Forty‐five years of open plan office experience: An unusual case study

2005 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 1854-1854
Author(s):  
Dennis A Paoletti
Keyword(s):  
Unusual Case ◽  
Open Plan

Speech Intelligibility Parameters for Evaluating the Perception of Background Noise in Open-Plan Office Users: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Serrano Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Background Noise ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Space Design ◽  
Transmission Index ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
Design Characteristics

This document presents a case study of acoustic analysis in an open-plan office. Since Mexico does not have a standard for evaluating acoustic conditions in offices, it is relevant to compare different acoustic evaluation methods used for open-plan offices. According to several studies, one of the main acoustic characteristics for open-plan office spaces is speech intelligibility. Therefore, the purpose of this document is to compare psychoacoustic parameters to evaluate speech intelligibility in open-plan offices. We analyzed physical factors as reverberation and speech clarity in different office points, as well as semantic factors based on subjective methods with standardized values of the quality of speech intelligibility. The study was carried out under real open-plan office conditions in a library in a university in northern Mexico. The study factors of interest were type of sound, sound source, and location of the listener, with Reverberation Time (RT), Speech Transmission Index (STI) and Loss of consonant articulation (%ALCons) as the measures of impact on intelligibility. This case study provides additional evidence of the relationship between intelligibility and the position of sound sources; also, it was noted that location of listeners influenced analyzed intelligibility parameters. On the other hand, this case study offers information concerning to use psychoacoustic parameters for subjective classification of quality of the speech intelligibility to evaluate how is background noise perceived in open-plan office users. However, it is noteworthy that this study represents a single office with its own interior and space design characteristics.

Effects of activity-based workspaces on employee belongingness

Facilities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shang Gao ◽  
Sui Pheng Low ◽  
Hua Qian Gong
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sense Of Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Real Estate ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Open Plan

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the activity-based workspace (ABW) on employee belonging. Place attachment theory (PAT) is used as a proxy to understand and measure the belongingness of employees to their physical workplaces. Design/methodology/approach A case study of a bank’s newly retrofitted ABW office is conducted, providing fresh perspectives on the effect of ABW on employee belonging. A questionnaire survey was used to understand employee belongingness. Surveys are conducted with employees of the bank (n = 100) who experienced the transition from the conventional open-plan office with designated seats to an ABW, to understand and compare the change in employee belonging after the transition, by studying the level of belonging achieved in the space before and after. Findings The results showed that there was a positive sense of belongingness amongst employees working in the ABW space, as per the PAT framework and an increased sense of belongingness compared with the previous conventional open-plan office. However, ABWs were found to also have a negative effect on employees’ sense of control and security. Originality/value Maslow’s hierarchy of needs indicates that a feeling of belonging is fundamental to humans. The need for belonging is also applicable in the workplaces of today’s progressive corporate organisations, where there is increased pressure and incentive to appeal to and retain talent. This research was conducted in response to the huge growth in interest in activity-based working across the corporate real estate community. As there has been no prior research done in the area of the emotional need for belongingness in ABW.

scholarly journals Endovascular Management of Middle Aortic Syndrome Presenting with Uncontrolled Hypertension

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Owen S. Glotzer ◽  
Kathryn Bowser ◽  
F. Todd Harad ◽  
Sandra Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Open Surgery ◽  
Unusual Case ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Uncontrolled Hypertension ◽  
Endovascular Management ◽  
Vascular Disorder ◽  
Middle Aortic Syndrome ◽  
Surgical Bypass ◽  
Endovascular Approach

Middle Aortic Syndrome is a rare vascular disorder consisting of narrowing or stenosis of the distal thoracic or abdominal aorta. It is described in the literature in the form of case studies and case series. The authors present an unusual case of Middle Aortic Syndrome attributed to Takayasu’s arteritis in a 60-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with uncontrolled hypertension. Traditional intervention involves open surgical bypass. This case study reviews the published literature on this rare syndrome and illustrates a successful alternative to open surgery through an endovascular approach.

scholarly journals Acoustic Issues in Open Plan Offices: A Typological Analysis

Buildings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Sara Delle Macchie ◽  
Simone Secchi ◽  
Gianfranco Cellai
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Analysis Procedure ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Office Environment ◽  
Measurement Campaign ◽  
Reduced Height ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
Office Environments

