Participant Reactions to Two-Way Immersion (TWI) Programs

The purpose of this study was to elicit participant reactions to two-way immersion (TWI) programs in the United States of America. A large number of recent studies have focused on instructor views and perspectives of two-way immersion programs, so this study aimed to gain insight from students who are, or who have, participated in TWI programs throughout North America. One hundred fifty-one TWI schools throughout the United States were contacted and asked to participate in this study. Two similar surveys were developed, one for current TWI students, and another for former TWI students. Students from these two groups were asked to fill out a confidential online survey that addressed specific linguistic skills, abilities, and preferences, as well as connection to the cultures of the target language. Forty-eight percent of the survey respondents were native speakers of English, and the remaining 52% were non-native speakers of English. The number of respondents to the former student survey was so low that the data were inconclusive, and, therefore, will not be included in this study. Since the survey was conducted online, the data were stored in a comma-delimited format for further evaluation. The data were then tallied and analyzed for common themes

Finite Element Model of Canine-Specific Vertebrae Incorporating Biomechanical Tissue Nonlinearity

As dogs are considered valuable members of many families, ensuring their health and well-being is essential. This study introduces a numerical nonlinear model that explores the complexities of canine vertebrae, with a specific focus on their experimentally observed mechanical properties. The model underwent rigorous testing, and its results were compared with actual data on the compression of canine lumbar vertebrae. The numerical results and experimental data comparison had a 12% RRMSE. This research enhances our understanding of canine bone health and lays the groundwork for future initiatives aimed at treating and mitigating bone-related diseases in dogs

Experimental study on primary bird co-infection with two Plasmodium relictum lineages-pSGS1 and pGRW11

Background: Co-infections are common in the wild. Thus, studies focused on parasite interactions are essential. We aimed to (i) follow the development of two genetic lineages of Plasmodium relictum—pSGS1 and pGRW11—during single infections and co-infections and (ii) evaluate their impact on bird host health. Materials: Twenty-four domestic canaries were allocated to four groups: two groups were infected with parasites of a single genetic lineage, one group was infected with parasites of both genetic lineages, and one group was considered as the control group. Parasitemia, the number of polychromatophils, changes in body weight, and hemoglobin levels were all quantified up to 32 days post-infection. Results: Three birds infected with pSGS1 died within 20 days post-infection. The prepatent period and the peak of parasitemia did not differ significantly between groups. Differences in hemoglobin levels between the control and experimental groups were observed and there was an abnormal increase in the number of polychromatophils in infected birds. In all infected groups, correlations were detected between the number of polychromatophils and parasitemia (positive), and between the number of polychromatophils and hemoglobin levels (negative). Conclusion: This study shows that co-infection with two phylogenetically closely related P. relictum parasites does not alter overall parasitemia and does not cause higher virulence to the host

Pan-European Study on the Prevalence of the Feline Leukaemia Virus Infection - Reported by the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD Europe)

Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus associated with fatal disease in progressively infected cats. While testing/removal and vaccination led to a decreased prevalence of FeLV, recently, this decrease has reportedly stagnated in some countries. This study aimed to prospectively determine the prevalence of FeLV viraemia in cats taken to veterinary facilities in 32 European countries. FeLV viral RNA was semiquantitatively detected in saliva, using RT-qPCR as a measure of viraemia. Risk and protective factors were assessed using an online questionnaire to report geographic, demographic, husbandry, FeLV vaccination, and clinical data. The overall prevalence of FeLV viraemia in cats visiting a veterinary facility, of which 10.4% were shelter and rescue cats, was 2.3% (141/6005; 95% CI: 2.0%-2.8%) with the highest prevalences in Portugal, Hungary, and Italy/Malta (5.7%-8.8%). Using multivariate analysis, seven risk factors (Southern Europe, male intact, 1-6 years of age, indoor and outdoor or outdoor-only living, living in a group of ≥5 cats, illness), and three protective factors (Northern Europe, Western Europe, pedigree cats) were identified. Using classification and regression tree (CART) analysis, the origin of cats in Europe, pedigree, and access to outdoors were important predictors of FeLV status. FeLV-infected sick cats shed more viral RNA than FeLV-infected healthy cats, and they suffered more frequently from anaemia, anorexia, and gingivitis/stomatitis than uninfected sick cats. Most cats had never been FeLV-vaccinated; vaccination rates were indirectly associated with the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. In conclusion, we identified countries where FeLV was undetectable, demonstrating that the infection can be eradicated and highlighting those regions where awareness and prevention should be increased