The Importance of Risk Management: What is Missing in ISO Standards?

The overall aim of this article is to contribute to the further development of the area of risk analysis and risk management in the International Organization for for Standardization (ISO) standards by strengthening its scientific basis. Industrial standards, especially ISO standards, are the tools organizations use to manage their risk, through following their guidance and complying with their requirements. Organizations confirm their compliance with these standards through certification, which means that they heavily depend upon the quality of the ISO standards to enable them to effectively manage their risk.

Vascular plant colonisation of Surtsey Island (1965-1990) - a dataset.

Background: The process of ecosystem development over time that takes place on a new substrate devoid of biological activity (such as, for example, lava) is called primary succession. Research on primary succession is not easy, as it is limited to rare occasions when a piece of land totally lacking in any pre-existing life occurs. The emergence of volcanic islands is such an occasion; it is a unique event that allows a natural experiment in the study of colonisation processes and primary succession.

The dynamics of intracellular water constrains glycolytic oscillations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We explored the dynamic coupling of intracellular water with metabolism in yeast cells. Using the polarity-sensitive probe 6-acetyl-2-dimethylaminonaphthalene (ACDAN), we show that glycolytic oscillations in the yeast S. cerevisiae BY4743 wild-type strain are coupled to the generalized polarization (GP) function of ACDAN, which measures the physical state of intracellular water.

[Endocarditis in Iceland 2000-2009, a national survey incidence, microbiology and prognosis].

Introduction: The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence, clinical features, microbiology and prognosis of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) in Iceland, and to compare the results with a previous study made in Iceland 1976-85.

Material And Methods: A retrospective study including all patients diagnosed with IE in Iceland 2000-2009. Information was obtained from medical records.

European regulation on orphan medicinal products: 10 years of experience and future perspectives.

In 2000, regulation on orphan medicinal products was adopted in the European Union with the aim of benefiting patients who suffer from serious, rare conditions for which there is currently no satisfactory treatment. Since then, more than 850 orphan drug designations have been granted by the European Commission based on a positive opinion from the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP), and more than 60 orphan drugs have received marketing authorization in Europe. Here, stimulated by the tenth anniversary of the COMP, we reflect on the outcomes and experience gained in the past decade, and contemplate issues for the future, such as catalysing drug development for the large number of rare diseases that still lack effective treatments.