Irrelevant background speech causes dissatisfaction and impairs cognitive performance in open‐plan offices. The model of Hongisto (2005, Indoor Air, 15, 458‐468) predicts the relation between ...cognitive performance and the intelligibility of speech described with an objectively measured quantity, the Speech Transmission Index (STI). The model has impacted research in psychology and room acoustics as well as the acoustic design guidelines of offices. However, the model was based on scarce empirical data. The aim of this study was to revise the model based on a systematic literature review, focusing on laboratory experiments manipulating the STI of speech by wide‐band steady‐state noise. Fourteen studies reporting altogether 34 tests of the STI‐performance relation were included. According to Model 1 that includes all tests, performance begins to decrease approximately above STI = 0.21 while the maximum decrease is reached at STI = 0.44. Verbal short‐term memory tasks were most strongly and very consistently affected by the STI of speech. The model for these tasks showed a deterioration in performance between STI 0.12 and 0.51. Some evidence of an STI‐performance relation was found in verbal working memory tasks and limited evidence in complex verbal tasks. Further research is warranted, particularly concerning task‐specific effects.
The mandate of the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise (ICBEN) is to promote a high level of scientific research concerning all aspects of noise-induced effects on human beings ...and animals. In this review, ICBEN team chairs and co-chairs summarize relevant findings, publications, developments, and policies related to the biological effects of noise, with a focus on the period 2011-2014 and for the following topics: Noise-induced hearing loss; nonauditory effects of noise; effects of noise on performance and behavior; effects of noise on sleep; community response to noise; and interactions with other agents and contextual factors. Occupational settings and transport have been identified as the most prominent sources of noise that affect health. These reviews demonstrate that noise is a prevalent and often underestimated threat for both auditory and nonauditory health and that strategies for the prevention of noise and its associated negative health consequences are needed to promote public health.
High speech intelligibility in open-plan offices and thus a high changing-state character of the acoustic environment have been found to negatively influence cognitive performance. This is often ...attributed to the so-called irrelevant speech effect. Office workers lately use active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones to improve the acoustic situation by blocking unwanted sound. However, it is currently unknown if using ANC headphones in a noisy setting improves cognitive performance. Two studies were conducted to examine if ANC headphones improve cognitive performance and the subjective well-being of employees in an open-plan office. Cognitive performance was measured using a serial recall test. Subjective assessments were measured using a questionnaire. The participants were tested in silence, speech without headphones, speech with ANC headphones switched off and speech with ANC headphones switched on. No statistically significant differences were found between the conditions with ANC headphones switched on and off as well as without headphones for cognitive performance. However, ANC headphones statistically significantly improved subjective assessments such as perceived privacy and the assessment of the acoustic environment. The results provide a scientific basis for evaluating and planning the appropriate use of ANC headphones for concentration-intensive activities such as office work.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a growing healthcare burden primarily due to long-term complications. Strict glycemic control helps in preventing complications, and early introduction of insulin ...may be more cost-effective than maintaining patients on multiple oral agents. This is an expert opinion review based on English peer-reviewed articles (2000–2012) to discuss the health economic consequences of T2D treatment intensification. T2D costs are driven by inpatient care for treatment of diabetes complications (40%–60% of total cost), with drug therapy for glycemic control representing 18% of the total cost. Insulin therapy provides the most improved glycemic control and reduction of complications, although hypoglycemia and weight gain may occur. Early treatment intensification with insulin analogs in patients with poor glycemic control appears to be cost-effective and improves clinical outcomes.
Key Messages
•Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a growing burden on healthcare services.
•Despite the high cost of drug therapy versus diet and lifestyle interventions, treatment intensification with insulin analog therapy is a cost-effective strategy for improving clinical outcomes in patients with poor glycemic control.
Little empirical evidence is available regarding the effects of road traffic noise on cognitive performance in adults, although traffic noise can be heard at many offices and home office workplaces. ...Our study tested the impact of road traffic noise at different levels (50 dB(A), 60 dB(A), 70 dB(A)) on performance in three tasks that differed with respect to their dependency on attentional and storage functions, as follows: The Stroop task, in which performance relied predominantly on attentional functions (e.g., inhibition of automated responses; Experiment 1: n = 24); a non-automated multistage mental arithmetic task calling for both attentional and storage functions (Exp. 2: n = 18); and verbal serial recall, which placed a burden predominantly on storage functions (Experiment 3: n = 18). Better performance was observed during moderate road traffic noise at 50 dB(A) compared to loud traffic noise at 70 dB(A) in attention-based tasks (Experiments 1-2). This contrasted with the effects of irrelevant speech (60 dB(A)), which was included in the experiments as a well-explored and common noise source in office settings. A disturbance impact of background speech was only given in the two tasks that called for storage functions (Experiments 2-3). In addition to the performance data, subjective annoyance ratings were collected. Consistent with the level effect of road traffic noise found in the performance data, a moderate road traffic noise at 50 dB(A) was perceived as significantly less annoying than a loud road traffic noise at 70 dB(A), which was found, however, independently of the task at hand. Furthermore, the background sound condition with the highest detrimental performance effect in a task was also rated as most annoying in this task, i.e., traffic noise at 70 dB(A) in the Stroop task, and background speech in the mental arithmetic and serial recall tasks.
