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This research investigated six established areas for quality (Ortega-Martín et al., 2018) in the implementation of CLIL programmes in a Spanish monolingual autonomous community from the perspective of its teachers, in particular focusing on possible differences of opinion between content and English language teachers, an understudied area. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 36 teachers at four secondary schools in urban Extremadura so as to assess the perceptions of the execution and the effectiveness of current CLIL education programmes, identifying specifically their potential challenges. Significant differences between content teachers and English teachers' perceptions in six areas under study are examined, from programme management to academic results. Data results indicate that although programmes are viewed quite positively by both groups of teachers, some important areas of difference exist, including the amount of time the L2 is used in a content class and the language skills that are worked in a CLIL environment. To address this gap, suggestions are made to establish more widely accepted standards for CLIL programme objectives.

How to better prepare future bilingual teachers for foreign language learning classrooms and their challenges is a key consideration in education, a concern echoed across the world as such programmes, where curricular content is taught in a foreign language, grow in popularity. This article presents student profiles and satisfaction for the first year of an EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) teacher training model at the University of Extremadura in Spain. The goal of this programme is to offer instruction for education majors in a four-year, bilingual Bachelor's in Primary Education (BA) programme where 50% of curricular subjects are taught in students' native Spanish, and 50% in English. The data collected in this study revealed that first-year students in the bilingual programme have higher university admission scores than average, as well as high expectations for their linguistic progress in the programme. They are also quite motivated and indicate that the cooperative model of the programme positively impacted the experience of their first year and was a hallmark of their satisfaction overall. The positive results of the study offer insight not only onto analogous contexts in Spain but also to other countries where EMI or bilingual education is of interest.

Intercultural communication is not only a necessary tool for most international workplaces, but also for higher education so as to better prepare students for their future jobs. To test how intercultural competences might be taught in engineering programmes in Spain, a country where many young people have to emigrate in order to find work, an experimental group of engineers was trained in the acquisition of intercultural competences, and compared to a control group in the same field. Students exposed to the intercultural content performed significantly better on later intercultural assessments. Pedagogical implications show that teaching intercultural skills in monoculture contexts is feasible.

