A circulação no trânsito das cidades faz parte da rotina das pessoas, que podem despender tempos consideráveis dentro de automóveis durante seus deslocamentos. Fatores como a emissão de gases provinda do tráfego e a má circulação de ar podem afetar a qualidade ambiental no interior dos veículos e torná-lo prejudicial à saúde de seus ocupantes. Sendo assim, durante vinte dias aleatórios, entre agosto e dezembro de 2013, monitorou-se o ambiente interno de um dos ônibus pertencentes ao sistema de transporte coletivo da cidade de São Carlos. Foram medidos temperatura, umidade relativa do ar, ruído, monóxido e dióxido de carbono, compostos orgânicos voláteis totais (COVT) e material particulado. Os dados encontrados foram analisados baseando-se em distintas normas e padrões. Observou-se também a influência dos parâmetros avaliados na saúde das pessoas, de acordo com a literatura. Dentre as referências consultadas, consideraram-se os valores limites recomendados pelo Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (normas NR-15, NR-17 e NHO 01), pela Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Resolução 09/03), pelo Conselho Nacional de Meio Ambiente (Resolução 03/90) e pela Organização Mundial de Saúde. A partir dos dados de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar, calculou-se o índice de calor (Heat Index) utilizado pela National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration dos EUA, para averiguação do conforto térmico. Os resultados mostraram que os níveis de temperatura, umidade relativa, índice de calor e material particulado estiveram, em sua maioria, acima dos valores referenciais. O ruído também constitui um fator preocupante, apesar de os valores encontrados estarem abaixo do limite máximo de 85 dB(A), pois, pesquisas recentes indicam que níveis acima de 60 dB(A) tendem trazer complicações à saúde (Willich et al., 2006). Ao observar as concentrações dos óxidos de carbono, notou-se a interferência da poluição provinda do meio externo. Por fim, conclui-se que a qualidade ambiental interna do ônibus pode ser prejudicial principalmente aos cobradores e motoristas, que trabalham neste ambiente por muitas horas diárias. / The movement of traffic in cities is part of the people\'s routine that can spend considerable time inside automobiles during their displacement. Factors such as greenhouse gas emissions from traffic and poor air circulation can affect the environmental quality inside vehicles and make it harmful to the health of its occupants. Thus, for twenty random days between August and December 2013, air quality inside one of the buses belonging to the public transportation system of the city of São Carlos was monitored. Temperature, relative humidity, noise, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and particulate matter were measured. Data were analyzed based on limiting values recommended by different institutions and observing the influence of the parameters measured in people\'s health, according to the literature. Were taken as reference standards established by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (standards NR-15, NR-17 and NHO 01), the National Health Surveillance Agency (Resolution 09/03), the National Environmental Council (Resolution 03 / 90) and the World Health Organization. Aiming to verify the thermal sensation, we calculated the Heat Index used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the USA. The results show that levels of temperature, relative humidity, heat index and particulate matter are mostly above the reference values. Noise is also a worrying factor, despite being within the ceiling of 85 dB (A), because, according to recent surveys, over 60 dB (A) there is potential damage to health (Willich et al., 2006). By observing the concentrations of oxides of carbon, it was noted interference stemmed from the pollution of the external environment. Finally, it is concluded that the air quality inside the bus can be harmful especially to collectors and drivers, working in this environment for many hours a day.

