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Recommendations for daytime, evening, and nighttime indoor light exposure to best support physiology, sleep, and wakefulness in healthy adults
Ocular light exposure has important influences on human health and well-being through modulation of circadian rhythms and sleep, as well as neuroendocrine and cognitive functions. Prevailing patterns of light exposure do not optimally engage these actions for many individuals, but advances in our understanding of the underpinning mechanisms and emerging lighting technologies now present opportunities to adjust lighting to promote optimal physical and mental health and performance. A newly developed, international standard provides a SI-compliant way of quantifying the influence of light on the intrinsically photosensitive, melanopsin-expressing, retinal neurons that mediate these effects. The present report provides recommendations for lighting, based on an expert scientific consensus and expressed in an easily measured quantity (melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance (melaponic EDI)) defined within this standard. The recommendations are supported by detailed analysis of the sensitivity of human circadian, neuroendocrine, and alerting responses to ocular light and provide a straightforward framework to inform lighting design and practice.
Journal Article
The power of standards : hybrid authority and the globalisation of services
\"Standards often remain unseen, yet they play a fundamental part in the organisation of contemporary capitalism and society at large. What form of power do they epitomise? Why have they become so prominent? Are they set to be as important for the globalisation of services as for manufactured goods? Graz draws on international political economy and cognate fields to present strong theoretical arguments, compelling research and surprising evidence on the role of standards in the global expansion of services, with in-depth studies of their institutional environment and cases including the insurance industry and business process outsourcing in India. The power of standards resembles a form of transnational hybrid authority, in which ambiguity should be seen as a generic attribute, defining not only the status of public and private actors involved in standardisation and regulation, but also the scope of issues concerned and the space in which such authority is recognised when complying to standards. This book is also available as Open Access\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Development: The COS-STAD recommendations
The use of core outcome sets (COS) ensures that researchers measure and report those outcomes that are most likely to be relevant to users of their research. Several hundred COS projects have been systematically identified to date, but there has been no formal quality assessment of these studies. The Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Development (COS-STAD) project aimed to identify minimum standards for the design of a COS study agreed upon by an international group, while other specific guidance exists for the final reporting of COS development studies (Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Reporting [COS-STAR]).
An international group of experienced COS developers, methodologists, journal editors, potential users of COS (clinical trialists, systematic reviewers, and clinical guideline developers), and patient representatives produced the COS-STAD recommendations to help improve the quality of COS development and support the assessment of whether a COS had been developed using a reasonable approach. An open survey of experts generated an initial list of items, which was refined by a 2-round Delphi survey involving nearly 250 participants representing key stakeholder groups. Participants assigned importance ratings for each item using a 1-9 scale. Consensus that an item should be included in the set of minimum standards was defined as at least 70% of the voting participants from each stakeholder group providing a score between 7 and 9. The Delphi survey was followed by a consensus discussion with the study management group representing multiple stakeholder groups. COS-STAD contains 11 minimum standards that are the minimum design recommendations for all COS development projects. The recommendations focus on 3 key domains: the scope, the stakeholders, and the consensus process.
The COS-STAD project has established 11 minimum standards to be followed by COS developers when planning their projects and by users when deciding whether a COS has been developed using reasonable methods.
Journal Article
Over half of clinical practice guidelines use non-systematic methods to inform recommendations: A methods study
Assessing the process used to synthesize the evidence in clinical practice guidelines enables users to determine the trustworthiness of the recommendations. Clinicians are increasingly dependent on guidelines to keep up with vast quantities of medical literature, and guidelines are followed to avoid malpractice suits. We aimed to assess whether systematic methods were used when synthesizing the evidence for guidelines; and to determine the type of review cited in support of recommendations.
