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The study investigated the compliance of fisheries handling facilities to food safety requirements stipulated in the existing laws, regulations, and standards within the fresh Nile perch value chain in Uganda. Data on personnel hygiene facilities, infrastructure, equipment, storage facilities, product and ice handling, waste management, and water quality were collected using a checklist based on current regulations, standards, and codes of practice, through direct observation. Fisher’s exact test of independence was used to determine significant differences in compliance based on facility type, market chain, and value chain segments. Fish factories (processing facilities) exhibited the highest compliance, followed by landing sites and local market stalls. There were significant (p ≤ 0.001) disparities in compliance for all the parameters, across value chain segments. Personnel hygiene facilities, such as changing rooms, toilets, and handwashing amenities, showed suboptimal compliance, with only 48.1% of the fish handling facilities having fully or nearly compliant change rooms. Conversely, 39.2% fish facilities had least or non-compliant toilets, posing a considerable risk of cross-contamination. There was a significant (p ≤ 0.001) distinction for all the examined parameters between facilities in the export and local market chains. Export-oriented facilities demonstrated higher compliance levels. This study recommends prioritisation of interventions targeting training and infrastructure development for the private sector.

Wireless power transfer (WPT) via magnetic resonance offers efficient electrical power transfer, making it an increasingly attractive option for charging electric vehicles (EVs) without conventional plugs. However, EV charging requires a transfer power in order of kW or higher, resulting in a higher-leaked magnetic field than conventional wireless systems. The leaked magnetic field is nonuniform, and the assessment in terms of the limit prescribed in the guideline is highly conservative because it assumes that a person standing in free space is exposed to a uniform field. In such cases, an assessment should be performed using the limits of the internal electric field, as it is more relevant to the adverse health effects, whereas its evaluation is time-consuming. To mitigate this over-conservativeness, international product standards introduce a spatial averaging method for nonuniform exposure assessment. In this study, we investigate assessment methods, especially for measurement points of nonuniform magnetic field strength leaked from the WPT system. Various spatial averaging methods are correlated with the internal electric field derived from electromagnetic field analysis using an anatomically based human body model. Our computational results confirm a good correlation between the spatially averaged magnetic and internal electric fields. Additionally, these methods provide an appropriate compliance assessment with the exposure guidelines. This study advances our understanding of the suitability of spatial averaging methods for nonuniform exposure and contributes to the smooth assessment in WPT systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era marked by ubiquitous reliance on mobile applications for nearly every need, the opacity of apps’ behavior poses significant threats to their users’ privacy. Although major data protection regulations require apps to disclose their data practices transparently, previous studies have pointed out difficulties in doing so. To further delve into this issue, this article describes an automated method to capture data-sharing practices in Android apps and assess their proper disclosure according to the EU General Data Protection Regulation. We applied the method to 9,000 random Android apps, unveiling an uncomfortable reality: over 80% of Android applications that transfer personal data off device potentially fail to meet GDPR transparency requirements. We further investigate the role of third-party libraries, shedding light on the source of this problem and pointing towards measures to address it.

This paper critically reviews the progress in ecosystem integrity (health) assessment of inland waters and provides future directions for assessment. Current biotic integrity assessments mainly use multimetric indices and predictive models to evaluate overall health status; the criteria largely rely on pristine reference sites, but such an approach is not applicable to unique natural waters and irreversibly modified waters. Biotic diagnostic assessments are still in the exploratory stage and can only diagnose possible stressor types and wide-ranges of their intensities through empirical models linking stressors and species-trait-indices. Current chemical integrity assessments mainly use criteria determined by small-scale ecotoxicity tests, rather than quantitative relationships developed between chemical factors and biotic effects in real ecosystems, thus potentially under or overestimating pollutant toxicity. Current physical integrity assessments focus on overall habitat quality, rather than quantitative habitat requirements, and thus cannot provide quantitative support for ecological restoration and conservation. Current hydrological integrity (environment flow) assessments largely depend on quantitative relationships between hydrological regimes with a few species and single groups, rather than with whole communities, and fail to comprehensively diagnose hydrological causes of biotic resource decline. In the future, integrity assessments need to be based on ecosystem integrity requirements of ecosystem service targets: first, there is a need to build quantitative relationships between biotic integrity and ecosystem services, assess requirements of community structure and function for service goals, and establish biotic integrity assessment methods; second, we must build quantitative relationships between biotic integrity and abiotic integrity in real ecosystems, assess chemical, physical, and hydrological integrity requirements of biotic needs, and establish diagnostic assessment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As mandated by the EU and the national risk management duties, pesticide residues were determined by four specialized laboratories in 9924 samples taken from 119 crops of economic importance in Hungary and imported foodstuffs during 2017–2021. The screening method applied covered 622 pesticide residues as defined for enforcement purposes. The limit of detection ranged between 0.002 and 0.008 mg/kg. The 1.0% violation rate concerning all commodities was lower than in the European Union. No residue was detectable in 45.9% of the samples. For detailed analyses, six commodities (apple, cherry, grape, nectarine/peach, sweet peppers, and strawberry) were selected as they were analyzed in over 195 samples and most frequently contained residues. Besides testing their conformity with national MRLs, applying 0.3 MRL action limits for pre-export control, we found that 73% of the sampled lots would be compliant with ≥90% probability based on a second independent sampling. Multiple residues (2–23) in one sample were detected in 36–50% of the tested lots. Considering the provisions of integrated pest management, and the major pests and diseases of selected crops, normally three to four and exceptionally, seven to nine active ingredients with different modes of action should suffice for their effective and economic protection within four weeks before harvest.

