bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparing viewpoints of top management, consultants and employees about Lean Six Sigma
Authors: Yadav Neeraj , Al Owad Ali 
Published: June 2022

PurposeDespite extensive research on Lean Six Sigma (LSS), it predominantly remains focussed on organisational aspects. Individual perceptions were often sidelined. Comparative studies about different perspectives of LSS from the point of view of top management, consultants and employees are unavailable. This paper captures the opinions of these stakeholders about different dimensions of LSS and presents the comparison.Design/methodology/approachUsing empirical research, opinion is captured of three LSS stakeholder categories: top management/business owners, facilitators/consultants and practising managers/employees. Their opinions about 15 different perspectives of LSS, including its future in the Industry 4.0/Quality 4.0 era, are evaluated in this study under 95 variables (decision aspects). Comparison among the opinions of these stakeholders is performed using chi-square hypothesis testing and ANOVA (analysis of variance) methods.FindingsIn a total of 95 comparisons, a statistically significant difference among different stakeholders' views is observed in 62 cases. In 33 cases, the opinions of the three stakeholder groups can be considered in agreement with one another.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings will help different LSS stakeholder groups better understand the expectations of other groups. During LSS implementation, it will help in aligning priorities and achieving success. Theoretically, it will help in narrowing the research gap about the rarity of comparing views of multiple stakeholder groups.Originality/valueThe comparison among views of three critical LSS stakeholder groups – top management/business owners, facilitators/consultants and managers/employees, is currently unavailable, and therefore, this research provides a fresh perspective to an otherwise extensively researched theme. It is immensely helpful in preventing LSS failures arising from misaligned stakeholder views and expectations.
Are secondary equity offerings of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) REITs less underpriced than non-BEE REITs?
Authors: Ajayi Oluwaseun Damilola , Akinsomi Omokolade 
Published: June 2022

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature on secondary equity offerings (SEOs) by examining the impact of the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy on secondary equity offering (SEO) pricing dynamics of South African Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).Design/methodology/approachWith a sample of 152 SEOs of South African REITs from 2010 to 2020, ordinary least squares (OLS) models, fixed effect models, parametric and non-parametric tests were applied to test for the impact of BEE on the underpricing of SEOs.FindingsSignificant underpricing is discovered in highly compliant (BEE) REITs; in other words, SEOs pricing of BEE compliant REITs are more underpriced compared to non-compliant BEE REITs. With this, BEE compliant REITs and more so, highly compliant BEE REITs in particular leave more money on the table.Practical implicationsThe government is therefore aware of the impact policy interventions play when REITs raise financing through SEOS. With these, highly compliant BEE REITs will need to be more strategic when making BEE compliance decisions as this is shown in our study to impact the underpricing of SEOs.Originality/valueThis is the first study to investigate SEO underpricing for the BEE policy using the South African REITs context.
Impacts of big data analytics adoption on firm sustainability performance
Authors: Chatterjee Sheshadri , Chaudhuri Ranjan , Vrontis Demetris , Thrassou Alkis 
Published: June 2022

Purpose
This study aims to examine the impacts of adopting big data analytics (BDA) on firm sustainability performance (FSP) mediated through firm financial performance (FIP) and operational performance (OPP).

Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical model is based on ideas from existing literature on BDA, sustainability, FIP, dynamic capability view theory and resource capability view theory. The model is then validated using the partial least squares–structural equation modeling technique with consideration of 312 responses from 24 Indian firms.

Findings
The study provides three important findings. First, there is a significant and positive impact of BDA on firms’ financial and OPP. Second, BDA significantly and positively impacts firm business process performance (BPP) and dynamic capabilities (DYC), which, in turn, significantly impacts the firm’s financial and OPP. Finally, both the financial and OPP of the firm significantly and positively impact sustainability performance.

Research limitations/implications
This theoretical model is unique in showing the impacts of BDA on BPP, firm DYC, financial and OPP. The study also shows how BDA can enhance FSP by mediating through financial as well as the OPP of the firms. The study uses data only from India and thus the proposed model cannot be generalizable.

