WorldWideScience

Sample records for national quality standards

  1. National Water Quality Standards Database (NWQSD)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The National Water Quality Standards Database (WQSDB) provides access to EPA and state water quality standards (WQS) information in text, tables, and maps. This data...

  2. 77 FR 30087 - Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-21

    ... and 81 Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards; Implementation of the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone: Nonattainment Area Classifications...-9668-2] RIN 2060-AP37 Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality...

  3. 76 FR 72097 - Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Lead (Pb) National Ambient Air Quality Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-22

    ... Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Lead (Pb) National Ambient Air Quality Standards AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This rule establishes air quality designations for most areas in the United States for the 2008 lead (Pb) National Ambient Air Quality Standards...

  4. 76 FR 76048 - Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Lead (Pb) National Ambient Air Quality Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-06

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 81 [EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0443; FRL-9492-3] RIN 2060-AR17 Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Lead (Pb) National Ambient Air Quality Standards Correction In rule document 2011-29460 appearing on pages 72097-72120 in the issues of Tuesday, November 22, 2011...

  5. 40 CFR Appendix R to Part 50 - Interpretation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Lead

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Interpretation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Lead R Appendix R to Part 50 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL.... 50, App. R Appendix R to Part 50—Interpretation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for...

  6. 76 FR 22665 - Release of Final Document Related to the Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-22

    ... criteria. The revised air quality criteria reflect advances in scientific knowledge on the effects of the... National Ambient Air Quality Standards, contains staff analyses of the scientific bases for alternative... Document Related to the Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter AGENCY...

  7. 40 CFR Appendix S to Part 50 - Interpretation of the Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen (Nitrogen Dioxide) S Appendix S to Part 50 Protection... National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen (Nitrogen Dioxide) 1. General (a) This... national ambient air quality standards for oxides of nitrogen as measured by nitrogen dioxide (“NO2 NAAQS...

  8. National BTS bronchiectasis audit 2012: is the quality standard being adhered to in adult secondary care?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Adam T; Routh, Chris; Welham, Sally

    2014-03-01

    A significant step towards improving care of patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis was the creation of the British Thoracic Society (BTS) national guidelines and the quality standard. A BTS bronchiectasis audit was conducted between 1 October and 30 November 2012, in adult patients with bronchiectasis attending secondary care, against the BTS quality standard. Ninety-eight institutions took part, submitting a total of 3147 patient records. The audit highlighted the variable adoption of the quality standard. It will allow the host institutions to benchmark against UK figures and drive quality improvement programmes to promote the quality standard and improve patient care.

  9. 40 CFR Appendix I to Part 50 - Interpretation of the 8-Hour Primary and Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone 1. General. This appendix explains the data.... Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone. 2.1 Data Reporting and Handling Conventions... and Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone I Appendix I to Part 50 Protection of...

  10. A Proposed Framework for Applying the National Standards of Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Sudan from the Teaching Staff’s Perspective - Faculties of Business Administration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alfatih Alamin Elfaki

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to clarify the importance of having national standards and their role in achieving quality, as well as establishing a framework for the actual application of national standards in quality assurance so as to achieve quality in higher education institutions. The researchers  followed a descriptive analytical method to achieve the objectives of the study and developed a questionnaire covering primary and secondary variables that have a role in the design of specific models to help in applying the national standards by the Sudanese universities. The questionnaire included one dependent variable; the effective application of national standards of quality assurance in higher education institutions, and the four main variables (independent are: the national standards of quality assurance in higher education in Sudan, the standard of quality assurance, the standard of teaching and learning and the standard of scientific research and publication. The study revealed a number of conclusions: there were statistically significant differences in the extent of familiarity with the  national quality assurance standards in Sudan according to the academic rank of the  faculty members; there were also significant differences in the extent of compliance with the  national quality assurance standards in Sudan according to the academic rank of the faculty members; there was full agreement between the national standards for quality assurance in Sudan and the international standards for quality assurance; and  there were statistically significant differences in that the absence of specific models would have a negative impact on effective application of national standards of quality assurance in higher education in Sudan, according to the academic rank of the faculty members. Keywords: Quality, The program, Standards, University, Total quality management.

  11. The critical role of nurses to the successful implementation of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Twigg, Diane E; Duffield, Christine; Evans, Gemma

    2013-09-01

    The National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards requires health service compliance by 2013 and covers several areas including governance arrangements, partnerships with consumers and eight key clinical processes. Nurses in Australia comprise 62% of the hospital workforce, are the largest component and hence play a critical role in meeting these standards and improving the quality of patient care. Several of the standards are influenced by nursing interventions, which incorporate any direct-care treatment that the nurse performs for a patient that may be nurse or physician initiated. The ability for nurses to undertake these interventions is influenced by the hours of care available, the skill mix of the nursing workforce and the environment in which they practice. Taking into consideration the predicted nursing shortages, the challenge to successfully implement the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards will be great. This paper examines the role of nursing in the delivery of the National Standards, analyses the evidence with regard to nursing-sensitive outcomes and discusses the implications for health service decision makers and policy.

  12. Air Quality of Beijing and Impacts of the New Ambient Air Quality Standard

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Chen

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Beijing has been publishing daily reports on its air quality since 2000, and while the air pollution index (API shows that the air quality has improved greatly since 2000, this is not the perception of Beijing’s residents. The new national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS-2012, which includes the monitoring of PM2.5, has posed stricter standards for evaluating air quality. With the new national standard, the air quality in Beijing is calculated using both NAAQS-2012 and the previous standard. The annual attainment rate has dropped from 75.5% to 50.7%. The spatial analysis of air quality shows that only a background station could attain the national standard, while urban and suburban stations exceed the national standard. Among the six pollutants included in the NAAQS-2012, PM2.5 is the major contributor to the air quality index (AQI comparing with the five other pollutants. The results indicate that under previous NAAQS without PM2.5 monitoring, the air quality has improved greatly in the past decade.  By considering PM2.5, the air quality attainment has dropped greatly. Furthermore, a great effort is needed for local government to bring down the PM2.5 concentration.

  13. Standards and quality

    CERN Document Server

    El-Tawil, Anwar

    2015-01-01

    The book brings together a number of subjects of prime importance for any practicing engineer and, students of engineering. The book explains the concepts and functions of voluntary standards, mandatory technical regulations, conformity assessment (testing and measurement of products), certification, quality and quality management systems as well as other management systems such as environmental, social responsibility and food safety management systems.The book also gives a comprehensive description of the role of metrology systems that underpin conformity assessment. A description is given of typical national systems of standards, quality and metrology and how they relate directly or through regional structures to international systems. The book also covers the relation between standards and trade and explains the context and stipulations of the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

  14. New international and national standards concerning quality systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrick, K.; Reihlen, H.

    1987-01-01

    The history and contents of the latest standards DIN ISO 9000 through DIN ISO 9004 concerning quality systems are outlined. Information is given referring to the establishment of an in-house quality system, and to quality assurance requirements put down in a three-step quality assurance system for contractual purposes. The services available for certification of quality systems by the 'DQS' and legal aspects are mentioned. (HP)

  15. Evaluating Education Quality in Terms of ISO9000 Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fengchun, Cheng; Vogel, Linda R.; Zhaoyu, Zheng

    2014-01-01

    While nations measure the quality of educational systems by different standards, many nations, such as China, have adopted the ISO9000 quality standards to assess the quality of schools. This article explores the various elements of the the ISO9000 standards and how each element relates to the various groups that are consumers or stakeholders in…

  16. 40 CFR 50.11 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for oxides of nitrogen (with...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for oxides of nitrogen (with nitrogen dioxide as the indicator). 50.11 Section 50.11 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS NATIONAL...

  17. 40 CFR Appendix P to Part 50 - Interpretation of the Primary and Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... the data handling procedures for the reported data). 2.3Comparisons with the Primary and Secondary... Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone P Appendix P to Part 50 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY AMBIENT AIR QUALITY...

  18. Air Pollution Monitoring | Air Quality Planning & Standards ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-08

    The basic mission of the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards is to preserve and improve the quality of our nation's air. To accomplish this, OAQPS must be able to evaluate the status of the atmosphere as compared to clean air standards and historical information.

  19. Requirements of quality standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mueller, J.

    1977-01-01

    The lecture traces the development of nuclear standards, codes, and Federal regulations on quality assurance (QA) for nuclear power plants and associated facilities. The technical evolution of the last twelve years, especially in the area of nuclear technology, led to different activities and regulatory initiatives, and the present result is: several nations have their own homemade standards. The lecture discusses the former and especially current activities in standard development, and gives a description of the requirements of QA-standards used in USA and Europe, especially Western Germany. Furthermore the lecture attempts to give a comparison and an evaluation of the international quality standards from the author's viewpoint. Finally the lecture presents an outlook for the future international implications of QA-standards. There is an urgent need within the nuclear industry for simplification and standardization of QA-standards. The relationship between the various standards, and the applicability of the standards need clarification and a better transparancy. To point out these problems is the purpose of the lecture. (orig.) [de

  20. Effects of national accounting standards convergence to international accounting standards on foreign direct investment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asieh Farazandehnia

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available One of the most important factors on attracting foreign investors to invest on Tehran Stock Exchange is to have transparent accounting rules and regulations. When there are some consistency between national accounting standards and international accounting standards, we may, at least, expect foreign investors to have better understanding on financial statements. In 2006, there were some changes on Iranian national accounting standards in an attempt to make them closer to international accounting standards. In this study, we select the information of 153 firms five years before and after this regulation and study the effect of convergence from national accounting standards to international accounting standards on foreign direct investment. Using some statistical tests, the study has determined that there was no meaningful relationship between foreign direct investment before and after change on accounting standards. In addition, there was no difference on the information quality before and after change on accounting standards. However, there was some meaningful relationship between the information quality and foreign direct investment.

  1. Why We Should Establish a National System of Standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hennen, Thomas J., Jr.

    2000-01-01

    Explains the need to establish a national system of standards for public libraries. Discusses local standards, state standards, and international standards, and suggests adopting a tiered approach including three levels: minimum standards; target standards; and benchmarking standards, as found in total quality management. (LRW)

  2. Impact of National Ambient Air Quality Standards Nonattainment Designations on Particulate Pollution and Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zigler, Corwin M; Choirat, Christine; Dominici, Francesca

    2018-03-01

    Despite dramatic air quality improvement in the United States over the past decades, recent years have brought renewed scrutiny and uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of specific regulatory programs for continuing to improve air quality and public health outcomes. We employ causal inference methods and a spatial hierarchical regression model to characterize the extent to which a designation of "nonattainment" with the 1997 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in 2005 causally affected ambient PM2.5 and health outcomes among over 10 million Medicare beneficiaries in the Eastern United States in 2009-2012. We found that, on average across all retained study locations, reductions in ambient PM2.5 and Medicare health outcomes could not be conclusively attributed to the nonattainment designations against the backdrop of other regional strategies that impacted the entire Eastern United States. A more targeted principal stratification analysis indicates substantial health impacts of the nonattainment designations among the subset of areas where the designations are estimated to have actually reduced ambient PM2.5 beyond levels achieved by regional measures, with noteworthy reductions in all-cause mortality, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and respiratory tract infections. These findings provide targeted evidence of the effectiveness of local control measures after nonattainment designations for the 1997 PM2.5 air quality standard.

  3. Publication and Distribution of Chinese Standard and Quality Books

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Bai Demei

    2010-01-01

    @@ 1.A Brief Introduction to SPC Standards Press of China (SPC),founded in October,1963,is the largest publisher of standard and quality products in China.It publishes national standards,trade standards,and audio,video,electronic,and network products.

  4. Will the circle be unbroken: a history of the U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bachmann, John

    2007-06-01

    In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Air & Waste Management Association, this review examines the history of air quality management (AQM) in the United States over the last century, with an emphasis on the ambient standards programs established by the landmark 1970 Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments. The current CAA system is a hybrid of several distinct air pollution control philosophies, including the recursive or circular system driven by ambient standards. Although this evolving system has resulted in tremendous improvements in air quality, it has been far from perfect in terms of timeliness and effectiveness. The paper looks at several periods in the history of the U.S. program, including: (1) 1900-1970, spanning the early smoke abatement and smog control programs, the first federal involvement, and the development of a hybrid AQM approach in the 1970 CAA; (2) 1971-1976, when the first National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) were set and implemented; (3) 1977-1993, a period of the first revisions to the standards, new CAA Amendments, delays in implementation and decision-making, and key science/policy/legislative developments that would alter both the focus and scale of air pollution programs and how they are implemented; and (4) 1993-2006, the second and third wave of NAAQS revisions and their implementation in the context of the 1990 CAA. This discussion examines where NAAQS have helped drive implementation programs and how improvements in both effects and air quality/control sciences influenced policy and legislation to enhance the effectiveness of the system over time. The review concludes with a look toward the future of AQM, emphasizing challenges and ways to meet them. The most significant of these is the need to make more efficient progress toward air quality goals, while adjusting the system to address the growing intersections between air quality management and climate change.

  5. 77 FR 61572 - Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Panel of Judges

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-10

    ... composed of twelve members prominent in the fields of quality, innovation, and performance management and... Hertz, Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology... Quality Award Panel of Judges AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of...

  6. 76 FR 22675 - Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Panel of Judges

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-22

    ... prominent in the fields of quality, innovation, and performance management and appointed by the Secretary of..., Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology... Quality Award Panel of Judges AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of...

  7. 78 FR 47674 - Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-06

    ... Performance Excellence Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899... Baldrige National Quality Award AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of... Quality Award (Award) will meet in closed session on Wednesday, August 28, 2013, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m...

  8. Review and comparison of quality standards, guidelines and regulations for laboratories

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tjeerd A.M. Datema

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: The variety and number of laboratory quality standards, guidelines and regulations (hereafter: quality documents makes it difficult to choose the most suitable one for establishing and maintaining a laboratory quality management system. Objectives: There is a need to compare the characteristics, suitability and applicability of quality documents in view of the increasing efforts to introduce quality management in laboratories, especially in clinical diagnostic laboratories in low income and middle income countries. This may provide valuable insights for policy makers developing national laboratory policies, and for laboratory managers and quality officers in choosing the most appropriate quality document for upgrading their laboratories. Method: We reviewed the history of quality document development and then selected a subset based on their current use. We analysed these documents following a framework for comparison of quality documents that was adapted from the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guideline GP26 Quality management system model for clinical laboratory services. Results: Differences were identified between national and international, and non-clinical and clinical quality documents. The most salient findings were the absence of provisions on occurrence management and customer service in almost all non-clinical quality documents, a low number of safety requirements aimed at protecting laboratory personnel in international quality documents and no requirements regarding ethical behaviour in almost all quality documents. Conclusion: Each laboratory needs to investigate whether national regulatory standards are present. These are preferred as they most closely suit the needs of laboratories in the country. A laboratory should always use both a standard and a guideline: a standard sums up the requirements to a quality management system, a guideline describes how quality management can be integrated in the laboratory

  9. 78 FR 20252 - Water Quality Standards; Withdrawal of Certain Federal Water Quality Criteria Applicable to...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-04

    ... Water Quality Standards; Withdrawal of Certain Federal Water Quality Criteria Applicable to California... aquatic life water quality criteria applicable to waters of New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and California's San Francisco Bay. In 1992, EPA promulgated the National Toxics Rule or NTR to establish numeric water quality...

  10. Quality system in Malaysian National Tissue Bank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Go Boon Thong; Firdaus, M. N.; Abd Rani Shamsudin

    1999-01-01

    Quality System in Malaysian National Tissue Bank is based on the Quality Manual which has been drawn up by the chairman, who is the Dean, School of Medical Sciences. The Quality Manual include general standard for Tissue Banking in University Science of Malaysia which describe and explain a set of general standard similar to the EATB standard. The primary aim of the quality system is to produce a safe and effective tissue graft for successful clinical use and to ensure the safety of tissue bank operators. The Quality Manual also related the role of a Technical Manual, which explain the standard of technical aspect of tissue bank in a Quality Assurance. The safe working environment and Good Laboratory Practice is highlight in Quality System. Documentation of tissue bank activities is the key to the administration to tissue bank. Finally Quality System in tissue banking will never be complete without a Tissue Bank Auditing System which allow the tissue bank coordinator and staff to look into the problem and further enhance the progress of the tissue bank

  11. The development of national quality performance standards for disposable absorbent products for adult incontinence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muller, Nancy; McInnis, Elaine

    2013-09-01

    Disposable absorbent products are widely used in inpatient care settings and in the community to manage adult urinary and fecal incontinence, but few product standards exist to help guide their production or optimal use. Increasing costs and reduced revenues have caused a number of states to evaluate absorbent product use among persons who receive care at home with the assistance of the Medicaid Waiver Program, further increasing concerns about the lack of product performance standards. To address these issues, the National Association For Continence (NAFC) formed a council of experts and key stakeholders with the objective of establishing national, independent quality performance standards for disposable absorbent products provided by states to Waiver Program recipients. The Council consisted of representatives from five purposefully selected states, technical directors from six nonwoven product manufacturers, an officer of the nonwoven manufactures trade association, a delegate from an academic nursing program and professional societies, a family caregiver, and a patient representative. Following a consensus method and guidelines for use, nine specific recommendations were developed, posted for public comment, and further refined. Final recommendations for product performance assessment include: rewet rate (a measure of a product's ability to withstand multiple incontinent episodes between changes), rate of acquisition (a measure of the speed at which urine is drawn away from the skin by a product, product retention capacity (a measure of a product's capacity to hold fluid without rewetting the skin), sizing options, absorbency levels, product safety, closure technology, breathable zones (a measure of the air permeability across a textile-like fabric at a controlled differential pressure), and elasticity. The Council also set values for and recommended four quantifiable parameters, and the testing methodology associated with each, to help consumers and states

  12. How to Improve the Quality of Screening Endoscopy in Korea: National Endoscopy Quality Improvement Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Yu Kyung

    2016-07-01

    In Korea, gastric cancer screening, either esophagogastroduodenoscopy or upper gastrointestinal series (UGIS), is performed biennially for adults aged 40 years or older. Screening endoscopy has been shown to be associated with localized cancer detection and better than UGIS. However, the diagnostic sensitivity of detecting cancer is not satisfactory. The National Endoscopy Quality Improvement (QI) program was initiated in 2009 to enhance the quality of medical institutions and improve the effectiveness of the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP). The Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy developed quality standards through a broad systematic review of other endoscopic quality guidelines and discussions with experts. The standards comprise five domains: qualifications of endoscopists, endoscopic unit facilities and equipment, endoscopic procedure, endoscopy outcomes, and endoscopic reprocessing. After 5 years of the QI program, feedback surveys showed that the perception of QI and endoscopic practice improved substantially in all domains of quality, but the quality standards need to be revised. How to avoid missing cancer in endoscopic procedures in daily practice was reviewed, which can be applied to the mass screening endoscopy. To improve the quality and effectiveness of NCSP, key performance indicators, acceptable quality standards, regular audit, and appropriate reimbursement are necessary.

  13. Organizational, technical, physical and clinical quality standards for radiotherapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogusz-Czerniewicz, Marta; Kaźmierczak, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    Background Indisputably, radiotherapy has become an entirely interdisciplinary specialty. This situation requires efficient planning, verification, monitoring, quality control and constant improvement of all aspects of service delivery, referring both to patients’ (including diagnosis, prescription and method of treatment, its justification, realization and follow up) and organizational, technical and physics matters. Aim The aim of this work was to develop technical, physics and clinical quality standards for radiotherapy. This paper presents chosen standards for each of the aforementioned category. Materials and methods For the development of quality standards the comparison analysis of EU and Polish acts of law passed between 1980 and 2010 was conducted, the universal industrial ISO norm 9001:2008 referring to quality management system was reviewed. Recommendations of this norm were completed with detailed quality standards based on the author's 11 year work experience and the review of articles on quality assurance and quality control standards for radiotherapy published between 1984 and 2009 and the review of current recommendations and guidelines of American, International, European and National bodies (associations, societies, agencies such as AAPM, ESTRO, IAEA, and OECI) for quality assurance and quality management in radiotherapy. Results As a result 352 quality standards for radiotherapy were developed and categorized into the following three groups: (1) organizational standards, (2) physics and technical standards and (3) clinical standards. Conclusions Proposed quality standards for radiotherapy, can be used by any institution using ionizing radiation for medical procedures. Nevertheless standards are only of value if they are implemented, reviewed, audited and improved and if there is a clear mechanism in place to monitor and address failure to meet agreed standards. PMID:24377023

  14. Quality control of secondary standards and calibration systems, therapy level, of National Laboratory of Metrology from Ionizing Radiations (LNMRI)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cecatti, E.R.; Freitas, L.C. de

    1992-01-01

    The results of quality control program of secondary standards, therapy level, and the calibration system of clinical dosemeters were analysed from 1984, when a change in the laboratory installation occurred and new standards were obtained. The national and the international intercomparisons were emphasised. The results for graphite wall chambers were compared, observing a maximum variation of about 0,6%. In the case of Delrin (TK01) wall chambers, the maximum variation was 1,7%. The results of post intercomparisons with thermoluminescent dosemeters have presented derivations lesser than 1%, securing the standards consistence at LNMRI with the international metrological system. (C.G.C.)

  15. 78 FR 47191 - Air Quality Designations for the 2010 Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Primary National Ambient Air Quality...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-05

    ... Air Quality Designations for the 2010 Sulfur Dioxide (SO[bdi2]) Primary National Ambient Air Quality... air quality designations for certain areas in the United States for the 2010 primary Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). The EPA is issuing this rule to identify areas...

  16. GENERIC QUALITY STANDARDS VS. SPECIFIC QUALITY STANDARDS: THE CASE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laila El Abbadi

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Quality as a new requirement for the field of higher education leads institutions to seek to satisfy generic or specific quality standards imposed directly or indirectly by its customers. The aim of this study is to compare between ISO9001, as a generic quality standard, and the Code of Practice of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA, as a specific quality standard. A correlation matrix is drawn and correlation rates are calculated to show similarities and differences between them. This paper shows, first, that ISO9001 and QAA Code of Practice are compatible. Second, implementing a quality management system in accordance with ISO9001 requirements can constitute an adequate framework for the application of the QAA Code of Practice requirements. Third, to make the ISO9001 requirements closer to a specific quality standard in the field of higher education, it is recommended to complete these standards by specific requirements to the field of higher education.

  17. Status of conversion of NE standards to national consensus standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jennings, S.D.

    1990-06-01

    One major goal of the Nuclear Standards Program is to convert existing NE standards into national consensus standards (where possible). This means that an NE standard in the same subject area using the national consensus process. This report is a summary of the activities that have evolved to effect conversion of NE standards to national consensus standards, and the status of current conversion activities. In some cases, all requirements in an NE standard will not be incorporated into the published national consensus standard because these requirements may be considered too restrictive or too specific for broader application by the nuclear industry. If these requirements are considered necessary for nuclear reactor program applications, the program standard will be revised and issued as a supplement to the national consensus standard. The supplemental program standard will contain only those necessary requirements not reflected by the national consensus standard. Therefore, while complete conversion of program standards may not always be realized, the standards policy has been fully supported in attempting to make maximum use of the national consensus standard. 1 tab

  18. Development and status of data quality assurance program at NASA Langley research center: Toward national standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hemsch, Michael J.

    1996-01-01

    As part of a continuing effort to re-engineer the wind tunnel testing process, a comprehensive data quality assurance program is being established at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The ultimate goal of the program is routing provision of tunnel-to-tunnel reproducibility with total uncertainty levels acceptable for test and evaluation of civilian transports. The operational elements for reaching such levels of reproducibility are: (1) statistical control, which provides long term measurement uncertainty predictability and a base for continuous improvement, (2) measurement uncertainty prediction, which provides test designs that can meet data quality expectations with the system's predictable variation, and (3) national standards, which provide a means for resolving tunnel-to-tunnel differences. The paper presents the LaRC design for the program and discusses the process of implementation.

  19. 78 FR 63168 - Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-23

    ... INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Fangmeyer, Acting Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, National... Baldrige National Quality Award AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of... Quality Award (Judges Panel) will meet in closed session Monday through Friday, November 4-8, 2013, 8:30 a...

  20. The development of national competency standards for the midwife in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Homer, Caroline S E; Passant, Lyn; Kildea, Sue; Pincombe, Jan; Thorogood, Carol; Leap, Nicky; Brodie, Pat M

    2007-12-01

    to develop and validate national competency standards for midwives in Australia. This study was part of a commissioned national research project to articulate the scope of practice of Australian midwives and to develop national competency standards to assist midwives to deliver safe and competent midwifery care. a multi-method, staged approach was used to collect data through a literature review, workshop consultations, interviews, surveys and written submissions in order to develop national competency standards for Australian midwives. Subsequently, direct observation of practice in a range of settings ensured validation of the competencies. maternity-care settings in each state and territory in Australia. midwives, other health professionals and consumers of midwifery care. The national competency standards for the midwife were developed through research and consultation before being validated in practice. the national competency standards are currently being implemented into education, regulation and practice in Australia. These will be minimum competency standards required of all midwives who seek authority to practise as a midwife in Australia. It is expected that all midwives will demonstrate that they are able to meet the competency standards relevant to the position they hold. the competency standards establish a national standard for midwives and reinforce responsibility and accountability in the provision of quality midwifery care through safe and effective practice. In addition, individual midwives may use the competency standards as the basis of their ongoing professional development plans.

  1. Quality Management Systems for the National Qualifications Framework. Quality Assurance in Education and Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Wellington.

    This booklet explores the idea of quality and its management as it applies to providers of education in particular, but also as it applies to national standards bodies and workplaces offering on-the-job training. It explores the focus on quality in industry and education and defines quality in terms of the features of quality and their…

  2. British Thoracic Society Quality Standards for acute non-invasive ventilation in adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, Michael; Allen, Martin; Bentley, Andrew; Bourke, Stephen C; Creagh-Brown, Ben; D’Oliveiro, Rachel; Glossop, Alastair; Gray, Alasdair; Jacobs, Phillip; Mahadeva, Ravi; Moses, Rachael; Setchfield, Ian

    2018-01-01

    Introduction The purpose of the quality standards document is to provide healthcare professionals, commissioners, service providers and patients with a guide to standards of care that should be met for the provision of acute non-invasive ventilation in adults together with measurable markers of good practice. Methods Development of British Thoracic Society (BTS) Quality Standards follows the BTS process of quality standard production based on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence process manual for the development of quality standards. Results 6 quality statements have been developed, each describing a standard of care for the provision of acute non-invasive ventilation in the UK, together with measurable markers of good practice. Conclusion BTS Quality Standards for acute non-invasive ventilation in adults form a key part of the range of supporting materials that the Society produces to assist in the dissemination and implementation of guideline’s recommendations. PMID:29636979

  3. Governmental point of view on the Dutch National Cooperative Programme for Air Quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-06-01

    Dutch air quality does not yet meet the European standards throughout the Netherlands. The Dutch National Cooperative Programme for Air Quality (NSL) is expected to realize improvements. This publication explains the Dutch plans for meeting the European standards for air quality in the coming years. It addresses the following subjects: the Dutch National Cooperative Programme for Air Quality (NSL); legal framework; historical development; current situation and autonomous development for PM10 and NO2; spatial projects; measure packages and financial means. [mk] [nl

  4. Quality of semantic standards

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Folmer, Erwin Johan Albert

    2012-01-01

    Little scientific literature addresses the issue of quality of semantic standards, albeit a problem with high economic and social impact. Our problem survey, including 34 semantic Standard Setting Organizations (SSOs), gives evidence that quality of standards can be improved, but for improvement a

  5. The International Standards for Solar Thermal Collectors and Components as a Medium of Quality Assurance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alkishriwi, Nouri; Schorn, Christian A.; Theis, Danjana

    2014-01-01

    Within this publication a detailed overview about the national and international solal't1lel1nai standards is made. The various tests are described and a cross reference list for comparing the different standards is given. Moreover a certification model is presented and the advantage of third party assessment is carried out. The requirement for a solar thermal test laboratory to conduct independent third party assessment by means of an ISO/IEC17065 accreditation is given. Finally the concept of a quality system for solar thermal markets is explained and major advantages are outlined. Solar thermal systems and their components are described in various national and international standards. In Europe the standard EN12975 defines the regulations and requirements for solar thermal collectors. The standard EN12976 is established for the evaluation of factory made solar thermal systems. The EN12977 is the state of the art standard for the evaluation of custom build systems. Nowadays in Libya the standard ISO9806 for solar collectors and the standard ISO9459 for domestic water heating systems define the regulations and requirements for solar thermal collectors and systems. In the meanwhile, empowered Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Certification Body is under construction. This body is working now to set the minimum requirements of the testing facilities of solar thermal systems. The international standard for collector testing is the ISO9806 and the standard ISO9459 Part 2, 4, 5 for domestic water heating systems. Within the year 2013 a revision of the ISO9806 will be published and, for the first time, a consistent harmonized standard for the main solar thermal markets will be set in force. Besides the various standards for solar thermal products a meaningful element for the quality assurance and the customer protection is third party certification. Third party certification involves an independent assessment, declaring that specified requirements

  6. British Thoracic Society quality standards for the investigation and management of pulmonary nodules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baldwin, David; Callister, Matthew; Akram, Ahsan; Cane, Paul; Draffan, Jeanette; Franks, Kevin; Gleeson, Fergus; Graham, Richard; Malhotra, Puneet; Pearson, Philip; Subesinghe, Manil; Waller, David; Woolhouse, Ian

    2018-01-01

    Introduction The purpose of the quality standards document is to provide healthcare professionals, commissioners, service providers and patients with a guide to standards of care that should be met for the investigation and management of pulmonary nodules in the UK, together with measurable markers of good practice. Methods Development of British Thoracic Society (BTS) Quality Standards follows the BTS process of quality standard production based on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence process manual for the development of quality standards. Results 7 quality statements have been developed, each describing a key marker of high-quality, cost-effective care for the investigation and management of pulmonary nodules, and each statement is supported by quality measures that aim to improve the structure, process and outcomes of healthcare. Discussion BTS Quality Standards for the investigation and management of pulmonary nodules form a key part of the range of supporting materials that the Society produces to assist in the dissemination and implementation of guideline recommendations. PMID:29682290

  7. Learning Disabilities and Achieving High-Quality Education Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gartland, Debi; Strosnider, Roberta

    2017-01-01

    This is an official document of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD), of which Council for Learning Disabilities is a long-standing, active member. With this position paper, NJCLD advocates for the implementation of high-quality education standards (HQES) for students with learning disabilities (LD) and outlines the…

  8. National standards for high school psychology curricula.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    The National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula attempts to represent current knowledge in the field of psychology in developmentally appropriate ways. Psychology is a popular high school course, one that can introduce students to scientific ideas and engage students in the learning process. However, it is difficult for even the best of teachers to present all of psychology in a single course for students who begin with virtually no formal knowledge of psychology. The standards presented here constitute the first of two reports in this issue of the American Psychologist (January 2013) representing recent American Psychological Association (APA) policies that support high-quality instruction in the teaching of high school psychology. These standards provide curricular benchmarks for student learning in the high school course.

  9. Nonattainment of national ambient air quality standards: implications for energy policy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garvey, D.B.; Streets, D.G.; Kotecki, R.; Senew, M.

    1979-10-01

    In accordance with the 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments, EPA established regulations governing new and existing sources of emissions in areas where the NAAQS are being exceeded. These requirements may constrain the implementation of a national energy policy to increase the use of coal in utilities and industries. The states designated the nonattainment areas and prepared State Implementation Plans, outlining strategies for attaining the standards by the deadline of December 31, 1982. This report contains maps of nonattainment areas for all pollutants and summaries of the attainment strategies for those pollutants most likely to affect fossil-fueled energy development - SO/sub 2/, TSP, and NO/sub x/. The review of SIPs indicates that attainment of SO/sub 2/ standards should be relatively easy. Attainment of TSP standards may be more difficult since point sources are already well controlled and further reductions in emissions will require controls on fugitive sources. NO/sub x/ nonattainment is currently limited to three small areas. The report also contains an examination of emission limitations in nonattainment areas and a national assessment of the potential constraints of nonattainment on energy development in 1985 to 1990. The assessment concludes that constraints on projected new coal-fired utilities should not be significant. Constraints on expanded industrial coal use from TSP nonattainment may be significant but the effects of SO/sub 2/ nonattainment should be limited.

  10. Cross-Referencing National Standards in Personal Finance for Business Education with National Standards in Personal Finance Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gayton, Jorge

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which National Standards in Personal Finance for Business Education correlate with National Standards in Personal Finance Education. A content analysis revealed that the National Standards in Personal Finance for Business Education, established by the National Business Education Association…

  11. The hazardous priority substances in Italy: National rules and environmental quality standard in marine environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maggi, Chiara; Onorati, Fulvio; Lamberti, Claudia Virno; Cicero, Anna Maria

    2008-01-01

    Article number 16 of the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC) lays down the community strategy for establishment of harmonised quality standards for the priority substances and other substances posing a significant risk to the aquatic environment. In order to achieve the protection objectives of the Directive 2000/60/EC, the Italian Ministry of the Environment proposed the quality standards for surface water, sediments and biota related to the priority substances listed in the decision No. 2455/2001/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of November 20 (2001) [Decision N. 2455/2001/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2001. The list of priority substances in the field of water policy and amending Directive 2000/60/EC. Official Journal of the European Communities, 15.12.2001, p. 5]. Particularly, for the protection of the marine environment, the proposed Italian rules state that, from 1 January 2021, the concentrations of the hazardous priority substances in Italian marine and lagoon waters must be near the natural background for natural substances, like metals, and near zero for the anthropogenic one. According to Directive 2000/60/EC, the Italian Ministry of Environment issued in 2003 Decree 367 in which has derived 160 Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) for water and 27 Environmental Quality Objective (EQO) for sediment of marine coastal area, lagoons and coastal ponds. Biota quality standards have still to be fixed. The paper illustrates the criteria applied for the definition of the quality standards and some comments are presented

  12. A direct sensitivity approach to predict hourly ozone resulting from compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standard.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, Heather; Baker, Kirk R; Akhtar, Farhan; Napelenok, Sergey L; Possiel, Norm; Wells, Benjamin; Timin, Brian

    2013-03-05

    In setting primary ambient air quality standards, the EPA's responsibility under the law is to establish standards that protect public health. As part of the current review of the ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), the US EPA evaluated the health exposure and risks associated with ambient ozone pollution using a statistical approach to adjust recent air quality to simulate just meeting the current standard level, without specifying emission control strategies. One drawback of this purely statistical concentration rollback approach is that it does not take into account spatial and temporal heterogeneity of ozone response to emissions changes. The application of the higher-order decoupled direct method (HDDM) in the community multiscale air quality (CMAQ) model is discussed here to provide an example of a methodology that could incorporate this variability into the risk assessment analyses. Because this approach includes a full representation of the chemical production and physical transport of ozone in the atmosphere, it does not require assumed background concentrations, which have been applied to constrain estimates from past statistical techniques. The CMAQ-HDDM adjustment approach is extended to measured ozone concentrations by determining typical sensitivities at each monitor location and hour of the day based on a linear relationship between first-order sensitivities and hourly ozone values. This approach is demonstrated by modeling ozone responses for monitor locations in Detroit and Charlotte to domain-wide reductions in anthropogenic NOx and VOCs emissions. As seen in previous studies, ozone response calculated using HDDM compared well to brute-force emissions changes up to approximately a 50% reduction in emissions. A new stepwise approach is developed here to apply this method to emissions reductions beyond 50% allowing for the simulation of more stringent reductions in ozone concentrations. Compared to previous rollback methods, this

  13. Accounting quality and the adoption of IASB standards: portuguese evidence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Isabel Morais

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Through rule 1606/2002 by the European Commission, Portuguese listed firms were required to adopt IASB standards in the preparation and presentation of consolidated accounts for the periods beginning on or after 2005. IASB standards are developed in environments where accounting practices are especially directed at the private sector, reporting rules are largely unaffected by taxation requirements and capital is traditionally raised in public markets. However, in Portugal, financial reporting is closely related to tax reporting and banks play a key role in providing finance and inside access to information. We investigate whether adopting IASB standards is associated with higher earnings quality and higher value relevance. We compare the earnings quality and value relevance of accounting data of 34 Portuguese listed firms before (1995-2004 and after (2004-2005 the adoption of IASB standards. We find that firms, during the period when they adopt IASB standards, report less smooth earnings than those firms in periods when they adopted national accounting standards, which seems to suggest an improvement in earnings quality. However, we also find that the value relevance of accounting information decreases with the adoption of IASB standards.

  14. Modelling air quality according to INSPIRE data specifications, ISO standards and national regulations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pachelski Wojciech

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Protection of the environment is an activity of many institutions, organizations and communities from global to regional and local scales. Any activity in this area needs structured database records, using advanced methodology, given, among others, in INSPIRE documents, ISO standards of 19100 series, and national regulations. The goal of this paper is to analyse both the legal provisions related to the air quality and also data sources associated with the prevention of air pollution. Furthermore, the UML application schema of the spatial data related to the air protection is proposed, for the use by urban planners. Also, the overview of the methodology of geographic information is given, including the Unified Modelling Language (UML, as well as the basic concepts of conceptual models within the INSPIRE project. The study is based on the relevant literature and documents, as well as on the expert knowledge gained through urban planning practice, as well as on the analysis of the spatial planning regulations. The UML application schema for different aspects related to the air protection, as presented in this paper, is an example of how to use the methodology also in other fields of the environment protection. Spatial planners know how to improve the air quality, but in the present state of law they often suffer from the lack of planning tools for real actions. In the spatial planners work an important issue are data that allow a thorough analysis of the area.

  15. A strategy to develop and implement Canadian standards for quality assurance in radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-05-01

    In Canada, the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) regulates the limits of radiation exposure to the public and to workers in industry. In 1993, it discussed the fact that the safety of radiation therapy patients who receive medical exposures is not regulated [AE93]. The Group of Medical Advisors (GMA) to the AECB initiated a research contract to review quality assurance in Canadian radiation oncology centres and nuclear medicine departments. The review [MA95] revealed that the level of quality assurance in radiation therapy facilities varied across the country. As a result, the GMA undertook its own review of quality assurance in radiation therapy centres and made recommendations on how to achieve a uniform national system [MA98]. In response to the GMA report, the President of the AECB formed a Joint Working Group (JWG-11) to propose how Canadian Standards for Quality Assurance in Radiation Therapy could be developed and implemented. These national standards for quality assurance will serve as a common basis for establishing and evaluating quality assurance programs at individual radiation therapy centres. These standards should address the structure of quality assurance programs and quality assurance for radiation therapy equipment, personnel, and procedures. (author)

  16. Analysis of chemistry textbook content and national science education standards in terms of air quality-related learning goals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naughton, Wendy

    In this study's Phase One, representatives of nine municipal agencies involved in air quality education were interviewed and interview transcripts were analyzed for themes related to what citizens need to know or be able to do regarding air quality concerns. Based on these themes, eight air quality Learning Goal Sets were generated and validated via peer and member checks. In Phase Two, six college-level, liberal-arts chemistry textbooks and the National Science Education Standards (NSES) were analyzed for congruence with Phase One learning goals. Major categories of desired citizen understandings highlighted in agency interviews concerned air pollution sources, impact, detection, and transport. Identified cognitive skills focused on information-gathering and -evaluating skills, enabling informed decision-making. A content match was found between textbooks and air quality learning goals, but most textbooks fail to address learning goals that remediate citizen misconceptions and inabilities---particularly those with a "personal experience" focus. A partial match between NSES and air quality learning goals was attributed to differing foci: Researcher-derived learning goals deal specifically with air quality, while NSES focus is on "fundamental science concepts," not "many science topics." Analysis of findings within a situated cognition framework suggests implications for instruction and NSES revision.

  17. Clinical quality standards for radiotherapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Aim of the study The technological progress that is currently being witnessed in the areas of diagnostic imaging, treatment planning systems and therapeutic equipment has caused radiotherapy to become a high-tech and interdisciplinary domain involving staff of various backgrounds. This allows steady improvement in therapy results, but at the same time makes the diagnostic, imaging and therapeutic processes more complex and complicated, requiring every stage of those processes to be planned, organized, controlled and improved so as to assure high quality of services provided. The aim of this paper is to present clinical quality standards for radiotherapy as developed by the author. Material and methods In order to develop the quality standards, a comparative analysis was performed between European and Polish legal acts adopted in the period of 1980-2006 and the universal industrial ISO 9001:2008 standard, defining requirements for quality management systems, and relevant articles published in 1984-2009 were reviewed, including applicable guidelines and recommendations of American, international, European and Polish bodies, such as the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) on quality assurance and management in radiotherapy. Results As a result, 352 quality standards for radiotherapy were developed and categorized into the following three groups: 1 – organizational standards; 2 – physico-technical standards and 3 – clinical standards. Conclusion Proposed clinical quality standards for radiotherapy can be used by any institution using ionizing radiation for medical purposes. However, standards are of value only if they are implemented, reviewed, audited and improved, and if there is a clear mechanism in place to monitor and address failure to meet agreed standards. PMID:23788854

  18. Laboratory quality stepwise implementation tool: National reference TB laboratory of Iran

    OpenAIRE

    Ali Naghi Kebriaee; Donya Malekshahian; Mojtaba Ahmadi; Parissa Farnia

    2015-01-01

    Background and objective: During recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed new software for improving the tuberculosis (TB) laboratory services. The protocol is known as “quality stepwise implementation tool” and is based on enforcement of quality assurance services through accreditation by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189. As a national reference TB laboratory (NRL) of Iran, the benefit and challenges of implementing this standard were analyzed....

  19. 77 FR 25685 - Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Panel of Judges

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-01

    ... members prominent in the fields of quality, innovation, and performance management and appointed by the..., Maryland 20899. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Harry Hertz, Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence... Quality Award Panel of Judges AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of...

  20. 76 FR 44577 - Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Panel of Judges

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-26

    ... prominent in the fields of quality, innovation, and performance management and appointed by the Secretary of.... FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Harry Hertz, Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program... Quality Award Panel of Judges AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of...

  1. 76 FR 22342 - National Standard 10 Guidelines

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-21

    .... 110218147-1199-01] RIN 0648-BA74 National Standard 10 Guidelines AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service... comment on potential adjustments to the National Standard 10 Guidelines. DATES: Written comments regarding... advisory guidelines (which shall not have the force and effect of law), based on the national standards to...

  2. The national standards program for research reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whittemore, W.L.

    1977-01-01

    In 1970 a standards committee called ANS-15 was established by the American Nuclear Society (ANS) to prepare appropriate standards for research reactors. In addition, ANS acts as Secretariat for a national standards committee N17 which is responsible to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for the national consensus efforts for standards related to research reactors. To date ANS-15 has completed or is working on 14 standards covering all aspects of the operation of research reactors. Of the 11 research reactor standards submitted to the ANSI N17 Committee since its inception, six have been issued as National standards, and the remaining are still in the process of review. (author)

  3. 76 FR 71514 - Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Overseers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-18

    ... will include: Report from the Judges' Panel, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) Update... Quality Award Board of Overseers AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of... Quality Award (Board of Overseers) will meet in open session on December 13, 2011. The purpose of this...

  4. Los Alamos National Laboratory Meteorology Monitoring Program: 2016 Data Completeness/ Quality Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bruggeman, David Alan [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2017-06-15

    This report summarizes data completeness by tower and by instrument for 2016 and compares that data with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 2015 standards. This report is designed to make data users aware of data completeness and any data quality issues. LANL meteorology monitoring goals include 95% completeness for all measurements. The ANSI 2015 standard requires 90% completeness for all measurements. This report documents instrument/tower issues as they impact data completeness.

  5. Labor Standards and Quality of Employment in Latin America

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graciela Bensusán

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the role of national and international labor standards and refers to the need to curb the deterioration of employment quality and to promote decent work in the context of strong competitive pressures, network companies and productive chains spread throughout the world, from a Latin American perspective. It reviews the number of ratifications of fundamental international agreements' and the problems involved in their implementation; the relation between these shortcomings and the quality of jobs, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of different alternatives aimed at halting job deterioration. It concludes by pointing out the importance of national legislation and public tools aimed at improved enforcement, in the absence of global and international coercive mechanisms.

  6. Using National Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter to assess regional wildland fire smoke and air quality management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schweizer, Don; Cisneros, Ricardo; Traina, Samuel; Ghezzehei, Teamrat A; Shaw, Glenn

    2017-10-01

    Wildland fire is an important ecological process in the California Sierra Nevada. Personal accounts from pre-20th century describe a much smokier environment than present day. The policy of suppression beginning in the early 20th century and climate change are contributing to increased megafires. We use a single particulate monitoring site at the wildland urban interface to explore impacts from prescribed, managed, and full suppression wildland fires from 2006 to 2015 producing a contextual assessment of smoke impacts over time at the landscape level. Prescribed fire had little effect on local fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) air quality with readings typical of similar non-fire times; hourly and daily good to moderate Air Quality Index (AQI) for PM 2.5 , maximum hourly concentrations 21-103 μg m -3 , and mean concentrations between 7.7 and 13.2 μg m -3 . Hourly and daily AQI was typically good or moderate during managed fires with 3 h and one day reaching unhealthy while the site remained below National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), with maximum hourly concentrations 27-244 μg m -3 , and mean concentrations 6.7-11.7 μg m -3 . The large high intensity fire in this area created the highest short term impacts (AQI unhealthy for 4 h and very unhealthy for 1 h), 11 unhealthy for sensitive days, and produced the only annual value (43.9 μg m -3 ) over the NAAQS 98th percentile for PM 2.5 (35 μg m -3 ). Pinehurst remained below the federal standards for PM 2.5 when wildland fire in the local area was managed to 7800 ha (8-22% of the historic burn area). Considering air quality impacts from smoke using the NAAQS at a landscape level over time can give land and air managers a metric for broader evaluation of smoke impacts particularly when assessing ecologically beneficial fire. Allowing managers to control the amount and timing of individual wildland fire emissions can help lessen large smoke impacts to public health from a megafire

  7. German MedicalTeachingNetwork (MDN) implementing national standards for teacher training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lammerding-Koeppel, M; Ebert, T; Goerlitz, A; Karsten, G; Nounla, C; Schmidt, S; Stosch, C; Dieter, P

    2016-01-01

    An increasing demand for proof of professionalism in higher education strives for quality assurance (QA) and improvement in medical education. A wide range of teacher trainings is available to medical staff in Germany. Cross-institutional approval of individual certificates is usually a difficult and time consuming task for institutions. In case of non-acceptance it may hinder medical teachers in their professional mobility. The faculties of medicine aimed to develop a comprehensive national framework, to promote standards for formal faculty development programmes across institutions and to foster professionalization of medical teaching. Addressing the above challenges in a joint approach, the faculties set up the national MedicalTeacherNetwork (MDN). Great importance is attributed to work out nationally concerted standards for faculty development and an agreed-upon quality control process across Germany. Medical teachers benefit from these advantages due to portability of faculty development credentials from one faculty of medicine to another within the MDN system. The report outlines the process of setting up the MDN and the national faculty development programme in Germany. Success factors, strengths and limitations are discussed from an institutional, individual and general perspective. Faculties engaged in similar developments might be encouraged to transfer the MDN concept to their countries.

