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The article discusses the concept of Net Promoter Score (NPS) and its impact over the past two decades. NPS has become widely adopted as a performance metric and a tool for monitoring customer satisfaction. The article acknowledges the ongoing debate surrounding the effectiveness of NPS and its application in various contexts. It also highlights the tensions between academia and practice in the development and adoption of management concepts. The article concludes by emphasizing the practical reasons for NPS's popularity and its potential for improving organizational relationships with customers and employees. However, it also acknowledges unresolved criticisms of NPS and the need for evidence-based approaches in management. [Extracted from the article]

Using exact algorithms in complex environments with multi-objective criteria cannot be considered an appropriate method. For this reason, nature-inspired meta-heuristic methods have been proposed to solve problems such as flexibility in the cloud computing environment. In this research, we use the particle swarm optimisation algorithm and auction approach for two-way load balancing. A cloud computing centre comprises several physical machines called data centres, and data centres consume a lot of energy. To increase efficiency, there is a need to increase flexibility in these systems. The researchers proposed Various methods such as static and dynamic management of virtual machines and automatic processor frequency change systems to reduce energy consumption. In this article, we presented an algorithm based on under-load hosts and particle swarm optimisation and mass movement of virtual machines according to the auction rule to reduce energy as the dynamic management of cloud resources. The proposed method has been evaluated by the cloudsim simulator with PlanetLab real dataset. The experimental results show that, in comparison to the other algorithms, energy consumption has improved and SLA violation has decreased. As well as migration of VMs decreased significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative analysis explores the representation of Indian contemporary society in Chetan Bhagat's iconic novels, Five Point Someone and One Night @ the Call Centre. These novels, which have gained immense popularity, provide unique insights into the social, cultural, and economic fabric of modern India. This article critically examines the themes, character dynamics, and societal commentary within the narratives, shedding light on the author's portrayal of contemporary India. Through a comprehensive exploration of key elements, including the education system, corporate culture, interpersonal relationships, and generational gaps, this study uncovers the social intricacies and evolving values of Indian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient and cost-effective preparation of masks has always been a challenging issue in mask-based electrochemical machining. In this paper, an electrochemical machining process of micro-textures is proposed using hard particle masks such as titanium and zirconia particles. Numerical simulations were conducted to analyze the formation mechanisms of micro-protrusion structures with insulating and conductive hard particle masks, followed by experimental verification of the process. The results indicate that when the hard particles are electrically insulating, metal material preferentially dissolves at the center of the particle gap, and the dissolution then expands over time in depth and towards the particle contact points. Conversely, using the conductive particles as the masks, such as titanium particles, dissolution initially occurs in a ring region centered at the contact point between the hard particle and the anode, with a radius approximately one-quarter of the chosen particle's diameter (200 μm), and then continues to expand outward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Professional Business Review (JPBReview) is the property of Open Access Publications LLC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of International Journal of Disciplines Economics & Administrative Scienves Studies is the property of International Journal of Disciplines in Economics & Administrative Sciences Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Phagocytosis is an intensely physical process that depends on the mechanical properties of both the phagocytic cell and its chosen target. Here, we employed differentially deformable hydrogel microparticles to examine the role of cargo rigidity in the regulation of phagocytosis by macrophages. Whereas stiff cargos elicited canonical phagocytic cup formation and rapid engulfment, soft cargos induced an architecturally distinct response, characterized by filamentous actin protrusions at the center of the contact site, slower cup advancement, and frequent phagocytic stalling. Using phosphoproteomics, we identified β2 integrins as critical mediators of this mechanically regulated phagocytic switch. Macrophages lacking β2 integrins or their downstream effectors, Talin1 and Vinculin, exhibited specific defects in phagocytic cup architecture and selective suppression of stiff cargo uptake. We conclude that integrin signaling serves as a mechanical checkpoint during phagocytosis to pair cargo rigidity to the appropriate mode of engulfment. Phagocytosis is regulated by the mechanical properties of both the phagocyte and its cargo. Here, the authors show that macrophages employ β2 integrins to sense the rigidity of phagocytic cargo and then mount the appropriate form