bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adult workers in higher education: enhancing social mobility
Authors: Lopes Ana Sofia Patrício Pinto , Carreira Pedro Manuel Rodrigues 
Published: December 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to verify if adult education can contribute to social mobility by analysing how the socioeconomic and professional background of the students affects dropout and graduation hazards in higher education.Design/methodology/approachAn event history analysis approach, with competing risks and discrete time, implemented under a multinomial logit model, is used to investigate how an extensive set of covariates affects the risk of graduation, dropout and persistence of 834 adult student workers from a higher education institution in Portugal.FindingsAdult education may indeed be effective in promoting social mobility, as academic achievement is higher for student workers that have low educated parents and low income levels. Also, the probability of achieving graduation seems to be higher for those seeking for higher transformation.Practical implicationsAdult education should be encouraged as it generates both efficiency and equity benefits. Some policy recommendations are suggested for the higher education system to adapt better to the particular characteristics of adult workers and provide conditions to improve the job–study–family conciliation, namely, by adjusting the schedule and composition of classes, appreciating the curriculum and providing orientation to candidates, and introducing shorter/simplified versions of the degrees.Originality/valueA separate treatment is given to adult student workers, whose characteristics are very particular, enriching the literature on academic achievement that has been focussed on traditional students. Additionally, the studied data set merges five sources and provides extensive and original information on personal, degree and employment variables of the students.
Business students’ perspectives on employability skills post internship experience
Authors: Griffin Mamie , Coelhoso Pedro 
Published: December 2018

PurposeEmployability skills of university graduates remain an ongoing topic for discussion and debate. Numerous studies highlight the expressed concerns of governments and industries about higher education’s ability to develop workforce ready graduates. An often cited solution is the use of internships to equip students with necessary employability skills. The purpose of this paper is to assess the status of employability skills from the perspective of students within a United Arab Emirates (UAE) institution based on their completion of a half-semester-long work placement experience.Design/methodology/approachUsing a largely qualitative instrument, students reflected on their internship experience to report the essential skills needed in the workplace, classroom activities that most prepared them to use such skills in the workplace and the various challenges they encountered as interns.FindingsOverall, students attributed a degree of importance to all skills addressed in the study with the greatest importance being attached to communication, teamwork and time management. Students indicated that most skills were addressed in the classroom; however, there appears to be a lack of awareness in the areas of critical thinking, self-management, intercultural skills and taking initiative.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study only addressed the perceptions of business students at one all-female UAE-based institution of higher learning. Therefore, the data collected may not be representative of students enrolled in other degree programs or institutions. However, the understanding of these participants’ experiences adds to the body of literature featuring business undergraduate work experiences – particularly for the UAE and Gulf region.Practical implicationsImplications for academic and professional practitioners are discussed. Findings and recommendations are informative for curriculum development as well as economic and workforce development agencies.Originality/valueThe literature is well documented with studies from the perspectives of multiple entities including employers and university faculty, mostly in the western world. Fewer studies examine the perception of students, and even fewer studies are based on students in the UAE and other Gulf countries.
The effect of GST announcement on stock market volatility: evidence from intraday data
Authors: Haron Razali , Ayojimi Salami Mansurat 
Published: December 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of GST announcements (pre and post) on Malaysian stock market index. This study also utilised intraday data to look into intraday market volatility post-GST announcement.

Design/methodology/approach
Both daily closing prices and intraday data of different frequencies are used to capture the extent of stock market volatility as well as the subsided period of the volatility. The period of study ranges from June 2009 to November 2016 and empirical estimation is based on the GARCH (1, 1) model for the pre- and post-GST announcements.

Findings
Persistent market volatility in the post-GST announcement is empirically recorded and the volatility is higher in the post-GST announcement than the pre-GST announcement. This demonstrates the unwillingness and reaction of the market towards the tax policy implementation. Market expectation on GST implementation towards the increase in the cost of living following the increase in the prices of goods and services in Malaysia is empirically supported in the post-GST announcement.

Practical implications
The finding on this study is consistent with the expectation of the market that GST implementation will increase the price of the goods and services and hence increase the cost of living. This is supported by a noticeable increase in the stock market volatility in the post-GST announcement. Although GST announcement could be classified as a scheduled announcement, unwillingness to accept the policy prevails as shown by the increase in the stock market volatility.