Originality/value
This study provides valuable input to researchers, academicians and industry practitioners on the importance of BDA for FSP. The study also adds value to the body of knowledge on sustainability, FIP and technology adoption. The proposed unique theoretical model has an explanative power of 70%, which is quite high and can be used across different industries.
Tree species identity drives nutrient use efficiency in young mixed‐species plantations, at both high and low water availability
Authors: Maxwell Tania L. , Fanin Nicolas , Parker William C. , Bakker Mark R. , Belleau Ariane , Meredieu Céline , Augusto Laurent , Munson Alison D. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractPrevious studies have demonstrated that tree species diversity increases productivity and may enhance nutrient cycling in forests. The effect of mixing tree species on stand‐level nutrient use efficiency (NutUE) has seldom been studied, and even less so in the context of climate change. Here we present the first study examining how diversity effects on NutUE may be modified by growing season water availability (low vs. high), and importantly, during periodic drought or on water‐limited sites.We tested the interaction of water availability and tree species diversity (i.e. species richness and species identity) on NutUE in two young, experimental plantations located in south‐western France (ORPHEE), and northern Ontario, Canada (IDENT‐SSM). We calculated stand‐level NutUE as above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP) divided by the product of litterfall mass and macronutrient concentrations, of monocultures and mixed tree communities composed of several temperate tree species, with a focus on birch and pine at both sites.We found significant species richness and water availability effects on NutUE, but they were weakly and inconsistently expressed, detected only for specific nutrients, and differed between the two sites. Species identity had much stronger effects on NutUE when examined using the birch–pine plots at both sites. At ORPHEE, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) were significantly greater in the birch–pine mixture than in each monoculture. This was due to an increase in ANPP coupled with a decrease in litter nutrient concentrations in the two‐species plot that was driven by the dominance of pine in the mixture. In the comparatively younger, denser plots at IDENT‐SSM, birch was the dominant species that resulted in positive mixing effects on ANPP and litter nutrient concentrations and a neutral effect of mixing on NUE and PUE in the birch–pine mixture.Overall, the effects of mixing did not differ with water availability treatments, suggesting that species composition of mixtures is more important than water availability for stand‐level NutUE in these young forest communities.Read the freePlain Language Summaryfor this article on the Journal blog.
Generalization of Bayesian inversion with application to PP reflection in a vertical transverse isotropy medium
Authors: Zidan Ahmed , Li Yunyue , Cheng Arthur 
Published: June 2022

ABSTRACTSeismic inversion of amplitude variation with offset is an ill‐conditioned problem, in which small errors in the observed data result in large errors in the estimates, and therefore regularization functions are necessary. The Bayes' theorem regularizes ill‐posed problems using the statistical properties of the model parameters of interest; however, our knowledge of these statistical properties is poor. Meanwhile, the Bayesian framework is limited to particular forms of a priori probability distributions, due to poor knowledge of the statistical properties of individual probability distributions. Moreover, each particular a priori probability distribution requires a reformulation of the inversion under a Bayesian framework, which is not practically preferred. Here, we construct a Bayesian framework that enables the use of various types of a priori probability distributions without the need to reformulate the problem and to obtain well‐established statistical information on the model parameters of interest, specifically a lower bound on the variance of the a priori model, for example. Fisher information. Consequently, different probability distributions that best address the parameters of interest are first fitted using the maximum likelihood estimator . A lower bound on the variance of each a priori model is then estimated, which provides adequate statistical information between different model parameters; hence, it is ideally suited for the Bayesian framework. Thereafter, an iterative approach is proposed that utilizes the Hessians of the data and model spaces, and an adaptive learning rate to compute the optimal directions for model updates. The approach is applied to synthetic and real seismic data to estimate the elastic and seismic anisotropy parameters of shale formations. The regularization from the a priori probability density successfully stabilizes the updates of the variant‐sensitivity parameters by imposing the correlation information in the optimization process.
Localizing weak microseismic events using transfer learning with a deep neural network
Authors: Vinard Nicolas André , Drijkoningen Guy Gérard , Verschuur Dirk Jacob , Alexandrov Dmitry , Eisner Leo 
Published: June 2022

ABSTRACTRetrieving accurate microseismic source locations induced by hydraulic‐fracturing operations is an important step to gain insights into the hydraulically stimulated reservoir volume. Recently, deep neural networks have been proposed that directly recover source locations from the seismic waveforms. The optimal performance of the proposed deep neural networks usually requires large training sets. The need for a large training set can be circumvented if a previously trained deep neural network can be used to start the training process with its weights instead of randomly initialized weights. These weights can then be fine‐tuned using a smaller training set, which is also known as transfer learning . In this work, we implement a transfer learning workflow to update the weights of a deep neural network that was initially trained on a large synthetic dataset to localize microseismic events. We present two methods of processing, namely one post‐monitoring mode and one continuous mode where the processing takes place during the monitoring period. We apply the methods to field data from a hydraulic fracturing site in Texas, USA. In the first scenario, a subset of the field data from the entire monitoring period is used to update the weights of the deep neural network, which is then applied to the remaining data resulting in mean and median distances of 227 and 182 m, respectively, compared to the results of a good localization method. In the second scenario, the deep neural network is updated daily with previously detected and located events and applied to the events detected the following day. Since the observed data used for training generally do not cover a wide range of source locations, we enrich the training set with synthetic data. The addition of synthetics for transfer learning ensures that the updated deep neural network provides accurate source locations for events with locations far from locations used during transfer learning. Transfer learning combining synthetic and real data performs significantly better (more consistent) locations than transfer learning without synthetics.
Anaerobic sulfamethoxazole‐degrading bacterial consortia in antibiotic‐contaminated wetland sediments identified by DNA‐stable isotope probing and metagenomics analysis
Authors: Chen Jianfei , Yang Yuyin , Ke Yanchu , Chen Xiuli , Jiang Xinshu , Chen Chao , Xie Shuguang 
Published: June 2022

