical and sensory profile was dependent on the variety and cannot be generalized. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Guide to good practices for developing learning objectives. DOE guideline

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-07-01

This guide to good practices provides information and guidance on the types of, and the development of learning objectives in performance-based training system at reactor and nonreactor nuclear facilities. Contractors are encouraged to consider this guidance as a reference when developing new learning objectives or refining existing ones. Training managers, designers, developers, and instructors are the intended audiences.

From waste to intelligence: the good use of electricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

While presenting and commenting many data tables and graphs, this study gives an overview of electricity production and of its good use (production, transport, production and distribution management, uses, sector-based consumption, consumption prospective studies in France for the past 15 years, good use criteria, electricity CO 2 content assessments and objectives). It comments the challenges and sector-based perspectives of an electricity good use by 2020 (in the industry, transport, agriculture, housing and tertiary, and building sectors) and emphasizes, for each sector, some recent assessments or policy choices (national plans adopted within the frame of the 'Grenelle de l'Environnement'). The next part describes and comments how electricity is treated within the energy efficiency European policies with different directives. The last part describes some examples of good practices and comments the various challenges to be met by 2020

78 FR 24691 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-26

... comments should be identified with the title ``Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and..., 114, 117, 120, 123, 129, 179, and 211 [Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0920] RIN 0910-AG36 Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk- Based Preventive Controls for Human Food; Extension of...

Going GLP: Conducting Toxicology Studies in Compliance with Good Laboratory Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, Erica Eggers

2016-01-01

Good laboratory practice standards are US federal regulations enacted as part of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (40 CFR Part 160), the Toxic Substance Control Act (40 CFR Part 792), and the Good Laboratory Practice for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies (21 CFR Part 58) to support protection of public health in the areas of pesticides, chemicals, and drug investigations in response to allegations of inaccurate data acquisition. Essentially, good laboratory practices (GLPs) are a system of management controls for nonclinical research studies involving animals to ensure the uniformity, consistency, reliability, reproducibility, quality, and integrity of data collected as part of chemical (including pharmaceuticals) tests, from in vitro through acute to chronic toxicity tests. The GLPs were established in the United States in 1978 as a result of the Industrial Bio-Test Laboratory scandal which led to congressional hearings and actions to prevent fraudulent data reporting and collection. Although the establishment of infrastructure for GLPs compliance is labor-intensive and time-consuming, achievement and maintenance of GLP compliance ensures the accuracy of the data collected from each study, which is critical for defending results, advancing science, and protecting human and animal health. This article describes how and why those in the US Army Medical Department responsible for protecting the public health of US Army and other military personnel made the policy decision to have its toxicology laboratory achieve complete compliance with GLP standards, the first such among US Army laboratories. The challenges faced and how they were overcome are detailed.

Emerging good practices for Translatability Assessment (TA) of Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Acquadro, Catherine; Patrick, Donald L; Eremenco, Sonya; Martin, Mona L; Kuliś, Dagmara; Correia, Helena; Conway, Katrin

2017-01-01

This paper presents emerging Good Practices for Translatability Assessment (TA) of Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Measures. The ISOQOL Translation and Cultural Adaptation Special Interest Group (TCA-SIG) undertook the review of several TA approaches, with the collaboration of organizations who are involved in conducting TA, and members of the TCA-SIG. The effort led to agreement by the writing group on Good Practices for 1) the terminology to be used in referring to translatability process, 2) the best definition of TA, 3) the methodology that is recommended at each step of the process, 4) the persons involved in TA, 5) the timing of assessment, 6) the review criteria for TA, and 7) the recommendations to be made at the end of the TA process. With input from the TCA-SIG membership and in consultation with experts in the field, these emerging good practices can guide the future use of TA in the development of PROs.

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT OF SOME COPPER BASED FUNGICIDES ACCORDING TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marga GRĂDILĂ

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The paper presents data demonstrating the functionality of biological systems reconstituted with aquatic organisms developed under Good Laboratory Practice testing facility within Research - Development Institute for Plant Protection Bucharest for environmental risk assessment of four fungicides based on copper, according to Good Laboratory Practice requirements. For risk assessment, according to GLP were made the following steps: Good Laboratory Practice test facility was established, we have ensured adequate space for growth, acclimatization and testing for each test species, it was installed a complex water production instalation needed to perform tests, it was achieved control system for checking environmental conditions and have developed specific operating procedures that have been accredited according to Good Laboratory Practice.The results showed that biological systems model of the Good Laboratory Practice test facility in Research - Development Institute for Plant Protection meet the requirements of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines regarding GLP, and after testing copper-based fungicides in terms of acute toxicity Cyprinus carpio and to Daphnia magna revealed that three of them (copper oxychloride, copper hydroxide and copper sulphate showed ecological efficiency, ie low toxicity. Metallic copper based fungicides showed a higher toxicity, resulting in fish toxicity symptoms: sleep, sudden immersion, faded, weakness, swimming in spiral, lack of balance, breathing slow and cumbersome, spasms and mortality.

The ESDP and Good Practices of Local Development in Peripheral Areas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gallina, Andrea; Capecchi, Vittorio

shows that the EU documents concerned with spatial planning and regional development suffer from a strong ambiguity in the choice of the development model (either neoliberal or solidaristic economy) both within Europe and in relation with Third countries. Through the analysis of selected good practices...

Paks shows the way towards good operating practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1989-01-01

The Paks-3 unit in Hungary was the first VVER (Soviet designed Pressurized Water Reactor) to be scrutinized by an International Atomic Energy Agency Operational Safety Analysis Review Team. A number of examples of good operational practice were noted. Those reported here include the cleanliness of the plant, the management attitude to training, early detection of and action to correct problems as they arise, an accident avoidance policy, a back-up research and development programme, and the provision of computer-based assistance to the operator to present operational data in an easily comprehensible form. (U.K.)

HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT FOR DECISION MAKING IN LATIN AMERICA: GOOD PRACTICE PRINCIPLES.

Science.gov (United States)

Pichon-Riviere, Andrés; Soto, Natalie C; Augustovski, Federico Ariel; García Martí, Sebastián; Sampietro-Colom, Laura

2018-06-11

The aim of this study was to identify good practice principles for health technology assessment (HTA) that are the most relevant and of highest priority for application in Latin America and to identify potential barriers to their implementation in the region. HTA good practice principles proposed at the international level were identified and then explored during a deliberative process in a forum of assessors, funders, and product manufacturers. Forty-two representatives from ten Latin American countries participated. Good practice principles proposed at the international level were considered valid and potentially relevant to Latin America. Five principles were identified as priority and with the greatest potential to be strengthened at this time: transparency in the production of HTA, involvement of relevant stakeholders in the HTA process, mechanisms to appeal decisions, clear priority-setting processes in HTA, and a clear link between HTA and decision making. The main challenge identified was to find a balance between the application of these principles and the available resources in a way that would not detract from the production of reports and adaptation to the needs of decision makers. The main recommendation was to progress gradually in strengthening HTA and its link to decision making by developing appropriate processes for each country, without trying to impose, in the short-term, standards taken from examples at the international level without adequate adaptation of these to local contexts.

Adaptive governance good practice: Show me the evidence!

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma-Wallace, Lisa; Velarde, Sandra J; Wreford, Anita

2018-09-15

-based adaptive governance good practice within and across diverse sectors, issues, and contexts. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A guide for good practices in medical physics - French Society of Medical Physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenwald, Jean-Claude; Aventin, Christophe; Coste, Frederic; Francois, Pascal; Ginestet, Chantal; Perrin, Benedicte; Salvat, Cecile; Caselles, Olivier; Dedieu, Veronique; Dejean, Catherine; Batalla, Alain; Guillaume, Bonniaud; LeDu, Dominique; Lisbona, Albert; Marchesi, Vincent; Sarrazin, Thierry; Mazeron, Jean-Jacques; Lipinski, Francis; Vera, Pierre; Maximilien Vermandel; Ducou le Pointe, Hubert; Vidal, Vincent; Henry, Cecile; Mazeau-Woynar, Valerie; Prot, Camille; Valero, Marc; Aubert, Bernard; Etard, Cecile; Jimonet, Christine; Roue, Amelie; Sage, Julie; Bardies, Manuel; Beauvais, Helene; Bey, Pierre; Costa, Andre; Desblancs, Claire; Eudaldo, Teresa; Farman, Bardia; Ferrand, Regis; Garcia, Robin; Giraud, Jean-Yves; Husson, Francois; Koulibaly, Malick; Carlan, Loic de; Manens, Jean-Pierre; Naudy, Suzanne; Noel, Alain; Pilette, Pierre; Verdun, Francis

2012-12-01

After a presentation of the methodological approach used to write this book, the first chapter addresses the profession of medical physicist: medical physics in France (history, evolution of the profession, of the education and of regulation), legal framework (related to the medical use of ionizing radiations, legal texts directly concerning medical physics, regulations impacting the professional practice of medical physicists), scopes of intervention of the medical physicist (context, missions, dose management, image quality, quality management and safety, relationship with the patient, education, training and research, relationships with industry, cost management), operating conditions, and good professional practices. The second chapter addresses the principles of management of quality and safety: quality management in medical physics, safety management, quality and safety in health care facilities. The third part addresses good practices in medical physics: general principles of working methods, equipment management, participation to clinic activities

Oman. Quality Culture in Higher Education A Good-Practice Example

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola Huson

2015-10-01

Diesem Ansatz folgend liefert die folgende Reflektion zu der Entwicklung einer Lehrendeninitiative an der German University of Technology in Oman ein Good-Practice-Beispiel für die Förderung einer Qualitätskultur innerhalb einer Hochschulinstitution. Diese erfolgt unter Berücksichtigung der soziokulturellen, institutionellen und initiative-bezogenen Rahmenbedingungen und verifiziert das Beispiel innerhalb eines theoretischen Qualitätskulturmodells.

Liberal Arts Colleges and Good Practices in Undergraduate Education: Additional Evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Seifert, Tricia A.; Pascarella, Ernest T.; Goodman, Kathleen M.; Salisbury, Mark H.; Blaich, Charles F.

2010-01-01

Liberal arts colleges have prided themselves on providing students with a quality undergraduate education among a scholarly community who are interested in their holistic development. Past research has found students who attended liberal arts colleges more frequently experienced Chickering and Gamson's (1987, 1991) good practices in undergraduate…

Good practices of publishing AYUSH research: A practical checklist for authors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kishor Patwardhan

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Since its inception, Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine (J-AIM has been constantly striving to create an environment that inculcates and strengthens “Good Publication Practices (GPP” amongst students, practitioners and researchers in AYUSH community. The J-AIM has been doing this in the form of conducting workshops on scientific writing and research methods on different platforms. This article is based on our experiences and varied discussions that we have had with students, teachers, practitioners and researchers during these interactive sessions, and is intended at addressing the gap that prevails in the domain. The need for such awareness is felt even more strongly ever since the Beall's list of predatory journals has been unpublished. This article tries to fill the void this disappearance has created. We analyze the current scenario of AYUSH publications, enumerate the common perceptions and concerns among the workers in the field, and consider the periodicals where the doctoral and postgraduate level of Ayurveda research works are being published at present. The article also presents a practical checklist that will be helpful for students and teachers to refer authentic resources and submit their work to an appropriate scholarly journal.

Guide to good practices for operations aspects of unique processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-01

This Guide to Good Practices is written to enhance understanding of, and provide direction for, Operations Aspects of Facility Chemistry and Unique Processes, Chapter XIII of Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5480.19, Conduct of Operations Requirements for DOE Facilities. The practices in this guide should be considered when planning or reviewing employee training and facility management programs. Contractors are advised to adopt procedures that meet the intent of DOE Order 5480.19. Operations Aspects of Unique Processes is an element of an effective Conduct of Operations program. The complexity and array of activities performed in DOE facilities dictate the necessity for all personnel to coordinate interrelated activities affecting unique processes.

Silica dust control in small-scale building/structure demolition operations using good work practice guidance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muianga, C V; Rice, C H; Succop, P

2009-01-01

Work practices can influence exposure, especially in small-scale operations conducted by mobile work crews. This study evaluated the use of information on good work practice in control guidance sheets adapted from UK Silica Essentials guidance sheets by trained workers and supervisors employed in small-scale concrete and masonry demolition operations. A one-page employee silica task-based control guidance sheet for each of four demolition tasks and multiple-page silica control guidance for supervisors were developed. Interactive, hands-on worker training on these task-based good work practice controls was developed. Training was presented to 26 participants from two demolition crews. Feedback on the training and task-based good work practice control guidance sheets was elicited. Observations of work practices were made before and after training. Participants indicated gains in knowledge and checklists were used to document skill attainment. The quality of the training and usefulness of the material/skills was rated high by trainees. Increased use of water to suppress dust and wet cleaning methods on the job were documented following the training. Additional follow-up after training is required to determine long-term impact on sustained changes in work practices, and to evaluate the need for refresher training.

Silica dust control in small-scale building/structure demolition operations using good work practice guidance

Science.gov (United States)

Muianga, C. V.; Rice, C. H.; Succop, P.

2009-02-01

Work practices can influence exposure, especially in small-scale operations conducted by mobile work crews. This study evaluated the use of information on good work practice in control guidance sheets adapted from UK Silica Essentials guidance sheets by trained workers and supervisors employed in small-scale concrete and masonry demolition operations. A one-page employee silica task-based control guidance sheet for each of four demolition tasks and multiple-page silica control guidance for supervisors were developed. Interactive, hands-on worker training on these task-based good work practice controls was developed. Training was presented to 26 participants from two demolition crews. Feedback on the training and task-based good work practice control guidance sheets was elicited. Observations of work practices were made before and after training. Participants indicated gains in knowledge and checklists were used to document skill attainment. The quality of the training and usefulness of the material/skills was rated high by trainees. Increased use of water to suppress dust and wet cleaning methods on the job were documented following the training. Additional follow-up after training is required to determine long-term impact on sustained changes in work practices, and to evaluate the need for refresher training.

Healthcare associated infection: good practices, knowledge and the locus of control in heatlhcare professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Taffurelli, Chiara; Sollami, Alfonso; Camera, Carmen; Federa, Francesca; Grandi, Annise; Marino, Marcella; Marrosu, Tiziano; Sarli, Leopoldo

2017-07-18

  The incidence of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) is an important indicator of the quality of care. The behaviors associated with the prevention of infections are not only supported by rational knowledge or motivation, but are mediated by social, emotional and often stereotyped behaviors. The awarness of the good practices related to HAI, may be a factor. Other studies, identify how the perception of the problem in healthcare professionals is often influenced by a tendency towards an external Locus of Control: the patient, the family, the other wards, other care settings. The aim of this study is to investigate the perception of healthcare professionals. In particular they have been measured their  awarness of the good practices, perceptions of the potential contamination level of some commonly used objects, knowledge about the management of invasive devices, Locus of Control.   A cross-sectional correlational design was utilized.  An ad hoc questionnaire was interviewed by 222 health professionals nurses and physicians in a northern hospital of Italy. The percentage of professionals who have attended training courses over the last 5 years was quite high, both for upgrades on HAI (78.7%) and Vascular Catheters (78.8%), while the percentage of professionals who updated on bladder catheterization (59.46%) was lower. The mean  score of good practice awareness towards HAI (5.06), is high. The perception of the potential level of contamination of some devices had a  mean ranging from 4.62 (for the drip) to 5.26 (for the door handle). The average value of the Locus of Control (43.54) indicates that participants demonstrated a value that is midway between External and Internal. The correlation test analysis revealed no significant relationships among professionals'age, knowledge about HAI, or infection related venus catheter. Also, results revealed that there were statistically significant positive relationships between professionals' Good Practices

The development and significance of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas as influenced by agricultural practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruissen, M.A.

1982-01-01

The development and significance of vesicular- arbuscular mycorrhizas (VAM) in wheat and potatoes have been studied in relation to various farming systems and agricultural practices. The effects of farming systems on VAM have been observed on three neighbouring experimental farms in the vicinity of

Identification of Good Practices in the Implementation of Innovative Learning Methodologies

Science.gov (United States)

Lincaru, Cristina; Ciuca, Vasilica; Grecu, Liliana; Atanasiu, Draga; Dragoiu, Codruta

2011-01-01

We intend to present the partial issues resulted from the development of the European Project DeInTRA "cooperation for innovative training methodologies deployment in the European Labour Market"--Stage 4: Identification of good practices in the implementation of innovative learning methodologies. This project is included into the…

Values Education as Good Practice Pedagogy: Evidence from Australian Empirical Research

Science.gov (United States)

Lovat, Terence

2017-01-01

This article focuses on the Australian Government's Values Education Program and, within its context, the "Values Education Good Practice Schools Project" (VEGPSP) Reports and the "Project to Test and Measure the Impact of Values Education on Student Effects and School Ambience," funded federally from 2003 to 2010. Findings…

Basic model of quality and good practices in neonatal radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, Janine H.; Goulart, Juliana M.; Lykawka, Rochelle; Bacelar, Alexandre

2016-01-01

Neonatal chest radiographs were evaluated and 3 variables were analyzed: collimation, positioning and presence of artifacts. This study is a pilot for develop a model of good practices in radiology, which is in development phase. The index of analyzed radiographs considered inadequate is expressive and it shows the need for a model that may be part of an optimization program to medical exposures. (author)

Good practices in radiological protection at Narora Atomic Power Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, V.P.; Kumar, Sanjeev; Agrawal, Mitesh; Tiwari, S.K.; Kulhari, Praveen; Gupta, Ashok

2016-01-01

Radiological protection performance of nuclear power plant is assessed by collective exposure, individual average exposure, external/external exposure, personnel/surface contamination and reduction of radioactive wastes. Collective exposure is reduced by integrated comprehensive ALARA program in all aspects of nuclear plant operation and maintenance has reduced collective dose many folds. In the present paper, implementation of new good practices in Radiological Protection is presented

The contribution of analytical detection methods to the enforcement of good irradiation practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehlermann, D.A.E.

1996-01-01

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is a generally accepted principle combining several features in order to achieve the optimal quality. In other words, GMP is observed if every possible measure is taken to contribute to the best possible quality of the end product. In this sense, Good Irradiation Practice (GIP) may be understood as one of the many elements of GMP dealing especially with aspects of processing food using ionising radiation. On the contrary the operator of an irradiation facility may consider GIP as the central idea including that GMP - in this case excluding the radiation aspects - is observed in addition to GIP standards. Regardless of this theoretical dispute, it is obvious that food irradiation requires classical GMP to be applied without exception and that good practice is also applied in radiation processing. The main interest in analytical methods for the identification of radiation processed food arose from the need to enforce the ban on this process, to verify correct labelling, or to ensure that it is used only for the very limited number of application which are permitted. In this field, identification methods already introduced into the official food inspection systems have contributed considerably towards making evident several cases of the fraudulent application of radiation processing. At present, as radiation processing of food is becoming more and more accepted, the number of national clearances is increasing and the European Community is preparing for a Directive to harmonise the food laws of the member states with regard to food irradiation. Therefore, it should be considered how the analytical detection methods which have been developed could contribute to enforcing good manufacturing practices, once the main goal ceases to be the suppression of this process. (author)

Good Practice Guide Waste Minimization/Pollution Prevention; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J Dorsey

1999-01-01

This Good Practice Guide provides tools, information, and examples for promoting the implementation of pollution prevention during the design phases of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects. It is one of several Guides for implementing DOE Order 430.1, Life-cycle Asset Management. DOE Order 430.1 provides requirements for DOE, in partnership with its contractors, to plan, acquire, operate, maintain, and dispose of physical assets. The goals of designing for pollution prevention are to minimize raw material consumption, energy consumption, waste generation, health and safety impacts, and ecological degradation over the entire life of the facility (EPA 1993a). Users of this Guide will learn to translate national policy and regulatory requirements for pollution prevention into action at the project level. The Guide was written to be applicable to all DOE projects, regardless of project size or design phase. Users are expected to interpret the Guide for their individual project's circumstances, applying a graded approach so that the effort is consistent with the anticipated waste generation and resource consumption of the physical asset. This Guide employs a combination of pollution prevention opportunity assessment (PPOA) methods and design for environment (DfE) philosophies. The PPOA process was primarily developed for existing products, processes, and facilities. The PPOA process has been modified in this Guide to address the circumstances of the DOE design process as delineated in DOE Order 430.1 and its associated Good Practice Guides. This modified form of the PPOA is termed the Pollution Prevention Design Assessment (P2DA). Information on current nationwide methods and successes in designing for the environment also have been reviewed and are integrated into this guidance

Deterring Violent Extremism in America by Utilizing Good Counter-Radicalization Practices from Abroad: A Policy Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

counter-violent extremism, deterring violent extremism, counter-radicalization, country study, CVE, DVE, deterrence, policy perspective , good practices...both North America and in Europe, more constructive policies must be developed to manage diversity. There are serious flaws in the current policies...EXTREMISM IN AMERICA BY UTILIZING GOOD COUNTER-RADICALIZATION PRACTICES FROM ABROAD: A POLICY PERSPECTIVE by Amy Fires Bonanno March 2017

Good for sewage treatment and good for agriculture: Algal based compost and biochar.

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Andrew J; Paul, Nicholas A; de Nys, Rocky; Roberts, David A

2017-09-15

In this study we test a novel approach to closing the anthropogenic nutrient cycle, by using the freshwater macroalga, Oedogonium intermedium, to recover dissolved nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) from municipal wastewater. We then convert this cultivated algae into two types of soil ameliorant; compost and biochar. To produce compost, algae was combined with sugarcane bagasse and left to mature for 10 weeks, and to produce biochar, algae was processed through slow pyrolysis at 450 °C. The mature compost had a total N and P content of 2.5% and 0.6%, which was 2- to 4-times lower than the algal biochar, which had a total N and P content of 5.5% and 2.5% respectively. Composting stabilized the N and P recovered from wastewater, with 80% of the initial N and >99% of the initial P retained in the mature compost. In contrast, only 29% of the initial N and 62% of the initial P was retained in the biochar. When the mature compost was added to a low fertility soil it significantly increased the production of sweet corn (Zea mays). Treatments receiving 50 and 100% compost produced 4-9 times more corn biomass than when synthetic fertilizer alone was added to the low fertility soil. When biochar was applied in conjunction with compost there was an additional 15% increase in corn productivity, most likely due to the ability of the biochar to bind labile N and P and prevent its loss from the soil. This study demonstrates a unique model for recovering N and P from municipal wastewater and recycling these nutrients into the agricultural industry. This could be an ideal model for regional areas where agriculture and water treatment facilities are co-located and could ultimately reduce the reliance of agriculture on finite mineral sources of P. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Changing agricultural practices: Potential consequences to aquatic organisms

Science.gov (United States)

Lasier, Peter J.; Urich, Matthew L.; Hassan, Sayed M.; Jacobs, Whitney N.; Bringolf, Robert B.; Owens, Kathleen M.

2016-01-01

Agricultural practices pose threats to biotic diversity in freshwater systems with increasing use of glyphosate-based herbicides for weed control and animal waste for soil amendment becoming common in many regions. Over the past two decades, these particular agricultural trends have corresponded with marked declines in populations of fish and mussel species in the Upper Conasauga River watershed in Georgia/Tennessee, USA. To investigate the potential role of agriculture in the population declines, surface waters and sediments throughout the basin were tested for toxicity and analyzed for glyphosate, metals, nutrients, and steroid hormones. Assessments of chronic toxicity with Ceriodaphnia dubia and Hyalella azteca indicated that few water or sediment samples were harmful and metal concentrations were generally below impairment levels. Glyphosate was not observed in surface waters, although its primary degradation product, aminomethyl phosphonic acid (AMPA), was detected in 77% of the samples (mean = 509 μg/L, n = 99) and one or both compounds were measured in most sediment samples. Waterborne AMPA concentrations supported an inference that surfactants associated with glyphosate may be present at levels sufficient to affect early life stages of mussels. Nutrient enrichment of surface waters was widespread with nitrate (mean = 0.7 mg NO3-N/L, n = 179) and phosphorus (mean = 275 μg/L, n = 179) exceeding levels associated with eutrophication. Hormone concentrations in sediments were often above those shown to cause endocrine disruption in fish and appear to reflect the widespread application of poultry litter and manure. Observed species declines may be at least partially due to hormones, although excess nutrients and herbicide surfactants may also be implicated.

A Rapid Assessment Tool for affirming good practice in midwifery education programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Fullerton, Judith T; Johnson, Peter; Lobe, Erika; Myint, Khine Haymar; Aung, Nan Nan; Moe, Thida; Linn, Nay Aung

2016-03-01

to design a criterion-referenced assessment tool that could be used globally in a rapid assessment of good practices and bottlenecks in midwifery education programs. a standard tool development process was followed, to generate standards and reference criteria; followed by external review and field testing to document psychometric properties. review of standards and scoring criteria were conducted by stakeholders around the globe. Field testing of the tool was conducted in Myanmar. eleven of Myanmar׳s 22 midwifery education programs participated in the assessment. the clinimetric tool was demonstrated to have content validity and high inter-rater reliability in use. a globally validated tool, and accompanying user guide and handbook are now available for conducting rapid assessments of compliance with good practice criteria in midwifery education programming. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Good quantification practices of flavours and fragrances by mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Begnaud, Frédéric; Chaintreau, Alain

2016-10-28

Over the past 15 years, chromatographic techniques with mass spectrometric detection have been increasingly used to monitor the rapidly expanded list of regulated flavour and fragrance ingredients. This trend entails a need for good quantification practices suitable for complex media, especially for multi-analytes. In this article, we present experimental precautions needed to perform the analyses and ways to process the data according to the most recent approaches. This notably includes the identification of analytes during their quantification and method validation, when applied to real matrices, based on accuracy profiles. A brief survey of application studies based on such practices is given.This article is part of the themed issue 'Quantitative mass spectrometry'. © 2016 The Authors.

