GM-Ledger: Blockchain-Based Certificate Authentication for International Food Trade.

Maritime transportation plays a critical role for many Arab countries and their food security and has evolved into a complex system that involves a plethora of supply chain stakeholders spread around the globe. This inherent complexity brings huge security challenges, including cargo loss and high burdens in cargo document inspection. The emerging blockchain technology provides a promising tool to build a unified maritime cargo tracking system critical for cargo security. This is because blockchains are a tamper-proof distributed ledger technology that can store and track data in a secure and transparent manner. Using the State of Qatar as a case study, this research introduces the Global Maritime Ledger (GM-Ledger), which will aid authorities in verifying, signing and transacting food certificates in an efficient manner. The methodology of this research includes reviewing past publications, identifying the requirements of various players in the Qatari food import-export industry and then creating a smart contract framework that will efficiently manage the work with necessary human intervention as and when required. The result of this work is the formation of a solid framework that can be employed in future works. This work realized that employing web3 solutions for the food import sector is highly viable and that with the right social, economic and policy reforms, it is possible to transform the entire food system to bear healthy transparency and power balance in global supply chains. In conclusion, this study argues that BCT has the ability to assist the government and other players to minimize fraud and maximize food supply chain stakeholder participation.

Online Reputation for Food Sector Exporters in the B2B Context: The Importance of Sustainability.

Food exporting companies play a fundamental role in the development of international trade. However, the conceptualization and measurement of their online corporate reputation has not been extensively studied in Business to Business markets, unlike in Business to Consumer contexts. The aim of this research is to identify the variables that determine the online reputation of food companies operating in B2B markets, and to analyze their relationship with the volume of food exports. For this purpose, a three-stage quantitative and qualitative study has been developed, based on in-depth interviews with experts from export organizations and managers of Peruvian food exporting companies, the estimation of an Advanced Sentiment Analysis, the construction of a Total Online Reputation Index (TOR), and the development of regression analysis. The study has identified 13 variables that affect the online reputation of food exporting companies and indicates that the presence of sustainability content on their website and the number of pages visited positively affect the volume of food exports. Moreover, the TOR could have a significant explanatory capacity with respect to company exports. These results constitute a reference guide for both companies in the sector and official export agencies, highlighting the critical aspects to promote their exports.

Recent progress of bioplastics in their properties, standards, certifications and regulations: A review.

The environmental impact associated with fossil fuel-based polymers has paved the way to explore biopolymer-based plastics, their properties, and their applications. Bioplastics are polymeric materials that are greatly interesting due to their eco-friendlier and non-toxic nature. In recent years, exploring the different sources of bioplastics and their applications has become one of the active research areas. Biopolymer-based plastics have applications in food packaging, pharmaceuticals, electronics, agricultural, automotive and cosmetic sectors. Bioplastics are considered safe, but there are several economic and legal challenges to implementing them. Hence, this review aims to i) outline the terminology associated with bioplastics, its global market, major sources, types and properties of bioplastics, ii) discuss the major bioplastic waste management and recovery options, iii) provide the major standards and certifications regarding bioplastics, iv) explore the various country-wise regulations and restrictions associated with bioplastics, and v) enumerate the various challenges and limitations associated with bioplastics and future directions. Therefore, providing adequate knowledge about various bioplastics, their properties and regulatory aspects can be of great importance in the industrialization, commercialization and globalization of bioplastics to replace petroleum-based products.

Trends and challenges in phytotherapy and phytocosmetics for skin aging.

Oxidative stress and inflammation mostly contribute to aging and age-related conditions including skin aging. The potential of natural products in the form of naturally-derived cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, and nutricosmetics have, however, not been fully harnessed. This review, thus, critically analyzes the potential roles of natural products in inflammation-related skin aging diseases due to the increasing consumers' concerns and demands for efficacious, safe, natural, sustainable, and religiously permitted alternatives to synthetic products. The information and data were collated from various resources and literature databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Wiley, Springer, Taylor and Francis, Scopus, Inflibnet, Google, and Google Scholar using relevant keywords and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). The role of green extraction solvents as promising alternatives is also elucidated. The potential enhancements of the bioavailability, stability, solubility and controlled release profile of the bioactives using different delivery systems are also presented. The current potential global market value, motivators, drivers, trends, challenges, halal, and other regulatory certifications for cosmeceuticals and nutricosmetics are equally discussed. The adoption of the suggested extractions and delivery systems would enhance the stability, bioavailability, and target delivery of the bioactives.