  8. Quality of water resources of the Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, Elizabeth F.; Morris, E.E.

    1986-01-01

    Surface water and groundwater quality was documented in the Ouachita National Forest by collecting surface water quality data at 15 points and groundwater quality data at 11 sites from April 1984 through August 1985. The data were compared to drinking water standards and the results are tabulated. Surface water in the Ouachita National Forest is relatively abundant. It is low in mineralization and chemically suitable for most uses with minimal treatment. Groundwater is relatively scarce. The low yields of wells limit the use of groundwater primarily to domestic use. The water is chemically suitable for most purposes but may require treatment for the removal of iron. (Peters-PTT)

  9. The development of national standards for adult educators in Namibia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, Justin; Richardson, Brent H.

    2012-06-01

    Since gaining independence from South Africa in 1990, Namibia has placed considerable emphasis on education, including adult learning. As a means of improving the quality of adult learning, the Namibian Ministry of Education commissioned the development of national standards in 2010 to express competency requirements for adult educators. Particular attention was paid to the views of adult learners who participated through thirty focus groups. The participatory process revealed that the work of an adult educator is more complex and demanding than had previously been appreciated. The required competencies were categorised under four headings: (1) Knowledge as an adult educator, (2) Practice as an adult educator, (3) Relationships as an adult educator and (4) Ethics and professionalism as an adult educator. The Namibia Qualifications Authority, acting under its legislative mandate of setting occupational standards for occupations, jobs, posts and positions, approved the national standards in 2011.

  10. National standards for the nuclear industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laing, W.R.; Corbin, L.T.

    1981-01-01

    Standards needs for the nuclear industry are being met by a number of voluntary organizations, such as ANS, ASTM, AWS, ASME, and IEEE. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) coordinates these activities and approves completed standards as American National Standards. ASTM has two all-nuclear committees, E-10 and C-26. A C-26 subcommittee, Test Methods, has been active in writing analytical chemistry standards for twelve years. Thirteen have been approved as ANSI standards and others are ready for ballot. Work is continuing in all areas of the nuclear fuel cycle

  11. Developing an ANSI [American National Standards Institute] standard for semitrailers used to transport radioactive materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gregory, P.

    1990-01-01

    A proposed new American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard has been prepared which establishes requirements for the design, fabrication, and maintenance of semitrailers used in the highway transport of weight-concentrated radioactive loads. A weight-concentrated load is any payload which exceeds 1,488 kilograms per lineal meter (1,000 lb/ft) over any portion of the semitrailer. The proposed standard also provides detailed procedures for in-service inspections, as well as requirements for testing and quality assurance. The standard addresses only semitrailers, excluding the tractor. Trailers already in service may be certified as complying with the standard if they meet the requirements of the standard. This standard is intended to provide guidance and acceptance criteria needed to establish a uniform minimum level of performance for the designer, manufacturer, owner, operator, and shipper. This standard is not intended to apply to special, non-routine shipments of a one-time or occasional nature which require special permitting. The background and history of the standard are traced and a summary discussion of the standard is provided in this article

  12. 40 CFR 130.3 - Water quality standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Water quality standards. 130.3 Section... QUALITY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT § 130.3 Water quality standards. A water quality standard (WQS) defines the water quality goals of a water body, or portion thereof, by designating the use or uses to be made...

  13. Quality model for semantic IS standards

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Folmer, Erwin Johan Albert

    2011-01-01

    Semantic IS (Information Systems) standards are essential for achieving interoperability between organizations. However a recent survey suggests that not the full benefits of standards are achieved, due to the quality issues. This paper presents a quality model for semantic IS standards, that should

  14. Standard Practice for Quality Management Systems for Nondestructive Testing Agencies

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2009-01-01

    1.1 This practice covers general requirements for the establishment and maintenance of a quality management system for agencies engaged in nondestructive testing (NDT). 1.2 This practice utilizes criteria contained in Practice E 543. 1.3 This practice utilizes criteria contained in American National Standard ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q9001–2000, Quality management systems—Requirements. 1.4 This practice recognizes the importance of establishing minimum safety criteria. 1.5 The use of SI or inch-pound units, or combinations thereof, will be the responsibility of the technical committee whose standards are referred to in this standard. 1.6 This practice does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this practice to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

  15. Quality assurance in ultrasound screening for hepatocellular carcinoma using a standardized phantom and standard clinical images: a 3-year national investigation in Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Joon-Il; Jung, Seung Eun; Kim, Pyo Nyun; Cha, Sang Hoon; Jun, Jae Kwan; Lee, Hoo-Yeon; Park, Eun-Cheol

    2014-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of ultrasound (US) imaging for hepatocellular carcinoma screening. The investigation was performed at all medical institutes participating in the National Cancer Screening Program in Korea. For assessment of personnel, we inquired who was performing the US screenings. For phantom image evaluation, the dead zone, vertical and horizontal measurements, axial and lateral resolution, sensitivity, and gray scale/dynamic range were evaluated. For clinical image evaluation, US images of patients were evaluated in terms of the standard images, technical information, overall image quality, appropriateness of depth, foci, annotations, and the presence of any artifacts. Failure rates for phantom and clinical image evaluations at general hospitals, smaller hospitals, and private clinics were 20.9%, 24.5%, 24.1% and 5.5%, and 14.8% and 9.5%, respectively. No statistically significant difference was observed in the failure rates for the phantom images among groups of different years of manufacture. For the clinical image evaluation, the results of radiologists were significantly better than those of other professional groups (P = .0001 and .0004 versus nonradiology physicians and nonphysicians, respectively). The failure rate was also higher when the storage format was analog versus digital (P quality of the clinical images obtained by radiologists was the best. © 2014 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

  16. The health benefits of attaining and strengthening air quality standards in Cape Town

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samantha Keen

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The link between pollution and poor health and mortality has been established globally. Developing countries carry most of the burden of ill health from air pollution, and urban centres like the City of Cape Town even more so. Effective air quality management to protect human health relies on the attainment of air quality standards. This study uses the Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP along with a locally derived exposure-response function and air quality monitor data to investigate whether the consistent attainment of current or more stringent air quality standards would avoid loss of life. The results show that attaining the PM10 24-hour mean South Africa National Standard limit and the PM10 and SO2 24-hour mean World Health Organisation guidelines in Cape Town reduces levels of pollutants and does reduce excess risk of mortality in Cape Town.

  17. Standardized quality in MOOC based learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maiorescu Irina

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Quality in the field of e-learning and, particularly, in the field of MOOC( Massive Open Online Courses, is a topic of growing importance in both academic institutions and in the private sector as it has generally been proved that quality management can contribute to improving the performance of organizations, regardless of their object of activity. Despite the fact that there are standards relating to quality management in a general manner, professionals, academic staff, specialists and bodies felt the need for having a standardized approach of the quality in the sector of e-learning. Therefore, in the last years, in different countries quality guidelines have been developed and used for e-Learning or distance education (for example the ASTD criteria for e- Learning, the BLA Quality Mark, Quality Platform Learning by D-ELAN etc.. The current paper aims to give insights to this new form of online education provided by MOOC platforms using the specific quality standard approach.

  18. British standard (BS) 5750--quality assurance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pratt, D J

    1995-04-01

    BS5750 is the British Standard on "Quality Systems". Its equivalent in European Standards is EN29000 and in the International Standards Organisation ISO9000. This paper points out that these standards lay down formalised procedures and require documentation but do not ipso facto lead to quality assurance. The author points to the Japanese post-war industrial success as being an example of Total Quality Management within the framework provided by the philosophy of Dr. W. Edwards Deming (1988 and 1993). This philosophy on the management of "systems" to provide high quality products and services is briefly outlined. The author argues that improvement in prosthetic and orthotic services will not be reached through implementation of BS5750 but rather through radical rethinking and the adoption and application of the Deming philosophy.

  19. National Recommended Water Quality Criteria

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The National Recommended Water Quality Criteria is a compilation of national recommended water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life and human health...

  20. Evaluation of the causal framework used for setting national ambient air quality standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, Julie E; Prueitt, Robyn L; Sax, Sonja N; Bailey, Lisa A; Rhomberg, Lorenz R

    2013-11-01

    Abstract A scientifically sound assessment of the potential hazards associated with a substance requires a systematic, objective and transparent evaluation of the weight of evidence (WoE) for causality of health effects. We critically evaluated the current WoE framework for causal determination used in the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) assessments of the scientific data on air pollutants for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) review process, including its methods for literature searches; study selection, evaluation and integration; and causal judgments. The causal framework used in recent NAAQS evaluations has many valuable features, but it could be more explicit in some cases, and some features are missing that should be included in every WoE evaluation. Because of this, it has not always been applied consistently in evaluations of causality, leading to conclusions that are not always supported by the overall WoE, as we demonstrate using EPA's ozone Integrated Science Assessment as a case study. We propose additions to the NAAQS causal framework based on best practices gleaned from a previously conducted survey of available WoE frameworks. A revision of the NAAQS causal framework so that it more closely aligns with these best practices and the full and consistent application of the framework will improve future assessments of the potential health effects of criteria air pollutants by making the assessments more thorough, transparent, and scientifically sound.

  1. Establishment of qualities mammography according to the standard IEC-61267 in the laboratory of metrology of ionizing radiation of the National Center of Dosimetry and enlargement of the accreditation by ENAC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roig Petit, F.; Mestre de Juan, V.; Alabau Albors, J.; Palma Copete, J.; Ruiz Rodriguez, J. C.; Pons Mocholi, S.

    2013-01-01

    The extension of the accreditation of the laboratory of the National Center Dosimetry (No. 58/LC10.036) by the national accreditation entity (ENAC), according to the ISO 17025 standard [2], for the standard qualities of mammography by the IEC 61267 comes to meet part of the needs that demand our health care environment in terms of radiation measuring instruments calibration. This work intends to publicize this enlargement commenting on the different phases of the process to get the accreditation. (Author)

  2. International and national standardisation for quality assurance in nuclear engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Becker, K.

    1992-01-01

    After a summarising description of international developments (ISO 6216, ISO 9000 series, IAEA 50 SG-QA) an overview of the total of around 200 national quality standards and regulations from almost 20 countries is given. Finally the relationships between rules of engineering and the rules of laws, mechanisms and trends in the development of nuclear energy standards with particular consideration of the possibilities for European harmonisation are presented in brief. 1 fig., 5 tabs

  3. IEEE [Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers] standards and nuclear software quality engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daughtrey, T.

    1988-01-01

    Significant new nuclear-specific software standards have recently been adopted under the sponsorship of the American Nuclear Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The interest of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has also been expressed through their issuance of NUREG/CR-4640. These efforts all indicate a growing awareness of the need for thorough, referenceable expressions of the way to build in and evaluate quality in nuclear software. A broader professional perspective can be seen in the growing number of software engineering standards sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society. This family of standards represents a systematic effort to capture professional consensus on quality practices throughout the software development life cycle. The only omission-the implementation phase-is treated by accepted American National Standards Institute or de facto standards for programming languages

  4. Study on the testing standards of quality assurance for CT image

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Jingxin; Yang Haishan; Liu Gang; Wang Liyun

    2000-01-01

    Objective: To establish national testing standards of quality assurance for CT image. Methods: 104 sets of CT system were tested using quality assurance test phantoms and devices including American RMI 461A, RMI 463, MDH 1015 C with ION Chamber, Sweden UNF 9004 kvp meter. These CT were made from different manufacturers including out of date of CT and state-of-art spiral CT system. Thirteen kinds of standards on CT from different countries and 87 sets of technical specifications of CT were collected. The results of the test were compared using phantoms of RMI, Victoreen, Catphan on the same CT system (Siemens HQS). Results: Based on the test results of this study, with reference to the foreign standards and some of regulations in China, CT test items should include high contrast resolution, low contrast resolution, noise, uniformity, mean CT unit, dose slice thickness, localization light, positioning of patient support and gantry tilt. Standards including acceptance test, status test, and constancy test were made in specification. Among them, constancy test equals to IEC 122-2-6; items and results in acceptance test are stricter than in the status test; and low contrast resolution, uniformity, localization light accuracy and positioning of patient support in the acceptance test are even stricter than that in foreign standards. Conclusion: The testing standards of quality assurance for CT developed in this study shows practical and useful in China, which supplemented to the existing international standards

  5. Quality control methodology and implementation of X-radiation standards beams, mammography level, following the standard IEC 61267

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Correa, Eduardo de Lima

    2010-01-01

    In this work it was developed and applied a quality control program of the X radiation system (160 kV, constant potential, target of tungsten) of the Calibration Laboratory of IPEN(LCI) in the energy range relative to mammography beams (from 25 kV to 35 kV). The X radiation standards beams, level mammography, using molybdenum and aluminum as additional filtration, were established after the application of this quality control program following national and international recommendations. The reference ionization chamber has traceability to PTB and was regularly submitted to quality control tests for evaluation and analysis of its performance. The radiation qualities emerging from the X-radiation assembly (RQR-M), based on a phantom made up of an aluminum added filter (RQA-M), narrow beam condition (RQN-M) and broad beam condition (RQB-M), following the recommendations of the international standard IEC 61267 (2005) and the IAEA code of practice, TRS 457 (2007) were established. For the implantation of RQN-M and RQB-M radiation qualities, two mammography phantoms were developed. The half-value layers found are those presented by the German primary laboratory PTB, and varied from 0.35 to 1.21 mm Al. The air kerma rates were obtained for all the 15 implanted qualities. (author)

  6. The Quality of Teaching Staff: Higher Education Institutions' Compliance with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance--The Case of Portugal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardoso, Sónia; Tavares, Orlanda; Sin, Cristina

    2015-01-01

    In recent years, initiatives for the improvement of teaching quality have been pursued both at European and national levels. Such is the case of the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) and of legislation passed by several European countries, including Portugal, in response to European policy developments driven by the…

  7. 76 FR 30308 - National Standard 10 Guidelines; Public Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-25

    ... Standard 10 Guidelines; Public Meetings AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic... to the National Standard 10 (NS10) Guidelines and announced a public meeting to be held on May 19... presentations will be given on the National Standard 10 ANPR. The public will be allowed to comment at the...

  8. Quality-assurance plan and field methods for quality-of-water activities, U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mann, L.J.

    1996-10-01

    Water-quality activities at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Project Office are part of the US Geological Survey's (USGS) Water Resources Division (WRD) mission of appraising the quantity and quality of the Nation's water resources. The purpose of the Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) for water-quality activities performed by the INEL Project Office is to maintain and improve the quality of technical products, and to provide a formal standardization, documentation, and review of the activities that lead to these products. The principles of this plan are as follows: (1) water-quality programs will be planned in a competent manner and activities will be monitored for compliance with stated objectives and approaches; (2) field, laboratory, and office activities will be performed in a conscientious and professional manner in accordance with specified WRD practices and procedures by qualified and experienced employees who are well trained and supervised, if or when, WRD practices and procedures are inadequate, data will be collected in a manner that its quality will be documented; (3) all water-quality activities will be reviewed for completeness, reliability, credibility, and conformance to specified standards and guidelines; (4) a record of actions will be kept to document the activity and the assigned responsibility; (5) remedial action will be taken to correct activities that are deficient

  9. Regional cancer centre demonstrates voluntary conformity with the national Radiation Oncology Practice Standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manley, Stephen; Last, Andrew; Fu, Kenneth; Greenham, Stuart; Kovendy, Andrew; Shakespeare, Thomas P

    2015-06-01

    Radiation Oncology Practice Standards have been developed over the last 10 years and were published for use in Australia in 2011. Although the majority of the radiation oncology community supports the implementation of the standards, there has been no mechanism for uniform assessment or governance. North Coast Cancer Institute's public radiation oncology service is provided across three main service centres on the north coast of NSW. With a strong focus on quality management, we embraced the opportunity to demonstrate conformity with the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards. The Local Health District's Clinical Governance units were engaged to perform assessments of our conformity with the standards and this was signed off as complete on 16 December 2013. The process of demonstrating conformity with the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards has enhanced the culture of quality in our centres. We have demonstrated that self-assessment utilising trained auditors is a viable method for centres to demonstrate conformity. National implementation of the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards will benefit individual centres and the broader radiation oncology community to improve the service delivered to our patients.

  10. Regional cancer centre demonstrates voluntary conformity with the national Radiation Oncology Practice Standards

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manley, Stephen, E-mail: stephen.manley@ncahs.health.nsw.gov.au; Last, Andrew; Fu, Kenneth; Greenham, Stuart; Kovendy, Andrew; Shakespeare, Thomas P [North Coast Cancer Institute, Lismore, New South Wales (Australia)

    2015-06-15

    Radiation Oncology Practice Standards have been developed over the last 10 years and were published for use in Australia in 2011. Although the majority of the radiation oncology community supports the implementation of the standards, there has been no mechanism for uniform assessment or governance. North Coast Cancer Institute's public radiation oncology service is provided across three main service centres on the north coast of NSW. With a strong focus on quality management, we embraced the opportunity to demonstrate conformity with the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards. The Local Health District's Clinical Governance units were engaged to perform assessments of our conformity with the standards and this was signed off as complete on 16 December 2013. The process of demonstrating conformity with the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards has enhanced the culture of quality in our centres. We have demonstrated that self-assessment utilising trained auditors is a viable method for centres to demonstrate conformity. National implementation of the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards will benefit individual centres and the broader radiation oncology community to improve the service delivered to our patients.

  11. Regional cancer centre demonstrates voluntary conformity with the national Radiation Oncology Practice Standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manley, Stephen; Last, Andrew; Fu, Kenneth; Greenham, Stuart; Kovendy, Andrew; Shakespeare, Thomas P

    2015-01-01

    Radiation Oncology Practice Standards have been developed over the last 10 years and were published for use in Australia in 2011. Although the majority of the radiation oncology community supports the implementation of the standards, there has been no mechanism for uniform assessment or governance. North Coast Cancer Institute's public radiation oncology service is provided across three main service centres on the north coast of NSW. With a strong focus on quality management, we embraced the opportunity to demonstrate conformity with the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards. The Local Health District's Clinical Governance units were engaged to perform assessments of our conformity with the standards and this was signed off as complete on 16 December 2013. The process of demonstrating conformity with the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards has enhanced the culture of quality in our centres. We have demonstrated that self-assessment utilising trained auditors is a viable method for centres to demonstrate conformity. National implementation of the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards will benefit individual centres and the broader radiation oncology community to improve the service delivered to our patients

  12. [Discussion on research thinking of traditional Chinese medicine standardization system based on whole process quality control].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Ling; Sun, Yu; Pei, Wen-Xuan; Dai, Jun-Dong; Wang, Zi-Yu; Pan, Meng; Chen, Jiang-Peng; Wang, Yun

    2017-12-01

    The concept of "Quality by design" indicates that good design for the whole life cycle of pharmaceutical production enables the drug to meet the expected quality requirements. Aiming at the existing problems of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) industry, the TCM standardization system was put forward in this paper from the national strategic level, under the guidance by the idea of quality control in international manufacturing industry and with considerations of TCM industry's own characteristics and development status. The connotation of this strategy was to establish five interrelated systems: multi-indicators system based on tri-indicators system, quality standard and specification system of TCM herbal materials and decoction pieces, quality traceability system, data monitoring system based on whole-process quality control, and whole-process quality management system of TCM, and achieve the whole process systematic and scientific study in TCM industry through "top-level design-implement in steps-system integration" workflow. This article analyzed the correlation between the quality standards of all links, established standard operating procedures of each link and whole process, and constructed a high standard overall quality management system for TCM industry chains, in order to provide a demonstration for the establishment of TCM whole-process quality control system and provide systematic reference and basis for standardization strategy in TCM industry. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  13. Water quality data for national-scale aquatic research: The Water Quality Portal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Read, Emily K.; Carr, Lindsay; DeCicco, Laura; Dugan, Hilary; Hanson, Paul C.; Hart, Julia A.; Kreft, James; Read, Jordan S.; Winslow, Luke

    2017-01-01

    Aquatic systems are critical to food, security, and society. But, water data are collected by hundreds of research groups and organizations, many of which use nonstandard or inconsistent data descriptions and dissemination, and disparities across different types of water observation systems represent a major challenge for freshwater research. To address this issue, the Water Quality Portal (WQP) was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Water Quality Monitoring Council to be a single point of access for water quality data dating back more than a century. The WQP is the largest standardized water quality data set available at the time of this writing, with more than 290 million records from more than 2.7 million sites in groundwater, inland, and coastal waters. The number of data contributors, data consumers, and third-party application developers making use of the WQP is growing rapidly. Here we introduce the WQP, including an overview of data, the standardized data model, and data access and services; and we describe challenges and opportunities associated with using WQP data. We also demonstrate through an example the value of the WQP data by characterizing seasonal variation in lake water clarity for regions of the continental U.S. The code used to access, download, analyze, and display these WQP data as shown in the figures is included as supporting information.

  14. 50 CFR 600.345 - National Standard 8-Communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false National Standard 8-Communities. 600.345....345 National Standard 8—Communities. (a) Standard 8. Conservation and management measures shall... overfishing and rebuilding of overfished stocks), take into account the importance of fishery resources to...

  15. National waste terminal storage program. Supplementary quality-assurance requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garland, D.L.

    1980-01-01

    The basic Quality Assurance Program Requirements standard for the National Waste Terminal Storage Program has been developed primarily for nuclear reactors and other fairly well established nuclear facilities. In the case of waste isolation, however, there are many ongoing investigations for which quality assurance practices and requirements have not been well defined. This paper points out these problems which require supplementary requirements. Briefly these are: (1) the language barrier, that is geologists and scientists are not familiar with quality assurance (QA) terminology; (2) earth sciences deal with materials that cannot be characterized as easily as metals or other materials that are reasonably homogeneous; (3) development and control of mathematical models and associated computer programs; (4) research and development

  16. Performance study of the primary standard ionization chamber for deployment of the diagnostic radiology qualities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cardoso, Ricardo de Souza; Bossio, Francisco; Quaresma, Daniel da Silva; Peixoto, Jose Guilherme Pereira

    2013-01-01

    Activities radiotherapy, diagnostic radiology and radiation protection, require knowledge of physical and dosimetric parameters, to be applied safely. Aiming to meet demand in Brazil, the National Laboratory of Metrology of Ionising Radiation - LNMRI - is deploying the primary standard for the calibration of secondary standard chambers, used in quality control in hospitals, clinics and industries. (author)

  17. 78 FR 54517 - Water Quality Standards Regulatory Clarifications

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-04

    ... 131 Water Quality Standards Regulatory Clarifications; Proposed Rule #0;#0;Federal Register / Vol. 78... AGENCY 40 CFR Part 131 [EPA-HQ-OW-2010-0606; FRL-9839-7] RIN 2040-AF 16 Water Quality Standards... Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing changes to the federal water quality standards (WQS...

  18. The Measurement of Quality of Semantic Standards : the Application of a Quality Model on the SETU standard for eGovernment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Folmer, Erwin; van Bekkum, Michael; Oude Luttighuis, Paul; van Hillegersberg, Jos

    2011-01-01

    eGovernment interoperability should be dealt with using high-quality standards. A quality model for standards is presented based on knowledge from the software engineering domain. In the tradition of action research the model is used on the SETU standard, a standard that is mandatory in the public

  19. Soil quality standards and guidelines for forest sustainability in northwestern North America

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deborah Page-Dumroese; Martin Jurgensen; William Elliot; Thomas Rice; John Nesser; Thomas Collins; Robert. Meurisse

    2000-01-01

    Soil quality standards and guidelines of the USDA Forest Service were some of the first in the world to be developed to evaluate changes in forest soil productivity and sustainability after harvesting and site preparation. International and national development of criteria and indicators for maintenance of soil productivity make it imperative to have adequate threshold...

  20. Impact of model uncertainty on soil quality standards for cadmium in rice paddy fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roemkens, P.F.A.M.; Brus, D.J.; Guo, H.Y.; Chu, C.L.; Chiang, C.M.; Koopmans, G.F.

    2011-01-01

    At present, soil quality standards used for agriculture do not consider the influence of pH and CEC on the uptake of pollutants by crops. A database with 750 selected paired samples of cadmium (Cd) in soil and paddy rice was used to calibrate soil to plant transfer models using the soil metal content, pH, and CEC or soil Cd and Zn extracted by 0.01 M CaCl 2 as explanatory variables. The models were validated against a set of 2300 data points not used in the calibration. These models were then used inversely to derive soil quality standards for Japonica and Indica rice cultivars based on the food quality standards for rice. To account for model uncertainty, strict soil quality standards were derived considering a maximum probability that rice exceeds the food quality standard equal to 10 or 5%. Model derived soil standards based on Aqua Regia ranged from less than 0.3 mg kg -1 for Indica at pH 4.5 to more than 6 mg kg -1 for Japonica-type cultivars in clay soils at pH 7. Based on the CaCl 2 extract, standards ranged from 0.03 mg kg -1 Cd for Indica cultivars to 0.1 mg kg -1 Cd for Japonica cultivars. For both Japonica and Indica-type cultivars, the soil quality standards must be reduced by a factor of 2 to 3 to obtain the strict standards. The strong impact of pH and CEC on soil quality standards implies that it is essential to correct for soil type when deriving national or local standards. Validation on the remaining 2300 samples indicated that both types of models were able to accurately predict (> 92%) whether rice grown on a specific soil will meet the food quality standard used in Taiwan. - Research highlights: → Cadmium uptake by Japonica and Indica rice varieties depends on soil pH and CEC. → Food safety based soil standards range from 0.3 (Indica) to 6 mg kg -1 (Japonica). → Model uncertainty leads to strict soil standards of less than 0.1 mg kg -1 for Indica. → Soil pH and CEC should be considered to obtain meaningful standards for agriculture.

  1. 40 CFR 35.2111 - Revised water quality standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Revised water quality standards. 35... stream segments which have not, at least once since December 29, 1981, had their water quality standards...) The State has in good faith submitted such water quality standards and the Regional Administrator has...

  2. Determination of water environment standards based on water quality criteria in China: Limitations and feasibilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tieyu; Zhou, Yunqiao; Bi, Cencen; Lu, Yonglong; He, Guizhen; Giesy, John P

    2017-07-01

    There is a need to formulate water environment standards (WESs) from the current water quality criteria (WQC) in China. To this end, we briefly summarize typical mechanisms applied in several countries with longer histories of developing WESs, and three limitations to formulating WESs in China were identified. After analyzing the feasibility factors including economic development, scientific support capability and environmental policies, we realized that China is still not ready for a complete change from its current nation-wide unified WES system to a local-standard-based system. Thus, we proposed a framework for transformation from WQC to WESs in China. The framework consists of three parts, including responsibilities, processes and policies. The responsibilities include research authorization, development of guidelines, and collection of information, at both national and local levels; the processes include four steps and an impact factor system to establish water quality standards; and the policies include seven specific proposals. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. 76 FR 22674 - Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Overseers and Panel of Judges

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-22

    ... Performance Excellence Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899... prominent in the fields of quality, innovation, and performance management and appointed by the Secretary of... Judges is composed of twelve members prominent in the fields of quality, innovation, and performance...

  4. Standards and laws for indoor air quality in Russia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bitkolov, N.; Musijchuk, Y.

    1997-01-01

    The air quality of indoor air in Russia, including the special problems of air quality with regard to radioactive contamination, is determined by a number of statutes, standards and regulations. All these are based on the biological principles that the maximum allowable concentrations of pollutants (MAC) and the prescribed radioactive safety dose limits should not be exceeded. The standards cover the air in the working zones of all ministries and departments, and are for trade unions, public and cooperative organisations and foundations. The basic Russian law for air quality is 'The Law on Environmental Nature Protection' (19.2.1991) which assures the right to health protection from adverse environmental effects. In the field of radioactive safety 'The Federal Law on Radioactive Safety' (9.1.1996) is the primary law and in accordance with it, every citizen living in Russia has the right to protection for the present and future generations from health-related deleterious effects of atomic radiation. The laws on air quality are part of the Russian Federation legal system and are secured in the Constitution. The air quality must be controlled by the Goscomgidromet and the Sunepidnadzor of Russia. In compliance with these laws everybody has the right to a favourable environment and the duty to protect, preserve and maintain it. The air environment is unique and common to all, thus economic cooperation dictates that a dedicated approach to air quality and air quality regulations would be the most appropriate way to preserve it. It appears judicious to join forces in the name of European ecological safety. To do this, it is necessary to combine the national means and secure. (author) 4 figs

  5. National Coal Quality Inventory (NACQI)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Robert Finkelman

    2005-09-30

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted the National Coal Quality Inventory (NaCQI) between 1999 and 2005 to address a need for quality information on coals that will be mined during the next 20-30 years. Collaboration between the USGS, State geological surveys, universities, coal burning utilities, and the coal mining industry plus funding support from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) permitted collection and submittal of coal samples for analysis. The chemical data (proximate and ultimate analyses; major, minor and trace element concentrations) for 729 samples of raw or prepared coal, coal associated shale, and coal combustion products (fly ash, hopper ash, bottom ash and gypsum) from nine coal producing States are included. In addition, the project identified a new coal reference analytical standard, to be designated CWE-1 (West Elk Mine, Gunnison County, Colorado) that is a high-volatile-B or high-volatile-A bituminous coal with low contents of ash yield and sulfur, and very low, but detectable contents of chlorine, mercury and other trace elements.

  6. 77 FR 39205 - Public Hearings for Proposed Rules-National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-02

    ..., respectively, and to make corresponding revisions to the data handling conventions for PM and ambient air.... Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Ariel Rios Building, 1200...

  7. Asset Accounting According to National and International Standards

    OpenAIRE

    Karina Utenkova

    2014-01-01

    The Article overviews the issues of complying National Accounting Standards at the enterprises of Ukraine with International Financial Reporting Standards. Key provisions of national and international standards governing the accounting of fixed assets (NP(S)A 7 'Property, Plant, Equipment', IFRS 16 'Fixed Assets') have been analyzed. It has been found that the list of PPE regulated by both accounting standard frameworks is not identical. Specifics of fixed assets recognition, their classifica...

  8. Next-generation services for e-traceability to ionizing radiation national standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Desrosiers, M.F.; Klemick, Mark; Puhl, J.M.; Uchida, David; Mallis, Steven

    2004-01-01

    An Internet-based system for fast, remote certification of high-dose radiation sources against the US national standard is being constructed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The new service will establish traceability (through transfer dosimetry) in real time at a lower cost by using automated routines and the Internet. A prototype of this service was successfully demonstrated in 2000 at the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Dosimetry Workshop in San Diego. Despite this impressive accomplishment, new developments demanded that several aspects of the service be modified. The new service has been completely redesigned to address these new demands and ensure greater accessibility. A description of the hardware and software configurations of this service as well as the communication and information management aspects will be presented. The Internet-based transfer certification program will provide industry with 24-h, 7-day-per-week, on-demand certifications, immediate turnaround times, and lower cost, ultimately improving the quality of the manufacturing process

  9. Next-generation services for e-traceability to ionizing radiation national standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desrosiers, Marc F.; Klemick, Mark; Puhl, James M.; Uchida, David; Mallis, Steven

    2004-09-01

    An Internet-based system for fast, remote certification of high-dose radiation sources against the US national standard is being constructed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The new service will establish traceability (through transfer dosimetry) in real time at a lower cost by using automated routines and the Internet. A prototype of this service was successfully demonstrated in 2000 at the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Dosimetry Workshop in San Diego. Despite this impressive accomplishment, new developments demanded that several aspects of the service be modified. The new service has been completely redesigned to address these new demands and ensure greater accessibility. A description of the hardware and software configurations of this service as well as the communication and information management aspects will be presented. The Internet-based transfer certification program will provide industry with 24-h, 7-day-per-week, on-demand certifications, immediate turnaround times, and lower cost, ultimately improving the quality of the manufacturing process.

  10. Water quality data for national-scale aquatic research: The Water Quality Portal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Read, Emily K.; Carr, Lindsay; De Cicco, Laura; Dugan, Hilary A.; Hanson, Paul C.; Hart, Julia A.; Kreft, James; Read, Jordan S.; Winslow, Luke A.

    2017-02-01

    xml:id="wrcr22485-sec-1001" numbered="no">Aquatic systems are critical to food, security, and society. But, water data are collected by hundreds of research groups and organizations, many of which use nonstandard or inconsistent data descriptions and dissemination, and disparities across different types of water observation systems represent a major challenge for freshwater research. To address this issue, the Water Quality Portal (WQP) was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Water Quality Monitoring Council to be a single point of access for water quality data dating back more than a century. The WQP is the largest standardized water quality data set available at the time of this writing, with more than 290 million records from more than 2.7 million sites in groundwater, inland, and coastal waters. The number of data contributors, data consumers, and third-party application developers making use of the WQP is growing rapidly. Here we introduce the WQP, including an overview of data, the standardized data model, and data access and services; and we describe challenges and opportunities associated with using WQP data. We also demonstrate through an example the value of the WQP data by characterizing seasonal variation in lake water clarity for regions of the continental U.S. The code used to access, download, analyze, and display these WQP data as shown in the figures is included as supporting information.

  11. Standard operating procedures for quality audits of 60Co external beam radiotherapy facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larrinaga Cortina, E.F.; Dominguez Hung, L.; Campa Menendez, R.

    2001-01-01

    The use of radiotherapy implies the necessity of rigorous quality standards in its different components, aimed to provide the best possible treatment and avoid potential patients' risks, that could even cause him death. Projects of technical cooperation developed in Cuba and supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency address the implementation of Programs of Quality Assurance (PGC) in radiotherapy services. The establishment of the National Quality Audit Program (PNAC) is a superior stage. The National Control Center for Medical Devices, as the national regulator entity for the control and supervision of medical devices in the National Health System, is responsible for the making and execution of the PNAC. The audit modality selected was the inspection visit in situ due to its intrinsic advantages, our geographical extension and the number of radiotherapy services. This paper presents the methodology for the execution of the PNAC, in form of a Normalized Procedure of Operation (PNO) that defines the objectives, scope, terms and definitions, responsibilities, composition and selection of the auditor team, security's conditions, materials and equipment, steps of the audit execution, results calculation and interpretation, records, etc. (author)

  12. State Air Quality Standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pollution Engineering, 1978

    1978-01-01

    This article presents in tabular form the air quality standards for sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, photochemicals, non-methane hydrocarbons and particulates for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. (CS)

  13. Determination of quality standard of cemented radioactive wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johan, B.

    1997-01-01

    The standard determination of cemented low activity radioactive waste has been carried out. This study was intended to find the quality of immobilized product as a guaranty to the public and the environmental safety. As preliminary study, there parameters type have been studied i.e, the density, compressive strength and the leaching rate. By adopted the formulations of advanced country and field data, it can be concluded that the cementation waste should have the density, p, between 1.70 and 2.50 g.cm - 3, the compressive strength, S, between 20 and 50 N.mm - 2, the leaching rates R n between 1.70 x 10 - 2 and 2.50 x 10 - 3 g.cm - 2.day - 1 and after 150 days leaching time the leaching rate R n - 3 g.cm - 2.day - 1. This study is expected to be used to propose the Indonesian National Standard (INS) (author)

  14. The role of Health Impact Assessment in the setting of air quality standards: An Australian perspective

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spickett, Jeffery, E-mail: J.Spickett@curtin.edu.au [WHO Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health Impact Assessment (Australia); Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia (Australia); Katscherian, Dianne [WHO Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health Impact Assessment (Australia); Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia (Australia); Harris, Patrick [CHETRE — UNSW Research Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales (Australia)

    2013-11-15

    The approaches used for setting or reviewing air quality standards vary from country to country. The purpose of this research was to consider the potential to improve decision-making through integration of HIA into the processes to review and set air quality standards used in Australia. To assess the value of HIA in this policy process, its strengths and weaknesses were evaluated aligned with review of international processes for setting air quality standards. Air quality standard setting programmes elsewhere have either used HIA or have amalgamated and incorporated factors normally found within HIA frameworks. They clearly demonstrate the value of a formalised HIA process for setting air quality standards in Australia. The following elements should be taken into consideration when using HIA in standard setting. (a) The adequacy of a mainly technical approach in current standard setting procedures to consider social determinants of health. (b) The importance of risk assessment criteria and information within the HIA process. The assessment of risk should consider equity, the distribution of variations in air quality in different locations and the potential impacts on health. (c) The uncertainties in extrapolating evidence from one population to another or to subpopulations, especially the more vulnerable, due to differing environmental factors and population variables. (d) The significance of communication with all potential stakeholders on issues associated with the management of air quality. In Australia there is also an opportunity for HIA to be used in conjunction with the NEPM to develop local air quality standard measures. The outcomes of this research indicated that the use of HIA for air quality standard setting at the national and local levels would prove advantageous. -- Highlights: • Health Impact Assessment framework has been applied to a policy development process. • HIA process was evaluated for application in air quality standard setting.

  15. standards used for quality control of nuclear fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guereli, L; Can, S.

    1997-01-01

    Nuclear fuels and fuel materials are subject to stringent restrictions as to their quality. The standards and regulations that apply vary according to reactor type and country and the standards are stated in the quality assurance documents. The concept of quality assurance has altered the conventional quality control tests and procedures, defining which control tests are to be applied and how. Although most of the tests and measurements allow the determination of tolerances to be decided according to the agreement between the buyer and the seller, exacting procedures apply to which instruments and equipment are used for these tests and measurements, how these instruments are standardized.Detailed explanations of test methods and their documentation is a requirement in all standards. The purpose of this work is to study which standards, tests and measurements apply to the nuclear fuel production. Only the standards that apply to various stages of the nuclear fuel production (powder preparation, pellet production, fuel element and fuel assembly fabrication) are reviewed. Process and documentation control, design and licensing requirements and the frequency of inspections are quality assurance subjects. Some ASTM standards are given as examples

  16. 78 FR 35559 - Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Signage

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-13

    ...; Signage AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Labor. ACTION: Direct... signage standards by adding references to the latest versions of the American National Standards Institute... earlier ANSI standards, ANSI Z53.1-1967, Z35.1-1968 and Z35.2-1968, in its signage standards, thereby...

  17. Impact of model uncertainty on soil quality standards for cadmium in rice paddy fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roemkens, P.F.A.M., E-mail: paul.romkens@wur.nl [Soil Science Center, Alterra, WageningenUR. P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen (Netherlands); Brus, D.J. [Soil Science Center, Alterra, WageningenUR. P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen (Netherlands); Guo, H.Y.; Chu, C.L.; Chiang, C.M. [Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Wufong, Taiwan (China); Koopmans, G.F. [Soil Science Center, Alterra, WageningenUR. P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen (Netherlands); Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University, WageningenUR. P.O. Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen (Netherlands)

    2011-08-01

    At present, soil quality standards used for agriculture do not consider the influence of pH and CEC on the uptake of pollutants by crops. A database with 750 selected paired samples of cadmium (Cd) in soil and paddy rice was used to calibrate soil to plant transfer models using the soil metal content, pH, and CEC or soil Cd and Zn extracted by 0.01 M CaCl{sub 2} as explanatory variables. The models were validated against a set of 2300 data points not used in the calibration. These models were then used inversely to derive soil quality standards for Japonica and Indica rice cultivars based on the food quality standards for rice. To account for model uncertainty, strict soil quality standards were derived considering a maximum probability that rice exceeds the food quality standard equal to 10 or 5%. Model derived soil standards based on Aqua Regia ranged from less than 0.3 mg kg{sup -1} for Indica at pH 4.5 to more than 6 mg kg{sup -1} for Japonica-type cultivars in clay soils at pH 7. Based on the CaCl{sub 2} extract, standards ranged from 0.03 mg kg{sup -1} Cd for Indica cultivars to 0.1 mg kg{sup -1} Cd for Japonica cultivars. For both Japonica and Indica-type cultivars, the soil quality standards must be reduced by a factor of 2 to 3 to obtain the strict standards. The strong impact of pH and CEC on soil quality standards implies that it is essential to correct for soil type when deriving national or local standards. Validation on the remaining 2300 samples indicated that both types of models were able to accurately predict (> 92%) whether rice grown on a specific soil will meet the food quality standard used in Taiwan. - Research highlights: {yields} Cadmium uptake by Japonica and Indica rice varieties depends on soil pH and CEC. {yields} Food safety based soil standards range from 0.3 (Indica) to 6 mg kg{sup -1} (Japonica). {yields} Model uncertainty leads to strict soil standards of less than 0.1 mg kg{sup -1} for Indica. {yields} Soil pH and CEC should be

  18. Secondary calibration laboratory for ionizing radiation laboratory accreitation program National Institute of Standards and Technology National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martin, P.R.

    1993-12-31

    This paper presents an overview of the procedures and requirements for accreditation under the Secondary Calibration Laboratory for Ionizing Radiation Program (SCLIR LAP). The requirements for a quality system, proficiency testing and the onsite assessment are discussed. The purpose of the accreditation program is to establish a network of secondary calibration laboratories that can provide calibrations traceable to the primary national standards.

  19. Secondary calibration laboratory for ionizing radiation laboratory accreitation program National Institute of Standards and Technology National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, P.R.

    1993-01-01

    This paper presents an overview of the procedures and requirements for accreditation under the Secondary Calibration Laboratory for Ionizing Radiation Program (SCLIR LAP). The requirements for a quality system, proficiency testing and the onsite assessment are discussed. The purpose of the accreditation program is to establish a network of secondary calibration laboratories that can provide calibrations traceable to the primary national standards

  20. National Incident Management System (NIMS) Standards Review Panel Workshop Summary Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stenner, Robert D.; Kirk, Jennifer L.; Stanton, James R.; Shebell, Peter; Schwartz, Deborah S.; Judd, Kathleen S.; Gelston, Gariann M.

    2006-02-07

    The importance and need for full compliant implementation of NIMS nationwide was clearly demonstrated during the Hurricane Katrina event, which was clearly expressed in Secretary Chertoff's October 4, 2005 letter addressed to the State's governors. It states, ''Hurricane Katrina was a stark reminder of how critical it is for our nation to approach incident management in a coordinated, consistent, and efficient manner. We must be able to come together, at all levels of government, to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from any emergency or disaster. Our operations must be seamless and based on common incident management doctrine, because the challenges we face as a nation are far greater than capabilities of any one jurisdiction.'' The NIMS is a system/architecture for organizing response on a ''national'' level. It incorporations ICS as a main component of that structure (i.e., it institutionalizes ICS in NIMS). In a paper published on the NIMS Website, the following statements were made: ''NIMS represents a core set of doctrine, principles, terminology, and organizational processes to enable effective, efficient and collaborative incident management at all levels. To provide the framework for interoperability and compatibility, the NIMS is based on a balance between flexibility and standardization.'' Thus the NIC is challenged with the need to adopt quality SDO generated standards to support NIMS compliance, but in doing so maintain the flexibility necessary so that response operations can be tailored for the specific jurisdictional and geographical needs across the nation. In support of this large and complex challenge facing the NIC, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was asked to provide technical support to the NIC, through their DHS Science and Technology ? Standards Portfolio Contract, to help identify, review, and develop key standards for NIMS compliance. Upon

  1. 50 CFR 600.325 - National Standard 4-Allocations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... promote conservation (in the sense of wise use) by optimizing the yield in terms of size, value, market... Section 600.325 Wildlife and Fisheries FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND....325 National Standard 4—Allocations. (a) Standard 4. Conservation and management measures shall not...

  2. Do semantic standards lack quality? A survey among 34 semantic standards

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Folmer, E.J.A.; Oude Luttighuis, P.H.W.M.; Hillegersberg, J. van

    2011-01-01

    The adoption of standards to improve interoperability in the automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding and other sectors could save billions. While interoperability standards have been created for a number of industries, problems persist, suggesting a lack of quality of the standards themselves. The issue

  3. Do semantic standards lack quality? A survey among 34 semantic standards.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Folmer, Erwin Johan Albert; Oude Luttighuis, Paul; van Hillegersberg, Jos

    2011-01-01

    The adoption of standards to improve interoperability in the automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding and other sectors could save billions. While interoperability standards have been created for a number of industries, problems persist, suggesting a lack of quality of the standards themselves. The issue

  4. Issue of national standards for radiation protection and quality assurance in the medical radiology. Final report; Erstellung von nationalen Normen fuer den Strahlenschutz und die Qualitaetssicherung in der medizinischen Radiologie. Abschlussbericht

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seidel, Bernd

    2012-01-15

    The scope of the project is the issue of national standards for the medical radiology to provide standardized (DIN norms) radiation protection in Germany. Emerging new technologies for instance in the field of information processing and digital techniques are have to be adapted. The standards are supposed to allow the surveillance of medical radiological installations with respect to the technical performance, quality and radiation protection. The project is also aimed to enhance the influence on the European and international standardization and its harmonization (ISO, IEC, CEN, CENELEC) in the fields of radiation protection regulation and X-ray regulation.

  5. 75 FR 39252 - Release of Final Documents Related to the Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-08

    ... Quality Standards: Scope and Methods Plan for Health Risk and Exposure Assessment and Particulate Matter... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0492; FRL-9171-8] Release of Final Documents...: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of Availability. SUMMARY: The Office of Air Quality...

  6. Quality standards: Comparison between IAEA 50-C/SG-Q and ISO 9001:2000

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2002-01-01

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has the statutory mandate to seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. As part of the activities to achieve its objectives, the IAEA is authorized to establish standards of safety for the protection of health and the minimization of danger to life and property. The standards of safety developed by the IAEA are recommendations for use by its Member States in the framework of national regulations for the safe utilization of nuclear energy. Such standards should be considered as nuclear safety regulatory documents. The standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are complementary technical documents emphasizing industrial application and contractual aspects. Regarding the quality assurance topic, the IAEA developed the publication Safety Series No. 50-C/SG-Q, Quality Assurance for Safety in Nuclear Power Plants and other Nuclear Installations, which is mostly used directly or indirectly to establish the nuclear safety requirements at the nuclear utility-regulator interface. The ISO 9001:2000 standard, Quality Management Systems Requirements, is often used to define the quality management system requirements at the utility-supplier interface. The relationship between the IAEA and ISO quality standards is growing in significance owing to their increasing impact upon utilities (owners/operators of nuclear facilities) and their contractors/suppliers. The relationship between the IAEA and ISO standards is considered critical in particular with respect to contractors/suppliers with a small range of nuclear supplies. These contractors-suppliers are not always willing to prepare special quality assurance programmes based on nuclear safety standards. On the other hand, these contractors/suppliers may be qualified on the basis of the ISO quality standard. In any case, for delivering nuclear items and services the

  7. Water Quality Conditions Associated with Cattle Grazing and Recreation on National Forest Lands.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leslie M Roche

    Full Text Available There is substantial concern that microbial and nutrient pollution by cattle on public lands degrades water quality, threatening human and ecological health. Given the importance of clean water on multiple-use landscapes, additional research is required to document and examine potential water quality issues across common resource use activities. During the 2011 grazing-recreation season, we conducted a cross sectional survey of water quality conditions associated with cattle grazing and/or recreation on 12 public lands grazing allotments in California. Our specific study objectives were to 1 quantify fecal indicator bacteria (FIB; fecal coliform and E. coli, total nitrogen, nitrate, ammonium, total phosphorus, and soluble-reactive phosphorus concentrations in surface waters; 2 compare results to a water quality regulatory benchmarks, b recommended maximum nutrient concentrations, and c estimates of nutrient background concentrations; and 3 examine relationships between water quality, environmental conditions, cattle grazing, and recreation. Nutrient concentrations observed throughout the grazing-recreation season were at least one order of magnitude below levels of ecological concern, and were similar to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA estimates for background water quality conditions in the region. The relative percentage of FIB regulatory benchmark exceedances widely varied under individual regional and national water quality standards. Relative to USEPA's national E. coli FIB benchmarks-the most contemporary and relevant standards for this study-over 90% of the 743 samples collected were below recommended criteria values. FIB concentrations were significantly greater when stream flow was low or stagnant, water was turbid, and when cattle were actively observed at sampling. Recreation sites had the lowest mean FIB, total nitrogen, and soluble-reactive phosphorus concentrations, and there were no significant differences in FIB and

  8. 77 FR 37587 - Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-22

    ... Z89.1-2003 as Appendix E, to the main text. Adds ``ASTM E1164-02 Colorimetry--Standard Practice for... National complete citations for standards on Standards Referred to in This colorimetry, headforms, and...