of engulfment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common neoplastic blood disease worldwide. Belantamab mafodotin is a new antibody conjugate anti-B-cell maturation antigen effective against refractory myelomas. It induces intracorneal microcysts leading to refractive fluctuations. The aim of this study is to assess the value of monitoring refractive fluctuations based on the location of microcystic-like epithelial changes (MECs) to facilitate patient follow-up. Methods: This observational and multicentric study was conducted using data collected from several French centers contacted through secure email through a standardized data collection table. Results: The fluctuation of objective refraction in spherical equivalent confirms a significant myopic shift from peripheral to central forms. A decrease in the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), an increase in keratometry, and an increase in central epithelial pachymetry have also been observed when MECs migrate toward the center. Conclusion: The myopization found in our study in patients with central and paracentral MECs is consistent with current literature. Fluctuations in BCVA, keratometry, and epithelial pachymetry are also consistent. This study is the first real-world study and highlights heterogeneity in follow-up, emphasizing the need to establish multidisciplinary follow-up strategies. The analysis of refractive fluctuations appears to be a reproducible and noninvasive screening method that could facilitate patient follow-up without the need for consultation focused on corneal diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring customer satisfaction is one of the main objectives of a call center. We focus on the question of how many agents are necessary and how they should be allocated to maintain a service level threshold and reduce the expected waiting time of the customers. In this paper, we consider a multistage call center that consists of a front and a back office, impatient customers, and an overflow mechanism. Based on the performance evaluation of such a system using a continuous-time Markov chain, a configuration of agents is determined using a binary search algorithm. We focus on structural insights, e.g., convexity conditions, to obtain a quick solution for the staffing problem. Since monotonicity does not always hold, the approach is heuristic. The numerical results show the performance of the algorithm. The influence of the fraction requiring second-level service in the back office and the impatience rate for the minimum number of agents is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edgard Milhaud (1873–1964), a professor at the University of Geneva, published a series of texts (from 1932 onwards) promoting the establishment of multilateral international compensation between nation-states, and actively campaigned for this project. His plan centered on a call for a "gold truce" as an alternative to the bilateral clearing agreements that proliferated at the time. The plan drew the attention of several international organizations. It reached the point of arousing the interest of the League of Nations (LON), which decided in 1934 to launch an inquiry (published in 1935) questioning LON members about the project of making clearing agreements multilateral. The Milhaud plan nevertheless fell into oblivion after the Tripartite Agreement (1936) and then the outbreak of WW II. This work aims to situate the Milhaud plan in its intellectual and political context—i.e., the 1930s—analyze its content, and understand its failure. The article also assesses what it had in common with Keynes's plan for an international clearing union developed several years later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retrial queues are used extensively to model many practical problems in service systems, call centers, data centers, and computer network systems. The average waiting time is the main observable characteristic of the retrial queues. Long queues may cause negative impacts such as waste of manpower and unnecessary crowding leading to suffocation, and can even cause trouble for customers and institutions. Applying control chart technology can help managers analyze customers' waiting times to improve the effective performance of service and attention. This paper pioneers the developing and detailed study of a waiting time control chart for a retrial queue with general service times. Two waiting time control charts, the Shewhart control chart, and a control chart using the weighted variance method are constructed in this paper. We present three cases for the Shewhart control chart in which the service time obeys special distributions, such as exponential, Erlang, and hyper-exponential distributions. The case of an exponentially distributed service time is also presented for the control chart using the weighted variance method. Based on the numerical simulations conducted herein, managers can better monitor and analyze the customers' waiting times for their service systems and take preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CISOs may be intimately familiar with the dozens of forms of authentication for privileged areas of their environments, but a very different problem is arising in areas where authentication has [...]

