Current ISO Standards Research Articles

Simulation of acoustical parameters of churches in a virtual acoustics laboratory

Current ISO standards for acoustical assessment limit the use of traditional mono-dimensional microphones for measuring equipment. However, microphone arrays offer more accurate spatial information compared to traditional microphones. This presents an opportunity to enhance research on architectural acoustics and preserve the acoustics of cultural heritage more effectively. Furthermore, modern recording studios equipped with virtual acoustics systems allow for the integration of spatial room impulse responses. This enables real-time auralization in controlled environments and enhances the overall immersive audio experience for users and musicians. This paper analyzes the main acoustical parameters obtained from spatial impulse responses captured in churches using various ambisonic microphones and inserted into a controlled, interactive, and immersive virtual acoustics system. The captured spatial acoustic measurements are then reproduced and evaluated in a virtual acoustics laboratory to identify any discrepancies between real and virtual spaces.

Overview of Principles and Rules of Geometrical Product Specifications According to the Current ISO Standards

The article provides an overview of the philosophy of geometrical product specifications (GPS), which are, in addition to material specifications, a key component of effective planning and production of mechanical products as well as communication between partners in these processes. The principles and basic rules for precise and unambiguous specification of all requirements are embodied in a series of ISO GPS standards. It includes standards that describe the required accuracy of geometrical features of size and geometrical tolerances. An overview of the fundamental principles and rules imposed by the current ISO GPS standards and their content was carried out. This includes a description of the organization of the ISO GPS system and a summary of the content of the more relevant standards, which have recently undergone multiple revisions. The ISO GPS standards are based on the duality principle of specification and verification. In the present research, we focused primarily on geometrical specifications, while omitting the parallel pillar of verification, which, according to the ISO GPS matrix model, contains an even greater number of standards that define this area in more detail.

Monitoring of international standards in the field of ISO/TC 71 “Concrete, reinforced concrete, prestressed reinforced concrete”

Introduction. The article is based on the results of monitoring the regulatory framework of international standards in the field of ISO/TC 71 “Concrete, reinforced concrete, prestressed reinforced concrete”. Monitoring and analysis of newly developed and updated international standards is done to identify gaps in the domestic regulatory framework, to find duplicate or contradict regulatory documents, to establish relationships with regulatory documents related to adjacent areas, to monitor and analyze existing regulatory technical documents for the sufficiency of requirements in the field of the committee’s activities, to prepare proposals for the development of mandatory construction norms.The aim is to analyze and compare the international and Russian regulatory and technical base for its timely updating and elimination of emerging duplications and contradictions, to increase the level of harmonization of Russian and international norms and standards in the field of construction of buildings and structures, from the point of view of introducing progressive domestic developments into the regulatory framework, to develop proposals for amendments to regulatory technical documents and development of new regulatory documents in this area.Materials and methods. International ISO standards were selected as the material, and European and American standards were compared with their Russian counterparts for further analysis.Results. The article provides selective monitoring, analysis and comparison of ISO standards and the Russian regulatory and technical framework for its timely updating and elimination of duplications and contradictions, increasing the level of harmonization of Russian and international norms and standards in the field of construction of buildings and structures ISO/TC 71 “Concrete, reinforced concrete, prestressed reinforced concrete”. Nine international ISO standards have been analyzed with a view to possible harmonization with Russian national standards.Conclusions. Based on the results of monitoring:1. 9 ISO/TC 71 standards “Concrete, reinforced concrete, prestressed reinforced concrete” are considered. The systematization of the current ISO standards related to the field of activity of ISO/TC 71 “Concrete, reinforced concrete, prestressed reinforced concrete” has been carried out.2. The closest analogues of normative technical and methodological documents in the national standardization system for the analyzed ISO standards are identified and analyzed.3. Proposals have been prepared for the development of new and updating previously approved codes of rules, building codes and regulations.

