Certification Requirements Research Articles

A novel scoring system and correlative analysis of the strength and effectiveness of nationwide high school cardiopulmonary resuscitation mandates: Insights from a high school CPR study

BackgroundNumerous states have introduced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training mandates for high school students and staff to prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, the content and implementation of these mandates vary substantially. Furthermore, a comprehensive and objective assessment of these mandates and their impact is lacking. ObjectiveWe aimed to conduct a thorough evaluation of CPR training mandates across the United States. MethodsWe developed a novel scoring system based on proposed CPR standards, training and certification requirements, and legislative action to assess current mandates. This was used to rate the CPR mandates across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Mandate scores were then compared with available real-world registry data as a surrogate for efficacy from 2018 to 2021. ResultsState CPR mandate scores ranged from 0 to 47, with a higher score indicating more robust mandates. The median and mean scores were 24 (interquartile range, 19.5–27) and 21.52 ± 8.61, respectively, with 35 being the highest score. Intraobserver variability was 0.986 (95% CI, 0.944–1.028; P < .001). The year of implementation did not influence the strength of the score (R2 = −0.173; 95% CI, −0.447 to 0.131; P = .262). Correlation with SCD rate (R2 = −0.76; 95% CI, −0.492 to 0.367; P = .742), bystander-initiated CPR (R2 = −0.006; 95% CI, −0.437 to 0.427; P = .978), automated external defibrillator use (R2 = −0.125; 95% CI, −0.528 to 0.324; P = .590), and cardiovascular death rate (R2 = −0.13; 95% CI, −0.379 to 0.21; P = .355) failed to reach statistical significance. ConclusionModest scoring consistency highlights the need for robust, standardized CPR requirements to potentially mitigate SCD. This study lays the groundwork for evidence-informed policy development in this area.

Identification of core competencies for exercise oncology professionals: A Delphi study of United States and Australian participants.

Integration of exercise into standard oncology care requires a highly skilled workforce of exercise professionals; however, competency requirements have not kept pace with advancements in the field. Therefore, the aim of this study was to obtain consensus on core competencies required for an exercise professional to be qualified to work with adults undergoing active cancer treatment. A three-round modified electronic Delphi process was used. In Round 1, an international group of 64 exercise oncology stakeholders (i.e., exercise oncology professionals (n = 29), clinical referrers (n = 21), and people with lived experience (n = 14)) responded to open-ended prompts eliciting perspectives regarding competencies needed for an exercise oncology professional to work with adults receiving active cancer treatment. Subsequently, only exercise oncology professionals participated, ranking the importance of competencies. In Round 2, professionals received summary feedback, ranked new competencies generated from open-ended responses, and reranked competencies not reaching consensus. In the final round, professionals finalized consensus ranking and rated frequency and mastery level for each. Consensus was reached on 103 core competencies required for exercise professionals to be qualified to deliver care to adults undergoing active cancer treatment. The core competencies represent 10 content areas and reflect the needs of clinical referrers and people with lived experience of receiving cancer treatment. The core competencies identified reflect significant advancements in the field of exercise oncology. Results will underpin the development of education, certification, and employment requirements for exercise oncology professionals, providing a critical step toward achieving routine integration of exercise into standard oncology care.

Willingness to Fly on Urban Air Mobility Aircraft in Canada

Urban air mobility (UAM) is projected to be a major part of the future transportation landscape. It has the potential to reduce trip times and is viewed as a low-emission option. However, little is known about the public’s willingness to fly in these vehicles. In this study, a survey was conducted to assess willingness to fly on an air taxi. The survey of 1022 Canadians found that 39.4% were willing to fly after being shown an image of a specific UAM concept aircraft and given a short description about UAM, with another 29.1% stating that they would consider it. Factors leading to a higher level of support included gender, age, career, previous flight behavior, and support for other novel technologies. These results indicate that there is a desire for short-distance air travel, and the recommended next steps include assessing infrastructure needs and investigating regulatory and certification requirements for the introduction of UAM.

