4,064 research outputs found
Bassett mechanicala case study of implementation of ISO-9001:2000
No full textPlan BThe purpose of this field problem was to implement ISO-9001:2000 standards into the policies and procedures at Bassett Mechanical. Customers were requiring vendors and subcontractors to obtain certification in order to continue providing products and services. Obtainment of certification was needed to ensure sustained business relations with Bassett Mechanical’s existing customers
ISO-690 (author-date, Spanish).txt
No full textCode for citation style ISO 690, author-date system (Harvard), in Spanis
Exploring performance attribution: the case of quality managment systems adoptions and business performance
No full textPurpose. Accreditation to the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems Standard has proven to be a persistent and growing phenomenon in services and manufacturing, yet to date little attempt has been made to explore how performance results in cross-sectional research may be attributed to different causation mechanisms and how their influences may alter over time.
Methodology. The paper defines four possible causation mechanisms before searching and analysing the empirical literature on quality management system certification to ISO 9001 and business performance for evidence of their causal influence.
Findings. From the analyses it is found that the benefit that can safely be attributed to the treatment-effect of ISO 9001 accreditation is lower waste; while the benefits of lower costs and better quality are less likely unless motives for adoption are developmental rather than externally driven. From an analysis of longitudinal studies a strong selection-mechanism is found where more profitable firms have a greater propensity to adopt than less profitable firms. From the finding propositions are developed to show how the influence of these mechanisms change over time.
Implications for research. The existence of the selection-mechanism has profound implications for interpreting business performance achievements because the benefits that are attributed to the treatment-effect from adopting quality management system standards are likely to be greatly inflated by the influence of the selection-mechanism. The author suggests that richer theory is needed that can incorporate bi-directional influences and new research is needed to explore the underlying causes of the selection effect.
Value of paper. The paper is believed to be the first to systematically explore attribution of performance in the ISO 9001 literature. Its findings provide new insights into the complexities of attribution of performance in studies of new practices and systems.
Keywords:
Performance, Causation, Quality, ISO 9001 Certification
Prediction Models for Density and Viscosity of Biodiesel and their Effects on Fuel Supply System in CI Engines
No full textBiodiesel is a promising non-toxic and biodegradable alternative fuel used in the transport sector. Nevertheless, the higher viscosity and density of biodiesel poses some acute problems when it is used it in unmodified engine. Taking this into consideration, this study has been focused towards two objectives. The first objective is to identify the effect of temperature on density and viscosity for a variety of biodiesels and also to develop a correlation between density and viscosity for these biodiesels. The second objective is to investigate and quantify the effects of density and viscosity of the biodiesels and their blends on various components of the engine fuel supply system such as fuel pump, fuel filters and fuel injector. To achieve first objective density and viscosity of rapeseed oil biodiesel, corn oil biodiesel and waste oil biodiesel blends (0B, 5B, 10B, 20B, 50B, 75B, and 100B) were tested at different temperatures using EN ISO 3675:1998 and EN ISO 3104:1996 standards. For both density and viscosity new correlations were developed and compared with published literature. A new correlation between biodiesel density and biodiesel viscosity was also developed. The second objective was achieved by using analytical models showing the effects of density and viscosity on the performance of fuel supply system. These effects were quantified over a wide range of engine operating conditions. It can be seen that the higher density and viscosity of biodiesel have a significant impact on the performance of fuel pumps and fuel filters as well as on air-fuel mixing behaviour of compression ignition (CI) engine
Cigarette smoking and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among middle-aged and elderly Japanese men and women
No full text2005【要旨】Joint authors: Hiroyasu Iso ... et alOffprint. Originally published in: American journal of epidemiology, v. 160, no. 2, pp. 158-162, 200
sj-docx-1-wso-10.1177_17474930221135531 – Supplemental material for Trends in the incidence of stroke and its subtypes from 1963 to 2018 in Japanese urban and rural communities: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS)
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-wso-10.1177_17474930221135531 for Trends in the incidence of stroke and its subtypes from 1963 to 2018 in Japanese urban and rural communities: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS) by Jiaqi Li, Hironori Imano, Akihiko Kitamura, Masahiko Kiyama, Kazumasa Yamagishi, Mari Tanaka, Tetsuya Ohira, Tomoko Sankai, Mitsumasa Umesawa, Isao Muraki, Mina Hayama-Terada, Renzhe Cui, Yuji Shimizu, Takeo Okada, Shinichi Sato, Takeshi Tanigawa and Hiroyasu Iso in International Journal of Stroke</p
