C ertification is defined in the nursing literature in several ways; no one consistent definition of certification exists. The American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) defines it as “the formal recognition of the specialized knowledge, skills, and experience demonstrated by the achievement of standards identified by a nursing specialty to promote optimal health outcomes.” The American Nurse...

It is a common belief that the rise of standardized software certification schemes like the Common Criteria (CC) would give a boost to formal verification, and that software certification may be a killer application for program verification. However, while formal models are indeed used throughout high-assurance certification, verification of the actual implementation is not required by the CC a...

We provide elementary insights into the effectiveness of certification to increase market transparency. In a market with opaque product quality, sellers use certification as a signaling device, while buyers use it as an inspection device. This difference alone implies that seller-certification yields more transparency and higher social welfare. Under buyer-certification profit maximizing certif...

OBJECTIVE To describe the research conducted to structure and develop a statewide tobacco training and certification programme for tobacco treatment specialists (TTSs) in Massachusetts. DESIGN Qualitative research strategies were used to obtain information on certification development and opinions regarding TTS training and certification from key informants. A role definition and validation s...

Coffee agroecosystems are critical to the success of conservation efforts in Latin America because of their ecological and economic importance. Coffee certification programs may offer one way to protect biodiversity and maintain farmer livelihoods. Established coffee certification programs fall into three distinct, but not mutually exclusive categories: organic, fair trade, and shade. The resul...

The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of three objective systems (prototype BeefCam, colorimeter, and slice shear force) for identifying guaranteed tender beef. In Phase I, 308 carcasses (105 Top Choice, 101 Low Choice, and 102 Select) from two commercial plants were tested. In Phase II, 400 carcasses (200 rolled USDA Select and 200 rolled USDA Choice) from one commercial pl...

The growth of ethical consumerism in developed countries has led to increased imports of environmentally and socially certified products produced by the poor in developing countries, which could potentially contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Among these, organic products and fair-trade products are among the rapidly growing “ethical trade” products. T...

Rationale and Aims Most studies on physicians' sickness certification practices include general practitioners (GP) while there hardly is any knowledge on this regarding neurologists although neurological diseases often involve work incapacity and need of sick leave. Aim The aim was to describe experiences among neurologists in Sweden concerning their work with sickness certification of patien...

The need for standard endovascular neurosurgical (ENS) training programs and certification in Korea cannot be overlooked due to the increasing number of ENS specialists and the expanding ENS field. The Society of Korean Endovascular Neurosurgeons (SKEN) Certification Committee has prepared training programs and certification since 2010, and the first certificates were issued in 2013. A task for...