Guidelines published in 2017 and 2018 were retrieved from the TRIP and Epistemonikos databases. We randomly sorted and sequentially screened clinical guidelines on all topics to select the first 50 that met our inclusion criteria. Our primary outcomes were the number of guidelines using either a systematic or non-systematic process to gather, assess, and synthesise evidence; and the numbers of recommendations within guidelines based on different types of evidence synthesis (systematic or non-systematic reviews). If a review was cited, we looked for evidence that it was critically appraised, and recorded which quality assessment tool was used. Finally, we examined the relation between the use of the GRADE approach, systematic review process, and type of funder.
Of the 50 guidelines, 17 (34%) systematically synthesised the evidence to inform recommendations. These 17 guidelines clearly reported their objectives and eligibility criteria, conducted comprehensive search strategies, and assessed the quality of the studies. Of the 29/50 guidelines that included reviews, 6 (21%) assessed the risk of bias of the review. The quality of primary studies was reported in 30/50 (60%) guidelines.
High quality, systematic review products provide the best available evidence to inform guideline recommendations. Using non-systematic methods compromises the validity and reliability of the evidence used to inform guideline recommendations, leading to potentially misleading and untrustworthy results.
Journal Article
Reduced Detectability of Listeria monocytogenes in the Presence of Listeria innocua
Recent foodborne crises have demonstrated the importance of monitoring food safety. In terms of microbiological criteria, food safety requires the reliable detection of pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes along the food chain by appropriate analytical methods. However, indications exist that accompanying Listeria innocua strains suppress the growth of L. monocytogenes during selective enrichment, which may cause reduced or even inhibited detection. To study these effects, the limit of detection of L. monocytogenes was investigated in the presence of L. innocua using the International Organization for Standardization standard method ISO 11290-1 and the VIDAS LDUO system, an automated method based on enzyme-linked fluorescence technology. The challenge was to provide low initial Listeria concentrations at sufficient precision to quantify the influence on the probability of detection of L. monocytogenes. The application of reference materials appropriate for quantitative test methods and a standardized dilution procedure were necessary to ensure accurate CFU levels of defined proportions of mixtures of both Listeria species. During selective enrichment, overgrowth of L. monocytogenes by L. innocua could be confirmed, leading to high rates of false-negative results. Moreover, with both methods, a significant decrease in the detectability of L. monocytogenes could be quantified at ratios of 2:1 at very low concentrations representative of natural contamination levels often found in foods and environments. It is concluded that there is a need to improve existing procedures with respect to selective enrichment, as well as the detection techniques.
Journal Article
Evaluation of the optical performance for aspheric intraocular lenses in relation with tilt and decenter errors
To evaluate and compare the effect of misalignment and tilt on the optical performance of different aspheric intraocular lens (IOL) designs.
Three aspheric IOLs with a different quantity of spherical aberration (SA) have been designed and the effect of IOL misalignment and tilt on the imaging quality of an eye model has been numerically assessed using a commercial optical design software. The prototypes have been manufactured by lathe turning and tested in vitro using the same optical bench (PMTF, Lambda-X) that complies with International Organization for Standardization standard 11979-2 requirements. Image quality was evaluated from the modulation transfer functions (MTFs), through-focus modulation transfer functions (TF-MTFs), root mean square (RMS) values of defocus, astigmatism and coma, and images of the United States Air Force (USAF) target were taken. A comparison with the optical performance of spherical IOLs has also been performed.
Intraocular lens misalignment and tilt increased wavefront aberrations; the effect of misalignment on root mean square (RMS) astigmatism and coma was positively correlated with the spherical aberration of the IOL. Aberration-free IOLs showed the highest MTF for all misalignment values and for IOLs with negative SA correction the MTF decays below 0.43 when they are decentered 0.50 mm.
Aspherical IOLs are more sensitive than spherical IOLs to misalignment or tilt, depending on their SA correction. The optical degradation caused by IOL misalignment had a greater effect on IOL designs with a higher amount of negative spherical aberration. In contrast, the effect of tilt on the optical performance was less sensitive to the IOL design.