Can an intelligent call center improve the deployment of a safe and effective diversified response (e.g., differential police response, coresponse and Alternate First Responders)? This article examines a proof-of-concept intelligent call center for enhanced 911 call processing, at the City of Seattle (Washington, USA). This study employed common commercial technology to 1) transcribe incoming 911 call audio, 2) render a real-time forecast of call risk and 3) visualize the results for personnel handling the call as “intelligent decision support.” This project proves a “human-inthe- loop” application of Machine Learning (ML) can support the professional judgement of experienced human operators with a precise, low-latency forecast of call risk. Further, the demonstrated system is designed to learn. As a diversified response system evolves, statistical feedback is incorporated using the Risk Managed Demand framework. Implications for risk management, the opportunity for diversified response, and the ethics of ML are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The meshing and limit equations of worm drive usually have strong nonlinearities such as multiple solutions, solution nonexistence and equation singularity. Meanwhile, the tooth surfaces of worm drive are in nonconforming line contact, which often requires mesh refinement of contact region for the loaded contact analysis. These two challenges cause that the modeling of worm drive heavily relies on manual adjustment and the loaded contact analysis of worm drive is still rare especially when edge contact and assembly error are concerned. Focusing on the double enveloping hourglass worm (DEHW) drive with planar generatrix, this work presents procedures to solve meshing and limit equations with global convergence. The instantaneous contact line, meshing limit line, curvature interference limit line and tooth surface grid discretization are adaptively generated, without manual trial or adjustment. On the basis of adaptive mesh refinement of tooth surface, the mortar virtual element method is adopted for loaded contact analysis of DEHW drive with edge contact and center distance error. Under sliding friction, the discrete system of governing equalities and inequalities is solved by semi-smooth Newton algorithm after constraint condensation. Numerical results for meshing theory and loaded contact analysis of DEHW drive with planar generatrix are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landlord technology—or the systems used by landlords to control and regulate tenant lives, spaces, and data—frequently promises "frictionless" building management and residential experiences. Yet services such as "digital doormen" and virtual property management platforms often create more work for tenants, particularly regarding decreased accessibility for tenants of color whose faces are unrecognized by biased algorithms used to administer building access, and for renters who are unable to or who refuse to use new apps and web portals. There are also "digital butlers" that landlords deploy as a means of attracting and retaining wealthy residents, yet that end up creating increased and often gendered work for those laboring behind the curtains of automation. Even virtual property management tools rely upon outsourced labor and are rife with contradictions and hardships for renters and call center workers alike. With a proposition that new forms of material and affective labor are created by landlord technologies despite promises of frictionless living, this article focuses on the various struggles that workers and tenants face in using, maintaining, refusing, and, at times, organizing against property automation. Based upon collaborative research produced with Landlord Tech Watch, as well as ethnographic accounting of housing and labor struggles in New York City and Cluj, this article introduces friction as a critical analytic useful in assessing the uneven, gendered, and racialized labor formations that landlord technologies require and reproduce despite fictions of frictionless living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the communication planning employed by the ICONNET 150678 Contact Center in handling customer complaints through inbound call services based on Philip Lesly's communication planning model. The research method used is in-depth interviews with a qualitative approach involving three internal ICONNET informants. The results show that the ICONNET Contact Center plays a crucial role in managing customer complaints through inbound call services. ICONNET implements systematic steps such as customer data verification, complaint analysis, and the application of First Contact Resolution (FCR). Regular evaluations have led to increased customer satisfaction and a reduction in unresolved complaints. Innovations such as the MyICON+ application facilitate customers in checking bills and reporting issues. Overall, the effective communication strategies and systematic handling of complaints by the ICONNET Contact Center significantly contribute to enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growth of mobile e-business, it has become common for customers to experience an explosion of instant desire to consume in a short period of time. Companies are harnessing this momentum, hoping to better capture, retain and convert these consumer desires into actual sales orders. Consequently, companies also need to use pre-sales call centers to provide the satisfied service and motivate more customers to repurchase, thereby increasing the revenue. The function of the call centers is updated from providing post-sales service to providing pre-sales consultation. In this regard, this paper examines the impact of delayed announcements consisting of queue information on customer repurchase behavior in pre-sales call centers. We classify the queuing information into no-information, part-information and full-information