A Situational Alignment Framework for PACS

This paper reports the outcomes of a study on an integrated situational alignment framework for picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) labeled as PISA. Following the design research cycle, complementary validation methods and pilot cases were used to assess the proposed framework and its operationalized survey. In this paper, the authors outline (a) the process of the framework’ development, (b) the validation process with its underlying iterative steps, (c) the outcomes of pilot cases, and (d) improvement opportunities to refine and further validate the PISA framework. Results of this study support empirical application of the framework to hospital enterprises in order to gain insights into their PACS maturity and alignment. We argue that the framework can be applied as a valuable tool for assessments, monitoring and benchmarking purposes and strategic PACS planning

Modeling of negative Poisson’s ratio (auxetic) crystalline cellulose Iβ

Energy minimizations for unstretched and stretched cellulose models using an all-atom empirical force field (Molecular Mechanics) have been performed to investigate the mechanism for auxetic (negative Poisson’s ratio) response in crystalline cellulose Iβ from kraft cooked Norway spruce. An initial investigation to identify an appropriate force field led to a study of the structure and elastic constants from models employing the CVFF force field. Negative values of on-axis Poisson’s ratios nu31 and nu13 in the x1-x3 plane containing the chain direction (x3) were realized in energy minimizations employing a stress perpendicular to the hydrogen-bonded cellobiose sheets to simulate swelling in this direction due to the kraft cooking process. Energy minimizations of structural evolution due to stretching along the x3 chain direction of the ‘swollen’ (kraft cooked) model identified chain rotation about the chain axis combined with inextensible secondary bonds as the most likely mechanism for auxetic response

Do facilities matter?: The influence of facility satisfaction on perceived labour productivity of office employee

Purpose: Companies spend a lot of money to provide facilities such as a nice, effective and efficient building, well designed ergonomic furniture, sophisticated IT, cleaning services, catering, and safety services. Both from a theoretical perspective as well as from a managerial point of view, it is important to know if and how strongly facilities do affect employee satisfaction and labour productivity. The paper discusses the results of research on this issue.Methods: A brief review of literature and statistical analyses of a database of the Delft Center for People and Buildings, with 2197 respondents from 17 different office environments. The database includes data from Diagnostic Post-Occupancy Evaluations on user satisfaction with regard to the organization, working processes, the office concept and a number of facilities.Findings: Most annual and biannual surveys among Dutch office employees use questionnaires with hardly any questions about the physical environment. Statistical analyses of the Delft database showed a significant but weak correlation between user satisfaction on facilities and self estimated percentage of time that one is being productive. Much stronger correlations came up when satisfaction about facilities is linked to users’ perceptions of the supporting impact of the working environment on ones own productivity.Implications: The results showed statistical support for the added value of facility provisions. But other variables have their impact, too. A more intensive co-operation between scholars, facility managers and Human Resource managers may help to improve our understanding of the complex relationships between the working environment and perceived labour productivity

Electronic decision support for procurement management : evidence on whether computers can make better procurement decisions

We analyse how well purchasing managers are able to judge the likelihood of problems for a given purchasing transaction. The literature on clinical versus statistical prediction suggests that humans in general, including purchasing managers, are often outperformed by relatively simple statistical formulas for such kinds of tasks. Based on a vignette experiment of real purchasing transactions, we compare the performance of purchasing managers with freshmen students and with a statistical formula based on a cross-validated sample. The results show that the formula outperforms the humans, and that experienced purchasing managers do not outperform freshmen students. We conclude that it would make sense to use decision support systems in the daily practice of purchase management so that humans can devote their time to what they are good at, while being guided by statistical software that takes care of multi-dimensional decisions in noisy environments

Do facilities matter?: The influence of facility satisfaction on perceived labour productivity of office employee

Purpose: Companies spend a lot of money to provide facilities such as a nice, effective and efficient building, well designed ergonomic furniture, sophisticated IT, cleaning services, catering, and safety services. Both from a theoretical perspective as well as from a managerial point of view, it is important to know if and how strongly facilities do affect employee satisfaction and labour productivity. The paper discusses the results of research on this issue.Methods: A brief review of literature and statistical analyses of a database of the Delft Center for People and Buildings, with 2197 respondents from 17 different office environments. The database includes data from Diagnostic Post-Occupancy Evaluations on user satisfaction with regard to the organization, working processes, the office concept and a number of facilities.Findings: Most annual and biannual surveys among Dutch office employees use questionnaires with hardly any questions about the physical environment. Statistical analyses of the Delft database showed a significant but weak correlation between user satisfaction on facilities and self estimated percentage of time that one is being productive. Much stronger correlations came up when satisfaction about facilities is linked to users’ perceptions of the supporting impact of the working environment on ones own productivity.Implications: The results showed statistical support for the added value of facility provisions. But other variables have their impact, too. A more intensive co-operation between scholars, facility managers and Human Resource managers may help to improve our understanding of the complex relationships between the working environment and perceived labour productivity.Real Estate Managemen

A Balanced Evaluation Perspective: Picture Archiving and Communication System Impacts on Hospital Workflow

Around the world, hospitals are faced with both budget and regulatory pressures, forcing them to re-examine the way clinical practice is carried out. Proposed technologies that provide workflow enhancements include Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS); however, is PACS really effective in improving hospital workflow and the flow onto patient care, and how should this be evaluated? An acknowledged and successful approach for organizational evaluation is the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), providing the fundamental features for assessing organizations from various perspectives. In this research, the impact of PACS on the workflow of a large public hospital in Melbourne, Australia, is examined using an adapted version of the BSC. Empirically, this model was applied as an evaluation instrument through a series of in-depth interviews with PACS users. Results show that PACS did improve hospital workflow considerably and that the organizational alignment of PACS in hospitals is an important critical success factor