A Holistic Approach to Estimating the Influence of Good Practices on Student Outcomes at Liberal Arts and non-Liberal Arts Institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian P. An

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Many higher education administrators and researchers have considered certain “good practices” of institutions as an instrumental way to improve student outcomes. Chickering and Gamson’s (1987 seven principles of good practice has been particularly salient in defining these practices. Often, prior studies only select some of the seven principles for their analysis. Even studies that consider several principles of good practice on student outcomes typically examine the net effect of each principle instead of assessing how these principles holistically influence student outcomes. Using structural equation modeling, we test a basic conceptual framework where we investigate the contribution of the seven principles on a global measure of good practices (GP, as well as the influence of GP on a multitude of student outcomes. We further test whether liberal arts colleges promote an institutional ethos of good practices as compared to non-liberal arts colleges. Overall, the majority (but not all of the principles affect GP. Moreover, we find partial evidence that liberal arts colleges foster an institutional ethos of good practices. Although a commitment to foster good practices may create a supportive environment that influences student outcomes, this commitment may lead to unintended consequences for those with little exposure to these good practices.

Examples of Holistic Good Practices in Promoting and Protecting Mental Health in the Workplace: Current and Future Challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Sivris, Kelly C; Leka, Stavroula

2015-12-01

While attention has been paid to physical risks in the work environment and the promotion of individual employee health, mental health protection and promotion have received much less focus. Psychosocial risk management has not yet been fully incorporated in such efforts. This paper presents good practices in promoting mental health in the workplace in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance by identifying barriers, opportunities, and the way forward in this area. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 experts who were selected on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in relation to good practice identified tools. Interviewees were asked to evaluate the approaches on the basis of the WHO model for healthy workplaces. The examples of good practice for Workplace Mental Health Promotion (WMHP) are in line with the principles and the five keys of the WHO model. They support the third objective of the WHO comprehensive mental health action plan 2013-2020 for multisectoral implementation of WMHP strategies. Examples of good practice include the engagement of all stakeholders and representatives, science-driven practice, dissemination of good practice, continual improvement, and evaluation. Actions to inform policies/legislation, promote education on psychosocial risks, and provide better evidence were suggested for higher WMHP success. The study identified commonalities in good practice approaches in different countries and stressed the importance of a strong policy and enforcement framework as well as organizational responsibility for WMHP. For progress to be achieved in this area, a holistic and multidisciplinary approach was unanimously suggested as a way to successful implementation.

Police Enforcement Policy and Programmes on European Roads (PEPPER). Workpackage WP4 `Good Practices in Traffic Enforcement', Working paper 24: Good practice in data and data collection for monitoring and evaluating traffic law enforcement.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schagen, I.N.L.G. van Bernhoft, I.M. Erke, A. Ewert, U. Kallberg, V.-P. & Skladana, P.

2007-01-01

This working paper describes the good practice requirements regarding data and data collection for monitoring and evaluating Traffic Law Enforcement (TLE). The aim is at, eventually, individual police forces/countries put the identified ’good practice’ data into a European TLE monitoring database

Commentary on the MID3 Good Practices Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Manolis, Efthymios; Brogren, Jacob; Cole, Susan; Hay, Justin L; Nordmark, Anna; Karlsson, Kristin E; Lentz, Frederike; Benda, Norbert; Wangorsch, Gaby; Pons, Gerard; Zhao, Wei; Gigante, Valeria; Serone, Francesca; Standing, Joseph F; Dokoumetzidis, Aris; Vakkilainen, Juha; van den Heuvel, Michiel; Mangas Sanjuan, Victor; Taminiau, Johannes; Kerwash, Essam; Khan, David; Musuamba, Flora Tshinanu; Skottheim Rusten, Ine

2017-07-01

During the last 10 years the European Medicines Agency (EMA) organized a number of workshops on modeling and simulation, working towards greater integration of modeling and simulation (M&S) in the development and regulatory assessment of medicines. In the 2011 EMA - European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) Workshop on Modelling and Simulation, European regulators agreed to the necessity to build expertise to be able to review M&S data provided by companies in their dossier. This led to the establishment of the EMA Modelling and Simulation Working Group (MSWG). Also, there was agreement reached on the need for harmonization on good M&S practices and for continuing dialog across all parties. The MSWG acknowledges the initiative of the EFPIA Model-Informed Drug Discovery and Development (MID3) group in promoting greater consistency in practice, application, and documentation of M&S and considers the paper is an important contribution towards achieving this objective. © 2017 The Authors CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Cyanobacterial Farming for Environment Friendly Sustainable Agriculture Practices: Innovations and Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jainendra Pathak

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Sustainable supply of food and energy without posing any threat to environment is the current demand of our society in view of continuous increase in global human population and depletion of natural resources of energy. Cyanobacteria have recently emerged as potential candidates who can fulfill abovementioned needs due to their ability to efficiently harvest solar energy and convert it into biomass by simple utilization of CO2, water and nutrients. During conversion of radiant energy into chemical energy, these biological systems produce oxygen as a by-product. Cyanobacterial biomass can be used for the production of food, energy, biofertilizers, secondary metabolites of nutritional, cosmetics, and medicinal importance. Therefore, cyanobacterial farming is proposed as environment friendly sustainable agricultural practice which can produce biomass of very high value. Additionally, cyanobacterial farming helps in decreasing the level of greenhouse gas, i.e., CO2, and it can be also used for removing various contaminants from wastewater and soil. However, utilization of cyanobacteria for resolving the abovementioned problems is subjected to economic viability. In this review, we provide details on different aspects of cyanobacterial system that can help in developing sustainable agricultural practices. We also describe different large-scale cultivation systems for cyanobacterial farming and discuss their merits and demerits in terms of economic profitability.

Health physics manual of good practices for plutonium facilities. [Contains glossary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brackenbush, L.W.; Heid, K.R.; Herrington, W.N.; Kenoyer, J.L.; Munson, L.F.; Munson, L.H.; Selby, J.M.; Soldat, K.L.; Stoetzel, G.A.; Traub, R.J.

1988-05-01

This manual consists of six sections: Properties of Plutonium, Siting of Plutonium Facilities, Facility Design, Radiation Protection, Emergency Preparedness, and Decontamination and Decommissioning. While not the final authority, the manual is an assemblage of information, rules of thumb, regulations, and good practices to assist those who are intimately involved in plutonium operations. An in-depth understanding of the nuclear, physical, chemical, and biological properties of plutonium is important in establishing a viable radiation protection and control program at a plutonium facility. These properties of plutonium provide the basis and perspective necessary for appreciating the quality of control needed in handling and processing the material. Guidance in selecting the location of a new plutonium facility may not be directly useful to most readers. However, it provides a perspective for the development and implementation of the environmental surveillance program and the in-plant controls required to ensure that the facility is and remains a good neighbor. The criteria, guidance, and good practices for the design of a plutonium facility are also applicable to the operation and modification of existing facilities. The design activity provides many opportunities for implementation of features to promote more effective protection and control. The application of ''as low as reasonably achievable'' (ALARA) principles and optimization analyses are generally most cost-effective during the design phase. 335 refs., 8 figs., 20 tabs.

Factors associated with good TB infection control practices among primary healthcare workers in the Free State Province, South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Engelbrecht, Michelle; Janse van Rensburg, André; Kigozi, Gladys; van Rensburg, Hcj Dingie

2016-11-04

Despite the availability of TB infection control guidelines, and good levels of healthcare worker knowledge about infection control, often these measures are not well implemented. This study sought to determine the factors associated with healthcare workers' good TB infection control practices in primary health care facilities in the Free State Province, South Africa. A cross-sectional self-administered survey among nurses (n = 202) and facility-based community healthcare workers (n = 34) as well as facility observations were undertaken at all 41 primary health care facilities in a selected district of the Free State Province. The majority of respondents were female (n = 200; 87.7 %) and the average age was 44.19 years (standard deviation ±10.82). Good levels of knowledge were recorded, with 42.8 % (n = 101) having an average score (i.e. 65-79 %) and 31.8 % (n = 75) a good score (i.e. ≥ 80 %). Most respondents (n = 189; 80.4 %) had positive attitudes towards TB infection control practices (i.e. ≥ 80 %). While good TB infection control practices were reported by 72.9 % (n = 161) of the respondents (i.e. ≥75 %), observations revealed this to not necessarily be the case. For every unit increase in attitudes, good practices increased 1.090 times (CI:1.016-1.169). Respondents with high levels of knowledge (≥80 %) were 4.029 (CI: 1.550-10.469) times more likely to have good practices when compared to respondents with poor levels of knowledge (control were the main factors associated with good infection control practices. Although many respondents reported good infection control practices - which was somewhat countered by the observations - there are areas that require attention, particularly those related to administrative controls and the use of personal protective equipment.

An Assessment of Internet Uses, Practices, and Barriers for Professional Development by Agricultural Science Teachers in Lagos State

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olatomide Waheed Olowa

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper reports a study carried out on the utilisation of the Internet by agricultural science teachers in Lagos state focusing on uses, practices, and barriers. A questionnaire was developed based on literature and was administered to 300 agricultural science teachers in Lagos schools. 275 questionnaires properly completed were analyzed. Data reveal that 130 teachers are using the Internet for teaching agricultural science in classrooms as well as for various activities that enhance their professional development. Nevertheless, it was found that agricultural science teachers in Lagos State have not fully utilised the Internet because of barriers related to time factor, accessibility, and facilities. It is suggested that for the proliferation of Internet practices, there needs to be an increase in funding for technology, an introduction of computer/technology education, a provision of pedagogical training for teachers, and a provision of administrational support.

Monitoring of good practices programs and independence for electricity and natural gas system operators. Report 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-09-01

Electricity and natural gas transmission system operators (TSO) and distribution system operators (DSO) are regulated operators that provide public service functions for the benefit of the network users and the consumers they serve. Accordingly, European and French law requires that they be under independent and nondiscriminatory obligations. In particular, they must develop a good practices program which includes a range of measures to prevent the risk of discriminatory practices in network access. Pursuant to Article L.134-15 of the Energy Code, the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) is publishing this year its 8. annual report on the monitoring of good practices programs and independence for electricity and natural gas system operators for the year 2012. This report is based on analysis of the 'reports on the implementation of good practices programs' submitted to the CRE by the operators in late 2012 and audits carried out by the CRE services in these companies in 2012

Monitoring of good practices programs and independence for electricity and natural gas system operators. 2010 report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

Electricity and natural gas transmission system operators (TSO) and distribution system operators (DSO) are regulated operators that provide public service functions for the benefit of the network users and the consumers they serve. Accordingly, European and French law requires that they be under independent and nondiscriminatory obligations. In particular, they must develop a good practices program which includes a range of measures to prevent the risk of discriminatory practices in network access. Pursuant to Article L.134-15 of the Energy Code, the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) is publishing this year its 6. annual report on the monitoring of good practices programs and independence for electricity and natural gas system operators for the year 2010. This report is based on analysis of the 'reports on the implementation of good practices programs' submitted to the CRE by the operators in late 2010 and audits carried out by the CRE services in these companies in 2010

Good practices of publishing AYUSH research: A practical checklist for authors.

Science.gov (United States)

Patwardhan, Kishor; Tillu, Girish; Jadhav, Priyanka M

Since its inception, Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine (J-AIM) has been constantly striving to create an environment that inculcates and strengthens "Good Publication Practices (GPP)" amongst students, practitioners and researchers in AYUSH community. The J-AIM has been doing this in the form of conducting workshops on scientific writing and research methods on different platforms. This article is based on our experiences and varied discussions that we have had with students, teachers, practitioners and researchers during these interactive sessions, and is intended at addressing the gap that prevails in the domain. The need for such awareness is felt even more strongly ever since the Beall's list of predatory journals has been unpublished. This article tries to fill the void this disappearance has created. We analyze the current scenario of AYUSH publications, enumerate the common perceptions and concerns among the workers in the field, and consider the periodicals where the doctoral and postgraduate level of Ayurveda research works are being published at present. The article also presents a practical checklist that will be helpful for students and teachers to refer authentic resources and submit their work to an appropriate scholarly journal. Copyright © 2017 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Theoretical and practical aspects of accounting agricultural land

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bryk Galyna Volodymyrivna

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The role of agricultural land as an important object of accounting is showed. The features of agricultural land as the main means of agricultural sector and as a major biological asset are characterized. The state of the current system of synthetic and analytical accounting of agricultural land are reflected, the proposals to adapt this accounting information for management are analyzed. The need of accounting agricultural land to the disclosure of qualitative indicators are established, the possibility and feasibility of tax rules to them are suggested. Directions for improvement of accounting agricultural land to ensure rational land using and uniform taxation.

7 CFR 46.44 - Good delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MARKETING OF PERISHABLE AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES REGULATIONS (OTHER... conditions, will meet the following additional requirements on delivery at the contract destination: (a...

Agricultural practices indirectly influence plant productivity and ecosystem services through effects on soil biota

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Köhl, L.; Oehl, F.; van der Heijden, Marcellus|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/240923901

2014-01-01

It is well established that agricultural practices alter the composition and diversity of soil microbial communities. However, the impact of changing soil microbial communities on the functioning of the agroecosystems is still poorly understood. Earlier work showed that soil tillage drastically

Innovation, Cooperation, and the Perceived Benefits and Costs of Sustainable Agriculture Practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Lubell

2011-12-01

Full Text Available A central goal of most sustainable agriculture programs is to encourage growers to adopt practices that jointly provide economic, environmental, and social benefits. Using surveys of outreach professionals and wine grape growers, we quantify the perceived costs and benefits of sustainable viticulture practices recommended by sustainability outreach and certification programs. We argue that the mix of environmental benefits, economic benefits, and economic costs determine whether or not a particular practice involves decisions about innovation or cooperation. Decision making is also affected by the overall level of knowledge regarding different practices, and we show that knowledge gaps are an increasing function of cost and a decreasing function of benefits. How different practices are related to innovation and cooperation has important implications for the design of sustainability outreach programs. Cooperation, innovation, and knowledge gaps are issues that are likely to be relevant for the resilience and sustainability of many different types of social-ecological systems.

Good practice in the production of radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz Arencibia, Jorge

2012-01-01

In the paper the evolution of concepts regarding the quality of the pharmaceutical products is analyzed in the framework of the production of radiopharmaceuticals at CENTIS. The world trends range from the quality control of the fi nal product to the comprehensive concept of quality management. It is concluded from the analysis that CENTIS has an appropriate system of Good Manufacturing Practice as a result of 15 years of systematic, growing and qualified attention to the issue, in correspondence with the world tendencies and the continuous support of CECMED, the Cuban regulatory authority. That is certified by the fact that all the production processes of CENTIS have been licensed and all the CENTIS products in the market have been registered. The existing conditions at CENTIS are favorable to establish and certificate a Quality Management System. (author)

Good practice achievement of the firms within National agro processing industry of Thailand: Impacts on corporate image and stakeholder acceptance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuttavong Poonpool

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This article is about the effects of good practice achievement on stakeholder acceptance. The study examines the relationship between good practice achievement and stakeholder acceptance, where corporate image is taken as a mediator. The samples were 486 chief executive officers (CEO who participated in the national agro processing industry of Thailand. The ordinary least squares (OLS regression analysis was employed for data analysis. The findings show that good practice achievement, in which consists of fairness, transparency, accountability, responsibility, consistency, and independent, have the positive effect on corporate image significantly (p<0.1. Interestingly, corporate image mediates the relationship between good practice achievement and stakeholder acceptance significantly (p<0.05. Therefore, a key decision for managers in all levels and functions is to focus on good practice achievement that improves and develops corporate image and boost stakeholder acceptance.

Beyond the edge: Linking agricultural landscapes, stream networks, and best management practices

Science.gov (United States)

Kreiling, Rebecca M.; Thoms, Martin C.; Richardson, William B.

2018-01-01

Despite much research and investment into understanding and managing nutrients across agricultural landscapes, nutrient runoff to freshwater ecosystems is still a major concern. We argue there is currently a disconnect between the management of watershed surfaces (agricultural landscape) and river networks (riverine landscape). These landscapes are commonly managed separately, but there is limited cohesiveness between agricultural landscape-focused research and river science, despite similar end goals. Interdisciplinary research into stream networks that drain agricultural landscapes is expanding but is fraught with problems. Conceptual frameworks are useful tools to order phenomena, reveal patterns and processes, and in interdisciplinary river science, enable the joining of multiple areas of understanding into a single conceptual–empirical structure. We present a framework for the interdisciplinary study and management of agricultural and riverine landscapes. The framework includes components of an ecosystems approach to the study of catchment–stream networks, resilience thinking, and strategic adaptive management. Application of the framework is illustrated through a study of the Fox Basin in Wisconsin, USA. To fully realize the goal of nutrient reduction in the basin, we suggest that greater emphasis is needed on where best management practices (BMPs) are used within the spatial context of the combined watershed–stream network system, including BMPs within the river channel. Targeted placement of BMPs throughout the riverine landscape would increase the overall buffering capacity of the system to nutrient runoff and thus its resilience to current and future disturbances.

Good manufacturing practices for medicinal products for human use.

Science.gov (United States)

Gouveia, Bruno G; Rijo, Patrícia; Gonçalo, Tânia S; Reis, Catarina P

2015-01-01

At international and national levels, there are public and private organizations, institutions and regulatory authorities, who work and cooperate between them and with Pharmaceutical Industry, in order to achieve a consensus of the guidelines and laws of the manufacturing of medicinal products for human use. This article includes an explanation of how operate and cooperate these participants, between them and expose the current regulations, following the line of European Community/European Economic Area, referencing, wherever appropriate, the practiced guidelines, outside of regulatory action of space mentioned. In this way, it is intended to achieve quality, security and effectiveness exceptional levels in the manufacturing of health products. Good Manufacturing Practice aim the promotion of the human health and consequently, to the improvement of quality of life. For achieve the proposed objectives, it is necessary to ensure the applicability of the presented concepts and show the benefits arising from this applicability.

Good manufacturing practices for medicinal products for human use

Science.gov (United States)

Gouveia, Bruno G.; Rijo, Patrícia; Gonçalo, Tânia S.; Reis, Catarina P.

2015-01-01

At international and national levels, there are public and private organizations, institutions and regulatory authorities, who work and cooperate between them and with Pharmaceutical Industry, in order to achieve a consensus of the guidelines and laws of the manufacturing of medicinal products for human use. This article includes an explanation of how operate and cooperate these participants, between them and expose the current regulations, following the line of European Community/European Economic Area, referencing, wherever appropriate, the practiced guidelines, outside of regulatory action of space mentioned. In this way, it is intended to achieve quality, security and effectiveness exceptional levels in the manufacturing of health products. Good Manufacturing Practice aim the promotion of the human health and consequently, to the improvement of quality of life. For achieve the proposed objectives, it is necessary to ensure the applicability of the presented concepts and show the benefits arising from this applicability. PMID:25883511

Evaluating the incorporation of heavy metals to agroecosystem. Role of the productive practices executed by agricultural workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia Cespedes, Damarys; Santana Romero, Jorge Luis; Olivares Rieumont, Susana

2012-01-01

Health risks associated to practical activities in farm and agriculture are increasing all over the world. These risks are depending from technology and chemicals substances abuse. Urban agriculture specifically constitutes a challenge for producers and researchers. Agricultural food production, held inside of the cities, looking for sustainable productions is developed in risky scenarios where it is possible to found environmental pollutants such as heavy metals. Environmental pollutants may to contaminate humans throughout different pathways. The analysis of factors related to agricultural working strategies of urban farm workers, the precedent knowledgement about production places and analytical data related to composition and properties of these sites, are significant criteria for proper management of ecosystems. Qualitative analysis research tool such as expert group criteria is a suitable method for field research in this area. It was determined that the precedent use of soil, the use of fertilizers and phytosanitary products are key elements to be taken into account for successful management of agroecosystems and for health risk prevention related to the possible influence of heavy metals in farm practice

Agriculture: Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Climate change affects agricultural producers because agriculture and fisheries depend on specific climate conditions. Temperature changes can cause crop planting dates to shift. Droughts and floods due to climate change may hinder farming practices.

INNOVATIONS IN POLISH SOCIAL ECONOMY. GOOD PRACTICES CAFE-BOOKSTORE ''COOPERATIVE”

OpenAIRE

Piotr Krośniak; Anna Szadkowska-Ciężka; Katarzyna Zabratańska

2012-01-01

The article is concentrating on the issue of the social economy and the presentation of good practice from Poland. For elaborating issues an example of the „Cooperative” was used. This is pioneering working on Polish scale which uses innovative actions for the counteraction of social exclusion. Brought up issues are alsoassociated with promotion of creating trilateral partnerships and development of the social franchise model. Presented model is the result of cooperation between UNDP Project ...

Implementation of Good Maufacturing Practices (GMP) in the Kitchen Hospital

OpenAIRE

Sari, Fitria Novita

2016-01-01

Abstract: Food safety is one of the important thing in public health improvement in Indonesia. Hospitals are required to keep food safety for patients by conducting the principle Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The purpose of this research to -identify the application of GMP in Installation Nutrition Hospital. Design of this study was using descriptive research in observational method with cross sectional design. Variables the treatment were the physical building, utility, equipment, stor...

Guiding principles for good practices in hospital-based health technology assessment units

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sampietro-Colom, Laura; Lach, Krzysztof; Pasternack, Iris

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Health technology assessment (HTA) carried out for policy decision making has well-established principles unlike hospital-based HTA (HB-HTA), which differs from the former in the context characteristics and ways of operation. This study proposes principles for good practices in HB-HTA...

[Implementation of good quality and safety practices. Descriptive study in a occupational mutual health centre].

Science.gov (United States)

Manzanera, R; Plana, M; Moya, D; Ortner, J; Mira, J J

2016-01-01

To describe the level of implementation of quality and safety good practice elements in a Mutual Society health centre. A Cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the level of implementation of good practices using a questionnaire. Some quality dimensions were also assessed (scale 0 to 10) by a set of 87 quality coordinators of health centres and a random sample of 54 healthcare professionals working in small centres. Seventy quality coordinators and 27 professionals replied (response rates 80% and 50%, respectively. There were no differences in the assessment of quality attributes between both groups. They identified as areas for improvement: use of practice guidelines (7.6/10), scientific and technical skills (7.5/10), and patient satisfaction (7.7/10). Availability and accessibility to clinical reports, informed consent, availability of hydro-alcoholic solution, and to record allergies, were considered of high importance to be implemented, with training and research, improvements in equipment and technology plans, adherence to clinical practice guidelines and the preparation of risk maps, being of less importance. The good practices related to equipment and resources have a higher likelihood to be implemented, meanwhile those related to quality and safety attitudes have more barriers before being implemented. The mutual has a similar behaviour than other healthcare institutions. Copyright © 2015 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Etic and Emic Perspectives on HIV/AIDS Impacts on Rural Livelihoods and Agricultural Practice in Sub-Saharan Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niehof, A.; Price, L.L.

2008-01-01

Using an HIV/AIDS lens in looking at developments in rural livelihoods and agricultural practice reveals a diversity of critical impacts of the epidemic. Still, in most of the countries hardest-hit by HIV/ AIDS the agricultural sector lacks adequate policies and programmes to deal with the crisis.

The EU Nitrates Directive: A European Approach to Combat Water Pollution from Agriculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gert J. Monteny

2001-01-01

Full Text Available From 1991 onward, the European Union (EU member states have had to comply with the Nitrates Directive. The aim of this directive is to sustainably protect ground and surface waters from pollution with nitrogen (nitrate originating from agriculture. Agriculture is, on an EU level, the largest single source of nitrate (runoff, leaching pollution, although households and industries also contribute to some extent. An important element in the directive is the reporting every 4 years on the monitoring of ground- and surface-water quality. Furthermore, all 15 member states are compelled to designate so-called Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs. These are regions where the nitrate concentrations in the groundwater amount to 50 mg/l or more. In addition to Codes of Good Agricultural Practice, valid on a countrywide basis and often consisting of voluntary-based measures, specific Action Programmes with mandatory measures have to be developed for the NVZs. The first reporting period ended in 1995. This paper describes the progress in member states’ compliance with the Nitrates Directive during the second period (1996–1999, with a focus on the agricultural practices and action pro- grammes. An evaluation of the member states’ reports shows that good progress is being made on the farmers’ awareness of the need to comply with EU regulations on the protection of the aquatic environment. Action programmes are valuable tools to enforce measures that lead to a reduction of the water pollution by agricultural activities. Regional projects show that significant improvements can be achieved (e.g., reduced fertiliser inputs while maintaining crop yields and thus maintaining the economic potential of agriculture.

Introduction to good practice in health, environment and safety management in enterprises

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baranski, B.; Zwetsloot, G.

2000-01-01

Purpose of this paper, presented on the fifth annual meeting of the Baltic Sea Network on Occupational Health and Safety (Berlin, 18-19 November 1999), is to outline conceptual models of good practice (GP) in Health, Environment and Safety Management in Enterprises (HESME), present major components

Prevention of occupational injuries: Evidence for effective good practices in foundries.

Science.gov (United States)

Porru, Stefano; Calza, Stefano; Arici, Cecilia

2017-02-01

Occupational injuries are a relevant research and practical issue. However, intervention studies evaluating the effectiveness of workplace injury prevention programs are seldom performed. The effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention aimed at reducing occupational injury rates (incidence/employment-based=IR, frequency/hours-based=FR, severity=SR) was evaluated between 2008 and 2013 in 29 Italian foundries (22 ferrous; 7 non-ferrous; 3,460 male blue collar workers/year) of varying sizes. Each foundry established an internal multidisciplinary prevention team for risk assessment, monitoring and prevention of occupational injuries, involving employers, occupational physicians, safety personnel, workers' representatives, supervisors. Targets of intervention were workers, equipment, organization, workplace, job tasks. An interrupted time series (ITS) design was applied. 4,604 occupational injuries and 83,156 lost workdays were registered between 2003 and 2013. Statistical analysis showed, after intervention, a reduction of all injury rates (-26% IR, -15% FR, -18% SR) in ferrous foundries and of SR (-4%) in non-ferrous foundries. A significant (p=0.021) 'step-effect' was shown for IR in ferrous foundries, independent of secular trends (pgood external validity; promotion of effective good practices. Main limitations were the non-randomized nature and a medium length post-intervention period. In conclusion, a multifaceted, pragmatic and accountable intervention is effective in reducing the burden of occupational injuries in small-, medium- and large-sized foundries. Practical Applications: The study poses the basis for feasible good practice guidelines to be implemented to prevent occupational injuries, by means of sector-specific numerical benchmarks, with potentially relevant impacts on workers, companies, occupational health professionals and society at large. Copyright © 2016 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Specificity of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for Biomedical Cell Products.