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Japanese Women : A Population-Based, Prospective Cohort Study
No full textBackground: This study aimed to examine the association between recurrent pregnancy loss and the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality. Methods: We identified 54,652 women who were pregnant during the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study. These women were 40-79 years at the date of cohort entry between 1988 and 1990. Participants received municipal health screening examinations and completed self-administered questionnaires. The cause of death was confirmed by annual or biannual follow-up surveys for a median of 18 years. The exposure was the number of pregnancy loss. The outcome was mortality from total cardiovascular disease and its subtypes according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision. Adjustment variables included age, number of deliveries, education, body mass index, physical activity, smoking status, and drinking status. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to estimate the cumulative mortality. Results: The number of pregnancy loss tended to be inversely associated with the risk of mortality from total stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and total cardiovascular disease. The multivariable hazard ratio of total cardiovascular disease for >= 2 pregnancy losses versus no pregnancy loss was.84 (95% confidence interval, .74-0.95). A 2-fold excess risk of mortality from ischemic stroke associated with >= 2 pregnancy losses was observed in women aged 40-59 years, with a multivariable hazard ratio of 2.19 (95% confidence interval, 1.06-4.49), but not in older women. Conclusions: Recurrent pregnancy loss tends to be associated with a lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease at 40-79 years. Younger women have an excess risk of ischemic stroke mortality associated with recurrent pregnancy loss
Passive smoking and mortality from aortic dissection or aneurysm
No full textBackground and aims: Evidence on the association between passive smoking and risk of aortic dissection or aneurysm is limited. This study aimed to investigate whether passive smoking increases risk of mortality from aortic dissection or aneurysm. Methods: The Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study is a prospective community-based cohort study begun in 1988-90 and followed up to the end of 2009. We examined 48,677 individuals (mean age, 56 years; women, 46%) without history of stroke, coronary heart disease, or cancer, who provided valid responses to a lifestyle questionnaire including questions on active and passive smoking. We used 3 categories (passive smoking out of home, passive smoking at home, and passive smoking out of or at home combined) to divide never-smokers into 3 exposure groups: low, intermediate, and high exposures, respectively. The endpoint was underlying cause of death from aortic dissection or aneurysm. Results: During the median 19-year follow-up of 48,677 study participants, 66 died of aortic dissection, and 75 of aortic aneurysm. Multivariable hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the high passive-smoking group as compared with the low passive-smoking group were 2.45 (1.02-5.88) out of home, 1.82 (0.84-3.96) at home, and 2.35 (1.09-5.09) out of or at home combined. The corresponding hazard ratios for current smokers as compared with the low passive-smoking group were 3.97 (2.14-7.39), 3.41 (1.84-6.32) and 4.09 (1.99-8.39), respectively. Conclusions: Out-of-home passive smoking and out-of-or at-home combined passive smoking were associated with increased mortality from aortic dissection or aneurysm
Green tea consumption and risk of hematologic neoplasms: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk (JACC Study)
No full textjournal articl
An evaluation of Aveda Corporation's environmental and safety management system (ESMS) orientation/inudction training in an ISO 14001 framework
No full textPlan BThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Aveda Corporation’s Environmental and Safety Management System (ESMS) Orientation/Induction training for manufacturing operations employees at the Blaine, MN facility. The review of literature examined training evaluation models as well as mandatory and voluntary environmental, health and safety (EHS) training requirements. The review focused on Kirkpatrick’s (1998) four levels of evaluation, which include the measurement of learners’ reaction, learning, behavior changes and business results. Philip’s (1997) fifth level of evaluation, return on investment, and the importance of intangible results were also discussed. Surveys were distributed to manufacturing operations employees to measure perceived and actual knowledge in ten EHS areas as required by Aveda’s ESMS manual. Conclusions were based on the review of literature and survey results. Overall, results indicate that participants averaged from 91% to 95% on actual knowledge measurement questions. Results of perceived knowledge questions found that 92.1% of participants felt that they were very to extremely knowledgeable of the ESMS requirements. A significant gap was found between perceived and actual knowledge in the area of machine guarding. Although overall ESMS perceived and actual knowledge was good, room for improvement exists. Implementation of the recommended change may help to improve the ESMS Orientation/Induction training at Aveda
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