30 CFR 27.7 - Certification plate or label.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... APPROVAL OF MINING PRODUCTS METHANE-MONITORING SYSTEMS General Provisions § 27.7 Certification plate or label. A certified methane-monitoring system or component thereof shall be identified with a...

30 CFR 27.7 - Certification plate or label.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... APPROVAL OF MINING PRODUCTS METHANE-MONITORING SYSTEMS General Provisions § 27.7 Certification plate or label. A certified methane-monitoring system or component thereof shall be identified with a...

47 CFR 68.354 - Numbering and labeling requirements for terminal equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Conformity or that is certified by a Telecommunications Certification Body shall have labels in a place and manner required by the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments. (b) Terminal equipment labels... Terminal Attachments. (c) If the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments chooses to continue the...

Multi-family Buildings

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Apartments and condos that have earned the label will have WaterSense labeled toilets, faucets, and showerheads that have been independently certified to be high-performing and water-efficient, saving 20 percent more water than standard models.

7 CFR 205.100 - What has to be certified.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) ORGANIC FOODS PRODUCTION ACT PROVISIONS NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM Applicability § 205.100 What has to be certified. (a) Except for... agricultural products that are intended to be sold, labeled, or represented as “100 percent organic,” “organic...

7 CFR 201.72 - Production of all classes of certified seed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... stages of certification including seeding, harvesting, processing, and labeling of the seed. (b) The unit... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Production of all classes of certified seed. 201.72... SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) FEDERAL SEED...

7 CFR 201.72 - Production of all classes of certified seed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... stages of certification including seeding, harvesting, processing, and labeling of the seed. (b) The unit... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Production of all classes of certified seed. 201.72... SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) FEDERAL SEED...

7 CFR 201.72 - Production of all classes of certified seed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... stages of certification including seeding, harvesting, processing, and labeling of the seed. (b) The unit... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Production of all classes of certified seed. 201.72... SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) FEDERAL SEED...

7 CFR 201.72 - Production of all classes of certified seed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... stages of certification including seeding, harvesting, processing, and labeling of the seed. (b) The unit... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Production of all classes of certified seed. 201.72... SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) FEDERAL SEED...

7 CFR 201.72 - Production of all classes of certified seed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... stages of certification including seeding, harvesting, processing, and labeling of the seed. (b) The unit... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Production of all classes of certified seed. 201.72... SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) FEDERAL SEED...

Identification on commercialized products of AFLP markers able to discriminate slow- from fast-growing chicken strains.

PubMed

Fumière, Olivier; Dubois, Marc; Grégoire, Dimitrie; Théwis, André; Berben, Gilbert

2003-02-26

The European chicken meat market is characterized by numerous quality marks: "Label de Qualité Wallon" in Belgium, "Label Rouge" in France, denominations of geographical origin, organic agriculture, etc. Most of those certified productions have specifications requiring the use of slow-growing chicken strains. The amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique has been used to search molecular markers able to discriminate slow-growing chicken strains from fast-growing ones and to authenticate certified products. Two pairs of restriction enzymes (EcoRI/MseI and EcoRI/TaqI) and 121 selective primer combinations were tested on individual DNA samples from chicken products essentially in carcass form that were ascribed as belonging to either slow- or fast-growing strains. Within the resulting fingerprints, two fragments were identified as type-strains specific markers. One primer combination gives a band (333 bp) that is specific for slow-growing chickens, and another primer pair generates a band (372 bp) that was found to be characteristic of fast-growing chickens. The two markers were isolated, cloned, and sequenced. The effectiveness and the specificity of the two interesting determinants were assessed on individuals of two well-known strains (ISA 657 and Cobb 500) and on commercialized products coming from various origins.

Impact of medical director certification on nursing home quality of care.

PubMed

Rowland, Frederick N; Cowles, Mick; Dickstein, Craig; Katz, Paul R

2009-07-01

This study tests the research hypothesis that certified medical directors are able to use their training, education, and knowledge to positively influence quality of care in US nursing homes. F-tag numbers were identified within the State Operations Manual that reflect dimensions of quality thought to be impacted by the medical director. A weighting system was developed based on the "scope and severity" level at which the nursing homes were cited for these specific tag numbers. Then homes led by certified medical directors were compared with homes led by medical directors not known to be certified. DATA/PARTICIPANTS: Data were obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Online Survey Certification and Reporting database for nursing homes. Homes with a certified medical director (547) were identified from the database of the American Medical Directors Association. The national survey database was used to compute a "standardized quality score" (zero representing best possible score and 1.0 representing average score) for each home, and the homes with certified medical directors compared with the other homes in the database. Regression analysis was then used to attempt to identify the most important contributors to measured quality score differences between the homes. The standardized quality score of facilities with certified medical directors (n=547) was 0.8958 versus 1.0037 for facilities without certified medical directors (n=15,230) (lower number represents higher quality). When nursing facility characteristics were added to the regression equation, the presence of a certified medical director accounted for up to 15% improvement in quality. The presence of certified medical directors is an independent predictor of quality in US nursing homes.

40 CFR 152.170 - Criteria for restriction to use by certified applicators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... certified applicators. 152.170 Section 152.170 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY...) Its labeling, when considered according to the factors in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, is not... effects; and (4) The decrease in risks of the pesticide as a result of restriction would exceed the...

40 CFR 152.170 - Criteria for restriction to use by certified applicators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... certified applicators. 152.170 Section 152.170 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY...) Its labeling, when considered according to the factors in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, is not... effects; and (4) The decrease in risks of the pesticide as a result of restriction would exceed the...

40 CFR 152.170 - Criteria for restriction to use by certified applicators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... certified applicators. 152.170 Section 152.170 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY...) Its labeling, when considered according to the factors in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, is not... effects; and (4) The decrease in risks of the pesticide as a result of restriction would exceed the...

Eco-label conveys reliable information on fish stock health to seafood consumers.

PubMed

Gutiérrez, Nicolás L; Valencia, Sarah R; Branch, Trevor A; Agnew, David J; Baum, Julia K; Bianchi, Patricia L; Cornejo-Donoso, Jorge; Costello, Christopher; Defeo, Omar; Essington, Timothy E; Hilborn, Ray; Hoggarth, Daniel D; Larsen, Ashley E; Ninnes, Chris; Sainsbury, Keith; Selden, Rebecca L; Sistla, Seeta; Smith, Anthony D M; Stern-Pirlot, Amanda; Teck, Sarah J; Thorson, James T; Williams, Nicholas E

2012-01-01

Concerns over fishing impacts on marine populations and ecosystems have intensified the need to improve ocean management. One increasingly popular market-based instrument for ecological stewardship is the use of certification and eco-labeling programs to highlight sustainable fisheries with low environmental impacts. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the most prominent of these programs. Despite widespread discussions about the rigor of the MSC standards, no comprehensive analysis of the performance of MSC-certified fish stocks has yet been conducted. We compared status and abundance trends of 45 certified stocks with those of 179 uncertified stocks, finding that 74% of certified fisheries were above biomass levels that would produce maximum sustainable yield, compared with only 44% of uncertified fisheries. On average, the biomass of certified stocks increased by 46% over the past 10 years, whereas uncertified fisheries increased by just 9%. As part of the MSC process, fisheries initially go through a confidential pre-assessment process. When certified fisheries are compared with those that decline to pursue full certification after pre-assessment, certified stocks had much lower mean exploitation rates (67% of the rate producing maximum sustainable yield vs. 92% for those declining to pursue certification), allowing for more sustainable harvesting and in many cases biomass rebuilding. From a consumer's point of view this means that MSC-certified seafood is 3-5 times less likely to be subject to harmful fishing than uncertified seafood. Thus, MSC-certification accurately identifies healthy fish stocks and conveys reliable information on stock status to seafood consumers.

Eco-Label Conveys Reliable Information on Fish Stock Health to Seafood Consumers

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez, Nicolás L.; Valencia, Sarah R.; Branch, Trevor A.; Agnew, David J.; Baum, Julia K.; Bianchi, Patricia L.; Cornejo-Donoso, Jorge; Costello, Christopher; Defeo, Omar; Essington, Timothy E.; Hilborn, Ray; Hoggarth, Daniel D.; Larsen, Ashley E.; Ninnes, Chris; Sainsbury, Keith; Selden, Rebecca L.; Sistla, Seeta; Smith, Anthony D. M.; Stern-Pirlot, Amanda; Teck, Sarah J.; Thorson, James T.; Williams, Nicholas E.

2012-01-01

Concerns over fishing impacts on marine populations and ecosystems have intensified the need to improve ocean management. One increasingly popular market-based instrument for ecological stewardship is the use of certification and eco-labeling programs to highlight sustainable fisheries with low environmental impacts. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the most prominent of these programs. Despite widespread discussions about the rigor of the MSC standards, no comprehensive analysis of the performance of MSC-certified fish stocks has yet been conducted. We compared status and abundance trends of 45 certified stocks with those of 179 uncertified stocks, finding that 74% of certified fisheries were above biomass levels that would produce maximum sustainable yield, compared with only 44% of uncertified fisheries. On average, the biomass of certified stocks increased by 46% over the past 10 years, whereas uncertified fisheries increased by just 9%. As part of the MSC process, fisheries initially go through a confidential pre-assessment process. When certified fisheries are compared with those that decline to pursue full certification after pre-assessment, certified stocks had much lower mean exploitation rates (67% of the rate producing maximum sustainable yield vs. 92% for those declining to pursue certification), allowing for more sustainable harvesting and in many cases biomass rebuilding. From a consumer’s point of view this means that MSC-certified seafood is 3–5 times less likely to be subject to harmful fishing than uncertified seafood. Thus, MSC-certification accurately identifies healthy fish stocks and conveys reliable information on stock status to seafood consumers. PMID:22928029

Inspection and Verification Guidance for WaterSense Labeled New Homes (Version 1.2)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A new home must be built by a WaterSense builder partner, certified by an EPA licensed certification provider, and meet all of the applicable criteria in the specification to become a WaterSense labeled new home.

9 CFR 355.36 - Obsolete labels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Obsolete labels. 355.36 Section 355.36 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY... CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND...

9 CFR 355.36 - Obsolete labels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Obsolete labels. 355.36 Section 355.36 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY... CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND...

40 CFR 86.096-35 - Labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... indication of which test procedure was used to certify the evaporative family, e.g., “Evaporative Family xx (§ 86.130-96 procedures)” or “Evaporative Family xx (§ 86.130-78 procedures).” (N)(1) For vehicles... which test procedure was used to certify the evaporative family, e.g., “Evaporative Family xx (§ 86.130...

40 CFR 1042.135 - Labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... fixed-pitch propellers, etc.). If the engine is certified as a recreational engine, state: “INSTALLING... EMISSIONS FROM NEW AND IN-USE MARINE COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES AND VESSELS Emission Standards and Related Requirements § 1042.135 Labeling. (a) Assign each engine a unique identification number and permanently affix...

40 CFR 1042.135 - Labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... fixed-pitch propellers, etc.). If the engine is certified as a recreational engine, state: “INSTALLING... EMISSIONS FROM NEW AND IN-USE MARINE COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES AND VESSELS Emission Standards and Related Requirements § 1042.135 Labeling. (a) Assign each engine a unique identification number and permanently affix...

40 CFR 1042.135 - Labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... fixed-pitch propellers, etc.). If the engine is certified as a recreational engine, state: “INSTALLING... EMISSIONS FROM NEW AND IN-USE MARINE COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES AND VESSELS Emission Standards and Related Requirements § 1042.135 Labeling. (a) Assign each engine a unique identification number and permanently affix...

Malaria rapid diagnostic kits: quality of packaging, design and labelling of boxes and components and readability and accuracy of information inserts.

PubMed

Gillet, Philippe; Maltha, Jessica; Hermans, Veerle; Ravinetto, Raffaella; Bruggeman, Cathrien; Jacobs, Jan

2011-02-13

The present study assessed malaria RDT kits for adequate and correct packaging, design and labelling of boxes and components. Information inserts were studied for readability and accuracy of information. Criteria for packaging, design, labelling and information were compiled from Directive 98/79 of the European Community (EC), relevant World Health Organization (WHO) documents and studies on end-users' performance of RDTs. Typography and readability level (Flesch-Kincaid grade level) were assessed. Forty-two RDT kits from 22 manufacturers were assessed, 35 of which had evidence of good manufacturing practice according to available information (i.e. CE-label affixed or inclusion in the WHO list of ISO13485:2003 certified manufacturers). Shortcomings in devices were (i) insufficient place for writing sample identification (n=40) and (ii) ambiguous labelling of the reading window (n=6). Buffer vial labels were lacking essential information (n=24) or were of poor quality (n=16). Information inserts had elevated readability levels (median Flesch Kincaid grade 8.9, range 7.1-12.9) and user-unfriendly typography (median font size 8, range 5-10). Inadequacies included (i) no referral to biosafety (n=18), (ii) critical differences between depicted and real devices (n=8), (iii) figures with unrealistic colours (n=4), (iv) incomplete information about RDT line interpretations (n=31) and no data on test characteristics (n=8). Other problems included (i) kit names that referred to Plasmodium vivax although targeting a pan-species Plasmodium antigen (n=4), (ii) not stating the identity of the pan-species antigen (n=2) and (iii) slight but numerous differences in names displayed on boxes, device packages and information inserts. Three CE labelled RDT kits produced outside the EC had no authorized representative affixed and the shape and relative dimensions of the CE symbol affixed did not comply with the Directive 98/79/EC. Overall, RDTs with evidence of GMP scored better compared to those without but inadequacies were observed in both groups. Overall, malaria RDTs showed shortcomings in quality of construction, design and labelling of boxes, device packages, devices and buffers. Information inserts were difficult to read and lacked relevant information.

9 CFR 355.34 - Labels, approval of, by Administrator.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Labels, approval of, by Administrator. 355.34 Section 355.34 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION...

7 CFR 37.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... accordance with the regulations that may result in assessment of an organic certification program that... certifying agency's quality system and associated quality certification procedures used to certify organic... ASSESS ORGANIC CERTIFYING AGENCIES § 37.1 Definitions. Words used in this part in the singular form shall...

7 CFR 205.100 - What has to be certified.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) ORGANIC FOODS PRODUCTION ACT... agricultural products that are intended to be sold, labeled, or represented as “100 percent organic,” “organic... that: (1) Knowingly sells or labels a product as organic, except in accordance with the Act, shall be...

Diagnosis of poor safety culture as a major shortcoming in OHSAS 18001-certified companies.

PubMed

Ghahramani, Abolfazl

2017-04-07

The evaluation of safety performance in occupational health and safety assessment series (OHSAS) 18001-certified companies provides useful information about the quality of the management system. A certified organization should employ an adequate level of safety management and a positive safety culture to achieve a satisfactory safety performance. The present study conducted in six manufacturing companies: three OHSAS 18001-certified, and three non-certified to assess occupational health and safety (OHS) as well as OHSAS 18001 practices. The certified companies had a better OHS practices compared with the non-certified companies. The certified companies slightly differed in OHS and OHSAS 18001 practices and one of the certified companies had the highest activity rates for both practices. The results indicated that the implemented management systems have not developed and been maintained appropriately in the certified companies. The in-depth analysis of the collected evidence revealed shortcomings in safety culture improvement in the certified companies. This study highlights the importance of safety culture to continuously improve the quality of OHSAS 18001 and to properly perform OHS/OHSAS 18001 practices in the certified companies.

Diagnosis of poor safety culture as a major shortcoming in OHSAS 18001-certified companies

PubMed Central

GHAHRAMANI, Abolfazl

2016-01-01

The evaluation of safety performance in occupational health and safety assessment series (OHSAS) 18001-certified companies provides useful information about the quality of the management system. A certified organization should employ an adequate level of safety management and a positive safety culture to achieve a satisfactory safety performance. The present study conducted in six manufacturing companies: three OHSAS 18001-certified, and three non-certified to assess occupational health and safety (OHS) as well as OHSAS 18001 practices. The certified companies had a better OHS practices compared with the non-certified companies. The certified companies slightly differed in OHS and OHSAS 18001 practices and one of the certified companies had the highest activity rates for both practices. The results indicated that the implemented management systems have not developed and been maintained appropriately in the certified companies. The in-depth analysis of the collected evidence revealed shortcomings in safety culture improvement in the certified companies. This study highlights the importance of safety culture to continuously improve the quality of OHSAS 18001 and to properly perform OHS/OHSAS 18001 practices in the certified companies. PMID:28025422

GEO Label: User and Producer Perspectives on a Label for Geospatial Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lush, V.; Lumsden, J.; Masó, J.; Díaz, P.; McCallum, I.

2012-04-01

One of the aims of the Science and Technology Committee (STC) of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) was to establish a GEO Label- a label to certify geospatial datasets and their quality. As proposed, the GEO Label will be used as a value indicator for geospatial data and datasets accessible through the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). It is suggested that the development of such a label will significantly improve user recognition of the quality of geospatial datasets and that its use will help promote trust in datasets that carry the established GEO Label. Furthermore, the GEO Label is seen as an incentive to data providers. At the moment GEOSS contains a large amount of data and is constantly growing. Taking this into account, a GEO Label could assist in searching by providing users with visual cues of dataset quality and possibly relevance; a GEO Label could effectively stand as a decision support mechanism for dataset selection. Currently our project - GeoViQua, - together with EGIDA and ID-03 is undertaking research to define and evaluate the concept of a GEO Label. The development and evaluation process will be carried out in three phases. In phase I we have conducted an online survey (GEO Label Questionnaire) to identify the initial user and producer views on a GEO Label or its potential role. In phase II we will conduct a further study presenting some GEO Label examples that will be based on Phase I. We will elicit feedback on these examples under controlled conditions. In phase III we will create physical prototypes which will be used in a human subject study. The most successful prototypes will then be put forward as potential GEO Label options. At the moment we are in phase I, where we developed an online questionnaire to collect the initial GEO Label requirements and to identify the role that a GEO Label should serve from the user and producer standpoint. The GEO Label Questionnaire consists of generic questions to identify whether users and producers believe a GEO Label is relevant to geospatial data; whether they want a single "one-for-all" label or separate labels that will serve a particular role; the function that would be most relevant for a GEO Label to carry; and the functionality that users and producers would like to see from common rating and review systems they use. To distribute the questionnaire, relevant user and expert groups were contacted at meetings or by email. At this stage we successfully collected over 80 valid responses from geospatial data users and producers. This communication will provide a comprehensive analysis of the survey results, indicating to what extent the users surveyed in Phase I value a GEO Label, and suggesting in what directions a GEO Label may develop. Potential GEO Label examples based on the results of the survey will be presented for use in Phase II.

40 CFR 86.1807-07 - Vehicle labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... engines and other diesel vehicles certified using a test fuel with 15 ppm sulfur or less, must include permanent readily visible labels on the dashboard (or instrument panel) and near all fuel inlets that state “Use Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel Only” or “Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel Only”. [66 FR 5189, Jan. 18...

40 CFR 86.1807-07 - Vehicle labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... engines and other diesel vehicles certified using a test fuel with 15 ppm sulfur or less, must include permanent readily visible labels on the dashboard (or instrument panel) and near all fuel inlets that state “Use Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel Only” or “Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel Only”. [66 FR 5189, Jan. 18...

21 CFR 201.23 - Required pediatric studies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Required pediatric studies. 201.23 Section 201.23...: GENERAL LABELING General Labeling Provisions § 201.23 Required pediatric studies. (a) A manufacturer of a... certifies that: (i) Necessary studies are impossible or highly impractical because, e.g., the number of such...

21 CFR 201.23 - Required pediatric studies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Required pediatric studies. 201.23 Section 201.23...: GENERAL LABELING General Labeling Provisions § 201.23 Required pediatric studies. (a) A manufacturer of a... certifies that: (i) Necessary studies are impossible or highly impractical because, e.g., the number of such...

9 CFR 355.35 - Label information to be displayed on principal panel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Label information to be displayed on principal panel. 355.35 Section 355.35 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE... AND VOLUNTARY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA...

9 CFR 355.35 - Label information to be displayed on principal panel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Label information to be displayed on principal panel. 355.35 Section 355.35 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE... AND VOLUNTARY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA...

Associations between state regulations, training length, perceived quality and job satisfaction among certified nursing assistants: cross-sectional secondary data analysis.

PubMed

Han, Kihye; Trinkoff, Alison M; Storr, Carla L; Lerner, Nancy; Johantgen, Meg; Gartrell, Kyungsook

2014-08-01

In the U.S., there are federal requirements on how much training and annual continuing education a certified nursing assistant must complete in order to be certified. The requirements are designed to enable them to provide competent and quality care to nursing home residents. Many states also require additional training and continuing education hours as improved nursing home quality indicators have been found to be related to increased training. This study investigated the associations among state level regulations, initial training quality and focus, and job satisfaction in certified nursing assistants. Cross-sectional secondary data analysis. This study used the National Nursing Home Survey and National Nursing Assistant Survey as well as data on state regulations of certified nursing assistant training. 2897 certified nursing assistants in 580 nursing homes who were currently working at a nursing home facility, who represented 680,846 certified nursing assistants in US. State regulations were related to initial training and job satisfaction among certified nursing assistants using chi square tests and binomial logistic regression models. Analyses were conducted using SAS-callable SUDAAN to correct for complex sampling design effects in the National Nursing Home Survey and National Nursing Assistant Survey. Models were adjusted for personal and facility characteristics. Certified nursing assistants reporting high quality training were more likely to work in states requiring additional initial training hours (p=0.02) and were more satisfied with their jobs (OR=1.51, 95% CI=1.09-2.09) than those with low quality training. In addition, those with more training focused on work life skills were 91% more satisfied (OR=1.91, 95% CI=1.41-2.58) whereas no relationship was found between training focused on basic care skills and job satisfaction (OR=1.36, 95% CI=0.99-1.84). Certified nursing assistants with additional initial training were more likely to report that their training was of high quality, and this was related to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was also associated with receiving more training that focused on work life skills. Federal training regulations should reconsider additional hours for certified nursing assistant initial training, and include work life skills as a focus. As job satisfaction has been linked to nursing home turnover, attention to training may improve satisfaction, ultimately reducing staff turnover. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Certification

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA requires all products bearing the WaterSense label to be assessed for conformance to the relevant WaterSense product specification by an accredited, independent, third-party product certifying body.

40 CFR 85.1412 - Maintenance and submittal of records for equipment certifiers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... original equipment being replaced; (4) A description of the quality control plan used to monitor production... taken in implementing the quality control plan, and any subsequent analyses of that data; and (6) All in... the equipment certifier has offered to sell its certified equipment for less than the life cycle cost...

40 CFR 85.1412 - Maintenance and submittal of records for equipment certifiers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... original equipment being replaced; (4) A description of the quality control plan used to monitor production... taken in implementing the quality control plan, and any subsequent analyses of that data; and (6) All in... the equipment certifier has offered to sell its certified equipment for less than the life cycle cost...

Diagnostic labels assigned to patients with orthopedic conditions and the influence of the label on selection of interventions: a qualitative study of orthopaedic clinical specialists.

PubMed

Miller-Spoto, Marcia; Gombatto, Sara P

2014-06-01

A variety of diagnostic classification systems are used by physical therapists, but little information about how therapists assign diagnostic labels and how the labels are used to direct intervention is available. The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine the diagnostic labels assigned to patient problems by physical therapists who are board-certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialists (OCSs) and (2) to determine whether the label influences selection of interventions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Two written cases were developed for patients with low back and shoulder pain. A survey was used to evaluate the diagnostic label assigned and the interventions considered important for each case. The cases and survey were sent to therapists who are board-certified OCSs. Respondents assigned a diagnostic label and rated the importance of intervention categories for each case. Each diagnostic label was coded based on the construct it represented. Percentage responses for each diagnostic label code and intervention category were calculated. Relative importance of intervention category based on diagnostic label was examined. For the low back pain and shoulder pain cases, respectively, "Combination" (48.5%, 34.9%) and "Pathology/Pathophysiology" (32.7%, 57.3%) diagnostic labels were most common. Strengthening (85.9%, 98.1%), stretching (86.8%, 84.9%), neuromuscular re-education (87.6%, 93.4%), functional training (91.4%, 88.6%), and mobilization/manipulation (85.1%, 86.8%) were considered the most important interventions. Relative importance of interventions did not differ based on diagnostic label (χ2=0.050-1.263, P=.261-.824). The low response rate may limit the generalizability of the findings. Also, examples provided for labels may have influenced responses, and some of the label codes may have represented overlapping constructs. There is little consistency with which OCS therapists assign diagnostic labels, and the label does not seem to influence selection of interventions. © 2014 American Physical Therapy Association.

76 FR 28696 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; California; Determination of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-18

... based on complete, quality-assured and certified ambient air quality monitoring data for 2007-2009... certain air quality monitoring data because they meet the criteria for ozone exceptional events that are... certified monitoring data. A violation occurs when the ambient ozone air quality monitoring data show...

40 CFR 1060.135 - How must I label and identify the engines and equipment I produce?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., and other fuel-system components. (a) You must affix a permanent and legible label identifying each... readable for the equipment's entire life. (4) Written in English. (5) Readily visible in the final... BOAT] MEETS U.S. EPA EVAP STANDARDS.” (5) Identify the certified fuel-system components installed on...

9 CFR 381.132 - Labeling approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... drawn, computer generated or other reasonable facsimiles that clearly reflect and project the final...) (2)-(9). The management of the official establishment or establishment certified under a foreign...

Malaria rapid diagnostic kits: quality of packaging, design and labelling of boxes and components and readability and accuracy of information inserts

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The present study assessed malaria RDT kits for adequate and correct packaging, design and labelling of boxes and components. Information inserts were studied for readability and accuracy of information. Methods Criteria for packaging, design, labelling and information were compiled from Directive 98/79 of the European Community (EC), relevant World Health Organization (WHO) documents and studies on end-users' performance of RDTs. Typography and readability level (Flesch-Kincaid grade level) were assessed. Results Forty-two RDT kits from 22 manufacturers were assessed, 35 of which had evidence of good manufacturing practice according to available information (i.e. CE-label affixed or inclusion in the WHO list of ISO13485:2003 certified manufacturers). Shortcomings in devices were (i) insufficient place for writing sample identification (n = 40) and (ii) ambiguous labelling of the reading window (n = 6). Buffer vial labels were lacking essential information (n = 24) or were of poor quality (n = 16). Information inserts had elevated readability levels (median Flesch Kincaid grade 8.9, range 7.1 - 12.9) and user-unfriendly typography (median font size 8, range 5 - 10). Inadequacies included (i) no referral to biosafety (n = 18), (ii) critical differences between depicted and real devices (n = 8), (iii) figures with unrealistic colours (n = 4), (iv) incomplete information about RDT line interpretations (n = 31) and no data on test characteristics (n = 8). Other problems included (i) kit names that referred to Plasmodium vivax although targeting a pan-species Plasmodium antigen (n = 4), (ii) not stating the identity of the pan-species antigen (n = 2) and (iii) slight but numerous differences in names displayed on boxes, device packages and information inserts. Three CE labelled RDT kits produced outside the EC had no authorized representative affixed and the shape and relative dimensions of the CE symbol affixed did not comply with the Directive 98/79/EC. Overall, RDTs with evidence of GMP scored better compared to those without but inadequacies were observed in both groups. Conclusion Overall, malaria RDTs showed shortcomings in quality of construction, design and labelling of boxes, device packages, devices and buffers. Information inserts were difficult to read and lacked relevant information. PMID:21314992

Reference standard space hippocampus labels according to the European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium-Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative harmonized protocol: Utility in automated volumetry.

PubMed

Wolf, Dominik; Bocchetta, Martina; Preboske, Gregory M; Boccardi, Marina; Grothe, Michel J

2017-08-01

A harmonized protocol (HarP) for manual hippocampal segmentation on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently been developed by an international European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium-Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative project. We aimed at providing consensual certified HarP hippocampal labels in Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) standard space to serve as reference in automated image analyses. Manual HarP tracings on the high-resolution MNI152 standard space template of four expert certified HarP tracers were combined to obtain consensual bilateral hippocampus labels. Utility and validity of these reference labels is demonstrated in a simple atlas-based morphometry approach for automated calculation of HarP-compliant hippocampal volumes within SPM software. Individual tracings showed very high agreement among the four expert tracers (pairwise Jaccard indices 0.82-0.87). Automatically calculated hippocampal volumes were highly correlated (r L/R  = 0.89/0.91) with gold standard volumes in the HarP benchmark data set (N = 135 MRIs), with a mean volume difference of 9% (standard deviation 7%). The consensual HarP hippocampus labels in the MNI152 template can serve as a reference standard for automated image analyses involving MNI standard space normalization. Copyright © 2017 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 62.7130 - Identification of plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Clark County Department of Air Quality Management submitted on February 27, 2003, a letter certifying... Quality Management Division submitted on January 28, 2003, a letter certifying that there are no existing...

40 CFR 121.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... certify compliance with applicable water quality standards. If an interstate agency has sole authority to... agency shall be the certifying agency. Where water quality standards have been promulgated by the... Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 1151 et seq. (g) Water quality standards means standards established pursuant to...

40 CFR 121.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... certify compliance with applicable water quality standards. If an interstate agency has sole authority to... agency shall be the certifying agency. Where water quality standards have been promulgated by the... Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 1151 et seq. (g) Water quality standards means standards established pursuant to...

An improved reference measurement procedure for triglycerides and total glycerides in human serum by isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Chen, Yizhao; Liu, Qinde; Yong, Sharon; Teo, Hui Ling; Lee, Tong Kooi

2014-01-20

Triglycerides are widely tested in clinical laboratories using enzymatic methods for lipid profiling. As enzymatic methods can be affected by interferences from biological samples, this together with the non-specific nature of triglycerides measurement makes it necessary to verify the accuracy of the test results with a reference measurement procedure. Several such measurement procedures had been published. These procedures generally involved lengthy and laborious sample preparation steps. In this paper, an improved reference measurement procedure for triglycerides and total glycerides was reported which simplifies the sample preparation steps and greatly shortens the time taken. The procedure was based on isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (IDGC-MS)with tripalmitin as the calibration standard. Serum samples were first spiked with isotope-labeled tripalmitin. For the measurement of triglycerides, the serum samples were subjected to lipid extraction followed by separation of triglycerides from diglycerides and monoglycerides. Triglycerides were then hydrolyzed to glycerol, derivatized and injected into the GC–MS for quantification. For the measurement of total glycerides, the serum samples were hydrolyzed directly and derivatized before injection into the GC-MS for quantification. All measurement results showed good precision with CV <1%. A certified reference material (CRM) of lipids in frozen human serum was used to verify the accuracy of the measurement. The obtained values for both triglycerides and total glycerides were well within the certified ranges of the CRM, with deviation <0.4% from the certified values. The relative expanded uncertainties were also comparable with the uncertainties associated with the certified values of the CRM. The validated procedure was used in an External Quality Assessment (EQA) Program organized by our laboratory to establish the assigned values for triglycerides and total glycerides.

Landscape Water Budget Tool

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

WaterSense created the Water Budget Tool as one option to help builders, landscape professionals, and irrigation professionals certified by a WaterSense labeled program meet the criteria specified in the WaterSense New Home Specification.

Water Budget Quick Start Guide

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

WaterSense created the Water Budget Tool as one option to help builders, landscape professionals, and irrigation professionals certified by a WaterSense labeled program meet the criteria specified in the WaterSense New Home Specification.

Car Seat Safety

MedlinePlus

... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Car Seat Safety KidsHealth / For Parents / Car Seat Safety ... certified child passenger safety technician.) Guidelines for Choosing Car Seats Choose a seat with a label that ...

Join WaterSense

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

WaterSense depends on partners who make, sell, and promote WaterSense labeled products and homes, and certify irrigation pros. They also help educate consumers about water efficiency. Signing up is easy - and best of all, it's free!

77 FR 62147 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh-Beaver...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-12

... completeness requirement for one or more quarters during 2009-2011. EPA addressed the missing data of each of...-assured, quality-controlled and certified ambient air monitoring data for the 2008-2010 and 2009-2011...- assured, quality-controlled, and certified monitoring data for the 2007-2009 monitoring period, that the...

[Quality management in pathology--an executive function and political implications].

PubMed

Turzynski, A

2013-09-01

Quality management (QM) is primarily an in-house executive function. It conduces to ensure a high quality service and has the external object to satisfy customer expectations. In Germany the implementation of quality management systems (QMS) is made compulsory for all medical facilities by law. However, details are not regulated and there is no need to certify the in-house QMS. Within the last 10 years many pathology institutions have become certified or accredited and have implemented voluntary measures of external quality assurance, such as quality circles and round robin trials. For non-certified institutions it might be helpful to be guided by established QM standards like the ISO 9001:2008. The fundamental concepts of QM, some pathology-specific aspects and some implications for the professional associations are discussed in this article.

Just-in-Space: Certified Rural Products, Labor of Quality, and Regulatory Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mutersbaugh, Tad

2005-01-01

Since the mid-1990s, the number and diversity of "quality-certified" products has increased dramatically. This article examines labor practices and regulatory spaces within 3rd party quality certification and suggests that this distinct configuration be termed "just-in-space" production. A privileging of space derives, on the one hand, from the…

9 CFR 355.32 - Labeling required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND... such as “dog food,” “cat food,” “dog and cat food,” or “fox food,” accompanied with such references to...

9 CFR 355.32 - Labeling required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND... such as “dog food,” “cat food,” “dog and cat food,” or “fox food,” accompanied with such references to...

9 CFR 355.32 - Labeling required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND... such as “dog food,” “cat food,” “dog and cat food,” or “fox food,” accompanied with such references to...

9 CFR 355.32 - Labeling required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND... such as “dog food,” “cat food,” “dog and cat food,” or “fox food,” accompanied with such references to...

9 CFR 355.32 - Labeling required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED PRODUCTS FOR DOGS, CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND... such as “dog food,” “cat food,” “dog and cat food,” or “fox food,” accompanied with such references to...

40 CFR 80.1611 - Standards and requirements for certified ethanol denaturant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... certified ethanol denaturant. 80.1611 Section 80.1611 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION....1611 Standards and requirements for certified ethanol denaturant. Producers and importers of ethanol denaturant that is suitable for the manufacture of denatured fuel ethanol (DFE) meeting federal quality...

33 CFR 159.11 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Purpose. 159.11 Section 159.11 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) POLLUTION MARINE... certification of marine sanitation devices and authorization for labels on certified devices. ...

Developing an International Pool of Certified Quality Reviewers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adair, Deborah

2017-01-01

This article covers the origins, growth, rationale, calibration, and inspiration of an international pool of certified Quality Matters™ (QM) Peer Reviewers. From the beginning in 2003, as a U.S. Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education funded project, QM was developed as a faculty-centered, peer-based approach…

Physician Board Certification and the Care and Outcomes of Elderly Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

PubMed Central

Chen, Jersey; Rathore, Saif S; Wang, Yongfei; Radford, Martha J; Krumholz, Harlan M

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND Patients and purchasers prefer board-certified physicians, but whether these physicians provide better quality of care and outcomes for hospitalized patients is unclear. OBJECTIVE We evaluated whether care by board-certified physicians after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was associated with higher use of clinical guideline recommended therapies and lower 30-day mortality. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We examined 101,251 Medicare patients hospitalized for AMI in the United States and compared use of aspirin, β-blockers, and 30-day mortality according to the attending physicians' board certification in family practice, internal medicine, or cardiology. RESULTS Board-certified family practitioners had slightly higher use of aspirin (admission: 51.1% vs 46.0%; discharge: 72.2% vs 63.9%) and β-blockers (admission: 44.1% vs 37.1%; discharge: 46.2% vs 38.7%) than nonboard-certified family practitioners. There was a similar pattern in board-certified Internists for aspirin (admission: 53.7% vs 49.6%; discharge: 78.2% vs 68.8%) and β-blockers (admission: 48.9% vs 44.1%; discharge: 51.2% vs 47.1). Board-certified cardiologists had higher use of aspirin compared with cardiologists certified in internal medicine only or without any board certification (admission: 61.3% vs 53.1% vs 52.1%; discharge: 82.2% vs 71.8% vs 71.5%) and β-blockers (admission: 52.9% vs 49.6% vs 41.5%; discharge: 54.7% vs 50.6% vs 42.5%). In multivariate regression analyses, board certification was not associated with differences in 30-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS Treatment by a board-certified physician was associated with modestly higher quality of care for AMI, but not differences in mortality. Regardless of board certification, all physicians had opportunities to improve quality of care for AMI. PMID:16637823

Leveraging certified nursing assistant documentation and knowledge to improve clinical decision making: the on-time quality improvement program to prevent pressure ulcers.

PubMed

Sharkey, Siobhan; Hudak, Sandra; Horn, Susan D; Spector, William

2011-04-01

The goal of this article was to enhance understanding of the On-Time Quality Improvement for Long-term Care Program, a practical approach to embed health information technology into quality improvement in nursing homes that leverages certified nursing assistant documentation and knowledge, supports frontline clinical decision making, and establishes proactive intervention for pressure ulcer prevention.

[Quality management in acute pain therapy: results from a survey of certified hospitals].

PubMed

Böhmer, A B; Poels, M; Simanski, C; Trojan, S; Messer, K; Wirtz, M D; Neugebauer, E A M; Wappler, F; Joppich, R

2012-08-01

Systems for and methods of quality management are increasingly being implemented in public health services. The aim of our study was to analyze the current state of the integrated quality management concept "quality management acute pain therapy" of the TÜV Rheinland® (TÜV) after a 5-year project period. General characteristics of the participating hospitals, number of departments certified by the TÜV and implementation of structures and processes according to the TÜV guidelines were evaluated by a mail questionnaire. Furthermore, positive and negative aspects concerning the effects of certification were evaluated by the hospitals' representatives of certification. A total of 36 questionnaires were returned. Since 2006 the number of certified hospitals (2011: n = 48) and surgical departments (2011: n = 202) has increased continuously. The number of certified medical departments is low (2011: n = 39); however, in the last 3 years, it has increased by about 200-300% annually. Standard operative procedures for pain therapy and measurement of pain intensity at regular intervals were implemented in all certified clinics (100%). Although 41% take part in the benchmarking project QUIPS (Quality Improvement in Postoperative Pain Therapy), 24% do not systematically check the quality of the outcome of pain management. Acceptance of the new pain therapy concepts among nursing staff was rated positively (ratio positive:negative 16:1); however, acceptance among physicians was rated negatively (1:15). Certification by the TÜV leads to sustainable implementation of quality management principles. Future efforts should focus on better integration of physicians in acute pain therapy and the development of an integrated tool to measure patients' outcome.

Preliminary Analysis Report: Construct Validity Study of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bond, Lloyd; Smith, Tracy; Baker, Wanda K.

This study examined (1) whether students taught by National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)-certified teachers would produce higher quality work than students of teachers who attempted NBPTS certification but were not certified; (2) whether the observed classroom behaviors of NBPTS-certified teachers would be demonstrably…

[Development of the certified reference material of mercury in lyophilized human urine].

PubMed

Zhao, Wei; Zhang, Fu-gang; DU, Hui-fang; Pan, Ya-juan; Yan, Hui-fang

2011-02-01

To develop the certified reference material of mercury in lyophilized human urine. Human urine samples from normal level mercury districts were filtered, homogenized, dispensed, lyophilized and radio-sterilized. Homogeneity test, stability inspection and certification were conducted using a atom fluorescence spectrophotometric method. The physical and chemical stability of the certified reference material were assessed for 18 months. The certified values are based on analysis made by three independent laboratories. The certified values are as follows: low level was (35.6 ± 2.1) µg/L, high level was (50.5 ± 3.0) µg/L. The certified reference material of mercury in lyophilized human urine in this research reached the national certified reference material requirements and could be used for the quality control.

16 CFR 1209.31 - Purpose and applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 1209.31 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS..., importers, and private labelers must follow to certify that their products comply with the Amended Interim... temporary household or residence, a school, in recreation or otherwise. The standard applies to cellulose...

16 CFR 1209.31 - Purpose and applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 1209.31 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS..., importers, and private labelers must follow to certify that their products comply with the Amended Interim... temporary household or residence, a school, in recreation or otherwise. The standard applies to cellulose...

16 CFR 1209.31 - Purpose and applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 1209.31 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS..., importers, and private labelers must follow to certify that their products comply with the Amended Interim... temporary household or residence, a school, in recreation or otherwise. The standard applies to cellulose...

16 CFR 1209.31 - Purpose and applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 1209.31 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS INTERIM SAFETY STANDARD FOR CELLULOSE INSULATION Certification § 1209.31 Purpose and applicability. (a..., importers, and private labelers must follow to certify that their products comply with the Amended Interim...

Visual ergonomic aspects of glare on computer displays: glossy screens and angular dependence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunnström, Kjell; Andrén, Börje; Konstantinides, Zacharias; Nordström, Lukas

2007-02-01

Recently flat panel computer displays and notebook computer are designed with a so called glare panel i.e. highly glossy screens, have emerged on the market. The shiny look of the display appeals to the costumers, also there are arguments that the contrast, colour saturation etc improves by using a glare panel. LCD displays suffer often from angular dependent picture quality. This has been even more pronounced by the introduction of Prism Light Guide plates into displays for notebook computers. The TCO label is the leading labelling system for computer displays. Currently about 50% of all computer displays on the market are certified according to the TCO requirements. The requirements are periodically updated to keep up with the technical development and the latest research in e.g. visual ergonomics. The gloss level of the screen and the angular dependence has recently been investigated by conducting user studies. A study of the effect of highly glossy screens compared to matt screens has been performed. The results show a slight advantage for the glossy screen when no disturbing reflexes are present, however the difference was not statistically significant. When disturbing reflexes are present the advantage is changed into a larger disadvantage and this difference is statistically significant. Another study of angular dependence has also been performed. The results indicates a linear relationship between the picture quality and the centre luminance of the screen.

Teacher Quality: A Comparison of National Board--Certified and Non--Board--Certified Teachers of Deaf Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheetz, Nanci A.; Martin, David S.

2006-01-01

The study was designed to identify specific components of teacher excellence, focusing initially on the characteristics of the small number of teachers of the deaf who are certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), then comparing those with the characteristics of other teachers identified as master teachers by…

40 CFR 85.1412 - Maintenance and submittal of records for equipment certifiers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the equipment certifier has offered to sell its certified equipment for less than the life cycle cost... during testing of the equipment and subsequent analyses based on that data, including the mileage and the... taken in implementing the quality control plan, and any subsequent analyses of that data; and (6) All in...

76 FR 10817 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; State of Nevada; PM-10; Determinations...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-28

... meter ([micro]g/m\\3\\) with no more than one expected exceedance per year. The annual primary PM-10... contains three consecutive years of complete, quality-assured and certified PM-10 data for the 1999-2001... consecutive years of complete, quality-assured and certified PM-10 data for the 2007-2009 period, the most...

77 FR 4940 - Determination of Failure To Attain by 2005 and Determination of Current Attainment of the 1-Hour...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-01

... missing data, the procedures in appendix H to 40 CFR part 50 are used to adjust the actual number of..., quality-assured and certified ambient air quality monitoring data for 2003 through 2005. In addition, EPA... and certified ambient air monitoring data showing the area has monitored attainment of the 1-hour...

Strategic Factors on Interpreting Remanufacturing Quality-Certifying Framework to Address Warranty Aftermarket for Malaysian Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, N.; Saman, M. Z. M.; Sharif, S.; Hamzah, H. S.

2018-03-01

While the concept of remanufacturing is gaining popularity globally, literature and theory on strategic decision-making on certifying for warranty in this area remain limited. A strategic and establish concept flow is developed based on extensive literature review and surveys with experienced experts who are dealing with remanufactured, reconditioned, rebuilt and reused components. The remanufacturing research on evaluating quality assurance of remanufactured component targets macro-level parameters and the indicators which must be confirmed for evaluation. The strategic remanufacturing factors identified from the literature review are discussed in a brainstorming session with a number of remanufacturing researchers and academic experts. The study is further broadened by industrial surveys and case studies to justify the inputs on developing a framework to certify remanufactured components. Preliminary results have established the key factors of remanufacturing quality control that might lead to the strict quality assurance of remanufactured components. Later, the developed framework can be used as a benchmarking tool to certify remanufactured components and warranty issuance. The findings serve as the foundation for further research concerning Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or Original Equipment Remanufacturer (OER) and Independent Equipment Remanufacturer (IER) in the Malaysian Remanufacturing Industry.

7 CFR 1218.53 - Exemption procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... exemption is claimed. (c) A producer who operates under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR part 205) system plan; produces only products that are eligible to be labeled as 100 percent organic... organic farm or organic handling operation certificate provided by a USDA-accredited certifying agent as...

7 CFR 1220.302 - Exemption.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR part 205) system plan; produces only products that are eligible to be labeled as 100 percent organic under the NOP, except as provided for in... organic farm or organic handling operation certificate provided by a USDA-accredited certifying agent as...

16 CFR § 1209.31 - Purpose and applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Section § 1209.31 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT... manufacturers, importers, and private labelers must follow to certify that their products comply with the... permanent or temporary household or residence, a school, in recreation or otherwise. The standard applies to...

16 CFR 460.21 - Government claims.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Government claims. 460.21 Section 460.21 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION TRADE REGULATION RULES LABELING AND ADVERTISING OF HOME INSULATION § 460.21 Government claims. Do not say or imply that a government agency uses, certifies...

16 CFR 460.21 - Government claims.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Government claims. 460.21 Section 460.21 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION TRADE REGULATION RULES LABELING AND ADVERTISING OF HOME INSULATION § 460.21 Government claims. Do not say or imply that a government agency uses, certifies...

16 CFR 460.21 - Government claims.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Government claims. 460.21 Section 460.21 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION TRADE REGULATION RULES LABELING AND ADVERTISING OF HOME INSULATION § 460.21 Government claims. Do not say or imply that a government agency uses, certifies...

16 CFR 460.21 - Government claims.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Government claims. 460.21 Section 460.21 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION TRADE REGULATION RULES LABELING AND ADVERTISING OF HOME INSULATION § 460.21 Government claims. Do not say or imply that a government agency uses, certifies...

16 CFR 460.21 - Government claims.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Government claims. 460.21 Section 460.21 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION TRADE REGULATION RULES LABELING AND ADVERTISING OF HOME INSULATION § 460.21 Government claims. Do not say or imply that a government agency uses, certifies...

7 CFR 1220.302 - Exemption.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR part 205) system plan; produces only products that are eligible to be labeled as 100 percent organic under the NOP, except as provided for in... organic farm or organic handling operation certificate provided by a USDA-accredited certifying agent as...

7 CFR 1220.302 - Exemption.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR part 205) system plan; produces only products that are eligible to be labeled as 100 percent organic under the NOP, except as provided for in... organic farm or organic handling operation certificate provided by a USDA-accredited certifying agent as...