Impact of Image Compression on In Vitro Cell Migration Analysis

Collective cell movement is an indication of phenomena such as wound healing, embryonic morphogenesis, cancer invasion, and metastasis. Wound healing is a complicated cellular and biochemical procedure in which skin cells migrate from the wound boundaries into the wound area to reconstruct the injured skin layer(s). In vitro analysis of cell migration is an effective assay for measuring changes in cell migratory complement in response to experimental inspections. Open-source segmentation software (e.g., an ImageJ plug-in) is available to analyze images of in vitro scratch wound healing assays; however, often, these tools are error-prone when applied to, e.g., low-contrast, out-of-focus, and noisy images, and require manual tuning of various parameters, which is imprecise, tedious, and time-consuming. We propose two algorithmic methods (namely log gradient segmentation and entropy filter segmentation) for cell segmentation and the subsequent measurement of the collective cell migration in the corresponding microscopic imagery. We further investigate the effects of image compression on the algorithms’ measurement accuracy, applying lossy compression algorithms (the current ISO standards JPEG2000, JPEG, JPEG-XL and AV1, BPG, and WEBP). We aim to identify the most suitable compression algorithm that can be used for this purpose, relating rate–distortion performance as measured in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and the multiscale structural similarity index (MS-SSIM) to the segmentation accuracy obtained by the segmentation algorithms. The experimental results show that the log gradient segmentationalgorithm provides robust performance for segmenting the wound area, whereas the entropy filter segmentation algorithm is unstable for this purpose under certain circumstances. Additionally, the best-suited compression strategy is observed to be dependent on (i) the segmentation algorithm used and (ii) the actual data sequence being processed.

Landmarking for Improved Digital Product Creation

Sampling is a critical step in the concept-to-style workflow for digitally created products. Virtual environments allow sampling without the costs associated with physical prototyping However, current practice often still requires physical prototyping. Here we consider how landmarking contributes to the need for iterative sampling, thereby inhibiting a fully digital product creation DPC process. In the process, the opportunity for error within traditional anthropometric study is highlighted and a path toward global standardized landmarking and measuring (L&M) is presented. Landmarks denote anatomical reference points common to all humans. They are critical to every stage of DPC: measuring, product development, virtual sampling, rigging, size selection, and try-on. Cross-platform use of humanoids (models of humans) and body-worn products will introduce errors if landmarking protocols do not align across three-dimensional body processing (3DBP) technologies. Here we discuss how to avoid these discrepancies by combining Clone Block™ theory with current ISO standards. Further study should validate the findings here for the implementation of global standardized L&M to facilitate 3D technology interoperability, fully DPC, and greater adoption of 3D technologies for improved fit of body-worn products.

Characterization and filtering of profile and areal surface topography by combining the discrete Legendre and cosine transforms

In the standardized processing of surface topography data, the form removal and filtering operations are clearly separated. This is reflected in the current ISO standards concerning profile surface texture and areal surface texture, the ISO 21920 and the ISO 25178 series respectively. When the scale-limited surface texture is significant compared to the form to be removed, for example with additive manufactured surfaces, the dependence of the surface Fourier spectrum on the removed form and orientation may become significant. This may lead to interaction between the form removal and filtering operations. To counter this interaction, in this paper, the lower-order discrete Legendre polynomials that describe the form are combined with cosine functions that describe the surface texture. This set of base functions is orthonormalized using a Gram-Schmidt procedure. This results in a set of orthonormal functions that allow an independent parameterization of both form and texture. The concept and the related theory are given and illustrated using examples of filtering profiles and areal topographies, description of cylinders and treatment of missing data. The examples show that the concept as presented in this paper is useful for filtering surfaces with a dominant form and can be used in the parametrization of surfaces and cylindrical geometries. Also, the methods presented here can be used for filtering and parametrization in the case of missing points in the data, actual holes in the profile or non-rectangular surfaces.

Application of Open Government Data to Sustainable City Indicators: A Megacity Case Study

The access to open government data has been a relevant topic for societies around the world, especially over the last ten years. This paper aims to analyze the indicators of the São Paulo City Observatory (ObservaSampa), confronting them with the ISO 3712x series (sustainable, smart, and resilient cities) standards, to assess if the former meet both open data principles and the ISO prescriptions. Bibliometric analysis, comparative analysis, cluster analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA) were the methods used in this research. From the comparative analysis, 18 indicators were identified as conforming and 41 as partially conforming. Thus, 20% of the ObservaSampa indicators adhere to the ISO standards. The PCA applied to the conforming indicators shows component 1 is related to socioeconomic dimensions, while component 2 refers to social policy, with both appraisals confirmed by cluster analysis. Measuring and presenting city data in compliance with indicator standards is relevant because they open the possibility of comparing different cities. However, there is still a lack of consensus on a common set of indicators to be accommodated within the current ISO standards system.