Science.gov (United States)

Tulina, M A; Pyatigorskaya, N V

2018-03-01

The article describes special aspects of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for biomedical cell products (BMCP) that imply high standards of aseptics throughout the entire productio process, strict requirements to donors and to the procedure of biomaterial isolation, guaranty of tracing BMCP products, defining processing procedures which allow to identify BMCP as minimally manipulated; continuous quality control and automation of the control process at all stages of manufacturing, which will ensure product release simultaneously with completion of technological operations.

Assessment and Monitoring of Nutrient Management in Irrigated Agriculture for Groundwater Quality Protection

Science.gov (United States)

Harter, T.; Davis, R.; Smart, D. R.; Brown, P. H.; Dzurella, K.; Bell, A.; Kourakos, G.

2017-12-01

Nutrient fluxes to groundwater have been subject to regulatory assessment and control only in a limited number of countries, including those in the European Union, where the Water Framework Directive requires member countries to manage groundwater basis toward achieving "good status", and California, where irrigated lands will be subject to permitting, stringent nutrient monitoring requirements, and development of practices that are protective of groundwater. However, research activities to rigorously assess agricultural practices for their impact on groundwater have been limited and instead focused on surface water protection. For groundwater-related assessment of agricultural practices, a wide range of modeling tools has been employed: vulnerability studies, nitrogen mass balance assessments, crop-soil-system models, and various statistical tools. These tools are predominantly used to identify high risk regions, practices, or crops. Here we present the development of a field site for rigorous in-situ evaluation of water and nutrient management practices in an irrigated agricultural setting. Integrating groundwater monitoring into agricultural practice assessment requires large research plots (on the order of 10s to 100s of hectares) and multi-year research time-frames - much larger than typical agricultural field research plots. Almonds are among the most common crops in California with intensive use of nitrogen fertilizer and were selected for their high water quality improvement potential. Availability of an orchard site with relatively vulnerable groundwater conditions (sandy soils, water table depth less than 10 m) was also important in site selection. Initial results show that shallow groundwater concentrations are commensurate with nitrogen leaching estimates obtained by considering historical, long-term field nitrogen mass balance and groundwater dynamics.

Guide to good practices for on-the-job training

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-04-01

Training programs at DOE facilities should prepare personnel to safely and efficiently operate and maintain the facilities in accordance with DOE requirements. This guide presents good practices for a systematic approach to on-the-job training (OJT) and OJT programs and should be used in conjunction with DOE Training Program Handbook: A Systematic Approach to Training, and with the DOE Handbook entitled Alternative Systematic Approaches to Training to develop performance-based OJT programs. DOE contractors may also use this guide to modify existing OJT programs that do not meet the systematic approach to training (SAT) objectives.

Estimating the harms and benefits of prostate cancer screening as used in common practice versus recommended good practice: A microsimulation screening analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. Carlsson (Sigrid); T.M. de Carvalho Delgado Marques (Tiago); M.J. Roobol-Bouts (Monique); J. Hugosson (Jonas); A. Auvinen (Anssi); M. Kwiatkowski (Maciej); A. Villers (Arnoud); M. Zappa (Marco); V. Nelen (Vera); A. Páez (Alvaro); J.A. Eastham (James); H. Lilja (Hans); H.J. de Koning (Harry); A.J. Vickers (Andrew); E.A.M. Heijnsdijk (Eveline)

2016-01-01

textabstractBACKGROUND: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and concomitant treatment can be implemented in several ways. The authors investigated how the net benefit of PSA screening varies between common practice versus “good practice.”. METHODS: Microsimulation screening analysis (MISCAN)

Efficient phosphorus management practices in the Everglades Agricultural Area

Science.gov (United States)

Bhadha, J. H.; Lang, T. A.; Daroub, S. H.; Alvarez, O.; Tootoonchi, M.; Capasso, J.

2016-12-01

In the 450,000 acres of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) of South Florida, farming practices have long been mindful of phosphorus (P) management as it relates to sufficiency and efficiency of P utilization. Over two decades of P best management practices have resulted in 3001 metric-ton of P load reduction from the EAA to downstream ecosystems. During the summer, more than 50,000 acres of fallow sugarcane land is available for rice production. The net value of growing flooded rice in the EAA as a rotational crop with sugarcane far exceeds its monetary return. Soil conservation, improvement in tilth and P load reduction are only some of the benefits. With no P fertilizer applied, a two-year field trial on flooded rice showed improved outflow P concentrations by up to 40% as a result of particulate setting and plant P uptake. Harvested whole grain rice can effectively remove a significant amount of P from a rice field per growing season. In parts of the EAA where soils are sandy, the application of using locally derived organic amendments as potential P fertilizer has gained interest over the past few years. The use of local agricultural and urban organic residues as amendments in sandy soils of South Florida provide options to enhance soil properties and improve sugarcane yields, while reducing waste and harmful effects of agricultural production on the environment. A lysimeter study conducted to determine the effect of mill ash and three types of biochar (rice hulls, yard waste, horse bedding) on sugarcane yields, soil properties, and drainage water quality in sandy soils showed that mill ash and rice hull biochar increased soil TP, Mehlich 3-P (M3-P), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) compared to the control. TP and M3-P content remained constant after 9 months, CEC showed a significant increase over time with rich hull biochar addition. Future projects include the utilization of aquatic vegetation, such as chara and southern naiad as bio-filters in farm

Giving sustainable agriculture really good odds through innovative rainfall index insurance

Science.gov (United States)

Muneepeerakul, C. P.; Muneepeerakul, R.

2017-12-01

Population growth, increasing demands for food, and increasingly uncertain and limited water availability amidst competing demands for water by other users and the environment call for a novel approach to manage water in food production systems to be developed now. Tapping into broad popularity of crop insurance as a risk management intervention, we propose an innovative rainfall index insurance program as a novel systems approach that addresses water conservation in food production systems by exploiting two common currencies that tie the food production systems and others together, namely water and money. Our novel methodology allows for optimizing diverse farm and financial strategies together, revealing strategy portfolios that result in greater water use efficiency and higher incomes at a lower level of water use. Furthermore, it allows targeted interventions to achieve reduction in irrigation water, while providing financial protection to farmers against the increasing uncertainty in water availability. Not only would such a tool result in efficiently less use of water, it would also encourage diversification in farm practices, which reduces the farm's vulnerability against crop price volatility and pest or disease outbreaks and contributes to more sustainable agriculture.

Stages of Agricultural Land Consolidation in Ukraine with Consideration for International Best Practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popov Andriy S.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to develop recommendations on defining stages of consolidation of agricultural land in Ukraine on the basis of the best international practices. The analysis, systematization and generalization of scientific works of domestic and foreign scientists made it possible to determine a possible order of land consolidation in Ukraine and provide a detailed description of each stage. As a result of the research, the following main stages of land consolidation were proposed: the initiation, inventory, planning, implementation and final one. Each of these stages is considered consistently with justification of its expediency, the list of necessary measures and land management documentation, presentation of practical examples from different countries of the world. It is determined that each stage of the land consolidation procedure should be conducted in compliance with the principle of openness, which ensures the involvement of the maximum number of landowners/land users and protection of their interests, creates a positive attitude of the society towards land consolidation. A structural and logical model of the procedure for consolidating agricultural land, which clearly reflects the stages and activities of its implementation, is drawn up. There presented recommendations on the need to introduce new land management documentation for land consolidation with a detailed description of their essence. The relevance of further studies of the procedure for the agricultural land consolidation is in bringing a flexible, simple, cost-effective and short-term approach to its implementation.

Putting farmers first: reshaping agricultural research in West Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pimbert, Michel

2012-01-15

How agricultural research is funded, organised, controlled and practised can have a huge impact on small-scale producers in the global South. In many countries, such research is driven by external funds, priorities and technological fixes, such as hybrid seeds, which can erode crop diversity. But food producers across the world are beginning to raise their voices to ensure that agricultural research better meets their needs and priorities. A series of farmer assessments and citizens' juries in West Africa has helped farmers assess existing approaches and articulate recommendations for policy and practice to achieve their own vision of agricultural research. In 2012, a high-level policy dialogue between farmers and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa hopes to take this discussion to the next level and develop a shared agenda that can serve development and the public good.

Defense programs beryllium good practice guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herr, M.

1997-07-01

Within the DOE, it has recently become apparent that some contractor employees who have worked (or are currently working) with and around beryllium have developed chronic beryllium disease (CBD), an occupational granulomatous lung disorder. Respiratory exposure to aerosolized beryllium, in susceptible individuals, causes an immunological reaction that can result in granulomatous scarring of the lung parenchyma, shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, weight loss, and, ultimately, respiratory failure. Beryllium disease was originally identified in the 1940s, largely in the fluorescent light industry. In 1950, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) introduced strict exposure standards that generally curtailed both the acute and chronic forms of the disease. Beginning in 1984, with the identification of a CBD case in a DOE contractor worker, there was increased scrutiny of both industrial hygiene practices and individuals in this workforce. To date, over 100 additional cases of beryllium-specific sensitization and/or CBD have been identified. Thus, a disease previously thought to be largely eliminated by the adoption of permissible exposure standards 45 years ago is still a health risk in certain workforces. This good practice guide forms the basis of an acceptable program for controlling workplace exposure to beryllium. It provides (1) Guidance for minimizing worker exposure to beryllium in Defense Programs facilities during all phases of beryllium-related work, including the decontamination and decommissioning (D ampersand D) of facilities. (2) Recommended controls to be applied to the handling of metallic beryllium and beryllium alloys, beryllium oxide, and other beryllium compounds. (3) Recommendations for medical monitoring and surveillance of workers exposed (or potentially exposed) to beryllium, based on the best current understanding of beryllium disease and medical diagnostic tests available. (4) Site-specific safety procedures for all processes of beryllium that is

The Role of Networks of Practice and Webs of Influencers on Farmers' Engagement with and Learning about Agricultural Innovations

Science.gov (United States)

Oreszczyn, Sue; Lane, Andy; Carr, Susan

2010-01-01

Drawing on the UK research project, "Farmers' understandings of GM crops within local communities", this paper considers the application of the concepts of communities of practice and networks of practice in the agricultural context. A brief review of theories about communities of practice and networks of practice is given and some of…

Deploying Serious Games for Management in Higher Education: lessons learned and good practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baalsrud Hauge, Jannicke; Bellotti, Francesco; Nadolski, Rob; Kickmeier-Rust, Michael; Berta, Riccardo; Carvalho, Maria B.

2013-01-01

Baalsrud Hauge, J., Bellotti, F., Nadolski, R. J., Kickmeier-Rust, M., Berta, R., & Carvalho, M. B. (2013, 4 October). Deploying Serious Games for Management in Higher Education: lessons learned and good practices. Presentation at ECGBL 2013, Porto, Portugal.

Buenas prácticas de aplicación en cultivos planos extensivos: Distancias a zonas urbanas. Criterios y soluciones Good practices of application on extensive flat crops: Distances to urban areas. Criterions and salutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto Etiennot

2010-12-01

Full Text Available El presente trabajo engloba todos los conocimientos actuales y disponibles técnico científicos con respecto a las aplicaciones de agroquímicos en proximidad a las zonas periurbanas y urbanas, considerando los diversos factores que contribuyen a un eficiente y eficaz trabajo agrícola, sugiriendo prácticas y estableciendo distancias a favor de la seguridad de la población y de las Buenas Prácticas Agrícolas. Concluyendo en un cuadro de sugerencias basado en la toxicidad aguda de los agroquímicos.The present document includes the whole current and available scientific technical knowledge regarding to the agrichemical applications next to the rural-urban and urban zones, considering the several factors that contribute to an efficient and effective agricultural work, suggesting practices and establishing distances in favour of the population's security and of the Good Agricultural Practices. Concluding in a picture of suggestions based on the acute toxicity of the agrichemicals.

Advances in participatory occupational health aimed at good practices in small enterprises and the informal sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Kogi, Kazutaka

2006-01-01

Participatory programmes for occupational risk reduction are gaining importance particularly in small workplaces in both industrially developing and developed countries. To discuss the types of effective support, participatory steps commonly seen in our "work improvement-Asia" network are reviewed. The review covered training programmes for small enterprises, farmers, home workers and trade union members. Participatory steps commonly focusing on low-cost good practices locally achieved have led to concrete improvements in multiple technical areas including materials handling, workstation ergonomics, physical environment and work organization. These steps take advantage of positive features of small workplaces in two distinct ways. First, local key persons are ready to accept local good practices conveyed through personal, informal approaches. Second, workers and farmers are capable of understanding technical problems affecting routine work and taking flexible actions leading to solving them. This process is facilitated by the use of locally adjusted training tools such as local good examples, action checklists and group work methods. It is suggested that participatory occupational health programmes can work in small workplaces when they utilize low-cost good practices in a flexible manner. Networking of these positive experiences is essential.

The economics of agricultural subsidies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosch, R.A.

1985-01-01

PART ONE

1. Agricultural subsidies have been defined as a government induced change of relative prices of goods, services and factors of production in the agricultural sector. These agricultural price changes may result from a large number of different government measures varying

Long-term agricultural experiments inform the development of climate-smart agricultural practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristina Wolf

2017-09-01

Full Text Available California's Mediterranean agro-ecosystems are a major source of U.S. fruits and vegetables, and vulnerable to future extremes of precipitation and temperature brought on by climate change, including increased drought and flooding, and more intense and longer heat waves. To develop resilience to these threats, strategies are necessary for climate-smart management of soil and water. Long-term, large-scale, replicated ecological experiments provide unique testbeds for studying such questions. At the UC Davis Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility (RRSAF, the 100-year Century Experiment, initiated in 1992, is investigating the effects of multiple farming practices in a farm-scale replicated study of 10 row crop cropping systems. It includes different fertility management systems: organic, conventional and hybrid (conventional plus winter cover crop systems; different crops: wheat, tomatoes, corn, alfalfa, cover crops and grasslands; and different irrigation systems: rainfed, flood irrigated and drip irrigated. We briefly describe and report on a selection of long-term experiments conducted at RRSAF investigating soil management and irrigation practices, which are an important focus for developing climate-smart strategies in Mediterranean systems. For example, long-term monitoring of soil carbon content revealed that most crop systems have experienced a small increase in soil carbon since 1993, and increases in organically managed plots were substantially higher. As RRSAF continues to build upon this rich dataset from one of a very few long-term row crop experiments in Mediterranean ecosystems, it provides a testbed for identifying climate-smart solutions for these agronomically important ecosystems.

Sustainable Agriculture: Cover Cropping

Science.gov (United States)

Webster, Megan

2018-01-01

Sustainable agriculture practices are increasingly being used by farmers to maintain soil quality, increase biodiversity, and promote production of food that is environmentally safe. There are several types of sustainable agriculture practices such as organic farming, crop rotation, and aquaculture. This lesson plan focuses on the sustainable…

Impacts of Agricultural Practices and Tourism Activities on the Sustainability of Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon Lakes, Dieng Plateau, Central Java

Science.gov (United States)

Sudarmadji; Pudjiastuti, Hermin

2018-02-01

Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon are two volcanic lakes in the Dieng Plateau offer some unique phenomena which are interested for tourists to visit. Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon are located side by side in the Dieng Palteau. Those two lakes also have specific ecosystem which differ to other lakes. However as land use in the surrounding area is now gradually changing, the lake is now facing to environmental degradation. The land use in the surrounding area is for intensive agricultural which main crops are vegetable, especially potatoes. Meanwhile, the number of tourist visiting those two lakes is increasing; it may also give some impact to the lake environment. This research aims to study the impacts of agricultural practices and tourism activities to the lake environmental which lead to the environment sustainability of the lakes. The field survey was conducted to collect some data on lakes characteristics, agricultural and tourism activities. Some interviews to local people and tourists were also conducted. Some water and sediment samples were collected followed by laboratory analyses. Some secondary data from previous study was also collected. Data analysis was conducted based on qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study found that agricultural practices of potatoes plantation uses water from the Telaga Pengilon to irrigate the plant by pumping out the water using water pump and distributes the water over the plantation area. Agricultural practices lead to soil erosion, which contribute sediment to the lake carried by surface runoff. Therefore, the volume of lakes is gradually decreasing. The use of fertilizer in the agricultural practice contribute nutrient into the lake carried by surface runoff, leading to the eutrophication, due to the excess used of fertilizer. The study concludes that agricultural practices and tourism activities have some positive economic impacts to the local community, however it also give some adverse affects on the lakes

Impacts of Agricultural Practices and Tourism Activities on the Sustainability of Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon Lakes, Dieng Plateau, Central Java

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudarmadji

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon are two volcanic lakes in the Dieng Plateau offer some unique phenomena which are interested for tourists to visit. Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon are located side by side in the Dieng Palteau. Those two lakes also have specific ecosystem which differ to other lakes. However as land use in the surrounding area is now gradually changing, the lake is now facing to environmental degradation. The land use in the surrounding area is for intensive agricultural which main crops are vegetable, especially potatoes. Meanwhile, the number of tourist visiting those two lakes is increasing; it may also give some impact to the lake environment. This research aims to study the impacts of agricultural practices and tourism activities to the lake environmental which lead to the environment sustainability of the lakes. The field survey was conducted to collect some data on lakes characteristics, agricultural and tourism activities. Some interviews to local people and tourists were also conducted. Some water and sediment samples were collected followed by laboratory analyses. Some secondary data from previous study was also collected. Data analysis was conducted based on qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study found that agricultural practices of potatoes plantation uses water from the Telaga Pengilon to irrigate the plant by pumping out the water using water pump and distributes the water over the plantation area. Agricultural practices lead to soil erosion, which contribute sediment to the lake carried by surface runoff. Therefore, the volume of lakes is gradually decreasing. The use of fertilizer in the agricultural practice contribute nutrient into the lake carried by surface runoff, leading to the eutrophication, due to the excess used of fertilizer. The study concludes that agricultural practices and tourism activities have some positive economic impacts to the local community, however it also give some adverse

Slow reaction of soil structure to conservation agriculture practices in Veneto silty soils (North-Easter Italy)

Science.gov (United States)

Piccoli, Ilaria; Camarotto, Carlo; Lazzaro, Barbara; Furlan, Lorenzo; Morari, Francesco

2017-04-01

Soil structure plays a pivotal role in soil functioning and can inform of the degradation of the soil ecosystem. Intensive and repeated tillage operations have been known to negatively affect the soil structure characteristics while conservation agriculture (CA) practices were demonstrated to improve soil structure and related ecosystem services. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of conservation agriculture practices on total porosity, pore size distribution, pore architecture and morphology on silty soils of Veneto low-lying plain (North-Eastern Italy). Experimental design was established in 2010 on 4 farms in North-Eastern Italy to compare conventional intensive tillage system "IT" versus conservation agriculture "CA" (no-tillage, cover-crop and residue retention). 96 samples were collected in 2015 at four depths down to 50 cm depth, and investigated for porosity from micro to macro by coupling mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) (0.0074-100 µm) and x-ray computed microtomography (µCT) (>26 µm). Pore morphology and architecture were studied from 3D images analysis and MIP pore size curve. Ultramicroporosity class (0.1-5 μm) positively responded to CA after 5-yr of practices adoption while no significant effects were observed in the x-ray µCT domain (> 26 µm). Silty soils of Veneto plain showed a slow reaction to conservation agriculture because of the low soil organic carbon content and poor aggregate stability. Nevertheless the positive influence of CA on ultramicroporosity, which is strictly linked to soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization, indicated that a virtuous cycle was initiated between SOC and porosity, hopefully leading to well-developed macropore systems and, in turn, enhanced soil functions and ecosystem services.

Adoption of Small-Scale Irrigation Farming as a Climate-Smart Agriculture Practice and Its Influence on Household Income in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelson Mango

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This article is concerned with the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice and its influence on household income in the Chinyanja Triangle. Chinyanja Triangle is a region that is increasingly experiencing mid-season dry spells and an increase in occurrence of drought, which is attributed largely to climate variability and change. This poses high agricultural production risks, which aggravate poverty and food insecurity. For this region, adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice is very important. Through a binary logistic and ordinary least squares regression, this article determines factors that influence the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice and its influence on income among smallholder farmers. The results show that off-farm employment, access to irrigation equipment, access to reliable water sources and awareness of water conservation practices, such as rainwater harvesting, have a significant influence on the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming. On the other hand, the farmer’s age, distance travelled to the nearest market and nature of employment negatively influence the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming decisions. Ordinary least squares regression results showed that the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice has a significant positive influence on agricultural income. We therefore conclude that to empower smallholder farmers to respond quickly to climate variability and change, practices that will enhance the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming in the Chinyanja Triangle are critical, as this will significantly affect agricultural income. In terms of policy, we recommend that the governments of Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, which cover the Chinyanja Triangle, formulate policies that will enhance the adoption of sustainable small scale

The added value of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in the production of radiopharmaceuticals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerrits, Edwin; Woerdenbag, Herman; Luurtsema, Geert; de Hooge, Marjolijn; Boersma, Hendrikus

2017-01-01

Manufacturers of medicinal products including radiopharmaceuticals have to follow regulations from their governmental organizations as well as professional societies to ensure built-in quality combined with patient safety issues. This chapter is a concise review of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)

Practical Strategies for Integrating Final Ecosystem Goods and Services into Community Decision-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

The concept of Final Ecosystem Goods and Services (FEGS) explicitly connects ecosystem services to the people that benefit from them. This report presents a number of practical strategies for incorporating FEGS, and more broadly ecosystem services, into the decision-making proces...

Agricultural practice and water quality in the Netherlands in the 1992-2002 period. Background information for the third EU Nitrate Directive Member States report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fraters B; Hotsma PH; Langenberg VT; Leeuwen TC van; Mol APA; Olsthoorn CSM; Schotten CGJ; Willems WJ; EC-LNV; RIKZ; LEI; RIZA; CBS; LDL

2004-01-01

This overview provides the background information for the Netherlands Member State report, 'Nitrate Directive, status and trends of aquatic environment and agricultural practice' to be submitted to the European Commission mid-2004. It documents current agricultural practice, and groundwater and

[Good professional practices of French CICs - version # 2].

Science.gov (United States)

Chevassus, Hugues; Duchesne, Charlène; Sailly, Annabelle; Vigouroux, Céline; Foulon, Christine; Kubiak, Christine; Binquet, Christine; Felin, Alexandra Lamotte; Chaud, Pascal; Thalamas, Claire; Cornu, Catherine

2017-10-01

French clinical investigation centers (CICs) are academic platforms dedicated to clinical research. The QUALI-CIC working group helps to improve and harmonize practices within the CIC network. After some years of implementation, the manual of good professional practices of CICs (MGPP CIC) completed in 2010, needed to be revised to best fit with the large panel of CIC activities. The aim was also to make it more accurate and to reinforce requirements about participants safety and data security. In its second version published in the present article, the MGPP CIC includes 255 items divided into 15 chapters. An explanatory document, currently being drafted, will complete the manual to facilitate its implementation. Copyright © 2017 Société française de pharmacologie et de thérapeutique. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Perceptions of Science Teachers on Implementation of Seven Principles for Good Practice in Education by Chickering and Gamson in Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Ugras, Mustafa; Asiltürk, Erol

2018-01-01

The present study aimed to determine the perceptions of science teachers on the implementation of the seven principles for good practice in education by Chickering and Gamson in their courses. Seven principles for good science education were used as a data collection tool in the survey. "The seven principles for good practice in science…

Smallholder Farmers’ Perceptions on Climate Change and the Use of Sustainable Agricultural Practices in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clifton Makate

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In developing regions with high levels of poverty and a dependence on climate sensitive agriculture, studies focusing on climate change adaptation, planning, and policy processes, have gained relative importance over the years. This study assesses the impact of farmer perceptions regarding climate change on the use of sustainable agricultural practices as an adaptation strategy in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa. In this empirical approach, we adopt methods that account for the plausibility that unmeasured characteristics exist, which are correlated with perceptions and the adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices. We use a unique and representative dataset collected in December 2012 and June 2013, from smallholder farmers in the Chinyanja Triangle. The results indicate that farmer’s perceptions significantly influence the use of sustainable agricultural practices. Specifically, we established that farmer perceptions considerably impact the use of grain legume rotations, inorganic fertilizers, compost, and farmyard manure. Our results highlight the need for a serious and perhaps equal consideration of farmer perceptions regarding climate change, as important inputs to climate change adaptation policies targeted at enhancing climatic resilience in smallholder farming communities. This is plausible as the adaptation and pliability of farmers to the effects of climate change should be a social process involving the collective efforts from various stakeholders.

Surviving a Site Audit: Tips for Good Clinical Practice in an Implant Trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E.M.M. van Lieshout (Esther); S.M. Zielinski (Stephanie)

2009-01-01

textabstractAbstract The number of clinical trials involving implants for trauma and orthopedic surgery is increasing. The International Conference of Harmonization-Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP) guideline has been developed in order to assure that the rights, safety, and well-being of trial

[Qualitative evaluation of employer requirements associated with occupational health and safety as good practice in small-scale enterprises].

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroki, Naomi; Miyashita, Nana; Hino, Yoshiyuki; Kayashima, Kotaro; Fujino, Yoshihisa; Takada, Mikio; Nagata, Tomohisa; Yamataki, Hajime; Sakuragi, Sonoko; Kan, Hirohiko; Morita, Tetsuya; Ito, Akiyoshi; Mori, Koji

2009-09-01

The purpose of this study was to identify what motivates employers to promote good occupational health and safety practices in small-scale enterprises. Previous studies have shown that small-scale enterprises generally pay insufficient attention to issues of occupational health and safety. These findings were mainly derived from questionnaire based surveys. Nevertheless, some small-scale enterprises in which employers exercise good leadership do take a progressive approach to occupational health and safety. Although good practices can be identified in small-scale enterprises, it remains unclear what motivates employers in small-scale enterprises to actively implement occupational health and safety practices. We speculated that identifying employer motivations in promoting occupational health would help to spread good practices among small-scale enterprises. Using a qualitative approach based on the KJ methods, we interviewed ten employers who actively promote occupational health and safety in the workplace. The employers were asked to discuss their views of occupational health and safety in their own words. A semi-structured interview format was used, and transcripts were made of the interviews. Each transcript was independently coded by two or more researchers. These transcripts and codes were integrated and then the research group members discussed the heading titles and structural relationships between them according to the KJ method. Qualitative analysis revealed that all the employers expressed a strong interest in a "good company" and "good management". They emphasized four elements of "good management", namely "securing human resources", "trust of business partners", "social responsibility" and "employer's health condition itself", and considered that addressing occupational health and safety was essential to the achievement of these four elements. Consistent with previous findings, the results showed that implementation of occupational health and safety

On the Choice of Farm Management Practices after the Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2003

OpenAIRE

Schmid, Erwin; Sinabell, Franz

2004-01-01

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was fundamentally reformed in 2003. From 2005 on, farmers will receive decoupled income support payments instead of production premiums if basic standards for environment, food safety, animal health and welfare are met. Farmers will likely adjust production and management practices to the new policy framework. We describe how this reform fits into the EU strategy of making agricultural production more environmentally friendly by concentrating on financial ...