7 CFR 1220.302 - Exemption.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR part 205) system plan; produces only products that are eligible to be labeled as 100 percent organic under the NOP, except as provided for in... organic farm or organic handling operation certificate provided by a USDA-accredited certifying agent as...

40 CFR 60.4241 - What are my compliance requirements if I am a manufacturer of stationary SI internal combustion...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... meets the definition of pipeline-quality natural gas. The fuel used for certifying stationary SI natural... a gas chromatograph as allowed under 40 CFR 1065.267 and may measure ethane, as well as methane, for... stationary SI engines as certified or non-certified engines. (d) Manufacturers of natural gas fired...

40 CFR 60.4241 - What are my compliance requirements if I am a manufacturer of stationary SI internal combustion...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... meets the definition of pipeline-quality natural gas. The fuel used for certifying stationary SI natural... a gas chromatograph as allowed under 40 CFR 1065.267 and may measure ethane, as well as methane, for... stationary SI engines as certified or non-certified engines. (d) Manufacturers of natural gas fired...

40 CFR 86.095-35 - Labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... certified to meet U.S. EPA standards for a useful-life period of XXX miles or XXX hours of operation... engine has a primary intended service application as a XXX heavy-duty engine.” (The primary intended... appropriate model year U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations which apply to XXX-fueled heavy-duty...

7 CFR 1160.215 - Assessment exemption.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... described in § 1160.211(a) who operates under an approved National Organic Program (NOP) (7 CFR part 205) system plan; processes only products that are eligible to be labeled as 100 percent organic under the NOP... the organic farm or organic handling operation certificate provided by a USDA-accredited certifying...

Teacher Counternarratives: Transgressing and "Restorying" Disability in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broderick, Alicia A.; Hawkins, Greta; Henze, Stefanie; Mirasol-Spath, Corinthia; Pollack-Berkovits, Rachel; Clune, Holly Prozzo; Skovera, Elizabeth; Steel, Christina

2012-01-01

This inquiry aims to explore the disconnect between the disability studies in education (DSE) perspectives on inclusive schooling held by a group of dually certified inclusive educators and the everyday, lived experiences of these same teachers who find themselves teaching students with labelled disabilities within the confines of the special…

78 FR 34867 - Designation of Product Categories for Federal Procurement

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-11

... products for which USDA has biobased content test data. Because the submission of product samples for... certification to use the USDA Certified Biobased Product label. These test results are also considered when.... Outreach. To augment its own research, USDA consults with industry and Federal stakeholders to the...

75 FR 17079 - Agency Information Collection: Energy Conservation Program: Compliance and Certification...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-05

... Transformers AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice and... Transformers, OMB Control Number 1910-5130. The information collection is used by manufacturers or private labelers to report on and certify compliance with energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers...

Fuel Economy Label and CAFE Data

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Engine and Vehicle Compliance Certification and Fuel Economy Inventory contains measured emissions and fuel economy compliance information for light duty vehicles. Data is collected by EPA to certify compliance with the applicable fuel economy provisions of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) and The Energy Independent Security Act of 2007

40 CFR 86.095-35 - Labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... lettered in the English language in block letters and numerals, which shall be of a color that contrasts... following information lettered in the English language in block letters and numerals which shall be of a... chapter. (O) For diesel engines which have been certified to comply with the urban bus particulate...

78 FR 19393 - Designation of Product Categories for Federal Procurement

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-01

... products for which USDA has biobased content test data. Because the submission of product samples for... certification to use the USDA Certified Biobased Product label. These test results are also considered when.... Outreach. To augment its own research, USDA consults with industry and Federal stakeholders to the...

An investigation of safety climate in OHSAS 18001-certified and non-certified organizations.

PubMed

Ghahramani, Abolfazl

2016-09-01

Many organizations worldwide have implemented Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 in their premises because of the assumed positive effects of this standard on safety. Few studies have analyzed the effect of the safety climate in OHSAS 18001-certified organizations. This case-control study used a new safety climate questionnaire to evaluate three OHSAS 18001-certified and three non-certified manufacturing companies in Iran. Hierarchical regression indicated that the safety climate was influenced by OHSAS implementation and by safety training. Employees who received safety training had better perceptions of the safety climate and its dimensions than other respondents within the certified companies. This study found that the implementation of OHSAS 18001 does not guarantee improvement of the safety climate. This study also emphasizes the need for high-quality safety training for employees of the certified companies to improve the safety climate.

Teacher quality: a comparison of National Board-certified and non-Board-certified teachers of deaf students.

PubMed

Scheetz, Nanci A; Martin, David S

2006-01-01

THE STUDY was designed to identify specific components of teacher excellence, focusing initially on the characteristics of the small number of teachers of the deaf who are certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), then comparing those with the characteristics of other teachers identified as master teachers by university faculty in teacher preparation in deafness. Classroom observation, written lesson plans, teacher questionnaires on beliefs, and content analysis of interactive electronic focus groups were used to compare the two groups of teachers. Results indicated similarities between Board-certified and non-Board-certified master teachers in regard to teacher behaviors and commitment to well-founded pedagogical principles. Differences were found in classroom priorities and in the greater level of interconnectivity expressed by Board-certified teachers as the result of becoming Board certified. Recommendations are made for preparing teachers of deaf students.

76 FR 31900 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designations of Areas for Air Quality...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-02

... considers data substitution of 58.1 [mu]g/m\\3\\ for all missing data in 1st quarter of 2008. \\4\\ Macon SE... on March 22, 2011, and were based on quality-assured and certified monitoring data for the 2007--2009... and certified monitoring data for 2007-2009, and in accordance with section 179(c)(1) of the CAA and...

40 CFR 86.095-35 - Labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... certified to meet U.S. EPA standards for a useful-life period of XXX miles or XXX hours of operation... engine has a primary intended service application as a XXX heavy-duty engine.” (The primary intended... regulations which apply to XXX-fueled heavy-duty vehicles. (F) Vehicles granted final admission under § 85...

40 CFR 1048.135 - How must I label and identify the engines I produce?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... requiring replacement. (3) Durable and readable for the engine's entire life. (4) Written in English. (c... displacement and total displacement. (5) State the date of manufacture [DAY (optional), MONTH, and YEAR... which you have certified the engine (in g/kW-hr). (12) Include one of the following compliance...

78 FR 59624 - Guidance for Industry #223: Small Entity Compliance Guide-Declaring Color Additives in Animal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-27

... industry 223 entitled ``Small Entity Compliance Guide--Declaring Color Additives in Animal Foods.'' This... of certified color additives on the labels of animal food including animal feeds and pet foods. DATES... SECG entitled ``Small Entity Compliance Guide--Declaring Color Additives in Animal Foods.'' This SECG...

Certification standards transfer: from committee to laboratory.

PubMed

Lehmann, H P

1998-12-01

The ISO 9000 Standards series were developed to provide the international manufacturing industry with a framework to ensure purchased products meet quality criteria. Section 4 of ISO 9001, Quality System Model for Quality Assurance in Design, Development, Production, Installation and Servicing, contains 20 aspects of a quality system that must be addressed by an organization in order to receive ISO 9001 certification. This concept is extended to the clinical laboratory, where a quality system program establishes for the customer (patient/clinician) that the purchased product (requested information on a submitted specimen-test result) meets established quality norms. In order to satisfy the customer, the providing organization must have policies and procedures in place that ensure a quality product, and be certified. To become certified the organization must, through an inspection process, demonstrate to an independent accrediting agency that it meets defined standards. In the United States, the government through the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) 1988 established quality standards for the clinical laboratory. The College of American Pathologists (CAP), through its Laboratory Accreditation Program (LAP), serves as an independent agency that certifies that laboratories meet standards. To demonstrate the applicability of an established clinical laboratory accreditation program to ISO 9001 certification, the standards and checklists of CLIA 1988 and the CAP LAP will be examined to determine their conformance to ISO 9001, Section 4.

A comparison of quality measures between for-profit and nonprofit medicare-certified home health agencies in Michigan.

PubMed

Haldiman, Kathryn L; Tzeng, Huey-Ming

2010-04-01

This exploratory study investigated the differences in the means of quality measures between for-profit and nonprofit Medicare-certified home health agencies in Michigan. The research question was: Do nonprofit agencies provide higher quality of care than for-profit agencies? Twelve publicly available quality measures were retrieved in May 2009 and used for analysis. Independent t tests found significant differences between for-profit and nonprofit agencies on 6 of the 12 measures, with for-profit agencies performing better on 5 measures. The relative value of both types of ownership should be recognized. Future research may focus on using standardized quality measures to explore further the impact of profit orientation on home health quality of care.

Antibody performance in ChIP-sequencing assays: From quality scores of public data sets to quantitative certification.

PubMed

Mendoza-Parra, Marco-Antonio; Saravaki, Vincent; Cholley, Pierre-Etienne; Blum, Matthias; Billoré, Benjamin; Gronemeyer, Hinrich

2016-01-01

We have established a certification system for antibodies to be used in chromatin immunoprecipitation assays coupled to massive parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq). This certification comprises a standardized ChIP procedure and the attribution of a numerical quality control indicator (QCi) to biological replicate experiments. The QCi computation is based on a universally applicable quality assessment that quantitates the global deviation of randomly sampled subsets of ChIP-seq dataset with the original genome-aligned sequence reads. Comparison with a QCi database for >28,000 ChIP-seq assays were used to attribute quality grades (ranging from 'AAA' to 'DDD') to a given dataset. In the present report we used the numerical QC system to assess the factors influencing the quality of ChIP-seq assays, including the nature of the target, the sequencing depth and the commercial source of the antibody.  We have used this approach specifically to certify mono and polyclonal antibodies obtained from Active Motif directed against the histone modification marks H3K4me3, H3K27ac and H3K9ac for ChIP-seq. The antibodies received the grades AAA to BBC ( www.ngs-qc.org). We propose to attribute such quantitative grading of all antibodies attributed with the label "ChIP-seq grade".

A Strategy for Improving the Quality of Entry-Level Management Accountants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kreuze, Jerry G.; Newell, Gale E.

1996-01-01

Reasons for a lack of management accounting topics in business education include the following: (1) already full curriculum; (2) shortage of qualified teachers (Certified Public Accounting faculty outnumber Certified Management Accounting faculty 7:1); and (3) students prefer public accounting. (SK)

78 FR 38983 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-28

... specialties: clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, certified nurse anesthetist, certified nurse... a decision aid for dialysis facility selection; (2) aid facilities with their internal quality... a new OMB control number); Title of Information Collection: Evaluation of the Graduate Nurse...

75 FR 65354 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-22

... of information technology to minimize the information collection burden. 1. Type of Information... information technology (HIT) and certified electronic health records (EHRs) will improve the quality and value... for Health Information Technology (ONC). The functionality of certified EHR technology should...

40 CFR 86.095-35 - Labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...: “This engine has been certified to meet U.S. EPA standards for a useful-life period of XXX miles or XXX... statement: “This engine has a primary intended service application as a XXX heavy-duty engine.” (The primary... regulations which apply to XXX-fueled heavy-duty vehicles. (F) Vehicles granted final admission under § 85...

Relationship of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Certified Nurses and Healthcare-Acquired Conditions in Acute Care Hospitals.

PubMed

Boyle, Diane K; Bergquist-Beringer, Sandra; Cramer, Emily

The purpose of this study was to describe the (a) number and types of employed WOC certified nurses in acute care hospitals, (b) rates of hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), and (c) effectiveness of WOC certified nurses with respect to lowering HAPI and CAUTI occurrences. Retrospective analysis of data from National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. The sample comprised 928 National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) hospitals that participated in the 2012 NDNQI RN Survey (source of specialty certification data) and collected HAPI, CAUTI, and nurse staffing data during the years 2012 to 2013. We analyzed years 2012 to 2013 data from the NDNQI. Descriptive statistics summarized the number and types of employed WOC certified nurses, the rate of HAPI and CAUTI, and HAPI risk assessment and prevention intervention rates. Chi-square analyses were used to compare the characteristics of hospitals that do and do not employ WOC certified nurses. Analysis-of-covariance models were used to test the association between WOC certified nurses and HAPI and CAUTI occurrences. Just more than one-third of the study hospitals (36.6%) employed WOC certified nurses. Certified continence care nurses (CCCNs) were employed in fewest number. Hospitals employing wound care specialty certified nurses (CWOCN, CWCN, and CWON) had lower HAPI rates and better pressure injury risk assessment and prevention practices. Stage 3 and 4 HAPI occurrences among hospitals employing CWOCNs, CWCNs, and CWONs (0.27%) were nearly half the rate of hospitals not employing these nurses (0.51%). There were no significant relationships between nurses with specialty certification in continence care (CWOCN, CCCN) or ostomy care (CWOCN, COCN) and CAUTI rates. CWOCNs, CWCNs, and CWONs are an important factor in achieving better HAPI outcomes in acute care settings. The role of CWOCNs, CCCNs, and COCNs in CAUTI prevention warrants further investigation.

Relationship of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Certified Nurses and Healthcare-Acquired Conditions in Acute Care Hospitals

PubMed Central

Bergquist-Beringer, Sandra; Cramer, Emily

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the (a) number and types of employed WOC certified nurses in acute care hospitals, (b) rates of hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), and (c) effectiveness of WOC certified nurses with respect to lowering HAPI and CAUTI occurrences. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of data from National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. SUBJECTS AND SETTINGS: The sample comprised 928 National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) hospitals that participated in the 2012 NDNQI RN Survey (source of specialty certification data) and collected HAPI, CAUTI, and nurse staffing data during the years 2012 to 2013. METHODS: We analyzed years 2012 to 2013 data from the NDNQI. Descriptive statistics summarized the number and types of employed WOC certified nurses, the rate of HAPI and CAUTI, and HAPI risk assessment and prevention intervention rates. Chi-square analyses were used to compare the characteristics of hospitals that do and do not employ WOC certified nurses. Analysis-of-covariance models were used to test the association between WOC certified nurses and HAPI and CAUTI occurrences. RESULTS: Just more than one-third of the study hospitals (36.6%) employed WOC certified nurses. Certified continence care nurses (CCCNs) were employed in fewest number. Hospitals employing wound care specialty certified nurses (CWOCN, CWCN, and CWON) had lower HAPI rates and better pressure injury risk assessment and prevention practices. Stage 3 and 4 HAPI occurrences among hospitals employing CWOCNs, CWCNs, and CWONs (0.27%) were nearly half the rate of hospitals not employing these nurses (0.51%). There were no significant relationships between nurses with specialty certification in continence care (CWOCN, CCCN) or ostomy care (CWOCN, COCN) and CAUTI rates. CONCLUSIONS: CWOCNs, CWCNs, and CWONs are an important factor in achieving better HAPI outcomes in acute care settings. The role of CWOCNs, CCCNs, and COCNs in CAUTI prevention warrants further investigation. PMID:28328645

Motivation-Oriented Teaching Model for Certification Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Tien-Chi

2013-01-01

To evoke public emphasis on the professional skills training in vocational education, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan has recently focused on the certificate of information skills. However, the lack of a systematic and institutionally certified instructor training model within Taiwan not only varies the quality of certified instructors,…

Choosing Excellence: National Board Certification. Q & A Guide for Teachers and Other Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 2009

2009-01-01

National Board Certification is administered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, to advance the quality of teaching and learning by developing professional standards for accomplished teaching, creating a voluntary system to certify teachers who meet those standards and integrating certified teachers into educational reform…

Pilot Implementation of a Field Study Design to Evaluate the Impact of Source Control Measures on Indoor Air Quality in High Performance Homes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Widder, Sarah H.; Chamness, Michele A.; Petersen, Joseph M.

2014-10-01

To improve the indoor air quality in new, high performance homes, a variety of standards and rating programs have been introduced to identify building materials that are designed to have lower emission rates of key contaminants of concern and a number of building materials are being introduced that are certified to these standards. For example, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home program requires certification under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Indoor airPLUS (IaP) label, which requires the use of PS1 or PS2 certified plywood and OSB; low-formaldehyde emitting wood products; low- or no-VOC paints andmore » coatings as certified by Green Seal Standard GS-11, GreenGuard, SCS Indoor Advantage Gold Standard, MPI Green Performance Standard, or another third party rating program; and Green Label-certified carpet and carpet cushions. However, little is known regarding the efficacy of the IAP requirements in measurably reducing contaminant exposures in homes. The goal of this project is to develop a robust experimental approach and collect preliminary data to support the evaluation of indoor air quality (IAQ) measures linked to IAP-approved low-emitting materials and finishes in new residential homes. To this end, the research team of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) developed a detailed experimental plan to measure IAQ constituents and other parameters, over time, in new homes constructed with materials compliant with IAP’s low-emitting material and ventilation requirements (i.e., section 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, and 7.2) and similar homes constructed to the state building code with conventional materials. The IAQ in IAP and conventional homes of similar age, location, and construction style is quantified as the differences in the speciated VOC and aldehyde concentrations, normalized to dilution rates. The experimental plan consists of methods to evaluate the difference between low-emitting and “conventional” materials as installed in newly constructed residential homes using both (1) highly controlled, short-term active samples to precisely characterize the building-related chemical emissions and building contents and (2) a week-long passive sample designed to capture the impact of occupant behavior and related activities on measured IAQ contaminant levels indoors. The combination of detailed short-term measurements with the home under controlled/consistent conditions during pre- and post-occupancy and the week-long passive sampling data provide the opportunity to begin to separate the different emission sources and help isolate and quantify variability in the monitored homes. Between April and August 2014, the research team performed pre-occupancy and post-occupancy sampling in one conventional home and two homes built with low-emitting materials that were generally consistent with EPA’s Indoor airPLUS guidelines. However, for a number of reasons, the full experimental plan was not implemented. The project was intended to continue for up to three years to asses long-term changes in IAQ but the project was limited to one calendar year. As a result, several of the primary research questions related to seasonal impacts and the long-term trends in IAQ could not be addressed. In addition, there were several unexpected issues related to recruiting, availability of home types, and difficulty coordinating with builders/realtors/homeowners. Several field monitoring issues also came up that provide “lessons learned” that led to improvements to the original monitoring plan. The project produced a good experimental plan that is expected to be be useful for future efforts collecting data to support answering these same or similar research questions.« less

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG): A bibiliometric analysis.

PubMed

Dias, Claudia; Mendes, Luís

2018-01-01

Despite the importance of the literature on food quality labels in the European Union (PDO, PGI and TSG), our search did not find any review joining the various research topics on this subject. This study aims therefore to consolidate the state of academic research in this field, and so the methodological option was to elaborate a bibliometric analysis resorting to the term co-occurrence technique. Analysis was made of 501 articles on the ISI Web of Science database, covering publications up to 2016. The results of the bibliometric analysis allowed identification of four clusters: "Protected Geographical Indication", "Certification of Olive Oil and Cultivars", "Certification of Cheese and Milk" and "Certification and Chemical Composition". Unlike the other clusters, where the PDO label predominates, the "Protected Geographical Indication" cluster covers the study of PGI products, highlighting analysis of consumer behaviour in relation to this type of product. The focus of studies in the "Certification of Olive Oil and Cultivars" cluster and the "Certification of Cheese and Milk" cluster is the development of authentication methods for certified traditional products. In the "Certification and Chemical Composition" cluster, standing out is analysis of the profiles of fatty acids present in this type of product. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

7 CFR 634.23 - Water quality plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... quality improvement. These measures are not eligible for cost sharing under this program. The installation... Conservation Service will certify as to the technical adequacy of the water-quality plan. (g) The soil...

40 CFR 1068.105 - What other provisions apply to me specifically if I manufacture equipment needing certified engines?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... inventory practice is to keep on hand a one-month supply of engines based on your upcoming production...) Send a request for duplicate labels in writing on your company's letterhead to the engine manufacturer. Include the following information in your request: (i) Identify the type of equipment and the specific...

Pesticide Safety for Non-Certified Mixers, Loaders and Applicators = Uso Seguro de Pesticidas para Mezcladores, Cargadores y Aplicadores no Certificados.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poli, Bonnie; Fluker, Sam S.

Written in English and Spanish and completely illustrated, this manual provides basic safety information for pesticide workers. Mixers, loaders, and applicators work with pesticides at their greatest strength and have the highest risk of poisoning. Understanding the pesticide label is the first step to pesticide safety. The words…

7 CFR 205.308 - Agricultural products in other than packaged form at the point of retail sale that are sold...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... sold, labeled, or represented as “100 percent organic” or “organic.” (a) Agricultural products in other... which certified operations producing raw organic product or organic ingredients used in the finished... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Agricultural products in other than packaged form at...

7 CFR 205.309 - Agricultural products in other than packaged form at the point of retail sale that are sold...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... such display of the product's ingredient statement, the organic ingredients are identified as “organic.” (b) If prepared in a certified facility, such agricultural products labeled as “made with organic... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Agricultural products in other than packaged form at...

[Principles in the organization of voluntary certifying system for studies and services in pathologic anatomy].

PubMed

Pal'tsev, M A; Kakturskiĭ, L V

2006-01-01

The aim of voluntary certification is to improve the quality of pathology service and to implement it under the Russian Federation's laws and existing standards. The noncommercial organization "Voluntary Certifying System for Postmortem Studies" has been set up, which includes expert groups comprising highly skilled specialists.

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

2005-01-01

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

9 CFR 355.26 - Samples of certified products, ingredients, etc., to be taken for examination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Samples of certified products, ingredients, etc., to be taken for examination. 355.26 Section 355.26 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY..., CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND IDENTIFICATION AS TO CLASS, QUALITY, QUANTITY...

9 CFR 355.26 - Samples of certified products, ingredients, etc., to be taken for examination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Samples of certified products, ingredients, etc., to be taken for examination. 355.26 Section 355.26 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY..., CATS, AND OTHER CARNIVORA; INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND IDENTIFICATION AS TO CLASS, QUALITY, QUANTITY...

40 CFR 130.6 - Water quality management plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Water quality management plans. 130.6... QUALITY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT § 130.6 Water quality management plans. (a) Water quality management (WQM... and certified and approved updates to those plans. Continuing water quality planning shall be based...

Differences in Acute Ischemic Stroke Quality of Care and Outcomes by Primary Stroke Center Certification Organization.

PubMed

Man, Shumei; Cox, Margueritte; Patel, Puja; Smith, Eric E; Reeves, Mathew J; Saver, Jeffrey L; Bhatt, Deepak L; Xian, Ying; Schwamm, Lee H; Fonarow, Gregg C

2017-02-01

Primary stroke center (PSC) certification was established to identify hospitals providing evidence-based care for stroke patients. The numbers of PSCs certified by Joint Commission (JC), Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, Det Norske Veritas, and State-based agencies have significantly increased in the past decade. This study aimed to evaluate whether PSCs certified by different organizations have similar quality of care and in-hospital outcomes. The study population consisted of acute ischemic stroke patients who were admitted to PSCs participating in Get With The Guidelines-Stroke between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2012. Measures of care quality and outcomes were compared among the 4 different PSC certifications. A total of 477 297 acute ischemic stroke admissions were identified from 977 certified PSCs (73.8% JC, 3.7% Det Norske Veritas, 1.2% Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, and 21.3% State-based). Composite care quality was generally similar among the 4 groups of hospitals, although State-based PSCs underperformed JC PSCs in a few key measures, including intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator use. The rates of tissue-type plasminogen activator use were higher in JC and Det Norske Veritas (9.0% and 9.8%) and lower in State and Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program certified hospitals (7.1% and 5.9%) (P<0.0001). Door-to-needle times were significantly longer in Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program hospitals. State PSCs had higher in-hospital risk-adjusted mortality (odds ratio 1.23, 95% confidence intervals 1.07-1.41) compared with JC PSCs. Among Get With The Guidelines-Stroke hospitals with PSC certification, acute ischemic stroke quality of care and outcomes may differ according to which organization provided certification. These findings may have important implications for further improving systems of care. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Relevance of Health Economics in Breast Cancer Treatment – the View of Certified Breast Centres and Their Patients

PubMed Central

Lux, Michael; Hildebrandt, Thomas; Beyer-Finkler, Elke; Bani, Mayada; Loehberg, Christian; Jud, Sebastian; Rauh, Claudia; Schrauder, Michael; Fasching, Peter; Beckmann, Matthias

2013-01-01

Summary Breast cancer centres – certified in accordance with the criteria of the German Cancer Association and the German Mastology Association – are established throughout Germany. Although the setting up of centres and the subsequent need for certification are associated with a marked increase in costs, initial data show positive effects on quality. Certified centres are cost-effective from the point of view of health economics – they lead to improved quality in processes and results without creating any increase in costs for the funding bodies. However, the organization of the necessary structures, with interdisciplinary treatment, documentation and quality-assurance measures, requires considerable resources. Increasing consolidation of inpatient services is also involved, while shortening of the patients’ hospitalization periods is leading to reduced remuneration from the funding bodies. The current cost deficits, which have resulted from the increased resources required, need to be recouped through additional charges. It will only be possible to maintain the high quality achieved if additional charges become available to cover the centres’ added costs. Good data are increasingly becoming available as a basis for negotiations on charges – e.g., with regard to the quality of results and the National Cancer Plan – as well as clear support from patients. PMID:24715838

Evaluation of the Quality of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Based on Key Performance Indicators in Certified Organizations.

PubMed

Mohammadfam, Iraj; Kamalinia, Mojtaba; Momeni, Mansour; Golmohammadi, Rostam; Hamidi, Yadollah; Soltanian, Alireza

2017-06-01

Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems are becoming more widespread in organizations. Consequently, their effectiveness has become a core topic for researchers. This paper evaluates the performance of the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001 specification in certified companies in Iran. The evaluation is based on a comparison of specific criteria and indictors related to occupational health and safety management practices in three certified and three noncertified companies. Findings indicate that the performance of certified companies with respect to occupational health and safety management practices is significantly better than that of noncertified companies. Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001-certified companies have a better level of occupational health and safety; this supports the argument that Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems play an important strategic role in health and safety in the workplace.

Response and Responsibility: Fabrication of the Eco-Certified Citizen in Swedish Curricula 1962-2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hillbur, P.; Ideland, M.; Malmberg, C.

2016-01-01

This article addresses the fabrication of the eco-certified citizen, an ideal--rather than real--citizen constructed through requirements of both needed knowledge and a kind of personhood, with specific qualities. The societal demands of knowledge-response to environmental problems are studied, as well as the student's (future citizen's)…

Financing of certified centers: a willingness-to-pay analysis.

PubMed

Thiel, Falk C; Scharl, Anton; Hildebrandt, Thomas; Kotziabassis, Efstratios; Schrauder, Michael G; Bani, Mayada R; Müller, Andreas; Hauzenberger, Tanja; Loehberg, Christian R; Jud, Sebastian M; Fasching, Peter A; Hartmann, Arndt; Schulz-Wendtland, Rüdiger; Strnad, Vratislav; Beckmann, Matthias W; Lux, Michael Patrick

2013-03-01

Although care in certified breast centers is now established throughout Germany, numerous services are still not being reimbursed. This also affects other centers involved in the specialty of gynecology such as gynecological cancer centers, perinatal centers, and endometriosis centers. Although a certified center is entitled to charge additional fees, these are in most cases not reimbursed. Calculation of additional costs is limited by the fact that data from the Institute for the Hospital Reimbursement System (Institut für das Entgeltsystem im Krankenhaus, InEK) do not reflect interdisciplinary services and procedures. For decision-makers, society's willingness to pay is an important factor in guiding decisions on the basis of social priorities. A hypothetical maximum willingness to pay can be calculated using a willingness-to-pay analysis, making it possible to identify deficiencies in the arbitrary setting of health budgets at the macro-level. In a multicenter study conducted between November 2009 and December 2010, 2,469 patients at a university hospital and at a non-university hospital were asked about the extent of their awareness of certified centers, the influence of centers on hospital presentation, and about personal attitudes toward quality-oriented reimbursement. A subjective assessment of possible additional charges was calculated using a willingness-to-pay analysis. In the overall group, 53.4 % of the patients were aware of what a certified center is and 27.4 % had specific information (obstetrics 40.0/32.3 %; mastology 66.8/23.2 %; gynecological oncology 54.7/27.3 %; P < 0.001). For 43.8 %, a certified center was one reason or the major reason for presentation (obstetrics 26.2 %; mastology 66.8 %; gynecological oncology 46.6 %; P < 0.001). A total of 72.6 % were in favor of quality-oriented reimbursement and 69.7 % were in favor of an additional charge for a certified center amounting to €538.56 (mastology €643.65, obstetrics €474.67, gynecological oncology €532.47). In all, 33.9 % would accept an increase in health-insurance fees (averaging 0.3865 %), and 28.3 % were in favor of reduced remuneration for non-certified centers. The existence of certified centers is being increasingly recognized by patients. Additional charges for certified centers are generally supported. There is therefore a clear demand for them-from patients as well. This may be useful when negotiations are being conducted.

Quality Assurance of Chemical Measurements.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, John K.

1981-01-01

Reviews aspects of quality control (methods to control errors) and quality assessment (verification that systems are operating within acceptable limits) including an analytical measurement system, quality control by inspection, control charts, systematic errors, and use of SRMs, materials for which properties are certified by the National Bureau…

Certified reference materials for radionuclides in Bikini Atoll sediment (IAEA-410) and Pacific Ocean sediment (IAEA-412).

PubMed

Pham, M K; van Beek, P; Carvalho, F P; Chamizo, E; Degering, D; Engeler, C; Gascó, C; Gurriaran, R; Hanley, O; Harms, A V; Herrmann, J; Hult, M; Ikeuchi, Y; Ilchmann, C; Kanisch, G; Kis-Benedek, G; Kloster, M; Laubenstein, M; Llaurado, M; Mas, J L; Nakano, M; Nielsen, S P; Osvath, I; Povinec, P P; Rieth, U; Schikowski, J; Smedley, P A; Suplinska, M; Sýkora, I; Tarjan, S; Varga, B; Vasileva, E; Zalewska, T; Zhou, W

2016-03-01

The preparation and characterization of certified reference materials (CRMs) for radionuclide content in sediments collected offshore of Bikini Atoll (IAEA-410) and in the open northwest Pacific Ocean (IAEA-412) are described and the results of the certification process are presented. The certified radionuclides include: (40)K, (210)Pb ((210)Po), (226)Ra, (228)Ra, (228)Th, (232)Th, (234)U, (238)U, (239)Pu, (239+240)Pu and (241)Am for IAEA-410 and (40)K, (137)Cs, (210)Pb ((210)Po), (226)Ra, (228)Ra, (228)Th, (232)Th, (235)U, (238)U, (239)Pu, (240)Pu and (239+240)Pu for IAEA-412. The CRMs can be used for quality assurance and quality control purposes in the analysis of radionuclides in sediments, for development and validation of analytical methods and for staff training. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advancing The Cancer Genome Atlas glioma MRI collections with expert segmentation labels and radiomic features

PubMed Central

Bakas, Spyridon; Akbari, Hamed; Sotiras, Aristeidis; Bilello, Michel; Rozycki, Martin; Kirby, Justin S.; Freymann, John B.; Farahani, Keyvan; Davatzikos, Christos

2017-01-01

Gliomas belong to a group of central nervous system tumors, and consist of various sub-regions. Gold standard labeling of these sub-regions in radiographic imaging is essential for both clinical and computational studies, including radiomic and radiogenomic analyses. Towards this end, we release segmentation labels and radiomic features for all pre-operative multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (n=243) of the multi-institutional glioma collections of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), publicly available in The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA). Pre-operative scans were identified in both glioblastoma (TCGA-GBM, n=135) and low-grade-glioma (TCGA-LGG, n=108) collections via radiological assessment. The glioma sub-region labels were produced by an automated state-of-the-art method and manually revised by an expert board-certified neuroradiologist. An extensive panel of radiomic features was extracted based on the manually-revised labels. This set of labels and features should enable i) direct utilization of the TCGA/TCIA glioma collections towards repeatable, reproducible and comparative quantitative studies leading to new predictive, prognostic, and diagnostic assessments, as well as ii) performance evaluation of computer-aided segmentation methods, and comparison to our state-of-the-art method. PMID:28872634

[The certification of advanced therapy medicinal products. A quality label for product development in small and medium-sized enterprises].

PubMed

Berger, A; Schüle, S; Flory, E

2011-07-01

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are gene therapy, cell therapy, and tissue engineered products. To gain access to the market within the European Union, ATMPs must be authorized by the European Commission (EC). Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the European centralized procedure of marketing authorization that is conducted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) constitutes a major challenge, because SMEs often have little experience with regulatory procedures and many have limited financial possibilities. To tackle these challenges, a certification procedure exclusively for SMEs and their ATMP development was introduced by the EC. Independently from a marketing authorization application, development and/or production processes can be certified. An issued certificate demonstrates that the respective process meets the current regulatory and scientific requirements of the EMA, representing a valuable milestone for putative investors and licensees. This article highlights the background, the detailed procedure, the minimum requirements, as well as the costs of certification, while giving further noteworthy guidance for interested parties.

Nontechnical Teaching Skills Education for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Clinical Instructors and the Impact on the Clinical Education of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, Gena M.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this Scholarly project was to improve Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist (SRNA) clinical education consistency and quality by enhancing communication between Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) clinical instructors and SRNAs. This was accomplished by educating CRNA clinical instructors on non-technical skills,…

A research review of quality assessment for software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

Measures were recommended to assess the quality of software submitted to the AdaNet program. The quality factors that are important to software reuse are explored and methods of evaluating those factors are discussed. Quality factors important to software reuse are: correctness, reliability, verifiability, understandability, modifiability, and certifiability. Certifiability is included because the documentation of many factors about a software component such as its efficiency, portability, and development history, constitute a class for factors important to some users, not important at all to other, and impossible for AdaNet to distinguish between a priori. The quality factors may be assessed in different ways. There are a few quantitative measures which have been shown to indicate software quality. However, it is believed that there exists many factors that indicate quality and have not been empirically validated due to their subjective nature. These subjective factors are characterized by the way in which they support the software engineering principles of abstraction, information hiding, modularity, localization, confirmability, uniformity, and completeness.

Students Matter: Quality Measurements in Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unal, Zafer; Unal, Aslihan

2016-01-01

Quality Matters (QM) is a peer review process designed to certify the quality of online courses and online components. It has generated widespread interest and received national recognition for its peer-based approach to quality assurance and continuous improvement in online education. While the entire QM online course design process is…

Gluten Contamination in Naturally or Labeled Gluten-Free Products Marketed in Italy.

PubMed

Verma, Anil K; Gatti, Simona; Galeazzi, Tiziana; Monachesi, Chiara; Padella, Lucia; Baldo, Giada Del; Annibali, Roberta; Lionetti, Elena; Catassi, Carlo

2017-02-07

A strict and lifelong gluten-free diet is the only treatment of celiac disease. Gluten contamination has been frequently reported in nominally gluten-free products. The aim of this study was to test the level of gluten contamination in gluten-free products currently available in the Italian market. A total of 200 commercially available gluten-free products (including both naturally and certified gluten-free products) were randomly collected from different Italian supermarkets. The gluten content was determined by the R5 ELISA Kit approved by EU regulations. Gluten level was lower than 10 part per million (ppm) in 173 products (86.5%), between 10 and 20 ppm in 9 (4.5%), and higher than 20 ppm in 18 (9%), respectively. In contaminated foodstuff (gluten > 20 ppm) the amount of gluten was almost exclusively in the range of a very low gluten content. Contaminated products most commonly belonged to oats-, buckwheat-, and lentils-based items. Certified and higher cost gluten-free products were less commonly contaminated by gluten. Gluten contamination in either naturally or labeled gluten-free products marketed in Italy is nowadays uncommon and usually mild on a quantitative basis. A program of systematic sampling of gluten-free food is needed to promptly disclose at-risk products.

Gluten Contamination in Naturally or Labeled Gluten-Free Products Marketed in Italy

PubMed Central

Verma, Anil K.; Gatti, Simona; Galeazzi, Tiziana; Monachesi, Chiara; Padella, Lucia; Baldo, Giada Del; Annibali, Roberta; Lionetti, Elena; Catassi, Carlo

2017-01-01

Background: A strict and lifelong gluten-free diet is the only treatment of celiac disease. Gluten contamination has been frequently reported in nominally gluten-free products. The aim of this study was to test the level of gluten contamination in gluten-free products currently available in the Italian market. Method: A total of 200 commercially available gluten-free products (including both naturally and certified gluten-free products) were randomly collected from different Italian supermarkets. The gluten content was determined by the R5 ELISA Kit approved by EU regulations. Results: Gluten level was lower than 10 part per million (ppm) in 173 products (86.5%), between 10 and 20 ppm in 9 (4.5%), and higher than 20 ppm in 18 (9%), respectively. In contaminated foodstuff (gluten > 20 ppm) the amount of gluten was almost exclusively in the range of a very low gluten content. Contaminated products most commonly belonged to oats-, buckwheat-, and lentils-based items. Certified and higher cost gluten-free products were less commonly contaminated by gluten. Conclusion: Gluten contamination in either naturally or labeled gluten-free products marketed in Italy is nowadays uncommon and usually mild on a quantitative basis. A program of systematic sampling of gluten-free food is needed to promptly disclose at-risk products. PMID:28178205

40 CFR 121.21 - When Administrator certifies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... activity requiring a license or permit will not violate applicable water quality standards will be required... respect to those water quality standards promulgated by him; or (b) Water quality standards have been... Section 121.21 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS STATE...

40 CFR 121.21 - When Administrator certifies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... activity requiring a license or permit will not violate applicable water quality standards will be required... respect to those water quality standards promulgated by him; or (b) Water quality standards have been... Section 121.21 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS STATE...

7 CFR 634.13 - Project applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... State or areawide 208 water quality management plan. (c) Applications shall contain the following... water-quality management agency designated by the Governor to carry out the approved agricultural portion of the 208 water quality management plan for the area or source certifying that the BMPs to be...

7 CFR 634.13 - Project applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... State or areawide 208 water quality management plan. (c) Applications shall contain the following... water-quality management agency designated by the Governor to carry out the approved agricultural portion of the 208 water quality management plan for the area or source certifying that the BMPs to be...

Probiotic use in at-risk populations.

PubMed

Sanders, Mary Ellen; Merenstein, Daniel J; Ouwehand, Arthur C; Reid, Gregor; Salminen, Seppo; Cabana, Michael D; Paraskevakos, George; Leyer, Gregory

To inform health care providers about quality standards for manufacture of probiotic products being recommended for at-risk patient populations. Probiotics are used in a variety of clinical settings, sometimes in at-risk populations for therapeutic endpoints. Although probiotics might not be approved as drugs, they are sometimes used for the prevention or treatment of disease. In the United States, and many regions of the world, probiotic products are marketed as dietary supplements (not drugs) and are therefore subject to different manufacturing and quality control standards than approved drugs are. Health care providers need to be assured that probiotic products used in at-risk populations are safe for this use. Pharmacists should require certificates of analysis, which document quality standards, from manufacturers of products stocked in hospital formularies or other pharmacies dispensing to at-risk people. Although responsible manufacturers use stringent quality standards on their processes and finished products, using a third party to verify compliance with manufacturing and accuracy of product labeling adds assurance to end users that the product is of high quality. It is in patients' best interest to use probiotics in the prevention and treatment of conditions when the evidence is convincing. To protect high-risk patients, probiotic products should meet stringent microbiological standards. Product testing results should be available for review before recommending probiotic products to at-risk individuals. For products used in at-risk populations, manufacturers should provide this information or participate in a third-party verification program that certifies compliance. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Agents of Nursing Home Quality of Care: Ombudsmen and Staff Ratios Revisited.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cherry, Ralph L.

1991-01-01

Compared effects of ombudsman programs on quality of nursing home care on random sample of 134 Medicare/Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities in Missouri. Found that presence of ombudsman program was most important factor associated with quality for intermediate-care facilities, and was significantly associated with quality for skilled…

76 FR 56694 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; California; Determinations of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-14

... ambient air quality monitoring data for the period preceding the applicable attainment deadline. DATES... and certified monitoring data. A violation occurs when the ambient ozone air quality monitoring data... standard, generally based on air quality monitoring data from the 1987 through 1989 period (section 107(d...

Quality assurance practices in Europe: a survey of molecular genetic testing laboratories

PubMed Central

Berwouts, Sarah; Fanning, Katrina; Morris, Michael A; Barton, David E; Dequeker, Elisabeth

2012-01-01

In the 2000s, a number of initiatives were taken internationally to improve quality in genetic testing services. To contribute to and update the limited literature available related to this topic, we surveyed 910 human molecular genetic testing laboratories, of which 291 (32%) from 29 European countries responded. The majority of laboratories were in the public sector (81%), affiliated with a university hospital (60%). Only a minority of laboratories was accredited (23%), and 26% was certified. A total of 22% of laboratories did not participate in external quality assessment (EQA) and 28% did not use reference materials (RMs). The main motivations given for accreditation were to improve laboratory profile (85%) and national recognition (84%). Nearly all respondents (95%) would prefer working in an accredited laboratory. In accredited laboratories, participation in EQA (P<0.0001), use of RMs (P=0.0014) and availability of continuous education (CE) on medical/scientific subjects (P=0.023), specific tasks (P=0.0018), and quality assurance (P<0.0001) were significantly higher than in non-accredited laboratories. Non-accredited laboratories expect higher restriction of development of new techniques (P=0.023) and improvement of work satisfaction (P=0.0002) than accredited laboratories. By using a quality implementation score (QIS), we showed that accredited laboratories (average score 92) comply better than certified laboratories (average score 69, P<0.001), and certified laboratories better than other laboratories (average score 44, P<0.001), with regard to the implementation of quality indicators. We conclude that quality practices vary widely in European genetic testing laboratories. This leads to a potentially dangerous situation in which the quality of genetic testing is not consistently assured. PMID:22739339

21 CFR 900.21 - Application for approval as a certification agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... description of the mammography quality standards the applicant will require facilities to meet and, for those... certification standards the applicant will require facilities to meet are the quality standards published under... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MAMMOGRAPHY QUALITY STANDARDS ACT MAMMOGRAPHY States as Certifiers § 900.21...

Decal Process Document and Catalog

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The Decal Process Document and Catalog, JSC 27260 is the standard flight decal catalog, complete with illustrations and part numbers. As hardware developers identify labels that have common applicability across end items, these labels can be evaluated for "standard decal classification" and entered into the decal catalog for general use. The hardware developer must have a label design that meets current, applicable labeling requirements, and submit to the Decal Design and Production Facility (DDPF) as a standard label candidate. Upon approval, the label will be added to the decal catalog. The Decal Process Document and Catalog provides a selection of decals from which the NASA and NASA contractor customers can easily order. The decals shown in the catalog have been previously produced and have released engineering/fabrication drawings on file in the (DDPF). A released drawing is required before a decal can be produced or placed into the catalog. Some decals included in the catalog have a common applicability and are used in various NASA vehicles/habitats. It is the intent of the DDPF to maintain this catalog as a "living document" to which decals/placards can be added as they are repeatedly used. The advantage of identifYing flight decals in this catalog is that a released drawing is already in place, and the products will be flight certified.

Certified ion implantation fluence by high accuracy RBS.

PubMed

Colaux, Julien L; Jeynes, Chris; Heasman, Keith C; Gwilliam, Russell M

2015-05-07

From measurements over the last two years we have demonstrated that the charge collection system based on Faraday cups can robustly give near-1% absolute implantation fluence accuracy for our electrostatically scanned 200 kV Danfysik ion implanter, using four-point-probe mapping with a demonstrated accuracy of 2%, and accurate Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) of test implants from our quality assurance programme. The RBS is traceable to the certified reference material IRMM-ERM-EG001/BAM-L001, and involves convenient calibrations both of the electronic gain of the spectrometry system (at about 0.1% accuracy) and of the RBS beam energy (at 0.06% accuracy). We demonstrate that accurate RBS is a definitive method to determine quantity of material. It is therefore useful for certifying high quality reference standards, and is also extensible to other kinds of samples such as thin self-supporting films of pure elements. The more powerful technique of Total-IBA may inherit the accuracy of RBS.

[The state of quality management implementation in ambulatory care nursing and inpatient nursing].

PubMed

Farin, E; Hauer, J; Schmidt, E; Kottner, J; Jäckel, W H

2013-02-01

The demands being made on quality assurance and quality management in ambulatory care nursing and inpatient nursing facilities continue to grow. As opposed to health-care facilities such as hospitals and rehabilitation centres, we know of no other empirical studies addressing the current state of affairs in quality management in nursing institutions. The aim of this investigation was, by means of a questionnaire, to analyse the current (as of spring 2011) dissemination of quality management and certification in nursing facilities using a random sample as representative as possible of in- and outpatient institutions. To obtain our sample we compiled 800 inpatient and 800 outpatient facilities as a stratified random sample. Federal state, holder and, for inpatient facilities, the number of beds were used as stratification variables. 24% of the questionnaires were returned, giving us information on 188 outpatient and 220 inpatient institutions. While the distribution in the sample of outpatient institutions is equivalent to the population distribution, we observed discrepancies in the inpatient facilities sample. As they do not seem to be related to any demonstrable bias, we assume that our data are sufficiently representative. 4 of 5 of the responding facilities claim to employ their own quality management system, however the degree to which the quality management mechanisms are actually in use is an estimated 75%. Almost 90% of all the facilities have a quality management representative who often possesses specific additional qualifications. Many relevant quality management instruments (i. e., nursing standards of care, questionnaires, quality circles) are used in 75% of the responding institutions. Various factors in our data give the impression that quality management and certification efforts have made more progress in the inpatient facilities. Although 80% of the outpatient institutions claim to have a quality management system, only 32.1% of them admit to having already been (or be in current preparation to be) certified, a figure that was 41.5% among the inpatient facilities. These percentages are smaller when one relies on information provided by the certifying institutions themselves rather on the nursing facilities. Most frequent is the certification according to the DIN EN ISO 9001 standard, since the care-specific certification procedures most widespread on the market enable facilities to combine a care-specific certificate with one according to DIN norms. Quality management has become very widespread in nursing facilities: every third institution claims to have been certified, and the trend to become certified has clearly intensified over the last few years. We observe overall very great acceptance of both internal quality management and external quality assurance. We suspect that the current use of quality management instruments in many nursing facilities will not fall behind such efforts in hospitals and rehabilitation centres. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Effectiveness of the SmartMV prototype BeefCam System to sort beef carcasses into expected palatability groups.

