bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Group association test using a hidden Markov model
Authors: Cheng Yichen , Dai James Y. , Kooperberg Charles 
Published: February 2016

Summary
In the genomic era, group association tests are of great interest. Due to the overwhelming number of individual genomic features, the power of testing for association of a single genomic feature at a time is often very small, as are the effect sizes for most features. Many methods have been proposed to test association of a trait with a group of features within a functional unit as a whole, e.g. all SNPs in a gene, yet few of these methods account for the fact that generally a substantial proportion of the features are not associated with the trait. In this paper, we propose to model the association for each feature in the group as a mixture of features with no association and features with non-zero associations to explicitly account for the possibility that a fraction of features may not be associated with the trait while other features in the group are. The feature-level associations are first estimated by generalized linear models; the sequence of these estimated associations is then modeled by a hidden Markov chain. To test for global association, we develop a modified likelihood ratio test based on a log-likelihood function that ignores higher order dependency plus a penalty term. We derive the asymptotic distribution of the likelihood ratio test under the null hypothesis. Furthermore, we obtain the posterior probability of association for each feature, which provides evidence of feature-level association and is useful for potential follow-up studies. In simulations and data application, we show that our proposed method performs well when compared with existing group association tests especially when there are only few features associated with the outcome.
Enforcement of Employment Rights by EU-8 Migrant Workers in Employment Tribunals
Authors: Barnard Catherine , Ludlow Amy 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
As migrant workers, EU-8 nationals enjoy a right to equal treatment with nationals in respect of their terms and conditions of employment. While some employers have tried to meet their legal obligations towards EU-8 nationals, others have denied them their employment rights under UK law. In this paper, we explore how EU-8 migrants make use of Employment Tribunals (ETs) to enforce their employment rights. How many cases do they bring before ETs, and what are they about? Are claims brought alone or with support, and if so, from whom? How are EU-8 workers treated once they are before a Tribunal and how successful are their claims? If there is evidence that EU-8 migrants are successfully bringing claims to enforce their employment rights, then fears about undercutting and exploitation of vulnerable workers are perhaps less serious than they would first appear. If they are not, then concerns about (mis)treatment are justified and prompt the further question as to how their rights could be better protected in practice, particularly given the introduction of fees for accessing ETs.
Proportionality Assessments of Mandatory Retirement Measures: Uncovering Guidance for National Courts in Age Discrimination Cases
Authors: Dewhurst Elaine 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
The difficult task facing national court judges in assessing the proportionality of mandatory retirement measures in age discrimination cases should not be underestimated. Such assessments often require judges to immerse themselves in history, science, economics, sociology and even psychology in answering this difficult question. The lack of guidance from the European Union level adds to the complexity of this task. This article provides a guiding model for the assessment of such cases at a national level which involves an analysis of four specific factors: the specific economic sector, the availability of a pension, the impact of the mandatory retirement measure on the right to work and earn a livelihood and the importance of consent to the measure. The article also addresses what appears to be a fifth factor in the case law of the courts of England and Wales: the particular age chosen, although the necessity and current interpretation of this factor is challenged. The article provides a foundational model for future cases involving mandatory retirement measures which will assist in reducing fragmentation and inconsistency of decision making, provide more certainty and clarity for both claimants and respondents as to the legality of such provisions and reduce the potential for the inevitable undermining of the age discrimination rules which currently exists.
Genome-Wide Prediction ofcis-Regulatory Regions Using Supervised Deep Learning Methods
Authors: Li Yifeng , Shi Wenqiang , Wasserman Wyeth W. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractIdentifying activecis-regulatory regions in the human genome is critical for understanding gene regulation and assessing the impact of genetic variation on phenotype. Based on rich data resources such as the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) and the Functional Annotation of the Mammalian Genome (FANTOM) projects, we introduce DECRES, the first supervised deep learning approach for the identification of enhancer and promoter regions in the human genome. Due to their ability to discover patterns in large and complex data, the introduction of deep learning methods enables a significant advance in our knowledge of the genomic locations ofcis-regulatory regions. Using models for well-characterized cell lines, we identify key experimental features that contribute to the predictive performance. Applying DECRES, we delineate locations of 300,000 candidate enhancers genome wide (6.8% of the genome, of which 40,000 are supported by bidirectional transcription data) and 26,000 candidate promoters (0.6% of the genome).