Sound pressure-based ratings are preferred for evaluation of insitu sound isolation

The International Building Code has recently been revised to explicitly specify the ratings to use for field (in situ) measurements of airborne and impact sound isolation in residential properties. We review the differences between the various ratings, which (on the surface) are defined by their normalization procedure. Two normalization options are defined in current ASTM and ISO standards: a standard reverberation time of 0.5 s, and a standard amount of absorption of 10m2. It is not always appreciated that the choice of normalization is a choice of the type of measurement being performed. Normalization to a standard reverberation time is based on sound pressure and hence is a measurement of the acoustic isolation between spaces, while normalization to a standard amount of absorption is based on apparent sound power and hence is a measurement of the performance of the separating assembly. It is sometimes assumed the sound power-based ratings are representative of the sound isolation experienced by occupants, but they often provide an inaccurate assessment of the resultant isolation. Analysis and examples are presented, and it is demonstrated that the sound pressure-based ratings are preferred.

ОБҐРУНТУВАННЯ ПОШУКУ СКЛАДУ ТА ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ ВИРОБНИЦТВА ТЕПЛОІЗОЛЯЦІЙНОГО МАТЕРІАЛУ ПІДВИЩЕНОЇ МІЦНОСТІ

Abstract. The growth of requirements for the quality and performance of materials used for the construction of ship premises indicates the need to create new types of heat-insulating and structural and finishing products that can provide the stability of operational properties in a wide temperature range, high aesthetics and environmental safety. One of the means of providing these requirements is the use of non-flammable and non-toxic heat-insulating materials of increased strength during a fire. The processes of interaction between the components, the structure and phase composition of the obtained materials studied using complex X-ray phase, IR spectroscopic, and electron-optical methods of analysis. The main estimated quality indicators of the manufactured samples were taken: material density, thermal conductivity, ultimate strength in static bending, water absorption, also flammability and fire resistance, which determined in accordance with the current state standard and international ISO standards. The determination of the basic recipe composition of the raw mixture and the influence of technological parameters on the strength characteristics of the composite material was carried out using the method of mathematical planning of the experiment. The results obtained made it possible to fairly accurately outline the boundaries of variation of the composition of the vermiculite-silicate presscomposition and the main technological parameters. The results of the studies carried out correlate with the indicators of the physical, mechanical and technical properties of the varieties of the modified material, which makes it possible to purposefully search for the optimal composition and technological modes of manufacturing heat-insulating material for shipbuilding purposes. Using the methods of X-ray structural and electron-optical analysis, infrared spectroscopy, it has been established that as a result of heat treatment of the vermiculate-silicate presscomposition, complex physicochemical processes occur. It was found that in the system vermiculate–liquid glass –hardener, the chemical interaction of Al2O3 of vermiculate with liquid glass occurs with the formation of aluminosilicates. Additional crystallization at the vermiculite-water glass interface causes the formation of an intermediate layer of products, which prevents the occurrence of tension. The main regularities of directed synthesis in the system vermiculate–binder–hardener of neoplasms characterized by high strength and thermal stability in a wide temperature range have been studied. The optimal ratios of the main recipe components (vermiculate–binder–hardener), also a certain influence of water repellents, modifiers and reinforcing components on the processes of interaction between components, phase composition and structure of the composite have been determined.