PubMed

Wyle, A M; Vote, D J; Roeber, D L; Cannell, R C; Belk, K E; Scanga, J A; Goldberg, M; Tatum, J D; Smith, G C

2003-02-01

This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the SmartMV prototype BeefCam Video Imaging System (prototype BeefCam) for classifying beef carcasses into palatability ("certified" or "not certified" as palatable) groups. Carcasses (n = 769) were selected from four beef-packing plants to represent three USDA quality grade groups (Top Choice, TC; Low Choice, LC; and Select, SE). Following chilling, a prototype BeefCam image of the longissimus muscle was obtained for each carcass. Strip loins were collected from the left side of each carcass and aged for 10 d; Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF; n = 769) values and consumer panel ratings (hedonic, end-anchored, 9-point ratings for overall like/dislike; n = 500 carcasses) were obtained for cooked steaks. Using information from the images, two regression models were developed to predict the first principal component of WBSF and consumer panel ratings for sorting carcasses based on expected eating quality. Model I used only prototype BeefCam output, whereas Model II used prototype BeefCam output and a coded value for quality grade group. For both models, carcasses with a predicted value of less than 0.0 were certified as producing palatable beef Additional carcasses (n = 292) were evaluated at a fifth and separate packing plant by prototype BeefCam to validate Models I and II. A strip loin was collected from each carcass and WBSF was measured after 14 d of aging. The percentages of validation carcasses that generated tough (WBSF > or = 4.5 kg) steaks were 6.5,5.8,10.7, and 7.9% for, TC, LC, SE, and all carcasses, respectively. Use of Model I certified 51.9, 47.6, 43.8, and 47.3% of TC, LC, SE, and all carcasses, respectively. Of the carcasses certified by use of Model I, 0.0,0.0, 4.1, and 1.4% of TC, LC, SE, and all carcasses, respectively, generated tough steaks. Use of Model II certified 59.7, 47.6, 25.0, and 42.1% of TC, LC, SE, and all carcasses, respectively. Of the carcasses certified by use of Model II, 2.2, 0.0, 3.6, and 1.6% of TC, LC, SE, and all carcasses, respectively, generated tough steaks. For both models, the frequency of carcasses that produced tough steaks in the certified group was lower (P < 0.05) for all validation carcasses sampled compared with that of the original carcass population. Based on the decrease in the frequency of carcasses that produced tough steaks, further development of a commercial BeefCam system is warranted.

40 CFR 35.1603 - Summary of clean lakes assistance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., and the State must certify that the lake project is consistent with the State Water Quality Management... quality, evaluate possible solutions to existing pollution problems, and recommend a feasible program to restore or preserve the quality of the lake. A Phase 2 cooperative agreement is to be used for...

An Integrated RFID and Barcode Tagged Item Inventory System for Deployment at New Brunswick Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Younkin, James R; Kuhn, Michael J; Gradle, Colleen

New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL) has a numerous inventory containing thousands of plutonium and uranium certified reference materials. The current manual inventory process is well established but is a lengthy process which requires significant oversight and double checking to ensure correctness. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has worked with NBL to develop and deploy a new inventory system which utilizes handheld computers with barcode scanners and radio frequency identification (RFID) readers termed the Tagged Item Inventory System (TIIS). Certified reference materials are identified by labels which incorporate RFID tags and barcodes. The label printing process and RFID tag association process are integratedmore » into the main desktop software application. Software on the handheld computers syncs with software on designated desktop machines and the NBL inventory database to provide a seamless inventory process. This process includes: 1) identifying items to be inventoried, 2) downloading the current inventory information to the handheld computer, 3) using the handheld to read item and location labels, and 4) syncing the handheld computer with a designated desktop machine to analyze the results, print reports, etc. The security of this inventory software has been a major concern. Designated roles linked to authenticated logins are used to control access to the desktop software while password protection and badge verification are used to control access to the handheld computers. The overall system design and deployment at NBL will be presented. The performance of the system will also be discussed with respect to a small piece of the overall inventory. Future work includes performing a full inventory at NBL with the Tagged Item Inventory System and comparing performance, cost, and radiation exposures to the current manual inventory process.« less

Multidisciplinary breast centres in Germany: a review and update of quality assurance through benchmarking and certification.

PubMed

Wallwiener, Markus; Brucker, Sara Y; Wallwiener, Diethelm

2012-06-01

This review summarizes the rationale for the creation of breast centres and discusses the studies conducted in Germany to obtain proof of principle for a voluntary, external benchmarking programme and proof of concept for third-party dual certification of breast centres and their mandatory quality management systems to the German Cancer Society (DKG) and German Society of Senology (DGS) Requirements of Breast Centres and ISO 9001 or similar. In addition, we report the most recent data on benchmarking and certification of breast centres in Germany. Review and summary of pertinent publications. Literature searches to identify additional relevant studies. Updates from the DKG/DGS programmes. Improvements in surrogate parameters as represented by structural and process quality indicators suggest that outcome quality is improving. The voluntary benchmarking programme has gained wide acceptance among DKG/DGS-certified breast centres. This is evidenced by early results from one of the largest studies in multidisciplinary cancer services research, initiated by the DKG and DGS to implement certified breast centres. The goal of establishing a nationwide network of certified breast centres in Germany can be considered largely achieved. Nonetheless the network still needs to be improved, and there is potential for optimization along the chain of care from mammography screening, interventional diagnosis and treatment through to follow-up. Specialization, guideline-concordant procedures as well as certification and recertification of breast centres remain essential to achieve further improvements in quality of breast cancer care and to stabilize and enhance the nationwide provision of high-quality breast cancer care.

[Certified medical centers--A measurable benefit to patients?!].

PubMed

Eberlein-Gonska, Maria; Schellong, Sebastian; Baumann, Michael

2007-01-01

The establishment of medical centers should meet the high requirements of the healthcare system. They should provide innovative solutions for a number of problems, e.g. the interdisciplinary collaboration of various health departments with due regard to their autonomy. This is reminiscent of the implementation and advancement of a quality management system required by law where a clear idea of how to manage the organizational and procedural structures as an integral part of the management concept implemented is missing. The genuine efforts to implement and advance interdisciplinary medical centers are up against "bogus models" created out of sheer marketing interests. The term "medical center" has so far not been protected under trademark law, leaving patients, relatives or even the referring physicians unsure about how to judge a medical center's actual performance. The same is true of certified centers. Their numbers are growing, but not so the transparency about the amount of measurable, traceable and understandable benefits that a certified center provides to the patient. Therefore clear demands need to be placed on certified centers, especially with regard to the implementation of a concept that provides interdisciplinarity and process-oriented transparent structures and defines quality ratios and quality objectives. This includes providing resources for the continuous collection and evaluation of hard and soft data as well as deriving improvement measures. The three centers of the University Hospital Dresden--the University Cancer Center, the University Vascular Center and the University Pain Center--fulfil this high demand. They have created fundamentals for measurable improvement of patient care and are able to present first results.

The quality and readability of colorectal cancer information on the internet.

PubMed

Grewal, P; Alagaratnam, S

2013-01-01

Patients can rapidly access the internet and more young people are using their mobile to access health-related information. The aim of this study is to assess the readability and quality of colorectal disease websites for colorectal cancer. We searched the Google, Yahoo and Bing for colorectal cancer. Readability was assessed using Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade (FKG) and Gunning Fog Index (GFI). The LIDA tool and DISCERN instrument were used to measure the design and content of health information on the Internet. A sub-group analysis was performed on websites certified by HONcode and Information Standard against non-certified websites. The mean FRES were 56.3, mean FKG of 6.9, mean GFI of 9.5, equivalent to TIME magazine. The mean LIDA Tool overall score was 85.6% and mean DISCERN instrument was 52.2 (95% CI 45-59.4). This study shows that colorectal cancer websites were readable but potentially unreliable. Government certified sites were superior to non-certified sites. Improvements are required to provide patients with reliable information to make informed decisions on medical treatments. We propose that national cancer services develop reliable and easily readable information regarding the diagnosis and investigation of colorectal cancer. The site should provide adequate information regarding the treatment options and importantly how each treatment option would affect the patient's quality of life. Clinicians can then provide these websites to the patients before and after their consultations to allow the patient to be fully informed. Copyright © 2013 Surgical Associates Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality Matters Rubric Potential for Enhancing Online Foreign Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Zumor, Abdul Wahed Q.

2015-01-01

Quality Matters Program is designed to certify the quality of online courses in colleges and universities across and beyond the U.S. The Quality Matters Rubric (QMR) consists of eight general standards and 41 specific standards which are used to evaluate and design online and blended courses. The purpose of this study is to highlight the QMR…

76 FR 77739 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Massachusetts and New Hampshire...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-14

... in EPA's Air Quality System (AQS) database. To account for missing data, the procedures found in... determination is based upon complete, certified, quality-assured ambient air quality monitoring data for the... proposing? II. What is the background for this proposed action? III. What is EPA's analysis of data for...

Quality Matters[TM] Accessibility Survey: Institutional Practices and Policies for Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, Barbara A.; King, Denise K.

2011-01-01

Quality Matters (QM) is a professional organization that offers a faculty-centered, peer review process to certify the quality of online and blended courses. The purpose of this white paper is to share the results of a Quality Matters accessibility benchmarking study administered to 84 subscriber institutions. The primary goal of the survey was to…

German Bowel Cancer Center: An Attempt to Improve Treatment Quality

PubMed Central

Jannasch, Olof; Udelnow, Andrej; Wolff, Stefanie; Lippert, Hans; Mroczkowski, Pawel

2015-01-01

Background. Colorectal cancer remains the second most common cause of death from malignancies, but treatment results show high diversity. Certified bowel cancer centres (BCC) are the basis of a German project for improvement of treatment. The aim of this study was to analyze if certification would enhance short-term outcome in rectal cancer surgery. Material and Methods. This quality assurance study included 8197 patients with rectal cancer treated between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2010. We compared cohorts treated in certified and noncertified hospitals regarding preoperative variables and perioperative outcomes. Outcomes were verified by matched-pair analysis. Results. Patients of noncertified hospitals had higher ASA-scores, higher prevalence of risk factors, more distant metastases, lower tumour localization, lower frequency of pelvic MRI, and higher frequencies of missing values and undetermined TNM classifications (significant differences only). Outcome analysis revealed more general complications in certified hospitals (20.3% versus 17.4%, p = 0.03). Both cohorts did not differ significantly in percentage of R0-resections, intraoperative complications, anastomotic leakage, in-hospital death, and abdominal wall dehiscence. Conclusions. The concept of BCC is a step towards improving the structural and procedural quality. This is a good basis for improving outcome quality but cannot replace it. For a primary surgical disease like rectal cancer a specific, surgery-targeted program is still needed. PMID:26064091

Nurses' decision making in heart failure management based on heart failure certification status.

PubMed

Albert, Nancy M; Bena, James F; Buxbaum, Denise; Martensen, Linda; Morrison, Shannon L; Prasun, Marilyn A; Stamp, Kelly D

Research findings on the value of nurse certification were based on subjective perceptions or biased by correlations of certification status and global clinical factors. In heart failure, the value of certification is unknown. Examine the value of certification based nurses' decision-making. Cross-sectional study of nurses who completed heart failure clinical vignettes that reflected decision-making in clinical heart failure scenarios. Statistical tests included multivariable linear, logistic and proportional odds logistic regression models. Of nurses (N = 605), 29.1% were heart failure certified, 35.0% were certified in another specialty/job role and 35.9% were not certified. In multivariable modeling, nurses certified in heart failure (versus not heart failure certified) had higher clinical vignette scores (p = 0.002), reflecting higher evidence-based decision making; nurses with another specialty/role certification (versus no certification) did not (p = 0.62). Heart failure certification, but not in other specialty/job roles was associated with decisions that reflected delivery of high-quality care. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Five-Star Schools: Defining Quality in Early Childhood Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hertzog, Nancy B.

2012-01-01

Hakeem, Emily, Jose, and Latisha are all entering preschool in the fall. Their mothers are looking for the highest quality early childhood program they can find. Is there a guide for them to find a five-star program? Are all certified or accredited programs of equal quality? How do these parents and guardians know what defines quality in early…

75 FR 39635 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designation of Areas for Air Quality...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-12

..., quality-assured and certified ambient air quality monitoring data for the 2006-2008 ozone seasons that... data for the 2009 ozone season have been recorded in the EPA's Air Quality System (AQS) and show that... NAAQS through 2020 in the areas. EPA is approving the 2005 base year emissions inventories for the...

[Continuing medical education in Germany--the northrhenian experience].

PubMed

Griebenow, R; Lösche, P; Lehmacher, W; Schmülling, A; Chon, S; Christ, H; Stützer, H; Stosch, Ch

2003-04-04

For Germany there exist only very little data concerning the practice of continuous medical education (CME). The introduction of the CME certificate has made it possible to gather data about the CME activities and their evaluation which are presented here for the northrhenian chamber of physicians. In 2002 the northrhenian academy for CME has certified more than 5500 CME activities and more than 2000 maintenance-of-quality group activities. In addition the evaluation forms of the first 4486 consecutive participants have been evaluated,including those of the northrhenian CME congress on the isle of Norderney. 94 % of the participants had received their license between 1 and 30 years ago and 81 % attended > or = 1 CME activity per month. Currently there exist only very few digital media certified for CME, which is dominated by oral presentations of which 85 % have gained > or = 2 points for the certificate (150 points in 3 years). General practitioners and internists together represented nearly 40 % of the participants, the others represent a broad spectrum of specialties. Topics and presentation were rated as of high quality and clinical relevance, which was also true for sponsored CME. Certified CME is currently dominated by oral presentations which mostly take place outside the working hours and which are rated as of high quality and clinical relevance.

Japanese consumer preferences for milk certified with the good agricultural practice(GAP) label.

PubMed

Aizaki, Hideo; Nanseki, Teruaki; Zhou, Hui

2013-01-01

This study examined Japanese consumers' valuation of a good agricultural practice (GAP) label on packaged milk and investigated the effect of detailed GAP information on valuation. A total of 624 Japanese consumers were asked to select their most preferred milk through an online survey. The milk was assumed to have three attributes: the GAP label, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points certification, and price. The results showed that consumers' valuation of GAP was significantly positive. Although providing additional GAP information to a respondent who was aware of GAP and what it means had a positive effect on the consumers' valuation of GAP, provision of this information had no effect if the respondent knew about GAP either moderately or slightly, and had a negative effect if the respondent did not know about GAP at all. To increase broad consumer awareness and valuation of GAP, it is important to provide GAP information according to the requirements of consumers. © 2012 The Authors. Animal Science Journal © 2012 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

7 CFR 1710.408 - Quality assurance plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AGRICULTURE GENERAL AND PRE-LOAN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES COMMON TO ELECTRIC LOANS AND GUARANTEES Energy... accordance with quality assurance plans meeting standards designed to achieve the purposes of this subpart... pump) the new system must be designed and installed by certified and insured professionals acceptable...

EPA Finalizes Initial Area Designations for the 2012 National Air Quality Standard for Fine Particles - Dec 2014

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

After considering state and tribal recommendations, reviewing the most recent certified fine particle air quality data, and emissions that contribute fine particle pollution, EPA has completed initial designations for the 2012 annual fine particle standard

ISO 9002 as Literacy Practice: Coping with Quality-Control Documents in a High-Tech Company

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleifgen, Jo Anne

2005-01-01

This study describes the process by which a circuit board manufacturing company became certified in an international quality control program known as ISO 9002. Particular attention is paid to how quality documents were made and used in actual practice and to the relationship between these standardized procedures (official literacies) and…

76 FR 66927 - New York State Prohibition of Discharges of Vessel Sewage; Final Affirmative Determination

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-28

.... 1322(f)(3)), the State of New York has determined that the protection and enhancement of the quality of... certified the need for greater protection of the water quality. EPA hereby makes a final affirmative... commenters pointed out that this action will reduce pathogens and chemicals, improve water quality and...

Development of Certified Matrix-Based Reference Material as a Calibrator for Genetically Modified Rice G6H1 Analysis.

PubMed

Yang, Yu; Li, Liang; Yang, Hui; Li, Xiaying; Zhang, Xiujie; Xu, Junfeng; Zhang, Dabing; Jin, Wujun; Yang, Litao

2018-04-11

The accurate monitoring and quantification of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are key points for the implementation of labeling regulations, and a certified reference material (CRM) acts as the scaleplate for quantifying the GM contents of foods/feeds and evaluating a GMO analytical method or equipment. Herein we developed a series of CRMs for transgenic rice event G6H1, which possesses insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant traits. Three G6H1 CRMs were produced by mixing seed powders obtained from homozygous G6H1 and its recipient cultivar Xiushui 110 at mass ratios of 49.825%, 9.967%, and 4.986%. The between-bottle homogeneity and within-bottle homogeneity were thoroughly evaluated with consistent results. The potential DNA degradation in transportation and shelf life were evaluated with an expiration period of at least 12 months. The property values of three CRMs (G6H1 a , G6H1 b , G6H1 c ) were given as (49.825 ± 0.448) g/kg, (9.967 ± 1.757) g/kg, and (4.986 ± 1.274 g/kg based on mass fraction ratio, respectively. Furthermore, the three CRMs were characterized with values of (5.01 ± 0.08)%, (1.06 ± 0.22)%, and (0.53 ± 0.11)% based on the copy number ratio using the droplet digital PCR method. All results confirmed that the produced G6H1 matrix-based CRMs are of high quality with precise characterization values and can be used as calibrators in GM rice G6H1 inspection and monitoring and in evaluating new analytical methods or devices targeting the G6H1 event.

Improvement in medically certified death: results from a pilot study in the state of malacca, malaysia.

PubMed

Faudzi, A Y; Amal, N M; Zainal, A O; Lailanor, I; Sirajuddin, H; Taha, M A

2011-03-01

A systematic approach to death registration and reporting is essential for studies and comparison within or between countries. One of the accepted methods in the system is to have medically certified death. The objective of this study was to improve the proportion of medically certified death (MCD) in the state of Malacca. Structured questionnaires were used by Medical Assistants (MAs) in the investigation of the cause of death for non-medically certified deaths. Data on certification of death by MAs in Malacca was analysed and compared with the total deaths obtained from the Department of Statistics. Possible determinants of deaths were investigated. Total deaths in the state of Malacca during the study period from 2000 - 2001 were 5941. About 35% (883/2493) of the total deaths in year 2000 and 45% (1550/3448) in 2001 certified by MAs were examined. By districts, 50.6% were certified in the district of Malacca Tengah, 13.4% Jasin and 36.0% Alor Gajah in 2000; 65.9% occurred in Malacca Tengah, 11.0% Jasin and 23.2% Alor Gajah in 2001. This project helped to increase the percentage of the medically certified deaths in Malacca from 49.8% in year 1998, 49% in 1999 to 73% in 2000 and 85% in 2001. The proportion of MCD in Malacca in 2000 (73%) may be increased to 93% if all MCDs done by MAs were accepted by the Department of Statistics. There is still a high proportion (23.6%) of ill-defined conditions such as old age and sudden death being diagnosed by MAs. The study shows that the quality of mortality data particularly in the percentage of medically certified deaths can be improved.

Assessment on the use and availability of rice certified seeds in Bone regency, South Sulawesi province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farid, M.; Iswoyo, H.; Ridwan, I.; Nasaruddin; Dermawan, R.

2018-05-01

Use of certified seeds is necessary in rice farming system to ensure high production and productivity. In South Sulawesi, as one of the main center of Rice in Indonesia, increase in the regional harvest areas and land productivity was not followed by significant increase in rice productivity. Seeds policy implemented by the government not only covers the technology applied in the seeds production but also quality insurance, availability and its distribution system. Despite these efforts, use of certified seeds in the field by farmers are still limited, therefore a survey was conducted to study the use and availability of rice certified seeds in Bone regency. Farmer groups in 9 districts were sampled to obtained data concerned to the use and availability of rice seeds including type, planting season, cropping pattern and availability at planting. Results show that the use of certified seeds in Bone regency were relatively high, however level of seeds supply was low or delayed at time of planting. To overcome the problem of seed supply, most farmers used its own seeds from previous harvest. Some suggestions to resolve this condition are discussed.

AMT's Position on Physician's Office Laboratories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

AMT Events, 1986

1986-01-01

The following standards are affirmed by the American Medical Technologists organization: (1) regardless of the size of the laboratory setting, the patient deserves the highest quality of laboratory service available; (2) certified personnel should be employed by physicians in office laboratories; (3) quality control should be mandatory and…

Do family physicians electronic health records support meaningful use?

PubMed

Peterson, Lars E; Blackburn, Brenna; Ivins, Douglas; Mitchell, Jason; Matson, Christine; Phillips, Robert L

2015-03-01

Spurred by government incentives, the use of electronic health records (EHRs) in the United States has increased; however, whether these EHRs have the functionality necessary to meet meaningful use (MU) criteria remains unknown. Our objective was to characterize family physician access to MU functionality when using a MU-certified EHR. Data were obtained from a convenience survey of family physicians accessing their American Board of Family Medicine online portfolio in 2011. A brief survey queried MU functionality. We used descriptive statistics to characterize the responses and bivariate statistics to test associations between MU and patient communication functions by presence of a MU-certified EHR. Out of 3855 respondents, 60% reported having an EHR that supports MU. Physicians with MU-certified EHRs were more likely than physicians without MU-certified EHRs to report patient registry activities (49.7% vs. 32.3%, p-value<0.01), tracking quality measures (74.1% vs. 56.4%, p-value<0.01), access to labs or consultation notes, and electronic prescribing; but electronic communication abilities were low regardless of EHR capabilities. Family physicians with MU-certified EHRs are more likely to report MU functionality; however, a sizeable minority does not report MU functions. Many family physicians with MU-certified EHRs may not successfully meet the successively stringent MU criteria and may face significant upgrade costs to do so. Cross sectional survey. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality engineering as a profession.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kolb, Rachel R.; Hoover, Marcey L.

Over the course of time, the profession of quality engineering has witnessed significant change, from its original emphasis on quality control and inspection to a more contemporary focus on upholding quality processes throughout the organization and its product realization activities. This paper describes the profession of quality engineering, exploring how todays quality engineers and quality professionals are certified individuals committed to upholding quality processes and principles while working with different dimensions of product development. It also discusses the future of the quality engineering profession and the future of the quality movement as a whole.

Certification of production-quality gLite Job Management components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreetto, P.; Bertocco, S.; Capannini, F.; Cecchi, M.; Dorigo, A.; Frizziero, E.; Giacomini, F.; Gianelle, A.; Mezzadri, M.; Molinari, E.; Monforte, S.; Prelz, F.; Rebatto, D.; Sgaravatto, M.; Zangrando, L.

2011-12-01

With the advent of the recent European Union (EU) funded projects aimed at achieving an open, coordinated and proactive collaboration among the European communities that provide distributed computing services, more strict requirements and quality standards will be asked to middleware providers. Such a highly competitive and dynamic environment, organized to comply a business-oriented model, has already started pursuing quality criteria, thus requiring to formally define rigorous procedures, interfaces and roles for each step of the software life-cycle. This will ensure quality-certified releases and updates of the Grid middleware. In the European Middleware Initiative (EMI), the release management for one or more components will be organized into Product Team (PT) units, fully responsible for delivering production ready, quality-certified software and for coordinating each other to contribute to the EMI release as a whole. This paper presents the certification process, with respect to integration, installation, configuration and testing, adopted at INFN by the Product Team responsible for the gLite Web-Service based Computing Element (CREAM CE) and for the Workload Management System (WMS). The used resources, the testbeds layout, the integration and deployment methods, the certification steps to provide feedback to developers and to grant quality results are described.

7 CFR 944.400 - Designated inspection services and procedure for obtaining inspection and certification of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., quality, and maturity of avocados, grapefruit, nectarines, oranges, prune variety plums (fresh prunes... designated as a governmental inspection service for the purpose of certifying grade, size, quality and... New Mexico, Officer In Charge, New Mexico Market and Development Branch, New Mexico Department of...

30 CFR 250.806 - Safety and pollution prevention equipment quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Safety and pollution prevention equipment... pollution prevention equipment quality assurance requirements. (a) General requirements. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, you may install only certified safety and pollution...

30 CFR 250.806 - Safety and pollution prevention equipment quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safety and pollution prevention equipment... Gas Production Safety Systems § 250.806 Safety and pollution prevention equipment quality assurance... install only certified safety and pollution prevention equipment (SPPE) in wells located on the OCS. SPPE...

A new marine sediment certified reference material (CRM) for the determination of persistent organic contaminants: IAEA-459.

PubMed

Tolosa, Imma; Cassi, Roberto; Huertas, David

2018-04-11

A new marine sediment certified reference material (IAEA 459) with very low concentrations (μg kg -1 ) for a variety of persistent organic contaminants (POPs) listed by the Stockholm Convention, as well as other POPs and priority substances (PSs) listed in many environmental monitoring programs was developed by the IAEA. The sediment material was collected from the Ham River estuary in South Korea, and the assigned final values were derived from robust statistics on the results provided by selected laboratories which demonstrated technical and quality competence, following the guidance given in ISO Guide 35. The robust mean of the laboratory means was assigned as certified values, for those compounds where the assigned value was derived from at least five datasets and its relative expanded uncertainty was less than 40% of the assigned value (most of the values ranging from 8 to 20%). All the datasets were derived from at least two different analytical techniques which have allowed the assignment of certified concentrations for 22 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, 6 organochlorinated (OC) pesticides, 5 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and 18 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs). Mass fractions of compounds that did not fulfill the criteria of certification are considered information values, which include 29 PAHs, 11 PCBs, 16 OC pesticides, and 5 PBDEs. The extensive characterization and associated uncertainties at concentration levels close to the marine sediment quality guidelines will make CRM 459 a valuable matrix reference material for use in marine environmental monitoring programs.

Third-Party Evaluation: A Review of Dietary Supplements Dispensed by Military Treatment Facilities From 2007 to 2011.

PubMed

Jones, Donnamaria R; Kasper, Korey B; Deuster, Patricia A

2015-07-01

Third-party certification/verification of dietary supplements (DS), although not mainstream, is one way to help ensure high-quality products. In the medical setting, physicians may prescribe DS to correct a deficiency or improve a health care outcome, and they want products of a certain standard of quality, free of adulteration/contamination. We reviewed DS dispensed from all Department of Defense military treatment facilities over a 5-year period to determine which products had been third-party reviewed and certified/verified. By using product name, manufacturer, and/or National Drug Codes, we examined product listings on the websites of three independent-evaluating organizations. Over 1.5 million dietary supplement prescriptions consisting of 753 different products were dispensed from 2007 through 2011. Less than 3.6% of the products examined were third-party certified/verified by any of the three most well-known evaluation organizations: 19 were verified by United States Pharmacopeial Convention; 9 products were reviewed and 8 certified by ConsumerLab; and none of the products were certified by NSF International. Most DS dispensed by military treatment facilities are not reviewed by a third party. This is not unexpected, as third party certification is not yet mainstream. However, one way to reduce potential hazards and exposure to unsafe products is to encourage use of supplements that have third-party certification/verification. Reprint & Copyright © 2015 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Agents for Change: Nonphysician Medical Providers and Health Care Quality

PubMed Central

Boucher, Nathan A; McMillen, Marvin A; Gould, James S

2015-01-01

Quality medical care is a clinical and public health imperative, but defining quality and achieving improved, measureable outcomes are extremely complex challenges. Adherence to best practice invariably improves outcomes. Nonphysician medical providers (NPMPs), such as physician assistants and advanced practice nurses (eg, nurse practitioners, advanced practice registered nurses, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives), may be the first caregivers to encounter the patient and can act as agents for change for an organization’s quality-improvement mandate. NPMPs are well positioned to both initiate and ensure optimal adherence to best practices and care processes from the moment of initial contact because they have robust clinical training and are integral to trainee/staff education and the timely delivery of care. The health care quality aspects that the practicing NPMP can affect are objective, appreciative, and perceptive. As bedside practitioners and participants in the administrative and team process, NPMPs can fine-tune care delivery, avoiding the problem areas defined by the Institute of Medicine: misuse, overuse, and underuse of care. This commentary explores how NPMPs can affect quality by 1) supporting best practices through the promotion of guidelines and protocols, and 2) playing active, if not leadership, roles in patient engagement and organizational quality-improvement efforts. PMID:25663213

Synthesizing Certified Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whalen, Michael; Schumann, Johann; Fischer, Bernd

2002-01-01

Code certification is a lightweight approach to demonstrate software quality on a formal level. Its basic idea is to require producers to provide formal proofs that their code satisfies certain quality properties. These proofs serve as certificates which can be checked independently. Since code certification uses the same underlying technology as program verification, it also requires many detailed annotations (e.g., loop invariants) to make the proofs possible. However, manually adding theses annotations to the code is time-consuming and error-prone. We address this problem by combining code certification with automatic program synthesis. We propose an approach to generate simultaneously, from a high-level specification, code and all annotations required to certify generated code. Here, we describe a certification extension of AUTOBAYES, a synthesis tool which automatically generates complex data analysis programs from compact specifications. AUTOBAYES contains sufficient high-level domain knowledge to generate detailed annotations. This allows us to use a general-purpose verification condition generator to produce a set of proof obligations in first-order logic. The obligations are then discharged using the automated theorem E-SETHEO. We demonstrate our approach by certifying operator safety for a generated iterative data classification program without manual annotation of the code.

Development of new reference material neohesperidin for quality control of dietary supplements.

PubMed

Gong, Ningbo; Zhang, Baoxi; Yang, Dezhi; Gao, Zhaolin; Du, Guanhua; Lu, Yang

2015-07-01

Neohesperidin is an important natural flavanone glycoside distributed in several citrus species. This compound is widely used as a raw material for food additives in the food industry. The request for certified reference materials (CRMs) in dietary supplements was stipulated by the National Administrative Committee for CRMs and was underpinned by the need to improve the accuracy and comparability of measurement data and to establish metrological traceability of analytical results. This paper reports the sample preparation methodology, homogeneity and stability studies, value assignment and uncertainty estimation of a new certified reference material of neohesperidin (GBW09522). Differential scanning calorimetry, coulometric titration and mass balance methods proved to be sufficiently reliable and accurate for certification purposes. The certified value of neohesperidin CRM is 994 g kg(-1) with an expanded uncertainty of 4 g kg(-1) (k = 2). The reference material described above was homogeneous and stable for 12 months at a storage temperature of 25 °C. The new CRM of neohesperidin can be used to validate analytical methods and improve the accuracy of measurement data as well as quality control of neohesperidin-related dietary supplements, foods, traditional herbs and pharmaceutical formulations. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

40 CFR 62.7130 - Identification of plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Clark County Department of Air Quality Management submitted on February 27, 2003, a letter certifying that there are no existing commercial/industrial solid waste incineration units in Clark County that...

[Consumer reaction to information on the labels of genetically modified food].

PubMed

Sebastian-Ponce, Miren Itxaso; Sanz-Valero, Javier; Wanden-Berghe, Carmina

2014-02-01

To analyze consumer opinion on genetically modified foods and the information included on the label. A systematic review of the scientific literature on genetically modified food labeling was conducted consulting bibliographic databases (Medline - via PubMed -, EMBASE, ISI-Web of knowledge, Cochrane Library Plus, FSTA, LILACS, CINAHL and AGRICOLA) using the descriptors "organisms, genetically modified" and "food labeling". The search covered the first available date, up to June 2012, selecting relevant articles written in English, Portuguese or Spanish. Forty articles were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All of them should have conducted a population-based intervention focused on consumer awareness of genetically modified foods and their need or not, to include this on the label. The consumers expressed a preference for non-genetically modified products, and added that they were prepared to pay more for this but, ultimately, the product bought was that with the best price, in a market which welcomes new technologies. In 18 of the articles, the population was in favor of obligatory labelling, and in six, in favor of this being voluntary; seven studies showed the consumer knew little about genetically modified food, and in three, the population underestimated the quantity they consumed. Price was an influencing factor in all cases. Label should be homogeneous and clarify the degree of tolerance of genetically modified products in humans, in comparison with those non-genetically modified. Label should also present the content or not of genetically modified products and how these commodities are produced and should be accompanied by the certifying entity and contact information. Consumers express their preference for non-genetically modified products and they even notice that they are willing to pay more for it, but eventually they buy the item with the best price, in a market that welcomes new technologies.

Effects of Oral Tag 1-MeATN02 (TRIAMINOGUANIDINIUM-1-METHYL-5-NITRIMINOTETRAZOLATE-TAG-MNT/K-26) Exposure to Female Rats (RATTUS NORVEGICUS) TAG-MNT/K-26 Exposure to Female Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-01

2009; Williams et al.. 2010), and a reference dose (RfD) of 3 IJg/kg-day based on prostatic inflammation in rodents. RDX is also classified as a...cycle (USACHPPM., 2006). A certified pesticide-free rodent chow (Harlan Teklad®, 8728C Certified Rodent Diet ) and drinking quality tap water were...K, CI Analyzer, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., One IDEXX Drive, Westbrook, ME 04092): albumin (ALB), alkaline phosphatase (ALK P), alanine

Soldering Technology (6th) Proceedings of Annual Seminar, 17-18 February 1982.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-02-01

atmospheric polution . In the electrical and electronics industries, where we had taken a great deal for granted, we now find that extraction as was...certified status. 5.4.6.1 General. Based on a quality audit , review of inspection data, or observation of quality of articles fabricated, soldering personnel

School on Alert over Water Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowman, Darcia Harris

2004-01-01

This article examines the issue on the quality of water in Seattle's school districts. Seattle's water woes became public when four little containers of rust-colored water from fountains in the city district's Wedgewood Elementary School, collected by concerned parents, were tested by a certified laboratory and found to exceed federal lead limits.…

[Gap between postulated and real outcome quality of radical prostatectomy].

PubMed

Hampel, C; Roos, F; Thüroff, J W; Neisius, A

2015-11-01

Certified Prostate Centers proclaim congruent process and outcome quality results for treatment of prostate carcinoma. Therapy in accordance with the guidelines after presentation of the patient in an interdisciplinary conference and regular documented follow up are not in themselves a guarantee for good quality results (complication free, continence, erectile function, negative surgical margins, biochemical recurrence free), and are significantly influenced by factors not contained within the certification framework. An association between exceeding the minimum number of operations and quality assurance exists, if at all, only vaguely and on no account justifies the absolute numbers necessary for certification. Although good measuring instruments for a Pentafecta analysis are available, the gathering of quality results for a center are limited to questionnaires for functional quality results and in the non-differentiated request for a pT2R1 rate of under 10 % for oncological quality results. The reasons for this systematic ignoring of the for the patient so important quality results with a simultaneous excessive regard for standardizing organizational procedure processes are manifold. They comprise valid verifiability of process quality, the unclear effects of standardized treatment pathways on actual operation quality and the capitulation to statistical and patient determined problems with sufficient acquisition of comparable functional OP results. Whereas the outcome quality is more important than the process quality for patients with prostate carcinoma, the certified centers conduct themselves in exactly the opposite manner, thus creating a virtually insoluble dilemma.

Construction of new profiler certification tracks.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

The existing smoothness specifications of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) require : certification of inertial profilers for ride quality assurance testing. Currently, inertial profilers are certified : based on profile measurements col...

Quality assurance for health and environmental chemistry: 1990

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gautier, M.A.; Gladney, E.S.; Koski, N.L.

1991-10-01

This report documents the continuing quality assurance efforts of the Health and Environmental Chemistry Group (HSE-9) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The philosophy, methodology, computing resources, and laboratory information management system used by the quality assurance program to encompass the diversity of analytical chemistry practiced in the group are described. Included in the report are all quality assurance reference materials used, along with their certified or consensus concentrations, and all analytical chemistry quality assurance measurements made by HSE-9 during 1990.

Policy brief on the current status of certification of electronic Health Records in the US and Europe.

PubMed

De Moor, Georges; O'Brien, John; Fridsma, Doug; Bean, Carol; Devlies, Jos; Cusack, Caitlin M; Bloomrosen, Meryl; Lorenzi, Nancy; Coorevits, Pascal

2011-01-01

If Electronic Health Record systems are to provide an effective contribution to healthcare, a set of benchmarks need to be set to ensure quality control and interoperability of systems. This paper outlines the prevailing status of EHR certification in the US and the EU, compares and contrasts established schemes and poses opportunities for convergence of activity in the domain designed to advance certification endeavours generally. Several EU Member States have in the past proceeded with EHR systems quality labeling and/or certification, but these differ in scope, in legal framework under which they operate, in policies (legislation and financial incentives), in organization, and perhaps most importantly in the quality criteria used for benchmarking. Harmonization, therefore, became a must. Now, through EuroRec (with approaches ranging from self-assessment to third party certification depending on the level of confidence needed) and its Seals, the possibility to achieve this for EHR systems has started in the whole of Europe. The US HITECH Act also attempts to create incentives for all hospitals and eligible providers to adopt and use electronic information. A centerpiece of the Act is to put in place strong financial incentives to adopt and meaningfully use EHRs. The HHS/EHR Certification Programme makes use of ISO/IEC 170XX standards for accreditation, testing and certification. The approved test method addresses the functional and the interoperability requirements defined in the Final Rule criteria and standards. To date six Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ATCBs) are testing and certifying products in the US.

Establishing Standards on Colors from Natural Sources.

PubMed

Simon, James E; Decker, Eric A; Ferruzzi, Mario G; Giusti, M Monica; Mejia, Carla D; Goldschmidt, Mark; Talcott, Stephen T

2017-11-01

Color additives are applied to many food, drug, and cosmetic products. With up to 85% of consumer buying decisions potentially influenced by color, appropriate application of color additives and their safety is critical. Color additives are defined by the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) as any dye, pigment, or substance that can impart color to a food, drug, or cosmetic or to the human body. Under current U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, colors fall into 2 categories as those subject to an FDA certification process and those that are exempt from certification often referred to as "natural" colors by consumers because they are sourced from plants, minerals, and animals. Certified colors have been used for decades in food and beverage products, but consumer interest in natural colors is leading market applications. However, the popularity of natural colors has also opened a door for both unintentional and intentional economic adulteration. Whereas FDA certifications for synthetic dyes and lakes involve strict quality control, natural colors are not evaluated by the FDA and often lack clear definitions and industry accepted quality and safety specifications. A significant risk of adulteration of natural colors exists, ranging from simple misbranding or misuse of the term "natural" on a product label to potentially serious cases of physical, chemical, and/or microbial contamination from raw material sources, improper processing methods, or intentional postproduction adulteration. Consistent industry-wide safety standards are needed to address the manufacturing, processing, application, and international trade of colors from natural sources to ensure quality and safety throughout the supply chain. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Home Health Agency Performance in the United States: 2011–15

PubMed Central

Wang, Yun; Spatz, Erica S.; Tariq, Maliha; Angraal, Suveen; Krumholz, Harlan M.

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVES To evaluate home health agency quality performance. DESIGN Observational study. SETTING Home health agencies PARTICIPANTS All Medicare-certified agencies with at least 6 months of data from 2011 to 2015. MEASUREMENTS Twenty-two quality indicators, five patient survey indicators, and their composite scores. RESULTS The study included 11,462 Medicare-certified home health agencies that served 92.4% of all ZIP codes nationwide, accounting for 315.2 million people. The mean composite scores were 409.1 ± 22.7 out of 500 with the patient survey indicators and 492.3 ± 21.7 out of 600 without the patient survey indicators. Home health agency performance on 27 quality indicators varied, with the coefficients of dispersion ranging from 4.9 to 62.8. Categorization of agencies into performance quartiles revealed that 3,179 (27.7%) were in the low-performing group (below 25th percentile) at least one time during the period from 2011–12 to 2014–15 and that 493 were in the low-performing group throughout the study period. Geographic variation in agency performance was observed. Agencies with longer Medicare-certified years were more likely to have high-performing scores; agencies providing partial services, with proprietary ownership, and those with long travel distances to reach patients had lower performance. Agencies serving low-income counties and counties with lower proportions of women and senior residences and greater proportions of Hispanic residents were more likely to attain lower performance scores. CONCLUSION Home health agency performance on several quality indicators varied, and many agencies were persistently in the lowest quartile of performance. Still, there is a need to improve the quality of care of all agencies. Many parts of the United States, particularly lower-income areas and areas with more Hispanic residents, are more likely to receive lower quality home health care. PMID:28960228

Geriatric Training Academy: innovative education for certified nurse aides and charge nurses.

PubMed

Cherry, Barbara; Marshall-Gray, Paula; Laurence, Ann; Green, Alexia; Valadez, Ana; Scott-Tilley, Donna; Merritt, Pearl

2007-03-01

Quality care for the rapidly growing number of older Americans is a major challenge facing the health care industry today. With the baby-boom generation "coming of age"--older age-the need for quality long-term care workers is on the rise. It is estimated that the number of persons needing assisted or alternative living arrangements will increase from 15 million in 2000 to 27 million in 2050 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2003). In response to the rising demand for quality long-term care workers, the Geriatric Education and Training Academy (the Academy) was created at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) to provide advanced geriatric education and training for certified nurse aides (CNA), licensed vocational nurses (LVN) and registered nurses (RN) who work in long-term care facilities. This article describes how the Academy is addressing the need for the recruitment, education, and retention of long-term care workers for the expanding geriatric population in West Texas.

Enantiomer fractions of polychlorinated biphenyls in three selected Standard Reference Materials.

PubMed

Morrissey, Joshua A; Bleackley, Derek S; Warner, Nicholas A; Wong, Charles S

2007-01-01

The enantiomer composition of six chiral polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in three different certified Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): SRM 1946 (Lake Superior fish tissue), SRM 1939a (PCB Congeners in Hudson River Sediment), and SRM 2978 (organic contaminants in mussel tissue--Raritan Bay, New Jersey) to aid in quality assurance/quality control methodologies in the study of chiral pollutants in sediments and biota. Enantiomer fractions (EFs) of PCBs 91, 95, 136, 149, 174, and 183 were measured using a suite of chiral columns by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Concentrations of target analytes were in agreement with certified values. Target analyte EFs in reference materials were measured precisely (<2% relative standard deviation), indicating the utility of SRM in quality assurance/control methodologies for analyses of chiral compounds in environmental samples. Measured EFs were also in agreement with previously published analyses of similar samples, indicating that similar enantioselective processes were taking place in these environmental matrices.

Relationships among food label use, motivation, and dietary quality.

PubMed

Miller, Lisa M Soederberg; Cassady, Diana L; Applegate, Elizabeth A; Beckett, Laurel A; Wilson, Machelle D; Gibson, Tanja N; Ellwood, Kathleen

2015-02-05

Nutrition information on packaged foods supplies information that aids consumers in meeting the recommendations put forth in the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans such as reducing intake of solid fats and added sugars. It is important to understand how food label use is related to dietary intake. However, prior work is based only on self-reported use of food labels, making it unclear if subjective assessments are biased toward motivational influences. We assessed food label use using both self-reported and objective measures, the stage of change, and dietary quality in a sample of 392 stratified by income. Self-reported food label use was assessed using a questionnaire. Objective use was assessed using a mock shopping task in which participants viewed food labels and decided which foods to purchase. Eye movements were monitored to assess attention to nutrition information on the food labels. Individuals paid attention to nutrition information when selecting foods to buy. Self-reported and objective measures of label use showed some overlap with each other (r=0.29, p<0.001), and both predicted dietary quality (p<0.001 for both). The stage of change diminished the predictive power of subjective (p<0.09), but not objective (p<0.01), food label use. These data show both self-reported and objective measures of food label use are positively associated with dietary quality. However, self-reported measures appear to capture a greater motivational component of food label use than do more objective measures.

Quality Teaching in Addressing Student Achievement: A Comparative Study between National Board Certified Teachers and Other Teachers on the Kentucky Core Content Test Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buecker, Harrie Lynne

2010-01-01

This dissertation focused on the link between quality teaching and its potential impact on student achievement. National Board Certification is used to represent quality teaching and student achievement is measured by the Kentucky Core Content Test. Data were gathered on the reading and mathematics scores of students of National Board Teachers who…

Simultaneous multi-species determination of trimethyllead, monomethylmercury and three butyltin compounds by species-specific isotope dilution GC-ICP-MS in biological samples.

PubMed

Poperechna, Nataliya; Heumann, Klaus G

2005-09-01

An accurate and sensitive multi-species species-specific isotope dilution GC-ICP-MS method was developed for the simultaneous determination of trimethyllead (Me3Pb+), monomethylmercury (MeHg+) and the three butyltin species Bu3Sn+, Bu2Sn2+, and BuSn3+ in biological samples. The method was validated by three biological reference materials (CRM 477, mussel tissue certified for butyltins; CRM 463, tuna fish certified for MeHg+; DORM 2, dogfish muscle certified for MeHg+). Under certain conditions, and with minor modifications of the sample pretreatment procedure, this method could also be transferred to environmental samples such as sediments, as demonstrated by analyzing sediment reference material BCR 646 (freshwater sediment, certified for butyltins). The detection limits of the multi-species GC-ICP-IDMS method for biological samples were 1.4 ng g(-1) for MeHg+, 0.06 ng g(-1) for Me3Pb+, 0.3 ng g(-1) for BuSn3+ and Bu3Sn+, and 1.2 ng g(-1) for Bu2Sn2+. Because of the high relevance of these heavy metal alkyl species to the quality assurance of seafood, the method was also applied to corresponding samples purchased from a supermarket. The methylated lead fraction in these samples, correlated to total lead, varied over a broad range (from 0.01% to 7.6%). On the other hand, the MeHg+ fraction was much higher, normally in the range of 80-100%. Considering that we may expect tighter legislative limitations on MeHg+ levels in seafood in the future, we found the highest methylmercury contents (up to 10.6 microg g(-1)) in two shark samples, an animal which is at the end of the marine food chain, whereas MeHg+ contents of less than 0.2 microg g(-1) were found in most other seafood samples; these results correlate with the idea that MeHg+ is usually of biological origin in the marine environment. The concentration of butyltins and the fraction of the total tin content that is from butyltins strongly depend on possible contamination, due to the exclusively anthropogenic character of these compounds. A broad variation in the butylated tin fraction (in the range of <0.3-49%) was therefore observed in different seafood samples. Corresponding isotope-labeled spike compounds (except for trimethyllead) are commercially available for all of these compounds, and since these can be used in the multi-species species-specific GC-ICP-IDMS method developed here, this technique shows great potential for routine analysis in the future.

Manufacturing of microcomponents in a research institute under DIN EN ISO 9001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maas, Dieter; Karl, Bernhard; Saile, Volker; Schulz, Joachim

2000-08-01

The Institute for Microstructure Technology at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe has implemented a rigorous quality management system and was certified according to the DIN ISO EN 9001 standard in January 2000.

