50 research outputs found

    Transition from Secondary school CLIL to EMI at University: Initial evidence from research in Italy

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    Through vocabulary tests, interviews with students and recordings of classes/lectures, we measured students' English vocabulary knowledge against the vocabulary in the teachers' talk, the nature of classroom interaction in the two settings and the students' approaches to their learning in general and their in-class listening strategies in particular. In this way we aimed to identify the challenges students faced in English-medium education in the secondary and tertiary educational phases

    Desktop Linux Customizado Para Simplicidade – Uso na Terceira Idade

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    Este artigo descreve os resultados obtidos em um Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso, que provê um ambiente mais leve, mais simples e intuitivo, do que o normalmente encontrado em uma distribuição Linux padrão

    Signatures of de-domestication in autochthonous pig breeds and of domestication in wild boar populations from MC1R and NR6A1 allele distribution

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    Autochthonous pig breeds are usually reared in extensive or semi-extensive production systems that might facilitate contact with wild boars and, thus, reciprocal genetic exchanges. In this study, we analysed variants in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene (which cause different coat colour phenotypes) and in the nuclear receptor subfamily 6 group A member 1 (NR6A1) gene (associated with increased vertebral number) in 712 pigs of 12 local pig breeds raised in Italy (Apulo-Calabrese, Casertana, Cinta Senese, Mora Romagnola, Nero Siciliano and Sarda) and south-eastern European countries (Krskopolje from Slovenia, Black Slavonian and Turopolje from Croatia, Mangalitsa and Moravka from Serbia and East Balkan Swine from Bulgaria) and compared the data with the genetic variability at these loci investigated in 229 wild boars from populations spread in the same macro-geographic areas. None of the autochthonous pig breeds or wild boar populations were fixed for one allele at both loci. Domestic and wild-type alleles at these two genes were present in both domestic and wild populations. Findings of the distribution of MC1R alleles might be useful for tracing back the complex genetic history of autochthonous breeds. Altogether, these results indirectly demonstrate that bidirectional introgression of wild and domestic alleles is derived and affected by the human and naturally driven evolutionary forces that are shaping the Sus scrofa genome: autochthonous breeds are experiencing a sort of 'de-domestication' process, and wild resources are challenged by a 'domestication' drift. Both need to be further investigated and managed

    Monitoring of species' genetic diversity in Europe varies greatly and overlooks potential climate change impacts.

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    Genetic monitoring of populations currently attracts interest in the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity but needs long-term planning and investments. However, genetic diversity has been largely neglected in biodiversity monitoring, and when addressed, it is treated separately, detached from other conservation issues, such as habitat alteration due to climate change. We report an accounting of efforts to monitor population genetic diversity in Europe (genetic monitoring effort, GME), the evaluation of which can help guide future capacity building and collaboration towards areas most in need of expanded monitoring. Overlaying GME with areas where the ranges of selected species of conservation interest approach current and future climate niche limits helps identify whether GME coincides with anticipated climate change effects on biodiversity. Our analysis suggests that country area, financial resources and conservation policy influence GME, high values of which only partially match species' joint patterns of limits to suitable climatic conditions. Populations at trailing climatic niche margins probably hold genetic diversity that is important for adaptation to changing climate. Our results illuminate the need in Europe for expanded investment in genetic monitoring across climate gradients occupied by focal species, a need arguably greatest in southeastern European countries. This need could be met in part by expanding the European Union's Birds and Habitats Directives to fully address the conservation and monitoring of genetic diversity

    Interrogating Microfinance Performance beyond Products, Clients and the Environment. Insights from the work of BRAC in Tanzania

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    The performance of microfinance organisations can depend upon many factors. Current research emphasizes factors pertaining to clients, products, or broader environments. But researchers have paid less attention to the workings and internal systems of microfinance organisations. We explore how variation in performance within an organisation can alter the consequences of loans and their popularity among clients and potential clients. We illustrate with data from BRAC in Tanzania, where the arrival and rapid expansion of BRAC’s microfinance programme provides an apposite case study

    The European Reference Genome Atlas: piloting a decentralised approach to equitable biodiversity genomics.