Induced radiofrequency fields in patients undergoing MR examinations: insights for risk assessment

Purpose. To characterize and quantify the induced radiofrequency (RF) electric (E)-fields and B 1+rms fields in patients undergoing magnetic resonance (MR) examinations; to provide guidance on aspects of RF heating risks for patients with and without implants; and to discuss some strengths and limitations of safety assessments in current ISO, IEC, and ASTM standards to determine the RF heating risks for patients with and without implants. Methods. Induced E-fields and B 1+rms fields during 1.5 T and 3 T MR examinations were numerically estimated for high-resolution patient models of the Virtual Population exposed to ten two-port birdcage RF coils from head to feet imaging landmarks over the full polarization space, as well as in surrogate ASTM phantoms. Results. Worst-case B 1+rms exposure greater than 3.5 μT (1.5 T) and 2 μT (3 T) must be considered for all MR examinations at the Normal Operating Mode limit. Representative induced E-field and specific absorption rate distributions under different clinical scenarios allow quick estimation of clinical factors of high and reduced exposure. B 1 shimming can cause +6 dB enhancements to E-fields along implant trajectories. The distribution and magnitude of induced E-fields in the ASTM phantom differ from clinical exposures and are not always conservative for typical implant locations. Conclusions. Field distributions in patient models are condensed, visualized for quick estimation of risks, and compared to those induced in the ASTM phantom. Induced E-fields in patient models can significantly exceed those in the surrogate ASTM phantom in some cases. In the recent 19 ε2 revision of the ASTM F2182 standard, the major shortcomings of previous versions have been addressed by requiring that the relationship between ASTM test conditions and in vivo tangential E-fields be established, e.g. numerically. With this requirement, the principal methods defined in the ASTM standard for passive implants are reconciled with those of the ISO 10974 standard for active implantable medical devices.

PREDICTION FOR TOTAL MOISTURE CONTENT IN WOOD PELLETS BY NEAR INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY (NIRS)

Mankind consumes as many fossil fuels per year as nature produced during a million years. Furthermore, energy consumption has tripled in the last 60 years, and is expected to be doubled in 2050, due to the technological and economic takeoff of large emerging powers. In light of this scenario, a change in energy policies should be aimed to promote energy efficiency and the use of sustainable energy resources, such as bioenergy, safely and environmental friendly. Biomass fuels take a main role in the EU's energy and climate policies, aimed at reducing CO2 emissions and combating Climate Change. Quality control of biofuels and knowledge of their characteristics reach a large relevance in any industrial application based on the energy use of biofuels. NIRS technology (near infrared spectroscopy, Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy) is based on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and material, and now is presented as an encouraging technological tool for quality testing of solid biofuels, since it is a non-destructive and much faster and cheaper analytical technique than traditional ones, which are based on current ISO standards. That interaction appears as spectral vibrations (energy absorption or absorbance) that are properly processed, allowing to measure the most important physical-chemical properties of solid biofuels in a fast, simple and non-destructive way. Wood pellet is the highest quality solid biofuel in the current biomass market, which is regulated by ENplus® certification scheme in the European-wide, ensuring the quality of product to consumers. Low heating value is the most important parameter of solid biofuel, and is strongly linked to total moisture content, so the control of moisture is key factor during pelletizing process. The original research carried out in this work allows to present the development of a NIRS prediction model for total moisture in wood pellets, in the range of values of 5 – 10 %, providing a much faster and more automated methodology for product quality control, both in production plants of wood pellets and in power plants with wood pellets as fuel. Keywords: near infrared spectroscopy, wood pellets, quality control, moisture, prediction model

Characterization of environmental labels beyond the criteria of ISO 14020 series

ISO 14020 series of standards provide guidance for establishing ecolabels and a classification based on three label types, I, II, and III. They also determine the consideration of product’s life cycle and application of the life cycle assessment (LCA) in ecolabeling. Still, the large number and variety of existing ecolabels has led to consumer confusion in the recent years. The objective of this paper is to propose a characterization scheme for ecolabels and to provide recommendations for the enhancement of existing ecolabel classification, questioning the current sufficiency of ISO. To reach the objective, we first create a sample of ecolabels covering forest and paper products as an example, to narrow down the enormous number of existing ecolabels (over 460 as of August 2018). Second, we analyze their content, purpose, and awarding criteria through a desk research. In parallel, scientific publication, reports, and standards are also analyzed. Third, based on the obtained information, we define a list of ecolabel characterization attributes and their options and observe tendencies in ecolabel development. Ultimately, based on the outcomes of the proposed characterization scheme, we give recommendations for enhancement. Ultimately, we compare a sample of 45 ecolabels against 18 attributes of the proposed characterization scheme, including, among others, their ISO typology, life cycle perspective, awarding format, covered environmental aspects, and scope. Regarding type I or type III label, ISO seems to be explicit and their requirements are well respected, including how LCA is to be applied. However, approximately 60% of the explored ecolabels in our sample did not declare any ISO typology, whereas none assigned a type II classification. These “undefined” ecolabels, as we call them, apply different awarding formats and criteria in combination and hybrid forms that are not recognized and described by ISO or any other observed classification approach. Misuse of the term “LCA” is also perceived in such “undefined” initiatives. We conclude that the current ISO standards on ecolabels belittle the consequences that the increased number of undefined ecolabels brings. We provide a list of recommendations for the enhancement of the current ISO classification in seven topics, namely, awarding format, aspects diversity, operation scope, verification, reconsideration of the usability of ISO 14021, new ISO classification, and transparency. Limitations of the study and outlook conclude the work.

