The Regulatory Choice between a Label and a Minimum-Quality Standard, 2005

This paper revisits the issue of the regulatory choice between a mandatory label and a minimum-quality standard. When the cost of regulation is relatively low, we show that the socially optimal choice depends on the producers’ cost structure for complying with regulation and improving quality. Under a marginal cost for improving quality, the mandatory labeling is sufficient for reaching the socially optimal level of quality. Under a fixed cost for improving quality, we show that each instrument or the combination of both instruments may emerge at the equilibrium.

The use of ISO 9001 quality standard in higher education institution libraries

[eng] ISO standard 9001 is one of a set of management tools that libraries have adopted in recent years. This article focuses on libraries in higher education institutions that have received ISO certification of their quality management systems (ISO standard 9001:2000). We examine their reasons for seeking certification and the advantages and difficulties they have encountered in applying this ISO standard. Finally, we consider the future prospects of ISO standard 9001 in university libraries.

Economic impact of existing ammonia nitrogen water quality standard, IPCB chapter 3 rule 203(f) /

"July, 1981."

Hydrogen sulfide health effects and recommended air quality standard : prepared for the Illinois Institute for Environmental Quality /

Includes bibliographical references.

Quality standard for work zone traffic control devices, 1998.

These standards, covering highway work zone traffic control devices, were developed for suppliers and contractors doing work for the Illinois Dept. of Transportation.

Water quality in lakes and reservoirs in China

Dissertation elaborated for the partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master Degree in Civil Engineering in the Speciality Area of Hydarulics

Composition of stingless bee honey: Setting quality standards

Compositional data from 152 stingless bee (Meliponini) honey samples were compiled from studies since 1964, and evaluated to propose a quality standard for this product. Since stingless bee honey has a different composition than Apis mellifera honey, some physicochemical parameters are presented according to stingless bee species. The entomological origin of the honey was known for 17 species of Meliponini from Brazil, one from Costa Rica, six from Mexico, 27 from Panama, one from Surinam, two from Trinidad & Tobago, and seven from Venezuela, most from the genus Melipona. The results varied as follows: moisture (19.9-41.9g/100g), pH (3.15-4.66), free acidity (5.9-109.0meq/Kg), ash (0.01-1.18g/100g), diastase activity (0.9-23.0DN), electrical conductivity (0.49-8.77mS/cm), HMF (0.4-78.4mg/Kg), invertase activity (19.8-90.1IU), nitrogen (14.34-144.00mg/100g), reducing sugars (58.0-75.7g/100g) and sucrose (1.1-4.8g/100g). Moisture content of stingless bee honey is generally higher than the 20% maximum established for A. mellifera honey. Guidelines for further contributions would help make the physicochemical database of meliponine honey more objective, in order to use such data to set quality standards. Pollen analysis should be directed towards the recognition of unifloral honeys produced by stingless bees, in order to obtain standard products from botanical species. A honey quality control campaign directed to both stingless beekeepers and stingless bee honey hunters is needed, as is harmonization of analytical methods. © 2007 Asociación Interciencia.

Meat quality of young Nellore bulls with low and high residual feed intake

Fifty-nine Nellore bulls from low and high residual feed intake (RFI) levels were studied with the objective of evaluating meat quality traits. Animals were slaughtered when ultrasound-measured backfat thickness reached 4. mm, and samples of Longissimus were collected. A mixed model including RFI as fixed effect and herd and diet as random effects was used, and least square means were compared by t-test. More efficient animals consumed 0.730. kg dry matter/day less than less efficient animals, with similar performance. No significant differences in carcass weight, prime meat cuts proportion, chemical composition, pH, sarcomere length, or color were observed between RFI groups. Shear force, myofibrillar fragmentation index and soluble collagen content were influenced by RFI, with a higher shear force and soluble collagen content and a lower fragmentation index in low RFI animals. Feedlot-finished low RFI young Nellore bulls more efficiently convert feed into meat, presenting carcasses within quality standards. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Assessment of the quality evaluation of compounded fluconazole capsules marketed in the region of Araraquara (SP, Brazil)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Impact of image quality, radiologists, lung segments, and Gunnar eyewear on detectability of lung nodules in chest CT