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    ABSTRACT: A global genome database of all of Earth’s species diversity could be a treasure trove of scientific discoveries. However, regardless of the major advances in genome sequencing technologies, only a tiny fraction of species have genomic information available. To contribute to a more complete planetary genomic database, scientists and institutions across the world have united under the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), which plans to sequence and assemble high-quality reference genomes for all ∼1.5 million recognized eukaryotic species through a stepwise phased approach. As the initiative transitions into Phase II, where 150,000 species are to be sequenced in just four years, worldwide participation in the project will be fundamental to success. As the European node of the EBP, the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) seeks to implement a new decentralised, accessible, equitable and inclusive model for producing high-quality reference genomes, which will inform EBP as it scales. To embark on this mission, ERGA launched a Pilot Project to establish a network across Europe to develop and test the first infrastructure of its kind for the coordinated and distributed reference genome production on 98 European eukaryotic species from sample providers across 33 European countries. Here we outline the process and challenges faced during the development of a pilot infrastructure for the production of reference genome resources, and explore the effectiveness of this approach in terms of high-quality reference genome production, considering also equity and inclusion. The outcomes and lessons learned during this pilot provide a solid foundation for ERGA while offering key learnings to other transnational and national genomic resource projects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Monitoring of species’ genetic diversity in Europe varies greatly and overlooks potential climate change impacts

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    Genetic monitoring of populations currently attracts interest in the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity but needs long-term planning and investments. However, genetic diversity has been largely neglected in biodiversity monitoring, and when addressed, it is treated separately, detached from other conservation issues, such as habitat alteration due to climate change. We report an accounting of efforts to monitor population genetic diversity in Europe (genetic monitoring effort, GME), the evaluation of which can help guide future capacity building and collaboration towards areas most in need of expanded monitoring. Overlaying GME with areas where the ranges of selected species of conservation interest approach current and future climate niche limits helps identify whether GME coincides with anticipated climate change effects on biodiversity. Our analysis suggests that country area, financial resources and conservation policy influence GME, high values of which only partially match species’ joint patterns of limits to suitable climatic conditions. Populations at trailing climatic niche margins probably hold genetic diversity that is important for adaptation to changing climate. Our results illuminate the need in Europe for expanded investment in genetic monitoring across climate gradients occupied by focal species, a need arguably greatest in southeastern European countries. This need could be met in part by expanding the European Union’s Birds and Habitats Directives to fully address the conservation and monitoring of genetic diversity

    Colour spectrums of opinion: An information visualisation interface for representing degrees of emotion in real time

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    J. Ohene-Djan, A. Sammon, and R. Shipsey, "Colour spectrums of opinion: An information visualisation interface for representing degrees of emotion in real time," in Tenth International Conference on Information Visualisation (IV'06). London, UK: IEEE Computer Society, Los Alamitos, CA, USA, 2006, pp. 80-88, iSSN 1550-6037

    Customer Satisfaction Analysis and Its Impact on Customer Loyalty Delivery Services Reviewed From Service Quality and Price

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    The purpose of this research is to find out how the effect of service quality and price on customer satisfaction and the impact on customer loyalty on customer delivery services J&T Express Bogor. This research uses quantitative approach by collecting data through survey method. The population in this study was users of J&T Express delivery services in Bogor. Sampling techniques using purposive sampling method with the criteria of users of J&T Express delivery services in Bogor who are able to perform or feel the services performed by J&T Express Bogor. The sample of 178 respondents using the technique used questionnaires. The data analysis techniques in this research use structural equation model analysis techniques. The results of this research showed that: (1) service quality has a positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction with a critical ratio of 10,967 with a large influence of 0.920. (2) Price has no effect and is significant to customer satisfaction because it has a critical ratio value of only 1,121. (3) Service Quality has no effect and is significant to customer loyalty because it has a critical ratio value of only 0.225. (4) price positively and significantly affect customer loyalty with critical ratio value of 2,454 with a large influence of 0.099. (5) customer satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on customer loyalty with a critical ratio of 6,138 with a large influence of 0.968. (6) customer satisfaction does not mediate between service quality and customer loyalty because it has a calculated t value of 0.660598. And (7) customer satisfaction does not mediate between service quality and customer loyalty because it has a calculated t value of 0.067883
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