GEO Label Web Services for Dynamic and Effective Communication of Geospatial Metadata Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lush, Victoria; Nüst, Daniel; Bastin, Lucy; Masó, Joan; Lumsden, Jo

2014-05-01

We present demonstrations of the GEO label Web services and their integration into a prototype extension of the GEOSS portal (http://scgeoviqua.sapienzaconsulting.com/web/guest/geo_home), the GMU portal (http://gis.csiss.gmu.edu/GADMFS/) and a GeoNetwork catalog application (http://uncertdata.aston.ac.uk:8080/geonetwork/srv/eng/main.home). The GEO label is designed to communicate, and facilitate interrogation of, geospatial quality information with a view to supporting efficient and effective dataset selection on the basis of quality, trustworthiness and fitness for use. The GEO label which we propose was developed and evaluated according to a user-centred design (UCD) approach in order to maximise the likelihood of user acceptance once deployed. The resulting label is dynamically generated from producer metadata in ISO or FDGC format, and incorporates user feedback on dataset usage, ratings and discovered issues, in order to supply a highly informative summary of metadata completeness and quality. The label was easily incorporated into a community portal as part of the GEO Architecture Implementation Programme (AIP-6) and has been successfully integrated into a prototype extension of the GEOSS portal, as well as the popular metadata catalog and editor, GeoNetwork. The design of the GEO label was based on 4 user studies conducted to: (1) elicit initial user requirements; (2) investigate initial user views on the concept of a GEO label and its potential role; (3) evaluate prototype label visualizations; and (4) evaluate and validate physical GEO label prototypes. The results of these studies indicated that users and producers support the concept of a label with drill-down interrogation facility, combining eight geospatial data informational aspects, namely: producer profile, producer comments, lineage information, standards compliance, quality information, user feedback, expert reviews, and citations information. These are delivered as eight facets of a wheel-like label, which are coloured according to metadata availability and are clickable to allow a user to engage with the original metadata and explore specific aspects in more detail. To support this graphical representation and allow for wider deployment architectures we have implemented two Web services, a PHP and a Java implementation, that generate GEO label representations by combining producer metadata (from standard catalogues or other published locations) with structured user feedback. Both services accept encoded URLs of publicly available metadata documents or metadata XML files as HTTP POST and GET requests and apply XPath and XSLT mappings to transform producer and feedback XML documents into clickable SVG GEO label representations. The label and services are underpinned by two XML-based quality models. The first is a producer model that extends ISO 19115 and 19157 to allow fuller citation of reference data, presentation of pixel- and dataset- level statistical quality information, and encoding of 'traceability' information on the lineage of an actual quality assessment. The second is a user quality model (realised as a feedback server and client) which allows reporting and query of ratings, usage reports, citations, comments and other domain knowledge. Both services are Open Source and are available on GitHub at https://github.com/lushv/geolabel-service and https://github.com/52North/GEO-label-java. The functionality of these services can be tested using our GEO label generation demos, available online at http://www.geolabel.net/demo.html and http://geoviqua.dev.52north.org/glbservice/index.jsf.

Determination of chemical purity and isotopic composition of natural and carbon-13-labeled arsenobetaine bromide standards by quantitative(1)H-NMR.

PubMed

Le, Phuong-Mai; Ding, Jianfu; Leek, Donald M; Mester, Zoltan; Robertson, Gilles; Windust, Anthony; Meija, Juris

2016-10-01

In this study, we report the characterization of three arsenobetaine-certified reference materials by quantitative NMR. We have synthesized an arsenobetaine bromide high-purity standard of natural isotopic composition (ABET-1) and two carbon-13-labeled isotopic standards (BBET-1 and CBET-1). Assignments of the chemical purity and isotopic composition are not trivial in the case of arsenobetaine, and in this study we utilized quantitative(1)H-NMR techniques for the determination of the mass fractions (chemical purity). The isotopic purity of all three standards was also assessed by NMR from the carbon-13 satellite signals. The standards are non-hygroscopic, high-purity (ca. 0.99 g/g), and the carbon-13 enrichment for both isotopic standards is x((13)C)≈0.99. These standards are designed for use as primary calibrators for mass spectrometric determination of arsenobetaine in environmental samples.

CE: Original Research: Does Certification in Vascular Access Matter? An Analysis of the PICC1 Survey.

PubMed

Chopra, Vineet; Kuhn, Latoya; Vaughn, Valerie; Ratz, David; Winter, Suzanne; Moureau, Nancy; Meyer, Britt; Krein, Sarah

2017-12-01

: Background: Although certification by an accredited agency is often a practice prerequisite in health care, it is not required of vascular access specialists who insert peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs). Whether certification is associated with differences in practice among inserters is unknown. The purpose of this study was to gather information regarding whether certified and noncertified PICC inserters differ with respect to their practices and views about PICC use. We conducted a national survey of vascular access specialists, identifying certified PICC inserters as those who had received board certification from the Association for Vascular Access, the Infusion Nurses Society, or both. The 76-item survey asked about PICC policies and procedures at respondents' facilities, use of insertion technologies, device management, management of complications, perceptions about PICC use, and relationships with other health care providers. Additional data about respondents, including years in practice and primary practice settings, were also gathered. Bivariable comparisons were made using χ tests; two-sided α with P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Of the 1,450 respondents in the final sample, 1,007 (69%) said they were certified inserters and 443 (31%) said they were not. Significantly higher percentages of certified than noncertified inserters reported having practiced for five or more years (78% versus 54%) and having placed 1,000 or more PICCs (58% versus 32%). Significantly more certified than noncertified inserters also reported being the vascular access lead for their facility (56% versus 44%). Reported practice patterns for insertion, care, and management of PICCs varied based on certification status. Some evidence-based practices (such as the use of ultrasound to measure catheter-to-vein ratios) were more often reported by certified inserters, while others (such as the use of maximal sterile barriers during PICC insertion) were not. Asked about their perceptions of PICC use at their institution, certified inserters reported higher percentages of inappropriate insertion and removal than noncertified inserters. Certified PICC inserters appear to be a distinct group of vascular access specialists. A better understanding of how and why practices differ between certified and noncertified inserters is necessary to ensuring safer, high-quality patient care.

Effectiveness of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) for reducing fires on oil palm concessions in Indonesia from 2012 to 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cattau, Megan E.; Marlier, Miriam E.; DeFries, Ruth

2016-10-01

Fire is a common tool for land conversion and management associated with oil palm production. Fires can cause biodiversity and carbon losses, emit pollutants that deteriorate air quality and harm human health, and damage property. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) prohibits the use of fire on certified concessions. However, efforts to suppress fires are more difficult during El Niño conditions and on peatlands. In this paper, we address the following questions for oil palm concessions developed prior to 2012 in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the leading producers of oil palm both within Indonesia and globally: (1) for the period 2012-2015, did RSPO-certified concessions have a lower density of fire detections, fire ignitions, or ‘escaped’ fires compared with those concessions that are not certified? and (2) did this pattern change with increasing likelihood of fires in concessions located on peatland and in dry years? These questions are particularly critical in fuel-rich peatlands, of which approximately 46% of the area was designated as oil palm concession as of 2010. We conducted propensity scoring to balance covariate distributions between certified and non-certified concessions, and we compare the density of fires in certified and non-certified concessions using Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests based on moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer Active Fire Detections from 2012-2015 clustered into unique fire events. We find that fire activity is significantly lower on RSPO certified concessions than non-RSPO certified concessions when the likelihood of fire is low (i.e., on non-peatlands in wetter years), but not when the likelihood of fire is high (i.e., on non-peatlands in dry years or on peatlands). Our results provide evidence that RSPO has the potential to reduce fires, though it is currently only effective when fire likelihood is relatively low. These results imply that, in order for this mechanism to reduce fire, additional strategies will be needed to control fires in oil palm plantations in dry years and on peatlands.

Quality of websites with patient information about spinal cord injury in Spanish.

PubMed

Bea-Muñoz, M; Medina-Sánchez, M; Flórez-García, M T

2016-07-01

Descriptive, cross-sectional analysis of websites with information on spinal cord injury (SCI) in Spanish. To assess the quality, readability and presence of quality labels on web pages with information about SCI in Spanish. The Internet. An Internet search was conducted on Google with the keywords 'lesión medular' (spinal cord injury), 'paraplejia' (paraplegia) and 'tetraplejia' (tetraplegia). The first 50 results of each search were included. The quality of websites was assessed with the LIDA tool while the readability was assessed with the Flesch-Szigriszt index and the INFLESZ scale. We also checked the presence of any quality label. After excluding duplicated and irrelevant results, 33 websites were analysed. Only four of them had a quality label. The mean score of the LIDA tool was 61.12% (medium quality), and the worst results were those referring to the reliability of the information. The readability of the web pages was somewhat difficult, with a mean of 48.22 in the Flesch-Szigriszt index. Only eight of the websites showed normal readability. We observed no differences in either the quality or the readability of the websites according to their origin or the presence of quality labels. The websites analysed present a medium quality. Mainly, they should improve the reliability of their contents and their readability, including more quality labels. For SCI information in Spanish to be understandable and to provide valuable content, websites analysed in our study need to improve the quality parameters.

Mentoring Professors: A Model for Developing Quality Online Instructors and Courses in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barczyk, Casimir; Buckenmeyer, Janet; Feldman, Lori

2010-01-01

This article presents a four-stage model for mentoring faculty in higher education to deliver high quality online instruction. It provides a timeline that shows the stages of program implementation. Known as the Distance Education Mentoring Program, its major outcomes include certified instructors, student achievement, and the attainment of a…

Peace Studies and the Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ediger, Marlow

Numerous reasons can be given for the low quality of teaching in the social studies. Teachers may be improperly certified, or they may teach to maintain employment rather than to do a good job. To teach peace studies courses requires the cream of the crop in terms of quality instruction. Teachers should be well above the minimum requirements for…

Quality Alternative Certification Programs in Special Education Ensure High Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karge, Belinda D.; McCabe, Marjorie

2014-01-01

Market driven alternative routes to teaching have evolved into a quality program option and not just an answer to the teacher shortage. Alternative certification is a viable means of recruiting, training, and certifying those who have a bachelor's degree and a strong desire to enter the field of teaching. California has been a leader in the…

77 FR 34297 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh-Beaver...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-11

... requirement, monitoring sites ID 42-003-0093 (North Park) and ID 42- 003-0095 (Moon) have missing data for the... monitoring periods 2007-2009 and 2008-2010, EPA has addressed the missing data by applying a recently... based upon complete, quality-assured and certified ambient air monitoring data for the 2008-2010 period...

77 FR 64973 - Don W. Gilbert Hydro Power, LLC; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing With the Commission...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-24

... water quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality...-foot-diameter, 700-foot-long partially buried steel or plastic penstock; (3) a powerhouse containing...

Beef quality labels: A combination of sensory acceptance test, stated willingness to pay, and choice-based conjoint analysis.

PubMed

Meyerding, Stephan G H; Gentz, Maria; Altmann, Brianne; Meier-Dinkel, Lisa

2018-08-01

Consumer perspectives of beef quality are complex, leading to a market that is increasingly differentiating. Thus, ongoing monitoring and assessment of changes in consumer perspectives is essential to identify changing market conditions. Often only credence and search characteristics are evaluated in consumer studies; therefore the object of the present study is to examine consumer preferences and perceptions towards beef steaks, also including experience characteristics, using a mixed methods approach. For this reason, 55 consumers participated in an experiment in Germany, including a sensory acceptance test, stated willingness to pay, and choice-based conjoint analysis (CBCA). Different quality characteristics were included, but a focus on the quality labels of 'dry aged beef', 'Block House beef', and 'Angus beef' was predominant throughout the experiment with the results showing that quality labels significantly increased overall liking as well as the stated willingness to pay. Quality labels were also the one of the most important characteristics in the conjoint analysis, after origin and price. The results of all applied methods are comparable for the characteristic quality label. The combination of sensory acceptance test and CBCA were additionally able to evaluate all three kinds of beef quality characteristics, which could not be evaluated together only using a single method. This suggests that a mixture of methods should be used to gain better knowledge on the true behavior of beef consumers. Experience and credence characteristics, including beef quality labels, present opportunities for future research as well as the potential for determining product and market differentiation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of and factors that influence board certification among pharmacy practice faculty at United States colleges and schools of pharmacy.

PubMed

Toussaint, Kimberly A; Watson, Kristin; Marrs, Joel C; Sturpe, Deborah A; Anderson, Sarah L; Haines, Stuart T

2013-01-01

Board certification is a means of demonstrating expertise above the minimum licensing standards. For many health care professionals, this credential is a necessity. As pharmacists become involved in more advanced patient care services, board certification becomes an essential component to ensuring quality care. The prevalence of United States pharmacy practice faculty members who are board certified, however, is unknown. In addition, to our knowledge, factors that serve to motivate or discourage faculty from obtaining board certification have not been previously described; thus, 900 pharmacy practice faculty members listed in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) online directory were invited to complete an online survey regarding motivators and barriers for board certification. In addition, a list of board-certified pharmacists, obtained from the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, was used to check the board certification status of all pharmacy practice faculty members listed in the AACP directory. In 2011, the prevalence of board certification among the 2867 pharmacy practice faculty members was 37% (1063 pharmacists), with the highest prevalence found among assistant professors (39.4%). A total of 322 faculty members (36% response rate) completed the survey; of these, 308 self-identified as pharmacy practice faculty, and their responses were included in the analysis. Current board certification in pharmacy specialties was reported by 163 respondents (52.9%); 14 (4.5%) were previously certified. Among the 308 respondents, the most common perceived reason why pharmacy practice faculty become board certified was the desire to be recognized as an expert in the field (71.5%). Those who were currently board certified indicated personal growth as the most important reason (60.1%). Those previously certified indicated no perceived benefit as the most common reason for not recertifying (71.4%). Among those never certified, no perceived need (52.0%) or benefit (44.8%) were the most common reasons for not becoming certified; however, a majority of those never certified (68%) stated that they would become board certified if there was no associated cost and they were confident they would pass. To increase the prevalence of board certification in pharmacy practice faculty at U.S. schools and colleges of pharmacy, the benefits of this credential must be addressed at each institution. Steps should be taken to assist and encourage board certification. © 2012 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

[Current Situation Survey of the Measures to Prevent Medication Errors in the Operating Room: Report of the Japan Society of Anesthesiologists Safety Commission Working Group for Consideration of Recommendations for Color Coding of Prepared Syringe Labels for Prevention of Medication Errors].

PubMed

Shida, Kyoko; Suzuki, Toshiyasu; Sugahara, Kazuhiro; Sobue, Kazuya

2016-05-01

In the case of medication errors which are among the more frequent adverse events that occur in the hospital, there is a need for effective measures to prevent incidence. According to the Japan Society of Anesthesiologists study "Drug incident investigation 2005-2007 years", "Error of a syringe at the selection stage" was the most frequent (44.2%). The status of current measures and best practices implemented in Japanese hospitals was the focus of a subsequent investigation. Representative specialists in anesthesiology certified hospitals across the country were surveyed via a questionnaire sampling that lasted 46 days. Investigation method was via the Web with survey responses anonymous. With respect to preventive measures implemented to mitigate risk of medication errors in perioperative settings, responses included: incident and accident report (215 facilities, 70.3%), use of pre-filled syringes (180 facilities, 58.8%), devised the arrangement of dangerous drugs (154 facilities, 50.3%), use of the product with improper connection preventing mechanism (123 facilities, 40.2%), double-check (116 facilities, 37.9%), use of color barreled syringe (115 facilities, 37.6%), use of color label or color tape (89 facilities, 29.1%), presentation of medication such as placing the ampoule or syringe on a tray by dividing color code for drug class on a tray (54 facilities, 17.6%), the discontinuance of handwritten labels (23 facilities, 7.5%), use of a drug verification system that uses bar code (20 facilities, 6.5%), and facilities that have not implemented any means (11 facilities, 3.6%), others not mentioned (10 facilities, 3.3%), and use of carts that count/account the agents by drug type and record selection and number picked automatically (6 facilities, 2.0%). Drug name identification affixed to the syringe via perforated label torn from the ampoule/vial, etc. (245 facilities, 28.1%), handwriting directly to the syringe (208 facilities, 23.8%), use of the attached label (like that comes with the product) (187 facilities, 21.4%), handwriting on the plain tape (87 facilities, 10.0%), printing labels (62 facilities, 7.1%), printed color labels (44 facilities, 5.0%), handwriting on the color tape (27 facilities, 3.1%), machinery for printing the drug name by scanning bar code of the ampoule, etc.(10 facilities, 1.1%), others (3 facilities, 0.3%), no description on the prepared drug (0 facilities, 0%). The awareness of international standard color code, such as by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), was only 18.6%. Targeting anesthesiology certified hospitals recognized by the Japan Society of Anesthesiologists, the result of the survey on the measures to prevent medication errors during perioperative procedures indicated that various measures were documented in use. However, many facilities still use hand written labels (a common cause for errors). Confirmation of the need for improved drug name and drug recognition on syringe was documented.

A history of the American Board of Surgery: vignettes from the certifying examination: The Edgar J. Poth Memorial Lecture.

PubMed

Walker, John Patrick

2015-12-01

The American Board of Surgery was established in 1937 to certify surgeons who through training, experience, and examination meet the highest standards of surgical care. This lecture was given as the Edgar Poth lecture at the April 2015 meeting of the Southwestern Surgical Congress. Dr Poth was a surgical educator from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston who was President of the Southwestern in 1963. The paper presents the history of the founding of the American Board of Surgery, with particular emphasis on the certifying examination-Part 2. Vignettes of occurrences associated with the "Oral" examination are given. The examination has changed substantially from a 2-day event involving an actual surgical procedure to the 90-minute quiz given today. The oral examinations remain an important part in the process of certification of surgeons of the highest quality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a new chlorogenic acid certified reference material for food and drug analysis.

PubMed

Yang, Dezhi; Jiao, LingTai; Zhang, Baoxi; Du, Guanhua; Lu, Yang

2017-06-05

This paper reports the preparation and characterization of a new chlorogenic acid (CHA) certified reference material (CRM), which is unavailable commercially. CHA is an active ingredient found in many geo-authentic Chinese medicinal materials and developed as an anti-cancer drug. In this work, trace impurities were isolated and identified through various techniques. CHA CRM was quantified with two analytical methods, and their results were in good agreement with each other. The certified value and corresponding expanded uncertainty of CHA CRM reached 99.4%±0.2%, which was calculated by multiplying the combined standard uncertainty by the coverage factor (k=2), at a confidence level of 95%. This CRM can be used to calibrate measurement system, evaluate or validate measurement procedures, assign traceable property values to non-CRMs, and conduct quality control assays. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

All Entangled States can Demonstrate Nonclassical Teleportation.

PubMed

Cavalcanti, Daniel; Skrzypczyk, Paul; Šupić, Ivan

2017-09-15

Quantum teleportation, the process by which Alice can transfer an unknown quantum state to Bob by using preshared entanglement and classical communication, is one of the cornerstones of quantum information. The standard benchmark for certifying quantum teleportation consists in surpassing the maximum average fidelity between the teleported and the target states that can be achieved classically. According to this figure of merit, not all entangled states are useful for teleportation. Here we propose a new benchmark that uses the full information available in a teleportation experiment and prove that all entangled states can implement a quantum channel which cannot be reproduced classically. We introduce the idea of nonclassical teleportation witness to certify if a teleportation experiment is genuinely quantum and discuss how to quantify this phenomenon. Our work provides new techniques for studying teleportation that can be immediately applied to certify the quality of quantum technologies.

The development and certification of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) to assess and ensure accurate measurement of Pb in the environment.

PubMed

Fassett, J D; MacDonald, B S

2001-08-01

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has had a major quality-assurance role in the federal effort to reduce lead poisoning of children in the United States through its mission of ensuring the accuracy of chemical measurements. NIST certifies reference materials (standard reference materials--SRMs) that are used to benchmark measurements by secondary and field methods of analysis--to ensure that decisions of great health and economic impact are soundly based on good measurement science. Over the past 10 years, in cooperation with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), NIST has prepared and certified SRMs for lead content in soil, indoor dust, and paint. The role of these materials in meeting regulatory and abatement needs is described and their certified values are summarized.

LEGO plot for simultaneous application of multiple quality requirements during trueness verification of quantitative laboratory tests.

PubMed

Park, Hae-il; Chae, Hyojin; Kim, Myungshin; Lee, Jehoon; Kim, Yonggoo

2014-03-01

We developed a two-dimensional plot for viewing trueness that takes into account potential shift and variable quality requirements to verify trueness using certified reference material (CRM). Glucose, total cholesterol (TC), and creatinine levels were determined by two kinds of assay in two levels of a CRM. Available quality requirements were collected, codified, and sorted in an ascending order in the plot's header row. Centering on the mean of measured values from CRM, the "mean ± US CLIA '88 allowable total error" was located in the header of the leftmost and rightmost columns. Twenty points were created in intervening columns as potential shifts. Uncertainties were calculated according to regression between certified values and uncertainties of CRM, and positioned in the corresponding columns. Cells were assigned different colors where column and row intersected based on comparison of the 95% confidence interval of the percentage bias with each quality requirement. A glucose assay failed to meet the highest quality criteria, for which shift of +0.13-0.14 mmol/l was required. A TC assay met the quality requirement and a shift of ±0.03 mmol/l was tolerable. A creatinine assay also met the quality requirement but any shift was not tolerable. The plot provides a systematic view of the trueness of quantitative laboratory tests. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Quality and Certification of Electronic Health Records

PubMed Central

Hoerbst, A.; Ammenwerth, E.

2010-01-01

Background Numerous projects, initiatives, and programs are dedicated to the development of Electronic Health Records (EHR) worldwide. Increasingly more of these plans have recently been brought from a scientific environment to real life applications. In this context, quality is a crucial factor with regard to the acceptance and utility of Electronic Health Records. However, the dissemination of the existing quality approaches is often rather limited. Objectives The present paper aims at the description and comparison of the current major quality certification approaches to EHRs. Methods A literature analysis was carried out in order to identify the relevant publications with regard to EHR quality certification. PubMed, ACM Digital Library, IEEExplore, CiteSeer, and Google (Scholar) were used to collect relevant sources. The documents that were obtained were analyzed using techniques of qualitative content analysis. Results The analysis discusses and compares the quality approaches of CCHIT, EuroRec, IHE, openEHR, and EN13606. These approaches differ with regard to their focus, support of service-oriented EHRs, process of (re-)certification and testing, number of systems certified and tested, supporting organizations, and regional relevance. Discussion The analyzed approaches show differences with regard to their structure and processes. System vendors can exploit these approaches in order to improve and certify their information systems. Health care organizations can use these approaches to support selection processes or to assess the quality of their own information systems. PMID:23616834

The Impact of Working in a Green Certified Building on Cognitive Function and Health.

PubMed

MacNaughton, Piers; Satish, Usha; Laurent, Jose Guillermo Cedeno; Flanigan, Skye; Vallarino, Jose; Coull, Brent; Spengler, John D; Allen, Joseph G

2017-03-01

Thirty years of public health research have demonstrated that improved indoor environmental quality is associated with better health outcomes. Recent research has demonstrated an impact of the indoor environment on cognitive function. We recruited 109 participants from 10 high-performing buildings (i.e. buildings surpassing the ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010 ventilation requirement and with low total volatile organic compound concentrations) in five U.S. cities. In each city, buildings were matched by week of assessment, tenant, type of worker and work functions. A key distinction between the matched buildings was whether they had achieved green certification. Workers were administered a cognitive function test of higher order decision-making performance twice during the same week while indoor environmental quality parameters were monitored. Workers in green certified buildings scored 26.4% (95% CI: [12.8%, 39.7%]) higher on cognitive function tests, controlling for annual earnings, job category and level of schooling, and had 30% fewer sick building symptoms than those in non-certified buildings. These outcomes may be partially explained by IEQ factors, including thermal conditions and lighting, but the findings suggest that the benefits of green certification standards go beyond measureable IEQ factors. We describe a holistic "buildingomics" approach for examining the complexity of factors in a building that influence human health.

The Impact of Working in a Green Certified Building on Cognitive Function and Health

PubMed Central

MacNaughton, Piers; Satish, Usha; Laurent, Jose Guillermo Cedeno; Flanigan, Skye; Vallarino, Jose; Coull, Brent; Spengler, John D.; Allen, Joseph G.

2017-01-01

Thirty years of public health research have demonstrated that improved indoor environmental quality is associated with better health outcomes. Recent research has demonstrated an impact of the indoor environment on cognitive function. We recruited 109 participants from 10 high-performing buildings (i.e. buildings surpassing the ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010 ventilation requirement and with low total volatile organic compound concentrations) in five U.S. cities. In each city, buildings were matched by week of assessment, tenant, type of worker and work functions. A key distinction between the matched buildings was whether they had achieved green certification. Workers were administered a cognitive function test of higher order decision-making performance twice during the same week while indoor environmental quality parameters were monitored. Workers in green certified buildings scored 26.4% (95% CI: [12.8%, 39.7%]) higher on cognitive function tests, controlling for annual earnings, job category and level of schooling, and had 30% fewer sick building symptoms than those in non-certified buildings. These outcomes may be partially explained by IEQ factors, including thermal conditions and lighting, but the findings suggest that the benefits of green certification standards go beyond measureable IEQ factors. We describe a holistic “buildingomics” approach for examining the complexity of factors in a building that influence human health. PMID:28785124

[Preparation and certification of mussel reference material for organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls using isotope dilution-high resolution mass spectrometry].

PubMed

Lu, Xianbo; Chen, Jiping; Wang, Shuqiu; Zou, Lili; Tian, Yuzeng; Ni, Yuwen; Su, Fan

2012-09-01

A method for the preparation and certification of the reference material of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in mussel tissue is described. The mussel tissue from Dalian Bay was frozen-dried, comminuted, sieved, homogenized, packaged, and sterilized by 60Co radiation sterilization in turn. The certified values for 18 OCPs and 16 PCBs were determined by high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) using isotope dilution and internal standard quantitation techniques. The certified values were validated and given based on seven accredited laboratories, and these values are traceable to the SI (international system of units) through gravimetrically prepared standards of established purity and measurement intercomparisons. The certified values of PCBs and OCPs in mussel span 4 orders of magnitude with a relative uncertainty of about 10%. This material is a natural biological material with confirmed good homogeneity and stability, and it was approved as the grade "primary reference material" (GBW10069) in June 2012 in China. This reference material provided necessary quality control products for our country to implement the Stockholm Treaty on the monitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The material is intended to be used for the method validation and quality control in the determination of OCPs and PCBs in biota samples.

21 CFR 111.120 - What quality control operations are required for components, packaging, and labels before use in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... components, packaging, and labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? 111.120 Section 111..., OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Production and Process Control System: Requirements for... labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? Quality control operations for components...

21 CFR 111.120 - What quality control operations are required for components, packaging, and labels before use in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... components, packaging, and labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? 111.120 Section 111..., OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Production and Process Control System: Requirements for... labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? Quality control operations for components...

21 CFR 111.120 - What quality control operations are required for components, packaging, and labels before use in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... components, packaging, and labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? 111.120 Section 111..., OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Production and Process Control System: Requirements for... labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? Quality control operations for components...

21 CFR 111.120 - What quality control operations are required for components, packaging, and labels before use in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... components, packaging, and labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? 111.120 Section 111..., OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Production and Process Control System: Requirements for... labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? Quality control operations for components...

21 CFR 111.120 - What quality control operations are required for components, packaging, and labels before use in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... components, packaging, and labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? 111.120 Section 111..., OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Production and Process Control System: Requirements for... labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? Quality control operations for components...

[Comparative analysis of quality labels of health websites].

PubMed

Padilla-Garrido, N; Aguado-Correa, F; Huelva-López, L; Ortega-Moreno, M

2016-01-01

The search for health related information on the Internet is a growing phenomenon, buts its main drawback is the lack of reliability of information consulted. The aim of this study was to analyse and compare existing quality labels of health websites. A cross-sectional study was performed by searching Medline, IBECS, Google, and Yahoo, in both English and Spanish, between 8 and 9 March, 2015. Different keywords were used depending on whether the search was conducted in medical databases or generic search engines. The quality labels were classified according to their origin, analysing their character, year of implementation, the existence of the accreditation process, number of categories, criteria and standards, possibility of self-assessment, number of levels of certification, certification scope, validity, analytical quality of content, fee, results of the accreditation process, application and number of websites granted the seal, and quality labels obtained by the accrediting organisation. Seven quality labels, five of Spanish origin (WMA, PAWS, WIS, SEAFORMEC and M21) and two international ones (HONcode and Health Web Site Accreditation), were analysed. There was disparity in carrying out the accreditation process, with some not detailing key aspects of the process, or providing incomplete, outdated, or even inaccurate information. The most rigorous guaranteed the level of confidence that the websites had in relation to the content of information, but none checked the quality of them. Although rigorous quality labels may become useful, the deficiencies in some of them cast doubt on their current usefulness. Copyright © 2015 SECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Implementation of a reference standard and proficiency testing programme by the World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN)

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The Worldwide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN) is a global collaboration to support the objective that anyone affected by malaria receives effective and safe drug treatment. The Pharmacology module aims to inform optimal anti-malarial drug selection. There is an urgent need to define the drug exposure - effect relationship for most anti-malarial drugs. Few anti-malarials have had their therapeutic blood concentration levels defined. One of the main challenges in assessing safety and efficacy data in relation to drug concentrations is the comparability of data generated from different laboratories. To explain differences in anti-malarial pharmacokinetics in studies with different measurement laboratories it is necessary to confirm the accuracy of the assay methods. This requires the establishment of an external quality assurance process to assure results that can be compared. This paper describes this process. Methods The pharmacology module of WWARN has established a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) programme consisting of two separate components: 1. A proficiency testing programme where blank human plasma spiked with certified reference material (CRM) in different concentrations is sent out to participating bioanalytical laboratories. 2. A certified reference standard programme where accurately weighed amounts of certified anti-malarial reference standards, metabolites, and internal standards are sent to participating bioanalytical and in vitro laboratories. Conclusion The proficiency testing programme is designed as a cooperative effort to help participating laboratories assess their ability to carry out drug analysis, resolve any potential problem areas and to improve their results - and, in so doing, to improve the quality of anti-malarial pharmacokinetic data published and shared with WWARN. By utilizing the same source of standards for all laboratories, it is possible to minimize bias arising from poor quality reference standards. By providing anti-malarial drug standards from a central point, it is possible to lower the cost of these standards. PMID:21184684

Nutrition facts panel use is associated with higher diet quality and lower glycated hemoglobin concentrations in US adults with undiagnosed prediabetes.

PubMed

Kollannoor-Samuel, Grace; Shebl, Fatma M; Hawley, Nicola L; Pérez-Escamilla, Rafael

2016-12-01

The majority of US consumers use the nutrition facts panel (NFP) or health claims for food selections. Although previous studies have consistently reported positive impacts of NFP use on dietary intake, evidence regarding the effect of the use of health claims, either alone or in combination with the NFP, on diet quality and health outcomes is scarce. Our primary objective was to test for associations of the use of food labels (the NFP or health claims) with overall diet quality in individuals with prediabetes. In addition, we examined the association between food label use and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) concentrations. We conducted a weighted linear regression, which was appropriate for a complex sampling survey, with the use of cross-sectional data from 2654 US adults with undiagnosed prediabetes who participated in the 2005-2010 NHANES cycles. The following 4 categories of food label (NFP or health claims) use were identified: 1) both labels, 2) health claims only, 3) neither label, and 4) the NFP only. Healthy Eating Index-2010 score, which we used to assess diet quality, was calculated from two 24-h recalls. Blood samples for analyzing HbA1c concentrations (glycemic control) were collected in the mobile examination center. The overall diet quality scores for the use of both labels [b: -2.76 (95% CI: -5.04, -0.48); P = 0.019], of health claims only [b: -3.46 (-6.64, -0.28); P = 0.033], and of neither label [b: -4.01 (-5.75, -2.28); P < 0.001] were lower than those of NFP-only users. Moreover, HbA1c concentrations of users of both labels [b: 0.09% (95% CI: 0.03%, 0.16%); P = 0.008] and health claims only [b: 0.13% (95% CI: 0.02%, 0.25%); P = 0.021] were higher than those of NFP-only users. In participants with undiagnosed prediabetes, the use of health claims alone, of both labels, or of neither label (compared with the use of the NFP only) was associated with poorer diet quality. In addition, users of neither label and users of both labels had poorer glycemic control. Further studies are needed to understand why the use of health claims may not be health promoting in this high-risk population. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

78 FR 885 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Utah; Determination of Clean Data...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-07

... finalizing a determination that the Ogden City nonattainment area in Utah is currently attaining the 24-hour... monitoring data for the years 2009 through 2011. The State of Utah submitted a letter dated March 30, 2000... attaining the 24-hour PM 10 NAAQS based on certified and quality-assured data from the most recent three...

77 FR 21663 - Air Quality Implementation Plans; Kentucky; Attainment Plan for the Kentucky Portion of the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-11

... available, but not yet certified, in the Air Quality System (AQS) database for 2011 show that this Area.... Moreover, there is no support for the Commenter's contention, based on the flawed premise that allowance... strong legal basis. To the extent that the current status of CAIR and the Transport Rule affect any of...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kalavapudi, M.; Iyengar, V.

Increased industrial activities in developing countries have degraded the environment, and the impact on the environment is further magnified because of an ever-increasing population, the prime receptors. Independent of the geographical location, it is possible to adopt effective strategies to solve environmental problems. In the United States, waste characterization and remediation practices are commonly used for quantifying toxic contaminants in air, water, and soil. Previously, such procedures were extraneous, ineffective, and cost-intensive. Reconciliation between the government and stakeholders, reinforced by valid data analysis and environmental exposure assessments, has allowed the {open_quotes}Brownfields{close_quotes} to be a successful approach. Certified reference materials andmore » standard reference materials from the National Institute of Standards (NIST) are indispensable tools for solving environmental problems and help to validate data quality and the demands of legal metrology. Certified reference materials are commonly available, essential tools for developing good quality secondary and in-house reference materials that also enhance analytical quality. This paper cites examples of environmental conditions in developing countries, i.e., industrial pollution problems in India, polluted beaches in Brazil, and deteriorating air quality in countries, such as Korea, China, and Japan. The paper also highlights practical and effective approaches for remediating these problems. 23 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab.« less

"Meaningful use" of EHR in dental school clinics: how to benefit from the U.S. HITECH Act's financial and quality improvement incentives.

PubMed

Kalenderian, Elsbeth; Walji, Muhammad; Ramoni, Rachel B

2013-04-01

Through the 2009 HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) Act, the U.S. government committed $27 billion to incentivize the adoption and "meaningful use" of certified electronic health records (EHRs) by providers, including dentists. Given their patient profiles, dental school clinics are in a position to benefit from this time-delimited commitment to support the adoption and use of certified EHR technology under the Medicaid-based incentive. The benefits are not merely financial: rather, the meaningful use objectives and clinical quality measures can drive quality improvement initiatives within dental practices and help develop a community of medical and dental professionals focused on quality. This article describes how dentists can qualify as eligible providers and the set of activities that must be undertaken and attested to in order to obtain this incentive. Two case studies describe the approaches that can be used to meet the Medicaid threshold necessary to be eligible for the incentive. Dentists can and have successfully applied for meaningful use incentive payments. Given the diverse set of patients who are treated at dental schools, these dental practices are among those most likely to benefit from the incentive programs.

Certified reference material of volatile organic compounds for environmental analysis: BTEX in methanol.

PubMed

Neves, Laura A; Almeida, Renato R R; Rego, Eliane P; Rodrigues, Janaína Marques; de Carvalho, Lucas Junqueira; de M Goulart, Ana Letícia

2015-04-01

The Brazilian Metrology Institute (National Institute of Metrology, Quality, and Technology, Inmetro) has been developing a certified reference material (CRM) of the volatile organic compounds benzene; toluene; ethylbenzene; and ortho, meta, and para-xylenes (BTEX) in methanol, to ensure quality control for environmental-analysis measurements. The objective of this paper is to present the results of certification studies: uncertainty estimates related to characterization, a homogeneity study, and a stability study on a single lot of CRM composed of BTEX in methanol. The method used analysis of variance (ANOVA), a statistical tool, to evaluate the homogeneity and stability of the BTEX CRM, which complies with ISO Guide 30 series. The homogeneity and stability of the BTEX CRM was confirmed for all analytes and their respective properties. All the procedures used in this study complied with ISO GUIDE 34, ISO GUIDE 35, and the guide to the expression of uncertainty of measurement (GUM).

Remote nursing certified practice: viewing nursing and nurse practitioner practice through a social justice lens.

PubMed

Tarlier, Denise S; Browne, Annette J

2011-06-01

Remote Nursing Certified Practice (RNCP) was introduced in 2010 to regulate nursing practice in remote, largely First Nations communities in British Columbia, Canada. These are communities that often experience profound health and health-care inequities. Typically nurses are the main health-care providers. Using a critical social justice lens, the authors explore the clinical and ethical implications of RNCP in terms of access to equitable, high-quality primary health care.They examine the fit between the level and scope of health services provided by registered nurses working under RNCP and the health needs of remote First Nations communities. In doing so, they draw comparisons between nurse practitioners (NPs) and outpost nurses working in NP roles who historically were employed to provide health care in these communities.The authors conclude by calling for nursing regulations that support equitable, high-quality primary care for all British Columbians.

Critical outlook and trends for environmental reference materials at the Measurements & Testing Generic Activity (European Commission).

PubMed

Quevauviller, P; Bennink, D; Bøwadt, S

2001-05-01

It is now well recognised that the quality control (QC) of all types of analyses, including environmental analyses depends on the appropriate use of reference materials. One of the ways to check the accuracy of methods is based on the use of Certified Reference Materials (CRMs), whereas other types of (not certified) Reference Materials (RMs) are used for routine quality control (establishment of control charts) and interlaboratory testing (e.g. proficiency testing). The perception of these materials, in particular with respect to their production and use, differs widely according to various perspectives (e.g. RM producers, routine laboratories, researchers). This review discusses some critical aspects of RM use and production for the QC of environmental analyses and describes the new approach followed by the Measurements & Testing Generic Activity (European Commission) to tackle new research and production needs.

Objective Understanding of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels among Nutritionally At-Risk Individuals

PubMed Central

Ducrot, Pauline; Méjean, Caroline; Julia, Chantal; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle; Touvier, Mathilde; Fezeu, Léopold K.; Hercberg, Serge; Péneau, Sandrine

2015-01-01

In the ongoing debate about front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels, little data exist regarding nutritionally at-risk populations, although they are critical targets of prevention programs. This study aimed to compare the impact of FOP labels on the ability to rank products according to their nutritional quality among French adults potentially at risk of poor dietary quality (N = 14,230). Four labels were evaluated: Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA), Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL), 5-Color Nutrition Label (5-CNL), Green Tick (Tick), along with a reference without label. Mixed models were used to assess how individual characteristics and FOP labels were associated with the ability to rank products. Older participants and those with a lower educational level, income, nutritional knowledge, and likelihood of reading nutrition facts were less skilled at ranking food products according to nutritional quality. Compared with individual characteristics, nutrition labels had an increased impact on food product ranking ability. Overall, 5-CNL corresponded to the highest rate of correct responses, followed by MTL, GDA, and Tick (p < 0.0001). The strongest impact of 5-CNL was observed among individuals with no nutritional knowledge (odds ratio (OR): 20.24; 95% confidence interval (CI): 13.19–31.06). Therefore, 5-CNL appeared to be effective at informing consumers, including those who are nutritionally at-risk, about the nutritional quality of food products. PMID:26305255

Objective Understanding of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels among Nutritionally At-Risk Individuals.

PubMed

Ducrot, Pauline; Méjean, Caroline; Julia, Chantal; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle; Touvier, Mathilde; Fezeu, Léopold K; Hercberg, Serge; Péneau, Sandrine

2015-08-24

In the ongoing debate about front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels, little data exist regarding nutritionally at-risk populations, although they are critical targets of prevention programs. This study aimed to compare the impact of FOP labels on the ability to rank products according to their nutritional quality among French adults potentially at risk of poor dietary quality (N = 14,230). Four labels were evaluated: Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA), Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL), 5-Color Nutrition Label (5-CNL), Green Tick (Tick), along with a reference without label. Mixed models were used to assess how individual characteristics and FOP labels were associated with the ability to rank products. Older participants and those with a lower educational level, income, nutritional knowledge, and likelihood of reading nutrition facts were less skilled at ranking food products according to nutritional quality. Compared with individual characteristics, nutrition labels had an increased impact on food product ranking ability. Overall, 5-CNL corresponded to the highest rate of correct responses, followed by MTL, GDA, and Tick (p < 0.0001). The strongest impact of 5-CNL was observed among individuals with no nutritional knowledge (odds ratio (OR): 20.24; 95% confidence interval (CI): 13.19-31.06). Therefore, 5-CNL appeared to be effective at informing consumers, including those who are nutritionally at-risk, about the nutritional quality of food products.

Does Certification as Bariatric Surgery Center and Volume Influence the Outcome in RYGB-Data Analysis of German Bariatric Surgery Registry.

PubMed

Stroh, Christine; Köckerling, F; Lange, V; Wolff, S; Knoll, C; Bruns, C; Manger, Th

2017-02-01

To examine the association between the certification as bariatric surgery center and volume and patient outcome, data collected in the German Bariatric Surgery Registry were evaluated. All data were registered prospectively in cooperation with the Institute of Quality Assurance in Surgery at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. Data collection began in 2005 for all bariatric procedures in an online database. Participation in the quality assurance study is required for all certified bariatric surgery centers in Germany. Descriptive evaluation and matched pairs analysis were performed. Patients were matched via propensity score taking into account BMI, age, and incidence of comorbidities. During the period from 2005 to 2013, 3083 male and 10,639 female patients were operated on with the RYGB primary approach. In Centers of Competence (77.2 %) and non-accredited hospitals (76.3 %), the proportion of female patients was significantly lower than in Centers of Reference/Excellence (78.7 %; p = 0.002). The mean age in Centers of Reference/Excellence (41.2 years) was significantly lower than in Centers of Competence (43.2 years; p < 0.05). Propensity score analysis was performed to compare matched patients with regard to BMI, age, and incidence of comorbidities. The rate of general and surgical postoperative complications and mortality rate was significantly lower in certified Centers of Reference/Excellence compared to Centers of Competence with 29 and non-certified hospitals. There is evidence of improved patient outcome in certified bariatric surgery centers with higher volume. The study supports the concept of certification. There are different factors which can and cannot be preoperatively modified and influence the perioperative outcome.

Food-intake patterns assessed by using front-of-pack labeling program criteria associated with better diet quality and lower cardiometabolic risk

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Front-of-pack labeling systems may provide additional guidance to that already available to facilitate the identification of foods that improve diet quality. We examined the association between choosing foods that meet criteria of an established front-of-pack labeling system with food-group and nutr...

Characterizations of a quality certified athletic trainer.

PubMed

Raab, Scot; Wolfe, Brent D; Gould, Trenton E; Piland, Scott G

2011-01-01

Didactic proficiency does not ensure clinical aptitude. Quality athletic health care requires clinical knowledge and affective traits. To develop a grounded theory explaining the constructs of a quality certified athletic trainer (AT). Delphi study. Interviews in conference rooms or business offices and by telephone. Thirteen ATs (men = 8, women = 5) stratified across the largest employment settings (high school, college, clinical) in the 4 largest districts of the National Athletic Trainers? Association (2, 3, 4, 9). Open-ended interview questions were audio recorded, transcribed, and reviewed before condensing. Two member checks ensured trustworthiness. Open coding reduced text to descriptive adjectives. We grouped adjectives into 5 constructs (care, communication, commitment, integrity, knowledge) and grouped these constructs into 2 higher-order constructs (affective traits, effective traits). According to participants, ATs who demonstrate the ability to care, show commitment and integrity, value professional knowledge, and communicate effectively with others can be identified as quality ATs. These abilities facilitate the creation of positive relationships. These relationships allow the quality AT to interact with patients and other health care professionals on a knowledgeable basis that ultimately improves health care delivery. Our resulting theory supported the examination of characteristics not traditionally assessed in an athletic training education program. If researchers can show that these characteristics develop ATs into quality ATs (eg, those who work better with others, relate meaningfully with patients, and improve the standard of health care), they must be cultivated in the educational setting.

RMP*eSubmit

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This online reporting software improves data quality and enables you to access your Risk Management Plan 24/7. It operates through EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX) and runs in Java. You will need to set up accounts for a certifying official and preparer.

21 CFR 900.12 - Quality standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... to mammography. The training shall include instruction in radiation physics, including radiation physics specific to mammography, radiation effects, and radiation protection. The mammographic... ensure that medical physicists certified by the body are competent to perform physics survey; and (B)(1...

21 CFR 900.12 - Quality standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... to mammography. The training shall include instruction in radiation physics, including radiation physics specific to mammography, radiation effects, and radiation protection. The mammographic... ensure that medical physicists certified by the body are competent to perform physics survey; and (B)(1...

21 CFR 900.12 - Quality standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... to mammography. The training shall include instruction in radiation physics, including radiation physics specific to mammography, radiation effects, and radiation protection. The mammographic... ensure that medical physicists certified by the body are competent to perform physics survey; and (B)(1...

21 CFR 900.12 - Quality standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... to mammography. The training shall include instruction in radiation physics, including radiation physics specific to mammography, radiation effects, and radiation protection. The mammographic... ensure that medical physicists certified by the body are competent to perform physics survey; and (B)(1...

Evaluating the accuracy of technicians and pharmacists in checking unit dose medication cassettes.

PubMed

Ambrose, Peter J; Saya, Frank G; Lovett, Larry T; Tan, Sandy; Adams, Dale W; Shane, Rita

2002-06-15

The accuracy rates of board-registered pharmacy technicians and pharmacists in checking unit dose medication cassettes in the inpatient setting at two separate institutions were examined. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, both in Los Angeles county, petitioned the California State Board of Pharmacy to approve a waiver of the California Code of Regulations to conduct an experimental program to compare the accuracy of unit dose medication cassettes checked by pharmacists with that of cassettes checked by trained, certified pharmacy technicians. The study consisted of three parts: assessing pharmacist baseline checking accuracy (Phase I), developing a technician-training program and certifying technicians who completed the didactic and practical training (Phase II), and evaluating the accuracy of certified technicians checking unit dose medication cassettes as a daily function (Phase III). Twenty-nine pharmacists and 41 technicians (3 of whom were pharmacy interns) participated in the study. Of the technicians, all 41 successfully completed the didactic and practical training, 39 successfully completed the audits and became certified checkers, and 2 (including 1 of the interns) did not complete the certification audits because they were reassigned to another work area or had resigned. In Phase II, the observed accuracy rate and its lower confidence limit exceeded the predetermined minimum requirement of 99.8% for a certified checker. The mean accuracy rates for technicians were identical at the two institutions (p = 1.0). The difference in mean accuracy rates between pharmacists (99.52%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 99.44-99.58%) and technicians, (99.89%; 95% CI 99.87-99.90%) was significant (p < 0.0001). Inpatient technicians who had been trained and certified in a closely supervised program that incorporated quality assurance mechanisms could safely and accurately check unit dose medication cassettes filled by other technicians.