ADAPTING TO THE DIGITAL ERA: KEY SKILLS FOR FUTURE ACCOUNTING PROFESSIONALS

Unemployment can be considered as global challenge faced by almost all countries. However, further analysis by the Department of Statistics of Malaysia (DOSM) revealed a worrisome detail in which the rate of skill-related underemployment graduates continues to rise up recording 33.9 per cent in 2021 as compared to 31.2 per cent in 2020. Skill-related underemployment graduates is identified as occupation mismatch taking into consideration their educations, knowledge and skills were not fully utilised to their current work. Occupation mismatch may be worsened with the rapid growth of information and communication technology (ICT) and accounting graduates is no exception. Accounting profession is notified to also be highly at risk of being digitalised and automated in the near future. Accounting graduates with top academic credentials may still possibly failed to secure jobs because employers may view certificate and approval requirements are not enough. Instead, they require more incremental benefits such soft skills, communication skills, leaderships skills and ability to work in team. Importantly, students need to be aware of the employment needs and equipped themselves with skills beyond classroom learning before they finally graduated. To address this issue, this study will be carried out with the purpose to identify the important of accounting skills required for employment in accounting profession. A group of accounting students will be identified to participate this research. This research employs qualitative approach utilizing structured interviews which will be conducted through several medium of communication namely, phone calls and online questionnaires distributed through instant messaging application using Google form. The findings from this study are hoped to provide some suggestions of programs, activities, or new approaches on improving and enhancing accounting graduates’ skills that would transform them into highly marketable graduates.

Key Elements of Risk Management in Islamic Quality Management System: An Analysis on MS 1900:2014 Standard

MS 1900:2014 Sharīʿah-based Quality Management Systems-Requirements with Guidance (First Revision) or MS 1900:2014 is the Islamic version of the ISO 9001. Compared to ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001:2015), which is characterised by “risk-based thinking,” the aspect of risk management is not given due focus in MS 1900:2014. Instead, the focus is more on efforts to improve governance and organisational efficiency as outlined by Islamic principles. However, since MS 1900:2014 makes Sharīʿah as the main basis of its certification requirements, the element of risk management is definitely implicit in the standard. This is because in an effort to ensure its objective, i.e., realisation of benefits (taḥqīq al-maṣlaḥah) is achieved, the Sharīʿah uses the approach of promoting what is good and beneficial (jalb al-maṣlaḥah) and preventing what is evil and harmful (dafʿ al-mafsadah). Therefore, although it does not clearly state the concept of risk management in the standard, any organisation that uses MS 1900:2014 may also achieve the advantages of risk management if they adopt the standard. Thus, by using content analysis method, this article seeks to analyse and describe the requirements implicitly related to the aspect of risk management contained in the MS 1900:2014 standard. Based on the analysis of the certification requirements, it was found that MS 1900:2014 indeed has riskbased characteristics even though this is not clearly stated in the standard document. Therefore, if the MS 1900 is implemented correctly by any company, it will not only achieve efficiency and effectiveness in organisation management but also can further improve its risk management capabilities.

Key Elements of Risk Management in Islamic Quality Management System: An Analysis on MS 1900:2014 Standard

MS 1900:2014 Sharīʿah-based Quality Management Systems-Requirements with Guidance (First Revision) or MS 1900:2014 is the Islamic version of the ISO 9001. Compared to ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001:2015), which is characterised by “risk-based thinking,” the aspect of risk management is not given due focus in MS 1900:2014. Instead, the focus is more on efforts to improve governance and organisational efficiency as outlined by Islamic principles. However, since MS 1900:2014 makes Sharīʿah as the main basis of its certification requirements, the element of risk management is definitely implicit in the standard. This is because in an effort to ensure its objective, i.e., realisation of benefits (taḥqīq al-maṣlaḥah) is achieved, the Sharīʿah uses the approach of promoting what is good and beneficial (jalb al-maṣlaḥah) and preventing what is evil and harmful (dafʿ al-mafsadah). Therefore, although it does not clearly state the concept of risk management in the standard, any organisation that uses MS 1900:2014 may also achieve the advantages of risk management if they adopt the standard. Thus, by using content analysis method, this article seeks to analyse and describe the requirements implicitly related to the aspect of risk management contained in the MS 1900:2014 standard. Based on the analysis of the certification requirements, it was found that MS 1900:2014 indeed has riskbased characteristics even though this is not clearly stated in the standard document. Therefore, if the MS 1900 is implemented correctly by any company, it will not only achieve efficiency and effectiveness in organisation management but also can further improve its risk management capabilities.