Journal Article
Combined effect of olive pruning residues and spent coffee grounds on Pleurotus ostreatus production, composition, and nutritional value
No previous study assessed the combined effect of olive pruning residues (OLPR) and spent coffee grounds (SCG) on
P
.
ostreatus
production and nutritional value. The aim of this study was to determine the capacity of
P
.
ostreatus
to degrade lignocellulosic nature of combined OLPR and SCG as well as their resultant nutrient composition. A complete randomized design was adopted with five treatments: S1:100%wheat straw (WS) (control), S2:33%WS+33%SCG+33%OLPR,S3:66%WS+17%SCG+17%OLPR,S4:17%WS+66%SCG+17%OLPR, and S5:17%WS+17%SCG+66%OLPR, and ten replicates per treatment. Substrate’s and mushroom’s composition were analyzed on chemical scale, including fatty acids and heavy metals profiles, following international standards. Only S1, S2, and S3 were productive, with comparable biological yield, economical yield, and biological efficiency. Organic matter loss decreased with increasing proportions of OLPR and SCG. Percentage lignin loss was higher in S1 than in S2 and S3 (53.51, 26.25, and 46.15% respectively). Mushrooms of S3 had some enhanced nutritional attributes compared to control: decrease in fat, increase in protein, increase in monounsaturated fatty acids, and lower zinc accumulation. Lead was less accumulated in S2 than S1 mushrooms. Sodium content of mushroom decreased in S2 and S3. The latter substrates yielded mushrooms with lower polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and higher saturated fatty acids (SFA) contents. All mushrooms had a valuable PUFA/SFA. This study suggests using OLPR and SCG in low proportions as nutritional supplements to the commercial wheat straw.
Journal Article
Multinationals' Accountability on Sustainability: The Evolution of Third-party Assurance of Sustainability Reports
In this article we explore how multinational corporations (MNCs) adopt assurance practices to develop and sustain organizational accountability for sustainability. Using a panel of Fortune Global 250 firms over a period of 10 years, we document the diffusion patterns of third-party assurance of sustainability reports. We specifically investigate how evolving auditing practices, namely diversity of assurance standards and type of assurance providers, shape the quality of sustainability assurance statements. The results illustrate great variability in the adoption of assurance practices in the formative stages of this novel market. Our descriptive analysis indicates the relevance of external institutional pressure as well as internal resources and capabilities as underlying factors driving the adoption of assurance. Our evidence also suggests that several MNCs project a decoupled or symbolic image of accountability through assurance, thereby undermining the credibility of these verification practices. The paper contributes to the emerging literature on international accountability standards and emphasizes the need to enhance theory-based, cross-disciplinary knowledge related to auditing and accountability processes for sustainability.
Journal Article
Considering equity in global health collaborations: A qualitative study on experiences of equity
International collaborations have become the standard model for global health research and often include researchers and institutions from high income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While such collaborations are important for generating new knowledge that will help address global health inequities, there is evidence to suggest that current forms of collaboration may reproduce unequal power relations. Therefore, we conducted a qualitative study with scientists, researchers and those involved in research management, working in international health collaborations. Interviews were conducted between October 2019 and March 2020. We conducted 13 interviews with 15 participants. From our findings, we derive three major themes. First, our results reflect characteristics of equitable, collaborative research relationships. Here we find both relational features, specifically trust and belonging, and structural features, including clear contractual agreements, capacity building, inclusive divisions of labour, and the involvement of local communities. Second, we discuss obstacles to develop equitable collaborations. These include exclusionary labour practices, donor-driven research agendas, overall research culture, lack of accountability and finally, the inadequate financing of indirect costs for LMIC institutions. Third, we discuss the responsibilities for promoting science equity of funders, LMIC researchers, LMIC institutions, and LMIC governments. While other empirical studies have suggested similar features of equity, our findings extend these features to include local communities as collaborators in research projects and not only as beneficiaries. We also suggest the importance of funders paying for indirect costs, without which the capacity of LMIC institutions will continually erode. And finally, our study shows the responsibilities of LMIC actors in developing equitable collaborations, which have largely been absent from the literature.
Journal Article