bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
What makes excellence models excellent: a comparison of the American, European and Japanese models
Authors: Muhammad Din Asfa , Asif Muhammad , Awan Muhammad Usman , Thomas George 
Published: November 2020

PurposeThis paper compares three business excellence models (BEMs): Baldrige criteria for performance excellence (BCPE), European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model and Deming Prize (DP) model, representing American, European and Japanese excellence models, respectively. These models are compared in terms of contents, scope, orientation, emphasis and administration.Design/methodology/approachUsing an inductive-deductive approach, the paper identifies and compares the contents, core values, unique features, points of emphasis and the overall approach of these models.FindingsSignificant differences exist in these models, and that none of these models is perfect. Overall, the BCPE is results-oriented, mainly economic-focused, explicit in presenting requirements and better structured. The EFQM model provides an augmented focus on sustainability, stakeholder engagement and inclusivity. The DP model is an internally oriented TQM model that focuses on processes improvement as a means to excellence.Practical implicationsThe findings can guide managers regarding what they should expect from the application of excellence models and make better decisions regarding the choice of excellence models. Further, these findings can provide a foundation for updating the excellence models.Originality/valueThis paper stands alone as a qualitative comparison of BEMs in terms of contents, scope, administration and emphasis on excellence related matters.
Seismic dispersion and attenuation in Mancos shale – laboratory measurements
Authors: Mikhaltsevitch V. , Lebedev M. , Pervukhina M. , Gurevich B. 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACTWe present the results of a low‐frequency study of Mancos shale, where we first elaborate a stress–strain methodology of laboratory low‐frequency experiments to estimate the elastic moduli of shales, and then apply this methodology to investigate the influence of partial water saturation on the elastic and anelastic parameters, velocities and P‐wave anisotropy of Mancos shale. We also analyse the applicability of the anisotropic Gassmann theory for predictions of the stiffness tensor components of the water‐saturated shale with non‐expandable clay content presented in our case by illite (33%) and chamosite (9.1%) minerals. The effect of water saturation was studied using two samples drilled in vertical and parallel directions to the formation bedding. The experiments were carried out at a confining pressure of 10 MPa in the frequency range from 0.1 to 100 Hz. Prior to measurements, the samples were saturated in desiccators at six different values of relative humidity ranging from 9% to 97.5%. The results of our study demonstrate a reduction of Young's modulus and P‐wave anisotropy with saturation accompanied by a decrease in shear stiffnesses. The latter indicates the inapplicability of the anisotropic Gassmann theory to Mancos shale. Our measurements of attenuation carried out on the vertical and horizontal samples saturated at a relative humidity of 97.5% revealed prominent attenuation peaks associated with partial saturation. We showed that the measurement results of the attenuation and Young's modulus dispersion are consistent with the causality principle presented by the Kramers–Kronig relations.
An experimental test of the Allee effect range limitation hypothesis
Authors: Merker Samuel A. , Chandler Richard B. 
Published: November 2020

Abstract

Understanding how climate change impacts trailing‐edge populations requires information about how abiotic and biotic factors limit their distributions. Theory indicates that socially mediated Allee effects can limit species distributions by suppressing growth rates of peripheral populations when social information is scarce.

The goal of our research was to determine if socially mediated Allee effects limit the distribution of Canada warbler Cardellina canadensis at the trailing‐edge of the geographic range.

Using 4 years of observational data from 71 sites and experimental data at 10 sites, we tested two predictions of the socially mediated range limitation hypothesis: (a) local growth rates should be positively correlated with local density and (b) the addition of social cues immediately outside the trailing‐edge range boundary would result in colonization of formerly unoccupied habitat and increased growth rates. During the third breeding season, social cues were experimentally added at 10 formerly unoccupied sites within and beyond the species’ local range margin to determine if the addition of social information could increase density and effectively expand the species’ range.

No experimental sites were colonized after adding social cues and no evidence of Allee effects was found. Rather, temperature, precipitation and negative density dependence strongly influenced population growth rates.

