Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Performance Indicators (performance + indicator)
Kinds of Performance Indicators Selected AbstractsImpact of Scribes on Performance Indicators in the Emergency DepartmentACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 5 2010Rajiv Arya MD Abstract Objectives:, The objective was to quantify the effect of scribes on three measures of emergency physician (EP) productivity in an adult emergency department (ED). Methods:, For this retrospective study, 243 clinical shifts (of either 10 or 12 hours) worked by 13 EPs during an 18-month period were selected for evaluation. Payroll data sheets were examined to determine whether these shifts were covered, uncovered, or partially covered (for less than 4 hours) by a scribe; partially covered shifts were grouped with uncovered shifts for analysis. Covered shifts were compared to uncovered shifts in a clustered design, by physician. Hierarchical linear models were used to study the association between percentage of patients with which a scribe was used during a shift and EP productivity as measured by patients per hour, relative value units (RVUs) per hour, and turnaround time (TAT) to discharge. Results:, RVUs per hour increased by 0.24 units (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.10 to 0.38, p = 0.0011) for every 10% increment in scribe usage during a shift. The number of patients per hour increased by 0.08 (95% CI = 0.04 to 0.12, p = 0.0024) for every 10% increment of scribe usage during a shift. TAT was not significantly associated with scribe use. These associations did not lose significance after accounting for physician assistant (PA) use. Conclusions:, In this retrospective study, EP use of a scribe was associated with improved overall productivity as measured by patients treated per hour (Pt/hr) and RVU generated per hour by EPs, but not as measured by TAT to discharge. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:490,494 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine [source] Design and Implementation of Return on Capital Employed Performance Indicators Within a Trading Regime: The Case of Executive AgenciesFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2002Brian A. Rutherford The financial regime under which trading executive agencies operate implies that return on capital employed (ROCE) is used to indicate that revenues meet but do not exceed costs, including the cost of capital; that is, that there is neither cross-subsidisation nor hidden taxation. This paper develops a model for measuring ROCE derived from this objective. It argues that users of ROCE indicators are likely to lack financial sophistication and to want to compare performance between entities, so that indicators should be clear, readily understandable and comparable. The range of measurement and presentation methods used in practice undermines clarity and comparability and some methods are inconsistent with the model. Performance is sometimes characterised as meeting the target when this is problematic. The paper also examines outturn performance and finds some very substantial excess returns, implying hidden taxation. [source] The Construction and Presentation of Performance Indicators in executive Agency External ReportsFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2000Brian A. Rutherford For a variety of reasons, factors affecting the understandability and comparability of performance indicators, and perceptions of their status, may differ from those applying in the case of profit-seeking sector financial statements. This study examines the construction and presentation of performance indicators from the perspective of understandability, comparability and perceived importance. It identifies a number of aspects of reporting practice which may undermine these qualities. [source] Performance Indicators and Widening Participation in UK Higher EducationHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2005Geoff Pugh We investigate the relationship between the widening participation performance indicators adopted in UK higher education (HE) and the government's objective of increasing overall HE participation rates. We critically assess the development of performance monitoring in HE and identify weaknesses in the current performance indicators from the perspective of the main stakeholders. We suggest the development of internal indicators and benchmarks by HE institutions together with extensions to the current national performance indicators that could improve their usefulness. [source] Corporate Carbon Performance Indicators RevisitedJOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Timo Busch First page of article [source] Charismatic Leadership and Objective Performance IndicatorsAPPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Jens Rowold Recent empirical and theoretical work has advanced our understanding of charismatic leadership in organisations. Despite this progress, only a few studies have tested the hypothesis that charismatic leadership might be related to objective, organisationally relevant indicators. In order to address this research gap, the present study tested whether charismatic leadership was related to followers' absenteeism, their training and development activities, as well as branch-level profit. Charismatic leadership was defined according to Conger and Kanungo's (1998) theory. It could be demonstrated that facets of charismatic leadership were negatively related to followers' absenteeism, but