Evaluation and rational design of guide RNAs for efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis inCiona
Authors: Gandhi Shashank , Haeussler Maximilian , Razy-Krajka Florian , Christiaen Lionel , Stolfi Alberto 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe CRISPR/Cas9 system has emerged as an important tool for various genome engineering applications. A current obstacle to high throughput applications of CRISPR/Cas9 is the imprecise prediction of highly active single guide. RNAs (sgRNAs). We previously implemented the CRISPR/Cas9 system to induce tissue-specific mutations in the tunicateCiona. In the present study, we designed and tested 83 single guide RNA (sgRNA) vectors targeting 23 genes expressed in the cardiopharyngeal progenitors and surrounding tissues ofCionaembryo. Using high-throughput sequencing of mutagenized alleles, we identified guide sequences that correlate with sgRNA mutagenesis activity and used this information for the rational design of all possible sgRNAs targeting theCionatranscriptome. We also describe a one-step cloning-free protocol for the assembly of sgRNA expression cassettes. These cassettes can be directly electroporated as unpurified PCR products intoCionaembryos for sgRNA expressionin vivo, resulting in high frequency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis in somatic cells of electroporated embryos.We found a strong correlation between the frequency of anEbfloss-of-function phenotype and the mutagenesis efficacies of individualEbf-targeting sgRNAs tested using this method. We anticipate that our approach can be scaled up to systematically design and deliver highly efficient sgRNAs for the tissue-specific investigation of gene functions inCiona.
Twenty five new viruses associated with the Drosophilidae (Diptera)
Authors: Webster Claire L. , Longdon Ben , Lewis Samuel H. , Obbard Darren J. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractDrosophila melanogasteris an important laboratory model for studies of antiviral immunity in invertebrates, andDrosophilaspecies provide a valuable system to study virus host range and host switching. Here we use metagenomic RNA sequencing ofca. 1600 adult flies to discover 25 new RNA viruses associated with six different drosophilid hosts in the wild. We also provide a comprehensive listing of viruses previously reported from the Drosophilidae. The new viruses include Iflaviruses, Rhabdoviruses, Nodaviruses, and Reoviruses, and members of unclassified lineages distantly related to Negeviruses, Sobemoviruses and Poleroviruses, Flaviviridae, and Tombusviridae. Among these are close relatives ofDrosophila X virusandFlock House virus, which we find in association with wildDrosophila immigrans. These two viruses are widely used in experimental studies but have not previously been reported to naturally infectDrosophila. Although we detect no new DNA viruses, inD. immigransandD. obscurawe identify sequences very closely related toArmadillidium vulgareIridescent virus (Invertebrate Iridescent virus 31), bringing the total number of DNA viruses found in the Drosophilidae to three.
A study into the links between mortgage financing and economic development in Africa
Authors: Asabere Paul K. , McGowan Jr. Carl B , Lee Sang Mook 
Published: February 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between mortgage financing and economic development for African countries, as there is a gap in the literature regarding this topic. The development of mortgage markets is important for the overall development of a country. Policymakers and international institutions like the World Bank have been promoting the expansion of Africa’s nascent mortgage markets as a logical stimulus to economic growth and development. Specifically, the authors analyze the link between the size of the mortgage market and the gross national income (GNI) per capita for African countries. They found a significant positive correlation between the size of the mortgage market and GNI per capita. A plausible interpretation is that mortgage financing can induce growth and development.Design/methodology/approach– The authors examine the relationship between mortgage financing and GNI per capita for African countries using the hedonic framework.Findings– The authors found a significant positive correlation between the size of the mortgage market and the level of GNI per capita, as hypothesized for this study.Practical implications– An economically plausible interpretation is that the availability of mortgage financing leads to a more efficient financial system, which, in turn, produces growth and development.Social implications– These findings provide empirical support for the need to pay greater attention to further development and expansion of the emergent mortgage markets of African economies.Originality/value– There is a gap in the empirical literature regarding this topic with reference to the link between mortgage financing and economic development for African countries.
Another look at housing finance in Africa
Authors: Donkor-Hyiaman Kenneth Appiah , Owusu-Manu DeGraft 
Published: February 2016

