bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tomorrow's workplace: a futures approach using prospective through scenarios
Authors: Saurin Ruth , Ratcliffe John , Puybaraud Marie 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe changes now being experienced in the workplace, driven by market pressures, changing demographics and new technologies, are real and accelerating. Since change remains the one constant when it comes to workplace planning, further transformations within the workplace over the next 20 or 30 years can be expected. Hence, this paper aims to demonstrate how to use a scenario planning futures approach in a changing, complex and uncertain workplace environment. As well as provoke thought and discussion about its long‐term future.Design/methodology/approachAt the Futures Academy in Dublin Institute of Technology, a systematic methodology for exploring and shaping the future has been developed, called the “Prospective through scenario” process. Each stage of the process is discussed in detail throughout this paper, as well as how the process is applied in the Johnson Controls workplace of the future study.FindingsThe creative “futures studies” approach can deal effectively with change, uncertainty and complexity in the workplace environment, by allowing those concerned to think, plan and act proactively rather than reactively as well as provide effective facilities management and real estate strategies.Practical implicationsReal estate organisations need to take the long view, for the greatest risk of our time is being overtaken by inevitable surprises that could have been foreseen and for which we could have been prepared.Originality/valueDiscussion and debate about the future of the workplace is inevitable and futures tools and techniques can facilitate this process.
The Welcoming Workplace: designing for ageing knowledge workers
Authors: Erlich Alma , Bichard Jo‐Anne 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to assess the needs of older knowledge workers with implications to the planning and design of office environments for this growing workplace demographic.Design/methodology/approachExploratory, user‐centred research focused on the design of the work environment was undertaken with older knowledge workers in the UK headquarters of a global organisation. A multi‐disciplinary group of designers, architects and applied social researchers utilised an integrated method approach, including interviews, group discussions and design interventions in the workplace.FindingsMatching the needs of older knowledge workers with the open plan office space, it is found that the workplace provides well for collaboration and teamwork activities, but fails to provide an adequate environment for tasks requiring concentration, ways of working that are alternative to the computer, and rest and recuperation.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample of the study is small and based on a “case study” of older workers in one large organisation, and does more to highlight questions and limits the certainty of generalisation. The study has intentionally chosen to limit its inquiry to the experience of older knowledge workers, and therefore can only assume that younger workers may have many of the same needs.Originality/valueIn the context of two major shifts within work, namely, the progressive aging workforce and the move towards a knowledge economy, the study tackles an urgent need to re‐evaluate current office workspace and suggests ways of accommodating it to the requirements of older knowledge workers.
Drilling the LibQUAL+® data for strategic planning
Authors: Stewart Saunders E. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the development of reliable assessment data to support strategic planning among Purdue University Libraries.Design/methodology/approachA LibQUAL+® survey was designed to enable the data gathered to be drilled down into by subgroup. Radar charts demonstrated both consistent themes as well as differences in use patterns between the different colleges, and between undergraduates, graduates and faculty. Detailed analysis of the resultant data was then used to support the strategic planning process.FindingsSubsequent enquiry among the Strategic Planning Group showed that the survey had had a major impact on the process, which led to scrapping of the first draft of the plan, and greatly informed the second draft.Originality/valueThis paper shows the practical applicability of LibQUAL+® data to support strategic planning, replacing hunches and intuitive knowledge about patron opinion with hard facts.
SEC holds round‐table on fair value accounting and auditing standards
Authors: Friedmann Thomas J. , Zacharski Anthony H. , Bancroft Margaret A. , Mulvihill Roger , Reading Susan A. , Williams Robert J. , Rosenblat Alan 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to summarize and analyze the SEC's July 9, 2008 roundtable discussion regarding fair value accounting and auditing standards.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses investor, auditor/accountant/actuary, and corporation views concerning the usefulness of fair value accounting, potential market behavior effects from fair value accounting, challenges in applying fair value standards, possible improvement to the current standards, and working with auditors who provide assurance for fair value accounting.FindingsSome investor panelists said fair value provides investors with the most current and relevant information of any accounting method and some believe fair valuation is important for market integrity and trust because it is a transparent measure for valuation. Auditors are especially challenged in determining fair values in illiquid or frozen markets. Roundtable participants viewed disclosure as critical for implementation of fair valuation, particularly regarding key inputs and assumptions. Auditors and corporations would like more guidance on applying fair value accounting from the SEC and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.Originality/valueThe paper provides expert guidance by experienced securities lawyers.