positively related to their training and development activity. Moreover, charismatic leadership showed a positive relationship to profit. In sum, the results contribute to theory and practice of charismatic leadership. Un travail empirique et théorique récent a fait progresser notre compréhension du leadership charismatique dans les organisations. Malgré ce progrès, seules quelques études ont testé l'hypothèse selon laquelle un leadership charismatique serait liéà des facteurs objectifs et pertinents pour l'organisation. Pour une compréhension plus approfondie des effets du leadership chatismatique, la présente étude teste si ce style de leadership est lié aux suiveurs, à l'absentéisme, aux activités de formation et de développement ainsi qu'aux bénéfices au niveau de la branche. Le leadership charismatique est défini en accord avec la théorie de Conger et Kanungo (1998). On a pu démontrer que les facettes du leadership charismatique sont liées négativement aux suiveurs, à l'absentéisme et positivement à l'activité de formation et de dévelpppement. En outre, le leadership charismatique montre une relation positive au profit. En somme, les résultats contribuent à la théorie et à la pratique du leadership charismatique. [source] Application of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system for classification of Behcet disease using the fast Fourier transform methodEXPERT SYSTEMS, Issue 2 2007Necaattin Bari Abstract: In this study, ophthalmic arterial Doppler signals were obtained from 200 subjects, 100 of whom suffered from ocular Behcet disease while the rest were healthy subjects. An adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was used to detect the presence of ocular Behcet disease. Spectral analysis of the ophthalmic arterial Doppler signals was performed by the fast Fourier transform method for determining the ANFIS inputs. The ANFIS was trained with a training set and tested with a testing set. All these data sets were obtained from ophthalmic arteries of healthy subjects and subjects suffering from ocular Behcet disease. Performance indicators and statistical measures were used for evaluating the ANFIS. The correct classification rate was 94% for healthy subjects and 90% for unhealthy subjects suffering from ocular Behcet disease. The classification results showed that the ANFIS was effective at detecting ophthalmic arterial Doppler signals from subjects with Behcet disease. [source] Are performance indicators generic?JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 2 2003The international experience of the Quality Indicator Project® Abstract Performance indicators for healthcare organizations represent a strategy for accountability worldwide. A universal approach to either the design for indicators or their applicability to local needs remains a work in progress. The Maryland Hospital Association's Quality Indicator Project® (QIP) is the only indicator-based performance measurement system used worldwide. This paper presents, for the first time in QIP's 17 years of existence, data showing why MHA's QIP may qualify as the most accepted generic methodology for healthcare performance measurement and evaluation. [source] Performance indicators to measure dementia risk reduction activities in primary careAUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING, Issue 1 2010Catherine Travers The increasing burden of chronic diseases including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, diabetes and dementia has led to greater emphasis on health promotion, prevention and early intervention (PPEI) activities within primary care. At the same time, there is growing recognition of the importance of measuring and benchmarking health-care system performance. This includes the measurement of PPEI activities. This paper considers the issue of measuring PPEI activities that are relevant to reducing the risk of dementia within the Australian primary care system. Although Australia does not currently have a comprehensive data collection regarding primary health-care services, there are a number of national, state and other data sources. These sources could be utilised, either in their current format or modified to provide data regarding PPEI activities in primary care that may reduce the risk of dementia and we have made recommendations regarding the development of such indicators. [source] Performance indicators and the public reporting of healthcare-associated infection ratesCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 10 2008H. Humphreys Abstract Surveillance of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) makes evident the importance of the quality of patient care, and the increasing demand for public reporting of HCAI surveillance data and related quality indicators is thus not surprising. However, there is little evidence that public reporting results in improved patient care. Debate continues about which HCAI-related indicators are the best measures of performance and thus the most appropriate for public reporting. Suitable indicators should allow improvements leading to better patient outcomes, and should be comparable among hospitals and countries. Appropriate examples include central vascular catheter infections, surgical prophylaxis and surgical site infections. [source] Reasons for variation in coverage in the NHS cervical screening programmeCYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 6 2001C. E. McGAHAN Reasons for variation in coverage in the NHS cervical