Healthy and Sustainable Food: A Cross-Cultural Study among Spanish and Italian Consumers.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the perception of environmental attributes and food safety in Italy and Spain and how these different perceptions influence the importance of various attributes and certifications related to food. These two countries have a common root and some undeniable similarities, but there are two completely distinct individualities. Three main research questions have, thus, been identified: attention to food safety regarding Italian and Spanish consumers; the role of ecological certifications in the perception of health in the two countries; the role of the brand and the choice of organic products in the perception of food safety. To answer the research questions, a questionnaire was administered, face to face, to a sample of both Spanish consumers and Italian consumers. The analysis of the data collected through the questionnaires was administered using two logistic regressions to identify which variables influence issues concerning the health and safety of food products. A Spanish consumer interested in ecological certifications is also a consumer who is attentive to the safety and health of food consumption. Looking at Italian consumers, it is highly probable that a consumer who assesses ecological certifications positively is also a consumer concerned about food safety, but this probability increases the likelihood this consumer's choices are guided by brands and frequent consumption of organic products. This research has allowed us to highlight sharp differences in the approach to consumption in these two countries, which, despite similar cultures and the same sensitivity to environmental and food safety issues, exhibit marked differences in the selection of food products.

Translation of Credentialing Examination for Providers with English as a Second Language: An Exploratory Study.

Racial and ethnic minorities disproportionately suffer the burden of adverse health outcomes in the United States. Increasing the diversity of healthcare providers may help decrease disparities in outcomes. Unfortunately, language barriers may affect performance in nursing school and credentialing examinations. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify current practices and trends affecting the translation of credentialing examinations. Commissioned by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists, a survey was sent to the credentialing organizations soliciting information about their exam translation practices and considerations. Among the 27 credentialing organizations (two licensure and 25 certification organizations) that completed the survey, 63% were from healthcare. All the organizations offered their credentialing examinations in English. Some offered their examination in Chinese/Mandarin (15%), Spanish (11%), French (7%), and Arabic (7%). The majority (78%) do not translate their examinations into another language. Among the six credentialing organizations translating their examinations, 67% translate one, and 17% translate two examinations. Most use the forward and back-translation techniques. For organizations embarking on a multilingual credentialing program, it is imperative to ensure psychometric equivalence of their examinations. Translation can help ensure that candidates are tested on their intended competencies, not their language proficiency.

The Influence of Education on the Nutritional Knowledge of Certified Fitness Professionals.

The American Fitness Industry has seen progressive success with recent increases in facility memberships and annual revenues of fitness centers. The number of fitness trainers and instructors in the United States has persisted this growth and is projected to grow over the next decade. However, only a few known studies have investigated the nutritional education of fitness professionals. This preliminary study explores the education and knowledge among certified fitness professions (CFPs) in the United States. A cross-sectional, descriptive survey design was utilized with a convenience sample of 120 female participants from the United States who were associated with a major fitness newsletter. The average age of the participants was 48.51 years (SD 12), and they had 14.85 years of experience (SD 10.16) and worked an average of 22.04 hours per week (SD 16.78). Most of the participants had some kind of college degree (96.2%) and held a group fitness certification (76.6%) or personal training certification (47.5%). Those with a nutrition certification were found to have significantly higher nutrition knowledge test scores on the 21 question test (18.2 ± 2.0 correct to 17.1 ± 1.9, p=0.04). Additionally, it is revealed that CFPs use the internet as a primary source for nutritional information and was the most frequently used source of nutrition information accessed. This pilot study suggests a more in-depth study would be beneficial to solidify the current results and could allow for more investigation into whether or not completion of nutrition coursework within formal earned degrees by CFPs positively influences their nutritional knowledge.

Sustainability Certification, a New Path of Value Creation in the Olive Oil Sector: The ITALIAN Case Study.