As mandated by the EU and the national risk management duties, pesticide residues were determined by four specialized laboratories in 9924 samples taken from 119 crops of economic importance in Hungary and imported foodstuffs during 2017–2021. The screening method applied covered 622 pesticide residues as defined for enforcement purposes. The limit of detection ranged between 0.002 and 0.008 mg/kg. The 1.0% violation rate concerning all commodities was lower than in the European Union. No residue was detectable in 45.9% of the samples. For detailed analyses, six commodities (apple, cherry, grape, nectarine/peach, sweet peppers, and strawberry) were selected as they were analyzed in over 195 samples and most frequently contained residues. Besides testing their conformity with national MRLs, applying 0.3 MRL action limits for pre-export control, we found that 73% of the sampled lots would be compliant with ≥90% probability based on a second independent sampling. Multiple residues (2–23) in one sample were detected in 36–50% of the tested lots. Considering the provisions of integrated pest management, and the major pests and diseases of selected crops, normally three to four and exceptionally, seven to nine active ingredients with different modes of action should suffice for their effective and economic protection within four weeks before harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless power transfer (WPT) via magnetic resonance offers efficient electrical power transfer, making it an increasingly attractive option for charging electric vehicles (EVs) without conventional plugs. However, EV charging requires a transfer power in order of kW or higher, resulting in a higher-leaked magnetic field than conventional wireless systems. The leaked magnetic field is nonuniform, and the assessment in terms of the limit prescribed in the guideline is highly conservative because it assumes that a person standing in free space is exposed to a uniform field. In such cases, an assessment should be performed using the limits of the internal electric field, as it is more relevant to the adverse health effects, whereas its evaluation is time-consuming. To mitigate this over-conservativeness, international product standards introduce a spatial averaging method for nonuniform exposure assessment. In this study, we investigate assessment methods, especially for measurement points of nonuniform magnetic field strength leaked from the WPT system. Various spatial averaging methods are correlated with the internal electric field derived from electromagnetic field analysis using an anatomically based human body model. Our computational results confirm a good correlation between the spatially averaged magnetic and internal electric fields. Additionally, these methods provide an appropriate compliance assessment with the exposure guidelines. This study advances our understanding of the suitability of spatial averaging methods for nonuniform exposure and contributes to the smooth assessment in WPT systems.

New wireless technologies significantly utilize the spectrum around 6 GHz with some of them, like Wi-Fi®6E, using both the spectrum below and above 6 GHz. At these frequencies, the main challenge for electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure assessments is due to the exposure metric changing from specific absorption rate (SAR) to absorbed power density (APD). Moreover, due to current measurement limitations, the incident power density (IPD) rather than APD is used in practice. In this context, the maximum allowed output power to ensure exposure compliance is dependent on the metric used and can lead to a discontinuity below and above 6 GHz even for different channels of the same technology. This paper studies such a discontinuity at the transition frequency of 6 GHz using a dipole antenna and a Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA). The study was performed at several exposure distances by means of numerical simulations as well as experimental measurements. The assessment was based on the comparison between maximum power values obtained while remaining compliant to the SAR and IPD limits for the same exposure conditions. The results have shown that for a specific source there was a distance (between 5 and 10 mm) where the highest power reduction for compliance switched from SAR to IPD. The difference or discontinuity level varied between 2 and 6 dB depending on the exposure distance and the source. In summary, SAR is more restrictive at closer distances, while the IPD induces a higher back-off power with an increase in distance.