  9. 77 FR 37617 - Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-22

    ... Z89.1-2003 as Appendix E, to the main text. Adds ``ASTM E1164-02 Colorimetry--Standard Practice for... National complete citations for standards on Standards Referred to in This colorimetry, headforms, and...

  10. National trends in drinking water quality violations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allaire, Maura; Wu, Haowei; Lall, Upmanu

    2018-02-27

    Ensuring safe water supply for communities across the United States is a growing challenge in the face of aging infrastructure, impaired source water, and strained community finances. In the aftermath of the Flint lead crisis, there is an urgent need to assess the current state of US drinking water. However, no nationwide assessment has yet been conducted on trends in drinking water quality violations across several decades. Efforts to reduce violations are of national concern given that, in 2015, nearly 21 million people relied on community water systems that violated health-based quality standards. In this paper, we evaluate spatial and temporal patterns in health-related violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act using a panel dataset of 17,900 community water systems over the period 1982-2015. We also identify vulnerability factors of communities and water systems through probit regression. Increasing time trends and violation hot spots are detected in several states, particularly in the Southwest region. Repeat violations are prevalent in locations of violation hot spots, indicating that water systems in these regions struggle with recurring issues. In terms of vulnerability factors, we find that violation incidence in rural areas is substantially higher than in urbanized areas. Meanwhile, private ownership and purchased water source are associated with compliance. These findings indicate the types of underperforming systems that might benefit from assistance in achieving consistent compliance. We discuss why certain violations might be clustered in some regions and strategies for improving national drinking water quality.

  11. National Certification Standard for Ground Source Heat Pump Personnel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kelly, John [Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, Washington, DC (United States)

    2013-07-31

    The National Certification Standard for the Geothermal Heat Pump Industry adds to the understanding of the barriers to rapid growth of the geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry by bringing together for the first time an analysis of the roles and responsibilities of each of the individual job tasks involved in the design and installation of GHP systems. The standard addresses applicable qualifications for all primary personnel involved in the design, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of GHP systems, including their knowledge, skills and abilities. The resulting standard serves as a foundation for subsequent development of curriculum, training and certification programs, which are not included in the scope of this project, but are briefly addressed in the standard to describe ways in which the standard developed in this project may form a foundation to support further progress in accomplishing those other efforts. Follow-on efforts may use the standard developed in this project to improve the technical effectiveness and economic feasibility of curriculum development and training programs for GHP industry personnel, by providing a more complete and objective assessment of the individual job tasks necessary for successful implementation of GHP systems. When incorporated into future certification programs for GHP personnel, the standard will facilitate increased consumer confidence in GHP technology, reduce the potential for improperly installed GHP systems, and assure GHP system quality and performance, all of which benefit the public through improved energy efficiency and mitigated environmental impacts of the heating and cooling of homes and businesses.

  12. The National Teaching Standard: Route to Rigor Mortis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNeil, John D.

    The actions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards with regard to national teaching standards and an associated examination are critiqued. The board was established on the basis of a recommendation by an advisory council of the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy. The board, which is composed of politicians, business…

  13. Quality control with R an ISO standards approach

    CERN Document Server

    Cano, Emilio L; Prieto Corcoba, Mariano

    2015-01-01

    Presenting a practitioner's guide to capabilities and best practices of quality control systems using the R programming language, this volume emphasizes accessibility and ease-of-use through detailed explanations of R code as well as standard statistical methodologies. In the interest of reaching the widest possible audience of quality-control professionals and statisticians, examples throughout are structured to simplify complex equations and data structures, and to demonstrate their applications to quality control processes, such as ISO standards. The volume balances its treatment of key aspects of quality control, statistics, and programming in R, making the text accessible to beginners and expert quality control professionals alike. Several appendices serve as useful references for ISO standards and common tasks performed while applying quality control with R.

  14. [European community guidelines and standards in indoor air quality: what proposals for Italy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Settimo, Gaetano; D'Alessandro, Daniela

    2014-01-01

    Indoor air quality is an issue on which to focus because of the increasing number of exposed population and in view of the strong public feeling on this issue. This paper reports the rules of EU and several European countries about indoor air quality, focusing on the initiatives performed in Italy to respond to WHO recommendations. Several EU countries have introduced in their legislation rules relating to indoor air quality. At the moment, in Italy, a reference rule has not been issued. For this reason, up to date main informations concerning some guidelines or reference values in indoor air, to be used for a first comparison, are those obtained by the scientific literature, or by the guidelines issued by other European countries or, for analogy, by other standard values such as limit or reference values regarding outdoor air. Even the EU, while reaffirming the priority of energy efficiency measures, recommends healthier indoor environments and the development of a specific European strategy on the issue of indoor air quality. The National Study Group on indoor pollution of the Italian National Health Institute (ISS), is working for the development of shared technical and scientific documents, in order to provide greater uniformity of actions at national level, waiting for a legal framework for indoor air quality, in the light of the indication already produced by the WHO.

  15. Higher Education Quality Assessment Model: Towards Achieving Educational Quality Standard

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noaman, Amin Y.; Ragab, Abdul Hamid M.; Madbouly, Ayman I.; Khedra, Ahmed M.; Fayoumi, Ayman G.

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a developed higher education quality assessment model (HEQAM) that can be applied for enhancement of university services. This is because there is no universal unified quality standard model that can be used to assess the quality criteria of higher education institutes. The analytical hierarchy process is used to identify the…

  16. National Green Building Standard Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2012-07-01

    DOE's Building America Program is a research and development program to improve the energy performance of new and existing homes. The ultimate goal of the Building America Program is to achieve examples of cost-effective, energy efficient solutions for all U.S. climate zones. Periodic maintenance of an ANSI standard by review of the entire document and action to revise or reaffirm it on a schedule not to exceed five years is required by ANSI. In compliance, a consensus group has once again been formed and the National Green Building Standard is currently being reviewed to comply with the periodic maintenance requirement of an ANSI standard.

  17. Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Eye and Face Protection. Final rule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-03-25

    On March 13, 2015, OSHA published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to revise its eye and face protection standards for general industry, shipyard employment, marine terminals, longshoring, and construction by updating the references to national consensus standards approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). OSHA received no significant objections from commenters and therefore is adopting the amendments as proposed. This final rule updates the references in OSHA's eye and face standards to reflect the most recent edition of the ANSI/International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) eye and face protection standard. It removes the oldest-referenced edition of the same ANSI standard. It also amends other provisions of the construction eye and face protection standard to bring them into alignment with OSHA's general industry and maritime standards.

  18. Quality control of calibration system for area monitors at National Laboratory of Metrology from Ionizing Radiations (LNMRI)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, M.M.O.; Freitas, L.C. de

    1992-01-01

    The quality control of equipment used in calibration from the National Laboratory of Metrology on Ionizing Radiations is presented, with results of standard measure systems and irradiation system. Tables and graphics with the quality of systems are also shown. (C.G.C.)

  19. Green Roofs: Standardization and Quality Control of Processes in Green Construction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Korol Elena

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The article considers the problems of standardization and quality control of processes in the construction, improvement of integrated safety of buildings and the implementation of innovative green building technologies, the use of national standards as well as international rating systems for green buildings evaluation. This is one of the priority directions in development of the modern construction. The aim of this study is the analysis of the green roof systems and international standards, which were carried out in the green building industry. The authors have studied traditional and innovative solutions of rational using natural resources and energy, the green roof system with integration of supported solar and wind energy collecting and converting devices and of irrigation system. Some studies provide evidence for the benefits of the modular green roof system in urban green space with microclimate differences. This article presents a new research which advances our knowledge of the economic and environmental services provided by the green roof system. Research reported here also considers the analysis of the Russian and international legislation of the quality control of processes in green construction.

  20. Section for Standard and Patents - Standardization and Patents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wojtowicz, S.; Trechcinski, R.; Rybka, M.; Ryszkowska, A.; Wardaszko, J.

    1997-01-01

    Full text: The most important tasks of the Section in 1996 were: preparation of national standards and program of future work on standards for nuclear instrumentation and electronic equipment in nuclear engineering; organization of activities and participation in the meetings of the Commissions for Standardization No 173 Microprocessor Systems, No 266 Nuclear Instrumentation; giving opinions and expertises on national and international standards for equipment in nuclear engineering; cooperation with the Commission for Standardization No 246 Radiological Protection; control of inventiveness activity; The quality of the technical products is being improved by: a) selection of the proper types of interface systems, technical coordination and quality control; b) creation of standards at a high technical level; The Section works mainly for the Polish Committee for Standardization, the National Atomic Energy Agency, Association of Polish Electrical Engineers and Research Institutes in Poland. The activity of the Section is useful for all national institutions where backplane busses and nuclear electronic equipment is produced or used. The Section participates in the following international organizations: IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) TC 45 (Nuclear Instrumentation); ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTCl SC26 (Microprocessor systems); ESONE (European Studies on Norms for Electronics); The section takes part in popularization of nuclear technology and instrumentation in the following ways: distribution of standards and technical documentation to national institutions dealing with nuclear apparatus; collecting and distributing technical information from international organizations (e.g. ESONE); organization of technical and scientific, national and international conferences (New Generation Nuclear Power Plants - September 96, QNX in Real World - January 96); participation in the technical conference organized by the Polish Committee for

  1. Quality Assurance Standards for Symptomatic Breast Disease Services

    OpenAIRE

    Department of Health (Ireland)

    2007-01-01

    Quality Assurance Standards for Symptomatic Breast Disease Services People in Ireland have a right to expect that medical care be of good quality. They expect that standards of care are consistently high. They expect that access to care is easy, speedy, effective and efficient. Society expects quality of care to measure up to international norms of good practice. Such assurance can be given by auditing the quality of activity. Click here to download PDF 606kb

  2. Guidelines for quality assurance and quality control of fish taxonomic data collected as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Stephen Joseph; Meador, Michael R.

    1998-01-01

    Fish community structure is characterized by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program as part of a perennial, multidisciplinary approach to evaluating the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the Nation's water resources. The objective of quality assurance and quality control of fish taxonomic data that are collected as part of the NAWQA Program is to establish uniform guidelines and protocols for the identification, processing, and archiving of fish specimens to ensure that accurate and reliable data are collected. Study unit biologists, collaborating with regional biologists and fish taxonomic specialists, prepare a pre-sampling study plan that includes a preliminary faunal list and identification of an ichthyological curation center for receiving preserved fish specimens. Problematic taxonomic issues and protected taxa also are identified in the study plan, and collecting permits are obtained in advance of sampling activities. Taxonomic specialists are selected to identify fish specimens in the field and to assist in determining what fish specimens should be sacrificed, fixed, and preserved for laboratory identification, independent taxonomic verification, and long-term storage in reference or voucher collections. Quantitative and qualitative sampling of fishes follows standard methods previously established for the NAWQA Program. Common ichthyological techniques are used to process samples in the field and prepare fish specimens to be returned to the laboratory or sent to an institutional repository. Taxonomic identifications are reported by using a standardized list of scientific names that provides nomenclatural consistency and uniformity across study units.

  3. 40 CFR 131.22 - EPA promulgation of water quality standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false EPA promulgation of water quality... PROGRAMS WATER QUALITY STANDARDS Procedures for Review and Revision of Water Quality Standards § 131.22 EPA promulgation of water quality standards. (a) If the State does not adopt the changes specified by the Regional...

  4. Standardization and quality management in next-generation sequencing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endrullat, Christoph; Glökler, Jörn; Franke, Philipp; Frohme, Marcus

    2016-09-01

    DNA sequencing continues to evolve quickly even after > 30 years. Many new platforms suddenly appeared and former established systems have vanished in almost the same manner. Since establishment of next-generation sequencing devices, this progress gains momentum due to the continually growing demand for higher throughput, lower costs and better quality of data. In consequence of this rapid development, standardized procedures and data formats as well as comprehensive quality management considerations are still scarce. Here, we listed and summarized current standardization efforts and quality management initiatives from companies, organizations and societies in form of published studies and ongoing projects. These comprise on the one hand quality documentation issues like technical notes, accreditation checklists and guidelines for validation of sequencing workflows. On the other hand, general standard proposals and quality metrics are developed and applied to the sequencing workflow steps with the main focus on upstream processes. Finally, certain standard developments for downstream pipeline data handling, processing and storage are discussed in brief. These standardization approaches represent a first basis for continuing work in order to prospectively implement next-generation sequencing in important areas such as clinical diagnostics, where reliable results and fast processing is crucial. Additionally, these efforts will exert a decisive influence on traceability and reproducibility of sequence data.

  5. Quality control and quality standards for the production of bone allografts in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Shiquan; Li Youchen

    1999-01-01

    There is a rapid progress of tissue banking especially Bone Banking in China, In order to strengthen the control on medical devices, Ministry of Public Health (MPH) issued the 'Regulation on Supervision of Critical Medical Devices, MPH Decree No. 54' in 1997. The SPTB was requested to submit new application for the approval of production and providing of tissue allografts. The needed documents are clinical reports, package insert, quality standards of product, Quality System Regulation (QSR) and audit report. Quality System Regulation document adopted the GMP standard for medical devices of FDA, US (21 CFR 620-1997). SPTB will amend the existed Quality Manual to suit the requirement of QSR. Referring to the AATB Standards, SPTB established 'Technical Standards' for Tissue Banking and was approved by the local government, which will be the supplement of the submitted QSR document. Considering the need of market control, MPH requested to submit a 'Quality Standard of Product' and the method of inspection. SPTB has completed such standards for final inspection of bone products, which includes the test for residual water, microbiology, bone species, colour and structure. In addition, the Tissue Bank has completed standards for in process inspection, which includes residual blood, radiation sterilization, initial bioburden, package leakage and biomechanics. In-process inspection is important for the control of non-conforming final products to assure the safety and efficacy of bone grafts. Methods of in process inspection and final inspection are described and discussed in this paper

  6. 29 CFR Appendix B to Subpart L of... - National Consensus Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National Consensus Standards B Appendix B to Subpart L of... Appendix B to Subpart L of Part 1910—National Consensus Standards The following table contains a cross-reference listing of those current national consensus standards which contains information and guidelines...

  7. Development of a National Education and Training Data Standards Strategy and Implementation Plan. Cat. No. EDU 4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2015

    2015-01-01

    The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare developed a national data standards strategy and implementation plan to enhance the comparability, quality and coherence of information across the Australian education and training sectors, including early childhood education, school education, vocational education and training (VET) and higher…

  8. National standards in science education: Teacher perceptions regarding utilization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fletcher, Carol Louise Parsons

    The purpose of this naturalistic study was to determine what factors most influence middle school science teachers' intentions to utilize or ignore national standards, as a toot for reform in their classrooms, schools, or districts. Results indicate. that teachers with. minimal training were unlikely to use national standards documents due to their perceptions of a lack of support from peers, administrators and a high-stakes state accountability system. Teachers with more extensive training were more inclined to use national standards documents as philosophical guides for reform because they believed in the validity of the recommendations. Implications are discussed, chief among them that short-term professional development may actually do more harm than good if teachers retain or develop unexamined misconceptions about national standards recommendations as a result. In addition, due to the concerns expressed by teachers regarding state curriculum mandates and standardized testing, this study indicates that changes in these external factors must be instituted before teachers will commit themselves to standards-based reforms. It is suggested that staff development focus on opportunities for reflection and application which will promote conceptual change in teachers. A model predicated on the notion that the process of implementing reform is essentially an issue of promoting conceptual change in teachers is proposed. This model, termed the Reform Implementation as Conceptual Change, or RICC, focuses specifically on the cognitive processes teachers may go through when they are exposed to an innovation such as national standards. Stages such as integrated application, accommodation, assimilation, disconnection, and false accommodation, are described. The impact that professional development and training may have on the likelihood that teachers will experience these various stages is also discussed. This model serves as a theoretical framework for explaining why some

  9. Applying policy and health effects of air pollution in South Korea: focus on ambient air quality standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Jongsik

    2014-01-01

    Objectives South Korea’s air quality standards are insufficient in terms of establishing a procedure for their management. The current system lacks a proper decision-making process and prior evidence is not considered. The purpose of this study is to propose a measure for establishing atmospheric environmental standards in South Korea that will take into consideration the health of its residents. Methods In this paper, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of the US was examined in order to suggest ways, which consider health effects, to establish air quality standards in South Korea. Up-to-date research on the health effects of air pollution was then reviewed, and tools were proposed to utilize the key results. This was done in an effort to ensure the reliability of the standards with regard to public health. Results This study showed that scientific research on the health effects of air pollution and the methodology used in the research have contributed significantly to establishing air quality standards. However, as the standards are legally binding, the procedure should take into account the effects on other sectors. Realistically speaking, it is impossible to establish standards that protect an entire population from air pollution. Instead, it is necessary to find a balance between what should be done and what can be done. Conclusions Therefore, establishing air quality standards should be done as part of an evidence-based policy that identifies the health effects of air pollution and takes into consideration political, economic, and social contexts. PMID:25300297

  10. FACTORS DESCRIBING STUDENTS´ PERCEPTION ON EDUCATION QUALITY STANDARDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucie Vnoučková

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Education quality assurance is the necessity for today’s competitive environment in university education. Quality assurance standards and strategies are being used in most of universities and higher education institutions. But the perception of quality standards is being usually seen from the perspective of a university management. This study aims to analyze and present perceptions of students towards a measurement of education quality standards and to identify significant groups of students according to their preferences in education quality. Students’ questionnaires and focus groups collected the data. Two dimensional and multi-dimensional statistical methods were used to evaluate the results. The outputs show five groups of students based on their perception of the education quality. Examination of students’ interest in specific areas, subjects and courses leads to identification of factors which affect their preferences in education. The paper found five significant groups of perceived quality by students. These are Quality receptionists, Business oriented, Expert innovators, Distance learners and Arrangement oriented. Limit of the study is a narrow focus on one private university. This study may encourage other papers to develop and test further the impact of education quality on students’ preferences for measurable improvements. The paper is an extension of the conference paper presented on ERIE conference 2017.

  11. National standards of pharmaceutical education in the context of reforming legislation of higher education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    І. M. Alieksieieva

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Socially significant steps of Ukraine in the issue of European integration are measures to reform the legislation on higher education in the context of the Bologna process, namely: the adoption of the National Qualifications Framework and the new edition of the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education." The National Qualifications Framework (NQF, 2011 provides for "the introduction of European standards and principles to ensure the quality of education, taking into account the requirements of the labor market to the competence of specialists." According to formal characteristics, NQF is a matrix with static support elements – descriptors, which determine the vector of movement to a specific goal. The legal basis for the modernization of educational activities and standards of higher education was the new edition of the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education" (2014. The purpose of the article is a scientific and analytical study of the process of forming national standards for higher education, in particular, the standards of pharmaceutical higher education. Materials and methods. The study was based on the analysis of normative and legal and other normative acts on higher education, the issues of standardization of higher education and the systematization of qualifications, as well as scientific developments on this issue. Methods of research – bibliographic, linguistic, contextual, substantive-legal, comparative-legal, generalization, description of results. Results. Updating the wording of the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education," which is the basic normative legal act of higher legal action in higher education, the adjustment of its basic principles, concepts and approaches, objectively entailed the renewal of the entire regulatory and legal framework regulating the organization of higher education. Equally, this also affected the standards of higher education. This issue in the Act is reserved Section III: Standards of educational activity and

  12. The case for regime-based water quality standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    G.C. Poole; J.B. Dunham; D.M. Keenan; S.T. Sauter; D.A. McCullough; C. Mebane; J.C. Lockwood; D.A. Essig; M.P. Hicks; D.J. Sturdevant; E.J. Materna; S.A. Spalding; J. Risley; M. Deppman

    2004-01-01

    Conventional water quality standards have been successful in reducing the concentration of toxic substances in US waters. However, conventional standards are based on simple thresholds and are therefore poorly structured to address human-caused imbalances in dynamic, natural water quality parameters, such as nutrients, sediment, and temperature. A more applicable type...

  13. Managing air quality in a rapidly developing nation: China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Ming; Chan, Chak K.; Yao, Xiaohong

    As the world gets ready to begin the second decade of the twenty-first century, global climate change has been recognized as a real threat to civilization as we know it. The rapid and successful economic growth of developing nations, particularly China and India, is contributing to climate change. The route to initial economic success in China followed that of the developed nations through the development of industries. Unfortunately, China's environmental protection efforts have not been the same as in developed countries because China is vastly different culturally, socially, economically and, especially, politically from developed nations. When China started to deal with environmental concerns in the late 1970s, it took advantage of the experiences of other countries in establishing environmental standards and regulations, but it did not have a model to follow when it came to implementing these standards and regulations because of the abovementioned differences. Economically, China is transitioning from an agricultural base into an industrial base; however, even now, 60% of the population remains farmers. China has been and still is heavily dependent upon coal for energy, resulting in serious atmospheric particulate pollution. While growing efforts have been expended on the environment, at this juncture of its economic development, China would be well served to revisit the traditional "develop first and clean up later" approach and to find a balance between development and protecting the environment. Against this backdrop, a reflective look of the effort to manage air quality from 1949-2008 (with an emphasis on the past 30 years) in China is presented in this paper. The environmental component of the 2008 Olympic Games is examined as a special example to illustrate the current measures being used to improve air quality in China.

  14. 40 CFR 131.20 - State review and revision of water quality standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS WATER QUALITY STANDARDS Procedures for Review and Revision of Water Quality Standards § 131.20 State review and revision of water quality standards. (a) State review. The State shall... reviewing applicable water quality standards and, as appropriate, modifying and adopting standards. Any...

  15. Teaching about Personal Finance: The National Standards for Financial Literacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Andrew T.; Suiter, Mary C.

    2014-01-01

    In "Proposed National Standards for Financial Literacy: What's In? What's Out?", Maier, Figart, and Nelson pose the question: "How should educators use the standards?" In answering that question, they suggest a number of issues and topics that they believe should be taught along with the "National Standards for…

  16. National Training and Education Standards for Health and Wellness Coaching: The Path to National Certification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolever, Ruth Q.; Lawson, Karen; Moore, Margaret

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to announce the findings of the job task analysis as well as national training and education standards for health and wellness coaching (HWC) that have been developed by the large-scale, collaborative efforts of the National Consortium for Credentialing Health and Wellness Coaches (NCCHWC) and (2) to invite commentary from the public. The rapid proliferation of individuals and organizations using the terms of health and/or wellness coaches and the propagation of private industry and academic coach training and education programs endeavoring to prepare these coaches has created an urgent and pressing need for national standards for use of the term health and wellness coach, as well as minimal requirements for training, education, and certification. Professionalizing the field with national standards brings a clear and consistent definition of health and wellness coaching and accepted practice standards that are uniform across the field. In addition, clear standards allow for uniform curricular criteria to ensure a minimal benchmark for education, training, and skills and knowledge evaluation of professional health and wellness coaches. PMID:25984418

  17. The Problem of National Standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brannon, Lil

    1995-01-01

    Argues that the development of national standards is another way in which the literacy crisis is being managed and maintained, a crisis arising from the tension between America's promise to the individual that he or she will have full access to intellectual resources and the needs of capitalism to have a differentiated, stratified workforce. (TB)

  18. 77 FR 12482 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Indiana; Lead Ambient Air Quality...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-01

    ... Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Indiana; Lead Ambient Air Quality Standards AGENCY... incorporates the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Pb promulgated by EPA in 2008. DATES: This... FR 66964) and codified at 40 CFR 50.16, ``National primary and secondary ambient air quality...

  19. Quality Control in diagnostic radiology according to national regulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Domienik, J.; Chruscielewski, W.; Jankowski, J.

    2006-01-01

    The aim of the paper is to review the main aspects of quality control of radiological devices according to the current national regulations. Explanation of the physical principles of image formation by different test phantoms used to measure focal spot sizes is presented in appendix. The obligation for quality assurance (QA) for all X-ray systems which follows European standards was enforced in updated '' Atomic Law Act '' of 29 November 2000 . This document is the main regulatory act which establishes the basic safety standards for radiation protection in Poland. The main modifications introduced by this new Act concerned the issue of radiation protection of individuals undergoing medical examinations with the use of ionizing radiation which is regulated by EC Directive 97/43 Euratom. According to this Directive quality assurance programmes, including quality control measures need to be implemented by the holder of the radiological installation. Therefore, in the above Act the Minister of Health has been obligated to impose specific regulations describing the way of implementation of general principles laid down in the Directive. Some of these regulations, like those concerning QC tests and tolerances, have already been mentioned in the document titled '' On the conditions for safe application of ionizing radiation in medicine ''. For example, the QC program in radiography is being considered; the obligatory tests- acceptance, routine and annual- are discussed and specific procedures are being indicated. The main idea of the document '' On the conditions for safe application of ionizing radiation in medicine '' which concerns radiation protection of patients and staff against ionizing radiation used in medicine is to implement the surveillance of all X-ray systems in form of acceptance tests followed by internal tests (routine and annual) performed in accordance with European standards. (author)

  20. Guidelines for the processing and quality assurance of benthic invertebrate samples collected as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuffney, T.F.; Gurtz, M.E.; Meador, M.R.

    1993-01-01

    Benthic invertebrate samples are collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. This is a perennial, multidisciplinary program that integrates biological, physical, and chemical indicators of water quality to evaluate status and trends and to develop an understanding of the factors controlling observed water quality. The Program examines water quality in 60 study units (coupled ground- and surface-water systems) that encompass most of the conterminous United States and parts of Alaska and Hawaii. Study-unit teams collect and process qualitative and semi-quantitative invertebrate samples according to standardized procedures. These samples are processed (elutriated and subsampled) in the field to produce as many as four sample components: large-rare, main-body, elutriate, and split. Each sample component is preserved in 10-percent formalin, and two components, large-rare and main-body, are sent to contract laboratories for further processing. The large-rare component is composed of large invertebrates that are removed from the sample matrix during field processing and placed in one or more containers. The main-body sample component consists of the remaining sample materials (sediment, detritus, and invertebrates) and is subsampled in the field to achieve a volume of 750 milliliters or less. The remaining two sample components, elutriate and split, are used for quality-assurance and quality-control purposes. Contract laboratories are used to identify and quantify invertebrates from the large-rare and main-body sample components according to the procedures and guidelines specified within this document. These guidelines allow the use of subsampling techniques to reduce the volume of sample material processed and to facilitate identifications. These processing procedures and techniques may be modified if the modifications provide equal or greater levels of accuracy and precision. The intent of sample processing is to

  1. Methods to characterize environmental settings of stream and groundwater sampling sites for National Water-Quality Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakagaki, Naomi; Hitt, Kerie J.; Price, Curtis V.; Falcone, James A.

    2012-01-01

    Characterization of natural and anthropogenic features that define the environmental settings of sampling sites for streams and groundwater, including drainage basins and groundwater study areas, is an essential component of water-quality and ecological investigations being conducted as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment program. Quantitative characterization of environmental settings, combined with physical, chemical, and biological data collected at sampling sites, contributes to understanding the status of, and influences on, water-quality and ecological conditions. To support studies for the National Water-Quality Assessment program, a geographic information system (GIS) was used to develop a standard set of methods to consistently characterize the sites, drainage basins, and groundwater study areas across the nation. This report describes three methods used for characterization-simple overlay, area-weighted areal interpolation, and land-cover-weighted areal interpolation-and their appropriate applications to geographic analyses that have different objectives and data constraints. In addition, this document records the GIS thematic datasets that are used for the Program's national design and data analyses.

  2. Quality standards for bone conduction implants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gavilan, Javier; Adunka, Oliver; Agrawal, Sumit; Atlas, Marcus; Baumgartner, Wolf-Dieter; Brill, Stefan; Bruce, Iain; Buchman, Craig; Caversaccio, Marco; De Bodt, Marc T; Dillon, Meg; Godey, Benoit; Green, Kevin; Gstoettner, Wolfgang; Hagen, Rudolf; Hagr, Abdulrahman; Han, Demin; Kameswaran, Mohan; Karltorp, Eva; Kompis, Martin; Kuzovkov, Vlad; Lassaletta, Luis; Li, Yongxin; Lorens, Artur; Martin, Jane; Manoj, Manikoth; Mertens, Griet; Mlynski, Robert; Mueller, Joachim; O'Driscoll, Martin; Parnes, Lorne; Pulibalathingal, Sasidharan; Radeloff, Andreas; Raine, Christopher H; Rajan, Gunesh; Rajeswaran, Ranjith; Schmutzhard, Joachim; Skarzynski, Henryk; Skarzynski, Piotr; Sprinzl, Georg; Staecker, Hinrich; Stephan, Kurt; Sugarova, Serafima; Tavora, Dayse; Usami, Shin-Ichi; Yanov, Yuri; Zernotti, Mario; Zorowka, Patrick; de Heyning, Paul Van

    2015-01-01

    Bone conduction implants are useful in patients with conductive and mixed hearing loss for whom conventional surgery or hearing aids are no longer an option. They may also be used in patients affected by single-sided deafness. To establish a consensus on the quality standards required for centers willing to create a bone conduction implant program. To ensure a consistently high level of service and to provide patients with the best possible solution the members of the HEARRING network have established a set of quality standards for bone conduction implants. These standards constitute a realistic minimum attainable by all implant clinics and should be employed alongside current best practice guidelines. Fifteen items are thoroughly analyzed. They include team structure, accommodation and clinical facilities, selection criteria, evaluation process, complete preoperative and surgical information, postoperative fitting and assessment, follow-up, device failure, clinical management, transfer of care and patient complaints.

  3. Consumers' quality perception of national branded, national store branded, and imported store branded beef

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Banovic, Marija; Grunert, Klaus G.; Barreira, Maria Madalena

    2010-01-01

    This study investigated the differences in the consumers' quality perception of national branded, national store branded, and imported store branded beef. Partial Least Squares analysis is used for modelling the quality perception process. Results show that consumers perceived national branded...

  4. Refreshing the "Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics"

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDonald, Richard A.; Siegfried, John J.

    2012-01-01

    The second edition of the "Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics" was published by the Council for Economic Education in 2010. The authors examine the process for revising these precollege content standards and highlight several changes that appear in the new document. They also review the impact the standards have had on precollege…

  5. STANDARDIZING QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF FUSED REMOTELY SENSED IMAGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Pohl

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The multitude of available operational remote sensing satellites led to the development of many image fusion techniques to provide high spatial, spectral and temporal resolution images. The comparison of different techniques is necessary to obtain an optimized image for the different applications of remote sensing. There are two approaches in assessing image quality: 1. Quantitatively by visual interpretation and 2. Quantitatively using image quality indices. However an objective comparison is difficult due to the fact that a visual assessment is always subject and a quantitative assessment is done by different criteria. Depending on the criteria and indices the result varies. Therefore it is necessary to standardize both processes (qualitative and quantitative assessment in order to allow an objective image fusion quality evaluation. Various studies have been conducted at the University of Osnabrueck (UOS to establish a standardized process to objectively compare fused image quality. First established image fusion quality assessment protocols, i.e. Quality with No Reference (QNR and Khan's protocol, were compared on varies fusion experiments. Second the process of visual quality assessment was structured and standardized with the aim to provide an evaluation protocol. This manuscript reports on the results of the comparison and provides recommendations for future research.

  6. Standardizing Quality Assessment of Fused Remotely Sensed Images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pohl, C.; Moellmann, J.; Fries, K.

    2017-09-01

    The multitude of available operational remote sensing satellites led to the development of many image fusion techniques to provide high spatial, spectral and temporal resolution images. The comparison of different techniques is necessary to obtain an optimized image for the different applications of remote sensing. There are two approaches in assessing image quality: 1. Quantitatively by visual interpretation and 2. Quantitatively using image quality indices. However an objective comparison is difficult due to the fact that a visual assessment is always subject and a quantitative assessment is done by different criteria. Depending on the criteria and indices the result varies. Therefore it is necessary to standardize both processes (qualitative and quantitative assessment) in order to allow an objective image fusion quality evaluation. Various studies have been conducted at the University of Osnabrueck (UOS) to establish a standardized process to objectively compare fused image quality. First established image fusion quality assessment protocols, i.e. Quality with No Reference (QNR) and Khan's protocol, were compared on varies fusion experiments. Second the process of visual quality assessment was structured and standardized with the aim to provide an evaluation protocol. This manuscript reports on the results of the comparison and provides recommendations for future research.

  7. 40 CFR 131.21 - EPA review and approval of water quality standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS WATER QUALITY STANDARDS Procedures for Review and Revision of Water Quality Standards § 131.21 EPA review and approval of water quality standards. (a) After the State submits its... analysis. (b) The Regional Administrator's approval or disapproval of a State water quality standard shall...

  8. Guide: Monitoring Programme for unannounced inspections undertaken against the National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections

    OpenAIRE

    2014-01-01

    This is a guide to the Health Information and Quality Authority?s (the Authority) programme of monitoring service providers? compliance with the National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections (referred to in this guide as the Infection, Prevention and Control Standards). This guide explains the approach that the Authority takes when monitoring the compliance of service providers ? including hospitals ? with the Infection, Prevention and Control Standards...

  9. 77 FR 68717 - Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-16

    ..., 1918, and 1926 [Docket No. OSH-2011-0184] RIN 1218-AC65 Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor. ACTION: Proposed rule; withdrawal. SUMMARY: With this notice, OSHA is withdrawing the proposed rule that...

  10. Ultraviolet Radiation Dose National Standard of México

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardoso, R.; Rosas, E.

    2006-09-01

    We present the Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation Dose National Standard for México. The establishment of this measurement reference at Centro Nacional de Metrología (CENAM) eliminates the need of contacting foreign suppliers in the search for traceability towards the SI units when calibrating instruments at 365 nm. Further more, the UV Radiation Dose National Standard constitutes a highly accurate and reliable source for the UV radiation dose measurements performed in medical and cosmetic treatments as in the the food and pharmaceutics disinfection processes, among other.

  11. ISO 9001:2000--setting the standard for quality management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edelstein, M E

    2001-04-01

    How will you approach the next quality management initiative? This article offers an introduction to the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system standards that can be applied to the HIM industry and how these standards can improve your department's policies and procedures.

  12. 77 FR 68684 - Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-16

    ..., 1918, and 1926 [Docket No. OSHA-2011-0184] RIN 1218-AC65 Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor. ACTION: Final rule; confirmation of effective date. SUMMARY: OSHA is confirming the effective date of its...

  13. The National Coordinated Research Programme for Air Quality. Another choice for clean air

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Giezen, M.; Havinga, A.; De Boer, H.

    2009-01-01

    On August 1st 2009 the National Coordinated Research Programme for Air quality (NSL in Dutch) entered into operation. This programme must help improve air quality such that it meets the European standards. At the same time the deadlock between environment and space is also solved. A special approach has been chosen for this purpose, which is based on a common interest of the State, provinces and local authorities. It was an intensive and interesting process. The annual monitoring will have to show whether or not the NSL will meet its objectives. [nl

  14. Quality assurance standards: comparison between IAEA 50-C/SG-Q and ISO 9001:1994

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2000-11-01

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) agreement regarding the scope and coverage of documents published by both organizations points out that the standards of safety developed by the IAEA are recommendations for use by its Member States in the framework of national regulations for the safe utilization of nuclear energy. Such standards should be considered as nuclear safety regulatory documents. The standards developed by the ISO are complementary technical documents emphasizing industrial application and contractual aspects. Regarding the quality assurance topic, the IAEA standards 50-C/SG-Q are mostly used directly or indirectly to establish the nuclear safety requirements at the utility-regulatory interface. The industrial ISO 9001 standards have progressively been used to implement the quality assurance requirements at the interface utility-supplier. The relationship between both standards is growing in significance owing to the impact upon the owners/operators of nuclear facilities and their contractors/suppliers. The relationship between the IAEA and ISO standards is considered critical, in particular regarding suppliers with a small range of nuclear supplies. These organizations are not always willing to prepare special quality assurance programmes based on nuclear safety standards. On the other hand, these organizations may be qualified on the basis of the ISO quality assurance standards. In any case, for delivering nuclear items and services the quality assurance programme must comply with the requirements established in the nuclear safety regulatory standards. This implies that the utility-supplier will have to demonstrate that the acceptable degree of quality assurance in relation to nuclear safety is accomplished. This may be achieved by imposing additional requirements on the supplier over and above those contained within the ISO. In order to provide a description of the differences

  15. General introduction for the “National field manual for the collection of water-quality data”

    Science.gov (United States)

    ,

    2018-02-28

    BackgroundAs part of its mission, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects data to assess the quality of our Nation’s water resources. A high degree of reliability and standardization of these data are paramount to fulfilling this mission. Documentation of nationally accepted methods used by USGS personnel serves to maintain consistency and technical quality in data-collection activities. “The National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data” (NFM) provides documented guidelines and protocols for USGS field personnel who collect water-quality data. The NFM provides detailed, comprehensive, and citable procedures for monitoring the quality of surface water and groundwater. Topics in the NFM include (1) methods and protocols for sampling water resources, (2) methods for processing samples for analysis of water quality, (3) methods for measuring field parameters, and (4) specialized procedures, such as sampling water for low levels of mercury and organic wastewater chemicals, measuring biological indicators, and sampling bottom sediment for chemistry. Personnel who collect water-quality data for national USGS programs and projects, including projects supported by USGS cooperative programs, are mandated to use protocols provided in the NFM per USGS Office of Water Quality Technical Memorandum 2002.13. Formal training, for example, as provided in the USGS class, “Field Water-Quality Methods for Groundwater and Surface Water,” and field apprenticeships supplement the guidance provided in the NFM and ensure that the data collected are high quality, accurate, and scientifically defensible.

  16. Good Governance and Happiness in Nations: Technical Quality Precedes Democracy and Quality Beats Size

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J.C. Ott (Jan Cornelis)

    2010-01-01

    textabstractAverage happiness differs markedly across nations and there appears to be a system in these differences. This paper considers the role of quality of governance, and in particular the role of technical quality as opposed to democratic quality. A comparison of 127 nations in 2006 shows

  17. The National Expert Standard Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Nursing and pressure ulcer prevalence in German health care facilities: a multilevel analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilborn, Doris; Grittner, Ulrike; Dassen, Theo; Kottner, Jan

    2010-12-01

    The objective of this study was to describe the relationship between the German National Expert Standard Pressure Ulcer Prevention and the pressure ulcer prevalence in German nursing homes and hospitals. The patient outcome pressure ulcer does not only depend on individual characteristics of patients, but also on institutional factors. In Germany, National Expert Standards are evidence-based instruments that build the basis of continuing improvement in health care quality. It is expected that after having implemented the National Expert Standard Pressure Ulcer Prevention, the number of pressure ulcers should decrease in health care institutions. The analysed data were obtained from two cross-sectional studies from 2004-2005. A multilevel analysis was performed to show the impact of the National Expert Standard Pressure Ulcer Prevention on pressure ulcer prevalence. A total of 41.5% of hospitals and 38.8% of the nursing homes claimed to use the National Expert Standard in the process of developing their local protocols. The overall pressure ulcer prevalence grade 2-4 was 4.7%. Adjusted for hospital departments, survey year and individual characteristics, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of pressure ulcers between institutions that refer to the National Expert Standard or those referring to other sources in developing their local protocols (OR=1.14, 95% CI=0.90-1.44). There was no empirical evidence demonstrating that local protocols of pressure ulcer prevention based on the National Expert Standard were superior to local protocols which refer other sources of knowledge with regard to the pressure ulcer prevalence. The use of the National Expert Standard Pressure Ulcer Prevention can neither be recommended nor be refused. The recent definition of implementation of Expert Standards should be mandatory for all health care institutions which introduce Expert Standards. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  18. 30 CFR Appendix I to Subpart M of... - National Consensus Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National Consensus Standards I Appendix I to... Machinery and Equipment Pt. 56, Subpt. M, App. I Appendix I to Subpart M of Part 56—National Consensus... object protective structures (FOPS) may consult the following national consensus standards, as applicable...

  19. Environmental Quality Standards in the EC-Water Framework Directive

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jirka, Gerhard H.; Burrows, Richard; Larsen, Torben

    2004-01-01

    The "combined approach" in the new EC-Water Framework Directive(WFD) consisting of environmental quality standards in addition to emission limit values promises improvements in the quality characteristics of surface water. However, the specification of where in the water body the environmental...... quality standards apply is missing in the WFD. The omission will limit its administrative implementation. A clear mixing zone regulation is needed so that the quality objectives of the WFD are not jeopardized. This need is demonstrated using the examples of point source discharges into rivers and coastal...

  20. National protocol for quality assurance in DXA-bone densitometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slavchev, A.; Avramova-Cholakova, S.; Vassileva, J.

    2008-01-01

    Osteoporosis becomes largely one of the most important socially significant and costly diseases. Modern techniques (DXA, US) are applied for bone densitometry. The paper presents a protocol for quality assurance especially of DXA-bone densitometers including quality control made in compliance with international standards (ISCD, IOF). The methodology has been tested in practice by measurements on site-functional assessment, entrance dose, radiation protection, calibration, in-vitro precision. It is expected to raise the quality of the diagnostic process in concert with the EU Medical Directive 97/43 particularly for population screening and sensitive groups. The protocol is an essential part of the National Program for constraining osteoporosis which has been elaborated at the Ministry of Health and at present under implementation throughout the country. It aims at reducing the risk, factors spreading, at diminishing the fracture risk the morbidity and the mortality from osteoporosis. An integral multidisciplinary approach to the problem solving is applied as well as training on three levels — doctors, patients, population, which effectively will contribute for obtaining real results in preventing osteoporosis.

  1. [Study on seed quality test and quality standard of Lonicera macranthoides].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ying; Xu, Jin; Li, Long-Yun; Cui, Guang-Lin; She, Yue-Hui

    2016-04-01

    Referring to the rules for agricultural seed testing (GB/T 3543-1995) issued by China, the test of sampling, purity, thousand seed weight, moisture, viability, relative conductivity and germination rate had been studied for seed quality test methods of Lonicera macranthoides. The seed quality from 38 different collection areas was measured to establish quality classification standard by K-means clustering. The results showed that at least 7.5 g seeds should be sampled, and passed 20-mesh sieve for purity analysis.The 500-seed method used to measure thousand seed weight. The moisture was determined by crushed seeds dried in high temperature (130±2) ℃ for 3 h.The viability determined by 25 ℃ 0.1% TTC stained 5h in dark. 1.0 g seeds soaked in 50 ml ultra pure water in 25 ℃ for 12 hours to determine the relative conductivity. The seed by 4 ℃stratification for 80 days were cultured on paper at 15 ℃. Quality of the seeds from different areas was divided into three grades. The primary seed quality classification standard was established.The I grade and II grade were recommend use in production. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  2. School Climate and the National School Climate Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciccone, Patricia A.; Freibeg, Jo Ann

    2013-01-01

    Increasingly, more and more areas of educational practice are being guided by sets of national standards for content, leadership, professional ethics, family-school partnerships, and school accreditation, among others. Similarly, there is growing appreciation that standards are needed to effectively measure improvement in school climate. The…

  3. 40 CFR 121.25 - Adoption of new water quality standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Adoption of new water quality... Administrator § 121.25 Adoption of new water quality standards. (a) In any case where: (1) A license or permit was issued without certification due to the absence of applicable water quality standards; and (2...

  4. Teaching High School Physical Education According to National Standards: The 6 Verbs of Success--Demonstrate, Understand, Participate, Achieve, Exhibit and Value

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bert, Greg

    2010-01-01

    The six national content standards from NASPE define what a student should know and be able to do as a result of a high quality physical education program. The "NASPE SIX" serve as a North Star to guide teachers as they prepare and implement programs. Simply stated, the NASPE Standards for Physical Education are all about six simple…

  5. Quality-control design for surface-water sampling in the National Water-Quality Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riskin, Melissa L.; Reutter, David C.; Martin, Jeffrey D.; Mueller, David K.

    2018-04-10

    The data-quality objectives for samples collected at surface-water sites in the National Water-Quality Network include estimating the extent to which contamination, matrix effects, and measurement variability affect interpretation of environmental conditions. Quality-control samples provide insight into how well the samples collected at surface-water sites represent the true environmental conditions. Quality-control samples used in this program include field blanks, replicates, and field matrix spikes. This report describes the design for collection of these quality-control samples and the data management needed to properly identify these samples in the U.S. Geological Survey’s national database.

  6. Quality management standards for facility services in the Italian health care sector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cesarotti, Vittorio; Di Silvio, Bruna

    2006-01-01

    Health care, one of the most dynamic sectors in Italy, is studied with a particular focus on outsourcing non-core activities such as facility management (FM) services. The project's goals are to define national standards to balance and control facility service evolution, and to drive FM services towards organisational excellence. The authors, in cooperation with a pool of facility service providers and hospitals managers, studied cleaning services--one of the most critical areas. This article describes the research steps and findings following definition and publication of the Italian standard and its application to an international benchmarking process. The method chosen for developing the Italian standard was to merge technical, strategic and organisational aspects with the goal of standardising the contracting system, giving service providers the chance to improve efficiency and quality, while helping healthcare organisations gain from a better, more reliable and less expensive service. The Italian standard not only improved services but also provided adequate control systems for outsourcing organisations. In this win-win context, it is hoped to continually drive FM services towards organisational excellence. This study is specific to the Italian national healthcare system. However, the strategic dynamics described are common to many other contexts. A systematic method for improving hospital FM services is presented. The authors believe that lessons learned from their Italian case study can be used to better understand and drive similar services in other countries or in other FM service outsourcing sectors.

  7. A pioneering application of NQA-1 quality assurance standards in the development of software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weisbin, A.N.

    1988-01-01

    The application of NQA-1 Quality Assurance Standards to computer software programs has been recent at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. One reason for systematically applying quality assurance to computer software is the extensive use of results from computer programs. to characterize potential sites for nuclear waste repositories leading ultimately to important policy making decisions. Because data from these programs characterize the likely radioactivity profile for many hundreds of years, experimental validation is not feasible. The Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis Methods Development Project (SUAMDP) was developed to formulate and utilize efficient and comprehensive methods for determining sensitivities of calculated results with respect to changes in all input parameters. The computerized methodology was embodied in the Gradient Enhanced Software System (GRESS). Due to the fact that GRESS was to be used in the site characterization for waste storage, stringent NQA-1 requirements were imposed by the sponsor. A working relationship between the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Quality Department and the research scientists developing GRESS was essential in achieving understanding and acceptance of the quality assurance requirements as applied to the SUAMDP. The relationship resulted in the SUAMDP becoming the first software project at ORNL to develop a comprehensive NQA-1 Quality Assurance Plan; this plan now serves as a model for software quality assurance at ORNL. This paper describes the evolution of this plan and its impact on the application of quality assurance procedures to software

  8. Development of healthy eating and physical activity quality standards for out-of-school time programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiecha, Jean L; Hall, Georgia; Gannett, Ellen; Roth, Barbara

    2012-12-01

    Out-of-school time (OST) programs serve over 8 million children per year and have ample opportunity to promote health through menu and physical activity choices. Until recently, however, the field has lacked a comprehensive set of operationalizable standards for healthy eating and physical activity. The National AfterSchool Association adopted voluntary healthy eating and physical activity quality standards (HEPAQS) in April, 2011. We describe the development of HEPAQS. This work reflects a social ecological model for changing children's eating and activity behaviors through program-level interventions. The standards were developed using a national, mixed-methods needs assessment, review of existing standards and expert recommendations, and a participatory process of discussion, review, and consensus engaging 19 influential service and policy organizations and agencies in the Healthy Out-of-School Time (HOST) coalition, which we convened in 2009. The HOST coalition approved a final version of the HEPAQS in January, 2011. The 11 standards address content, curriculum selection, staff training, program support, and environmental support for healthy eating and physical activity. In April, 2011, the HEPAQS were adopted by the National AfterSchool Association, and have subsequently been widely disseminated. Extensive adoption and implementation efforts are underway. The availability of a comprehensive set of standards for healthy eating and physical activity in OST provides practical information to help community-based youth-serving organizations participate in obesity and chronic disease prevention. A working awareness of their content will be useful to scientists undertaking health promotion studies in the out-of-school time setting.