Deploying Serious Games for Management in Higher Education: lessons learned and good practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jannicke Baalsrud Hauge

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Deployment of serious games (SGs and their insertion in higher education (HE curricula is still low. The lacks papers describing deployment of SGs in HE critically showing educational benefits and providing guidelines and good practices for their use. With the present work, we intend to make a first step in this direction, by reporting our experience in using state of the art managerial SGs in MSc engineering/business courses in four different European universities. In order to describe and analyse the educational characteristics and effectiveness of each game, we propose to use two models that we have straightforwardly extracted from two major pedagogical paradigms: the Bloom’s revised cognitive learning goals taxonomy and the Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. Based on our experience, we also propose a set of lessons and good practices to incentivize and better support deployment of SGs in HE courses.

Long-term and widespread changes in agricultural practices influence ring-necked pheasant abundance in California.

Science.gov (United States)

Coates, Peter S; Brussee, Brianne E; Howe, Kristy B; Fleskes, Joseph P; Dwight, Ian A; Connelly, Daniel P; Meshriy, Matt G; Gardner, Scott C

2017-04-01

Declines in bird populations in agricultural regions of North America and Europe have been attributed to agricultural industrialization, increases in use of agrochemical application, and increased predation related to habitat modification. Based on count data compiled from Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) from 1974 to 2012, Christmas Bird Count (CBC) collected from 1914 to 2013, and hunter data from Annual Game Take Survey (AGTS) for years 1948-2010, ring-necked pheasants ( Phasianus colchicus ) in California have experienced substantial declines in agricultural environments. Using a modeling approach that integrates all three forms of survey data into a joint response abundance index, we found pheasant abundance was related to the amount of harvested and unharvested crop land, types of crops produced, amount of total pesticide applied, minimum temperature, precipitation, and numbers of avian competitors and predators. Specifically, major changes in agricultural practices over the last three decades were associated with declines in pheasant numbers and likely reflected widespread loss of habitat. For example, increases in cropland were associated with increased pheasant abundance during early years of study but this effect decreased through time, such that no association in recent years was evidenced. A post hoc analysis revealed that crops beneficial to pheasant abundance (e.g., barley) have declined substantially in recent decades and were replaced by less advantageous crops (e.g., nut trees). An additional analysis using a restricted data set (1990-2013) indicated recent negative impacts on pheasant numbers associated with land use practices were also associated with relatively high levels of pesticide application. Our results may provide valuable information for management policies aimed at reducing widespread declines in pheasant populations in California and may be applicable to other avian species within agricultural settings. Furthermore, this general analytical

Preoperative Site Marking: Are We Adhering to Good Surgical Practice?

Science.gov (United States)

Bathla, Sonia; Chadwick, Michael; Nevins, Edward J; Seward, Joanna

2017-06-29

Wrong-site surgery is a never event and a serious, preventable patient safety incident. Within the United Kingdom, national guidance has been issued to minimize the risk of such events. The mandate includes preoperative marking of all surgical patients. This study aimed to quantify regional variation in practice within general surgery and opinions of the surgeons, to help guide the formulation and implementation of a regional general surgery preoperative marking protocol. A SurveyMonkey questionnaire was designed and distributed to 120 surgeons within the Mersey region, United Kingdom. This included all surgical trainees in Mersey (47 registrars, 56 core trainees), 15 consultants, and 2 surgical care practitioners. This sought to ascertain their routine practice and how they would choose to mark for 12 index procedures in general surgery, if mandated to do so. A total of 72 responses (60%) were obtained to the SurveyMonkey questionnaire. Only 26 (36.1%) said that they routinely marked all of their patients preoperatively. The operating surgeon marked the patient in 69% of responses, with the remainder delegating this task. Markings were visible after draping in only 55.6% of marked cases. Based on our findings, surgeons may not be adhering to "Good Surgical Practice"; practice is widely variable and surgeons are largely opposed and resistant to marking patients unless laterality is involved. We suggest that all surgeons need to be actively engaged in the design of local marking protocols to gain support, change practice, and reduce errors.

Good editorial practice: editors as educators.

Science.gov (United States)

Marusić, M; Marusić, A

2001-04-01

There may be valuable research going on in the developing and financially less-privileged countries, but it usually does not reach international visibility, in spite of a large number of scientific journals in these countries. Such journals are not only invisible but, by perpetuating a vicious circle of inadequacy, may be directly damaging to the local science and research culture. We call for an international action to help journal editors in less privileged countries. International associations of editors may be leaders of these activities by defining, promoting, and perhaps controlling good editorial practice, as a main criterion for international recognition of a journal. However, the editors of small journals have the power and moral obligation to become a stronghold of quality and advancement in their scientific community. Their educational "tools" are editorial integrity and author-friendly policy. Editors can teach the authors study design, statistical analysis, precision, punctuality, research integrity, style and format of writing, and other aspects of scientific communication. The editors of "big", mainstream scientific journals can act as global educators, teaching and providing guidance to editors of small journals. The editors from developed countries as leaders, and editors from less advantageous environments as teachers are the key figures in shaping research communication in less privileged scientific communities.

[Good practices and techniques for prevention of accidents at work and occupational diseases. New database of Inail].

Science.gov (United States)

Bindi, L; Ossicini, A

2007-01-01

The project "The publication of good practices and good techniques for prevention" is one the priorities of nail. This computerized system for the collection of good practices and standards of Good Technology is aimed to health and safety of workers. The basic objective of the database is to provide a valuable tool, usable, dynamic and implemented, in order to facilitate and direct the access to BP and BT it by people responsible for SSL. At the same time constitutes a tool strategically important for enterprises (especially SMEs) in terms of technological innovation and competitiveness, related to the prevention, safety and health of workers. The realization of this project has involved many of the professionals (chemists, engineers, doctors, biologists, geologists, etc.), and everyone gives his intake of qualified professional competence.

Agricultural and Management Practices and Bacterial Contamination in Greenhouse versus Open Field Lettuce Production

Science.gov (United States)

Holvoet, Kevin; Sampers, Imca; Seynnaeve, Marleen; Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Uyttendaele, Mieke

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to gain insight into potential differences in risk factors for microbial contamination in greenhouse versus open field lettuce production. Information was collected on sources, testing, and monitoring and if applicable, treatment of irrigation and harvest rinsing water. These data were combined with results of analysis on the levels of Escherichia coli as a fecal indicator organism and the presence of enteric bacterial pathogens on both lettuce crops and environmental samples. Enterohemorragic Escherichia coli (EHEC) PCR signals (vt1 or vt2 positive and eae positive), Campylobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. isolates were more often obtained from irrigation water sampled from open field farms (21/45, 46.7%) versus from greenhouse production (9/75, 12.0%). The open field production was shown to be more prone to fecal contamination as the number of lettuce samples and irrigation water with elevated E. coli was significantly higher. Farmers comply with generic guidelines on good agricultural practices available at the national level, but monitoring of microbial quality, and if applicable appropriateness of water treatment, or water used for irrigation or at harvest is restricted. These results indicate the need for further elaboration of specific guidelines and control measures for leafy greens with regard to microbial hazards. PMID:25546272

Public Progress, Data Management and the Land Grant Mission: A Survey of Agriculture Researchers' Practices and Attitudes at Two Land-Grant Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Peter; Eaker, Christopher; Swauger, Shea; Davis, Miriam L. E. Steiner

2016-01-01

This article reports results from a survey about data management practices and attitudes sent to agriculture researchers and extension personnel at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. Results confirm agriculture…

Good practice cases in practical applications of agro and forestry side-streams processing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hendriks, C.M.A.; Lambrecht, E.; Clerkx, A.P.P.M.; Nabuurs, G.J.; Gellynck, X.

2016-01-01

Valorisation of biomass sidestreams from agriculture and forestry
AGRIFORVALOR is an EU funded H2020 project with duration from 01.03.2016-31.08.2018. It comprises 16 partners from 6 European countries.
AGRIFORVALOR aims to close the research and innovation divide on agriculture and forestry

Impacts of Good Practices on Cognitive Development, Learning Orientations, and Graduate Degree Plans during the First Year of College

Science.gov (United States)

Cruce, Ty M.; Wolniak, Gregory C.; Seifert, Tricia A.; Pascarella, Ernest T.

2006-01-01

This study estimated separately the unique effects of three dimensions of good practice and the global effects of a composite measure of good practices on the cognitive development, orientations to learning, and educational aspirations of students during their first year of college. Analyses of longitudinal data from a representative sample of…

An investigation of the practice of scientific inquiry in secondary science and agriculture courses

Science.gov (United States)

Grady, Julie R.

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate the practice of scientific inquiry in two secondary biology classes and one agriculture class from different schools in different communities. The focus was on teachers' interests and intentions for the students' participation in inquiry, the voices contributing to the inquiry, and students' opportunities to confront their conceptions of the nature of science (NOS). The Partnership for Research and Education in Plants (PREP) served as the context by providing students with opportunities to design and conduct original experiments to help elucidate the function(s) of a disabled gene in Arabidopsis thaliana . Transcripts of teacher and student semi-structured interviews, field notes of classroom observations and classroom conversations, and documents (e.g., student work, teacher handouts, school websites, PREP materials) were analyzed for evidence of the practice of scientific inquiry. Teachers were interested in implementing inquiry because of potential student learning about scientific research and because PREP supports course content and is connected to a larger scientific project outside of the school. Teachers' intentions regarding the implementation of inquiry reflected the complexity of their courses and the students' previous experiences. All inquiries were student-directed. The biology students' participation more closely mirrored the practice of scientists, while the agriculture students were more involved with the procedural display of scientific inquiry. All experiences could have been enhanced from additional knowledge-centered activities regarding scientific reasoning. No activities brought explicit attention to NOS. Biology activities tended to implicitly support NOS while the agriculture class activities tended to implicitly contradict NOS. Scientists' interactions contributed to implied support of the NOS. There were missed opportunities for explicit attention to NOS in all classes

Deploying Serious Games for Management in Higher Education: lessons learned and good practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baalsrud Hauge, Jannicke; Bellotti, Francesco; Nadolski, Rob; Kickmeier-Rust, Michael; Berta, Riccardo; Carvalho, Maria B.

2013-01-01

Baalsrud Hauge, J., Bellotti, F., Nadolski, R. J., Kickmeier-Rust, M., Berta, R., & Carvalho, M. B. (2013). Deploying Serious Games for Management in Higher Education: lessons learned and good practices. In C. Vaz de Carvalho, & P. Escudeiro (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on

GOOD PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN FOOD POLICIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Elena NICOLESCU

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The paper, based on the coordinates of the problems triggered by the negative externalities chain generated by the poor food supply and production system at the level of the urban collectivities, carries out an analysis focused on the identification of the tools, mechanisms, and good practices needed to ensure the sustainability of the local policies on public nutrition. The experiences in the field show that the progress is remarkable in the case of collaborative administrations aimed at enhancing the cooperation and partnership relations, based on common interests, on both internal and international collaboration level, such as The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (2015. From this perspective, the paper presents a case study, a significant experience of improving the food supply system of Bucharest population, through local public nutrition policy and the public action set implemented by Bucharest local authorities with the support of State public bodies and the representatives of civil society, materialized in the establishment of peasant markets as flea markets on the territory of Bucharest.

2008 report on the Monitoring of good practices programs and independence for electricity and natural gas system operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

Electricity and natural gas transmission system operators (TSO) and distribution system operators (DSO) are regulated operators that provide public service functions for the benefit of the network users and the consumers they serve. Accordingly, European and French law requires that they be under independent and nondiscriminatory obligations. In particular, they must develop a good practices program which includes a range of measures to prevent the risk of discriminatory practices in network access. Pursuant to Article L.134-15 of the Energy Code, the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) is publishing this year its 4. annual report on the monitoring of good practices programs and independence for electricity and natural gas system operators for the year 2008. This report is based on analysis of the 'reports on the implementation of good practices programs' submitted to the CRE by the operators in late 2008 and audits carried out by the CRE services in these companies in 2008

Defense programs beryllium good practice guide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herr, M.

1997-07-01

Within the DOE, it has recently become apparent that some contractor employees who have worked (or are currently working) with and around beryllium have developed chronic beryllium disease (CBD), an occupational granulomatous lung disorder. Respiratory exposure to aerosolized beryllium, in susceptible individuals, causes an immunological reaction that can result in granulomatous scarring of the lung parenchyma, shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, weight loss, and, ultimately, respiratory failure. Beryllium disease was originally identified in the 1940s, largely in the fluorescent light industry. In 1950, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) introduced strict exposure standards that generally curtailed both the acute and chronic forms of the disease. Beginning in 1984, with the identification of a CBD case in a DOE contractor worker, there was increased scrutiny of both industrial hygiene practices and individuals in this workforce. To date, over 100 additional cases of beryllium-specific sensitization and/or CBD have been identified. Thus, a disease previously thought to be largely eliminated by the adoption of permissible exposure standards 45 years ago is still a health risk in certain workforces. This good practice guide forms the basis of an acceptable program for controlling workplace exposure to beryllium. It provides (1) Guidance for minimizing worker exposure to beryllium in Defense Programs facilities during all phases of beryllium-related work, including the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of facilities. (2) Recommended controls to be applied to the handling of metallic beryllium and beryllium alloys, beryllium oxide, and other beryllium compounds. (3) Recommendations for medical monitoring and surveillance of workers exposed (or potentially exposed) to beryllium, based on the best current understanding of beryllium disease and medical diagnostic tests available. (4) Site-specific safety procedures for all processes of beryllium that is likely to

Agricultural sources of greenhouse gas emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rochette, P.

2003-01-01

The author described different sources of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from agricultural activities and the process by which carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane are generated on Canadian farms. The author also proposed some practices that would contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. A brief description of the greenhouse effect was also provided with special emphasis on the agricultural sector. In 1996, the Canadian agricultural sector was responsible for approximately 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in the country. Given the increase in farm animals and more intensive agricultural activities, it is estimated that greenhouse gas emissions generated by the agricultural sector will increase by 20 per cent by 2010 if current practices remain in effect. The most optimistic scenarios indicate that the agricultural sector could achieve or even exceed Canada's Kyoto Protocol commitments mainly through organic material sequestration in soils. The possibility for farmers to sell greenhouse gas credits could motivate farmers into adopting various practices that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. However, the author indicated that the best motivation for farmers is the fact that adopting such practices would also lead to more efficient agricultural production. 5 refs., 4 figs

Economic Analysis of Climate Change Best Management Practices in Vermont Agriculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander P. Helling

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Climate change impacts local agricultural systems in detectable and distinguishable ways from large-scale shifts in water, land, and weather patterns to regionally specific distributions of weeds, pests, and diseases. Best management practices for adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change include modifications to farm production through adjusted intensity and product types and changing land use through crop siting and tillage practices. Farmer perceptions of risk and profitability of best management practices are key determinants of adoption, which traditional incentive programs like the Environmental Quality Incentive Program attempt to address by providing financial and technical support. To ensure that payments offered through these programs that maximize adoption, regional incentive payments must be based upon locally established costs. This paper focuses on the cost of implementing and maintaining climate change specific best management practices (CCBMPs for twelve diverse farms in Vermont. Specifically, three CCBMPs for Vermont are examined: cover cropping, management intensive rotational grazing (MIRG, and riparian buffer strips. Results show the average cost for cover cropping is $129.24/acre, MIRG is $79.82/acre, and a tree based riparian buffer strip cost $807.33/acre. We conclude that existing incentive payments for cover cropping and MIRG are below costs, likely resulting in under-adoption.

Building Skills and Qualifications among SME Employees. Leonardo da Vinci Good Practices Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

This document profiles 10 European programs that exemplify good practice in building skills and qualifications among employees of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The programs profiled are as follows: (1) TRICTSME (a program providing World Wide Web-based information and communication technologies training for SMEs in manufacturing); (2)…

Encouraging Good Writing Practice in First-Year Psychology Students: An Intervention Using Turnitin

Science.gov (United States)

Betts, Lucy R.; Bostock, Stephen J.; Elder, Tracey J.; Trueman, Mark

2012-01-01

There is growing concern among many regarding plagiarism within student writing. This has promoted investigation into both the factors that predict plagiarism and potential methods of reducing plagiarism. Consequently, we developed and evaluated an intervention to enhance good practice within academic writing through the use of the plagiarism…

The importance of good time management in supporting succesful dental practice

OpenAIRE

Mita Juliawati

2016-01-01

n the globalization and Asean Economic Community (MEA) era, especially in the era of  competition and modern dentistry, dentists need increasing services in order to maintain and increase patient visits. Especially in patient’s complain about dental services that caused by unmanaged time, such as late dentist, long queue of patients and time inefficiency in dental practice. The objective of this review is to discuss the importance of good time management ’in supporting successful dental prati...

Green Agriculture - features and agricultural policy measures for the transition to a sustainable agriculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cornelia Nistor

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Agriculture is one of the most important economic activities in each country or area, as it is in close correlation with all other the other economic activities, in a whole which must be structured so as to achieve a more efficient planning and organization of the territory. The practice of a traditional agriculture, based on industrialization, affects the natural environment through emissions of pollutants, waste and deforestation which together affects biodiversity. Green Agriculture suppose to empower managers to widespread the use of fertilizers, to improve the crop rotation, to realize a more efficient water consumption, to improve the storage methods and the supply chain of products. Agricultural policies are closely interrelated with environmental policies as agricultural activities have a considerable influence on the environment. The efficiency of agricultural policies is reflected in monetary transfers between agriculture and other economic sectors, in the costs due to the reallocation of the resources between different agricultural and non-agricultural activities and in the realized gains. Currently there is a constant concern of the governments for the transition to a green agriculture, and most countries recognize the importance of achieving sustainable economic development.

Farmer’s motivation to adopt sustainable agricultural practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davide Menozzi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The 2014-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP reform defines new rules for farmers including maintenance of the ecological focus area (EFA. Sustainability is also a requirement to meet consumer expectations and a competitive advantage for firms. This paper aims to evaluate the farmers’ intention to implement sustainable practices related to the EFA measure and to the private sustainability schemes proposed by the food industry. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB was applied on a sample of durum wheat producers to analyse intentions 1 to maintain 7% of the arable land as an EFA, and 2 to implement the private sustainability scheme. Structural equation modelling was applied to test for the relative importance of intention determinants. The farmers’ attitude and past behaviour positively affect intentions to implement the EFA, while perceived behavioural control and attitudes predict intentions to adopt the private sustainability scheme. These results suggest possible interventions that public authorities and supply chain leaders might implement to stimulate farmers’ sustainable behaviours. 

[How to promote the respect of good infusion practices by meeting health care professionals?].

Science.gov (United States)

Le Reste, C; Fiedler, A; Dubois, S; Dewailly, A; Le Du, I; Cogulet, V

2016-05-01

Health care professionals often forget that there are risks associated with infusion therapy even if it is a common care. In order to assess this practice and to draw potential improvement actions, an audit of local gravity-flow intravenous infusion practices was conducted. The audit, based on a grid including 66 items from the medical prescription to the end of the infusion therapy administration, was conducted in the 6 units which use the most gravity-flow intravenous infusion devices. A multidisciplinary working group was created to decide and organize priority corrective measures in order to improve infusion practices and quality of healthcare. The audit enabled to observe 90hours of nurse's practices (96 infusions) and highlighted heterogeneity in infusion, in some cases inappropriate infusion practices and misuse of infusion devices. We found 4 main issues: labelling infusion therapy, training of health care professionals on good practices, support the purchase of infusion pumps and standardize perfusion line. An interactive educational program for nurses (workshops) was organized to enhance the respect of good practices: infusion identification at any time, respect of hygiene rules, flow rate regulation by counting drops, appropriate use of pumps and flow rate regulators. The audit drew up work priorities. The workshops made easier exchanges between professionals and had a warm welcome that's why it is essential to carry on such training. This collaborative approach between pharmacists, nurses, hygienists and biomedical technicians contribute to drug management improvement and promote optimal patient care. Copyright © 2015 Académie Nationale de Pharmacie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

What Is "Good" Mentoring? Understanding Mentoring Practices of Teacher Induction through Case Studies of Finland and Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Pennanen, Matti; Bristol, Laurette; Wilkinson, Jane; Heikkinen, Hannu L. T.

2016-01-01

Mentoring is a practice widely utilised to support new teachers. However, in locally formed systems, the practice of mentoring is conditioned by traditions and arrangements specific to the site. To understand "good" mentoring, these local arrangements cannot be ignored. In this article, the theory of practice architectures is employed to…

Assessing Climate Smart Agriculture and Its Determinants of Practice in Ghana: A Case of the Cocoa Production System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix Akrofi-Atitianti

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Agriculture in Africa is not only exposed to climate change impacts but is also a source of greenhouse gases (GHGs. While GHG emissions in Africa are relatively minimal in global dimensions, agriculture in the continent constitutes a major source of GHG emissions. In Ghana, agricultural emissions are accelerating, mainly due to ensuing deforestation of which smallholder cocoa farming is largely associated. The sector is also bedevilled by soil degradation, pests, diseases and poor yields coupled with poor agronomic practices. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA thus offers a way to reduce the sector’s GHG emissions and to adapt the sector to the adverse impacts of climate change. This study assesses the potential of CSA vis-à-vis conventional cocoa systems to enhance production, mitigate and/or remove GHG emissions and build resilience, in addition to understanding key determinants influencing CSA practices. Using a mixed methods approach, data was collected in Ghana’s Juabeso and Atwima Mponua districts through semi-structured household questionnaires administered to 80 household heads of cocoa farms, two focus group discussions and expert interviews. A farm budget analysis of productivity and economic performance for both scenarios show that CSA practitioners had a 29% higher income per ha compared to the conventional farmers. Estimations using the FAO Ex-Ante Carbon-Balance Tool (EX-ACT indicate CSA practices preserve forest resources without which the effect on carbon balance as presented by conventional farming would remain a source of GHG emissions. Farm tenure, age of farmers, location of farm, residential status and access to extension services were the main determining factors influencing CSA practices among cocoa farmers. An in-depth understanding of these indicators can help identify ways to strengthen CSA strategies in the cocoa sector and their contributions to climate change mitigation and resilience.

Conservation Agriculture Practices in Rainfed Uplands of India Improve Maize-Based System Productivity and Profitability

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Pradhan, Aliza; Idol, Travis; Roul, Pravat K.

2016-01-01

Traditional agriculture in rainfed uplands of India has been experiencing low agricultural productivity as the lands suffer from poor soil fertility, susceptibility to water erosion and other external pressures of development and climate change. A shift toward more sustainable cropping systems such as conservation agriculture production systems (CAPSs) may help in maintaining soil quality as well as improving crop production and farmer’s net economic benefit. This research assessed the effects over 3 years (2011–2014) of reduced tillage, intercropping, and cover cropping practices customized for maize-based production systems in upland areas of Odisha, India. The study focused on crop yield, system productivity and profitability through maize equivalent yield and dominance analysis. Results showed that maize grain yield did not differ significantly over time or among CAPS treatments while cowpea yield was considered as an additional yield in intercropping systems. Mustard and horsegram grown in plots after maize cowpea intercropping recorded higher grain yields of 25 and 37%, respectively, as compared to those without intercropping. Overall, the full CAPS implementation, i.e., minimum tillage, maize–cowpea intercropping and mustard residue retention had significantly higher system productivity and net benefits than traditional farmer practices, i.e., conventional tillage, sole maize cropping, and no mustard residue retention. The dominance analysis demonstrated increasing benefits of combining conservation practices that exceeded thresholds for farmer adoption. Given the use of familiar crops and technologies and the magnitude of yield and income improvements, these types of CAPS should be acceptable and attractive for smallholder farmers in the area. This in turn should support a move toward sustainable intensification of crop production to meet future household income and nutritional needs. PMID:27471508

Conservation agriculture practices in rainfed uplands of India improve maize-based system productivity and profitability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aliza Pradhan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Traditional agriculture in rainfed uplands of India has been experiencing low agricultural productivity as the lands suffer from poor soil fertility, susceptibility to water erosion and other external pressures of development and climate change. A shift towards more sustainable cropping systems such as conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS may help in maintaining soil quality as well as improving crop production and farmer’s net economic benefit. This research assessed the effects over three years (2011-2014 of reduced tillage, intercropping, and cover cropping practices customized for maize-based production systems in upland areas of Odisha, India. The study focused on crop yield, system productivity and profitability through maize equivalent yield and dominance analysis. Results showed that maize grain yield did not differ significantly over time or among CAPS treatments while cowpea yield was considered as an additional yield in intercropping systems. Mustard and horsegram grown in plots after maize cowpea intercropping recorded higher grain yields of 25 and 37%, respectively, as compared to those without intercropping. Overall, the full CAPS implementation i.e. minimum tillage, maize-cowpea intercropping and mustard residue retention had significantly higher system productivity and net benefits than traditional farmer practices, i.e. conventional tillage, sole maize cropping, and no mustard residue retention. The dominance analysis demonstrated increasing benefits of combining conservation practices that exceeded thresholds for farmer adoption. Given the use of familiar crops and technologies and the magnitude of yield and income improvements, these types of CAPS should be acceptable and attractive for smallholder farmers in the area. This in turn should support a move toward sustainable intensification of crop production to meet future household income and nutritional needs.

Conservation Agriculture Practices in Rainfed Uplands of India Improve Maize-Based System Productivity and Profitability.