A circulação no trânsito das cidades faz parte da rotina das pessoas, que podem despender tempos consideráveis dentro de automóveis durante seus deslocamentos. Fatores como a emissão de gases provinda do tráfego e a má circulação de ar podem afetar a qualidade ambiental no interior dos veículos e torná-lo prejudicial à saúde de seus ocupantes. Sendo assim, durante vinte dias aleatórios, entre agosto e dezembro de 2013, monitorou-se o ambiente interno de um dos ônibus pertencentes ao sistema de transporte coletivo da cidade de São Carlos. Foram medidos temperatura, umidade relativa do ar, ruído, monóxido e dióxido de carbono, compostos orgânicos voláteis totais (COVT) e material particulado. Os dados encontrados foram analisados baseando-se em distintas normas e padrões. Observou-se também a influência dos parâmetros avaliados na saúde das pessoas, de acordo com a literatura. Dentre as referências consultadas, consideraram-se os valores limites recomendados pelo Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (normas NR-15, NR-17 e NHO 01), pela Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Resolução 09/03), pelo Conselho Nacional de Meio Ambiente (Resolução 03/90) e pela Organização Mundial de Saúde. A partir dos dados de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar, calculou-se o índice de calor (Heat Index) utilizado pela National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration dos EUA, para averiguação do conforto térmico. Os resultados mostraram que os níveis de temperatura, umidade relativa, índice de calor e material particulado estiveram, em sua maioria, acima dos valores referenciais. O ruído também constitui um fator preocupante, apesar de os valores encontrados estarem abaixo do limite máximo de 85 dB(A), pois, pesquisas recentes indicam que níveis acima de 60 dB(A) tendem trazer complicações à saúde (Willich et al., 2006). Ao observar as concentrações dos óxidos de carbono, notou-se a interferência da poluição provinda do meio externo. Por fim, conclui-se que a qualidade ambiental interna do ônibus pode ser prejudicial principalmente aos cobradores e motoristas, que trabalham neste ambiente por muitas horas diárias. / The movement of traffic in cities is part of the people\'s routine that can spend considerable time inside automobiles during their displacement. Factors such as greenhouse gas emissions from traffic and poor air circulation can affect the environmental quality inside vehicles and make it harmful to the health of its occupants. Thus, for twenty random days between August and December 2013, air quality inside one of the buses belonging to the public transportation system of the city of São Carlos was monitored. Temperature, relative humidity, noise, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and particulate matter were measured. Data were analyzed based on limiting values recommended by different institutions and observing the influence of the parameters measured in people\'s health, according to the literature. Were taken as reference standards established by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (standards NR-15, NR-17 and NHO 01), the National Health Surveillance Agency (Resolution 09/03), the National Environmental Council (Resolution 03 / 90) and the World Health Organization. Aiming to verify the thermal sensation, we calculated the Heat Index used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the USA. The results show that levels of temperature, relative humidity, heat index and particulate matter are mostly above the reference values. Noise is also a worrying factor, despite being within the ceiling of 85 dB (A), because, according to recent surveys, over 60 dB (A) there is potential damage to health (Willich et al., 2006). By observing the concentrations of oxides of carbon, it was noted interference stemmed from the pollution of the external environment. Finally, it is concluded that the air quality inside the bus can be harmful especially to collectors and drivers, working in this environment for many hours a day.

Soil quality standards (SQSs) are one of the most important elements of management system for contaminated sites. In order to manage risks associated with soil contamination, risk based SQSs are used worldwide. However, in Turkey, the Soil Pollution Control Regulation in force was focusing mainly on the use of stabilized sludge on soil and was including standards for a limited number of parameters, mainly metals and some organic chemicals. Thus, existing SQSs were far away from providing common criteria for assessment of the soil quality. In this study, the aim was to develop human health risk based SQSs for Turkey. For derivation of risk based SQSs, the conceptual framework and technical infrastructure were established. SQSs were derived for 151 chemical substances and for three different land use types by incorporating generic site characteristics for Turkey. Since SQSs are highly sensitive to site conditions and chemical-specific data used in calculations, a Microsoft Excel based exposure model was developed as a technical tool. This tool serves for calculation of generic and site-specific SQSs and maintenance of the currency of the standards by allowing periodic update of data used in calculations. Besides, a hydrogeologic database was developed to provide information on the general soil and hydrogeologic characteristics that are used in derivation of SQSs. This database is ultimately, expected to serve for development of conceptual site models, sampling strategies, and derivation of dilution factors during risk assessment studies. As a result, this study presents a general perspective and approach for derivation of human health risk based SQSs. It is believed that the developed conceptual and technical infrastructure will contribute to contaminated site management and risk assessment studies conducted by the regulatory authorities and the other stakeholders in Turkey.