  9. An Approach to Establishing International Quality Standards for Medical Travel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ondřej eKácha

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Traveling abroad to receive a non-elective treatment is expanding each year. Such rising popularity of medical travel and the absence of clear minimum quality requirements in this area urgently calls for setting international standards to ensure good practice and patient safety. The aim of this study is to identify the key domains in medical travel where such quality standards should be established. Drawing from the evidence-based OECD framework and an extensive literature review, this study proposes three critical areas for international quality standards in medical travel: minimum standards of health care facilities and third-party agencies, financial responsibility and patient-centeredness. Several cultural challenges are subsequently introduced that may pose a barrier to the development of the guidelines and should be additionally taken into consideration. Establishing international quality standards in medical travel enhances the benefits to patients and providers, which is urgently needed given the rapid growth in this industry.

  10. 76 FR 42052 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Petroleum Refineries

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-18

    ...-AO55 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Petroleum Refineries AGENCY... the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Petroleum Refineries. EPA is now... signed a final rule amending the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Petroleum...

  11. The National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) - Using a national clinical audit to raise standards of nursing care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johansen, Antony; Boulton, Christopher; Hertz, Karen; Ellis, Michael; Burgon, Vivienne; Rai, Sunil; Wakeman, Rob

    2017-08-01

    The National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) is a key clinical governance programme for staff working in trauma wards across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It uses prospectively collected information about the 65,000 people who present with hip fracture each year, and links these with information about the quality of care and outcome for each individual. The NHFD can, therefore, provide a picture of the care offered to frail older people with this injury - people who, between them, occupy nearly half of inpatient trauma beds. The NHFD uses its website (www.nhfd.co.uk) to feed back live information to each of the countries' 180 trauma units - allowing them to bench mark their performance against national standards, and against that in other hospitals. This helps to develop a consensus over the best care for frail older people in areas where national guidance is not yet available. This article shows how the NHFD is contributing to four key aspects of patient safety and nursing care: the prevention of pressure ulcers and post-operative delirium, the monitoring of falls incidence across hospitals and nutritional assessment of patients with hip fracture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Alignment of Teacher-Developed Curricula and National Standards in Qatar's National Education Reform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasser, Ramzi; Zaki, Eman; Allen, Nancy; Al Mula, Badria; Al Mutawaha, Fatma; Al Bin Ali, Hessa; Kerr, Tricia

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the degree to which teacher developed curriculum was aligned with the national standards in Qatar. Three sources of data included teacher response to a questionnaire, teacher interviews and expert rating of the alignment of teacher-developed materials with curriculum standards. A survey and interview questions measured…

  13. Quality and standards in electronics

    CERN Document Server

    Tricker, Ray

    1997-01-01

    A manufacturer or supplier of electronic equipment or components needs to know the precise requirements for component certification and quality conformance to meet the demands of the customer. This book ensures that the professional is aware of all the UK, European and International necessities, knows the current status of these regulations and standards, and where to obtain them.

  14. Air kerma standardization for diagnostic radiology in a secondary standard laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, Manoel M.O.; Peixoto, J. Guilherme P.; Lopes, Ricardo T.

    2009-01-01

    The demand for calibration services and quality control in diagnostic radiology has grown in the country since the publication of the governmental regulation 453, issued by the Brazilian Ministry of Health in 1998. At that time, to produce results facing the new legislation, many laboratories used different standards and radiation qualities, some of which could be inadequate. The international standards neither supplied consistent radiation qualities and standardization for the different types of equipment available. This situation changed with the publication of the new edition of the IEC 61267 standard, published in 2005. The objective of this work was to implement the standardization of the air kerma for the unatenuated qualities (RQR) of IEC 61267 in the National Laboratory of Metrology of the Ionizing Radiations (LNMRI) of the Institute of Radiation Protection and Dosimetry (IRD). Technical procedures were developed together with uncertainty budget. Results of interlaboratory comparisons demonstrate that the quantity is standardized and internationally traceable. (author)

  15. When We Review the National Visual Arts Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herberholz, Barbara

    2010-01-01

    The National Art Education Association (NAEA) has clearly defined the role of art with six content and achievement standards that are broad in coverage and designed specifically to ensure a thorough and comprehensive art program for K-4, 5-8 and 9-12. To meet the standards, students learn vocabularies and concepts associated with various types of…

  16. ANALISIS PERBANDINGAN PENGHARGAAN KUALITAS MALCOLM BALDRIGE NATIONAL QUALITY AWARD DENGAN EUROPEAN QUALITY AWARD (MBNQA vs EQA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arfan Bakhtiar Amalia

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Persaingan bisnis global saat ini makin ketat. Dengan adanya Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA dan juga European Quality Award (EQA diharapkan mampu mendorong dan memotivasi perusahaan-perusahaan, baik yang sudah sukses maupun yang sedang berkembang, untuk selalu meningkatkan mutu dan kinerja, serta sebagai kunci daya saing. Dalam makalah ini, kita akan membahas penghargaan kualitas mengenai tujuan, manfaat dan perkembangan, dan trend saat ini, terutama untuk MBNQA dan EQM (European Quality Model. Kita akan membandingkan antara MBNQA dan EQM melalui pengertian, latar belakang, metode-metode, dan kriteria-kriteria, serta aplikasinya, sehingga dapat kita lakukan analisa perbandingan untuk keduanya. Kata Kunci  : Penghargaan Kualitas, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA, European Quality Award (EQA   Emulation of global business in this time more and more to tighten. With existence of Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA as well as European Quality Award (EQA expected can push and motivate companies, both for have successful and also which is expanding, to always increase the quality and performance, and also as competitiveness key. In this paper, we will discuss about national quality award concerning target, benefit, growth, and trend in this time, especially MBNQA and EQM (European Quality Model. We will compare between MBNQA and EQM through congeniality, background, method, and criterions, and also its application,  so that earn us to analyse comparison to both of its. Keyword        : Quality Award, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA, European Quality Award (EQA

  17. Small scale biomass heating systems: Standards, quality labelling and market driving factors - An EU outlook

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verma, V.K.; De Ruyck, J.; Bram, S.

    2009-01-01

    In the present study a comparative evaluation of several existing quality labels and standards for small scale biomass heating systems (BHS) and the biomass fuels they use was performed. With the introduction of pellet fuels, biomass heating technology achieved enough maturity to successfully compete with oil/gas heating devices in terms of ease of use, utilization of energy and pollutant emissions. From indoor air quality and related health risks point of view, quality labelling of both BHS and fuel they use leads to stricter emissions, efficiency and safety requirements as compared to National and EU standards. Several measures supporting this green energy market in the active countries (Sweden, Nordic countries, Germany, France and Austria) were investigated. It was found that policies and financial incentives such as the Finance Law (2005-2009) in France and Market Incentives Programme (1999-2006) in Germany are the most successful. German regulations and quality label (Blue Angel) provide the stringent quality requirements for residential BHS. In Belgium, Wallonia is the most active region for biomass energy utilization (83.5 MW for residential heating in 2007). A quality label for small scale BHS however does not yet exist. An equivalent label (Optimaz) exists for oil fired residential boilers. Emphasis has been placed upon using Optimaz as a reference and to compare with other existing quality labels. As a result, an effort had been made to move ahead in the preliminary study for development of a quality label for Belgian. (author)

  18. EP&R Standards Project Report: Technical Review of National Incident Management Standards

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stenner, Robert D.

    2007-04-24

    The importance and necessity for a fully developed and implemented National Incident Management System (NIMS) has been demonstrated in recent years by the impact of national events such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Throughout the history of emergency response to major disasters, especially when multiple response organizations are involved, there have been systemic problems in the consistency and uniformity of response operations. Identifying national standards that support the development and implementation of NIMS is key to helping solve these systemic problems. The NIMS seeks to provide uniformity and consistency for incident management by using common terminology and protocols that will enable responders to coordinate their efforts to ensure an efficient response.

  19. Rethinking Space Design Standards Toward Quality Affordable Housing In Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ishak Nor Haniza

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Provision of affordable housing is important to low- and middle-income population. A fit form of house will not only fulfil a basic human need for shelter, but it also contributes to physical and psychological well-being of the occupants. Excellent quality and affordable housing is an indication of a high quality of life. While writings exist on various aspects of the quality of affordable housing in Malaysia, discussion regarding space and design standards has scarcely been given any serious academic attention. Standards concerning residential development usually cover different aspects or stages of the development process. They can include planning standards, design standards, space standards and technical construction standards. The main concern of this paper is on space and design standards specifically. Space standard can be defined as a set of framework which dictates fixed internal space minimums. Meanwhile, design standard indicates design guidelines to ensure the functionality, comfortability and habitability of the house. This paper is concerned exclusively with indoor spaces of a house excluding external circulation spaces and service facilities (in case of strata housing. Its interest is in internal space as an aspect of housing quality. It can be concluded that one of the way forward will be to find the balance between providing adequate minimum spaces for resident satisfactions and having economic values for housing developers. This paper may be used as a valuable reference for authorities and policy makers to better address the best housing space design standards that would benefit not only the occupants, but also the local government and developers alike.

  20. 78 FR 66655 - Consumer Information; Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-06

    ... information indicating the relative performance of passenger car tires in the areas of treadwear, traction... [Docket No. NHTSA-2013-0120] RIN 2127-AL49 Consumer Information; Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards...). ACTION: Interim final rule; request for comments. SUMMARY: The Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards...

  1. Improving the quality of maternal and neonatal care: the role of standard based participatory assessments.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giorgio Tamburlini

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Gaps in quality of care are seriously affecting maternal and neonatal health globally but reports of successful quality improvement cycles implemented at large scale are scanty. We report the results of a nation-wide program to improve quality of maternal and neonatal hospital care in a lower-middle income country focusing on the role played by standard-based participatory assessments. METHODS: Improvements in the quality of maternal and neonatal care following an action-oriented participatory assessment of 19 areas covering the whole continuum from admission to discharge were measured after an average period of 10 months in four busy referral maternity hospitals in Uzbekistan. Information was collected by a multidisciplinary national team with international supervision through visit to hospital services, examination of medical records, direct observation of cases and interviews with staff and mothers. Scores (range 0 to 3 attributed to over 400 items and combined in average scores for each area were compared with the baseline assessment. RESULTS: Between the first and the second assessment, all four hospitals improved their overall score by an average 0.7 points out of 3 (range 0.4 to 1, i.e. by 22%. The improvements occurred in all main areas of care and were greater in the care of normal labor and delivery (+0.9, monitoring, infection control and mother and baby friendly care (+0.8 the role of the participatory action-oriented approach in determining the observed changes was estimated crucial in 6 out of 19 areas and contributory in other 8. Ongoing implementation of referral system and new classification of neonatal deaths impede the improved process of care to be reflected in current statistics. CONCLUSIONS: Important improvements in the quality of hospital care provided to mothers and newborn babies can be achieved through a standard-based action-oriented and participatory assessment and reassessment process.

  2. Air Quality Modelling and the National Emission Database

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, S. S.

    The project focuses on development of institutional strengthening to be able to carry out national air emission inventories based on the CORINAIR methodology. The present report describes the link between emission inventories and air quality modelling to ensure that the new national air emission...... inventory is able to take into account the data requirements of air quality models...

  3. Technical comments on EPA`s proposed revisions to the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for particulate matter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lipfert, F.W.

    1997-03-01

    The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new ambient air quality standards specifically for fine particulate matter, regulating concentrations of particles with median aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 {mu}m (PM{sub 2.5}). Two new standards have been proposed: a maximum 24-hr concentration that is intended to protect against acute health effects, and an annual concentration limit that is intended to protect against longer-term health effects. EPA has also proposed a slight relaxation of the 24-hr standard for inhalable particles (PM{sub 10}), by allowing additional exceedances each year. Fine particles are currently being indirectly controlled by means of regulations for PM{sub 10} and TSP, under the Clean Air Act of 1970 and subsequent amendments. Although routine monitoring of PM{sub 2.5} is rare and data are sparse, the available data indicate that ambient concentrations have been declining at about 6% per year under existing regulations.

  4. Calibrations and evaluation of the quality assurance during 1999 at the National Laboratory for ionising radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grindborg, Jan-Erik; Israelsson, Karl-Erik; Kylloenen, Jan-Erik; Samuelson, Goeran

    2000-06-01

    The Swedish Radiation Protection Institute is the National Laboratory for the dosimetric quantities kerma, absorbed dose and dose equivalent. The activity is based on established calibration procedures and a quality assurance program for the used standards. This report gives a brief summary of the calibrations performed during 1999 and a more detailed description and analysis of the quality assurance during this year. The report makes it easier to draw conclusions about the long-term stability and possible malfunctions

  5. Development, enhancement, and evaluation of aircraft measurement techniques for national ambient air quality standard criteria pollutants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brent, Lacey Cluff

    The atmospheric contaminants most harmful to human health are designated Criteria Pollutants. To help Maryland attain the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for Criteria Pollutants, and to improve our fundamental understanding of atmospheric chemistry, I conducted aircraft measurements in the Regional Atmospheric Measurement Modeling Prediction Program (RAMMPP). These data are used to evaluate model simulations and satellite observations. I developed techniques for improving airborne observation of two NAAQS pollutants, particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). While structure and composition of organic aerosol are important for understanding PM formation, the molecular speciation of organic ambient aerosol remains largely unknown. The spatial distribution of reactive nitrogen is likewise poorly constrained. To examine water-soluble organic aerosol (WSOA) during an air pollution episode, I designed and implemented a shrouded aerosol inlet system to collect PM onto quartz fiber filters from a Cessna 402 research aircraft. Inlet evaluation conducted during a side-by-side flight with the NASA P3 demonstrated agreement to within 30%. An ion chromatographic mass spectrometric method developed using the NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1649b Urban Dust, as a surrogate material resulted in acidic class separation and resolution of at least 34 organic acids; detection limits approach pg/g concentrations. Analysis of aircraft filter samples resulted in detection of 8 inorganic species and 16 organic acids of which 12 were quantified. Aged, re-circulated metropolitan air showed a greater number of dicarboxylic acids compared to air recently transported from the west. While the NAAQS for NO2 is rarely exceeded, it is a precursor molecule for ozone, America's most recalcitrant pollutant. Using cavity ringdown spectroscopy employing a light emitting diode (LED), I measured vertical profiles of NO2 (surface to 2.5 km) west (upwind) of the Baltimore

  6. Implementation of quality standards in an individual monitoring service

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hyvoenen, H.; Vartiainen, E

    2001-07-01

    In this paper the implementation of a quality system to the procedures of an individual monitoring service (IMS) is described from the practical perspective. The IMS of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) is used as an example. The IMS of STUK monitors about 8500 persons mainly working in hospitals, industry and research centres. The current thermoluminescence dosemeter (TLD) system was introduced in 1992 and the whole service changed to TLDs in 1995. The quality system compatible with the quality standards was introduced in 1999. An application for accreditation to full EN45001 and ISO/IEC Guide 25 was made in December 1999, accreditation was achieved in August 2000 by the Finnish Accreditation Service (FINAS). The considerations needed for the quality system to fulfil the requirements of the quality standards are reported. (author)

  7. Implementation of quality standards in an individual monitoring service

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hyvoenen, H.; Vartiainen, E.

    2001-01-01

    In this paper the implementation of a quality system to the procedures of an individual monitoring service (IMS) is described from the practical perspective. The IMS of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) is used as an example. The IMS of STUK monitors about 8500 persons mainly working in hospitals, industry and research centres. The current thermoluminescence dosemeter (TLD) system was introduced in 1992 and the whole service changed to TLDs in 1995. The quality system compatible with the quality standards was introduced in 1999. An application for accreditation to full EN45001 and ISO/IEC Guide 25 was made in December 1999, accreditation was achieved in August 2000 by the Finnish Accreditation Service (FINAS). The considerations needed for the quality system to fulfil the requirements of the quality standards are reported. (author)

  8. Quality assurance requirements in various codes and standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaaban, H.I.; EL-Sayed, A.; Aly, A.E.

    1987-01-01

    The quality assurance requirements in various countries and according to various international codes and standards are presented, compared and critically discussed. Cases of developing countries are also discussed, and the use of IAEA code of practice and other codes for quality assurance in these countries is reviewed. Recommendations are made regarding the quality assurance system to be applied for Egypt's nuclear power plants

  9. 25 CFR 273.38 - Equal quality and standard of education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Equal quality and standard of education. 273.38 Section... EDUCATION ASSISTANCE ACT PROGRAM EDUCATION CONTRACTS UNDER JOHNSON-O'MALLEY ACT Funding Provisions § 273.38 Equal quality and standard of education. Contracts with State education agencies or school districts...

  10. Standards, calibration and quality assurance of 222Rn measurements in Sweden

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Falk, R.; Hagberg, N.; Mjoenes, L.; Moere, H.; Nyblom, L.; Swedjemark, G.A.

    1994-01-01

    Inhaled decay products of 222 Rn are the dominant components of the natural radiation exposure to the general population. Limits have been introduced in Sweden, and recommendations were made in 1980 for decreasing indoor 222 Rn concentration. The need for the coordinated calibration of measuring instruments as well as for quality assurance was obvious for both health and economic reasons. 222 Rn measurements in Sweden are based on standards traceable to the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) through the use of standard reference material 226 Ra. Standards for both 222 Rn and short-lived 222 Rn progeny are described together with the reference instrument adopted for these studies. The calibration of field instruments was performed in a ''radon room'', a climate chamber in which it is possible to vary and monitor the concentration of 222 Rn as well as other characteristics of the indoor air such as temperature, humidity, ventilation rate and aerosol concentration. The rules and regulations for field measurements imply a calibration of the instruments yearly, as well as accreditation and training for the companies that carry out the measurements. Examples are given of the official measurement protocols used for the different types of instruments. (orig.)

  11. 40 CFR 125.61 - Existence of and compliance with applicable water quality standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... applicable water quality standards. 125.61 Section 125.61 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Water Act § 125.61 Existence of and compliance with applicable water quality standards. (a) There must exist a water quality standard or standards applicable to the pollutant(s) for which a section 301(h...

  12. Progress in France of the standardization of multi-level quality assurance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Debout, E.

    1982-01-01

    Quality assurance has evolved in a steady but somewhat haphazard manner in various industries, each of which has drawn up its own standards. Examples of this are the armaments industry under the auspices of NATO, nuclear energy (IAEA guides), the French aerospace industries and the Industrial Monitoring Service for Armaments in France. For the sake of both the supplier companies and the customers, these differing and sometimes incompatible requirements should be brought into line. At the instigation of the French Association for Industrial Quality Control (AFCIQ), the French Association for Standardization (AFNOR) is therefore in the process of publishing a series of documents on quality management and assurance. For its part, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has set up a committee (TC 176) to standardize quality assurance. The different documents provide for various levels of quality assurance, the compatibility of which will have to be closely monitored. (author)

  13. Water quality in hard rocks of the Karkonosze National Park (Western Sudetes, SW Poland)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marszałek, Henryk; Rysiukiewicz, Michał

    2017-12-01

    Long-term regional emissions of air pollutants in the second half of the twentieth century led to strong changes in the quality of surface and groundwater in the Karkonosze Mts. As a result, in the most valuable natural parts of these mountains, protected in the area of the Karkonosze National Park, there was strong deforestation, which assumed the size of an ecological disaster. The various protective activities introduced at the beginning of the 1990s led to the improvement not only of the water quality, but also other ecosystems. Based on the chemical analyses of water sampled in 40 points located in the whole Park, the current state of water quality was assessed. Concentrations of some microelements were higher only in few points compared to the drinking water quality standards, which indicates a significant improvement in water quality.

  14. Measurement quality assurance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eisenhower, E.H.

    1988-01-01

    The quality of a radiation protection program can be no better than the quality of the measurements made to support it. In many cases, that quality is unknown and is merely implied on the basis of a calibration of a measuring instrument. If that calibration is inappropriate or is performed improperly, the measurement result will be inaccurate and misleading. Assurance of measurement quality can be achieved if appropriate procedures are followed, including periodic quality control actions that demonstrate adequate performance. Several national measurement quality assurance (MQA) programs are operational or under development in specific areas. They employ secondary standards laboratories that provide a high-quality link between the National Bureau of Standards and measurements made at the field use level. The procedures followed by these secondary laboratories to achieve MQA will be described, as well as plans for similar future programs. A growing general national interest in quality assurance, combined with strong specific motivations for MQA in the area of ionizing radiation, will provide continued demand for appropriate national programs. Such programs must, however, employ procedures that are cost effective and must be developed with participation by all affected parties

  15. New Quality Standards of Testing Idlers for Highly Effective Belt Conveyors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Król, Robert; Gladysiewicz, Lech; Kaszuba, Damian; Kisielewski, Waldemar

    2017-12-01

    The paper presents result of research and analyses carried out into the belt conveyors idlers’ rotational resistance which is one of the key factor indicating the quality of idlers. Moreover, idlers’ rotational resistance is important factor in total resistance to motion of belt conveyor. The evaluation of the technical condition of belt conveyor idlers is carried out in accordance with actual national and international standards which determine the methodology of measurements and acceptable values of measured idlers’ parameters. Requirements defined by the standards, which determine the suitability of idlers to a specific application, despite the development of knowledge on idlers and quality of presently manufactured idlers maintain the same level of parameters values over long periods of time. Nowadays the need to implement new, efficient and economically justified solution for belt conveyor transportation systems characterized by long routes and energy-efficiency is often discussed as one of goals in belt conveyors’ future. One of the basic conditions for achieving this goal is to use only carefully selected idlers with low rotational resistance under the full range of operational loads and high durability. Due to this it is necessary to develop new guidelines for evaluation of the technical condition of belt conveyor idlers in accordance with actual standards and perfecting of existing and development of new methods of idlers testing. The changes in particular should concern updating of values of parameters used for evaluation of the technical condition of belt conveyor idlers in relation to belt conveyors’ operational challenges and growing demands in terms of belt conveyors’ energy efficiency.

  16. Setting and Reviewing Standards to Control Lead (Pb) Pollution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lead (Pb) standards are part of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which limit air pollution to protect health and the environment. Standards are periodically reviewed and updated, and air quality across the U.S. is measured against them.

  17. National and International Standardization (International Organization for Standardization and European Committee for Standardization Relevant for Sustainability in Construction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renata Morbiducci

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Sustainability in construction has a short history in terms of principles, standardizations and applications. From the Brundtland Report “Our Common Future”, a new vision of the resource deficits, climate impacts and the social responsibility gave growth to the idea of sustainability also in design and construction. Consequently, in around 2000, the international and national organizations for standardization started to develop standards for the application of sustainable principles. This paper gives an overview of existing and planned standards, and examples on how to use them as a framework for the development of methods and tools for assessment.

  18. 26 CFR 1.23-4 - Performance and quality standards. [Reserved

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Performance and quality standards. [Reserved] 1.23-4 Section 1.23-4 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY INCOME TAX INCOME TAXES Changes in Rates During A Taxable Year § 1.23-4 Performance and quality standards. [Reserved...

  19. An IEC standard on quality assurance for diagnostic X-ray systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boer, J.A. den

    1985-01-01

    A presentation is given of some characteristics of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). This is followed by a short discussion of general aspects of quality assurance in the diagnostic department. From this discussion it becomes apparent to which aspects of quality assurance IEC can contribute. Within that framework a working group of Sub-Committee 62 is at present active in developing a standard on quality assurance for diagnostic X-ray systems. The standard will contain a set of constancy tests that is claimed to allow a balanced quality assurance programme. The democratic procedure of IEC should guarantee that the proposed standard gains wide acceptance. (author)

  20. THE EFFECT OF UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE STANDARD AND QUALITY OF

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    JELENA TOSKOVIC

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available In the early 1990s the Western Balkan countries entered the transition process which involved the transition from a centrally-planned to a market economy. Thus, these countries were forced to adhere to the basic neoliberal principles based on the Washington consensus, which has promoted the liberalization, privatization and stabilization. This model, in all transition countries, and thus the countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, was governed by the same guidelines. However, the consequence occurred but economic and social crisis that led to decades of growth of economic inequality. Deformation of the unequal distribution led to the economic and social stratification which is disabled out of the economic crisis in which these countries found. In this paper we analyzed indicators Gini coefficient, the standard of living and quality of life that affect the life of the inhabitants of the Western Balkans. Gini coefficient as the most commonly used measure for measuring economic inequality, measured the distribution of income or consumption expenditure among households or individuals who within an economy deviates from the even distribution. The standard of living is determined by the totality of the conditions of life and work of the individual layers of the population of a country in a given time period.It is related to quality of life and is used for comparative reviews and comparisons of geographic areas, a number of vacation days, and then to compare different periods in history and more. Quality of life is intangible thesis, which includes the assessment of quality of life factors such as employment, income, health, education, science, energy, knowledge and technology, the environment, human rights, protection and recreation, infrastructure, national security, public safety, etc. All these factors combine to affect the life of the population, which from the beginning of the

  1. Summative and Formative Evaluations, National Skill Standards Project. Prepared for the National Grocers Association.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamm, Michael S.

    In 1993-1996, the Grocers Research and Educational Foundation of the National Grocers Association developed entry-level skill standards for the food marketing industry. A coalition formed early in the project directed the skill standard development process and solicited input from major organizations involved in the industry. The validity of the…

  2. National Program of Quality Assurance in Radiotherapy in Cuba

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alonso Samper, J. L.; Dominguez Hung, L.; Morales Lopez, J. L.; Alfonso Laguardia, R.; Garcia Yip, F.

    2001-01-01

    It tries on the establishment of a Quality Assurance Nacional System, a Quality Assurance Committee implemented in Cuba, and a Quality Auditory National Program implemented in Cuba to control and assure radiotherapy quality

  3. National Framework of Professional Standards for Change Leadership in Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duffy, Francis M.

    2009-01-01

    The ten professional standards form what Francis Duffy refers to as a "National Framework of Professional Standards for Change Leadership in Education." Each standard has examples of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that the research suggests are important for effective change leadership. Duffy's hope is that this proposed…

  4. Data quality in the Danish National Acute Leukemia Registry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ostgård, Lene Sofie Granfeldt; Nørgaard, Jan Maxwell; Severinsen, Marianne Tang

    2013-01-01

    The Danish National Acute Leukemia Registry (DNLR) has documented coverage of above 98.5%. Less is known about the quality of the recorded data.......The Danish National Acute Leukemia Registry (DNLR) has documented coverage of above 98.5%. Less is known about the quality of the recorded data....

  5. 77 FR 52679 - Notice of Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-30

    ... the organic program. The subcommittees are: Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification; Crops...-12] Notice of Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service... the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). Written public comments are invited in advance of the...

  6. Stable aesthetic standards delusion: changing 'artistic quality' by elaboration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbon, Claus-Christian; Hesslinger, Vera M

    2014-01-01

    The present study challenges the notion that judgments of artistic quality are based on stable aesthetic standards. We propose that such standards are a delusion and that judgments of artistic quality are the combined result of exposure, elaboration, and discourse. We ran two experiments using elaboration tasks based on the repeated evaluation technique in which different versions of the Mona Lisa had to be elaborated deeply. During the initial task either the version known from the Louvre or an alternative version owned by the Prado was elaborated; during the second task both versions were elaborated in a comparative fashion. After both tasks multiple blends of the two versions had to be evaluated concerning several aesthetic key variables. Judgments of artistic quality of the blends were significantly different depending on the initially elaborated version of the Mona Lisa, indicating experience-based aesthetic processing, which contradicts the notion of stable aesthetic standards.

  7. Addition of PM2.5 into the National Ambient Air Quality Standards of China and the Contribution to Air Pollution Control: The Case Study of Wuhan, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Mingqing

    2014-01-01

    PM2.5 has gradually become a major environmental problem of China with its rapid economic development, urbanization, and increasing of motor vehicles. Findings and awareness of serious PM2.5 pollution make the PM2.5 a new criterion pollutant of the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) revised in 2012. The 2012 NAAQS sets the PM2.5 concentrate limitation with the 24-hour average value and the annual mean value. Wuhan is quite typical among central and southern China in climate, economy, development level, and energy consumption. The data are cited from the official website of Wuhan Environmental Protection Bureau and cover the period from 1 January to 30 June 2013. The data definitely confirm the existence of serious PM2.5 pollution in Wuhan and indicate that the addition of PM2.5 as a criterion pollutant significantly brings down the attainment rate of air quality. The example of Wuhan reveals that local governments should take measures to reduce the emission of PM2.5 if it affects the attainment rate and the performance evaluation value of air quality. The main contribution of 2012 NAAQS is that it brings down the attainment rate of the air quality and forces local governmental officials to take the measures accordingly. PMID:24982994

  8. Addition of PM 2.5 into the national ambient air quality standards of China and the contribution to air pollution control: the case study of Wuhan, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Mingqing

    2014-01-01

    PM2.5 has gradually become a major environmental problem of China with its rapid economic development, urbanization, and increasing of motor vehicles. Findings and awareness of serious PM2.5 pollution make the PM2.5 a new criterion pollutant of the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) revised in 2012. The 2012 NAAQS sets the PM2.5 concentrate limitation with the 24-hour average value and the annual mean value. Wuhan is quite typical among central and southern China in climate, economy, development level, and energy consumption. The data are cited from the official website of Wuhan Environmental Protection Bureau and cover the period from 1 January to 30 June 2013. The data definitely confirm the existence of serious PM2.5 pollution in Wuhan and indicate that the addition of PM2.5 as a criterion pollutant significantly brings down the attainment rate of air quality. The example of Wuhan reveals that local governments should take measures to reduce the emission of PM2.5 if it affects the attainment rate and the performance evaluation value of air quality. The main contribution of 2012 NAAQS is that it brings down the attainment rate of the air quality and forces local governmental officials to take the measures accordingly.

  9. Addition of PM2.5 into the National Ambient Air Quality Standards of China and the Contribution to Air Pollution Control: The Case Study of Wuhan, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingqing You

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available PM2.5 has gradually become a major environmental problem of China with its rapid economic development, urbanization, and increasing of motor vehicles. Findings and awareness of serious PM2.5 pollution make the PM2.5 a new criterion pollutant of the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS revised in 2012. The 2012 NAAQS sets the PM2.5 concentrate limitation with the 24-hour average value and the annual mean value. Wuhan is quite typical among central and southern China in climate, economy, development level, and energy consumption. The data are cited from the official website of Wuhan Environmental Protection Bureau and cover the period from 1 January to 30 June 2013. The data definitely confirm the existence of serious PM2.5 pollution in Wuhan and indicate that the addition of PM2.5 as a criterion pollutant significantly brings down the attainment rate of air quality. The example of Wuhan reveals that local governments should take measures to reduce the emission of PM2.5 if it affects the attainment rate and the performance evaluation value of air quality. The main contribution of 2012 NAAQS is that it brings down the attainment rate of the air quality and forces local governmental officials to take the measures accordingly.

  10. Assessing Quality of Data Standards: Framework and Illustration Using XBRL GAAP Taxonomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Hongwei; Wu, Harris

    The primary purpose of data standards or metadata schemas is to improve the interoperability of data created by multiple standard users. Given the high cost of developing data standards, it is desirable to assess the quality of data standards. We develop a set of metrics and a framework for assessing data standard quality. The metrics include completeness and relevancy. Standard quality can also be indirectly measured by assessing interoperability of data instances. We evaluate the framework using data from the financial sector: the XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) taxonomy and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings produced using the taxonomy by approximately 500 companies. The results show that the framework is useful and effective. Our analysis also reveals quality issues of the GAAP taxonomy and provides useful feedback to taxonomy users. The SEC has mandated that all publicly listed companies must submit their filings using XBRL. Our findings are timely and have practical implications that will ultimately help improve the quality of financial data.

  11. Do Energy Efficiency Standards Improve Quality? Evidence from a Revealed Preference Approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Houde, Sebastien [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Spurlock, C. Anna [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2015-06-01

    Minimum energy efficiency standards have occupied a central role in U.S. energy policy for more than three decades, but little is known about their welfare effects. In this paper, we employ a revealed preference approach to quantify the impact of past revisions in energy efficiency standards on product quality. The micro-foundation of our approach is a discrete choice model that allows us to compute a price-adjusted index of vertical quality. Focusing on the appliance market, we show that several standard revisions during the period 2001-2011 have led to an increase in quality. We also show that these standards have had a modest effect on prices, and in some cases they even led to decreases in prices. For revision events where overall quality increases and prices decrease, the consumer welfare effect of tightening the standards is unambiguously positive. Finally, we show that after controlling for the effect of improvement in energy efficiency, standards have induced an expansion of quality in the non-energy dimension. We discuss how imperfect competition can rationalize these results.

  12. Temporal Changes in the Quality of Acute Stroke Care in Five National Audits across Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steffi Hillmann

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Data on potential variations in delivery of appropriate stroke care over time are scarce. We investigated temporal changes in the quality of acute hospital stroke care across five national audits in Europe over a period of six years. Methods. Data were derived from national stroke audits in Germany, Poland, Scotland, Sweden, and England/Wales/Northern Ireland participating within the European Implementation Score (EIS collaboration. Temporal changes in predefined quality indicators with comparable information between the audits were investigated. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate adherence to quality indicators over time. Results. Between 2004 and 2009, individual data from 542,112 patients treated in 538 centers participating continuously over the study period were included. In most audits, the proportions of patients who were treated on a SU, were screened for dysphagia, and received thrombolytic treatment increased over time and ranged from 2-fold to almost 4-fold increase in patients receiving thrombolytic therapy in 2009 compared to 2004. Conclusions. A general trend towards a better quality of stroke care defined by standardized quality indicators was observed over time. The association between introducing a specific measure and higher adherence over time might indicate that monitoring of stroke care performance contributes to improving quality of care.

  13. Nuclear power project construction quality acceptance standards Implementation and discussion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lai Shifu

    2013-01-01

    Project quality construction acceptance is an important element of nuclear power project quality management. Based on characteristics of NPP construction and refer to national construction quality acceptance code and industry regulation, this paper introduces and discusses NPP construction quality acceptance regulation improvement and implementation under current situation. (authors)

  14. Is Your Biobank Up to Standards? A Review of the National Canadian Tissue Repository Network Required Operational Practice Standards and the Controlled Documents of a Certified Biobank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartman, Victoria; Castillo-Pelayo, Tania; Babinszky, Sindy; Dee, Simon; Leblanc, Jodi; Matzke, Lise; O'Donoghue, Sheila; Carpenter, Jane; Carter, Candace; Rush, Amanda; Byrne, Jennifer; Barnes, Rebecca; Mes-Messons, Anne-Marie; Watson, Peter

    2018-02-01

    Ongoing quality management is an essential part of biobank operations and the creation of high quality biospecimen resources. Adhering to the standards of a national biobanking network is a way to reduce variability between individual biobank processes, resulting in cross biobank compatibility and more consistent support for health researchers. The Canadian Tissue Repository Network (CTRNet) implemented a set of required operational practices (ROPs) in 2011 and these serve as the standards and basis for the CTRNet biobank certification program. A review of these 13 ROPs covering 314 directives was conducted after 5 years to identify areas for revision and update, leading to changes to 7/314 directives (2.3%). A review of all internal controlled documents (including policies, standard operating procedures and guides, and forms for actions and processes) used by the BC Cancer Agency's Tumor Tissue Repository (BCCA-TTR) to conform to these ROPs was then conducted. Changes were made to 20/106 (19%) of BCCA-TTR documents. We conclude that a substantial fraction of internal controlled documents require updates at regular intervals to accommodate changes in best practices. Reviewing documentation is an essential aspect of keeping up to date with best practices and ensuring the quality of biospecimens and data managed by biobanks.

  15. DOE standard: Quality assurance inspection and testing of HEPA filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-02-01

    This standard establishes essential elements for the quality assurance inspection and testing of HEPA filters by US Department of Energy (DOE)-accepted Filter Test Facilities (FTF). The standard specifies HEPA filter quality assurance inspection and testing practices established in DOE-STD-3022-98, DOE HEPA Filter Test Program, and provides a basis for the preparation of written operating procedures for primary FTF functions

  16. 78 FR 2394 - Release of Draft Document Related to the Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-11

    ... Quality Standards, External Review Draft (PA). This document was prepared as part of the current review of... ``anonymous access'' system, which means the EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you... extent of all identifiable effects on public health or welfare which may be expected from the presence of...

  17. Development of a national audit tool for juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a BSPAR project funded by the Health Care Quality Improvement Partnership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McErlane, Flora; Foster, Helen E; Armitt, Gillian; Bailey, Kathryn; Cobb, Joanna; Davidson, Joyce E; Douglas, Sharon; Fell, Andrew; Friswell, Mark; Pilkington, Clarissa; Strike, Helen; Smith, Nicola; Thomson, Wendy; Cleary, Gavin

    2018-01-01

    Timely access to holistic multidisciplinary care is the core principle underpinning management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Data collected in national clinical audit programmes fundamentally aim to improve health outcomes of disease, ensuring clinical care is equitable, safe and patient-centred. The aim of this study was to develop a tool for national audit of JIA in the UK. A staged and consultative methodology was used across a broad group of relevant stakeholders to develop a national audit tool, with reference to pre-existing standards of care for JIA. The tool comprises key service delivery quality measures assessed against two aspects of impact, namely disease-related outcome measures and patient/carer reported outcome and experience measures. Eleven service-related quality measures were identified, including those that map to current standards for commissioning of JIA clinical services in the UK. The three-variable Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score and presence/absence of sacro-iliitis in patients with enthesitis-related arthritis were identified as the primary disease-related outcome measures, with presence/absence of uveitis a secondary outcome. Novel patient/carer reported outcomes and patient/carer reported experience measures were developed and face validity confirmed by relevant patient/carer groups. A tool for national audit of JIA has been developed with the aim of benchmarking current clinical practice and setting future standards and targets for improvement. Staged implementation of this national audit tool should facilitate investigation of variability in levels of care and drive quality improvement. This will require engagement from patients and carers, clinical teams and commissioners of JIA services. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology.

  18. Development of a national audit tool for juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a BSPAR project funded by the Health Care Quality Improvement Partnership

    Science.gov (United States)

    McErlane, Flora; Foster, Helen E; Armitt, Gillian; Bailey, Kathryn; Cobb, Joanna; Davidson, Joyce E; Douglas, Sharon; Fell, Andrew; Friswell, Mark; Pilkington, Clarissa; Strike, Helen; Smith, Nicola; Thomson, Wendy; Cleary, Gavin

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Objective Timely access to holistic multidisciplinary care is the core principle underpinning management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Data collected in national clinical audit programmes fundamentally aim to improve health outcomes of disease, ensuring clinical care is equitable, safe and patient-centred. The aim of this study was to develop a tool for national audit of JIA in the UK. Methods A staged and consultative methodology was used across a broad group of relevant stakeholders to develop a national audit tool, with reference to pre-existing standards of care for JIA. The tool comprises key service delivery quality measures assessed against two aspects of impact, namely disease-related outcome measures and patient/carer reported outcome and experience measures. Results Eleven service-related quality measures were identified, including those that map to current standards for commissioning of JIA clinical services in the UK. The three-variable Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score and presence/absence of sacro-iliitis in patients with enthesitis-related arthritis were identified as the primary disease-related outcome measures, with presence/absence of uveitis a secondary outcome. Novel patient/carer reported outcomes and patient/carer reported experience measures were developed and face validity confirmed by relevant patient/carer groups. Conclusion A tool for national audit of JIA has been developed with the aim of benchmarking current clinical practice and setting future standards and targets for improvement. Staged implementation of this national audit tool should facilitate investigation of variability in levels of care and drive quality improvement. This will require engagement from patients and carers, clinical teams and commissioners of JIA services. PMID:29069424

  19. Study on Quality Standard of Processed Curcuma Longa Radix

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhimin Chen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available To control the quality of Curcuma Longa Radix by establishing quality standards, this paper increased the contents of extract and volatile oil determination. Meanwhile, the curcumin was selected as the internal marker, and the relative correlation factors (RCFs of demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin were established by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC. The contents of multicomponents were calculated based on their RCFs. The rationality and feasibility of the methods were evaluated by comparison of the quantitative results between external standard method (ESM and quantitative analysis of multicomponents by single-marker (QAMS. Ethanol extracts ranged from 9.749 to 15.644% and the mean value was 13.473%. The volatile oil ranged from 0.45 to 0.90 mL/100 g and the mean value was 0.66 mL/100 g. This method was accurate and feasible and could provide a reference for further comprehensive and effective control of the quality standard of Curcuma Longa Radix and its processed products.

  20. Study on Quality Standard of Processed Curcuma Longa Radix

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yongfeng; Quan, Liang; Zhou, Haiting; Cao, Dong; Li, Wenbing; Yang, Zhuo

    2017-01-01

    To control the quality of Curcuma Longa Radix by establishing quality standards, this paper increased the contents of extract and volatile oil determination. Meanwhile, the curcumin was selected as the internal marker, and the relative correlation factors (RCFs) of demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin were established by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The contents of multicomponents were calculated based on their RCFs. The rationality and feasibility of the methods were evaluated by comparison of the quantitative results between external standard method (ESM) and quantitative analysis of multicomponents by single-marker (QAMS). Ethanol extracts ranged from 9.749 to 15.644% and the mean value was 13.473%. The volatile oil ranged from 0.45 to 0.90 mL/100 g and the mean value was 0.66 mL/100 g. This method was accurate and feasible and could provide a reference for further comprehensive and effective control of the quality standard of Curcuma Longa Radix and its processed products. PMID:29375640

  1. Standards for Adult Education ESL Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    TESOL Press, 2013

    2013-01-01

    What are the components of a quality education ESL program? TESOL's "Standards for Adult Education ESL Programs" answers this question by defining quality components from a national perspective. Using program indicators in eight distinct areas, the standards can be used to review an existing program or as a guide in setting up a new…

  2. National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula

    Science.gov (United States)

    American Psychologist, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The "National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula" attempts to represent current knowledge in the field of psychology in developmentally appropriate ways. Psychology is a popular high school course, one that can introduce students to scientific ideas and engage students in the learning process. However, it is difficult for even the best…

  3. 78 FR 30863 - Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and Board of Overseers of the Malcolm...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-23

    ... Standards and Technology and from the Chair of the Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality... with balanced representation from U.S. service, manufacturing, nonprofit, education, and health care... issues of manufacturing companies, service companies, small businesses, health care providers, and...

  4. Quality standards and requirements for solid recovered fuels: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flamme, Sabine; Geiping, Julia

    2012-04-01

    The utilization of solid recovered fuels (SRF) for energy recovery has been increasing steadily in recent years, and this development is set to continue. In order to use SRF efficiently, it is necessary to define quality standards and introduce targeted quality assurance measures. SRF can be used both in mono-incineration and in co-incineration systems, for instance in power generation and cement plants; but as quality requirements differ, it is necessary to unambiguously define the term 'solid recovered fuel'. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the origin, development and the current status of quality assurance for SRF. The basic principles of quality assurance for SRF are explained with reference to the development of the German RAL Quality Assurance System and in addition specifications that have emerged from European standardization work of CEN/TC 343 are analysed.

  5. Search for adequate quality standards for neutron radiography of nuclear fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Domanus, J.C.

    1983-01-01

    Unlike in other fields of industrial radiography, where standard methods and procedures are used to control the quality of the radiographic image, no such standard exists for neutron radiography of nuclear fuel. To fill that gap it was felt that standardization work ought to be started in that field, too. Accordingly in 1979 an Euratom Neutron Radiography Working Group was constituted, which initiated standardization work in the field of neutron radiography of nuclear fuel. Finding adequate standards for image quality of neutron radiographs and checking the accuracy of dimension measurements from them were given first priority. (Auth.)

  6. Consistency Across Standards or Standards in a New Business Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo, Dane M.

    2010-01-01

    Presentation topics include: standards in a changing business model, the new National Space Policy is driving change, a new paradigm for human spaceflight, consistency across standards, the purpose of standards, danger of over-prescriptive standards, a balance is needed (between prescriptive and general standards), enabling versus inhibiting, characteristics of success-oriented standards, characteristics of success-oriented standards, and conclusions. Additional slides include NASA Procedural Requirements 8705.2B identifies human rating standards and requirements, draft health and medical standards for human rating, what's been done, government oversight models, examples of consistency from anthropometry, examples of inconsistency from air quality and appendices of government and non-governmental human factors standards.

  7. Medical laboratories in sub-Saharan Africa that meet international quality standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schroeder, Lee F; Amukele, Timothy

    2014-06-01

    A recent survey of laboratories in Kampala, Uganda, demonstrated that only 0.3% of laboratories (3/954) met international quality standards. To benchmark laboratory quality throughout the rest of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), we compiled a list of SSA laboratories meeting international quality standards. Accrediting bodies were queried via online registries or direct communication in May 2013. There were 380 laboratories accredited to international standards in SSA. Ninety-one percent were in South Africa. Thirty-seven of 49 countries had no laboratories accredited to international quality standards. Accredited laboratory density (per million people) in South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana were similar to those in many European countries. Single variable linear regression showed a correlation between accredited laboratory density and health expenditures per person (adjusted R(2) = 0.81, P clinical laboratory. For those that do, there is a strong correlation between country-specific accredited laboratory density and per-capita health expenditures. Copyright© by the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

  8. 77 FR 38760 - National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter; Correction

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-29

    ...% discount rate) for alternative PM 2.5 standard levels of 11/35 [mu]g/m\\3\\ (annual and 24- hour standards...\\ Net benefits \\b\\ Alternate PM2.5 standards (annual/ 24-hour, in [mu]g/m\\3\\) 3% Discount 7% Discount rate rate 3% Discount rate 7% Discount rate 3% Discount rate \\c\\ 7% Discount rate 13/35 $2.9 $2.9 $88...

  9. Groundwater quality data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, May 2012 through December 2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Terri L.; Desimone, Leslie A.; Bexfield, Laura M.; Lindsey, Bruce D.; Barlow, Jeannie R.; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Musgrove, MaryLynn; Kingsbury, James A.; Belitz, Kenneth

    2016-06-20

    Groundwater-quality data were collected from 748 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program from May 2012 through December 2013. The data were collected from four types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which assess the quality of groundwater used for public water supply; land-use study networks, which assess land-use effects on shallow groundwater quality; major aquifer study networks, which assess the quality of groundwater used for domestic supply; and enhanced trends networks, which evaluate the time scales during which groundwater quality changes. Groundwater samples were analyzed for a large number of water-quality indicators and constituents, including major ions, nutrients, trace elements, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, and radionuclides. These groundwater quality data are tabulated in this report. Quality-control samples also were collected; data from blank and replicate quality-control samples are included in this report.

