Comparison of different methods to detect genetic barriers in a small mammal population

Habitat fragmentation and the consequently the loss of connectivity between populations can reduce the individuals interchange and gene flow, increasing the chances of inbreeding, and the increase the risk of local extinction. Landscape genetics is providing more and better tools to identify genetic barriers.. To our knowledge, no comparison of methods in terms of consistency has been made with observed data and species with low dispersal ability. The aim of this study is to examine the consistency of the results of five methods to detect barriers to gene flow in a Mediterranean pine vole population Microtus duodecimcostatus: F-statistics estimations, Non-Bayesian clustering, Bayesian clustering, Boundary detection and Simple/Partial Mantel tests. All methods were consistent in detecting the stream as a non-genetic barrier. However, no consistency in results among the methods were found regarding the role of the highway as a genetic barrier. Fst, Bayesian clustering assignment test and Partial Mantel test identifyed the highway as a filter to individual interchange. The Mantel tests were the most sensitive method. Boundary detection method (Monmonier’s Algorithm) and Non-Bayesian approaches did not detect any genetic differentiation of the pine vole due to the highway. Based on our findings we recommend that the genetic barrier detection in low dispersal ability populations should be analyzed with multiple methods such as Mantel tests, Bayesian clustering approaches because they show more sensibility in those scenarios and with boundary detection methods by having the aim of detect drastic changes in a variable of interest between the closest individuals. Although simulation studies highlight the weaknesses and the strengths of each method and the factors that promote some results, tests with real data are needed to increase the effectiveness of genetic barrier detection.

BET on Top Hat: challenges to improve language proficiency

Within the business context, communication and interaction tends to be considerably rooted in the use of English (as lingua franca), as well as in ICT use. Thus, professionals have to be able to speak the English language, resorting to specific, internationally recognised terminology and be proficient in the use of manifold ICT tools. In fact, the tendency is for the great majority of higher education (HE) students to own mobile devices (laptops, smartphones and/or tablets) and use them to access information and communicate/interact with content and other people. Bearing this in mind, a teaching and learning strategy was designed, in which m-learning (i.e. learning in which the delivery platform is a mobile device) was used to approach Business English Terminology (BET). The strategy was labelled as ‘BET on Top Hat’, once the selected application was Top Hat (https://tophat.com/) and the idea was for students to face it as if it were a game/challenge. In this scenario, the main goals of this exploratory study were to find evidence as to: i) the utility of m-learning activities for learning BET and ii) if and how m-learning activities can generate intrinsic motivation in students to learn BET. Participants (n=23) were enrolled in English II, a curricular unit of the 1st cycle degree in Retail Management offered at Águeda School of Technology and Management – University of Aveiro (2014/15 edition). The data gathered included the students’ results in quizzes and their answers to a short final evaluation questionnaire regarding their experience with BET on Top Hat. Consequently, data were treated and analysed resorting to descriptive statistical analysis, and, when considered pertinent, the teacher’s observation notes were also considered. The results unveil that, on the one hand, the strategy had a clear positive impact on the students’ intrinsic motivation and, on the other hand, the students’ performance as to BET use tended to improve over time.