screening programme In order to investigate reasons for variation in coverage of cervical screening, data from standard Department of Health returns were obtained for all Health Authorities for 1998/1999. Approximately 80% of the variation between health authorities is explained by differences in age distribution and area classification. Considerable differences between Health Authority and Office of National Statistics (ONS) population figures in City and Urban (London) areas for the age group 25,29 years and for City (London) for age group 30,34 years, suggest an effect of list inflation in these groups. Coverage as a performance indicator may be more accurately represented using the age range 35,64 years. Using this narrower age range, the percentage of health authorities meeting the 80% 5-year coverage target increases from 87% to 90%. [source] Applying benchmarking and data envelopment analysis (DEA) techniques to irrigation districts in SpainIRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE, Issue 2 2004J. A. Rodríguez Díaz indicateurs de performance; benchmarking; DEA Abstract In this research, the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) is proposed as a methodology to overcome the problems related to the lack of methodology to assign the correct weightings for the calculation of indexes and to the subjectivity of the interpretations of results. DEA is a linear programming technique to determine the relative efficiencies of a company when the inputs and outputs of production units within the company are known, but the productive process itself is not. In this way, quantitative efficiencies and the weighting of any performance indicator can be assessed and compared, permitting managers to obtain a well-defined performance ranking. This is especially important when managers dispose of a limited budget. The results of the application of this methodology to Andalusian irrigation districts (Spain) are presented and discussed here. This study was used to select the most representative irrigation districts in Andalusia which were then studied in greater depth by applying the performance indicators selected by IPTRID for use by the benchmarking international program. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Dans ce travail, l'utilisation de la méthode de ,,data envelopment analysis (DEA),, est analysée en tant que méthodologie capable de résoudre les problèmes liés au manque de méthodologie pour l'attribution des pondérations dans le calcul d'indices composites et à la subjectivité des comparaisons. La DEA est une technique de programmation linéaire pour déterminer les efficiences relatives d'une compagnie. Les moyens utilisés sont la connaissance des intrants et produits de la compagnie, ignorant les processus de production. De cette façon, les gestionnaires peuvent obtenir un large ensemble d'indices de gestion qui se révèle particulièrement important lorsque le gestionnaire dispose d'un budget limité. Les résultats de l'utilisation de cette méthode pour l'irrigation dans la région d'Andalousie (Espagne) sont présentés et discutés dans ce travail. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A cluster analysis of scholar and journal bibliometric indicatorsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 10 2009Massimo Franceschet We investigate different approaches based on correlation analysis to reduce the complexity of a space of quantitative indicators for the assessment of research performance. The proposed methods group bibliometric indicators into clusters of highly intercorrelated indicators. Each cluster is then associated with a representative indicator. The set of all representatives corresponds to a base of orthogonal metrics capturing independent aspects of research performance and can be exploited to design a composite performance indicator. We apply the devised methodology to isolate orthogonal performance metrics for scholars and journals in the field of computer science and to design a global performance indicator. The methodology is general and can be exploited to design composite indicators that are based on a set of possibly overlapping criteria. [source] Theatre times and delays in elective oral and maxillofacial listsORAL SURGERY, Issue 4 2009W. Aleid Abstract Aim:, Cancelled operations are a major drain on hospital resources. The maxillofacial department at the Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI) performs at least 14 elective operating sessions each week. A study reported that our cancellation rate or performance indicator (PI) was 0.3% at LR1. The most common reasons for cancellation of procedures at that time were lack of post-operative beds and insufficient operating time. This study aimed to continue to develop a methodology for looking at this complex issue and to further investigate the reasons for delay to assess whether the system could be managed more efficiently. Material and Methods:, In this study, the computerised theatre records system has been utilised to investigate the reasons for theatre delays. A retrospective analysis of data for 1212 patients treated in the 1 year period between December 2006 and December 2007 was performed. Results and Conclusions:, Eight hundred and forty-nine patients were treated on a day-surgery basis, of which 710 were dentoalveolar procedures and 139 were other operations. The remaining 363 patients were treated as in-patients of which 97 were oncological patients, 84 orthognathic, 35 salivary gland surgery, 65 traumas, and 