The Italian extra virgin olive oil supply chain has considerable potential for embarking on a path of sustainable development and evolution. In Italy, the great variety heritage and the different pedo-climatic characteristics result in local olive growing systems with different management techniques, producing extra virgin olive oils that are strictly entwined to the territory, with peculiar qualitative properties. Nevertheless, numerous criticalities have been traditionally eroding the competitiveness of Italian olive growing that could find in sustainability certifications, a lasting driver of value creation. Shared standardizations and certifications that include the three pillars of sustainability are therefore necessary for the development of the process.

Consumers' Loyalty Related to Labor Inclusion of People with Disabilities.

PURPOSE: the purpose of this paper is to show that reporting the corporate commitment to labor exclusion of people with disability correlates with the increase of consumer loyalty. METHODOLOGY: It is a theoretical revision that will relate consumer loyalty to three main topics: disability and labor exclusion, responsible consumerism toward disability, and corporate communication to increase loyalty of those consumers that are concerned about this problem. FINDINGS:      â€¢ Disability is an invisible phenomenon that concerns the whole of human society. So, the exclusion of the collective appears as a great social problem that might be dealt by the companies to be perceived as responsible.      â€¢ Responsible companies are awarded with the loyalty of the consumers.      â€¢ Clear corporate information about the commitment with this problem will reinforce the loyalty toward the brand.      â€¢ This information can be given in an informal way or by following a certification process. The impact of those methods will depend on how disability is understood by each consumer. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This paper focuses on a topic usually neglected by companies and even by literature. However, the fact that more and more companies are paying attention to this problem allows us to think that we are facing a social change that will challenge companies.

A COMPARISON BETWEEN CIVILIAN AND MILITARY PHYSICAL THERAPISTS' KNOWLEDGE IN MANAGING MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY.

BACKGROUND: Military physical therapists have been shown to have the necessary knowledge in musculoskeletal medicine in order to practice as a direct access provider. However, research about musculoskeletal knowledge in the civilian physical therapist (non-military) population is lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study was to compare the knowledge in managing musculoskeletal conditions between civilian and military physical therapists using a validated and standardized musculoskeletal competency examination. Furthermore, this study aims to investigate the potential factors that may lead to increased musculoskeletal competency. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, electronic survey. METHODS: This study involved a cross-sectional, electronic survey completed in August and September of 2014 in order to assess licensed physical therapists' knowledge in identifying and managing musculoskeletal conditions. Only physical therapists practicing in orthopedics were permitted to be involved in the study. Descriptive statistics of the participants, and logistic regressions analyzing variables correlated with passing the musculoskeletal exam were calculated using SPSS 22.0. Frequencies were produced for multiple variables. Binary logistic regressions were used to correlate the frequency variables with performing at competency level on the musculoskeletal exam. RESULTS: A total of 22,750 surveys were sent to physical therapists in Arizona, Ohio, Texas, Maine and Wyoming. Two thousand sixty-five surveys were returned for a response rate of 10.6%. Of the 2,065 surveys completed, 408 responses were included for analysis. The average score for the respondents on the exam was 65.08% and only 28.2% of all respondents met the competency cutoff score (previously established to be 73.1%). Respondents who were orthopedic certified specialists (OCS) or sports certified specialists (SCS) were 3.091 times more likely to perform at the competency level on the examination with a p-value of < 0.001 and a confidence interval >95%. CONCLUSION: The current study utilized the results from a previous study for a comparison between the civilian and military physical therapist populations. The results indicate that civilian physical therapists in the current study (65.08%) scored lower than their military counterparts in the previous study (75.9%) on the musculoskeletal exam. Potential reasons for this include less autonomous practice responsibilities and a disparity in educational experiences. Board certifications may enhance civilian physical therapists ability to practice with greater autonomy as primary care clinicians when managing musculoskeletal conditions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.

Ohio physical therapists' accuracy in identifying abnormalities on diagnostic images with and without a clinical vignette.