Although theoretical models indicate that the presence of socially mediated Allee effects at species range boundaries could increase the rate of climate‐induced range shifts and local extinctions, empirical results from the first test of this hypothesis suggest that Allee effects play a minimal role in limiting species’ distributions.
Balanced stochastic versus deterministic assembly processes benefit diverse yet uneven ecosystem functions in representative agroecosystems
Authors: Liu Wenjing , Graham Emily B. , Dong Yang , Zhong Linghao , Zhang Jianwei , Qiu Chongwen , Chen Ruirui , Lin Xiangui , Feng Youzhi 
Published: November 2020

SummaryEcological assembly processes, by influencing community composition, determine ecosystem functions of microbiomes. However, debate remains on how stochastic versus deterministic assembly processes influence ecosystem functions such as carbon and nutrient cycling. Towards a better understanding, we investigated three types of agroecosystems (the upland, paddy, and flooded) that represent a gradient of stochastic versus deterministic assembly processes. Carbon and nutrient cycling multifunctionality, characterized by nine enzymes associated with soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur cycling, was evaluated and then associated with microbial assembly processes and co‐occurrence patterns of vital ecological groups. Our results suggest that strong deterministic processes favour microorganisms with convergent functions (as in the upland agroecosystem), while stochasticity‐dominated processes lead to divergent functions (as in the flooded agroecosystem). To benefit agroecosystems services, we speculate that it is critical for a system to maintain balance between its stochastic and deterministic assembly processes (as in the paddy agroecosystem). By doing so, the system can preserve a diverse array of functional traits and also allow for particular traits to flourish. To further confirm this speculation, it is necessary to develop a systematic knowledge beyond merely characterizing general patterns towards the associations among community assembly, composition, and ecosystem functions.
“If at First You don’t Succeed”: Why Žižek Failed in France but Succeeded in England
Authors: Bar‐El Eliran 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThis article sociologically explains the initial phase of Slavoj Žižek's emergence as global public intellectual. Drawing on positioning theory, the article contributes to previous works on Žižek's performativity by focusing on his contextuality. It examines how his intellectual interventions depended on the context in which they were performed, and on the relations to other intellectuals positioned in that context. The article argues that (1) Žižek's first attempt to intervene internationally was in France; (2) this attempt was a failure; and (3) his second attempt in England was a success. It also demonstrates that vouching is paramount to intellectual positioning: while Jacques‐Alain Miller positioned Žižek along practico‐clinical lines in the French context, Ernesto Laclau positioned Žižek along politico‐philosophical lines in the English context. Consequently, the latter positioning facilitated a public resonance that would lead to Žižek's global success.
Brorphine—Investigation and quantitation of a new potent synthetic opioid in forensic toxicology casework using liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry
Authors: Krotulski Alex J. , Papsun Donna M. , Noble Carolina , Kacinko Sherri L. , Logan Barry K. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractNew synthetic opioids continue to appear as novel psychoactive substances (NPS) on illicit drug markets. Isotonitazene emerged in mid‐2019, becoming the most prevalent NPS opioid in the United States within a few months. Notification by the Drug Enforcement Administration of its intent to schedule isotonitazene in mid‐2020 led to its decline in popularity and replacement with a new NPS opioid: brorphine. Brorphine is a potent synthetic opioid, but little information was previously available regarding its toxicity or involvement in impairment and death. Our laboratory developed an assay for the identification and quantitative confirmation of brorphine using standard addition. Quantitative analysis was performed using liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS). In vitro and in vivo metabolism studies were performed using pooled human liver microsomes and authentic biological specimens, respectively, with analysis by liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (LC‐QTOF‐MS). Brorphine was confirmed in 20 authentic forensic cases, commonly found in combination with fentanyl (100%) and flualprazolam (80%). The average concentration of brorphine in blood was 2.5 ± 3.1 ng/mL (median: 1.1 ng/mL, range: 0.1–10 ng/mL). The average concentration of brorphine in urine was 4.6 ± 7.6 ng/mL (median: 1.6 ng/mL, range: 0.2–23 ng/mL). The majority of cases originated from Midwestern states. Metabolism was verified to included N‐dealkylation and hydroxylation. Detailed case histories and autopsy findings are presented herein. The prevalence of brorphine continues to increase in the United States. Forensic scientists should remain aware of the ongoing emergence of new opioids, especially those outside a standard scope of toxicology testing.
Profiling of cured residue of solvent‐based adhesives by attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with chemometrics for forensic investigation
Authors: Saman Salmimi Azira , Chang Kah Haw , Abdullah Ahmad Fahmi Lim 
Published: November 2020