SummaryAnaerobic degradation has been demonstrated as an important pathway for the removal of sulfonamide (SA) in contaminated environments, and identifying the microorganisms responsible for the degradation of SA is a key step in developing bioaugmentation approaches. In this study, we investigated the anaerobic degradation activity of three SA [sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfamethazine (SMZ) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX)] and the associated bacterial community in wetland sediments contaminated by aquaculture (in Fujian Province, coded with FJ), livestock farming (in Sichuan Province, coded with SC), or rural wastewaters (in Guangdong Province, coded with GD). Additionally, the combination of DNA‐stable isotope probing (SIP) with metagenomics was further applied to assess the active SA‐degrading microbes using SMX as a model SA. Among SDZ, SMZ and SMX, only SMX could be effectively dissipated, and the degradation of SMX was relatively fast in the microcosms of sediments with higher levels of SA contamination (FJ and SC). The anaerobic biotransformation pathway of SMX was initiated by hydrogenation with the cleavage of the N–O bond on the isoxazole ring. DNA‐SIP revealed that the in situ active anaerobic SMX‐degraders (5, 18 and 3 genera in sediments FJ, SC and GD respectively) were dominated by Proteobacteria in sediments FJ and SC, but by Firmicutes (two Family XVIII members) in sediment GD. Mycobacterium, unclassified Burkholderiaceae and Rhodocyclaceae were identified as the dominant active SMX‐degrading bacteria in both sediments FJ and SC. Higher proportions of antibiotic resistance gene and genes involved in various functional categories were observed in sediments FJ and SC.
‘I Just Kept it to Myself’: Unbelief, Feminism and Secularisation in English Canada, 1960s–1980s
Authors: Block Tina 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThis article is based on newspapers and magazines, statistical sources and oral histories with 42 white, English Canadian women who rejected religious belief in the 1960s–1980s. During that era, organised religious involvement declined sharply in Canada and levels of unbelief gradually increased. This article explores how feminism shaped women's departure from religion in those years. The second‐wave women's movement tended to disregard religious feminisms and to associate religiosity with women's disempowerment; while secularity was endemic to the movement, the focus was on challenging institutional religion rather than belief itself. The secularity of the second wave could be narrow and exclusionary, but it also helped some women to challenge religious constraints. Although few interviewees were active in the women's movement, many recalled that feminism informed their journeys away from religion. Most came to an awareness of the patriarchy of organised religion – and dismissed it as such – in their teens or twenties, but rejected religious belief later in life. Due to persistent religious and gender norms, nonbelieving women were often reticent in voicing their unbelief. Nevertheless, they disseminated irreligion in a range of subtle yet powerful ways, and played a central role in the secularisation of post‐war English Canada.
A target capture approach for phylogenomic analyses at multiple evolutionary timescales in rosewoods (Dalbergia spp.) and the legume family (Fabaceae)
Authors: Crameri Simon , Fior Simone , Zoller Stefan , Widmer Alex 
Published: June 2022