BACKGROUND: A strong understanding of diagnostic imaging has been advocated for physical therapists. There have been recent changes in physical therapy curricula and increased opportunities to utilize imaging during clinical practice. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the ability of practicing clinicians to accurately identify selected musculoskeletal conditions on plain-film radiograph (X-ray), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography scan (CT scan). Further, to determine whether improvements in identification of pathology occur when the clinical scenario is added to the imaging and whether there are related training/exposure factors. METHODS: A cross- sectional electronic survey was sent out to physical therapists in the state of Ohio. Participants were asked to identify conditions (cervical fracture, anterior cruciate ligament tear, and avascular necrosis of the femoral head) first given diagnostic images only, and then given the images and a clinical scenario. RESULTS: Eight hundred sixty-six surveys of the 7537 sent out were eligible for analysis. With clinical scenarios, 61.3% of respondents were correct with the ACL injury identified on MRI, 36.4% for identification of the cervical spine fracture on CT and 25.6% for identification of avascular necrosis on plain film. The accuracy significantly improved (p<0.01) with the addition of the clinical information for all three of the diagnoses. The most remarkable improvement was seen with the AVN diagnosis on plain film radiograph (365.5% improvement), followed by the ACL injury on MRI (27.2% improvement) and cervical fracture diagnosis on CT scan (17.8% improvement). Finally, formal and informal training, board certification through the APTA and to a lesser extent, degree level, all improved diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: A clinical scenario paired with images notably improved identification of pathology. Physical therapists were better at identifying the ACL pathology that was presented on MRI. This is a common diagnosis to physical therapists and was paired with a relatively common imaging modality. This study suggests that physical therapists can improve accuracy with identifying pathologies on diagnostic images through a physical therapy curriculum or post-graduation through certifications and continuing education. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.

Adoption of the 16-month American Board of Radiology pathway to dual board certifications in nuclear radiology and/or nuclear medicine for diagnostic radiology residents.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: In 2010, the American Board of Radiology (ABR) approved a new 16-month nuclear subspecialty training pathway within a standard 48-month Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited diagnostic radiology (DR) residency available to institutions sponsoring ACGME-accredited nuclear radiology (NR) and/or nuclear medicine (NM) program(s). This accelerated pathway leads to eligibility for dual ABR certifications in DR and NR or in NM by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM). The American College of Radiology, in conjunction with the ABR, aimed to understand adoption of this new pathway, barriers to implementation, preferences for subspecialty certification, and competing alternative combined DR/NR/NM training pathways. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During 2013-2014, there were 20 ACGME-accredited NR fellowship and 43 ACGME-accredited NM residency programs eligible to adopt this new 16-month pathway. They were surveyed by e-mail correspondence regarding implementation and barriers to implementation, board certification (ABR-NR and ABNM) preferences, and local alternative training pathways. RESULTS: With 100% of the surveys completed, a small cadre of qualifying DR programs (14, 22%) has adopted (9, 14%) or is seriously considering adopting (5, 8%) the 16-month ABR pathway. For most, implementation is problematic with numerous barriers in common. Five (8%) institutions are developing 60-month nontraditional models as alternative routes to ABR-DR/ABR-NR certifications and/or dual ABR/ABNM board certifications. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of strategies to promote a shortened training pathway in NR/NM, traditional subspecialty fellowships outside the DR residency remain the dominant pathway leading to ABR subspecialty certification in NR and/or ABNM certification for diagnostic radiologists.

Women's Perspectives of Personal Trainers: A Qualitative Study.

Personal trainers play an integral role in the day-to-day operation of the facilities in which they work. Research has identified a number of qualities and competencies necessary to be an effective exercise leader, but there is little scholarly work addressing clients' attitudes related to the performance of personal trainers. Utilizing focus group methodology, female clients of personal trainers were recruited to provide viewpoints related to the desirable qualities of personal trainers, as well as opinions regarding trainer certification and academic preparation. Responses of the participants were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes. Four global themes emerged: Selection Rationale, Personal Trainer Rationale, Loyalty Rationale and Negative Characteristics. Selection Rationale consisted of qualities that influence a client's decision to hire a particular trainer (e.g., physique, results observed in other clients, social skills). Personal Trainer Rationale referred to the clients' reasons (e.g., frustration with current fitness level) for hiring a specific trainer. Loyalty Rationale referred to the credentials of a personal trainer that solidify the client/trainer relationship and Negative Characteristics referred to qualities considered unethical or unprofessional. The results suggest that undergraduate exercise science programs should devote additional time toward the development of future fitness trainers' affective qualities and that clients' would benefit from information about the credentials of personal trainers.