AbstractAbuse of solvent‐based adhesives jeopardizes world population, especially the young generation. Adhesive‐related exhibits encountered in forensic cases might need to be determined if they could have come from a particular source or to establish link between cases or persons. This study was aimed to discriminate solvent‐based adhesives, especially to aid forensic investigation of glue sniffing activities. In this study, thirteen brands with three samples each, totaling at 39 adhesive samples, were analyzed using attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy followed by chemometric methods. Experimental output showed that adhesive samples utilized in this study were less likely to change in their ATR‐FTIR profiles over time, at least up to 2 months. No interference from plastic materials was noticed based on ATR‐FTIR profile comparison. Physical examination could differentiate the samples into two groups, namely contact adhesives and cement adhesives. A principal component analysis‐score linear discriminative analysis (PC‐score LDA) model resulted in 100% and 98.6% correct classification in discriminating the two groups of adhesive samples, forming seven discriminative clusters. Test set with adhesive samples applied glass slide and plastic substrates also demonstrated a 100% correct classification into their respective groups. As a conclusion, the method allowed for discrimination of adhesive samples based on the spectral features, displaying relationship among samples. It is hoped that this comparative information is beneficial to trace the possible source of solvent‐based adhesives, whenever they are recovered from a crime scene, for forensic investigation.
Consistency of seasonal patterns of insect succession on pig cadavers at Yeongdo Island in Busan, Korea
Authors: Park Sang‐Hyun , Moon Tae‐Young 
Published: November 2020

AbstractCadaver insects cause dead bodies to break down in ecological processes. Still, the knowledge has been accumulated slowly about the structure and role of the insect assemblages attending to death scenes. This study analysed the successional patterns of insects on pig cadavers in the spring, summer, and autumn from 2016 to 2019 at Yeongdo Island, Busan, South Korea. A sum of 71 insect species belonging to four orders and 21 families were sampled. Predominant insects were largely Diptera and Coleoptera. The majority of the flies were the calliphorids as Chrysomya pinguis (Walker) and Lucilia porphyrina (Walker). The most common beetles were Creophilus maxillosus (L.), Omosita japonica (Reitter), and Staphylinidae sp. regardless of seasons. Occurrence matrices were made from the successional patterns of insect species during 42 sampling intervals in the spring, 38 sampling intervals in the summer, and 26 sampling intervals in the autumn. Permutation analyses of the occurrence matrices showed that the patterns of succession were similar between spring 2016 and 2017 (P = 0.019), between summer 2016 and 2017 (P = 0.003), and between autumn 2016 and 2019 (P = 0.002). The result shows that there are clear patterns in succession between seasons, and provides the reference data to presume the death time, at least in the southeast part of South Korea.
Emerging Powers and Differentiation in Global Climate Institutions
Authors: Thompson Alexander 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe Paris Agreement on climate change brought states from the North and South together under a common framework to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. This was a remarkable institutional adjustment for a regime that had always maintained a strict distinction between developed and developing countries and imposed meaningful obligations only on the former. To better understand this change, I look at the negotiations surrounding the issue of ‘differentiation’. The rising emissions of the emerging economies created a demand for institutional change on the part of key industrialized countries; however, they faced resistance from the increasingly assertive BASIC group (Brazil, South Africa, India and China). The challengers ultimately adopted strategic cooptation as their main negotiation strategy, offering compromises in the areas of climate finance and the legal form of new commitments. The climate case sheds light on the impact of power shifts in the domain of global environmental governance and illustrates that calls for change sometime comes from established rather than rising powers.
‘One Hand Washes the Other’ in EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood: What Policy Response?
Authors: Buscaneanu Sergiu , Stefes Christoph H. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe institutions of patronage, clientelism and nepotism are resilient and obstruct political liberalisation and democratic consolidation. This paper draws on historical (neo)institutionalism, democratisation research and studies in economic history to understand the reproduction mechanisms of informal institutions in EU’s Eastern neighbourhood, and to propose a policy response, which could have the potential to disrupt these mechanisms. Outsourcing national judiciary systems from EU’s Eastern neighbourhood to external rule of law missions might offer one solution as long as they satisfy at least two conditions: (1) they need to have a targeted executive mandate; and (2) they must be deployed with the support of an authoritative international actor, such as the EU or UN, under conditions of concerted international efforts and significant financial assistance. Local actors might oppose this infringement of national sovereignty. External rule of law missions should therefore be proposed during a democratic transition when reformers rely on external support.
What Accountants Need to Know about Blockchain*
Authors: Calderón Jesús , Stratopoulos Theophanis C. 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACTReports by professional organizations (e.g., AICPA, CPA Canada, and ICAEW) argue that blockchain adoption is likely to reduce the need for record‐keeping tasks and shift the accounting focus to higher‐level activities. To evaluate such expectations and form their own opinions, accounting professionals need to understand the way blockchain works in a business setting. The primary objective of this article is to provide the reader with the foundational knowledge needed to better understand reports such as those suggesting that blockchain will change the way auditors execute their engagements and generate new assurance opportunities for configuring policies in blockchain networks. Building on evidence indicating that the most promising use cases are from the logistics industry, we describe a blockchain implementation in a supply chain setting. Using a scaffolding approach, we start with a supply chain and describe how blockchain is implemented in one of its segments, before we show how a complete transaction is recorded on the ledger.
Subjective Effects of Alcohol Predict Alcohol Choice in Social Drinkers
Authors: Li Jingfei , Murray Conor H. , Weafer Jessica , de Wit Harriet 
Published: November 2020