according to the level of information by constructing a simulation model. In the simulation experiments, some application scenarios are set up to describe the load of the call center. In all the given scenarios, we find out the full-information, which provides the delay time, is always the best. Moreover, the different methods for estimating the delay time to provide the full-information, namely LES, EA, EA2 and WA–LES, are compared. We find optimal announcements for the application scenarios set out in the time-varying scenario as well. Consequently, considering there exists certain cost for the company to make WA–LES announcements, while some call centers can only provide part-information instead, this paper investigates the impact of estimate bias on customer repurchase behavior and company revenue. Subsequently, the company revenue is further investigated in two extended experiments, where repurchase influence power and repurchase number are limited. The analysis ideas and simulation logic of this paper have good reference significance for e-commerce pre-sales call centers, and the suggestions for setting information levels in practice while considering customer repurchase behavior are also clearly given in the conclusion of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Ordnance Equipment Engineering is the property of Chongqing University of Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A CF/PEEK‐reinforced Al metal‐composite hybrid structure (CF/PEEK/Al) and CF/PEEK bar were subjected to high strain rate compression tests with a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). With the increase in strain rates, both CF/PEEK and CF/PEEK/Al showed the strain rate strengthening effect, and the microscopic fracture surface of CF/PEEK changes from rough to smooth. In the plastic rheological stage of stress–strain curve, CF/PEEK shows a plateau effect, while CF/PEEK/Al shows the strain weakening effect. When the strain rate exceeds 3800 s−1, the stress–strain curve exhibits a secondary wave peak. The peak values of the secondary peak in CF/PEEK/Al are larger than CF/PEEK. In terms of peak stress, yield stress, and specific energy absorption, CF/PEEK/Al outperforms CF/PEEK. Compared with other structures, the CF/PEEK/Al metal‐composite hybrid structure has certain advantages in terms of yield strength and yield strain. The finite element method (FEM) and DIC system were applied to observe the dynamic damage process in the compression impact test. It was found that in CF/PEEK/A1, the Al thin‐walled tube was damaged and cracked at the contact interface, and the inner CF/PEEK began to be damaged at the contact center with the input bar. And at 335 μs after contact began, the shear band ran through to the side of the samples. Highlights: A CF/PEEK‐reinforced Al metal‐composite hybrid structure (CF/PEEK/Al) was proposed, which is superior to CF/PEEK.When the strain rate exceeds 3800 s−1, the stress–strain curves of CF/PEEK and CF/PEEK/Al exhibit a secondary wave peak. The peak values of the secondary peak in CF/PEEK/Al are larger than CF/PEEK.With the increase in strain rates, both CF/PEEK and CF/PEEK/Al showed the strain rate strengthening effect, and the microscopic fracture surface of CF/PEEK changes from rough to smooth.In CF/PEEK/A1, the Al thin‐walled tube was damaged and cracked at the contact interface, and the inner CF/PEEK began to be damaged at the contact center with the input bar. And at 335 μs after contact began, the shear band ran through to the side of the samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Sauvé–Kapandji (S-K) method is a surgical procedure performed for chronic deformities of the distal radial ulnar joint (DRUJ). Changes to the joint contact surface from pre- to postoperatively under physiological in vivo conditions have not yet been determined for this useful treatment. The aim of the present study was therefore to compare the articular contact area of the wrist joint between before and after the S-K method for DRUJ disorders. Methods: The SK method was performed for 15 patients with DRUJ osteoarthritis and ulnar impaction syndrome. We calculated the Mayo Wrist Score as the patient's clinical findings and created 3-dimensional bone models of cases in which the S-K method was performed and calculated the contact area and shift in the center of the contact area using customized software. Results: The Mean modified Mayo Wrist Score improved significantly from 60.3 preoperatively to 80.3 postoperatively (P < 0.01). Scaphoid contact area to the radius increased significantly from 112.6 ± 37.0 mm2 preoperatively to 127.5 ± 27.8 mm2 postoperatively (P = 0.03). Lunate contact area to radius-ulna was 121.3 ± 43.3 mm2 preoperatively and 112.5 ± 37.6 mm2 postoperatively, but this decrease was not significant (P = 0.38). Contact area ratio of scaphoid to lunate increased significantly from 1.01 ± 0.4 preoperatively to 1.20 ± 0.3 postoperatively (P = 0.02). Postoperative translations of the center of the scaphoid and lunate contact areas were decomposed into ulnar and proximal directions. Ulnar and proximal translation distances of the scaphoid contact area were 0.8 ± 1.7 mm and 0.4 ± 0.6 mm, respectively, and those of the lunate contact area were 1.1 ± 1.7 mm and 0.4 ± 1.1 mm, respectively. This study revealed changes in wrist contact area and center of the contact area before and after the S-K method. Conclusion: These results may accurately indicate changes in wrist joint contact area from pre- to postoperatively using the S-K method for patients with DRUJ disorder. Evaluation of changes in contact area due