Learning Analytics: Survey data for measuring the impact of study satisfaction on students’ academic self-efficacy and performance

This paper presents learning analytics data for measuring the impact of study satisfaction on students’ academic self-efficacy and performance. For this purpose, a specially designed questionnaire was developed and distributed across 124 undergraduate students. Preliminary analysis using descriptive statistics for items and confirmatory factor analysis is provided. The analysis provides evidence for the relation between students’ satisfaction, self-efficacy, and academic performance, and evaluates the role of academic information resources in fulfilling students’ information needs. These data are of importance for researchers and practitioners involved with budgetary decisions in academic collections as well as the influence of research specific (rather than training specific) information resources in student satisfaction

Reduction of hexavalent chromium by bacillusspp. Isolated from heavy metal-polluted soil

Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), one of the major pollutants from industrial facilities, is very toxic and harmful for human health and environmental quaky. Due to the lack of conventional methods, bioremediation was recommended as an environmentally friendly and effective technique. The aim of this paper was the isolation, identification and selection of the microorganisms which are capable of Cr(VI) reduction in vitro. Heavy metal concentration, detected in four soil samples, within and around the former bicycle factory Wog" (Republic . of Slovenia), was measured using the ICP-OES method. Bacteria were isolated and tested for chromium tolerance using LB agar supplemented with various Cr(VI) concentrations, whilst Cr(VI) reduction and bacterial growth was determined using the LB liquid medium. From 53 bacterial isolates, five of them showed a tolerance of 1000 mg/L of Cr(VI). Those five isolates showed the capability of growth under various Cr(VI) concentrations (50-1000 mg/L). Initial Cr(VI) concentrations ranging from 50 to 100 mg/L were completely reduced by four bacterial isolates, whilst 500 to 1000 mg/L by Bacillus safensis 342-9. Using 16S rDNA and tuf gene sequence analyses, isolates 270-9R and 342-9 were identified as Bacillus safensis, isolates 351-9 and 270-9C as Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis, and 212-9 as Bacillus thuringiensis. These results indicated that these bacteria may be promising tools for remediation of metal-polluted sites

Phytostabilization of polluted military soil supported by bioaugmentation with PGP-trace element tolerant bacteria isolated from helianthus petiolaris

Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are major environmental pollutants, and the accumulation of these elements in soils and plants is of great concern in agricultural production due to their toxic effects on crop growth. Also, these elements can enter into the food chain and severely affect human and animal health. Bioaugmentation with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) can contribute to an environmentally friendly and effective remediation approach by improving plant survival and promoting element phytostabilization or extraction under such harsh conditions. We isolated and characterised Pb and Cd-tolerant root-associated bacteria from Helianthus petiolaris growing on a Pb/Cd polluted soil in order to compose inoculants that can promote plant growth and also ameliorate the phytostabilization or phytoextraction efficiency. One hundred and five trace element-tolerant rhizospheric and endophytic bacterial strains belonging to eight different genera were isolated from the aromatic plant species Helianthus petiolaris. Most of the strains showed multiple PGP-capabilities, ability to immobilise trace elements on their cell wall, and promotion of seed germination. Bacillus paramycoides ST9, Bacillus wiedmannii ST29, Bacillus proteolyticus ST89, Brevibacterium frigoritolerans ST30, Cellulosimicrobium cellulans ST54 and Methylobacterium sp. ST85 were selected to perform bioaugmentation assays in greenhouse microcosms. After 2 months, seedlings of sunflower (H. annuus) grown on polluted soil and inoculated with B. proteolyticus ST89 produced 40% more biomass compared to the non-inoculated control plants and accumulated 20 % less Pb and 40% less Cd in the aboveground plant parts. In contrast, B. paramycoides ST9 increased the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of Pb three times and of Cd six times without inhibiting plant growth. Our results indicate that, depending on the strain, bioaugmentation with specific beneficial bacteria can improve plant growth and either reduce trace element mobility or enhance plant trace element uptake.Fil: Saran, Anabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional La Pampa-San Luis. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Anguil; Argentina. Hasselt University; BélgicaFil: Imperato, Valeria. Hasselt University; BélgicaFil: Fernandez, Lucia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional La Pampa-San Luis. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Anguil; ArgentinaFil: Gkorezis, Panos. Hasselt University; BélgicaFil: d´Haen, Jan. Hasselt University; BélgicaFil: Merini, Luciano Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional La Pampa-San Luis. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Anguil; ArgentinaFil: Vangronsveld, Jaco. Hasselt University; Bélgica. Maria Curie Sklodowska University; PoloniaFil: Thijs, Sofie. Hasselt University; Bélgic

Career adaptability and perceived overqualification: Testing a dual-path model among Chinese human resource management professionals

Based on career construction theory, the current research examined the relationship between career adaptability and perceived overqualification among a sample of Chinese human resource management professionals (N = 220). The results of a survey study showed that career adaptability predicted perceived overqualification through a dual-path model: On the one hand, career adaptability positively predicted employees' perceived delegation, which had a subsequent negative effect on perceived overqualification. At the same time, career adaptability also positively predicted career anchor in challenge, which in turn positively predicted overqualification. This dual-path mediation model provides a novel perspective to understand the mechanisms through which career adaptability affects perceived overqualification, and demonstrates the coexistence of opposite effects in this process. In addition, the results also showed that the effects of perceived delegation and career anchor in challenge on perceived overqualification were stronger among employees with a higher (vs. lower) level of organizational tenure. These findings carry implications for both career development theories and organizational management practices

Thriving at work: A meta‐analysis

Thriving at work refers to a positive psychological state characterized by a joint senseof vitality and learning. On the basis of Spreitzer and colleagues' model, we present acomprehensive meta‐analysis of antecedents and outcomes of thriving at work(K= 73 independent samples,N= 21,739 employees). Results showed that thrivingat work is associated with individual characteristics, such as psychological capital(rc= .47), proactive personality (rc= .58), positive affect (rc= .52), and work engage-ment (rc= .64). Positive associations were also found between thriving at work andrelational characteristics, including supportive coworker behavior (rc= .42), support-ive leadership behavior (rc= .44), and perceived organizational support (rc= .63).Moreover, thriving at work is related to important employee outcomes, includinghealth‐related outcomes such as burnout (rc=−.53), attitudinal outcomes such ascommitment (rc= .65), and performance‐related outcomes such as task performance(rc= .35). The results of relative weights analyses suggest that thriving exhibits small,albeit incremental predictive validity above and beyond positive affect and workengagement, for task performance, job satisfaction, subjective health, and burnout.Overall, the findings of this meta‐analysis support Spreitzer and colleagues' modeland underscore the importance of thriving in the work conte

University spin-off's performance: Capabilities and networks of founding teams at creation phase

The extant literature highlights that environmental conditions, during the creation phase, imprint on a start-up’s survival and growth. However, there are few studies that explore the composite nature of a founding team’s capabilities and networks, developed within this phase, and the contribution made to future performance. This paper uses the distinctive context of university spin-offs, where early stage ventures are fostered by institutional interventions, to analyse the influence that the capabilities and networks of a founding team, at incorporation, have upon the future performance of the spin-off. Based on data from 181 university spin-offs, this paper empirically demonstrates that the entrepreneurial capabilities of a founding team, augmented during the ‘creation’ phase, have a positive influence on the performance of a spin-off during the ‘growth’ phase, and that the networks of a founding team indirectly affect a spin-off’s performance through the enhancement of a team’s entrepreneurial capabilities