Optimization and quality assessment of the post-digestion 18O labeling based on urea for protein denaturation by HPLC/ESI-TOF mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Wang, Hongbin; Hu, Gaofei; Zhang, Yongqian; Yuan, Zheng; Zhao, Xuan; Zhu, Yong; Cai, De; Li, Yujuan; Xiao, Shengyuan; Deng, Yulin

2010-07-15

The post-digestion (18)O labeling method decouples protein digestion and peptide labeling. This method allows labeling conditions to be optimized separately and increases labeling efficiency. A common method for protein denaturation in proteomics is the use of urea. Though some previous studies have used urea-based protein denaturation before post-digestion (18)O labeling, the optimal (18)O labeling conditions in this case have not been yet reported. Present study investigated the effects of urea concentration and pH on the labeling efficiency and obtained an optimized protocol. It was demonstrated that urea inhibited (18)O incorporation depending on concentration. However, a urea concentration between 1 and 2M had minimal effects on labeling. It was also demonstrated that the use of FA to quench the digestion reaction severely affected the labeling efficiency. This study revealed the reason why previous studies gave different optimal pH for labeling. They neglect the effects of different digestion conditions on the labeling conditions. Excellent labeling quality was obtained at the optimized conditions using urea 1-2 M and pH 4.5, 98.4+/-1.9% for a standard protein mixture and 97.2+/-6.2% for a complex biological sample. For a 1:1 mixture analysis of the (16)O- and (18)O-labeled peptides from the same protein sample, the average abundance ratios reached 1.05+/-0.31, demonstrating a good quantitation quality at the optimized conditions. This work will benefit other researchers who pair urea-based protein denaturation with a post-digestion (18)O labeling method. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lutetium-177 DOTATATE Production with an Automated Radiopharmaceutical Synthesis System.

PubMed

Aslani, Alireza; Snowdon, Graeme M; Bailey, Dale L; Schembri, Geoffrey P; Bailey, Elizabeth A; Pavlakis, Nick; Roach, Paul J

2015-01-01

Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) with yttrium-90 ((90)Y) and lutetium-177 ((177)Lu)-labelled SST analogues are now therapy option for patients who have failed to respond to conventional medical therapy. In-house production with automated PRRT synthesis systems have clear advantages over manual methods resulting in increasing use in hospital-based radiopharmacies. We report on our one year experience with an automated radiopharmaceutical synthesis system. All syntheses were carried out using the Eckert & Ziegler Eurotope's Modular-Lab Pharm Tracer® automated synthesis system. All materials and methods used were followed as instructed by the manufacturer of the system (Eckert & Ziegler Eurotope, Berlin, Germany). Sterile, GMP-certified, no-carrier added (NCA) (177)Lu was used with GMP-certified peptide. An audit trail was also produced and saved by the system. The quality of the final product was assessed after each synthesis by ITLC-SG and HPLC methods. A total of 17 [(177)Lu]-DOTATATE syntheses were performed between August 2013 and December 2014. The amount of radioactive [(177)Lu]-DOTATATE produced by each synthesis varied between 10-40 GBq and was dependant on the number of patients being treated on a given day. Thirteen individuals received a total of 37 individual treatment administrations in this period. There were no issues and failures with the system or the synthesis cassettes. The average radiochemical purity as determined by ITLC was above 99% (99.8 ± 0.05%) and the average radiochemical purity as determined by HPLC technique was above 97% (97.3 ± 1.5%) for this period. The automated synthesis of [(177)Lu]-DOTATATE using Eckert & Ziegler Eurotope's Modular-Lab Pharm Tracer® system is a robust, convenient and high yield approach to the radiolabelling of DOTATATE peptide benefiting from the use of NCA (177)Lu and almost negligible radiation exposure of the operators.

Effect of nutrition labels on dietary quality among college students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Christoph, Mary J; An, Ruopeng

2018-03-01

College students are at an elevated risk of poor nutrition and eating habits. The aim of this systematic review was to examine and quantify the effect of nutrition labels on diet quality in college students. Literature searches were conducted in 4 electronic databases. Peer-reviewed publications that assessed the effect of nutrition label use on food choice or dietary intake in college students were included. Twenty-two randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and pre-post studies were identified. Sixteen studies found label exposure to be associated with improved diet. Of the 13 studies reporting calories selected or consumed, 8 found that posting labels at the point of purchase decreased calories, 4 found no effect, and 1 found that calories consumed increased after posting labels. Nine of the 12 studies assessing noncaloric measures found that nutrition labels positively affected diet quality. Meta-analysis of pre-post studies found a decrease of 36 kcal (P < 0.05) with label exposure. Nutrition labels had a moderate but positive effect on dietary intake of college students. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

When Measurement Benefits the Measured

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-23

manage how you estimate your work and how you manage the quality of our work. Knowledge workers manage themselves with data. Software engineers...development, coaching, and training. His current research and development interests include data quality assessment and improvement, project...was an engineer and manager at Boeing in Seattle. He has a Masters Degree in Systems Engineering and is a senior member of IEEE. Mark is a certified

The Organization of Schools as an Overlooked Source of Underqualified Teaching. Teaching Quality Policy Briefs. Number 7

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy, 2002

2002-01-01

The study reported in this policy brief focuses on one aspect of unequal distribution of quality teaching--out-of-field placement. In schools serving primarily low-income and/or minority students, out-of-field teaching is an acute problem and occurs even though the causes have little to do with the lack of certified teachers. Rather, school…

75 FR 13710 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Designation of Areas for Air Quality Planning...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-23

...-10 standard is determined by calculating the expected number of days in a year with PM-10... PM-10. See 40 CFR part 50, appendix K. A complete year of air quality data, as referred to in 40 CFR... certified. As noted above, the 24-hour PM-10 standard is attained when the expected number of days per year...

Toward a food service quality management system for compliance with the Mediterranean dietary model.

PubMed

Grigoroudis, Evangelos; Psaroudaki, Antonia; Diakaki, Christina

2013-01-01

The traditional diet of Cretan people in the 1960s is the basis of the Mediterranean dietary model. This article investigates the potential of this model to inspire proposals of meals by food-serving businesses, and suggests a methodology for the development of a quality management system, which will certify the delivery of food service according to this dietary model. The proposed methodology is built upon the principles and structure of the ISO 9001:2008 quality standard to enable integration with other quality, environmental, and food safety management systems.

[ISO 9001:2015 Certification in Quality Management].

PubMed

Enders, Christian; Lang, Gabriele E; Lang, Gerhard K; Werner, Jens Ulrich

2017-07-01

Quality management improves the structures, processes and results of organizations of all kinds. Many practices and clinics have their existing quality management system certified according to ISO 9001, (e.g., to check their own quality management system or to obtain a testimonial against third parties). The latest version ISO 9001:2015 contains some changes, both structurally and in terms of content. These changes can be met with reasonable efforts. An ISO 9001:2015 certification represents a value for your organization, but these advantages are often not directly measurable. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

78 FR 34156 - Hazardous Materials: Emergency Recall Order

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-06

... unilateral changes to its manufacturing process, quality control oversight, and cylinder designs without... never functioned as designed, and indicated that the shutdown device had not stopped the manufacturing... 33-pound cylinders. Jurisdiction Lite Cylinder manufactures or has manufactured, marked, certified...

42 CFR 3.20 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., health care quality, or health care outcomes; and (A) Which are assembled or developed by a provider for... (includes a group practice), long term care facility, behavior health residential treatment facility..., psychologist, certified social worker, registered dietitian or nutrition professional, physical or occupational...

42 CFR 3.20 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., health care quality, or health care outcomes; and (A) Which are assembled or developed by a provider for... (includes a group practice), long term care facility, behavior health residential treatment facility..., psychologist, certified social worker, registered dietitian or nutrition professional, physical or occupational...

42 CFR 3.20 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., health care quality, or health care outcomes; and (A) Which are assembled or developed by a provider for... (includes a group practice), long term care facility, behavior health residential treatment facility..., psychologist, certified social worker, registered dietitian or nutrition professional, physical or occupational...

Development and validation of a sensitive and fast chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay for the detection of genetically modified maize.

PubMed

Roda, A; Mirasoli, M; Guardigli, M; Michelini, E; Simoni, P; Magliulo, M

2006-03-01

Proteins from the Cry 1 family, in particular Cry 1Ab, are commonly expressed in genetically modified Bt maize in order to control chewing insect pests. A sensitive chemiluminescent sandwich enzyme immunoassay for the detection of Cry1Ab protein from genetically modified Bt maize has been developed and validated. A Cry1Ab protein-specific antibody was immobilized on 96- or 384-well microtiter plates in order to capture the Cry1Ab toxin in the sample; the bound toxin was then detected by employing a second anti-Cry1Ab antibody and a horseradish peroxidase-labeled anti-antibody, followed by measurement of the enzyme activity with an enhanced chemiluminescent system. The chemiluminescent assay fulfilled all the requirements of accuracy and precision and exhibited limits of detection of a few pg mL(-1) Cry1Ab (3 or 5 pg mL(-1), depending on the assay format), which are significantly lower than that achievable using conventional colorimetric detection of peroxidase activity and also represent an improvement compared to previously developed Cry1Ab immunoassays. High-throughput analysis can be performed using the 384-well microtiter plate format immunoassay, which also allows one to reduce the consumption of samples and reagents. Validation of the assay, performed by analyzing certified reference materials, proved that the immunoassay is able to detect the presence of the Cry1Ab protein in certified reference samples containing as low as 0.1% of MON 810 genetically modified Bt maize. This value is below the threshold requiring mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified material according to the actual EU regulation.

10 CFR 32.25 - Conditions of licenses issued under § 32.22: Quality control, labeling, and reports of transfer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Conditions of licenses issued under § 32.22: Quality... Concentrations and Items § 32.25 Conditions of licenses issued under § 32.22: Quality control, labeling, and... in the manufacture of the product to assure that each production lot meets the quality control...

10 CFR 32.25 - Conditions of licenses issued under § 32.22: Quality control, labeling, and reports of transfer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Conditions of licenses issued under § 32.22: Quality... Concentrations and Items § 32.25 Conditions of licenses issued under § 32.22: Quality control, labeling, and... in the manufacture of the product to assure that each production lot meets the quality control...

Re-evaluation and extension of the scope of elements in US Geological Survey Standard Reference Water Samples

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peart, D.B.; Antweiler, Ronald C.; Taylor, Howard E.; Roth, D.A.; Brinton, T.I.

1998-01-01

More than 100 US Geological Survey (USGS) Standard Reference Water Samples (SRWSs) were analyzed for numerous trace constituents, including Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Br, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, I, Fe, Pb, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Rb, Sb, Se, Sr, Te, Tl, U, V, Zn and major elements (Ca, Mg, Na, SiO2, SO4, Cl) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. In addition, 15 USGS SRWSs and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standard reference material (SRM) 1641b were analyzed for mercury using cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Also USGS SRWS Hg-7 was analyzed using isotope dilution-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results were compared with the reported certified values of the following standard reference materials: NIST SRM 1643a, 1643b, 1643c and 1643d and National Research Council of Canada Riverine Water Reference Materials for Trace Metals SLRS-1, SLRS-2 and SLRS-3. New concentration values for trace and major elements in the SRWSs, traceable to the certified standards, are reported. Additional concentration values are reported for elements that were neither previously published for the SRWSs nor traceable to the certified reference materials. Robust statistical procedures were used that were insensitive to outliers. These data can be used for quality assurance/quality control purposes in analytical laboratories.

A Natural Experiment: Using Immersive Technologies to Study the Impact of "All-Natural" Labeling on Perceived Food Quality, Nutritional Content, and Liking.

PubMed

Liu, Rebecca; Hooker, Neal H; Parasidis, Efthimios; Simons, Christopher T

2017-03-01

The "all-natural" label is used extensively in the United States. At many point-of-purchase locations, employed servers provide food samples and call out specific label information to influence consumers' purchase decisions. Despite these ubiquitous practices, it is unclear what information is conveyed to consumers by the all-natural label or how it impacts judgments of perceived food quality, nutritional content, and acceptance. We used a novel approach incorporating immersive technology to simulate a virtual in-store sampling scenario where consumers were asked by a server to evaluate identical products with only one being labeled all-natural. Another condition evaluated the impact of the in-store server additionally emphasizing the all-natural status of one sample. Results indicated the all-natural label significantly improved consumer's perception of product quality and nutritional content, but not liking or willingness to pay, when compared to the regular sample. With the simple emphasis of the all-natural claim by the in-store server, these differences in quality and nutritional content became even more pronounced, and willingness to pay increased significantly by an average of 8%. These results indicate that in a virtual setting consistent with making food purchases, an all-natural front-of-pack label improves consumer perceptions of product quality and nutritional content. In addition, information conveyed to consumers by employed servers has a further, substantial impact on these variables suggesting that consumers are highly susceptible to social influence at the point of purchase. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Methodology to estimate particulate matter emissions from certified commercial aircraft engines.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

Today, about one-fourth of U.S. commercial service airports, : including 41 of the busiest 50, are either in nonattainment : or maintenance areas per the National Ambient : Air Quality Standards. U.S. aviation activity is forecasted : to triple by 20...

ANAB, Certification and Scope of Accreditation (ISO/IEC 17025:2005) for the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document certifies that the EPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory has been assessed by the ANSI-ASQ National Accredation Board and accredited in meeting ISO-IEC 17025:2005 quality standards.

Quality Multiple-Choice Test Questions: Item-Writing Guidelines and an Analysis of Auditing Testbanks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, James D.; Dexter, Lee

1997-01-01

Analysis of test item banks in 10 auditing textbooks found that 75% of questions violated one or more guidelines for multiple-choice items. In comparison, 70% of a certified public accounting exam bank had no violations. (SK)

2017 Guide to Nursing Certification Boards.

PubMed

Bonsall, Lisa Morris; Schnur, Myrna Buiser; Deming, Cara; Fryling-Resare, Kim; Maroldo, Robert

Nursing specialty certification is one way to enhance your professional development and to exhibit dedication to high-quality, safe patient care and a commitment of excellence to your organization. Use this resource to explore your options and contact the certifying body that meets your needs.

The effect of column purification on cDNA indirect labelling for microarrays

PubMed Central

Molas, M Lia; Kiss, John Z

2007-01-01

Background The success of the microarray reproducibility is dependent upon the performance of standardized procedures. Since the introduction of microarray technology for the analysis of global gene expression, reproducibility of results among different laboratories has been a major problem. Two of the main contributors to this variability are the use of different microarray platforms and different laboratory practices. In this paper, we address the latter question in terms of how variation in one of the steps of a labelling procedure affects the cDNA product prior to microarray hybridization. Results We used a standard procedure to label cDNA for microarray hybridization and employed different types of column chromatography for cDNA purification. After purifying labelled cDNA, we used the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer and agarose gel electrophoresis to assess the quality of the labelled cDNA before its hybridization onto a microarray platform. There were major differences in the cDNA profile (i.e. cDNA fragment lengths and abundance) as a result of using four different columns for purification. In addition, different columns have different efficiencies to remove rRNA contamination. This study indicates that the appropriate column to use in this type of protocol has to be experimentally determined. Finally, we present new evidence establishing the importance of testing the method of purification used during an indirect labelling procedure. Our results confirm the importance of assessing the quality of the sample in the labelling procedure prior to hybridization onto a microarray platform. Conclusion Standardization of column purification systems to be used in labelling procedures will improve the reproducibility of microarray results among different laboratories. In addition, implementation of a quality control check point of the labelled samples prior to microarray hybridization will prevent hybridizing a poor quality sample to expensive micorarrays. PMID:17597522

The effect of column purification on cDNA indirect labelling for microarrays.

PubMed

Molas, M Lia; Kiss, John Z

2007-06-27

The success of the microarray reproducibility is dependent upon the performance of standardized procedures. Since the introduction of microarray technology for the analysis of global gene expression, reproducibility of results among different laboratories has been a major problem. Two of the main contributors to this variability are the use of different microarray platforms and different laboratory practices. In this paper, we address the latter question in terms of how variation in one of the steps of a labelling procedure affects the cDNA product prior to microarray hybridization. We used a standard procedure to label cDNA for microarray hybridization and employed different types of column chromatography for cDNA purification. After purifying labelled cDNA, we used the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer and agarose gel electrophoresis to assess the quality of the labelled cDNA before its hybridization onto a microarray platform. There were major differences in the cDNA profile (i.e. cDNA fragment lengths and abundance) as a result of using four different columns for purification. In addition, different columns have different efficiencies to remove rRNA contamination. This study indicates that the appropriate column to use in this type of protocol has to be experimentally determined. Finally, we present new evidence establishing the importance of testing the method of purification used during an indirect labelling procedure. Our results confirm the importance of assessing the quality of the sample in the labelling procedure prior to hybridization onto a microarray platform. Standardization of column purification systems to be used in labelling procedures will improve the reproducibility of microarray results among different laboratories. In addition, implementation of a quality control check point of the labelled samples prior to microarray hybridization will prevent hybridizing a poor quality sample to expensive micorarrays.

76 FR 27290 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; West Virginia; Kentucky; Ohio...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-11

...EPA is proposing to make two determinations regarding the tri- state Huntington-Ashland, West Virginia-Kentucky-Ohio fine particulate matter (PM2.5) nonattainment Area (hereafter referred to as ``the Huntington-Ashland Area'' or ``Area''). First, EPA is proposing to determine that the Area has attained the 1997 annual average PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). This proposed determination of attainment is based upon complete, quality- assured and certified ambient air monitoring data for the 2007-2009 period showing that the Area has attained the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, and data available to date for 2010 in EPA's Air Quality System (AQS) database that show the area continues to attain. If EPA finalizes this proposed determination of attainment, the requirements for the Area to submit attainment demonstrations and associated reasonably available control measures (RACM), a reasonable further progress (RFP) plan, contingency measures, and other planning State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions related to attainment of the standard shall be suspended for so long as the Area continues to attain the annual PM2.5 NAAQS. Second, EPA is also proposing to determine, based on quality-assured and certified monitoring data for the 2007-2009 monitoring period, that the Area has attained the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS by its applicable attainment date of April 5, 2010.

ISO 9001 certification for hospitals in Bulgaria: does it help service?

PubMed

Stoimenova, Assena; Stoilova, Ani; Petrova, Guenka

2014-03-04

The aim of our study is to review the published literature on establishment and implementation of ISO 9001 QMS in European hospitals, to study the availability of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) quality management systems (QMS) in Bulgarian hospitals and to outline the main advantages of ISO implementation in the hospitals in Bulgaria. The information on availability of ISO QMS in the hospitals in Bulgaria was gathered via Bulgarian certification register, the registries of various quality associations, websites of hospitals and certification companies presented in Bulgaria. A total number of 312 hospitals in Bulgaria were screened for the availability of QMS certified against the ISO 9001 requirements. The experience of European hospitals that implemented QMS is positive and the used approaches to improve the processes and the demonstrated effects from ISO implementation are analysed by the researchers. Unlike other European Union member states, the establishment of quality management systems in Bulgaria is not compulsory. However, our study revealed that 14.42% of the hospitals in Bulgaria have implemented and have certified quality systems against the requirements of ISO 9001. Our study confirmed that a quality management system using the ISO 9001 standard is useful for the hospitals as it can help to increase the operational efficiencies, to reduce errors, improve patient safety and produce a more preventive approach instead of a reactive environment.

Development and co-validation of porcine insulin certified reference material by high-performance liquid chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Wu, Liqing; Takatsu, Akiko; Park, Sang-Ryoul; Yang, Bin; Yang, Huaxin; Kinumi, Tomoya; Wang, Jing; Bi, Jiaming; Wang, Yang

2015-04-01

This article concerns the development and co-validation of a porcine insulin (pINS) certified reference material (CRM) produced by the National Institute of Metrology, People's Republic of China. Each CRM unit contained about 15 mg of purified solid pINS. The moisture content, amount of ignition residue, molecular mass, and purity of the pINS were measured. Both high-performance liquid chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry and a purity deduction method were used to determine the mass fraction of the pINS. Fifteen units were selected to study the between-bottle homogeneity, and no inhomogeneity was observed. A stability study concluded that the CRM was stable for at least 12 months at -20 °C. The certified value of the CRM was (0.892 ± 0.036) g/g. A co-validation of the CRM was performed among Chinese, Japanese, and Korean laboratories under the framework of the Asian Collaboration on Reference Materials. The co-validation results agreed well with the certified value of the CRM. Consequently, the pINS CRM may be used as a calibration material or as a validation standard for pharmaceutical purposes to improve the quality of pharmaceutical products.

77 FR 28782 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Delaware, New Jersey, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-16

...EPA is making two determinations regarding the Philadelphia- Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE fine particulate (PM2.5) nonattainment area (the Philadelphia Area). First, EPA is making a determination that the Philadelphia Area has attained the 1997 annual PM2.5 national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) by its attainment date of April 5, 2010. This determination is based upon quality assured and certified ambient air monitoring data that show the area monitored attainment of the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS for the 2007-2009 monitoring period. Second, EPA is making a clean data determination, finding that the Philadelphia Area has attained the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, based on quality assured and certified ambient air monitoring data for the 2007-2009 and 2008-2010 monitoring periods. In accordance with EPA's applicable PM2.5 implementation rule, this determination suspends the requirement for the Philadelphia Area to submit an attainment demonstration, reasonably available control measures/reasonably available control technology (RACM/RACT), a reasonable further progress (RFP) plan, and contingency measures related to attainment of the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS for so long as the area continues to attain the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS. These actions are being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

Empowering certified nurse's aides to improve quality of work life through a team communication program.

PubMed

Howe, Erin E

2014-01-01

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the impact of a certified nurse's aide (CNA)-led interdisciplinary teamwork and communication intervention on perceived quality of work environment and six-month job intentions. CNAs are frequently excluded from team communication and decision-making, which often leads to job dissatisfaction with high levels of staff turnover. Using a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach with pre- post-program design, the intervention utilized the strategy of debriefing from the national patient safety initiative, TeamSTEPPS. Inherent in the program design, entitled Long Term Care (LTC) Team Talk, was the involvement of the CNAs in the development of the intervention as an empowering process on two wings of a transitional care unit in a long-term care facility in upstate NY. CNAs' perceptions of work environment quality were measured using a Quality of Work Life (QWL) instrument. Additionally, job turnover intent within six months was assessed. Results indicated improved scores on nearly all QWL subscales anticipated to be impacted, and enhanced perceived empowerment of the CNAs on each wing albeit through somewhat different experiential processes. The program is highly portable and can potentially be implemented in a variety of long-term care settings. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

An Evaluation of a Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) Intervention Delivered Using Avatar-Based Technology: Certified Diabetes Educators' Ratings and Perceptions.

PubMed

Duncan-Carnesciali, Joanne; Wallace, Barbara C; Odlum, Michelle

2018-06-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions that certified diabetes educators (CDEs), of diverse health professions, have of a culturally appropriate e-health intervention that used avatar-based technology. Methods Cross-sectional, survey-based design using quantitative and qualitative paradigms. A logic model framed the study, which centered on the broad and general concepts leading to study outcomes. In total, 198 CDEs participated in the evaluation. Participants were mostly female and represented an age range of 26 to 76 years. The profession representative of the sample was registered nurses. Study setting and data collection occurred at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AvatarVideoSurvey-for-Certified_Diabetes_Educators . Study instruments used were the Basic Demographics Survey (BD-13), Educational Material Use and Rating of Quality Scale (EMU-ROQ-9), Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Survey (MS-SOC-DES-CDE-13), Quality of Avatar Video Rating Scale (QAVRS-7), Recommend Avatar to Patients Scale (RAVTPS-3), Recommend Avatar Video to Health Professionals Scale (RAVTHP-3), and Avatar Video Applications Scale (AVAPP-1). Statistical analysis used included t tests, Pearson product moment correlations, backward stepwise regression, and content/thematic analysis. Results Age, ethnicity, Arab/Middle Eastern, Asian, and white/European descents were significant predictors of a high-quality rating of the video. Thematic and content analysis of the data revealed an overall positive perception of the video. Conclusions An e-health intervention grounded in evidence-based health behavior theories has potential to increase access to diabetes self-management education as evidenced in the ratings and perceptions of the video by CDEs.

Readiness of the Belgian network of sentinel general practitioners to deliver electronic health record data for surveillance purposes: results of survey study.

PubMed

Boffin, Nicole; Bossuyt, Nathalie; Vanthomme, Katrien; Van Casteren, Viviane

2010-06-25

In order to proceed from a paper based registration to a surveillance system that is based on extraction of electronic health records (EHR), knowledge is needed on the number and representativeness of sentinel GPs using a government-certified EHR system and the quality of EHR data for research, expressed in the compliance rate with three criteria: recording of home visits, use of prescription module and diagnostic subject headings. Data were collected by annual postal surveys between 2005 and 2009 among all sentinel GPs. We tested relations between four key GP characteristics (age, gender, language community, practice organisation) and use of a certified EHR system by multivariable logistic regression. The relation between EHR software package, GP characteristics and compliance with three quality criteria was equally measured by multivariable logistic regression. A response rate of 99% was obtained. Of 221 sentinel GPs, 55% participated in the surveillance without interruption from 2005 onwards, i.e. all five years, and 78% were participants in 2009. Sixteen certified EHR systems were used among 91% of the Dutch and 63% of the French speaking sentinel GPs. The EHR software package was strongly related to the community and only one EHR system was used by a comparable number of sentinel GPs in both communities. Overall, the prescription module was always used and home visits were usually recorded. Uniform subject headings were only sometimes used and the compliance with this quality criterion was almost exclusively related to the EHR software package in use. The challenge is to progress towards a sentinel network of GPs delivering care-based data that are (partly) extracted from well performing EHR systems and still representative for Belgian general practice.

9 CFR 355.34 - Labels, approval of, by Administrator.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Labels, approval of, by Administrator..., CERTIFICATION, AND IDENTIFICATION AS TO CLASS, QUALITY, QUANTITY, AND CONDITION Labeling § 355.34 Labels, approval of, by Administrator. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, no label shall be...

Characterizations of a Quality Certified Athletic Trainer

PubMed Central

Raab, Scot; Wolfe, Brent D.; Gould, Trenton E.; Piland, Scott G.

2011-01-01

Context: Didactic proficiency does not ensure clinical aptitude. Quality athletic health care requires clinical knowledge and affective traits. Objective: To develop a grounded theory explaining the constructs of a quality certified athletic trainer (AT). Design: Delphi study. Setting: Interviews in conference rooms or business offices and by telephone. Patients or Other Participants: Thirteen ATs (men = 8, women = 5) stratified across the largest employment settings (high school, college, clinical) in the 4 largest districts of the National Athletic Trainers' Association (2, 3, 4, 9). Data Collection and Analysis: Open-ended interview questions were audio recorded, transcribed, and reviewed before condensing. Two member checks ensured trustworthiness. Open coding reduced text to descriptive adjectives. Results: We grouped adjectives into 5 constructs (care, communication, commitment, integrity, knowledge) and grouped these constructs into 2 higher-order constructs (affective traits, effective traits). Conclusions: According to participants, ATs who demonstrate the ability to care, show commitment and integrity, value professional knowledge, and communicate effectively with others can be identified as quality ATs. These abilities facilitate the creation of positive relationships. These relationships allow the quality AT to interact with patients and other health care professionals on a knowledgeable basis that ultimately improves health care delivery. Our resulting theory supported the examination of characteristics not traditionally assessed in an athletic training education program. If researchers can show that these characteristics develop ATs into quality ATs (eg, those who work better with others, relate meaningfully with patients, and improve the standard of health care), they must be cultivated in the educational setting. PMID:22488194

Levels of inorganic constituents in raw nuts and seeds on the Swedish market.

PubMed

Rodushkin, I; Engström, E; Sörlin, D; Baxter, D

2008-03-25

The levels of approximately 70 elements were determined in different culinary nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, bitter almonds, pecans, cashews, Brazil nuts, pistachios, pine nuts, peanuts and coconuts) and seeds (pumpkin and sunflower) available on the Swedish market. The study was limited to raw, virtually unprocessed nuts and seeds (both shelled and unshelled) excluding mixed, roasted or salted products. In total, 44 products from different suppliers were analyzed, with the number of samples per nut/seed variety reflecting the availability of unprocessed products in retail outlets, varying from two for bitter almonds and pistachios to six for hazelnuts and walnuts. This selection includes samples from at least 11 different countries of origin. The optimized analytical procedure consists of microwave-assisted sample digestion using a HNO3/HF mixture, followed by multi-elemental analysis by double focusing, sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The analyses were accompanied by rigorous quality control measures including thorough control of potential sample contamination at all analytical stages, participation in inter-laboratory performance assessment schemes, and the analysis of certified reference materials of plant origin. Concentrations thus obtained were compared with data from product labels (where available), food composition tables and other relevant surveys, demonstrating, depending on the elements in question, close agreement as well as considerable differences.

Detection of nanomaterials in food and consumer products: bridging the gap from legislation to enforcement.

PubMed

Stamm, H; Gibson, N; Anklam, E

2012-08-01

This paper describes the requirements and resulting challenges for the implementation of current and upcoming European Union legislation referring to the use of nanomaterials in food, cosmetics and other consumer products. The European Commission has recently adopted a recommendation for the definition of nanomaterials. There is now an urgent need for appropriate and fit-for-purpose analytical methods in order to identify nanomaterials properly according to this definition and to assess whether or not a product contains nanomaterials. Considering the lack of such methods to date, this paper elaborates on the challenges of the legislative framework and the type of methods needed, not only to facilitate implementation of labelling requirements, but also to ensure the safety of products coming to the market. Considering the many challenges in the analytical process itself, such as interaction of nanoparticles with matrix constituents, potential agglomeration and aggregation due to matrix environment, broad variety of matrices, etc., there is a need for integrated analytical approaches, not only for sample preparation (e.g. separation from matrix), but also for the actual characterisation. Furthermore, there is an urgent need for quality assurance tools such as validated methods and (certified) reference materials, including materials containing nanoparticles in a realistic matrix (food products, cosmetics, etc.).

Need for certification of household water treatment products: examples from Haiti.

PubMed

Murray, Anna; Pierre-Louis, Jocelyne; Joseph, Flaurine; Sylvain, Ginelove; Patrick, Molly; Lantagne, Daniele

2015-04-01

To evaluate four household water treatment (HWT) products currently seeking approval for distribution in Haiti, through the application of a recently-developed national HWT product certification process. Four chemical treatment products were evaluated against the certification process validation stage by verifying international product certifications confirming treatment efficacy and reviewing laboratory efficacy data against WHO HWT microbiological performance targets; and against the approval stage by confirming product composition, evaluating treated water chemical content against national and international drinking water quality guidelines and reviewing packaging for dosing ability and usage directions in Creole. None of the four evaluated products fulfilled validation or approval stage requirements. None was certified by an international agency as efficacious for drinking water treatment, and none had data demonstrating its ability to meet WHO HWT performance targets. All product sample compositions differed from labelled composition by >20%, and no packaging included complete usage directions in Creole. Product manufacturers provided information that was inapplicable, did not demonstrate product efficacy, and was insufficient to ensure safe product use. Capacity building is needed with country regulatory agencies to objectively evaluate HWT products. Products should be internationally assessed against WHO performance targets and also locally approved, considering language, culture and usability, to ensure effective HWT. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Need for certification of household water treatment products: examples from Haiti

PubMed Central

Murray, Anna; Pierre-Louis, Jocelyne; Joseph, Flaurine; Sylvain, Ginelove; Patrick, Molly; Lantagne, Daniele

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE To evaluate four household water treatment (HWT) products currently seeking approval for distribution in Haiti, through the application of a recently-developed national HWT product certification process. METHODS Four chemical treatment products were evaluated against the certification process validation stage by verifying international product certifications confirming treatment efficacy and reviewing laboratory efficacy data against WHO HWT microbiological performance targets; and against the approval stage by confirming product composition, evaluating treated water chemical content against national and international drinking water quality guidelines and reviewing packaging for dosing ability and usage directions in Creole. RESULTS None of the four evaluated products fulfilled validation or approval stage requirements. None was certified by an international agency as efficacious for drinking water treatment, and none had data demonstrating its ability to meet WHO HWT performance targets. All product sample compositions differed from labelled composition by >20%, and no packaging included complete usage directions in Creole. CONCLUSIONS Product manufacturers provided information that was inapplicable, did not demonstrate product efficacy, and was insufficient to ensure safe product use. Capacity building is needed with country regulatory agencies to objectively evaluate HWT products. Products should be internationally assessed against WHO performance targets and also locally approved, considering language, culture and usability, to ensure effective HWT. PMID:25441711

Monitoring wound healing by multiphoton tomography/endoscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

König, Karsten; Weinigel, Martin; Bückle, Rainer; Kaatz, Martin; Hipler, Christina; Zens, Katharina; Schneider, Stefan W.; Huck, Volker

2015-02-01

Certified clinical multiphoton tomographs are employed to perform rapid label-free high-resolution in vivo histology. Novel tomographs include a flexible 360° scan head attached to a mechano-optical arm for autofluorescence and SHG imaging as well as rigid two-photon GRIN microendoscope. Mitochondrial fluorescent NAD(P)H, fluorescent elastin, keratin, and melanin as well as SHG-active collagen can be imaged with submicron resolution in human skin. The system was employed to study the healing of chronic wounds (venous leg ulcer) and acute wounds (curettage of actinic or seborrheic keratosis) on a subcellular level. Furthermore, a flexible sterile foil as interface between wound and focusing optic was tested.

Effectiveness of Front-Of-Pack Nutrition Labels in French Adults: Results from the NutriNet-Santé Cohort Study.

PubMed

Ducrot, Pauline; Méjean, Caroline; Julia, Chantal; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle; Touvier, Mathilde; Fezeu, Léopold; Hercberg, Serge; Péneau, Sandrine

2015-01-01

To date, no consensus has emerged on the most appropriate front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition label to help consumers in making informed choices. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of the label formats currently in use: nutrient-specific, graded and simple summary systems, in a large sample of adults. The FOP label effectiveness was assessed by measuring the label acceptability and understanding among 13,578 participants of the NutriNet-Santé cohort study, representative of the French adult population. Participants were exposed to five conditions, including four FOP labels: Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA), Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL), 5-Color Nutrition Label (5-CNL), Green Tick (Tick), and a "no label" condition. Acceptability was evaluated by several indicators: attractiveness, liking and perceived cognitive workload. Objective understanding was assessed by the percentage of correct answers when ranking three products according to their nutritional quality. Five different product categories were tested: prepared fish dishes, pizzas, dairy products, breakfast cereals, and appetizers. Differences among the label effectiveness were compared with chi-square tests. The 5-CNL was viewed as the easiest label to identify and as the one requiring the lowest amount of effort and time to understand. GDA was considered as the least easy to identify and to understand, despite being the most attractive and liked label. All FOP labels were found to be effective in ranking products according to their nutritional quality compared with the "no label" situation, although they showed differing levels of effectiveness (p<0.0001). Globally, the 5-CNL performed best, followed by MTL, GDA and Tick labels. The graded 5-CNL label was considered as easy to identify, simple and rapid to understand; it performed well when comparing the products' nutritional quality. Therefore, it is likely to present advantages in real shopping situations where choices are usually made quickly.

Competency test result of vocational school teacher's majoring light vehicles subject in East Jakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudung, Agus

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study of Teacher Competency Test (UKG) is to know about (a) the description of the vocational school teachers' competency test result majoring light vehicle subject in eastern Jakarta, (b) the effect between those certified teachers, non-certified teachers, civil servant teachers and non-civil servant teachers to Teacher Competency Test (UKG) result. The UKG result indicates that (1) certified teachers hold the highest score, however non-certified teachers obtain at the average of 55, in terms of UKG technicality preparation; (2) there are 43 teachers (48.9%) mention that the room facility for conducting UKG is good, while 45 teachers (51.1%) mention the opposite opinion. This shows that the average UKG room is relatively good enough. Meanwhile, in terms of youth facilities availability, (3) there are 86 teachers (97.7%) agree that the facilities are good while 2 teachers (2.3%) say the opposite opinion. This shows that the average UKG preparation is relatively very good. About the implementation of UKG, (4) there are 65 teachers (73,9%) give good impression, while 23 teachers (26,1%) give poor quality impression. This shows that the average UKG implementation is relatively good. About the way UKG is managed, (5) there are 87 teachers (98,9%) identify satisfactory comments, while there is only 1 teacher (1,1%) gives unsatisfactory comment. This shows that the average UKG management is relatively very good. ANNOVA analysis is used in this study to estimate the effect of UKG on certified and non-certified teachers. The ANNOVA test result shows that (6) H_0 is accepted because α = 0,05 <0,423 at the 5% level. UKG gives no effect for both certified and non-certified teachers. This study suggests (1) that the teachers necessarily prepare themselves to face UKG while the Government prepares the supporting facilities such as (a) test Room, (b) UKG readiness, (c) UKG implementation (d) UKG management including UKG materials. (2) The grid in the given test should (a) represent the content of the syllabus/curriculum or materials that teachers teach appropriately and proportionately (b) represent the components which are clearly and easily understood by the teachers as participants of the UKG. (3) Teachers' assessment has to give more concern to UKG selection which is based on their class performance, track record, and self-development. (4) The UKG shall be conducted only for mapping and shall be followed up with teacher training in the form of more directed education and training for both pedagogical and professional competence. (5) For the preparation, initially the teachers can learn from the grid given by the Ministry of Education and Culture (6) Teachers' assessment has to give more concern to UKG selectivity based on their class performance, track record, and self-development. (7) UKG shall be followed up by teacher training in the form of education and more directed trainings by also providing continuous training (PKB). Thus, the development of sustainable profession will be developed and will create a culture of quality among teachers.

Analytical ingredient content and variability of adult multivitamin/mineral products: national estimates for the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database12

PubMed Central

Andrews, Karen W; Roseland, Janet M; Gusev, Pavel A; Palachuvattil, Joel; Dang, Phuong T; Savarala, Sushma; Han, Fei; Pehrsson, Pamela R; Douglass, Larry W; Dwyer, Johanna T; Betz, Joseph M; Saldanha, Leila G; Bailey, Regan L

2017-01-01

Background: Multivitamin/mineral products (MVMs) are the dietary supplements most commonly used by US adults. During manufacturing, some ingredients are added in amounts exceeding the label claims to compensate for expected losses during the shelf life. Establishing the health benefits and harms of MVMs requires accurate estimates of nutrient intake from MVMs based on measures of actual rather than labeled ingredient amounts. Objectives: Our goals were to determine relations between analytically measured and labeled ingredient content and to compare adult MVM composition with Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels. Design: Adult MVMs were purchased while following a national sampling plan and chemically analyzed for vitamin and mineral content with certified reference materials in qualified laboratories. For each ingredient, predicted mean percentage differences between analytically obtained and labeled amounts were calculated with the use of regression equations. Results: For 12 of 18 nutrients, most products had labeled amounts at or above RDAs. The mean measured content of all ingredients (except thiamin) exceeded labeled amounts (overages). Predicted mean percentage differences exceeded labeled amounts by 1.5–13% for copper, manganese, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, folic acid, riboflavin, and vitamins B-12, C, and E, and by ∼25% for selenium and iodine, regardless of labeled amount. In contrast, thiamin, vitamin B-6, calcium, iron, and zinc had linear or quadratic relations between the labeled and percentage differences, with ranges from −6.5% to 8.6%, −3.5% to 21%, 7.1% to 29.3%, −0.5% to 16.4%, and −1.9% to 8.1%, respectively. Analytically adjusted ingredient amounts are linked to adult MVMs reported in the NHANES 2003–2008 via the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (http://dsid.usda.nih.gov) to facilitate more accurate intake quantification. Conclusions: Vitamin and mineral overages were measured in adult MVMs, most of which already meet RDAs. Therefore, nutrient overexposures from supplements combined with typical food intake may have unintended health consequences, although this would require further examination. PMID:27974309

Deterrents to Participation in Web-based Continuing Professional Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perdue, Kathy J.; Valentine, Thomas

2000-01-01

This study examined the perceptions of certified public accountants concerning deterrents to participation in Web-based continuing professional education. Results of surveys included concerns about electronically mediated communication; the quality of course offerings; access to technology-associated resources; and the availability of necessary…

7 CFR 59.200 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... neutered male swine, with the neutering performed before the swine reached sexual maturity. Base market hog... in which the pricing mechanism is a formula price based on any market other than the market for swine... to, genetically-selected pork, certified programs, or specialty selection programs for quality or...

Training Innovations for Economic Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breeden, Kenneth H.

2002-01-01

This article talks about Certified Manufacturing Specialist (CMS), a Georgia training program that has successfully addressed the needs of both students and partners in business and industry. The program helped business reduce the learning curve for new employees; improved productivity, quality, and safety; reduced material waste; eased the…

Organizational Characteristics Associated with Staff Turnover in Nursing Homes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castle, Nicholas G.; Engberg, John

2006-01-01

Purpose: The association between certified nurse aide, licensed practical nurse, and registered nurse turnover and the organizational characteristics of nursing homes are examined. Design and Methods: Hypotheses for eight organizational characteristics are examined (staffing levels, top management turnover, resident case mix, facility quality,…

Consumer reaction to information on the labels of genetically modified food

PubMed Central

Sebastian-Ponce, Miren Itxaso; Sanz-Valero, Javier; Wanden-Berghe, Carmina

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE To analyze consumer opinion on genetically modified foods and the information included on the label. METHODS A systematic review of the scientific literature on genetically modified food labeling was conducted consulting bibliographic databases (Medline – via PubMed –, EMBASE, ISI-Web of knowledge, Cochrane Library Plus, FSTA, LILACS, CINAHL and AGRICOLA) using the descriptors “organisms, genetically modified” and “food labeling”. The search covered the first available date, up to June 2012, selecting relevant articles written in English, Portuguese or Spanish. RESULTS Forty articles were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All of them should have conducted a population-based intervention focused on consumer awareness of genetically modified foods and their need or not, to include this on the label. The consumers expressed a preference for non-genetically modified products, and added that they were prepared to pay more for this but, ultimately, the product bought was that with the best price, in a market which welcomes new technologies. In 18 of the articles, the population was in favor of obligatory labelling, and in six, in favor of this being voluntary; seven studies showed the consumer knew little about genetically modified food, and in three, the population underestimated the quantity they consumed. Price was an influencing factor in all cases. CONCLUSIONS Label should be homogeneous and clarify the degree of tolerance of genetically modified products in humans, in comparison with those non-genetically modified. Label should also present the content or not of genetically modified products and how these commodities are produced and should be accompanied by the certifying entity and contact information. Consumers express their preference for non-genetically modifiedproducts and they even notice that they are willing to pay more for it, but eventually they buy the item with the best price, in a market that welcomes new technologies. PMID:24789648

Evaluation of critical indicators in the process of acquiring supplies and services LAC-UFPE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caetano, V. F.; Ferreira, C. V.; dos Santos, M. J.; Honorato, F. A.

2015-01-01

In laboratories linked to public universities and accredited by the NBR ISO/IEC 17025, to meet efficiently item 4.6 (procurement of supplies and services) is a challenge that can be accomplished by programming based on historical purchases and services. In this study, we evaluated the critical procurement items to meet the quality management system of the LAC-UFPE: reagents, certified reference material, of equipment parts, maintenance and calibration of equipment and instruments. It was found that the most critical item is the certified reference material, the purchase or repair of which must be expedited within 125 days prior to the receipt to occur within the desired period.

New gasoline regulations require annual attestations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leger, M.W.; Lott, L.H.

1995-03-27

The US Environmental Protection Agency's new reformulated fuels regulations impose a myriad of new record keeping and reporting requirements, in addition to the new quality standards. These requirements include an annual procedures review, or attestation. The attestation is part of EPA's enforcement plan and is required of all refiners, importers, and oxygenate blenders. This annual report is due May 31 of the year following the covered period and must be performed by a certified public accountant or a certified internal auditor. The attestation procedure is too complicated and detailed to be explained fully here, but the main points covered bymore » the attestation are outlined to inform refiners who may be unaware of the requirements.« less

Internet resources for Tommy John injuries: what are patients reading?

PubMed

Johnson, Christine C; Garcia, Grant H; Liu, Joseph N; Stepan, Jeffrey G; Patel, Ronak M; Dines, Joshua S

2016-12-01

The quality of medical information on the Internet has come under scrutiny. This study investigates the quality, accuracy, and readability of online information regarding ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries. Three search terms ("elbow ulnar collateral ligament injury," "tommy john injury," and "pitcher's elbow") were entered into 3 Internet search engines. Three independent reviewers evaluated the content and accuracy of the information with a set of predetermined scoring criteria. Website quality was further assessed by the Journal of the American Medical Association benchmark criteria and Health on the Net Foundation certification. Website readability was ascertained with the Flesch-Kincaid score. We evaluated 113 unique websites. The average quality for all websites was 8.88 ± 6.8 (maximum, 32 points). Website quality and accuracy were lower with use of the search term "pitcher's elbow" as compared with "elbow ulnar collateral ligament injury" or "tommy john injury" (P ≤ .001). Sites certified by the Health on the Net Foundation had higher quality scores than non-certified sites (P = .034). The mean reading grade level was 10.7. Reading level was significantly correlated with website accuracy and quality (P ≤ .001) and physician authorship (P = .012). Forty-three websites (38.1%) described surgical reconstruction; of these, 16 (37.2%) mentioned improved pitching performance postoperatively. Online information on UCL injuries is often inaccurate and written at an inappropriate reading level. Information quality depends on the search term used, website authorship, and commercial bias. Clinicians must be aware of factors influencing website quality in order to direct patients to appropriate resources. Copyright © 2016 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[ISO 9001certification of a quality management system in a clinical investigation center].

PubMed

Chesnais, Jimmy; Fougerou-Leurent, Claire; Laforest, Claire; Renault, Alain; Bellissant, Eric; Laviolle, Bruno

2018-05-03

Beyond the application of legal requirements, clinical trials must have a permanent approach of quality control. The clinical investigation centers (CICs) are academic structures of clinical research certified by the French National institute of health and medical research (Inserm) and whose functioning relies on recommendations of good practice. It is important to accompany this standardization of practices by the implementation of a quality management system. This article presents the process that enabled the CIC of Rennes to become certified ISO 9001 by French standards association (Afnor) certification in May, 2016. The application of the fundamental principles of the standard ISO 9001 in the domain of clinical research is approached. The problem of the perimeter for the certification and the related process mapping are exposed. The activities of methodology, management and analysis of clinical studies were chosen for the initial certification of the CIC of Rennes. The perspectives for the extension of the perimeter of certification are also approached at the end of article. Copyright © 2018 Société française de pharmacologie et de thérapeutique. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Assessment of immigrant certified nursing assistants' communication when responding to standardized care challenges.