82 other operations. Sixty-four (5.28%) of these treatment episodes were logged as delayed. The main reasons for delays were related to the ward (17%) or anaesthetist (22%). The operating time consumed 74% of the overall time in theatre complex. The utilisation of operating time was much better for in-patient operations (81%) than day-surgery procedures (64%). Suggestions have been made to reduce theatre delays. [source] Using measured performance as a process safety leading indicatorPROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2009Kenneth H. Harrington Abstract Periodic demands on layers of protection (i.e., prealarms, safety instrumented functions, relief devices, emergency response systems, etc.) are precursors to more serious incidents. The failure of one or more layers of protection is always part of an accident sequence. When they occur documenting these demands and the associated consequences in a way to facilitate analysis, provides a means to measure process safety management performance. Although process safety metrics are still in their adolescence, this article reviews experiences of development and implementation of a "Challenges to Safety Systems" process safety performance indicator. This article includes a discussion of automating significant portions of the data collection process based on the technical work documented by the CCPS PERD (Process Equipment Reliability Database) initiative. The article also recommends various metrics that can be calculated and describes how the initial foundation developed to support improved process safety can be leveraged to achieve other benefits, such as design improvements and improvements in the reliability, operation, and maintenance of the facility. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2009 [source] Increasing the activity of monoclonal antibody therapeutics by continuous chromatography (MCSGP)BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 4 2010T. Müller-Späth Abstract The charged monoclonal antibody (mAb) variants of the commercially available therapeutics Avastin®, Herceptin® and Erbitux® were separated by ion-exchange gradient chromatography in batch and continuous countercurrent mode (MCSGP process). Different stationary phases, buffer conditions and two MCSGP configurations were used in order to demonstrate the broad applicability of MCSGP in the field of charged protein variant separation. Batch chromatography and MCSGP were compared with respect to yield, purity, and productivity. In the case of Herceptin®, also the biological activity of the product stream was taken into account as performance indicator. The robustness of the MCSGP process against feed composition variations was confirmed experimentally and by model simulations. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107:652,662. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] La place du capital social comme facteur explicatif des différences de performance des conseils régionaux de déaveloppement du QuébecCANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION/ADMINISTRATION PUBLIQUE DU CANADA, Issue 1 2001Louis Côté The purpose of the study was to measure and compare the relative performance of the regional development boards and to assess the role of the regional social capital as a factor that could explain the discrepancies found. The performance was assessed on the basis of eighteen indicators using quantitative and qualitative data. The results were collated into a single performance indicator; depending on the region, the performance ranged from merely fair to good. In order to determine the underlying causes of differences in performance, seven hypotheses based on sociological theory were tested. Only the social capital hypothesis was confirmed, as it accounted for nearly fifty-eight per cent of the performance variation. Moreover, the analysis raised a number of issues pertaining to social capital. [source] Adoption of voluntary environmental tools for sustainable tourism: analysing the experience of Spanish hotelsCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2006Silvia Ayuso Abstract Since the early 1990s, tourism companies, mostly hotel facilities, have undertaken different voluntary initiatives to show their commitment to sustainable tourism. Among the voluntary tools applied by the hotel industry, the most common are codes of conduct, best environmental practices, eco-labels, environmental management systems (EMSs) and environmental performance indicators. This article presents the findings of empirical research conducted with Spanish hotels that have adopted one or more of the existing environmental tools. Based on a qualitative exploration of perceptions and experiences of hotel managers applying these instruments, the general understanding of the concept of sustainable tourism is examined, and the practical application of different voluntary environmental instruments is analysed. In an attempt to interpret the facilitators and barriers reported by hotel companies, three interpretative approaches are combined to explain the selective adoption of environmental tools: the perspective of competitive advantages, the perspective of stakeholders' influence and the perspective of the human cognitive process. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Fast track: Has it changed patient care in the emergency department?EMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA, Issue 1 2008Paul Kwa Abstract Objective: To determine whether the introduction of a designated fast-track area altered the time to care and patient flow in an Australian mixed adult and paediatric ED. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of all patients presenting to the ED between 08.00 and 22.00 hours, during a 6 month period before and after the opening of a fast-track area. Data were stratified according to Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) category, and comparisons were made for performance indicators, waiting time, length of stay and did-not-waits. Results: During its operational hours, fast track managed 14.9% of all patients presenting to the ED. There was a significant increase in the proportion of all ATS 4 patients seen within their target times (77.8% to 79.9%, P < 0.001). There was a trend towards improved performance in ATS categories 2, 3 and 5. Median patient waiting times were significantly decreased in ATS 4 (24 to 22 min, P < 0.001) and ATS 5 (27 to 25 min, P < 0.05), but increased in ATS 2 (3 to 4 min, P < 0.05). No deterioration in performance or waiting time for ATS 1 was shown. There was a decreasing trend in the proportion of patients who did not wait to be assessed by a doctor in ATS categories 4 and 5. These improvements occurred despite a 12% increase in patient attendances and no change in medical staffing levels. Conclusions: Fast track in an Australian mixed ED can help meet the demand of increasing patient attendances, allowing lower-acuity patients to be seen quickly without a negative impact on high-acuity patients. [source] Trends, challenges and opportunities in power quality researchEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL POWER, Issue 1 2010Math H. J. Bollen Abstract This paper outlines a number of possible research directions in power quality. The introduction of new sources of generation will introduce the need for new research on voltage,magnitude variations, harmonic emission and harmonic resonance. Statistical performance indicators are expected to play an important role in addressing the hosting capacity of the power system for these new sources. The quickly growing amounts of power-quality data call for automatic analysis methods. Advanced signal-processing tools need to be developed and applied to address this challenge. Equipment with an active power-electronic interface generates waveform distortion at higher frequencies than existing equipment. The emission, spread, consequences and mitigation of this distortion require more research emphasis. The growing complexity of the power system calls for remote identification of system events and load transitions. Future DC networks, at different voltage levels, require the research on DC power quality next to AC power quality. Research on methods to describe and analyse time-varying harmonics has applications in a number of the above-mentioned issues. So does the use of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and real-time-digital simulation. Existing power quality standards should not form a barrier against future research; instead research should result in improved standards as well as completely new concepts. Examples are: voltage dips in three-phase systems, flicker due to non-incandescent lamps, and voltage variations on the timescale between 1,second and 10,minutes. All together, it is concluded in this paper that sufficient important and interesting research challenges and opportunities remain in the power quality area. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Kohonen self-organizing map: an application to the study of strategic groups in the UK hotel industryEXPERT SYSTEMS, Issue 1 2001Bruce Curry This paper examines a neural network method known as the self-organizing map (SOM). The motivation behind the SOM is to transform the data to a two-dimensional grid of nodes while preserving its 'topological' structure. In neural network terminology this involves unsupervised learning. The nearest related statistical technique is cluster analysis. We employ the SOM in the task of identifying strategic groups of companies, using data which relate to the generic strategies suggested by Porter. Following identification of different groups of hotels with certain strategic emphases, the study investigates correlations between strategies followed and hotel performance. We compare and contrast the 'feature map' generated by the SOM with the results of a standard cluster analysis using the k-means method. The data also cover performance indicators and the results indicate that performance varies between strategic groups. [source] Accounting and NPM in UK Local Government , Contributions Towards Governance and AccountabilityFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2005Andrew Goddard Despite its size and economic importance, accounting in UK local government is still relatively under-researched. Two important developments which have emerged in recent years across the whole public sector are governance and New Public Management. It is timely to study the contribution which local government accounting makes in this changing context. Governance has proved a particularly contentious concept to define. This study has attempted to understand governance from the participants' perspective and consequently a grounded theory methodology has been used. The empirical research comprised four UK local authority case studies over a twelve month period. The grounded theory developed makes two important contributions to our knowledge of accounting and NPM in relation