This paper reports the acoustic issues of open plan office environments. According to a detailed research based on the scientific literature of the most suitable acoustic descriptors recommended for the open plan offices analysis, the main typological-functional configurations of these environments have been analyzed in order to identify six spatial typologies. The variation of acoustic parameters of these typologies has been evaluated by using a sound pyramid tracing software. The analysis procedure was calibrated in a case study of an office environment, where a measurement campaign was carried out. Results point out that the acoustic improvement of open plan offices can usually be achieved by introducing a sound absorbing false ceiling and dividing panels between working positions, but there are different issues depending on spatial geometries of the office. Better results are referred to office typologies characterized by reduced height and equal plan dimensions.

scholarly journals Effects of Building Microclimate on the Thermal Environment of Traditional Japanese Houses during Hot-Humid Summer

Buildings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayaz Hosham ◽  
Tetsu Kubota
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Cooling Effect ◽  
Shading Effect ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
Indoor Spaces

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of building microclimate on the indoor thermal environment of traditional Japanese houses, focusing especially on the shading effect of trees as well as the cooling effect of spraying water. Basically, the indoor thermal environment was found to follow the outdoor conditions due to the open-plan and lightweight wooden structure. Nevertheless, air temperatures of the living rooms in the two case study houses were lower than the corresponding outdoors by approximately 0.5 °C and 2 °C, respectively. It was found that the semi-outdoor spaces acted as thermal buffers for promoting cross-ventilation as well as pre-cooling to provide “warm but breezy” conditions to the surrounding indoor spaces. The results showed that the surface temperature of semi-outdoor spaces can be reduced by shading and water spraying, among which shading has prolonged effects and water spraying can reduce the surface temperature during peak hours and the following night.

Gradual evolution of male genitalia in a sibling species complex of millipedes (Diplopoda : Spirobolida : Rhinocricidae : Anadenobolus)

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason E. Bond ◽  
David A. Beamer ◽  
Marshal C. Hedin ◽  
Petra Sierwald
Keyword(s):  
Male Genitalia ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Unusual Case ◽  
Incomplete Lineage Sorting ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Lineage Sorting ◽  
Gradual Evolution ◽  
Copulatory Structure

Jamaican millipedes in the Anadenobolus species complex provide an unusual case study of arthropods having undergone speciation in the absence of conspicuous divergence of male genitalia. Using landmark-based morphometrics, we examined shape deformation of the male anterior copulatory device in three genetically divergent yet morphologically cryptic species. A multivariate analysis of variance and relative warp analysis of nonuniform components show that although male genitalic shape is statistically different among species, many specimens are 'misplaced' in morphological space, perhaps consistent with a condition analogous to incomplete lineage sorting. A simulation of neutral nuclear gene coalescence suggests that such incomplete sorting is expected, given the depth of mtDNA divergences observed across species. The pronounced contrast between deep molecular v. incomplete genitalic divergence is at odds with the paradigm of selection-driven rapid change in male copulatory structure during arthropod speciation. Alternatively, we suggest that male genitalic divergence is evolving neutrally or in concert with other components of the genome (pleiotropy). Although we recognise the empirical validity of rapid genitalic divergence via sexual selection or sexual conflict, such models must be empirically tested using multiple lines of evidence. Accepting the rapid and divergent hypothesis without such multiple evidence scrutiny may result in a gross underestimation of evolutionary diversity and, subsequently, the misinterpretation of processes shaping genitalic change.

Fetus in Fetu: An Unusual Case Study for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 313-319
Author(s):  
Natalie Mercy
Keyword(s):  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Unusual Case ◽  
Abdominal Distension ◽  
Final Diagnosis ◽  
Fetus In Fetu ◽  
Intensive Care Unit Team ◽  
Abdominal Masses ◽  
Unusual Occurrence ◽  
Severe Coagulopathy

Fetus in fetu is an extremely unusual occurrence where a rare congenital tumor containing a vertebral axis, often containing parts of other organs or limbs, is identified. Normally identified in the newborn period, the size and location of the mass may result in significant multiorgan compromise. This article presents the challenges encountered by the neonatal intensive care unit team in providing care for a late preterm female infant presenting with gross abdominal distension. Description of the case includes preoperative management along with management of severe coagulopathy and hemorrhage that arose during the intraoperative and postsurgical course of care. A brief overview of abdominal masses in the newborn is presented. The importance in determining the final diagnosis of fetus in fetu and its differentiation from teratoma is discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document