to bone surface modeling of the wrist joint using 3DCT images may be useful in considering surgical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the potential impact of mental game playing on the productivity of call centre employees, with a focus on determining whether game playing has a definitive and lasting effect on performance. Using an exploratory design, a four-week on-site intervention was conducted with two groups: an intervention group and a comparison group. Productivity was measured through the average speed of answer, and variations were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The findings reveal that the intervention group showed increased efficiency during the third and fourth weeks; however, their average productivity (37.7 calls per hour) remained lower than that of the comparison group (55.62 calls per hour). While these efficiency gains might be attributed to smoother workflow during mid-week, the results highlight the potential of mental games to enhance productivity, though further validation is needed. The originality of the study lies in its exploration of mental game playing during work breaks as a productivity-boosting strategy. Limitations related to the call centre context, the duration of the intervention, and the specific games used offer avenues for future research. The practical implications suggest that organizations may consider incorporating mental games into work breaks to improve employee performance, while the social implications emphasize the role of these activities in promoting both well-being and productivity in call centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Analyze the performance of Brazilian municipalities in the dimensions of the Accounting and Fiscal Information Quality Ranking in Siconfi (Ranking) and evaluate the perception of accounting professionals on the topic. Methodology: To analyze the performance of municipalities in the Ranking dimensions, data was collected on the website of the National Treasury Secretariat (https://www.tesourotransparente.gov.br/visualizacao/Ranking-da-qualidade-da-informacaocontabil-e-fiscal-state) relating to the years 2020 to 2023. To evaluate the perception of municipal accounting professionals on the topic, a structured questionnaire was applied with four questions, designed with the aim of capturing the perception of these professionals about the existence of the Ranking, the their knowledge of data relating to the municipalities in which they worked and any measures taken by the municipality to improve the score given by the STN. The Municipalities were contacted by the Call Center team of the National Confederation of Municipalities, duly instructed by the research team. Results: The research shows that Dimension IV (which compares the Declaration of Annual Accounts, the Accounting Balances Matrix and reports from the Fiscal Responsibility Law) presented the lowest percentage of correct answers in the three-year period, revealing problems in the consistency of this data when the information between different reports are compared. With the completion of the questionnaire, it was found that 40% of respondents were unaware of the Ranking and even among those who did not know it, 46% did not take actions to improve the municipality's placement in the Ranking, revealing the lack of interest of professionals or municipal managers about its importance in the context of accounting information quality indicators. Contributions of the Study: This article indicates the need to expand empirical research on the quality of municipal accounting data, seeking to improve the questions presented in the questionnaire, for example, by adding items that evaluate the improvement in the accounting system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rampant suburbanisation is one of the most visible changes evidenced in cities throughout Central and Eastern Europe in the past three decades. In this paper, we analyse how suburbanisation unfolded in East Germany after reunification. We do this against the background of ongoing debates about the usefulness and meaning of the term post-socialism that have questioned the self-enclosed spatiality of the concept and suggest giving the concept of neoliberalisation a more central role in analysing the changes experienced in this part of the world. We show that the suburbanisation process in East Germany rested on three neoliberal policy orientations: (1) extensive investment stimuli for the construction of new rental housing, (2) promotion of home ownership and (3) the privileging of suburban locations through planning gaps. Since all these policies are based on neoliberal ideas, we argue that neoliberalisation and post-socialist reform agendas have appeared as two sides of the same coin. Against this background, we advocate putting the developments that came after socialism at the centre of the research and call for a new generation of studies on post-socialist neoliberalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of labour arbitrage, Romania became home to an expanding nearshoring business service sector. Many graduates work in 'call centres': a generic term for various types of customer-oriented services associated with different employment regimes and company structures. This research examines the discursive construction of compliance to precarious work, largely centred on managerial perspectives. Based on in-depth interviews with managers, HR staff, call-centre operators and through the thematic analysis of managerial outlets and career events, the paper unpacks several mechanisms, metaphors, and