Are agrochemical‐free and biodiversity‐friendly attributes substitutes or complements? Evidence from a coffee choice experiment

AbstractEco‐labels inform consumers about the sustainable attributes of a product, but consumer face challenges to differentiate and select for specific attributes. Certification programs are similarly challenged to incentivize adoption of sustainable practices in product supply chains when consumer ability to differentiate sustainable attributes is low. This study investigates consumers' Willingness to Pay (WTP) for different environmental attributes of coffee production, and whether attributes that conserve biodiversity and limit agrochemical usage are substitutes or complements. We designed and implemented a hypothetical coffee choice experiment combining coffee farm vegetation management attributes that impact biodiversity (conventional monoculture, shade‐grown, or “Bird Friendly” systems that conserve wildlife habitat) and chemical input (conventional, pesticide‐free, or organic) attributes. We found that consumers think of biodiversity and agrochemical management attributes as sustainability substitutes and have the highest WTP for pesticide‐free and organic attributes. Consumer groups with strong concern about the future of the environment had high WTP for all environmental attributes, but still considered the attributes to be substitutes. Our results suggest that eco‐label programs with biodiversity and agrochemical attributes, such as the Smithsonian Bird Friendly® coffee certification, could increase market participation by simplifying environmental sustainability messaging, simplifying farm‐level certification requirements, and targeting environmentally concerned consumers. [EconLit Citations: D12, Q01, Q13, L66].

Accessibility of Halal Certification Bodies in Australia: A Website Content Analysis

ABSTRACT The increasing Muslim population and growing demands for Halal products have necessitated a corresponding growth in Halal certification. While Muslim-majority countries typically practice centralized Halal certification governance, non-Muslim countries, including Australia, have their own unique Halal certification body systems. The Australian Government recognizes 24 Halal certification bodies. Previous studies have primarily focused on the general requirements for certification. In contrast, our study takes a unique and novel approach, attempting to understand each body’s system and accessibility from the point of view of customers and food producers. This novel approach should pique the interest of our audience, as it offers a fresh perspective on a well-studied topic. We implemented website content analyses through website searches and comparative analysis to identify information that can assist Halal product consumers and certification applicants. While most bodies have established guidelines for Halal certification, several areas remain unclear, with no procedures to aid consumers and producers in checking and applying for certifications. Our study identifies these areas for improvement, with the goal of enhancing information accessibility and marketability of these bodies to assist consumers and applicants in obtaining proper guidance on Halal certification. This research is not just theoretical, but it has practical implications that can significantly improve the Halal certification process in Australia, making it more accessible and marketable. This reassurance of practical application should instill confidence in the audience about the relevance and usefulness of the study.

How would a certification in harm reduction impact service delivery and the harm reduction workforce? A qualitative study

IntroductionHarm reduction utilizes evidence-based strategies to reduce the negative health and social impacts of substance use. As harm reduction services expand across the U.S. without the requirement of professional certification, variation in how the workforce is regarded and trained on harm reduction principles and practices persists. This study explores the harm reduction workforce's perspectives on how certification would impact service delivery and their profession. MethodsThe study employed purposive sampling to identify and survey administrators within a publicly available syringe services program directory (N = 168). This sub-study utilized thematic analysis to evaluate 152 respondents' answers to one dichotomous closed-ended question, “Would a certification in the harm reduction field be helpful?” followed by an open-ended response to the follow-up statement, “Based on your answer to the previous question about a certification to work in harm reduction, please explain why or why not.” Approximately 45 % of the respondents (n = 68) answered no, while 55 % (n = 84) answered yes. ResultsSeven themes emerged in total. Among those against harm reduction certification, the four themes were: (1) certification is exclusionary and creates barriers, (2) lived experience is more important than certification, (3) certification does not equate to skills, and (4) no regulatory body exists to oversee the certification process. The study identified three themes from individuals who indicated harm reduction certification was helpful: (1) certification helps standardize training, (2) certification validates/legitimizes the harm reduction field, and (3) low barriers to receiving certificates. ConclusionsThe study presents participants' perspectives for and against harm reduction certification emphasizing implications for service delivery and the workforce. Despite varying perceptions on how certification may advance or hinder the field, the sample was unified in their commitment to harm reduction practices and endorsement of its integral role in confronting the U.S. drug use epidemic. This study highlights how certification can impact state and federal harm reduction service delivery and promotes future research on ways to address the needs of harm reduction organizations and their workforce.