Science.gov (United States)

Pradhan, Aliza; Idol, Travis; Roul, Pravat K

2016-01-01

Traditional agriculture in rainfed uplands of India has been experiencing low agricultural productivity as the lands suffer from poor soil fertility, susceptibility to water erosion and other external pressures of development and climate change. A shift toward more sustainable cropping systems such as conservation agriculture production systems (CAPSs) may help in maintaining soil quality as well as improving crop production and farmer's net economic benefit. This research assessed the effects over 3 years (2011-2014) of reduced tillage, intercropping, and cover cropping practices customized for maize-based production systems in upland areas of Odisha, India. The study focused on crop yield, system productivity and profitability through maize equivalent yield and dominance analysis. Results showed that maize grain yield did not differ significantly over time or among CAPS treatments while cowpea yield was considered as an additional yield in intercropping systems. Mustard and horsegram grown in plots after maize cowpea intercropping recorded higher grain yields of 25 and 37%, respectively, as compared to those without intercropping. Overall, the full CAPS implementation, i.e., minimum tillage, maize-cowpea intercropping and mustard residue retention had significantly higher system productivity and net benefits than traditional farmer practices, i.e., conventional tillage, sole maize cropping, and no mustard residue retention. The dominance analysis demonstrated increasing benefits of combining conservation practices that exceeded thresholds for farmer adoption. Given the use of familiar crops and technologies and the magnitude of yield and income improvements, these types of CAPS should be acceptable and attractive for smallholder farmers in the area. This in turn should support a move toward sustainable intensification of crop production to meet future household income and nutritional needs.

Knowledge, perceptions and practices of farming communities on linkages between malaria and agriculture in Mvomero District, Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Mboera, Leonard E G; Shayo, Elizabeth H; Senkoro, Kesheni P; Rumisha, Susan F; Mlozi, Malongo R S; Mayala, Benjamin K

2010-02-01

This study was carried out to determine knowledge, perceptions and practices of farming communities on linkages between agriculture and malaria in Mvomero District in Tanzania. A total of 661 adult males and females were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Most respondents (85.6%) were engaged in crop production. Significantly, a larger proportion (55.2%) of the respondents had primary school education (Pfarming was significantly associated with malaria transmission compared to either maize or sugarcane farming (Pgoats were the domestic animals most frequently incriminated to create aquatic habitats for mosquito breeding. Householders with formal education (OR: 4.6, CI: 1.33-15.89, P-value=0.016) and higher knowledge (OR: 1.7, CI: 1.15-2.55, P-value=0.008) reported to incur large losses when having a malaria case than those without education/low knowledge. Majority (60.2%) of the respondent owned at least an insecticide treated mosquito net (ITN). Respondents with higher knowledge of malaria were likely to own at least an ITN than those with low knowledge (Pfarming communities in Mvomero District is low. Malaria is a complex health problem and its control approach needs understanding of the environmental factors associated with agricultural practices. It therefore is important that education and communication messages on malaria targeting farming communities take into consideration local agricultural practices. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance-based risk-sharing arrangements-good practices for design, implementation, and evaluation: report of the ISPOR good practices for performance-based risk-sharing arrangements task force.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrison, Louis P; Towse, Adrian; Briggs, Andrew; de Pouvourville, Gerard; Grueger, Jens; Mohr, Penny E; Severens, J L Hans; Siviero, Paolo; Sleeper, Miguel

2013-01-01

There is a significant and growing interest among both payers and producers of medical products for agreements that involve a "pay-for-performance" or "risk-sharing" element. These payment schemes-called "performance-based risk-sharing arrangements" (PBRSAs)-involve a plan by which the performance of the product is tracked in a defined patient population over a specified period of time and the amount or level of reimbursement is based on the health and cost outcomes achieved. There has always been considerable uncertainty at product launch about the ultimate real-world clinical and economic performance of new products, but this appears to have increased in recent years. PBRSAs represent one mechanism for reducing this uncertainty through greater investment in evidence collection while a technology is used within a health care system. The objective of this Task Force report was to set out the standards that should be applied to "good practices"-both research and operational-in the use of a PBRSA, encompassing questions around the desirability, design, implementation, and evaluation of such an arrangement. This report provides practical recommendations for the development and application of state-of-the-art methods to be used when considering, using, or reviewing PBRSAs. Key findings and recommendations include the following. Additional evidence collection is costly, and there are numerous barriers to establishing viable and cost-effective PBRSAs: negotiation, monitoring, and evaluation costs can be substantial. For good research practice in PBRSAs, it is critical to match the appropriate study and research design to the uncertainties being addressed. Good governance processes are also essential. The information generated as part of PBRSAs has public good aspects, bringing ethical and professional obligations, which need to be considered from a policy perspective. The societal desirability of a particular PBRSA is fundamentally an issue as to whether the cost of

Social and Occupational Integration of Disadvantaged People. Leonardo da Vinci Good Practices Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

This document profiles nine European programs that exemplify good practice in social and occupational integration of disadvantaged people. The programs profiled are as follows: (1) Restaurant Venezia (a CD-ROM program to improve the reading and writing skills of young people in Luxembourg who have learning difficulties); (2) an integrated…

VET Retention in Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. Good Practice Guide

Science.gov (United States)

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2017

2017-01-01

This good practice guide is based on the research project "Enhancing training advantage for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners" by John Guenther et al. on behalf of Ninti One Limited. The project examines five unique and successful vocational education and training (VET) programs in remote areas and identifies how…

Evaluation of the Implementation of Good Handling Practices in Food and Beverage Areas of Hotels.

Science.gov (United States)

Serafim, A L; Hecktheuer, L H R; Stangarlin-Fiori, L; Medeiros, L B; Martello, L; Machado, C E

2015-11-01

Because of the major international-level events that have recently been held in Brazil, concerns about the sensory and hygienic-sanitary conditions of food have increased. The objective of this study was to evaluate the implementation of good handling practices in food and beverage areas of hotels, with and without outsourced professional intervention. We evaluated 19 food and beverage areas in hotels in Porto Alegre, Rio do Sul, Brazil, using a checklist that was developed by a municipal surveillance team based on existing laws for good handling practices. The evaluation was done by a skilled professional in the food safety area on two occasions, at the beginning of the study (January to May 2013) and at the end (July to November 2014), and the establishments were classified as good, regular, or poor. After the baseline evaluation, an action plan listing the noncompliance found at each location was given to those responsible for the establishments, and a period of 1 year 6 months was stipulated for improvements to be made. In the repeat evaluation, those responsible for the establishments were asked whether they had hired an outsourced professional to assist them in the improvements. The hotels showed improvement during the repeat evaluation, but a significant increase in the percentage of overall adequacy was seen only in the food and beverages areas of the 12 hotels that used the intervention of an outsourced professional. The better percentage of adequacy in establishments with outsourced professional intervention underlines the importance of an external and impartial view of routine activities in the implementation of good handling practices.

Agricultural practices that store organic carbon in soils: is it only a matter of inputs ?

Science.gov (United States)

Chenu, Claire; Cardinael, Rémi; Autret, Bénédicte; Chevallier, Tiphaine; Girardin, Cyril; Mary, Bruno

2016-04-01

Increasing the world soils carbon stocks by a factor of 4 per mil annually would compensate the annual net increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. This statement is the core of an initiative launched by the French government at the recent COP21, followed by many countries and international bodies, which attracts political attention to the storage potential of C in soils. Compared to forest and pasture soils, agricultural soils have a higher C storage potential, because they are often characterized by low C contents, and increasing their C content is associated with benefits in terms of soil properties and ecosystem services. Here we quantified, under temperate conditions, the additional C storage related to the implementation of two set of practices that are recognized to be in the framework of agroecology: conservation tillage on the one hand and agroforestry on the other hand. These studies were based on long-term experiments, a 16-years comparison on cropping systems on luvisols in the Paris area and a 18-year-old silvoarable agroforestry trial, on fluvisols in southern France, the main crops being cereals in both cases. C stocks were measured on an equivalent soil mass basis. Both systems allowed for a net storage of C in soils, which are, for the equivalent of the 0-30 cm tilled layer, of 0.55 ± 0.16 t ha- 1 yr- 1 for conservation agriculture (i.e. no tillage with permanent soil coverage with an associated plant, fescue or alfalfa) and of 0.25 ± 0.03 t ha-1 yr-1 for the agroforestry system. These results are in line with estimates proposed in a recent French national assessment concerning the potential of agricultural practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Compared to recent literature, they further show that practices that increase C inputs to soil through additional biomass production would be more effective to store C in soil (tree rows, cover crops in conservation agriculture) than practices, such as no-tillage, that are assumed to reduce

The Influence of Time Management Practices on Job Stress Level among Beginning Secondary Agriculture Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, Misty D.; Torres, Robert M.; Tummons, John D.

2012-01-01

Monitoring the stress of teachers continues to be important--particularly stress levels of beginning agriculture teachers. The study sought to describe the relationship between beginning teachers' perceived ability to manage their time and their level of stress. The Time Management Practices Inventory and the Job Stress Survey were used to measure…

Integrating Federal and State data records to report progress in establishing agricultural conservation practices on Chesapeake Bay farms

Science.gov (United States)

Hively, W. Dean; Devereux, Olivia H.; Claggett, Peter

2013-01-01

In response to the Executive Order for Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration (E.O. #13508, May 12, 2009), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) took on the task of acquiring and assessing agricultural conservation practice data records for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, and transferred those datasets in aggregated format to State jurisdictional agencies for use in reporting conservation progress to the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership (CBP Partnership). Under the guidelines and regulations that have been developed to protect and restore water-quality in the Chesapeake Bay, the six State jurisdictions that fall within the Chesapeake Bay watershed are required to report their progress in promoting agricultural conservation practices to the CBP Partnership on an annual basis. The installation and adoption of agricultural best management practices is supported by technical and financial assistance from both Federal and State conservation programs. The farm enrollment data for USDA conservation programs are confidential, but agencies can obtain access to the privacy-protected data if they are established as USDA Conservation Cooperators. The datasets can also be released to the public if they are first aggregated to protect farmer privacy. In 2012, the USGS used its Conservation Cooperator status to obtain implementation data for conservation programs sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) for farms within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Three jurisdictions (Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) used the USGS-provided aggregated dataset to report conservation progress in 2012, whereas the remaining three jurisdictions (Maryland, New York, and Virginia) used jurisdictional Conservation Cooperator Agreements to obtain privacy-protected data directly from the USDA. This report reviews the status of conservation data sharing between the USDA and the various jurisdictions, discusses the

The constraints of good governance practice in national solid waste management policy (NSWMP) implementation: A case study of Malaysia

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Wee, Seow Ta; Abas, Muhamad Azahar; Chen, Goh Kai; Mohamed, Sulzakimin

2017-10-01

Nowadays, international donors have emphasised on the adoption of good governance practices in solid waste management which include policy implementation. In Malaysia, the National Solid Waste Management Policy (NSWMP) was introduced as the main guideline for its solid waste management and the Malaysian government has adopted good governance practice in the NSMWP implementation. However, the good governance practices implemented by the Malaysian government encountered several challenges. This study was conducted to explore the good governance constraints experienced by stakeholders in the NSWMP implementation. An exploratory research approach is applied in this study through in-depth interviews with several government agencies and concessionaires that involved in the NSWMP implementation in Malaysia. A total of six respondents took part in this study. The findings revealed three main good governance constraints in the NSWMP implementation, namely inadequate fund, poor staff's competency, and ambiguity of policy implementation system. Moreover, this study also disclosed that the main constraint influenced the other constraints. Hence, it is crucial to identify the main constraint in order to minimise its impact on the other constraints.

EFFECT OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON THE SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITY IN AGRICULTURAL AND NATIVE SYSTEMS IN BRAZIL

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Increase in agricultural practices in the Cerrado (tropical savannah) and Amazon regions in Brazil is causing drastic changes in the nutrient and carbon cycling of native areas. Because microorganisms play a key role in biogeochemical cycling, monitoring the shifts in the microb...

Modelling the effect of agricultural management practices on soil organic carbon stocks: does soil erosion matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Nadeu, Elisabet; Van Wesemael, Bas; Van Oost, Kristof

2014-05-01

Over the last decades, an increasing number of studies have been conducted to assess the effect of soil management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. At regional scales, biogeochemical models such as CENTURY or Roth-C have been commonly applied. These models simulate SOC dynamics at the profile level (point basis) over long temporal scales but do not consider the continuous lateral transfer of sediment that takes place along geomorphic toposequences. As a consequence, the impact of soil redistribution on carbon fluxes is very seldom taken into account when evaluating changes in SOC stocks due to agricultural management practices on the short and long-term. To address this gap, we assessed the role of soil erosion by water and tillage on SOC stocks under different agricultural management practices in the Walloon region of Belgium. The SPEROS-C model was run for a 100-year period combining three typical crop rotations (using winter wheat, winter barley, sugar beet and maize) with three tillage scenarios (conventional tillage, reduced tillage and reduced tillage in combination with additional crop residues). The results showed that including soil erosion by water in the simulations led to a general decrease in SOC stocks relative to a baseline scenario (where no erosion took place). The SOC lost from these arable soils was mainly exported to adjacent sites and to the river system by lateral fluxes, with magnitudes differing between crop rotations and in all cases lower under conservation tillage practices than under conventional tillage. Although tillage erosion plays an important role in carbon redistribution within fields, lateral fluxes induced by water erosion led to a higher spatial and in-depth heterogeneity of SOC stocks with potential effects on the soil water holding capacity and crop yields. This indicates that studies assessing the effect of agricultural management practices on SOC stocks and other soil properties over the landscape should

Soil Quality Impacts of Current South American Agricultural Practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana B. Wingeyer

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Increasing global demand for oil seeds and cereals during the past 50 years has caused an expansion in the cultivated areas and resulted in major soil management and crop production changes throughout Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and southern Brazil. Unprecedented adoption of no-tillage as well as improved soil fertility and plant genetics have increased yields, but the use of purchased inputs, monocropping i.e., continuous soybean (Glycine max (L. Merr., and marginal land cultivation have also increased. These changes have significantly altered the global food and feed supply role of these countries, but they have also resulted in various levels of soil degradation through wind and water erosion, soil compaction, soil organic matter (SOM depletion, and nutrient losses. Sustainability is dependent upon local interactions between soil, climate, landscape characteristics, and production systems. This review examines the region’s current soil and crop conditions and summarizes several research studies designed to reduce or prevent soil degradation. Although the region has both environmental and soil resources that can sustain current agricultural production levels, increasing population, greater urbanization, and more available income will continue to increase the pressure on South American croplands. A better understanding of regional soil differences and quantifying potential consequences of current production practices on various soil resources is needed to ensure that scientific, educational, and regulatory programs result in land management recommendations that support intensification of agriculture without additional soil degradation or other unintended environmental consequences.

Practical tracer investigations of pesticide residues in agricultural ecosystem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuehr, F.

1984-01-01

According to the FAO's latest estimates, the world food supply can only be guaranteed if the 1982 agricultural production is increased by approx. 50% by the year 2000. 2/3 of this production increase must be achieved on areas already under cultivation. This means that in addition to balanced mineral fertilization the use of pesticides will have to be intensively continued in order to fully exploit the improved yield potential of the cultivated plants achieved by breeding. The primary research objective is therefore to extend our knowledge of the uptake and effects of pesticides in the plant as well as their persistence in agricultural ecosystems in order to be able to apply them both more efficiently and more safely. The Institute of Radioagronomy at the Kernforschungsanlage Juelich GmbH (Juelich Nuclear Research Centre) is carrying out practical experiments into these problems using 14 C-labelled pesticides under field conditions. In this way statements will become possible on the uptake and residue situation in plants, translocation and metabolism in the soil, the balance in the year of application as well as on the uptake of untreated cultures in the crop rotation. Parallel to this, uptake after leaf spraying or after seed grain treatment is being studied under standardized conditions, as well as for example the mineralization, sorption and fixation of active substances and metabolites in the soil. Results from the past 12 years are being utilized as a basis for an evaluation of the state of knowledge. (orig.)

Urban Agriculture Program Planning Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Hemp, Paul E.; Ethridge, Jim

Urban agriculture may be defined as those areas of agriculture that are practiced in metropolitan settings, plus knowledge and skills in agricultural subject areas which lead to vocational proficiency and improved quality of life or effective citizenship. Agriculture areas that are especially significant in urban settings include ornamental…

Good Practice in Designing and Implementing National Monitoring Systems for Adaptation to Climate Change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naswa, Prakriti; Trærup, Sara Lærke Meltofte; Bouroncle, Claudia

In this report, we identify, analyse and compare international good practices in the design and implementation of national monitoring and evaluating indicator systems for climate change adaptation. This first chapter provides an introduction to the context and key terminology in the domain...

Vendor managed inventory (VMI practice analysis in a supplier of consumer goods

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Denise Cervilha Freitas

2014-08-01

Full Text Available One of the widely discussed collaborative practices in the literature is Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI, which gives supplier the freedom to take decisions regarding customer´s replenishment, allowing better production planning. Despite the efforts of many researches, few studies compare the reality faced by companies with theories in the literature. Thus, this research aims to analyze the VMI practice of a consumer goods supplier with its retail customer, based on the barriers that limit the potential results of the practice and also the critical factors for the success of VMI. Insights from this analysis resulted in some propositions for future studies. The literature review allowed the identification of elements that influence the adoption and maintenance of VMI that were grouped into behavioral, cultural and physical elements. The method used was a case study with in-depth interviews, which allowed identifying the elements that limit the potential gains of VMI in the analyzed company and also those ones that contribute to the success of the practice.

Guidelines on current good radiopharmacy practice (cGRPP) in the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumas, Cecile

2010-07-01

Preparation of radiopharmaceuticals for injection involves adherence to regulations on radiation protection as well as to appropriate rules of working under aseptic conditions, which are covered by these guidelines on Good Radiopharmacy Practice (GRPP). The handling of radiopharmaceuticals is potentially hazardous. The level of risk depends in particular upon the types of radiation emitted and the half-lives of the radioactive isotopes. Particular attention must be paid to the prevention of cross-contamination, and to waste disposal. A continuous assessment of the effectiveness of the Quality Assurance system is essential to prove that the procedures applied in the Radiopharmacy Department lead to the expected quality. Clinical trials with new radiopharmaceuticals should follow these regulations on cGRPP as well as the Guideline on Good Clinical Practice. As there is a considerable difference in complexity in preparing 'classical' radiopharmaceuticals in 'kit' procedures and producing radiopharmaceuticals by distinct chemical procedures (Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Radiopharmaceuticals, in house prepared radiopharmaceuticals including in house prepared kits) these guidelines have been divided in two parts (A and B) respecting these differences

Characteristics of good quality pharmaceutical services common to community pharmacies and dispensing general practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Grey, Elisabeth; Harris, Michael; Rodham, Karen; Weiss, Marjorie C

2016-10-01

In the United Kingdom, pharmaceutical services can be delivered by both community pharmacies (CPs) and dispensing doctor practices (DPs). Both must adhere to minimum standards set out in NHS regulations; however, no common framework exists to guide quality improvement. Previous phases of this research had developed a set of characteristics indicative of good pharmaceutical service provision. To ask key stakeholders to confirm, and rank the importance of, a set of characteristics of good pharmaceutical service provision. A two-round Delphi-type survey was conducted in south-west England and was sent to participants representing three stakeholder groups: DPs, CPs and patients/lay members. Participants were asked to confirm, and rank, the importance of these characteristics as representing good quality pharmaceutical services. Thirty people were sent the first round survey; 22 participants completed both rounds. Median ratings for the 23 characteristics showed that all were seen to represent important aspects of pharmaceutical service provision. Participants' comments highlighted potential problems with the practicality of the characteristics. Characteristics relating to patient safety were deemed to be the most important and those relating to public health the least important. A set of 23 characteristics for providing good pharmaceutical services in CPs and DPs was developed and attained approval from a sample of stakeholders. With further testing and wider discussion, it is hoped that the characteristics will form the basis of a quality improvement tool for CPs and DPs. © 2016 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Use of technology in implementing radiation protection good practices at RAPS-5 and 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nawal, S.R.; Kakkar, Amandeep; Yadav, Umed; Venkataramana, K.; Ramasomayajulu, M.; Khot, Pankaj

2014-01-01

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), is committed to perform all its activities while providing high level of radiological protection and continue to meet international standards on radiological safety. In continuation to reducing in expenditure of station collective dose/individual dose both in terms of external and internal dose is attained by adopting many new and innovative good radiological practices as per ALARA principle. Some of these improved radiological practices of RAPS-5 and 6 are discussed in this paper

Annual report on the Monitoring of good practices programs and independence for electricity and natural gas system operators - 2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

Electricity and natural gas transmission system operators (TSO) and distribution system operators (DSO) are regulated operators that provide public service functions for the benefit of the network users and the consumers they serve. Accordingly, European and French law requires that they be under independent and nondiscriminatory obligations. In particular, they must develop a good practices program which includes a range of measures to prevent the risk of discriminatory practices in network access. Pursuant to Article L.134-15 of the Energy Code, the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) is publishing this year its 2. annual report on the monitoring of good practices programs and independence for electricity and natural gas system operators for the year 2006. This report is based on analysis of the 'reports on the implementation of good practices programs' submitted to the CRE by the operators in late 2006 and audits carried out by the CRE services in these companies in 2006

Annual report on the Monitoring of good practices programs and independence for electricity and natural gas system operators - 2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

Electricity and natural gas transmission system operators (TSO) and distribution system operators (DSO) are regulated operators that provide public service functions for the benefit of the network users and the consumers they serve. Accordingly, European and French law requires that they be under independent and nondiscriminatory obligations. In particular, they must develop a good practices program which includes a range of measures to prevent the risk of discriminatory practices in network access. Pursuant to Article L.134-15 of the Energy Code, the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) is publishing this year its 3. annual report on the monitoring of good practices programs and independence for electricity and natural gas system operators for the year 2007. This report is based on analysis of the 'reports on the implementation of good practices programs' submitted to the CRE by the operators in late 2007 and audits carried out by the CRE services in these companies in 2007

DID THE 2004 CAP REFORM AFFECT PRODUCTION PRACTICES OF CEREALS? INSIGHTS FROM THE AGRICULTURAL INPUT SUPPLIERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theodoros MARKOPOULOS

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The Mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2003/2004 has strengthened the multifunctional role of agriculture by implementing “decoupling”, “modulation” and “cross-compliance” and created a number of significant changes in agricultural production in all EU member states. Specifically, the reform shifted emphasis away from commodity support towards environmental contracts, diversified production practices and rural development. In the case of cereals, a full decoupling was applied in subsidies and integration through rights in the Single Payment Scheme, except rice, which was one of the few crop cases in which part of the subsidy remained coupled, particular in countries with significant production like Greece. Within this context, the present study aims to analyze the impact that the reformed CAP measures had on agricultural production and more specifically variations in production diversification. The novelty of this study is that instead of focusing on the producers, it targeted the agricultural input stores, so as to get better insights of the CAP reform impacts on a larger scale of the regional economy. Accordingly, primary data were collected through personal interviews (structured questionnaire from 209 owners of agricultural input stores in the region of Anatoliki Makedonia and Thraki and were analyzed through multivariate data analysis. The results identify important antecedents for the regional economy and the viability of agricultural input stores, which include factors of the reformed CAP, environmental issues, financial measures and CAP effects on cereal production and marketing.

Good Practice Guide: Bringing a Social Capital Approach into the Teaching of Adult Literacy and Numeracy

Science.gov (United States)

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2010

2010-01-01

This good practice guide is based on research that looked at how to teach adult literacy and numeracy using a social capital approach. The guide suggests ways vocational education and training (VET) practitioners can adopt a social capital approach to their teaching practice. A social capital approach refers to the process in which networks are…

Simulation of changes on the psychosocial risk in the nursing personnel after implementing the policy of good practices on the risk treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolívar Murcia, María Paula; Cruz González, Joan Paola; Rodríguez Bello, Luz Angélica

2018-02-01

Evaluate the change over time of psychosocial risk management for the nursing personnel of an intermediate complexity clinic of Bogota (Colombia). Descriptive and correlational research performed under the approach of risk management (identification, analysis, assessment and treatment). The psychosocial risk of the nursing personnel was studied through 10-year system dynamics models (with and without the implementation of the policy of good practices on the risk treatment) in two scenarios: when the nursing personnel works shifts of 6 hours (morning or afternoon) and when they work over 12 hours (double shift or night shift). When implementing a policy of good practices on the risk treatment, the double shift scenario shows an improvement among 25% to 88% in the variables of: health, labor motivation, burnout, service level and productivity; as well as in the variables of the organization associated to number of patients, nursing personnel and profit. Likewise, the single shift scenario with good practices improves in all the above-mentioned variables and generates stability on the variables of absenteeism and resignations. The best scenario is the single shift scenario with the application of good practices of risk treatment in comparison with the double shift scenario with good practices, which allows concluding that the good practices have a positive effect on the variables of nursing personnel and on those associated to the organization. Copyright© by the Universidad de Antioquia.

