Full Collection of ASC X9 Financial Industry Standards Now Available on ANSI Webstore
In partnership with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Accredited Standards Committee X9 (ASC X9) has centralized its collection of financial industry standards on ANSI's eStandardsStore.
An ANSI-accredited standards developer since 1984, ASC X9 develops, maintains, and promotes standards for the financial services industry in order to facilitate the delivery of financial services and products. ASC X9 also serves as the secretariat for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 68, Banking and Financial.
The ASC X9 collection includes more than 150 American National Standards (ANS), technical reports, and other relevant documents. ASC X9's ANS include guidance on payments (card and checks), securities, credit, and security for the financial services industry.
New Website from American Chemistry Council for Homeowners, Builders, Contractors
Professional builders and weekend do-it-yourselfers alike will benefit from a new health and safety website for spray polyurethane (SPF) launched by ANSI member and accredited standards developer the American Chemistry Council (ACC).
Because of its high thermal resistance and flexibility, SPF is growing in popularity as an insulation material. Whether you're a homeowner hiring someone to install SPF for you, or a SPF contractor, builder, or weatherization professional, the site provides helpful information and important safety guidelines that should be followed during application. Look to the site for videos, guidance materials, posters, and more on the safe use and handling of SPF.
The site is a joint initiative of ACC's Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) and the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance.
NIST Backs International Proposal for a Revamped System of Measurement
Taking the first steps of what could be a major revamp of the modern metric system, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is participating in an international effort to recommend major revisions to the International System of Units (SI). From the well-known meter to the more elusive mole, the SI forms the basis of global measurements in commerce, science, and other aspects of everyday life.
The most significant revision would address the kilogram, the only one of the SI's seven base units still defined in terms of a material "artifact": a 130-year-old platinum-iridium cylinder maintained at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France. The artifact poses problems over the long term because its mass changes slightly over time. Currently, in addition to the unit of mass, the definitions of the ampere (electric current), mole (amount of substance), and candela (luminous intensity) also depend on the kilogram artifact. Under the new SI, the kilogram would be defined in terms of the Planck constant h, an important constant in quantum physics.
The new SI would be based on seven constants of nature, and would enable researchers worldwide to express the results of measurements with greater consistency and accuracy. The new system would specify agreed-upon values of the seven constants according to the results of an analysis published by the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA). Before the revised SI can be implemented, however, additional experiments are needed to obtain more accurate values for some of the constants.
The Consultative Committee for Units, of which NIST is a member, submitted a draft resolution for a revised SI for consideration by the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) earlier this month. The CIPM in turn will submit the resolution for consideration at the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) during its October 2011 meeting. If the resolution passes and all the technical requirements are in place, a new SI could be in practice later this decade.