Position paper on passive sampling techniques for the monitoring of contaminants in the aquatic environment - Achievements to date and perspectives

This paper, based on the outcome of discussions at a NORMAN Network-supported workshop in Lyon (France) in November 2014 aims to provide a common position of passive sampling community experts regarding concrete actions required to foster the use of passive sampling techniques in support of contaminant risk assessment and management and for routine monitoring of contaminants in aquatic systems. The brief roadmap presented here focusses on the identification of robust passive sampling methodology, technology that requires further development or that has yet to be developed, our current knowledge of the evaluation of uncertainties when calculating a freely dissolved concentration, the relationship between data from PS and that obtained through biomonitoring. A tiered approach to identifying areas of potential environmental quality standard (EQS) exceedances is also shown. Finally, we propose a list of recommended actions to improve the acceptance of passive sampling by policy-makers. These include the drafting of guidelines, quality assurance and control procedures, developing demonstration projects where biomonitoring and passive sampling are undertaken alongside, organising proficiency testing schemes and interlaboratory comparison and, finally, establishing passive sampler-based assessment criteria in relation to existing EQS.

An aspect-oriented framework for orthogonal persistence

The life cycle of software applications in general is very short and with extreme volatile requirements. Within these conditions programmers need development tools and techniques with an extreme level of productivity. We consider the code reuse as the most prominent approach to solve that problem. Our proposal uses the advantages provided by the Aspect-Oriented Programming in order to build a reusable framework capable to turn both programmer and application oblivious as far as data persistence is concerned, thus avoiding the need to write any line of code about that concern. Besides the benefits to productivity, the software quality increases. This paper describes the actual state of the art, identifying the main challenge to build a complete and reusable framework for Orthogonal Persistence in concurrent environments with support for transactions. The present work also includes a successfully developed prototype of that framework, capable of freeing the programmer of implementing any read or write data operations. This prototype is supported by an object oriented database and, in the future, will also use a relational database and have support for transactions.

Fachliche Publikationskulturen und Open Access. Fächerübergreifende Entwicklungstendenzen und Spezifika der Erziehungswissenschaft und Bildungsforschung

Open Access zu öffentlich geförderten wissenschaftlichen Publikationen ist unter dem Vorzeichen der „Openness“ Teil einer zunehmend bedeutsamen globalen Entwicklung mit strukturellen Folgen für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Bildung. Dabei bedingen die jeweiligen fachkulturellen Ausgangslagen und ökonomischen Interessenskonstellationen sehr stark, in welcher Weise, mit welcher Reichweite und Akzeptanz sich das Open-Access-Paradigma konkret materialisiert. Die vorliegende Arbeit geht dieser Frage am Beispiel des inter- bzw. pluridisziplinären Feldes der Erziehungswissenschaft/Bildungsforschung nach. Zum einen werden die fachlichen und soziokulturellen Konstellationen des Publizierens im disziplinären Feld, die verlagswirtschaftlichen Marktkonstellationen sowie die informationsinfrastrukturellen Bedingungen des Fachgebietes analysiert und ein differenziertes Gesamtbild erstellt. Gestützt auf eine Online-Befragung der Fachcommunity Erziehungswissenschaft/Bildungsforschung werden weitergehende Erkenntnisse über vorhandene Open-Access-Erfahrungen im Fachgebiet und Hemmnisse bzw. Anforderungen an das neue Publikationsmodell aus der Sicht der Wissenschaftler/innen selbst – sowie explorativ aus Sicht der Studierenden und der Bildungspraxis - ermittelt. Wesentliche Faktoren bei der Betrachtung der Potenziale und Effekte von Open Access im Fachgebiet bilden die Faktoren akademischer Status und Funktion, Interdisziplinarität und fachliche Provenienz sowie das Verhältnis von Bildungspraxis und akademischem Sektor. (DIPF/Orig.)

Pertinencia de los procesos de aseguramiento de la calidad para la Educación Superior colombiana

En este escrito se hace un repaso sobre cómo ha sido la legislación para la Educa­ción Superior en Colombia (con la Ley 30 de 1992 como documento rector, en conjunto con las leyes: 115 de 1994 y 1128 de 2008, y el Decreto 1295 de 2010) y cuáles han sido los parámetros de calidad impuestos sobre la Educación Superior colombiana. Asimis­mo, se indica cuáles serían los nuevos linea­mientos de la educación, la actualidad del debate por la educación para la Colombia del “posconflicto”, y datos sobre la compe­titividad de la Educación Superior nacional con respecto a los estándares internacio­nales, presentando un comparativo entre estas políticas y estándares nacionales con respecto a teorías de calidad de diversas organizaciones internacionales.

NASA installations; accumulation, dissemination, and utilization of system failure history data.

Cover title.

