The use of dynamic positioning (DP) systems onboard vessels today is spreading to non offshore related areas such as heavy lift carriers, luxury yachts and cruise liners etc. As this technology spreads, the demand for skilled DP personnel should increase. In order to get certified, the training scheme for DP operators (DPOs) ends with 180 days of supervised DP watchkeeping experience offshore. A way to reduce the required 180 days is to attend a DP seatime reduction course. The aim of this study was to get the DP industry’s view on seatime reduction courses and also explore if there a need for speed to get certified DPOs on the market. Parties included were the Nautical Institute, International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), one oil company, six offshore shipping companies, accredited DP centres and DPOs across the world. The results showed that although the participants in this study are aware of seatime reduction courses few companies use them regularly, but those who do express satisfaction. The DP industry’s view on seatime reduction courses is positive, however somewhat unclear. Many feel simulator courses in general are good since they can give operators experiences that will take years to achieve onboard. If they should replace seatime gained offshore was doubtful. However, the study showed that seatime reduction courses are needed, especially for trainees working onboard vessels that only occasionally use DP. It has also been recognized that trainee DPOs have a hard time obtaining the required seatime in order to apply for their DPO certificate. This indicates that even though shipping companies in this study do employ trainees, this is not done to the necessary extent. There was also expressed a certain desire to improve the DP training scheme of today in order to achieve a higher quality among DPOs. The study shows there is a need for speed to get more DPOs on the market, but not to the detriment of quality. It is advised that studies are made on DP training quality, given the importance to maintain and even raise the level of competency among DPOs. / System för dynamisk positionering (DP) ombord på fartyg sprider sig idag även till icke offshore relaterade områden såsom heavy-lift-fartyg, lyxyachter och kryssningsfartyg. I takt med att teknologin sprider sig, borde även efterfrågan på utbildad DP-personal öka. För att bli certifierad DP-operatör avslutas utbildningsprogrammet med 180 dagars handledd DP-tid som vakthavande befäl till sjöss. Ett sätt att minska de 180 dagarna är att gå en sjötidsreducerande kurs. Målet med den här undersökningen var att få DP–industrins syn på sjötidsreducerande kurser och även undersöka om det finns behov att snabba på processen att få ut certifierade DP-operatörer på marknaden. Deltagare i studien var Nautical Institute, International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), ett oljebolag, sex offshorerederier, ackrediterade DP-center och DP-operatörer från hela världen. Resultatet visade att trots att studiens deltagare känner till sjötidsreducerande kurser så är det få företag som använder sig av dessa. De få som använder sig av kurserna tycker sig vara nöjda. DP-industrins syn på sjötidsreducerande kurser är positiva men dock oklar. Många känner generellt att simulatorkurser är bra eftersom de kan ge operatörer erfarenheter som annars kan ta år att uppnå. Om de ska ersätta sjötid var mer tveksamt. Dock visar studien att sjötidsreducerande kurser behövs, speciellt för trainees som arbetar på fartyg som bara emellanåt ligger på DP. Det har också framkommit att DP-trainees har svårt att få ihop sin sjötid som krävs för certifiering. Även om rederierna som deltog i denna studien anställer DP-trainees och erbjuder sjötid, så görs inte detta i tillräcklig omfattning. Det framfördes även en önskan om att förbättra dagens utbildningsprogram inom DP för att uppnå en högre kvalitet hos DP-operatörer. Studien visar att det finns ett behov av att snabba på processen att få ut DP-operatörer på marknaden, dock inte på bekostnad av kvaliteten. Det rekommenderas att studier av utbildningsprogrammets kvalitet görs, för att bibehålla och kanske även höja kompetensnivån hos DP-operatörer.

The costs of obtaining and maintaining ISO certification are high. Moreover, studies have shown mixed results on the benefits of the certification. Consequently, the objective of this research was to verify whether or not companies do value maintaining the ISO 9000 certification. The empirical study was conducted on 41 U.S. companies that were first certified in 2000. The companies formed an existing database as they were used by Dr. Arbuckle in 2004 in his doctoral dissertation. Of the 41 companies, 12 were found to be out of business, leaving a final sample size of 29. Data were gathered from this sample through telephone interviews and verified through the organizations’ online documents. In this group, 23 companies were found to be still maintaining the ISO 9000 certification as of 2009. When the statistical analyses were performed, the results clearly indicated that companies do significantly value maintaining the ISO 9000 certification. However, it was interesting to note that the primary reason behind maintaining the ISO 9000 certification was pressure from customers and not necessarily as a tool towards achieving quality production or continuous improvement. Indeed, such an observation may help to explain why even certified companies sometimes produce goods and services of inferior quality.

