Color Comprehension And Color Categories Among Blind Students: A Multi-Sensory Approach In Implementing Concrete Language To Include All Students In Advanced Writing Classes

This study investigates teaching methods regarding color comprehension and color categorization among blind students, as compared to their non-blind peers and whether they understand and represent the same color comprehension and color categories. Then after digit codes for color comprehension teaching and assistive technology for the blind had been implemented to replace the traditional way of teachings, their color comprehension was re-investigated through color categories test, examining their ability in distinguishing between shades of similar colors and expressing correct color naming that is relevant to given contexts. Further discussion from the study also reveals how this understanding of color comprehension and color categories can help modify print materials which would allow blind students, students with low vision, as well as those with color blindness to be exposed to all the components of language and literacy-related activities as they wish, and how the teachers can make use of this color comprehension and color categories to integrate a multi-sensory approach to benefit all students, not just those with special needs

Detection and molecular characterization of infectious bronchitis virus isolated from recent outbreaks in broiler flocks in Thailand

Thirteen field isolates of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) were isolated from broiler flocks in Thailand between January and June 2008. The 878-bp of the S1 gene covering a hypervariable region was amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis based on that region revealed that these viruses were separated into two groups (I and II). IBV isolates in group I were not related to other IBV strains published in the GenBank database. Group 1 nucleotide sequence identities were less than 85% and amino acid sequence identities less than 84% in common with IBVs published in the GenBank database. This group likely represents the strains indigenous to Thailand. The isolates in group II showed a close relationship with Chinese IBVs. They had nucleotide sequence identities of 97-98% and amino acid sequence identities 96-98% in common with Chinese IBVs (strain A2, SH and QXIBV). This finding indicated that the recent Thai IBVs evolved separately and at least two groups of viruses are circulating in Thailand

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1) in Frozen Duck Carcasses, Germany, 2007

Article summary line: Phylogenetic and epidemiologic evidence shows incursion of HPAIV into the food chain

Experimental infection of chickens, ducks and quails with the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) of the H5N1 subtype have spread since 2003 in poultry and wild birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. In Korea, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks took place in 2003/2004, 2006/2007 and 2008. As the 2006/2007 isolates differ phylogenetically from the 2003/2004 isolates, we assessed the clinical responses of chickens, ducks and quails to intranasal inoculation of the 2006/2007 index case virus, A/chicken/Korea/IS/06. All the chickens and quails died on 3 days and 3-6 days post-inoculation (DPI), respectively, whilst the ducks only showed signs of mild depression. The uninoculated chickens and quails placed soon after with the inoculated flock died on 5.3 and 7.5 DPI, respectively. Both oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs were taken for all three species during various time intervals after inoculation. It was found that oropharyngeal swabs showed higher viral titers than in cloacal swabs applicable to all three avian species. The chickens and quails shed the virus until they died (up to 3 to 6 days after inoculation, respectively) whilst the ducks shed the virus on 2-4 DPI. The postmortem tissues collected from the chickens and quails on day 3 and days 4-5 and from clinically normal ducks that were euthanized on day 4 contained the virus. However, the ducks had significantly lower viral titers than the chickens or quails. Thus, the three avian species varied significantly in their clinical signs, mortality, tissue virus titers, and duration of virus shedding. Our observations suggest that duck and quail farms should be monitored particularly closely for the presence of HPAIV so that further virus transmission to other avian or mammalian hosts can be prevented

Preparation of Newcastle disease virus fluorescent conjugate by immunization of chicken

The fluorescent conjugate for diagnosis of Newcastle disease was prepared in 6-week-old chickens by immunization with Newcastle disease virus (NDV), strain F and local isolated strain NK1180/42. The antisera with high neutralizing antibodies titers were collected and pooled.The immunoglobulin was fractionated and conjugated with the fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The conjugate was tested for the specificity in NDV infected chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and cryostat sections of tracheal epithelium, lung, heart, kidney, spleen, liver, Bursa of Fabricius, brain and intestine. A distinctive fluorescence was seen in the cytoplasm of infected cells of trachea, spleen, Bursa of Fabricius and intestine 48-72 hours after innoculation. The prepared conjugate was specific to NDV and diagnosis and result could be made in 1-2 hours

Seroepidemiological survey on Japanese encephalitis virus in swine raising on the southern border of Thailand

From February to March 1999, a seroepidemiological survey on Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) was carried out. One thousand and thirteen serum samples of swine were collected from 37 farms in 4 provinces at the southern border of Thailand; Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat and Satun. Japanese encephalitis virus antibody was measured using microtiter hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. The results indicated that 95.12 - 99.42% of the breeder pigs had JE-HI antibodies at > 1:40 compared with 89.08% of the gilts. The percentages of seropositive animals were 49.75%, 50.65% and 100% in fattening pigs, weaning and suckling piglets, respectively. The study demonstrated a high exposure rate of JEV infection among swine population raised on the southern border of Thailand

The indirect immunofluorescence assay using cardiac tissue from chickens, quails and ducks for identification of influenza A virus during an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1): a rapid and simple screening tool for limited resource settings.

Here we describe the diagnostic utility of the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) during a recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H5N1 virus in southern Thailand and demonstrate the usefulness of the cardiac tissue from infected chickens, quail, and ducks for diagnosis. The most reliable sample for IFA diagnosis of influenza A virus was cardiac tissue (83.0%; 44/53) which when divided by species (chicken, quail and duck cardiac tissues) gave respective positivity rates of 88% (22/25), 88.9% (16/18) and 60.0% (6/10). Cardiac tissue also gave the highest IFA intensity for the three species. We believe that the IFA method has wide applicability in developing countries or remote settings where clinically similar avian diseases with high morbidity and mortality such as Newcastle disease and fowl cholera are common and could be rapidly excluded thereby conserving valuable reference laboratory capacity for true HPAI outbreaks

Tissue tropism of a Thailand strain of high-pathogenicity avian influenza virus (H5N1) in tissues of naturally infected native chickens (Gallus gallus), Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) and ducks (Anas spp.).

The tropism of a Thailand strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus was demonstrated on tissues (lung, trachea, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, rectum, kidney, brain, skeletal muscle, duodenum, and oviduct) from naturally infected native chickens (Gallus gallus), Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) and ducks (Anas spp.) by indirect immunofluorescence assay. In chickens and quail, the distribution and localization of nucleoprotein viral antigen was similar and detected at the highest level in cardiac myocytes, at 88% (chickens) and 89% (quail), and respiratory, digestive and urinary systems all showed high levels of antigen. Antigen in duck tissues were detected at significantly lower levels (P < 0.05) with the exception of brain and skeletal muscle samples. In most cases, antigen in duck tissue was absent in the digestive organs but present in respiratory organs, which supports the hypothesis that aerosol and oral-oral transmission are the main method of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus transmission from this species