  10. The Czech national long distances measuring standard Koštice - State of play

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ladislav Červinka

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available This article gives information about new Czech national long distances measuring standard, which has been preparedat the distance base near the Koštice village. Submitter of the project is the Czech Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing.Research and document preparation for creation of the measuring standard were ensured by the Research Institute of Geodesy,Topography and Cartography. Interlaboratory comparisons were made by staff of the Bundeswehr University in Munich. The paperreports about works, which will be carried out on national standard in the second half of this year. Purpose of this works is to improvecharacteristics of accuracy of national etalon.

  11. A standards-based approach to quality improvement for HIV services at Zambia Defence Force facilities: results and lessons learned.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kols, Adrienne; Kim, Young-Mi; Bazant, Eva; Necochea, Edgar; Banda, Joseph; Stender, Stacie

    2015-07-01

    The Zambia Defence Force adopted the Standards-Based Management and Recognition approach to improve the quality of the HIV-related services at its health facilities. This quality improvement intervention relies on comprehensive, detailed assessment tools to communicate and verify adherence to national standards of care, and to test and implement changes to improve performance. A quasi-experimental evaluation of the intervention was conducted at eight Zambia Defence Force primary health facilities (four facilities implemented the intervention and four did not). Data from three previous analyses are combined to assess the effect of Standards-Based Management and Recognition on three domains: facility readiness to provide services; observed provider performance during antiretroviral therapy (ART) and antenatal care consultations; and provider perceptions of the work environment. Facility readiness scores for ART improved on four of the eight standards at intervention sites, and one standard at comparison sites. Facility readiness scores for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV increased by 15 percentage points at intervention sites and 7 percentage points at comparison sites. Provider performance improved significantly at intervention sites for both ART services (from 58 to 84%; P improved at intervention sites and declined at comparison sites; differences in trends between study groups were significant for eight items. A standards-based approach to quality improvement proved effective in supporting healthcare managers and providers to deliver ART and PMTCT services in accordance with evidence-based standards in a health system suffering from staff shortages.

  12. Current National Approach to Healthcare ICT Standardization: Focus on Progress in New Zealand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Young-Taek; Atalag, Koray

    2015-07-01

    Many countries try to efficiently deliver high quality healthcare services at lower and manageable costs where healthcare information and communication technologies (ICT) standardisation may play an important role. New Zealand provides a good model of healthcare ICT standardisation. The purpose of this study was to review the current healthcare ICT standardisation and progress in New Zealand. This study reviewed the reports regarding the healthcare ICT standardisation in New Zealand. We also investigated relevant websites related with the healthcare ICT standards, most of which were run by the government. Then, we summarised the governance structure, standardisation processes, and their output regarding the current healthcare ICT standards status of New Zealand. New Zealand government bodies have established a set of healthcare ICT standards and clear guidelines and procedures for healthcare ICT standardisation. Government has actively participated in various enactments of healthcare ICT standards from the inception of ideas to their eventual retirement. Great achievements in eHealth have already been realized, and various standards are currently utilised at all levels of healthcare regionally and nationally. Standard clinical terminologies, such as International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine - Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) have been adopted and Health Level Seven (HL7) standards are actively used in health information exchanges. The government to New Zealand has well organised ICT institutions, guidelines, and regulations, as well as various programs, such as e-Medications and integrated care services. Local district health boards directly running hospitals have effectively adopted various new ICT standards. They might already be benefiting from improved efficiency resulting from healthcare ICT standardisation.

  13. 77 FR 12524 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Indiana; Lead Ambient Air Quality...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-01

    ... Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Indiana; Lead Ambient Air Quality Standards AGENCY... Indiana State Implementation Plan (SIP) for lead (Pb) under the Clean Air Act (CAA). This submittal incorporates the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Pb promulgated by EPA in 2008. DATES...

  14. Updating OSHA standards based on national consensus standards. final rule; confirmation of effective date.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-03-14

    OSHA is confirming the effective date of its direct final rule that revises a number of standards for general industry that refer to national consensus standards. The direct final rule states that it would become effective on March 13, 2008 unless OSHA receives significant adverse comment on these revisions by January 14, 2008. OSHA received no adverse comments by that date and, therefore, is confirming that the rule will become effective on March 13, 2008.

  15. Defining Indicators and Standards for Tourism Impacts in Protected Areas: Cape Range National Park, Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Susan A.; Polley, Amanda

    2007-03-01

    Visitors’ perceptions of impacts and acceptable standards for environmental conditions can provide essential information for the sustainable management of tourist destinations, especially protected areas. To this end, visitor surveys were administered during the peak visitor season in Cape Range National Park, on the northwest coast of Western Australia and adjacent to the iconic Ningaloo Reef. The central focus was visitors’ perceptions regarding environmental conditions and standards for potential indicators. Conditions considered of greatest importance in determining visitors’ quality of experience included litter, inadequate disposal of human waste, presence of wildlife, levels of noise, and access to beach and ocean. Standards were determined, based on visitors’ perceptions, for a range of site-specific and non-site-specific indicators, with standards for facilities (e.g., acceptable number of parking bays, signs) and for negative environmental impacts (e.g., levels of littering, erosion) sought. The proposed standards varied significantly between sites for the facilities indicators; however, there was no significant difference between sites for environmental impacts. For the facilities, the standards proposed by visitors were closely related to the existing situation, suggesting that they were satisfied with the status quo. These results are considered in the context of current research interest in the efficacy of visitor-derived standards as a basis for protected area management.

  16. Defining indicators and standards for tourism impacts in protected areas: Cape Range National Park, Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Susan A; Polley, Amanda

    2007-03-01

    Visitors' perceptions of impacts and acceptable standards for environmental conditions can provide essential information for the sustainable management of tourist destinations, especially protected areas. To this end, visitor surveys were administered during the peak visitor season in Cape Range National Park, on the northwest coast of Western Australia and adjacent to the iconic Ningaloo Reef. The central focus was visitors' perceptions regarding environmental conditions and standards for potential indicators. Conditions considered of greatest importance in determining visitors' quality of experience included litter, inadequate disposal of human waste, presence of wildlife, levels of noise, and access to beach and ocean. Standards were determined, based on visitors' perceptions, for a range of site-specific and non-site-specific indicators, with standards for facilities (e.g., acceptable number of parking bays, signs) and for negative environmental impacts (e.g., levels of littering, erosion) sought. The proposed standards varied significantly between sites for the facilities indicators; however, there was no significant difference between sites for environmental impacts. For the facilities, the standards proposed by visitors were closely related to the existing situation, suggesting that they were satisfied with the status quo. These results are considered in the context of current research interest in the efficacy of visitor-derived standards as a basis for protected area management.

  17. [Extraction of management information from the national quality assurance program].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stausberg, Jürgen; Bartels, Claus; Bobrowski, Christoph

    2007-07-15

    Starting with clinically motivated projects, the national quality assurance program has established a legislative obligatory framework. Annual feedback of results is an important means of quality control. The annual reports cover quality-related information with high granularity. A synopsis for corporate management is missing, however. Therefore, the results of the University Clinics in Greifswald, Germany, have been analyzed and aggregated to support hospital management. Strengths were identified by the ranking of results within the state for each quality indicator, weaknesses by the comparison with national reference values. The assessment was aggregated per clinical discipline and per category (indication, process, and outcome). A composition of quality indicators was claimed multiple times. A coherent concept is still missing. The method presented establishes a plausible summary of strengths and weaknesses of a hospital from the point of view of the national quality assurance program. Nevertheless, further adaptation of the program is needed to better assist corporate management.

  18. Bread-Making Quality of Standard Winter Wheat Cultivars

    OpenAIRE

    Ćurić, Duška; Novotni, Dubravka; Bauman, Ingrid; Krička, Tajana; Jukić, Željko; Voća, Neven; Kiš, Darko

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to define an impact of the cultivar, year and cultivation area of the standard Croatian winter wheat on the bread-making quality. The bread-making quality of cultivars ‘Divana’, ‘Žitarka’ and ‘Sana’ from the crop years 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006, and from Zagreb and Osijek location was analyzed. Wheat from the cultivar tests cultivated under the same agro technological conditions was used for this testing. The tested winter wheat bread-making quality primari...

  19. [Study on standardization of cupping technique: elucidation on the establishment of the National Standard Standardized Manipulation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Part V, Cupping].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Shu-zhong; Liu, Bing

    2010-02-01

    From the aspects of basis, technique descriptions, core contents, problems and solutions, and standard thinking in standard setting process, this paper states experiences in the establishment of the national standard Standardized Manipulation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Part V, Cupping, focusing on methodologies used in cupping standard setting process, the method selection and operating instructions of cupping standardization, and the characteristics of standard TCM. In addition, this paper states the scope of application, and precautions for this cupping standardization. This paper also explaines tentative ideas on the research of standardized manipulation of acupuncture and moxibustion.

  20. The Need for National Credentialing Standards for Addiction Counselors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Geri; Scarborough, Jim; Clark, Catherine; Leonard, Justin C.; Keziah, Tyler B.

    2010-01-01

    The authors review the current state of credentialing for addiction counselors in the United States and provide recommendations to the addiction counseling field regarding national standards for credentialing.

  1. The use of quality control performance charts to analyze cesarean delivery rates nationally.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Turner, Michael J

    2012-02-01

    OBJECTIVE: To examine the use of quality control performance charts to analyze cesarean rates nationally. METHODS: Information on cesarean rates was obtained for all 19 Irish maternity hospitals receiving state funding in 2009. All women who underwent cesarean delivery of a live or stillborn infant weighing 500 g or more between January 1 and December 31 were included. Deliveries were classified as elective or emergency. Individual hospitals were not identified in the analysis. RESULTS: The mean rates per hospital of elective and emergency cesarean were 12.9+\\/-2.6% (n=9337) and 13.8+\\/-3.0% (n=9989), respectively-giving an overall mean rate of 26.7+\\/-4.2% (n=19326) per hospital. Cesarean rates were normally distributed. Using a quality control performance chart with a cutoff 2 standard deviations from the mean, 1 hospital was above the normal range for both total and elective cesareans, indicating that its pre-labor obstetric practices warrant clinical review. Another hospital had a mean emergency cesarean rate above the normal range, indicating that its labor ward practices warrant review. CONCLUSION: Quality control performance charts can be used to analyze cesarean rates nationally and, thus, to identify hospitals at which obstetric practices should be reviewed.

  2. 42 CFR 493.1299 - Standard: Postanalytic systems quality assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standard: Postanalytic systems quality assessment. 493.1299 Section 493.1299 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH....1291. (b) The postanalytic systems quality assessment must include a review of the effectiveness of...

  3. 42 CFR 493.1249 - Standard: Preanalytic systems quality assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standard: Preanalytic systems quality assessment. 493.1249 Section 493.1249 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH....1241 through 493.1242. (b) The preanalytic systems quality assessment must include a review of the...

  4. Air quality information system (AQIS) for Gauteng: defining best practice

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Kganyago, P

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available The National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004 (Act No 39 of 2004), need for national framework. The national framework will include the norms and standards for air quality information management. NAQIS (National Air Quality...

  5. Guidelines for drafting national and international seismic standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Podrouzek, J.

    1989-01-01

    The main principles of engineering reliability are discussed in relation to the formation of seismic standards. The basic recommendations of the International Association of Earthquake Engineering in the field of inspection and earthquake resistance evaluation of engineering structures and systems are characterized. Attention is also paid to efforts aimed at a unification of standards and regulations, based on the fact that quasistatic and response spectra methods are largely common to the standards amd regulations. However, as the potential of computer techniques increases, more complex computer programs appear and the amount of tenuous input data increases, and this can affect the quality of seismic inspections. (Z.M.). 5 figs., 1 ref

  6. The impact of laboratory quality assurance standards on laboratory operational performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E Ratseou

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available It has become a trend for companies to implement and be certified to various quality management systems so as to improve consistency, reliability, and quality of product delivery to customers. The most common quality management systems adopted are the ISO 9000 series of standards for manufacturing and services related organisations, with ISO 17025 and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP standards adopted specifically by laboratories as quality assurance initiatives. There are various reports on the impact of the ISO 9000 series on organisational performance but no studies or reports have been done on the performance of laboratory standards. Therefore this article reports on a study conducted to investigate the impact of ISO 17025 and GLP on the operational performance of both commercial and non-commercial laboratories. A qualitative research study was conducted to examine the impact standards on the aspects of health and safety, supplier selection and performance, human resources, customer satisfaction and profitability of the laboratory. The data collected suggest that there is no difference in laboratory operational performance with or without the standards. In other words it appears that the basic fundamental requirements inherent with laboratories are sufficient to perform both operationally and optimally. This leads to the view that standards are implemented as a customer requirement and not as an operational requirement.

  7. International implications of nuclear Q.A. standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stoddart, D.E.

    1976-01-01

    The work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.) in the field of Quality Assurance is aimed at preparing a Code of Practice covering recommendations on safety aspects only which is designed to be usable by all nations. This Code is followed up by a series of Safety Guides as aids to developing nations faced with the need to regulate and assure safety, reliability and quality. The I.A.E.A. Code is not written as a mandatory document and it can only recommend and therefore the term 'should' is used throughout. The International Organization for Standardization (I.S.O.) is concerned with producing standards and as such the proposed I.S.O. draft standard on 'Quality Assurance for Nuclear Power Plants' is written in mandatory language, it uses the word 'shall'. The I.S.O. standard will also cover not only safety aspects but also those of a successfully operating nuclear power plant. The I.S.O. Working Group is charged with producing standards on quality assurance covering the design, procurement, fabrication, construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of structure, systems and components of nuclear power plants. The work of both organizations is discussed briefly. (author)

  8. Air quality indices : a review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hewings, J.

    2001-10-01

    Pollution Probe presents some background information that will help in the development of a national Air Quality Index (AQI) in Canada. This report examines the issues that should be addressed in revising the national Index of the Quality of Air (IQUA) or creating a new national Air Quality Index. The IQUA was devised in 1976 and provides Canadians with real-time information on the state of community air quality by including major pollutants and their synergies. It is currently being used for air quality management plans and air quality alert systems. At the same time that the IQUA was devised, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) produced a parallel air quality index known as the Pollution Standard Index (PSI) which incorporated 5 criteria pollutants (particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and ground level ozone) for which national health-based standards were devised. In 1999, the US EPA renamed their index the Air Quality Index (AQI) and made revisions to the primary health-based national ambient air quality standards for ground-level ozone and particulate matter. Separate values for PM2.5 and PM10 were incorporated and mandatory reporting was required for metropolitan areas with populations of 350,000 or more. Similarly, the IQUA has undergone major developments that affect the validity of the index, including: rejection by the Working Group on Air Quality Objectives and Guidelines of the previous maximum desirable and maximum acceptable air quality criteria, recognition that standards for many of the contaminants are outdated, developing more sensitive instrumentation for real-time monitoring of contaminants. This report also describes the use of the national short term Air Quality Index by provincial, territorial and local authorities in Canada. Pollution Probe recommends setting up a mechanism to review and revise IQUA on a regular basis that would incorporate governments, the medical profession, special

  9. Baseline Assessment of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Reference Material and Proficiency Testing/External Quality Assurance Material Commutability: A Vitamin D Standardization Program Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phinney, Karen W; Sempos, Christopher T; Tai, Susan S-C; Camara, Johanna E; Wise, Stephen A; Eckfeldt, John H; Hoofnagle, Andrew N; Carter, Graham D; Jones, Julia; Myers, Gary L; Durazo-Arvizu, Ramon; Miller, W Greg; Bachmann, Lorin M; Young, Ian S; Pettit, Juanita; Caldwell, Grahame; Liu, Andrew; Brooks, Stephen P J; Sarafin, Kurtis; Thamm, Michael; Mensink, Gert B M; Busch, Markus; Rabenberg, Martina; Cashman, Kevin D; Kiely, Mairead; Galvin, Karen; Zhang, Joy Y; Kinsella, Michael; Oh, Kyungwon; Lee, Sun-Wha; Jung, Chae L; Cox, Lorna; Goldberg, Gail; Guberg, Kate; Meadows, Sarah; Prentice, Ann; Tian, Lu; Brannon, Patsy M; Lucas, Robyn M; Crump, Peter M; Cavalier, Etienne; Merkel, Joyce; Betz, Joseph M

    2017-09-01

    The Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) coordinated a study in 2012 to assess the commutability of reference materials and proficiency testing/external quality assurance materials for total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in human serum, the primary indicator of vitamin D status. A set of 50 single-donor serum samples as well as 17 reference and proficiency testing/external quality assessment materials were analyzed by participating laboratories that used either immunoassay or LC-MS methods for total 25(OH)D. The commutability test materials included National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material 972a Vitamin D Metabolites in Human Serum as well as materials from the College of American Pathologists and the Vitamin D External Quality Assessment Scheme. Study protocols and data analysis procedures were in accordance with Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. The majority of the test materials were found to be commutable with the methods used in this commutability study. These results provide guidance for laboratories needing to choose appropriate reference materials and select proficiency or external quality assessment programs and will serve as a foundation for additional VDSP studies.

  10. National Standards for Financial Literacy: Rationale and Content

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosshardt, William; Walstad, William B.

    2014-01-01

    The "National Standards for Financial Literacy" describe the knowledge, understanding, and skills that are important for students to learn about personal finance. They are designed to guide teachers, school administrators, and other educators in developing curriculum and educational materials for teaching financial literacy. In this…

  11. Minimum quality standards and international trade

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baltzer, Kenneth Thomas

    2011-01-01

    This paper investigates the impact of a non-discriminating minimum quality standard (MQS) on trade and welfare when the market is characterized by imperfect competition and asymmetric information. A simple partial equilibrium model of an international Cournot duopoly is presented in which a domes...... prefer different levels of regulation. As a result, international trade disputes are likely to arise even when regulation is non-discriminating....

  12. 42 CFR 493.1289 - Standard: Analytic systems quality assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standard: Analytic systems quality assessment. 493.1289 Section 493.1289 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... through 493.1283. (b) The analytic systems quality assessment must include a review of the effectiveness...

  13. [Application of traditional Chinese medicine reference standards in quality control of Chinese herbal pieces].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Tu-Lin; Li, Jin-Ci; Yu, Jiang-Yong; Cai, Bao-Chang; Mao, Chun-Qin; Yin, Fang-Zhou

    2014-01-01

    Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) reference standards plays an important role in the quality control of Chinese herbal pieces. This paper overviewed the development of TCM reference standards. By analyzing the 2010 edition of Chinese pharmacopoeia, the application of TCM reference standards in the quality control of Chinese herbal pieces was summarized, and the problems exiting in the system were put forward. In the process of improving the quality control level of Chinese herbal pieces, various kinds of advanced methods and technology should be used to research the characteristic reference standards of Chinese herbal pieces, more and more reasonable reference standards should be introduced in the quality control system of Chinese herbal pieces. This article discussed the solutions in the aspect of TCM reference standards, and future development of quality control on Chinese herbal pieces is prospected.

  14. Overview of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leahy, P.P.; Thompson, T.H.

    1994-01-01

    The Nation's water resources are the basis for life and our economic vitality. These resources support a complex web of human activities and fishery and wildlife needs that depend upon clean water. Demands for good-quality water for drinking, recreation, farming, and industry are rising, and as a result, the American public is concerned about the condition and sustainability of our water resources. The American public is asking: Is it safe to swim in and drink water from our rivers or lakes? Can we eat the fish that come from them? Is our ground water polluted? Is water quality degrading with time, and if so, why? Has all the money we've spent to clean up our waters, done any good? The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program was designed to provide information that will help answer these questions. NAWQA is designed to assess historical, current, and future water-quality conditions in representative river basins and aquifers nationwide. One of the primary objectives of the program is to describe relations between natural factors, human activities, and water-quality conditions and to define those factors that most affect water quality in different parts of the Nation. The linkage of water quality to environmental processes is of fundamental importance to water-resource managers, planners, and policy makers. It provides a strong and unbiased basis for better decisionmaking by those responsible for making decisions that affect our water resources, including the United States Congress, Federal, State, and local agencies, environmental groups, and industry. Information from the NAWQA Program also will be useful for guiding research, monitoring, and regulatory activities in cost effective ways.

  15. Developing social standards for wilderness encounters in Mount Rainier National Park: Manager-defined versus visitor-defined standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kristopher J. Lah

    2000-01-01

    This research compared the differences found between manager-defined and visitor-defined social standards for wilderness encounters in Mount Rainier National Park. Social standards in recreation areas of public land are defined by what is acceptable to the public, in addition to the area’s management. Social standards for the encounter indicator in Mount Rainier’s...

  16. Safety implications of standardized continuous quality improvement programs in community pharmacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyle, Todd A; Ho, Certina; Mackinnon, Neil J; Mahaffey, Thomas; Taylor, Jeffrey M

    2013-06-01

    Standardized continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs combine Web-based technologies and standardized improvement processes, tools, and expectations to enable quality-related events (QREs) occurring in individual pharmacies to be shared with pharmacies in other jurisdictions. Because standardized CQI programs are still new to community pharmacy, little is known about how they impact medication safety. This research identifies key aspects of medication safety that change as a result of implementing a standardized CQI program. Fifty-three community pharmacies in Nova Scotia, Canada, adopted the SafetyNET-Rx standardized CQI program in April 2010. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Canada's Medication Safety Self-Assessment (MSSA) survey was administered to these pharmacies before and 1 year into their use of the SafetyNET-Rx program. The nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to explore where changes in patient safety occurred as a result of SafetyNETRx use. Significant improvements occurred with quality processes and risk management, staff competence, and education, and communication of drug orders and other information. Patient education, environmental factors, and the use of devices did not show statistically significant changes. As CQI programs are designed to share learning from QREs, it is reassuring to see that the largest improvements are related to quality processes, risk management, staff competence, and education.

  17. 77 FR 39459 - Fisheries of the United States; National Standard 1 Guidelines; Extension of Public Comment Period

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-03

    .... 120425420-2420-01] RIN 0648-BB92 Fisheries of the United States; National Standard 1 Guidelines; Extension... adjustments to the National Standard 1 Guidelines, one of 10 national standards for fishery conservation and... National Standard 1 Guidelines. The ANPR provides the public with a formal opportunity to comment on the...

  18. Standard setting and quality of assessment: A conceptual approach ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Quality performance standards and the effect of assessment outcomes are important in the educational milieu, as assessment remains the representative ... not be seen as a methodological process of setting pass/fail cut-off points only, but as a powerful catalyst for quality improvements in HPE by promoting excellence in ...

  19. Round table discussion: Quality control and standardization of nuclear medicine software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1988-01-01

    In summary the round table came to the following important conclusions: Nuclear medicine software systems need better documentation, especially regarding details of algorithms and limitations, and user friendliness could be considerably improved. Quality control of software is an integral part of quality assurance in nuclear medicine and should be performed at all levels of the software. Quality control of applications software should preferably be performed with assistance of generally accepted software phantoms. A basic form of standardization was welcomed and partly regarded as essential by all participants. Some areas such as patient study files could be standardized in the near future, whereas other areas such as the standardization of clinical applications programs or acquisition protocols still present major difficulties. An international cooperation in the field of standardization of software and other topics has already been started on the European level and should be continued and supported. (orig.)

  20. Quality assurance: Importance of systems and standard operating procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manghani, Kishu

    2011-01-01

    It is mandatory for sponsors of clinical trials and contract research organizations alike to establish, manage and monitor their quality control and quality assurance systems and their integral standard operating procedures and other quality documents to provide high-quality products and services to fully satisfy customer needs and expectations. Quality control and quality assurance systems together constitute the key quality systems. Quality control and quality assurance are parts of quality management. Quality control is focused on fulfilling quality requirements, whereas quality assurance is focused on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled. The quality systems must be commensurate with the Company business objectives and business model. Top management commitment and its active involvement are critical in order to ensure at all times the adequacy, suitability, effectiveness and efficiency of the quality systems. Effective and efficient quality systems can promote timely registration of drugs by eliminating waste and the need for rework with overall financial and social benefits to the Company.

  1. Quality assurance: Importance of systems and standard operating procedures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kishu Manghani

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available It is mandatory for sponsors of clinical trials and contract research organizations alike to establish, manage and monitor their quality control and quality assurance systems and their integral standard operating procedures and other quality documents to provide high-quality products and services to fully satisfy customer needs and expectations. Quality control and quality assurance systems together constitute the key quality systems. Quality control and quality assurance are parts of quality management. Quality control is focused on fulfilling quality requirements, whereas quality assurance is focused on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled. The quality systems must be commensurate with the Company business objectives and business model. Top management commitment and its active involvement are critical in order to ensure at all times the adequacy, suitability, effectiveness and efficiency of the quality systems. Effective and efficient quality systems can promote timely registration of drugs by eliminating waste and the need for rework with overall financial and social benefits to the Company.

  2. 77 FR 43018 - Updating OSHA Construction Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-23

    .... OSHA-2011-0184] RIN 1218-AC65 Updating OSHA Construction Standards Based on National Consensus... Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Labor. ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; correction. SUMMARY: OSHA is correcting a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) with regard to the construction...

  3. 76 FR 58509 - Release of Risk and Exposure Assessment Planning Document for the Review of the National Ambient...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-21

    ... Assessment Planning Document for the Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Lead AGENCY... available for public review the Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Lead: Risk and... and/or welfare effects in this review of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for lead...

  4. 77 FR 16508 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions: Group IV Polymers and Resins...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-21

    ... National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions: Group IV Polymers and Resins; Pesticide... Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions: Group IV Polymers and Resins; National Emission Standards for Hazardous... proposed rule titled, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions: Group IV Polymers...

  5. Standard procedure of operation for the accomplishment of audit of quality in facilities of teletherapy with isotopic units of 60Co

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larrinaga Cortina, Eduardo F.; Dominguez Hung, Lourdes; Campa Menendez, Raudel

    2001-01-01

    The use of the radiotherapy implies the necessity of rigorous quality standards in its different components, aiming to provide the best possible treatment and avoid potential patient's risks, that could even cause his/her death. Projects of technical cooperation have been developed in Cuba support by the International Atomic Energy Agency addresses to the implementation of Programs of Quality Assurance in radiotherapy services. The establishment of the National Quality Audit Program (PNAC) is a superior stage. The National Control Center for Medical Devices as the national regulator entity for the control and supervision of medical devices in the National Health System is the responsible for the making and execution of the PNAC. The audit modality selected was the inspection visit in situ due to its intrinsic advantages, our geographical extension and the number of radiotherapy services. This paper presents the methodology for the execution of the PNAC, in form of a Normalized Procedure of Operation that defines the objectives, scope, terms and definitions, responsibilities, composition and selection of the auditor team, security's conditions, materials and equipment, steps of the audit execution, results calculation and interpretation, records, etc. (author)

  6. The National Shipbuilding Research Program, Analytical Quality Circles

    Science.gov (United States)

    1986-09-01

    standard tools for quality control, in English, see “Guide to Quality Control” by Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa , Asian Productivity Organization, Aoyama Dai-ichi...factors affect work evaluation is shown schemati- cally by Characteristic-Factor Diagrams (also called Fishbone or Ishikawa Diagrams), see Figure 2-5

  7. The Danish national quality database for births

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersson, Charlotte Brix; Flems, Christina; Kesmodel, Ulrik Schiøler

    2016-01-01

    Aim of the database: The aim of the Danish National Quality Database for Births (DNQDB) is to measure the quality of the care provided during birth through specific indicators. Study population: The database includes all hospital births in Denmark. Main variables: Anesthesia/pain relief, continuous...... Medical Birth Registry. Registration to the Danish Medical Birth Registry is mandatory for all maternity units in Denmark. During the 5 years, performance has improved in the areas covered by the process indicators and for some of the outcome indicators. Conclusion: Measuring quality of care during...

  8. Nationwide quality improvement of cholecystectomy: results from a national database

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harboe, Kirstine M; Bardram, Linda

    2011-01-01

    To evaluate whether quality improvements in the performance of cholecystectomy have been achieved in Denmark since 2006, after revision of the Danish National Guidelines for treatment of gallstones.......To evaluate whether quality improvements in the performance of cholecystectomy have been achieved in Denmark since 2006, after revision of the Danish National Guidelines for treatment of gallstones....

  9. The Online Translator: Implementing National Standard 4.1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burton, Christine

    2003-01-01

    A pedagogical idea for addressing National Standard 4.1 (Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of language studied and their own) suggests the deliberate use of the online translator to illustrate to students the syntactical errors that occur when translating idioms from one language to another. (VWL)

  10. 78 FR 58500 - Water Quality Standards Regulatory Clarifications Proposed Rule; Public Meeting and Public Webinars

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-24

    ... the proposed rule ``Water Quality Standards Regulatory Clarifications,'' which was published... the federal water quality standards (WQS) regulation at 40 CFR Part 131 which helps implement the..., the proposed rule will lead to improved water quality standard development, implementation and...

  11. Proposed quality control guidelines for National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards Susceptibility Tests using the veterinary antimicrobial agent tiamulin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pfaller, M A; Jones, R N; Walter, D H

    2001-01-01

    Quality control guidelines for standardized antimicrobial susceptibility test methods are critical for the continuing accuracy of these clinical tests. In this report, quality control limits were proposed for the veterinary antimicrobial agent tiamulin with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges of three or four log(2) dilution steps in two different medium formulations. Disk diffusion zone diameter ranges were proposed for tiamulin tested against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ATCC 27090 (12-18 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (25-32 mm). The data from eight participating laboratories produced 100% of results within proposed MIC limits (8-32 microg/mL), and 95.8-97.0% of zones were found within suggested zone diameter QC guidelines. These proposed QC ranges should be validated by in-use results from veterinary clinical laboratories.

  12. Quality leadership skills Standards of Leadership Behavior

    CERN Document Server

    Leatherman, Richard W

    2008-01-01

    Would you like to really know how to empower employees to take greater charge over their careers? To teach employees how to take more responsibility for their performance appraisals? To delegate work to employees? You'll get clear direction in Quality Leadership - a practical manual that addresses today's need for quality performance and gives techniques for handling a wide array of employee problems. This how-to-do-it resource for new and future leaders explains basic leadership tasks in a simple, step-by-step manner. It is full of practical advice - not theories - and outlines clear standard

  13. A Microfluidic Immunostaining System Enables Quality Assured and Standardized Immunohistochemical Biomarker Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Seyong; Cho, Chang Hyun; Kwon, Youngmee; Lee, Eun Sook; Park, Je-Kyun

    2017-04-01

    Immunohistochemistry (IHC) plays an important role in biomarker-driven cancer therapy. Although there has been a high demand for standardized and quality assured IHC, it has rarely been achieved due to the complexity of IHC testing and the subjective validation-based process flow of IHC quality control. We present here a microfluidic immunostaining system for the standardization of IHC by creating a microfluidic linearly graded antibody (Ab)-staining device and a reference cell microarray. Unlike conventional efforts, our system deals primarily with the screening of biomarker staining conditions for quantitative quality assurance testing in IHC. We characterized the microfluidic matching of Ab staining intensity using three HER2 Abs produced by different manufacturers. The quality of HER2 Ab was also validated using tissues of breast cancer patients, demonstrating that our system is an efficient and powerful tool for the standardization and quality assurance of IHC.

  14. 76 FR 52737 - Oil and Natural Gas Sector: New Source Performance Standards and National Emission Standards for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-23

    ... quality impacts? D. What are the water quality and solid waste impacts? E. What are the secondary impacts... Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use I. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act J... Achievable Emission Rate lb Pounds LDAR Leak Detection and Repair MACT Maximum Achievable Control Technology...

  15. NCATE Standards and Program Quality: You Can't Get There from Here.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tom, Alan R.

    1980-01-01

    Questions the validity, relevance, and operational characteristics of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards. Urges critical analysis of the standards; political action to force NCATE to justify its standards; and a comprehensive review of the standards. (IRT)

  16. A comparative analysis of quality management standards for contract research organisations in clinical trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, Elizabeth; McAdam, Rodney

    2007-01-01

    This article compares and contrasts the main quality standards in the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry with specific focus on Good Clinical Practice (GCP), the standard for designing, conducting, recording and reporting clinical trials involving human participants. Comparison is made to ISO quality standards, which can be applied to all industries and types of organisation. The study is then narrowed to that of contract research organisations (CROs) involved in the conduct of clinical trials. The paper concludes that the ISO 9000 series of quality standards can act as a company-wide framework for quality management within such organisations by helping to direct quality efforts on a long-term basis without any loss of compliance. This study is valuable because comparative analysis in this domain is uncommon.

  17. 42 CFR 440.260 - Methods and standards to assure quality of services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Methods and standards to assure quality of services. 440.260 Section 440.260 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH... and Limits Applicable to All Services § 440.260 Methods and standards to assure quality of services...

  18. 40 CFR 131.8 - Requirements for Indian Tribes to administer a water quality standards program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... administer a water quality standards program. 131.8 Section 131.8 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS WATER QUALITY STANDARDS General Provisions § 131.8 Requirements for Indian Tribes to administer a water quality standards program. (a) The Regional Administrator, as...

  19. INCITS W1.1 development update: appearance-based image quality standards for printers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeise, Eric K.; Rasmussen, D. René; Ng, Yee S.; Dalal, Edul; McCarthy, Ann; Williams, Don

    2008-01-01

    In September 2000, INCITS W1 (the U.S. representative of ISO/IEC JTC1/SC28, the standardization committee for office equipment) was chartered to develop an appearance-based image quality standard. (1),(2) The resulting W1.1 project is based on a proposal (3) that perceived image quality can be described by a small set of broad-based attributes. There are currently six ad hoc teams, each working towards the development of standards for evaluation of perceptual image quality of color printers for one or more of these image quality attributes. This paper summarizes the work in progress of the teams addressing the attributes of Macro-Uniformity, Colour Rendition, Gloss & Gloss Uniformity, Text & Line Quality and Effective Resolution.

  20. Knowledge, attitude, and practice of quality standards in small-sized public hospitals, Saudi Arabia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fahad Khamis Alomari

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess current situations in small size hospitals regarding knowledge of staff, their attitude and practice of quality standards, in order to set a plan to improve the current situations and overcome barriers of quality practice. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional research was conducted by a validated self-administered questionnaire using systematic random technique. Results: The study included about 37.7% Physicians followed by 28.3% nurses, and 18.8% administrators. Median percentage of participants′ knowledge and attitude scores regarding healthcare quality was 48% and 80% respectively. Meanwhile, the median percentage of participants′ perception toward hospital support and implementation of healthcare quality was 54% and 50% respectively. The main barriers for quality standards implementation and practicing were; staff resistance (84.8% followed by deficient knowledge (81.1%. Knowledge showed significant positive correlation with hospital application of quality standards (P = 0.001. Conclusion: The researcher concluded that improvement of knowledge and attitude toward implementation of quality standards as well as leadership commitment to quality and change management were a critical element for organisational shifting transformation to implementing quality of care. Focusing on small hospital and providing more support with all resources for implementation of quality standards through proper education and training for all staff categories are highly recommended.

  1. Quality assurance programme at the National Calibration Laboratory in Tanzania

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muhogora, W.E.; Yoloye, O.; Ngaile, J.; Lema, U.S.

    2000-01-01

    A quality assurance programme at the National Calibration Laboratory for ionizing radiation in Tanzania is described. The programme focuses mainly on regular stability check source and reference output measurements, performance testing of TLD systems as well as some external audit checks. It is found that the stability check source measurements are within ± 1%. Similarly, the air kerma rate measurements agree well with calibration uncertainties, that is ± 2% for protection level measurements and ± 1.5% for clinical dosimetry. The results of comparison of dose measurements done on site and those obtained from some external audit checks are also within requirements. This shows that the working standards have been kept with good care, and that the traceability to the international measurement system is adequately maintained. Some examples on calibration transfer activities are briefly discussed

  2. National water summary 1986; Hydrologic events and ground-water quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moody, David W.; Carr, Jerry E.; Chase, Edith B.; Paulson, Richard W.

    1988-01-01

    Ground water is one of the most important natural resources of the United States and degradation of its quality could have a major effect on the welfare of the Nation. Currently (1985), ground water is the source of drinking water for 53 percent of the Nation's population and for more than 97 percent of its rural population. It is the source of about 40 percent of the Nation's public water supply, 33 percent of water for irrigation, and 17 percent of freshwater for selfsupplied industries.Ground water also is the source of about 40 percent of the average annual streamflow in the United States, although during long periods of little or no precipitation, ground-water discharges provide nearly all of the base streamflow. This hydraulic connection between aquifers and streams implies that if a persistent pollutant gets into an aquifer, it eventually could discharge into a stream.Information presented in the 1986 National Water Summary clearly shows that the United States has very large amounts of potable ground water available for use. Although naturally occurring constituents, such as nitrate, and human-induced substances, such as synthetic organic chemicals, frequently are detected in ground water, their concentrations usually do not exceed existing Federal or State standards or guidelines for maximum concentrations in drinking water.Troublesome contamination of ground water falls into two basic categories related to the source or sources of the contamination. Locally, high concentrations of a variety of toxic metals, organic chemicals, and petroleum products have been detected in ground water associated with point sources such as wastedisposal sites, storage-tank leaks, and hazardous chemical spills. These types of local problems commonly occur in densely populated urban areas and industrialized areas. Larger, multicounty areas also have been identified where contamination frequently is found in shallow wells. These areas generally are associated with broad

  3. National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants submittal -- 1994

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Townsend, Y.E.; Black, S.C.

    1995-06-01

    This report focuses on air quality at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) for 1994. A general description of the effluent sources are presented. Each potential source of NTS emissions was characterized by one of the following: (1) by monitoring methods and procedures previously developed at NTS; (2) by a yearly radionuclide inventory of the source, assuming that volatile radionuclides are released to the environment; (3) by the measurement of tritiated water concentration in liquid effluents discharged to containment ponds and assuming all the effluent evaporates over the course of the year to become an air emission; or (4) by using a combination of environmental measurements and CAP88-PC to calculate emissions. Appendices A through J describe the methods used to determine the emissions from the sources. These National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) emissions are very conservative, are used to calculate the effective dose equivalent to the Maximally Exposed Individual offsite, and exceed, in some cases, those reported in DOE's Effluent Information System (EIS). The NESHAP's worst-case emissions that exceed the EIS reported emissions are noted. Offsite environmental surveillance data are used to confirm that calculated emissions are, indeed, conservative

  4. 77 FR 42988 - Updating OSHA Construction Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; Head Protection...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-23

    .... OSHA-2011-0184] RIN 1218-AC65 Updating OSHA Construction Standards Based on National Consensus... Administration (OSHA), Department of Labor. ACTION: Direct final rule; correction. SUMMARY: OSHA is correcting a... confusion resulting from a drafting error. OSHA published the DFR on June 22, 2012 (77 FR 37587). OSHA also...

  5. [Study on quality standard of Mucuna pruriens var. utilis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shi-Hong; Jiang, Wei-Zhe; Lv, Li; Wu, Ling-Ling; Lv, Cong; Shi, Xiao-Xia; Su, Gui-Liang

    2009-03-01

    To provide scientific basis for the utilization and development of Mucuna pruriens var. utilis by establishing its quality control standard. The bioactive constituents were analyzed by TLC and HPLC. Moisture, ash and the extracts of Mucuna pruriens var. utilis were all determined. The TLC spots of levodopa had similar color with the control group at the same position. The results of HPLC quantitative analysis showed that the linear range of levodopa was 26.45 to approximately 132.25 microg/mL, r = 0.9992, and the average recovery rate was 103.8%, RSD = 1.85%. This method is convenient, accurate, reliable with good reproducibility, so it can be used to establish quality standard for the medicinal material.

  6. 76 FR 4155 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Source Categories: Gasoline...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-24

    ... 63 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Source Categories: Gasoline Distribution Bulk Terminals, Bulk Plants, and Pipeline Facilities; and Gasoline Dispensing Facilities; Final...] RIN 2060-AP16 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Source Categories: Gasoline...

  7. CPD Aligned to Competency Standards to Support Quality Practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rose Nash

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available As medication experts, pharmacists are key members of the patient’s healthcare team. Pharmacists must maintain their competence to practice to remain responsive to the increasingly complex healthcare sector. This paper seeks to determine how competence training for pharmacists may enhance quality in their professional development. Results of two separately administered surveys (2012 and 2013 were compared to examine the reported continued professional development (CPD practices of Australian pharmacists. Examination of results from both studies enabled a focus on how the competency standards inform CPD practice.In the survey administered in 2012, 91% (n = 253/278 pharmacists reported that they knew their current registration requirements. However, in the survey administered in 2013, only 43% (n = 46/107 reported utilization of the National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia (NCS to self-asses their practice as part of their annual re-registration requirements. Fewer, 23% (n = 25/107, used the NCS to plan their CPD. This may be symptomatic of poor familiarity with the NCS, uncertainty around undertaking self-directed learning as part of a structured learning plan and/or misunderstandings around what CPD should include. This is supported by thematic analysis of pharmacists’ social media comments. Initial and ongoing competence training to support meaningful CPD requires urgent attention in Australia. The competence (knowledge, skills and attributes required to engage in meaningful CPD practice should be introduced and developed prior to entry into practice; other countries may find they are in a similar position.

  8. Ambient assisted living healthcare frameworks, platforms, standards, and quality attributes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Memon, Mukhtiar; Wagner, Stefan Rahr; Pedersen, Christian Fischer; Beevi, Femina Hassan Aysha; Hansen, Finn Overgaard

    2014-03-04

    Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is an emerging multi-disciplinary field aiming at exploiting information and communication technologies in personal healthcare and telehealth systems for countering the effects of growing elderly population. AAL systems are developed for personalized, adaptive, and anticipatory requirements, necessitating high quality-of-service to achieve interoperability, usability, security, and accuracy. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the AAL field with a focus on healthcare frameworks, platforms, standards, and quality attributes. To achieve this, we conducted a literature survey of state-of-the-art AAL frameworks, systems and platforms to identify the essential aspects of AAL systems and investigate the critical issues from the design, technology, quality-of-service, and user experience perspectives. In addition, we conducted an email-based survey for collecting usage data and current status of contemporary AAL systems. We found that most AAL systems are confined to a limited set of features ignoring many of the essential AAL system aspects. Standards and technologies are used in a limited and isolated manner, while quality attributes are often addressed insufficiently. In conclusion, we found that more inter-organizational collaboration, user-centered studies, increased standardization efforts, and a focus on open systems is needed to achieve more interoperable and synergetic AAL solutions.

  9. Ambient Assisted Living Healthcare Frameworks, Platforms, Standards, and Quality Attributes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mukhtiar Memon

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Ambient Assisted Living (AAL is an emerging multi-disciplinary field aiming at exploiting information and communication technologies in personal healthcare and telehealth systems for countering the effects of growing elderly population. AAL systems are developed for personalized, adaptive, and anticipatory requirements, necessitating high quality-of-service to achieve interoperability, usability, security, and accuracy. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the AAL field with a focus on healthcare frameworks, platforms, standards, and quality attributes. To achieve this, we conducted a literature survey of state-of-the-art AAL frameworks, systems and platforms to identify the essential aspects of AAL systems and investigate the critical issues from the design, technology, quality-of-service, and user experience perspectives. In addition, we conducted an email-based survey for collecting usage data and current status of contemporary AAL systems. We found that most AAL systems are confined to a limited set of features ignoring many of the essential AAL system aspects. Standards and technologies are used in a limited and isolated manner, while quality attributes are often addressed insufficiently. In conclusion, we found that more inter-organizational collaboration, user-centered studies, increased standardization efforts, and a focus on open systems is needed to achieve more interoperable and synergetic AAL solutions.

  10. 76 FR 22383 - National Fire Codes: Request for Proposals for Revision of Codes and Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-21

    ... Chemical Extinguishing Systems. NFPA 22-2008 Standard for Water 5/23/2011 Tanks for Private Fire Protection... Ensembles for Technical Rescue Incidents. NFPA 1925-2008 Standard on Marine Fire- 5/23/2011 Fighting Vessels... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Institute of Standards and Technology National Fire Codes: Request...

  11. Brief review of German standards for quality audits in automotive production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yulia Šurinová

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Quality management systems (QMS in the automotive industry have several differences in comparison with other industrial factories. Each customer has his own specific requirements, the so-called CSRs (Customer Specific Requirements. Audits are one of the core-tools of quality management to make the PDCA cycle work. It is clear that compliance to ISO/TS 16949:2009 requirements is a condition for supplying the automotive industry. But there are some standards which co-exist together with the official ISO9001 Q-management systems standards and technical specification ISO/TS16949. What are those specific standards in the automotive industry and which standard should be used and why – those are the questions to be answered in this article.

  12. [The design and development of a quality system for the diagnosis of exotic animal diseases at the National Centre for Animal and Plant Health in Cuba].

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Oca, N Montes; Villoch, A; Pérez Ruano, M

    2004-12-01

    A quality system for the diagnosis of exotic animal diseases was developed at the national centre for animal and plant health (CENSA), responsible for coordinating the clinical, epizootiological and laboratory diagnosis of causal agents of exotic animal diseases in Cuba. A model was designed on the basis of standard ISO 9001:2000 of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), standard ISO/IEC 17025:1999 of ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission, recommendations of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and other regulatory documents from international and national organisations that deal specifically with the treatment of emerging diseases. Twenty-nine standardised operating procedures were developed, plus 13 registers and a checklist to facilitate the evaluation of the system. The effectiveness of the quality system was confirmed in the differential diagnosis of classical swine fever at an animal virology laboratory in Cuba.

  13. Secondary Aluminum Production: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

    Science.gov (United States)

    National emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) for new and existing sources at secondary aluminum production facilities. Includes rule history, summary, federal register citations and implementation information.

  14. Managing Effectively National and Regional projects-A Case of Kenya Bureau of Standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kioko, J

    2009-01-01

    Discusses the functions of Kenya Bureau of Standards as standards development, testing,metrology,implementation of standards in commerce and industry, accredit ion,certification,inspection of imports and exports,training and education in Metrology,standards,testing and quality assurance

  15. Evaluation of the quality of the mammography study in the radio-diagnostic service of the National Cancer Institute

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rubio Laverde, Alba Lucia; Pineros Petersen, Marion; Betancourt Gil, Claudia

    2003-01-01

    The development of mammography quality control programs at radiology services has had an important progress in the last decades, mainly in developed countries. Although breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality and incidence in Colombia, quality control programs for mammography screening are just beginning to be considered. This article describes the results of a baseline evaluation aimed at establishing a quality control program at the Radiology Unit of the National Cancer Institute, in Colombia. The mammography equipment, the film processing, and all main physical parameters were checked and compared to international standards. Quality of the image in 301 mammographic X-ray plates was evaluated. In order to implement a good quality control program, the need for acquiring essential instruments, improving physical facilities and starting a continuous training program is imperative

  16. Developing quality standards for physical properties of mineral wool plugs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blok, C.; Berg, van den C.C.; Winkel, van A.

    2014-01-01

    The KIWA certification guidelines for mineral wool products contain standards for slabs and blocks. Propagators would like to introduce quality standards for mineral wool plugs as well. Main concerns were effects of too dense plugs on plant growth, and handling problems with too fluffy or broken

  17. Experience from implementing international standards in national emergency response planning national adjustments and suggestions for improvements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naadland Holo, E.