to governance and accountability in local government. These are the relative importance of accountability rather than governance per se to participants, and the more significant contribution to accountability made by budgeting practices rather than NPM practices such as performance indicators, contracting out of services and Best Value studies. The reasons for these findings are explored and theorised in the paper, using Bourdieu's concept of habitus. [source] The Construction and Presentation of Performance Indicators in executive Agency External ReportsFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2000Brian A. Rutherford For a variety of reasons, factors affecting the understandability and comparability of performance indicators, and perceptions of their status, may differ from those applying in the case of profit-seeking sector financial statements. This study examines the construction and presentation of performance indicators from the perspective of understandability, comparability and perceived importance. It identifies a number of aspects of reporting practice which may undermine these qualities. [source] The effect of investor sophistication on the influence of nonfinancial performance indicators on investors' judgmentsACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 2 2010Paul J. Coram M40 Abstract This paper presents an experiment that examines how enhanced disclosure of nonfinancial performance indicators affects the stock-price estimates of nonprofessional and professional investors. Participants were provided with a case study containing excerpts from a hypothetical company's annual report. The experiment was a 2 (nonprofessional and professional) × 3 (positive nonfinancial performance indicators, negative nonfinancial performance indicators, and financial information only) between-subjects design. Consistent with conservatism, the nonprofessional investors underreacted in their stock-price estimates to the positive nonfinancial disclosures, compared with professional investors with task-specific knowledge. The results from this study suggest that the value of enhanced disclosure of this type may not flow equally to all users of financial reports, if conservatism, and lack of task-specific knowledge, adversely affect their decision-making. [source] Patient-reported outcome measures in the NHS: new methods for analysing and reporting EQ-5D dataHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 8 2010Nancy J. Devlin Abstract In a landmark move, the UK Department of Health (DH) has introduced the routine collection of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to measure the performance of health-care providers. From April 2009, generic (EQ-5D) and condition-specific PROMs are being collected from patients before and after four surgical procedures; eventually this will be extended to include a wide range of other NHS services. The aim of this article is to report analysis of the EQ-5D data generated from a pilot study commissioned by the DH and to consider the implications for the use of EQ-5D data in performance indicators and measures of patient benefit. We present two new methods that we have developed for analysing and displaying EQ-5D profile data: a Paretian Classification of Health Change and a health profile grid. We show that EQ-5D profile data can be readily analysed to generate insights into the nature of changes in patient-reported health that would be obscured by summarising these profiles by their index scores, or focusing just on the post operative outcomes. Our methods indicate differences between providers and between sub-groups of patients. Our results also show striking differences in changes in EQ-5D profiles between surgical procedures, which require further investigation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Performance Indicators and Widening Participation in UK Higher EducationHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2005Geoff Pugh We investigate the relationship between the widening participation performance indicators adopted in UK higher education (HE) and the government's objective of increasing overall HE participation rates. We critically assess the development of performance monitoring in HE and identify weaknesses in the current performance indicators from the perspective of the main stakeholders. We suggest the development of internal indicators and benchmarks by HE institutions together with extensions to the current national performance indicators that could improve their usefulness. [source] Differences between young adults and elderly in thermal comfort, productivity, and thermal physiology in response to a moderate temperature drift and a steady-state conditionINDOOR AIR, Issue 4 2010L. Schellen Abstract, Results from naturally ventilated buildings show that allowing the indoor temperature to drift does not necessarily result in thermal discomfort and may allow for a reduction in energy use. However, for stationary conditions, several studies indicate that the thermal neutral temperature and optimum thermal condition differ between young adults and elderly. There is a lack of studies that describe the effect of aging on thermal comfort and productivity during a moderate temperature drift. In this study, the effect of a moderate temperature drift on physiological responses, thermal comfort, and productivity of eight young adults (age 22,25 year) and eight older subjects (age 67,73 year) was investigated. They were exposed to two different