Effects of agricultural practices of three crops on the soil communities under Mediterranean conditions: field evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Leitão, Sara; José Cerejeira, Maria; Abreu, Manuela; Sousa, José Paulo

2014-05-01

Sustainable agricultural production relies on soil communities as the main actors in key soil processes necessary to maintain sustainable soil functioning. Soil biodiversity influences soil physical and chemical characteristics and thus the sustainability of crop and agro-ecosystems functioning. Agricultural practices (e.g.: soil tillage, pesticides and fertilizer applications, irrigation) may affects negatively or positively soil biodiversity and abundances by modifying the relationships between organisms in the soil ecosystem. The present study aimed to study the influence of agricultural practices of three crops (potato, onion and maize) under Mediterranean climate conditions on soil macro- and mesofauna during their entire crop cycles. Effects on soil communities were assessed at a higher tier of environmental risk assessment comprising field testing of indigenous edaphic communities in a selected study-site located in a major agriculture region of Central Portugal, Ribatejo e Oeste, neighbouring protected wetlands. A reference site near the agricultural field site was selected as a Control site to compare the terrestrial communities' composition and variation along the crop cycle. The field soil and Control site soil are sandy loam soils. Crops irrigation was performed by center-pivot (automated sprinkler that rotates in a half a circle area) and by sprinklers. Soil macro- and mesofauna were collected at both sites (field and Control) using two methodologies through pitfall trapping and soil sampling. The community of soil macro- and mesofauna of the three crops field varied versus control site along the crops cycles. Main differences were due to arachnids, coleopterans, ants and adult Diptera presence and abundance. The feeding activity of soil fauna between control site and crop areas varied only for potato and onion crops vs. control site but not among crops. Concentration of pesticides residues in soil did not cause apparent negative effects on the soil

An ecological method to understand agricultural standardization in peach orchard ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Nian-Feng; Zhang, Ming-Yi; Jiang, Jie-Xian; Ji, Xiang-Yun; Hao-Zhang

2016-02-22

While the worldwide standardization of agricultural production has been advocated and recommended, relatively little research has focused on the ecological significance of such a shift. The ecological concerns stemming from the standardization of agricultural production may require new methodology. In this study, we concentrated on how ecological two-sidedness and ecological processes affect the standardization of agricultural production which was divided into three phrases (pre-, mid- and post-production), considering both the positive and negative effects of agricultural processes. We constructed evaluation indicator systems for the pre-, mid- and post-production phases and here we presented a Standardization of Green Production Index (SGPI) based on the Full Permutation Polygon Synthetic Indicator (FPPSI) method which we used to assess the superiority of three methods of standardized production for peaches. The values of SGPI for pre-, mid- and post-production were 0.121 (Level IV, "Excellent" standard), 0.379 (Level III, "Good" standard), and 0.769 × 10(-2) (Level IV, "Excellent" standard), respectively. Here we aimed to explore the integrated application of ecological two-sidedness and ecological process in agricultural production. Our results are of use to decision-makers and ecologists focusing on eco-agriculture and those farmers who hope to implement standardized agricultural production practices.

Good practices and health policy analysis in European sports stadia: results from the 'Healthy Stadia' project.

Science.gov (United States)

Drygas, Wojciech; Ruszkowska, Joanna; Philpott, Matthew; Björkström, Olav; Parker, Mike; Ireland, Robin; Roncarolo, Federico; Tenconi, Maria

2013-06-01

Sport plays an important role within society and sports stadia provide significant settings for public health strategies. In addition to being places of mass gathering, stadia are often located in less affluent areas and are traditionally attended by 'harder to reach' communities. Unfortunately sports stadia and the clubs they host are rarely perceived as places that promote healthy lifestyles. Fast food, alcohol and tobacco are commonly advertized, served and consumed during sports games giving the spectators and TV fans contradictory messages concerning healthy choices. As part of a wider programme of work part-funded by the European Union, a study was therefore designed to explore current 'good practice' relating to positive health interventions in sports stadia across a number of European countries. Using a specially designed questionnaire, information about health policies and good practices relating to food offerings in stadia, physical activity promotion among local communities, tobacco policy, positive mental health initiatives, environmental sustainability practices and social responsibility policies were collected in 10 European countries (England and Northern Ireland, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Spain and Sweden) involving 88 stadia. The audit results show that stadia health policies differ considerably between specific countries and sports. Based on the literature analysed, the examples of good practices collected through the study, and the subsequent instigation of a European Healthy Stadia Network, it shows that there is considerable potential for stadia to become health promoting settings.

Spatio-temporal optimization of agricultural practices to achieve a sustainable development at basin level; framework of a case study in Colombia

Science.gov (United States)

Uribe, Natalia; corzo, Gerald; Solomatine, Dimitri

2016-04-01

The flood events present during the last years in different basins of the Colombian territory have raised questions on the sensitivity of the regions and if this regions have common features. From previous studies it seems important features in the sensitivity of the flood process were: land cover change, precipitation anomalies and these related to impacts of agriculture management and water management deficiencies, among others. A significant government investment in the outreach activities for adopting and promoting the Colombia National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) is being carried out in different sectors and regions, having as a priority the agriculture sector. However, more information is still needed in the local environment in order to assess were the regions have this sensitivity. Also the continuous change in one region with seasonal agricultural practices have been pointed out as a critical information for optimal sustainable development. This combined spatio-temporal dynamics of crops cycle in relation to climate change (or variations) has an important impact on flooding events at basin areas. This research will develop on the assessment and optimization of the aggregated impact of flood events due to determinate the spatio-temporal dynamic of changes in agricultural management practices. A number of common best agricultural practices have been identified to explore their effect in a spatial hydrological model that will evaluate overall changes. The optimization process consists on the evaluation of best performance in the agricultural production, without having to change crops activities or move to other regions. To achieve this objectives a deep analysis of different models combined with current and future climate scenarios have been planned. An algorithm have been formulated to cover the parametric updates such that the optimal temporal identification will be evaluated in different region on the case study area. Different hydroinformatics

Manual of Good Practice in Food Irradiation. Sanitary, Phytosanitary and Other Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

Ensuring that the process of irradiating food delivers the desired result consistently is essential for the correct application of the technology and will help to inspire consumer confidence in irradiated food. This publication aims to help operators of irradiation facilities to appreciate and improve their practices and also to provide detailed, yet straightforward, technical information for stakeholders such as food regulators, manufacturers and traders, who also need to understand ‘good practice’

Good practices with respect to the development and use of nuclear power plant procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-12-01

This technical publication is intended to provide information to nuclear power plant managers concerning good practices in respect to the development and use of NPP procedures. It is a part of an ongoing project on nuclear power plant instrumentation and control and is based on lessons learned from NPPs and utilities. The overall objective of this project is to provide systematic guidance on current and emerging instrumentation and control technologies including: protection and automation systems, control rooms, operator support systems, training simulators and human factors. It is intended to be applicable to NPPs in Member States that are in operation, under construction or being commissioned. The good practices described are consistent with the IAEA Safety Series recommendations with respect to the development and use of NPP procedures including the four categories: administrative procedures, operating procedures (normal, alarm response, abnormal and emergency procedures), maintenance and technical support procedures, and testing and surveillance procedures

Assessing Soil Conservation Efficiency of Traditional Agricultural Practices by FRN Techniques: Example in the Highlands of Madagascar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabesiranana, Naivo; Rasolonirina, Martin; Fanantenansoa Solonjara, Asivelo; Nomenjanahary Ravoson, Heritiana; Mabit, Lionel

2016-01-01

Soil degradation induced by human activity is a major concern in Madagascar. More than 30% of the island’s total soil area, covering 184 338 km 2 , is degraded. Moreover, soil erosion and sedimentation cause not only on-site degradation of agricultural fertile soils in Madagascar, but also off-site problems such as downstream sediment deposition in floodplains, water streams and reservoirs. Therefore, there is a clear need to acquire reliable data on the pattern and magnitude of soil redistribution under various agricultural practices to promote effective conservation strategies.

GOOD PRACTICES REGARDING PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS` INITIAL TRAINING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela V. KELEMEN

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The training of future preschool and primary school teachers at a high quality level is a main goal of our institution and all our efforts are channelled towards fulfilling it. Being a teacher is a science, a science based on competences acquired while attending well-structured lectures that mingle theoretical knowledge with practical assignments. Students acquire knowledge, abilities and develop field related competences during initial training but three years of study are not enough. The Law of Education regulates the following amendment: in order for a teacher to be well trained to meet the requirements of the third millennium it is necessary for him/her to continue the training in level II i.e. master degree, which provides additional competences. In this article we discuss a master programme developed within an European project that offers educational training according to the requirements of a high quality training both practical and theoretical. The components of the Master programme entitled Psychopedagogy of early education and young schooling containa curriculum adjusted to the requirements of a competitive higher education, the courses and seminars are the result of a thorough analysis of different educational models that have been implemented in other European countries. Currently, we are at the end of the first year and we want to share the good practices obtained so far.

GOOD PRACTICES IN THE FORMATION OF PROFESSIONAL EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elsy Fuentes-Garí

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The Project Network UNESCO Associated Schools (ASPnet is a project for the improvement of educational practices that implements a self-management model to achieve quality. The work presented socializes good practices used in the formation of professional children's education at the Central University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas, with the inclusion of the objectives and priorities of ASPnet. It is a partial result of an educational research in order to achieve a general theoretical and methodological conception to insert the objectives and priorities of the network in the process of initial professional training. la-participatory action research is applied with the support of theoretical and empirical methods, including: document analysis, group interviews, observation, focus group and photographs, allowing the development of evaluative analysis and enrichment of existing theory. As significant results so far, it is evident that students expand their knowledge about transcendent global processes, take a positive position to contribute their action to sustainable development, to promote peace, to fight for human rights, respect to others and to promote intercultural learning. Show changes in their modes of action, in the university context and in their working practice, pass on their knowledge, promoting culture, environmental protection, energy savings, compliance with the law, sexuality, nutrition education, care of the physical and mental health, responsible behavior. Expressed further development of educational paraprofessionals to plan, implement and monitor strategies educational skills.

7 CFR 28.411 - Good Middling Light Spotted Color.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good Middling Light Spotted Color. 28.411 Section 28... Light Spotted Color. Good Middling Light Spotted Color is color which in spot or color, or both, is between Good Middling Color and Good Middling Spotted Color. ...

Risk of Agricultural Practices and Habitat Change to Farmland Birds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Anthony. Kirk

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Many common bird species have declined as a result of agricultural intensification and this could be mitigated by organic farming. We paired sites for habitat and geographical location on organic and nonorganic farms in Ontario, Canada to test a priori predictions of effects on birds overall, 9 guilds and 22 species in relation to candidate models for farming practices (13 variables, local habitat features (12 variables, or habitat features that influence susceptibility to predation. We found that: (1 Overall bird abundance, but not richness, was significantly (p < 0.05 higher on organic sites (mean 43.1 individuals per site than nonorganic sites (35.8 individuals per site. Significantly more species of birds were observed for five guilds, including primary grassland birds, on organic vs. nonorganic sites. No guild had higher richness or abundance on nonorganic farms; (2 Farming practice models were the best (Î"AIC < 4 for abundance of birds overall, primary grassland bird richness, sallier aerial insectivore richness and abundance, and abundance of ground nesters; (3 Habitat models were the best for overall richness, Neotropical migrant abundance, richness and abundance of Ontario-USA-Mexico (short-distance migrants and resident richness; (4 Predation models were the best for richness of secondary grassland birds and ground feeders; (5 A combination of variables from the model types were best for richness or abundance overall, 13 of 18 guilds (richness and abundance and 16 of 22 species analyzed. Five of 10 farming practice variables (including herbicide use, organic farm type and 9 of 13 habitat variables (including hedgerow length, proportion of hay were significant in best models. Risk modeling indicated that herbicide use could decrease primary grassland birds by one species (35% decline from 3.4 to 2.3 species per site. Organic farming could benefit species of conservation concern by 49% (an increase from 7.6 to 11.4 grassland birds. An

Development of good modelling practice for phsiologically based pharmacokinetic models for use in risk assessment: The first steps

Science.gov (United States)

The increasing use of tissue dosimetry estimated using pharmacokinetic models in chemical risk assessments in multiple countries necessitates the need to develop internationally recognized good modelling practices. These practices would facilitate sharing of models and model eva...

Sustainable Agricultural Marketing Initiatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hakan Adanacıoğlu

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Sustainable marketing is a holistic approach that puts equal emphasis on environmental, social equity, and economic concerns in the development of marketing strategies. The purpose of the study is to examine and discuss the sustainable agricultural marketing initiatives practiced throughout the World and Turkey, and to put forth suggestions to further improve the performance of agricultural marketing initiatives in Turkey. Some of the sustainable agricultural marketing initiatives practiced around the world are carried out through civil organizations. Furthermore; some of these initiatives have also launched by farmers, consumers, food processors and retailers. The long-term strategies to increase these initiatives should be determined due to the fact that examples of successful sustainable agricultural marketing initiatives are inadequate and cannot be spread in Turkey. In this context, first of all, the supports provided by the government to improve agricultural marketing systems, such as EU funds for rural development should be compatible with the goals of sustainable marketing. For this purpose, it should be examined whether all proposed projects related to agricultural marketing meet the social, economic, and environmental principles of sustainable marketing. It is important that supporting organizations, especially civil society organisations, should take an active role for faster dissemination and adoption of sustainable agricultural marketing practices in Turkey. These organizations may provide technical assistance in preparing successful project proposals and training to farm groups. In addition, the other organizations, such as local administrations, producers' associations, cooperatives, can contribute to the success of sustainable agricultural marketing initiatives. The use of direct marketing strategies and vertical integration attempts in sustainable agricultural marketing initiatives that will likely be implemented in Turkey is

Self-assessment of safety culture in nuclear installations. Highlights and good practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-11-01

This report summarizes the findings of two IAEA Technical Committee Meetings on Safety Culture Self-Assessment Highlights and Good Practices. The meetings took place on 3-5 June 1998 and 23-25 October 2000 in Vienna, and involved an international cross-section of representatives who participated both in plenary discussions and working groups. The purpose of the meetings was to discuss the practical implications of evolutionary changes in the development of safety culture, and to share international experience, particularly on the methods used for the assessment of safety culture and good practices for its enhancement in an organization. The working groups were allocated specific topics for discussion, which included the following: organizational factors influencing the implementation of actions to improve safety culture; how to measure, effectively, progress in implementing solutions to safety culture problems; the symptoms of a weakening safety culture; the suitability of different methods for assessing safety culture; the achievement of sustainable improvements in safety culture using the results of assessment; the potential threats to the continuation of a strong safety culture in an organization from the many challenges facing the nuclear industry. The working groups, when appropriate, considered issues from both the utility's and the regulator's perspectives. This report will be of interest to all organizations who wish to assess and achieve a strong and sustainable safety culture. This includes not only nuclear power plants, but also other sectors of the nuclear industry such as uranium mines and mills, nuclear fuel fabrication facilities, nuclear waste repositories, research reactors, accelerators, radiography facilities, etc. The report specifically supplements other IAEA publications on this subject

Guide to good practices for training and qualification of instructors. DOE handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

Purpose of this guide is to provide contractor training organizations with information that can be used to verify the adquacy and/or modify existing instructor training programs, or to develop new training programs. It contains good practices for the training and qualification of technical instructors and instructional technologists at DOE reactor and non-reactor nuclear facilities. It addresses the content of initial and continuing instructor training programs, evaluation of instructor training programs, and maintenance of instructor training records.

Singing in Primary Schools: Case Studies of Good Practice in Whole Class Vocal Tuition

Science.gov (United States)

Lamont, Alexandra; Daubney, Alison; Spruce, Gary

2012-01-01

Within the context of British initiatives in music education such as the Wider Opportunities programme in England and the recommendations of the Music Manifesto emphasising the importance of singing in primary schools, the current paper explores examples of good practice in whole-class vocal tuition. The research included seven different primary…

Self-assessed competency at working with a medical interpreter is not associated with knowledge of good practice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia Hudelson

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Specific knowledge and skills are needed to work effectively with an interpreter, but most doctors have received limited training. Self-assessed competency may not accurately identify training needs. PURPOSES: The purpose of this study is to explore the association between self-assessed competency at working with an interpreter and the ability to identify elements of good practice, using a written vignette. METHODS: A mailed questionnaire was sent to 619 doctors and medical students in Geneva, Switzerland. RESULTS: 58.6% of respondents considered themselves to be highly competent at working with a professional interpreter, but 22% failed to mention even one element of good practice in response to the vignette, and only 39% could name more than one. There was no association between self-rated competency and number of elements mentioned. CONCLUSIONS: Training efforts should challenge the assumption that working with an interpreter is intuitive. Evaluation of clinicians' ability to work with an interpreter should not be limited to self-ratings. In the context of large-scale surveys, written vignettes may provide a simple method for identifying knowledge of good practice and topics requiring further training.

[The activity of local health units in agriculture: promotion, prevention, control].

Science.gov (United States)

Angotzi, G; Ariano, E; Quercia, A

2010-01-01

Agriculture shows an high proportion of injuries, mostly by machineries and instruments, and the highest proportion between fatal and total injuries. The Conference of Regions has adopted the National Agriculture and Forestry Prevention Plan, in application of the "Pact for health and safety in workplaces". The plan gives priority to actions improving the safety of agricultural machines, specially if more frequently involved in serious and fatal injuries. Goal is to achieve an homogenous intervention standard all over in the country, composed by a mix of information, support and control, addressed to farms and agricultural machines traders. Public prevention organizations of Local Health Units moreover will record homogenously the happen modality of fatal and serious accidents, will collaborate in joining prevention objectives with Rural Develop Plans and in drawing up good practices. At another level in some regions have been developed prevention activities for other risk factors: definition of exposition profiles of pesticides, development of professionally exposed workers formation, control of buildings and cattle breeding, medical and epidemiological periodic survey of employees.

Comparative study of model prediction of diffuse nutrient losses in response to changes in agricultural practices

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vagstad, N.; French, H. K.; Andersen, H. E.; Behrendt, H.; Grizzetti, B.; Groenendijk, P.; Lo Porto, A.; Reisser, H.; Siderius, C.; Stromquist, J.; Hejzlar, Josef; Deelstra, J.

2009-01-01

Roč. 11, č. 3 (2009), s. 594-601 ISSN 1464-0325 Grant - others:EC(XE) EVK1-CT-2001-00096 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60170517 Keywords : catchment modelling * phosphorus and nitrogen losses * agriculture practice * diffuse sources Subject RIV: DJ - Water Pollution ; Quality Impact factor: 2.225, year: 2009

GreyGuide - Guide to Good Practice in Grey Literature: A Community Driven Open Resource Project

OpenAIRE

Biagioni, Stefania (ISTI-CNR); Carlesi, Carlo (ISTI-CNR); Schopfel, Joachim (University of Lille); Farace, Dominic J. (GreyNet); Frantzen, Jerry (GreyNet); GreyNet, Grey Literature Network Service

2014-01-01

The goal of this project is to develop an open source repository of good practices in the field of grey literature. That which originated in monographic form will now open and expand to include content from the global grey literature community. Such practices will range from the production and processing of grey literature through to its distribution, uses, and preservation. The repository will contain guidelines such as those in handling theses and dissertations, how to write research report...

The Evolution of the Theory and Practice of State Regulation of Addictive Goods Markets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roman Yuryevich Skokov

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the evolution of state regulation of the market of addictive goods and services in the context of the periodization of ideas about the role of the state in the economy in general, in historical and economic era, in the formation of the species of addictive goods markets. In the age of mercantilism the sphere of regulation of addictive goods markets was not the subject of attention of economists, but in practice there is an idea of the need for state protectionism. During its criticism in the framework of the theory of physiocrats and in the beginning of the classical school, alcohol products become a subject of research of economists, as the major source of budgetary funds. The abolition of serfdom, the development of private industrial activity, changing the farming tax system to the excise tax, indicate the penetration of traditional liberal principles in domestic economy in the field of addictive goods. The German historical schools focused on the active role of the state with respect to national peculiarities of the economy, found support and development in the works of Russian scientists that support the alcohol and tobacco monopoly. In the Soviet period the principles of Marxist political economy were formed on the basis of total nationalization of production and distribution of allowed addictive goods. The margin school is characterized by psychological interpretation of economic processes in the field of addictive goods under the conditions of perfect competition, in particular the role of consumers in the pricing. In the period of theoretical struggle of monetarism against keynesianism, which coincided with the drug boom, there were areas of economics of crime and punishment, drugs. In the neoliberalism period the antiprohibitionist movement was formed in the field of addictive goods. Changing some postulates of neoclassical economics by neo-institutional economic theory contributed to the development of empirical

Conjoint analysis applications in health--a checklist: a report of the ISPOR Good Research Practices for Conjoint Analysis Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridges, John F P; Hauber, A Brett; Marshall, Deborah; Lloyd, Andrew; Prosser, Lisa A; Regier, Dean A; Johnson, F Reed; Mauskopf, Josephine

2011-06-01

The application of conjoint analysis (including discrete-choice experiments and other multiattribute stated-preference methods) in health has increased rapidly over the past decade. A wider acceptance of these methods is limited by an absence of consensus-based methodological standards. The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Good Research Practices for Conjoint Analysis Task Force was established to identify good research practices for conjoint-analysis applications in health. The task force met regularly to identify the important steps in a conjoint analysis, to discuss good research practices for conjoint analysis, and to develop and refine the key criteria for identifying good research practices. ISPOR members contributed to this process through an extensive consultation process. A final consensus meeting was held to revise the article using these comments, and those of a number of international reviewers. Task force findings are presented as a 10-item checklist covering: 1) research question; 2) attributes and levels; 3) construction of tasks; 4) experimental design; 5) preference elicitation; 6) instrument design; 7) data-collection plan; 8) statistical analyses; 9) results and conclusions; and 10) study presentation. A primary question relating to each of the 10 items is posed, and three sub-questions examine finer issues within items. Although the checklist should not be interpreted as endorsing any specific methodological approach to conjoint analysis, it can facilitate future training activities and discussions of good research practices for the application of conjoint-analysis methods in health care studies. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluating Students' Perspectives about Virtual Classrooms with Regard to Seven Principles of Good Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Çakýroðlu, Ünal

2014-01-01

This study assesses the quality of distance learning (DL) in higher education assessed by considering the Seven Principles of Good Practice (SPGP). The participants were 77 second-year students from the Computer and Instructional Technologies Program (CEIT) of a Faculty of Education in Turkey. A questionnaire was developed in line with the SPGP…

Water footprint as an indicator of agricultural productivity in African countries

Science.gov (United States)

Chico Zamanillo, Daniel; Zhang, Guoping; Mathews, Ruth

2017-04-01

water security should be considered. Agricultural practices that have improved yields and reduced water footprints should be identified and evaluated for their relative contribution to higher water productivity and to guide investments in agricultural extension and technology. Crops should be selected based on their comparative advantage relative to the water footprint and yields as well as their contribution to livelihoods and economic growth. Water resource management and planning needs to meet water demands for economic development while protecting and enhancing ecosystem services. Trade-offs between water resources allocation to grow food crops versus export crops and resulting reliance on internal versus external water resources for food security should be assessed and used to guide decisions. Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals will require a multi-pronged approach to improving agricultural practices, strengthening farmers' livelihoods, increasing food security and protecting water security. The water footprint as it has been used in this study can support sustainable development by building an understanding of the water consumed and polluted in producing goods and identifying the opportunities for improving water efficiency and land productivity.

Ochratoxin A in grain dust--estimated exposure and relations to agricultural practices in grain production.

Science.gov (United States)

Halstensen, Anne Straumfors; Nordby, Karl-Christian; Elen, Oleif; Eduard, Wijnand

2004-01-01

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxin frequently contaminating grains. OTA inhalation during grain handling may therefore represent a health risk to farmers, and was the subject of this study. Airborne and settled grain dust was collected during grain work on 84 Norwegian farms. Climate and agricultural practices on each farm were registered. Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp. and OTA in settled dust were measured. Settled dust contained median 4 microg OTA/kg dust (range 2-128), correlating with Penicillium spp. (median 40 cfu/mg; range 0-32000, rs =0.33; p grain species, districts and agricultural practices. Penicillium levels, but not OTA levels, were higher in storage than in threshing dust (p=0.003), and increased with storage time (rs =0.51, p dust during threshing and median 7 mg/m3 (range 1-110) dust during storage work, equalling median 3.7 pg/m3 (range 0.6-200) and median 40 pg/m3 (range 2-14000) OTA, respectively (p grain work was low, although varying by more than 1,000-fold. However, the farmers may occasionally be highly exposed, particularly during handling of stored grain.

77 FR 49449 - Food and Drug Administration Clinical Trial Requirements, Compliance, and Good Clinical Practice...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-16

... investigator initiated research. Topics for discussion include the following: (1) What FDA Expects in a...] Food and Drug Administration Clinical Trial Requirements, Compliance, and Good Clinical Practice...-sponsorship with the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA) is announcing a public workshop. The...

The Profile of Good Hygiene Practice of Catering Service Sector in Samsun

OpenAIRE

Sibel Özçakmak; Osman Gül

2016-01-01

Before serving the meals, the managements that operate in the production and distribution of table d’hôte meals, the data related to whether it's appropriate for the food hygiene regulation and the other legal requirements are so insufficient. So, an interview study was performed for the present conditions of the manufactures producing and serving meals and the good hygiene practices profile of their working personal in the plants with regard to Law No.5966 on Veterinary Services, Plant healt...

Guidebook on good practice in the management of uranium mining and mill operations and the preparation for their closure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-12-01

Over the past fifty years the uranium industry has moved from a labor-intensive industry to a 'high-tech' and capital intensive industry. Organization of knowledge, manpower and material had to change to meet the demands of several stakeholders inherent to any project and to constantly adapt to technological innovations. Today, the mission of a uranium operation is not only to make a profit while selling yellow cake to electrical power stations but also to address issues regarding safety, health, environment and demands of the regulators and the public and assure the sustainability of the operations. Good mining practice begins with the proper planning and forecasting from the discovery of a deposit to decommissioning of a mine. This report describes and defines what is considered as good practice in the various activities of a mining operation and provides an overview of the management of a single operation. As technologies are progressing rapidly in the mining industry, and as this industry is transitional, this report emphasizes the importance of training employees at all levels of the organization. The statement on good practices for the various activities of a mining operation will be useful for organizations which are planning to open new mines or intend to modernize ongoing operations. Practical examples are given in the case of histories for four different countries. The objective of this publication is not to provide strict rules on the application of good practice but to give general guidelines that can be consulted and used in many different countries

Towards Conservation Agriculture systems in Moldova

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Boincean

2016-10-01

Full Text Available As the world population and food production demands rise, keeping agricultural soils and landscapes healthy and productive are of paramount importance to sustaining local and global food security and the flow of ecosystem services to society. The global population, expected to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, will put additional pressure on the available land area and resources for agricultural production. Sustainable production intensification for food security is a major challenge to both industrialized and developing countries. The paper focuses on the results from long-term multi-factorial experiments involving tillage practices, crop rotations and fertilization to study the interactions amongst the treatments in the context of sustainable production intensification. The paper discusses the results in relation to reported performance of crops and soil quality in Conservation Agriculture systems that are based on no or minimum soil disturbance (no-till seeding and weeding, maintenance of soil mulch cover with crop biomass and cover crops, and diversified cropping s involving annuals and perennials. Conservation Agriculture also emphasizes the necessity of an agro-ecosystems approach to the management of agricultural land for sustainable production intensification, as well as to the site-specificity of agricultural production. Arguments in favor of avoiding the use of soil tillage are discussed together with agro-ecological principles for sustainable intensification of agriculture. More interdisciplinary systems research is required to support the transformation of agriculture from the conventional tillage agriculture to a more sustainable agriculture based on the principles and practices of Conservation Agriculture, along with other complementary practices of integrated crop, nutrient, water, pest, energy and farm power management.