Pleading scienter after Tellabs in Section 10(b) cases generally and in the “subprime” context
Authors: Jacobs Caryn , Strauss Jeffrey M. , Tharp John J. , Agonis Katherine 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact the US Supreme Court's Tellabs decision has had on Section 10 (b) cases generally and on cases related to subprime mortgage‐backed securities.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides background including provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (PSLRA) of 1995. Analyzes the decision in Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issue & Rights, Ltd, recent decisions since Tellabs by the the Second, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits, and decisions in two recent subprime securities cases in which defendants moved to dismiss pursuant to Tellabs; and draws preliminary conclusions from cases that have applied Tellabs so far.FindingsThe PSLRA raised the bar for pleading scienter by requiring a “strong inference”, but the courts of appeals have differed in applying the standard. The Tellabs decision asserted that the PSLRA requires consideration of competing inferences in determination of whether scienter is adequately pleaded. The Supreme Court's “prescription” said the inference of scienter must be more than merely “reasonable” or “permissible”; it must seem to a reasonable person to be at least as cogent and compelling as any opposing inference. One lesson of Tellabs and the Seventh Circuit's decision on remand is that the “plausibility” of scienter allegations requires a fact‐specific inquiry. The Ninth Circuit court found that “deliberate recklessness” is sufficient to allege scienter. In one of the subprime cases, In re 2007 Novastar Financial, Inc., a district court found that a deterioration of a company's business was not evidence of wrongdoing. It is difficult – and premature – to draw firm conclusions from cases that have applied Tellabs so far, but requiring courts to consider competing inferences, requiring the pleadings in question to satisfy more “adjectives”, and requiring the “weighing” of inferences at the pleadings stage would all appear to help defendants. However, Tellabs could help plaintiffs by reversing previous practice in which a “tie” between competing inferences automatically resulted in a victory for the defendant.Originality/valueThe paper offers practical guidance by experienced securities lawyers.
ANN and fuzzy logic controller design for hybrid wind/PV system connected to MV distribution grid
Authors: Skretas Sotirios B. , Papadopoulos Demetrios P. , Singh S.N. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a systematic design procedure along with modeling and simulation of a medium‐scale centralized dc‐bus grid connected hybrid (wind turbine (WT) and photovoltaic (PV)) power system (GCHWPPS) for supplying electric power to a three‐phase medium voltage distribution grid.Design/methodology/approachThe design, modeling, simulation and control of the GCHWPPS are achieved by using Simulink/MATLAB environment.FindingsThe case study shows that the proposed system configuration along with the suggested control schemes achieve rapidly, accurately, stably and simultaneously four objectives, i.e. maximum power point tracking of WT and photovoltaic generator, dc voltage regulation/stabilization at the input of the inverter, and high electric power quality injected into the grid from the inverter, fulfilling all necessary practical interconnection requirements while providing additional load power factor correction.Originality/valueAn effective intelligent dynamic control method is used to a proposed GCHWPPS configuration to simultaneously achieve the four mentioned practical objectives while meeting the grid requirements.
A reflective analysis of the development of a regional workplace health strategy in the North West of England
Authors: Dooris M. , Sedgley L. , Dugdill L. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThis paper sets out to provide an overview of the development processes, key drivers and the impact of a workplace health strategy developed in the North West of England, between 2005 and 2007. The strategy is led by a Regional Workplace Health Co‐ordinator (funded for two years by regional‐level bodies), and is aimed at a broad range of stakeholders across every layer of influence.Design/methodology/approachThe paper consists of narrative which was co‐constructed by the Guest Editor (third author of the paper) and the co‐authors of the original strategy (first and second authors of the paper). A reflective interview was conducted with the first and second authors, who were interviewed by the third author in the summer of 2008. This interview was transcribed verbatim and then used to co‐construct the paper that follows. The key questions that the narrative was designed to answer were: why and how was the strategy developed? What was the interplay between national and regional levels of the system? What was the value/impact of the strategy?FindingsThe strategy provided an important platform from which regional players could develop actions that would, in the long term, positively influence the health of workers in the region. The scope and breadth of the regional strategy further informed national developments, but its effective delivery within the North West region was seriously hampered by the lack of co‐ordination, governance and ownership. The long‐term impacts of the strategy are not being measured as no funding was available for its evaluation.Originality/valueAlthough many workplace health strategies have been developed, few are ever critically evaluated.