Orbital Solitary Fibrous Tumor in a Commercial Airline Pilot.

BACKGROUND: In the literature, central serous retinopathy (CSR) accompanying solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) in a pilot has not been reported. In airline pilots, mass effect-related symptoms such as diplopia, ptosis, etc., seen with orbital tumors may endanger flight safety.CASE REPORT: A 62-yr-old male commercial airline pilot presented with blurred vision in the right eye. He had been receiving treatment for 2 mo because of CSR. His visual acuity was 10/20 in the right eye and 20/20 in the left. During examination, ptosis and exophthalmos were noticed in the right eye. Ocular movements were free in all cardinal directions and there was downward displacement in the right eye. There was no diplopia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 1.5- to 2-cm well-defined contrast-enhancing mass in the lateral extraconal orbit. His medical flight certificate was suspended for 3 mo due to decreased visual acuity and superior visual defect. Superior orbitotomy was performed without any complication. Ptosis and CSR had regressed 1 wk after surgery. All systemic and ophthalmological examinations met aviation medical certificate requirements. He returned to flight on the condition of being checked every 3 mo. At the 1-yr follow-up, there was no sign of recurrences of SFT or CSR.DISCUSSION: SFTs are slow-growing neoplasms that can manifest symptoms related to mass effect. In the current literature, there are no reported cases of the coexistence of orbital SFT and CSR or pilots able to resume flight duties only 1 wk after a successful orbitotomy and tumor resection surgery.Altinbas M, Ozpınar A, Akbaba M, Nacaroglu SA, Sargolzaeimoghaddam M, Sargolzaeimoghaddam M. Orbital solitary fibrous tumor in a commercial airline pilot. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(6):333-336.

The problem of psychologist certification: A comparative analysis of international experience

As the war in Ukraine poses a significant threat to national mental health, professional psychological support has become more crucial than ever for Ukrainians. The need to regulate the profession and establish a safe environment for consumers of psychological services has led to the implementation of psychologist licensing and certification. In Ukraine, this system is imperfect and requires optimisation, one of the ways to achieve which is to study and adapt the best international experience. In light of this, the aim of this article was to examine the characteristics of psychologist certification in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and China to identify prospects for developing the psychologist certification system in Ukraine. The methodological tools used included the dialectical method, as well as systemic, informational, theological, and functional approaches, which allowed for the presentation of the features of certification in the current conditions of professionalisation of psychological activities. It has been established that certification has historically been one of the methods for measuring competence in professional psychology. For this purpose, professional associations create voluntary certification systems. The features of the most developed psychologist certification systems (USA, Canada, and the United Kingdom) were examined, and an attempt was made to compare them with similar certification models in the European Union and China. Common requirements for psychologist certification in these countries were identified, including requirements for the content and duration of specialised education; requirements for supervised psychological practice; requirements for professional development in both practical and research areas; and requirements for the moral and ethical qualities of the psychologist. Conceptualising and measuring psychologist competence is an ongoing dynamic process as the field of psychological practice continues to evolve. The practical value of the results lies in their potential use to identify ways to improve the national psychologist certification system and the possibilities for transitioning from voluntary certification to mandatory certification

ISPO introduction program for independent smallholders: Initial steps towards mandatory ISPO 2025

The government, through Peraturan Presiden RI Nomor 44 Tahun 2020, mandates Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification for smallholder farmers within five years of its enactment. However, by December 2022, only 32 farmer groups had achieved ISPO certification. The Gunung Ambat Farmers Group, which has already received funds from the PSR program, is one of the independent farmer groups with the potential to acquire ISPO accreditation. Yet, members' understanding of this certification remains low due to a lack of socialization or training from the government or other entities. This initiative aims to promote the regulation and provide training on the concepts and requirements for ISPO certification. Activities include administering questionnaires to assess knowledge, conducting training sessions, engaging in puzzle games, and practicing the documentation of farming activities. The results indicate significant improvements in farmers' understanding before and after the training. Initially, farmers had no knowledge of ISPO certification; however, post-training, over 70 percent of participants understood the certification, with an average of 35 percent comprehending its principles and criteria. Participants are also encouraged to document their farming progress, enhancing their skills in farming business documentation and administrative tasks.

