Improving Working Lives

Department of Health (2000a). Improving Working Lives. London. 

Transforming disparate processes into processes that are simple to understand, easy to execute, and provide a sense of accomplishment meet one of management s obligations to staff. Staff interest lies in the ability to perform their work, contribute to continuous improvement, and have a reasonable work-life balance. Finally, they want to be able to contribute to their careers, have defined career paths, and have attainable development goals for advancement. A well-designed quality management system can contribute to provide all these employee benefits. 

Many specialists in SRVs and systems agree that as a practical matter, conventional PHA methods are not always the most effective tools for evaluating pressure relief systems. They also conclude that the pressure relief system design process could be improved. Working closely with a lot of the design firms, I concluded that they merely try to comply with the codes at a minimum cost and care very little about LCC (life cycle cost) of the components. This puts pressure later on the end users maintenance departments usually, these employees have little or no input in the selection of design components whose problems ultimately end up in their laps. In my opinion, it is recommended that, in order to reduce this deficiency rate, the industry should adopt a more equipment-based approach to pressure relief system design and maintenance... 

About the Author Dr. Chui is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. She earned a B.A. in biological sciences from the University of California, Davis, a Pharm.D. from Creighton University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in pharmacy administration from Purdue University. Her areas of research focus on identifying and disseminating evidence to prove the worth of community pharmacists in the overall health care system and improving the work life for community pharmacists so that they can focus on patient care. 

Concentration of an analyte prior to measurement may be necessary where the level is likely to be dose to or below the practical detection limit of the technique to be used. Solvent extraction and ion-exchange may be used for this purpose. Where a complex and/or contaminated ( dirty ) sample is to be analysed, a clean-up procedure is often employed before determination of the analyte(s). This is designed to avoid interference by other components of the sample, i.e. the matrix, and is particularly desirable prior to a gas or liquid chromatographic separation as the quality of the chromatography can be greatly improved and the working life of the column extended. 

In order to become a viable alternative, MIP-based assays need to offer an added value to the conventional antibody-based immunoassays. Some characteristics of the MIP-based assays are summarised in Table 14.1. Superior characteristics of MIPS in comparison to antibodies are observed with respect to chemical, mechanical and thermal stability. The MIPs are compatible with autoclave conditions (120°C, 20 min) and are unaffected by acid and base treatment [7]. In fact, to achieve as complete removal of imprint molecules as possible, in the author s laboratory it is routine to include a wash step with 5 M sodium hydroxide in the MIP synthesis work-up protocol. The possibility of using a wider range of assay solvents, namely both aqueous and organic solvents, enables the solubility of the analyte to be assured and problems with non-specific adsorption minimised. Furthermore, high polymer stability leads to improved shelf life, where the MIP can be stored for several years in the dry state at ambient temperatures. 

The additions of hydrated lime and sodium silicate solution in the high-alkali mix (Table 1) accompKsh two purposes (1) they help maintain a level glue viscosity for a longer adhesive working life, and (2) they improve the water resistance of the cured glue film by forming some insoluble proteinates [22]. 

Over the years a number of denaturants or cross-linkers have been added to soybean glues to improve their water resistance, working life, and consistency. These may be roughly categorized as formaldehyde donors, sulfur compounds, and inorganic complexing salts. 

The final addition of hexamethylenetetramine illustrates the use of a formaldehyde donor to partially denature or cross-link the dispersed proteins. This adds further granular character to the mixed glue, lengthens its working life, and improves the water and mold resistance of the cured adhesive film. 

---