Energy in agriculture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Le Roux, E J

1980-02-01

Agriculture is an important component of Canadian energy policy. There are many opportunities for both the production of energy from agricultural processes and the conservation of energy in agricultural production. These opportunities, as well as current practices and research in progress, are outlined in this report. Energy sources in agriculture include biomass (straw and other residues), methane production from manure, and oil and alcohol from crops. Alternate energy sources such as solar and wind power conserve conventional resources, and additional conservation opportunities exist in the use of greenhouses, waste heat and energy-efficient farming processes. Research programs and possible trends are outlined. 10 figs., 3 tabs.

Agricultural entrepreneurship and sustainability - is it a good or bad fit?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lauwere, de C.C.

2009-01-01

In today’s Dutch agriculture emphasis is put on entrepreneurship, social responsibility and sustainability. But do these fit together? In economic theories entrepreneurs are seen as movers of the markets, seekers of profit opportunities and innovators. Not all farmers however meet these conditions

Agriculture and climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abelson, P.H.

1992-01-01

How will increases in levels of CO 2 and changes in temperature affect food production? A recently issued report analyzes prospects for US agriculture 1990 to 2030. The report, prepared by a distinguished Task Force, first projects the evolution of agriculture assuming increased levels of CO 2 but no climate change. Then it deals with effects of climate change, followed by a discussion of how greenhouse emissions might be diminished by agriculture. Economic and policy matters are also covered. How the climate would respond to more greenhouse gases is uncertain. If temperatures were higher, there would be more evaporation and more precipitation. Where would the rain fall? That is a good question. Weather in a particular locality is not determined by global averages. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s could be repeated at its former site or located in another region such as the present Corn Belt. But depending on the realities at a given place, farmers have demonstrated great flexibility in choosing what they may grow. Their flexibility has been increased by the numerous varieties of seeds of major crops that are now available, each having different characteristics such as drought resistance and temperature tolerance. In past, agriculture has contributed about 5% of US greenhouse gases. Two large components have involved emissions of CO 2 from farm machinery and from oxidation of organic matter in soil due to tillage. Use of diesel fuel and more efficient machinery has reduced emissions from that source by 40%. In some areas changed tillage practices are now responsible for returning carbon to the soil. The report identifies an important potential for diminishing net US emissions of CO 2 by growth and utilization of biomass. Large areas are already available that could be devoted to energy crops

Good Cell Culture Practice for stem cells and stem-cell-derived models.

Science.gov (United States)

Pamies, David; Bal-Price, Anna; Simeonov, Anton; Tagle, Danilo; Allen, Dave; Gerhold, David; Yin, Dezhong; Pistollato, Francesca; Inutsuka, Takashi; Sullivan, Kristie; Stacey, Glyn; Salem, Harry; Leist, Marcel; Daneshian, Mardas; Vemuri, Mohan C; McFarland, Richard; Coecke, Sandra; Fitzpatrick, Suzanne C; Lakshmipathy, Uma; Mack, Amanda; Wang, Wen Bo; Yamazaki, Daiju; Sekino, Yuko; Kanda, Yasunari; Smirnova, Lena; Hartung, Thomas

2017-01-01

The first guidance on Good Cell Culture Practice (GCCP) dates back to 2005. This document expands this to include aspects of quality assurance for in vitro cell culture focusing on the increasingly diverse cell types and culture formats used in research, product development, testing and manufacture of biotechnology products and cell-based medicines. It provides a set of basic principles of best practice that can be used in training new personnel, reviewing and improving local procedures, and helping to assure standard practices and conditions for the comparison of data between laboratories and experimentation performed at different times. This includes recommendations for the documentation and reporting of culture conditions. It is intended as guidance to facilitate the generation of reliable data from cell culture systems, and is not intended to conflict with local or higher level legislation or regulatory requirements. It may not be possible to meet all recommendations in this guidance for practical, legal or other reasons. However, when it is necessary to divert from the principles of GCCP, the risk of decreasing the quality of work and the safety of laboratory staff should be addressed and any conclusions or alternative approaches justified. This workshop report is considered a first step toward a revised GCCP 2.0.

Impacts of agricultural management practices on soil quality in Europe and China - an assessment within the framework of the EU iSQAPER project

Science.gov (United States)

Alaoui, Abdallah; Schwilch, Gudrun; Barão, Lúcia; Basch, Gottlieb; Sukkel, Wijnand; Lemesle, Julie; Ferreira, Carla; Garcia-Orenes, Fuensanta; Morugan, Alicia; Mataix, Jorge; Kosmas, Costas; Glavan, Matjaž; Tóth, Brigitta; Petrutza Gate, Olga; Lipiec, Jerzy; Reintam, Endla; Xu, Minggang; Di, Jiaying; Fan, Hongzhu; Geissen, Violette

2017-04-01

Agricultural soils are under a wide variety of pressures, including from increasing global demand for food associated with population growth, changing diets, land degradation, and associated productivity reductions potentially exacerbated by climate change. To manage the use of agricultural soils well, decision-makers need science-based, easily applicable, and cost-effective tools for assessing soil quality and soil functions. Since a practical assessment of soil quality requires the integrated consideration of key soil properties and their variations in space and time, providing such tools remains a challenging task. This study aims to assess the impact of innovative agricultural management practices on soil quality in 14 study sites across Europe (10) and China (4), covering the major pedo-climatic zones. The study is part of the European H2020 project iSQAPER, which involves 25 partners across Europe and China and is coordinated by Wageningen University, The Netherlands. iSQAPER is aimed at interactive soil quality assessment in Europe and China for agricultural productivity and environmental resilience. The study began with a thorough literature analysis to inform the selection of indicators for the assessment of soil structure and soil functions. A manual was then developed in order to standardize and facilitate the task of inventorying soil quality and management practices at the case study sites. The manual provides clear and precise instructions on how to assess the 11 selected soil quality indicators based on a visual soil assessment methodology. A newly developed infiltrometer was used to easily assess the soil infiltration capacity in the field and investigate hydrodynamic flow processes. Based on consistent calibration, the infiltrometer enables reliable prediction of key soil hydraulic properties. The main aim of this inventory is to link agricultural management practices to the soil quality status at the case study sites, and to identify innovative

7 CFR 28.406 - Strict Good Ordinary Color.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Strict Good Ordinary Color. 28.406 Section 28.406... for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.406 Strict Good Ordinary Color. Strict Good Ordinary Color is color which is within the range represented by a set of samples in the custody of the...

Agriculture land use and environmental issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, S.M.L

2005-01-01

There is agro-pastoral farming system prevalent in mountainous and sub-mountainous areas of Himalayan region including Azad Jammu and Kashmir. As such, Agriculture Sector includes Crop-husbandry, livestock farming and forestry in its ambit. There are varied forms of land uses, like crop farming, forestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, wildlife conservation etc. Therefore, the paper attempts to spotlight the interplay of these land uses with respect to the environment in general with specific reference to AJK and other mountainous and sub- mountainous regions of Northern Pakistan. Agricultural activities have both negative and beneficial effects on the environment. The negative effects in the forms of physical degradation of the soil due to agriculture are: soil erosion, desertification, water logging and salinity and soil compaction. The land use practices such as overgrazing, deforestation and some cultivation practices, removal of vegetative cover or hedgerows, lack of proper drainage outlets, accentuate these problems. The improper management of water use and sometimes excessive mechanization and Ploughing further aggravates problem of physical degradation of the soil. The chemical degradation, as a result of agricultural practices, include acidification, Salinization, contamination caused by pesticides and insecticides and resultantly water and air pollution, and loss of habitats and biodiversity. Further negative effects emerging out of agricultural practices are greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient losses and lowering of humus content, which makes soil susceptible to compaction and erosion. The beneficial environmental effects emanating from the use of best agricultural management practices and integrated farming systems are protection of soil fertility and stability, prevention of excessive run offs. It also provides habitats for varied forms of flora and fauna, reduce the emission of carbon dioxide (CO/sub 2)/ and reduce the incidence and severity of natural

The history and future of agricultural experiments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maat, H.

2011-01-01

An agricultural experiment is usually associated with a scientific method for testing certain agricultural phenomena. A central point in the work of Paul Richards is that experimentation is at the heart of agricultural practice. The reason why agricultural experiments are something different for

Journal of Agricultural Extension

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Scope of journal The Journal of Agricultural Extension" is devoted to the advancement of knowledge of agricultural extension services and practice through the publication of original and empirically based research, ... Vol 22, No 1 (2018) ... Symbol recognition and interpretation of HIV/AIDS pictorial messages among rural ...

The potential of agricultural practices to increase C storage in cropped soils: an assessment for France

Science.gov (United States)

Chenu, Claire; Angers, Denis; Métay, Aurélie; Colnenne, Caroline; Klumpp, Katja; Bamière, Laure; Pardon, Lenaic; Pellerin, Sylvain

2014-05-01

Though large progress has been achieved in the last decades, net GHG emissions from the agricultural sector are still more poorly quantified than in other sectors. In this study, we examined i) technical mitigation options likely to store carbon in agricultural soils, ii) their potential of additional C storage per unit surface area and iii) applicable areas in mainland France. We considered only agricultural practices being technically feasible by farmers and involving no major change in either production systems or production levels. Moreover, only currently available techniques with validated efficiencies and presenting no major negative environmental impacts were taken into account. Four measures were expected to store additional C in agricultural soils: - Reducing tillage: either a switch to continuous direct seeding, direct seeding with occasional tillage once every five years, or continuous superficial (20yrs) C storage rates (MgC ha-1 y-1,) of cropping systems with and without the proposed practice. Then we analysed the conditions for potential application, in terms of feasibility, acceptance, limitation of yield losses and of other GHG emissions. According to the literature, additional C storage rates were 0.15 (0-0.3) MgC ha-1 y-1 for continuous direct seeding, 0.10 (0-0.2) MgC ha-1 y-1for occasional tillage one year in five, and 0.0 MgC ha-1 y-1 for superficial tillage. Cover crops were estimated to store 0.24 (0.13-0.37) MgC ha-1 y-1 between cash crops and 0.49 (0.23-0.72) MgC ha-1 y-1 when associated with vineyards. Hedges (i.e 60 m ha-1) stored 0.15 (0.05-0.26) Mg C ha-1 y-1. Very few estimates were available for temperate agroforestry system, and we proposed a value of 1.01 (0.11-1.36) Mg C ha-1 y-1for C stored in soil and in the tree biomass for systems comprising 30-50 trees ha-1. Increasing the life time of temporary sown grassland increased C stocls by 0.11 (0.07-0.22) Mg C ha-1 y-1. In general, practices with increased C inputs to soil through

Modular glovebox connector and associated good practices for control of radioactive and chemically toxic materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoover, M.D.; Mewhinney, C.J.; Newton, G.J.

1999-01-01

Design and associated good practices are described for a modular glovebox connector to improve control of radioactive and chemically toxic materials. The connector consists of an anodized aluminum circular port with a mating spacer, gaskets, and retaining rings for joining two parallel ends of commercially available or custom-manufactured glovebox enclosures. Use of the connector allows multiple gloveboxes to be quickly assembled or reconfigured in functional units. Connector dimensions can be scaled to meet operational requirements for access between gloveboxes. Options for construction materials are discussed, along with recommendations for installation of the connector in new or retrofitted systems. Associated good practices include application of surface coatings and caulking, use of disposable glovebags, and proper selection and protection of gasket and glove materials. Use of the connector at an inhalation toxicology research facility has reduced the time and expense required to reconfigure equipment for changing operational requirements, the dispersion of contamination during reconfigurations, and the need for decommissioning and disposal of contaminated enclosures

Neighborhood scale quantification of ecosystem goods and services

Science.gov (United States)

Ecosystem goods and services are those ecological structures and functions that humans can directly relate to their state of well-being. Ecosystem goods and services include, but are not limited to, a sufficient fresh water supply, fertile lands to produce agricultural products, ...

Influence of Voluntary Coffee Certifications on Cooperatives' Advisory Services and Agricultural Practices of Smallholder Farmers in Costa Rica

Science.gov (United States)

Snider, Anna; Kraus, Eva; Sibelet, Nicole; Bosselmann, Aske Skovmand; Faure, Guy

2016-01-01

Purpose: This article explores how voluntary certifications influence the way cooperatives provide advisory services to their members and the influence of these services on agricultural practices. Design/Methodology/Approach: Case studies were conducted in four representative Costa Rican cooperatives interviewing twenty interviewed cooperative…

Good practices for user effect reduction - Status Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashley, R.; El-Shanawany, M.; Eltawila, F.; D'Auria, F.

1999-01-01

User effect has been identified in previous CSNI activities since 1991. The present report has as objectives to outline the consideration given to the user effect problem by various concerned organisations, and to present a consensus about recommended practices for user effect reduction. A survey of relevant literature is summarised, together with the answers collected through the Task Group on Thermal Hydraulics Applications members about characteristics of overall safety analysis process including validation, safety culture, staffing levels, staff competencies and responsibilities, on the job training, required documentation, and quality assurance. An outline is given of the adequacy demonstration process to be undertaken by a code user, when the code is being used in new situations for which assessment has not been performed by the code developers or by other user groups. A list of fifteen recommendations is set up, dealing with organisation and responsibilities, build up of competence, checks and assessments, and uncertainties. In summary: this report provides a review and discussion of earlier work relevant to the user effect on the results of system codes transient analyses; responses to a questionnaire proposed by the OECD/CSNI Task Group on Thermal-Hydraulic Applications are considered, together with results of activities started in 1991 in the same CSNI context. Some recommendations aim at reducing the user effect. These recommendations are generally based on good common practices adopted by organisations involved in safety analyses. Some of the reasons for the user effect are mentioned in the report. Code deficiencies may be to blame in a number of cases; however, here the attention is focussed on the application of the code and not on improving of the code models. A critical aspect is the internal organisation of institutions performing system code applications; the engagement of permanent and hired staff has a role in the quality and reliability of

7 CFR 1499.7 - Transportation of goods.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Transportation of goods. 1499.7 Section 1499.7... Transportation of goods. (a) Shipments of donated commodities are subject to the requirements of 46 U.S.C. 55305 and 55314, regarding carriage on U.S.-flag vessels. (b) Transportation of donated commodities and...

7 CFR 1599.7 - Transportation of goods.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Transportation of goods. 1599.7 Section 1599.7... Transportation of goods. (a) Shipments of donated commodities are subject to the requirements of 46 U.S.C. 55305 and 55314, regarding carriage on U.S.-flag vessels. (b) Transportation of donated commodities and...

Agricultural production and sustainable development in a Brazilian region (Southwest, Sao Paulo State): motivations and barriers to adopting sustainable and ecologically friendly practices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leite, A. E.; De Castro, R.; Jabbour, C. J. C.

2014-01-01

The objective of this study is to identify the adoption level of practices associated with more sustainable agriculture and environmentally friendly practices. Additionally, the motivations for and barriers to the adoption of these practices by farmers are investigated. Data were collected through...... closed questionnaires taken by a random sample of farmers in the Southwest, Sao Paulo, Brazil, during the second half of 2013. Overall, sustainable agricultural practices recommended in the literature and analysed in this study are being not fully adopted by farmers of the studied area. The results...... showed that financial motivation is associated with farmers adopting new, more sustainable technology, whereas the lack of information on and lack of technical support for these technologies are significant barriers. Other results, research implications, limitations and suggestions for future research...

The Role of Agricultural Education and Extension in Influencing Best Practice for Managing Mastitis in Dairy Cattle

Science.gov (United States)

Dillon, E. J.; Hennessy, T.; Cullinan, J.

2016-01-01

Purpose: To examine the role of agricultural education and extension in influencing the adoption of best practice with regard to herd-level mastitis management. Design/Methodology/Approach: Somatic cell count (SCC) is an indicator of herd health with regard to mastitis and is negatively related to productivity and profitability. Panel data…

Resource-conserving agriculture increases yields in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Pretty, J N; Noble, A D; Bossio, D; Dixon, J; Hine, R E; Penning De Vries, F W T; Morison, J I L

2006-02-15

Despite great recent progress, hunger and poverty remain widespread and agriculturally driven environmental damage is widely prevalent. The idea of agricultural sustainability centers on the need to develop technologies and practices that do not have adverse effects on environmental goods and services, and that lead to improvements in food productivity. Here we show the extent to which 286 recent interventions in 57 poor countries covering 37 M ha (3% of the cultivated area in developing countries) have increased productivity on 12.6 M farms while improving the supply of critical environmental services. The average crop yield increase was 79% (geometric mean 64%). All crops showed water use efficiency gains, with the highest improvement in rainfed crops. Potential carbon sequestered amounted to an average of 0.35 t C ha(-1) y(-1). If a quarter of the total area under these farming systems adopted sustainability enhancing practices, we estimate global sequestration could be 0.1 Gt C y(-1). Of projects with pesticide data, 77% resulted in a decline in pesticide use by 71% while yields grew by 42%. Although it is uncertain whether these approaches can meet future food needs, there are grounds for cautious optimism, particularly as poor farm households benefit more from their adoption.

Guidance on current good radiopharmacy practice (cGRPP) for the small-scale preparation of radiopharmaceuticals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elsinga, Philip; Todde, Sergio; Penuelas, Ivan; Meyer, Geerd; Farstad, Brit; Faivre-Chauvet, Alain; Mikolajczak, Renata; Westera, Gerrit; Gmeiner-Stopar, Tanja; Decristoforo, Clemens

This guidance is meant as a guidance to Part B of the EANM "Guidelines on Good Radiopharmacy Practice (GRPP)" issued by the Radiopharmacy Committee of the EANM (see www.eanm.org), covering the small-scale "in house" preparation of radiopharmaceuticals which are not kit procedures. The aim is to

An agenda for assessing and improving conservation impacts of sustainability standards in tropical agriculture.

Science.gov (United States)

Milder, Jeffrey C; Arbuthnot, Margaret; Blackman, Allen; Brooks, Sharon E; Giovannucci, Daniele; Gross, Lee; Kennedy, Elizabeth T; Komives, Kristin; Lambin, Eric F; Lee, Audrey; Meyer, Daniel; Newton, Peter; Phalan, Ben; Schroth, Götz; Semroc, Bambi; Van Rikxoort, Henk; Zrust, Michal

2015-04-01

Sustainability standards and certification serve to differentiate and provide market recognition to goods produced in accordance with social and environmental good practices, typically including practices to protect biodiversity. Such standards have seen rapid growth, including in tropical agricultural commodities such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soybeans, and tea. Given the role of sustainability standards in influencing land use in hotspots of biodiversity, deforestation, and agricultural intensification, much could be gained from efforts to evaluate and increase the conservation payoff of these schemes. To this end, we devised a systematic approach for monitoring and evaluating the conservation impacts of agricultural sustainability standards and for using the resulting evidence to improve the effectiveness of such standards over time. The approach is oriented around a set of hypotheses and corresponding research questions about how sustainability standards are predicted to deliver conservation benefits. These questions are addressed through data from multiple sources, including basic common information from certification audits; field monitoring of environmental outcomes at a sample of certified sites; and rigorous impact assessment research based on experimental or quasi-experimental methods. Integration of these sources can generate time-series data that are comparable across sites and regions and provide detailed portraits of the effects of sustainability standards. To implement this approach, we propose new collaborations between the conservation research community and the sustainability standards community to develop common indicators and monitoring protocols, foster data sharing and synthesis, and link research and practice more effectively. As the role of sustainability standards in tropical land-use governance continues to evolve, robust evidence on the factors contributing to effectiveness can help to ensure that such standards are designed and

A Preliminary Study of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Pesticide Use Among Oil Palm Workers in Johor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Mior S.N.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Agricultural sector is a fundamental activity that has been practiced since the civilization of Babylonian, which also has been proven by the glory of Nile River Valley and Mekong Valley. History has shown that the migration of investors and foreign labors in Malaysia in 1960 was to be harvested fortune from the land due to its fertility and suitability. As a developing country, agriculture is one of the important sectors in Malaysia that contributes towards the national economy development. The mentioned sector has indirectly provided benefits both local and global perspectives either in terms of business opportunity as well as employment opportunity. In general, this study aims to assess the level of knowledge, practices and attitudes in the use of pesticides in oil palm plantation workers in Johor. The findings of this study will be used as reference in the farming industry, particularly for the awareness and understanding of good farm management practices and safety for agricultural workers by providing information regarding precautionary measures. This study will engage oil palm workers in Johor which are tasked to carry out pesticides handling activities. A total of 138 respondents were selected for the study. The methodology approaches that will be used in this study are questionnaire and interview. The results of this study will be used as reference in the farming industry, particularly the awareness and understanding of good farm management practices and safety for agricultural Workers By Informing Them Of A Precautionary Measure.

Fungicide application practices and personal protective equipment use among orchard farmers in the agricultural health study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hines, C J; Deddens, J A; Coble, J; Alavanja, M C R

2007-04-01

Fungicides are routinely applied to deciduous tree fruits for disease management. Seventy-four private orchard applicators enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study participated in the Orchard Fungicide Exposure Study in 2002-2003. During 144 days of observation, information was obtained on chemicals applied and applicator mixing, application, personal protective, and hygiene practices. At least half of the applicators had orchards with orchard applicators.

Microscopic or occult hematuria, when reflex testing is not good laboratory practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Froom, Paul; Barak, Mira

2010-01-01

Consensus opinion suggests that hematuria found by dipstick and not confirmed on microscopic examination (<2 erythrocytes per high power field) signifies a false-positive reagent strip test result. Standard practice is to repeat the dipstick test several days later and if still positive to confirm by microscopic examination. If discordant results are obtained, experts recommend reflex testing for urinary myoglobin and hemoglobin concentrations. The question is whether or not this approach represents good laboratory practice. These recommendations are not evidence based. We conclude that the reference range for red blood cells on the reagent strip should be increased to 25x10(6) cells/L for young men, and 50x10(6) cells/L for the rest of the adult population, ranges consistent with flow cytometry reports. Confirmation reflex testing using tests that have inferior sensitivity, precision and probably accuracy is not recommended.

Diffuse nitrogen loss simulation and impact assessment of stereoscopic agriculture pattern by integrated water system model and consideration of multiple existence forms

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yongyong; Gao, Yang; Yu, Qiang

2017-09-01

Agricultural nitrogen loss becomes an increasingly important source of water quality deterioration and eutrophication, even threatens water safety for humanity. Nitrogen dynamic mechanism is still too complicated to be well captured at watershed scale due to its multiple existence forms and instability, disturbance of agricultural management practices. Stereoscopic agriculture is a novel agricultural planting pattern to efficiently use local natural resources (e.g., water, land, sunshine, heat and fertilizer). It is widely promoted as a high yield system and can obtain considerable economic benefits, particularly in China. However, its environmental quality implication is not clear. In our study, Qianyanzhou station is famous for its stereoscopic agriculture pattern of Southern China, and an experimental watershed was selected as our study area. Regional characteristics of runoff and nitrogen losses were simulated by an integrated water system model (HEQM) with multi-objective calibration, and multiple agriculture practices were assessed to find the effective approach for the reduction of diffuse nitrogen losses. Results showed that daily variations of runoff and nitrogen forms were well reproduced throughout watershed, i.e., satisfactory performances for ammonium and nitrate nitrogen (NH4-N and NO3-N) loads, good performances for runoff and organic nitrogen (ON) load, and very good performance for total nitrogen (TN) load. The average loss coefficient was 62.74 kg/ha for NH4-N, 0.98 kg/ha for NO3-N, 0.0004 kg/ha for ON and 63.80 kg/ha for TN. The dominating form of nitrogen losses was NH4-N due to the applied fertilizers, and the most dramatic zones aggregated in the middle and downstream regions covered by paddy and orange orchard. In order to control diffuse nitrogen losses, the most effective practices for Qianyanzhou stereoscopic agriculture pattern were to reduce farmland planting scale in the valley by afforestation, particularly for orchard in the

Influence of voluntary coffee certifications on cooperatives’ advisory services and agricultural practices of smallholder farmers in Costa Rica

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Snider, Anna; Kraus, Eva; Sibelet, Nicole

2016-01-01

level is adding new topics for group training, and certification issues are directly linked with practices such as maintaining a farm record book or wearing a mask when applying pesticides. Practices which compete with productivity are unlikely to change. Practical Implications: The results are useful......Purpose: This article explores how voluntary certifications influence the way cooperatives provide advisory services to their members and the influence of these services on agricultural practices. Design/Methodology/Approach: Case studies were conducted in four representative Costa Rican...... cooperatives interviewing twenty interviewed cooperative administrators and members to determine changes in advisory services and farming practices over the past twenty years and factors which influenced those changes. Findings: Certifications induce cooperatives to offer new services to support farmers...

The Utilization of the Seven Principles for Good Practices of Full-Time and Adjunct Faculty in Teaching Health & Science in Community Colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Musaitif, Linda M.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which undergraduate full-time and adjunct faculty members in the health and science programs at community colleges in Southern California utilize the seven principles of good practice as measured by the Faculty Inventory of the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate…

Virtual land use and agricultural trade. Estimating environmental and socio-economic impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wuertenberger, Laura; Koellner, Thomas; Binder, Claudia R.