Designing Inclusive AI Certifications

For decades, the route to familiarity in AI was through technical studies such as computer science. Yet AI has infiltrated many areas of our society. Many fields are rightfully now demanding at least a passing familiarity with machine learning: understanding the standard architectures, knowledge on how to use them, and addressing common concerns. A few such fields look at the standard ethical issues such as fairness, accountability, and transparency. Very few fields situate AI technologies in sociotechnical system analysis, nor give a rigorous foundation in ethical analysis applied to the design, development, and use of the technologies. We have proposed an undergraduate certificate in AI that gives equal weight to social and ethical issues and to technical matters of AI system design and use, aimed at students outside of the traditional AI-related disciplines. By including social and ethical issues in our AI certificate requirements, we expect to attract a broader population of students. By creating an accessible AI certification, we create an opportunity for individuals from diverse experiences to contribute to the discussion of what AI is, what its impact is, and where it should go in the future.

Quantifying Impacts of Uncertainties on Certification-Driven Design

Airworthiness certification is challenging for novel aircraft concepts. To avoid the significant cost associated with the redesign for certification compliance, incorporating certification requirements into early aircraft design is desired for unconventional aircraft. However, epistemic uncertainties arising from modeling assumptions, and aleatory uncertainties stemming from uncontrollable noise factors may have impacts on the certification analysis and certification-constrained design process. This paper presents an uncertainty quantification study based on a certification-constrained design and optimization study previously conducted for NASA’s Parallel Electric–Gas Architecture with Synergistic Utilization Scheme (PEGASUS) concept. The epistemic uncertainties are modeled through a set of multiplicative factors applied to intermediate disciplinary variables. The sensitivity analysis between design metrics and multiplicative factors reveals that uncertainties in stability and control derivatives can significantly affect certification constraint predictions, and uncertainties in drag approximations have considerable impacts on the vehicle sizing process. The aleatory uncertainties added to flight dynamics simulations include wind velocities and variations of weight and center of gravity. Four representative design candidates are evaluated for their robustness against aleatory uncertainties based on the Monte Carlo simulation performed on noise factors. The results show that aleatory uncertainties can affect the aircraft dynamic responses in flight test simulations, thus compromising certification compliance.

Kualitas Pelayanan Pembuatan Akta Kelahiran Pada Dinas Kependudukan Dan Catatan Sipil Kabupaten Simalungun

The purpose oh this study was to determine the quality of service for making birth certificates at the population and Civil Registry Office of Simalungun Regency as well as barriers to service quality in making birth certificates at the Population and Civil Registry Office of Simalungun Regency. The problems found are the level of public awareness is still low, the lack of socialization provided by the Office to the community, the distance from the sub-district location, and the network system is not good. The research method that the researcher uses is descriptive qualitative research method. Data were collected based on data collection techniques by conduting interviews, observations, documentation, and literature studies. The data analysis technique that the researcher uses is data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The theory that researchers use is the theory of service quality according to Zeithaml, namely tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy. The result showed that the quality of service at the Department of Population and Civil Registry of Simalungun Regency was quite good even if is notoptimal. This can be seen from the Tangible indicators that have been sufficiently proven with the availability of facilities such as computers and laptops. Responsiveness the given by employees to the community who do not understand the birth certificate requirements. Assurance provided employees are good seen from the timeliness and service according to the SOP and the Empathy that the Department has is very good and also high.

