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Attention has been increasingly devoted to the development of methods for assessing the quality of care in long‐term care (LTC) facilities, especially for government surveillance. A study is described which used the tracer method to provide data on the quality of care in Israeli LTC institutions. Advantages of the tracer method include its incorporation of structural, process and outcome measures and its focus on a number of representative tracer conditions. The study tested the ability of the tracer method to provide data on the quality of care, and facilitated adoption of this methodology by the government for their annual inspections.

This study aims to investigate the hydraulic behaviour of a pilot-scale, two-staged, vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) for septage treatment, in terms of factors such as hydraulic retention time and hydraulic loading rate and its influence on the treatment dynamics. Because of intermittent feeding mode of VFCW systems and variation in its loading, its hydraulic behaviour is highly variable and need to be understood to optimize its treatment performance.

Tracer test were carried out using bromide ion with varying hydraulic loading rates (HLR) of 6.82 cm/d, 9.09 cm/d and 11.40 cm/d (i.e. equivalent to 75 L/d, 100L/d and 125 L/d). Tracer data is then analysed using the Residence Time Distribution (RTD) method.

RTD analysis showed that the increase in HLR increases the average hydraulic retention time (HRT). Subsequently, the increase in HLR results in a lower recovery of effluent, resulting in poor productivity in treatment. The study also showed that the removal of nitrogen and organic matter improved with increasing HRT. However, observations show no correlation between HRT and total solids removal.

A performance evaluation method (by tracer) is proposed to understand the hydraulics of flow in constructed wetlands, which has not been widely studied. Additionally, the dynamics of treatment in VFCWs treating septage may also be revealed by the tracer method. The study can be applied to any constructed wetlands designed for treatment of wastewater, septage or sludge.

Ventilation is driven by weather conditions, occupant actions and mechanical ventilation, and so can be highly variable. This paper reports on the development of two analysis algorithms designed to facilitate investigation of ventilation in occupied homes over time.

These algorithms facilitate application of the CO₂ concentration decay tracer gas technique. The first algorithm identifies occupied periods. The second identifies periods of decaying CO₂ concentration which can be assumed to meet the assumptions required for analysis.

The algorithms were successfully applied in four occupied dwellings, giving over 100 ventilation measurements during a six-month period for three flats. The specific implementation of the decay identification algorithm had important ramifications for the ventilation rates measured, highlighting the importance of interrogating the way that appropriate periods for analysis are identified.

The analysis algorithms provide robust, reliable and repeatable identification of CO₂ decay periods appropriate for ventilation rate analysis. The algorithms were coded in Python, and these have been made available via GitHub. As well as supporting future CO₂ tracer gas experiments, the algorithms could be adapted to different purposes, including the use of other tracer gases or exploring occupant exposure to indoor air pollution.

Empirical investigations of ventilation in occupied dwellings rarely aim to investigate the variability of ventilation. This paper reports on analysis methods which can be used to address this gap in the empirical evidence.

The RAF method for regulation, assessment, follow‐up and continuous improvement of quality of care was developed in Israel in the late 1980s by the Quality of Care Unit at the JDC‐Brookdale Institute. During the past decade the RAF method has been adapted to and implemented successfully in a number of government regulatory systems operated by services in the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labor. This article presents the conceptual framework of the RAF method. It describes the three theoretical approaches that have been integrated – the tracer approach, the model for quality assurance and the introduction of organizational change – to create a broad conceptual framework. It then presents the key operational principles at work in the field that drive the RAF mechanism in its efforts to achieve a constant improvement in quality of care.

Seepage of the dam is an important safety problem, which may cause internal erosion of the structure. In the field of seepage monitoring in civil engineering, the distributed optical fiber sensing technology based on the temperature tracing method has been paid more attention due to its unique advantages of high sensitivity, good stability and high resolution. The purpose of this paper is to make a review of the existing related research, so as to facilitate the later scholars to understand and further study more systematically.

In this paper, three kinds of commonly used distributed fiber temperature measurement technologies are introduced. Based on the working principle, monitoring system, theoretical analysis, experimental research and engineering application of the fiber seepage monitoring technology, the present situation of dam seepage monitoring based on distributed fiber is reviewed in detail and their advantages and disadvantages are compared.

The thermal monitoring technology of seepage measurement depends on the accuracy of optical fiber temperature measurement (including the accuracy of the system and the rationality of the discrimination method), the correct installation of optical fiber and the quantitative analysis of temperature data. The accuracy of the current monitoring system can basically meet the existing measurement requirements, but the correct installation of optical fiber and the calibration of temperature data need to be further studied for different discrimination methods, and this field has great research value.