IntroductionAlcohol is among the most commonly used psychoactive drugs, yet it can produce markedly different subjective effects in different people. Certain effects, including both heightened stimulatory effects and lesser sedative effects, are thought to predict repeated or excessive use. However, we do not fully understand the nature of these individual differences or their relationships to alcohol consumption. This controlled laboratory study examined subjective and physiologic responses to a moderate dose of alcohol in social drinkers in relation to the subjects’ decision to consume alcohol.MethodsHealthy adult volunteers (N = 95) participated in a 5‐session double‐blind alcohol choice study. On the first 4 sessions, they received alcohol (0.8 g/kg) and placebo in alternating order, and on the fifth session, they chose and consumed whichever of the 2 they preferred. During each session, participants completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) questionnaires and had their vitals recorded every 30 minutes. We compared subjective and physiologic response to alcohol during the sampling sessions in participants who chose alcohol or placebo on session 5.ResultsOf the 95 participants, 55 chose alcohol (choosers) and 40 chose placebo (nonchoosers). In the full sample, alcohol produced its expected effects (e.g., increased friendliness, elation, and vigor (POMS), and stimulation and sedation (BAES)). The chooser and nonchooser groups did not differ in demographic characteristics, blood alcohol levels, or cardiovascular measures. However, the choosers experienced greater alcohol‐induced increases in positive mood (POMS) and liked the drug more, whereas the nonchoosers experienced greater anger, anxiety (POMS), and sedation (BAES) after alcohol.ConclusionBoth greater positive mood effects and lesser sedative effects after alcohol predicted preference under controlled conditions, suggesting that both factors can predict future consumption of alcohol.
Assessing the concurrent validity, inter‐rater reliability and test–re‐test reliability of the Australian Treatment Outcomes Profile (ATOP) in alcohol and opioid treatment populations
Authors: Deacon Rachel M. , Mammen Kristie , Bruno Raimondo , Mills Llewellyn , Dunlop Adrian , Holmes Jennifer , Jefferies Meryem , Hall Michelle , Shakeshaft Anthony , Farrell Michael , Graham Robert , Lintzeris Nicholas 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackground and AimsThe Australian Treatment Outcomes Profile (ATOP) is a brief instrument measuring recent substance use, risk profile and general health and wellbeing among clients attending alcohol and other drug (AoD) treatment services. This study evaluates the ATOP for concurrent validity, inter‐rater and test–re‐test reliability among alcohol and opioid treatment groups.DesignFor concurrent validity and inter‐rater reliability, participants completed an ATOP with a clinician and an ATOP plus standardized questionnaires (time‐line follow‐back, Opiate Treatment Index, Kessler‐10, 12‐item Short Form Survey, World Health Organization Quality of Life‐BREF, Personal Wellbeing Index) with a researcher within 3 days. For test–re‐test reliability, participants completed two ATOPs with a researcher within a 3‐day interval.SettingOutpatient AoD treatment centres in Australia.ParticipantsFor testing concurrent validity and inter‐rater reliability, 278 participants were recruited by advertisements in waiting‐rooms or clinician invitation during 2016 to 2018. A further 94 participants were recruited to examine test–re‐test reliability.MeasurementsStatistical tests used for concurrent validity and test–re‐test reliability were Pearson’s and Spearman’s rank order correlations for continuous variables, and Cohen’s κ for nominal variables. Inter‐rater reliability was assessed using Krippendorf’s α.FindingsMost Australian Treatment Outcomes Profile items returned excellent or moderate validity and reliability. For the main substances used—alcohol, cannabis and benzodiazepines—concurrent validity, inter‐rater reliability and test–re‐test reliability all reached excellent or good agreement (0.72–0.96). Psychological health, physical health and quality of life showed fair to strong agreement with their comparator scales (0.47–0.85).ConclusionsThe Australian Treatment Outcomes Profile is a validated and reliable instrument for assessing recent substance use and clinical risk, health and welfare among alcohol and opioid clients in alcohol and other drug treatment settings. Its ability to reliably measure complex constructs, such as psychological and physical health, against longer scales makes it suitable for integration into routine clinical care, enabling regular monitoring of patient outcomes and safety parameters.