Reliability of mooring lines and piles for a permanently manned vessel in a tropical cyclone environment

The factors of safety for stationkeeping systems in current standards (ISO, API) are not derived or validated using reliability analyses. As the oil and gas exploration and production is breaking new boundaries, deploying new floating systems and moving into regions with harsher environments, it is of paramount importance to understand what level of reliability these new marine structures are achieving. This paper presents a reliability analysis of the mooring system of a Floating LNG (FLNG) vessel permanently moored and permanently manned offshore North West Australia in a tropical cyclone environment. The reliability analysis addresses both the mooring chain and the pile foundation. The analysis accounts for the long term characteristics of the environment, including the short term variability, in response to a given sea state and the variability and uncertainty in strength of the mooring chain and the pile. The stationkeeping system was analysed using detailed time domain simulations, capturing system non-linearities and low frequency oscillations as well as wave frequency responses and, thereby, reducing modelling uncertainties to a minimum.It is found that for the conditions modelled, neither the chain nor the pile meet a target reliability of 10−4/annum using the factors of safety commonly used in design following current ISO and API standards. New factors of safety are proposed to achieve this target reliability. For the pile design, one complicating factor is that current design standards do not explicitly define the exceedance probability that should be associated with the characteristic value of the undrained shear strength to be used in the design. It is demonstrated that the required factor of safety is crucially dependent on the definition of this characteristic value and on the level and the type of uncertainty in the soil strength profile. A recommendation is made regarding the definition of this characteristic value and the associated factor of safety. Furthermore, it is found that designing the mooring system to an environmental condition with a return period of 10,000 yr (as an Abnormal Limit State event), and setting the factor of safety to unity, meets the target reliability of 10−4/annum for the pile, if the characteristic undrained shear strength is a lower bound, defined in this paper by the 10th percentile value. For the chain however, this target reliability is not achieved.

Portable photoreactor for on-site measurement of the activity of photocatalytic surfaces

Photocatalytic building materials, asphalts for road paving, pigments and coatings have been shown to be a promising remediation technique for air pollutants such as NOx and VOC’s. An open issue is the durability of the air cleaning characteristic in time of deployed material. Current ISO standards for photocatalytic activity testing are time consuming and cannot be used directly on-site to follow the activity of the material surface in time. The present work describes a new portable system for assessing the photo-catalytic activity of the surface of a material. The system is composed of a continuously stirred continuous flow photoreactor with a very low volume chamber (15 mL) including a 4 cm diameter opening. This opening is equipped with a gasket system that assure very good seal when the reactor lay on the surface to be tested. The gaseous phase is mixed with a UV transparent turbine. The surface is uniformly irradiated with an adjustable LED source. A gaseous stream containing a substrate (e.g. NO) is fluxed in the photoreactor. The outflow from the reactor is monitored with the proper sensor (Photoionization detector for VOC, electrochemical sensor for NOx).

Recommendations and standards for monitoring individuals for occupational intakes of radionuclides

This article summarises the information provided by two sources on applying internal dosimetry in an occupational setting. It describes the current ISO standards in internal dosimetry, which provide a basis for delivering monitoring and dose assessment for radiation workers under conditions where it can be judged that dose limits have not been exceeded. It also outlines the contents of the report on the Technical Recommendations for Monitoring Individuals for Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides, which builds on ICRP publications, the ISO standards, the EURADOS IDEAS Guidelines and other published documents to present a comprehensive account of the principles and practice of individual monitoring and internal dosimetry.