OBJECTIVE To determine if sedation with medetomidine-vatinoxan (Zenalpha; Dechra Veterinary Products) and midazolam (Alvogen) (ZM) would cause less cardiovascular depression and maintain similar depth and duration of sedation in pigeons (Columba livia domestica) compared to dexmedetomidine and midazolam (DM). METHODS In a blinded crossover study, 15 healthy adult domestic pigeons were sedated IM with either dexmedetomidine (0.08 mg/kg) and midazolam (2 mg/kg) or medetomidine (0.16 mg/kg), vatinoxan (3.2 mg/kg), and midazolam (2 mg/kg) from November through December 2023. Each subject was monitored for 60 minutes, then the sedation was reversed with atipamezole (0.8 mg/kg) and flumazenil (0.1 mg/kg) as needed. Sedation scores, heart rates, and respiratory rates were compared. RESULTS There was no significant difference in the peak sedation score between DM and ZM groups, with both exhibiting median scores of 4 (heavy sedation). Mean heart rate was significantly higher for ZM than DM at 5, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, and 65 minutes postinjection. Bradycardia occurred in both groups at 5 and 10 minutes postinjection and persisted for DM until reversal with atipamezole. Arrhythmias were auscultated in both groups. Bradypnea was not observed in either group, and all birds resumed normal behavior following recovery and the following day. CONCLUSIONS Medetomidine-vatinoxan-midazolam provides a similar depth of sedation to DM but with less incidence of bradycardia. Further study is needed to determine the clinical applicability of this sedative in birds. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Medetomidine-vatinoxan may be considered for short-term sedation and restraint in cardiovascularly stable pigeons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the United States, less than 5% of all adult cancer patients enroll in clinical trials. Few studies explore participation in cancer clinical trials at safety net hospitals, which disproportionately care for minoritized, low-income, uninsured, and underinsured populations. Our study aims to investigate disparities in clinical trial discussions and enrollment among lung cancer patients at Boston Medical Center, the largest safety net hospital in New England. Methods: We included 1121 patients diagnosed with lung cancer between January 2015 and December 2020. Electronic Medical Records (EMR) were queried, and patients were categorized into three groups: (1) clinical trial discussed and the patient enrolled, (2) clinical trial discussed but the patient not enrolled, and (3) clinical trial not discussed. Sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, city, primary language, median household income, medical insurance type, and education level were also collected. Chi-squared, t test, and multivariate regression analysis was done using SPSS version 26.0. Results: Of the 1121 patients, clinical trials were discussed in 141 patients (12.6%), of which 22 (15.6%) were enrolled. Clinical trial discussions were conducted more with younger patients (68.19 vs 71.37, p =.001), but on multivariate analysis there was no significant difference (OR = 1.023; 95% CI 0.998-1.048; p =.068). There was no significant difference in clinical trial discussion or enrollment between the other sociodemographic factors. Conclusion: Additional study of barriers to cancer clinical trial discussion and enrollment at safety net institutions can serve as a prerequisite to ameliorating racial disparities observed on a national scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the sustained popularity of hazy IPAs, brewers have explored multiple approaches to maximizing stable haze that will remain in suspension throughout the shelf life of the beer. Our recent investigations into yeast-dependent haze have uncovered specific brewing yeast strains that promote the formation of haze in heavily dry-hopped beer styles. These brewing strains have been termed "haze-positive" and furthermore, the timing of dry hop additions has been found to be another key factor in producing this stable haze. Classical genetics have identified YIL169C (herein referred to as HZY1) as both necessary and sufficient for the haze-positive phenotype in the yeast strain most widely used for Hazy IPAs. HZY1 encodes a candidate glycoprotein and our recent findings suggest it is localized to the cell wall through a GPI anchor. Surprisingly, using long-read sequencing data we uncovered extensive genetic variation in HZY1 across brewing strains. The haze-positive phenotype correlates with an expansion in the N-terminal serine-rich region. We propose that the Hzy1 glycoprotein is a critical component to yeast-dependent colloidal haze and the genetic variation in this locus contributes the range of haze phenotypes observed across industrial brewing strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the pharmacokinetics of intramammary antimicrobials in goats can assist in predicting appropriate meat and milk withdrawal intervals for drugs that are effective at treating subclinical mastitis due to non‐aureus Staphylococci during the dry period. Twenty‐four healthy, lactating does were enrolled in this study. Half were administered 300 mg of cephapirin benzathine (ToMORROW, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Duluth, GA) via intramammary infusion into each half of the udder. The remaining does had 500 mg cloxacillin benzathine (Orbenin DC, Merck & Co., Rahway, NJ) administered per half. Plasma was collected before treatment and for 7 days post‐treatment followed by analysis via liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectroscopy. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined using noncompartmental methods via commercial software (MonolixSuite). The mean maximum concentration (Cmax) of cephapirin of 0.073 μg/mL was noted at 7.06 h post‐administration (Tmax). The area under the plasma concentration curve based on the final sampling point (AUClast) was 1.06 h × μg/mL. The mean residence time until the final sampling point (MRTlast) was 13.55 h. Mean terminal half‐life (T½) of cephapirin was 6.98 h. In CLOX does, Cmax was 0.074 μg/mL with a Tmax of 18 h, AUClast was 5.71 h × μg/mL, T½ was 77.45 h, and MRTlast was 65.36 h. Despite both products being formulated with benzathine salts, marked differences were noted in pharmacokinetic parameters including AUC, T1/2, and MRTlast. This data will be used to plan sampling schedules for milk and tissue residue depletion studies for both products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background and Aim: Patients suspected of Alpha 1-Antitrypsin (A1AT) abnormality based on low serum concentration are routinely confirmed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of peripheral blood. Genotyping formalin- fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue is a novel approach that could aid in detecting variant A1AT. We performed qPCR on FFPE liver explants with Periodic Acid Schiff after Diastase (PASD)- and A1AT-positive globules to confirm and estimate the frequency of A1AT deficiency in transplant cases. Materials and Methods: Eighteen (12.68%) of 142 patients with end-stage liver disease showed PASD/A1AT positive globules. FFPE of the explants was tested through qPCR to detect S and Z alleles. A second age- and sex-matched control group consisting of five liver transplant patients with negative globules was included in the study. Results: qPCR assay was successful with all the samples meeting QC parameters. All patients included in the study elucidated Z allele variants; 2 homozygous (11.1%) and 16 heterozygous (88.9%). The control group demonstrated normal wild-type MM allele. Conclusion: Screening for A1AT deficiency using serum levels is not sufficiently sensitive to detect deficiency, especially in carriers. If A1AT testing was not performed preoperatively and the risk is high based on the PASD/ A1AT-positive globules in the explants, then molecular testing of FFPE tissue can be a viable method for confirming the diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]