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the importance of proper application of forest certification as a tool for responsible forestry. The lack of integrated approaches and formalities in the implementation of forest certification requirements is unacceptable from the standpoint of the interests of society and the environment. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the theoretical and practical foundations of integrating environmental values as one of the requirements for forest certification under the Forest Stewardship Council, into the management system of forestry enterprises. General and special methods (analysis, synthesis, generalisation, and comparison), and the regulatory framework for forest certification and the quality management standard were used for the research. The paper describes the concept of environmental values in the context of its components. It is proved that system, processbased, adaptive, and risk-oriented approaches to management are the basis for integrating the concept of environmental values into the management system of forestry enterprises. It is determined that the development of processes that cover the requirements of forest certification for environmental values and their documentary support are elements of the mechanism for integrating environmental values into the management system. Such processes are related to: identification of environmental values; determination of the purpose and criteria for making decisions on them; assessment of the impact of economic activities on them; development and implementation of measures for their conservation, maintenance, and protection; monitoring of the state and measures. Procedures, monitoring methods, training programmes, standard accounting and reporting forms are components of documenting these processes. The study results will be useful for improving the management system of forestry enterprises in accordance with the requirements of forest certification in terms of planning, organisation, monitoring, and control. The implementation of the tools and practical steps outlined for this purpose will contribute to the growth of efficiency of enterprises and their competitiveness in markets, access to which is determined by the requirements for the sustainability of the origin of forest products

Cybersecurity attacks are still causing significant threats to individuals and organizations, affecting almost all aspects of life. Therefore, many countries worldwide try to overcome this by introducing and applying cybersecurity regularity frameworks to maintain organizations' information and digital resources. Saudi Arabia has taken practical steps in this direction by developing the essential cybersecurity control (ECC) as a national cybersecurity regulation reference. Generally, the compliance assessment processes of different international cybersecurity standards and controls (ISO2700x, PCI, and NIST) are generic for all organizations with different scopes, business functionality, and criticality level, where the overall compliance score is absent with no consideration of the security control risk. Therefore, to address all of these shortcomings, this research takes the ECC as a baseline to build a comprehensive and customized risk-based cybersecurity compliance assessment system (RC2AS). ECC has been chosen because it is well-defined and inspired by many international standards. Another motive for this choice is the limited related works that have deeply studied ECC. RC2AS is developed to be compatible with the current ECC tool. It offers an offline self-assessment tool that helps the organization expedite the assessment process, identify current weaknesses, and provide better planning to enhance its level based on its priorities. Additionally, RC2AS proposes four methods to calculate the overall compliance score with ECC. Several scenarios are conducted to assess these methods and compare their performance. The goal is to reflect the accurate compliance score of an organization while considering its domain, needs, resources, and risk level of its security controls. Finally, the outputs of the assessment process are displayed through rich dashboards that comprehensively present the organization's cybersecurity maturity and suggest an improvement plan for its level of compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article assesses the compliance of the conceptual and categorical apparatus of tax criminal offences with court decisions in criminal proceedings on these offences. In particular, court decisions in criminal proceedings on tax evasion and duties (mandatory payments) over the past three years, issued by the courts of first instance and appellate courts, as well as legal positions of the Supreme Court were analysed. The tendency of unjustified reduction of attention to tax criminal offences by law enforcement authorities was revealed, which is manifested in the lack of explanatory materials and recommendations for court proceedings, as well as by lawmakers. The article points out theoretical problems related to the lack of a common understanding of concepts and terminology; regulatory and legal problems related to the ambiguity of criminal, criminal procedure and tax legislation; law enforcement problems caused by the complexity of proceedings in cases of tax offences and unequal interpretation of laws. The author's vision of the ways to improve the use of the conceptual and categorical apparatus of tax criminal offences in court decisions is expressed. In particular, this concerns: the development of theoretical and methodological foundations of cross-sectoral terminology; consistency in the interpretation of concepts and categories of tax, criminal, and criminal procedure law; elimination of conflicts in cross-sectoral legal regulation; and raising the awareness of judges in the tax area (specialisation in tax cases in local courts (in particular, in administrative and criminal cases related to taxation)); the development of criteria for the quality of court decisions and the introduction of disciplinary liability of judges for systematically passing unmotivated decisions cancelled by a higher court; updating research on the quality of court decisions in criminal proceedings of all court instances in the context of criminal offences in the field of taxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The risk of peripheral venous catheter (PVC) infections in inpatients is often underestimated, even if it is lower than that for central venous catheters. Guidelines for the prevention of PVC-associated infections describe the evidence-based management of PVCs. The aims of this study were the development of standardized methods for compliance assessment regarding PVC management and the evaluation of self-reported knowledge and implementations among healthcare providers regarding PVC care. Method: We developed a checklist based on the recommendation of the Commission of Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention at the Robert Koch Institute (KRINKO) Berlin for the standardized evaluation of PVC management. The following parameters were collected and evaluated: condition of the puncture site, condition of the bandage, presence of an extension set, presence of a plug, and documentation. The checklist was applied in 14 normal wards in 2019. After feedback of the ward staff on the results, it was applied again in 2020 in the same wards. For retrospective data analysis, we used a newly developed PVC-quality index. After the second evaluation in 2020, we carried out an anonymous survey among the healthcare providers. Results: The evaluation of 627 indwelling PVCs showed a significant increase in compliance related to the presence of an extension set (p=0.049) and documentation (p<0.001) in the 2nd year. The quality index increased in 12 out of 14 wards. The participants of the survey were aware of the in-house standard "Prevention of vascular catheter-associated infections", with a mean score of 4.98 on a Likert scale (1=not aware, 7=completely aware). The main barrier to implementation of the preventive measures was the time factor. Survey participants were more aware of PVC placement than PVC care. Conclusion: The PVC quality index is a valuable tool for the assessment of compliance regarding PVC management in daily practice. Feedback from the ward staff on the results of compliance assessment improves PVC management, but the outcome is very heterogeneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the importance of proper application of forest certification as a tool for responsible forestry. The lack of integrated approaches and formalities in the implementation of forest certification requirements is unacceptable from the standpoint of the interests of society and the environment. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the theoretical and practical foundations of integrating environmental values as one of the requirements for forest certification under the Forest Stewardship Council, into the management system of forestry enterprises. General and special methods (analysis, synthesis, generalisation, and comparison), and the regulatory framework for forest certification and the quality management standard were used for the research. The paper describes the concept of environmental values in the context of its components. It is proved that system, process-based, adaptive, and risk-oriented approaches to management are the basis for integrating the concept of environmental values into the management system of forestry enterprises. It is determined that the development of processes that cover the requirements of forest certification for environmental values and their documentary support are elements of the mechanism for integrating environmental values into the management system. Such processes are related to: identification of environmental values; determination of the purpose and criteria for making decisions on them; assessment of the impact of economic activities on them; development and implementation of measures for their conservation, maintenance, and protection; monitoring of the state and measures. Procedures, monitoring methods, training programmes, standard accounting and reporting forms are components of documenting these processes. The study results will be useful for improving the management system of forestry enterprises in accordance with the requirements of forest certification in terms of planning, organisation, monitoring, and control. The implementation of the tools and practical steps outlined for this purpose will contribute to the growth of efficiency of enterprises and their competitiveness in markets, access to which is determined by the requirements for the sustainability of the origin of forest products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a technique for the accurate assessment of the spatially averaged incident power density (IPD) on a spherical human head model from 3.5 to 100 GHz. The spatially-averaged IPD is defined either by averaging components of the power density vector normal to an evaluation surface, or by averaging its norm. The electromagnetic exposure assessment is provided for a dipole antenna placed at a separation distance of 2–150 mm from the model. We compare the IPD averaged over a proposed spherical surface with differently positioned planar surfaces. Results show that, for appropriate settings of the ex- posure above 6 GHz, the IPD averaged on a spherical surface is up to 12% larger for the normal definition, while marginally lower for the norm definition. In the worst case scenario, the spatially averaged IPD on a spherical surface is up to about 30% larger regardless of the definition. Comparative analysis between the definitions of the IPD averaged on a spherical model demonstrates that the norm definition yields significantly larger values in the reactive near field at characteristic frequencies, whereby this difference is marginal out of the reactive near field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & objectives: The World Health Organization (WHO) document released on the World No Tobacco Day, 2020, mentions that tobacco kills over 22,000 people worldwide every day either from its use or second-hand smoke exposure, which is one person every 4 sec. In 2003, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) was enacted by the Indian government to control/regulate use of tobacco and tobacco products. Despite various amendments to this law, there has not been any appreciable decrease in tobacco use. The objective of this study was to assess the compliance level with sections 4-10 of COTPA in urban Puducherry in South India. Methods: Random sample survey of 13 wards was carried out in selected parts of the city of Puducherry. The estimated sample size was minimum 160 public places and point of sales (PoS) each. A pre-tested checklist was used to obtain information on compliance with COTPA. Statistical and spatial analysis was performed using STATA v12.0 and QGIS v2.14.21, respectively. Results: Eight per cent of public places, 0 per cent of PoS, 1.7 per cent of educational institutions and 48 per cent of tobacco packages were found compliant with COTPA specifications. The compliance in public places varied from 0 (bus stops) to 55 per cent (religious places). Interpretation & conclusions: The overall compliance with COTPA was found to be very low in urban Puducherry. In order to ensure proper implementation of the laws, effective enforcement with periodic monitoring of various sections of COTPA are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart surfaces as one of the promising enabling technologies for sixth-generation wireless communications (6G) are paving their way. In this article, aiming at radio frequency electromagnetic field compliance assessments of them, two approximate approaches, namely the array-theory approach and the equivalent-current approach, are investigated. Smart surfaces with different beams, sizes, and shapes are designed, assessed, and analyzed. The results are compared with those of a reference approach, which is based on full-wave simulations, in terms of assessment accuracy. On one hand, both the approximate approaches provide significant improvement in assessment time, which is quite useful for compliance assessments in exposure scenarios with large numbers of possible beam states. On the other hand, it is found that the assessment accuracy for the two approximate approaches depends intrinsically on system configurations. Specifically, for a circle-shaped smart surface with a diameter equaling 21 times of the element periodicity, except for extreme situations where scanning angle is far from broadside, overestimated front compliance distances with relative errors no more than 30% and 24% are obtained for the array-theory approach and the equivalent-current approach, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cybersecurity attacks are still causing significant threats to individuals and organizations, affecting almost all aspects of life. Therefore, many countries worldwide try to overcome this by introducing and applying cybersecurity regularity frameworks to maintain organizations’ information and digital resources. Saudi Arabia has taken practical steps in this direction by developing the essential cybersecurity control (ECC) as a national cybersecurity regulation reference. Generally, the compliance assessment processes of different international cybersecurity standards and controls (ISO2700x, PCI, and NIST) are generic for all organizations with different scopes, business functionality, and criticality level, where the overall compliance score is absent with no consideration of the security control risk. Therefore, to address all of these shortcomings, this research takes the ECC as a baseline to build a comprehensive and customized risk-based cybersecurity compliance assessment system (RC2AS). ECC has been chosen because it is well-defined and inspired by many international standards. Another motive for this choice is the limited related works that have deeply studied ECC. RC2AS is developed to be compatible with the current ECC tool. It offers an offline self-assessment tool that helps the organization expedite the assessment process, identify current weaknesses, and provide better planning to enhance its level based on its priorities. Additionally, RC2AS proposes four methods to calculate the overall compliance score with ECC. Several scenarios are conducted to assess these methods and compare their performance. The goal is to reflect the accurate compliance score of an organization while considering its domain, needs, resources, and risk level of its security controls. Finally, the outputs of the assessment process are displayed through rich dashboards that comprehensively present the organization’s cybersecurity maturity and suggest an improvement plan for its level of compliance.