BackgroundDespite the increasingly higher spatial and contrast resolution of CT, nodular lesions are prone to be missed on chest CT. Tinted lenses increase visual acuity and contrast sensitivity by filtering short wavelength light of solar and artificial origin.PurposeTo test the impact of Gunnar eyewear, image quality (standard versus low dose CT) and nodule location on detectability of lung nodules in CT and to compare their individual influence.Material and MethodsA pre-existing database of CT images of patients with lung nodules >5 mm, scanned with standard does image quality (150 ref mAs/120 kVp) and lower dose/quality (40 ref mAs/120 kVp), was used. Five radiologists read 60 chest CTs twice: once with Gunnar glasses and once without glasses with a 1 month break between. At both read-outs the cases were shown at lower dose or standard dose level to quantify the influence of both variables (eyewear vs. image quality) on nodule sensitivity.ResultsThe sensitivity of CT for lung nodules increased significantly using Gunnar eyewear for two readers and insignificantly for two other readers. Over all, the mean sensitivity of all radiologist raised significantly from 50% to 53%, using the glasses (P value = 0.034). In contrast, sensitivity for lung nodules was not significantly affected by lowering the image quality from 150 to 40 ref mAs. The average sensitivity was 52% at low dose level, that was even 0.7% higher than at standard dose level (P value = 0.40). The strongest impact on sensitivity had the factors readers and nodule location (lung segments).ConclusionSensitivity for lung nodules was significantly enhanced by Gunnar eyewear (+3%), while lower image quality (40 ref mAs) had no impact on nodule sensitivity. Not using the glasses had a bigger impact on sensitivity than lowering the image quality.

Improvement of research quality in the fields of orthopaedics and trauma: a global perspective.

The international orthopaedic community aims to achieve the best possible outcome for patient care by constantly modifying surgical techniques and expanding the surgeon's knowledge. These efforts require proper reflection within a setting that necessitates a higher quality standard for global orthopaedic publication. Furthermore, these techniques demand that surgeons acquire information at a rapid rate while enforcing higher standards in research performance. An international consensus exists on how to perform research and what rules should be considered when publishing a scientific paper. Despite this global agreement, in today's "Cross Check Era", too many authors do not give attention to the current standards of systematic research. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to describe these performance standards, the available choices for orthopaedic surgeons and the current learning curve for seasoned teams of researchers and orthopaedic surgeons with more than three decades of experience. These lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the topics that will significantly influence the research development as we arrive at an important globalisation era in orthopaedics and trauma-related research.

Revising the National Ambient Air Quality Standards: The integration of science and policy

Under the Clean Air Act, Congress granted discretionary decision making authority to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This discretionary authority involves setting standards to protect the public's health with an "adequate margin of safety" based on current scientific knowledge. The Administrator of the EPA is usually not a scientist, and for the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM), the Administrator faced the task of revising a standard when several scientific factors were ambiguous. These factors included: (1) no identifiable threshold below which health effects are not manifested, (2) no biological basis to explain the reported associations between particulate matter and adverse health effects, and (3) no consensus among the members of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) as to what an appropriate PM indicator, averaging period, or value would be for the revised standard. ^ This project recommends and demonstrates a tool, integrated assessment (IA), to aid the Administrator in making a public health policy decision in the face of ambiguous scientific factors. IA is an interdisciplinary approach to decision making that has been used to deal with complex issues involving many uncertainties, particularly climate change analyses. Two IA approaches are presented; a rough set analysis by which the expertise of CASAC members can be better utilized, and a flag model for incorporating the views of stakeholders into the standard setting process. ^ The rough set analysis can describe minimal and maximal conditions about the current science pertaining to PM and health effects. Similarly, a flag model can evaluate agreement or lack of agreement by various stakeholder groups to the proposed standard in the PM review process. ^ The use of these IA tools will enable the Administrator to (1) complete the NAAQS review in a manner that is in closer compliance with the Clean Air Act, (2) expand the input from CASAC, (3) take into consideration the views of the stakeholders, and (4) retain discretionary decision making authority. ^

Applying Translation Quality Standards to a Certification Procedure for U.S. Language Service Providers

Many translation quality standards have been implemented to regulate the provision and procurement of language services. However, in the absence of a standardized procedure to certify U.S. language service providers (LSPs), the industry lacks consensus with regard to requirements, procedures, and expectations. This project establishes the need for such a procedure and proposes an LSP Certification Procedure based on existing quality standards. Through a review and analysis of existing translation quality standards, an interview with a key stakeholder, and the presentation of an LSP Certification Procedure, this project concludes that the U.S. language services industry requires a procedure to certify LSPs and that such a procedure may be designed and implemented based on existing standards.