Originality/value
The effects of Asian and global financial crisis are the major focus of past studies on stock market volatility, whereas this study examines and highlights the effect of the GST announcement on stock market volatility and the use of intraday data to further examine the nature of the volatility.
On‐site calibration of air‐coil sensor for transient electromagnetic exploration
Authors: Wang Haowen , Fu Zhihong , Wang Yao , Tai Heng‐Ming , Chen Wenli 
Published: December 2018

ABSTRACTThis paper proposes a time‐domain fitting method for on‐site calibration of the air‐coil sensor. The air‐coil sensor has been widely used in transient electromagnetic exploration. Due to limited bandwidth of the coil, the output signal is distorted, causing a phenomenon known as the transition process. To accurately measure the magnetic field from the output signals, the relationship between the coil induced electromotive force and the output voltage must be confirmed by on‐site calibration, which requires high calibration accuracy and demands simple operation, portable equipment, and adaptability to the environment. Conventional frequency response methods, however, requires a uniform magnetic field with various frequencies to obtain the frequency response curve of the air‐coil sensor. The time to acquire the signal correlates with the number of test frequencies, and the equipment used to generate a uniform magnetic field must be tailored to the shape of the air‐coil sensor under test. This paper constructs a relationship between the calibration file and the zero‐input response of the air‐coil sensor and designs an optimization algorithm to suppress the soil eddy current effect. This on‐site calibration method lifts the dependence on the uniform calibration field and reduces significantly the time required for calibration. The calibration source can be generated by cutting off the voltage source in parallel to the calibration coil, which greatly reduces the cost of the signal generator and provides a better solution for realizing the embedded self‐test devices. Experimental results show that the proposed method effectively improves the calculation accuracy of the apparent resistivity.
DNA barcoding fishes from the Congo and the Lower Guinean provinces: Assembling a reference library for poorly inventoried fauna
Authors: Sonet Gontran , Snoeks Jos , Nagy Zoltán T. , Vreven Emmanuel , Boden Gert , Breman Floris C. , Decru Eva , Hanssens Mark , Ibala Zamba Armel , Jordaens Kurt , Mamonekene Victor , Musschoot Tobias , Van Houdt Jeroen , Van Steenberge Maarten , Lunkayilakio Wamuini Soleil , Verheyen Erik 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThe Congolese and Lower Guinean ichthyological provinces are understudied hotspots of the global fish diversity. Here, we barcoded 741 specimens from the Lower and Middle Congo River and from three major drainage basins of the Lower Guinean ichthyological province, Kouilou‐Niari, Nyanga and Ogowe. We identified 194 morphospecies belonging to 82 genera and 25 families. Most morphospecies (92.8%) corresponded to distinct clusters of DNA barcodes. Of the four morphospecies present in both neighbouring ichthyological provinces, only one showed DNA barcode divergence <2.5%. A small fraction of the fishes barcoded here (12.9% of the morphospecies and 16.1% of the barcode clusters representing putative species) were also barcoded in a previous large‐scale DNA analysis of freshwater fishes of the Lower Congo published in 2011 (191 specimens, 102 morphospecies). We compared species assignments before and after taxonomic updates and across studies performed by independent research teams and observed that most cases of inconsistent species assignments were due to unknown diversity (undescribed species and unknown intraspecific variation). Our results report more than 17 putative new species and show that DNA barcode data provide a measure of genetic variability that facilitates the inventory of underexplored ichthyofaunae. However, taxonomic scrutiny, associated with revisions and new species descriptions, is indispensable to delimit species and build a coherent reference library.
MobiSeq: De novo SNP discovery in model and non‐model species through sequencing the flanking region of transposable elements
Authors: Rey‐Iglesia Alba , Gopalakrishan Shyam , Carøe Christian , Alquezar‐Planas David E. , Ahlmann Nielsen Anne , Röder Timo , Bruhn Pedersen Lene , Næsborg‐Nielsen Christina , Sinding Mikkel‐Holger S. , Fredensborg Rath Martin , Li Zhipeng , Petersen Bent , Gilbert M. Thomas P. , Bunce Michael , Mourier Tobias , Hansen Anders Johannes 
Published: December 2018

AbstractIn recent years, the availability of reduced representation library (RRL) methods has catalysed an expansion of genome‐scale studies to characterize both model and non‐model organisms. Most of these methods rely on the use of restriction enzymes to obtain DNA sequences at a genome‐wide level. These approaches have been widely used to sequence thousands of markers across individuals for many organisms at a reasonable cost, revolutionizing the field of population genomics. However, there are still some limitations associated with these methods, in particular the high molecular weight DNA required as starting material, the reduced number of common loci among investigated samples, and the short length of the sequenced site‐associated DNA. Here, we present MobiSeq, a RRL protocol exploiting simple laboratory techniques, that generates genomic data based on PCR targeted enrichment of transposable elements and the sequencing of the associated flanking region. We validate its performance across 103 DNA extracts derived from three mammalian species: grey wolf (Canis lupus), red deer complex (Cervus sp.) and brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). MobiSeq enables the sequencing of hundreds of thousands loci across the genome and performs SNP discovery with relatively low rates of clonality. Given the ease and flexibility of MobiSeq protocol, the method has the potential to be implemented for marker discovery and population genomics across a wide range of organisms—enabling the exploration of diverse evolutionary and conservation questions.
Using transcriptome sequencing and pooled exome capture to study local adaptation in the giga‐genome of Pinus cembra
Authors: Rellstab Christian , Dauphin Benjamin , Zoller Stefan , Brodbeck Sabine , Gugerli Felix 
Published: December 2018