PubMed

Massey, Meredith; Roter, Debra L

2016-01-01

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) provide 80% of the hands-on care in US nursing homes; a significant portion of this work is performed by immigrants with limited English fluency. This study is designed to assess immigrant CNA's communication behavior in response to a series of virtual simulated care challenges. A convenience sample of 31 immigrant CNAs verbally responded to 9 care challenges embedded in an interactive computer platform. The responses were coded with the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS), CNA instructors rated response quality and spoken English was rated. CNA communication behaviors varied across care challenges and a broad repertoire of communication was used; 69% of response content was characterized as psychosocial. Communication elements (both instrumental and psychosocial) were significant predictors of response quality for 5 of 9 scenarios. Overall these variables explained between 13% and 36% of the adjusted variance in quality ratings. Immigrant CNAs responded to common care challenges using a variety of communication strategies despite fluency deficits. Virtual simulation-based observation is a feasible, acceptable and low cost method of communication assessment with implications for supervision, training and evaluation of a para-professional workforce. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a candidate reference measurement procedure for the analysis of cortisol in human serum samples by isotope dilution-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Kawaguchi, Migaku; Takatsu, Akiko

2009-08-01

A candidate reference measurement procedure involving isotope dilution coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been developed and critically evaluated. An isotopically labeled internal standard, cortisol-d(2), was added to a serum sample. After equilibration, solid-phase extractions (SPE) for sample preparation and derivatization with heptafluorobutyric anhydride (HFBA) were performed for GC-MS analysis. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 5 and 20 ng g(-1), respectively. The recovery of the added cortisol ranged from 99.8 to 101.0%. Excellent precision was obtained with a within-day variation (RSD) of 0.7% for GC-MS analysis. The accuracy of the measurement was evaluated by comparing of results of this reference measurement procedure on lyophilized human serum reference materials for cortisol (European Reference Materials (ERM)-DA 192) as Certified Reference Materials (CRMs). The results of this method for total cortisol agreed with the certified values within some uncertainty. This method, which demonstrates simply, easy, good accuracy, high precision, and is free from interferences from structural analogues, qualifies as a reference measurement procedure.

21 CFR 820.120 - Device labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Device labeling. 820.120 Section 820.120 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES QUALITY SYSTEM REGULATION Labeling and Packaging Control § 820.120 Device labeling. Each manufacturer...

Use of a C-SITS Approach to Estimating the Impact of the Receipt of a Teacher Recruitment Incentive Grant on an IHE's Production of Certified STEM Teachers--Problems and Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bobronnikov, Ellen; Price, Cris

2013-01-01

Improving the quality of teacher preparation is an important national issue, because the quality of teaching plays such a large role in students' learning. One key indicator of students' academic success is the competence and capability of their teachers. However, the availability of well-prepared and effective teachers varies widely across the…

Present and Future in Quality Assurance of Engineering Education in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoki, Kyosuke; Nozawa, Tsunenori

The quality of engineering education in our country should be assured by the self-assessment of the institution that conducts education. Recent evaluation and/or accreditation are intended to assist and promote such achievement. The certified evaluation and accreditation for colleges of technology and the audit by the Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (JABEE) have been carried out on the engineering education. In this article we will discuss the ways of accreditation of both systems and try to consider future for the quality assurance of the engineering education in Japan.

15 CFR 996.23 - Audit and decertification of hydrographic products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... hydrographic products it has certified. NOAA may conduct audits without advance notification. However, visits... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Audit and decertification of... ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES QUALITY ASSURANCE AND...

ASE Program Certification Standards for Automobile Technician Training Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation, Herndon, VA.

This document presents and explains the development and application of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) program certification standards that were developed to improve the quality of secondary- and postsecondary-level automobile technician training by implementing a certification program that certifies programs in…

34 CFR 611.13 - What competitive preference does the Secretary provide?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...? 611.13 Section 611.13 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT GRANTS PROGRAM... will be certified or licensed to teach. (b) Innovative reforms to hold higher education institutions...

34 CFR 611.13 - What competitive preference does the Secretary provide?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...? 611.13 Section 611.13 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT GRANTS PROGRAM... will be certified or licensed to teach. (b) Innovative reforms to hold higher education institutions...

Quality Partners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Bob

2006-01-01

Green cleaning is gaining momentum. It is a method of cleaning and maintaining facilities that is friendly to the environment and healthful for students and staff. The process uses environmentally friendly and nontoxic cleaning products and practices that must be third-party-certified. Using green cleaning practices and products can result in…

44 CFR Appendix B to Part 62 - National Flood Insurance Program

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... quality control departments, or both, and independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firms. This Plan... individual State Insurance Departments, NAIC Zone examinations, and independent CPA firms. (c) Standards... company must— (A) Have a biennial audit of the flood insurance financial statements conducted by a CPA...

44 CFR Appendix B to Part 62 - National Flood Insurance Program

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... quality control departments, or both, and independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firms. This Plan... individual State Insurance Departments, NAIC Zone examinations, and independent CPA firms. (c) Standards... company must— (A) Have a biennial audit of the flood insurance financial statements conducted by a CPA...

78 FR 18535 - Respirator Certification Fees

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-27

...) proposes to revise the fee structure currently used by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and... performance through product quality audits; (10) replacing testing equipment; and (11) providing and... structure for certifying respirators were codified by HHS in 42 CFR part 84, which was published in June of...

Alternative Teacher Certification--An Update. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otuya, Ebo

This digest reviews alternative certification on the basis of educational quality and the need to fill teacher shortages. Following a definition of traditional certification, the alternative certification route is described as a process designed to certify candidates who have subject-matter competencies, without going through formal teacher…

The impact of menu energy labelling across socioeconomic groups: A systematic review.

PubMed

Sarink, Danja; Peeters, Anna; Freak-Poli, Rosanne; Beauchamp, Alison; Woods, Julie; Ball, Kylie; Backholer, Kathryn

2016-04-01

Menu energy labelling at point of purchase is gaining traction worldwide, yet the potential impact for different socioeconomic groups is unclear. We aimed to summarise evidence on the effectiveness of menu energy labelling by socioeconomic position (SEP). A systematic search for papers published to September 2015 was conducted using terms for labelling, food outlets, and SEP. Quality of studies was assessed. Results were summarised across stages of an intervention logic pathway. Eighteen papers were identified. Of twelve studies reporting the effect of menu energy labelling in low SEP populations, six reported on purchase outcomes. All but one of these reported no positive effect of the policy for this population. Two of the five studies that compared purchase outcomes of menu labelling across SEP groups reported that the policy was effective overall. These two studies reported either a significant decline in fast food calories purchased from consumers in high (but not low) SEP neighbourhoods or a significantly greater decline in calories purchased among consumers visiting stores in higher SEP neighbourhoods post policy implementation. None of the included papers reached the highest quality score. The current evidence describing the impact of menu energy labelling within or across SEP is limited in quantity and quality. Of the two studies that reported a positive benefit of menu energy labelling overall, both identified a greater effect on fast food purchases among consumers visiting stores in high compared to low SEP neighbourhoods. It is difficult to know whether the absence of effectiveness reported in low SEP populations represents a true lack of effectiveness or is a result of a more general lack of policy effectiveness or the limited quality of the reviewed studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving labeling efficiency in automatic quality control of MRSI data.

PubMed

Pedrosa de Barros, Nuno; McKinley, Richard; Wiest, Roland; Slotboom, Johannes

2017-12-01

To improve the efficiency of the labeling task in automatic quality control of MR spectroscopy imaging data. 28'432 short and long echo time (TE) spectra (1.5 tesla; point resolved spectroscopy (PRESS); repetition time (TR)= 1,500 ms) from 18 different brain tumor patients were labeled by two experts as either accept or reject, depending on their quality. For each spectrum, 47 signal features were extracted. The data was then used to run several simulations and test an active learning approach using uncertainty sampling. The performance of the classifiers was evaluated as a function of the number of patients in the training set, number of spectra in the training set, and a parameter α used to control the level of classification uncertainty required for a new spectrum to be selected for labeling. The results showed that the proposed strategy allows reductions of up to 72.97% for short TE and 62.09% for long TE in the amount of data that needs to be labeled, without significant impact in classification accuracy. Further reductions are possible with significant but minimal impact in performance. Active learning using uncertainty sampling is an effective way to increase the labeling efficiency for training automatic quality control classifiers. Magn Reson Med 78:2399-2405, 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Geological characterization of agricultural terraces as a tool for the territorial safeguard and for the valorization of "Terroir"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brancucci, Gerardo; Brancucci, Michele; Marescotti, Pietro; Poggi, Eugenio; Solimano, Monica; Vegnuti, Roberto; Giostrella, Paola; Tarolli, Paolo

2017-04-01

The progressive abandonment of the terraced areas of Liguria (NW Italy) is determining an inexorable land degradation, which causes, among other things, the erosive processes and the slope failure. Several studies highlighted the need of strategies for the recovery of abandoned agricultural lands by encouraging the productive reuse. Nevertheless, it is well known that agricultural activities in rural areas with steep slopes are strongly penalized by the high production costs determined by the adverse geomorphological conditions. For these reasons, one of the possible solutions is to encourage the production of high-quality agricultural crops, and to promote the uniqueness of the products. The uniqueness of the local products can be promoted not only by means of marketing strategy, mostly based on historical and traditional aspects of the productions, but also by correlating the product with the geological features (e.g., lithology, mineralogy and geochemistry) of the agricultural soils and parental rocks. These features are typically peculiar of a geographic area and thus strictly correlated with the site of production. This approach, together with the biological characterization of the crop, can link the cultivar to the geographical area of production thus evidencing peculiarities that are inimitable elsewhere. With this work we present the experimental results of investigations performed on several types of agricultural products (grapes and wines, olives and olive oils, apples) as well as on wild mushroom of the Boletus family. The analyses have been carried out either in laboratory and by means of field portable instruments (FP-EDXRF and FP-FTIR) which permitted a large number of in situ analyses, in a cost efficient and timely manner, thus allowing the realization of high spatial resolution compositional maps. This analytical approach also resulted particularly effective to improve the information obtained by traditional pedological and agronomical investigations. The results allowed to realize the "geological label of the product®" which is an assurance label that certifies the peculiar geological features of the area of production. The label contains a QRcode which allows to obtain detailed information about the soil composition, geological and geomorphological information and their relationships with the organoleptic characteristics of the product. The geological label of the product may have significant implications for the sales and marketing chain since it allows to commercialize higher value product characterized by: i) organoleptic and environmental quality; ii) uniqueness of the area of production; iii) geographical identity of the crops. By associating these information with the valorization of the terroir, the territorial marketing may be strongly improved ensuring the development of the territories and the realization of a closer relationship between the customer, the Company and consumers. The value created by this potential brand can attract investment for the recovery of abandoned agricultural lands and for the agricultural terraces management with positive effects on the increase of productivity and, consequently, on the maintenance, management and territorial safeguard.

Separating the Wheat From the Chaff: An Evaluation of Readability, Quality, and Accuracy of Online Health Information for Treatment of Peyronie Disease.

PubMed

Bompastore, Nicholas J; Cisu, Theodore; Holoch, Peter

2018-04-30

To characterize available information about Peyronie disease online and evaluate its readability, quality, accuracy, and respective associations with HONcode certification and website category. The search term "Peyronie disease" was queried on 3 major search engines (Google, Bing, and Yahoo) and the first 50 search results on each search engine were assessed. All websites were categorized as institutional or reference, commercial, charitable, personal or patient support, or alternative medicine, and cross-referenced with the Health on the Net (HON) Foundation. Websites that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed for readability using 3 validated algorithms, for quality using the DISCERN instrument, and for accuracy by a fellowship-trained urologist. On average, online health information about treatment of Peyronie disease is written at or above the 11th grade level, exceeding the current reading guidelines of 6th-8th grade. The mean total DISCERN score for all website categories was 50.44 (standard deviation [SD] 11.94), the upper range of "fair" quality. The mean accuracy score of all online Peyronie treatment information was 2.76 (SD 1.23), corresponding to only 25%-50% accurate information. Both institutional or reference and HONcode-certified websites were of "good" quality (53.44, SD 11.64 and 60.86, SD 8.74, respectively). Institutional or reference websites were 50%-75% accurate (3.13, SD 1.20). Most of the online Peyronie disease treatment information is of mediocre quality and accuracy. The information from institutional or reference websites is of better quality and accuracy, and the information from HONcode-certified websites is of better quality. The mean readability of all websites exceeds the reading ability of most US adults by several grade levels. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of Front-Of-Pack Nutrition Labels in French Adults: Results from the NutriNet-Santé Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Ducrot, Pauline; Méjean, Caroline; Julia, Chantal; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle; Touvier, Mathilde; Fezeu, Léopold; Hercberg, Serge; Péneau, Sandrine

2015-01-01

Background To date, no consensus has emerged on the most appropriate front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition label to help consumers in making informed choices. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of the label formats currently in use: nutrient-specific, graded and simple summary systems, in a large sample of adults. Methods The FOP label effectiveness was assessed by measuring the label acceptability and understanding among 13,578 participants of the NutriNet-Santé cohort study, representative of the French adult population. Participants were exposed to five conditions, including four FOP labels: Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA), Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL), 5-Color Nutrition Label (5-CNL), Green Tick (Tick), and a “no label” condition. Acceptability was evaluated by several indicators: attractiveness, liking and perceived cognitive workload. Objective understanding was assessed by the percentage of correct answers when ranking three products according to their nutritional quality. Five different product categories were tested: prepared fish dishes, pizzas, dairy products, breakfast cereals, and appetizers. Differences among the label effectiveness were compared with chi-square tests. Results The 5-CNL was viewed as the easiest label to identify and as the one requiring the lowest amount of effort and time to understand. GDA was considered as the least easy to identify and to understand, despite being the most attractive and liked label. All FOP labels were found to be effective in ranking products according to their nutritional quality compared with the “no label” situation, although they showed differing levels of effectiveness (p<0.0001). Globally, the 5-CNL performed best, followed by MTL, GDA and Tick labels. Conclusions The graded 5-CNL label was considered as easy to identify, simple and rapid to understand; it performed well when comparing the products’ nutritional quality. Therefore, it is likely to present advantages in real shopping situations where choices are usually made quickly. PMID:26509679

Matrix Wings: Continuous Process Improvement an Operator Can Love

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

could employ the principles in AFSO21 but preferably by em- ploying a version that does not take time away from mission preparation/execution and that...results, the DOD’s director of quality management sent a certified public accountant to Yokota to verify the claims. The CPA validated that

Qualifications and Assignments of Alternatively Certified Teachers: Testing Core Assumptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen-Vogel, Lora; Smith, Thomas M.

2007-01-01

By analyzing data from the Schools and Staffing Survey, the authors empirically test four of the core assumptions embedded in current arguments for expanding alternative teacher certification (AC): AC attracts experienced candidates from fields outside of education; AC attracts top-quality, well-trained teachers; AC disproportionately trains…

Teacher Dispositions Affecting Self-Esteem and Student Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helm, Carroll

2007-01-01

Research supports several factors related to student success. Darling-Hammond (2000) indicated that the quality of teachers, as measured by whether the teachers were fully certified and had a major in their teaching field, was related to student performance. Measures of teacher preparation and certification were the strongest predictors of student…

Mandatory Continuing Professional Education for CPAs: Is It Working?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coffee, David; Beegle, John

1994-01-01

According to responses from 254 of 400 certified public accountants (133 practitioners, 121 educators), 91% believe that mandatory continuing professional education is beneficial and enhances professional image. Most believe it improves the quality of their work; practitioners feel more strongly about the benefits than do educators. (SK)

49 CFR Appendix C to Part 37 - Certifications

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., including individuals who use wheelchairs, is equivalent to the level and quality of service offered to... (name of public entity (ies)) has conducted a survey of existing paratransit services as required by 49... is to certify that service provided by other entities but included in the ADA paratransit plan...

77 FR 5703 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; North Carolina; 110(a)(1) and (2...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-06

... and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; North Carolina; 110(a)(1) and (2) Infrastructure... Carolina, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NC DENR), Division of Air Quality... is commonly referred to as an ``infrastructure'' SIP. North Carolina certified that the North...

42 CFR 495.318 - State responsibilities for receiving FFP.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION STANDARDS FOR THE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD TECHNOLOGY... encourage the adoption of certified EHR technology to promote health care quality and the exchange of health... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false State responsibilities for receiving FFP. 495.318...

Factors Affecting the Choice of Anesthesiology by Medical Students for Specialty Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chandra, Phool; Hughes, Mark

1984-01-01

A study of medical students' choice of anesthesiology as a specialty and the quality of clerkships available established several factors in students' choice, including the negative effect of certified registered nurse anesthetists on the operating room floor. A study of relationships with nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, and…

34 CFR 403.160 - What activities does the Secretary support under the Comprehensive Career Guidance and Counseling...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... administered by certified counselors; and (2) Designed to improve, expand, and extend career guidance and... section; (2) Services and activities designed to ensure the quality and effectiveness of career guidance...) Curriculum development; (iv) Research and demonstration projects; (v) Experimental projects; (vi) The...

34 CFR 403.160 - What activities does the Secretary support under the Comprehensive Career Guidance and Counseling...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... administered by certified counselors; and (2) Designed to improve, expand, and extend career guidance and... section; (2) Services and activities designed to ensure the quality and effectiveness of career guidance...) Curriculum development; (iv) Research and demonstration projects; (v) Experimental projects; (vi) The...

34 CFR 403.160 - What activities does the Secretary support under the Comprehensive Career Guidance and Counseling...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... administered by certified counselors; and (2) Designed to improve, expand, and extend career guidance and... section; (2) Services and activities designed to ensure the quality and effectiveness of career guidance...) Curriculum development; (iv) Research and demonstration projects; (v) Experimental projects; (vi) The...

34 CFR 403.160 - What activities does the Secretary support under the Comprehensive Career Guidance and Counseling...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... administered by certified counselors; and (2) Designed to improve, expand, and extend career guidance and... section; (2) Services and activities designed to ensure the quality and effectiveness of career guidance...) Curriculum development; (iv) Research and demonstration projects; (v) Experimental projects; (vi) The...

The Technology of Anesthesiology Online: Convenience in Course Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godsall, Lyndon; Lee, Rebecca

2014-01-01

This article examines the way the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, responded to the need to educate certified registered nurse anesthetists by incorporating educational technology into program delivery without compromising integrity and quality to meet market demand. The article discusses…

30 CFR 75.364 - Weekly examination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... and air quality in the area. Air quantity measurements shall also be made where the air enters and... made where air enters the worked-out area. (ii) Measurements of methane and oxygen concentrations and...) Measurements and tests. At least every 7 days, a certified person shall— (1) Determine the volume of air...

Professional Standards for Visual Arts Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Art Education Association, 2009

2009-01-01

The National Art Education Association (NAEA) is committed to ensuring that all students have access to a high quality, certified visual arts educator in every K-12 public school across the United States, recognizing that effective arts instruction is a core component of 21st-century education. "Professional Standards for Visual Arts…

Label propagation algorithm for community detection based on node importance and label influence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xian-Kun; Ren, Jing; Song, Chen; Jia, Jia; Zhang, Qian

2017-09-01

Recently, the detection of high-quality community has become a hot spot in the research of social network. Label propagation algorithm (LPA) has been widely concerned since it has the advantages of linear time complexity and is unnecessary to define objective function and the number of community in advance. However, LPA has the shortcomings of uncertainty and randomness in the label propagation process, which affects the accuracy and stability of the community. For large-scale social network, this paper proposes a novel label propagation algorithm for community detection based on node importance and label influence (LPA_NI). The experiments with comparative algorithms on real-world networks and synthetic networks have shown that LPA_NI can significantly improve the quality of community detection and shorten the iteration period. Also, it has better accuracy and stability in the case of similar complexity.

Feasibility of certified quality management in a comprehensive stroke care network using telemedicine: STENO project.

PubMed

Handschu, René; Scibor, Mateusz; Wacker, Angela; Stark, David R; Köhrmann, Martin; Erbguth, Frank; Oschmann, Patrick; Schwab, Stefan; Marquardt, Lars

2014-12-01

Stroke care networks with and without telemedicine have been established in several countries over the last decade to provide specialized stroke expertise to patients in rural areas. Acute consultation is a first step in the management of stroke, but not the only one. Methods of standardization of care and treatment are much needed. So far, quality management systems have only been used for single stroke units. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first stroke network worldwide to aim for certification of a network-wide quality management system. The Stroke Network Using Telemedicine in Northern Bavaria (STENO), currently with 20 associated medical institutions, is one of the world's largest stroke networks, caring for over 5000 stroke patients each year. In 2010, we initiated the implementation of a network-wide 'total' quality management system according to ISO standard 9001:2008 in cooperation with the German Stroke Society and a third-party certification organization (LGA InterCert). Certification according to ISO 9001:2008 was awarded in March 2011 and maintained over a complete certification cycle of 3 years without major deviation from the norm in three external third-party audits. Thrombolysis rate significantly increased from 8·2% (2009) to 12·8% (2012). Certified quality management within a large stroke network using telemedicine is possible and might improve stroke care procedures and thrombolysis rates. Outcome studies comparing conventional stroke care and telestroke care are inevitable. © 2014 World Stroke Organization.

Quality improvement education incorporated as an integral part of critical care fellows training at the Mayo Clinic.

PubMed

Kashani, Kianoush B; Ramar, Kannan; Farmer, J Christopher; Lim, Kaiser G; Moreno-Franco, Pablo; Morgenthaler, Timothy I; Dankbar, Gene C; Hale, Curt W

2014-10-01

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education emphasizes quality improvement (QI) education in residency/fellowship training programs. The Mayo Clinic Combined Critical Care Fellowship (CCF) program conducted a pilot QI education program to incorporate QI training as a required curriculum for the 2010-2011 academic year. CCF collaborated with the Mayo Quality Academy to customize and teach the existing Mayo Quality Fellows curriculum to the CCF fellows with the help of two quality coaches over five months starting July 2010. All fellows were to achieve Bronze and Silver certification prior to graduation. Silver required passing four written exams and submitting a health care QI project. Five projects were selected on the basis of the Impact-Effort Prioritization matrix, and DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) methodology was used to complete the projects. The primary outcome was to assess learners' satisfaction, knowledge, and skill transfer. All 20 fellows were Bronze certified, and 14 (70%) were Silver certified by the time of graduation. All five QI projects were completed and showed positive impacts on patient safety and care. Surveys showed improved learner satisfaction. Graduates felt the QI training improved their QI skills and employment and career advancement. The QI curriculum had appropriate content and teaching pace and did not significantly displace other important clinical core curriculum topics. The pilot was successfully implemented in the CCF program and now is in the fourth academic year as an established and integral part of the fellowship core curriculum.

Quality of web-based information on social phobia: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Khazaal, Yasser; Fernandez, Sebastien; Cochand, Sophie; Reboh, Isabel; Zullino, Daniele

2008-01-01

The objective of the study is to evaluate the quality of web-based information on social phobia and to investigate particular quality indicators. Two keywords, "Social phobia" and "Social Anxiety Disorder", were entered into five popular World Wide Web search engines. Websites were assessed with a standardized proforma designed to rate sites on the basis of accountability, presentation, interactivity, readability, and content quality. "Health On the Net" (HON) quality label and DISCERN scale scores aiding people without content expertise to assess quality of written health publication were used to verify their efficiency as quality indicators. This study evaluates the quality of web-based information on social phobia. On the 200 identified links, 58 were included. On the basis of outcome measures, the overall quality of the sites turned out to be poor. DISCERN and HON label were indicators of good quality indicators. Accountability criteria were poor indicators of site quality. Although social phobia education Websites for patients are common, educational material highly varies in quality and content. There is a need for better evidence-based information about social phobia on the Web and a need to reconsider the role of accountability criteria as indicators of site quality. Clinicians should advise patients of the HON label and DISCERN as useful indicators of site quality. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Challenges in the size analysis of a silica nanoparticle mixture as candidate certified reference material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kestens, Vikram; Roebben, Gert; Herrmann, Jan; Jämting, Åsa; Coleman, Victoria; Minelli, Caterina; Clifford, Charles; De Temmerman, Pieter-Jan; Mast, Jan; Junjie, Liu; Babick, Frank; Cölfen, Helmut; Emons, Hendrik

2016-06-01

A new certified reference material for quality control of nanoparticle size analysis methods has been developed and produced by the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. The material, ERM-FD102, consists of an aqueous suspension of a mixture of silica nanoparticle populations of distinct particle size and origin. The characterisation relied on an interlaboratory comparison study in which 30 laboratories of demonstrated competence participated with a variety of techniques for particle size analysis. After scrutinising the received datasets, certified and indicative values for different method-defined equivalent diameters that are specific for dynamic light scattering (DLS), centrifugal liquid sedimentation (CLS), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), particle tracking analysis (PTA) and asymmetrical-flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) were assigned. The value assignment was a particular challenge because metrological concepts were not always interpreted uniformly across all participating laboratories. This paper presents the main elements and results of the ERM-FD102 characterisation study and discusses in particular the key issues of measurand definition and the estimation of measurement uncertainty.

Demoralization and attitudes toward residents among certified nurse assistants in relation to job stressors and work resources: cultural diversity in long term care.

PubMed

Ramirez, Mildred; Teresi, Jeanne; Holmes, Douglas

2006-01-01

Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) (n=104) caring for a probability sample of residents in 22 New York State nursing homes were interviewed, longitudinally, regarding work demands and stressors, support and training, and job-stress outcomes. Twenty-seven percent of CNAs reported pejorative name-calling by their residents. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that (a) increase in perceived pressure to complete tasks, (b) assignment size, and (c) attendance at support groups were associated with CNAs' demoralization at follow-up. A decrease in perceived racism and increased in-services about confused residents contributed to more positive attitudes toward residents. Examination of the quality of long-term care should include consideration of cultural diversity.

Female professional divers. Similarities and differences between male and female professional divers.

PubMed

Irgens, Ågot; Troland, Kari; Grønning, Marit

2017-01-01

The aim of the present study was to explore the potential differences between female and male professional divers with regards to demographics, diving certificates, areas of diving, diving activity and health effects. The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority's Diving certificate register contains data on all professional inshore divers who have held a certificate at any time since 1980. Forty nine per cent of these divers responded to the "Norwegian diver 2011" questionnaire. Of these divers 64 female and 1327 male divers completed the questionnaire about their professional diving career, certificate, year of onset and the year they stopped diving professionally if they were not still active in the diving industry. The level of general education was higher among female divers. More males than females were fully certified in diving. The mean age was lower among female than male fully certified divers. Fully certified female divers reported a lower total number of dives, shallower dives and diving for a shorter period of time than the male divers. They also had a lower percentage of work within the quay/construction sector and more often worked as teachers/instructors. A lower percentage of fully certified females than males had experienced decompression sickness (16.7% vs. 26.9%). Life-threatening events and psychologically challenging events were less common among females, as were adverse health effects. No such gender differences were seen for divers with a restricted certificate. The fully certified, female professional divers in our study had a very short diving career, reported fewer and shallower dives, and chose less physically demanding jobs than their male counterparts. They also had a higher level of education, reported less health problems and a better quality of life. The health effects seem to be related to the type of work rather than to gender.

Mediation effects of medication information processing and adherence on association between health literacy and quality of life.

PubMed

Song, Sunmi; Lee, Seung-Mi; Jang, Sunmee; Lee, Yoon Jin; Kim, Na-Hyun; Sohn, Hye-Ryoung; Suh, Dong-Churl

2017-09-16

To examine whether medication related information processing defined as reading of over-the-counter drug labels, understanding prescription instructions, and information seeking-and medication adherence account for the association between health literacy and quality of life, and whether these associations may be moderated by age and gender. A sample of 305 adults in South Korea was recruited through a proportional quota sampling to take part in a cross-sectional survey on health literacy, medication-related information processing, medication adherence, and quality of life. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) were performed. Two mediation pathways linking health literacy with quality of life were found. First, health literacy was positively associated with reading drug labels, which was subsequently linked to medication adherence and quality of life. Second, health literacy was positively associated with accurate understanding of prescription instructions, which was associated with quality of life. Age moderation was found, as the mediation by reading drug labels was significant only among young adults whereas the mediation by understanding of medication instruction was only among older adults. Reading drug labels and understanding prescription instructions explained the pathways by which health literacy affects medication adherence and quality of life. The results suggest that training skills for processing medication information can be effective to enhance the health of those with limited health literacy.

Correlates of quality educational programs.

PubMed

Chester, Deborah R; Tracy, Jessamyn A; Earp, Emily; Chauhan, Reetu

2002-06-01

Preliminary evaluation findings are presented that explore relationships between educational program quality and program characteristics such as program type, security level, aftercare, teacher certification, facility size, and private versus public provider. Several program characteristics are found to be related to measurements of educational program quality. Among the major quality characteristics are proportion of program teachers that are professionally certified, smaller sized facilities versus larger facilities, level of aftercare services, and provider sources, with private for-profit providers being the lowest performing and public providers being the highest performing. The article closes with description of the Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program's continuing evaluation of correlates to educational program quality through the continued development of a comprehensive database.

MRT fuel element inspection at Dounreay

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gibson, J.

1997-08-01

To ensure that their production and inspection processes are performed in an acceptable manner, ie. auditable and traceable, the MTR Fuel Element Fabrication Plant at Dounreay operates to a documented quality system. This quality system, together with the fuel element manufacturing and inspection operations, has been independently certified to ISO9002-1987, EN29002-1987 and BS5750:Pt2:1987 by Lloyd`s Register Quality Assurance Limited (LRQA). This certification also provides dual accreditation to the relevant German, Dutch and Australian certification bodies. This paper briefly describes the quality system, together with the various inspection stages involved in the manufacture of MTR fuel elements at Dounreay.

Quality of clinical and economic evidence in dossier formulary submissions.

PubMed

Colmenero, Fernando; Sullivan, Sean D; Palmer, Jennifer A; Brauer, Carmen A; Bungay, Kathleen; Watkins, John; Neumann, Peter J

2007-07-01

To investigate the quality and completeness of clinical and economic data in dossiers submitted by drug companies to a health plan using Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy guidelines (the Format) for formulary submissions. We reviewed the quality of economic analyses in dossiers submitted to Premera Blue Cross Health Plan (Mountlake Terrace, Washington; enrollment 1.6 million) between January 2002 and September 2005. For dossiers submitted in 2003, we examined the clinical studies included. Dossiers were audited with a data collection form to judge the types of clinical studies used to support labeled and off-label indications, and the quality and transparency of economic analyses. We compared economic analyses for high-cost (30-day treatment cost > $1000) versus low-cost products, and for "innovative" versus "me-too" drugs. Evidence to support off-label indications often was included in 2003 dossiers, but the information was less extensive and of poorer quality than data for labeled indications. Of 115 dossiers submitted between 2002 and 2005, 53 (46%) included economic analyses. The economic analyses had low levels of compliance with standards: only 43% performed sensitivity analysis; 38% stated the study perspective; 37% discussed relevant treatment alternatives; 20% stated assumptions clearly; and 18% mentioned caveats to conclusions. Economic analyses of high-cost products and innovative products had higher compliance with recommended practices. Drug companies are submitting dossiers of evidence to formulary committees. Dossiers often included clinical data to support off-label indications, but concerns persist about their quality. About half of dossiers included economic analyses, but these analyses had relatively low levels of compliance with recommended practices.

Interlaboratory Validation of a Stable Isotope Dilution and Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for the Determination of Aflatoxins in Milk, Milk-Based Infant Formula, and Feed.

PubMed

Zhang, Kai; Liao, Chia-Ding; Prakash, Shristi; Conway, Michael; Cheng, Hwei-Fang

2018-05-01

An interlaboratory study was conducted to evaluate stable isotope dilution and LC tandem MS (MS/MS) for the determination of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, and M1 (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, and AFM1) in milk, milk-based infant formula (formula), and feed. Samples were first fortified with five 13C uniformly labeled aflatoxins {[13C]-internal standard (IS)} corresponding to the five native aflatoxins, which were subsequently extracted with acetonitrile-water (50 + 50, v/v), followed by centrifugation, filtration, and LC-MS/MS analysis. In addition to certified milk powder and animal feed, the three participating laboratories also analyzed milk, formula, and feed fortified with the five aflatoxins at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 50 ng/g. The majority of recoveries ranged from 80 to 120%, with RSDs < 20%. Method LOQs were determined by the three laboratories using the three sample matrixes in replicates (n = 8), and the determined LOQs of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, and AFM1 ranged from 0.1 to 0.91, 0.24 to 0.64, 0.28 to 1.52, 0.19 to 3.80, and 0.12 to 0.45 ng/g, respectively. For detected aflatoxins in the certified materials, all measured concentrations were within ±25% of the certified values. Using [13C]-IS eliminated the need for matrix-matched calibration standards for quantitation, simplified sample preparation, and achieved simultaneous identification and quantitation of the aflatoxins in a simple LC-MS/MS procedure.

Direct labeling of serum proteins by fluorescent dye for antibody microarray.

PubMed

Klimushina, M V; Gumanova, N G; Metelskaya, V A

2017-05-06

Analysis of serum proteome by antibody microarray is used to identify novel biomarkers and to study signaling pathways including protein phosphorylation and protein-protein interactions. Labeling of serum proteins is important for optimal performance of the antibody microarray. Proper choice of fluorescent label and optimal concentration of protein loaded on the microarray ensure good quality of imaging that can be reliably scanned and processed by the software. We have optimized direct serum protein labeling using fluorescent dye Arrayit Green 540 (Arrayit Corporation, USA) for antibody microarray. Optimized procedure produces high quality images that can be readily scanned and used for statistical analysis of protein composition of the serum. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Multicenter, Open-Label Trial to Evaluate the Quality of Life in Adults with ADHD Treated with Long-Acting Methylphenidate (OROS MPH): Concerta Quality of Life (CONQoL) Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattos, Paulo; Rodrigues Louza, Mario; Fernandes Palmini, Andre Luis; de Oliveira, Irismar Reis; Lopes Rocha, Fabio

2013-01-01

The available literature provides few studies on the effectiveness of methylphenidate in improving quality of life in individuals with ADHD. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of Methyphenidate OROS formulation (OROS MPH) through QoL in adults with ADHD. Method: A 12-week, multicenter, open-label trial involving 60 patients was used. The…

[Quality system in cardiology: practical example to develop an organizational model for management certification without bureaucracy].

PubMed

Colonna, Paolo; Pasini, Evasio; Pitocchi, Oreste; Bovenzi, Francesco; Sorino, Margherita; de Luca, Italo

2003-04-01

It is a difficult task to define practical guidelines and a pragmatic achievement for the new document of the Italian Ministry of Health for structures of the national health system obtaining a quality system according to the ISO 9000 standard. The present article illustrates the different steps to accomplish the quality management in our cardiology department, recently internationally certified, and it gives several practical examples of the path followed in the different sections of the department to obtain the best management of all the Operative Units, identifying customer requests and measuring customer satisfaction.

Effectiveness of a 95 SNP panel for the screening of breed label fraud in the Chinese meat market.

PubMed

Rogberg-Muñoz, A; Wei, S; Ripoli, M V; Guo, B L; Carino, M H; Lirón, J P; Prando, A J; Vaca, R J A; Peral-García, P; Wei, Y M; Giovambattista, G

2016-01-01

Breed assignment has proved to be useful to control meat trade and protect the value of special productions. Meat-related frauds have been detected in China; therefore, 95 SNPs selected from the ISAG core panel were evaluated to develop an automated and technologically updated tool to screen breed label fraud in the Chinese meat market. A total of 271 animals from four Chinese yellow cattle (CYC) populations, six Bos taurus breeds, two Bos indicus and one composite were used. The allocation test distinguished European, Japanese and Zebu breeds, and two Chinese genetic components. It correctly allocated Japanese Black, Zebu and British breeds in 100, 90 and 89% of samples, respectively. CYC evidenced the Zebu, Holstein and Limousin introgression. The test did not detect CYC components in any of the 25 samples from Argentinean butchers. The method could be useful to certify Angus, Hereford and Japanese Black meat, but a modification in the panel would be needed to differentiate other breeds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

African American Accounting Majors and the 150-hr Requirement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Booker, Quinton; Hill, Cecil L.; Wright, Carl

2010-01-01

The study provides information on African American accounting majors' views regarding 150-hr issues. The authors collected data from 152 students at two schools. Students at one school supported the requirement while those at the other school did not. However, students believed that the 150-hr requirement enhances the quality of certified public…

45 CFR 2522.940 - What are the requirements for a program in which AmeriCorps members serve as tutors?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... tutoring for children must: (a) Articulate appropriate criteria for selecting and qualifying tutors... measure student outcomes; (c) Certify that the tutoring curriculum and pre-service and in-service training... individuals with expertise in tutoring; and (e) Provide specialized high-quality and research-based, member...

Baker: Apprenticeship Course Outline. Apprenticeship and Industry Training. 2412

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Advanced Education and Technology, 2012

2012-01-01

The graduate of the Baker apprenticeship program is a certified journeyperson who will be able to: (1) prepare and bake all types of high quality yeast raised products in commercial quantities; (2) produce and decorate various types of cakes, cookies and pastries commonly available in commercial bakeries; (3) use efficiently and safely all hand…

An Automated Data Analysis Tool for Livestock Market Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Galen S.; Raper, Kellie Curry

2011-01-01

This article describes an automated data analysis tool that allows Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service educators to disseminate results in a timely manner. Primary data collected at Oklahoma Quality Beef Network (OQBN) certified calf auctions across the state results in a large amount of data per sale site. Sale summaries for an individual sale…

A Preliminary Qualitative Evaluation of the Virginia Gold Quality Improvement Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craver, Gerald A.; Burkett, Amy K.

2012-01-01

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) perform an important role in the long-term care system because they provide the majority of paid care to nursing facility residents. Unfortunately, annual CNA turnover often exceeds 100 percent nationally. Many factors account for this, including stressful working conditions, low pay, and limited benefits. The…

A Study of Clinical Supervision Techniques and Training in Substance Abuse Treatment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Paul L.; Hamm, Terri

2012-01-01

Data from 57 clinical supervisors in licensed substance abuse treatment programs indicate that 28% had completed formal graduate course work in clinical supervision and 33% were professionally licensed or certified. Findings raise concerns about the scope and quality of clinical supervision available to substance abuse counselors. (Contains 3…

24 CFR 902.64 - PHAS scoring and audit reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... necessary as a result of the independent public accountant (IPA) audit. (2) Each PHA (or RMC) shall post a... review. HUD may undertake a quality control review of the audit work papers or as part of the Department... Attestation Engagements issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or Generally Accepted...

24 CFR 902.64 - PHAS scoring and audit reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... necessary as a result of the independent public accountant (IPA) audit. (2) Each PHA (or RMC) shall post a... review. HUD may undertake a quality control review of the audit work papers or as part of the Department... Attestation Engagements issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or Generally Accepted...

24 CFR 902.64 - PHAS scoring and audit reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... necessary as a result of the independent public accountant (IPA) audit. (2) Each PHA (or RMC) shall post a... review. HUD may undertake a quality control review of the audit work papers or as part of the Department... Attestation Engagements issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or Generally Accepted...

24 CFR 902.64 - PHAS scoring and audit reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... necessary as a result of the independent public accountant (IPA) audit. (2) Each PHA (or RMC) shall post a... review. HUD may undertake a quality control review of the audit work papers or as part of the Department... Attestation Engagements issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or Generally Accepted...

10 CFR 440.21 - Weatherization materials standards and energy audit procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 75 percent; or, in the case of a solar system, it has a thermal efficiency rating of at least 15...) of this section describes the performance and quality standards for renewable energy systems... petition from a manufacturer requesting the Secretary to certify an item as a renewable energy system...

The Influence of Nurse Staffing Levels on Quality of Care in Nursing Homes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyer, Kathryn; Thomas, Kali S.; Branch, Laurence G.; Harman, Jeffrey S.; Johnson, Christopher E.; Weech-Maldonado, Robert

2011-01-01

Objective: This study examines the relationship between increasing certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and licensed nurse staffing ratios and deficiencies in Florida nursing homes over a 4-year period. Methods: Data from Florida staffing reports and the Online Survey Certification and Reporting database examine the relationship among staffing…

77 FR 12901 - Data Collection Available for Public Comments and Recommendations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-02

... collections are necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, whether the burden estimates are accurate, and if there are ways to minimize the estimated burden and enhance the quality of... Business Administration (SBA) Form 159 is used by 7(a) lenders, Certified Development companies, and...

Beyond meaningful use: getting meaningful value from IT.

PubMed

Fortin, Jason; Zywiak, Walt

2010-02-01

The HITECH provisions of ARRA include financial incentives for providers to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. However, to maximize the value of IT under new payment models, provider organizations will need to go beyond meaningful use criteria in three key areas: Delivering high-quality care. Ensuring coordinated care. Integrating financial systems.

76 FR 20846 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Indiana

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-14

... Indiana, to resolve a complaint filed against the company in the United States District Court for the... publishing this action without prior proposal because we view this as a noncontroversial amendment and... certified as not having a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the...

Science Development: An Evaluation Study. Technical Report No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drew, David E.

The National Science Foundation initiated the Science Development Program in 1965 in order to enable selected universities to improve the quality of their resources for science education and research. The specific purpose was to develop the competence of the funded institutions in preparing research scholars (as certified by their awarding of the…

78 FR 48806 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Tennessee; Infrastructure Requirements for the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-12

... Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Tennessee; Infrastructure Requirements for the 2008 Lead National Ambient... infrastructure requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) for the 2008 Lead national ambient air quality... ``infrastructure'' SIP. TDEC certified that the Tennessee SIP contains provisions that ensure the 2008 Lead NAAQS...

Impact of the front-of-pack 5-colour nutrition label (5-CNL) on the nutritional quality of purchases: an experimental study.

PubMed

Julia, Chantal; Blanchet, Olivier; Méjean, Caroline; Péneau, Sandrine; Ducrot, Pauline; Allès, Benjamin; Fezeu, Léopold K; Touvier, Mathilde; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle; Singler, Eric; Hercberg, Serge

2016-09-20

Front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling has received growing attention from public health authorities, as a tool to promote healthier diets in the population. Recently, the French Health law introduced the principle of implementing a FOP nutrition labelling system. A scientific proposal has put forward the 5-Colour Nutrition Label (5-CNL), a five-category colour-coded summary system supported by research suggesting that it is well perceived and understood in the population. Our objective was to investigate the impact of the 5-CNL on the nutritional quality of purchases in experimental supermarkets. Participants (n = 901) were recruited using quota sampling between September and December 2015 and evenly distributed in three experimental conditions: 1) control situation; 2) Application of the 5-CNL on all food products in three specific sections: breakfast cereals, sweet biscuits and appetizers; 3) introduction of the 5-CNL accompanied by consumer information on use and understanding of the label. Main outcome was the nutritional quality of the shopping cart in the three sections combined, measured using the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system (FSA score). Significantly higher mean nutritional quality of the purchased items per section were observed for the sweet biscuits category in the intervention combining the label + communication (overall FSA score 21.01 vs. 20.23, P = 0.02). No significant effects were observed for the general mean over the three sections combined or other food categories. The results observed on purchase may be related to the high level of recall, self-reported and objective understanding of the label that were observed in the intervention groups as they are pre-requisites for use of a label in purchasing situations. These results suggest that the 5-CNL FOP nutrition label may have a limited impact on purchases, leading to healthier food choices in some food categories such as sweet biscuits. The trial was registered on Clinicaltrials.gov under the number NCT02546505 .

Biosynthesis, targeting, and processing of lysosomal proteins: pulse-chase labeling and immune precipitation.

PubMed

Pohl, Sandra; Hasilik, Andrej

2015-01-01

Incorporation of radioactive precursors of amino acids and/or modifier groups into proteins, isolation and sizing of polypeptide species of interest, and finally their detection and characterization provide a robust handle to examine the life cycle and varied modifications of any protein. A prerequisite in application of these techniques to lysosomal enzymes is the availability of an avid and specific antibody, because lysosomal proteins represent a very minor fraction of the cellular protein and must be purified without a significant loss many 1000-fold as conveniently as possible. Pulse-chase labeling and good knowledge on organelle-specific modifications of lysosomal proteins may enhance the information that can be obtained from such experiments. We describe procedures for pulse-chase labeling experiments that have proven to work with a commercially available antibody against a mouse and a human lysosomal protease and can be used as a reference in establishing the technique in any laboratory that has an access to a certified isotope facility and the knowledge to handle radioactivity safely. We discuss the crucial steps and refer to alternatives described in the literature. The present model protein cathepsin Z is synthesized as a larger proenzyme that contains two N-linked oligosaccharides and matures to a shorter single chain enzyme retaining the processed oligosaccharides. A pulse-chase experiment demonstrates the conversion of the precursor into the mature form. In addition, results on deglycosylation of metabolically labeled cathepsin Z are shown and the alterations in the apparent size of the glycopeptides are explained. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Progress in developing analytical and label-based dietary supplement databases at the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements

PubMed Central

Dwyer, Johanna T.; Picciano, Mary Frances; Betz, Joseph M.; Fisher, Kenneth D.; Saldanha, Leila G.; Yetley, Elizabeth A.; Coates, Paul M.; Milner, John A.; Whitted, Jackie; Burt, Vicki; Radimer, Kathy; Wilger, Jaimie; Sharpless, Katherine E.; Holden, Joanne M.; Andrews, Karen; Roseland, Janet; Zhao, Cuiwei; Schweitzer, Amy; Harnly, James; Wolf, Wayne R.; Perry, Charles R.

2013-01-01

Although an estimated 50% of adults in the United States consume dietary supplements, analytically substantiated data on their bioactive constituents are sparse. Several programs funded by the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health enhance dietary supplement database development and help to better describe the quantitative and qualitative contributions of dietary supplements to total dietary intakes. ODS, in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture, is developing a Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID) verified by chemical analysis. The products chosen initially for analytical verification are adult multivitamin-mineral supplements (MVMs). These products are widely used, analytical methods are available for determining key constituents, and a certified reference material is in development. Also MVMs have no standard scientific, regulatory, or marketplace definitions and have widely varying compositions, characteristics, and bioavailability. Furthermore, the extent to which actual amounts of vitamins and minerals in a product deviate from label values is not known. Ultimately, DSID will prove useful to professionals in permitting more accurate estimation of the contribution of dietary supplements to total dietary intakes of nutrients and better evaluation of the role of dietary supplements in promoting health and well-being. ODS is also collaborating with the National Center for Health Statistics to enhance the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dietary supplement label database. The newest ODS effort explores the feasibility and practicality of developing a database of all dietary supplement labels marketed in the US. This article describes these and supporting projects. PMID:25346570

Labelling of household products and prevention of unintentional poisoning.

PubMed

de Presgrave, Rosaura Farias; Alves, Eloisa Nunes; Camacho, Luiz Antônio Bastos; Bôas, Maria Helena Simões Villas

2008-04-01

Unintentional poisoning occurs mainly in childhood due to ingestion of common household products. A decisive factor is the lack of knowledge concerning the potential toxicity of these products. A random study of 158 labels of cleaning products was conducted at the National Institute of Quality Control in Health--Brazil. Health hazard warnings, first aid in case of poisoning and storage instructions were evaluated to assess the quality of information provided to the consumer regarding the risks inherent in these products. Among these labels, 75% were considered inadequate since they did not provide all cautionary information necessary to avoid the health hazards associated with these products. First aid instructions in the case of inhalation were missing on more than 50% of labels studied and 47% did not recommend taking the label to a health professional in case of accident. Furthermore, the labels did not provide other important warnings such as "read before use" and "keep in original container': The results indicate that the labelling of cleaning products does not provide all safety information recommended for consumers.

The importance of reference materials in doping-control analysis.