The chemical speciation of trace metals controls their potential bioavailability and therefore toxicity to exposed organisms. Despite previous studies demonstrating the ameliorative effects of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on metal toxicity, the effectiveness of ligands from varying sources and of potentially variable composition in controlling speciation has not been studied in detail in estuarine waters. In addition, the effect of DOC on radionuclide contaminants in combination with trace metals has not been investigated in any waters. This is of particular interest in the estuarine environment, where both anthropogenic and natural ligands, and contaminants that pose a potential threat to ecosystem health, can be present. Competitive ligand exchange adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE-AdCSV) with complexation capacity titrations was employed to determine the speciation of dissolved Cu and Zn, two metals that possess revised environmental quality standards (EQS) which now account for potential metal bioavailability. Dissolved metal concentrations in the < 0.4 and < 0.2 μm filter fractions of samples from the Tamar Estuary were determined during seasonal transects made over a calendar year. Samples were taken over a full salinity range (0-35) and from locations thought to contain DOC from a variety of sources (e.g. terrigenous, biogenic, sewage). No seasonal trends in metal speciation were identified, but a semi-quantitative assessment of DOC type using 3-D fluorimetry showed domination of humic and fulvic type ligands in the upper estuary, and biogenic-type ligands in the lower estuary, the former appearing the most important in controlling Cu and Zn complexation. Filter size fraction differences showed a major portion of the dissolved metal is associated with the 0.2 ≥ 0.4 μm fraction, indicating an importance of larger molecule ligands in controlling potentially bioavailable metal. Sample ligand concentrations ([L_x]) ranged from 1-372 nM (Cu) and 3-412 nM (Zn), and metal-ligand conditional stability constants (log K_(ML_x )) from 10.5-13.5 (Cu) and 7.5-10 (Zn), which are similar to reported literature. Calculated free metal ion concentrations ([M2+]) of 0.3 – 109 nM (Zn) and 1.4 x 10-13 – 7.3 x 10-11 M (Cu) compared well (92% showed no significant differences (P = 0.02)) with direct measurements of [Zn2+] made for the first time in estuarine waters using “Absence of Gradients and Nernst Equilibrium Stripping” (AGNES) after optimisation for estuarine waters. AGNES fully complements CLE-AdCSV in terms of analytical capability and shows that methods are now available that are capable of directly determining [Zn2+] in estuarine waters for use in environmental monitoring studies. Calculations made using the chemical equilibrium speciation programme Visual MINTEQ (VM) showed [Cu2+] and [Zn2+] could be predicted to within one order of magnitude of measured values when log K_(ML_x ) and [L_x] are determined and input into the model. This was in contrast to poor agreement between measured and predicted [M2+] when VM was used with the NICA-Donnan complexing model, which assumes a set portion of the total DOC concentration input is fulvic acid that actively complexes metals. These results corroborate a lack of identification of a relationship between metal speciation in the Tamar samples and DOC concentration, highlighting that knowledge of DOC type, log K_(ML_x )and L_x are important when assessing environmental risk, setting EQSs and for accurate modeling of [Cu2+]. Finally, a combined chemical and biological study investigating the effects of mixtures of DOC, Zn and the radionuclide tritium (3H) on the marine mussel presents the first evidence of a protective effect of Zn on DNA damage caused by 3H. The association of 3H with DOC remains elusive and an assessment of DOC type is recommended for future research, but the study emphasises the importance of investigating mixture effects in order to avoid inaccurate risk assessment and potentially costly site remediation.

The Czech Republic started to issue implementing quality standards in public services addressed to a greater extent especially in times of public administration reform, when the transfer of responsibilities to local government units and based on efforts to bring these services to the citizens. This thesis describes the approach of the Czech Republic to public services, and further analyzes the implementation of quality standards in these services. Aim of this work is to examine whether public services are defined in the Act and at what stage is the introduction of standards for selected services to these laws and implementing regulations. Part of this work is to evaluate the different sectors, which indicates at what stage is the process of standardization in these sectors.

El presente trabajo de investigación tiene como objetivo el estudio de la línea de servicio de Certificación de Software de la empresa consultora TI y requiere resolver la problemática en la evaluación de los productos de desarrollo de software que impactan directamente en el cumplimiento de sus SLA, generando grandes pérdidas económicas. En el análisis cuantitativo, se identificó que existen inadecuadas técnicas para la evaluación con un impacto en el cumplimiento de los umbrales definidos en cada SLA, lo cual ha generado grandes pérdidas económicas en los últimos años por penalización. Ante esta situación caótica, se propone la implementación de un modelo de evaluación de calidad del producto de Software, la cual propone lineamientos de acuerdo con estándares y prácticas internacionales para la evaluación de la calidad, ayudando a incrementar la calidad de sus productos y la satisfacción del cliente, debido que se evidencia pérdidas económicas que se están incrementando anualmente. En este trabajo de investigación se hace una revisión general de los estándares de evaluación de calidad de producto de Software, se realiza una evaluación del cumplimiento de la norma ISO/IEC 25010 en la empresa y se propone un plan de mejora. Como conclusión, se recomienda la ejecución de la propuesta de implementación como apoyo estratégico al cumplimiento de los objetivos estratégicos de la empresa, reduciendo el riesgo de pérdidas económicas e incrementar la capacidad para ejecutar nuevas STD (Solicitudes Técnicas de Desarrollo), que permitirá a la empresa ser más rentable y brindar un servicio de mejor calidad. / The following work of research has as main subject the study of the software certification service line from the consulting TI company and requires solving the problematic in the evaluation of software development products that has a direct impact in the fulfillment of their SLA, generating large economic losses. In the quantitative analysis, it was identified there are inadequate techniques for the evaluation with an impact of the fulfillment of the thresholds defined on each SLA, which has generated large economic losses in the last year due to penalty. Given this chaotic situation, the implementation of a software product quality evaluation model is proposed, which provides guidelines in accordance with international standards and practices for the evaluation of quality, helping to increase the quality of its products and customer satisfaction, because there is evidence of economic losses that are increasing annually. In this research work a general review of the existing software product quality evaluation standards is made, an evaluation of compliance of the ISO/IEC 25010 norm in the company will be carried out and an improvement plan will be proposed. In conclusion, the implementation of the proposal is recommended as strategic support for the fulfillment of the strategic objectives of the company, reducing the risk of economic losses and increasing the capacity to execute new STD (Technical Development Requests), which will allow the company to be more profitable and provide a better quality service. / Trabajo de investigación