AbstractUnderstanding the genetic changes associated with the evolution of biological diversity is of fundamental interest to molecular ecologists. The assessment of genetic variation at hundreds or thousands of unlinked genetic loci forms a sound basis to address questions ranging from micro‐ to macroevolutionary timescales, and is now possible thanks to advances in sequencing technology. Major difficulties are associated with (i) the lack of genomic resources for many taxa, especially from tropical biodiversity hotspots; (ii) scaling the numbers of individuals analysed and loci sequenced; and (iii) building tools for reproducible bioinformatic analyses of such data sets. To address these challenges, we developed target capture probes for genomic studies of the highly diverse, pantropically distributed and economically significant rosewoods (Dalbergia spp.), explored the performance of an overlapping probe set for target capture across the legume family (Fabaceae), and built the general purpose bioinformatic pipeline CaptureAl. Phylogenomic analyses of Malagasy Dalbergia species yielded highly resolved and well supported hypotheses of evolutionary relationships. Population genomic analyses identified differences between closely related species and revealed the existence of a potentially new species, suggesting that the diversity of Malagasy Dalbergia species has been underestimated. Analyses at the family level corroborated previous findings by the recovery of monophyletic subfamilies and many well‐known clades, as well as high levels of gene tree discordance, especially near the root of the family. The new genomic and bioinformatic resources, including the Fabaceae1005 and Dalbergia2396 probe sets, will hopefully advance systematics and ecological genetics research in legumes, and promote conservation of the highly diverse and endangered Dalbergia rosewoods.
Prenatal antibiotic exposure, asthma, and the atopic march: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Cait Alissa , Wedel Alexander , Arntz Jeanne L. , Duinkerken Jacyra , Datye Swarali , Cait Jessica , Alhasan Moumen M. , Conrad Melanie L. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAntibiotic use during pregnancy may increase the risk for asthma in children. We performed a meta‐analysis assessing prenatal antibiotic exposure and the risk for childhood wheeze or asthma, as well as for diseases associated with the atopic march. A systematic literature search protocol (PROSPERO‐ID: CRD42020191940) was registered and searches were completed using Medline, Proquest, Embase, and the Cochrane central register of controlled trials. Screening for inclusion criteria: published in English, German, French, Dutch, or Arabic, intervention (use of any antibiotic at any time point during pregnancy), and disease (reporting atopic disease incidence in children with a primary outcome of asthma or wheeze), and exclusion criteria: reviews, preclinical data, and descriptive studies, yielded 27 studies. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Assessment Scale. Quality of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Our meta‐analysis demonstrates that antibiotic use during pregnancy is associated with an increased relative risk (RR) of developing wheeze RR 1.51 (95% CI: 1.17–1.94) or asthma RR 1.28 (95% CI 1.22–1.34) during childhood. Assessment of the atopic march in association with asthma or wheeze revealed that antibiotic use during pregnancy also increases the risk for eczema/dermatitis RR 1.28 (95% CI: 1.06–1.53) and allergic rhinitis RR 1.13 (95% CI: 1.02–1.25). One study found an increase in food allergy RR 1.81 (95% CI: 1.11–2.95). Maternal antibiotic use during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for wheeze or asthma development in children, as well as for diseases involved in the atopic march. There was high heterogeneity in the data, and the certainty of the evidence was determined to be low quality, highlighting the need for more high‐quality studies on this topic. These results have importance for antibiotic stewardship throughout the prenatal period. This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Entity theory of emotion was associated with more daily negative affect during quarantine: Evidence from a 14‐day diary study among healthy young adults
Authors: Jiang Da , Lee Chi‐Kin John 
Published: June 2022

AbstractDuring the COVID‐19 pandemic, quarantine has been implemented as a physical distancing measure to reduce the risk of transmission. However, no studies have examined the relationship between quarantine and daily affective experiences. Few studies have examined the individual‐level factors that may alleviate or strengthen the negative impact of quarantine on daily affective experiences. To this end, we conducted a diary study by comparing the affective experiences of people in quarantine with those of people not subject to quarantine. There were 201 participants in the study. After the pretest collecting responses on demographic information and entity theory of emotion, the participants completed a daily questionnaire measuring their daily positive and negative affect for 14 consecutive days. The results of hierarchical linear modeling showed that the participants in the quarantine condition reported less daily positive affect than those in the social interaction condition. We found that when the participants under quarantine believed more strongly that their emotions could not be changed, they reported a higher level of daily negative affect. These findings demonstrate the role of entity theory of emotion in understanding daily negative affect during quarantine.
Letter: non‐invasive prediction models to exclude cirrhosis in NAFLD – not everyone fits the mould
Authors: Giri Suprabhat , Agrawal Dhiraj , Afzalpurkar Shivaraj 
Published: June 2022

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Brandman et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16874 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16972
Editorial: chronic DILI and HILI – corticosteroid plus glycyrrhizin as standard therapy?
Authors: Teschke Rolf , Eickhoff Axel 
Published: June 2022

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Wang et al papers. To view this article, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16902 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16983
Editorial: COVID‐19 vaccines are safe and effective in patients with inflammatory bowel disease—but many unanswered questions remain. Authors' reply
Authors: Bhurwal Abhishek , Mutneja Hemant , Seril Darren 
Published: June 2022

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Bhurwal et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16913 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16935
Letter: non‐selective beta‐blockers in cirrhosis—effect beyond portal hypertension. Authors' reply
Authors: Dunne Philip , Young David , Chuah Cher Shiong , Hayes Peter , Tripathi Dhiraj , Leithead Joanna , Smith Lyn , Gaya Daniel , Forrest Ewan , Stanley Adrian J. 
Published: June 2022

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Dunne et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16901 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16941
Editorial: group‐based hypnotherapy as good as individually delivered hypnotherapy for symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome—authors' reply
Authors: Lövdahl Jenny , Törnblom Hans , Ringstrom Gisela , Palsson Olafur S. , Simrén Magnus 
Published: June 2022

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Lövdahl et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16934 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16947