symbols that maintain young people's adherence to the demands of work. It is argued that the repertoire of neo-liberal tropes (authenticity, personal development, growth) creates legitimacy for an (arguably) precarious sector in an emerging economy, and ultimately crafts individual-ized working narratives. The paper suggests that young employees appropriate the related structures and the master narratives, whilst lacking a solid repertoire to critically engage with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The edited collection "Thinking with an Accent: Toward a New Object, Method, and Practice" brings together scholars from various disciplines to explore the significance of accent in the global cultural economy. The book reframes existing scholarship on accent from linguistic, racial, and sound studies perspectives and examines how accent intersects with migration policy, employment, culture, digital technologies, and politics. The chapters in the collection offer diverse approaches, including conceptual analyses and case studies, to illustrate the complexities of accent and its role in power dynamics and negotiations. The book is interdisciplinary and will be valuable to fields such as cultural studies, literary studies, voice studies, linguistics, politics, law, education, and sociology. It is published in an open access format, making it accessible to a wide range of readers. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: This study retrospectively evaluates Ankara Emergency Medical Services' (EMS) prehospital responses to firearm injuries concerning demographic characteristics, response times, and outcomes. Materials and Methods: Data were extracted from the Ankara EMS database (ASOS) encompassing firearm injury cases from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023, totaling 2,764 cases. Descriptive statistics were analyzed across years, focusing on EMS response times. Results: Of the 2,764 cases analyzed, 92.1% involved male patients and 7.9% female patients. Most incidents (71.2%) occurred on weekdays compared to weekends (28.8%). Soft tissue traumas accounted for 53.5% of cases, followed by interhospital transports (21.3%), medical cases (13.7%), and suicides (11.4%). Regarding outcomes, 65.6% of cases were transported to a hospital, 21.3% underwent interhospital transfers, and 11.4% were declared dead on arrival. The average call center response time was 324.6 seconds, ambulance team response time was 45.1 seconds, and time to scene arrival averaged 502.9 seconds. Conclusion: Ankara EMS demonstrated prompt and effective responses to firearm injuries, predominantly involving male patients. Most cases were directed to training and research hospitals, highlighting these institutions' pivotal role in EMS operations. These findings provide valuable insights for enhancing EMS protocols and future research. This study aims to inform and guide future investigations in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing the power of storytelling as an influencing writing centre practice (McKinney), this paper examines my near-decade long relationship with writing centres and explores stories I have told about writing centre work. Using analytic autoethnography, I analyze three reflective narratives from my writing centre history across two countries, through multiple disciplines. Despite the differing contextual factors of these narratives and the stories they feature, my analysis reveals institutional neoliberalism as the guiding influence on my storytelling. This finding is discussed alongside literature on emotional labour, contingent employment, and institutional interference. Ultimately, this paper highlights the untapped potential of autoethnography as an accessible methodology for precariously employed writing centre scholars and calls on the field to consider the influence of neoliberalism on our communication with students and tutees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Espacios is the property of Talleres de Impresos Oma and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Espacios is the property of Talleres de Impresos Oma and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Jurnal Ekonomi Manajemen Sistem Informasi (JEMSI) is the property of Dinasti Publisher and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The development of a decision support tool to assist with call center agent scheduling at Henkel is described. Call center demand varies by hour, and agents have dissimilar service time distributions. Target agent utilizations are calculated using a metamodel of a simulation that finds the elbow of the utilization to waiting time curve. This article presents a customized decision support system for labor allocation at Henkel Corporation's Loctite adhesives call center, which mainly serves business-to-business customers who use Loctite adhesives to bond parts during manufacturing. The project includes an analysis of call center data, a simulation model that captures nuances of its operations, and a metamodel that generates optimal server utilization targets. The system, which projects performance on an hour-by-hour basis, maintains flexibility when assigning staff. Its use has decreased caller abandonment rates from 4.26% to 2.83% without increasing agent labor costs. History: This paper was refereed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Telephone triage is used to optimise patient flow in emergency primary healthcare. Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings and compromise patient safety. To improve quality, a comprehensive understanding of factors affecting communication in medical call centres in primary care is needed. The aim of this review was to identify such factors and to describe how they affect communication during telephone triage. Method: A mixed-method systematic review was performed. In April 2021 and June 2023, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched for original studies describing communication during telephone triage in primary care medical call centres handling all types of medical problems from an unselected population. All studies were screened by two authors, blinded to each other's decisions. Disagreements were resolved by a third author. A framework was created by the thematic synthesis of the qualitative data and later used to synthesise the quantitative data. By using convergent integrated synthesis, the qualitative and quantitative findings were integrated. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess methodological limitations. Results: Out of 5087 studies identified in the search, 62 studies were included, comprising 40 qualitative, 16 quantitative and six mixed-method studies. Thirteen factors were identified and organised into four main themes: organisational factors, factors related to the operator, factors related to the caller and factors in the interaction. Organisational factors included availability, working conditions and decision support systems. Factors related to the operator were knowledge and experience, personal qualities and communication strategies. Factors related to the caller were individual differences and the presented medical problem. Factors in the interaction were faceless communication, connection between operator and caller, third-person caller and communication barriers. The factors seem interrelated, with organisational factors affecting all parts of the conversation, and the operator's communication in particular. Conclusion: Many factors affect the structure, content, and flow of the conversation. The operators influence the communication directly but rely on the organisation to create a working environment that facilitates good communication. The results are mainly supported by qualitative studies and further studies are needed to explore and substantiate the relevance and effect of individual factors. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022298022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article develops the concept of collective unpredictability as a socio-geographic gathering and sensibility for redescribing territories of urban habitation. It describes in detail the databases, privacy protocols, call centres, inventory and queue flow management systems, spatial surveys, food supply chains, transport operations, credit and voucher economies, and financial accounting systems designed by community organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic across six neighbourhoods in Madrid. It demonstrates how these various systems of attention, logistical geographies and ecologies of habitation threw into question the ceteris paribus assumptions underpinning the geographical epistemologies of biopolitical models. The emphasis on collective unpredictabilities aims not to confront expert factuals against community counterfactuals, but to insist on the urban liveliness of otherwisefactuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheel‐rail contact is a link between the vehicle system and the rail system, and the contact processing approach affects accuracy of vehicle dynamic simulation. Contact detection is usually the start of wheel‐rail contact calculation, and detecting precision of contact patch center affect accuracy of contact force calculating results, therefore it is significant to improve detecting precision of contact patch center. An alternate search method (ASM) and an extended trace line method are proposed to improve precision and efficiency of contact patch centers detection. The proposed alternate search method applies Golden Ratio Search Method and variable intervals between grids to detect contact patch centers. To make the detected contact patch centers match rail tangential directions better, an extended trace line method is constructed based on geometrical constraints between contact points and rail tangential directions. Dynamic simulations of a bogie vehicle formed by two wheelsets and a bogie frame negotiating a rail curve are conducted to evaluate effects of the proposed methods. Calculating times of the proposed methods for finishing the simulations are compared to explain computational efficiencies of the different methods. The proposed approaches are real‐time capable and can be used for vehicle dynamics simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robot artistic painting and robot calligraphy do require brush models for brushstroke simulation and painting robot control. One of the main features of the brush is its compliance, which describes the relationship between the brush footprint shape and the pressure applied to the brush. In addition, during motion, the brush footprint position lags from the brush handle position in a complicated manner. To date, the question of creating a physically correct model of these effects and choosing the best method for the model parameter calibration has not been presented in the literature. In the current paper, we derive equations of the brush contact patch motion, give their closed-form solutions, and investigate three methods for the brush model calibration: capturing brush footprints on a matte glass with a camera, painting calibration brushstrokes, and capturing a brush shape side projection with a