The adherence to planned budget and time schedule of engineering construction projects is an important indicator for the successful project planning and implementation. Most of the Palestinian governmental and municipal organizations face technical and financial challenges during the planning, bidding, and execution phases of their projects. The paper investigates and assesses the cost changes and delays for a sample of forty-six municipal road projects that were executed as part of the Municipal Development Program, financed through a multi-donor fund, administered by the Municipal Development and Lending Fund, and followed up by local consultants. It supports small- to medium-sized municipal projects, mainly roads, and has restrictions on budget and time changes. The findings indicate that there are limited cost deviations with an average of about 5% and that about 8% of the projects suffered from unjustified delays. The paper analyzes the reasons behind the noticed cost and/or time deviations, which include the underestimation of the project budget, delay by the contractors, lack of deterrent measures, and addition of new items or making changes in the scope of the project that result in variation orders. Recommended actions are identified, which are expected to contribute to reducing the consequences of the indicated challenges.

In modern communication systems including the fifth-generation mobile communication system (5G), quasi-millimeter, and millimeter wave frequencies above 6 GHz are utilized. At these frequencies, the incident power density is employed as a metric to assess the compliance of wireless devices to human exposure limits in international guidelines and national regulations. In this article, the performance of the inverse source method (ISM) for incident power density evaluation is investigated in terms of accuracy and operational costs, i.e., measurement and computational costs. The ISM is based on the surface equivalence theorem, and it reconstructs the incident power density close to the device under test from a field measured in a more distant region. The comparison of the performance between the ISM and the conventional plane-wave spectrum method by computational simulation shows that the ISM has an advantage over the conventional method in robustness to the truncation of the measurement region. The ISM reduces the number of measurement points to a quarter for the reconstruction of the spatially averaged incident power density in an error less than 0.4 dB. These findings in the computational simulations are also validated by the measurements of a standard horn antenna and array antennas operated at 28 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews recent standardization activities and scientific studies related to the assessment of human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). The differences of human exposure standards and assessment of consumer products and medical applications are summarized. First, we reviewed human body modeling and tissue dielectric properties. Then, we explain the rationale of current exposure standards from the viewpoint of EMF and the standardization process for product compliance based on these exposure standards. The assessment of wireless power transfer, as an example of emerging wireless devices, and environmental EMFs in our daily lives are reviewed. Safety in magnetic resonance systems, where the EMF exposure is much larger than from typical consumer devices, is also reviewed. Finally, we summarize future research directions and research needs for EMF safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quality management system is an essential and mandatory instrument for maritime higher education institutions mandated by the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. To design an effective quality management system, it is strongly recommended to take the most comprehensive model of the quality system such as ISO 9001 quality management system. This paper proposes a knowledge-based model for assessing the compliance level of the quality management system of maritime higher education institutions with respect to ISO 9001:2015 to provide meaningful information to design an effective quality management system, to identify potential gaps and required improvement points in the quality management system. In the proposed model, fuzzy axiomatic design is selected as a suitable research methodology. The obtained results provide a decision aid for the relevant executives in maritime institutions who design a quality management system integrated with ISO 9001:2015 guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to clarify the accuracy of a method for assessing the power density in close proximity to a wireless communication device operating above 6 GHz for the assessment of compliance with radio-frequency exposure guidelines. We focused on a near-field reconstruction technique that estimates the power density in close proximity to a wireless communication device using the results of electric field measurement at a plane several wavelengths away from the device. In this paper, the reconstruction technique was first validated by comparing the results evaluated using this technique with those obtained by computational simulation for the case of a standard horn antenna. Second, the reconstruction errors of the technique were assessed using ten planar array antennas at frequencies from 15 to 100 GHz. Reconstruction errors no larger than 0.35 dB were obtained for the maximum spatially averaged power density at a separation distance of over 0.15λ from the antennas using an averaging area of λ2 or larger, where λ denotes the wavelength. Finally, the requirement for electric field measurement was also examined, where the combined error for the compliance assessment of the power density was suggested for an actual testing scenario. These results support the standardization of compliance assessment techniques for wireless communication devices operating above 6 GHz, which are expected to be introduced in the near future.