Purpose:
Insulin degludec coformulated with insulin aspart (as IDegAsp) can cover 24 h basal insulin and postprandial insulin requirements after a main meal with one injection. We compared glycemic ...stability following IDegAsp or insulin glargine (IGlar) given before the evening meal in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods:
A subset of 112 insulin-naïve type 2 diabetes patients from a randomized, parallel-group trial (IDegAsp versus IGlar, each added to metformin) underwent 72 h continuous interstitial glucose (IG) monitoring after 16 weeks of treatment. End points included mean IG concentrations, 2 h postprandial IG increments and postprandial peak, IG fluctuation (summed area above and below mean IG), within-subject coefficient of variation (day-to-day variation) in mean nocturnal IG, and episodes of low (<3.5 mmol/liter) and high (>10 mmol/liter) IG. Values were derived for the entire 72 h, with the nocturnal interval (0001–0559 h) also assessed.
Results:
The postdinner IG increment observed with IGlar did not occur with IDegAsp IDegAsp — IGlar, −1.42 (−2.15, −0.70) mmol/liter. Nocturnal IG fluctuation was 21% lower with IDegAsp IDegAsp/IGlar, 0.79 (0.66, 0.96) mmol/liter, with 48% fewer nocturnal high IG episodes ratio IDegAsp/IGlar, 0.52 (0.32, 0.87).
Conclusions:
IDegAsp given with the evening meal reduces postdinner glucose excursion and provides more stable nocturnal glycemia as compared with IGlar.
Although a strong organizational identity (OI) is important for venture success, the impact of negative feedback on a new venture's OI is poorly understood. Drawing on human capital theory we argue ...that founding teams with more founding and industry experience can more effectively defend OI after negative feedback. Using literature on intra-group bias we further theorize that these benefits of founding and industry experience are more pronounced when feedback emerges from sources external rather than internal to the venture. A multi-period research design and data on 1528 survey responses from 598 members of 81 ventures support our model.
•We theorize when negative feedback is more or less detrimental for ventures' organizational identity (OI) strength•OI strength of some ventures declines after negative feedback, while it remains stable or even increases for others•We draw on a data set capturing 1,528 survey responses from 598 members of 81 ventures over one year of observation•Prior founding and industry experience of the founding team impact the negative feedback-OI relationship•This relationship is contingent on whether the feedback is received from within or outside the venture•Our study demonstrates the importance of founding teams’ knowledge and capabilities for mitigating OI threats
Abstract Background: Insulin is recommended as a second-line treatment after diet and metformin fail to reach and/or maintain glycemic targets considered to minimize the risk for long-term diabetic ...complications. Hypoglycemia and the fear of developing hypoglyce-mia, however, remain substantial barriers to the initiation and optimal use of insulin. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare biphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIAsp 30) with biphasic human insulin 30 (BHI 30) with respect to glycemic control and the risk for hypoglycemia using a meta-analysis of clinical trials comparing these insulins in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: We included all published and unpublished, randomized, controlled trials in adult patients with T2DM (treatment duration ≥12 weeks) for which individual patient data were available. All clinical databases and local trial registries of Novo Nordisk A/S (Soeborg, Denmark) were searched to identify clinical trials comparing the 2 products. The predefined primary end point of the study was the overall rate of nocturnal hypoglyce-mia (major, minor, and symptoms-only hypoglycemia occurring from 12:00–6:00 AM ). Hypoglycemia was analyzed using a negative binomial distribution model, accounting for exposure time. Glycemic end points were analyzed at 12 to 16 weeks of treatment using ANCOVA, adjusting for baseline. Secondary safety end points were the rates of major hypoglycemia (hypoglycemia requiring third-party assistance), minor hypoglycemia (symptoms confirmed by plasma glucose PG <3.1 mmol/L), daytime hypoglycemia (major, minor, and symptoms-only hypoglycemia occurring from 6:01 AM –11:59 PM ), overall hypoglycemia (the sum of all major, minor, and symptoms-only episodes), and change in weight from baseline to 12 to 16 weeks of treatment. Secondary efficacy end points were changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c ), fasting PG (FPG), postprandial PG increment (averaged over breakfast, lunch, and dinner), and insulin dose. Results: Nine randomized, parallel or crossover trials were included (N = 1674; male sex, 57%; mean SD age, 61.0 10.6 years; body mass index, 26.7 4.6 kg/m2 ; HbA1c , 8.1% 1.4%; duration of diabetes, 10.9 7.9 years). Rates of overall hypoglycemia were not significantly different (rate ratio RR = 1.08; 95% CI, 0.94–1.24; P = NS) between treatments. BIAsp 30 had a 50% lower rate of nocturnal hypoglycemia than BHI 30 (RR = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.38–0.67; P < 0.01), whereas the rate of daytime hypoglycemia was 24% lower for BHI 30 (RR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.08–1.43; P < 0.01). The likelihood of major hypo-glycemia was significantly lower with BIAsp 30 compared with BHI 30 (odds ratio = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.22–0.93; P < 0.05). BIAsp 30 was associated with reduced PPG increment (averaged over breakfast, lunch and dinner) compared with BHI 30 (treatment difference, −0.31; 95% CI, −0.49 to −0.07; P < 0.01). There was a significantly larger reduction in FPG associated with BHI 30 (treatment difference, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.31–0.95; P < 0.01). However, no significant treatment difference was found for HbA1c (treatment difference, 0.04; 95% CI, −0.02 to 0.10; P = NS). Conclusion: This meta-analysis found BIAsp 30 to be associated with a significantly lower rate of nocturnal and major hypoglycemia, but a significantly increased risk for daytime hypoglycemia, compared with BHI 30 at a similar level of HbA1c in patients with T2DM.
Highlights • Post-meal hyperglycaemia can predict the development of complications. • While causality is not proven, any link with cardiovascular disease is of concern. • Optimal management should ...thus include postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) levels. • Biphasic insulins provide similar overall and PPG control to basal–bolus therapy. • Biphasic insulins are a convenient alternative to basal–bolus therapy.
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