AbstractDespite decreasing sequencing costs, whole‐genome sequencing for population‐based genome scans for selection is still prohibitively expensive for organisms with large genomes. Moreover, the repetitive nature of large genomes often represents a challenge in bioinformatic and downstream analyses. Here, we use in‐depth transcriptome sequencing to design probes for exome capture in Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra), a conifer with an estimated genome size of 29.3 Gbp and no reference genome available. We successfully applied around 55,000 self‐designed probes, targeting 25,000 contigs, to DNA pools of seven populations from the Swiss Alps and identified >160,000 SNPs in around 15,000 contigs. The probes performed equally well in pools of the closely related species Pinus sibirica; in both species, more than 70% of the targeted contigs were sequenced at a depth ≥40× (number of haplotypes in the pool). However, a thorough analysis of individually sequenced P. cembra samples indicated that a majority of the contigs (63%) represented multi‐copy genes. We therefore removed paralogous contigs based on heterozygote excess and deviation from allele balance. Without putatively paralogous contigs, allele frequencies of population pools represented accurate estimates of individually determined allele frequencies. We show that inferences of neutral and adaptive genetic variation may be biased when not accounting for such multi‐copy genes. Without individual genotype data, it would have been nearly impossible to recognize and deal with the problem of multi‐copy contigs. We advocate to put more emphasis on identifying paralogous loci, which will be facilitated by the establishment of additional high‐quality reference genomes.
Endothelial cell injury is involved in atherosclerosis and lupus symptoms in gld.apoE−/− mice
Authors: Yao Genhong , Qi Jingjing , Zhang Zhuoya , Huang Saisai , Geng Linyu , Li Wenchao , Chen Weiwei , Tang Xiaojun , Wang Shiying , Sun Lingyun 
Published: December 2018

AbstractAimCardiovascular complications related to atherosclerosis are major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Endothelial dysfunction has been identified as having involvement in pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and SLE. This study aims to evaluate endothelial cell injury in mice with the combination of lupus and atherosclerosis.MethodsThe mouse model of accelerated atherosclerosis in lupus (gld.apoE−/− mouse) was generated from apolipoprotein E‐deficient (apoE−/−) and Faslgld C57BL/6 mice. The lupus‐like autoimmunity and atherosclerotic lesions were evaluated. The endothelial cell injury was determined.ResultsThe results showed that the double‐mutant gld.apoE−/− mice were generated. Spleens from 5‐month‐old gld.apoE−/− mice were significantly enlarged compared with wild‐type mice (WT mice). The gld.apoE−/− mice produced high levels of total immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM and showed marked increase of IgG and C3 deposits in the glomeruli. The gld.apoE−/− mice displayed a pattern of glomerulonephritis typically found in SLE. The gld.apoE−/− mice have high levels of serum creatinine. The total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly increased, while high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased in the double‐mutant mice. The circulating endothelial progenitor cells were significantly decreased. The serum levels of thrombomodulin and vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 were significantly elevated in gld.apoE−/− mice. The gld.apoE−/− mice simultaneously exhibited SLE and atherosclerosis characteristics.ConclusionOur findings indicated that endothelial cell injury might be a biomarker for evaluating risks of cardiovascular disease in SLE and targeting endothelial cell dysfunction might prevent and treat atherosclerosis in SLE.
Pushing subjects beyond rationality with more alternatives in experimental auctions
Authors: Chavez Daniel E. , Palma Marco A. 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThe use of experimental economics in valuation of market and nonmarket goods has grown over the past few years. The ability of experimental auctions (EUs) to reveal consumer preferences and their malleability has been praised in previous literature. Because of the high cost of conducting EUs, researchers usually present multiple products to participants, determining how many products to present has no clear guideline. The results of this study show that subjects do not value products the same way across different number of options offered to them. The main indicator is the increasing variance in responses for a benchmark product when more products are available. With an econometric specification allowing for heteroscedasticity as a function of the number of product offerings, the results indicate that the number of goods available for bidding is not to be taken as a trivial task in experimental design for value elicitation.
Prolonged second stage of labour increases maternal morbidity but not neonatal morbidity
Authors: Matta Payal , Turner Jessica , Flatley Christopher , Kumar Sailesh 
Published: December 2018