Normas ISO 9000: su Base Documental

En la última década de este siglo se ha presenciado un salto cualitativo en el mundo comercial enfatizado a la calidad total, permitiendo a las empresas la máxima efectividad y productividad, colocándose así en niveles de competitividad en esta aldea global.Para entrar en este ámbito de calidad es necesario que las empresas asuman normas de aceptación internacional, tal es el caso de la serie de normas ISO 9000, cuyo objetivo es el establecimiento de sistemas de aseguramiento de la calidad que garantizan la buena marcha de las empresas y su relación con los clientes.A medida que se desarrolla el trabajo de investigación, se pretende dar una visión general sobre la serie de normas ISO 9000, incluyendo precisamente las normas que la componen, sus beneficios, sus ventajas, sus barreras, la forma de aplicación y la implementación de éstas, por otro lado se muestra la importancia de la base documental compuesta por tres niveles en forma de pirámide, que conforma el primer paso que debe dar una empresa para iniciar el proceso de asimilación de las normas ISO 9000 y así contar a corto o mediano plazo con un aumento en su productividad, la eliminación de errores y un mejoramiento en la calidad del producto, redundando en una importante mejoría tanto para la empresa y sus clientes.

How do teachers prepare their students for statewide exit exams? A comparison of Finland, Ireland, and the Netherlands

Statewide exit exams are often believed to have a positive impact on school effectiveness and the alignment between instructional practice and state standards because of their mandatory nature and the stakes attached for students and teachers. They may also, however, lead to teaching to the test and to a perceived de-professionalization of the teaching role. While some studies suggest a narrowing of contents and an increase in teacher-centered instruction, little is known about how the impact on instructional practices and teacher cognitions varies between different exam systems. This study compares the strategies teachers use to prepare their students for the exams at the end of upper secondary education in Finland, Ireland, and the Netherlands using a standardized questionnaire survey with responses from 385 teachers. The goal was to develop hypotheses about the relationship between differences in the exam procedures and the stakes attached, and the differences in teacher preparation strategies. The results suggest country-specific variations regarding teacher beliefs as to how much time should be spent on exam preparation; however, there were smaller differences in the strategies applied. Regression analyses indicated that the way in which preparation intensity was associated with the stakes for students and schools, and the attitudes towards the exams themselves varied across the three countries. The different exam systems appeared to affect preparation in markedly different ways, but nevertheless led to the exercise of comparable strategies. (DIPF/Orig.)

Prädiktoren der LehrerInnenverantwortung

Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Frage ob Lenks Modell zur Erfassung von grundsätzlichen Determinanten der LehrerInnenverantwortung, das durch Lauermann und Karabenick übernommen wurde, empirisch gestützt werden kann. Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, kausale Beziehungen innerhalb dieses Modells mit Hilfe eines Strukturgleichungsmodells zu bewerten. Basierend auf Daten einer norwegischen LehrerInnenuntersuchung ergaben sich deutliche Zusammenhänge zwischen den Elementen des Modells. Relationales Vertrauen, informelles Lernen zwischen den LehrerInnen und wahrgenommene Unterstützung durch SchulleiterInnen haben sich als wichtige Determinanten für die LehrerInnenverantwortung erwiesen, wenngleich die kontextuellen Faktoren in ihrer Eigenart komplexer zu sein scheinen. Es bedarf weiterer Forschung, um diese zu verstehen. Angesichts der Ergebnisse ist zu empfehlen, dass Schulbehörden einen Schwerpunkt auf die Gestaltung einer Politik legen, die die Vertrauensbeziehungen zwischen den LehrerInnen berücksichtigt. (DIPF/Orig.)

Estudo de metodologias de controle de qualidade do Mo-99 utilizado no preparo de geradores de Mo-99/Tc-99m

Dissertação (Mestrado em Tecnologia Nuclear)

ESR/ERS white paper on lung cancer screening

Lung cancer is the most frequently fatal cancer, with poor survival once the disease is advanced. Annual low-dose computed tomography has shown a survival benefit in screening individuals at high risk for lung cancer. Based on the available evidence, the European Society of Radiology and the European Respiratory Society recommend lung cancer screening in comprehensive, quality-assured, longitudinal programmes within a clinical trial or in routine clinical practice at certified multidisciplinary medical centres. Minimum requirements include: standardised operating procedures for low-dose image acquisition, computer-assisted nodule evaluation, and positive screening results and their management; inclusion/exclusion criteria; expectation management; and smoking cessation programmes. Further refinements are recommended to increase quality, outcome and cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening: inclusion of risk models, reduction of effective radiation dose, computer-assisted volumetric measurements and assessment of comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and vascular calcification). All these requirements should be adjusted to the regional infrastructure and healthcare system, in order to exactly define eligibility using a risk model, nodule management and a quality assurance plan. The establishment of a central registry, including a biobank and an image bank, and preferably on a European level, is strongly encouraged. Key points: • Lung cancer screening using low dose computed tomography reduces mortality. • Leading US medical societies recommend large scale screening for high-risk individuals. • There are no lung cancer screening recommendations or reimbursed screening programmes in Europe as of yet. • The European Society of Radiology and the European Respiratory Society recommend lung cancer screening within a clinical trial or in routine clinical practice at certified multidisciplinary medical centres. • High risk, eligible individuals should be enrolled in comprehensive, quality-controlled longitudinal programmes.