The modern manufacturing marketplace is extremely complex and constantly changing. Career professionals often seek job placement, career advancement, and continuing education through professional certifications. Professional certifications in the United States (U.S.) have been evolving since 1911. In the 1950s, engineering groups established professional certifications and licenses. In the 1980s, administration of accreditation of certification programs proliferated, and by the 1990s, many government and professional organizations sought to standardize procedures for the industry. Currently, professional certifications are available for virtually every profession and issued by multitudes of organizations. Quality management (QM) encompasses an extensive combination ofprofessional abilities. Providers of professional certifications for quality management (QM) related occupations have increased as the demand for specialized employees increased. Certification can make professionals invaluable to their professions and offer substantial compensation. Return on the investment of personal development varies and requires consideration. Some non-accredited certification providers attempt to satisfy demand without conforming to consensual standards. Considering the accumulation of diverse sources professional certifications is subjective and industrial managers may consider them unnecessary, redundant of formal educations, or simply ineffective. The dispute as to how certifications arr advantageous for what industries and individuals requires continual review. This investigation attempted to identify the individual career advantages, enterprise expectations, and the range of certification programs for quality management (QM). The design of research used was a mixed-method approach to scientific inquiry. Participants from industrial professionals and certification providers participated in an online survey designed to identify certification parameters and perceptions. Survey responses were statistically analyzed using a variety of descriptive and inferential techniques. The techniques included measures of agreement, central tendency, and dispersion combined with open-ended responses to deductively and inductively formulate, analyze, and interpret a referenced conclusion. The results indicated essential parameters of professional certifications including what certifications existed, how they are implemented, acquired value ranges, perceived attributes and effectiveness, and a comparison of experienced and certified professionals.

Organic products have become more and more talked- about in today’s industrial world. The demand for organic products is increasing and the market is continuing to grow bigger. It is important to maintain what these products stand for, being environmental friendly, and to do so strict certification policies are needed. EU has today an international certification body called Regulation (EC) 834/2007 that needs to be followed for export to and within EU. Parts of Tanzania today have certification of some organic products but not in Babati, that lies in the northern of Tanzania in Manyara region where this case study was done. In Babati most of the farmers are smallholder farmers and many of them, founds it difficult to afford an international certification. For the smallholder farmers to get a certification there are two alternatives. One is to go together with other smallholder farmers and apply for a certification like EUs Regulation (EC) 834/2007 as a group and then get to pay lower fees. The other alternative is to go together and start local certification bodies that have fees that are adjusted to local farmers’ income. This case study was conducted between February and March of 2010 in villages around Babati and Babati town. Interviews were held with both organic- and non organic farmers. My goal was to find out if it was possible for Babati to develop the organic agriculture and have an organic market in the future. My conclusion ends up by perceiving that Babati has a very good chance of fulfilling the Regulation (EC) 834/2007 standards. However the farmers’ economical status is an obstacle for the farmers to get an international certification, because of the high cost in inspections and reinspections.  But through a local certification body that is adjusted to the smallholder farmers and the environment the farmers can get their certificate and the organic market can be developed in Babati.

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De plus en plus de calculs de surveillance, contrôle etc. sont effectués de façon logicielle. Notre objectif est de prouver formellement des calculs numériques qui offrent déjà un premier niveau de garantie sur leurs résultats, comme des calculs par intervalles, et en particulier des calculs avec des modèles de Taylor.<br /><br />Cette thèse présente la construction d'une bibliothèque de modèles de Taylor pour l'assistant de preuves PVS. Nous avons développé les modèles de Taylor pour les opérations d'addition, soustraction, multiplication par un scalaire, multiplication, élévation au carré, puissance et racine carrée. Nous avons également développé les modèles de Taylor pour l'exponentielle, le sinus, l'arctangente et les sinus et cosinus hyperboliques. Nous avons démontré dans PVS que les opérations et fonctions définies dans notre bibliothèque préservent la propriété d'inclusion, travail de preuve qui n'avait pas été fait auparavant dans les implantations des modèles de Taylor.<br /><br />Nous avons développé une stratégie PVS pour certifier des inégalités ou bornes d'expressions. Quand on utilise un assistant de preuves pour démontrer une inégalité, il peut être nécessaire de guider l'assistant pas à pas dans la démonstration. Pour cette raison, les utilisateurs effectuent rarement la démonstration. Par conséquent, simplifier la façon de prouver les inégalités et bornes d'expressions facilite l'utilisation de PVS.<br /><br />Notre bibliothèque peut être utilisée pour construire des modèles de Taylor pour des expressions données, pour dériver des bornes plus ou moins précises pour des expressions arithmétiques et également pour certifier des inégalités ou bornes d'expressions. Disposer d'une méthode pour vérifier des expressions dans un assistant de preuves permet de vérifier certaines expressions qui apparaissent dans des logiciels de missions critiques.<br /><br />Pour résumer, nous avons développé une bibliothèque de modèles de Taylor en PVS qui comprend les opérations arithmétiques et certaines fonctions élémentaires. Nous avons démontré la propriété d'inclusion pour les opérations et fonctions développées. Nous avons développé une stratégie appelée containment pour démontrer la propriété d'inclusion des modèles de Taylor construits à partir des opérations et fonctions précédemment définies. Nous avons développé une stratégie appelée taylors pour prouver des inégalités en utilisant les modèles de Taylor. Nous avons illustré sur deux applications l'intérêt de ces développements.