conditions: S1-a control condition; constant temperature of 21.5°C; duration: 8 h; and S2-a transient condition; temperature range: 17,25°C, duration: 8 h, temperature drift: first 4 h: +2 K/h, last 4 h: ,2 K/h. The results indicate that thermal sensation of the elderly was, in general, 0.5 scale units lower in comparison with their younger counterparts. Furthermore, the elderly showed more distal vasoconstriction during both conditions. Nevertheless, TS of the elderly was related to air temperature only, while TS of the younger adults also was related to skin temperature. During the constant temperature session, the elderly preferred a higher temperature in comparison with the young adults. Practical Implications ,Because the stock of fossil fuels is limited, energy savings play an important role. Thermal comfort is one of the most important performance indicators to successfully apply measures to reduce the energy need in buildings. Allowing drifts in indoor temperature is one of the options to reduce the energy demand. This study contributes to the knowledge concerning the effects of a moderate temperature drift and the age of the inhabitants on their thermal comfort. [source] An Assessment of the Disorderly Adjustment Hypothesis for Industrial Economies,INTERNATIONAL FINANCE, Issue 1 2006Hilary Croke Much has been written about prospects for US current account adjustment, including the possibility of what is sometimes referred to as a ,disorderly correction': a sharp fall in the exchange rate that boosts interest rates, depresses stock prices and weakens economic activity. This paper assesses some of the empirical evidence bearing on the plausibility of the disorderly adjustment scenario, drawing on the experience of previous current account adjustments in industrial economies. We examined the paths of key economic performance indicators before, during and after the onset of adjustment, building on the analysis of Freund (2000). We found little evidence among past adjustment episodes of the features highlighted by the disorderly adjustment hypothesis. Although some episodes in our sample experienced significant shortfalls in GDP growth after the onset of adjustment, these shortfalls were not associated with significant and sustained depreciations of real exchange rates, increases in real interest rates or declines in real stock prices. By contrast, it was among the episodes where GDP growth picked up during adjustment that the most substantial depreciations of real exchange rates occurred. These findings do not preclude the possibility that future current account adjustments could be disruptive, but they weaken the historical basis for predicting such an outcome. [source] A reference model approach to performance monitoring of control loops with applications to irrigation channelsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, Issue 10 2005P. Zhang Abstract In this paper a new method for detection of oscillatory and sluggish controllers is developed. The method is aimed at control systems where rejection of measured load disturbances is the main control objective, and it is based on comparing the actual system output with the output of a reference model. A number of performance indicators are defined taking the most important factors from a control perspective into consideration. Based on the performance indicators, the performance of the control loops is evaluated. The developed method has been successfully applied to real data from an irrigation channel. The method correctly detected the control loops which needed retuning, and it provided useful information about several aspects of the control performance such as speed of response, oscillations and interactions between control loops. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Performance measurement in mental health care: present situation and future possibilitiesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2010Irma J. Baars Abstract This paper describes performance measurement and its indicators for mental health care services. Performance measurement can serve several goals such as accountability, quality improvement and performance management. For all three purposes structure, process and outcome indicators should be measured. Literature was retrieved from Medline and PsychInfo in order to see which performance indicators were used for the three purposes of performance measurement in mental health care. The indicators were classified in structure, process and outcome indicators. The results show no big differences in the indicators used among studies. Performance management is the performance measurement purpose most referred to, followed by accountability, and quality improvement. Outcome and process indicators are used most, structure indicators are in the minority. Several levels of measurement, that is national or service level, came forward in the literature review. To overcome misinterpretation of data and to be able to improve quality and manage performances, performance indicator sets should refer to structure, process and outcome. Indicators should be chosen carefully with the aim of the measurement taken into mind. Based on this review, a conceptual framework is presented to support managers in their decisions about which indictors can best be used for performance measurement. Additionally, a model that provides an understanding of the use of information gained by performance measurement is given. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||