Hemp cultivation is living a period of renewed interest worldwide after long years of opposition and abandonment. The European Union (EU) allows and subsidizes the growing of fiber and oilseed cultivars of Cannabis sativa L. with respect to the THC content limit of 0.2%. The EU method for the quantitative determination of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in hemp varieties provides to apply a tolerance of 0.03 g of THC per 100 g of sample concerning compliance assessment to that limit. However, the method does not report any precision data, especially useful as a function of THC content to evaluate measurement uncertainty and therefore to establish the conformity of hemp at different THC legal limits. Measurement uncertainty of the method by both bottom-up and top-down approach, besides repeatability and reproducibility, was investigated and estimated in the THC concentration range 0.2–1.0%, which includes the different legal limits set out for hemp around the world. We proposed Decision Rules for conformity of hemp showing that a non-compliant declaration beyond reasonable doubt should be stated when the THC content, as a mean result on a duplicate analysis, exceeds the limit by at least 11–15%, depending on THC limit. We highlighted other issues concerning practical aspects of hemp analysis, from sampling to evaluation of results, as well as the need to carry out collaborative studies on the EU method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a simple formula for estimating the power density from a base station for a compliance assessment is proposed. One of the most popular methods for estimating the power density and achieving compliance is applying the formula provided in the ITU-T K.52 standard, which involves a plane wave ground reflection based on the Fresnel coefficient and actual antenna pattern. However, the ITU-T K.52 formula has a major drawback in that its estimation typically leads to a large overestimation of the exposure power density. Several environmental factors of an installation scenario are therefore considered to overcome this overestimation, and the pseudo reflection coefficient is defined based on the maximum power density. The proposed formula is verified herein by comparing the estimation results with the ray tracing computations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an automatic scanning solution for measuring nonuniform magnetic fields captured by a tri-axial sensor connected to a time-domain acquisition system over a robotic arm. The sensor has been realized and calibrated through a canonical configuration consisting of Helmholtz coils. The acquisition system is instead executed by a Red Pitaya, which is an FPGA-based board with high performance and reliability regarding the sampling rate of the input signal. A LabVIEW software has then been developed for the acquisition of the sampled signal over time, the calculation and post-processing of the magnetic field, and the data saving. Finally, an Arduino-based robotic arm has been employed to make the acquisition system fully automated. This is particularly useful for the compliance assessment against electromagnetic field exposures at workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments now in force, determining abundance and distribution of phytoplankton inside ballast tanks is critical for successful ballast water management, particularly when assessing compliance. The relationship between the abundance and distribution of cells was examined to obtain the best representative sample of the entire phytoplankton community in ballast tanks, comparing three ballast water sampling techniques including in-line, in-tank, and Van Dorn bottle methods. Lloyd's index, Dy, and Gini index were applied to compare methods of sample collection and determine representativeness of samples and performance of sampling methods. Phytoplankton abundance trends from live microscopy counts using fluorescein diacetate (FDA) were also compared to those using a FlowCAM on preserved samples. The phytoplankton community showed a patchy distribution inside the ballast tank and this trend was observed across all voyages. The estimated marginal mean analysis showed that in hypothetical conditions (e.g., 702 m3 of water in ballast tank and phytoplankton whole-tank abundance of 19,522 cells), the difference among the three methods was small. Conversely, statistical analysis performed on empiric abundances using a negative binomial regression model determined that the volume discharged during sampling of ballast water has an effect on the number of cells collected on a given voyage. Results of this study also confirmed that the in-line method may be a better method at collecting phytoplankton samples from ballast tanks than the in-tank or Van Dorn method, regardless of the time at which samples are collected. Finally, the number of living cells and the number of preserved cells showed similar trends for most of the voyages, despite fewer samples analyzed using FDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The 15-min city concept has been contextualized and applied differently. • Its implementation requires a robust methodology for assessing cities' compliance. • Despite previous research, some theoretical and methodological questions remain. • Identifying key components and predominant practice for assessing city performance. • Recommendations for a more holistic assessment of compliance. Triggered by the COVID-19 crisis, the 15-min city concept has emerged as a new model of city vision. This increasingly popular urban planning paradigm brings the idea of living locally at the forefront of city planning, aiming to alleviate the intense urban challenges. Although the 15-min city concept may hold a paradigm-changing potential for the future of urban and transport planning, its implementation should be supported by a comprehensive methodology for assessing cities' compliance with the concept requirements, which in turn requires a thorough understanding of the concept's core elements and principles. While previous research has contributed greatly to the literature of measuring cities' performance from a 15-min city perspective, some theoretical and, in particular, methodological questions remain open. To this end, the current paper seeks to shed light on these issues, through examining the key components, determining the state-of-the-art and the predominant practice, identifying the gaps, and providing recommendations for a more holistic compliance assessment. The major gaps were found to be related to the methodological approaches used, with the different concept dimensions being treated in a fragmentary manner. The recommendations provided could further enhance the performance evaluation process, towards the development of accessible and well-connected urban neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determines the levels of compliance of European fresh waters with a bioavailability-based copper Environmental Quality Standard (EQS). A tiered approach for compliance assessment is used at which the first tier compares the dissolved metal concentration to a threshold, estimated using either regional or continental water chemistry data. At the second tier, the bioavailable metal concentration is calculated using the chemistry of the water body, and compared to the EQSbioavailable for copper. The thresholds at Tier 1 must be set at a level to ensure adequate protection of sensitive environments and to ensure efficient use of regulatory resources. Compliance of 99.3% is observed where bioavailability-based thresholds are used for the implementation derived from regionally relevant water chemistry data. Sites where elevated ambient background levels of copper are combined with high bioavailability (waters with low dissolved organic carbon) are those most likely to be at risk from copper exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to “polluter pays” principle, there is huge burden on the industries to remediate contaminated sites. Mergers and acquisitions of industrial sites is a preferred mode of growth for corporations. The management of the acquiring company should be mindful of potential environmental risks which they may inherit as part of the acquisition and take appropriate risk management actions. If not, they may face financial, reputation and other liabilities due to the “polluter pays” principle. This paper presents a case study of an environmental audit during acquisition of an Indian automobile axle manufacturing facility. This audit serves as a due-diligence process to identify environmental risks due to non-compliance with environmental legislation and potential release of environmental pollutants in the soil or groundwater at the time of transaction. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that an environmental audit process can serve as an effective due-diligence or risk management tool to identify existing and future environmental liabilities at industrial sites. The environmental audit is thus an important tool to mitigate business risks during mergers and acquisitions, document the baseline environmental conditions at the facility; identify areas for improvement and ensuring sustainable compliance with environmental legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use basic characteristics of statistical significance test to argue the abandonment of hypothesis testing in environmental standard (or criterion) compliance assessment. The typical sample size used for environmental assessment is small, and the natural variation of many water quality constituent concentrations is high. These conditions lead to low statistical power of the hypothesis tests used in the assessment process. As a result, using hypothesis testing is often inefficient in detecting noncompliance. When a noncompliance is detected, it is frequently due to sampling or other types of error. We illustrate the problems using two examples, through which we argue that these problems cannot be resolved under the current practice of assessing compliance one water at a time. We recommend that the hypothesis testing framework be replaced by a statistical estimation approach, which can more effectively leverage information from assessments on similar waters using a probabilistic assessment approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to identify and highlight the risk factors in assessing the conformity of foodstuffs with specific references and the authors proposes a risk reduction tool for dairy products expertise through the LACTATFALS Protocol (PLF). Once identified, the suspected fraudulent food product is sent to the authorized laboratories for analysis, optional accompanied by information on the nature of fraud. Laboratory testing of the falsified product requires a special assessment, the risk associated with this activity being directly dependent on the existence of specific testing procedures. PLF is a set of procedures, databases and information flow that enables stakeholders involved in assessing conformity of dairy products to reduce the risk on the level of this activity. The paper details the risk factors identified in the conformity assessment of the dairy product suspected of being falsified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An oil and gas company's arc flash electrical safe operations program is a corporate initiative to prevent electrical arc flash injuries. The program implements the company general instruction—electrical arc flash hazard mitigation, which provides minimum safe work requirements for protection of personnel in the workplace against electrical arc flash hazards in accordance with the National Fire Protection Agency 70E. The program tracks five key performance indicators (KPIs) to protect employees from arc flash hazards in all company facilities, which are as follows: 1) technology deployment; 2) training and certification; 3) operation and maintenance delineation; 4) operation and maintenance unified procedures; and 5) arc flash analysis. To verify compliance, the company initiated field-based assessments conducted by a specialized team of Power Systems Compliance and Electrical Engineers. The assessments are designed to validate each facility's compliance as well as to identify any opportunities for improvement in the application of arc flash mitigation. The assessors utilized a standardized checklist to determine the level to which established KPIs have been implemented. The checklists are weighted and scored to validate compliance in a consistent manner. This paper demonstrates a structured approach to measure arc flash KPI compliance and highlights some findings and practical examples that can be applied at many oil and gas facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An indicative compliance assessment of the Europe-wide bioavailable lead Environmental Quality Standard of 1.2 µg L (EQS) was undertaken against regulatory freshwater monitoring data from six European member states and FOREGS database. Bio-met, a user-friendly tool based upon Biotic Ligand Models (BLMs) was used to account for bioavailability, along with the current European Water Framework Directive lead dissolved organic carbon correction approach. The outputs from both approaches were compared to the BLM. Of the 9054 freshwater samples assessed only 0.6% exceeded the EQS of 1.2 µg L after accounting for bioavailability. The data showed that ambient background concentrations of lead across Europe are unlikely to influence general compliance with the EQS, although there may be isolated local issues. The waters showing the greatest sensitivity to potential lead exposures are characterized by relatively low DOC (< 0.5 mg L), regardless of the pH and calcium concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States (U.S.) environmental regulatory system relies heavily on self-reports to assess compliance among regulated facilities. However, the regulatory agencies have expressed concerns regarding the potential for fraud in self-reports and suggested that the likelihood of detection in the federal and state enforcement processes is low. In this paper, we apply Benford's Law to three years of self-reported discharge parameters from wastewater treatment plant facilities in one U.S. state. We conclude that Benford's Law alone may not be a reliable method for detecting potential data mishandling for individual facility-parameter combinations, but may provide information about the types of parameters most likely to be fraudulently reported and types of facilities most likely to do so. From a regulatory perspective, this information may help to prioritise potential fraud risks in self reporting and better direct limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (WHO TobReg) proposed mandated ceilings on 9 prioritized mainstream cigarette smoke constituents determined from the market-specific median of nicotine-normalized yield distributions. Considering the requirements for assessing and reporting of compliance with ceilings, it is of great importance to estimate the measurement uncertainty. To have a better understanding of influence of measurement uncertainty on the WHO recommended regulation for cigarette smoke constituents, in the present study, the measurement uncertainties were evaluated systematically based on series of collaborative studies reported by three different authorities over the years from 2012 to 2016, according to the approaches guided in ISO/TS 21748. Furthermore, the compliance assessment of 20 representative cigarette samples with proposed ceilings was conducted by taking measurement uncertainty into account. This work demonstrated that measurement uncertainty had great influence on the implementation of the regulated mandated lowering of toxic smoke constituents, both on the setting of ceilings and the compliance assessment as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the