Air quality modeling and mortality impact of fine particles reduction policies in Spain

Background: In recent years, Spain has implemented a number of air quality control measures that are expected to lead to a future reduction in fine particle concentrations and an ensuing positive impact on public health. Objectives: We aimed to assess the impact on mortality attributable to a reduction in fine particle levels in Spain in 2014 in relation to the estimated level for 2007. Methods: To estimate exposure, we constructed fine particle distribution models for Spain for 2007 (reference scenario) and 2014 (projected scenario) with a spatial resolution of 16x16 km2. In a second step, we used the concentration-response functions proposed by cohort studies carried out in Europe (European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects and Rome longitudinal cohort) and North America (American Cancer Society cohort, Harvard Six Cities study and Canadian national cohort) to calculate the number of attributable annual deaths corresponding to all causes, all non-accidental causes, ischemic heart disease and lung cancer among persons aged over 25 years (2005-2007 mortality rate data). We examined the effect of the Spanish demographic shift in our analysis using 2007 and 2012 population figures. Results: Our model suggested that there would be a mean overall reduction in fine particle levels of 1mg/m3 by 2014. Taking into account 2007 population data, between 8 and 15 all-cause deaths per 100,000 population could be postponed annually by the expected reduction in fine particle levels. For specific subgroups, estimates varied from 10 to 30 deaths for all non-accidental causes, from 1 to 5 for lung cancer, and from 2 to 6 for ischemic heart disease. The expected burden of preventable mortality would be even higher in the future due to the Spanish population growth. Taking into account the population older than 30 years in 2012, the absolute mortality impact estimate would increase approximately by 18%. Conclusions: Effective implementation of air quality measures in Spain, in a scenario with a short-term projection, would amount to an appreciable decline infine particle concentrations, and this, in turn, would lead to notable health-related benefits. Recent European cohort studies strengthen the evidence of an association between long-term exposure to fine particles and health effects, and could enhance the health impact quantification in Europe. Air quality models can contribute to improved assessment of air pollution health impact estimates, particularly in study areas without air pollution monitoring data.

Viabilidad de un centro tecnológico de innovación y control de calidad en Puertollano

El proyecto tiene por objeto la realización de los estudios técnicos, económicos y de mercado necesarios para definir la estrategia de creación de un Centro Tecnológico en Puertollano (Ciudad Real), ya que no existe en Castilla-La Mancha y tampoco en España un Laboratorio de estas características que trate conjuntamente campos muy demandados por los sectores de las Energías Renovables y la Industria Energética, lo que potenciará en un futuro inmediato un importante campo de negocio. Con el propósito de tener una estrategia adecuada en el desarrollo e implantación de este Centro se ha realizado un estudio de la optimización de los servicios a prestar mediante la implantación de Sistemas de Gestión de Calidad y Sistemas de Gestión de Actividades de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (I+D+I) en relación con la actividad del negocio y fomentar en este aspecto la colaboración de las Administraciones y Universidades. El déficit en la competitividad de la economía española afecta a los conceptos íntimamente ligados de calidad y seguridad. Las exigencias cada vez mayores de seguridad y controles metrológicos de normativas europeas en el uso de energías, combustibles e industria, prevén un horizonte muy interesante para los servicios colaterales del Control de Calidad. ABSTRACT The main objetive of this project is to make a technical, economical and marketing study to define the creation strategy of a Technological Centre in Puertollano (Ciudad Real), since there is none in Castilla-La Mancha, or in Spain. Such laboratory would jointly manage fields of high demand by the Renevable Energy Industry sectors, that would enable the development of an important business field. With the purpose of having an appropriate strategy for the development and implementation of this centre, a service optimization study has been made, using the Quality Management Investigation, and ID Systems. This is related to business activities and seeks to foment the colaboration with the Administration and universities. The competitiviness déficit of the Spanish Economy, affects some closely related concepts of quality and security. The constantly growing requirements of security and metrological controls, due to energy, fuel and industry european laws, anticípate an interesting progress for the colateral services of Quality Control.

Status and quality of radiation measurements : food and human urine /

Issued Oct. 1977.

The status and quality of radiation measurements for air /

Issued Oct. 1977.

Relationship of quality and vehicle safety performance.

Mode of access: Internet.

Quality improvement resource guide: engineering a quality future in transportation.

Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.

Water quality criteria /

Bibliography: p. 467-548.

Quality assurance provisions for government agencies.

Mode of access: Internet.

Geohydrology of the Antelope Valley Area, California and design for a ground-water-quality monitoring network /

Mode of access: Internet.

Assessing the quality of risk factor survey data: lessons from the WHO MONICA Project

Background and purpose Survey data quality is a combination of the representativeness of the sample, the accuracy and precision of measurements, data processing and management with several subcomponents in each. The purpose of this paper is to show how, in the final risk factor surveys of the WHO MONICA Project, information on data quality were obtained, quantified, and used in the analysis. Methods and results In the WHO MONICA (Multinational MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease) Project, the information about the data quality components was documented in retrospective quality assessment reports. On the basis of the documented information and the survey data, the quality of each data component was assessed and summarized using quality scores. The quality scores were used in sensitivity testing of the results both by excluding populations with low quality scores and by weighting the data by its quality scores. Conclusions Detailed documentation of all survey procedures with standardized protocols, training, and quality control are steps towards optimizing data quality. Quantifying data quality is a further step. Methods used in the WHO MONICA Project could be adopted to improve quality in other health surveys.

Development of an intelligent quality management system using fuzzy association rules

In order to survive in the increasingly customer-oriented marketplace, continuous quality improvement marks the fastest growing quality organization’s success. In recent years, attention has been focused on intelligent systems which have shown great promise in supporting quality control. However, only a small number of the currently used systems are reported to be operating effectively because they are designed to maintain a quality level within the specified process, rather than to focus on cooperation within the production workflow. This paper proposes an intelligent system with a newly designed algorithm and the universal process data exchange standard to overcome the challenges of demanding customers who seek high-quality and low-cost products. The intelligent quality management system is equipped with the ‘‘distributed process mining” feature to provide all levels of employees with the ability to understand the relationships between processes, especially when any aspect of the process is going to degrade or fail. An example of generalized fuzzy association rules are applied in manufacturing sector to demonstrate how the proposed iterative process mining algorithm finds the relationships between distributed process parameters and the presence of quality problems.

Quality performance rating

This Thesis reports on the principles and usefulness of Performance Rating as developed by the writer over a number of years. In Part one a brief analysis is made of the Quality scene and its development up to the present. The need is exposed for Performance Rating as a tool for all areas of management*. At the same time a system of Quality Control is described which the writer has further developed under the title of 'Operator Control'. This system is based on the integration of all Quality control functions with the creative functions required for Quality achievement. The discussions are mainly focussed on the general philosophy of Quality, its creation and control and that part of Operator Control which affects Performance Rating. Whereas it is shown that the combination of Operator Control and Performance Rating is both economically and technically advantageous, Performance Rating can also usefully be applied under inspection control conditions. Part two describes the principles of Area Performance Rating. *The need for, and the advantages of, Performance Rating are particularly demonstrated in Case study No.1. From this a summation expression is derived which gives the key for grouping of areas with similar Performance Rating (P). A model is devised on which the theory is demonstrated. Relevant case studies, carried out in practice in factories are quoted in Part two, Chapter 4, one written by the Quality manager of that particular factory. Particular stress is laid in the final conclusions on management's function in the Quality field and how greatly this function is eased and improved through the introduction of Area Performance Rating.