Purpose
– Most households in Sub-Saharan African cannot afford adequate housing. Most often, their pension benefits are also meagre, usually resulting from low contribution levels and mismanagement. Coupled with low life expectancies, most would not live to enjoy the benefits of pensions, thus validating the need to utilize their hitherto deferred pension benefits for immediate housing investment and consumption.

Design/methodology/approach
– Quantitative research methodology via the present value technique was used in valuing pension benefits to demonstrate the potential of pension schemes as savings mobilization mechanisms for long-term pension-backed housing financing in Ghana.

Findings
– Policy wise, the paper provides some evidence to support proposals for the development of pension-backed housing finance systems in Ghana with lessons for Sub-Saharan Africa. The authors demonstrate that the Tier 2 defined contribution mandatory occupational pension scheme could serve the purpose of a savings mobilization mechanism for long-term housing financing. The authors observe that by increasing the Tier 2 contribution rate to 30 per cent, the majority of the sample, mainly of the middle-income class, could accumulate between US$11,000 and US$17,000 over their working life. At the same rate, between US$5,783 and US$9,550 could have been raised as savings between 2010 (when implementation began) and 2014. This could form a substantial equity contribution in a mortgage investment and or borrowed on a housing microfinance basis.

Originality/value
– The paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the need to develop alternate savings mechanisms and collateral assets using pension assets, other than property, for mortgage financing. The proposals made are aimed at influencing policy by way of advocating for the use of latent pension equity to improve the housing conditions of members while they are alive, and also to suggest pension-backed housing financing as an alternative investment option. A comprehensive study would be required to settle issues of scalability, pricing and model design.
Operational resilience and lean: in search of synergies and trade-offs
Authors: Birkie Seyoum Eshetu 
Published: February 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate synergy/trade-off relationship between lean and operational resilience paradigms upon disruption. Lean and resilience are operationalised with practice bundles and core functions, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study uses the Bayesian inference approach to analyse systematically encoded data from firms that faced disruptions in their supply chain. The data were collected from publicly available sources, and encoded using predefined constructs prior to analysis.

Findings
– Findings show that the synergetic relations between operational resilience and lean in mitigating performance losses outweigh the trade-off. Just-in-time/flow and total productive maintenance lean practices appear to be major sources for the trade-off; there is limited-synergy leveraged on the anticipative (sense) capability of operational resilience.

Research limitations/implications
– The dependence on secondary data and small sample size are possible limitations. Future research may employ large-scale studies with the same encoding approach by combining both primary and secondary sources.

Practical implications
– This study implies that companies need not abandon their lean implementation in order to be resilient against unanticipated disruptive circumstances. Most lean practices can be used to leverage agility to mitigate disruptions.

Originality/value
– This is a first study to empirically compare synergy/trade-off between operational resilience and lean with reference to changes in operations performance upon disruption. It is also a first study to investigate sources of synergy/trade-off at lean practice bundles and resilience core functions level. This is a much more practical level compared to how previous studies have addressed the issue.
Variable pay and job performance of shop-floor workers in lean production
Authors: Wickramasinghe Vathsala , Wickramasinghe G.L.D. 
Published: February 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate design features of variable pay plans adopted for shop-floor workers engaged in manufacturing firms that had implemented lean production systems, and the effects of design features on their job performance.Design/methodology/approach– In total, 892 shop-floor workers attached to lean implemented manufacturing firms in Sri Lanka responded for the study. Structural equation modelling was used for the data analysis.Findings– It was found that the performance evaluation-base for variable payments, variable pay calculation-base and goal setting for variable pay significantly predict job performance of the shop-floor workers.Originality/value– It could be expected that the academics and practitioners alike are motivated by their desire to clearly apprehend the contribution of variable pay plans on job performance of the shop-floor workers engaged in lean production systems. This demands more investigations to better understand the design features of variable pay plans.
Fuzzy C-means based data envelopment analysis for mitigating the impact of units’ heterogeneity
Authors: Razavi Hajiagha Seyed Hossein , Hashemi Shide Sadat , Amoozad Mahdiraji Hannan 
Published: February 2016

Purpose– Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a non-parametric model that is developed for evaluating the relative efficiency of a set of homogeneous decision-making units that each unit transforms multiple inputs into multiple outputs. However, usually the decision-making units are not completely similar. The purpose of this paper is to propose an algorithm for DEA applications when considered DMUs are non-homogeneous.Design/methodology/approach– To reach this aim, an algorithm is designed to mitigate the impact of heterogeneity on efficiency evaluation. Using fuzzy C-means algorithm, a fuzzy clustering is obtained for DMUs based on their inputs and outputs. Then, the fuzzy C-means based DEA approach is used for finding the efficiency of DMUs in different clusters. Finally, the different efficiencies of each DMU are aggregated based on the membership values of DMUs in clusters.Findings– Heterogeneity causes some positive impact on some DMUs while it has negative impact on other ones. The proposed method mitigates this undesirable impact and a different distribution of efficiency score is obtained that neglects this unintended impacts.Research limitations/implications– The proposed method can be applied in DEA applications with a large number of DMUs in different situations, where some of them enjoyed the good environmental conditions, while others suffered from bad conditions. Therefore, a better assessment of real performance can be obtained.Originality/value– The paper proposed a hybrid algorithm combination of fuzzy C-means clustering method with classic DEA models for the first time.
Development of a self-design system for greeting cards on the basis of interactive evolutionary computation
Authors: Yang Hsiao-Fang , Yang Heng-Li 
Published: February 2016