Journals and repositories: an evolving relationship?

It is now widely accepted that there are two routes to open access (OA): OA repositories and OA journals. It is often assumed these are distinct alternative parallel tracks. However, it has recently become clear that there is potential for repositories and journals to interact with each other on an ongoing basis and between them to form a coherent OA scholarly communication system. This paper puts forward three possible models of interaction between repositories and journals; services such as arXiv and PubMed Central, and the work carried out by the RIOJA project, are working exemplars and pilot implementations of these models. The key issues associated with the widespread adoption of these models include repository infrastructure development; changing ideas of the ‘journal’, ‘article’, and ‘publication’; version management; quality assurance; business and funding models; developing value-added features; content preservation; policy frameworks; and changing roles and cultures within the research community.

Estudio sobre la aplicación de Lean Healthcare en el sector hospitalario en Medellín

A pesar de que parece a veces simple, no es fácil explicar la esencia del término Lean -- Lean ayuda a las organizaciones a optimizar sus costos a través de la eliminación de los desperdicios lo que conlleva a un aumento de productividad que se debe traducir en una mejora en la rentabilidad de la empresa -- Esta mejora en la productividad es un elemento clave al momento de elegir Lean como herramienta de trabajo, debido a que está demostrado que no es una moda pasajera y que verdaderamente su aplicación puede rendir frutos en la manufactura y los servicios -- El presente trabajo pretende partir del termino Lean desde sus generalidades, examinando once herramientas que apoyan su implementación tanto en ambientes de manufactura como de servicios, para llegar a lo que se conoce hoy como Lean Healthcare, examinando la aplicación de esas mismas herramientas en ambientes hospitalarios -- Se realizó una revisión de la literatura que abarca tanto Lean como Lean Healthcare, haciendo énfasis en once herramientas (Hoshin Kanry, fábrica visual, 5´s, VSM, Poka Yoke, Heijunka, Kanban, Andon, Jidoka, Kaizen, Smed) que permiten identificar la aplicación de estas tanto en ambientes industriales como hospitalarios -- El resultado describe que herramientas son las más usadas en el sector hospitalario, en qué áreas se han aplicado los conceptos de Lean Healthcare, que impactos ha tenido la aplicación de estas herramientas y que implicaciones ha tenido para las instituciones la aplicación Lean Healthcare -- Toda esta revisión se enfocó luego en las instituciones de salud de la ciudad de Medellín a las cuales se les aplicó una encuesta para medir el grado de familiaridad que tienen en relación con las técnicas lean mencionadas

Germinação de sementes e otimização de técnicas de micropropagação de umbuzeiro (spondias tuberosa, arr.) anacardiaceae

The brazilian-plum (Spondias tuberosa, His) is a tropical fruit tree that has been consolidated in the market for agribusiness processing, due to its characteristic flavor of fruit. Accordingly, studies to optimize the propagation of plants are necessary for production of seedlings with agronomic and quality assurance measures. This study aimed at determining the efficient techniques for uniform seed germination, as brazilian-plum seed present mechanical dormancy, and establish optimal culture media for multiplication of shoots from the in vitro micropropagation. Firstly, in a greenhouse at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, was evaluated the influence of different methods of breaking dormancy in the emergence of seedlings of brazilian-plum and speed of germination (IVG) of seeds. After 60 days of cultivation, it was found that splay in the distal portion of the seed was the best treatment, with rates of 85.33% in germinability and 3.415 of IVG, compared with the treatment of seed-soaking in water for 12h + humus and the control group. Subsequently, new sources of seedling explants were obtained in studies of tissue culture. Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology that the university, was used stem apex, nodal segments and internodes in search of decontamination with various concentrations of calcium hypochlorite [Ca(OCl)2] and micropropagation, inoculating them in half WPM (1980) with various concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). We used 10 sample units with three replications for different concentrations of [Ca(OCl)2], BAP and explants type. After thirty days, which was observed for the control of contamination, during the establishment in vitro, concentrations of [Ca(OCl)2] between 0.5% and 2.0% were effective in combating exogenous contamination of the apex. In nodal segments and internodes, concentrations of [Ca(OCl)2] between 1.0% and 2.0% and 1.5% and 2.0% were respectively, sufficient to reduce the percentage of losses in these infestations explants. For micropropagation, the culture medium supplemented with 0.1 mg.L-1 BAP promotes better development of multiple shoots per explants from nodal segment. However, success does not get to shoot training in internodal segment