Vortragsfolge: Karsten Priemer: Integration heterogener Applikationsumgebungen in Intranets mit Web - Technologien Swen Gerber: Netzcomputer-Konzepte Sven Graupner: JavaOS - Ein Betriebssystem für Intranets? Patrick Voigt: Netscape Internet Foundation Classes (IFC) Christoph Ziegler: MONARCH - Stand und künftige Aufgaben Holger Trinks: WWW-Robots Frank Richter: ¨Das richtige Mailprogramm¨ Bert Auerbach: Internet-Suchsysteme Frank Richter: Directories - Technologien und Datenadministration Ralph Sontag: Aufbau einer Certification Authority Jörg Hüttmann: Digitales Geld Mario Küchler: Internet-Telefonie Torsten Naumann: Ressourcensteuerung für Internet-Zugänge Michael Hasenstein: Eine zentrale Faxserverlösung auf Basis Hylafax+Web-Frontend Ronald Wahl: Intranet-Nutzermanagement Wolfgang Riedel: Konzepte der Software-Refinanzierung Marco Günther: Linux kontra NT - ¨strategische Plattformen¨? - Teil I Thomas Riedel: Linux kontra NT - ¨strategische Plattformen¨? - Teil II Dietmar Grunewald: WINDOWS-NT im öffentlichen PC-Pool Teil I: Servereinsatz und Nutzerverwaltung Jens Wagner: WINDOWS-NT im öffentlichen PC-Pool Teil II: Anwendungssoftware Matthias Ehrig: Diskless Linux - Möglichkeiten der SysAdmin Matthias Clauß: Skalierbare Systemadministration von LINUX-Rechnern Christian Bobber: WWW-Sicherheitsaspekte Thomas Müller: Authentisierung und Verteilung von Konfigurationsfiles Thomas Förster: Verzeichnissysteme für neue Anwendungen Jürgen Winkler: MathLink - der Kommunikations-Standard von Mathematica Ludwig Wolf: Ethernet - neue Normen, neue Perspektiven Thomas Schier: ATM - Standards und deren praktischer Einsatz Günther Fischer: IP-Routing in unserem (ATM-)Netz Prof. Uwe Hübner: Intranet - Erwartungen und Entwicklungen

School impact media studies indicate that a well-staffed and funded school library media program with a certified school library media specialist (SLMS) positively correlates with increased student achievement. SLMS must have a shared understanding of their roles and responsibilities to positively impact student success. In an effort to determine prior knowledge and differentiated learning objectives, the method of certification is critical for planning professional development. This dissertation presents a multi-method investigation of differences between Alternatively Certified (AC) and Traditionally Certified (TC) SLMS as it relates to their perceptions of collaboration, leadership and technology described in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (1998). The overall findings were used to generate recommendations for SLMS professional development. Of 2350 total SLMS in Florida, 161 AC and 318 TC SLMS responded to an online job task analysis. The strength of association between method of certification and perceptions of job tasks under the three themes (collaboration, leadership, and technology) were compared using statistical analysis (i.e. variance, standard deviation, t-tests, chi-square tests, and ANOVA). Longitudinal comparisons were made between this study and baselines studies from 1996 and 2006. There were no significant differences between AC and TC overall perceptions of collaboration, leadership and technology as indicated by the job task analysis survey. Two tasks within collaboration and technology themes had large significant differences in AC and TC responses. TC SLMS were more likely to "Assist students and/or teachers with general references services (e.g., answer reference questions)" and to "Evaluate the adequacy and suitability of facilities, equipment, materials, and services with regard to their impact on learning outcomes." TC SLMS were significantly more familiar with IP2, made more attempts to implement IP2, and attended more in-services on IP2. Observations and interviews with two AC and two TC SLMS triangulated the survey data and explored questions related to professional development. Interview participants advocated for content developed by other SLMS and mentorship training. SLMS asserted that professional development should include school and county protocols, evaluation tools and methods, relevant and accessible technologies (i.e. school and district software, Student Information System, Library Databases Standards such as CORE Curriculum). The SLMS indicated a preference for the following professional development methods: SLMS designed and implemented professional development; formal and informal SLMS sharing; differentiation and options to opt-out based on prior experiences and expertise; relevant and accessible technology training; and mentorship. These findings inform ways to effectively recruit, train, certify, and differentiate instruction in SLMS programs and professional development courses. Furthermore, our qualitative findings indicate a need to examine the impact of reduced budgets on school library media programs. Future studies should investigate the impact of increased numbers of non-certified SLMS and cuts to library staff on student achievement and K-12 learning communities. While this study counted the total number of non-certified SLMS in addition to the AC and TC SLMS, results from the sample of non-certified SLMS collected during the job task analysis were not analyzed because it was too small for comparison or generalizability.