Online education is continually growing and becoming more widely accepted as an instructional delivery option. Student success, student retention, and course quality continue to be issues in distance education. In order to adequately address the issues of student retention, student success, and course quality, evaluation standards must exist. This study was designed to review evaluation standards for online-course quality in the community college and to explore the results of the usage of the evaluation standards as they related to student retention and success at a local community college. The purpose of this study was to (a) review evaluation standards capable of rating instructional quality of an online course, (b) validate the evaluation standards to be included in the evaluation instrument, and (c) determine if relationships exist between faculty evaluation scores and student success and retention in online courses. The evaluation instrument used in this study was a researcher-developed instrument that was validated from previous literature and a panel of experts in the field of distance learning. The instrument was used to measure the quality of the online classroom from the fall 2014 online courses at a local community college. A pilot test of 12 courses used the test–retest method to determine the reliability of the instrument. The remaining online courses were then evaluated using the Online Faculty Course Evaluation Instrument. Division Chairs and the Dean of Instruction acted as the supervisors of the faculty teaching online. There are 5 Division Chairs and 1 Dean of Instruction. These supervisors completed the evaluation instrument. Positive weak relationships were found and included: (a) correlation between course student-retention and the Assessment and Feedback Item #1, “course assessments are distributed equally and appropriately throughout the semester, (b) correlation between course student-success rates and the overall Course Information scores, (c) correlation between course student-success rates and Assessment and Feedback Items #1, “course assessments are distributed equally and appropriately throughout the semester, and (d) correlation between course student-success rates and Assessment and Feedback Items #6, “assessments align with the course objectives.”

No description available.

Water is one of, if not the most, valued natural resource on the planet. Over the years, the quality of Earth's waters has deteriorated primarily due to pollution. All ecosystems are highly dependent on this resource, which makes it very important to protect water from unnecessary pollution. One ecosystem that has been greatly affected by pollution, mainly as a result from runoff of fertilizers used by farmers in the region, has been the Everglades located in south Florida. As a result, the protection and desire to restore this ecosystem has become the subject for litigation in recent years. The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians is the chief litigant for the pursuit for improved water quality due to their dependence on the water of the Everglades for survival. This thesis will examine the Everglades in its entirety by providing a history of the establishment of the Everglades as well as a description of the Everglades ecosystem and the water quality. The thesis will then introduce the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians and how they have become dependent on the Everglades ecosystem. Finally, the thesis will examine the involvement of the state and federal government in the issue of water quality through various agencies and pieces of legislation. The purpose of this thesis is to then analyze several cases in which the Miccosukee Tribe has been an interested party and sought to achieve improvements for the water quality of the Everglades. In addition to the original cases, the thesis will provide subsequent case history through its most current status. The thesis will explain whether the Miccosukee Tribe has been successful in its attempt to provide strict standards for water quality and hold those in violation of these standards responsible for their actions.

The presented work deals with the quality of education and elaborates upon the implementation of system of quality management ISO 9001 as one of the ways of possible improvement of a process and outcomes of education. Introduction included in the theoretical part is focused on explanation of the concepts of education quality, quality management, quality of a school, quality standards, quality control and quality management models. The subsequent part of the work contains implementation of a quality management system. The following chapter deals with process management as a means of maintaining quality management system. The final chapter of the theoretical part describes cloud computing as the latest and most progressive path of development of quality management. The object of the research is to develop a model of implementation of the quality management system. Actual implementation model build on a previous qualitative research conducted in several schools, performed in a form of a case study. In the appendix part, a number of actual documents are attached in order to better convey the implementation process. KEYWORDS: Education quality, quality management, ISO, quality criteria, quality standards, Office 365, cloud