PubMed

Mackay, Lindsey G; Kazlauskas, Rymantas

2011-08-01

Currently a large range of pure substance reference materials are available for calibration of doping-control methods. These materials enable traceability to the International System of Units (SI) for the results generated by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratories. Only a small number of prohibited substances have threshold limits for which quantification is highly important. For these analytes only the highest quality reference materials that are available should be used. Many prohibited substances have no threshold limits and reference materials provide essential identity confirmation. For these reference materials the correct identity is critical and the methods used to assess identity in these cases should be critically evaluated. There is still a lack of certified matrix reference materials to support many aspects of doping analysis. However, in key areas a range of urine matrix materials have been produced for substances with threshold limits, for example 19-norandrosterone and testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio. These matrix-certified reference materials (CRMs) are an excellent independent means of checking method recovery and bias and will typically be used in method validation and then regularly as quality-control checks. They can be particularly important in the analysis of samples close to threshold limits, in which measurement accuracy becomes critical. Some reference materials for isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) analysis are available and a matrix material certified for steroid delta values is currently under production. In other new areas, for example the Athlete Biological Passport, peptide hormone testing, designer steroids, and gene doping, reference material needs still need to be thoroughly assessed and prioritised.

Calorie menu labeling on quick-service restaurant menus: an updated systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Swartz, Jonas J; Braxton, Danielle; Viera, Anthony J

2011-12-08

Nutrition labels are one strategy being used to combat the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 mandates that calorie labels be added to menu boards of chain restaurants with 20 or more locations. This systematic review includes seven studies published since the last review on the topic in 2008. Authors searched for peer-reviewed studies using PUBMED and Google Scholar. Included studies used an experimental or quasi-experimental design comparing a calorie-labeled menu with a no-calorie menu and were conducted in laboratories, college cafeterias, and fast food restaurants. Two of the included studies were judged to be of good quality, and five of were judged to be of fair quality. Observational studies conducted in cities after implementation of calorie labeling were imprecise in their measure of the isolated effects of calorie labels. Experimental studies conducted in laboratory settings were difficult to generalize to real world behavior. Only two of the seven studies reported a statistically significant reduction in calories purchased among consumers using calorie-labeled menus. The current evidence suggests that calorie labeling does not have the intended effect of decreasing calorie purchasing or consumption.

The effect of food label cues on perceptions of quality and purchase intentions among high-involvement consumers with varying levels of nutrition knowledge.

PubMed

Walters, Amber; Long, Marilee

2012-01-01

To determine whether differences in nutrition knowledge affected how women (a high-involvement group) interpreted intrinsic cues (ingredient list) and extrinsic cues ("all natural" label) on food labels. A 2 (intrinsic cue) × 2 (extrinsic cue) × 2 (nutrition knowledge expert vs novice) within-subject factorial design was used. Participants were 106 female college students (61 experts, 45 novices). Dependent variables were perception of product quality and purchase intention. As predicted by the elaboration likelihood model, experts used central route processing to scrutinize intrinsic cues and make judgments about food products. Novices used peripheral route processing to make simple inferences about the extrinsic cues in labels. Consumers' levels of nutrition knowledge influenced their ability to process food labels. The United States Food and Drug Administration should regulate the "all natural" food label, because this claim is likely to mislead most consumers. Copyright © 2012 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 111.127 - What quality control operations are required for packaging and labeling operations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What quality control operations are required for packaging and labeling operations? 111.127 Section 111.127 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING...

The impact of wood stove technology upgrades on indoor residential air quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Ryan W.; Leckie, Sara; Millar, Gail; Brauer, Michael

2009-12-01

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) air pollution has been linked to adverse health impacts, and combustion sources including residential wood-burning may play an important role in some regions. Recent evidence suggests that indoor air quality may improve in homes where older, non-certified wood stoves are exchanged for lower emissions EPA-certified alternatives. As part of a wood stove exchange program in northern British Columbia, Canada, we sampled outdoor and indoor air at 15 homes during 6-day sampling sessions both before and after non-certified wood stoves were exchanged. During each sampling session two consecutive 3-day PM 2.5 samples were collected onto Teflon filters, which were weighed and analyzed for the wood smoke tracer levoglucosan. Residential PM 2.5 infiltration efficiencies ( Finf) were estimated from continuous light scattering measurements made with nephelometers, and estimates of Finf were used to calculate the outdoor- and indoor-generated contributions to indoor air. There was not a consistent relationship between stove technology and outdoor or indoor concentrations of PM 2.5 or levoglucosan. Mean Finf estimates were low and similar during pre- and post-exchange periods (0.32 ± 0.17 and 0.33 ± 0.17, respectively). Indoor sources contributed the majority (˜65%) of the indoor PM 2.5 concentrations, independent of stove technology, although low indoor-outdoor levoglucosan ratios (median ≤ 0.19) and low indoor PM 2.5-levoglucosan correlations ( r ≤ 0.19) suggested that wood smoke was not a major indoor PM 2.5 source in most of these homes. In summary, despite the potential for extensive wood stove exchange programs to reduce outdoor PM 2.5 concentrations in wood smoke-impacted communities, we did not find a consistent relationship between stove technology upgrades and indoor air quality improvements in homes where stoves were exchanged.

The global pediatric antiretroviral market: analyses of product availability and utilization reveal challenges for development of pediatric formulations and HIV/AIDS treatment in children.

PubMed

Waning, Brenda; Diedrichsen, Ellen; Jambert, Elodie; Bärnighausen, Till; Li, Yun; Pouw, Mieke; Moon, Suerie

2010-10-17

Important advances in the development and production of quality-certified pediatric antiretroviral (ARV) formulations have recently been made despite significant market disincentives for manufacturers. This progress resulted from lobbying and innovative interventions from HIV/AIDS activists, civil society organizations, and international organizations. Research on uptake and dispersion of these improved products across countries and international organizations has not been conducted but is needed to inform next steps towards improving child health. We used information from the World Health Organization Prequalification Programme and the United States Food and Drug Administration to describe trends in quality-certification of pediatric formulations and used 7,989 donor-funded, pediatric ARV purchase transactions from 2002-2009 to measure uptake and dispersion of new pediatric ARV formulations across countries and programs. Prices for new pediatric ARV formulations were compared to alternative dosage forms. Fewer ARV options exist for HIV/AIDS treatment in children than adults. Before 2005, most pediatric ARVs were produced by innovator companies in single-component solid and liquid forms. Five 2-in1 and four 3-in-1 generic pediatric fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) in solid and dispersible forms have been quality-certified since 2005. Most (67%) of these were produced by one quality-certified manufacturer. Uptake of new pediatric FDCs outside of UNITAID is low. UNITAID accounted for 97-100% of 2008-2009 market volume. In total, 33 and 34 countries reported solid or dispersible FDC purchases in 2008 and 2009, respectively, but most purchases were made through UNITAID. Only three Global Fund country recipients reported purchase of these FDCs in 2008. Prices for pediatric FDCs were considerably lower than liquids but typically higher than half of an adult FDC. Pediatric ARV markets are more fragile than adult markets. Ensuring a long-term supply of quality, well-adapted ARVs for children requires ongoing monitoring and improved understanding of global pediatric markets, including country-based research to explain and address low uptake of new, improved formulations. Continued innovation in pediatric ARV development may be threatened by outdated procurement practices failing to connect clinicians making prescribing decisions, supply chain staff dealing with logistics, donors, international organizations, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Perceptions of global demand must be better informed by accurate estimates of actual country-level demand.

The global pediatric antiretroviral market: analyses of product availability and utilization reveal challenges for development of pediatric formulations and HIV/AIDS treatment in children

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Important advances in the development and production of quality-certified pediatric antiretroviral (ARV) formulations have recently been made despite significant market disincentives for manufacturers. This progress resulted from lobbying and innovative interventions from HIV/AIDS activists, civil society organizations, and international organizations. Research on uptake and dispersion of these improved products across countries and international organizations has not been conducted but is needed to inform next steps towards improving child health. Methods We used information from the World Health Organization Prequalification Programme and the United States Food and Drug Administration to describe trends in quality-certification of pediatric formulations and used 7,989 donor-funded, pediatric ARV purchase transactions from 2002-2009 to measure uptake and dispersion of new pediatric ARV formulations across countries and programs. Prices for new pediatric ARV formulations were compared to alternative dosage forms. Results Fewer ARV options exist for HIV/AIDS treatment in children than adults. Before 2005, most pediatric ARVs were produced by innovator companies in single-component solid and liquid forms. Five 2-in1 and four 3-in-1 generic pediatric fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) in solid and dispersible forms have been quality-certified since 2005. Most (67%) of these were produced by one quality-certified manufacturer. Uptake of new pediatric FDCs outside of UNITAID is low. UNITAID accounted for 97-100% of 2008-2009 market volume. In total, 33 and 34 countries reported solid or dispersible FDC purchases in 2008 and 2009, respectively, but most purchases were made through UNITAID. Only three Global Fund country recipients reported purchase of these FDCs in 2008. Prices for pediatric FDCs were considerably lower than liquids but typically higher than half of an adult FDC. Conclusion Pediatric ARV markets are more fragile than adult markets. Ensuring a long-term supply of quality, well-adapted ARVs for children requires ongoing monitoring and improved understanding of global pediatric markets, including country-based research to explain and address low uptake of new, improved formulations. Continued innovation in pediatric ARV development may be threatened by outdated procurement practices failing to connect clinicians making prescribing decisions, supply chain staff dealing with logistics, donors, international organizations, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Perceptions of global demand must be better informed by accurate estimates of actual country-level demand. PMID:20950492

Nutritional labelling for healthier food or non-alcoholic drink purchasing and consumption.

PubMed

Crockett, Rachel A; King, Sarah E; Marteau, Theresa M; Prevost, A T; Bignardi, Giacomo; Roberts, Nia W; Stubbs, Brendon; Hollands, Gareth J; Jebb, Susan A

2018-02-27

Nutritional labelling is advocated as a means to promote healthier food purchasing and consumption, including lower energy intake. Internationally, many different nutritional labelling schemes have been introduced. There is no consensus on whether such labelling is effective in promoting healthier behaviour. To assess the impact of nutritional labelling for food and non-alcoholic drinks on purchasing and consumption of healthier items. Our secondary objective was to explore possible effect moderators of nutritional labelling on purchasing and consumption. We searched 13 electronic databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE and Embase to 26 April 2017. We also handsearched references and citations and sought unpublished studies through websites and trials registries. Eligible studies: were randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials (RCTs/Q-RCTs), controlled before-and-after studies, or interrupted time series (ITS) studies; compared a labelled product (with information on nutrients or energy) with the same product without a nutritional label; assessed objectively measured purchasing or consumption of foods or non-alcoholic drinks in real-world or laboratory settings. Two authors independently selected studies for inclusion and extracted study data. We applied the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool and GRADE to assess the quality of evidence. We pooled studies that evaluated similar interventions and outcomes using a random-effects meta-analysis, and we synthesised data from other studies in a narrative summary. We included 28 studies, comprising 17 RCTs, 5 Q-RCTs and 6 ITS studies. Most (21/28) took place in the USA, and 19 took place in university settings, 14 of which mainly involved university students or staff. Most (20/28) studies assessed the impact of labelling on menus or menu boards, or nutritional labelling placed on, or adjacent to, a range of foods or drinks from which participants could choose. Eight studies provided participants with only one labelled food or drink option (in which labelling was present on a container or packaging, adjacent to the food or on a display board) and measured the amount consumed. The most frequently assessed labelling type was energy (i.e. calorie) information (12/28).Eleven studies assessed the impact of nutritional labelling on purchasing food or drink options in real-world settings, including purchases from vending machines (one cluster-RCT), grocery stores (one ITS), or restaurants, cafeterias or coffee shops (three RCTs, one Q-RCT and five ITS). Findings on vending machines and grocery stores were not interpretable, and were rated as very low quality. A meta-analysis of the three RCTs, all of which assessed energy labelling on menus in restaurants, demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of 47 kcal in energy purchased (MD -46.72 kcal, 95% CI -78.35, -15.10, N = 1877). Assuming an average meal of 600 kcal, energy labelling on menus would reduce energy purchased per meal by 7.8% (95% CI 2.5% to 13.1%). The quality of the evidence for these three studies was rated as low, so our confidence in the effect estimate is limited and may change with further studies. Of the remaining six studies, only two (both ITS studies involving energy labels on menus or menus boards in a coffee shop or cafeteria) were at low risk of bias, and their results support the meta-analysis. The results of the other four studies which were conducted in a restaurant, cafeterias (2 studies) or a coffee shop, were not clearly reported and were at high risk of bias.Seventeen studies assessed the impact of nutritional labels on consumption in artificial settings or scenarios (henceforth referred to as laboratory studies or settings). Of these, eight (all RCTs) assessed the effect of labels on menus or placed on a range of food options. A meta-analysis of these studies did not conclusively demonstrate a reduction in energy consumed during a meal (MD -50 kcal, 95% CI -104.41, 3.88, N = 1705). We rated the quality of the evidence as low, so our confidence in the effect estimate is limited and may change with further studies.Six laboratory studies (four RCTs and two Q-RCTs) assessed the impact of labelling a single food or drink option (such as chocolate, pasta or soft drinks) on energy consumed during a snack or meal. A meta-analysis of these studies did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in energy (kcal) consumed (SMD 0.05, 95% CI -0.17 to 0.27, N = 732). However, the confidence intervals were wide, suggesting uncertainty in the true effect size. We rated the quality of the evidence as low, so our confidence in the effect estimate is limited and may change with further studies.There was no evidence that nutritional labelling had the unintended harm of increasing energy purchased or consumed. Indirect evidence came from five laboratory studies that involved mislabelling single nutrient content (i.e. placing low energy or low fat labels on high-energy foods) during a snack or meal. A meta-analysis of these studies did not demonstrate a statistically significant increase in energy (kcal) consumed (SMD 0.19, 95% CI -0.14to 0.51, N = 718). The effect was small and the confidence intervals wide, suggesting uncertainty in the true effect size. We rated the quality of the evidence from these studies as very low, providing very little confidence in the effect estimate. Findings from a small body of low-quality evidence suggest that nutritional labelling comprising energy information on menus may reduce energy purchased in restaurants. The evidence assessing the impact on consumption of energy information on menus or on a range of food options in laboratory settings suggests a similar effect to that observed for purchasing, although the evidence is less definite and also of low quality.Accordingly, and in the absence of observed harms, we tentatively suggest that nutritional labelling on menus in restaurants could be used as part of a wider set of measures to tackle obesity. Additional high-quality research in real-world settings is needed to enable more certain conclusions.Further high-quality research is also needed to address the dearth of evidence from grocery stores and vending machines and to assess potential moderators of the intervention effect, including socioeconomic status.

Minimizing quality changes of cloudy apple juice: The use of kiwifruit puree and high pressure homogenization.

PubMed

Yi, Junjie; Kebede, Biniam; Kristiani, Kristiani; Grauwet, Tara; Van Loey, Ann; Hendrickx, Marc

2018-05-30

Cloud loss, enzymatic browning, and flavor changes are important quality defects of cloudy fruit juices determining consumer acceptability. The development of clean label options to overcome such quality problems is currently of high interest. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of kiwifruit puree (clean label ingredient) and high pressure homogenization on quality changes of cloudy apple juice using a multivariate approach. The use of kiwifruit puree addition and high pressure homogenization resulted in a juice with improved uniformity and cloud stability by reducing particle size and increasing viscosity and yield stress (p < 0.01). Furthermore, kiwifruit puree addition reduced enzymatic browning (ΔE ∗  < 3), due to the increased ascorbic acid and contributed to a more saturated and bright yellow color, a better taste balance, and a more fruity aroma of juice. This work demonstrates that clean label options to control quality degradation of cloudy fruit juice might offer new opportunities. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Certified Clinical Nurse Leader in Critical Care.

PubMed

L'Ecuyer, Kristine M; Shatto, Bobbi J; Hoffmann, Rosemary L; Crecelius, Matthew L

2016-01-01

Challenges of the current health system in the United States call for collaboration of health care professionals, careful utilization of resources, and greater efficiency of system processes. Innovations to the delivery of care include the introduction of the clinical nurse leader role to provide leadership at the point of care, where it is needed most. Clinical nurse leaders have demonstrated their ability to address needed changes and implement improvements in processes that impact the efficiency and quality of patient care across the continuum and in a variety of settings, including critical care. This article describes the role of the certified clinical nurse leader, their education and skill set, and outlines outcomes that have been realized by their efforts. Specific examples of how clinical nurse leaders impact critical care nursing are discussed.

Comparison of Births by Provider, Place, and Payer in New Hampshire.

PubMed

Hamlin, Lynette

2017-05-01

This study examines maternity care in a rural state by birth attendant, place of birth, and payer of birth. It is a secondary analysis of birth certificate data in New Hampshire between the years 2005 and 2012. Results revealed that in New Hampshire, the majority of births occurred in the hospital setting (98.6%). Physicians attended 75.8% of births, certified nurse midwives attended 17%, and certified professional midwives attended 1%. Medicaid coverage was the payer source for 28% of all births, compared with 44.9% nationally. Women with a private payer source were more likely than women with Medicaid or other payer sources to have a cesarean section. The findings demonstrate quality of care outcomes among a range of clinicians and settings, providing a policy argument for expanding maternity care options.

A multilingual assessment of melanoma information quality on the Internet.

PubMed

Bari, Lilla; Kemeny, Lajos; Bari, Ferenc

2014-06-01

This study aims to assess and compare melanoma information quality in Hungarian, Czech, and German languages on the Internet. We used country-specific Google search engines to retrieve the first 25 uniform resource locators (URLs) by searching the word "melanoma" in the given language. Using the automated toolbar of Health On the Net Foundation (HON), we assessed each Web site for HON certification based on the Health On the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode). Information quality was determined using a 35-point checklist created by Bichakjian et al. (J Clin Oncol 20:134-141, 2002), with the NCCN melanoma guideline as control. After excluding duplicate and link-only pages, a total of 24 Hungarian, 18 Czech, and 21 German melanoma Web sites were evaluated and rated. The amount of HON certified Web sites was the highest among the German Web pages (19%). One of the retrieved Hungarian and none of the Czech Web sites were HON certified. We found the highest number of Web sites containing comprehensive, correct melanoma information in German language, followed by Czech and Hungarian pages. Although the majority of the Web sites lacked data about incidence, risk factors, prevention, treatment, work-up, and follow-up, at least one comprehensive, high-quality Web site was found in each language. Several Web sites contained incorrect information in each language. While a small amount of comprehensive, quality melanoma-related Web sites was found, most of the retrieved Web content lacked basic disease information, such as risk factors, prevention, and treatment. A significant number of Web sites contained malinformation. In case of melanoma, primary and secondary preventions are of especially high importance; therefore, the improvement of disease information quality available on the Internet is necessary.

Consumer Choice between Food Safety and Food Quality: The Case of Farm-Raised Atlantic Salmon

PubMed Central

Haghiri, Morteza

2016-01-01

Since the food incidence of polychlorinated biphenyls in farm-raised Atlantic salmon, its market demand has drastically changed as a result of consumers mistrust in both the quality and safety of the product. Policymakers have been trying to find ways to ensure consumers that farm-raised Atlantic salmon is safe. One of the suggested policies is the implementation of integrated traceability methods and quality control systems. This article examines consumer choice between food safety and food quality to purchase certified farm-raised Atlantic salmon, defined as a product that has passed through various stages of traceability systems in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. PMID:28231118

Nutritional labelling for healthier food or non-alcoholic drink purchasing and consumption

PubMed Central

Crockett, Rachel A; King, Sarah E; Marteau, Theresa M; Prevost, A T; Bignardi, Giacomo; Roberts, Nia W; Stubbs, Brendon; Hollands, Gareth J; Jebb, Susan A

2018-01-01

Background Nutritional labelling is advocated as a means to promote healthier food purchasing and consumption, including lower energy intake. Internationally, many different nutritional labelling schemes have been introduced. There is no consensus on whether such labelling is effective in promoting healthier behaviour. Objectives To assess the impact of nutritional labelling for food and non-alcoholic drinks on purchasing and consumption of healthier items. Our secondary objective was to explore possible effect moderators of nutritional labelling on purchasing and consumption. Search methods We searched 13 electronic databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE and Embase to 26 April 2017. We also handsearched references and citations and sought unpublished studies through websites and trials registries. Selection criteria Eligible studies: were randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials (RCTs/Q-RCTs), controlled before-and-after studies, or interrupted time series (ITS) studies; compared a labelled product (with information on nutrients or energy) with the same product without a nutritional label; assessed objectively measured purchasing or consumption of foods or non-alcoholic drinks in real-world or laboratory settings. Data collection and analysis Two authors independently selected studies for inclusion and extracted study data. We applied the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool and GRADE to assess the quality of evidence. We pooled studies that evaluated similar interventions and outcomes using a random-effects meta-analysis, and we synthesised data from other studies in a narrative summary. Main results We included 28 studies, comprising 17 RCTs, 5 Q-RCTs and 6 ITS studies. Most (21/28) took place in the USA, and 19 took place in university settings, 14 of which mainly involved university students or staff. Most (20/28) studies assessed the impact of labelling on menus or menu boards, or nutritional labelling placed on, or adjacent to, a range of foods or drinks from which participants could choose. Eight studies provided participants with only one labelled food or drink option (in which labelling was present on a container or packaging, adjacent to the food or on a display board) and measured the amount consumed. The most frequently assessed labelling type was energy (i.e. calorie) information (12/28). Eleven studies assessed the impact of nutritional labelling on purchasing food or drink options in real-world settings, including purchases from vending machines (one cluster-RCT), grocery stores (one ITS), or restaurants, cafeterias or coffee shops (three RCTs, one Q-RCT and five ITS). Findings on vending machines and grocery stores were not interpretable, and were rated as very low quality. A meta-analysis of the three RCTs, all of which assessed energy labelling on menus in restaurants, demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of 47 kcal in energy purchased (MD −46.72 kcal, 95% CI −78.35, −15.10, N = 1877). Assuming an average meal of 600 kcal, energy labelling on menus would reduce energy purchased per meal by 7.8% (95% CI 2.5% to 13.1%). The quality of the evidence for these three studies was rated as low, so our confidence in the effect estimate is limited and may change with further studies. Of the remaining six studies, only two (both ITS studies involving energy labels on menus or menus boards in a coffee shop or cafeteria) were at low risk of bias, and their results support the meta-analysis. The results of the other four studies which were conducted in a restaurant, cafeterias (2 studies) or a coffee shop, were not clearly reported and were at high risk of bias. Seventeen studies assessed the impact of nutritional labels on consumption in artificial settings or scenarios (henceforth referred to as laboratory studies or settings). Of these, eight (all RCTs) assessed the effect of labels on menus or placed on a range of food options. A meta-analysis of these studies did not conclusively demonstrate a reduction in energy consumed during a meal (MD −50 kcal, 95% CI −104.41, 3.88, N = 1705). We rated the quality of the evidence as low, so our confidence in the effect estimate is limited and may change with further studies. Six laboratory studies (four RCTs and two Q-RCTs) assessed the impact of labelling a single food or drink option (such as chocolate, pasta or soft drinks) on energy consumed during a snack or meal. A meta-analysis of these studies did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in energy (kcal) consumed (SMD 0.05, 95% CI −0.17 to 0.27, N = 732). However, the confidence intervals were wide, suggesting uncertainty in the true effect size. We rated the quality of the evidence as low, so our confidence in the effect estimate is limited and may change with further studies. There was no evidence that nutritional labelling had the unintended harm of increasing energy purchased or consumed. Indirect evidence came from five laboratory studies that involved mislabelling single nutrient content (i.e. placing low energy or low fat labels on high-energy foods) during a snack or meal. A meta-analysis of these studies did not demonstrate a statistically significant increase in energy (kcal) consumed (SMD 0.19, 95% CI −0.14to 0.51, N = 718). The effect was small and the confidence intervals wide, suggesting uncertainty in the true effect size. We rated the quality of the evidence from these studies as very low, providing very little confidence in the effect estimate. Authors' conclusions Findings from a small body of low-quality evidence suggest that nutritional labelling comprising energy information on menus may reduce energy purchased in restaurants. The evidence assessing the impact on consumption of energy information on menus or on a range of food options in laboratory settings suggests a similar effect to that observed for purchasing, although the evidence is less definite and also of low quality. Accordingly, and in the absence of observed harms, we tentatively suggest that nutritional labelling on menus in restaurants could be used as part of a wider set of measures to tackle obesity. Additional high-quality research in real-world settings is needed to enable more certain conclusions. Further high-quality research is also needed to address the dearth of evidence from grocery stores and vending machines and to assess potential moderators of the intervention effect, including socioeconomic status. Nutritional labelling to promote healthier consumption and purchasing of food or drinks A poor diet including excessive energy intake is an important cause of ill health. Nutritional labelling may help people to make healthier food choices. What is the aim of this review? This review investigated whether nutritional labels (i.e. labels providing information about nutritional content) persuade people to buy or consume different (healthy) kinds of food. We searched for all available evidence to answer this question and found 28 studies. Key messages There is evidence to suggest that nutritional labelling, with energy information (e.g. calorie counts) on menus, may reduce energy purchased in restaurants, but more high-quality studies are needed to make this finding more certain. What was studied in the review? Some studies assessed buying food or drinks from vending machines, grocery stores, restaurants, cafeterias, or coffee shops. Others assessed the amount of food or drink consumed during a snack or meal in an artificial setting or scenario (referred to as laboratory studies or settings). What are the main results of the review? Nutritional labelling on restaurant menus reduced the amount of energy (i.e. calories) purchased, but the quality of the three studies that contributed to this finding was low, so our confidence in the effect estimate is limited and may change with further studies. Eight studies assessed this same type of intervention in laboratory settings, but instead of evaluating how much energy participants purchased, these studies evaluated how much energy participants consumed. These studies did not conclusively demonstrate a reduction in energy consumed when menus or foods were labelled, and they were also of low quality. In addition, six laboratory studies assessed how much energy participants consumed when they were given one food or drink option with or without labels, and five laboratory studies assessed how much energy participants consumed when foods were experimentally labelled as low energy or low fat when they were actually high-energy foods (i.e. mislabelling). Results from these two groups of studies were inconclusive and of low, or in the case of mislabelling studies, very low quality. We found some studies that assessed labelling on vending machines and grocery stores, but their results were not easy to interpret, so we could not use them to inform this review. How up-to-date is this review? The evidence is current to 26 April 2017. PMID:29482264

Performance Comparison of 1.5 T Endorectal Coil MRI with Non-Endorectal Coil 3.0 T MRI in Patients with Prostate Cancer

PubMed Central

Shah, Zarine K.; Elias, Saba N.; Abaza, Ronney; Zynger, Debra L.; DeRenne, Lawrence A.; Knopp, Michael V.; Guo, Beibei; Schurr, Ryan; Heymsfield, Steven B.; Jia, Guang

2015-01-01

Rationale and Objectives To compare prostate morphology, image quality, and diagnostic performance of 1.5 T endorectal coil MRI and 3.0 T non-endorectal coil MRI in patients with prostate cancer. Materials and Methods MR images obtained of 83 patients with prostate cancer using 1.5 T MRI systems with an endorectal coil were compared to images collected from 83 patients with a 3.0 T MRI system. Prostate diameters were measured and image quality was evaluated by one ABR-certified radiologist (Reader 1) and one ABR-certified diagnostic medical physicist (Reader 2). The likelihood of the peripheral zone cancer presence in each sextant and local extent were rated and compared with histopathologic findings. Results Prostate anterior-posterior diameter measured by both readers was significantly shorter with 1.5 T endorectal MRI than with 3.0 T MRI. The overall image quality score difference was significant only for Reader 1. Both readers found that the two MRI systems provided similar diagnostic accuracy in cancer localization, extraprostatic extension, and seminal vesicle involvement. Conclusion Non-endorectal coil 3.0 T MRI provides prostate images that are natural in shape and that have comparable image quality to those obtained at 1.5 T with an endorectal coil, but not superior diagnostic performance. These findings suggest an opportunity exists for improving technical aspects of 3.0 T prostate MRI. PMID:25579637

What do we know about the effects of exposure to 'Low alcohol' and equivalent product labelling on the amounts of alcohol, food and tobacco people select and consume? A systematic review.

PubMed

Shemilt, Ian; Hendry, Vivien; Marteau, Theresa M

2017-01-12

Explicit labelling of lower strength alcohol products could reduce alcohol consumption by attracting more people to buy and drink such products instead of higher strength ones. Alternatively, it may lead to more consumption due to a 'self-licensing' mechanism. Equivalent labelling of food or tobacco (for example "Low fat" or "Low tar") could influence consumption of those products by similar mechanisms. This systematic review examined the effects of 'Low alcohol' and equivalent labelling of alcohol, food and tobacco products on selection, consumption, and perceptions of products among adults. A systematic review was conducted based on Cochrane methods. Electronic and snowball searches identified 26 eligible studies. Evidence from 12 randomised controlled trials (all on food) was assessed for risk of bias, synthesised using random effects meta-analysis, and interpreted in conjunction with evidence from 14 non-randomised studies (one on alcohol, seven on food and six on tobacco). Outcomes assessed were: quantities of the product (i) selected or (ii) consumed (primary outcomes - behaviours), (iii) intentions to select or consume the product, (iv) beliefs associated with it consumption, (v) product appeal, and (vi) understanding of the label (secondary outcomes - cognitions). Evidence for impacts on the primary outcomes (i.e. amounts selected or consumed) was overall of very low quality, showing mixed effects, likely to vary by specific label descriptors, products and population characteristics. Overall very low quality evidence suggested that exposure to 'Low alcohol' and equivalent labelling on alcohol, food and tobacco products can shift consumer perceptions of products, with the potential to 'self-licence' excess consumption. Considerable uncertainty remains about the effects of labels denoting low alcohol, and equivalent labels, on alcohol, food and tobacco selection and consumption. Independent, high-quality studies are urgently needed to inform policies on labelling regulations.

Comparing five front-of-pack nutrition labels' influence on consumers' perceptions and purchase intentions.

PubMed

Gorski Findling, Mary T; Werth, Paul M; Musicus, Aviva A; Bragg, Marie A; Graham, Dan J; Elbel, Brian; Roberto, Christina A

2018-01-01

In 2011, a National Academy of Medicine report recommended that packaged food in the U.S. display a uniform front-of-package nutrition label, using a system such as a 0-3 star ranking. Few studies have directly compared this to other labels to determine which best informs consumers and encourages healthier purchases. In 2013, we randomized adult participants (N=1247) in an Internet-based survey to one of six conditions: no label control; single traffic light; multiple traffic light; Facts Up Front; NuVal; or 0-3 star ranking. We compared groups on purchase intentions and accuracy of participants' interpretation of food labels. There were no differences in the nutritional quality of hypothetical shopping baskets across conditions (p=0.845). All labels improved consumers' abilities to judge the nutritional quality of foods relative to no label, but the best designs varied by outcomes. NuVal and multiple traffic light labels led to the greatest accuracy identifying the healthier of two products (p<0.001), while the multiple traffic light also led to the most accurate estimates of saturated fat, sugar, and sodium (p<0.001). The single traffic light outperformed other labels when participants compared nutrient levels between similar products (p<0.03). Single/multiple traffic light and Facts Up Front labels led to the most accurate calories per serving estimations (p<0.001). Although front-of-package labels helped participants more accurately assess products' nutrition information relative to no label, no conditions shifted adults' purchase intentions. Results did not point to a clearly superior label design, but they suggest that a 3-star label might not be best for educating consumers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

75 FR 50880 - TRICARE: Non-Physician Referrals for Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-18

... authorizing certified physician assistants and certified nurse practitioners (non-physicians) to engage in... speech therapy. Upon implementation of this provision, certified physician assistants, or certified nurse... referral from a certified physician assistant or certified nurse practitioner. II. Public Comments We...

The Path to Advanced Practice Licensure for Clinical Nurse Specialists in Washington State.

PubMed

Schoonover, Heather

The aim of this study was to provide a review of the history and process to obtaining advanced practice licensure for clinical nurse specialists in Washington State. Before 2016, Washington State licensed certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and certified nurse anesthetists under the designation of an advanced registered nurse practitioner; however, the state did not recognize clinical nurse specialists as advanced practice nurses. The work to drive the rule change began in 2007. The Washington Affiliate of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists used the Power Elite Theory to guide advocacy activities, building coalitions and support for the desired rule changes. On January 8, 2016, the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission voted to amend the state's advanced practice rules, including clinical nurse specialists in the designation of an advanced practice nurse. Since the rule revision, clinical nurse specialists in Washington State have been granted advanced registered nurse practitioner licenses. Driving changes in state regulatory rules requires diligent advocacy, partnership, and a deep understanding of the state's rule-making processes. To be successful in changing rules, clinical nurse specialists must build strong partnerships with key influencers and understand the steps in practice required to make the desired changes.

The costs and quality of operative training for residents in tympanoplasty type I.

PubMed

Wang, Mao-Che; Yu, Eric Chen-Hua; Shiao, An-Suey; Liao, Wen-Huei; Liu, Chia-Yu

2009-05-01

A teaching hospital would incur more operation room costs on training surgical residents. To evaluate the increased operation time and the increased operation room costs of operations performed by surgical residents. As a model we used a very common surgical otology procedure -- tympanoplasty type I. From January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004, we included in this study 100 patients who received tympanoplasty type I in Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Fifty-six procedures were performed by a single board-certified surgeon and 44 procedures were performed by residents. We analyzed the operation time and surgical outcomes in these two groups of patients. The operation room cost per minute was obtained by dividing the total operation room expenses by total operation time in the year 2004. The average operation time of residents was 116.47 min, which was significantly longer (p<0.0001) than that of the board-certified surgeon (average 81.07 min). It cost USD $40.36 more for each operation performed by residents in terms of operation room costs. The surgical success rate of residents was 81.82%, which was significantly lower (p=0.016) than that of the board-certified surgeon (96.43%).

Liquid corn and fish fertilizers are good options for fertigation in blackberry cultivars grown in an organic production system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The impact of organic fertilizer source on growth, fruit quality, and yield of two cultivars ('Marion' and 'Black Diamond') blackberry grown organically for the processed market. The planting was established in spring 2010 and was certified organic in 2012. Plants were irrigated using a drip line un...

77 FR 8160 - Quality Assurance Requirements for Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems at Stationary Sources

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-14

..., glass windows (uncoated or anti-reflection coated, but with no curvature), lenses with mounts where such... requirements must I meet if I use a substitute opacity monitor? In the event that your certified opacity... the above in the maintenance log or in other appropriate permanently maintained records. 10.7 When do...

Recognition Organisations That Evaluate Agencies Accrediting Medical Education Programmes: "Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Zanten, Marta

2017-01-01

The goals of agencies that accredit medical education programmes or institutions are to ensure high quality student experiences and to certify the readiness of graduates to further their training or begin practice as physicians. While accreditation provides a level of legitimacy, the agencies conducting the reviews vary in their organisation,…

76 FR 50129 - Protocol Gas Verification Program and Minimum Competency Requirements for Air Emission Testing...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-12

... revisions to Sec. 75.4(e)(1), oxygen (O 2 ) and moisture monitoring systems were inadvertently [[Page 50131... passed in order for readings on the certified high scale to be reported as quality-assured. This was not..., disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of their programs, policies, and activities...

Concrete Finisher: Apprenticeship Course Outline. Apprenticeship and Industry Training. 4805.2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Advanced Education, 2005

2005-01-01

The graduate of the Concrete Finisher apprenticeship program is a certified journeyperson who will be able to: (1) perform tests to confirm concrete quality; (2) interpret building codes, plans and specifications as they apply to the trade; (3) place and finish concrete in a professional manner; (4) cut, patch, maintain and repair concrete…

Recruiting and Retaining Quality Teachers for High-Needs Schools: Insights from NBCT Summits and Other Policy Initiatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berry, Barnett

2007-01-01

Over the last 24 months--with support from the National Education Association and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards--over 2,000 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) from North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Washington examined teacher recruitment and retention research and participated in structured…

NCQA implements new outcomes audit standards.

PubMed

1997-06-01

Faulty data gathering and auditing techniques have put in question the comparability of HEDIS outcomes standards. The National Center for Quality Assurance has moved to shore up its data's credibility with new auditing standards. A new class of certified auditors must be trained. Until then, the Health Care Financing Administration will have Medicare managed care organizations audited by independent firms.

Professional Development Experiences of Alternatively Certified Career and Technical Education Teachers in North Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welfare, Rhonda Marie

2013-01-01

In an effort to increase the quantity and quality of available teachers, states have begun to offer alternate methods of teacher certification. This means that in addition to traditional teacher training, which involves graduation from an accredited teacher-education institution, states provide alternate routes to enable teachers to transition to…

Development of a colorimetric microfluidic pH sensor for autonomous seawater measurements.

PubMed

Rérolle, Victoire M C; Floquet, Cedric F A; Harris, Andy J K; Mowlem, Matt C; Bellerby, Richard R G J; Achterberg, Eric P

2013-07-05

High quality carbonate chemistry measurements are required in order to fully understand the dynamics of the oceanic carbonate system. Seawater pH data with good spatial and temporal coverage are particularly critical to apprehend ocean acidification phenomena and their consequences. There is a growing need for autonomous in situ instruments that measure pH on remote platforms. Our aim is to develop an accurate and precise autonomous in situ pH sensor for long term deployment on remote platforms. The widely used spectrophotometric pH technique is capable of the required high-quality measurements. We report a key step towards the miniaturization of a colorimetric pH sensor with the successful implementation of a simple microfluidic design with low reagent consumption. The system is particularly adapted to shipboard deployment: high quality data was obtained over a period of more than a month during a shipboard deployment in northwest European shelf waters, and less than 30 mL of indicator was consumed. The system featured a short term precision of 0.001 pH (n=20) and an accuracy within the range of a certified Tris buffer (0.004 pH). The quality of the pH system measurements have been checked using various approaches: measurements of certified Tris buffer, measurement of certified seawater for DIC and TA, comparison of measured pH against calculated pH from pCO2, DIC and TA during the cruise in northwest European shelf waters. All showed that our measurements were of high quality. The measurements were made close to in situ temperature (+0.2°C) in a sampling chamber which had a continuous flow of the ship's underway seawater supply. The optical set up was robust and relatively small due to the use of an USB mini-spectrometer, a custom made polymeric flow cell and an LED light source. The use of a three wavelength LED with detection that integrated power across the whole of each LED output spectrum indicated that low wavelength resolution detectors can be used instead of the current USB mini spectrophotometer. Artefacts due to the polychromatic light source and inhomogeneity in the absorption cell are shown to have a negligible impact on the data quality. The next step in the miniaturization of the sensor will be the incorporation of a photodiode as detector to replace the spectrophotometer. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Role delineation study for the American Society for Pain Management Nursing.

PubMed

Willens, Joyce S; DePascale, Christine; Penny, James

2010-06-01

A role delineation study, or job analysis, is a necessary step in the development of a quality credentialing program. The process requires a logical approach and systematic methods to have an examination that is legally defensible. There are three main phases: initial development and evaluation, validation study, and development of test specifications. In the first phase, the content expert panel discussed performance domains that exist in pain management nursing. The six domains developed were: 1) assessment, monitoring, and evaluation of pain; 2) pharmacologic pain management; 3) nonpharmacologic pain management; 4) therapeutic communication and counseling; 5) patient and family teaching; and 6) collaborative and organizational activities. The panel then produced a list of 70 task statements to develop an online survey which was sent to independent reviewers with expertise in pain management nursing. After the panel reviewed the results of the pilot test, it was decided to clarify a few items that did not perform as expected. After the questionnaire was finalized it was distributed to 1,500 pain management nurses. The final yield was 585 usable returns, for a response rate of 39%. Thirty-three percent of the respondents reported a bachelor's degree in nursing as the highest degree awarded. Over 80% indicated that they were certified in pain management. Over 35% reported working in a staff position, 14% as a nurse practitioner, and 13% as a clinical nurse specialist. Part of the questionnaire asked the participants to rate performance expectation, consequence or the likelihood that the newly certified pain management nurse could cause harm, and the frequency of how often that nurse performs in each of the performance domains. The performance expectation was rated from 0 (the newly certified pain management nurse was not at all expected to perform the domain task) to 2 (after 6 months the newly certified pain management nurse would be expected to perform the domain task). The consequences of the degree would be the inability of the newly certified pain management nurse to perform duties or tasks in each domain was rated from 0 (no harm) to 4 (extreme harm). The first domain received the highest average frequency rating. The pharmacologic domain received the highest mean rating on consequence. The reliability of all scales was 0.95 or higher, which indicated that the questionnaire consistently measured what it was intended to measure. The quality of the questionnaire is an indicator that certification is one measure of nursing excellence. (c) 2010 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In vivo histology: optical biopsies with chemical contrast using clinical multiphoton/coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinigel, M.; Breunig, H. G.; Kellner-Höfer, M.; Bückle, R.; Darvin, M. E.; Klemp, M.; Lademann, J.; König, K.

2014-05-01

The majority of existing coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) imaging systems are still huge and complicated laboratory systems and neither compact nor user-friendly nor mobile medically certified CARS systems. We have developed a new flexible multiphoton/CARS tomograph for imaging in a clinical environment. The system offers exceptional 360° flexibility with a very stable setup and enables label free ‘in vivo histology’ with chemical contrast within seconds. It can be completely operated by briefly trained non-laser experts. The imaging capability and flexibility of the novel in vivo tomograph are shown on optical biopsies with subcellular resolution and chemical contrast of patients suffering from psoriasis and squamous cell carcinoma.

Toward a hyperspectral optical signature of extra virgin olive oil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mignani, A. G.; Ciaccheri, L.; Thienpont, H.; Ottevaere, H.; Attilio, C.; Cimato, A.

2007-05-01

Italian extra virgin olive oils bearing labels of certified area of origin were considered. Their multispectral digital signature was measured by means of absorption spectroscopy in the 200-1700 nm spectral range. The instrumentation was a fiber optic-based, cheap, and compact device. The spectral data were processed by means of multivariate analysis and plotted on a 2D classification map. The map showed sharp clusters according to the geographical origin of the oils, thus demonstrating the potentials of UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy for optical fingerprinting. Then, the spectral data were correlated to the content of the most important fatty acids. The good fitting achieved demonstrated that the optical fingerprinting can be used also for predicting nutritional and chemical parameters.

Labeling strategies to overcome the problem of niche markets for sustainable milk products: The example of pasture-raised milk.

PubMed

Kühl, S; Gassler, B; Spiller, A

2017-06-01

Pasture-raised milk is gaining in importance in some European countries and in the United States. The production of pasture-raised milk is linked to higher costs, as the milk is normally collected and processed separately from conventional barn milk. This could hinder the production of sustainable milk products. We discuss alternative labeling strategies that allow the mixing of pasture-raised (sustainable) and conventional milk to reduce costs and break free from the current niche market. The lower price would allow for more pasture-raised milk to be produced and enter the mainstream market. The aim of this study was to analyze consumers' willingness to pay for alternative labeling types using a discrete choice experiment with 1,065 German milk buyers. The 2 alternative labels, besides the classical labeling approach, are based on the mass balance approach (at least 50% pasture-raised milk in a package) and cause-related marketing (support of farmers who keep their cows on pasture). The discrete choice experiment was combined with a cluster analysis to get a deeper understanding of the buying behavior of the diverse consumer segments for milk. We found that all consumer groups prefer the classical label where products are segregated but also understand the benefits of cause-related marketing. The average consumer was willing to pay €0.50 more for pasture-raised milk certified with the classical label and €0.38 more for pasture-raised milk labeled with a cause-related marketing claim. However, differences between the clusters are strong: The smallest cluster of ethically involved consumers (15%) is willing to pay the highest premiums, especially for the classical label. Cause-related marketing is an interesting alternative for involved buyers under price pressure (41%), whereas the mass balance approach is little understood and thus less valued by consumers. From our results we concluded that cause-related marketing (in our case, the support of pasturing of dairy cows) can be useful for dairies for which it is not efficient to collect and process products separately. This approach is furthermore suitable for reaching consumers who are mainly interested in altruistic issues but at the same time are more price sensitive, as this labeling strategy does not need separate collection and processing and can thereby be marketed at a lower price. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Characterizing SWCNT Dispersion in Polymer Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lillehei, Peter T.; Kim, Jae-Woo; Gibbons, Luke; Park, Cheol

2007-01-01

The new wave of single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) infused composites will yield structurally sound multifunctional nanomaterials. The SWCNT network requires thorough dispersion within the polymer matrix in order to maximize the benefits of the nanomaterial. However, before any nanomaterials can be used in aerospace applications a means of quality assurance and quality control must be certified. Quality control certification requires a means of quantification, however, the measurement protocol mandates a method of seeing the dispersion first. We describe here the new tools that we have developed and implemented to first be able to see carbon nanotubes in polymers and second to measure or quantify the dispersion of the nanotubes.

Calorie menu labeling on quick-service restaurant menus: an updated systematic review of the literature

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Nutrition labels are one strategy being used to combat the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 mandates that calorie labels be added to menu boards of chain restaurants with 20 or more locations. This systematic review includes seven studies published since the last review on the topic in 2008. Authors searched for peer-reviewed studies using PUBMED and Google Scholar. Included studies used an experimental or quasi-experimental design comparing a calorie-labeled menu with a no-calorie menu and were conducted in laboratories, college cafeterias, and fast food restaurants. Two of the included studies were judged to be of good quality, and five of were judged to be of fair quality. Observational studies conducted in cities after implementation of calorie labeling were imprecise in their measure of the isolated effects of calorie labels. Experimental studies conducted in laboratory settings were difficult to generalize to real world behavior. Only two of the seven studies reported a statistically significant reduction in calories purchased among consumers using calorie-labeled menus. The current evidence suggests that calorie labeling does not have the intended effect of decreasing calorie purchasing or consumption. PMID:22152038

HON label and DISCERN as content quality indicators of health-related websites.

PubMed

Khazaal, Yasser; Chatton, Anne; Zullino, Daniele; Khan, Riaz

2012-03-01

Content quality indicators are warranted in order to help patients and consumers to judge the content quality of health-related on-line information. The aim of the present study is to evaluate web-based information on health topics and to assess particular content quality indicators like HON (Health on the Net) and DISCERN. The present study is based on the analysis of data issued from six previous studies which assessed with a standardized tool the general and content quality (evidence-based health information) of health-related websites. Keywords related to Social phobia, bipolar disorders, pathological gambling as well as cannabis, alcohol and cocaine addiction were entered into popular World Wide Web search engines. Websites were assessed with a standardized proforma designed to rate sites on the basis of accountability, presentation, interactivity, readability and content quality (evidence-based information). "Health on the Net" (HON) quality label, and DISCERN scale scores were used to verify their efficiency as quality indicators. Of 874 websites identified, 388 were included. Despite an observed association with higher content quality scores, the HON label fails to predict good content quality websites when used in a multiple regression. Sensibility and specificity of a DISCERN score >40 in the detection of good content quality websites were, respectively, 0.45 and 0.96. The DISCERN is a potential quality indicator with a relatively high specificity. Further developments in this domain are warranted in order to facilitate the identification of high-quality information on the web by patients.