inter- and intralaboratory comparison of coupling factors is discussed for human exposure to nonuniform magnetic field from different wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. In order to derive the coupling factors, different laboratories computed the internal electric field and specific absorption rate (SAR) for different WPT configurations. The concept of coupling factors was originally introduced in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62311 and 62233 standards, for product safety assessment. For WPT systems, extension of the coupling factors is discussed in the IEC working group. This factor enables the estimation of the internal electric field and the SAR without detailed computation using human anatomical models. The coupling factors were computed for different WPT systems, such as an electric vehicle charging at approximately 100 kHz, induction coupling systems (140 kHz band), and home appliances (6.78 MHz). Four in-house codes were used in this inter- and intralaboratory comparison study to compute the coupling factors for the systems. Similar tendencies were observed in the coupling factors obtained by the groups. The difference between the coupling factors of different research groups is 30% when considering the same exposure scenarios. The coupling factors for different WPT systems are different because of the frequency, coil size, and existence of the magnetic sheet (shield). The variability of the internal electric field for WPT systems is also investigated to set the coupling factor required for practical use. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Nuclear Medicine has applied radiopharmaceuticals to diagnose and treat several diseases for decades. The decay of the radionuclide inserted in the drug needs to be monitored and controlled to avoid unnecessary impact on the environment, as well as on the general public. Gamma-ray spectrometry is the technique usually selected to identify and quantify these gamma emitters radionuclides. When radionuclides' active concentrations are close to upper limit specifications, doubts are raised about whether they meet the regulatory body's definitions. A different and innovative approach to assessing compliance in these situations is the use of guard band, interval between the boundary and the end of the acceptance zone. The study presented aimed the evaluation of the guard bands' effect on the disposal limits of some radionuclides commonly used in a medical facility. A relatively small increase in the activity concentration could be observed when the guard bands approach was used for the detector's uncertainty. However, these values can be used when activity concentrations are on the boundary of the exemption level. According to the results achieved with this study, guard bands can be seen as an alternative approach to the current one that do not use an in-depth metrological study. For the biota study, and under the described conditions, it was verified that the guard band approach did not show significant damage. • Guard band was applied to customary uncertainties from gamma spectrometry technique. • Results help the decision-making when releases are around the exemption level. • Guard band approach applied to nuclear medicine releases does not impact the biota. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ground the credibility of the sunbeds’ ultraviolet radiation compliance assessment with the 0.3 W/m 2 erythema effective irradiance limit, it is highly important to use reliable measuring equipment and to justify reasonably the measurement’s result. Recently, the first surveillance action of the artificial tanning sector in Greece has been finalised. The action consisted of in situ erythema effective irradiance measurements from sunbeds at commercial premises offering artificial tanning services at various cities throughout Greece. Four different broadband erythemal weighted radiometers were used in order to compare them during in situ sunbeds’ radiation measurements, at commercial premises, and to choose the most suitable one for compliance inspections. Furthermore a rationale has been introduced in order to compare the measurement’s result with the limit, and decide about compliance or not, taking into account the measurement’s expanded uncertainty. According to this approach, compliance, probable compliance or non-compliance is verified when the measurement’s result taking into account the measurement’s expanded uncertainty does not, probably or does exceed the 0.3 W/m 2 limit, respectively. Ultraviolet radiation exceeded the 0.3 W/m 2 erythema effective irradiance limit in 63.5% (33 out of 52) of the sunbeds and probably exceeded the limit in 11.5% (6 out of 52) of the sunbeds, according to the measurements performed with the radiometer which was chosen as the most suitable one and the proposed rationale for compliance justification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood alcohol concentration is the most frequent analytical determination carried out in forensic toxicology laboratories worldwide. It is usually required to assess if an offence has been committed by comparing blood alcohol levels with specified legal limits, which can vary widely among countries. Due to possible serious legal consequences associated with non-compliant alcohol levels, measurement uncertainty should be carefully evaluated, along with other metrological aspects which can influence the final result. The whole procedure can be time-consuming and error-generating in routine practice, increasing the risks for unreliable assessments. A software application named Ethanol WorkBook (EtWB) was developed at the author's laboratory by using Visual Basic for Application language and MS Excel(®), with the aim of providing help to forensic analysts involved in blood alcohol determinations. The program can (i) calculate measurement uncertainties and decision limits with different methodologies; (ii) assess compliance to specification limits with a guard-band approach; (iii) manage quality control (QC) data and create control charts for QC samples; (iv) create control maps from real cases data archives; (v) provide laboratory reports with graphical outputs for elaborated data and (vi) create comprehensive searchable case archives. A typical example of drink driving case is presented and discussed to illustrate the importance of a metrological approach for reliable compliance assessment and to demonstrate software application in routine practice. The tool is made freely available to the scientific community at request. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuel adulteration and cross-contamination lead to low-quality fuel products, which may cause increased environmental pollution, loss of taxes and engine problems. An establishment of a quality monitoring mechanism based on laboratory measurements may reveal problematic areas of the fuel supply chain. For the purposes of this work, 97 unleaded petrol samples were measured in order to quantify mass concentration of quinizarin, a substance used in Greece to easily mark the presence of 95 Research Octane Number unleaded petrol in other types of automotive fuels. The samples were obtained from petroleum retail stations selling different brands of fuels and located in different geographic regions of Greece. Statistical analysis of the results revealed quinizarin mass concentrations below the 3 mg L legislation specification limit and significant differences between brands and geographic regions, which may attributed to the structure of the fuel supply chain in Greece in combination with quinizarin properties and way of handling. Moreover, certain approaches were used for the calculation of decision limits for assessing compliance or non-compliance. These approaches take measurement reproducibility or estimated in-house uncertainty into account, in order to minimize the probability of false rejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]