BackgroundProlonged second stage of labour is known to be associated with higher caesarean section rates. However, the association between prolonged second stage of labour (PSSL) and adverse neonatal outcomes remains contradictory. The aim of this study was to assess the association between prolonged second stage of labour and obstetric and neonatal outcomes.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of women with term, singleton pregnancies at the Mater Mother's Hospital, Brisbane. Intrapartum, maternal and neonatal outcomes were assessed and stratified according to prolonged second stage of labour.ResultsOf 48 352 women, 9.7% had PSSL. Women with PSSL were more likely to be nulliparous and have received oxytocin for augmentation of their labour (P < 0.001), less likely to have an epidural or have undergone induction of labour (P < 0.001). Women with PSSL were less likely to achieve a spontaneous vaginal delivery (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.13, 95%CI 0.12–0.14, P < 0.001), more likely to undergo an instrumental delivery (aOR 3.93, 95%CI 3.62–4.25, P < 0.001) or emergency caesarean section (aOR 9.08, 95%CI 8.00–10.29, P < 0.001). PSSL was associated with shoulder dystocia (aOR 1.61, 95%CI 1.42–1.81, P < 0.001), and postpartum haemorrhage (aOR 1.37, 95%CI 1.16–1.60, P < 0.001). Univariate analysis demonstrated prolonged second stage of labour was associated with low five‐minute Apgar score, acidosis and neonatal intensive care admission. However, after adjusting for potential confounders only five‐minute Apgar scores ≤3 remained significantly increased (aOR 2.36, 95% CI 1.36–4.09, P = 0.002).ConclusionPSSL is associated with increased operative birth and maternal morbidity.
A detailed in vivo analysis of the retinal nerve fibre layer in choroideremia
Authors: Fu Dun J. , Xue Kanmin , Jolly Jasleen K. , MacLaren Robert E. 
Published: December 2018

AbstractPurposeChoroideremia is a currently incurable X‐linked recessive retinal degeneration that leads to blindness. Gene therapy approaches to date target the outer retinal layers. However, the choroideremia (CHM) gene is expressed in all retinal layers, and a previous study on a small cohort of choroideremia patients suggested possible thinning of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL). The purpose of the study was to examine the RNFL in detail using advanced imaging techniques in a larger cohort of choroideremia patients.MethodsSpectral domain optical coherence tomography of the peripapillary RNFL acquired with the Heidelberg Spectralis HRA circular scan mode were analysed retrospectively in 41 eyes of 21 choroideremia patients aged 39.6 years (±3.7 SEM). As age‐matched controls, 20 eyes from 10 patients with retinitis pigmentosa and 56 eyes from 28 healthy individuals were also assessed. Automated RNFL segmentation was adjusted manually to precisely delineate the RNFL. The data were also compared against an external normative database.ResultsMean peripapillary RNFL thickness in choroideremia was 130 ± 3 μm in the right eye (OD) and 133 ± 3 μm in the left eye (OS). This was 24% and 27% thicker than RNFL thickness in the controls (p < 0.001 for both). Patients with retinitis pigmentosa also showed an increase in RNFL thickness, which was no different to the choroideremia cohort (p > 0.05). Compared with manual analysis, the automated function of the inbuilt software was consistently inaccurate in segmenting the RNFL in choroideremia.ConclusionThe RNFL is significantly thicker in choroideremia compared with age‐matched normal controls, which was similar to what was seen in retinitis pigmentosa.
Effects of an immunomodulatory feed additive on body weight, production parameters, blood metabolites, and health in multiparous transition Holstein cows
Authors: Wu Zhaohai , Alugongo Gibson M. , Xiao Jianxin , Li Jinghui , Yu Yan , Li Yuanxiao , Wang Yajing , Li Shengli , Cao Zhijun 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThe study investigated the impact of feeding OmniGen‐AF® (OG; Phibro Animal Health, Quincy, IL) from dry‐off to week 4 of lactation at two doses on production performance and metabolic adaptation of multiparous Holstein cows. Forty‐eight cows were blocked and assigned randomly to three treatments: OG was fed at 0 g/head/day (CON), 60 g/head/day (OG60), or 90 g/head/day (OG90). No difference was observed in dry matter intake (DMI) throughout the experiment, whereas feeding OG tended to decrease the percentage body weight change (PWC) on week 2. Although colostrum yield was not affected by treatment, colostrum IgG production of OG90 tended to be higher than that of CON. OG supplementation did not affect overall milking performance but decreased milk SCC during the first 4 weeks of lactation. In prepartum, OG supplementation decreased the concentrations of serum albumin and calcium, and increased serum globulin. OG supplementation tended to increase serum total protein, globulin, and calcium contents postpartum. Furthermore, reduced incidence of mastitis and udder edema were observed. In conclusion, supplementing cows with OG from dry‐off period reduces or modulates the inflammation responses associated with parturition, potentially resulting in improved postpartum health, while feeding OG more than 60 g/head/day did not warrant further benefits.