2006-01-01

Liberalization has caused an increase in the global trade of goods and services. In particular, the value and physical volume of agricultural goods traded have largely increased. As the environmental and social consequences of trade are complex, they are rarely included in the national and international agricultural policies. One reason is that there is a lack of concepts and methods for assessing the environmental and social impacts of trade policies. In this paper we develop a method for quantifying and assessing the land use hidden in the export and import of agricultural goods for the case of Switzerland. For our analysis we focus on arable crops. The first methodological step of our research illustrates the spatial relationship of Switzerland with countries all over the world through the import and export of land use for arable crops. The second step links this spatial dimension with a qualitative assessment of the environmental and socio-economic impacts of agricultural land use. We applied the method to the case of wheat cultivation within Switzerland and import to Switzerland. The major problem we were confronted with was the availability of data, which had both to be reliable and available for the countries wheat is imported from. The results show that the calculation of land use is credible. In spite of the problems related with data availability, the assessment results for each indicator are in agreement with the current situation in the respective countries. In addition, the aggregation seems to accurately reflect the countries' agricultural polices. The developed method is used to estimate the overall environmental and socio-economic impacts of an increase in wheat imports to Switzerland. We argue that this method could be applied for anticipating potential impacts of trade agreements. Still, further research is required for fine-tuning of the utility functions, including a weighting procedure in the aggregation procedure. For practical applications

Estimating the harms and benefits of prostate cancer screening as used in common practice versus recommended good practice: A microsimulation screening analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlsson, Sigrid V; de Carvalho, Tiago M; Roobol, Monique J; Hugosson, Jonas; Auvinen, Anssi; Kwiatkowski, Maciej; Villers, Arnauld; Zappa, Marco; Nelen, Vera; Páez, Alvaro; Eastham, James A; Lilja, Hans; de Koning, Harry J; Vickers, Andrew J; Heijnsdijk, Eveline A M

2016-11-15

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and concomitant treatment can be implemented in several ways. The authors investigated how the net benefit of PSA screening varies between common practice versus "good practice." Microsimulation screening analysis (MISCAN) was used to evaluate the effect on quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) if 4 recommendations were followed: limited screening in older men, selective biopsy in men with elevated PSA, active surveillance for low-risk tumors, and treatment preferentially delivered at high-volume centers. Outcomes were compared with a base model in which annual screening started at ages 55 to 69 years and were simulated using data from the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer. In terms of QALYs gained compared with no screening, for 1000 screened men who were followed over their lifetime, recommended good practice led to 73 life-years (LYs) and 74 QALYs gained compared with 73 LYs and 56 QALYs for the base model. In contrast, common practice led to 78 LYs gained but only 19 QALYs gained, for a greater than 75% relative reduction in QALYs gained from unadjusted LYs gained. The poor outcomes for common practice were influenced predominantly by the use of aggressive treatment for men with low-risk disease, and PSA testing in older men also strongly reduced potential QALY gains. Commonly used PSA screening and treatment practices are associated with little net benefit. Following a few straightforward clinical recommendations, particularly greater use of active surveillance for low-risk disease and reducing screening in older men, would lead to an almost 4-fold increase in the net benefit of prostate cancer screening. Cancer 2016;122:3386-3393. © 2016 American Cancer Society. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Studies on the application of ionizing radiation for the advanced quarantine management of agricultural commodities for export and international trade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Ju Woon; Kim, Jae Hun; Song, Beom Seok; Lee, Kwang Youll; Choi, Yeong Jun [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2011-12-15

{Omicron} Quarantine waste of agricultural goods for export are 50 billion won per year in Korea. The major reason of quarantine waste were inspected of quarantine regulated pest or detected of pesticide residues during importation or exportation clearance. {Omicron} According to the Montreal protocol, reduce the using of chemical fumigant(Methyl Bromide) and required alternative quarantine treatment {Omicron} It is necessary for commercialization project that to practice evaluation and development of quarantine management system using irradiation as a phytosanitary measure for exportation agricultural commodities.

Direct and indirect nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils, 1990 - 2003. Background document on the calculation method for the Dutch National Inventory Report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoek KW van der; Schijndel MW van; Kuikman PJ; MNP; Alterra; LVM

2007-01-01

Since 2005 the Dutch method to calculate the nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils has fully complied with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Good Practice Guidelines. In order to meet the commitments of the Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, nitrous

Electroencephalographic neurofeedback: Level of evidence in mental and brain disorders and suggestions for good clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Micoulaud-Franchi, J-A; McGonigal, A; Lopez, R; Daudet, C; Kotwas, I; Bartolomei, F

2015-12-01

The technique of electroencephalographic neurofeedback (EEG NF) emerged in the 1970s and is a technique that measures a subject's EEG signal, processes it in real time, extracts a parameter of interest and presents this information in visual or auditory form. The goal is to effectuate a behavioural modification by modulating brain activity. The EEG NF opens new therapeutic possibilities in the fields of psychiatry and neurology. However, the development of EEG NF in clinical practice requires (i) a good level of evidence of therapeutic efficacy of this technique, (ii) a good practice guide for this technique. Firstly, this article investigates selected trials with the following criteria: study design with controlled, randomized, and open or blind protocol, primary endpoint related to the mental and brain disorders treated and assessed with standardized measurement tools, identifiable EEG neurophysiological targets, underpinned by pathophysiological relevance. Trials were found for: epilepsies, migraine, stroke, chronic insomnia, attentional-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, addictive disorders, psychotic disorders. Secondly, this article investigates the principles of neurofeedback therapy in line with learning theory. Different underlying therapeutic models are presented didactically between two continua: a continuum between implicit and explicit learning and a continuum between the biomedical model (centred on "the disease") and integrative biopsychosocial model of health (centred on "the illness"). The main relevant learning model is to link neurofeedback therapy with the field of cognitive remediation techniques. The methodological specificity of neurofeedback is to be guided by biologically relevant neurophysiological parameters. Guidelines for good clinical practice of EEG NF concerning technical issues of electrophysiology and of learning are suggested. These require validation by

Mining Environmental Data from a Coupled Modelling System to Examine the Impact of Agricultural Management Practices on Groundwater and Air Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, V.; Cooter, E. J.; Hayes, B.; Murphy, M. S.; Bash, J. O.

2014-12-01

Excess nitrogen (N) resulting from current agricultural management practices can leach into sources of drinking water as nitrate, increasing human health risks of 'blue baby syndrome', hypertension, and some cancers and birth defects. Nitrogen also enters the atmosphere from land surfaces forming air pollution increasing human health risks of pulmonary and cardio-vascular disease. Characterizing and attributing nitrogen from agricultural management practices is difficult due to the complex and inter-related chemical and biological reactions associated with the nitrogen cascade. Coupled physical process-based models, however, present new opportunities to investigate relationships among environmental variables on new scales; particularly because they link emission sources with meteorology and the pollutant concentration ultimately found in the environment. In this study, we applied a coupled meteorology (NOAA-WRF), agricultural (USDA-EPIC) and air quality modelling system (EPA-CMAQ) to examine the impact of nitrogen inputs from corn production on ecosystem and human health and wellbeing. The coupled system accounts for the nitrogen flux between the land surface and air, and the soil surface and groundwater, providing a unique opportunity to examine the effect of management practices such as type and timing of fertilization, tilling and irrigation on both groundwater and air quality across the conterminous US. In conducting the study, we first determined expected relationships based on literature searches and then identified model variables as direct or surrogate variables. We performed extensive and methodical multi-variate regression modelling and variable selection to examine associations between agricultural management practices and environmental condition. We then applied the regression model to predict and contrast pollution levels between two corn production scenarios (Figure 1). Finally, we applied published health functions (e.g., spina bifida and cardio

Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for quality analysis of agricultural and food products

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, C. B.; Jayas, D. S.; Paliwal, J.; White, N. D. G.

2010-04-01

Agricultural and food processing industries are always looking to implement real-time quality monitoring techniques as a part of good manufacturing practices (GMPs) to ensure high-quality and safety of their products. Near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging is gaining popularity as a powerful non-destructive tool for quality analysis of several agricultural and food products. This technique has the ability to analyse spectral data in a spatially resolved manner (i.e., each pixel in the image has its own spectrum) by applying both conventional image processing and chemometric tools used in spectral analyses. Hyperspectral imaging technique has demonstrated potential in detecting defects and contaminants in meats, fruits, cereals, and processed food products. This paper discusses the methodology of hyperspectral imaging in terms of hardware, software, calibration, data acquisition and compression, and development of prediction and classification algorithms and it presents a thorough review of the current applications of hyperspectral imaging in the analyses of agricultural and food products.

Barriers to Uptake of Conservation Agriculture in southern Africa: Multi-level Analyses from Malawi

Science.gov (United States)

Dougill, Andrew; Stringer, Lindsay; Whitfield, Stephen; Wood, Ben; Chinseu, Edna

2015-04-01

-smart agriculture) to better accommodate, and respond to, the differentiated needs of marginalised groups (e.g. poor, elderly, carers). We identify good practices that can be used to design, plan and implement conservation agriculture projects such that the multiple benefits can be realised. We further outline changes to multi-level policy and institutional arrangements to facilitate greater adoption of conservation agriculture in Malawi, noting the vital importance of District-level institutions and amendments and capacity building required within agricultural extension services. We highlight the need for capacity building and support to ensure conservation agriculture's multiple benefits are realised more widely as a route towards sustainable land management.

College of American Pathologists Gynecologic Cytopathology Quality Consensus Conference on good laboratory practices in gynecologic cytology: background, rationale, and organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Tworek, Joseph A; Henry, Michael R; Blond, Barbara; Jones, Bruce Allen

2013-02-01

Gynecologic cytopathology is a heavily regulated field, with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 mandating the collection of many quality metrics. There is a lack of consensus regarding methods to collect, monitor, and benchmark these data and how these data should be used in a quality assurance program. Furthermore, the introduction of human papilloma virus testing and proficiency testing has provided more data to monitor. To determine good laboratory practices in quality assurance of gynecologic cytopathology. Data were collected through a written survey consisting of 98 questions submitted to 1245 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-licensed or Department of Defense laboratories. There were 541 usable responses. Additional input was sought through a Web posting of results and questions on the College of American Pathologists Web site. Four senior authors who authored the survey and 28 cytopathologists and cytotechnologists were assigned to 5 working groups to analyze data and present statements on good laboratory practices in gynecologic cytopathology at the College of American Pathologists Gynecologic Cytopathology Quality Consensus Conference. Ninety-eight attendees at the College of American Pathologists Gynecologic Cytopathology Quality Consensus Conference discussed and voted on good laboratory practice statements to obtain consensus. This paper describes the rationale, background, process, and strengths and limitations of a series of papers that summarize good laboratory practice statements in quality assurance in gynecologic cytopathology.

Good laboratory practices for biochemical genetic testing and newborn screening for inherited metabolic disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-06

Biochemical genetic testing and newborn screening are essential laboratory services for the screening, detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of inborn errors of metabolism or inherited metabolic disorders. Under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) regulations, laboratory testing is categorized on the basis of the level of testing complexity as either waived (i.e., from routine regulatory oversight) or nonwaived testing (which includes tests of moderate and high complexity). Laboratories that perform biochemical genetic testing are required by CLIA regulations to meet the general quality systems requirements for nonwaived testing and the personnel requirements for high-complexity testing. Laboratories that perform public health newborn screening are subject to the same CLIA regulations and applicable state requirements. As the number of inherited metabolic diseases that are included in state-based newborn screening programs continues to increase, ensuring the quality of performance and delivery of testing services remains a continuous challenge not only for public health laboratories and other newborn screening facilities but also for biochemical genetic testing laboratories. To help ensure the quality of laboratory testing, CDC collaborated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institutes of Health to develop guidelines for laboratories to meet CLIA requirements and apply additional quality assurance measures for these areas of genetic testing. This report provides recommendations for good laboratory practices that were developed based on recommendations from the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee, with additional input from the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society; the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children; and representatives of newborn

Agriculture - reconciling ancient tensions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Atkinson

2002-09-01

Full Text Available Decision-making in agriculture has tended to be driven by factors other than environmental concerns. This may be changing, and perhaps the emphases of the two creation accounts in Genesis (responsible management or 'dominion', and active care may become more important. The paper examines a number of current developments in agriculture (synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, genetic manipulation, and organic versus industrial methodologies and discusses the issues they raise for agricultural productivity and the human communities dependent on farming. The questions raised are complex; we are faced with establishing a new paradigm for agricultural practice.

Sponsorship in non-commercial clinical trials: definitions, challenges and the role of Good Clinical Practices guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravinetto, Raffaella; De Nys, Katelijne; Boelaert, Marleen; Diro, Ermias; Meintjes, Graeme; Adoke, Yeka; Tagbor, Harry; Casteels, Minne

2015-12-30

Non-commercial clinical research plays an increasingly essential role for global health. Multiple partners join in international consortia that operate under the limited timeframe of a specific funding period. One organisation (the sponsor) designs and carries out the trial in collaboration with research partners, and is ultimately responsible for the trial's scientific, ethical, regulatory and legal aspects, while another organization, generally in the North (the funder), provides the external funding and sets funding conditions. Even if external funding mechanisms are key for most non-commercial research, the dependence on an external funder's policies may heavily influence the choices of a sponsor. In addition, the competition for accessing the available external funds is great, and non-commercial sponsors may not be in a position to discuss or refuse standard conditions set by a funder. To see whether the current definitions adequately address the intricacies of sponsorship in externally-funded trials, we looked at how a "sponsor" of clinical trials is defined in selected international guidelines, with particular focus on international Good Clinical Practices codes, and in selected European and African regulations/legislations. Our limited analysis suggests that the sponsors definition from the 1995 WHO Good Clinical Practices code has been integrated as such into many legislations, guidelines and regulations, and that it is not adequate to cover today's reality of funding arrangements in global health, where the legal responsibility and the funding source are de facto split. In agreement with other groups, we suggest that the international Good Clinical Practices codes should be updated to reflect the reality of non-commercial clinical research. In particular, they should explicitly include the distinction between commercial and non-commercial sponsors, and provide guidance to non-commercial sponsors for negotiating with external funding agencies and other

Practical application of solid phase spectrophotometry in analysis of materials and goods of mining and metallurgy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duan Qunzhang

1999-01-01

The author reviewed recent development and practical application of solid phase spectrophotometry in analysis of materials and goods of mining-metallurgy. Separation and preconcentration and conditions of coloring determination, sensitivity and range of detection, as well as interference of corresponding method are discussed

International Continence Society Good Urodynamic Practices and Terms 2016 : Urodynamics, uroflowmetry, cystometry, and pressure-flow study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rosier, Peter F W M; Schaefer, Werner; Lose, Gunnar; Goldman, Howard B.; Guralnick, Michael; Eustice, Sharon; Dickinson, Tamara; Hashim, Hashim

AIMS: The working group initiated by the ICS Standardisation Steering Committee has updated the International Continence Society Standard "Good Urodynamic Practice" published in 2002. METHODS: On the basis of the manuscript: "ICS standard to develop evidence-based standards," a new ICS Standard was

Drought, climate change and sustainability of water in agriculture: A roadmap towards the NWRS2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel El Chami

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The frequency and intensity of drought, extreme events and high wind velocities in South Africa are expected to increase in the next century as a result of the changing climate. The National Water Resource Strategy 2 (NWRS2 has set out the general and strategic directions for water resources management in the country for the next 20 years. However, the strategy does not draw a framework tailored specifically for agricultural use, with specific measures and goals. Therefore, to reach sustainability of water in agriculture, four major strategic goals are suggested, on which research institutions can focus and promote through good governance. The strategy emphasises: (1 crop research to find new drought-and heat- tolerant and resistant breeds and varieties; (2 intensified research in agricultural practices; (3 increasing the efficiency of water use within agriculture; and (4 integrating all these strategic goals within a sustainable research framework. Finally, the research calls for rapid action and implementation.

Remote sensing and GIS techniques for assessment of the soil water content in order to improve agricultural practice and reduce the negative impact on groundwater: case study, agricultural area Ştefan cel Mare, Călăraşi County.

Science.gov (United States)

Tevi, Giuliano; Tevi, Anca

2012-01-01

Traditional agricultural practices based on non-customized irrigation and soil fertilization are harmful for the environment, and may pose a risk for human health. By continuing the use of these practices, it is not possible to ensure effective land management, which might be acquired by using advanced satellite technology configured for modern agricultural development. The paper presents a methodology based on the correlation between remote sensing data and field observations, aiming to identify the key features and to establish an interpretation pattern for the inhomogeneity highlighted by the remote sensing data. Instead of using classical methods for the evaluation of land features (field analysis, measurements and mapping), the approach is to use high resolution multispectral and hyperspectral methods, in correlation with data processing and geographic information systems (GIS), in order to improve the agricultural practices and mitigate their environmental impact (soil and shallow aquifer).

A Harvest of Practical Insights : Lessons Learned in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Sustainable Rural Development, and Climate Change

OpenAIRE

International Finance Corporation

2012-01-01

This IFC SmartBook is a compilation of sixteen IFC SmartLessons that presents practical lessons learned by staff from across the IFC and the World Bank on approaches for engaging in agriculture that have led to success. Agribusiness is a crucial economic sector, for food security of course, for managing water stress and ecosystem services, but also as a source of employment in emerging mar...

Sustainable agriculture in the picture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brouwer, F.M.; De Bont, C.J.A.M.; Leneman, H.; Van der Meulen, H.A.B.

2004-01-01

Sustainable agriculture in the picture provides a systematic overview of the available data that are relevant for debate on transitions towards sustainable agriculture. Review for the agrocomplex, greenhouse horticulture, dairy farming and pig farming. Indicators on economy, environment, nature, animal welfare, human and animal health. Results achieved in practice for the three dimensions of sustainable agriculture, namely economics ('profit'), ecology ('planet') and socio-cultural ('people') [nl

Report of the FAO/Government of Australia Expert Consultation on Good Management Practices and Good Legal and Institutional Arrangements for Sustainable Shrimp Culture: Brisbane, Australia, 4-7 December 2000

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2002-01-01

... practices as well as of related institutional and legal instruments and to identify/determine avenues, as well as specific benefits and limitations, for the development and implementation of good management...

Perceived agricultural runoff impact on drinking water.

Science.gov (United States)

Crampton, Andrea; Ragusa, Angela T

2014-09-01

Agricultural runoff into surface water is a problem in Australia, as it is in arguably all agriculturally active countries. While farm practices and resource management measures are employed to reduce downstream effects, they are often either technically insufficient or practically unsustainable. Therefore, consumers may still be exposed to agrichemicals whenever they turn on the tap. For rural residents surrounded by agriculture, the link between agriculture and water quality is easy to make and thus informed decisions about water consumption are possible. Urban residents, however, are removed from agricultural activity and indeed drinking water sources. Urban and rural residents were interviewed to identify perceptions of agriculture's impact on drinking water. Rural residents thought agriculture could impact their water quality and, in many cases, actively avoided it, often preferring tank to surface water sources. Urban residents generally did not perceive agriculture to pose health risks to their drinking water. Although there are more agricultural contaminants recognised in the latest Australian Drinking Water Guidelines than previously, we argue this is insufficient to enhance consumer protection. Health authorities may better serve the public by improving their proactivity and providing communities and water utilities with the capacity to effectively monitor and address agricultural runoff.

Regulatory requirements in the good manufacturing practice production of an epithelial cell graft for ocular surface reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheth-Shah, Radhika; Vernon, Amanda J; Seetharaman, Shankar; Neale, Michael H; Daniels, Julie T

2016-04-01

In the past decade, stem cell therapy has been increasingly employed for the treatment of various diseases. Subsequently, there has been a great interest in the manufacture of stem cells under good manufacturing practice, which is required by law for their use in humans. The cells for sight Stem Cell Therapy Research Unit, based at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, delivers somatic cell-based and tissue-engineered therapies to patients suffering from blinding eye diseases at Moorfields Eye Hospital (London, UK). The following article is based on our experience in the conception, design, construction, validation and manufacturing within a good manufacturing practice manufacturing facility based in the UK. As such the regulations can be extrapolated to the 28 members stated within the EU. However, the principles may have a broad relevance outside the EU.

Sociomaterial Practices: Challenges in Developing a Virtual Business Community Platform in Agriculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norberto Hoppen

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Virtual business communities (VBC are virtual networks of people who share common interests and comprise online software platforms that enables the fast exchange of information, collaboration and business interactions. From 2011 to 2015, we developed a design science research to create a VBC platform for an agricultural cluster of flower growers in the South of Brazil. The goal of this platform was to help to structure and strengthen this cluster by bringing together buyers and sellers while fostering cooperation to boost cluster competitiveness and economic development in the region. However, a number of challenges surfaced during the process, which led to a failure in the VBC platform’s diffusion. We adopted a sociomaterial perspective based on the mangle of practice concept (Pickering, 1993 to investigate this failure, by analyzing the key challenges involved in developing a VBC platform in an agricultural context. As its main result, this paper reveals the mangling process during the design and application of the VBC platform and details the different instances of tuning between the participants and the technology. We observed resistance and factors that weakened cooperation and resulted in a lack of governance rules, which are key to the success of a VBC platform.

African Journals Online: Agriculture & Food Sciences

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 1 - 50 of 53 ... Global Approaches to Extension Practice (GAEP), A publication of the Department of ... resources, Soil Science, Agricultural Engineering and Food Processing. ... Journal of Applied Chemistry and Agricultural Research.

Volatility Spillovers between Energy and Agricultural Markets: A Critical Appraisal of Theory and Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chia-Lin Chang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Energy and agricultural commodities and markets have been examined extensively, albeit separately, for a number of years. In the energy literature, the returns, volatility and volatility spillovers (namely, the delayed effect of a returns shock in one asset on the subsequent volatility or covolatility in another asset, among alternative energy commodities, such as oil, gasoline and ethanol across different markets, have been analysed using a variety of univariate and multivariate models, estimation techniques, data sets, and time frequencies. A similar comment applies to the separate theoretical and empirical analysis of a wide range of agricultural commodities and markets. Given the recent interest and emphasis in bio-fuels and green energy, especially bio-ethanol, which is derived from a range of agricultural products, it is not surprising that there is a topical and developing literature on the spillovers between energy and agricultural markets. Modelling and testing spillovers between the energy and agricultural markets has typically been based on estimating multivariate conditional volatility models, specifically the Baba, Engle, Kraft, and Kroner (BEKK and dynamic conditional correlation (DCC models. A serious technical deficiency is that the Quasi-Maximum Likelihood Estimates (QMLE of a Full BEKK matrix, which is typically estimated in examining volatility spillover effects, has no asymptotic properties, except by assumption, so that no valid statistical test of volatility spillovers is possible. Some papers in the literature have used the DCC model to test for volatility spillovers. However, it is well known in the financial econometrics literature that the DCC model has no regularity conditions, and that the QMLE of the parameters of DCC has no asymptotic properties, so that there is no valid statistical testing of volatility spillovers. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the theory and practice in testing for volatility spillovers

Good practices in normal childbirth: reliability analysis of an instrument by Cronbach's Alpha.

Science.gov (United States)

Gottems, Leila Bernarda Donato; Carvalho, Elisabete Mesquita Peres De; Guilhem, Dirce; Pires, Maria Raquel Gomes Maia

2018-01-01

to analyze the internal consistency of the evaluation instrument of the adherence to the good practices of childbirth and birth care in the professionals, through Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient for each of the dimensions and for the total instrument. this is a descriptive and cross-sectional study performed in obstetric centers of eleven public hospitals in the Federal District, with a questionnaire applied to 261 professionals who worked in the delivery care. The study was attended by 261 professionals, 42.5% (111) nurses and 57.5% (150) physicians. The reliability evaluation of the instrument by the Cronbach Alfa resulted in 0.53, 0.78 and 0.76 for dimensions 1, 2 and 3, after debugging that resulted in the exclusion of 11 items. the instrument obtained Cronbach's alpha of 0.80. There is a need for improvement in the items of dimension 1 that refer to attitudes, knowledge, and practices of the organization of the network of care to gestation, childbirth, and birth. However, it can be applied in the way it is used to evaluate practices based on scientific evidence of childbirth care.

AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES IN JAPAN - A MODEL FOR COOPERATIVIZATION OF AGRICULTURE FROM ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Remus Gherman

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Japan's agriculture provides only a part from the population's needs, in caloric terms Japan must impute 60% of foods. Arable land are few, but are worked very performant, rice being the main crop together with cotton, citrus, sugarcane, wheat, potato, soybean, sugar beet, other vegetables. Widely is practiced sericulture and fisheries, Japan being one of the leading producers of silk from the world and having over 600 ports specialized for fishing. Japanese agriculture has remained behind the industry and services, this trend being manifested after the very high economic growth from 1960-1970. The main focus of the movements from the Japanese cooperative system is represented by the creation of large specialized farms through the replacing of the traditional ones. The most important task of agricultural cooperatives from Japan is meeting the consumption needs of its members. Integrated leadership of Japanese cooperatives of farmers act at all levels, primary, at prefecture level and at national level. Contractual relationships play a decisive role in the integration of Japanese farmers. In Japan there are about 840 agricultural cooperatives very well organized with a balanced planning and efficiently conducted, agricultural cooperative MIKABI being the most developed, mainly focused on the production of mandarins. In Japan there are three large distribution centers of agricultural products, 29 distribution markets controlled by the prefecture and 1,000 local markets. Organization of cooperatives is the pyramid system on three levels: local, prefecture and national (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives.

Barriers and enablers to good communication and information-sharing practices in care planning for chronic condition management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lawn, Sharon; Delany, Toni; Sweet, Linda

2015-01-01

Our aim was to document current communication and information-sharing practices and to identify the barriers and enablers to good practices within the context of care planning for chronic condition management. Further aims were to make recommendations about how changes to policy and practice can ......, and the expectation of collaborative and effective communication of care that underpins it, within their practice with patients and all members of the care team. To assist in meeting these aims, we make several recommendations....... as a communication and information-sharing tool may be achieved through practice initiatives that reflect the rhetoric of collaborative person-centred care, which is already supported through existing policy in Australia. General practitioners and other primary care providers should operationalise care planning...

KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY VS. SUSTAINABLE AGRO-FOOD SYSTEMS; BEST PRACTICES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Beatrice PĂUNA

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Knowledge based economy, found in more than one fields, started – considering agriculture – from a transition premise towards sustainable agro-food systems. The conceptual boundaries between the two major paradigms on sustainable development of agriculture, namely the agro-industrial paradigm and the integrated territorial paradigm, is used nowadays for teaching and research purpose, as a comparison basis with an ideal case, mostly because we only have hybrid models which tend to coexist, always improving the food and goods production, also promoting innovative agro-food systems. This paper highlights the idea that the establishment of an institutional and legal framework, will have a catalytic role acting as an engine of economic growth and boosting the development of agricultural systems by mobilizing entrepreneurs in agriculture and related areas. In this regard, we present best practices of economic actors engaged in meta network of agriculture clusters.