La produzione di carne è disciplinata dai diritti ebraico ed islamico attraverso normative che, a prescindere dalle loro rispettive specificità, sono accomunate dallo scopo fondamentale di rammentare ai fedeli la gravità dell’atto di privare un animale della vita. La produzione di carni kashèr (idonee ad essere consumate, in base al diritto ebraico) e halal (lecite, ai sensi di quello islamico) trova generalmente spazio nelle democrazie pluraliste in virtù del diritto alla libertà religiosa. Questo, ad ogni modo, non esime lo Stato dalla responsabilità di disciplinare la macellazione e l’uso commerciale delle indicazioni di qualità kashèr e halal, in ragione ed entro i limiti dei propri compiti di tutela della salute umana ed animale, della concorrenza e dei consumatori. Assolvere questa responsabilità nel rispetto della reciproca autonomia tra Stato e confessioni religiose implica la ricerca di un equilibrio complesso, soprattutto quando si tratta di individuare e delimitare le competenze dei poteri pubblici, degli enti confessionali e del settore privato in materia di macellazione rituale e di certificazione religiosa delle carni. La tesi analizza e mette a confronto le soluzioni normative adottate in due ordinamenti (quello francese e quello statunitense) ispirati al principio di separazione dello Stato dalle religioni, seppur con declinazioni molto differenti. / Meat production is regulated by both Jewish and Islamic Laws through sets of rules that, aside from their respective specificities, share the aim of teaching reverence for life to the believers. Generally speaking, in pluralist democracies the production of kosher (“fit/proper”, according to Jewish Law) and halal (“permissible”, under Islamic Law) meat is protected under the right to freedom of religion. However, the State retains the authority to regulate the use of religious slaughter and that of kosher and halal claims in the meat market, on the basis and within the limits of its mandate to protect and promote public health, humane treatment of animals, fair market competition and consumer rights. Fulfilling such responsibility without overstepping the bounds of State-religion mutual autonomy is a complex task, especially when it comes to determining the roles of public authorities, religious bodies and the private sector in the fields of ritual slaughter and religious certification; it requires, indeed, to strike a fair balance between several - sometimes competing - rights and interests. The dissertation analyses and compares the legal approaches through which these matters are addressed in France and in the US, where the general principle of separation between Church and State is construed and implemented in profoundly different ways.

Public concern over the mathematical incompetence of students and adults is longstanding and justified. The No Child Left Behind act has affected the nation’s teachers, their school systems, and their communities. The act required all classrooms have a “highly-qualified teacher” by June, 2006 (United States Department of Education, 2002). Thus, the purpose of this evaluative case study was to understand if the unique National Board Certification (NBC) focused Educational Specialist (EdS) program was effective in creating change in teacher practice of six high school mathematics teachers in a suburban Georgia county. The learning outcomes of the program and perceptions of self-efficacy were evaluated and used as guidelines for the effectiveness of the program. The study was grounded in theories of metacognition, social constructivism, and self-efficacy. Metacognition provided the basis for “thinking about thinking” (McApline, Weston, et al, 1999) but reflection expanded the thought process to thinking about thinking or actions. Reflections were an integral for each of the constructs of the EdS program and this dissertation. Data for the study included written teacher reflections, action research projects, and mentoring manuals; in addition to interviews three years after the program. Data were coded and analyzed through a process of constant comparison using the NVivo 7 software. The findings at each stage of analysis, which were halfway through the program, end of the program, and three years after the program, indicate the five constructs metacognition, social constructivism, self-efficacy, community of learners, and action research were common across data sets. Four of the five constructs became more prevalent at each stage of analysis with only action research peaking prior to the third stage. The patterns developed during the study indicated long-term change in teacher practice and these constructs solidified as part of their teaching philosophy.