The Greek construction sector: an overview of recent developments
Authors: Karousos Evaggelos , Vlamis Prodromos 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to present a review of the developments in the Greek construction sector since the year 2000.Design/methodology/approachThe Greek construction sector – one of the most dynamic sectors of the Greek economy – grew quite strongly over the last decade. The paper follows a rather more descriptive approach to examine and analyse the factors that significantly boosted construction activity in Greece since the year 2000. It also studies and critically analyses the extent to which the Greek macro‐environment (legal‐political, economic, socio‐cultural, technological and demographic), as part of a broader nexus of domestic and global dynamics, affects construction companies.FindingsThe results indicate that the domestic and global macro‐environment have a substantial effect to the market participants in the Greek construction sector. The ability of the Greek construction companies to deal with, and in some cases take advantage of, the constantly changing domestic and global macro‐environment is expected to crucially affect their future viability and success.Practical implicationsThis analysis of the Greek construction sector should be useful for industry professionals, policy‐makers and real estate lenders.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, none of the existing studies in this area provides systematic treatment of the state of the macro‐environment as a contributory factor in explaining the performance of the Greek construction companies. The authors believe that this issue is an important one, especially in the case of industries such as construction, which is prone to cyclical activity.
An estimating method for IP traffic matrix based on generalized inverse matrix
Authors: Shang Fengjun 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present research in the area of the applications of the generalized inverse matrix in IP traffic matrix.Design/methodology/approachTraffic matrices are important for many network design, engineering, and management functions. However, they are often difficult to measure directly. Because networks are dynamic, analysis tools must be adaptive and computationally lightweight. In order to manage the whole network, a novel calculating model is proposed based on the generalized inverse matrix. In this model, a generalized inverse matrix is introduced to resolve the traffic matrix equation. But if so, the error is raised. In order to improve the method, an original traffic matrix is estimated according to the prior, for example, Poisson model. To acquire the optimized solutions, linear programming is introduced. Through both theoretical analysis and simulating results, it is shown that the proposed algorithm achieves better performance than the existing representative methods.FindingsThis paper illustrates the useful information that can be obtained using generalized inverse matrix for incomplete data estimation.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of generalized inverse matrix was a very effective method to calculate IP traffic matrix.Practical implicationsThe algorithms discussed in the paper can be used to estimate solutions of an ill‐posed linear inverse equation.Originality/valueThe paper is of value in proposing an estimation method for IP traffic matrix using generalized inverse matrix.
Quality and reporting of trial design in scientific papers in Anaesthesia over 25 years
Authors: Langford R. A. , Huang G. H. , Leslie K. 
Published: November 2008

SummaryWe determined how the quality of trial design and its reporting in scientific papers published in Anaesthesia has changed in the last 25 years. All articles between the years 1983–87 and 2003–07 were reviewed and classified according to methodology. Reporting and trial design of all prospective, comparative clinical interventional trials were compared between the two time periods using 12 criteria. Fewer articles now originate from the United Kingdom and Ireland than 25 years ago. Although fewer human interventional trials are now published in Anaesthesia, the quality of these trials has improved in terms of study design, bias control and proper disclosure. Significant improvements were observed in all criteria of trial design except for the declaration of non‐primary adverse outcomes and the minimisation of the risk of type I errors. Further improvements could still be made with respect to sample size calculation, description of the method of randomisation, and blinding.
Expression of DLK1 splice variants during porcine adipocyte development in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Samulin J. , Berg P. R. , Sundvold H. , Grindflek E. , Lien S. 
Published: November 2008

SummaryDelta‐like 1 (DLK1) belongs to the epidermal growth factor‐like transmembrane protein family and is involved in the regulation of adipogenesis. Several splice variants of DLK1 have been identified in various species, of which two have been previously identified in pig. Here, we present two novel porcine DLK1 splice variants DLK1A and DLK1C. The gene expression profile of these variants together with the previously described DLK1B and DLK1C2 variants was studied in adipose tissue depots of pigs and during adipocyte differentiation in vitro. The short DLK1C and DLK1C2 transcripts were most abundantly expressed and their expression was reduced during porcine adipogenesis.