On the Design of Effective E-Commerce Applications: An ISO-Based Lifecycle Model

The provision of services as e-commodities and the wide use of networked business models have driven buyer experience to new heights. Innovation, coupled with quality is the competitive advantage e-commerce vendors strive to achieve when designing or re-designing their software. In terms of quality, evaluation stood in the spotlight for many years. However, software analysis and design based on quality models have been used mostly for understanding, rather than improving. In this work, we present a new model for the analysis and design of e-commerce software systems mapped to the software life-cycle process. Quality control procedures are mapped to every phase, from initiation and design to delivery. Based on current ISO standards such as ISO25000 series, this work discusses technical and managerial principles that need to be applied in order to obtain quality e-commerce software.

Occupational and environmental safety standards in nanotechnology: International Organization for Standardization, Latin America and beyond

AbstractIn the absence of government safety regulation in the field of nanotechnology, ISO standards are being used as the basis for establishing technical and management guidelines at an international level. There are more than 50 current ISO standards on nanotechnology. Some of these relate to the working environment and occupational risk management. In Latin America, entities that are members of ISO are enunciating national versions of the international standards. In this article, this context is analysed critically, starting from the Mexican standard on occupational risk management in the working environment. Even though risk management standards may guarantee better and safer working conditions, in the field of nanotechnology, they simultaneously unlock detrimental implications for workers and society. Reliance on such private and voluntary forms of industry self-regulation is identified as a by-product of global neoliberalism.

Improved Water-Resistance Test Methods Utilizing a Multispectral Imaging System to Quantify Black and Color Ink Bleeding for Plain Paper Office and Legal Documents Printed with Pigment- and Dye-Based Inkjet Inks

Current ISO standards that pertain to water-resistance testing with inkjet prints were developed for moisture-impermeable RC photo papers and do not take into account the kinds of ink diffusion behavior that can occur with inkjet printing on highly absorbent plain papers, especially with dye-based inks. Contact with water with plain paper documents can result in significant lateral ink bleeding, migration of inks through the paper to the backside of the sheet, transfer of ink from one sheet to adjacent sheets, and two-way transfer of inks with double-sided printed documents. Shipping labels and envelopes can become illegible should they become wet, and Barcodes and QR codes may be rendered completely unreadable. This study attempts to better understand the water-resistance behavior of plain paper documents printed with dye-based and pigment inkjet inks. The use of high-resolution multispectral imaging and colorimetric analysis systems to provide a quantitative assessment of ink bleeding, migration, and ink transfer to adjacent pages is explored as an alternative to the subjective, qualitative, water-resistance evaluation methods specified in current ISO standards.

Some considerations about the development of software measurement standards in surface finish

In an effort to standardise algorithms and parameters concerning surface finish measurement, distinct relevant organisations have developed their own optimised software's applications. In compliance with the current ISO standards, these applications allow for a wide range of possibilities in order to characterise the input data which represent the surface. Nevertheless, an average user will commonly be unaware of the quantitative differences that arise among the results of the various software packages. Provided the opaqueness of the organisations and the inaccessibility of its intern codes, this paper presents an analysis of the abovementioned discrepancies. Furthermore, the main strengths and weaknesses each program shows are outlined as well. On the basis of the foregoing, the development of a new software, VisualSR2D, is finally introduced as an alternative baseline that potentiates such characteristics as efficiency, modularity or user-friendliness.

Some considerations about the development of software measurement standards in surface finish

In an effort to standardise algorithms and parameters concerning surface finish measurement, distinct relevant organisations have developed their own optimised software's applications. In compliance with the current ISO standards, these applications allow for a wide range of possibilities in order to characterise the input data which represent the surface. Nevertheless, an average user will commonly be unaware of the quantitative differences that arise among the results of the various software packages. Provided the opaqueness of the organisations and the inaccessibility of its intern codes, this paper presents an analysis of the abovementioned discrepancies. Furthermore, the main strengths and weaknesses each program shows are outlined as well. On the basis of the foregoing, the development of a new software, VisualSR2D, is finally introduced as an alternative baseline that potentiates such characteristics as efficiency, modularity or user-friendliness.