Purpose– User-centered product designs have been attracting increasing attention, particularly in digital design. In interacting with the design support system, designers may face problems such as changing demands (e.g. unclear demands) and insufficient descriptions of these demands (e.g. data scarcity). The purpose of this paper is to build a design support system prototype for demonstrating the feasibility of meeting the high involvement of users in digital products.Design/methodology/approach– Interactive evolutionary computation is applied.Findings– A prototype of self-design greeting card system (SDGCS) was proposed. It provides professional design layouts, offers users numerous self-design models, and allows nonprofessional users to easily design greeting cards. The results of this study show that users were satisfied with the functionality, usefulness, and ease-of-use of the SDGCS.Research limitations/implications– This study used digital card design as an example for demonstrating the feasibility of satisfying the unclear needs of uses, enabling users to design a digital card creatively and complete their designs quickly. However, the current system only supports the design of static objects and layout of card. And the evaluation sample size was small, which might affect generalizability of the findings.Practical implications– In practice, greeting card web operators can image the feasible business models by providing the attraction of self-design functionalities.Originality/value– In current human-centric marketing era, consumers have begun to request interaction with designers in creating the value of a product. However, very few previous studies have provided support for digital product self-design. This study demonstrated the feasibility of satisfying the needs of self-design.
Professional trilemma of students with family business experience
Authors: Vadnjal Jaka , Ljubotina Predrag 
Published: February 2016

Purpose– Family businesses represent the largest share of small-sized firms in majority of economies around the world. Having in mind the global economic situation this trend is expected to be continued. With the goal of better understanding of the process of transferring the business to the next generation, which ensures a long-term success, the purpose of this paper is to investigate expectations of student’s with family business background.Design/methodology/approach– The research addresses the issue of an individual’s perception of entrepreneurship and the related factors that influence individual’s decision on whether to build a career as an employee, become a successor of family business or start own business as an independent entrepreneur. The authors separately analyzed West European (data from another study), East European and Slovenian senior student population for the purpose of comparative study. Students were surveyed and binominal regression was used for statistics.Findings– The results show differences between investigated populations and positions Slovenian students in the mean. The authors anticipate that differences are caused by historical, cultural and educational backgrounds. This challenging area is raising a lot of sub-questions for possible future research.Originality/value– The value of the study is in the replication of the existing methodology from the benchmarking study and result comparison.
Comparison of ANFIS and FAHP-FGP methods for supplier selection
Authors: Asgari Moloud sadat , Abbasi Abbas , Alimohamadlou Moslem 
Published: February 2016

Purpose
– In the contemporary global market, supplier selection represents a crucial process for enhancing firms’ competitiveness. This is a multi-criteria decision-making problem that involves consideration of multiple criteria. Therefore this requires reliable methods to select the best suppliers. The purpose of this paper is to examine and propose appropriate method for selecting suppliers.

Design/methodology/approach
– ANFIS and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process-fuzzy goal programming (FAHP-FGP) are new methods for evaluating and selecting the best suppliers. These methods are used in this study for evaluating suppliers of dairy industries and the results obtained from methods are compared by performance measures such as Mean Squared Error, Root Mean Squared Error, Normalized Root Men Squared Error, Mean Absolute Error, Normalized Root Men Squared Error, Minimum Absolute Error and R2.

Findings
– The results indicate that the ANFIS method provides better performance compared to the FAHP-FGP method in terms of the selected suppliers scoring higher in all the performance measures.

Practical implications
– The proposed method could help companies select the best supplier, by avoiding the influence of personal judgment.

Originality/value
– This study uses the well-structured method of the fuzzy Delphi in order to determine the supplier evaluation criteria as well as the most recent ANFIS and FAHP-FGP methods for supplier selection. In addition, unlike most other studies, it performs the selection process among all available suppliers.