    2003-01-01

    Full text: A process has been going on for some time in Norway to establish a harmonized background for emergency response planning for any kind of nuclear or radiological accident. The national emergency preparedness organisation with the crisis committee for nuclear accident, consisting of representatives from civil defence, defence, police-, health-, and food control authorities, has the authority to implement countermeasures to protect health, environment and national interests in case of an accident or in case of nuclear terrorism. However, in an early phase, the response plans need to be fully harmonized to ensure that every operational level knows their responsibility and the responsibilities of others. Our intention is to implement the IAEA standard 'preparedness and response for a nuclear or radiological emergency'. We believe this will simplify national and international communication and also simplify the crisis management if an accident occurs. In revising the national plans, and also the planning basis at regional and local level, as well as the planning basis for response to accidents at national nuclear facilities and in connection with arrival of nuclear submarines in Norwegian harbours, we have seen the need to make national adjustments to the international standards. In addition to the standard, there exist several other processes and routines for reporting different kinds of incidents. We have seen a need to coordinate this internally at the competent authority to simplify the routines. This paper will focus on the challenges we have met, our national solutions and some suggestions for simplification. National adjustments to the international standard. - Firstly, the threat categorization needs to be adjusted. First of all, we do not have nuclear power plants in Norway. In the aftermath of 11 September 2001 we also have focused more an the potential for nuclear terrorism. Nuclear terrorism is unlikely but puts up some new requirements in the

  18. National Water Quality Inventory, 1975 Report to Congress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC. Office of Water Programs.

    This document summarizes state submissions and provides a national overview of water quality as requested in Section 305(b) of the 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments (P.L. 92-500). This report provides the first opportunity for states to summarize their water quality and to report to EPA and Congress. Chapters of this report deal…

  19. 38 CFR 17.155 - Minimum standards of safety and quality for automotive adaptive equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... safety and quality for automotive adaptive equipment. 17.155 Section 17.155 Pensions, Bonuses, and... Minimum standards of safety and quality for automotive adaptive equipment. (a) The Under Secretary for... officials that it meets implicit standards of safety and quality adopted by the industry or as later...

  20. Respect of standard air quality in major italian towns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valerio, F.

    1995-01-01

    In 1983 air quality standards, related to SO 2 , NO 2 , CO, airborne particulate, lead, O 3 were introduced in italian legislation. Now, SO 2 and lead concentrations are rapidly decreasing everywhere thanks to drastic reductions of sulphur and lead in fuels. The situation is still critic in many urban areas as far as NO 2 and CO are concerned. The increasing number of automobiles circulating in italian urban areas (+43% from 1980 to 1988) is probably reducing the positive effects expected from more efficient and less polluting engines. Electric public transport, aiming at low interference with private traffic, and a different urban organization, aiming at reducing compulsory mobility, could be the proper choices to offer italians both higher standards of urban life and air quality

  1. National Cost-effectiveness of ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010 Compared to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thornton, Brian; Halverson, Mark A.; Myer, Michael; Loper, Susan A.; Richman, Eric E.; Elliott, Douglas B.; Mendon, Vrushali V.; Rosenberg, Michael I.

    2013-11-30

    Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) completed this project for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Energy Codes Program (BECP). DOE’s BECP supports upgrading building energy codes and standards, and the states’ adoption, implementation, and enforcement of upgraded codes and standards. Building energy codes and standards set minimum requirements for energy-efficient design and construction for new and renovated buildings, and impact energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for the life of buildings. Continuous improvement of building energy efficiency is achieved by periodically upgrading energy codes and standards. Ensuring that changes in the code that may alter costs (for building components, initial purchase and installation, replacement, maintenance and energy) are cost-effective encourages their acceptance and implementation. ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 is the energy standard for commercial and multi-family residential buildings over three floors.

  2. 77 FR 67340 - National Fire Codes: Request for Comments on NFPA's Codes and Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-09

    ... Water Mist Fire P Protection Systems. NFPA 921 Guide for Fire and Explosion P Investigations. NFPA 1005 Standard for Professional P Qualifications for Marine Fire Fighting for Land-Based Fire Fighters. NFPA 1192... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Institute of Standards and Technology National Fire Codes: Request...

  3. Developing the (ASTM) voluntary consensus standards required to help implement the National Energy Plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1981-01-01

    The recommended guide is the first American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) matrix in a family of such documents that combined, will help manage the development of the ASTM standards considered necessary to implement the current National Plan for Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration. It is expected that the guide will provide a framework for standards development to complement the nation's research and development in support of critical energy needs. The recommended guide identifies the energy-critical areas that are to be developed, the master ASTM recommended guide for developing the standards required to help the National Plan, the section in which each energy-critical area is covered, and the suggested ASTM lead committee responsible for each area (fossil, solar, geothermal, conservation, fusion, and fission reactor development). A comprehensive matrix to identify the areas of need for which ASTM standards will be required to help implement the National Energy Plan is also presented

  4. Slovak National Prize for Quality 2004

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steflik, Marian

    2009-01-01

    Competition for the Slovak National Prize for Quality is a milestone in the history of the Mochovce NPP. The Mochovce NPP won the prize in 2004. The article describes in detail the preparatory efforts including not only technological issues but also various administrative challenges. The impacts of this achievement on the plant's subsequent development are also highlighted. (orig.)

  5. Review of ANSI [American National Standards Institute] N13.11: A status report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sims, C.S.

    1988-01-01

    In 1983, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) issued the dosimetry standard titled ''Personnel Dosimetry Performance -- Criteria for Testing'' as ANSI N13.11. This standard forms the basis for the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) which has become familiar to dosimeter processors in recent years. This standard is particularly important because the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requires that all licensees have personnel dosimetry devices processed by processors that are NVLAP accredited. This standard is currently undergoing review and modifications are going to be made. This paper contains a brief history of the events leading to the development of ANSI N13.11 - 1983, information concerning the present standard and associated performance test results, and the selection of the review group. Following that, the status of the review is presented and statements regarding the future outlook for the standard are made. 10 refs., 5 tabs

  6. National Construction of Global Education: A Critical Review of the National Curriculum Standards for South Korean Global High Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sung, Youl-Kwan; Park, Minjeong; Choi, Il-Seon

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, the authors investigate what global visions of education are reflected in the selected national curriculum standards, with special reference to two seemingly contradictory forces: globalization and nationalism. This paper examines the socio-economic and cultural foundations of the curriculum and explains how the national curriculum…

  7. Framing an Urban School Library with the "National School Library Standards"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keeling, Mary

    2018-01-01

    What is the future of urban school libraries? The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "National School Library Standards" offer a framework for school librarians to reflect on how they can tailor their professional practice to serve their specific school communities. Through the lens of the standards, school librarians can…

  8. Quality assurance for radon exposure chambers at the National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory, Montgomery, Alabama

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Semler, M.O.; Sensintaffar, E.L. [National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory, Montgomery, AL (United States)

    1993-12-31

    The Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), operates six radon exposure chambers in its two laboratories, the National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory (NAREL) in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Las Vegas Facility, Las Vegas, Nevada. These radon exposure chambers are used to calibrate and test portable radon measuring instruments, test commercial suppliers of radon measurement services through the Radon Measurement Proficiency Program, and expose passive measurement devices to known radon concentrations as part of a quality assurance plan for federal and state studies measuring indoor radon concentrations. Both laboratories participate in national and international intercomparisons for the measurement of radon and are presently working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to receive a certificate of traceability for radon measurements. NAREL has developed an estimate of the total error in its calibration of each chamber`s continuous monitors as part of an internal quality assurance program. This paper discusses the continuous monitors and their calibration for the three chambers located in Montgomery, Alabama, as well as the results of the authors intercomparisons and total error analysis.

  9. ICC 700-2012: 2012 National Green Building Standard (ICC 700)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Description of the ICC 700-2012: 2012 National Green Building Standard, a rating and certification system that aims to encourage increased environmental and health performance in residences and residential portions of buildings.

  10. Survey of image quality and patient dose in simple radiographic examinations: establishing guidance levels and comparison with international standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manatrakul, N.; Bunsoong, T.; Krisanachinda, A.; Suwanpradit, P.; Rungruengthanakit, P.; Kanchart, S.; Chaiwong, Rajikorn; Tsapakig, V.A.

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate image quality and patient dose for commonly radiographic examinations in Thailand, to establish national reference or guidance levels (GL) and compare with international standards, as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) project on Radiation Protection of Patients and Medical Exposure Control (RAS/9/034 and RAS/9/047). Materials and Methods: Film reject rate analysis, image quality and patient dose assessment before and after Quality Control (QC) implementation were investigated in 8 X-ray machines in 4 hospitals. Air kerma (in mGy) at 1 meter focus-detector-distance for different kVp settings for each X-ray machines were measured using an ionization chamber under standardized condition. The entrance skin air kerma (ESAK) for Chest PA, Lumbar spine AP, Lumbar spine LAT, Pelvis AP, Abdomen AP, Skull AP and Skull LAT were calculated for at least 10 adult patients of average body mass (60 to 80 kg) for each projection. The obtained values were compared with international standards. Results: The highest film rejection rate reduction recorded after corrective actions from 9.15% to 6.8%. Mean ESAK values were less than international standards both before and after QC implementation in all projections but Chest PA projection. Maximum ESAK in Chest PA projection before corrective action was 0.55 mGy which was higher than the IAEA GL of 0.2 mGy. However, it was reduced to 0.25 mGy after QC tests on X- ray machine and using high kilovoltage (kV) technique. Conclusion: Proposed national GL of Thailand were obtained by estimating the 3rd quartile of the whole sample: Chest PA: 0.1 mGy, Lumbar Spine AP: 2.1 mGy, Lumbar Spine LAT: 6.3 mGy, Pelvis AP: 1.8 mGy, Abdomen: 1.5 mGy, Skull PA: 1.3 mGy and Skull LAT: 0.9 mGy. (author)

  11. Distributional Benefit Analysis of a National Air Quality Rule

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Huang

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Under Executive Order 12898, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA must perform environmental justice (EJ reviews of its rules and regulations. EJ analyses address the hypothesis that environmental disamenities are experienced disproportionately by poor and/or minority subgroups. Such analyses typically use communities as the unit of analysis. While community-based approaches make sense when considering where polluting sources locate, they are less appropriate for national air quality rules affecting many sources and pollutants that can travel thousands of miles. We compare exposures and health risks of EJ-identified individuals rather than communities to analyze EPA’s Heavy Duty Diesel (HDD rule as an example national air quality rule. Air pollutant exposures are estimated within grid cells by air quality models; all individuals in the same grid cell are assigned the same exposure. Using an inequality index, we find that inequality within racial/ethnic subgroups far outweighs inequality between them. We find, moreover, that the HDD rule leaves between-subgroup inequality essentially unchanged. Changes in health risks depend also on subgroups’ baseline incidence rates, which differ across subgroups. Thus, health risk reductions may not follow the same pattern as reductions in exposure. These results are likely representative of other national air quality rules as well.

  12. Real-time water quality monitoring at a Great Lakes National Park

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara; Nevers, Meredith; Shively, Dawn; Spoljaric, Ashley; Otto, Christopher

    2018-01-01

    Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used by the USEPA to establish new recreational water quality criteria in 2012 using the indicator bacteria enterococci. The application of this method has been limited, but resource managers are interested in more timely monitoring results. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of qPCR as a rapid, alternative method to the time-consuming membrane filtration (MF) method for monitoring water at select beaches and rivers of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire, MI. Water samples were collected from four locations (Esch Road Beach, Otter Creek, Platte Point Bay, and Platte River outlet) in 2014 and analyzed for culture-based (MF) and non-culture-based (i.e., qPCR) endpoints using Escherichia coli and enterococci bacteria. The MF and qPCR enterococci results were significantly, positively correlated overall (r = 0.686, p Water quality standard exceedances based on enterococci levels by qPCR were lower than by MF method: 3 and 16, respectively. Based on our findings, we conclude that qPCR may be a viable alternative to the culture-based method for monitoring water quality on public lands. Rapid, same-day results are achievable by the qPCR method, which greatly improves protection of the public from water-related illnesses.

  13. Automotive standard ISO/TS 16949 as a quality determinant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna Rosak-Szyrocka

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The main aim of this paper is to present the standard ISO/TS 16949. In the modern world of competition, quality is one of the most important factors. Modern organizations should gamble on quality, regardless of the type of business, because it is the basic form of running a business effectively. It is not only a factor of market success, but also an indication of organizational culture.

  14. Validating the standard for the National Board Dental Examination Part II.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Tsung-Hsun; Neumann, Laura M; Littlefield, John H

    2012-05-01

    As part of the overall exam validation process, the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations periodically reviews and validates the pass/fail standard for the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE), Parts I and II. The most recent standard-setting activities for NBDE Part II used the Objective Standard Setting method. This report describes the process used to set the pass/fail standard for the 2009 exam. The failure rate on the NBDE Part II increased from 5.3 percent in 2008 to 13.7 percent in 2009 and then decreased to 10 percent in 2010. This article describes the Objective Standard Setting method and presents the estimated probabilities of classification errors based on the beta binomial mathematical model. The results show that the probability of correct classifications of candidate performance is very high (0.97) and that probabilities of false negative and false positive errors are very small (.03 and <0.001, respectively). The low probability of classification errors supports the conclusion that the pass/fail score on the NBDE Part II is a valid guide for making decisions about candidates for dental licensure.

  15. Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter (PM) at high altitude cities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bravo Alvarez, H.; Sosa Echeverria, R.; Sanchez Alvarez, P.; Krupa, S.

    2013-01-01

    The Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter (PM) at high altitude urban areas in different countries, must consider the pressure and temperature due to the effect that these parameters have on the breath volume. This paper shows the importance to correct Air Quality Standards for PM considering pressure and temperature at different altitudes. Specific factors were suggested to convert the information concerning PM, from local to standard conditions, and adjust the Air Quality Standards for different high altitudes cities. The correction factors ranged from: 1.03 for Santiago de Chile to 1.47 for El Alto Bolivia. Other cities in this study include: Mexico City, México; La Paz, Bolivia; Bogota, Cali and Medellin, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador and Cuzco, Peru. If these corrections are not considered, the atmospheric concentrations will be underestimated. - Highlights: ► AQS for particulate matter concentrations adjusted by pressure and temperature. ► Particulate matter concentrations can be underestimated in high altitude Cities. ► Particulate matter concentrations must be compared under the same conditions. - In order to compare high altitude atmospheric PM concentrations with AQS, one must consider T and P of the sampling site.

  16. Reducing the risk of failure: Software Quality assurance standards and methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elphick, J.; Cope, H.

    1992-01-01

    An effective Software Quality Assurance (SQA) program provides an overall approach to software engineering and the establishment of proven methods for the production of reliable software. And, in the authors experience, the overall costs for the software life are diminished with the application of quality methods. In their experience, the issues for implementing quality standards and practices are many. This paper addresses those issues as well as the lessons learned from developing and implementing a number of software quality assurance programs. Their experience includes the development and implementation of their own NRC accepted SQA program and an SQA program for an engineering software developer, as well as developing SQA procedures, standards, and methods for utilities, medical and commercial clients. Some of the issues addressed in this paper are: setting goals and defining quality; applying the software life cycle; addressing organizational issues; providing flexibility and increasing productivity; producing effective documentation; maintaining quality records; Imposing software configuration management; conducting reviews, audits, and controls; verification and validation; and controlling software procurement

  17. Re-Establishment of Standard Radiation Qualities for Calibration of Dosemeter in Diagnostic Radiology - RQR Series

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asmaliza Hashim; Norhayati Abdullah; Mohd Firdaus Abd Rahman

    2016-01-01

    After repairing the high voltage (HV) generator for Philips MG165 X-Ray Machine, the reestablishment of the standard radiation qualities has been done at Medical Physics Calibration Laboratory to meet the IEC and IAEA standard. Standard radiation qualities are the important criteria for calibration of dosemeter in diagnostic radiology. Standard radiation qualities are defined as the added filtration needed to produce and the half value layer (HVL) of the beam for specifies x-ray tube kilo voltage (kV). For calibration of dosemeter in diagnostic radiology, standard radiation qualities RQR represent the beam incident on the patient in general radiography, fluoroscopy and dental application. The HVL were measured using PTW ion chamber of volume 1 cm"3 with PTW electrometer and aluminium filter with 99.9 % purity was used as additional filter for RQR and filter for HVL. The first establishment of standard radiation qualities was made in 2009 for the radiation qualities of RQR. The results of additional filter and 1st HVL from 2009 to 2016 will be discussed further in paper. The ratios of the measured HVL to the standard IEC HVL value for the RQR series also described in this paper. The details of the measurement and the results are described in this paper. (author)

  18. 77 FR 58086 - Fisheries of the United States; National Standard 1 Guidelines; Reopening of Public Comment Period

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-19

    .... 120425420-2420-01] RIN 0648-BB92 Fisheries of the United States; National Standard 1 Guidelines; Reopening... Rulemaking (ANPR) published on May 3, 2012, on potential adjustments to the National Standard 1 Guidelines... adjustments to the National Standard 1 Guidelines. The ANPR provides the public with a formal opportunity to...

  19. Secondary standards laboratories for ionizing radiation calibrations: the national laboratory interests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roberson, P.L.; Campbell, G.W.

    1984-11-01

    The national laboratories are probable candidates to serve as secondary standards laboratories for the federal sector. Representatives of the major Department of Energy laboratories were polled concerning attitudes toward a secondary laboratory structure. Generally, the need for secondary laboratories was recognized and the development of such a program was encouraged. The secondary laboratories should be reviewed and inspected by the National Bureau of Standards. They should offer all of the essential, and preferably additional, calibration services in the field of radiological health protection. The selection of secondary laboratories should be based on economic and geographic criteria and/or be voluntary. 1 ref., 2 tabs

  20. Development of statistical and analytical techniques for use in national quality control schemes for steroid hormones

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, D.W.; Gaskell, S.J.; Fahmy, D.R.; Joyce, B.G.; Groom, G.V.; Griffiths, K.; Kemp, K.W.; Nix, A.B.J.; Rowlands, R.J.

    1979-01-01

    Adopting the rationale that the improvement of intra-laboratory performance of immunometric assays will enable the assessment of national QC schemes to become more meaningful, the group of participating laboratories has developed statistical and analytical techniques for the improvement of accuracy, precision and monitoring of error for the determination of steroid hormones. These developments are now described and their relevance to NQC schemes discussed. Attention has been focussed on some of the factors necessary for improving standards of quality in immunometric assays and their relevance to laboratories participating in NQC schemes as described. These have included the 'accuracy', precision and robustness of assay procedures as well as improved methods for internal quality control. (Auth.)

  1. A Deeper Glimpse into the National Core Arts Standards for General Music

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaffini, Erin Dineen

    2018-01-01

    The National Core Arts Standards in general music provide some exciting possibilities for music growth and understanding among our students. For those of us who are still unsure of how to read the standards or implement them in our classrooms, the standards also present some challenges for music educators. This article provides a deeper look into…

  2. Standardization of Ukrainian touristic services within framework of European integration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O.V. Milinchuk

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The harmonization of national standards in tourism to international requirements is a prerequisite to perform in accordance with the signed Ukraine and the European Union Association Agreement. The current situation of the national standardization in tourism and directions of its development in the context of European integration are formed in the article. The content and objectives of standardization in the field of tourism are determined. The legislation of the national tourism standardization is reviewed: there are 11 standards in the field of tourism, including 6 interstate standards (GOST which adapted as national. The current system of standards has a numerous outdated requirements, Ukrainian enterprises doesn’t use international standards on the organization of trips of adventure tourism, safety management, customer service on cruise ships and ferries, requirements for tourist services etc. In order to satisfy the requirements of quality of tourism services to the European level is recommended to adapt existing ISO standards to the national tourism legislation and to approve them in 2017.

  3. Miscellaneous Coating Manufacturing: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for miscellaneous coating manufacturing. Includes summary, rule history, compliance and implementation information, federal registry citations.

  4. 76 FR 9409 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Primary Lead Smelting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-17

    ... National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Primary Lead Smelting; Proposed Rule #0;#0... Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Primary Lead Smelting AGENCY: Environmental Protection... standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) for Primary Lead Smelting to address the results of the...

  5. The impact of national culture on the ethical standards of the German restaurant market

    OpenAIRE

    Crocamo, Filomena Clara

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to find out the ethical standards of the restaurant business in Germany. A further objective was to understand the national cultural impact on these ethical standards and how potential distinctions in the ethical decision-making process can be explained by the different national cultural background. The theoretical framework of this thesis was based on the theories of national cultural dimensions by the researcher Hofstede (1980) and the concepts of busi...

  6. Feasibility of establishing a biosafety level 3 tuberculosis culture laboratory of acceptable quality standards in a resource-limited setting: an experience from Uganda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ssengooba, Willy; Gelderbloem, Sebastian J; Mboowa, Gerald; Wajja, Anne; Namaganda, Carolyn; Musoke, Philippa; Mayanja-Kizza, Harriet; Joloba, Moses Lutaakome

    2015-01-15

    Despite the recent innovations in tuberculosis (TB) and multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) diagnosis, culture remains vital for difficult-to-diagnose patients, baseline and end-point determination for novel vaccines and drug trials. Herein, we share our experience of establishing a BSL-3 culture facility in Uganda as well as 3-years performance indicators and post-TB vaccine trials (pioneer) and funding experience of sustaining such a facility. Between September 2008 and April 2009, the laboratory was set-up with financial support from external partners. After an initial procedure validation phase in parallel with the National TB Reference Laboratory (NTRL) and legal approvals, the laboratory registered for external quality assessment (EQA) from the NTRL, WHO, National Health Laboratories Services (NHLS), and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The laboratory also instituted a functional quality management system (QMS). Pioneer funding ended in 2012 and the laboratory remained in self-sustainability mode. The laboratory achieved internationally acceptable standards in both structural and biosafety requirements. Of the 14 patient samples analyzed in the procedural validation phase, agreement for all tests with NTRL was 90% (P 80% in all years from NTRL, CAP, and NHLS, and culture was 100% for CAP panels and above regional average scores for all years with NHLS. Quarterly DST scores from WHO-EQA ranged from 78% to 100% in 2010, 80% to 100% in 2011, and 90 to 100% in 2012. From our experience, it is feasible to set-up a BSL-3 TB culture laboratory with acceptable quality performance standards in resource-limited countries. With the demonstrated quality of work, the laboratory attracted more research groups and post-pioneer funding, which helped to ensure sustainability. The high skilled experts in this research laboratory also continue to provide an excellent resource for the needed national discussion of the laboratory and quality management systems.

  7. Activity on non-destructive testing as constituent element of the quality management in accordance with ISO 9001:2000 standard at The Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kazakhstan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kadyrzhanov, K.K.; Kislitsin, S.B.; Ablanov, M.B.

    2004-01-01

    An increase of technical and public safety requirements for facilities of nuclear industries, an efficient quality control based on non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques is crucial. Therefore, Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) through NDT Division makes efforts towards a competent NDT inspection of its facilities starting from research reactor of WWR-K type with a further activity according to the National Program for Development in Nuclear Industry. The additional objective is to harmonize the present codes and standards for Nuclear Industry as an integral part of the INP policy in a quality management according ISO 9001:2000 Standard. (author)

  8. American National Standard administrative controls and quality assurance for the operational phase of nuclear power plants, revision of N18.7-1972

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1976-01-01

    This Standard provides requirements and recommendations for an administrative controls and quality assurance program necessary to provide assurance that operational phase activities at nuclear power plants are carried out without undue risk to the health and safety of the public. The requirements of this Standard apply to all activities affecting the safety-related functions of nuclear power plant structures, systems, and components. It is not intended to apply to test mobile and experimental reactors nor reactors not subject to U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing. However, applicable sections of this Standard should be used as they apply to related activities. Activities included are: design changes, purchasing, fabricating, handling, shipping, storing, cleaning, erecting, installing, inspecting, testing, operating, maintaining, repairing, refueling and modifying

  9. 76 FR 13851 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Mercury Emissions From Mercury Cell...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-14

    ... National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Mercury Emissions From Mercury Cell Chlor-Alkali...-5] RIN 2060-AN99 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Mercury Emissions From Mercury Cell Chlor-Alkali Plants AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Supplemental...

  10. The Canadian Association of Radiologists national standards for technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hynes, D.M.

    1997-01-01

    Unlike any other technological development before it, teleradiology is revolutionizing the diagnostic medical imaging field by enabling broad access to radiological images. Images can today be transmitted between departments or between hospitals. Doctors in remote areas can share images with specialists in larger centres for consultation. Physicians can access hospital records from their office or home computer. Teleradiology also offers valuable educational opportunities. Like other technologies, however, the implementation and continuing development of teleradiology requires careful consideration of issues related to image quality, patient care, security of patient records, and other important matters. The following standard was prepared by the CAR Expert Advisory Panel on Teleradiology Standards in collaboration with the Ontario Association of Radiologists Teleradiology Committee to provide a model for teleradiology applications. The standard is based upon U.S. standards prepared by the American College of Radiology. (author). 21 refs

  11. 1996 Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) -- Radionuclides. Annual report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-06-01

    Under Section 61.94 of Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 61, Subpart H, ''National Emission Standards for Emissions of Radionuclides Other Than Radon From Department of Energy Facilities,'' each Department of Energy (DOE) facility must submit an annual report documenting compliance. This report addresses the Section 61.94 reporting requirements for operations at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) for calendar year (CY) 1996. The Idaho Operations Office of the DOE is the primary contact concerning compliance with the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) at the INEEL. For calendar year 1996, airborne radionuclide emissions from the INEEL operations were calculated to result in a maximum individual dose to a member of the public of 3.14E-02 mrem (3.14E-07 Sievert). This effective dose equivalent (EDE) is well below the 40 CFR 61, Subpart H, regulatory standard of 10 mrem per year (1.0E-04 Sievert per year)

  12. Fundaments for creation of national radiation protection standard for nuclear gauges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferreira, Luiz Cavalcante

    2016-01-01

    The present work It aims to provide fundaments for the creation of a national standard of practice, safety and responsible use of nuclear gauges in accordance with the recommendations already existing national and international. The work deals with the protection against ionizing radiation, an outline of a proposal for a standard that discriminates in its articles and paragraphs, the basic principles of a proposal for a standard that discriminates in its articles and paragraphs, the basic principles of safety and security, and some pointes that are also relevant such as the responsibilities of those involved in acquisition and nuclear gauge operation, storage, maintenance, testing and emergency situations. The result is to provide a means to limit the dose of operators and people from the public and maintain these limits within the recommended by CNEN, reducing exposure do ionizing radiation, and having greater control in operating the equipment. (author)

  13. Brief Introduction of Chinese National Technical Committee for Standardization on Radio Interference

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2004-01-01

    @@ Chinese Nationa Technical Committee for Standardization on Radio Interference(SAC/TC79),ESTABLISHED IN 1986,is the national technical organization relating to different departments for standardization,with responsibility for technical research of electromagnetic compatibility as well as the management of each subcommittee.

  14. National Quality Improvement Center on Early Childhood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Browne, Charlyn Harper

    2014-01-01

    The national Quality Improvement Center on early Childhood (QIC-eC) funded four research and demonstration projects that tested child maltreatment prevention approaches. The projects were guided by several key perspectives: the importance of increasing protective factors in addition to decreasing risk factors in child maltreatment prevention…

  15. Quality control and quality assurance philosophy introduced in national personnel dosimetry service

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trousil, J.; Zelenka, Z.; Kvasnicka, O.

    2008-01-01

    There in National Personnel Dosimetry Service (NPDS) the implementation of the control system to guarantee the credibility of the measured personal dose equivalents results was given on the basis of the international recommendations published by the European Commission and the IAEA and in particular of the decree of the SUJB No. 132/2008 Coll. The quality control and the quality assurance are carried out in all three personal dosimetry services introduced in NPDS: in the film badge, thermoluminescent (TL) and neutron dosimetry. (authors)

  16. Standards of care and quality indicators for multidisciplinary care models for psoriatic arthritis in Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gratacós, Jordi; Luelmo, Jesús; Rodríguez, Jesús; Notario, Jaume; Marco, Teresa Navío; de la Cueva, Pablo; Busquets, Manel Pujol; Font, Mercè García; Joven, Beatriz; Rivera, Raquel; Vega, Jose Luis Alvarez; Álvarez, Antonio Javier Chaves; Parera, Ricardo Sánchez; Carrascosa, Jose Carlos Ruiz; Martínez, Fernando José Rodríguez; Sánchez, José Pardo; Olmos, Carlos Feced; Pujol, Conrad; Galindez, Eva; Barrio, Silvia Pérez; Arana, Ana Urruticoechea; Hergueta, Mercedes; Coto, Pablo; Queiro, Rubén

    2018-06-01

    To define and give priority to standards of care and quality indicators of multidisciplinary care for patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). A systematic literature review on PsA standards of care and quality indicators was performed. An expert panel of rheumatologists and dermatologists who provide multidisciplinary care was established. In a consensus meeting group, the experts discussed and developed the standards of care and quality indicators and graded their priority, agreement and also the feasibility (only for quality indicators) following qualitative methodology and a Delphi process. Afterwards, these results were discussed with 2 focus groups, 1 with patients, another with health managers. A descriptive analysis is presented. We obtained 25 standards of care (9 of structure, 9 of process, 7 of results) and 24 quality indicators (2 of structure, 5 of process, 17 of results). Standards of care include relevant aspects in the multidisciplinary care of PsA patients like an appropriate physical infrastructure and technical equipment, the access to nursing care, labs and imaging techniques, other health professionals and treatments, or the development of care plans. Regarding quality indicators, the definition of multidisciplinary care model objectives and referral criteria, the establishment of responsibilities and coordination among professionals and the active evaluation of patients and data collection were given a high priority. Patients considered all of them as important. This set of standards of care and quality indicators for the multidisciplinary care of patients with PsA should help improve quality of care in these patients.

  17. 76 FR 54293 - Review of National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Carbon Monoxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-31

    ...), hypertension (high blood pressure), and peripheral vascular diseases. Heart disease, in turn, comprises several... further concludes that no secondary standard should be set for CO at this time. EPA is also making changes.... Consideration of a Secondary Standard A. Introduction B. Rationale for Proposed Decision C. Comments on...

  18. Management system - correlation study between new IAEA standards and the market standards

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliveira, Dirceu Paulo de [Centro Tecnologico da Marinha em Sao Paulo (CTMSP), Ipero, SP (Brazil)], e-mail: dirceupo@hotmail.com; Zouain, Desiree Moraes [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], e-mail: dmzouain@ipen.br

    2009-07-01

    In order to answer the growing concern of society with respect of the aspects that affect the quality of life, international and national regulatory bodies have developed standards that enable organizations to establish management systems for quality, environment and sustainable development, health, safety and social responsibility, among other functions. Within this context it is necessary to structure an integrated management system that promotes interests compatibility of several distinct and complementary functions involved. Considering this vision of the management system integration, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decided to review the structure of safety standards on Quality Assurance - code and guides 50-C/SGQ1/ 14:1996, publishing, in 2006, IAEA GS-R-3 and IAEA GS-G-3.1 standards, enlarging the management approach of the previous standards, including the possibility of integrating the functions foremost mentioned. This paper presents the results about a correlation study between IAEA management system standards - IAEA GS-R-3: 2006, IAEA GS-G-3.1: 2006 and IAEA DS349 rev. 2007, this latter still a draft standard, with those market management system standards on quality - ISO 9001:2008, environmental - ISO 14001:2004, and occupational health and safety - BS OHSAS 18001:2007, identifying gaps, redundancies and complementarities among their requirements and guidances. The purpose of the study is to provide subsidies that could contribute to the structuring of a management system to nuclear facilities that satisfies, in an integrated manner, the common and complementary requirements and guidances of IAEA and market standards. (author)

  19. Management system - correlation study between new IAEA standards and the market standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, Dirceu Paulo de; Zouain, Desiree Moraes

    2009-01-01

    In order to answer the growing concern of society with respect of the aspects that affect the quality of life, international and national regulatory bodies have developed standards that enable organizations to establish management systems for quality, environment and sustainable development, health, safety and social responsibility, among other functions. Within this context it is necessary to structure an integrated management system that promotes interests compatibility of several distinct and complementary functions involved. Considering this vision of the management system integration, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decided to review the structure of safety standards on Quality Assurance - code and guides 50-C/SGQ1/ 14:1996, publishing, in 2006, IAEA GS-R-3 and IAEA GS-G-3.1 standards, enlarging the management approach of the previous standards, including the possibility of integrating the functions foremost mentioned. This paper presents the results about a correlation study between IAEA management system standards - IAEA GS-R-3: 2006, IAEA GS-G-3.1: 2006 and IAEA DS349 rev. 2007, this latter still a draft standard, with those market management system standards on quality - ISO 9001:2008, environmental - ISO 14001:2004, and occupational health and safety - BS OHSAS 18001:2007, identifying gaps, redundancies and complementarities among their requirements and guidances. The purpose of the study is to provide subsidies that could contribute to the structuring of a management system to nuclear facilities that satisfies, in an integrated manner, the common and complementary requirements and guidances of IAEA and market standards. (author)

  20. Radiation-based quantitative bioimaging at the national institute of standards and technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karam Lisa

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Building on a long history of providing physical measurements and standards for medical x rays and nuclear medicine radionuclides, the laboratory has expanded its focus to better support the extensive use of medical physics in the United States today, providing confidence in key results needed for drug and device development and marketing, therapy planning and efficacy and disease screening. In particular, to support more quantitative medical imaging, this laboratory has implemented a program to provide key measurement infrastructure to support radiation-based imaging through developing standard, benchmark phantoms, which contain radioactive sources calibrated to national measurement standards, to allow more quantitative imaging through traceable instrument calibration for clinical trials or patient management. Working closely with colleagues at the National Institutes of Health, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Food and Drug Administration and Cornell University, this laboratory has taken the initial steps in developing phantoms, and the protocols to use them, for more accurate calibration of positron emission tomography (PET or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT cameras, including recently standardizing 68 Ge. X-ray measurements of the laboratory′s recently developed small, resilient and inexpensive length standard phantom have shown the potential usefulness of such a "pocket" phantom for patient-based calibration of computed tomography (alone or with PET systems. The ability to calibrate diagnostic imaging tools in a way that is traceable to national standards will lead to a more quantitative approach; both physician and patient benefit from increased accuracy in treatment planning, as well as increased safety for the patient.

  1. Chlamydial partner notification in the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) 2011 UK national audit against the BASHH Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health Sexually Transmitted Infections Management Standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClean, H; Carne, C A; Sullivan, A K; Radcliffe, K W; Ahmed-Jushuf, I

    2012-10-01

    This paper reports on chlamydial partner notification (PN) performance in the 2011 BASHH national audit against the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) Medical Foundation for AIDS Sexual Health (MedFASH) Sexually Transmitted Infection Management Standards (STIMS). There was wide regional variation in level 3 clinic PN performance against the current standard of index case-reported chlamydial PN, with 43% (regional range 0-80%) of clinics outside London meeting the ≥0.6 contacts seen per index standard, and 85% of clinics (regional range 82-88%) in London meeting the ≥0.4 standard. For level 2 clinics, 39% (regional range 0-100%) of clinics outside London met the ≥0.6 standard, and 43% (regional range 40-50%) of clinics in London met the ≥0.4 standard. Performance for health-care worker (HCW)-verified contact attendance is also reported. New standards for each of these performance measures are proposed for all level 3 clinics: ≥0.6 contacts seen per index case based on index case report, and ≥0.4 contacts seen per index case based on HCW verification, both within four weeks of the first partner notification interview. The results are discussed with regard to the importance of adoption of standards by commissioners of services, relevance to national quality agendas, and the need for development of a national system of PN quality assurance measurement and reporting.

  2. Discharge communication from inpatient care: an audit of written medical discharge summary procedure against the new National Health Service Standard for clinical handover.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reid, Daniel Brooks; Parsons, Shaun R; Gill, Stephen D; Hughes, Andrew J

    2015-04-01

    To audit written medical discharge summary procedure and practice against Standard Six (clinical handover) of the Australian National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards at a major regional Victorian health service. Department heads were invited to complete a questionnaire about departmental discharge summary practices. Twenty-seven (82%) department heads completed the questionnaire. Seven (26%) departments had a documented discharge summary procedure. Fourteen (52%) departments monitored discharge summary completion and 13 (48%) departments monitored the timeliness of completion. Seven (26%) departments informed the patient of the content of the discharge summary and six (22%) departments provided the patient with a copy. Seven (26%) departments provided training for staff members on how to complete discharge summaries. Completing discharge summaries was usually delegated to the medical intern. The introduction of the National Service Standards prompted an organisation-wide audit of discharge summary practices against the external criterion. There was substantial variation in the organisation's practices. The Standards and the current audit results highlight an opportunity for the organisation to enhance and standardise discharge summary practices and improve communication with general practice.

  3. Website Quality in Government

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørum, Hanne; Andersen, Kim Normann; Clemmensen, Torkil

    2013-01-01

    . Social implications – The overall digital enabled transformation of government appears to be guided by a rather heterogeneous set of quality standards. While a variance of quality standards might stimulate innovation in websites, it can also lead to a substantial difference in digital services provided...... to citizens. Thus, the authors' research stimulates the awareness of diversity of quality parameters and could have as an implication that national and international standards beyond accessibility standards are more explicitly shared and debated. Originality/value – The aim of this paper is to provide......Purpose – The objective of this paper is to investigate how webmasters within government bodies explain quality of websites. Despite the central position for advancing the communication, bridging usability tests and design, there are surprisingly few studies on how webmasters perceive, experience...

  4. BRC/IoP standard importance in packaging quality assurance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agnieszka Kawecka

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available BRC/IoP (British Retail Consortium / Institute of Packaging is the only industry standard dedicated entrepreneurs operating in the packaging industry, primarily intended for contact with food. The requirements of the BRC / IoP guarantee the safety of packaging and fulfillment of all legal and hygienic requirements. The article presents the main features of the standard, the basic requirements contained in the document and the results of research on the implementation of quality management systems, including standard BRC / IoP and the actions that are required checklists. It is noticeable that there is little interest in certification BRC / IoP, due to low awareness of the standard, despite the fulfillment of some of the basic requirements of the surveyed companies.

  5. Assessment of Soil Environmental Quality in Huangguoshu Waterfalls Scenic Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Rongbin; Feng, Kaiyu; Gu, Bo; Xu, Chengcheng

    2018-03-01

    This paper concentrates on five major heavy metal pollutants as soil environmental quality evaluation factors, respectively Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr), based on the National Soil Environmental Quality Standards (GB15618 - 1995), we used single factor index evaluation model of soil environmental quality and comprehensive index evaluation model to analyze surface soil environmental quality in the Huangguoshu Waterfalls scenic area. Based on surface soil analysis, our results showed that the individual contamination index, Pb, Hg, As and Cr in the Huangguoshu Waterfalls scenic area met class I according to requirements of National Soil Environmental Quality Standards, which indicated that Pb, Hg, As and Cr were not main heavy metal pollutants in this area, but the individual contamination index of Cd in soil was seriously exceeded National Soil Environmental Quality Standards’ requirement. Soil environmental quality in Shitouzhai, Luoshitan, Langgong Hongyan Power Plant have exceeded the requirement of National Soil Environmental Quality Standards “0.7soils had been slightly polluted; the classification of soil environmental quality assessment in Longgong downstream area was above “Alert Level”, it indicated that soil in this area was not polluted. Above all, relevant measures for soil remediation are put forward.

  6. Implementing the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards: A slow process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph M. Furner

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to look at inservice teachers’ pedagogical beliefs about the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards (1989 & 2000.  The Standards’ Belief Instrument (Zollman and Mason, 1992 was administered on teachers.  An ANOVA was used to look for a significant difference between teachers with five years or less experience of teaching mathematics, and those with more than five years teaching experience. One expectation was  that teachers who are recent graduates of teacher education programmes may have more training  on the NCTM Standards. Although there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups, this study did support the expectation. Current training with in-service teachers shows that many of the teachers are familiar with neither the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics nor their Standards.  It seems then from this study that the implementation process of the NCTM Standards, and  perhaps any standards or best practices and new curriculum implementation, is very sluggish.

  7. Stability of Working Reference Standards for Hybrid K-Edge Densitometer Quality Assurance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guzzardo, T.; Pickett, C.A.; McElroy, R.; Croft, S.; Garrison, J.; Venkataraman, R.

    2015-01-01

    The relatively short working life of aqueous solution standards of actinides for the calibration and quality control of Hybrid K-Edge Densitometer (HKED) measurements necessitates the development of a stable matrix material less susceptible to degradation. Degradation in the form of evaporation, radiolysis, settling, sloshing, and sediment formation can all reduce the reliability and working life of an aqueous standard. These factors make aqueous solutions inadequate for long-term quality assurance measurements designed to detect weak or subtle trends in system performance. Epoxy, studied here, is an alternative matrix material that may be less vulnerable to degradation. An additional benefit of epoxy is that standards can easily be characterized as sealed sources which allows for simplified administrative controls during shipping and storage. The stability of working reference standards consisting of U 3 O 8 in an epoxy matrix for use in the HKED has been tracked for over three years through repeated X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and K-Edge (KED) measurements. A set of six epoxy standards ranging in concentration from 1 g/l to 76 g/l uranium were determined to be stable, within the expected accuracy of the system, over the period of analysis. During this time, no effort was made to enhance the stability of the epoxy standards; the radial measurement position was not controlled and in the middle of the analysis period the HKED system and standards were shipped from the vendor's factory to the customer. Epoxy standards afford numerous benefits over those created from aqueous solutions and should be considered when developing HKED standards for quality assurance measurements. The stability of the epoxy allows the development of working standards of a stability and robustness sufficient for use in a proposed international round-robin exercise based on the exchange of such standards. (author)

  8. Revision of the ASME nuclear quality assurance standard and its historical background

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Tetsuya

    2009-01-01

    ASME NQA-1-2008 'Quality Assurance Requirements for Nuclear Facility Applications' will be endorsed by US NRC by the end of 2009. This standard will apply to design, construction and operation of nuclear power plants newly erected in USA. It is important to Japanese vendors developing nuclear business in USA. Historical background, significance of revision and main revised points of the ASME nuclear quality assurance standard are described in the present paper. (T. Tanaka)

  9. Quality standards in 480 pancreatic resections: a prospective observational study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Javier Herrera-Cabezón

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Pancreatic resection is a standard procedure for the treatment of periampullary tumors. Morbidity and mortality are high, and quality standards are scarce in our setting. International classifications of complications (Clavien-Dindo and those specific for pancreatectomies (ISGPS allow adequate case comparisons. The goals of our work are to describe the morbidity and mortality of 480 pancreatectomies using the international classifications ISGPS and Clavien-Dindo to help establish a quality standard in our setting and to compare the results of CPD with reconstruction by pancreaticogastrostomy (1,55 versus 177 pancreaticojejunostomy. We report 480 resections including 337 duodenopancreatectomies, 116 distal pancreatectomies, 11 total pancreatectomies, 10 central pancreatectomies, and 6 enucleations. Results for duodenopancreatectomy include: 62 % morbidity (Clavien ≥ III 25.9 %, 12.3 % reinterventions, and 3.3 % overall mortality. For reconstruction by pancreaticojejunostomy: 71.2 % morbidity (Clavien ≥ III 34.4 %, 17.5 % reinterventions, and 3.3 % mortality. For reconstruction by pancreaticogastrostomy: 51 % morbidity (Clavien ≥ III 15.4%, 6.4 % reinterventions, and 3.2 % mortality. Differences are significant except for mortality. We conclude that our series meets quality criteria as compared to other groups. Reconstruction with pancreaticogastrostomy significantly reduces complication number and severity, as well as pancreatic fistula and reintervention rates.

  10. National evaluation of multidisciplinary quality metrics for head and neck cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cramer, John D; Speedy, Sedona E; Ferris, Robert L; Rademaker, Alfred W; Patel, Urjeet A; Samant, Sandeep

    2017-11-15

    The National Quality Forum has endorsed quality-improvement measures for multiple cancer types that are being developed into actionable tools to improve cancer care. No nationally endorsed quality metrics currently exist for head and neck cancer. The authors identified patients with surgically treated, invasive, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the National Cancer Data Base from 2004 to 2014 and compared the rate of adherence to 5 different quality metrics and whether compliance with these quality metrics impacted overall survival. The metrics examined included negative surgical margins, neck dissection lymph node (LN) yield ≥ 18, appropriate adjuvant radiation, appropriate adjuvant chemoradiation, adjuvant therapy within 6 weeks, as well as overall quality. In total, 76,853 eligible patients were identified. There was substantial variability in patient-level adherence, which was 80% for negative surgical margins, 73.1% for neck dissection LN yield, 69% for adjuvant radiation, 42.6% for adjuvant chemoradiation, and 44.5% for adjuvant therapy within 6 weeks. Risk-adjusted Cox proportional-hazard models indicated that all metrics were associated with a reduced risk of death: negative margins (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71-0.76), LN yield ≥ 18 (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89-0.96), adjuvant radiation (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.64-0.70), adjuvant chemoradiation (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.79-0.88), and adjuvant therapy ≤6 weeks (HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89-0.96). Patients who received high-quality care had a 19% reduced adjusted hazard of mortality (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.79-0.83). Five head and neck cancer quality metrics were identified that have substantial variability in adherence and meaningfully impact overall survival. These metrics are appropriate candidates for national adoption. Cancer 2017;123:4372-81. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

  11. Principles and foundation: national standards on quantities and units in nuclear science field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Lishu

    1993-11-01

    The main contents of National Standards on Quantities and units of atomic and nuclear physics (GB 3102.9) and Quantities and Units of nuclear reactions and ionizing radiations (GB 310.10) are presented in which most important quantities with their symbols and definitions in the nuclear scientific field are given. The principles and foundation, including the International System of Units (SI) and its application to the nuclear scientific field, in the setting of the National Standards are explained

  12. Reinforced Plastic Composites Production: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

    Science.gov (United States)

    National emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants for reinforced plastic composites production facilities. Regulates production and ancillary processes used to manufacture products with thermoset resins and gel coats.

  13. How the Triangle of Bologna Quality Assurance, a National Legal Framework and Internal Quality Enhancement Supports Institutional Improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veronika Kareva

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The Republic of Macedonia (RM has been a part of the Bologna process since 2003. The Ministry of Education, law and policy makers and higher education institutions have actively engaged with its main concepts. In parallel with this, since the adoption of the law on higher education in 2008 and the reform of the Accreditation and Evaluation Board, there have been numerous changes and amendments culminating in the fast-tracked adoption of a new law at the beginning of 2015. Some of its solutions created a huge debate among the academic community, other intellectuals and students themselves, resulting in the postponement of that law and a kind of legal vacuum. In such turbulent circumstances, individual higher education institutions had to consider how and to what extent to adopt and develop relevant standards and guidelines, comply with the legal framework and promote good practice. The aim of this paper is to present how these three aspects, Bologna standards and guidelines for Quality Assurance (QA, a national legal framework and an institutional approach are being reflected, merged and implemented at a relatively young higher education institution. It questions the impact of these three elements on each other and how one institution’s drive for improvement is affected. This is done through a qualitative analysis of the three-fold perspectives. The conclusions and recommendations are expected to be of use to policy makers in the country and region as they evaluate how international trends and good practice fit into the socio-economic and political conditions of RM and similar countries. At the same time, it can demonstrate how far institutional quality assurance and progress can be implemented and recognized in the country itself and by some international stakeholders. It can also prove that the South East European University (SEEU is a national leader in this field as RM has no functioning QA evaluation system, while SEEU has managed to

  14. National Assessment of Quality Programs in Emergency Medical Services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Redlener, Michael; Olivieri, Patrick; Loo, George T; Munjal, Kevin; Hilton, Michael T; Potkin, Katya Trudeau; Levy, Michael; Rabrich, Jeffrey; Gunderson, Michael R; Braithwaite, Sabina A

    2018-01-01

    This study aims to understand the adoption of clinical quality measurement throughout the United States on an EMS agency level, the features of agencies that do participate in quality measurement, and the level of physician involvement. It also aims to barriers to implementing quality improvement initiatives in EMS. A 46-question survey was developed to gather agency level data on current quality improvement practices and measurement. The survey was distributed nationally via State EMS Offices to EMS agencies nation-wide using Surveymonkey©. A convenience sample of respondents was enrolled between August and November, 2015. Univariate, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to describe demographics and relationships between outcomes of interest and their covariates using SAS 9.3©. A total of 1,733 surveys were initiated and 1,060 surveys had complete or near-complete responses. This includes agencies from 45 states representing over 6.23 million 9-1-1 responses annually. Totals of 70.5% (747) agencies reported dedicated QI personnel, 62.5% (663) follow clinical metrics and 33.3% (353) participate in outside quality or research program. Medical director hours varied, notably, 61.5% (649) of EMS agencies had quality measures compared to fire-based agencies. Agencies in rural only environments were less likely to follow clinical quality metrics. (OR 0.47 CI 0.31 -0.72 p quality improvement resources, medical direction and specific clinical quality measures. More research is needed to understand the impact of this variation on patient care outcomes.