At present, there are many applications and research studies of optical fiber sensing in the field of structural health monitoring, and there are also reviews of related aspects. However, there is little or no review only in the field of seepage monitoring. This paper summarizes the research and application of optical fiber sensing in the field of seepage monitoring. The possibility of the gradient method to find its new prospect with the development of monitoring systems and the improvement of temperature resolution is discussed. The idea of extending the seepage monitoring method based on distributed optical fiber thermal monitoring technology to other monitoring fields is also given in the paper.

Laparoscopic surgeons suffer because of discomfited body posture while performing surgery and experience discomfort owing to lack of customized surgical instruments. Accordingly, this paper aims to recommend an individual customization strategy by developing an ergonomically designed laparoscopic forceps handle and thereby increase the comfort of surgeons.

Hand anthropometric parameters of 282 south Indian male subjects are used to customize the handle. uPrint and Objet260 Connex, which works based on fused deposition modeling and PolyJet, respectively, are used to fabricate the prototype of the handle. Design modifications include a pistol-type grip, the increased contact area between the hand and handle, and neutral wrist posture.

Ergonomic evaluation parameters such as grip, functionality, comfort and wrist posture using subjective ratings from laparoscopic surgeons were recorded and obtained average values of 4.1, 3.6, 4.1 and 4.1, respectively, based on a five-point ordinal scale. Additionally, stress analysis also confirms the safety of the handle based on von Mises stress criteria.

Anthropometric data are limited to 282 subjects and subjective evaluation is conducted using a prototype, not the end-use product.

Evaluation using subjective rating confirms the ascendancy of a modified handle over the existing handle in terms of assessed parameters. The proposed individual customization strategy can be applied for other industrial hand tools to enhance comfort.

There is a huge diversity among change initiatives, which range from streamlining single processes to corporate‐scale strategic restructuring. Accordingly, there is also similar diversity in the drivers and reasons for launching projects, as well as in results and tracers of projects. The reengineering literature has focused on operational improvement of a business process. More recently, the scope of process management has widened to examine the relation of strategic goals and the objectives of change projects. It seems to be that sometimes the drivers for starting a change project and tracers of the projects do not match. The results are often more limited in scope, than the objectives. Examines these relationships through 38 case studies. The results show that in all cases where the drives and tracers did not match, the shift was toward lower level results and tracers. Most apparently, this could be observed in projects aiming at changing business strategies, but with the result of updating information systems infrastructures. Develops a framework for analysing efficient matches of different types of drivers and tracers in development projects. The framework distinguishes between projects aiming at changing the business and those seeking to change processes. These can be further divided into classes according to objectives and results.

The RAF method for regulation, assessment, follow‐up and continuous improvement of quality of care was developed in Israel in the late 1980s by the Quality of Care Unit at the JDC‐Brookdale Institute. The goal of the RAF method is to continuously increase the level of quality in organizations providing any kind of a service. This article presents the developmental processes for the method’s adaptation to a specific regulatory service – its structuring, implementation and assimilation – based on our experience in developing and implementing the RAF method in Israel. It describes how the RAF method encourages the development of reliable data bases, adaptation of the organizational structure, and introduction of a positive ideology that together promote changes leading to continuous improvement in quality of care.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of reflexivity in ensuring quality in the conduct of qualitative organizational and management (especially case study based) strategic performance management research. It argues the importance of research reports to include a reflexive account of the comings and goings about the circumstances that may have impacted upon the research to justify its validity. A project on UK‐regulated public utilities is used to illustrate the benefit of such an account and how it may be presented.

The paper draws on a two‐year longitudinal research project, which used longitudinal case studies to examine the impact of regulatory policy incentives on the strategic management of UK monopoly network utilities, to present a developed approach for presenting reflexive accounts in qualitative research. It focuses on the longitudinal tracer methodology that allows a close examination of detailed yet holistic operational activities, which is particularly good for strategic performance management research.

The paper suggests that the more explicit the reflexive appreciation during the conduct of the research, the better it satisfies the conditions of reliability and validity which are themselves well‐known prerequisites for ensuring quality in qualitative research.

Strategic performance management research is characterised by a need to examine closely detailed internal decision‐making processes. Such an approach is supported by the emerging activity‐based view of management, known as strategy‐as‐practice, that concerns understanding micro‐activities of the organization. The provision of a reflexive account in research reports alerts the reader to these equivocal conditions under which the findings were derived.

The paper concludes that an appreciation of the epistemological and ontological positions of the tracer methodology has an impact upon the way in which a reflexive account of organizational research should appropriately be presented. It suggests some potential issues to include in the presentation of reflexive accounts.

ALTHOUGH the radioactive tracer technique has been known for many years, it is only recently that the production of a wide variety of artificially produced radioactive isotopes has opened up this field of research to all industries. Many firms may be prejudiced against adopting this new technique, because of possible dangers to personnel, lack of trained staff or an inadequate knowledge of the subject, but in many cases the advantages over ordinary methods are so great that it is worth while overcoming these prejudices.