Relationship between HIV protease inhibitors and QTc interval duration in HIV‐infected patients: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Charbit Beny , Rosier Arnaud , Bollens Diane , Boccara Franck , Boelle Pierre‐Yves , Koubaa Afef , Girard Pierre‐Marie , Funck‐Brentano Christian 
Published: November 2008

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • The risks of torsade de pointes and QTc prolongation in HIV patients have been reported.• Authors have shown that four protease inhibitors (PIs) blocked human ether‐a‐go‐go‐related gene (hERG), the current that underlies QTc prolongation and drug‐induced proarrhythmia, and have also reported cases of torsades and suggested that PIs were responsible for these adverse events.• This earlier paper has had a major impact on the perception of the arrhythmogenic risk associated with PIs, and regulatory agencies in Europe and the USA have modified the labelling of PIs accordingly. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • The present study provides alternative explanations for QTc prolongation in a cohort of HIV patients and reports ECG abnormalities found in such patients.• It does not confirm that PIs play a significant role in QTc interval prolongation in HIV patients.• In contrast, it shows that QTc prolongation is related to common causes and to the duration of HIV infection rather than to anti‐HIV treatments.AIMSQTc interval prolongation and torsades de pointes have been reported in HIV‐infected patients. Protease inhibitors (PIs) are suspected to contribute to this adverse reaction. However, many factors can prolong QTc interval. We examined factors influencing QTc duration in HIV‐infected patients.METHODSUnselected HIV‐infected patients (n = 978) were enrolled in this prospective, single‐centre cross‐sectional study. Variables related to infection and treatments were collected. A digital electrocardiographic record was recorded in each patient and QT interval duration was measured and corrected using both Bazett's (QTcB) and Fridericia's (QTcF) formula. Results were analysed with a multivariable linear model.RESULTSAfter excluding arrhythmias and complete bundle branch blocks, QT interval was measured in 956 patients. The mean (SD) QTcB was 418 ms (23) and QTcF was 405 ms (20). QTc was found prolonged (>450 ms in women and >440 ms in men) in 129 [13.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 11.5, 15.8] and 38 (4%; 95% CI 2.9, 5.4) patients using Bazett and Fridericia corrections, respectively. On multivariable analysis, incomplete bundle branch block, ventricular hypertrophy, signs of ischaemic cardiopathy, female gender, White ethnic origin and age were significantly associated with QTc prolongation. The only HIV variable independently associated with QTc prolongation was the duration of infection (P = 0.023). After adjustment, anti‐HIV treatment, in particular PI (P = 0.99), was not associated with QTc prolongation.CONCLUSIONSAlthough PIs block in vitro hERG current, they are not independently associated with QTc interval prolongation. Prolonged QTc interval in HIV‐infected patients is primarily associated with factors commonly known to prolong QT and with the duration of HIV infection.
The use and potential abuse of anticholinergic antiparkinson drugs in Norway: a pharmacoepidemiological study
Authors: Gjerden Pål , Bramness Jørgen G. , Slørdal Lars 
Published: November 2008

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Anticholinergic antiparkinson drugs are used to ameliorate extrapyramidal symptoms caused by either Parkinson's disease or antipsychotic drugs, but their use in the treatment of Parkinson's disease is assumed to be in decline.• Patients with psychotic conditions have a high prevalence of abuse of drugs, including anticholinergic antiparkinson drugs. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • Anticholinergic antiparkinson drugs in Norway were primarily prescribed to patients using antipsychotic medication.• The risk of abuse of this group of drugs was small, even among patients who probably abused other drugs.AIMSThe use of anticholinergic antiparkinson drugs is assumed to have shifted from the therapy of Parkinson's disease to the amelioration of extrapyramidal adverse effects induced by antipsychotic drugs. There is a considerable body of data suggesting that anticholinergic antiparkinson drugs have a potential for abuse. The aim was to investigate the use and potential abuse of this class of drugs in Norway.METHODSData were drawn from the Norwegian Prescription Database on sales to a total of 73 964 patients in 2004 of biperiden and orphenadrine, and use in patients with Parkinson's disease or in patients who were also prescribed antipsychotic agents. Possible abuse of these drugs was assessed by the level of use, skewedness of use, indications of drug‐seeking behaviour and concomitant use of benzodiazepine tranquillizers, a group of prescription drugs with a recognized potential for abuse.RESULTSAnticholinergic antiparkinson drugs were prescribed to 4.5% of all outpatients who used antipsychotic drugs. This outnumbered sales to patients with Parkinson's disease by >20 to 1. We found indications of abuse of benzodiazepine tranquillizers among patients using antipsychotics, but there were no clear indications of abuse of anticholinergics, even among patients who were strongly suspected of abuse of benzodiazepines.CONCLUSIONSAnticholinergic antiparkinson drugs were used primarily by patients with psychotic illnesses. These patients have a very high prevalence of legal and illegal drug abuse, but the risk of abuse of anticholinergic antiparkinson drugs seemed small.