  15. Constructing Assessment Model of Primary and Secondary Educational Quality with Talent Quality as the Core Standard

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Benyou

    2014-01-01

    Quality is the core of education and it is important to standardization construction of primary and secondary education in urban (U) and rural (R) areas. The ultimate goal of the integration of urban and rural education is to pursuit quality urban and rural education. Based on analysing the related policy basis and the existing assessment models…

  16. 77 FR 37361 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-21

    ... National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines; New Source Performance Standards for Stationary Internal Combustion Engines AGENCY: Environmental Protection... Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines; New Source Performance...

  17. A Risk and Standards Based Approach to Quality Assurance in Australia's Diverse Higher Education Sector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Australian Government Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, 2015

    2015-01-01

    The Australian Government Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency's (TEQSA's) role is to assure that quality standards are being met by all registered higher education providers. This paper explains how TEQSA's risk-based approach to assuring higher education standards is applied in broad terms to a diverse sector. This explanation is…

  18. Evaluation of the environmental epidemiologic data and methodology for the air quality standard in Beijing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xu; Jiang, Yanfeng; Yin, Ling; Liu, Bo; Du, Pengfei; Hassan, Mujtaba; Wang, Shigong; Li, Tanshi

    2017-09-01

    To evaluate the relationship between exposure to air pollutants and respiratory emergency room visits, a generalized additive model (GAM) was used to analyze the exposure-effect relationship between air pollutants and respiratory emergency room visits. The results showed that NO2, SO2, and PM10 have positive relationships with respiratory disease. Concentration increases of 10 μg/m3 in NO2, SO2, and PM10 corresponded to 3.90% (95%CI 3.56-4.25), 0.81% (95%CI -0.09-1.72), and 0.64% (95%CI 0.55-0.74) increases in respiratory emergency room visits. In addition, there is a strong synergic effect of PM10 and NO2 on respiratory diseases. The threshold values of the national standard grade II limits used in Beijing should be adjusted. An appropriate standard could effectively promote a significant decline in respiratory room visits and would eventually be beneficial to air quality management in residential areas.

  19. 75 FR 4173 - Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes and Flowing Waters

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-26

    ... Part III Environmental Protection Agency 40 CFR Part 131 Water Quality Standards for the State of...-HQ-OW-2009-0596; FRL-9105-1] RIN 2040-AF11 Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes... Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing numeric nutrient water quality criteria to protect aquatic...

  20. An exploratory study of the influence of national and state standards on middle school science teachers' classroom assessment practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    McWaters, Kathy Jean

    2001-07-01

    Classroom assessment practices of middle school science teachers were identified and the influence of national and state science standards on these practices was examined. In Phase I of this study a mail questionnaire was sent to 450 middle school (grades 5,6,7 and 8) science teachers in 17 parishes in Louisiana to obtain information about their classroom assessment practices. In Phase II, nine middle school teachers in eight departmentalized classrooms, two classes at each grade, participated in a qualitative study. Data were collected through questionnaires, classroom observations, interviews and document analysis. Data analysis revealed three major categories of classroom assessment targets: (a) student achievement, (b) student attitudes and, (c) student products. Results indicated that most teachers are using different assessment methods when assessing different achievement targets, as recommended by science reform documents. It was also determined that many teachers are using appropriate methods to assess student learning. While teachers reported that students spend an inordinate amount of time engaged in assessment activities, classroom observations suggested that the activities were not always written tests or graded activities. Another key finding is that there is a disconnect between the quality of teaching and the quality of assessment. Teachers who teach the material recommended by science reform documents and use recommended instructional strategies were observed to stop teaching and engage students in a "test rehearsal" geared towards rote memorization of factual information. Data suggest that the national and state science content standards are influencing the content and the format of teacher-made tests. Teachers' reported using the standards during assessment construction or selection in a wide variety of ways. The most direct use of the standards reported was to select content, format and cognitive level for test items. A more circumspect approach

  1. Interactions between California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the National Renewable Fuel Standard

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whistance, Jarrett; Thompson, Wyatt; Meyer, Seth

    2017-01-01

    This study investigates the economic interactions between a national renewable fuel policy, namely the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in the United States, and a sub-national renewable fuel policy, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) in California. The two policies have a similar objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but the policies differ in the manner in which those objectives are met. The RFS imposes a hierarchical mandate of renewable fuel use for each year whereas the LCFS imposes a specific annual carbon-intensity reduction with less of a fuel specific mandate. We model the interactions using a partial-equilibrium structural model of agricultural and energy markets in the US and Rest-of-World regions. Our results suggest the policies are mutually reinforcing in that the compliance costs of meeting one of the requirements is lower in the presence of the other policy. In addition, the two policies combine to create a spatial shift in renewable fuel use toward California even though overall renewable fuel use remains relatively unchanged. - Highlights: • Results suggest the RFS and LCFS are mutually reinforcing. • Overall level of renewable fuel use is similar across scenarios. • Renewable fuel use shifts toward California in the presence of the LCFS. • Higher ethanol blend (e.g. E85) use also shifts toward California.

  2. Requirements for a quality measurement instrument for semantic standards

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Folmer, E.J.A.; Krukkert, D.; Oude Luttighuis, P.; Hillegersberg van, J. van

    2010-01-01

    This study describes requirements for an instrument to measure the quality of semantic standards. A situational requirements engineering method was used, resulting in a goal-tree in which requirements are structured. This structure shows requirements related to the input of the instrument; stating

  3. Review of Special Standards in Quality Management Systems Audits in Automotive Production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Šurinová, Yulia

    2013-12-01

    Quality management systems (QMS) in automotive industry generally have several differences in comparison with other industrial branches. Different customers have their own specific requirements, including requirements for quality audits. Audits are one of the coretools of quality management to make the PDCA (Plan - Do - Check - Act) cycle work. As a matter of fact, compliance with ISO/TS 16949:2009 requirements is a condition for supplying the automotive industry. However, there are some standards which co-exist together with the ISO 9001 based management systems and technical specification for QMS in automotive ISO/TS16949. Which are those specific standards in automotive industry and what standard to use and why - those are the questions to be answered in this paper. The aim of the paper is to review what standards are used for audits implementation in automotive industry in the Slovak Republic, and why the organizations keep following those "extra" standards even if certification for ISO/TS 16949 is required by all the car makers. The paper is structured as follows: after short introduction to the topic and related terms, presented is our methodology. . In the third section, the achieved results are discussed. And finally, the principal findings of the paper, limitations and conclusions are presented.

  4. [Implementation of the National Expert Standard Prophylaxis of Pressure Ulcers in nurse practise - a cost-benefit analysis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolke, R; Hennings, D; Scheu, P

    2007-06-01

    By developing evidence-based, national Expert Standards, agreed-upon by an association of nursing professionals, the German Care Science participates in the international discussion. Up to now, five National Expert Standards on relevant care-related topics have been developed and have been widely implemented in Care Practice. However, sufficient evaluations of these Expert Standards are still required, especially from an economic perspective. The following paper addresses this topic by performing a cost-benefit analysis for the National Expert Standard Prophylaxis of Pressure Ulcers. The authors demonstrate which costs are caused by the implementation of this National Expert Standard for a residential care agency providing services. The benefit of the implementation of the Expert Standard is then being compared to its cost for a period of three years. The evaluation concludes that, in consideration of opportunity costs, the introduction of the National Expert Standard Prophylaxis of Pressure Ulcers appears economically viable for the residential care agency only if the rate of pressure ulcers in the reference agency can be lowered at least by 26.48%. In this case, when exclusively considering direct benefits and direct costs, a positive impact of the implementation will be achieved.

  5. 75 FR 18850 - National Protection and Programs Directorate; Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-13

    ... Directorate; Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Personnel Surety Program AGENCY: National Protection...-terrorism Vulnerability Information (CVI), Sensitive Security Information (SSI), or Protected Critical... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Program Description The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), 6 CFR...

  6. 77 FR 33811 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-07

    ... 63 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines; New Source Performance Standards for Stationary Internal Combustion Engines; Proposed Rule #0;#0... Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines; New Source...

  7. Assessment of air quality benefits from the national pollution control policy of thermal power plants in China: A numerical simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhanshan; Pan, Libo; Li, Yunting; Zhang, Dawei; Ma, Jin; Sun, Feng; Xu, Wenshuai; Wang, Xingrun

    2015-04-01

    In 2010, an emission inventory of air pollutants in China was created using the Chinese Bulletin of the Environment, the INTEX-B program, the First National Pollution Source Census, the National Generator Set Manual, and domestic and international research studies. Two emission scenarios, the standard failed emission scenario (S1) and the standard successful emission scenario (S2), were constructed based upon the Instructions for the Preparation of Emission Standards for Air Pollutants from Thermal Power Plants (second draft). The Fifth-Generation NCAR/Penn State Mesoscale Model (MM5) and the U.S. EPA Models-3 Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model were applied to China to study the air quality benefits from Emission Standards for Air Pollutants from Thermal Power Plants GB13223-2011. The performance of MM5 and CMAQ was evaluated with meteorological data from Global Surface Data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) and the daily Air Pollution Index (API) reported by Chinese local governments. The results showed that the implementation of the new standards could reduce the concentration of air pollutants and acid deposition in China by varying degrees. The new standards could reduce NO2 pollution in China. By 2020, for the scenario S2, the area with an NO2 concentration higher than the second-level emission standard, and the average NO2 concentration in 31 selected provinces would be reduced by 55.2% and 24.3%, respectively. The new standards could further reduce the concentration of declining SO2 in China. By 2020, for S2, the area with an SO2 concentration higher than the second-level emission standard and the average SO2 concentration in the 31 selected provinces would be reduced by 40.0% and 31.6%, respectively. The new standards could also reduce PM2.5 pollution in China. By 2020, for S2, the area with a PM2.5 concentration higher than the second-level emission standard and the average concentration of PM2.5 in the 31 selected provinces would be

  8. The Strategic Study of National Quality Award through Business Excellence Model - The IBM, Panasonic and E.SUN Bank Cases in Taiwan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jang-Ruey Tzeng

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Quality is a dignity to a country and also masterpiece and bedrock for the development of a country. To recover economical prosperity immediately right from the II world war, Japan founded Demin Quality Award to encourage the improvement of quality and promote the whole scale of competence core for enterprises in 1951. All the products produced by Japan are entirely favoured by the customers around the world during the period of 1975. The Japanese made automobiles, electronics and appliances are inexpensive and competitive enough to sluggish the economy growth of USA. To counter the serious threats and regain the advantage of the market, the United States finally founded Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, MBNQA to provide a series of standards for excellence performance in 1987. European Excellence Award was set up by the European Foundation for Quality Management, EFQM for advancing the superiority of tech development in 1991. Among the developing countries, there is no exception can be made for the emerging countries, especially in area of Aisa. Taiwan is the first country in Asia to establish Taiwan National Quality Award, TNQA in 1990 to represent the great honour of quality, also the first national quality award in this area. As the candidate with the great potential to be developed country in this region, not only Taiwan is struggling to advance its technology, but also promote the quality issues by quality related policies of government. Therefore, this paper is to examine the process of involvement in the promotion to Taiwan National Quality Award for three different enterprises, the 1assessment of various dimension in company through spot visit by judges of TNQA, and the analysis of interview record from the superior executives for the further research and introductive contribution of this award. Conclusively, this paper is trying to draw the overview of how to improve the excellence of quality in the practice of business

  9. The importance of standardized observations to evaluate nutritional care quality in the survey process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnelle, John F; Bertrand, Rosanna; Hurd, Donna; White, Alan; Squires, David; Feuerberg, Marvin; Hickey, Kelly; Simmons, Sandra F

    2009-10-01

    Guidelines written for government surveyors who assess nursing home (NH) compliance with federal standards contain instructions to observe the quality of mealtime assistance. However, these instructions are vague and no protocol is provided for surveyors to record observational data. This study compared government survey staff observations of mealtime assistance quality to observations by research staff using a standardized protocol that met basic standards for accurate behavioral measurement. Survey staff used either the observation instructions in the standard survey process or those written for the revised Quality Improvement Survey (QIS). Trained research staff observed mealtime care in 20 NHs in 5 states during the same time period that survey staff evaluated care in the same facilities, although it could not be determined if survey and research staff observed the same residents during the same meals. Ten NHs were evaluated by government surveyors using the QIS survey instructions and 10 NHs were evaluated by surveyors using the standard survey instructions. Research staff observations using a standardized observation protocol identified a higher proportion of residents receiving inadequate feeding assistance during meals relative to survey staff using either the standard or QIS survey instructions. For example, more than 50% of the residents who ate less than half of their meals based on research staff observation were not offered an alternative to the served meal, and the lack of alternatives, or meal substitutions, was common in all 20 NHs. In comparison, the QIS survey teams documented only 2 instances when meal substitutes were not offered in 10 NHs and the standard survey teams documented no instances in 10 NHs. Standardized mealtime observations by research staff revealed feeding assistance care quality issues in all 20 study NHs. Surveyors following the instructions in either the standard or revised QIS surveys did not detect most of these care quality

  10. Seventy Years of Radio Science, Technology, Standards, and Measurement at the National Bureau of Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillmor, C. Stewart

    This large volume describes all the forms of radio research done at the National Bureau of Standards (now, National Institute of Standards and Technology) from its founding in 1901 until about 1980. The volume truly reflects its subtitle; it describes in great detail research in radio propagation and all its connections with geophysics and geospace, but also radio as instrument for discovery and application in meteorology, navigation, and in standards of measurement and testing in electronics.The book is a bit unwieldy and some of its chapters will be of most interest to former NBS employees. For example, there is a lengthy chapter on the transfer of radio research work from Washington, D.C, to Boulder, Colo., in the early 1950s, complete with photostat of the quit claim deed to NBS from the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. On the other hand, radio research developed and flourished in this country in the early days at industrial (Bell Telephone, General Electric, Westinghouse) and government (NBS, Naval Research Laboratory) labs more than in academia, and it is very interesting to learn how the labs interacted and to read details of the organizational structure. I can attest personally to the great difficulties in locating materials concerning radio history. While we have numerous volumes devoted to certain popular radio heroes, little is available concerning government radio pioneers such as L. W. Austin, who directed the U.S. Navy's radio research for many years while situated physically at the Bureau of Standards, or J. H. Dellinger, long-time chief of the Radio Section and head spokesman on radio for the U.S. government until the 1930s.

  11. 76 FR 67429 - National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) Meeting AGENCY: National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, Office of... submissions comply with the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, or be submitted in an...

  12. Cellulose Products Manufacturing: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Read the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Cellulose Products Manufacturing, see the rule history for this Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT), and find Compliance help for this source.

  13. Audit, guidelines and standards: clinical governance for hip fracture care in Scotland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Currie, Colin T; Hutchison, James D

    To report on experience of national-level audit, guidelines and standards for hip fracture care in Scotland. Scottish Hip Fracture Audit (from 1993) documents case-mix, process and outcomes of hip fracture care in Scotland. Evidence-based national guidelines on hip fracture care are available (1997, updated 2002). Hip fracture serves as a tracer condition by the health quality assurance authority for its work on older people, which reported in 2004. Audit data are used locally to document care and support and monitor service developments. Synergy between the guidelines and the audit provides a means of improving care locally and monitoring care nationally. External review by the quality assurance body shows to what extent guideline-based standards relating to A&E care, pre-operative delay, multidisciplinary care and audit participation are met. Three national-level initiatives on hip fracture care have delivered: Reliable and large-scale comparative information on case-mix, care and outcomes; evidence-based recommendations on care; and nationally accountable standards inspected and reported by the national health quality assurance authority. These developments are linked and synergistic, and enjoy both clinical and managerial support. They provide an evolving framework for clinical governance, with casemix-adjusted outcome assessment for hip fracture care as a next step.

  14. Relation between the national handbook of recommended methods for water data acquisition and ASTM standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glysson, G. Douglas; Skinner, John V.

    1991-01-01

    In the late 1950's, intense demands for water and growing concerns about declines in the quality of water generated the need for more water-resources data. About thirty Federal agencies, hundreds of State, county and local agencies, and many private organizations had been collecting water data. However, because of differences in procedures and equipment, many of the data bases were incompatible. In 1964, as a step toward establishing more uniformity, the Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management and Budget, OMB) issued 'Circular A-67' which presented guidelines for collecting water data and also served as a catalyst for creating the Office of Water Data Coordination (OWDC) within the U.S. Geological Survey. This paper discusses past, present, and future aspects of the relation between methods in the National Handbook and standards published by ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) Committee D-19 on Water's Subcommittee D-19.07 on Sediment, Geomorphology, and Open Channel Flow. The discussion also covers historical aspects of standards - development work jointly conducted by OWDC and ASTM.

  15. Methods for collecting algal samples as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, Stephen D.; Cuffney, Thomas F.; Gurtz, Martin E.; Meador, Michael R.

    1993-01-01

    Benthic algae (periphyton) and phytoplankton communities are characterized in the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program as part of an integrated physical, chemical, and biological assessment of the Nation's water quality. This multidisciplinary approach provides multiple lines of evidence for evaluating water-quality status and trends, and for refining an understanding of the factors that affect water-quality conditions locally, regionally, and nationally. Water quality can be characterized by evaluating the results of qualitative and quantitative measurements of the algal community. Qualitative periphyton samples are collected to develop of list of taxa present in the sampling reach. Quantitative periphyton samples are collected to measure algal community structure within selected habitats. These samples of benthic algal communities are collected from natural substrates, using the sampling methods that are most appropriate for the habitat conditions. Phytoplankton samples may be collected in large nonwadeable streams and rivers to meet specific program objectives. Estimates of algal biomass (chlorophyll content and ash-free dry mass) also are optional measures that may be useful for interpreting water-quality conditions. A nationally consistent approach provides guidance on site, reach, and habitat selection, as well as information on methods and equipment for qualitative and quantitative sampling. Appropriate quality-assurance and quality-control guidelines are used to maximize the ability to analyze data locally, regionally, and nationally.

  16. ACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN NEW OZONE STANDARDS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Over the past two decades, as part of the effort to develop the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), researchers have been using real human exposure data to help analyze the magnitude and extent of the risks from specific or multiple pollutants. Surrogates for exposur...

  17. Medical students call for national standards in anatomical education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farey, John E; Sandeford, Jonathan C; Evans-McKendry, Greg D

    2014-11-01

    The diminishing number of hours dedicated to formal instruction in anatomy has led to a debate within medical education as to the level required for safe clinical practice. We provide a review of the current state of anatomical education in Australian medical schools and state the case for national standards. In light of the review presented, council members of the Australian Medical Students' Association voted to affirm that consideration should be given to developing undergraduate learning goals for anatomy, providing a codified medical student position on the teaching of anatomy in Australian medical schools. Crucially, the position states that time-intensive methods of instruction such as dissection should be a rite of passage for medical students in the absence of evidence demonstrating the superiority of modern teaching methods. We believe the bodies with a vested interest in the quality of medical graduates, namely the Australian Medical Council, Medical Deans Australia & New Zealand, and the postgraduate colleges should collaborate and develop clear guidelines that make explicit the core knowledge of anatomy expected of medical graduates at each stage of their career with a view to safe clinical practice. In addition, Australian universities have a role to play in conducting further research into contemporary learning styles and the most efficacious methods of delivering anatomical education. © 2014 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

  18. 7 CFR 1466.4 - National priorities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ..., will be used in EQIP implementation: (1) Reductions of nonpoint source pollution, such as nutrients... quality impairment violations of National Ambient Air Quality Standards; (4) Reduction in soil erosion and... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT...

  19. Implementation of ISO 9000 Quality Standard into Adult Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrej Sotošek

    2000-12-01

    Full Text Available Competition in the field of adult education in Slovenia has become very tough  in the second half of the 1990s. Therefore, educational institutions are forced to use every advantage over the competitors in the educational market. One of them is the quality system in educational process. Such competitive position setting strategic development objectives is also the strategy of UPI - Ljudska univerza Žalec. Through development objectives, relationships with our partners and customers, as well as on the basis of analysis of the position and connections of Slovenia within the European Union and its involvement in international projects we estimated that we should set up a quality system in our institution involving managerial, organisational and professional function. It is important that the system should be comparable and verifiable according to the European standards. We have chosen the Quality System according to ISO 9000 quality standards as the most suitable model. It offers an institutional framework as well as a good basis for an internal and external verification of the efficiency of the system in real life. It also enables corrections to deviations. However, it lacks a stronger stress on internal self-control and self-evaluation, which is emphasised in the model of quality assurance in education developed by a group of experts to order of Ministry of Education and Sport. Both model s can be combined and are mutually compatible. I am convinced of the great importance of self-evaluation in education. Yet, without an appropriate institutional framework and basic external verification the self-evaluation remains on the interna! and subjective level of judgement within an individual educational institution.

  20. The Quest for Strategic Malaysian Quality National Primary School Leaders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Hairuddin Mohd

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nine-point strategic leadership characteristics of Malaysian Quality National Primary School Leaders (QNPSL) and to indicate the implications of these findings for the current educational management and leadership practices in their quest for Malaysian quality education.…

  1. National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants—Calendar Year 2011 INL Report for Radionuclides (2012)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mark Verdoorn; Tom Haney

    2012-06-01

    This report documents the calendar year 2011 radionuclide air emissions and resulting effective dose equivalent to the maximally exposed individual member of the public from operations at the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory Site. This report was prepared in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, 'Protection of the Environment,' Part 61, 'National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants,' Subpart H, 'National Emission Standards for Emissions of Radionuclides Other than Radon from Department of Energy Facilities.' The effective dose equivalent to the maximally exposed individual member of the public was 4.58E-02 mrem per year, 0.46 percent of the 10 mrem standard.

  2. Standardization of Image Quality Analysis – ISO 19264

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wüller, Dietmar; Kejser, Ulla Bøgvad

    2016-01-01

    There are a variety of image quality analysis tools available for the archiving world, which are based on different test charts and analysis algorithms. ISO has formed a working group in 2012 to harmonize these approaches and create a standard way of analyzing the image quality for archiving...... systems. This has resulted in three documents that have been or are going to be published soon. ISO 19262 defines the terms used in the area of image capture to unify the language. ISO 19263 describes the workflow issues and provides detailed information on how the measurements are done. Last...... but not least ISO 19264 describes the measurements in detail and provides aims and tolerance levels for the different aspects. This paper will present the new ISO 19264 technical specification to analyze image quality based on a single capture of a multi-pattern test chart, and discuss the reasoning behind its...

  3. The negotiation of quality standards: A social interactionists approach to fruit and vegetable distribution in Argentina

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arce, A.M.G.; Viteri, M.L.

    2013-01-01

    This article addresses food quality standards. It suggests that writing on standards creates a flat view of the subject, failing to grasp the richness of the multiple self-organizing practices that shape quality within functioning markets. The article documents the social dimension of quality and

  4. The Water-Quality Partnership for National Parks—U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service, 1998–2016

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nilles, Mark A.; Penoyer, Pete E; Ludtke, Amy S.; Ellsworth, Alan C.

    2016-07-13

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS) work together through the USGS–NPS Water-Quality Partnership to support a broad range of policy and management needs related to high-priority water-quality issues in national parks. The program was initiated in 1998 as part of the Clean Water Action Plan, a Presidential initiative to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Partnership projects are developed jointly by the USGS and the NPS. Studies are conducted by the USGS and findings are used by the NPS to guide policy and management actions aimed at protecting and improving water quality.The National Park Service manages many of our Nation’s most highly valued aquatic systems across the country, including portions of the Great Lakes, ocean and coastal zones, historic canals, reservoirs, large rivers, high-elevation lakes and streams, geysers, springs, and wetlands. So far, the Water-Quality Partnership has undertaken 217 projects in 119 national parks. In each project, USGS studies and assessments (http://water.usgs.gov/nps_partnership/pubs.php) have supported science-based management by the NPS to protect and improve water quality in parks. Some of the current projects are highlighted in the NPS Call to Action Centennial initiative, Crystal Clear, which celebrates national park water-resource efforts to ensure clean water for the next century of park management (http://www.nature.nps.gov/water/crystalclear/).New projects are proposed each year by USGS scientists working in collaboration with NPS staff in specific parks. Project selection is highly competitive, with an average of only eight new projects funded each year out of approximately 75 proposals that are submitted. Since the beginning of the Partnership in 1998, 189 publications detailing project findings have been completed. The 217 studies have been conducted in 119 NPS-administered lands, extending from Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska to Everglades

  5. A National Initiative to Advance School Mental Health Performance Measurement in the US

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connors, Elizabeth Halsted; Stephan, Sharon Hoover; Lever, Nancy; Ereshefsky, Sabrina; Mosby, Amanda; Bohnenkamp, Jill

    2016-01-01

    Standardized health performance measurement has increasingly become an imperative for assuring quality standards in national health care systems. As compared to somatic health performance measures, behavioral health performance measures are less developed. There currently is no national standardized performance measurement system for monitoring…

  6. Saudi National Assessment of Educational Progress (SNAEP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdullah Saleh Al Sadaawi

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available To provide a universal basic education, Saudi Arabia initially employed a rapid quantitative educational strategy, later developing a qualitative focus to improve standards of education delivery and quality of student outcomes. Despite generous resources provided for education, however, there is no national assessment system to provide statistical evidence on students’ learning outcomes. Educators are querying the curricula and quality of delivery for Saudi education, especially following low student performances on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS in 2003 and 2007. There is a growing demand for national assessment standards for all key subject areas to monitor students’ learning progress. This study acknowledges extant research on this important topic and offers a strategy of national assessment to guide educational reform.

  7. ISO 9000 and quality standards improvement in the maintenance ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study investigated ISO 9000 as a tool for improving quality standards in ... The study used cross-sectional descriptive research design, using quantitative research ... enhance business performance and competiveness of manufacturing firms. ... By Country · List All Titles · Free To Read Titles This Journal is Open Access.

  8. A holistic strategy for quality and safety control of traditional Chinese medicines by the "iVarious" standard system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Anzhen; Sun, Lei; Yuan, Hang; Wu, Aiying; Lu, Jingguang; Ma, Shuangcheng

    2017-10-01

    An effective quality control system is the key to ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). However, the current quality standard research lacks the top-design and systematic design, mostly based on specific technologies or evaluation methods. To resolve the challenges and questions of quality control of TCMs, a brand-new quality standard system, named "iVarious", was proposed. The system comprises eight elements in a modular format. Meaning of every element was specifically illustrated via corresponding research instances. Furthermore, frankincense study was taken as an example for demonstrating standards and research process, based on the "iVarious" system. This system highlighted a holistic strategy for effectiveness, security, integrity and systematization of quality and safety control standards of TCMs. The establishment of "iVarious" integrates multi-disciplinary technologies and progressive methods, basis elements and key points of standard construction. The system provides a novel idea and technological demonstration for regulation establishment of TCMs quality standards.

  9. Did Dewey Presage the 1989 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards?

    OpenAIRE

    Finken, Teresa M.

    2012-01-01

    The general theme of change in philosophy over time is due to traditional customs and beliefs failing to regulate society. This theme drove both John Dewey's Progressive Movement and the creation of the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (1989) by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). The remarkable similarity in thought between Dewey's writings and the Standards is the basis for this paper. The point of view is from the Standards looking back to find...

  10. GIS-based Assessment of Arsenic Contamination of Water Supplies in Rural Areas of Rivash Town: Comparisons with National and WHO Standards

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossein Alidadi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic is one of the most hazardous elements in drinking water. Water contaminated with arsenic causes a variety of diseases in humans including cancer. The present study was conducted to survey Arsenic concentration in rural water resources in Rivash Twon, Kashmar, Iran. For the purposes of this cross-sectional study, 60 samples were collected from 10 underground drinking water supplies during the period from April to June, 2013. Samplings and sample preservation were performed according to standard methods. Measurements were performed via the VGA method using atomic absorption. Such water quality parameters as pH, TDS, EC, residual chlorine, and temperaturte were also measured to determine any relationships likely to exist between As concentration and the parameters measured. As levels were then compared with national and international standards. It was found that the average values of As concentration at the stations A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J were 1.53±1.03, 1.30±1.07, 10.55±3.83, 11.21±5.01, 10.57±3.68, 2.34±0.73, 3.22±0.58, 9.89±3.57, 10.48±5.07, and 2.23±0.53 µg/L-1, respectively. As concentrations at five stations were found to be higher than the values recommended in WHO guidelines; the remaining stations revealed values below the national standard. While the differences between As level and the national standard were statistically significant (p

  11. Quality Service Standard of Food and Beverage Service Staff in Hotel

    OpenAIRE

    Thanasit Suksutdhi

    2014-01-01

    This survey research aims to study the standard of service quality of food and beverage service staffs in hotel business by studying the service standard of three sample hotels, Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, and Banyan Tree Phuket. In order to find the international service standard of food and beverage service, triangular research, i.e. quantitative, qualitative, and survey were employed. In this research, questionnaires and in-depth interview were used for ge...

  12. Quality of Artemisinin-Containing Antimalarials in Tanzania's Private Sector--Results from a Nationally Representative Outlet Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Act Consortium Drug Quality Project Team And The Impact Study Team

    2015-06-01

    Ensuring that artemisinin-containing antimalarials (ACAs) are of good quality is a key component of effective malaria treatment. There are concerns that a high proportion of ACAs are falsified or substandard, though estimates are rarely based on representative data. During a nationally representative survey in Tanzania, ACAs were purchased from private retail drug outlets, and the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) was measured. All 1,737 ACAs contained the labeled artemisinin derivative, with 4.1% being outside the 85-115% artemisinin API range defined as acceptable quality. World Health Organization (WHO) prequalified drugs had 0.1 times the odds of being poor quality compared with non-prequalified ACAs for the artemisinin component. When partner components of combination therapies were also considered, 12.1% were outside the acceptable API range, and WHO prequalified ACAs had 0.04 times the odds of being poor quality. Although the prevalence of poor quality ACAs was lower than reported elsewhere, the minority of samples found to be substandard is a cause for concern. Improvements in quality could be achieved by increasing the predominance of WHO prequalified products in the market. Continued monitoring of quality standards is essential. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  13. 1990 INEL national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-05-01

    The Environmental Protection Agency issued on December 15, 1989 final rules governing air emissions of radionuclides. Requirements concerning radionuclide emissions from Department of Energy Facilities are addressed under Title 40, Code Federal Regulations (CFR) 61, Subpart H, ''National Emission Standards for Emissions of Radionuclides other Than Radon From Department of Energy Facilities.'' Section 61.94 of the regulations require that each DOE facility submit on an annual basis a report documenting compliance with the Subpart H requirements. This report addresses the section 61.94 reporting requirements for operations at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) for calendar year 1990. The Idaho Operations Office of the Department of Energy is the primary contact concerning NESHAPs compliance at the INEL

  14. Quality management and accreditation of research tissue banks: experience of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herpel, Esther; Röcken, Christoph; Manke, Heike; Schirmacher, Peter; Flechtenmacher, Christa

    2010-12-01

    Tissue banks are key resource and technology platforms in biomedical research that address the molecular pathogenesis of diseases as well as disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Due to the central role of tissue banks in standardized collection, storage, and distribution of human tissues and their derivatives, quality management and its external assessment is becoming increasingly relevant for the maintenance, acceptance, and funding of tissue banks. Little experience exists regarding formalized external evaluation of tissue banks, especially regarding certification and accreditation. Based on the accreditation of the National Center of Tumor Diseases (NCT) tissue bank in Heidelberg (Germany), criteria, requirements, processes, and implications were compiled and evaluated. Accreditation formally approved professional competence and performance of the tissue bank in all steps involved in tissue collection, storage, handling as well as macroscopic and histologic examination and final (exit) examination of the tissue and transfer supervised by board-certified competent histopathologists. Thereby, accreditation provides a comprehensive measure to evaluate and document the quality standard of tissue research banks and may play a significant role in the future assessment of tissue banks. Furthermore, accreditation may support harmonization and standardization of tissue banking for biomedical research purposes.

  15. Quality assurance plan for the molten salt reactor experiment Remediation Project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-02-01

    This Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) identifies and describes the systems utilized by Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) Remediation Project personnel to implement the requirements and associated applicable guidance contained in the Quality Program Description, Y/QD-15 Rev. 2 (Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., 1995) and Environmental Management and Enrichment Facilities Work Smart Standards. This QAP defines the quality assurance (QA) requirements applicable to all activities and operations in and directly pertinent to the MSRE Remediation Project. This QAP will be periodically reviewed, revised, and approved as necessary. This QAP identifies and describes the QA activities and procedures implemented by the various Oak Ridge National Laboratory support organizations and personnel to provide confidence that these activities meet the requirements of this project. Specific support organization (Division) quality requirements, including the degree of implementation of each, are contained in the appendixes of this plan

  16. Acceptance Factors Influencing Adoption of National Institute of Standards and Technology Information Security Standards: A Quantitative Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiriakou, Charles M.

    2012-01-01

    Adoption of a comprehensive information security governance model and security controls is the best option organizations may have to protect their information assets and comply with regulatory requirements. Understanding acceptance factors of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Risk Management Framework (RMF) comprehensive…

  17. National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants—Calendar Year 2010 INL Report for Radionuclides (2011)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mark Verdoorn; Tom Haney

    2011-06-01

    This report documents the calendar Year 2010 radionuclide air emissions and resulting effective dose equivalent to the maximally exposed individual member of the public from operations at the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory Site. This report was prepared in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, 'Protection of the Environment,' Part 61, 'National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants,' Subpart H, 'National Emission Standards for Emissions of Radionuclides Other than Radon from Department of Energy Facilities.'

  18. Standard guide for establishing a quality assurance program for uranium conversion facilities

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2004-01-01

    1.1 This guide provides guidance and recommended practices for establishing a comprehensive quality assurance program for uranium conversion facilities. 1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate health and safety practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. 1.3 The basic elements of a quality assurance program appear in the following order: FUNCTION SECTION Organization 5 Quality Assurance Program 6 Design Control 7 Instructions, Procedures & Drawings 8 Document Control 9 Procurement 10 Identification and Traceability 11 Processes 12 Inspection 13 Control of Measuring and Test Equipment 14 Handling, Storage and Shipping 15 Inspection, Test and Operating Status 16 Control of Nonconforming Items 17 Corrective Actions 18 Quality Assurance Records 19 Audits 20 TABLE 1 NQA-1 Basic Requirements Relat...

  19. [Study on seed quality test and quality standard of Pesudostellaria heterophylla].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Cheng-Hong; Zhou, Tao; Jiang, Wei-Ke; Chen, Min; Xiong, Hou-Xi; Liao, Ming-Wu

    2014-08-01

    Referring to the rules for agricultural seed testing (GB /T 3543-1995) issued by China, the test of sampling, seed purity, weight per 1 000 seeds, seed moisture, seed viability and germination rate had been studied for screening seed quality test methods of Pesudostellaria heterophylla. The seed quality from different collection areas was measured. The results showed that at least 6.5 g seeds should be sampled and passed through 10-mesh sieve for purity analysis. The weight of 1 000 seeds was determined by using the 500-seed method. The phenotypic observation and size measurement were used for authenticity testing. The seed moisture was determined under the higher temperature (130 ± 2) degrees C for 5 hours. The seeds were dipped into 0.2% TTC sustaining 1 hour at 40 degrees C, then the viability could be determined. The break dormancy seeds were cultured on sand at 10 degrees C. K cluster analysis was applied for the data analysis, the seed quality from different collection areas grading of P. Heterophylla was described as three grades. The seed quality of each grade should reach following requirements: for first grade seeds, germination rate ≥ 86%, 1 000-grain weight ≥ 2.59 g, purity ≥ 87%, moisture ≤ 13.1%; for second grade seeds, germination rate ≥ 70%, 1 000-grain weight ≥ 2.40 g, purity ≥ 77%, moisture ≤ 14.3%; for third grade seeds, germination rate ≥ 41%, 1 000-grain weight ≥ 2.29 g, purity ≥ 76%, moisture ≤ 15.8%. The seed testing methods for quality items of P. heterophylla had been initially established, as well as the primary P. heterophylla seed quality classification standard.

  20. Analysis of quality data based on national clinical databases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Utzon, Jan; Petri, A.L.; Christophersen, S.

    2009-01-01

    extent the selection of patients, random variation, confounding and inconsistency may have influenced results. The aim of this article is to summarize aspects of clinical healthcare data analyses provided from the national clinical quality databases and to show how data may be presented in a way which......There is little agreement on the philosophy of measuring clinical quality in health care. How data should be analyzed and transformed to healthcare information is an ongoing discussion. To accept a difference in quality between health departments as a real difference, one should consider to which...

  1. Russian Higher Education and European Standards of Quality Assurance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Motova, Galina; Pykko, Ritta

    2012-01-01

    This article considers the relevance and implementation of European approaches to quality assurance in the context of the Russian educational system. It covers the issues of transformation of the higher education system during the post-Soviet period, specific features of the state accreditation system, the impact of the European Standards and…

  2. The implications of the National Norms and Standards for School ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This aspiration is demonstrated in many education policies including the National Norms and Standards for School Funding (NNSSF) policy. While inequalities in resource allocation from the state have been removed, inequalities persist due to the inability of the state to provide free education to all, parents' inability to pay ...

  3. Establishing and implementing a national 3D standard in The Netherlands : Entwicklung und Implementierung eines nationalen 3D Standards in den Niederlanden

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stoter, J.; Ledoux, H.; Reuvers, M.; Brink, van den L.; Klooster, R.; Janssen, P.; Beetz, J.; Penninga, F.; Vosselman, G

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes the 3D developments achieved within the 3D Pilot NL. The first phase of this pilot (January 2010 June 2011) resulted in a national 3D standard, modeled as CityGML application domain extension (ADE). This standard is briefly explained in this paper. To implement this standard as

  4. National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. Calendar Year 2013 INL Report for Radionuclides [2014

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verdoorn, Mark; Haney, Tom

    2014-06-01

    This report documents the calendar year 2013 radionuclide air emissions and resulting effective dose equivalent to the maximally exposed individual member of the public from operations at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory Site. This report was prepared in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, ''Protection of the Environment,'' Part 61, ''National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants,'' Subpart H, ''National Emission Standards for Emissions of Radionuclides Other than Radon from Department of Energy Facilities.'' The effective dose equivalent to the maximally exposed individual member of the public was 3.02 E-02 mrem per year, 0.30 percent of the 10 mrem standard.

  5. National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. Calendar Year 2012 INL Report for Radionuclides (2013)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verdoorn, Mark; Haney, Tom

    2013-06-01

    This report documents the calendar year 2011 radionuclide air emissions and resulting effective dose equivalent to the maximally exposed individual member of the public from operations at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory Site. This report was prepared in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, ''Protection of the Environment,'' Part 61, ''National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants,'' Subpart H, ''National Emission Standards for Emissions of Radionuclides Other than Radon from Department of Energy Facilities.'' The effective dose equivalent to the maximally exposed individual member of the public was 4.58E-02 mrem per year, 0.46 percent of the 10 mrem standard.

  6. Ozone Nonattainment Areas - 8 Hour (1997 Standard)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This data layer identifies areas in the U.S. where air pollution levels have not met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone over 8 hours and...

  7. Physical Activity Stories: Assessing the "Meaning Standard" in Physical Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Tyler G.

    2016-01-01

    The presence of the "meaning standard" in both national and state content standards suggests that professionals consider it an important outcome of a quality physical education program. However, only 10 percent of states require an assessment to examine whether students achieve this standard. The purpose of this article is to introduce…

  8. Solution standards for quality control of nuclear-material analytical measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clark, J.P.

    1981-01-01

    Analytical chemistry measurement control depends upon reliable solution standards. At the Savannah River Plant Control Laboratory over a thousand analytical measurements are made daily for process control, product specification, accountability, and nuclear safety. Large quantities of solution standards are required for a measurement quality control program covering the many different analytical chemistry methods. Savannah River Plant produced uranium, plutonium, neptunium, and americium metals or oxides are dissolved to prepare stock solutions for working or Quality Control Standards (QCS). Because extensive analytical effort is required to characterize or confirm these solutions, they are prepared in large quantities. These stock solutions are diluted and blended with different chemicals and/or each other to synthesize QCS that match the matrices of different process streams. The target uncertainty of a standard's reference value is 10% of the limit of error of the methods used for routine measurements. Standard Reference Materials from NBS are used according to special procedures to calibrate the methods used in measuring the uranium and plutonium standards so traceability can be established. Special precautions are required to minimize the effects of temperature, radiolysis, and evaporation. Standard reference values are periodically corrected to eliminate systematic errors caused by evaporation or decay products. Measurement control is achieved by requiring analysts to analyze a blind QCS each shift a measurement system is used on plant samples. Computer evaluation determines whether or not a measurement is within the +- 3 sigma control limits. Monthly evaluations of the QCS measurements are made to determine current bias correction factors for accountability measurements and detect significant changes in the bias and precision statistics. The evaluations are also used to plan activities for improving the reliability of the analytical chemistry measurements

  9. Intra-building telecommunications cabling standards for Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adams, R.L.

    1993-08-01

    This document establishes a working standard for all telecommunications cable installations at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico. It is based on recent national commercial cabling standards. The topics addressed are Secure and Open/Restricted Access telecommunications environments and both twisted-pair and optical-fiber components of communications media. Some of the state-of-the-art technologies that will be supported by the intrabuilding cable infrastructure are Circuit and Packet Switched Networks (PBX/5ESS Voice and Low-Speed Data), Local Area Networks (Ethernet, Token Ring, Fiber and Copper Distributed Data Interface), and Wide Area Networks (Asynchronous Transfer Mode). These technologies can be delivered to every desk and can transport data at rates sufficient to support all existing applications (such as Voice, Text and graphics, Still Images, Full-motion Video), as well as applications to be defined in the future.

  10. Beyond the Rhetoric: An Historian's View of the "National" Standards for United States History.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stern, Sheldon M.

    1994-01-01

    Suggests there are flaws in the National Standards for United States History that could be detrimental to students. According to the author, in their pervasive present-mindedness and self-censorship, the standard's framers underestimate and ill-serve the students because the standards help develop a smug, superior, and self-righteous attitude…

  11. National water summary 1990-91: Hydrologic events and stream water quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paulson, Richard W.; Chase, Edith B.; Williams, John S.; Moody, David W.

    1993-01-01

    National Water Summary 1990-91 Hydrologic Events and Stream Water Quality was planned to complement existing Federal-State water-quality reporting to the U.S. Congress that is required by the Clean Water Act of 1972. This act, formally known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (Public Law 92-500), and its amendments in 1977,1979,1980,1981,1983, and 1987, is the principal basis for Federal-State cooperation on maintaining and reporting on water quality in the United States. Under section 305(b) of the Clean Water Act, the States must designate uses for waterbodies, biennially assess whether the waterbodies meet designated uses, and report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which in turn summarizes the findings of the State assessments in a biennial National Water Quality Inventory report to the Congress.

  12. Model for selecting quality standards for a salad bar through identifying elements of customer satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ouellet, D; Norback, J P

    1993-11-01

    Continuous quality improvement is the new requirement of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. This means that meeting quality standards will not be enough. Dietitians will need to improve those standards and the way they are selected. Because quality is defined in terms of the customers, all quality improvement projects must start by defining what customers want. Using a salad bar as an example, this article presents and illustrates a technique developed in Japan to identify which elements in a product or service will satisfy or dissatisfy consumers. Using a model and a questionnaire format developed by Kano and coworkers, 273 students were surveyed to classify six quality elements of a salad bar. Four elements showed a dominant "must-be" characteristic: food freshness, labeling of the dressings, no spills in the food, and no spills on the salad bar. The two other elements (food easy to reach and food variety) showed a dominant one-dimensional characteristic. By better understanding consumer perceptions of quality elements, foodservice managers can select quality standards that focus on what really matters to their consumers.

  13. The Learning Behaviors Scale: National Standardization in Trinidad and Tobago

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Jessica L.; McDermott, Paul A.; Watkins, Marley W.; Drogalis, Anna Rhoad; Worrell, Frank C.; Hall, Tracey E.

    2018-01-01

    This study reports on the national standardization and validation of the Learning Behaviors Scale (LBS) for use in Trinidad and Tobago. The LBS is a teacher rating scale centering on observable behaviors relevant to identifying childhood approaches to classroom learning. Teachers observed a stratified sample of 900 students across the islands'…

  14. Development and evaluation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for quality control tests and radiological protection activities in a Nuclear Medicine Service

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krempser, Alexandre R., E-mail: krempser@peb.ufrj.br [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (PEB/COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Biomedica; Soares, Alexandre B. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IF/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica; Corbo, Rossana [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (FM/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Radiologia

    2011-07-01

    The quality management in Nuclear Medicine Services is a requirement of national and international standards. The Brazilian regulatory agency in health surveillance, the Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria (ANVISA), in its Resolucao de Diretoria Colegiada (Collegiate Directory Resolution) no. 38, requires the elaboration of documents describing the technical and clinical routine activities. This study aimed to elaborate, implement and evaluate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for quality control tests and radiological protection activities in the Nuclear Medicine Service of a university hospital. Eighteen SOPs were developed, involving tasks related to dose calibrator, gamma camera, Geiger-Muller detectors and radiological protection activities. The performance of its application was evaluated for a period of six months. It was observed a reduction in 75% of reported operational errors and 42% of the number of reported incidents with contamination by radioactive material. The SOPs were adequate and successful in its application. New procedures involving clinical activities will also be developed and evaluated. (author)

  15. Monitoring groundwater quality in South-Africa: Development of a national strategy

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Parsons, R

    1995-04-01

    Full Text Available Little is known about the temporal distribution of groundwater quality on a national scale in South Africa. The effective management of the country's groundwater resources is thus difficult and a need exists for a national network for monitoring...

  16. 77 FR 25721 - Small Entity Compliance Guide: Bottled Water: Quality Standard: Establishing an Allowable Level...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-01

    ...] Small Entity Compliance Guide: Bottled Water: Quality Standard: Establishing an Allowable Level for di(2... ``Bottled Water: Quality Standard: Establishing an Allowable Level for di(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate--Small... an allowable level for di(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). This final rule is effective April 16, 2012...