Jet noise of a low bypass turbofan with internal mixing and external plug

Jet noise generated by turbofan engines which are designed for supersonic aircraft operation is expected to remain a challenge for the aerospace industry. For civil supersonic transport, low bypass ratio engines with internal mixing and external plugs are currently seen as promising exhaust architecture to meet aircraft mission and certification requirements. Measurements of the noise from a representative low-bypass ratio long duct mixed flow with external plug exhaust configuration were made, along with corresponding steady-RANS and LES analyses. The measured data showed excess high frequency noise across a wide range of operating conditions as compared to an equivalent single stream jet, or an equivalent uniform jet with internal plug. The absolute levels of the excess noise were relatively insensitive to forward flight, and the excess noise was most dominant when the primary and secondary streams had large velocity and temperature mismatch just upstream of the internal mixer. Preliminary indications from the LES analysis also indicated that significant pressure fluctuations, at the same frequencies which are insensitive to forward flight, develop inside the nozzle as the internal shear layer from the mixer grows and gets accelerated by the external plug. Parametric study test measurements on the fan and core operating conditions were performed, providing support for the hypothesis that the excess noise is generated as the internal shear layer, starting inside the nozzle, gets accelerated by the plug and passes through the weak shock at the nozzle exit where the flow accelerates more and turns over the external plug.

Design of a metal additive manufactured aircraft seat leg using topology optimization and part decomposition

PurposeThe lightweight design of aircraft seats can significantly improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Metal additive manufacturing (MAM) can produce lightweight topology-optimized designs with improved performance, but limited build volume restricts the printing of large components. The purpose of this paper is to design a lightweight aircraft seat leg structure using topology optimization (TO) and MAM with build volume restrictions, while satisfying structural airworthiness certification requirements.Design/methodology/approachTO was used to determine a lightweight conceptual design for the seat leg structure. The conceptual design was decomposed to meet the machine build volume, a detailed CAD assembly was designed and print orientation was selected for each component. Static and dynamic verification was performed, the design was updated to meet the structural requirements and a prototype was manufactured.FindingsThe final topology-optimized seat leg structure was decomposed into three parts, yielding a 57% reduction in the number of parts compared to a reference design. In addition, the design achieved an 8.5% mass reduction while satisfying structural requirements for airworthiness certification.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first paper to design an aircraft seat leg structure manufactured with MAM using a rigorous TO approach. The resultant design reduces mass and part count compared to a reference design and is verified with respect to real-world aircraft certification requirements.

Evaluation of "Foundation of Thermal Engineering" Based on Engineering Certification and OBE

In order to meet the requirements of current engineering certification and OBE concept of talent training, a trinity teaching link of basic thermal theory teaching, experiment and course design is constructed for the course of " Foundation of thermal engineering ", and the teaching content of "Engineering Thermodynamics" and "Heat Transfer" is integrated according to the graduation requirements of mechanical design majors for mastering basic theoretical knowledge and solving problems. It proposes the in-depth course objectives from understanding basic concepts and laws to building models to solve and analyze related phenomena, engineering problems and influence laws, determines the assessment requirements and achievement evaluation methods, and gives continuous improvement measures. An output-oriented thermal engineering basic course evaluation system is helpful to the cultivation of students' innovation and practical ability, and to realize the integration with international education.

Testosterone II (TSTII) and dimension VISTA® LOCI total testosterone (TTST) immunoassays meet the CDC host certification requirements for more than four years

Testosterone II (TSTII) and dimension VISTA® LOCI total testosterone (TTST) immunoassays meet the CDC host certification requirements for more than four years

Computational Mechanics for Turbofan Engine Blade Containment Testing: Fan Case Design and Blade Impact Dynamics by Finite Element Simulations

The harsh environment during airplane take-off and flights with complex operating conditions require a high dynamic and impact resistance capability of airplane engines. The design, development, and performance evaluation of new turbofan engines are generally performed through numerical simulations before a full-scale model or prototype experiment for certification. Simulations of fan blade containment tests can reduce trial–error testing and are currently the most convenient and inexpensive alternative for design; however, certification failure is always a risk if the calibration of material models is not correctly applied. This work presents a three-dimensional computational model of a turbofan for designing new engines that meet the certification requirements under the blade containment test. Two calibrated Johnson–Cook plasticity and damage laws for Ti64 are assessed in a simulation of a turbofan blade containment test, demonstrating the ability of the models to be used in the safe design of aircraft engine components subjected to dynamic impact loads with large deformations and adequate damage tolerance.