10 CFR 32.15 - Same: Quality assurance, prohibition of transfer, and labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... (2) For ionization chamber smoke detectors, label or mark each detector and its point-of-sale package so that: (i) Each detector has a durable, legible, readily visible label or marking on the external surface of the detector containing: (A) The following statement: “CONTAINS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL”; (B) The...

10 CFR 32.15 - Same: Quality assurance, prohibition of transfer, and labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... can be identified. (2) For ionization chamber smoke detectors, label or mark each detector and its point-of-sale package so that: (i) Each detector has a durable, legible, readily visible label or marking on the external surface of the detector containing: (A) The following statement: “CONTAINS...

10 CFR 32.15 - Same: Quality assurance, prohibition of transfer, and labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... can be identified. (2) For ionization chamber smoke detectors, label or mark each detector and its point-of-sale package so that: (i) Each detector has a durable, legible, readily visible label or marking on the external surface of the detector containing: (A) The following statement: “CONTAINS...

10 CFR 32.15 - Same: Quality assurance, prohibition of transfer, and labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... can be identified. (2) For ionization chamber smoke detectors, label or mark each detector and its point-of-sale package so that: (i) Each detector has a durable, legible, readily visible label or marking on the external surface of the detector containing: (A) The following statement: “CONTAINS...

10 CFR 32.15 - Same: Quality assurance, prohibition of transfer, and labeling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.... (2) For ionization chamber smoke detectors, label or mark each detector and its point-of-sale package so that: (i) Each detector has a durable, legible, readily visible label or marking on the external surface of the detector containing: (A) The following statement: “CONTAINS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL”; (B) The...

More quality measures versus measuring what matters: a call for balance and parsimony

PubMed Central

Nelson, Eugene C; Pryor, David B; James, Brent; Swensen, Stephen J; Kaplan, Gary S; Weissberg, Jed I; Bisognano, Maureen; Yates, Gary R; Hunt, Gordon C

2012-01-01

External groups requiring measures now include public and private payers, regulators, accreditors and others that certify performance levels for consumers, patients and payers. Although benefits have accrued from the growth in quality measurement, the recent explosion in the number of measures threatens to shift resources from improving quality to cover a plethora of quality-performance metrics that may have a limited impact on the things that patients and payers want and need (ie, better outcomes, better care, and lower per capita costs). Here we propose a policy that quality measurement should be: balanced to meet the need of end users to judge quality and cost performance and the need of providers to continuously improve the quality, outcomes and costs of their services; and parsimonious to measure quality, outcomes and costs with appropriate metrics that are selected based on end-user needs. PMID:22893696

More quality measures versus measuring what matters: a call for balance and parsimony.

PubMed

Meyer, Gregg S; Nelson, Eugene C; Pryor, David B; James, Brent; Swensen, Stephen J; Kaplan, Gary S; Weissberg, Jed I; Bisognano, Maureen; Yates, Gary R; Hunt, Gordon C

2012-11-01

External groups requiring measures now include public and private payers, regulators, accreditors and others that certify performance levels for consumers, patients and payers. Although benefits have accrued from the growth in quality measurement, the recent explosion in the number of measures threatens to shift resources from improving quality to cover a plethora of quality-performance metrics that may have a limited impact on the things that patients and payers want and need (ie, better outcomes, better care, and lower per capita costs). Here we propose a policy that quality measurement should be: balanced to meet the need of end users to judge quality and cost performance and the need of providers to continuously improve the quality, outcomes and costs of their services; and parsimonious to measure quality, outcomes and costs with appropriate metrics that are selected based on end-user needs.

24 CFR 1710.504 - Cooperation among certified states and between certified states and the Secretary.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cooperation among certified states....504 Cooperation among certified states and between certified states and the Secretary. (a) By filing... situs certified state authorities within 15 days of the date on which the developer knows, or should...

Texas certified volunteer Long-Term Care Ombudsmen: perspectives of role and effectiveness.

PubMed

Ostwald, Sharon K; Runge, Anke; Lees, Emily J; Patterson, Gina D

2003-01-01

Under the federally mandated Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP), certified volunteer ombudsmen (CVO) advocate for the welfare and rights of residents in nursing facilities. In Texas, the Department on Aging contracts with 28 agencies to deliver the LTCOP in respective regions. Regional ombudsman staff in charge of a group of CVOs administers each local program. The volunteer ombudsman role is threefold: advocate, mediator, and friendly visitor. This descriptive study used a 75-item mail survey designed to gain a better understanding of CVOs' perspectives of their role and effectiveness. A total of 361 active, certified volunteers participated, representing all of the 28 regional Texas ombudsman programs. A series of focus groups was used to amplify survey data. Findings indicate overall role satisfaction, although perception of satisfaction varied with volunteers' age, length of service, level of education, and work experience. Volunteers felt most effective in promoting residents' rights and welfare, and least effective in dealing with financial exploitation, nutrition, and hydration issues. Although not always able to achieve desired changes, most volunteers believed that the ombudsman presence was a positive force. A need for improved understanding and support of the ombudsman role among facility staff and regulatory agents was exposed. CVOs' potentially favorable impact on the institutional setting in general, and facility personnel in particular, is dependent on the support from state personnel and regional ombudsman staff as well as the willingness of nursing facility staff to cooperate. Volunteers' sense of performance effectiveness is essential to the success of the LTCOP. Specific recommendations based on study findings are intended to assist in assuring continuous program quality improvement purposed to ensure residents' quality of life.

Adult Bronchoscopy Training

PubMed Central

Wahidi, Momen M.; Read, Charles A.; Buckley, John D.; Addrizzo-Harris, Doreen J.; Shah, Pallav L.; Herth, Felix J. F.; de Hoyos Parra, Alberto; Ornelas, Joseph; Yarmus, Lonny; Silvestri, Gerard A.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: The determination of competency of trainees in programs performing bronchoscopy is quite variable. Some programs provide didactic lectures with hands-on supervision, other programs incorporate advanced simulation centers, whereas others have a checklist approach. Although no single method has been proven best, the variability alone suggests that outcomes are variable. Program directors and certifying bodies need guidance to create standards for training programs. Little well-developed literature on the topic exists. METHODS: To provide credible and trustworthy guidance, rigorous methodology has been applied to create this bronchoscopy consensus training statement. All panelists were vetted and approved by the CHEST Guidelines Oversight Committee. Each topic group drafted questions in a PICO (population, intervention, comparator, outcome) format. MEDLINE data through PubMed and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched. Manual searches also supplemented the searches. All gathered references were screened for consideration based on inclusion criteria, and all statements were designated as an Ungraded Consensus-Based Statement. RESULTS: We suggest that professional societies move from a volume-based certification system to skill acquisition and knowledge-based competency assessment for trainees. Bronchoscopy training programs should incorporate multiple tools, including simulation. We suggest that ongoing quality and process improvement systems be introduced and that certifying agencies move from a volume-based certification system to skill acquisition and knowledge-based competency assessment for trainees. We also suggest that assessment of skill maintenance and improvement in practice be evaluated regularly with ongoing quality and process improvement systems after initial skill acquisition. CONCLUSIONS: The current methods used for bronchoscopy competency in training programs are variable. We suggest that professional societies and certifying agencies move from a volume- based certification system to a standardized skill acquisition and knowledge-based competency assessment for pulmonary and thoracic surgery trainees. PMID:25674901

48 CFR 15.403-5 - Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost or pricing data. 15.403-5... AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 15.403-5 Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost or pricing data. (a) Taking into...

48 CFR 15.403-5 - Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost or pricing data. 15.403-5... AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 15.403-5 Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost or pricing data. (a) Taking into...

48 CFR 15.403-5 - Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost or pricing data. 15.403-5... AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 15.403-5 Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost or pricing data. (a) Taking into...

48 CFR 15.403-5 - Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost or pricing data. 15.403-5... AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 15.403-5 Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost or pricing data. (a) Taking into...

48 CFR 15.403-5 - Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost or pricing data. 15.403-5... AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 15.403-5 Instructions for submission of certified cost or pricing data and data other than certified cost or pricing data. (a) Taking into...

Comparing the Certification Criteria for CCHIT-Certified Ambulatory EHR with the SNUBH's EHR Functionalities

PubMed Central

Heo, Eun Young; Hwang, Hee; Kim, Eun Hye; Cho, Eun Young; Lee, Kee Hyuck; Kim, Tae Hun; Kim, Ki Dong; Baek, Rong Min

2012-01-01

Objectives This study aims to investigate the suitability of electronic health record (EHR) systems in Korea for global certification and to propose functions for future global systems by comparing and analyzing the certification criteria for Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) Certified Ambulatory EHR with BESTCare, which is the EHR system at Seoul National University Bundang hospital. Methods Domain expert groups were formed to analyze the inclusion of BESTCare functions and the types of differences for each of the CCHIT Certified 2011 Ambulatory EHR Certification Criteria. The types of differences were divided into differences in functions (F), differences in business processes (B), and differences in government policies (P). Results Generally, the criteria that showed differences in functions pertained to the connection between the diagnosis/problem list and order, the alert and warning functions for medication-diagnosis interactions, and the reminder/instruction/notification messages related to the patient's immunization status; these absent functions were enhanced clinical decision support system (CDSS) functions related to patient safety and healthcare quality. Differences in government policies were found in the pharmacy's electronic prescription functions, while differences in business processes were found in the functions constrained by the local workflow or internal policy, which require some customization. Conclusions Functions that differed between the CCHIT certification criteria and the BESTCare system in this study should be considered when developing a global EHR system. Such a system will need to be easily customizable to adapt to various government policies and local business processes. These functions should be considered when developing a global EHR system certified by CCHIT in the future. PMID:22509474

Implementation of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation

PubMed Central

Maruta, Talkmore; Ndlovu, Nqobile; Moyo, Sikhulile; Yahaya, Ali Ahmed; Coulibaly, Sheick Oumar; Kasolo, Francis; Turgeon, David; Abrol, Angelii P.

2016-01-01

Background The increase in disease burden has continued to weigh upon health systems in Africa. The role of the laboratory has become increasingly critical in the improvement of health for diagnosis, management and treatment of diseases. In response, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) and its partners created the WHO AFRO Stepwise Laboratory (Quality) Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) program. SLIPTA implementation process WHO AFRO defined a governance structure with roles and responsibilities for six main stakeholders. Laboratories were evaluated by auditors trained and certified by the African Society for Laboratory Medicine. Laboratory performance was measured using the WHO AFRO SLIPTA scoring checklist and recognition certificates rated with 1–5 stars were issued. Preliminary results By March 2015, 27 of the 47 (57%) WHO AFRO member states had appointed a SLIPTA focal point and 14 Ministers of Health had endorsed SLIPTA as the desired programme for continuous quality improvement. Ninety-eight auditors from 17 African countries, competent in the Portuguese (3), French (12) and English (83) languages, were trained and certified. The mean score for the 159 laboratories audited between May 2013 and March 2015 was 69% (median 70%; SD 11.5; interquartile range 62–77). Of these audited laboratories, 70% achieved 55% compliance or higher (2 or more stars) and 1% scored at least 95% (5 stars). The lowest scoring sections of the WHO AFRO SLIPTA checklist were sections 6 (Internal Audit) and 10 (Corrective Action), which both had mean scores below 50%. Conclusion The WHO AFRO SLIPTA is a process that countries with limited resources can adopt for effective implementation of quality management systems. Political commitment, ownership and investment in continuous quality improvement are integral components of the process. PMID:28879103

Implementation of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation.

PubMed

Ndihokubwayo, Jean-Bosco; Maruta, Talkmore; Ndlovu, Nqobile; Moyo, Sikhulile; Yahaya, Ali Ahmed; Coulibaly, Sheick Oumar; Kasolo, Francis; Turgeon, David; Abrol, Angelii P

2016-01-01

The increase in disease burden has continued to weigh upon health systems in Africa. The role of the laboratory has become increasingly critical in the improvement of health for diagnosis, management and treatment of diseases. In response, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) and its partners created the WHO AFRO Stepwise Laboratory (Quality) Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) program. WHO AFRO defined a governance structure with roles and responsibilities for six main stakeholders. Laboratories were evaluated by auditors trained and certified by the African Society for Laboratory Medicine. Laboratory performance was measured using the WHO AFRO SLIPTA scoring checklist and recognition certificates rated with 1-5 stars were issued. By March 2015, 27 of the 47 (57%) WHO AFRO member states had appointed a SLIPTA focal point and 14 Ministers of Health had endorsed SLIPTA as the desired programme for continuous quality improvement. Ninety-eight auditors from 17 African countries, competent in the Portuguese (3), French (12) and English (83) languages, were trained and certified. The mean score for the 159 laboratories audited between May 2013 and March 2015 was 69% (median 70%; SD 11.5; interquartile range 62-77). Of these audited laboratories, 70% achieved 55% compliance or higher (2 or more stars) and 1% scored at least 95% (5 stars). The lowest scoring sections of the WHO AFRO SLIPTA checklist were sections 6 (Internal Audit) and 10 (Corrective Action), which both had mean scores below 50%. The WHO AFRO SLIPTA is a process that countries with limited resources can adopt for effective implementation of quality management systems. Political commitment, ownership and investment in continuous quality improvement are integral components of the process.

On the Rise: The Role of Career and Technical Education in Arizona's Future. 21st Century Career and Technical Education Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gupta, Sapna

2013-01-01

This report examines the potential of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Arizona in terms of providing employers certified skills need to compete regionally, nationally and internationally and students avenues for higher education, quality of life and job satisfaction. An appendix on "Estimating the Effect of CTE on High School…

Northern highbush blueberry cultivars differed in yield and fruit quality in two organic production systems from planting to maturity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

‘Northern highbush blueberry cultivars were evaluated in a certified organic research site. The treatments included cultivar and amendment-mulch and “weed mat”. Plant traits and yield were collected from the 2nd through 8th growing seasons. Adding on-farm compost as a pre-plant amendment and as part...

76 FR 28393 - Proposed Approval of Air Quality Implementation Plan; Ohio and West Virginia; Determinations of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-17

... substituted for missing data. See 40 CFR Part 58, appendix D for network design criteria. EPA has approved the... certified ambient air monitoring data for the 2007-2009 period showing that the areas have monitored attainment of the annual PM 2.5 NAAQS. EPA also evaluated incomplete data from this period from other...

Examining Health Information Technology Implementations: Case of the Patient-Centered Medical Home

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behkami, Nima A.

2012-01-01

It has been shown that the use of Health Information Technology (HIT) is associated with reduced cost and increased quality of care. This dissertation examined the use of registries in Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) practices. A survey questionnaire was sent to a nationwide group of clinics certified for being a PCMH. They were asked to…

Reference materials for the monitoring of the aquatic environment--a review with special emphasis on organic priority pollutants.

PubMed

Bercaru, Ofelia; Gawlik, Bernd Manfred; Ulberth, Franz; Vandecasteele, Carlo

2003-08-01

During recent years, the awareness of quality assurance and quality control in environmental analyses has constantly increased, especially due to the implementation of new guidelines and regulations at both the national and international level. Achieving comparable results by using certified reference materials is one of the primary concerns of the scientific community. As a result, there is a growing demand for certified reference materials to cover different matrices and pollutants. Moreover, these CRMs should be in close relationship to the determinants and target concentrations required by environmental bodies and European Directives as well. Supplementary information to this paper presents an inventory of reference materials available on the market from different suppliers against the priority pollutants listed in the Water Framework Directive. These CRMs cover matrices such as water, sediment and biota. The use of CRMs in relationship to appropriate analytical methods and relevant determinants is discussed and the need for matrix-CRMs, particularly for organic pollutants is emphasised. The use of proficiency testing schemes as an alternative for the lack of appropriate CRMs and future trends in the production of CRMs within the BCR framework are also discussed.

47 CFR 15.19 - Labelling requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... material fastened to the equipment by welding, riveting, or a permanent adhesive. The label must be... intended for use with cable service or the quality of such features are acceptable so long as such...

47 CFR 15.19 - Labelling requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... material fastened to the equipment by welding, riveting, or a permanent adhesive. The label must be... intended for use with cable service or the quality of such features are acceptable so long as such...

47 CFR 15.19 - Labelling requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... material fastened to the equipment by welding, riveting, or a permanent adhesive. The label must be... intended for use with cable service or the quality of such features are acceptable so long as such...

7 CFR 945.7 - Certified seed potatoes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Certified seed potatoes. 945.7 Section 945.7... Agreements and Orders; Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IRISH POTATOES GROWN IN CERTAIN... Certified seed potatoes. Certified seed potatoes means and includes all potatoes officially certified and...

7 CFR 945.7 - Certified seed potatoes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Certified seed potatoes. 945.7 Section 945.7... Agreements and Orders; Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IRISH POTATOES GROWN IN CERTAIN... Certified seed potatoes. Certified seed potatoes means and includes all potatoes officially certified and...

7 CFR 945.7 - Certified seed potatoes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Certified seed potatoes. 945.7 Section 945.7... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; FRUITS, VEGETABLES, NUTS), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IRISH POTATOES GROWN IN CERTAIN... Certified seed potatoes. Certified seed potatoes means and includes all potatoes officially certified and...

7 CFR 945.7 - Certified seed potatoes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Certified seed potatoes. 945.7 Section 945.7... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; FRUITS, VEGETABLES, NUTS), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IRISH POTATOES GROWN IN CERTAIN... Certified seed potatoes. Certified seed potatoes means and includes all potatoes officially certified and...

7 CFR 945.7 - Certified seed potatoes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Certified seed potatoes. 945.7 Section 945.7... Agreements and Orders; Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IRISH POTATOES GROWN IN CERTAIN... Certified seed potatoes. Certified seed potatoes means and includes all potatoes officially certified and...

A Comparison of the Sodium Content of Supermarket Private-Label and Branded Foods in Australia.

PubMed

Trevena, Helen; Neal, Bruce; Dunford, Elizabeth; Haskelberg, Hila; Wu, Jason H Y

2015-08-21

Supermarket private-label products are perceived to be lower quality than their branded counterparts. Excess dietary sodium in foods contributes to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Sodium concentrations in products are an important indicator of quality. We compared the sodium content of 15,680 supermarket private-label and branded products, available in four Australian supermarkets between 2011-2013, overall and for 15 food categories. Mean sodium values were compared for: (1) all products in 2013; (2) products in both 2011 and 2013; and (3) products only in 2013. Comparisons were made using paired and unpaired t tests. In each year the proportion of supermarket private-label products was 31%-32%, with overall mean sodium content 17% (12%-23%) lower than branded products in 2013 (p ≤ 0.001). For products available in both 2011 and 2013 there was a ≤2% (1%-3%) mean sodium reduction overall with no difference in reformulation between supermarket private-label and branded products (p = 0.73). New supermarket private-label products in 2013 were 11% lower in sodium than their branded counterparts (p = 0.02). Supermarket private-label products performed generally better than branded in terms of their sodium content. Lower sodium intake translates into lower blood pressure; some supermarket private-label products may be a good option for Australians needing to limit their sodium intake.

A Comparison of the Sodium Content of Supermarket Private-Label and Branded Foods in Australia

PubMed Central

Trevena, Helen; Neal, Bruce; Dunford, Elizabeth; Haskelberg, Hila; Wu, Jason H. Y.

2015-01-01

Supermarket private-label products are perceived to be lower quality than their branded counterparts. Excess dietary sodium in foods contributes to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Sodium concentrations in products are an important indicator of quality. We compared the sodium content of 15,680 supermarket private-label and branded products, available in four Australian supermarkets between 2011–2013, overall and for 15 food categories. Mean sodium values were compared for: (1) all products in 2013; (2) products in both 2011 and 2013; and (3) products only in 2013. Comparisons were made using paired and unpaired t tests. In each year the proportion of supermarket private-label products was 31%–32%, with overall mean sodium content 17% (12%–23%) lower than branded products in 2013 (p ≤ 0.001). For products available in both 2011 and 2013 there was a ≤2% (1%–3%) mean sodium reduction overall with no difference in reformulation between supermarket private-label and branded products (p = 0.73). New supermarket private-label products in 2013 were 11% lower in sodium than their branded counterparts (p = 0.02). Supermarket private-label products performed generally better than branded in terms of their sodium content. Lower sodium intake translates into lower blood pressure; some supermarket private-label products may be a good option for Australians needing to limit their sodium intake. PMID:26308047

Essays on environmental policies, corruption, and energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baksi, Soham

This thesis consists of four essays. The first essay looks at pollution taxation under capital mobility, and analyzes the role of pre-commitment by countries to their pollution tax rate. A polluting firm sells its product in two countries, and can locate and produce in a single country or in both countries. Due to the discrete-choice nature of the firm's location problem, the countries' welfare functions are discontinuous in their pollution tax rate. We show that when the countries cannot pre-commit to their pollution tax, the firm can still engender tax competition between them by strategically locating in both the countries. Moreover, pre-commitment pollution taxation may not be welfare improving for the countries, although it always makes the firm better off. The second essay studies the effect of liberalization on corruption. Corruptible inspectors enforce an environmental regulation on firms, and are monitored by an honest regulator. Liberalization not only increases the variety of goods and the marginal utility of accepting a bribe, but also puts pressure on the regulator to curb corruption. The interaction of these two effects can cause corruption to initially increase with liberalization, and then decrease beyond a threshold. Moreover, equilibrium corruption is lower when the regulator is able to pre-commit to her monitoring frequency. The third essay analyzes optimal labeling (information revelation) procedures for hidden attributes of credence goods. Consumers are heterogeneous in their preference for the hidden attribute, and producers can either self-label their products, or have them certified by a third party. The government can impose self or third-party labeling requirements on either the "green" or the "brown" producers. When corrupt producers can affix spurious labels, the government needs to monitor them. A mandatory self-labeling policy is shown to generally dominate mandatory third-party labeling. The fourth essay develops formulas for computing the economy-wide energy intensity decline rate by aggregating sectoral energy efficiency improvements, and sectoral shifts in economic activities. The formulas are used to (i) construct plausible scenarios for the global rate of energy intensity decline, and (ii) show the restraining role of the "electricity generation" sector on the energy intensity decline rate.

An Open-Source Label Atlas Correction Tool and Preliminary Results on Huntingtons Disease Whole-Brain MRI Atlases

PubMed Central

Forbes, Jessica L.; Kim, Regina E. Y.; Paulsen, Jane S.; Johnson, Hans J.

2016-01-01

The creation of high-quality medical imaging reference atlas datasets with consistent dense anatomical region labels is a challenging task. Reference atlases have many uses in medical image applications and are essential components of atlas-based segmentation tools commonly used for producing personalized anatomical measurements for individual subjects. The process of manual identification of anatomical regions by experts is regarded as a so-called gold standard; however, it is usually impractical because of the labor-intensive costs. Further, as the number of regions of interest increases, these manually created atlases often contain many small inconsistently labeled or disconnected regions that need to be identified and corrected. This project proposes an efficient process to drastically reduce the time necessary for manual revision in order to improve atlas label quality. We introduce the LabelAtlasEditor tool, a SimpleITK-based open-source label atlas correction tool distributed within the image visualization software 3D Slicer. LabelAtlasEditor incorporates several 3D Slicer widgets into one consistent interface and provides label-specific correction tools, allowing for rapid identification, navigation, and modification of the small, disconnected erroneous labels within an atlas. The technical details for the implementation and performance of LabelAtlasEditor are demonstrated using an application of improving a set of 20 Huntingtons Disease-specific multi-modal brain atlases. Additionally, we present the advantages and limitations of automatic atlas correction. After the correction of atlas inconsistencies and small, disconnected regions, the number of unidentified voxels for each dataset was reduced on average by 68.48%. PMID:27536233

An Open-Source Label Atlas Correction Tool and Preliminary Results on Huntingtons Disease Whole-Brain MRI Atlases.

PubMed

Forbes, Jessica L; Kim, Regina E Y; Paulsen, Jane S; Johnson, Hans J

2016-01-01

The creation of high-quality medical imaging reference atlas datasets with consistent dense anatomical region labels is a challenging task. Reference atlases have many uses in medical image applications and are essential components of atlas-based segmentation tools commonly used for producing personalized anatomical measurements for individual subjects. The process of manual identification of anatomical regions by experts is regarded as a so-called gold standard; however, it is usually impractical because of the labor-intensive costs. Further, as the number of regions of interest increases, these manually created atlases often contain many small inconsistently labeled or disconnected regions that need to be identified and corrected. This project proposes an efficient process to drastically reduce the time necessary for manual revision in order to improve atlas label quality. We introduce the LabelAtlasEditor tool, a SimpleITK-based open-source label atlas correction tool distributed within the image visualization software 3D Slicer. LabelAtlasEditor incorporates several 3D Slicer widgets into one consistent interface and provides label-specific correction tools, allowing for rapid identification, navigation, and modification of the small, disconnected erroneous labels within an atlas. The technical details for the implementation and performance of LabelAtlasEditor are demonstrated using an application of improving a set of 20 Huntingtons Disease-specific multi-modal brain atlases. Additionally, we present the advantages and limitations of automatic atlas correction. After the correction of atlas inconsistencies and small, disconnected regions, the number of unidentified voxels for each dataset was reduced on average by 68.48%.

7 CFR 201.69 - Classes of certified seed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Classes of certified seed. 201.69 Section 201.69..., Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) FEDERAL SEED ACT FEDERAL SEED ACT REGULATIONS Certified Seed § 201.69 Classes of certified seed. (a) Classes of certified seed are as follows...

7 CFR 201.69 - Classes of certified seed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Classes of certified seed. 201.69 Section 201.69..., Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) FEDERAL SEED ACT FEDERAL SEED ACT REGULATIONS Certified Seed § 201.69 Classes of certified seed. (a) Classes of certified seed are as follows...

An Open-Label Study of Risperidone in the Improvement of Quality of Life and Treatment of Symptoms of Violent and Self-Injurious Behaviour in Adults with Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Read, Stephen G.; Rendall, Maureen

2007-01-01

Background: We examined the benefits of risperidone, including quality of life (QoL), in the treatment of violent and self-injurious behaviour in adults with moderate, severe or profound intellectual disability. Methods: Twenty-four participants received open-label, oral, flexible-dose risperidone of 0.5-6 mg/day for 12 weeks. Efficacy was…

The use of reference materials in quality assurance programmes in food microbiology laboratories.

PubMed

In't Veld, P H

1998-11-24

Nine different reference materials (RMs) for use in food and water microbiology have been developed with the support of the European Commission (EC). The production process of RMs is based on spray drying bacteria suspended in milk. The highly contaminated milk powder (HCMP) obtained is mixed with sterile milk powder to achieve the desired level of contamination and is subsequently filled into gelatine capsules. The HCMP may need to be stabilised by storage for more than a year before a stable RM can be prepared. The HCMP are mixed with sterile milk powder using a pestle and mortar in order to produce homogeneous RMs. For routine use of RMs Shewhart control charts can be produced. Based on log10 transformed counts, control limits are calculated. Rules for the interpretation of results facilitate the detection of out of control situations. Besides RMs there are also CRMs (Certified Reference Materials) that are certified by the EC Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) and are intended for occasional use. Based on the BCR certificate, user tables are produced presenting the 95% confidence limits for the number of capsules likely to be examined in practice. Also power analysis is made to indicate the minimum difference between the certified value and the observed geometric mean value in relation to the number of capsules examined.

10 CFR 32.29 - Conditions of licenses issued under § 32.26: Quality control, labeling, and reports of transfer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... standards approved by the Commission; (b) Label or mark each detector and its point-of-sale package so that: (1) Each detector has a durable, legible, readily visible label or marking on the external surface of the detector containing: (i) The following statement: “CONTAINS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL”; (ii) The name...

10 CFR 32.29 - Conditions of licenses issued under § 32.26: Quality control, labeling, and reports of transfer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... standards approved by the Commission; (b) Label or mark each detector and its point-of-sale package so that: (1) Each detector has a durable, legible, readily visible label or marking on the external surface of the detector containing: (i) The following statement: “CONTAINS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL”; (ii) The name...

10 CFR 32.29 - Conditions of licenses issued under § 32.26: Quality control, labeling, and reports of transfer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... standards approved by the Commission; (b) Label or mark each detector and its point-of-sale package so that: (1) Each detector has a durable, legible, readily visible label or marking on the external surface of the detector containing: (i) The following statement: “CONTAINS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL”; (ii) The name...

10 CFR 32.29 - Conditions of licenses issued under § 32.26: Quality control, labeling, and reports of transfer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... standards approved by the Commission; (b) Label or mark each detector and its point-of-sale package so that: (1) Each detector has a durable, legible, readily visible label or marking on the external surface of the detector containing: (i) The following statement: “CONTAINS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL”; (ii) The name...

40 CFR 80.1644 - Sampling and testing requirements for producers and importers of certified ethanol denaturant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... producers and importers of certified ethanol denaturant. 80.1644 Section 80.1644 Protection of Environment... ethanol denaturant. (a) Sample and test each batch of certified ethanol denaturant. (1) Producers and importers of certified ethanol denaturant shall collect a representative sample from each batch of certified...

40 CFR 60.1685 - What if all the certified operators must be temporarily offsite?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... onsite. (2) Submit a status report and corrective action summary to the Administrator every 4 weeks... hours, but for 2 weeks or less, and no other certified operator is onsite, the provisionally certified... weeks, and no other certified operator is onsite, the provisionally certified control room operator may...

7 CFR 766.114 - State-certified mediation or voluntary meeting of creditors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false State-certified mediation or voluntary meeting of... Programs § 766.114 State-certified mediation or voluntary meeting of creditors. (a) A borrower who is...) State-certified mediation; or (2) Voluntary meeting of creditors when a State does not have a certified...

Quality assurance tendering and awarding contracts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-12-01

Standards relating to quality control can be significantly useful when tendering for and awarding contracts. However, because it is sometimes difficult to express these standards in palpable economic terms, they can (practically) never be applied as criteria for awarding contracts in accordance with U.A.R. (Uniform General Standards) 1986. Therefore it would be advisable in the future to regard the availability of a (certified) system of quality control as being a standard requirement. To this end, a paragraph setting requirements for a quality control plan should be included in the specification. A quality control plan will be required on awarding a contract. This envisaged scenario can best achieved through a transitional phase. During this period there will be opportunity enough for removing any shortcomings in the wording and for considering standards to be required and assessment procedures.

Use of smart photochromic indicator for dynamic monitoring of the shelf life of chilled chicken based products.

PubMed

Brizio, Ana Paula Dutra Resem; Prentice, Carlos

2014-03-01

This study evaluated the applicability of a photochromic time temperature indicator (TTI) to monitor the time-temperature history and shelf life of chilled boneless chicken breast. The results showed that the smart indicator showed good reproducibility during the discoloring process in all the conditions investigated. The response was not only visibly interpretable but also well adaptable to measurement using appropriate equipment. For an activation configuration of 4 s of ultraviolet light (UV) per label, the TTI's rate of discoloration was similar to the quality loss of the meat samples analyzed. Thus, the photochromic label (4 s UV/label) attached to the samples set out to be a dynamic shelf-life label, assuring consumers the final point of quality of chilled boneless chicken breast in an easy and precise form, providing a reliable tool to monitor the supply chain of this product. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isotope Labeling for Solution and Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy of Membrane Proteins

PubMed Central

Verardi, Raffaello; Traaseth, Nathaniel J.; Masterson, Larry R.; Vostrikov, Vitaly V.; Veglia, Gianluigi

2013-01-01

In this chapter, we summarize the isotopic labeling strategies used to obtain high-quality solution and solid-state NMR spectra of biological samples, with emphasis on integral membrane proteins (IMPs). While solution NMR is used to study IMPs under fast tumbling conditions, such as in the presence of detergent micelles or isotropic bicelles, solid-state NMR is used to study the structure and orientation of IMPs in lipid vesicles and bilayers. In spite of the tremendous progress in biomolecular NMR spectroscopy, the homogeneity and overall quality of the sample is still a substantial obstacle to overcome. Isotopic labeling is a major avenue to simplify overlapped spectra by either diluting the NMR active nuclei or allowing the resonances to be separated in multiple dimensions. In the following we will discuss isotopic labeling approaches that have been successfully used in the study of IMPs by solution and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. PMID:23076578

A vacuum flash-assisted solution process for high-efficiency large-area perovskite solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiong; Bi, Dongqin; Yi, Chenyi; Décoppet, Jean-David; Luo, Jingshan; Zakeeruddin, Shaik Mohammed; Hagfeldt, Anders; Grätzel, Michael

2016-07-01

Metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) currently attract enormous research interest because of their high solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency (PCE) and low fabrication costs, but their practical development is hampered by difficulties in achieving high performance with large-size devices. We devised a simple vacuum flash-assisted solution processing method to obtain shiny, smooth, crystalline perovskite films of high electronic quality over large areas. This enabled us to fabricate solar cells with an aperture area exceeding 1 square centimeter, a maximum efficiency of 20.5%, and a certified PCE of 19.6%. By contrast, the best certified PCE to date is 15.6% for PSCs of similar size. We demonstrate that the reproducibility of the method is excellent and that the cells show virtually no hysteresis. Our approach enables the realization of highly efficient large-area PSCs for practical deployment.

ACES: Space shuttle flight software analysis expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Satterwhite, R. Scott

1990-01-01

The Analysis Criteria Evaluation System (ACES) is a knowledge based expert system that automates the final certification of the Space Shuttle onboard flight software. Guidance, navigation and control of the Space Shuttle through all its flight phases are accomplished by a complex onboard flight software system. This software is reconfigured for each flight to allow thousands of mission-specific parameters to be introduced and must therefore be thoroughly certified prior to each flight. This certification is performed in ground simulations by executing the software in the flight computers. Flight trajectories from liftoff to landing, including abort scenarios, are simulated and the results are stored for analysis. The current methodology of performing this analysis is repetitive and requires many man-hours. The ultimate goals of ACES are to capture the knowledge of the current experts and improve the quality and reduce the manpower required to certify the Space Shuttle onboard flight software.

Pilot Program for Teaching Earth Science in New York

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadeau, Patricia A.; Flores, Kennet E.; Ustunisik, Gokce; Zirakparvar, Nasser A.; Grcevich, Jana; Pagnotta, Ashley; Sessa, Jocelyn A.; Kinzler, Rosamond J.; Macdonald, Maritza; Mathez, Edmond; Mac Low, Mordecai-Mark

2013-06-01

During the 2009-2010 school year, 40% of New York City (NYC) Earth science teachers were not certified to teach Earth science [New York State Education Department (NYSED), 2011]. This highlights a longstanding shortage of certified teachers, which persists today and prevents many schools from offering courses on the subject, thus diminishing student opportunities to study or embark on careers in Earth science. More generally, the paucity of qualified, effective science teachers hinders student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and research has consistently shown that improving the quality of teaching substantially increases achievement in STEM-related fields [National Science Board, 2007]. With only 36% of NYC 8th graders scoring at or above the basic level of proficiency in science and with even lower scores for African-American and Hispanic students [Livingston and Wirt, 2005], the need for more qualified science teachers is clear.

Numerical Implementation of Indicators and Statistical Control Tools in Monitoring and Evaluating CACEI-ISO Indicators of Study Program in Industrial Process by Systematization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayala, Gabriela Cota; Real, Francia Angélica Karlos; Ivan, Ramirez Alvarado Edqar

2016-01-01

The research was conducted to determine if the study program of the career of industrial processes Technological University of Chihuahua, 1 year after that it was certified by CACEI, continues achieving the established indicators and ISO 9001: 2008, implementing quality tools, monitoring of essential indicators are determined, flow charts are…

76 FR 20293 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designations of Areas for Air Quality...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-12

... January 19, 2010, EPA published a proposed rule to reconsider the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS (75 FR 2938) and... the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.); Is certified as not having a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C...

76 FR 16718 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designations of Areas for Air Quality...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-25

... the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS (75 FR 2938) and to propose a revised ozone NAAQS. EPA has not yet made... provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.); Is certified as not having a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C...

Using a Materials Database System as the Backbone for a Certified Quality System (AS/NZS ISO 9001:1994) for a Distance Education Centre.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Norm

The Distance Education Center (DEC) of the University of Southern Queensland (Australia) has developed a unique materials database system which is used to monitor pre-production, design and development, production and post-production planning, scheduling, and distribution of all types of materials including courses offered only on the Internet. In…

American Board of Medical Specialties and Repositioning for Excellence in Lifelong Learning: Maintenance of Certification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Stephen H.

2005-01-01

The board certification movement was founded out of a concern for the quality of care, and today, more than 85% of all physicians licensed to practice medicine in the United States have been certified by an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) member board. There is increasing evidence of a need for continuous monitoring and promotion of…

A Survey of Pennsylvania School Principals' Perceptions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification Process and the Leadership Roles of National Board Certified Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balbach, Amy Beth Mackie

2012-01-01

Throughout the 1980's, the notion of standards came to the forefront throughout the education world. Groups questioned how to define quality teaching. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was developed to meet this need providing a voluntary national certification to identify accomplished teachers. Since its inception,…

CERAMENT treatment of fracture defects (CERTiFy): protocol for a prospective, multicenter, randomized study investigating the use of CERAMENT™ BONE VOID FILLER in tibial plateau fractures

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Bone graft substitutes are widely used for reconstruction of posttraumatic bone defects. However, their clinical significance in comparison to autologous bone grafting, the gold-standard in reconstruction of larger bone defects, still remains under debate. This prospective, randomized, controlled clinical study investigates the differences in pain, quality of life, and cost of care in the treatment of tibia plateau fractures-associated bone defects using either autologous bone grafting or bioresorbable hydroxyapatite/calcium sulphate cement (CERAMENT™|BONE VOID FILLER (CBVF)). Methods/Design CERTiFy (CERament™ Treatment of Fracture defects) is a prospective, multicenter, controlled, randomized trial. We plan to enroll 136 patients with fresh traumatic depression fractures of the proximal tibia (types AO 41-B2 and AO 41-B3) in 13 participating centers in Germany. Patients will be randomized to receive either autologous iliac crest bone graft or CBVF after reduction and osteosynthesis of the fracture to reconstruct the subchondral bone defect and prevent the subsidence of the articular surface. The primary outcome is the SF-12 Physical Component Summary at week 26. The co-primary endpoint is the pain level 26 weeks after surgery measured by a visual analog scale. The SF-12 Mental Component Summary after 26 weeks and costs of care will serve as key secondary endpoints. The study is designed to show non-inferiority of the CBVF treatment to the autologous iliac crest bone graft with respect to the physical component of quality of life. The pain level at 26 weeks after surgery is expected to be lower in the CERAMENT bone void filler treatment group. Discussion CERTiFy is the first randomized multicenter clinical trial designed to compare quality of life, pain, and cost of care in the use of the CBVF and the autologous iliac crest bone graft in the treatment of tibia plateau fractures. The results are expected to influence future treatment recommendations. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01828905 PMID:24606670

Impact of Different Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels on Consumer Purchasing Intentions: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Ducrot, Pauline; Julia, Chantal; Méjean, Caroline; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle; Touvier, Mathilde; Fezeu, Léopold K; Hercberg, Serge; Péneau, Sandrine

2016-05-01

Despite growing evidence supporting the utility of front-of-pack nutrition labels in enabling consumer evaluation of food product healthiness, research on food choices is scarce. This study aims at comparing the impact of front-of-pack nutrition labels on consumers' purchasing intentions. Five-arm, open-label RCT. The study setting was a virtual web-based supermarket, with participants from the French NutriNet-Santé study. The eligibility requirement was grocery shopping involvement. The intervention was to simulate one shopping situation with front-of-pack nutrition labels affixed on food products (December 2014 to March 2015). Participants were randomly assigned to one of five exposure conditions using a central computer system: Guideline Daily Amounts, Multiple Traffic Lights, Five-Color Nutrition Label, Green Tick, or control (no front-of-pack exposure). Given the nature of the intervention, masking of participants was not performed. The primary outcome was the overall nutritional quality of the contents of the shopping cart, estimated using the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system. Secondary outcomes included energy and nutrient content of the shopping cart. Impact of the front-of-pack labels was also evaluated across sociodemographic subgroups based on age, educational level, income, and nutrition knowledge. A total of 11,981 participants were included in the analyses (April 2015). The Five-Color Nutrition Label significantly led to the highest overall nutritional quality of the shopping cart, as reflected by lower Food Standards Agency scores (M=8.72; SD=2.75), followed by Multiple Traffic Lights (M=8.97; SD=2.68) and Green Tick (M=8.99; SD=2.71), compared with the control (M=9.34; SD=2.57) (p<0.0001). The Five-Color Nutrition Label was the only front-of-pack format that led to a lower content in lipids, saturated fatty acids, and sodium of the shopping cart (all p<0.05). The impact of the different front-of-pack labels was similar across sociodemographic subgroups. The Five-Color Nutrition Label based on a color-coded and graded scale indicating overall nutritional quality is effective in promoting overall healthier food choices in all population subgroups. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT02385838. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

7 CFR 201.67 - Seed certifying agency standards and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Seed certifying agency standards and procedures. 201...) FEDERAL SEED ACT FEDERAL SEED ACT REGULATIONS Certified Seed § 201.67 Seed certifying agency standards and procedures. In order to qualify as a seed certifying agency for purposes of section 101(a)(25) of the Federal...

7 CFR 201.67 - Seed certifying agency standards and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Seed certifying agency standards and procedures. 201...) FEDERAL SEED ACT FEDERAL SEED ACT REGULATIONS Certified Seed § 201.67 Seed certifying agency standards and procedures. In order to qualify as a seed certifying agency for purposes of section 101(a)(25) of the Federal...

[Customer satisfaction with a quality management system according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000: Increase in the satisfaction of cooperating clinics].

PubMed

Beholz, Sven; Konertz, Wolfgang

2006-01-01

The evaluation of customers' satisfaction is elementary for any quality management system. In our university cardiac surgery unit that has been certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 the influence of repeated evaluation of the referring physicians' satisfaction conducted in the course of three consecutive years on structures and processes in the scope of the quality management system was examined. Customers' satisfaction with the possibility of access to the department could be increased by targeted interventions. Further interventions in the field of documentation led to a measurable increase in satisfaction with postoperative communication. Repeated annual evaluation of the satisfaction of referring physicians has proved to be a valuable tool in the process of continuous quality improvement.

Design, Certification, and Deployment of the Colorimetric Water Quality Monitoring Kit (CWQMK)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gazda, Daniel B.; Nolan, Daniel J.; Rutz, Jeff A.; Schultz, John R.; Siperko, Lorraine M.; Porter, Marc D.; Lipert, Robert J.; Flint, Stephanie M.; McCoy, J. Torin

2010-01-01

In August 2009, an experimental water quality monitoring kit based on Colorimetric Solid Phase Extraction (CSPE) technology was delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard STS-128/17A. The kit, called the Colorimetric Water Quality Monitoring Kit (CWQMK), was flown and deployed as a Station Development Test Objective (SDTO) experiment on the ISS. The goal of the SDTO experiment is to evaluate the acceptability of CSPE technology for routine water quality monitoring on the ISS. This paper provides an overview of the SDTO experiment, as well as a detailed description of the CWQMK hardware and a summary of the testing and analysis conducted to certify the CWQMK for use on the ISS. The initial results obtained from the SDTO experiment are also reported and discussed in detail

[Gastric emptying of a solid-liquid meal in normal subjects: validity of the labeling (99mTc) of chicken liver by a multipuncture technic].

PubMed

Hostein, J; Capony, P; Busquet, G; Bost, R; Fournet, J

1985-04-01

For gastric emptying studies of a solid-liquid meal by the scintigraphic method, a valid isotope labeling method for each phase of the meal must be obtained. The aim of this study was to validate a simple chicken liver labeling method in normal subjects by multipuncture technic with 99mtechnetium. Labeling according to Meyer's method was chosen as a reference. Simultaneously, a study of the quality of liquid phase labeling by 111indium was done. The labeling process quality for each phase of the meal was assessed: a) in vitro, after incubation of the meal with human gastric juice (n = 12); b) in vivo, after meal ingestion and sequential collection of gastric contents by aspiration (n = 4). Furthermore, in 8 healthy volunteers, gastric emptying curves of the solid and liquid phases of the meal were determined scintigraphically and compared. Our results showed: a) for the solid phase: a good specificity of the marker, which was assessed in vitro and in vivo, after liver labeling with multipuncture technique (89 p. 100 and 92 p. 100 after 180 min, respectively); b) for the liquid phase: a good specificity of the marker in vitro and a poor specificity in vivo (82 p. 100 and 27 p. 100 after 180 min, respectively); c) similar half-gastric emptying times and cumulative percentages for the solid and liquid phases with both liver labeling methods. In conclusion, the multipuncture technique for chicken liver labeling may be used for gastric emptying studies in humans.

Mindtagger: A Demonstration of Data Labeling in Knowledge Base Construction.

PubMed

Shin, Jaeho; Ré, Christopher; Cafarella, Michael

2015-08-01

End-to-end knowledge base construction systems using statistical inference are enabling more people to automatically extract high-quality domain-specific information from unstructured data. As a result of deploying DeepDive framework across several domains, we found new challenges in debugging and improving such end-to-end systems to construct high-quality knowledge bases. DeepDive has an iterative development cycle in which users improve the data. To help our users, we needed to develop principles for analyzing the system's error as well as provide tooling for inspecting and labeling various data products of the system. We created guidelines for error analysis modeled after our colleagues' best practices, in which data labeling plays a critical role in every step of the analysis. To enable more productive and systematic data labeling, we created Mindtagger, a versatile tool that can be configured to support a wide range of tasks. In this demonstration, we show in detail what data labeling tasks are modeled in our error analysis guidelines and how each of them is performed using Mindtagger.

Licensed physicians who work in prisons: a profile.

PubMed Central

Lichtenstein, R L; Rykwalder, A

1983-01-01

A profile of the personal and professional characteristics of the physicians who work in America's prisons was obtained by analyzing data from a larger study of all licensed physicians in the United States who worked in a prison at least 12 hours a month during the fall of 1979. Psychiatrists were not included, nor were physicians working in jails. The population of 382 prison physicians comprised two major groups--those who worked in prisons full time and those who worked in them part time. Part-time physicians, who represented the majority of physicians involved in prison work (58 percent), were found to resemble closely the typical physician in the United States; they were predominantly trained in America, specialized, and board certified. In contrast, full-time prison physicians, who accounted for 73 percent of the total hours physicians spent working in prisons, differed significantly from the typical U.S. physician. They were older, less specialized, less likely to be board certified, and more likely to be graduates of non-U.S. medical schools. The professional characteristics of the full-time prison physicians raise serious questions about the quality of medical care they are likely to provide. It would seem, based on their professional attributes, that the part-time physicians are able to provide better quality care than their full-time colleagues. Prison health system could thus assure higher quality care to inmates by relying primarily on part-time rather than full-time practitioners. PMID:6419274