camera. As we show, calibration brushstrokes give us primary information on brush contact patch displacement during painting, and capturing the brush side projection allows the accurate estimation of the gap from the brush tip to the center of the contact patch. Capturing brush footprints is useful for creating a brushstroke executable model. As an example, a model for a round artistic brush was created and verified in three tests, including measuring the coordinates of an angular brushstroke center line, simulating an angular brushstroke, and writing a signature using a robotic setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aimed to provide auditory comfort conditions in call centers where the noise problem is very high and its use is increasing day by day. Since there are no partition walls in such places, noises from conversations, telephones and other office equipment, footsteps, air conditioning and lighting, office equipment (fax machines, printers, etc.), and noise from outside can reduce working efficiency and sometimes cause serious health problems. To assess this situation, the current noise levels situation in a call center were revealed with the help of observation, survey, measurement, and simulation. The number of personnel in the volume, different layout models, surface absorption, and obstacle heights were analyzed through the simulation program and appropriate call center models were obtained in terms of acoustic comfort. By taking the models as a reference, noise level maps have been prepared according to different frequency spectrums. When the noise maps are evaluated, while the call center noise level is 60 dBA in the current situation, it has decreased to 45–53 dBA noise levels as a result of the settlement proposal where the employees are facing in opposite directions in pairs. There has been a reduction in noise level of approximately 16%. As a result of the study, the measures to be taken to improve the auditory environment were determined within the scope of architectural and acoustic design, and results were obtained to guide the designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare call centers serve an important role in the healthcare system to support patients' access to care and satisfaction and optimize medical resource allocation. Limited research has provided sufficient evidence on how to increase healthcare call center's efficiency from managerial aspects. In this study, a simulation model is built based on real-life healthcare call center settings and call information, to identify the opportunities for improvement. This call center processes approximately 2638 calls for 25 clinic sites every day. The call abandon rate was at 16.7%, which was far from the organization's goal of 5%. Some improvement opportunities based on managerial interests such as cross-coverage, non-scheduling call transition, staff availability and staff allocation without increasing staff numbers, are identified and their operational impacts are evaluated by the simulation model. Moreover, a genetic algorithm is used to find the optimal shift for staff allocation. The simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed model, provide valuable insights for decision-making before the implementation and provide other healthcare call centers' alternatives to improve performance. The recommendations were communicated to call center staff and consentaneous opportunities were implemented. The results showed a significant reduction of 39.5% in the call abandon rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background During the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of hotlines/helplines/call centers was implemented to provide remote services and support public health. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, challenges and lessons learned of implementing Covid-19 hotlines/helplines/call centers during the pandemic. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest databases as well as Google Scholar were searched between 1st January 2020 and 31st December 2023 to retrieve relevant articles published in English. The quality and risk of bias of the studies were assessed using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS), the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklist. Results In total, 43 out of 1440 articles were included in this study. About half of the hotlines/helplines/call centers were launched in March 2020 (n = 19). Providing psychological support (n = 23), reliable information about Covid-19 (n = 10), healthcare advices about Covid-19 (n = 8), and triage (n = 7) were the most common purposes of implementing these services. The most common challenges included a lack of physical examination, unavailability of hotlines/helplines/call centers at the point of need, and delay in updating Covid-19 information. The most common lessons learned were employing qualified staff, providing proper training, and getting feedback from the callers and operators. Conclusion According to the results, most of the Covid-19 hotlines/helplines/call centers were launched in the early months of the pandemic, and about half of them were active seven days a week. Most of the operators were mental health providers and clinicians. The findings show the importance of continuous psychological support during crises, particularly when adequate information about the situation is not available. The challenges experienced by the callers and operators as well as the lessons learned by the service providers also need to be considered for future crises to increase the effectiveness of similar services.