Big Data in organizations: Taking stock of the adoption of Big Data applications in and their impact on organizations in the Netherlands

As digital infrastructures, IT systems and Big Data have been transforming how firms, industries, and ecosystems operate (Bharadwaj et al. 2013), researchers in turn have begun to explore how rapidly advancing digitalization changes the dynamic of value creation at the firm and industry levels (Nambisan & Sawhney, 2011) and how it changes organizational designs (Galbraith 2014). As a field, however, “organization studies has only just started to problematize the fundamental inter-relation of digital technology, media and organizing” and we lack sound data about the actual breadth and depth of these changes. This study therefore explores the state of the implementation of Big Data applications in a wide range of organizations in the Netherlands as one of the most advanced societies in Europe when it comes to digitalization and the impact on organizational structures and processes. We present results from a questionnaire among 210 organizations and 15 qualitative interviews. Our findings show that most organizations are still in an experimental phase at best and that we can observe an evolutionary model of technology adoption

Evaluation of image-guided and surface-guided radiotherapy for breast cancer patients treated in deep inspiration breath-hold: A single institution experience

Introduction: Nowadays, deep inspiratory breath-hold is a common technique to reduce heart dose in left-sided breast radiotherapy. This study evaluates the evolution of the breath-hold technique in our institute, from portal imaging during dose delivery to continuous monitoring with surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT). Materials and methods: Setup data and portal imaging results were analyzed for 98 patients treated before 2014, and SGRT data for 228 patients treated between 2018 and 2020. For the pre-SGRT group, systematic and random setup errors were calculated for different correction protocols. Residual errors and reproducibility of breath-holds were evaluated for both groups. The benefit of using SGRT for initial positioning was evaluated for another cohort of 47 patients. Results: Online correction reduced the population mean error from 3.9 mm (no corrections) to 1.4 mm. Despite online setup correction, deviations greater than 3 mm were observed in about 10% and 20% of the treatment beams in ventral-dorsal and cranial-caudal directions, respectively. However, these percentages were much smaller than with offline protocols or no corrections. Mean absolute differences between breath-holds within a fraction were smaller in the SGRT-group (1.69 mm) than in the pre-SGRT-group (2.10 mm), and further improved with addition of visual feedback (1.30 mm). SGRT for positioning did not improve setup accuracy, but slightly reduced the time for imaging and setup correction, allowing completion within 3.5 min for 95% of fractions. Conclusion: For accurate radiotherapy breast treatments using deep inspiration breath-hold, daily imaging and correction is required. SGRT provides accurate information on patient positioning during treatment and improves patient compliance with visual feedback

The Prison of the Future? An Evaluation of an Innovative Prison Design in the Netherlands

Contains fulltext : 121858.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)In this article, the authors present an evaluation of a new high-tech jail in the Netherlands. The prison is build around a number of significant innovations, such as inmates staying in six-person cells, inmates wearing electronic wristbands to track their movements, and guards being equipped with handheld devices to monitor trouble. According to the public authorities, the prison is seen as the future of correctional facilities: cheap and efficient, while at the same time not coddling criminals or violating their fundamental rights. The subject of the present study is employee effectiveness and safety in this new type of prison.18 p