Comparison of standards and requirements for porous asphalt mixtures

Porous asphalt is a bituminous material prepared in such a manner that it has a very high content of interconnected voids that allow passage of water and air in order to provide the compacted mixture with better drainage and noise reducing characteristic. The analysis of available regulations and scientific literature shows that the national standards of porous asphalt mixtures differ in type of granulometric envelopes, the type of bitumen and its content in the mixture and the limits of the air voids content in the mixture. In this paper, standards used for porous asphalt in Croatia are compared with the US, Australian and Dutch standards for this type of asphalt. In addition, samples prepared based on HRN EN 13108-7 and HRN EN 12697-17 requirements were tested and results were compared using Croatian and other available standards. This paper also investigates the effects of ambient temperature on abrasion loss of porous asphalt. The abrasion loss results are compared to the other standards.

ETUDES OF THE USA FODDER AND DIETS QUALITY EVALUATION SYSTEM IN RUSSIA

This article is a narrative about application of the USA fodder quality testing system in Russia. Merits and demerits of the American system of an assessment of hay quality are considered. The Leningrad interregional veterinary laboratory (IVL) adapted principles of this system and has extended to all kinds of bulky feeds. It is recommended to check IVL model experimentally, to discuss and to consider on ТК 130 "Fodder production" as the project of GOST Р "Forages. A method of energy value definition". In the second case, on an example of the assessment sheet sent by the American testing laboratory, the ration of feeding a dairy cow at JSC "Dmitrovskie dairy farms", created according to the American model, is considered: assortment, quantity and quality of forages; the actual and demanded content of nutrients in a ration; relative parameters and ratios of nutrients; ration cost indexes. For comparison of standards of National research council (NRC) of the USA on consumption of dry matter, concentration of rumen degradable and nondegradable protein are compared with norms All-Russian Research Animal Husbandry Institute. Discrepancy of calculated parameters testifies to necessity of their experimental corroboration.

Comparison of standards for chemical protective clothing on performance requirements and measurements

Chemical protective clothing is widely used by emergency teams in certain industries and such as fire-fighting and medical protection fields. Due to the differences of assessment, specific requirements for target products, and test methods, the relevant standards for such clothing vary greatly. By analyzing standards on chemical protective clothing, this study summarized their differences in assessment items and test methods for basic performances such as seam strength, leak tightness, permeability by liquid/gas chemicals, resistance to ignition, liquid repellency and penetration by liquids.

Medical waste management improvement in community health centers: an interventional study in Iran

Aim To improve the medical waste management (MWM) standards in Tabriz community health centers (CHCs) through clinical audit process. Background Management of medical waste is not only a legally necessity but also a social responsibility in health systems. Owing to the potential risks for human health and environmental impacts, MWM is a global concern. Methods This was an interventional research designed using clinical audit cycle that was implemented in Tabriz CHCs in 2016. MWM was assessed through observation, as well as reviewing relevant documents and interviews with waste workers in CHCs and completion of a researcher-made checklist. Intervention plans were developed and implemented based on the assessment results. To analyze the data, Excel 2016 software was used and information was reported as descriptive statistics through comparison of standards adherence before and after the interventions. Results Generally, 30% improvements in MWM standards adherence were experienced (45.8–75.1%) in the CHCs, after the interventions. The greatest improvement was observed in the dimensions of management and education, and separation and collection of medical waste, up to 30 and 28.5%, respectively. Conclusions As the results demonstrated, standards of MWM processes were improved in Tabriz CHCs, due to the intervention. Moreover, it was experienced that using systematic method, stakeholders’ participation and evidence-based planning would lead to process improvement. MWM was an ignored issue in primary care that must be more in attention.

Comparison of Standards for Accessible Design between America and China

Aiming at the accessibility design and environmental constructions of China, comparing the differences of codes for accessibility design between domestic and abroad. It’s including four aspects: the difference in audience of accessible design, content of the facilities, quantitative indexes and vision and hearing accessible design. It analyzed that the early stage of our country is backward in terms of accessibility and construction, mainly based on differences in values and professional education. In the end it put forward three suggestions to improve the construction of barrier-free environment in China.