  17. Implementation and translation: from European standards and guidelines for quality assurance to education quality work in higher education institutions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Westerheijden, Donald F.; Kohoutek, Jan; Eggins, Heather

    2014-01-01

    The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG for short) have been part of the regulative infrastructure of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) since 2005 (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, 2009).

  18. Correlation pattern recognition: optimal parameters for quality standards control of chocolate marshmallow candy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores, Jorge L.; García-Torales, G.; Ponce Ávila, Cristina

    2006-08-01

    This paper describes an in situ image recognition system designed to inspect the quality standards of the chocolate pops during their production. The essence of the recognition system is the localization of the events (i.e., defects) in the input images that affect the quality standards of pops. To this end, processing modules, based on correlation filter, and segmentation of images are employed with the objective of measuring the quality standards. Therefore, we designed the correlation filter and defined a set of features from the correlation plane. The desired values for these parameters are obtained by exploiting information about objects to be rejected in order to find the optimal discrimination capability of the system. Regarding this set of features, the pop can be correctly classified. The efficacy of the system has been tested thoroughly under laboratory conditions using at least 50 images, containing 3 different types of possible defects.

  19. Calibrations and evaluation of the quality assurance during 1999 at the National Laboratory for ionising radiation; Kalibrerings- och normalieverksamheten vid Riksmaetplats 06 under 1999

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grindborg, Jan-Erik; Israelsson, Karl-Erik; Kylloenen, Jan-Erik; Samuelson, Goeran

    2000-06-01

    The Swedish Radiation Protection Institute is the National Laboratory for the dosimetric quantities kerma, absorbed dose and dose equivalent. The activity is based on established calibration procedures and a quality assurance program for the used standards. This report gives a brief summary of the calibrations performed during 1999 and a more detailed description and analysis of the quality assurance during this year. The report makes it easier to draw conclusions about the long-term stability and possible malfunctions.

  20. Establishment of standard x-ray qualities to be used in diagnostic level at SSDLs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    A-Aziz, R.O.

    2007-08-01

    The objective of the present work is to modify x-ray machine (used by the secondary standard dosimetry laboratory in Sudan) to produce x-ray qualities suitable for the calibration at diagnostic level. It based on experimental evaluations. The importance of this study appears in development of protocols to calibrate the instruments used in diagnostic radiology in by good response of the instruments and low cost. In particular, the half value layer (HVL) values for the following qualities 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 and 150 were determined using various attenuation layers. Ionization chamber was used to determine the free air kerma rate at a distance of 100 cm from the x-ray generator. The obtained HVL values were compared with standard values of diagnostic levels. It was observed that the HVL of the present x-ray machine in most qualities are smaller than the standard ones. An approved method (described in the standard IEC 61267) was applied to determine the amount of additional filtration required to meet the standard values. The results show that the available cupper layers were not suitable for this purpose as most of the x-ray was absorbed in the material. Aluminum layers, on the other hand , show good performances to reduce the beams to the desired levels. The amount of additional filtration (from aluminum layers) needed in order to establish standard x-ray qualities to be used in diagnostic level were determined.(Author)

  1. Synthetic salt cake standards for analytical laboratory quality control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schilling, A.E.; Miller, A.G.

    1980-01-01

    The validation of analytical results in the characterization of Hanford Nuclear Defense Waste requires the preparation of synthetic waste for standard reference materials. Two independent synthetic salt cake standards have been prepared to monitor laboratory quality control for the chemical characterization of high-level salt cake and sludge waste in support of Rockwell Hanford Operations' High-Level Waste Management Program. Each synthetic salt cake standard contains 15 characterized chemical species and was subjected to an extensive verification/characterization program in two phases. Phase I consisted of an initial verification of each analyte in salt cake form in order to determine the current analytical capability for chemical analysis. Phase II consisted of a final characterization of those chemical species in solution form where conflicting verification data were observed. The 95 percent confidence interval on the mean for the following analytes within each standard is provided: sodium, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, carbonate, sulfate, hydroxide, chromate, chloride, fluoride, aluminum, plutonium-239/240, strontium-90, cesium-137, and water

  2. Improving the safety and quality of nursing care through standardized operating procedures in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ausserhofer, Dietmar; Rakic, Severin; Novo, Ahmed; Dropic, Emira; Fisekovic, Eldin; Sredic, Ana; Van Malderen, Greet

    2016-06-01

    We explored how selected 'positive deviant' healthcare facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina approach the continuous development, adaptation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of nursing-related standard operating procedures. Standardized nursing care is internationally recognized as a critical element of safe, high-quality health care; yet very little research has examined one of its key instruments: nursing-related standard operating procedures. Despite variability in Bosnia and Herzegovina's healthcare and nursing care quality, we assumed that some healthcare facilities would have developed effective strategies to elevate nursing quality and safety through the use of standard operating procedures. Guided by the 'positive deviance' approach, we used a multiple-case study design to examine a criterion sample of four facilities (two primary healthcare centres and two hospitals), collecting data via focus groups and individual interviews. In each studied facility, certification/accreditation processes were crucial to the initiation of continuous development, adaptation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of nursing-related SOPs. In one hospital and one primary healthcare centre, nurses working in advanced roles (i.e. quality coordinators) were responsible for developing and implementing nursing-related standard operating procedures. Across the four studied institutions, we identified a consistent approach to standard operating procedures-related processes. The certification/accreditation process is enabling necessary changes in institutions' organizational cultures, empowering nurses to take on advanced roles in improving the safety and quality of nursing care. Standardizing nursing procedures is key to improve the safety and quality of nursing care. Nursing and Health Policy are needed in Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish a functioning institutional framework, including regulatory bodies, educational systems for developing nurses' capacities or the

  3. Influence of Continuing Medical Education on Rheumatologists? Performance on National Quality Measures for Rheumatoid Arthritis

    OpenAIRE

    Sapir, Tamar; Rusie, Erica; Greene, Laurence; Yazdany, Jinoos; Robbins, Mark L.; Ruderman, Eric M.; Carter, Jeffrey D.; Patel, Barry; Moreo, Kathleen

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: In recent years researchers have reported deficits in the quality of care provided to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including low rates of performance on quality measures. We sought to determine the influence of a quality improvement (QI) continuing education program on rheumatologists’ performance on national quality measures for RA, along with other measures aligned with National Quality Strategy priorities. Performance was assessed through baseline and post-educati...

  4. Do efforts to standardize, assess and improve the quality of health service provision to adolescents by government-run health services in low and middle income countries, lead to improvements in service-quality and service-utilization by adolescents?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandra-Mouli, Venkatraman; Chatterjee, Subidita; Bose, Krishna

    2016-02-06

    Researchers and implementers working in adolescent health, and adolescents themselves question whether government-run health services in conservative and resource-constrained settings can be made adolescent friendly. This paper aims to find out what selected low and middle income country (LMIC) governments have set out to do to improve the quality of health service provision to adolescents; whether their efforts led to measurable improvements in quality and to increased health service-utilization by adolescents. We gathered normative guidance and reports from eight LMICs in Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Pacific. We analysed national quality standards for adolescent friendly health services, findings from the assessments of the quality of health service provision, and findings on the utilization of health services. Governments of LMICs have set out to improve the accessibility, acceptability, equity, appropriateness and effectiveness of health service provision to adolescents by defining standards and actions to achieve them. Their actions have led to measurable improvements in quality and to increases in health service utilisation by adolescents. With support, government-run health facilities in LMICs can improve the quality of health services and their utilization by adolescents.

  5. Are data from national quality registries used in quality improvement at Swedish hospital clinics?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fredriksson, Mio; Halford, Christina; Eldh, Ann Catrine; Dahlström, Tobias; Vengberg, Sofie; Wallin, Lars; Winblad, Ulrika

    2017-11-01

    To investigate the use of data from national quality registries (NQRs) in local quality improvement as well as purported key factors for effective clinical use in Sweden. Comparative descriptive: a web survey of all Swedish hospitals participating in three NQRs with different levels of development (certification level). Heads of the clinics and physician(s) at clinics participating in the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke), the Swedish National Registry of Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (GallRiks) and the Swedish Lung Cancer Registry (NLCR). Individual and unit level use of NQRs in local quality improvement, and perceptions on data quality, organizational conditions and user motivation. Riksstroke data were reported as most extensively used at individual and unit levels (x̅ 17.97 of 24 and x̅ 27.06 of 35). Data quality and usefulness was considered high for the two most developed NQRs (x̅ 19.86 for Riksstroke and x̅ 19.89 for GallRiks of 25). Organizational conditions were estimated at the same level for Riksstroke and GallRiks (x̅ 12.90 and x̅ 13.28 of 20) while the least developed registry, the NLCR, had lower estimates (x̅ 10.32). In Riksstroke, the managers requested registry data more often (x̅ 15.17 of 20). While there were significant differences between registries in key factors such as management interest, use of NQR data in local quality improvement seems rather prevalent, at least for Riksstroke. The link between the registry's level of development and factors important for routinization of innovations such as NQRs needs investigation. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  6. Sandia National Laboratories Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) software quality plan : ASC software quality engineering practices Version 3.0.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turgeon, Jennifer L.; Minana, Molly A.; Hackney, Patricia; Pilch, Martin M.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Software Quality Plan is to clearly identify the practices that are the basis for continually improving the quality of ASC software products. Quality is defined in the US Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Agency (DOE/NNSA) Quality Criteria, Revision 10 (QC-1) as 'conformance to customer requirements and expectations'. This quality plan defines the SNL ASC Program software quality engineering (SQE) practices and provides a mapping of these practices to the SNL Corporate Process Requirement (CPR) 001.3.6; 'Corporate Software Engineering Excellence'. This plan also identifies ASC management's and the software project teams responsibilities in implementing the software quality practices and in assessing progress towards achieving their software quality goals. This SNL ASC Software Quality Plan establishes the signatories commitments to improving software products by applying cost-effective SQE practices. This plan enumerates the SQE practices that comprise the development of SNL ASC's software products and explains the project teams opportunities for tailoring and implementing the practices.

  7. Field Methods and Quality-Assurance Plan for Quality-of-Water Activities, U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knobel, LeRoy L.; Tucker, Betty J.; Rousseau, Joseph P.

    2008-01-01

    Water-quality activities conducted by the staff of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Project Office coincide with the USGS mission of appraising the quantity and quality of the Nation's water resources. The activities are conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Idaho Operations Office. Results of the water-quality investigations are presented in various USGS publications or in refereed scientific journals. The results of the studies are highly regarded, and they are used with confidence by researchers, regulatory and managerial agencies, and interested civic groups. In its broadest sense, quality assurance refers to doing the job right the first time. It includes the functions of planning for products, review and acceptance of the products, and an audit designed to evaluate the system that produces the products. Quality control and quality assurance differ in that quality control ensures that things are done correctly given the 'state-of-the-art' technology, and quality assurance ensures that quality control is maintained within specified limits.

  8. From 'Compliance-based' to 'Performance-based' Quality - A trend in and evolution of U. S. quality standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, Douglas A.; Taylor, H. Stephen; Johnson, Robert B.; Erler, Bryan A.; Daley, Thomas J.

    1995-01-01

    This paper traces the evolution of quality systems for nuclear power plant design, procurement, fabrication, installation, pre-operational testing, operations and maintenance in the U. S., as reflected in consensus standards such as N45.2, NQA-1, etc. Using a 'Defense-In-Depth' Quality Model, it highlights the changes in understanding where the responsibilities for quality should reside. Industries' growing recognition and operating experience show that a 'graded' approach to quality, based on safety significance, can be used to determine which quality criteria apply and the depth of implementing those criteria, resulting in potential long term cost savings and increased effectiveness) is also examined and discussed. Together, these two approaches form the basis for a performance-based quality system suitable for the business and technical environment of the 1990's and beyond. Performance-based Quality System - an approach that focuses on the end results, not the process, that directly contribute to safe and reliable plant operations. This approach includes monitoring performance or condition against predetermined, licensee-established goals, limits, or criteria in a manner sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that the safety function will be fulfilled. These criteria are based upon the design basis safety function, operating experience, and pertinent reliability studies. A licensee is allowed the flexibility to determine how best to achieve the results and adjust the application of quality elements accordingly. The roles of the individual worker, site/line supervision and management, independent quality verifiers (QA and QC), and external regulators are examined in the context of where and how industry quality standards have historically placed emphasis and accountability. The changes in these standards and their of effects are illustrated. Based on industry experience, the current understanding of the controls necessary to achieve safe, reliable and

  9. THE ALIGNMENT OF ROMANIA UNIVERSITY TEACHING TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE QUALITY INSURING STANDARDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena CONDREA

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to any institution in the national teaching system, indifferent of type, level and activity organization form, is to insure the quality teaching, learning and researching, from the necessity of making the bases of an institutional cultures of the education's quality, for contributing to the personal and professional development of the students, at the society's welfare. The quality insurance policies and strategies of the national teaching system of Romania have as marking the permanent correlation with the orientations and actions promoted at European and global level, in consense with the recommendations of the Superior Education Quality Insurance European Association, recommendations which have been taken by the Bergen Ministerial Conference (19-20 May 2005.

  10. A methodology to choose appropriate procurement standards in water and sewage projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pezhman Kouravand

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available During the past few years, there have been increasing trend on building appropriate model for supplier selection and a good supplier, indeed, is capable of providing better quality products, which could lead to increase the productivity of an organization. In this paper, we present an empirical investigation to find the effect of monitoring three different standards, namely, domestic, national and international standard on improving the quality of products in rural water and sewage projects. The proposed model of this paper designs a questionnaire and distributes it among some experts in a Water & Sewage firm located in city of Ahvaz, Iran. Using the Pearson correlation ratio, the study examines three hypotheses of the survey and the results indicate that there were poor relationship between carefully considering domestic, national and international standards and improvement on quality of products offered by various suppliers. In addition, job experience and type of employment also do not seem to have any meaningful effect on quality assessment of suppliers.

  11. Air quality investigations of the Sandia National Laboratories Sol se Mete Aerial Cable Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutman, W.M.; Silver, R.J.

    1994-12-01

    The air quality implications of the test and evaluation activities at the Sandia National Laboratories Sol se Mete Aerial Cable Facility are examined. All facets of the activity that affect air quality are considered. Air contaminants produced directly include exhaust products of rocket motors used to accelerate test articles, dust and gas from chemical explosives, and exhaust gases from electricity generators in the test arenas. Air contaminants produced indirectly include fugitive dust and exhaust contaminants from vehicles used to transport personnel and material to the test area, and effluents produced by equipment used to heat the project buildings. Both the ongoing program and the proposed changes in the program are considered. Using a reliable estimate of th maximum annual testing level, the quantities of contaminants released by project activities ar computed either from known characteristics of test items or from EPA-approved emission factors Atmospheric concentrations of air contaminants are predicted using EPA dispersion models. The predicted quantities and concentrations are evaluated in relation to Federal, New Mexico, an Bernalillo County air quality regulations and the human health and safety standards of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists

  12. 77 FR 42367 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Portland Cement Manufacturing...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-18

    ... and 63 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Portland Cement Manufacturing... Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry and Standards of... manufacturing plants. Federal government Not affected. State/local/tribal government.... Portland cement...

  13. 77 FR 60341 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-03

    ... National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines; New Source Performance Standards for Stationary Internal Combustion Engines AGENCY: Environmental Protection... Pollutants for Stationary Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines to solicit comment on specific issues...

  14. International standardization in the field of environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehmann, K.

    1991-01-01

    The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an international federation of national standards bodies. Its activities increasingly take health and environmental effects into account; in the future, standardization will also focus on identification systems that could facilitate recycling and proper disposal. Three technical committees in particular are concerned with standardization as it relates to air, water and soil quality. Other ISO work concerns product-oriented standardization, e.g. in the fields of fire protection equipment, refrigeration, thermal insulation, fibre-reinforced cement, and material and equipment used in the petroleum and natural gas industries. (author)

  15. International Financial Reporting Standards Convergence and Quality of Accounting Information: Evidence from Indonesia

    OpenAIRE

    Yusrina, Hasyyati; Mukhtaruddin, Mukhtaruddin; Fuadah, Luk Luk; Sulong, Zunaidah

    2017-01-01

    The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) initiated by International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) are principle-based standard that require extensive disclosure of financial statements and accounting information as compared to prior standard that is the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to better reflect the overall quality of company’s performance. Therefore, the IFRS convergence is expected to improve the reliability of financial reporting by limiting opportun...

  16. A Mapmark method of standard setting as implemented for the National Assessment Governing Board.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, E Matthew; Mitzel, Howard C

    2011-01-01

    This article describes a Mapmark standard setting procedure, developed under contract with the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). The procedure enhances the bookmark method with spatially representative item maps, holistic feedback, and an emphasis on independent judgment. A rationale for these enhancements, and the bookmark method, is presented, followed by a detailed description of the materials and procedures used in a meeting to set standards for the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Grade 12 mathematics. The use of difficulty-ordered content domains to provide holistic feedback is a particularly novel feature of the method. Process evaluation results comparing Mapmark to Anghoff-based methods previously used for NAEP standard setting are also presented.

  17. Approach the National Quality Audit System for Radiotherapy in Latvia

    OpenAIRE

    Dehtjars, J; Popovs, S; Plaude, S

    2008-01-01

    It is very important to make National Quality Audit to ensure accurate conformal RT delivery. It is necessary to develop an Audit system to inspect all Conformal RT and IMRT delivery chain including the Quality checks of linear accelerator, Multileaf Collimator (MLC), Computer Tomography (CT) scanner or simulator, target and tissue delineation, plan evaluation, and delivery.

  18. User’s manual to update the National Wildlife Refuge System Water Quality Information System (WQIS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chojnacki, Kimberly A.; Vishy, Chad J.; Hinck, Jo Ellen; Finger, Susan E.; Higgins, Michael J.; Kilbride, Kevin

    2013-01-01

    National Wildlife Refuges may have impaired water quality resulting from historic and current land uses, upstream sources, and aerial pollutant deposition. National Wildlife Refuge staff have limited time available to identify and evaluate potential water quality issues. As a result, water quality–related issues may not be resolved until a problem has already arisen. The National Wildlife Refuge System Water Quality Information System (WQIS) is a relational database developed for use by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff to identify existing water quality issues on refuges in the United States. The WQIS database relies on a geospatial overlay analysis of data layers for ownership, streams and water quality. The WQIS provides summary statistics of 303(d) impaired waters and total maximum daily loads for the National Wildlife Refuge System at the national, regional, and refuge level. The WQIS allows U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff to be proactive in addressing water quality issues by identifying and understanding the current extent and nature of 303(d) impaired waters and subsequent total maximum daily loads. Water quality data are updated bi-annually, making it necessary to refresh the WQIS to maintain up-to-date information. This manual outlines the steps necessary to update the data and reports in the WQIS.

  19. Environmental Monitoring, Water Quality - MO 2009 Water Quality Standards - Table G Lake Classifications and Use Designations (SHP)

    Data.gov (United States)

    NSGIC State | GIS Inventory — This data set contains Missouri Water Quality Standards (WQS) lake classifications and use designations described in the Missouri Code of State Regulations (CSR), 10...

  20. Using National Coastal Assessment Data to Model Estuarine Water Quality at Large Spatial Scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    The water quality of the Nation’s estuaries is attracting scrutiny in light of population growth and enhanced nutrient delivery. The USEPA has evaluated water quality in the National Coastal Assessment (NCA) and National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) programs. Here we rep...

  1. Groundwater-quality data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2014 and select quality-control data from May 2012 through December 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Terri L.; Bexfield, Laura M.; Musgrove, MaryLynn; Lindsey, Bruce D.; Stackelberg, Paul E.; Barlow, Jeannie R.; Desimone, Leslie A.; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Kingsbury, James A.; Ayotte, Joseph D.; Fleming, Brandon J.; Belitz, Kenneth

    2017-10-05

    Groundwater-quality data were collected from 559 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program from January through December 2014. The data were collected from four types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which are used to assess the quality of groundwater used for public water supply; land-use study networks, which are used to assess land-use effects on shallow groundwater quality; major aquifer study networks, which are used to assess the quality of groundwater used for domestic supply; and enhanced trends networks, which are used to evaluate the time scales during which groundwater quality changes. Groundwater samples were analyzed for a large number of water-quality indicators and constituents, including major ions, nutrients, trace elements, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, radionuclides, and some constituents of special interest (arsenic speciation, chromium [VI] and perchlorate). These groundwater-quality data, along with data from quality-control samples, are tabulated in this report and in an associated data release.

  2. TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND CONTEMPORARY HOTEL INDUSTRY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivica Batinić

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Strong competition in the market has caused the development of a new management approach known as Total Quality Management (TQM. Due to importance that quality plays in achieving competitive advantage, the hotel industry started to apply TQM. During the introduction of these systems, hotel companies may use different approaches to suit their own buseiness requirements. In doing so, 'TQM standards' can be used, or various international standards and models of business excellence Malcolm Balridge National Quality Award and European Quality Award.

  3. Primary Aluminum Reduction Industry - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    National emission standards for each new or existing potline, paste production operation, and anode bake furnace associated with a primary aluminum reduction plant. Includes rule history, implementation information and additional resources.

  4. The Regina Elena National Cancer Institute process of accreditation according to the standards of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canitano, Stefano; Di Turi, Annunziata; Caolo, Giuseppina; Pignatelli, Adriana C; Papa, Elena; Branca, Marta; Cerimele, Marina; De Maria, Ruggero

    2015-01-01

    The accreditation process is, on the one hand, a tool used to homogenize procedures, rendering comparable and standardized processes of care, and on the other, a methodology employed to develop a culture of quality improvement. Although not yet proven by evidence-based studies that health outcomes improve as a result of an accreditation to excellence, it is undeniable that better control of healthcare processes results in better quality and safety of diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. The Regina Elena National Cancer Institute underwent the accreditation process in accordance with the standards criteria set by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI), and it has recently completed the process, acquiring its designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC). This was an invaluable opportunity for the Regina Elena Institute to create a more cohesive environment, to widely establish a culture of quality, to implement an institutional information system, and to accelerate the process of patient involvement in strategic decisions. The steps of the process allowed us to evaluate the performance and the organization of the institute and put amendments in place designed to be adopted through 26 improvement actions. These actions regarded several aspects of the institute, including quality culture, information communication technology system, care, clinical trials unit, disease management team, nursing, and patient empowerment and involvement. Each area has a timeline. We chose to present the following 3 improvement actions: clinical trial center, computerized ambulatory medical record, and centrality of patient and humanization of clinical pathway.

  5. A holistic strategy for quality and safety control of traditional Chinese medicines by the “iVarious” standard system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anzhen Chen

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available An effective quality control system is the key to ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs. However, the current quality standard research lacks the top-design and systematic design, mostly based on specific technologies or evaluation methods. To resolve the challenges and questions of quality control of TCMs, a brand-new quality standard system, named “iVarious”, was proposed. The system comprises eight elements in a modular format. Meaning of every element was specifically illustrated via corresponding research instances. Furthermore, frankincense study was taken as an example for demonstrating standards and research process, based on the “iVarious” system. This system highlighted a holistic strategy for effectiveness, security, integrity and systematization of quality and safety control standards of TCMs. The establishment of “iVarious” integrates multi-disciplinary technologies and progressive methods, basis elements and key points of standard construction. The system provides a novel idea and technological demonstration for regulation establishment of TCMs quality standards.

  6. Establishment of quality assessment standard for mammographic equipment: evaluation of phantom and clinical images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sung Hoon; Choe, Yeon Hyeon; Chung, Soo Young

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to establish a quality standard for mammographic equipment Korea and to eventually improve mammographic quality in clinics and hospitals throughout Korea by educating technicians and clinic personnel. For the phantom test and on site assessment, we visited 37 sites and examined 43 sets of mammographic equipment. Items that were examined include phantom test, radiation dose measurement, developer assessment, etc. The phantom images were assessed visually and by optical density measurements. For the clinical image assessment, clinical images from 371 sites were examined following the new Korean standard for clinical image evaluation. The items examined include labeling, positioning, contrast, exposure, artifacts, collimation among others. Quality standard of mammographic equipment was satisfied in all equipment on site visits. Average mean glandular dose was 114.9 mRad. All phantom image test scores were over 10 points (average, 10.8 points). However, optical density measurements were below 1.2 in 9 sets of equipment (20.9%). Clinical image evaluation revealed appropriate image quality in 83.5%, while images from non-radiologist clinics were adequate in 74.6% (91/122), which was the lowest score of any group. Images were satisfactory in 59.0% (219/371) based on evaluation by specialists following the new Korean standard for clinical image evaluation. Satisfactory images had a mean score of 81.7 (1 S.D. =8.9) and unsatisfactory images had a mean score of 61.9 (1 S.D = 11). The correlation coefficient between the two observers was 0.93 (ρ < 0.01) in 49 consecutive cases. The results of the phantom tests suggest that optical density measurements should be performed as part of a new quality standard for mammographic equipment. The new clinical evaluation criteria that was used in this study can be implemented with some modifications for future mammography quality control by the Korean government

  7. 77 FR 74985 - Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Streams and Downstream Protection Values for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-18

    ... Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Streams and Downstream Protection Values for Lakes... its numeric water quality standards for nutrients in Florida that were promulgated and published on.... Water Quality Criteria D. EPA Determination Regarding Florida and EPA's Rulemaking E. EPA Promulgation...

  8. 77 FR 73968 - Reconsideration of Certain New Source and Startup/Shutdown Issues: National Emission Standards...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-12

    ...; FRL-9762-1] RIN 2060-AR62 Reconsideration of Certain New Source and Startup/Shutdown Issues: National... Source and Startup/Shutdown Issues: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants from Coal... November 30, 2012, proposed ``Reconsideration of Certain New Source and Startup/Shutdown Issues: National...

  9. [Criteria for the assessment of the noise-induced occupational hearing loss: international and national standards].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izmerov, N F; Denisov, É I; Adeninskaia, E E; Gorblianskiĭ, Iu Iu

    2014-01-01

    The objective of the present paper was to review international and national standards for the criteria of assessment of the noise-induced occupational loss of hearing. The importance of healthy hearing for the occupational safety is emphasized which implies the necessity of the more rigorous criteria for hearing conservation in the workers engaged in the noisy technological environment compared with those for the general population. A rationale for the development of the standard program of hearing conservation in the workers engaged in the noisy technological environment is proposed including hygienic norms and rules or national state standards.

  10. Quality assurance in cancer management. Impact of quality standards on treatment accuracy: The experience of the EORTC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernier, J.

    1997-01-01

    There is thus a need to ensure that the same quality of treatment is offered to all cancer patients in Europe. A research of this kind must be aimed at identifying which steps in the complex treatment processes are more error prove, which of those can most effectively be corrected, and which procedures could be taken over by countries, or individual centers to monitor themselves the quality of their treatment procedures. To achieve this goals, the EORTC Radiotherapy Co-operative Group has put a major effort in the development of two Quality Assurance programs: the Physics Audit program (PAQ) and in the Assurance of Protocol Compliance Program (APCP). In the PAO, a first survey conducted in 1986, on the radiotherapy infrastructure in European Centers participating in clinical trials showed that 20% of the centers encountered difficulties to comply with the EORTC requirements due to imbalance in staff or equipment. Besides radiotherapy infrastructure, the beam output was checked in 50 centers: a major problem was detected in 30% of the checked electron beams. Dosimetric recommendations were sent out to all radio-oncology departments active in the EORTC and a mailed measurement procedure was developed for the verification of the beam output in photon beams. The EORTC Radiotherapy Group has demonstrated that multicenter QA programs permit, through the pooling of a large number of data, auditing by specialists of implemented Quality Standards both in radiation physics and in clinical oncology, contributing to the basis for the development of harmonized quality procedures and standards in the therapeutic management of cancer. This type of QA program should also foster the interaction between several medical disciplines and promote the application of Quality Standards in community level hospitals. Current efforts are also put forth to develop common research instruments, such as the processing of database and MRI or CT-scan images through teleconferencing and the set up

  11. A review of national policies and strategies to improve quality of health care and patient safety: a case study from Lebanon and Jordan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Jardali, Fadi; Fadlallah, Racha

    2017-08-16

    Improving quality of care and patient safety practices can strengthen health care delivery systems, improve health sector performance, and accelerate attainment of health-related Sustainability Development Goals. Although quality improvement is now prominent on the health policy agendas of governments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), progress to date has not been optimal. The objective of this study is to comprehensively review existing quality improvement and patient safety policies and strategies in two selected countries of the EMR (Lebanon and Jordan) to determine the extent to which these have been institutionalized within existing health systems. We used a mixed methods approach that combined documentation review, stakeholder surveys and key informant interviews. Existing quality improvement and patient safety initiatives were assessed across five components of an analytical framework for assessing health care quality and patient safety: health systems context; national policies and legislation; organizations and institutions; methods, techniques and tools; and health care infrastructure and resources. Both Lebanon and Jordan have made important progress in terms of increased attention to quality and accreditation in national health plans and strategies, licensing requirements for health care professionals and organizations (albeit to varying extents), and investments in health information systems. A key deficiency in both countries is the absence of an explicit national policy for quality improvement and patient safety across the health system. Instead, there is a spread of several (disjointed) pieces of legal measures and national plans leading to fragmentation and lack of clear articulation of responsibilities across the entire continuum of care. Moreover, both countries lack national sets of standardized and applicable quality indicators for performance measurement and benchmarking

  12. 76 FR 12863 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-09

    ... National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines... combustion engines. The final rule was published on August 20, 2010. This direct final action amends certain... Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutant for Stationary Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines...

  13. Technical quality assessment of breast ultrasound according to American College of Radiology (ACR) Standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ko, Kyung Hee; Kim, Eun Kyung; Kim, Young Ah; Son, Eun Ju; Oh, Ki Keun; Chung, Sun Yang

    2003-01-01

    To evaluate the technical quality of breast ultrasound based on American College of Radiology(ACR) standards. Between March 2002 and July 2002, ninety three breast sonograms obtained from 73 institutions were evaluated based on ACR standards for the hardware, technical settings, labeling of the images and identification. Of 93 breast sonograms, a satisfactory compliance with all ACR standards in the performance of breast US examinations was documented in 31% while the remaining 69% did not fully meet all ACR standards. 4.3% of breast US examinations were performed with a convex transducers, and the focal zone was inappropriately positioned in 14.2%. Gray-scale gain was subjectively characterized as inappropriate in 26.9%, and the size of lesion was not measured in 7.5%. Anatomic location of lesions was inappropriately described in 9.3%. The orientation of an US transducer was not properly labeled on any images in 33.3%. Inadequate recording of patient's information was noted in 43.3%. 50% of sonograms at University medical centers and larger general hospitals fully met all ACR standards while 36.8% at radiologic clinics and 12.1% at other private clinics met all ACR standards. Overall, 69% of breast sonograms failed to meet the quality criteria of the ACR standards. Therefore, it is essential to educate the basic technical details in performing breast US for the quality control.

  14. [Study on emission standard system of air pollutants].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Mei; Zhang, Guo-Ning; Zhang, Ming-Hui; Zou, Lan; Wei, Yu-Xia; Ren, Chun

    2012-12-01

    Scientific and reasonable emission standard system of air pollutants helps to systematically control air pollution, enhance the protection of the atmospheric environment effect and improve the overall atmospheric environment quality. Based on the study of development, situation and characteristics of national air pollutants emission standard system, the deficiencies of system were pointed out, which were not supportive, harmonious and perfect, and the improvement measures of emission standard system were suggested.

  15. 77 FR 46371 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Portland Cement Manufacturing...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-03

    ...-AQ93 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Portland Cement Manufacturing... Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry and Standards of Performance for Portland Cement Plants,'' which was... Manufacturing Industry and Standards of Performance for Portland Cement Plants'' under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR...

  16. Measuring the Software Product Quality during the Software Development Life-Cycle: An ISO Standards Perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Rafa E. Al-Qutaish

    2009-01-01

    Problem statement: The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published a set of international standards related to the software engineering, such as ISO 12207 and ISO 9126. However, there is a set of cross-references between the two standards. Approach: The ISO 9126 on software product quality and ISO 12207 on software life cycle processes had been analyzed to invistigate the relationships between them and to make a mapping from the ISO 9126 quality characteristics to the ISO 1...

  17. 75 FR 45579 - Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes and Flowing Waters; Supplemental Notice...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-03

    ... Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes and Flowing Waters; Supplemental Notice of Data...), proposing numeric nutrient water quality criteria to protect aquatic life in lakes and flowing waters within... will consider the comments received before finalizing the proposed rule, ``Water Quality Standards for...

  18. National Water Quality Inventory, 1976 Report to Congress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC. Office of Water Programs.

    This report summarizes the state submissions and provides a national overview of water quality as required in Section 305(b) of the 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments (P.L. 92-500). Topics receiving the greatest coverage include toxic substances, quantitative assessments of the percentage of waters currently meeting the goals of…

  19. The Quality Control of Reference Standards in Metrology Dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lazarevic, Dj.; Ciraj Bjelac, O.; Kovacevic, M.; Vukcevic, M.

    2008-01-01

    This works presents the quality control tests applied to two types of ionization chambers with suitable electrometers. Measuring assemblies were tested in order to assess their performance and adequacy for use as reference standards in ionising radiation metrology laboratory for calibrations in the field of radiotherapy and radiation protection. Two types of ionizing chambers (Farmer type, 0.6 cm 3 and spherical ionizing chamber, 1 l) with suitable electrometers were tested. Following test were performed: repeatability, long term stability, polarity and leakage current measurement. All tested measuring assemblies demonstrated proper performance, correctness and high reliance of measurements, since all implemented quality control test results were within acceptable limits. (author)

  20. Quality of antenatal care in Zambia: a national assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background Antenatal care (ANC) is one of the recommended interventions to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. Yet in most Sub-Saharan African countries, high rates of ANC coverage coexist with high maternal and neonatal mortality. This disconnect has fueled calls to focus on the quality of ANC services. However, little conceptual or empirical work exists on the measurement of ANC quality at health facilities in low-income countries. We developed a classification tool and assessed the level of ANC service provision at health facilities in Zambia on a national scale and compared this to the quality of ANC received by expectant mothers. Methods We analysed two national datasets with detailed antenatal provider and user information, the 2005 Zambia Health Facility Census and the 2007 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), to describe the level of ANC service provision at 1,299 antenatal facilities in 2005 and the quality of ANC received by 4,148 mothers between 2002 and 2007. Results We found that only 45 antenatal facilities (3%) fulfilled our developed criteria for optimum ANC service, while 47% of facilities provided adequate service, and the remaining 50% offered inadequate service. Although 94% of mothers reported at least one ANC visit with a skilled health worker and 60% attended at least four visits, only 29% of mothers received good quality ANC, and only 8% of mothers received good quality ANC and attended in the first trimester. Conclusions DHS data can be used to monitor “effective ANC coverage” which can be far below ANC coverage as estimated by current indicators. This “quality gap” indicates missed opportunities at ANC for delivering effective interventions. Evaluating the level of ANC provision at health facilities is an efficient way to detect where deficiencies are located in the system and could serve as a monitoring tool to evaluate country progress. PMID:23237601

  1. Quality control and quality assurance in individual monitoring of ionising radiations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dutt, J.C.; Lindborg, L.

    1994-01-01

    This paper describes the programmes and approaches that are to be considered in developing and introducing quality assurance and quality control procedures in individual monitoring services. Quality assurance and quality control in individual monitoring services are essential to maintain quality and are of increasing importance in order to meet the requirements of national regulations and international standards and guidelines. It is recommended here that all organisations offering individual monitoring services should run their services based on the principles of Quality System as given in the European Standard EN45001 and maintain a property resources QA/QC programme as an integral part of their operations. All aspects of QA/QC in individual monitoring services starting from the initial selection, installation, calibration, and operation to the final products including dose reporting, dose record keeping, dealing with customers' complaints and product liability issues have been discussed. (Author)

  2. Harmonization of monographic standards is needed to ensure the quality of Chinese medicinal materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhao Sandy

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract This article provides an overview on the regulations of Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs in various countries and regions. Harmonization of CMM monographs would provide standards for the quality control of CMM products and play an important role in the modernization and globalization of Chinese medicine. A harmonized regulatory system would improve the quality of CMMs thereby ensuring the safety of the products and assisting Chinese medicine practitioners in their practice. The fast growing demand worldwide for traditional medicines calls for harmonized monographic standards to safeguard the safety and quality of CMM products.

  3. Variation in marital quality in a national sample of divorced women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Spencer L

    2015-06-01

    Previous work has compared marital quality between stably married and divorced individuals. Less work has examined the possibility of variation among divorcés in trajectories of marital quality as divorce approaches. This study addressed that hole by first examining whether distinct trajectories of marital quality can be discerned among women whose marriages ended in divorce and, second, the profile of women who experienced each trajectory. Latent class growth analyses with longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample were used to "look backward" from the time of divorce. Although demographic and socioeconomic variables from this national sample did not predict the trajectories well, nearly 66% of divorced women reported relatively high levels of both happiness and communication and either low or moderate levels of conflict. Future research including personality or interactional patterns may lead to theoretical insights about patterns of marital quality in the years leading to divorce. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  4. Education for All in South Africa: Developing a National System for Quality Assurance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, William J.; Ngoma-Maema, Wendy Yolisa

    2003-01-01

    Draws on international research, policy, and practice relevant to quality assurance systems to analyze the development of a national framework for educational quality assurance in South Africa. Describes an emerging framework for quality assurance that encompasses evaluation of student achievement, quality audits and reviews, program and service…

  5. National Educators' Workshop: Update 1988. Standard Experiments in Engineering Materials Science and Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, James E. (Compiler); Jacobs, James A. (Compiler)

    1990-01-01

    Presented here is a collection of experiments presented and demonstrated at the National Educators' Workshop: Update 88, held May 10 to 12, 1988 at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersberg, Maryland. The experiments related to the nature and properties of engineering materials and provided information to assist in teaching about materials in the education community.

  6. Quality control in the histopathology laboratory: An overview with stress on the need for a structured national external quality assessment scheme

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iyengar Jayaram

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The concept of quality control in histopathology is relatively young and less well understood. Like in other disciplines of laboratory medicine, the concept of quality and its control is applicable to pre analytical, analytical and post analytical activities. Assessment of both precision and accuracy performances is possible by appropriate internal and external quality control and assessment schemes. This article is a review of all processes that achieve quality reporting in histopathology. There is a special focus on external quality assessment - a scheme that lacks organization on a national level in our country. Statistical data derived from a small scale external quality assurance program is also analyzed along with recommendations to organize an effective national scheme with the participation of authorized zonal centers.

  7. Analysis of quality data based on national clinical databases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Utzon, Jan; Petri, A.L.; Christophersen, S.

    2009-01-01

    There is little agreement on the philosophy of measuring clinical quality in health care. How data should be analyzed and transformed to healthcare information is an ongoing discussion. To accept a difference in quality between health departments as a real difference, one should consider to which...... extent the selection of patients, random variation, confounding and inconsistency may have influenced results. The aim of this article is to summarize aspects of clinical healthcare data analyses provided from the national clinical quality databases and to show how data may be presented in a way which...... is understandable to readers without specialised knowledge of statistics Udgivelsesdato: 2009/9/14...

  8. [Procedure of seed quality testing and seed grading standard of Prunus humilis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Hao; Ren, Guang-Xi; Gao, Ya; Luo, Jun; Liu, Chun-Sheng; Li, Wei-Dong

    2014-11-01

    So far there exists no corresponding quality test procedures and grading standards for the seed of Prunus humilis, which is one of the important source of base of semen pruni. Therefor we set up test procedures that are adapt to characteristics of the P. humilis seed through the study of the test of sampling, seed purity, thousand-grain weight, seed moisture, seed viability and germination percentage. 50 cases of seed specimens of P. humilis tested. The related data were analyzed by cluster analysis. Through this research, the seed quality test procedure was developed, and the seed quality grading standard was formulated. The seed quality of each grade should meet the following requirements: for first grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 68%, thousand-grain weight 383 g, purity ≥ 93%, seed moisture ≤ 5%; for second grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 26%, thousand-grain weight ≥ 266 g, purity ≥ 73%, seed moisture ≤9%; for third grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 10%, purity ≥ 50%, thousand-grain weight ≥ 08 g, seed moisture ≤ 13%.

  9. Interpretation of Series National Standards of China on “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting and Reporting for Enterprises”

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Liang; Zong, Jianfang; Guo, Huiting; Sun, Liang; Liu, Mei

    2018-05-01

    Standardization is playing an increasingly important role in reducing greenhouse gas emission and in climatic change adaptation, especially in the “three” greenhouse gas emission aspects (measurement, report, verification). Standardization has become one of the most important ways in mitigating the global climate change. Standardization Administration of China (SAC) has taken many productive measures in actively promoting standardization work to cope with climate change. In April 2014, SAC officially approved the establishment of “National Carbon Emission Management Standardization Technical Committee” In November 2015, SAC officially issued the first 11 national standards on carbon management including > and the requirements of the greenhouse gas emissions accounting and reporting in 10 sectors including power generation, power grid, iron and steel, chemical engineering, electrolytic aluminum, magnesium smelting, plate glass, cement, ceramics and civil aviation, which proposes unified requirements of “what to calculate and how to calculate” the greenhouse gas emission for enterprises. This paper focuses on the detailed interpretation of the main contents of the first 11 national standards, so as to provide technical supports for users of the standards and to comprehensively promote the emission reduction of greenhouse gas at the enterprise level.

  10. On criteria for examining analysis quality with standard reference material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Huating

    1997-01-01

    The advantages and disadvantages and applicability of some criteria for examining analysis quality with standard reference material are discussed. The combination of the uncertainties of the instrument examined and the reference material should be determined on the basis of specific situations. Without the data of the instrument's uncertainty, it would be applicable to substitute the standard deviation multiplied by certain times for the uncertainty. The result of the examining should not result in more error reported in routine measurements than it really is. Over strict examining should also be avoided

  11. Paediatric rehabilitation treatment standards: a method for quality assurance in Germany

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jutta Ahnert

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Over the last few years, the German Pension Insurance has implemented a new method of quality assurance for inpatient rehabilitation of children and adolescents diagnosed with bronchial asthma, obesity, or atopic dermatitis: the so-called rehabilitation treatment standards (RTS. They aim at promoting a comprehensive and evidence-based care in rehabilitation. Furthermore, they are intended to make the therapeutic processes in medical rehabilitation as well as potential deficits more transparent. The development of RTS was composed of five phases during which current scientific evidence, expert knowledge, and patient expectations were included. Their core element is the specification of evidence-based treatment modules that describe a good rehabilitation standard for children diagnosed with bronchial asthma, obesity, or atopic dermatitis. Opportunities and limitations of the RTS as a tool for quality assurance are discussed.

  12. Data Delivery and Mapping Over the Web: National Water-Quality Assessment Data Warehouse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, Richard W.; Williamson, Alex K.

    2006-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey began its National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in 1991, systematically collecting chemical, biological, and physical water-quality data from study units (basins) across the Nation. In 1999, the NAWQA Program developed a data warehouse to better facilitate national and regional analysis of data from 36 study units started in 1991 and 1994. Data from 15 study units started in 1997 were added to the warehouse in 2001. The warehouse currently contains and links the following data: -- Chemical concentrations in water, sediment, and aquatic-organism tissues and related quality-control data from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), -- Biological data for stream-habitat and ecological-community data on fish, algae, and benthic invertebrates, -- Site, well, and basin information associated with thousands of descriptive variables derived from spatial analysis, like land use, soil, and population density, and -- Daily streamflow and temperature information from NWIS for selected sampling sites.

  13. 78 FR 14457 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-06

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Parts 60 and 63 [EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0708, FRL-9756-4] RIN 2060-AQ58 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines; New Source Performance Standards for Stationary Internal Combustion Engines Correction In rule...

  14. Procedures of quality control of radiopharmaceutical activity counters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, A.E. de; Iwahara, A.; Gaast, H.A. van der; Buckman, S.M.

    1999-01-01

    The Radionuclides Metrology Supervision-Ionizing Radiation Metrology National Laboratory maintain and distributes the brazilian standards for radioactivity measurements. The Brazilian Institute for Metrology, Regulation and Industrial Quality (INMETRO), which is the brazilian authority for standards verification, is coordinating the enhancement of the standards distribution. Concerning to the nuclear medicine related radioisotopes, this network will provide for calibration of brazilian hospitals and clinics instruments, assuring great accuracy of the radiopharmaceuticals activities. This work gives details of the calibration quality control procedures recommended by the Radionuclides Metrology Supervisory (Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission) and the Radioactive Standards Division of the Australian Nuclear Technology and Science Organization (ANSTO). This information can be used as a guide for the brazilian nuclear medicine services guaranty on the accuracy and precision of the radiopharmaceuticals activity measurements measurements

  15. Development of standards, codes of practice and guidelines at the national level

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swindon, T.N.

    1989-01-01

    Standards, codes of practice and guidelines are defined and their different roles in radiation protection specified. The work of the major bodies that develop such documents in Australia - the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Standards Association of Australia - is discussed. The codes of practice prepared under the Environment Protection (Nuclear Codes) Act, 1978, an act of the Australian Federal Parliament, are described and the guidelines associated with them outlined. 5 refs

  16. Secondary standard dosimetry laboratory at INFLPR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scarlat, F.; Minea, R.; Scarisoreanu, A.; Badita, E.; Sima, E.; Dumitrascu, M.; Stancu, E.; Vancea, C., E-mail: scarlat.f@gmail.com [National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics - INFLPR, Bucharest (Romania)

    2011-07-01

    National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics (INFLPR) has constructed a High Energy Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory SSDL-STARDOOR - for performing dosimetric calibrations according to ISO IEC SR/EN 17025:2005 standards. This is outfitted with UNIDOS Secondary Standard Dosimeter from PTW (Freiburg Physikalisch-Technische Werksttaten) calibrated at the PTB-Braunschweig (German Federal Institute of Physics and Metrology). A radiation beam of the quality of Q used by our laboratory as calibration source are provided by INFLPR 7 MeV electron beam linear accelerator mounted in our facility. (author)

  17. Subjective Video Quality Assessment in H.264/AVC Video Coding Standard

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Miličević

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper seeks to provide an approach for subjective video quality assessment in the H.264/AVC standard. For this purpose a special software program for the subjective assessment of quality of all the tested video sequences is developed. It was developed in accordance with recommendation ITU-T P.910, since it is suitable for the testing of multimedia applications. The obtained results show that in the proposed selective intra prediction and optimized inter prediction algorithm there is a small difference in picture quality (signal-to-noise ratio between decoded original and modified video sequences.

  18. Standardized measurement of quality of life after incisional hernia repair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Kristian K; Henriksen, Nadia A; Harling, Henrik

    2014-01-01

    repair. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze existing standardized methods to measure quality of life after incisional hernia repair. DATA SOURCES: A PubMed and Embase search was carried out together with a cross-reference search of eligible papers, giving a total of 26 included studies...

  19. 76 FR 38592 - Phosphorus Water Quality Standards for Florida Everglades

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-01

    ..., Standards and Health Protection Division, Office of Science and Technology, Mail Code: 4305T, Environmental... Elimination System (NPDES) permit limits. With this in mind, categories and entities that may ultimately be... of the water and water quality criteria necessary to protect those uses. States must submit any new...

  20. OZONE AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARD HAS BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON PONDEROSA PINE IN CALIFORNIA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambient air quality standards and control strategies are implemented to protect humans and vegetation from adverse effects. However, to date there has not been a simple and objective method to determine if the standards and resultant control strategies have reduced O3 impacts on ...